Dad was actually surprised by all those romantic displays of affection and relaxed a bit. Dominic was present three days a week, with the other four in Russia, where he had business to handle. But on those days, he always called.
Overall, everything was going great, and he would have been fine with my explanation of Aaron. Dominic proved to me he was not a ‘wild or possessive to the core primitive man’ who would go all caveman on me.
Yet you went and purposely antagonized him.
Although I wouldn't admit it to anyone else, deep down, somehow I ended up disappointed with that perfect guy who was so understanding about everything.
“Are you feeling all right?” he asked, opening the car door for me, as we had a dinner planned. That was one of the reasons I changed into a pink summer dress and high heels in the university bathroom and left my hair to hang loose. “Are you too tired and want to go home?” he scooted inside, instructed Vlad to go to the jazz place we’d visited before, where they had to-die-for steaks, and then focused his attention on me. His eyes flashed something, but it passed so fast I couldn't name it.
“No, I wanna eat.” Even though just the idea of food brought up nausea inside me, I still eagerly nodded for his sake. He looked to the side, studying the nightlife of New York while I could practically feel the electrifying tension in the car sweeping over us, sucking up the air we needed to breathe.
Noticing his hand on the leather seat close to me, I placed mine over it, and instant calmness washed over me from the touch of his skin, but it turned into dread when he did nothing.
Absolutely nothing!
No words, no touching me back, nothing.
“Dominic—”
I had to fix this, but the car stopped abruptly, as he muttered, “We are here. Come on.”
Did I just ruin my relationship with him?
So much for wanting to keep him from being the perfect guy for you. Way to go, Rosa!
Dominic
Wanting a woman proved to be a fucking hard task, especially when you had to hide your true nature from her. My insides burned from the desire to throw her over my shoulder, bring her back to my penthouse, chain her to my mattress, and finally, claim her as mine. The cross on my neck unsettled me. It should be placed back on her graceful neck, but she refused to have it. Maybe then, she’d know to tell me in advance if she decided to spend additional time with some university guy.
Mine.
She was mine, from the top of her head to her pink-colored toes, but she seemed to forget the fact, and I wasn't sure how long I would be able to pretend.
The jazz bar we’d come to was one of my favorite places in New York, or the States for that matter. The café had two floors, with a round stage right in the middle, where talented musicians and singers performed every night, recreating famous band hits with their spin on them. Currently, they played all the hits by the legendary Beatles.
Gold, black, and red dominated the colors as the furniture consisted of round, wooden tables with two chairs closer to the stage and several closed booths in various corners. They were hidden by golden chiffon curtains and created an aura of privacy and intimacy.
The staff wore rather extravagant clothes, as they recreated the twenties look, with waitresses pinning their hair up with clips, while wearing flapper dresses and lacy gloves. Men, on the other hand, wore pants, leather shoes, hats, and T-shirts with vests. The AC ran constantly in here, proving to be a comfortable workplace for the people. The lights were subdued, darkening the majority of the café with only lamps provided on tables, so the whole focus was on stage with bright lights for the stars to shine.
Hostess Sonya greeted us with a wide smile, wearing a long dress with an open back and her hair loose. She was a tall brunette with a slender figure who reminded me of the model Claudia Schiffer I once saw in a magazine.
“Mr. Konstantinov, glad to have you back,” she exclaimed happily, then shifted her focus to Rosa and her blue eyes dimmed a bit. “You too, Ms. Rosa.” She nodded and then walked us to our booth, left the menu on the table as we sat, and added, “Your server will be here in few short minutes.” With that, she shoved the curtain back, leaving us alone as “Let It Be” started, and Rose closed her eyes. It was one of her favorite songs.
“I’m sorry about Aaron,” she suddenly said, surprising us both, but then her cheeks heated up. “It just seemed so insignificant.”
Studying the menu, I asked without raising my eyes at her, “So you don’t see anything significant in letting me know you are staying longer at the college with one of your classmates?” The rustling sound of her sliding on the booth, then shifting closer to me as her breath washed over me like a wave, created instant longing.
“We have a final exam coming up in a week. So we decided to study together.” Since I still refused to look at her for fear of flipping this table over—apparently, in this month, we’d made no fucking progress in her trusting me further—she placed her hand on my cheek and turned my head to face her as our eyes clashed. Hers annoyed and mine unreadable. “Could you just react to this? Shout, scream, or…” She didn't finish. Her skin flushed, and then she leaned back, but it was too late for me. She had already let the cat out of the bag.
“What kind of reaction do you want,krasavica?”
Her breath hitched as her lips parted, my body leaning in to hers, when we were interrupted by Sonya, who grinned brightly at me. With the rate she was going, I would need sunglasses by the end of the night.
“Dominic, would you like to personally choose a wine from our vineyard collection? We rarely give access to guests, but since you are our VIP client, we can make an exception for you.” Rosa gritted her teeth. She repeatedly pointed out the woman kept on making a move on me, but I just brushed it off. Who the fuck cared if a woman wanted me, if I only ever wanted Rosa?
But then, wouldn't my going with her teach Rosa a lesson about not keeping shit from me? Kind of like tasting her own medicine? I instantly rejected the fleeting thought, because no matter how angry I was with her, I had no desire to hurt my girl.
However, my silence confused both women, and Rosa rose, throwing the menu on the table, and poking a finger at me, murmured loudly, “Screw this.” And with that, she darted away before I could even curse.
