Chapter 20
Two weeks had passed quickly. This was the last night
that Royal would spend in Moscow. Her trip had been the
most surreal experience of her existence. Dmitry had finally
done as he promised and taken her on a grand private tour
of the Red Square, the Kremlin, the Cathedrals, downtown
Moscow, great five-star restaurants for fine cuisine, shopping
sprees at the best boutiques, a walk in the snow-filled
park, and he had topped the vacation off by sending her to
a real fashion show.
Gostiny Dvor‟s atrium was packed the night before
New Year‟s Eve. The 18thcentury architectural gem was
filled with fashion aficionados speaking many different
languages all at the same time. They huddled together in
their packs, smiling, laughing and networking. People wore
high fashion by designers that she knew well and some that
she had never heard of before.
Waiters and waitresses bounced around the room with
food and champagne; a live ban played a hip, Russia techno
tune. And Royal had a natural high from simply being
there. She tried desperately not to look like a deer in
headlights. She only spoke English. Many of the people in
the room spoke many languages and had a lot more to talk
about than Memphis.
The notion was overwhelming to her that somehow
even in all of her glamorized clothing, she was poorest
woman of culture in the room. However, at that moment,
she did not care. She was just excited to be there.
Her black cocktail bag rattled on her arm. It was her
cell phone. Reaching into her purse, she was grateful to see
that it was Dmitry taking time to give her a call.
Latrivia S. Nelson
248
"Hello." She moved to the corner to hear him better.
"How is you evening coming along?" he asked, raising
his voice to speak above the crowd in her background. He
sat across from Anatoly and a few of his men having a quiet
dinner in the hotel.
Royal scanned the room. "It‟s too much."
"Too much?"
"It‟s amazing." She grabbed a glass off the tray as a
waitress passed by. "There are so many people here."
"Are you afraid? Where is Nadia?"
"No, I‟m not afraid. She‟s around here somewhere.
I‟m fine. Really." She paused. "I‟m excited!" She put her
digital camera back in its satchel, allowing it to rest from
overuse. "I‟ve never in my life been to anything like this.
I‟m still high on a super adrenaline rush."
"Good." He sat back in his seat and relieved the tension
growing in his body at the mere thought of her being
uncomfortable. "Are you going to buy something?"
"Yes. A few somethings actually. We won‟t be able to fit
all the stuff that I‟ve purchased on the plane. I‟ll have to
mail it back home." She took a sip of her champagne.
"This is not a big deal. Just enjoy yourself. Let someone
else deal with the logistics."
"Okay. What are you doing?"
"Having dinner with my son."
"Good. Tell him I said hello."
He smiled. "I will."
"Okay. I‟ll be back as soon as it‟s over. Can we spend
some time together?" she pleaded.
While the trip had been called a vacation, Dmitry had
worked the entire time, going into meeting after meeting
with Anatoly.
Dmitry's Closet
249
"I was just about to ask you the same thing. I know
that I‟ve been really preoccupied. My apologies."
"It‟s fine, baby. I‟ve had a ball."
"You‟re a very understanding woman, Royal."
She blushed. "I try." She saw her escort, Nadia, making
her way across the crowded floor to her. "Well, look.
I‟ve gotta go, but thanks for calling."
"See you soon," Dmitry said smiling. He closed the cell
phone in his hand and looked over at Anatoly. "She said to
tell you hello."
Anatoly smirked. "She talks too much."
While Dmitry did not attend the show, he did introduce
her to the wife of a good friend of his who happily escorted
Royal to the VIP event. She could barely understand the
Russian woman Nadia, but she was very nice. She spoke
with a heavy accent, always nodding her head and smiling as
she talked. She wore a wedding ring that resembled the
hope diamond and donned the finest furs and leather that
she had ever seen.
Nadia looked like she could have gotten up from her
seat and walked down the catwalk with the other models.
No one would have known. She was extremely beautiful
and tanned. Royal found that odd. She was tanned in this
type of frost-biting weather.
They had seats by the catwalk, where they watched all
the skinny, beautiful women prance around in front of
them, showcasing the finest in Russian designs by the crafty
heiress and teenager Kira Plastinina.
Royal had purchased a few of Plastinina‟s collections to
put in her store a few months ago. She liked Kira‟s whimsical
dresses and bright colors, but she was now sitting at
her show, preparing to order off the runway.
Latrivia S. Nelson
250
After the show, as they were being escorted out of the
building by their bodyguards into the cold brisk night, Royal
caught a glimpse of an attractive man in a gray wool sailor‟s
coat and a pair of jeans coming towards her.
As he neared closer, Royal realized that it was Dmitry,
towering over the others in the crowd like the gentle giant
that he was. He smiled when he knew that she had recognized
him. He was without bodyguards or an entourage.
She moved away from the car in her long black gown
towards him. Nadia‟s bodyguard quickly reached for her,
stopping her from attempting to wander through the crowd.
She looked up at the man and pointed over at Dmitry. He
quickly released her, apologizing in his native tongue.
"Did you enjoy it?" Dmitry asked, nodding at the bodyguard
as Royal walked up to him.
"Yes." Royal looked back over at the man one last time,
before she took Dmitry‟s hand.
"Take Nadia home," Dmitry ordered him. "And Nadia,
thank you so much for escorting Royal."
"It was pleasure," she said with a toothy smile. "Poka!"
Winking at Royal, she got into the back of the limo.
Royal looked over at the car as it pulled off. "I guess
we‟re walking."
"This will be fine. You have insulation," Dmitry pulled
at her coat. He leaned into her, talking under his breath and
looking into her eyes. "I just wanted us to begin our private
time as soon as possible. Tomorrow, we leave for Memphis,
and we‟ll be stuck on a small plane with ten people for
many long hours." His minty breath tickled her nose.
"I know," Royal huffed. "Moscow was starting to grow
on me too. Oh well." She hunched her shoulders and
smiled. Her eyes sparkled nearly as bright as the diamonds
on her ears.
Dmitry's Closet
251
Dmitry motioned away from the crowds of people outside
loading into fine cars. "Shall we?" he asked, graciously
offering his arm.
Royal wrapped her arm around his large bicep and
stayed close as he whisked them through the crowd. They
walked towards the lights of their hotel. Their footsteps
could be heard on the bricked pavement as they moved
further and further from the crowds into the silence of their
own company.
Royal walked close to him, under his embrace. She was
a little afraid to be out so late alone, having been used to the
bodyguards now. But Dmitry walked carefree, unworried
with being alone. His solace calmed her.
"Where are we going?" Royal asked.
"Up to the room, so we can get rest for tomorrow.
Maybe we can have nightcap."
"Are you being a dirty old man," she asked, raising her
eyebrow at him, recalling the night before.
"What? I didn‟t do anything." He smiled at her. "This
time, I really do want drink. But I just felt like walking for
change." He took a deep breath. "Slow down finally. It‟s
been long time since I could do that, you know."
"I see you have on your Christmas gift," Royal said, observing
the nice new leather carrying case for his blackberry.
"Dah. This was a very thoughtful gift. Spasiba. I love
you almost as much as I love my phone." He smiled at her.
"Well, I knew that you needed a new one. You‟re old
one was starting to look bad."
"You know, you always seem to get me the things that I
can really use and that I appreciate it."
"Yeah?"
Latrivia S. Nelson
252
"Yeah," Dmitry repeated. "I am thinking that one day,
you might get me a son or even daughter." He looked at
her.
"You have your order mixed up. The cart is not supposed
to go before the horse." She rolled her eyes.
"You seem sensitive about it tonight."
"I have my reasons." There was silence as they walked.
Dmitry stopped and turned to her. "This expression
horse and cart refers to marriage right?"
"Right."
"You‟re very sensitive about that too."
"Most women are."
"No one is as sensitive about it as you."
Royal could feel the heat of her skin. How dare he?
She tried to stay calm but it was not easy. She took deep
breaths and focused on the beauty around her. No reason
to ruin the night.
Dmitry observed her anger. He knew her well by now.
"Why are you so sure that you‟re missing out on something?"
"You wouldn‟t understand." Tears pricked at her eyes.
She held them back.
"Understand? What is there to understand? Tell me."
"Every time I turn around, you‟re giving me diamonds,
and at first, I didn‟t understand your generosity. But now I
think I‟ve finally gotten you figured out. You shower me
with all these diamonds for my neck and my ears and my
wrist, because you want to take my mind away from the one
I really want on my finger."
She turned and started to walk again.
"I‟m not avoiding it. I think of it probably more than
you do."
Dmitry's Closet
253
"Why would you? You have the milk, no need to buy
the cow now?"
"What? What is this about a cow? Horses now cows.
I‟m confused."
"I‟m not playing, Dmitry. It depresses me. It…pisses
me off. It makes me feel less than a woman."
Dmitry took her arm and looked into her eyes. "I
would never want to make you feel less than a woman.
That is not my intention at all, Royal Stone."
"But it is your intention to keep me a kept woman?"
"By whose standards are you kept. I don‟t believe in
the world‟s social norms. I live by another set. One that
has ruled me since I was a boy."
"And does this society of yours have wives?"
"No."
"That‟s what I thought. As much as I love you, don‟t
you ever ask yourself if all of this will end? If I can‟t be
your wife, then I can‟t be in your life forever."
And there it was, Royal‟s ultimatum.
Dmitry shook his head. It had taken her longer than he
had first expected.
"Yes. You can. You belong to me. Tell me that you
can't feel it? We have a covenant...you and I. Whether
there is a ring on your finger or not, I will always be your
husband. You gave me your virginity...I gave you my entire
life."
"And I‟m grateful. I mean, if it were my place, I‟d have
already asked you to marry me." She sighed. "But it‟s not
my place, because I‟m not the man in this relationship."
"Thank God."
Dmitry smiled. Clever little girl. She was determined to
get what she wanted. She looked up at him and rolled her
eyes.
Latrivia S. Nelson
254
He reverted back to his previous discussion knowing
that it would only irritate her more. "So cow, children with
you is not out of question?" he asked, holding in a chuckle.
"At this point, I‟m damned certain that they are in the
picture." Royal had learned not to expect Dmitry‟s constant
questions to go anywhere. Sometimes, he just wanted to
know. "I just want to be married first. And if you call me a
cow again, I‟ll climb up your lanky body and kick you in the
balls."
He did chuckle that time and put his hand over his
groin.
"Whoa, horsey. I hope that we have a whole house full
of babies with their kept momma. And they can have your
last name. I like it more."
Royal was incensed. She snatched her arm away. "You
pompous asshole!" Shaking her head, she stormed off.
"How I could even wait on baited breath for you to ask is
beyond me. I‟m an idiot! Just as much of an idiot as you
are. We deserve each other. We‟re both ridiculous!"
Dmitry stopped walking and watched her pout her way
down the street.
"Royal. Royal come back," he called after her.
"No!"
"How about now?" he asked, smiling.
"How about now what?"
Royal stopped walking and whipped around. Her heart
stopped. Dmitry was on one knee under a street light. His
grin was even more devious that ever. He had a look of
utter accomplishment on his face.
As she walked closer to him, he took off his gray wool
skull cap, revealing his blonde curly locks. He looked up at
her, still nearly as tall on one knee as she was standing. His
eyes sparkled.
Dmitry's Closet
255
"Hi," he said softly. His dimples created creases in his
jaw line.
"Hi," Royal whispered with her hands over her mouth
in disbelief. "You really got my goat this time. Didn‟t you."
"Goats, horses, cows. This is why I love you."
"I love you too."
Dmitry cleared his throat. "Some people do this after
dinner in crowded restaurants. I prefer privacy. We are
here in the city that I was born, the city that created what I
am, whether it‟s good or bad." He looked around and
sighed. "So much has happened in the last few weeks,
things that have come to fruition that have completed my
legacy. It is time for me to move on with my life. I have
worked hard enough, and I want to start this new life with
you – the woman that I love, and a woman that is pure but
is not all ignorant of the world. No man can ask for more."
Tears ran down Royal‟s cheeks. No longer cold or
afraid, she clung to her coat shaking not from coldness but
from shock. She stood in front of him on the sidewalk in
the snow looking down at her knight in shining armor.
"Will you be my wife?" Dmitry asked, pulling a small
box from his coat and opening it to show a very large
solitaire diamond ring. Its simplistic beauty and grandiose
size caught her attention instantly, but it was Dmitry‟s
question that captured her. When she did not answer,
Dmitry continued. He felt his strength weaning. He wasn‟t
expecting her to say no. He began to stutter. "I… I know
that you don‟t know what I do, what I‟ve done, who I am.
If you give me time, I will show you the man that I can
be..."
"Yes," Royal said, sticking her left hand out. "Yes, I
will marry you."
"Are you sure, because you took minute," he joked.
Latrivia S. Nelson
256
"Yes," Royal screamed and a laughed. "Yes." She
smiled bright as he slid the ring on her finger and picked her
up. The luminous d-grade diamond sparkled in the moonlight
on her long slender finger.
"Come here," he said, holding her close. They hugged
tightly. "You have made me very happy. Now I will have
beautiful wife who has promised to give me lots of children
and no more lip."
"I love you," she said with her hands around his neck.
"You do?"
"Yes," she looked into his eyes. "I‟ll always love you."
"I love you too," he said kissing her lips. He scooped
her up in his arms and laughed and smiled at her. His deep
voice lit up the night. "We‟re getting married!"
"Yeah!" Royal screamed. She looked at her ring again.
"I‟ve gotta get a dress," she said, shaking her head.