A small table was laid out with croissant, fruit, and juice. Alex had already powered through some strawberries, and Juliet was mid-chew on a chocolate croissant when she saw me and squealed. After an intense hug, she allowed me to take a seat. It felt natural—all of us eating, drinking, and laughing.
“Did you win the beauty pageant thing we did you up for last time, or what?” Alex downed his coffee and poured more.
I shifted in my seat. “Umm, the results aren’t in yet. I’ll let you know, though.”
“Well, if you didn’t, then I’d like a word with the judges because you were amazing.” His eyes lit. “Do you still have the dress?”
I dropped my eyes. I hadn’t seen it since the ball. “No, I think the designer took it back for a show or something.”
“Well, shit.” He leaned back and murdered another strawberry.
“You win, Krasivaya. I know this.” Dmitri had some new ink along his neck, something in Russian.
“What’s that say?” I pointed to it.
“Oh,” he laughed, the sound almost nervous. “Nothing.”
Juliet raised an eyebrow, met my eye, and sipped her juice.
“Embarrassed?” I asked, teasing in my tone.
“No.” He straightened in his chair, the joints creaking under his weight. “It is not meant for ladies such as you to hear.”
“Oh my god, Dmitri! Are you blushing?” I asked.
Alex crowed with laughter and I couldn’t help but join in. The big Russian rubbed a hand over his shaved head and grinned.
“Dmitri went and got something inappropes tatted on his neck and won’t share.” Alex giggled some more.
“It say.” Dmitri shook his head. “It say my chlen proud.”
“Your what?” Juliet asked through her smile.
“My—” He gave an obvious look down to his crotch and then back up. “It is proud.”
“What is your dick proud of, exactly?” Alex snickered.
Dmitri waved his meaty palm at Alex and let out a string of Russian.
Alex nodded. “Right, right. Very proud. I’m not denying it. So is it cut, or are you sporting foreskin?”
Juliet spit a mouthful of orange juice back into her glass, and I examined my feet.
“Let’s get you buffed up, shall we?” Juliet rose and, thankfully, saved me from any further discussion about Dmitri’s ‘chlen’.
An hour later, I sat comfortably as Juliet buffed my legs, the sensation refreshing but also intense.
“Damn, Russian. If your hands feel this good, I can’t imagine how your chlen must feel.” Alex lay on the massage table, having talked Dmitri into warming up by massaging him first. Alex grinned at me and then grunted as Dmitri used his elbow on his lower back.
“Turn it on over,” Juliet instructed.
I flipped on the table, staying under the towel as best I could, but I lost my grip and it fell to the floor. I winced, knowing what was coming. I’d already made an excuse about running in the wrong shoes about my feet. Now I had to explain the rest.
“What happened to your back?” Juliet ran her fingers over one of the scars. “Is this why Renee asked me for the scar serum?”
Dmitri loomed up next to me. “Who has done this, Krasivaya? The suka who came before?”
“Lucius? No. It doesn’t hurt. Not anymore. Please don’t worry about it. It doesn’t bother me.” I looked over my shoulder, my eyes pleading with Dmitri to leave it alone.
“It bother me.” Dmitri smoothed his wide palm down my back and frowned.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” I rested my forehead on my hand.
“Come on, big guy. You heard her. Take it out on me,” Alex said.
I breathed a sigh of relief as Dmitri’s shadow receded, and Alex’s deep grunt of pain filled the room.
“From the looks of them, the serum helped. But this should make them even less noticeable.” Juliet patted my shoulder and started doing her thing. Coarse crystals rubbed against my skin, then finer and finer until it felt like she was floating thin sheets of silk across my body.
Once it was Dmitri’s turn, I was in heaven. What little muscle soreness I had left was worked away by his strong hands. Alex snored on the table next to me, his hand on his stomach and his silver nipple rings rising and falling with each breath. I could relate. Dmitri worked magic.
When he was done, he draped my towel up over me and I remained in my haze of relaxation.
“Juliet. Your turn.” Dmitri waved her over and smacked Alex on the arm. “Up!”
“Hey!” Alex sat up and rubbed his eyes.
Juliet shook her head and backed away. “I’m not doing that.”
“You shy, baby girl?” Alex asked.
“No.” Juliet dropped her gaze to the river-rock floor, her blonde bob hiding her face.
“It okay.” Dmitri frowned. “I understand.”
“I’m sorry. I’m just not…” She gestured toward my body.
“What? You’re beautiful.” I looked in her eyes. “Inside and out.”
“Yes, beautiful,” Dmitri said, and stared at Juliet as if this were an obvious fact.