Sasha: The Awakening (The Wallflower Series Book 2) (4 page)

She was listening to him tell a joke when the hairs at the back of her neck stirred in warning. Curious as to her body’s innate response, she searched for the cause but came up short. The same feeling coursed through her continuously throughout the night as they made their way closer to the large group formed around who she supposed was the marketing manager Carter had come to see. From what she had heard from several others that night, the public relations firm was not only one of the best in the country but had easily gained a foothold in the international market within the past few years. And at the forefront of this change was the most sought after guest tonight. Yet having not heard his name, she was growing suspicious.

In her mind, the pieces were slowly coming together but even as she bothered to consider who he was, she continually denied it to herself. Boston was too big of a city and they had never run into each other before. There were probably many famous marketing managers at top-notch PR firms. What were the chances? But the infuriating feeling of being watched had yet to go away. Finally, she asked,

“Carter? Who exactly is the man you came to see?”

He grinned. “You know, I never did tell you his name. Maybe you’ve heard of him. Dmitri Durand. His father is Nikolai Vikhrov, the owner of that hotel chain.”

But by that point, all the color had drained from her cheeks. As soon as she watched his lips form Dmitri’s name, her ears had become almost clogged as panic raced through her veins and she felt the distinct urge to run. Her arm loosened from his hold and she made a faltering step back.

As Carter began to ask her what was wrong, he felt a familiar set of arms wrap around his neck and ruffle his head playfully. Immediately grinning, he turned to see his friend, unaware of Sasha’s abject look of horror.

As soon as she saw the tuft of black hair and the familiar stature of the man behind Carter, she gasped and desperately searched for a way out. At the same time, she mentally analyzed why she was reacting so strongly to his presence. But before she could delve deeper into answers, the man holding Carter showed his face and her sense of urgency dissipated slightly.

“Dominic! What the hell man! What are you doing here?” Carter pulled his friend into a hug.

Returning the friendly embrace, Dominic patted Carter on his shoulder and responded, “You know, I’m always where I have no business being.” Casually, he looked over at Carter’s companion and visibly shook at the sight of the small woman. “Sasha?”

Shyly and without much sincerity as she was still in a state of anxiety, she smiled, “Hello, Dominic.”

He looked between his friend and Sasha, the wheels turning in his head before it clicked. “Holy shit!” were the only words he was at first able to utter. “Are you two together?”

Carter immediately asked, “Wait. You two know each other?”

Before Dominic could get a chance to answer, Sasha took over. “Yes! Dominic was dating my friend Dina.”

Raising a brow at her watered down explanation of their relationship, Dominic only nodded, considering it best not to say anything more on the subject.

“Huh, well what a small world. I wonder why we never met sooner.” Carter grinned suggestively at Sasha.

She shrugged her shoulders. “Umm, I’m sorry to cut out early, but I think I should get going. That way, you two can catch up.”

Knowing whom she was trying to avoid, Dominic said nothing to the contrary. However, Carter was unsurprisingly taken aback by her abrupt need to end the date. “Really? Is something wrong? Are you okay?”

Sasha had to admit to herself that she felt guilty escaping in such a way, inadvertently hurting Carter. “I’m so sorry. I-I just…”

But then everything she was trying to avoid came to fruition. Carter and Dominic’s attention was removed from her as they turned to the sound of the intruder. Sasha felt as if the ground had been swept from beneath her feet; her body visibly quivered at the sound of his hypnotic voice. And their memories together flooded to her mind as if his voice had unleashed the floodgates she had so tenaciously held until that moment.

Knowing she could not continue to avoid looking up at him, she slowly raised her gaze. And the sight before her was even more beautiful than she had remembered.

“Oh no,” she thought to herself. “Please don’t let it happen again.
”

Dmitri had noticed her the moment she entered the courtyard. His shock was palpable as he literally had to hold himself back from immediately approaching. While he would willingly admit to having thought of her often since the fateful day in his office, he was unprepared for his physical and emotional response to her nearness after so many years. While her hair was still dreaded, it was shorter, only falling a little below her shoulders as opposed to down her back as he remembered. But that wasn’t all that was different about her.

Dressed in a simple black dress with a plunging neckline, he noticed that her figure had changed. While not exactly much skinner, there was a distinct firmness and musculature where before there had been an almost cherubic softness to her features and stature. Dmitri visually admired her as she walked amongst the crowd; her head held high, regal in her gracefulness. Above all, that was the greatest difference he took notice of. Just as when she had so determinedly marched into his office, Sasha moved now with confidence and a self-assuredness she had lacked upon their first meeting. She no longer seemed to cower into herself and avoid the gaze of others. It was almost as if she challenged them to look.

Surrounded by so many people clamoring for his attention, Dmitri almost didn’t see the man she held onto. But when he finally did, there was no way he couldn’t immediately remove himself from conversation. Like stalking prey, he had slowly followed them, blatantly ignoring the people calling his name. There was determination in his every step.

He had planned on making things right, sitting in his apartment after Nadia’s abrupt departure. In his mind, he had planned over and over again how he would let Sasha know that he was different and would never hurt her again. To his own embarrassment, he had dreamt of her response. The bright smile that she had greeted him with when they were together- he yearned to see it once more. It would remove the memory of her haunted eyes at the hospital, the fierce hatred decorating her features when she had come to his office.

Dmitri simply wanted a new start. And there was going to be no one to stand in his way. His gaze narrowed upon the man she stood with. He looked familiar but Dmitri was too distracted by the look of joy upon Sasha’s face as she spoke to think of why. The man’s identity became even more mysterious however when his brother made an appearance. Halting in his steps, Dmitri watched the camaraderie between the two.

He knew next to nothing about his brother’s personal life and friendships. But it no longer mattered because as the man smiled, it suddenly hit him: Carter James- the man who had been hounding him for a meeting. While it was an unpleasant surprise, it certainly gave him reason to interrupt their conversation. Carter had been the spokesperson for his boss’s company for some time and more than likely came to the event to persuade Dmitri into considering taking them on as a client. Planning to use that knowledge to his advantage, he decided to approach.

When he cleared his throat and greeted them all, he tried desperately to keep his eyes from straying directly to Sasha. He knew as soon as he got the opportunity to look at her with their physical proximity, he would have a hard time looking away. After both Dominic and Carter returned his greeting, as was socially expected, he had to finally look upon her.

What he didn’t expect to find was the blank stare she met him with. Expressionless, she nodded her head with a mumbled, “Hello.”

It was the last thing he expected. Anger, maybe even unmitigated disgust, but not…nothing. For a minute, Dmitri was speechless. He continued to stare at her longer than was acceptable when Carter took his attention once more.

“My name is Carter James. I’m not sure if you remember but-”

“I know who you are and who you work for. I also know why you’re here,” he interrupted, upset at the intrusion.

Carter’s brow lifted at the harshness behind Dmitri’s tone but easily brushed it off. “Well, if that’s the case, I can only assume there is a specific reason for why you approached.”

Pulling his gaze away once again from Sasha, Dmitri nodded distractedly. She refused to meet his stare, her attention instead resting upon Carter. And that not only infuriated him more but, he realized, that fury was fueled by jealousy.

‘It’s because she’s mine,’ he thought to himself.

“We should schedule a meeting sometime. I would like to consider your proposal a little more.”

Needless to say, Carter was clearly shocked by the invitation. Dmitri passed over his card with his cell phone information. “Now that we’ve got business out of the way, how have you been Carter?”

It took him a moment to respond but finally he said, “Fine, thank you. This here is Sasha Harmon.”

Deciding to play his cards close at hand, Dmitri shot his brother a warning glance before bowing his head slightly to greet Sasha more properly. He knew his face showed nothing of his true intentions, but when he reached out for her hand and pecked the back of her palm softly with his lips, his muscles tensed with the need to pull her to his chest. He felt mildly satisfied at her stiffness. Maybe she wasn’t as unmoved as her expression would have him to believe.

The Sasha before him had definitely changed. Two years ago, it was as if she hadn’t even known the concept of a poker face; her eyes had always given her away. But the guilty part of him knew he had been part of the reason for the transformation. The last time she had been vulnerable before him had resulted in a debacle. And so, he couldn’t fault her hardened exterior in his presence.

‘All in due time,’ he assured himself.

“It is nice to meet you Ms. Harmon. I’m Dmitri Durand as I’m sure you’ve heard.”

Practically shoving her hand from his grasp, Sasha replied stiffly, “It is nice to meet you too. And yes, I have heard some things.”

“All of them good I hope,” he chuckled falsely for Carter’s benefit, anticipating her cold silence in response.

Dominic interrupted the tense glare developing between his brother and Sasha by saying, “Well, Sasha was just about to leave when you came. So…”

Carter immediately jumped in. Turning to her, he asked, “Are you sure? If you would prefer to just go somewhere else, I’d be happy to do so.”

She smiled at his kindness. “Thank you, Carter. Truly, I’ve had a great time. I just think the day is catching up to me and I wouldn’t be such good company half-asleep from exhaustion. You shouldn’t have to cut your night short.”

He opened his mouth to protest but she gently placed her hand on his arm. “It’s okay. I really enjoyed myself.” While her statement was sincere, Sasha couldn’t deny to herself that part of her insistence had been for Dmitri’s benefit as well. She noticed his jaw tick at her announcement and felt morbidly satisfied by his response.

“Well, let me at least walk you to your car.” Carter insisted.

“No, you stay here. I’ll be fine. The parking lot is directly in front of the valet.” Seeing that he was about to protest once more, Sasha merely gave him a peck on the cheek. His shock silenced him and so she turned to the other two men, her gaze mostly resting upon Dominic. “It was nice seeing you again, Dominic.” With a cold nod to Dmitri, she walked away, her chin held parallel to the floor. 

Dominic merely muttered, “Women,” as if the single word aptly described the situation.

Carter frowned. “I should follow her. Make sure she gets to her car safely.”

Seeing the look that crossed his brother’s face, Dominic jumped in before an altercation occurred. “I’m sure she will be fine. I’ve known Sasha for a while. She’s stronger than she looks.”

Carter raised a brow at his remark. “Just how long have you known her? And in what context?”

“No worries, friend.” He patted Carter on the shoulder in a casual manner. “You’ll receive no competition for her affections from me.”

When Carter removed his gaze from Dominic to include Dmitri in conversation he was left speechless at the man’s silent absence. Looking around, his frown deepened. “Where the hell did your brother go?”

Dominic knew it best to not answer truthfully. He knew exactly his brother’s intention. But the question was whether Sasha was willing to meet him halfway. Running into her the night before had been a brush of good luck that Dominic had planned on taking advantage of. After several conversations with Nadia, he had made it his mission to try to get them back together. Or to at least give his brother the opportunity to make peace with what he had destroyed.

“Probably off doing business again,” he evaded.

“Hmm…well I’m a bit surprised he remembered me. I mean, I’m sure I’m one of hundreds of people he meets a week.”

Dominic shrugged, “Lasting impressions and all that…”

“So, you dated Sasha’s friend Dina before she moved to Italy then?”

“Yup. Definitely not my greatest moment- a woman choosing her career over me. Sort of bruises the ego a bit.” He let out an exaggerated sigh.

Carter chuckled. “It serves you right, arrogant prick!”

Sasha opened the door and jumped as it was pushed closed once more. She immediately recognized the hand that lay upon the car window and could feel the warmth emanating from his body as he stood directly behind her. What she didn’t expect was him leaning down until his lips lay a hair’s breadth away from her ear.

“Talk to me,” he whispered. “Please.”

She sucked in a deep breath. The cold exterior she had been putting on display was in complete contrast to her inner turmoil. A part of her knew she hadn’t been ready for this interaction yet. She had hoped to never see him again and had grown comfortable with the illusion. Two years, apparently, were hard to keep hold of the same intensity of anger when constantly battling feelings of a first love. Or at least whatever it was that had made her throat clog up at the sight of him.

But she forced herself to remember. She couldn’t sit down and allow herself to be abused the way she had been before. And so, even as Dmitri’s arms began to wrap around her waist, she simultaneously took a step to the side and brought her elbow down straight into his exposed gut.  He released a rush of air on her cheek, his arms releasing her to nurse the physical wound.

“What the hell, Sasha!” he gasped.

She turned to him and said coldly, “You’re a piece of work, you know that? Who the hell do you think you are following me out to my car and forcing yourself onto me? It’s been two years! As far as you are concerned, we don’t know each other. And you have no right to speak or touch me.”

Still rubbing his bruised stomach, Dmitri took a step back. There was tense silence between them before he finally said, “You’re right, I’m sorry. I got ahead of myself.”

She brushed off his apology. “Just leave me alone, Dmitri. Tonight was a fluke. Tomorrow, we’ll go back to our own lives as if we had never met. As it was supposed to be.” Again, she reached out for the door handle but paused when he spoke once more.

“I didn’t come here to stalk you or force myself onto you, Sasha. I’ve thought about this moment for so long. Seeing you again. But I never thought it would come so soon. And I honestly didn’t know how to react other than to hold you. Just, don’t run away. Tonight wasn’t a fluke. At least, it wasn’t to me.”

“What the hell are you talking about? After everything that happened, everything that was said, what could you possibly want from me?”

Dmitri let out a dry chuckle. “Isn’t it obvious? I made a mistake.”

Sasha approached him with her finger pointed directly at him. “No! Taking a wrong fucking turn is a mistake! What you did was intentional! And now that you’re alone, you want to come crawling back to the one person that actually cared about you!” She balled her hands into fists and took in a deep breath. It was back- the anger and hurt. “Fuck you, Dmitri. Stay out of my life.”

“I can’t! It’s been years and I still can’t stop thinking about you.” He pulled his hands through his hair, mussing the perfect locks in frustration. It was a rare occurrence for him to be so desperately searching for the right words to say to a woman. “You may not believe it, but I’m not the same person I was then. I can admit to having wronged you in the worst way. I completely understand why you want to push me away but you forget- I
know
you, Sasha.”

Dmitri stepped closer to her, his hand reaching out slowly until his fingertips skimmed the softness of her cheeks. “You may be putting on this façade of being unmoved but I can see right through it. Remember? I saw you at your most vulnerable, when you would scream my name as you came beneath me. I’ve known parts of you you’ve never exposed to anyone else before.”

His heart raced as she did nothing to remove his hand upon her cheek. Softly, he caressed the plump fullness beneath his palm. His thumbs gradually skimmed closer to her lips.

“You say you’ve changed.” At his nod, she continued, “Did you ever think that maybe I’ve done the same?” She didn’t give him a chance to answer. “No, you probably didn’t. You see, as much as you claim to know me, I
know
you. You’re arrogant, Dmitri. And self-centered. You brush over how much you hurt me with a half-assed apology and assume that I’ll be that same girl that would have done anything to keep you. Well, as much as you say you’ve changed, so have I. And I can tell you here and now, I’m not the girl you
know
anymore.”