Ava
Tomorrow arrives sooner than I expect, and before I know it, it’s already 4:43. With just barely twenty minutes left to spare, I stare at my reflection in the mirror, wondering if I’d picked a good enough dress for my date with Nikolai.
When I woke up I was simply met with a text message from Nikolai telling me to pick between the two dresses he’d selected for me to wear on our date. I, of course, had no idea which to choose and had called Cara to help me.
The soft lavender dress I’d chosen out of the two dresses now clings to my figure, highlighting my curves with just the right amount of elegance and sluttiness. Not that I wanted any amount of sluttiness, but Cara insisted that a bit of sluttiness is okay for a first date and a lot of sluttiness is okay for a second, which was why the Lavender dress would “do excellently. Her words, not mine.
Twenty minutes after our video call ended I still have no idea what she means by that.
My hands smooth over the front of my dress, admiring the way the cool colour compliments my skin. During our video call, I asked Cara to help me pick between this dress and the red dress now lying in the walk-in closet of Nikolai’s bedroom. Cara pointed out how this colour complimented my skin giving off the effortless look most people went for during first dates.
Although I’m not sure about the effortless part.
My hair had taken longer to style than usual since I decided to turn my tight curls into soft flowing waves that cascaded down my back. The loose curls frame my face, adding to the final piece to the overall look I was going for
I grab a pair of pearl earrings from the dresser and glance back at my reflection just as a soft knock sounds at the door.
“Come in”, I call, and the door falls open as one of Nikolai’s housekeepers steps in.
I remember seeing her often enough around the house that her face is a welcome familiarity. Her lips stretch into a warm smile and she unconsciously picks at the nail of her thumb with her pinky.
“Mr Volkov asked me to come fetch you,” She says, “He’s waiting for you downstairs”
My stomach tightens and I have to ball my fist at my side to keep my hand from trembling.
Why was I so nervous? It was only dinner
“Could you tell him I’ll be downstairs in a minute? I just need to finish getting ready,” I say, my voice steady despite the nervous flutter in my chest.
She nods, her smile never faltering. “Of course. Take your time.”
As she’s about to leave, I can’t help but feel the tightness in my chest ruffle further, “Wait”, I start, stopping her in her tracks. She turns to look at me, her brows knitted as she waits for the next words to come out of my mouth.
“I’m sorry… it’s just.” I take a deep breath, “Do you think I look okay? I mean… for a date, do you think I look okay?”
Cara had already told me I did but I needed a response other than my best friends and the man waiting for me downstairs.
Her expression softens, the smile on her lips turning from easy and practised to soft and gentle, “I think you look beautiful, Mrs Volkov”
“Honestly?”
She nods, “Really”
The weight on my chest lessens slightly at her response.
I hadn’t seen Nikolai all day since yesterday and something about him seeing me for the first time since our conversation yesterday morning in bed when he asked me to go out with him had my stomach all wound up in knots.
First dates were supposed to be nerve-wracking. The idea of spending hours with a stranger in a space, trading information about one another in hopes that the other person would turn out to be good enough for a second date, maybe even more always terrified me a little.
But with Nikolai, it terrified me a lot. We weren’t strangers, we weren’t even friends, yet somehow the possibility of being trapped with him in a space all alone yet together scared me a whole lot less than it would’ve, had it been with someone else.
I release a slow steadying breath, meeting the gaze of the housekeeper who had been patiently watching me all this time.
“Thank you,” I mumble and her smile widens just a fraction.
“You’re welcome”
Nikolai is on the phone when I make my way downstairs. His back is turned to me as he spouts out word after word of angry Russian to the other person on the line.
“Razberites’ s etim. V etoy operatsii vse dolzhno proyti gladko.” he snaps and ends the call abruptly without giving a second notice to the other person on the line.
He turns at the sound of my footsteps, his gaze searching until they meet mine at the bottom of the staircase and the crinkle in his brows instantly releases at the sight of me.
His green orbs sweep over me slowly, starting from my pointy heels, working their way up my body, and then my face, lingering for a second longer on my lips than anywhere else.
For a moment, I think I see something warm flash in his expression, but it’s gone before I can pinpoint it. His gaze holds mine in a way that feels far more intimate than when he had his head between my legs yesterday morning and the knot in my stomach slowly unravels into a warm feeling that spreads throughout the rest of me.
“Hi,” I breathe softly, breaking the silence.
The word sounds foreign on my lips and yet it’s the only thing I can think of to say at this moment.
Nikolai doesn’t say anything, his gaze still locked on to mine in a way that it feels like he’s memorizing every detail he can lay his eyes on.
He moves before I realise he has, standing In Front of me in his perfectly tailored suit and an outstretched hand. My skin prickles with awareness as I gingerly slip my hand into his waiting one.
“I was hoping you’d pick the lavender” he mutters, his thumb gently stroking the back of my hand as he lifts it to his mouth, pressing a soft kiss that reverberates throughout the rest of my body on my knuckles.
I let out a nervous laugh, “Now I wish Cara hadn’t talked me into it”
“Your friend told you to pick the lavender?”
“I hope that’s not a problem”
A shiver races down my spine as he presses another kiss on my wrist, his touch lingering longer than appropriate. “Tell your friend I owe her a great deal,”
I glance up at him, my heart thudding violently in my chest. “Cara might just take that as a compliment,” I respond, hoping to sound amused, but my voice wavers slightly.
“You look beautiful Mrs Volkov, utterly breathtaking.”
If I thought I was a bundle of nerves before, him telling me I look breathtaking only makes my chest expand further.
I should not like him calling me Mrs Volkov nearly as much as I do and yet I feel myself blush at his words.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard him refer to me like that before. It’s always been Solnyshko when we’re everywhere and Malysh when we’re alone. To be honest, hearing him refer to me by his last name makes my breath hitch and sends a strange flutter through my chest.
Both things that should not be happening.
Yet, I can’t stop them.
Nikolai leads me out of the house to the waiting vehicle outside, his presence a warm and subtle command as he helps me into the back seat, his hand cupping the window frame above my head to keep me from bumping into it as I get in.
He rounds the car, sliding into the seat beside me. The driver, already waiting, pulls the door shut with a smooth click, leaving us alone in the quiet backseat of the vehicle.
The ride into the city is one filled with silence and unspoken tension. Although I’m not sure if it’s sexual or my nerves again.
“So..” I begin breaking the silence yet again. Nikolai turns to meet my gaze and an emotion I can’t quite place flashes in those gorgeous green eyes of his.
“Where are we going?”
It’s been on my mind to ask him where he intended our date to be, the moment I saw the dresses he picked out.
Both were beautiful, yet neither was fit for a casual car ride in the city or to sit in the darkness of a movie theatre, all of which I’ve heard are quite popular first date options.
“The Azure Reserve”
I blink, then blink some more.
Did he just say the Azure Reserve?”
“Did you just say The Azure Reserve? As in the most exclusive fine dining restaurant in the city? That Azure Reserve?” I ask disbelief laced in my voice.
Nikolai smirks, amusement flickering through his eyes as he nods, “Yes,” he replies simply, the word dragging out just enough to let the weight of it settle in.
The Azure Reserve first came into the city about a year ago and rapidly became popular among the locals. They’re always booked sometimes even for an entire month. Reservations are nearly impossible to get, and If you do manage to squeeze in a reservation, you’re met with an experience that feels completely out of this world.
So I’ve heard.
I’ve never been to The Azure Reserve, and while Cara and I have tried to get reservations, we’ve never been lucky, even when we try to book months in advance. And yet, somehow, Nikolai managed to get one in just a day?
How is that even possible? Is he some sort of magician?
“It’s almost impossible to get reservations there, especially at this time of the month. How did you manage to secure one in just a day?”
“I have my ways, Solnyshko. And it doesn’t hurt that I happen to own The Azure Reserve,”
I glance over at him, noting how naturally at ease he seems. It’s almost as if he hasn’t just told me that he owned the most exclusive restaurant in the city.
“You… own The Azure Reserve?” I ask unable to hide the shock in my voice.
“I do” he grins,
If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve said there was a bit of pride in his voice as he spoke, but there’s no way.
“I didn’t know you had other businesses besides being the head of the Russian Mafia”
Nikolai chuckles softly, his hand reaching for mine on the leather seats.
“I have several other businesses, Solnyshko. The Bratva is my family business and The Azure Reserve, on the other hand, could be seen more as my side hustle”
There was no way he just referred to owning the most exclusive restaurant in the whole of Chicago as a side hustle.
“The Bratva?”
“It’s what the Russian mafia is called”
The idea of him juggling the responsibilities of the Bratva and managing an entire business leaves me in complete and utter disarray.
“Does anyone else know about this?”
He nods, “Kat was aware when I made the purchase a few years ago but other than her and Ivan, you’re the only other person who knows”
I lean back in my seat, mumbling a small ‘huhhhh’ under my breath as I sink further into the leather.
Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that the owner of The Azure Reserve is none other than Nikolai. It seems surreal, to say the least, that the owner of the most high-end restaurant in the whole of Chicago is none other than Nikolai Volkov. My husband.
A smile threatened to split my face. What else didn’t I know about him?
The car pulls up to the valet outside The Azure Reserve, and Nikolai is the first to step out of the car, rounding it to my side before he opens the door for me, his hand extended to help me out.
I take it, allowing him to guide me onto the pavement. His touch is a welcome delight I don’t permit myself to fully enjoy.
“Are you nervous?”
“No” I reply, the lie rolling off my tongue effortlessly.
He smiles, a slow, confident curve to his lips “You don’t have to be. I want you to be comfortable, Solnyshko”
“I am, but that doesn’t mean I won’t feel nervous. This is a first for me.”
“It’s a first for me too Solnyshko”
My brows shoot up, “You said you’ve been on plenty of dates”
He chuckles the sound rumbling in his chest, “I said I’ve been on a few dates. But what I mean Malysh is that this is the first time I’m on a date with someone I want to mean something to”
Oh.