“No, Yuri’s not here. Alek is in the office though.”
At first, my head snapped toward Bella, wondering if she was saying that in a suggestive way, telling me that she knew something. But there was a complete blankness to her expression. She was just telling me like it was, and there was no hidden meaning in her words.
“Okay, thanks, I’ll see you later,” I said with a nod, guiding my grandmother away from them both.
“Isn’t that the woman who was so ugly to you when you joined the theater?” Baba asked with her damn laser-sharp focus, reminding me that while her body might be failing, her mind was as sharp as it had ever been.
“Yes, but she’s changed.” Smiling over at her, I added, “Or I suppose we both have. You and I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but it’s all good, I promise.”
Of course, that was a fib. It had stopped being all good the moment a silver car appeared in Chicago.
She nodded though I wasn’t stupid enough to think she couldn’t see through the little white lie but was grateful she didn’t push it. “That’s good. Now, let’s find your Alek so I can thank him for the Pavlova.”
I smiled and nodded. I was a bit leery about seeing Alek, mostly because I didn’t want to complicate things further and didn’t completely trust myself not to spill my guts again, but I couldn’t turn down my babushka. Not when she was looking at me so expectantly.
“Fine,” I said. “But let’s make it quick. I’m sure he’s busy working.”
My heart pounded wildly as we walked toward his office. Suddenly, I was acutely aware the last time I’d been in Alek’s office, he’d mentioned how tense I looked, picked me up, and plopped me down on his desk. While I protested I was fine and needed to get back to practice, my heart pounding with the possibility of Yuri walking through the door, Alek had reached beneath my baggy sweatshirt, hooked his fingers into the waistband of my leggings, and yanked them down, dragging my panties with them. Once they were tangled at my ankles, he’d dropped to his knees, hooked my legs over his head, and dragged my ass to the edge of the desk.
“Just us,” he said, looking up at me, reminding me that when we were together, we were in our own world.
“Just you and me,” I said, nodding in agreement and then threw my head back when he grinned and dove right in to take away any shred of stress I might have. He’d lifted me off his desk and laughed as he peeled a piece of paper off my ass that was quite soaked from the copious cream he’d drawn from me with the multiple orgasms his very talented tongue and fingers had pulled from me. I’d blushed, limp as an overcooked noodle.
I tapped lightly on his door, wondering exactly how long the scent of sex lingered in the air and hoping he wouldn’t be mad about me disturbing his day unannounced with a surprise visit from my grandmother. Although, realistically, I already knew he wasn’t like that and would be polite and welcoming even if I escorted the devil himself inside.
“Come in,” he called out in a tone that instantly caused the butterflies in my stomach to settle and my blood pressure to lower. I didn’t know why I always got myself so nervous around him when I was aware he had such a calming effect on me.
“Oh, hi there, Clara.” He grinned from ear to ear as I entered. He was on his feet and striding toward us before we’d even crossed the threshold. “It’s so nice of you to visit, Babka,” he said, taking her hand and lifting it to his lips for a light kiss. He then did exactly what he’d done in my house, slipping his arm around her waist and guiding her to a chair. “What did I do to earn the pleasure of your company?”
“Hello, Alek,” Olga said, giving his hand a pat after she was settled in the chair. “I could say I asked Clara to bring me so I could thank you for that incredible Pavlova, but I see you’ve already received my card.”
A gesture of her head had my attention swiveling to the credenza behind his desk where a card was propped up. The first thing that popped into my head was how sweet it was that she’d sent it. Who actually still sent thank-you cards via snail mail in the world of electronic email? The second thing was the question of if that card had witnessed the recipient of such thanks getting quite down and dirty with her beloved granddaughter.
“I did, and it was very thoughtful of you,” Alek said as I moved to sit in the open chair.