Dmitry was glad to be back from his short trip to Man-hattan. The grueling meetings had all but exhausted him, and he longed for the slower, simpler life of Memphis. Plus, he was eager to get back to see the progress of the new shop and Royal.
Feeling the high-noon rays beaming down on him, he quickly threw shades over his Arctic eyes and ducked into the back of his limo. As his driver loaded his luggage into the back of the black Mercedes, he checked his voicemails and text messages. Two texts from Anatoly. Nothing from Royal. That was not hard to believe. She worked like a scared horse, bucking at anyone who got in the way of her progress.
A tall, breathtaking woman got in on the other side of the limoadorning gold jewelry, a short white silk dress and gold stilettos. She instantly reached for the bottle of water in the side compartment. Hot and frustrated, she looked over at him typing away on his Blackberry and scoffed.
“Why do you stay in this hell hole?” she asked incensed by the heat. Her Russian accent was as thick as his, only she was far more arrogant.
Dmitry looked over at her and then sat back in his seat.
“Anatoly, take me to Royal. I want to see what she is up to,” he ordered, ignoring the woman.
“Who is Royal?”
“She is shopkeeper for my newest store. It’s coming all together, perfectly. We’ll be ready to open in two weeks.”
He looked over at her to see if what he assumed was correct. It was. His companion had cut him off already. Whenever he began to talk about anything other than her, she tuned him out. With her long porcelain legs crossed, she rested back on the leather seat massaging her temples.
“What time is show tonight?” she asked, changing the subject.
“Nine.”
“Well, I don’t want to go hang out in closed store while you work.”
Dmitry looked over at her again, this time slightly an-noyed. Dahlia was no rocket scientist, but she was remarkably beautiful. Only a few inches shorter than Dmitry in her stiletto heels, she was six feet two and stunning. Her eyes were a shade of deep blue that reminded him of the Baltic Sea, her hair naturally platinum blonde and her bone structure rivaled the Heidi Klums of the world. She was a perfect muse, great for runways and billboards – slim, tall but shockingly empty. Unfortunately, outside of sleeping with her, he found her completely dull, even if she was a grand show piece.
“I will have Anatoly take you to hotel after he drops me by my store.”
Feeling that he had given her far too much attention, Dmitry turned his focus back to his Blackberry and re-mained engrossed in his business the remainder of their drive.
∞♥∞
Dmitry’s Closet was closed to the public and the many downtown dwellers that had pushed their faces up to the glass to see into the intriguing building, but inside it was alive with music, lights and boxes, all being animated by Royal, who had the stereo blasting as she worked.
Alone in the large building, she fell over mannequins, wooden hangers and plastic bags, as she tried to wrap up the first part of her day to go have a late lunch upstairs in her bedroom. All she could think about was a nice quick power nap and a hot shower.
She looked around the boutique at how far it had come in such a little time and sighed in wonderment. All the things that Dmitry had spoken of were coming to fruition right before her very eyes. It had become more than a job to Royal; it had become her passion. He had fed it into her daily with his constant support and his ever trusting guidance.
Dmitry was equally inspired, constantly bringing over his friends and colleagues to see his newest project, and from what little she had learned about Dmitry, he had quite a few of them. Everyone who was able to sneak a peak of the place left in awe and gave him nothing but good reviews on the shop and her.
According to her boss, she was dependable, on schedule and under budget. So in his eyes, she was on point. A little smile crept from the sides of her mouth as she relished in her accomplishment.
Plus, she always liked pleasing Dmitry. It was the way that he conveyed his appreciation that was so special, always with an endearing kiss on the forehead, a gift of precious stones and a look that swallowed her whole. His eyes would capture her in the middle of all of their conversations. They would burn through her thoughts like lasers before he drowned her with his silky voice and his cool demeanor. That was Dmitry. She was sure that he had that affect on everyone. She brushed it off now. After all, what was she to him? An employee.
Needing motivation, she grabbed the remote, turned off the stereo and turned on the large 72” plasma television mounted against the back wall. CNN’s Black in America 2was showing. Seen it. Twice. But it would do. She just needed something to keep her going.
“Let’s do this,” she said slapping her hands together.
“Yes…let’s,” Dmitry replied standing in the back of the shop watching her.
“Dmitry!” she turned and exclaimed both happy to see him and shocked that he was back so soon. “I thought that your business in New York would keep you longer?”
“I closed the deal and moved on,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. His smile was smug and confident, but his eyes were happy to see her. They sparkled in exhilaration.
She set down her hangers on the wooden floor and bounced over to greet him. Dmitry watched
