“Roman, I’ll need funds to support her addiction with clothes. She is an impulse buyer.”
“You’ll get anything you need,” I laugh. She’s completely nuts.
“My husband is crazy about me, and he allows me to do whatever I want with the house like rearrange furniture, so the vibe of the house works better with the earth vibrations. The house feels terribly cold, so I buy a bunch of indoor plants and spread them everywhere. I also tour every single room because I want to make sure the unobstructed energy flows, so I rearrange paintings and mirrors. I also hate the dining room table, it’s so overstated and I decide to swap it with a sleek glass one I found in one of the interior design magazines.”
Another pause.
“This woman is expensive, Roman. I hope you know what you are getting yourself into.”
“I’ll manage.”
“Your funeral.” she shrugs and continues, “My husband doesn’t like when he’s interrupted, but of course, that doesn’t apply to me. I often come into his office just to check up on him and exchange a few kisses. It annoys his men so much. They wonder what Roman sees in me and why he allows me so much freedom, and then decide he’s thinking with his dick. I’m always around, and they hate it.”
I’m fascinated with the way she’s creating this new person. It’s both crazy and brilliant. “She must be amazing in bed, to be able to wrap her husband around her finger that way,” I comment.
“Of course, she is. How else would she make him lose his mind like that? She’s not very bright, but she gives the best blowjobs.”
I imagine Nina doing just that, and my dick gets instantly hard.
She opens her eyes and pins me with her gaze. “I guess that’s enough for the start, I’ll develop her more along the way. What do you think? Would she do?”
“Do you do this often? Create different personalities and slide into them,” I ask, trying to suppress the need to grab her and kiss her silly.
“I did when I was a kid. It was a game. My mom hated it. Imagine having your daughter come down one morning and reject the breakfast, declaring that she’s been a vegetarian for years when she just had ham and eggs for dinner the previous day. She yawns again. “Would you mind if I go take a nap? I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Why?”
Nina blinks, looks the other way, and jumps from the sofa. “The bed was too soft.”
I watch her as she runs to her bedroom and wonder why her cheeks reddened.
When I leave my room after my nap, I find an older woman standing in Roman’s kitchen, putting groceries into the fridge. She’s short with gray hair, wearing a classy yellow dress. When she hears me, she turns and smiles widely, which makes the wrinkles in the corners of her eyes stand out.
“I was wondering where you were,” she says with a heavy accent. “The kitchen has been bursting with gossip since last night.”
“Nina, this is Varya,” Roman says entering the kitchen. “Varya knows about our agreement.”
The older woman looks me over, from the top of my head and down, making me feel like I’m sixteen and meeting the mom of my boyfriend for the first time. This woman is important to Roman, it’s evident from the sound of his voice when he talks to her. He seems, somehow, less guarded. If he shared the truth about our deal with her, it means he trusts her, and I don’t think that Roman trusts many people.
“So, when is the wedding planned?” she asks.
“In a few weeks.” I shrug.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Roman.” Varya turns to him. “If you keep Nina here that long, you’ll have to introduce her to your men. I’m not sure it’s a good idea to introduce her as your... lover.”
“You think we should do it sooner?” he asks.
“Yes. When you take her to your men, it should be as your wife. No one will respect her otherwise.”
Roman watches Varya for a few moments, then takes his phone and makes a call.
“Maxim, change of plans. Reschedule the marriage official. For tomorrow afternoon.”
Whoa, what?
“That’s much better.” Varya smiles. “When should I send the dinner?”
“In an hour.”