Chapter 3 Dmitri

Dmitri POV;

Two Months Later

"LADA'S RETIRING? WITH NO NOTICE?" I SAY IN RUSSIAN.

The barista sets my coffee down, and I pick it up. Maksim replies over the phone, "Yep." "She isn't going to finish our project?"

"No. She eloped and is traveling for the next month. She said she would refund our fees."

"We're in the middle of construction on a twenty-million-dollar building. She was supposed to go over materials with us today," I bark.

"I know. I'm walking into the meeting with Lorenzo. Figure it out. I can only focus on this right now. If this prick doesn't sell us this land, we're in trouble." He hangs up.

I curse, louder than I should.

"Bad day?" a familiar woman's voice asks.

I spin. "Vivian. How are you?" I lean down and kiss her cheek. We've worked together on several real estate transactions, and I've done some things with her foundation. Her baby bump is poking out of her jacket. She smiles. "I think I'm better than you sound." I sigh. "I'm in the middle of a new build, and our interior designer met some guy, got married, and flew the coop. She was already behind schedule. If I don't get materials ordered soon, we're going to lose millions."

Her face brightens. "I know a really talented designer who can help you."

"Who?"

"It's my sister-in-law. She's from New York and staying with Chase and me. She has her own business there but is relocating, so she doesn't have any projects right now."

"This is a twenty-million-dollar building. It's a large project," I say.

An amused expression appears on her face. "She can handle it. She's amazing."

"Any chance she's Russian?" I tease but also know my brothers prefer to keep everything in the Russian community if possible. Vivian is Greek and won't take it personally because she understands cultural issues more than most.

She softly laughs. "Nope. Grade A American."

I groan. "Guess it's time to expand my Rolodex."

Her eyes turn serious. "She's extremely talented, takes her work seriously, and will meet your budget parameters and deadlines."

There's no time to mess with this. If we don't figure this out, we're in trouble.

"Any chance I can meet her today?"

Vivian points to a corner table. A blonde woman sits in a booth. She's facing the wall. Her hair is in a messy bun, and she has a laptop open. "I need to go home and get ready for a listing appointment, but I can quickly introduce you if you wish. We just got done with yoga." I motion for her to go first. "Lead the way."

"Anna, this is Dmitri. He's in a jam and needs an interior designer. Dmitri, Anna," Vivian says. "Okay, I'm going to be late if I don't go. You two talk. See you tonight." Vivian pats her on the shoulder and pushes past me.

"What?" Anna turns her head, and my heart beats faster. It's her.

I wonder if she ditched her loser boyfriend.

Vivian said she's moving here.

"Anna. Good to see you again." I slide into the booth across from her.

Her face turns red, and she opens her mouth to speak, then shuts it.

I hold my hand out. "I'm Dmitri. I don't think we formally met last time."

She looks at my hand and gapes some more. She finally takes it and mutters, "I'm so confused right now."

I chuckle. "I'm friends with Vivian."

Jesus, this girl is smoking hot.

She's wearing a yoga tank top with a wrap around her arms. She continues to gape at me.

I try not to stare at the little bit of cleavage showing and release her hand. "Vivian said you're an interior designer?"

"Yes," she whispers. She clears her throat and says louder, "Yes."

"I need you, then."

"You...you need me?" The red in her face deepens.

Yep. In my bed, sweating and calling out my name.

"For my building."

"Oh?"

"I'm in quite the predicament."

"What would that be?"

I should stick to the task at hand, but I can't resist. "I didn't think I would see you again."

She takes a nervous breath. "I'm sorry...about...um... I..."

Don't apologize for that dick.

I put my hand over hers. "You're moving here?"

She nods. "I think."

"With him?"

She bites her lip and shakes her head.

"Is it over between you two?"

She looks out the window then clears her throat. "What's your predicament?"

Guess I got my answer. Disappointment fills me.

I need to get this problem solved.

I remove my hand from hers. "I'm in the middle of construction on a multi-million-dollar building.

Our designer bailed. We're already behind schedule and need to be ordering materials, or we're going to lose millions."

"And you want me to help you?"

"If you're as good as Vivian claims."

I'm sure you're way better than I could ever comprehend.

She has a boyfriend.

He's a dickhead.

She's still taken.

"Ummm... I...ummm..."

"Tell you what. Why don't we go to the building and do a walk-through then we can go to my place and review the blueprint."

She looks down. "I'm in yoga clothes."

I shouldn't flirt with her, knowing she's taken, but I can't resist. "Guess if we need to get dirty, that won't be a problem then."

Her eyes widen, and she turns crimson.

I push her laptop shut and lean forward. "Do you want to shower first? You look perfect to me, but I can make that happen if you prefer."

Her mouth hangs open.

I lean back. "My driver is out front. Why don't I take you to Vivian's? You do whatever you need to, I'll wait for you, then we'll go. Bring your laptop, and you can write up the contract for me to sign

later today."

"You've not seen my work. How do you know I'm the right designer for you?" she blurts out.

I've never hired anyone without looking at their work before. I might be in a desperate situation, but I should still do my due diligence.

"Vivian vouched for you. She said you were transitioning your business and would be able to focus on me. Is she correct?"

"Focus on you?"

Yep. All day and all night.

"This project. And she claimed I could trust you to stay within my budget, meet deadlines, and create something amazing. Was she correct or wrong?"

"Ummm...yes, I can do those things."

"Good. Do you speak any Russian?"

She shakes her head. "No. Do I need to?"

I should at least warn her. "My brothers and I prefer to hire Russians and keep what we can in the community. You might have to communicate with some of them. Many of our workers don't speak English very well."

A line creases between her eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't know any Russian words."

"Will it bother you?" I ask her.

"Not understanding what they say?"

"If I need to be your interpreter."

She hesitates. "No. But are your brothers going to be upset I'm not Russian?"

And we're going to be paying you a fortune, and it's leaving the community? Yep.

I lie. "No. You're saving our asses." I shouldn't touch her, but I trace her fingers. "Maybe I should teach you some words?"

Her hand freezes. "Such as?"

I shrug. "The basics."

"Okay. If you want to, that would be helpful."

"Good. It's settled, then." I rise and hold my hand out to help her out of the booth. "Ready?"

"Where are we going?"

"To shower."

Her eyes widen. She swallows hard.

Yes. Me, you, and your sexy body all lathered up and rubbing against mine.

She's still with the douchebag.

But she's moving here, and he isn't.

"I'll drive you to Vivian's."

"She's only a few buildings down. I can walk."

I pick up her laptop so she can't change her mind. "I'll put this in the car and wait for you then. I've got several calls I need to make."

"Okay. I'll hurry so I don't waste your time."

Nothing with you is wasting my time.

"No rush, kotik. I've got at least an hour of calls to make." I don't, but I don't want her feeling stressed.

She tilts her head. "Kotik?"

Pussycat.

"I'll tell you later, over dinner tonight."

"Dinner?"

She has a boyfriend.

A loser who isn't moving here. Any guy who'd let her move across the country and not follow deserves to lose her.

You're asking for drama.

"Yeah. We've got a lot to do. You eat, don't you?"

She doesn't answer, takes a deep breath, and avoids my gaze. "I'm going to walk to Vivian's now."

I nod to her laptop. "Let me put this in the car."

"I can go myself." It comes out stern.

ack off. You're freaking her out.

"All right, kotik. I'll wait in the car." I motion for her to go first and grab the door before she can open it.

I don't get into the car. I stand outside the vehicle, ogling her perfect, juicy ass until it disappears inside the building.

My phone rings. "Maksim, did you close it?"

He sighs. "We're close."

"We're running out of time."

"I'm handling it."

"Fair enough. I just secured a designer."

"Who did you get?"

"A woman from New York. She's moving her firm here." I don't know how big Anna's business is or anything about it, really. My brothers will kill me if they find out I didn't do any due diligence.

"Who is it? Marisha? Yelena?" Those are two big Russian's in the New York community.

"You don't know her. Her name is Anna."

"Anna what?"

"It's Vivian Monroe's sister-in-law."

The line goes quiet for a moment. "Her husband is American."

"Yep. So are we."

"Not funny. That's a lot of money to withhold from our community."

"We're in a jam. We're going to lose millions if we don't solve this problem. She comes highly recommended and does amazing work," I insist, saying a little prayer that everything Vivian told me about Anna is true.

"We should look for a Russian."

I lie again. "I already signed a contract."

"You didn't?"

"Yep. It's done."

He groans. "I don't have time for this. You hired her, you better make sure you keep your eye on her at all times."

Oh, don't worry, big brother. I have every intention of keep my eyes on her as much as possible.

"Done." I hang up and go inside the building. I sit in the lobby, in a chair facing the elevator so I can see her when she gets off.

There is only one question I try to figure out while I wait for her. How do I convince her to break up with her douchebag boyfriend?.