Page 33 of The Den of Sin
“Because they are meant for you,” she grinned.
“Okay, now you go get ready,” I told her. “And you better look just as slutty as me,” I instructed her, laughing. She was right, this was good therapy and I was feeling better, despite the fact that her oldest brother was in town. Somehow I had a feeling Vasili entered my life by design. That man was a fucking control freak.
Truthfully, I should have known I was bound to eventually see him if Tatiana and I remained friends. She was my best friend, and I refused to give her up. Especially not on the account of some relationship my mother and his father had way before Tatiana and I were born. People made mistakes, and I couldn’t take responsibility for what his father and my mother had done. I regretted that it hurt his mother but that was as much his father’s fault as it was my mother’s. Besides, my mother more than paid for that sin, in a devastating and hurtful way.
I certainly wasn’t willing to give up my friendship with my best friend just because her oldest brother dumped me after one night of amazing, incredible sex. I had fantasized about him from the very first moment I met him. Even when I assumed he was her father! A gorgeous, mouthwatering, panty dropping father. I actually looked forward to each time Tatiana and I got in trouble because her big brother always came to save us. It was pathetic, but it was the only time I saw him.
Tatiana came back from her room and my eyes widened. “Wow, you look beautiful.”
And she truly did. She wore a black mini dress that hugged her body like a second skin, low cut in the back, exposing her skin. The black dress and her blonde hair created a beautiful contrast.
By the time we stepped out of her house, the sun was slowly setting. Adrian came forward, showing up out of nowhere, causing both Tatiana and I to squeal in surprise.
“Damn it, Adrian,” I muttered. “You scared the shit out of us.”
When I came back from my incident with Vasili, his security guy never commented on what had happened. It was for the best; I preferred to pretend it never happened.Because oblivion is so much better,I mocked myself.
“Sorry, ladies.” He also had a Russian accent although not as prominent as Vasili’s. Inwardly I groaned frustrated at myself. I didn’t want to be comparing everyone to Vasili. That damn old man!Sexy as fuck man. I shook my head, trying to get images of him out of my head.
“Hey Adrian,” Tatiana greeted him, her smile soft.
She liked him... a lot. By the way he was watching her, I’d say he liked her too. But those two never hooked up, and I never understood why. Tatiana was always adventurous and carefree. When she wanted something or someone, she went for it.Kind of like Vasili,I added in my head and immediately cursed myself silently.
“Where are we going again?” I asked Tatiana as we slid into the car that Adrian would drive.
“Sazerac Bar,” she told me. “We were going to go to the Carrousel but I know how much you hate crowds. I think this will be better.”
“I agree,” I murmured. “The less crowds, the better.”
Once we arrived, I wholeheartedly agreed this was a better choice. The ambiance of old world New Orleans reflected in each corner of this room. It was located in the historical French Quarter of the city, on the corner of St. Louis Street. Deeply patinated walls and old photography decorated the place.
The low sounds of a melancholy trumpet played somewhere nearby giving the entire place an ambiance of energy, sex appeal and danger lurking in shadows. Yes, this place was fancy and still crowded by my definition but there was no denying the raw atmosphere dressed up in elegance. It was mixture of the Old World of New Orleans meeting the New World.
I couldn’t even imagine how crowded the other place was. Thankfully, we didn’t go there. A large crystal chandelier dominated the room and booths surrounded the cozy dance floor. Surprisingly, there were a few couples dancing to the soft music.
Tatiana had our booth reserved by the magnificent large window that gave us a view of Jackson Square with St. Louis Cathedral. Lively crowds strolled the streets, the sweet alcoholic concoction of gin, rum, vodka, and melon liqueur the locals referred to as hand grenades in their hands as they laughed and chatted, some even drunkenly stumbling around. The windows were open, allowing a warm breeze to sweep through off the river and along the busy street, the aching, bluesy melody of a lone trumpet drifting on the air.
We slid into the booth while Adrian went to take a seat at the bar.
“He could join us, you know,” I told Tatiana. “I don’t mind.”
“He refused.”
“Oh.” It was odd to hear anyone refuse Tatiana. Men usually drooled after her. “Why?”
She shrugged her shoulder. “He has it in his head we should go a proper date, not him joining my girls’ date.”
I raised my eyebrow. “And that is a problem?”
“I don’t know,” she murmured, her glance darting to Adrian. There was longing in her eyes that I had never seen on her face before.
“Tatiana, I have never known you to hold back,” I urged her. “Life's too short. If you like him and he likes you, just go for it. Agree to his date.”
“But if it doesn’t work out, then it makes things complicated.”
“Why is that?”
“He and Vasili work closely together.” I could see that being a problem. “They own a company together. It would make it awkward if it didn’t work out for us.”
