Page 60 of His Smile
Offended, she sat upstraighter and gave him a haughty look of disdain. "I wasn't naked, I wascovered in silver body paint and Swarovski crystals. My outfit for theperformance will look similar to that. That was a magnificent photo, and youknow it.”
“I know Roman hasn’t seen ityet,” he replied coolly.
“He has, well, he has seenthe picture of it on my phone and the same image is being used for a fewinternet ads as well, so there,” she threw back at him. “It’s completelytasteful, and Roman loved it."
That wasn't entirely truewhen she did show him the photo last night, he stared at it for a good longmoment before giving her that insane smile of his that only meant danger. Heused the chair on her again, this time not letting her out for what felt likean hour. Just thinking of his “punishment” for the revealing photo sentshivers down her body.
“And your family?" Heinquired, taking the last bite of a strawberry from his plate.
Rahina looked away. Eversince her talk with Roman last night, the guilt from avoiding her family’scalls and their most likely appalled reaction to seeing the clear outline oftheir daughter’s breasts plastered across the city was growing out ofproportion.
Grabbing her plate, she slidoff the stool and walked past the two lounging dogs at her feet towards thesink. “Are youtryingto make feel bad?” she asked.
“Maybe,” Mosca admitted witha cold smile.
“Do you still think Roman ismad at you?” She gave him an exasperated sigh; he was convinced Roman was stillhung up on the night Mosca carried her to the bedroom.
“He left, didn’t he?”Raising a hand towards the garage door, Mosca gave her a wide-eyed look ofanger. “He is supposed to have me drive him?”
“Look, I told him how youdropped on the bed like a sack of laundry, and he knows nothing would everhappen between you and me in a million years," she said slowly and evenlyhoping it will penetrate the man's paranoia over the topic.
Groaning, Mosca scrubbed hisface before running a hand through his hair. “I wish he would have just punchedme or something, not saying anything about it is a whole lot worse and unlikehim.”
Petting Genghis, who came upto rub his face on her thighs, she gave Mosca a curious look. “Roman told methat his boss made the decision to move Dimitri to Las Vegas.”
Mosca’s shoulder stiffenedas he stared out the window towards the pool with his back towards her. “Yeah,I know that.”
“Are you worried that Romanwon’t pick you to replace Dimitri?”
Turning around so fast,Mosca grabbed her by both shoulders, making her jump. "Why? What did hetell you?"
“He didn’t say anything Ijust asked what that meant for you, and he didn’t respond he just smiled allcreepy like.”
His grip on her shouldertightened as he scowled at her. “I should shake you,” he threatened.
“I didn’t do anything, nowunhand me,” pushing out of his hold, she brushed some imaginary dirt off hershoulder before walking towards the stairs. “Now if you don’t mind, I must getready to go face the music, as they say.”
Knowing what she was goingto do Mosca smiled evilly at her. “I hope your mother yells at you.”
~*~
Glancing at his watch forthe tenth time, Roman felt the familiar tingling feeling of dread run along hisinstincts. Something was wrong. Rahina should have been home by now. The lasttext he got from her that morning was her recommendation to make Mosca his maidinstead of his captain, and then nothing. Normally on average, he receivedabout six texts a day from the chipper dancer, and if she wasn't texting, shewas posting to social media. Her constant use of her phone was better than anysecurity detail he could place on the girl. Meaning, that hours of no texts andno social media uploads gave him pause.
“She could be in a laterehearsal,” Mosca offered quietly from the kitchen where he stood.
Sitting on the edge of the sofa,Roman tapped the screen on his phone and called her number for the fourth time.Each previous attempt rang and eventually went to voicemail, each time pissinghim off a little further. This was why he didn’t want to care about people, thethought whispered in his head. This hollow angry feeling he felt as he tried tomaintain his calm and locate her was exactly what he never wanted toexperience.
The ringing stopped.
“Hello,” the small whispersounded on the other end through the speakerphone, causing both him and Moscato stand up straight.
That was not Rahina’s voice.
“Who is this?” he saidcarefully.
“This is Safina,” the girlwhispered. “Are you Roman?”
The tingling feeling ofdread coiled tighter in his stomach. “Yes, where is Rahina?”
