Page 10 of Bound By Sin
"Kaz, it's so good to hear from you." It's only been a few days but damn, did I miss the sound of her voice.
"Hey, Zora," I mewl, falling into an eased tone. "I'm really sorry for having to run out on you. One of our fighters got hurt and we had to handle an emergency room trip. I hope it didn't make you hate me."
"Hate you?" She chuckles and says, "Kaz, I barely know you."
"Then let's fix that. Dinner tonight? My treat. I can pick you up or meet you there…" I don't have to wait at all for her answer. She's eager to pick up where we left off.
"What should I wear? And don’t say strappy gold heels, because mine are broken."
Tonight is going to be lit. I can't wait to see her and find out if that chemistry I was feeling the other day is as intoxicating the second time around. Just have to finish this meeting with Roman and then I'm home free.
6
ZORA
Alisa has been here since five and we've gone through half a bottle of wine and my entire closet trying to find something for me to wear that doesn't make me look desperate. She's on my bed with her legs tucked under her, holding up a green dress I haven't worn in over a year while I stand at the mirror in my robe finishing my makeup. It feels like any other night, any normal date, but the flutter of nerves in my belly reminds me otherwise.
"The green is gorgeous on you, but it's screaming for attention," she says, tossing it onto the growing pile beside her. "You don't want to look like you tried. You want to look like you rolled out of bed and this is what happened."
"That's never what happened for anyone in the history of getting dressed." I snicker and watch her roll her eyes in the reflection on my mirror.
"That's the whole point." She reaches behind her and holds up the last option, a dark red fitted dress with thin straps and alow back. "I still think this is the one, Zora. That man won't remember his own name if you wear this."
I finish my eyes and set the liner down, then take the dress from her and step into it, pulling it up over my hips. She climbs off the bed and zips the back up for me, then fluffs my hair so it lies over my shoulders. It's a beautiful dress, which I haven't worn in years because my brothers never let me out of their sight to do anything fun.
"I still can't get over him calling to apologize," she says, stepping back to look me over. "You realize most men would've just made you feel like you weren't worth their time and left you wondering what you did wrong."
"I wouldn't wonder that," I tell her, then I think about how she's right. Kazimir is different from other guys. He had no reason to apologize to me. It was his work. He had to go. But it was a sweet gesture that makes me smile.
"No, you wouldn't. But still." She tips her wine glass at me. "He called you to begin with, then apologized when it got cut short. And now he's wanting a second chance. Green flag energy all the way, honey." She snickers and watches me sort through my pile of shoes to pick which ones will go best with the dress.
I slip on a pair of black heels and check myself sideways in the mirror. The low back shows the line of my spine and the muscle across my shoulders, and the neckline sits exactly where it needs to—enough to hold his attention without showing too much skin. I smooth the fabric over my hips and turn to face Alisa.
"Well?"
"He's absolutely done for." She grins at me from the bed and takes a long sip of her wine. "Just relax tonight, okay? Don't overthink it. He already likes you. Let him show you how much."
"I know how to handle a date." I roll my eyes at her and grin, shaking my head. It's like she thinks this is my first date ever, which it clearly isn't. Just my first date in a while. Focusing on the family business forced me to take a sabbatical from my social life.
"Ah, but this guy is different, Zora. You really like him." She points her glass at my face. "I can see it all over your face."
I open my mouth to argue, but the knock at the front door cuts me off. Alisa's grin fades because she's been around long enough to recognize the hard rap of my brother's knuckles on my door. Besides, I told her he may stop by, which I prayed wouldn’t happen, but my gut told me he would.
"Stay here," I tell her. "Don't leave."
I walk to the door and open it. Makar's standing in the hallway with his hands in his pockets and his gray eyes sweep down over me, assessing my appearance. They hate it when I look like an actual woman, but if I'm gonna do this job right, I have to be appealing. He steps inside without being invited and looks me up and down.
"Good," he says. "That'll work."
"Nice to see you too, Makar." I shut the door and grit my teeth. I know if this dress were any less revealing, he'd have me in the bedroom changing. They really want me to sell this, and I'm really not in the mood to hear how they think my "date" with Kazimir should go. I wish they would just leave me alone and letme do the job. "And keep it down, Alisa is here." I turn, raising my eyebrows, to him scowling at me.
He keeps his voice quiet as he says, "Tonight can't go wrong, Zora. Bogdan's breathing down my neck and Yefim wants to hear progress by morning. You get close to him tonight. You make him comfortable, you make him want more, and you do not let him lose interest."
"You think I don't know how to make a man like me?" I hiss, frustrated with him.
"If you don't get this done, they'll pull you and put someone else in." I sigh and rub my face at how he's looking at me. Of course they'll want someone else to do this then. I'd be blown. I can't very well date Kazimir and then find a different cousin or brother to date too. That'd be too weird and too obvious.
"Look, I got it. Now leave before Alisa starts to wonder why you show up to boss me around about 'best dating practices’. Okay?" I'm already reaching for the doorknob, wanting him to get the hell out of my apartment and leave me alone.
