Page 146 of Koroleva

He continued to pleasure me without kissing me with his lips, because his eyes were enough. And I let that unknown emotion grow, envelop us, expand, and take over every cell of my being.

I shattered into an orgasm that left me breathless, that made me gravitate to another plane, torn apart, naked, laid open.

A crystalline drop accumulated in the corner of my eye and tumbled down my cheek alone and overwhelmed. Because eyes can't keep secrets, and mine were speaking too much.

57

Don't be silly

My stomach was full of good food and my heart beat happily.

That was my state until my mother called me to cloud over some of the delicious moussaka I had just devoured.

My sister Sarka was unwilling to move, much to our mother's dismay. Beyond finding fault with every house they looked at, Sarka had other plans she hadn't shared with us. I didn't see it as a big deal. True, she wasn't of age, but there was no harm in her spending her last year of high school living with her best friend to finish up in St. Petersburg, and then pursuing whatever degree she wanted, wherever she wanted.

After all, Yuri also studied abroad, and it hadn't been a big deal.

"Don't dramatize, Mom. I don't see it as a bad thing. Sarka is very responsible, and Olga is very sensible too."

"I don't see it, what can I say, remember that Olga’s father lives alone with his daughter. How is he going to control a couple of teenagers? What if some man gets her pregnant?"

"Then she can have an abortion, it wouldn’t be the first or last time a girl her age got pregnant, just look at yourself." Romeo smiled behind his napkin, and I caressed his calf with my big toe, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"That was out of line. I got pregnant by your father."

"And it hasn’t turned out so badly. Stop worrying about her. Didn’t you tell me on the last call that you didn’t feel like raising kids anymore? Let her fly. Buy her a plane ticket and one for Andrey, and tell him to accompany her. School started a few weeks ago, and she can’t miss more classes."

"Here in Spain, it starts next week," she protested from the other end of the line.

"Yeah, but she wants to study there, with her friends and her people. You can’t blame her for not wanting to follow you like a lapdog. Don’t forget she’ll be of age soon, and if you want to maintain a good relationship with your younger daughter, you shouldn't restrict her. What did Irisha say about it?" I wanted to know.

"The same as you."

"Well, there you go. Besides, we can assign a couple of my men to protect her if that makes you feel better. Have you spoken to Olga’s father?"

"No, not yet."

"Then do it as soon as possible. If you don’t buy her the ticket, I will."

"You're not her mother."

"No, but I'm the Vor v zakone and I determine what’s best for the members that make it up and for our family, so that ends the discussion." My mother sighed in annoyance, and I continued the motion of my foot on my husband's thigh. The waiter came to the table to clear the empty plates and asked if we wanted dessert.

"Mom, I have to hang up, I can’t keep discussing this right now, I have a matter that requires all my attention. Tell Sarka from me that I'm glad she's making her own decisions, that she stands up to your criteria when she's right, and that I support her. Oh, and tell her to call me as soon as she settles in at Olga's!"

"Nikita... "She was just short of yelling at me.

"Do svidaniya, mama[6]."

I hung up and listened attentively to the waiter's dessert recommendations. After much deliberation, I opted for bougatsa, a pastry made from layers of phyllo dough filled with custard.

"That must have a thousand calories," I complained.

I was about to order Greek yogurt seasoned with walnuts and honey, but Romeo insisted, having almost drooled at the mention of the other sweet.

"With all the walking we did today, and what I plan to do to you tonight, you're going to need all the energy that dessert can provide." I smiled teasingly, reaching with my foot to the area that was already prepared.

"Don't you ever get tired?"