Thief Ch 03

How did the movies always leave out this part?

Charlie rolled over on her not so comfortable bed, her pillow welcoming a muffled groan. Her stomach hurt and she was certain it wasn't because of the waffles she had had for breakfast or the noodles Maris had gotten them for dinner.

Not for the first time since she unceremoniously tossed the evidence of her clandestine meeting into a trashcan, she felt regretful that she hadn't done the right thing by reading about side effects of the drug. It made perfect sense that while the morning after pill worked seamlessly for most women, she had to deal with stomach aches as some sort of punishment for having sex without a condom. If no one else had such luck, she definitely would.

Frustration seeped into her, as she pulled herself out of her bed and made her way to the rather small kitchen. Their apartment was nowhere near the luxury of that room she had been in 2 days ago, but it worked for them. Well...it was mostly Maris' apartment, but her best friend hadn't been averse to her moving in when she needed a place to stay that wasn't some safe house. So far so good, Maris was happy for the company, but Charlie often felt like a freeloader. Yes, she did contribute on occasion, when she had some cash, but those occasions were few and far between. Maris was yet to complain, but Charlie didn't plan to wait for such a time. She was going to find her purpose and pull her weight to help Maris.

"Why are you up?"

Charlie yelped in surprise at the voice, but then allowed her eyes adjust to the room and found Maris' perturbed gaze on her. She hadn't noticed her friend in the living room, nor the light from the laptop on Maris' lap, "Damn girl, you scared me." She said, as she placed her hand to her beating heart.

"Is something wrong?" Maris asked, her eyes quickly scanning Charlie as if she could instantly detect an issue. Maris was a lab technician at the local hospital. Now, she could detect a lot of things, but Charlie was sure she couldn't detect them by a mere perusal.

"No, I just...I can't sleep and wanted to get some warm milk to help." Charlie responded.

Maris cocked a brow, "Was it a nightmare?"

If only...

Charlie shook her head, "No, it's not that serious. I just need milk." Without waiting for a response from Maris, Charlie continued on to the kitchen. She got herself a glass of milk and took a gulp. Minutes later, the pain seemed to reduce, enough for her to make her way back to the bedroom.

Maris was still seated in the same position, her face was in a frown as she read whatever was on her laptop screen. Late nights weren't strange for Maris, in fact, Charlie was certain her friend was some sort of vampire who preferred the darkness to light. A deep frown though, was a cause for concern.

"You okay?" It was her turn to ask the question from earlier.

Maris glanced at her, and shrugged lightly, "Yeah, I just got some news from the landlord earlier, but I should be able to handle it."

As far as relations with the landlord went, Charlie knew never to approach that topic. Her name wasn't on the lease, and she didn't even have the money for rent. Yet, she felt the urge to ask, "What's the matter? Is it something I can help with?"

Maris sighed, exhaustion heavy in the sound, "He increased the rent by more than 50% and just expects me to come up with it by the end of the month. For the life of me, I don't know where I'm going to get that sort of money from, and I'm just hoping there's a way to reverse it." She nibbled at her bottom lip, a habit she only used when she was very worried.

Charlie's brows rose in surprise. That was definitely a lot of money, more money than they both had, not with Maris' job and her practical joblessness, "He can't do that." She protested, "I'm sure there are laws that state he can't do that!" She reiterated. She had always figured their landlord was not the most honourable of men. He had been lewd and totally disgusting the one time she had encountered him, and such a person could resort to terrible actions.

Maris sighed, her features fraught with frustration, "I'll talk to him about it when I have the chance within the week, I'm sure he can be reasonable."

Charlie did not think Neave Anders capable of being reasonable, but she wasn't about to further worry Maris with that thought. Just in case reason failed though, she made a mental note to check out the pawn shop she had seen, surely that fancy wrist watch would be worth a decent amount.

****

The deal was sealed

It was not a fact Sergei had ever been in doubt about, and as he shook the hand of their client in America- a new one they had secured while he had come here for damage control- he did feel a swell of pride in him. His father had always complained that he thoroughly underutilized his negotiation and people skills, but he was certain he would be proud of how easily he had pulled through the first job he had gotten since his death.

In the good spirit of his father's traditions, when their clients had suggested they go partying to celebrate, Sergei had approved, also, he wanted his men to have a good feel of "American hospitality", like their clients had called it. Sergei had traveled across the globe long enough to have an inkling of what that entailed, so, when they were all ushered into a large hotel room a couple of hours later, the strippers were no surprise to him.

His reaction to them though, was a surprise to Dimitri.

Some people grew out of certain behaviours, they matured and found no thrill in them. Sergei had gone through this phase with other actions, but not with women. He was always ready for some good female entertainment and basked in it.

Yet, as the sultry, red haired stripper ground her ass against him, Sergei could not find the excitement. He stared at her, his face blank, and a glass of whiskey in his hand, but his mind in a different universe.

One where he was being entertained by a dark beauty with mesmerising, whiskey-coloured eyes.

Some people would call this a possession, and would quickly organise an exorcism for him. He had often read about women of the bayou and their skill at witchcraft, but the girl at the hotel had not struck him as a daughter of the Bayou, and to the best of his knowledge, she had not cast any spell on him, yet...

"What's on your mind, big boy?" The red head's voice drifted into his ears, jarring him from his much preferred fantasy. His blue gaze found her green ones.

This woman would be considered pretty by most people. She had a small, upturned nose, full lips that he guessed were a result of a few injections, high cheekbones and slightly slanted eyes that were even more pronounced with heavy lashes. She was the kind of woman that would be considered arm candy in Russia, yet ...

He shook his head at her, and moved her away from his body, placing her gently on the empty couch next to him, "You're a very pretty woman, but I'm in no mood to be entertained." He said. She looked ready to plead her case, perhaps offer him some other form of entertainment, but Sergei rose from his chair and left the room.

He took a quick scan and found that the rest of his men were having a good time at least. They had earned the treat, and once they were back in Russia, treats like this would be few and far between, if at all.

He answered the call of the wind outside, and took a sip of his whiskey as the cool breeze of the balcony caressed his skin. He couldn't go on like this. If he even had a name, he would be close to finding this woman and detoxifying himself, but he had never gotten her name.

Damn her for haunting his mind. Damn her for sneaking off without giving him her name. Damn her for being so gorgeous.

"I never thought I would see the day Sergei Romanov would be uninterested in a room full of women." Dimitri stated, as he joined him at the balcony.

Sergei glanced at his cousin, of course Dimitri would follow him. If anyone could notice his changed demeanor, it would be Dimitri who had known him since they were tots. Sergei shrugged, "They're not doing anything for me." He offered in response.

Dimitri cocked a brow in surprise, "Wow, that's.... that's unheard of." He chuckled softly, "Would you like to explain why?"

He was dying to explain why. It felt like he was losing his mind and he couldn't tell anyone for fear of being judged or ridiculed.

"Brat ..." Dimitri began, as he placed a firm hand on Sergei's shoulder, when he didn't seem forthcoming with his response, "You know you can tell me anything, yes?"

Sergei nodded. If he couldn't tell Dimitri, he could tell no one else, "About a week ago, there was this girl in my hotel. She had snuck in, I assume, but I found her and I...I had sex with her, and it was so good brother, she...she was nothing like I had ever experienced. And since then, I can't seem to think of anything else but her, I can't even enjoy the entertainment." He took a glance at the party behind them for emphasis.

"A girl?" Dimitri asked, sounding just as surprised as Sergei had guessed he would sound.

Sergei scoffed, "Even I, cannot believe myself." He admitted.

"You did not get her name or contact?" Dimitri asked, skipping right past the ridiculousness of the entire thing, as though the idea of being haunted by a one night stand was not so incredulous.

Sergei shook his head, "She had left by the time I woke up the next morning. I couldn't get anything from her." He admitted.

Dimitri's brows furrowed lightly as if in thought. Sergei felt a bit silly for ever thinking Dimitri would judge him or mock him for being in such a conundrum. Perhaps if he had shared this with his brother earlier, they would have found some way to help him, "Well, you say she snuck into your room, so, if you got nothing from her, did she get something from you?"

He had gotten two degrees by the age of twenty-five, a feat Sergei would always be proud of. He had gone on to secure his Master's Degree, and he had been published in a few Business Magazines around the world over the years. Many would say he was an astute businessman, sharp and quick thinking, yet Sergei felt like the biggest fool, as he responded, "My wristwatch."

How had he not thought of that?