Zara and Andrei sat in a comfortable silence for majority of the ride. To her surprise, Andrei was driving them to the charity auction in a baby blue Jaguar E-Type. A beautiful car. Zara was a bitch for the classic cars and she had never ridden in one before. She couldn't... actually she could remember the last time he drove her somewhere by themselves. Last summer where she wore the exact shade of lipstick and they were both drunk off of cheap vodka they had found hidden in the pantry behind the cans of soup.
Towards the end, Zara removed a mint from her bag and handed it to the boy. "You smell like vodka," she said. She had a feeling he drank a little more than the shots they took together.
Andrei took the mint without arguing or that annoyed look he loved to wear.
He took a smooth turn and they were stopped at a gate. The guards were dressed in dark attire with the their weapons casually sitting at their hip. Zara wasn't able to see the building behind the gate or the tall bushes that surrounded the place.
"Quel est votre nom?" a guard asked.
Zara would never be offended if someone had asked her that question, but that guard was addressing Andrei Lykaois. She was slightly terrified for the guard.
"Andrei Lykaois," he replied.
There was no annoyance or anger in his voice when he spoke his name, though the look on his face could send others into a frozen state. Luckily, the guard caught on and immediately recognized his name, waving towards his fellow workers to open the gate.
"Mes excuses, Monsieur. Profitez de votre soirée," the guard said as he backed away.
Andrei drove off without another word and Zara couldn't help but smile at the sight. The road was strung with lanterns and flowers, leading them towards the mansion that towered over them. She wanted to explore the gardens and run through the halls like one of those fairytale princesses in a Disney movie. The pink and white roses in the bushes, the angel fountains with water coming out of their mouths, the polished stones and small engravings on the building. She even spotted a lovely greenhouse to their right. It was perfect.
Everyone seemed to already be indoors, of course they were late. Andrei had a habit of being late to everything, wanting to make an entrance. He parked the car directly in front of the entrance and watched the staff scramble to help him, but Andrei had already opened his door before they could do anything.
Then he tossed the keys to a man.
"Pas une égratignure," Andrei said. Not a scratch.
A staff member was about to open her door when Andrei reached it first. The staff member read the signs quickly and backed away. Yes, Andrei was an ass most of the times but his mother Lena raised him to be a gentleman.
He offered her his hand and Zara accepted it. She looped her arm through his and together they made their way up the stairs, handing their coats to the nearest staff member.
"What's your goal for tonight?" she whispered.
The doors shut behind them and they were left in a golden hallway filled with more flowers and oil paintings. Mirrors and chandeliers were placed every few feet, reflecting the light and making this hallway more magical.
"To have a peaceful night and talk with partners," Andrei replied.
Zara rolled her eyes. "Bullshit. You're just like my father. He only attends these events if he wants something, if not, he'd just send an assistant. Seriously, what's your goal? You brought me for a reason, Lykaois."
Andrei silently debated in his head. They were halfway down the hall, following the trail of flowers to find the entrance to the ballroom. Holy shit. Was she really about to be escorted into a room by Andrei?
"There is a potential client," Andrei said lowly. "Who I need you to help me charm. I want him to sign the contract before this trip is over."
"Don't think you're charming enough?" she teased.
"Love, you of all people should know how charming I am."
Zara didn't meet his eyes when she felt her heart flutter. Did he just call her love? She suddenly was very aware of how close she was to his body. "But you need my help because I'm more charming?" she managed to say as casually as possible.
"You do have your way with people." He didn't want to admit that she was correct.
A smile crept to her face. "You think I'm charming, Lykaois?"
She noticed the grin on his face when he whispered, "When you talk less. I prefer you being loud than chatty."
Zara rose her brow. "Looks like someone regrets our no-fucking agreement," she mused and dragged her fingertips up his forearm.
"Agreements can be broken."
They took a right turn to find more empty hallway and that was when she suddenly felt her body pushed against the wall. He gripped her wrists, the skin on his hands were rough, and pressed her back against the cool wallpaper. His breath was hot against her neck. She watched his jaw set in place, debating whether or not to make another move.
She wanted this. Fucking hell. She wanted it. But then he met her eyes and his breath... smelled of vodka.
"How much did you drink?" she whispered.
Andrei met her eyes, a solemn look appeared.
"You're drunk," she said. "Why are you drunk, Lykaois?"
"It's an important client," he offered.
They both knew that those words meant bullshit.
She knew that his eyes were focused on her lips, then they traveled down her neck towards her breast and slowly back up. Standing this close to her, most of her skin was visible under the fabric. More visible than when she was only wearing a bedsheet. Zara knew that he felt the goosebumps on her skin. He could do it, close the space between them, and she didn't know if she wanted to stop him.
"Why do you look so fucking good, Caddel?" he breathed.
And now his lips were on her neck. She felt his tongue in between the kisses moving up and down her skin, to her jaw and back down. Fuck.
"Why do you taste so fucking good, Caddel?" he growled.
His hands no longer gripped her arms and were now on her waist, pulling their bodies together. Zara felt her hands wrap around his neck and move through his hair. Fuck. She felt it go hard as he pressed his body against hers.
A small groan escaped her. "Andrei," she whispered.
He grinned against her neck. "I like the sound of my name coming from your lips."
They rarely called each other by their first names.
His hands moved up her waist towards her shoulders and she felt him begin to slowly tug off the straps of her dress so that they fell down.
"It's a gorgeous dress," he told her.
"Better than a bedsheet?" she murmured.
His tongue traveled down from her shoulders and towards her chest. She felt his smile.
"Everything looks good on you, love," he said. "I just prefer nothing on you."
And she was about to pull off his coat, undo the buttons of his shirt one by one, and fuck him in the hallway. She wound't mind doing it in the hallway. Didn't care if others walked by, let them watch and learn, but reality hit her. He was drunk.
"Lykaois," she began hesitantly. "No more drinking tonight."
She gently pushed him off of her.
Zara pulled the straps back up on her dress and smoothed it out. She watched as Andrei readjusted his suit, not meeting her eye as he fixed his hair in one of the many mirrors in the hall.
"I'm sorry, Caddel," he told her when he turned around, his hands in his hair.
"Don't be, Lykaois," she replied and looped her arm through his. The girl gave a small kiss to his shoulder. "We can finish this conversation when you're sober, but for now, let's go get you that client. I can do most of the talking because you know, I'm chatty."
He knew she was trying to lighten the mood and he went along with it.
"You do have your way with people," he repeated with a small smile.
ig andrei really liked the dress lmao. i don't think y'all are ready for the next chap... i've already written it and it'll b out soon enough. honestly andrei and zara are both fucking confused about their feelings. im writing this novel-book-idk what this is and im confused too rip. welp, i hope u like it!