I made myself look busy as I prepared for our work trip, but I was just moving stuff around so it looked like I was collecting things to pack.
"I didn't realize you were the bang-your-boss type," Jasper all but shouted from his desk.
I scoffed and looked at him.
"Do you ever actually work?" I asked him.
"Well? I saw you out for dinner with the CEO last night."
"Yes, and my best friend and her husband. It was a working dinner," I said.
"Oh! Is Lissa back from Thailand!?" Sydney exclaimed. God, I loved her. She was the perfect relief. It was like she wore a bell that would go off when I needed saving.
"Yes, and you should know that I am going to be the world's best aunt in four months," I said with a smile. Syndey's eyes bugged out and she was out of her chair, coming around to hug me.
"Oh, that is so exciting!" Sydney squealed.
"What kind of working dinner?"
"Why does it matter to you?" I returned with a shake of my head, "You don't need to know everything that is going on all the time. Sometimes, you need to butt out."
Jasper gave me a cocky smirk as he stood up, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Because I think that you're screwing the CEO," he said. I rolled my eyes and scratched my head. I was so over this crap.
"You'd love that because then you'd have a reason to get me into trouble and have a bigger position. But I can assure you, you are wrong," I said as I walked away, scoffing quietly. Sydney shook her head too as she walked back to her desk.
"What a douche bag," she whispered under her breath. I was stunned at her choice of words, considering any time she said 'crap' she lowered her voice a few octaves.
"Those accusations are not taken lightly, Mr. Keys. I would refrain from making them unless you are going to make a formal complaint," Kirova said and I cringed. I didn't need her on my tail too.
I stretched out on the sun chair with a quiet groan. The sun was hot on my back, and I was basking in as much Vitamin D as I could. I knew that I was probably sunburnt, but I didn't care. I was loving every minute of it. Seatle was far too glum sometimes.
I tucked my hands under my cheek and sighed quietly, yawning despite the perfect sleep I had. I jumped when cold water dripped on my back but smiled when a kiss was pressed against my neck.
"How was the water?" I chuckled.
"Perfect. You should have joined me," Dimitri said as he kissed my shoulder and then got onto the chair beside me.
"In a minute. The sun feels so nice," I sighed as I wiggled my toes.
"You're getting a little red, Roza. You should get out of the sun," Dimitri said softly, brushing my cheek with his finger. I raised my head and flipped, sitting up and adjusting the umbrella so I covered better.
"Satisfied?"
Dimitri took a sip from his water bottle and nodded.
"Very. I like that bathing suit," he said with a wink and a hungry look. I winked at him and reached for my glass. It wasn't anything special. It was a simple blank-string bikini, but it did look good on me.
"You'll love it off later," I teased as I wiped my chin when some of my drink spilled over.
"I'm sure I will," he said as he put his sunglasses on, crossing his ankles comfortably. I smiled and crossed my ankles too, letting my head rest back against the pillow. We had been here for three days and I was not looking forward to going back to work. More or less because I didn't want our vacation to end.
After a smallish, well not small at all, stop at our room a few hours later, we got dressed for dinner. Dimitri was right about me getting a little red. My face was a nice shade of pink, and my shoulders were red too. But I knew by tomorrow, I'd be fine.
There was a bit of a wait when we got to the restaurant, so we both grabbed a drink and hung out around the bar. I didn't mind though; it allowed me to reminisce about our last trip here. We were sitting at this same bar, drunk when he kissed me for the first time. It was almost like it was an accident, a subconscious action that he had thought through.
I took a sip of my drink as we waited for our table. Our last night was coming to an end, and I missed our pooch. That was mainly the only reason I wanted to go home.
"Dimitri? What are you doing here?" I heard someone ask and I groaned quietly. We almost had a work-free trip.
"Hi, Tasha," Dimitri said almost awkwardly with a glance towards me.
"What are you doing here?"
"Work. What are you doing here?" he said. Tasha gestured behind her to a handful of girls at the bar.
"Bachelorette party," she said before her eyes fell on me, "Don't tell me he dragged you all the way here for work?"
"He extended the offer to come for work. I got a free trip out of it," I said politely, taking another sip of my drink.
"How if you're here for work?"
"An hour or two of work for the first three days, the last two for leisure," Dimitri said, cutting the interaction short when the hostess came back to seat us.
"We're being seated, have a fun night," Dimitri said before leading me away with the hostess. I blew a breath from between my lips and chuckled quietly.
"We were this close," I said holding my hand up with my fingers pinched together, not quite touching.
"So close to a work-free week," Dimitri chuckled as he pulled my chair out for me.
"Crazy that we ran into her," I said with a snicker. Dimitri nodded and almost rolled his eyes.
"At least she's here for a party, and didn't try to invite herself," he said as he sat down, running his hand through his hair.
"She'd do that?"
"I know her outside of work. I wouldn't put it past her," he said with a shake of his head, but reached across the table, lacing his fingers with mine.
Our honeymoon was perfect, but now it felt like the 'honeymoon' phase bubble had been popped.
Tasha had come by the office too many times. I knew that this contract with the marketing company was difficult, but I felt that it was honestly not worth it. It felt like I never even got to see my husband these days. Even at the office.
I knew that not all of the meetings for the marketing company were with her alone, but I still felt slighted sometimes about how much time they were spending together. There was something in my gut that told me not to trust her.
I laid on my side and watched the rain drizzle down the window. It was the third time I had gone to bed alone in two weeks, and I was starting to feel despondent.
Meeko laid on the floor beside the bed, his head resting on his paws as he slept. I would have loved to have him up on the bed, but he was an absolute bed hog. I tucked my hand under my cheek and sighed quietly, my other hand fisting the edge of the blanket. The thunder was quiet, barely a rumble in the sky, but it was soothing. And it was loud enough to mask the sounds coming from Meeko's mouth.
I heard the front door close, and I glanced at the clock. It was late and I was too tired to bring it up. But I didn't want to be in a foul mood for work either. Dimitri walked quietly into the bedroom and the bathroom, turning the shower on. I rolled slightly to look towards the bathroom and then rolled back, sighing again as I closed my eyes.
By the time he finished showering, I was almost asleep. He crept into the bedroom again quietly and I heard his phone ping as he plugged it in. The covers lifted and he slid in beside me, laying behind me as he wrapped his arm around my waist, his hand tracing my arm until it came to rest on my hand. he nuzzled my neck softly and kissed it, resting his head against mine like he always did.
Every night he would do this, and every night I loved it, but tonight I was just…tired.
His thumb stroked my knuckles softly, brushing over my fingers a few times before he stopped. He ran his thumb over my ring finger again, but there was no ring there to catch on.
"It broke," I mumbled tiredly with a wince, readjusting my head against the pillow.
"How?"
"Remember when I jammed my hand in the filing cabinet earlier?" I whispered, my eyes still closed, "It cracked the metal right through. Guess it was better than my finger."
Dimitri lifted my hand even though it was dark, his thumb even more gentle on my finger.
"I'll see if I can get it repaired," he whispered and kissed my temple, "Good night, my love."
"Good night," I whispered, opening my eyes for a second before closing them again.
I sat at my desk and stared at the broken pieces of my wedding band. I knew that it was just something we found at a consignment store, but it was still my wedding band. I toyed with one piece and sighed quietly, rubbing my finger over my upper lip. My finger hurt like a bitch when I woke up this morning, and there was an outline of where my ring sat.
"What's that?" Kirova asked, standing in the doorway.
I jumped, not realizing she was here yet and cleared my throat. She was standing in the doorway with a mug in her hand.
"What remains of my wedding band," I said with a frown. She cocked her head and came into Dimitri's office, looking down at the pieces on the desk.
"That's a shame," she said quietly, her hand fluttering up to her wedding band that rested on her hand. I had never heard her mention a husband and never thought to ask her.
"How did it happen?"
"The old filing cabinet in the archives, which is why my finger is purple," I said as I picked up the pieces, put them into an envelope, and set them inside my desk drawer.
"Well, I'm sure that insurance will cover a replacement if it can't be fixed," she said almost awkwardly. I nodded, not having the mental energy to say it probably couldn't be fixed and faked a tight smile, turning to my laptop.
"Did you need something?" I asked.
"Mr. Belikov lets me use his coffee machine in the morning," she said gesturing to the machine. I nodded and gestured for her to go ahead. I was probably throwing her off because I was here earlier than usual today. Once she made her coffee she left and I sighed, slouching down in my chair.
Dimitri said this morning that he wasn't going to be in until the afternoon, and a part of me was glad. It meant I was less likely to hear from Tasha. I knew that it was just work and that sometimes he would need to work outside the standard hours, but he hadn't even introduced me to his friend as his wife. She just knew me as his assistant.
When lunch rolled around, I pushed my salad around the container. Dimitri made it for me when he got up this morning, but I just wasn't hungry. Most of the office had gone out for lunch and had invited me, but I wasn't the best company today.
I looked up when Dimitri walked into the office, a takeout tray balanced in his hand and a small gold bag in his hand. I played with my salad as I watched him. He brought the bag and a to-go cup to my desk and set them down. Then he moved around my desk and smiled softly at me as he sat on the edge of my desk, sliding my container over a few inches. He stroked my cheek gently and I smiled at him.
"We're at work," I reminded him quietly.
"They can't see with how I'm sitting," he said as he pulled a green velvet box out of his duster pocket. It wasn't large, and it fit perfectly in the palm of his hand. He opened it and turned it towards me, making my jaw drop.
"When did you get this?" I whispered, looking down at the rings in the box.
"I already planned on taking the morning off to get you a gift to celebrate a year together, but this seemed like a better idea". The first one had a large diamond in the centre of it, surrounded by what looked like wings made of smaller diamonds. The second ring was a band similar to the one that broke but had a half-twisted design to it.
"You didn't need to do that," I whispered softly as he took the rings out of the box.
"I wanted to. Plus, I don't like seeing your finger without my ring on it. I still want to try and get yours fixed, but it might take some time," he said, sliding the rings onto my finger and then kissing my hand softly.
I smiled at him and then looked at the bag.
"What's that?" I said jutting my chin towards it.
"That is our one-year gift. Open it."
"Please tell me it doesn't cost more than my pay cheque," I moaned as I pulled the bag towards me.
"No promises," he said with a grin. I opened the bag and made a noise when I saw the blue book. I opened the box and licked my lips, smiling softly to myself.
"You bought me a Tiffany Victoria," I said quietly, "You didn't need to do that."
Dimitri took the necklace from me and walked around my chair. I gathered my hair and held it so that he could clasp the necklace. I smiled at him as he sat on the edge of my desk again.
"I wanted to," he said with a smile. I bit my lip and reached for my latte, taking a sip as I admired my new rings. Even if my finger was purple under it, they still looked beautiful. And the one ring could be an 'engagement' ring. I wiggled my fingers gently as I kicked my heels up on the desk.
"You like them?" Dimitri asked, his hand resting on the top of my foot.
"I love them. They're beautiful," I whispered.
Heels clipped on the floor, and I sat up straight in my chair, seeing Kirova come into the room with the paystubs. She thumbed through them and spotted us. She looked between us, Dimitri still sitting on the edge of my desk and the velvet box on the desk.
I knew what it looked like, and my eyes flicked to Dimitri.
"Did some shopping this morning, did we? I hope you bought your wife a placeholder until her ring is fixed. And maybe an ice pack," Kirova said as she handed me my pay stub.
"Pardon?"
"You both have the same address on your personal files. I see it when I do payroll," she said as she handed Dimitri his.
"And you assumed we were married?"
"I'm not a complete idiot. I see the looks, plus I was in the kitchen when Dimitri went in a threw out your lunch when he realized that it wasn't good and was saving you from food poisoning. I'm old, but not that old," she said and she glanced at my hand. I extended my hand and looked at Dimitri, not really sure what to make of the situation.
"How long ago did you figure it out?"
She examined my rings quietly.
"When you got flustered after Keys accused you of 'screwing the CEO'. And very beautiful," she said about the rings.
"And you never said anything? To anyone?"
"It's nobody's business. I know what it's like to be married to my boss," she said before she left, leafing through the other paystubs and dropping them on desks.
"I was not expecting that," I said quietly. Dimitri smirked and took a sip of his coffee.
"Neither did I," he said with a smile.
I dropped the towel in the basket as I left our room, grabbing my hair and tying it loosely in a bun on top of my head.
"That smells amazing," I mused as I walked into the kitchen. I didn't know what he was cooking, but it smelled glorious. Dimitri looked up from the stove and smirked.
"It's garlic, onions, celery, and carrots," he laughed and I shrugged.
"Hey, I like the smell of it anyways," I said as I came around the island, wrapping my arms around his waist and resting my cheek against his back. Dimitri's hand brushed mine and he hummed quietly as he stirred the pot. When the doorbell rang, I lifted my head.
"Are you expecting anyone?" I asked.
"No," he said with a shake of his head. I walked to the door and opened it, my brows furrowing.
"Hello?"
Tasha turned and had a smile on her face, but it fell off when she saw me.
"Hello?" she asked, "What are you doing here?"
"I live here," I said plainly, "What are you doing here?"
"No, this is where Dimitri lives," she retorted, and I crossed my arms over my chest.
"Comrade. The door is for you!" I called out. I heard Dimitri approach and tried not to smack Tasha when she muttered that my nickname was inappropriate.
"Tash? What are you doing here?" Dimitri asked as he stood behind me.
"I thought that maybe we could sign the contract and pop a bottle to celebrate," she said gesturing to the bottle in her hand, "But it looks like you have some company."
"How did you find out where I live?" he asked, and I looked up at him. I figured he had told her, or she had been here before, but hearing him ask that made me narrow my eyes at her.
"Well, your assistant left information open on her desk-"
"My wife," Dimitri corrected, "Rose is my wife."
Tasha cocked her head slightly. "What?"
"Rose is my wife. Not just my assistant. Now, I don't know why you were in my office when neither Rose or I were there, and I don't appreciate you showing up at my home unannounced. We've talked about this," Dimitri said, "Rose, please go check that dinner isn't burning."
I nodded and slipped away. I wanted to stay and listen to what was being said, but I went to the shove and removed the pan, turning the heat off. I looked over the ingredients, but I couldn't make sense of any of them. It looked like it could be chicken noodle soup.
I heard the door shut and leaned against the counter, biting my lip as Dimitri came back in. He didn't look happy and I watched his walk around the island.
"If Tasha shows up here again, don't open the door," he said tersely, and I nodded.
"Is there something I need to know?" I asked.
Dimitri went back to the stove and turned the burner back on, putting the pan back on it as he pulled a pot out of the cupboard.
"Before I met you, Tasha and I dated. Briefly. And I broke it off because she got attached too quickly. Almost clingy. I partially went on my trip to the Bahamas to get away from her nagging. She wouldn't let it go. I thought things had smoothed over now and that she would keep things professional, but I was mistaken," he explained with a shake of his head, "She should never have shown up here."
"How long before you met me?" I whispered.
"We had broken up three months before I met you," he said with a sigh, "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"That you have to deal with that mess," he said waving towards the door. I shrugged and smiled tiredly at him.
"So, I wasn't just a rebound?"
Dimitri raised a brow at me and came towards me, wrapping his arms around my waist as I stood up straight.
"You are definitely not a rebound. If anyone in this scenario is a rebound, it's me. Remember, you had just found out Jesse was gay," he whispered and kissed the tip of my nose and then my lips.
"Good," I whispered and rubbed my nose against his gently, "Now tell me what you're cooking because I'm starving and it smells amazing so far."
Dimitri kissed me again and went back to our food.
"Chicken noodle soup," he said as he started putting things into the stock pot.
When I got to work, there were whispers again. I usually ignored it, but when I heard my name, I spun on my heel and started Jasper down.
"Do you have something to say?" I demand, "Cause I'd rather you kept my name out of your mouth."
"I just wonder how long you'll be here after tanking the deal with the marketing company," he said with raised brows.
"Excuse me?"
"Well, word got around that you tanked the deal, so I wonder how you'll have a job still?"
I scoffed and shook my head.
"I didn't tank anything. As far as I'm aware, the deal is still on the table."
"That's not what Tasha Ozera said," Blake piped up.
"Yeah, well Tasha was removed from the deal when she showed up at my house unannounced last night," I snapped before I caught myself and took a deep breath.
"Why would she show up at your house?" Jasper asked condescendingly.
"Because she thought she was going to invite herself in and didn't realize that I had a wife."
I bit my lip and swallowed thickly. Dimitri stepped beside me and tucked his hands into the pockets of his dress pants.
"The deal with Nightingale Marketing is still pending, and I'd ask you to refrain from making comments about Rose's job security in the future. It's inappropriate," Dimitri said before he walked away. I was a little stunned by his words, and I could see Sydney smirking from behind a file she held up to her face. I nodded to myself and spun on my heels, walking away from the bullpen and to the elevator. I needed caffeine, but I meant to buy pods for the machine in the office and forgot.
As I exited the elevator, I almost bulldozed a man coming on.
"Oh, sorry," I said as I stepped past him.
"It's not a problem," the man said and there was something familiar about his voice. I couldn't place it but I kept going. I didn't get a good look at him either. It was a little cold without my coat, but I went down to the coffee shop down the street and bought me and Dimitri coffee.
When I came back the door to the office was shut and the blinds were drawn. I sat at my old desk and drank my coffee pointedly ignoring the stares from my coworkers while I scrolled on my phone. It buzzed in my hand and a message popped up.
You can come in now.
I stood up and grabbed the coffees, pushing the door open with my hip.
"Abe, this is my assistant and my wonderful wife, Rose. Rose, this is Abe, he is the CEO of Nightingale Marketing," Dimitri said. The man, Abe, stood up to greet me, but without his jacket and hat on, I recognized him.
"Uncle Abe?" I asked.
He smiled. "I thought that was you," he said as he approached, opening his arms to me. I awkwardly hugged him with both coffees in my hands. Dimitri stood up and took one of them and smiled at me.
"I didn't know you ran Nightingale," I said.
"I took it over a few years ago. Congratulations on your marriage," he said as he kissed my cheek. My uncle wasn't around a lot, but when he was, he was always very caring and attentive. He helped me pay for university and gave me half of my downpayment for my condo. He and my mom were interesting, but I never questioned the man that I knew wasn't blood-related to me.
I smiled at him and hugged him tightly, smiling at Dimitri over his shoulder.
Dimitri smiled back at me and stood up, buttoning his suit jacket.
"I'm hoping that this new revelation may make things go a bit more smoothly. And not involve people unexpectedly showing up at my house?"
Abe pulled back and looked almost offended.
"Is that what she did?"
"Tasha? Yes," I said dryly with a roll of my eyes, "Knows no boundaries, that one."
Abe scoffed a laugh. "Well, I can promise I won't show up at your house. But I will treat both of you to a nice lunch, and some signatures on this contract," he said with a raised brow. He wasn't exactly offering, and instead insisting on it.
Abe has entered the chat! Fun and intense things to come!
