We followed.
Excitement showed all over Ava’s face.
We passed a 24-foot-long glass bar lining one wall. It was called the Drink Laboratory. There, award-winning bartenders used state-of-the-art molecular mixology equipment to reinvent classic cocktails. One could sip a salted caramel old fashioned or have a bottle of 50-year-old aged whiskey. They employed a full-time Ice Chef who made different flavors of diamond ice cubes to complement each drink.
I checked over my shoulder. Maxwell had a ballerina on each arm. Both women pointed to this place and that with giddiness on their faces.
“Misha, this is amazing. Thank you.” Ava squeezed my arm. “We would have been happy with a local diner and bottle of vodka to share amongst us. No one expected this.”
“It’s a celebration. We must do it big.”
Our man in black guided us to the back. Then, he stopped us at an unmarked wall, coated in white.
Smiling, he held his gloved hand out. “Enjoy, Mr. Stronz.”
The white wall slid open. A large white space greeted our eyes. Ivory walls surrounded the place. Two snowy white chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Polished seashells dangled from them.
The only color in the room was a long crocodile-skin-covered table in the center. It seated over thirty people. Yet, white chairs circled it. White dinnerware and dishes covered the crocodile skin. The white bowls and plates boasted ribbed texture, giving the whole set up an irresistible charm.
The utensils were white too. The forks and knives looked like they were shaped from pearls. And in the center of the table, white candelabras held lit white candles.
The floor looked like milk—liquid, and moving. It was all an illusion—a trick on the eyes. Still, Ava tapped the floor with her toe before stepping inside.
I whispered in her ear. “Can Bob do this?”
“I can’t with you right now.” She giggled. “And no, he can’t. This is so insane. I love every exciting detail. Everywhere I look there is something new to entertain my eyes.”
“Great. I’m glad you love it.”
“Nothing will ever compare. This is the oddest place I’ve ever been too.”
Once she went to my family castle in Prague she would change that statement. Perhaps that was why I chose this place. I wanted to get her prepared for the crazy in my life with one odd space at a time.
The line of glamourous ballerinas gathered inside the room.
“Yo, I like this.” Maxwell hit my side, still with a ballerina on each arm. “It’s very Mission Impossible.”
“Make sure everyone knows the food and drinks are on me.”
“I’ll spread the word.” He got ready to walk off with his ballerinas.
I stopped him. “And yes.”
He arched his brows. “Yes?”
“Yes. You can smoke in here, but you must go to the other end of the table. That’ll be the smoking section.”
“Misha.” He smiled at me. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Maxwell.”
“Wow.” Ava giggled. “You two are already at I love you. Meanwhile. . .”
“Oh, he loves you too.” Maxwell winked at her. “He’s just not ready to explore that yet. Not while my sexy ass is around.”
My words left with him as he walked off. I turned back to Ava. One of the ballerinas grabbed her. They pointed at the main lounge as the white wall slowly slipped closed and gave our group privacy.
Together, they giggled and talked more about the place.
I took that time, drinking her in some more. That black dress did things to my body. So glamorous and alluring. The fabric hugged her body. The smartly placed ostrich feathers decorated the right spots. The V-neckline presented her small breasts in an enthralling light.
You’ll have your time to make friends. After that, you’re all mine.
We all sat down at the long table, covered in crocodile skin. Ballerinas and gangsters. The beautiful and cruel. The fragile and dangerous. A white room full of dark and elegant creatures.
Weed smoke filled the air. I spotted a few ballerinas passing around joints. Maxwell rolled some more at the end of the table. He looked up at me.
I raised my glass.
He gave me a thumbs up.
This is the life.
Ava sat next to me at the end of the table. “Tonight is so magical, and it’s all because of you.”
“That’s what our days will be from now on. We had a rough start, but no more.”
She widened her eyes. “You saved me. No. You saved everyone in my company from the terror of those men.”
I didn’t want to tell her this part. However, I feared that the theater closed to wait this conflict out with the oligarch families and me. Perhaps, they hoped that someone would kill me off and things could go back to normal. But there was no need to let Ava or her friends know that just yet.
I will win.
“Thank you for everything, Misha.”
“Why would the theater think that they could auction off your body?” I sneered. “I wish I could say my solution was about your fellow ballerinas, but it was all about you. No one will ever force you to do anything you don’t want.”