She’s extremely quiet. “You’re not paying me for sex, right?”
I scowl. “No, nothing like that. I just need you…” I hate that I’m saying it. “I need you by my side.”
“Oh.” A few seconds go by. “Okay, I’ll be there soon.”
I hang up. My heart hurts.
My body starts to shake again.
I squeeze my eyes shut and imagine a world where this was normal, me and Izzy, fighting, loving, fucking, enjoying life, living it together, eating bread and pasta with our parents, getting grossed out by their groping.
Instead.
I have six days.
I look down at my phone screen where the countdown has taken place.
I’m out of time.
But Izzy?
She has her whole life ahead of her. My only goal is to be the guy that loves her enough not to fuck it up.
Or her in the process.
Chapter Ten
“The Saints are the Sinners that keep on trying. —Robert Louis Stevenson
Izzy
I’m still smiling when I think about Maksim’s mouth and what we did. We’d done a lot more in the past, but the fact that he wanted me, that he was acting normal again? I don’t know, maybe it meant I was reading into things too much?
Maybe he really did just need to spar with the guys and get some aggression out of his system.
Dinner was going to be ready in a few and rather than wear something comfortable, I asked Serena to pack me a bag from her house since mine all smelled like smoke, with strict instructions that I wanted to look hot.
Serena more than delivered—almost too well.
Kartini was lying on my bed with her vape pen in her mouth while Serena hung up all the clothes then started going through them. Her blond hair was piled into a high ponytail, her lips were painted purple, her makeup was light, at least; she had her own style that was perfect for her.
Dye my hair and give me purple lipstick, and people would probably think I was a cheap hooker.
“I think…” Her long black fingernails trailed across the designer clothes she brought; half of them still had tags on them. Benefits of being part of the mafia.
Shopping.
We had more money than we knew what to do with.
“I’m thinking the oversized black Prada high waisted trousers, and the Versace blouse, it will show some skin, but it looks casual yet sexy. Plus, you have great boobs, boobs that need to be shown—” She looked over her shoulder. “He likes your boobs, right?”
Kartini snorts from the spot on the bed. “He’s a guy.”
“Point made,” Serena declared. “All right, try them on, and I’ll make sure that your makeup is on point.”
I started to strip, already nervous that I was dressing up more than usual. Then again, nobody could talk shit considering my clothes all smelled like campfire back at my house.
I shuddered.
I hoped they knew what was going on and why someone would attempt to hurt me, of all people. They had to know my parents weren’t home, so why burn the house? What was so important? Or was it a message?
“Dinner!” Andrei announced from outside the guest room. “You girls ready?”
“Almost!” Serena called, give us five minutes.
He snorted from outside the door. “So, thirty minutes then?”
“Your wife trained you well!” Serena joked.
“That she did,” he agreed; his footsteps led him away from us.
Andrei was terrifying, and Serena teased him like he was a neighborhood stray that she gave scraps of food to on the weekends when he was good.
Then again, she was Nixon’s daughter, so what else could be expected?
“Strip, whore.” Serena crossed her arms over her black crop top and high-waisted jeans. “You heard the man, five minutes.”
Kartini yawned and flipped over onto her stomach. “Ooooh, I like those pants!”
I was already putting them on, tying them just above my belly button; it felt like I was naked.
Definitely stealing them from Serena.
The top was next. It touched the top of the pants, revealing a bit of skin, then wrapped to my back and tied into a sexy knot.
I was obsessed, and it showed off my curves.
“Hot.” Kartini winked. “I’d do you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Thanks.”
“Own it.” She shrugged. “I know it’s hard ever since Maksim…” She didn’t need to finish that sentence. “I feel like it stole some of your confidence, that’s all.”
I slumped. “You’re right.”
“Hey.” Serena moved behind me, pressing her hands on my shoulders. “When he sees you in this, he won’t be able to keep his hands to himself, all right? If you’re willing to move on and forgive him, what better timing than with him next door, you know?”
“Right.” I was suddenly nervous. “What about my makeup?”
“Nope.” Kartini’s response. “I say only lip gloss and ruffle her hair a bit, so it looks like she just had sex. You know Maksim he’ll obsess the entire dinner.”
My cheeks burned red from my reflection in the mirror.