Page 11 of Tyrant

“You made it,” Zakhar acknowledged.

“Did I have another choice? Plus, I wanted to hear this explanation of yours.”

He guided me to a chair and settled me into my seat. His cologne, or body splash was very light but intoxicating, like an ocean breeze. He sported a short beard, so I knew it wasn’t aftershave he was using, and the scent was emanating more from his chest and neck. I admit I sniffed him a little as he neared me, and he did not disappoint.

He sat himself opposite me and snapped his finger at the waiter who rushed over. “Are you ready to order, sir?”

“Bring the wine I chose earlier and yes, we will decide on our meal now.”

The waiter placed a menu in front of both of us and nodded with a smile. I glanced a look over at the far corner where Zakhar’s men were standing and saw that the assistant was looking on with much ferver in his eyes. What was with that guy. Although I wasn’t bothered by it, his attitude confused me.

“Zakhar, why don’t you invite your assistant to join us?” I knew this was perhaps calling trouble, but what the hell, it was my last time with these two and I wanted to have some fun.

He stared at me a moment before beckoning to his assistant who walked briskly over. “Yes Sir?”

“Nathan, Miss Desher has kindly offered a seat to you.” The assistant looked as though he would decline but Zakhar’s tone and eyes gave him pause. “Sit.”

Since the table had been set for two, he pulled a chair from the next table and sat. He’d managed to soften his features somewhat, perhaps in fear of his boss. This amused me as a minute ago he was looking at me as though I was some sort of disease. I originally thought his attitude was because I was black, but it had to be more than that.

“Now tell me Mr. Mikhailov, what do you want with a black woman?” I asked looking directly into those piercing eyes.

“Black woman?” He held my gaze. “Is that how you describe yourself as a woman?”

I scoffed. “I am black.”

“Yes you are, but you don’t need to describe yourself that way to me. You are a beautiful woman, sexy, and alluring. That’s what I see.”

I didn’t know if I should be offended that he was ignoring my skin color or pleased that he was ‘color blind’. He was looking at me directly, unlike many men I knew. No eyes on my ample breasts like Gary did the first time we met. This behavior of Zakhar pleased me quite a bit and sent butterflies fluttering in my stomach. I had to remind myself that this was not a date, that I had originally planned on telling him I was not the woman for him, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it now.

The wine came and we ordered our meal, I chose beef biryani, and lukaymat for dessert, while he chose the chicken saloona. We ate in silence for a while and the meal was quite delicious. Nathan declined a meal and I suspected that he didn’t often eat with the boss, but I wanted to see what his problem with me was. By the time we ended the meal, I’d lost interest in Nathan and focused my attention on Zakhar.

“How did you know about my husband?” I asked, in an attempt to get to the point of why I was there.

“Miss Desher, I assure you, I never complete a deal without knowing everything about the company I’m about to acquire.”

I laughed because this was funny as hell. “A business deal, is that what this is?”

“Yes, I have a proposal for you. Nathan, will you excuse us a minute?”

“Wait, why does he have to go?”

“I ordered it, and this has nothing to do with his position.”

Nathan quickly left the table but not before giving me a cutting glance. I wondered if Zakhar noticed it. It didn’t appear so, and I wasn’t going to say anything as this was the last time we would meet. Nathan returned a minute later to lay a briefcase on the table before returning to his position across the room. Zakhar opened the case, picked out a file and slid it across the table in my direction.

I looked at the maroon color folder. “What is this?”

“My proposal.”

Was this man also interested in my skin and hair care products? With a knot in my forehead, I opened the file and scanned the first page. After a few sentences, my eyes flew to his and we stared at each other. I was dumbfounded at what I saw.

“Are you crazy?” my voice squeaked. “Marriage?”

“Continue reading, please. I assure you there is more,” he quite calmly stated. “Just humor me.”

Reluctantly I did as ask and read the whole thing. What stood out to me was the promise to eliminate both my financial and personal obstacles, while investing substantially in my new business as well as getting the old one back on track.

“What do you mean by eliminate?” I asked, my heart picking up speed.

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