Ilaria
Dragori had left for the office a little while ago, and since then his head of security, Samuel, has been very close, which has the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. Why do we need such close scrutiny by security?
Ivanka had come to ask me about dinner, and I was so out of my depth. I told her just to do what she normally did, and it should be fine. Of course there would be one less at dinner, and I for one would not miss her company. That woman had fucking pissed me off to no end.
I was sorta getting more used to being referred to as Mama, at least when she said it I didn't look around to see who she was talking to, or jump in surprise. She either didn't notice, or didn't get why I was acting weird. She was just happy that I was here. As a child, her world was a little more simple, and I hoped to keep it that way. She didn't need to be a party to my damn drama.
I'd asked Hugo to bring a table into the room that was dubbed my studio, and Nissa and I were sitting and drawing. She had been dancing in the light beams from the windows."I like the way you dance."
She turned and grinned at me, "There are rainbows on the floor, and I want to catch one."
I smiled,"Wow, catching rainbows sounds like hard work. You will be ready for dinner when Ivanka tells us that it's ready."
"Will papa be home?" she looked at me and stopped twirling.
"He said he would, but something might have come up at the office. We'll have to wait and see sweetheart." I smiled trying to ease whatever anxiety my answer might have caused.
"But you will be here, so now I can have a mama with me to eat." She giggled and ran up to hug me.
I gratefully accepted the hug and gave her one back, "What are you drawing mama?" She looked at the paper before me.
I turned and showed it to her, "Ah, that's me mama, you are drawing me." she smiled a huge smile.
"Yes, you were so beautiful when you were dancing, that I had to draw you so I will always remember it." I kissed her forehead.
She giggled as she went back to chasing the rainbows across the floor. I heard a throat clear behind me and turned to see Hugo standing at the door. I smiled, and he entered the room.
"Hugo, I am chasing the rainbows." Nissa giggled at him.
He smiled softly, "So I see Miss Nissa, so I see."
Then he turned to me,"Mrs. Volkov, I was instructed to give you these things." He sat several notebooks down on the table, "Mr. Volkov, would like you to make lists of everything you would wish or require for the studio."
"Ah, okay, I will work on that after dinner." He bowed and then retreated from the room.
"What's a studo?" Nissa asked me.
I smiled, "It's a studio, sweetheart. I paint, that's what I have been doing at school, and plan to do for a living, so I need a space for all of my supplies, and for my paintings to dry after I paint them."
"Can you teach me?" She looked up at me with big doe eyes.
I laughed, "We will see what I can come up with, maybe we will start with watercolors and see how that goes, or maybe I will get you some finger paints, how about that?"
She nodded very enthusiastically, " I can paint with my fingers?" she held her fingers up in front of her.
"Yes, you can learn to paint with all kinds of things, fingers, brushes, sponges, rags, all kinds of things can be used to paint." Her eyes got huge as I listed those items.
Ivanka knocked on the door frame and smiled at us, "Hello you lovely ladies, Mr. Volkov should be home in just a few minutes, so dinner should be ready in about 15." I nodded and she retreated.
We heard the front door and both walked in that direction. She ran to Dragori who squatted down and gave his daughter a kiss on the head and a hug. Then he turned to me and looked rather lascivious while he stalked me, there could be no other way to describe it, he stalked me.
He grasped my face between his palms and descended upon my mouth. I thought this kiss was highly inappropriate in front of Nissa, but I had no ability to say so, as he was most thoroughly occupying my mouth.
When he was done, he continued to pepper small kisses across my face and mouth, as I tried to explain that Nissa was watching.
"Your daughter is watching, don't you think that is a bit inappropriate in front of a 4 year old?"
He grinned, "No, she should see how much her papa adores her mama, and wants to ravage her."
Just then Nissa started to tug on his pant leg and he looked down at her. She was holding my sketch pad, so she must have run back to the room and grabbed it while we were occupied with other things.
He squatted down to her level again,"Look papa, mama drawed me." she shoved the pad at Dragori..
He looked at it thoroughly and raised his eyebrows as he looked at me, "This is wonderful, and only a pencil drawing at that, your mama is a very good artist, and draws very well, and drew an excellent picture of my Angel." he kissed her head and she giggled.
I smiled to let her know I wasn't mad at her bringing in the drawing, but I took the drawing pad back to the room while Dragori got Nissa seated in her booster seat at the table.
I must admit it was a different experience sitting around a table having dinner. Even when I was in college and my roommates ate at the same time as I did, it was usually while seated in various places around the room, or in our shared living room area, never around a dining table. The cafeteria was usually filled with noisy people and crowded, so we didn't go there much.
The meal was excellent, but I figured Ivanka would be a great cook. I could cook, but I wouldn't say I was anywhere near Ivanka's level by a long shot.
"So what else did you ladies get up to today?" Dragori looked at his daughter as he asked.
"We looked in the garden and I showed mama my favort flowe, and I danced and caught rainbows, and mama drew me, and she's going to teach me finger painting." She was smiling at both of us as she said it.
"Well, you already know the exciting part of my day, I did have to wonder why Samuel was suddenly everywhere. She wants to learn to paint, so I figured we would start small and go from there if she really likes it." I took a bite of my chicken after I spoke, and he watched it all the way to my mouth.
He grinned at my blush, "Yes, we will discuss that later. So did Hugo give you the notebooks?" I nodded.
"Good, be sure and make a list, and don't worry about cost or anything of the such. I have more than enough money to give you the studio of your dreams. I also have several friends who either own or on the board at some very nice local galleries. If you would like we can check them out some evening, and then you can speak with them about if they would like to showcase your work."
I just sat and stared at him. I didn't think my jaw was on the floor because the food hadn't fallen out of my mouth, but I could be wrong about that. "Promise me you will not influence them in the decision to showcase my work. I want to do it on my own merit. Not because I am your wife, or you strongly suggested they do so."
He looked at me for a moment and scrutinized my face, "Very well, I have seen examples of your work, and some that had been hanging in galleries, so I am very well aware of your talent, and the ability to have your work valued just because it is that good."
I could feel myself blushing again, so I quickly looked down at my plate and concentrated on my dinner for a few moments, until the heat in my cheeks subsided.
"So, Nissa, I never did ask you today about your dancing. Do you just dance because you love to dance around the house, or did you take a class to learn how to dance so beautifully?" I concentrated on the little girl who was grinning at me.
"I love to dance. Papa said I could take a class with my friend Tippy, but not until Summer." I nodded, not wanting to step on anyone's toes.
Just as we were finishing up dinner, I heard someone make an exclamation at the front of the house. Dragori was immediately up and I saw him reach behind him, no doubt gripping his gun. I looked up at him and his face was now the deadly mask of the Pakhan of the Bratva.
"Nissa, how about we go upstairs for a bath, and I will read to you before bed." She clapped her hands, I helped her down, picked her up, and carried her up stairs.
I looked back at Dragori and he nodded at me as he pulled his gun and rushed to the front of the house.