A Heart of Stone
Lucy Eleazar
Copyright © “Optimall” Publishing House 2017
Kamen has his own reasons for staying away from women. Wearing his stone cold mask and appearing under cover works well until he comes upon Lilly in distress. Will his stone heart hold him in check or will the power of love conquer him? And how could he possibly reveal to her who he really is?
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Chapter One
Donnie was a handsome man. He wasn’t really
tall, but his body radiated power and might. He always chose clothes to
highlight the muscles he worked on daily in the local gym. His hairstyle was
short and trendy, light stubble on his cheeks gave him that masculine look and
his eyes usually peeked cheekily over the top of his sunglasses. He tended to
address most girls and women he met with humorous jokes and they always reacted
with a smile. He earned decent money. His car went to the car wash at least
three times a week. He usually wore famous brands even if he didn’t like them
just to show that he could. Needless to say, Donnie really cared about his
image, and Lilly had all the reasons to be proud to be walking by his side.
“Lilly? Where shall I put this box?” Masha
interrupted her thoughts. She was standing at the front door of the shop,
carrying a heavy cardboard box. Her appearance somehow didn’t match the
environment. Her formal dress and high-heel shoes didn’t fit in with the shop
surrounding her, nor did the perfectly manicured nails that were barely
touching the box they had to hold. Masha looked at Lilly reproachfully. “Don’t
tell me you’re daydreaming again!”
“Am I? No, not really! Leave the box in the
shop-room. Unpacking can wait until later when there are no customers in the
shop,” Lilly cast a glimpse through the window. “Didn’t the delivery man help
you bring it in? Oh, those gentlemen!”
Masha shrugged her shoulders.
“We only pay for the goods, loading and
unloading’s not included. Extra charm is needed for that and apparently I don’t
have it,” her tone sounded quite bitter.
“Who was driving today?” Lilly chuckled. “Let
me guess. Monsieur Le Pierre?”
“The gentlest of all gentlemen,” Masha murmured
and picked up the box to carry it to the shop room.
Lilly and Masha’s friendship dated back to
their childhood, back to the days when their dream of running their own shop
started, but it took them many years to make it become a reality. They only
managed to open the shop two years ago and it had cost them plenty of money and
a huge investment of time. Working long hours, sleepless nights, using up
personal finances to invest in the business - it was all part of the long haul
which was only now bringing dividends and indeed they could now start thinking
about hiring another shop assistant in order to alleviate their own workload.
Since the beginning they had shared the work between them, whilst one of them
was behind the counter the other one was doing the administrative work of the
company.
“It’s not too busy today, huh?” Masha remarked,
coming out of the shop room.
“No more than usual,” Lilly leaned on the counter
in front of her and gazed through the stands, loaded with various sports items.
A few people were wandering about the shop but she could see from their
behaviour that no one had any intention of purchasing. “We have to renew our
contract with the security company. It’s almost a month since it expired and we
haven’t yet found the time to arrange a meeting. Did you hear there was another
burglary down the street last night? We shouldn’t put it off any longer.”
“Everybody wants money,” Masha frowned. “I
don’t want to talk about expenses now, it annoys me. Tell me about something
nice. Where did you and Andon go last night?”
“Me and Donnie?” Lilly startled, as if asked
something totally unexpected. ”Well, nowhere special. We went to The Twilight
Club and met a few friends of his, had dinner and some drinks…” she stuttered,
wondering how to continue, “... and that was it, then saw me off.”
“Lilly, you’ve been together for so long now,
hasn’t he proposed to you yet? To live together at least, if not to get married?”
“Well, I sometimes stay the night at his house
but I do appreciate the comfort of my own bed.”
“Oh, darling, don’t give in to such negative
thinking or you’ll never get married, you’ll end up just like me,” Masha
sighed.
“Oh, come on, Masha, we are not that old, we
have enough time to think about men, to think about children” Lilly tried to
object.
“Do we? I’m turning thirty-two next month and
you’re also hitting your thirties. I don’t really think we HAVE time.”
“Age shouldn’t matter when we’re young and
beautiful at heart,” Lilly tried to joke.
Masha was a well preserved blonde. She had
inherited some Russian features from her mother and instilled that dolly style
beauty - golden curls framing her picturesque face. Every garment was always
perfectly selected to emphasize her form. Lilly was profoundly puzzled how this
mysterious monsieur Le Pierre could remain indifferent to such temptation.
Unlike her, Lilly was not that overtly sexual.
She considered herself normal, plain. Her sportswoman-like body, shaped during
long years of training wasn’t exactly model-like and neither had it voluptuous
curves to emphasize. Her straight dark hair flowed down to her shoulders,
usually tied in a functional pony-tail. The most exotic features of her face
were her eyes - big and almond-like, reminiscent of some eastern influence she
had probably inherited from the father she never knew. Lilly usually dressed in
a casual, sporty fashion but today she was wearing a light summer skirt and a
colourful sleeveless top.
“Beauty is a matter of time, my grandma used to
say,” Masha added.
“I think you’re in a rut. You know,
spiritualists believe that 40 days before and after your birthday, it is
crucial period for you and the skies are open…”
“I know, I know, bad things happen, and bad
thoughts chase you,” Masha interrupted her. “You’re not in a rut, are you? Why
isn’t your relationship with Andon thriving then?”
“Of course it’s thriving,” Lilly replied dryly,
a bit frustrated. “All relationships need time to evolve...”
“Got it, got it… Useless to discuss further,”
Masha waved her hand away. ”I’m leaving now. Going to chill out so I can be
fresh for my shift tomorrow.”
Lilly tried to swallow the bitter feeling
Masha’s words had left inside her while turning to answer a customer’s inquiry
about the qualities of the different tents on offer. It was a hot summer
afternoon and most clients apparently stopped by just to enjoy the
air-conditioning inside and to chat with the shop-assistants rather than to
really buy anything. By six in the evening when she was just about to close the
shop Lilly had become sick and tired of trivial conversations. She quickly
checked the online orders and packed them to be ready for pick up in the
morning. The shop was empty now so she decided it was a good time to unpack the
new deliveries. She picked up the box Masha had left in the shop room at lunch
and carried it to the shoe shelf unwrapping it carefully to restock the sold
pairs of flip-flops. Hardly glimpsing the letters on top, she took the first
package out of the box and automatically moved her hand to grasp the next pack
of flip-flops. Her hand was just about to lift the package when she realised
what she had just registered. She dropped the box as if it was on fire -
instead of the supposed flip-flops, inside there were condoms!
Lilly stared suspiciously at the box. Simple
though it may have been it would appear that, neither Masha, nor her Monsieur
Le Pierre had paid attention to the delivery. Oh, that Masha! When it came to
men, her mind seemed to vanish in space! Lilly hadn’t had the chance to
personally get to know the driver Masha was so particularly interested in. The
only thing she knew about him was that he had returned to live in Bulgaria
after graduating and spending years of his life in France. She found it
peculiar that a man with a university degree from the Sorbonne would come back
to Bulgaria to work as a simple van driver for a delivery company. Peculiar or
not, it was now high time to meet him in person.
“Good afternoon, may I speak to Kamen, please?”
Lilly felt odd pronouncing his real name as she was so used to the nickname she
and Masha had thought of - Monsieur Le Pierre; Mr Stone, coming from the actual
meaning of the word Kamen as in “made of stone”. She tried to keep a soft and
impassive tone.
“Speaking. Good afternoon.” His voice was deep
and calm.
“It’s Lilly from The Rock Sports Shop. You were
supposed to deliver a box of flip...”
“That’s right. I handed it in to your colleague
this afternoon,” he interrupted her impatiently.
“I can clearly see the delivery note, signed
both by you and her,” she felt anxiety creeping inside her. ”It seems, however,
that neither of you were doing your job attentively because the box is full
of…. hmm...” She felt a sudden and puzzling embarrassment to utter the word.
“What is there in the box?” he growled.
”Spiders?”
“No, no,” she was angry at her own hesitation.
”In the box there are…. condoms. It seems you have made the wrong delivery.”
The man kept quiet for a moment before
remarking.
“You have to admit that for a proper camping
experience people need a box of those too! It might be a sign that you have to
include them in the list of your offers?”
“I’m not keen on listening to your sermons,
mister, so please, just be so kind as to fix a time for a redelivery!” God
knows why, the conversation with that monsieur with a sexy voice was making her
anxious.
He went silent again and this time the silence
dragged on so long Lilly started to wonder whether he hadn’t put down the
phone.
“I’ll check that and give you a call in a
minute, OK? Is that your telephone number you’re calling from?”
“It is,” Lilly hesitated for a moment before
adding. “It’s my personal mobile number.”
He ended the call and she took a deep breath.
Three customers had already been sent away this morning with the promise to be
provided the requested flip-flops in a matter of hours. Of course, none of them
ever came back and she was quite reluctant to face this situation again. As far
as Monsieur Le Pierre was concerned, his voice was definitely one of the most
intriguing and exciting she had ever heard. She could now figure out why Masha
was so attracted to him. The telephone rang.
“Lilly? It’s Kamen from New Way Distribution
speaking. I’ve just checked our inventory and you appear to be right. The boxes
are the same size and shape, this must have led to some sort of confusion. Is
it okay for me to come round to your shop at about five in the afternoon
tomorrow?”
“Five in the afternoon? But my order was for
this morning!”
“I’m afraid my schedule is...”
“Look, monsieur…” Lilly bit her lip. How could
she let it slip? “Look, Kamen…”
Her thoughts came to a halt and she couldn’t
complete her sentence. Silence reigned again. She prayed he hadn’t heard her
mistake.
“Look, it’s already half past six and I
actually only work until six and no longer.” He was obviously not impressed by
her gibberish.
“But it was your fault!”
“As much as yours. Your colleague - I think her
name was Maria - has signed a document saying she has received the requested
delivery. How can I be sure you haven’t taken that box of condoms out of your
own stock?”
“Of my own stock? I don’t even use...” But what
am I doing, why am I discussing such topics with a stranger? Lilly terminated
her explanations and added emphatically. “My colleague’s name is Masha. And I
expect you to correct your mistake as soon as possible!”
“I’ll see what I can do. But I can’t promise
anything sooner than tomorrow, five o’clock. Have a nice evening, Lilly!”
What an impertinent and arrogant man! Lilly
tossed her telephone onto the desk. No wonder Masha kept on frowning because of
him! And he hadn’t even properly remembered her name! He was obviously one of
those men who never thought seriously of women in business. But he just didn’t
know who he was dealing with!
She kicked the box angrily and started putting
her things away. She was about to close the shop when the door opened and Andon
came in, completely hidden behind an enormous bunch of flowers.
“Sweetheart! I’ve been thinking about you all
day! Here, please take these roses as a token of my sincerity and as an apology
for my behaviour yesterday!” He rushed towards her, shoved the flowers in her
hands and kissed her before she had any time to react. He looked tormented with
remorse.
Lilly was wavering. He was smartly dressed as
usual, smelled of expensive aftershave and the roses were really gorgeous!
“Thank you for the flowers,” she muttered.
Could she forgive it all with just a bunch of flowers?
“Yesterday I drank more than usual, you know,
it was Finkata’s birthday. And I do turn nasty when I’m bladdered, don’t I? I
am so ashamed to admit that I don’t remember much of last night but whatever I
said or did, believe me, I didn’t mean it!”
Andon’s apologizing, angelic demeanour could
melt a statue. Lilly was about to forget all the insults she had endured in
public, the audacity of his attempts to seduce her on a busy crossroads and the
ugly words he had called her after that. He looked so kind and regretful that
she could hardly believe this was the same man from last night. Well, wasn’t it
just human to get drunk at times and to act improperly? Was there a single man
who had never done it? Furthermore, Donnie was a handsome man. He had decent
manners. He earned decent money and…
“Please, accept my apologies. I know my idiotic
behaviour might have hurt and insulted you but I assure you I didn’t mean to, I
love you so much. You’re the meaning of my life, I really can’t live without
you!” His eyes looked straight into hers, full of sincere remorse.
“Forget it,” she said quietly.
“My sweetheart,” Andon embraced her and pressed
her against the wall in a breathless kiss.
In addition to his many qualities, Donnie was a
good kisser. His hands quickly found their way under her flimsy blouse.
However, apprehension was filling her veins and she couldn’t enjoy his kisses
while the shop wasn’t yet locked and a customer could still come in at any
moment though the official opening hours were over.
And this moment came even sooner than she
expected. The door banged open and the frame was filled with the silhouette of
a tall wiry man.
“So, where are my condoms?”
Chapter Two
Andon retreated with a jerk and cast a
threatening look towards the newcomer. Lilly blinked, trying to focus her sight
against the blinding rays of the setting sun.
“Who the heck are you?” Andon growled, ready to
pounce.
Lilly sprung forward and gently but firmly
pressed his shoulders down.
“Donnie, wait a minute!”
“I wouldn’t really like to put you out,” said
Kamen without having the slightest apology in his voice, “but I got the
impression we had a matter of urgency so I decided to sacrifice my precious
free time and devote it to you.”
“What is a matter of urgency?” Andon advanced
another step, ready for a fight.
“Donnie, stop it!” yelled Lilly. She pushed him
aside and stood in his way. Despite her embarrassment, she tried to get grip of
herself. ”Have you got the stock for me?”
The man gave her a dull and uninterested look.
He nodded at the box resting by his feet. Lilly was still unable to see his
face clearly in the glow of the afternoon sun. She could only figure out he had
light brown hair, scattered in a casual hairstyle and his eyes were mockingly
squinting at her. And he seemed to be tall, very tall and looked even taller in
his wrinkled T-shirt and baggy shorts.
The box was at his feet but he didn’t make a
single movement, he resembled a stone statue. Totally confused, Lilly bent down
and grabbed the box, getting the awkward feeling she was kneeling at his feet
which was combined with the strange uneasiness of the proximity to his bare
skin. She had moved the box a few metres down the aisle when she heard a voice
behind her.
“I suggest you could just check if it is all
OK, give me back my box and save your time by unpacking later. Unfortunately, I
won’t be able to spend the whole evening here.”
Why could this man make her feel silly with
every word he said? She dropped the box on the floor with a thud and grumpily
opened the lid. The flip-flops were lined up in perfect order and seemed to be
smirking at her.
“It is all fine,” she said through gritted
teeth. She was standing right next to the rack where the wrong box was so she
nodded at it. She would never give him the pleasure of seeing her carrying it
to the door. “Here’s the wrong one. You can take it back.”
Monsieur Le Pierre slowly moved towards her.
All at once, she was struck by the grace of his movements. Donnie usually
worked on the way he walked but it always looked somehow artificial to her
while something in the movements of this man was reminiscent of a tiger
crouching near his pray. Something was wrong with her. When had she started
paying attention to the way van drivers move around?
“Shall I check the number of condoms?” he
raised an eyebrow.
“How dare you...” Lilly flushed.
“If I get a complaint from other customers, I
will hold you directly responsible for it!” Although he seemed to be joking,
his eyes were not smiling. He picked up the box and headed to the exit. ”Have a
nice evening, miss.”
The moment he stepped out of the door, Andon
set upon her.
“Why didn’t you warn me? Why did you let me
look so silly?” He grabbed her shoulders and shook her.
Lilly wrestled herself free, annoyed.
“I had no idea he was going to turn up at this
very moment. I’m sorry. Please, let’s get going! It was such a long and tiring
day today.”
***
The next
few days followed their usual course and Lilly soon forgot about the incident.
Amazingly, she didn’t even tell Masha about it. She only mentioned there had
been some sort of confusion and that Monsieur le Pierre had come back to
deliver the proper box. It was a busy spell in the shop and they didn’t have
much time to comment on their private matters. Masha had insisted on a sales
promotion campaign for summer merchandise - an idea which had turned out to be
rather successful. Most of the time Lilly was coordinating advertising
campaigns and getting items for online sales ready while Masha was working in
the shop. In the evenings she went out with Donnie but she was so tired that
she tended to go home no later than ten o’clock so he just saw her off and
returned to his friends in the bar afterwards.
This evening she didn’t feel like going to
clubs, she needed some fresh air. She got into the car and climbed the hill
over the city where she could enjoy the beautiful view of the twinkling lights
of the town. She had recently been pursued by a kind of melancholy. How she had
longed to go hiking in the high mountains! It had been so long since she last
dived into the beauty of pure nature. There hadn’t been much time left for
physical activity after the opening of the shop. She parked the car and walked
along the narrow path leading to a small rest area where people could sit on
the beach and relish the scenery. She felt her phone vibrate and took it out of
her bag. The screen was glowing with her brother’s name.
“Hi, Sister, how are you?”
“All going fine, how are you?”
“We’re fine, too. Let me tell you why I’m
calling.” Pavel didn’t like long conversations so he went straight to the
point. ”Next week I’ll be off on a business trip for a few days. There’s no way
to postpone or escape it. But Maggie is really worried about staying alone with
the baby. You know, her mum is in Spain and she can’t just come for a couple of
days to help. And mum…” He didn’t finish his sentence. There was no need. They
had lost their mother about a year ago, shortly after she had learned the good
news of the forthcoming baby she never got to see. ”Is there any chance you
could take a few days off and come to Varna? Maggie can do all the childcare by
herself so she won’t ask you for anything, she’ll just need your company. You
could go for walks, go to the beach… So, it’s really just to be by her side in
the evenings.”
Next week? She wanted to confirm it was no
problem for her and to promise she would go and look after her nephew! She
would even take care of the baby and let the mother relax but it was not that
easy.
“Pavel, I’ll check it out… You know, I can’t
make the decision myself right away. It’s a really busy time in the shop…”
“I got it. I’ll check other options.”
“No, Pavel, please wait for me to check. I just
have to talk to Masha and find out if she’d agree to run everything by herself
for a few days. When would you need me?”
“Sunday until Tuesday. But really, don’t change
your plans, we’ll check out other options.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow morning.”
Her brother put down the phone. Lilly felt
overwhelmingly guilty. What was the price of her successful life when she could
not even be there when her brother needed her? She knew he was not going to
make a fuss about it but it still left a bitter taste. Wasn’t it only really a
matter of a few days? Even if she closed down for these days, she wouldn’t go
bankrupt.
A feeling of loneliness crept over her. In
fact, she realised it had long been there. Having never met her father, the
people closest to Lilly were her mother and her brother. Pavel had decided to
continue his studies in Varna and so he started his own life there. Lilly
stayed with her mother. Illnesses had attacked her fragile body and she
eventually lost the motivation to fight them. But Lilly just couldn’t let her
fight on her own. So she devoted her youth to the care of her ailing mother.
Well, she did manage to go out with friends and meet some boys but she couldn’t
start thinking of anything serious while being devoted to the care of her
mother. She couldn’t even attend regular studies at university so she had to
graduate as a part-time student. During her studies she started gradually
working towards the fulfilment of her dream: opening her own sports shop.
First, she took a job as a shop assistant in order to fully get to grips with
the everyday matters of running a shop, as well as making the necessary
business contacts. Later, with Masha’s help and funding, they opened their own
shop. Their town was not too big and they were very much aware of the limited
success for a specialized shop but they managed to make it prosperous through
online sales. Most of the orders came via the Internet so they could cover the
whole of Bulgaria and even had clients abroad. Caring for her mother and
starting the shop had drained her power and took up her time so much that Lilly
had no time at all for interests outside the home and work. So when her mother
passed away, an enormous gap appeared in her life. Not knowing what else to do,
Lilly tripled the effort invested in the shop and simply grabbed Andon.
Andon… She had known him since they were
children and studied at the same school. She remembered how she used to
secretly like him during her teenage years. However, he only became interested
in her two years ago when they went to the same birthday party by chance. After
having a dance together, he led her to the balcony and kissed her. She thought
it a dream come true. She had been dreaming so much about him in her teenage
fantasies that she could hardly believe it was all happening to her now.
Despite her affection, she wasn’t prepared for a serious relationship. Neither
had he been too insistent on that. Meanwhile her mother had passed away and the
mourning pushed away any thoughts they might have had in that department. Masha
was absolutely right noting that it had been two years of seeing each other and
their relationship was still as if they were teenagers. They went out together,
sat down in a cafe or bar and had a kiss or two after that. Sometimes Lilly
went to his house and stayed the night there. It wasn’t exactly unpleasant but
she had recently felt it as a weird obligation. It must be the same for all
couples, she told herself. No one burns with passion all their life.
Lost in her thoughts, she suddenly noticed that
someone had already arrived in the rest area before her. She had expected it to
be empty at this time. Surprised, she stood still and hesitated. She was shaken
even more when two azure eyes captured hers with a smirk, so familiar.
Kamen raised his eyebrows:
“What a surprise!”
Lilly
couldn’t draw her eyes away from his. Last time, in the shade of the setting
sun, she hadn’t noticed how deeply blue they were. Neither had she experienced
their magnetic attraction flustered as she was by her frustration back then. He
was leaning back on the bench, legs crossed, one ankle over the other knee and
scrutinizing her. He was dressed in his usual sporty shorts and a loose T-shirt.
She was on her guard.
“Good evening!” she remarked stressing at his
missing greeting. ”How amazing to find someone like you sitting here!”
“It is such a lovely place for chilling out
after a hard day’s work, isn’t it?” Kamen rose from the middle of the bench he
was sitting on and moved towards one of the edges. ”Please, take a seat!”
There were three more unoccupied benches next
to his. She had no reason to sit that close to him. But it would have been too
rude to decline his offer. So Lilly carefully sat down on the other side of the
bench. Her skirt rode up and she crossed her bare knees. She tried to pull the
rims of her skirt down but the bench was too low and half of her hips still
remained uncovered. She tried not to look at him but sensed his scorching
glance.
“Watching the city from this place in the rays
of the setting sun is quite relaxing.”
“It gets even more beautiful when night falls
and the lights dance at your feet. Can you see that tall building over there?”
he pointed with his finger, ”There, next to it, must be your sports shop. Does
it have any lights at night?”
“It has a neon sign but I doubt if it’s visible
from such a distance.”
“It’s a must to check this out,” his voice had
that low and sensual timbre she remembered so well from their first telephone
conversation. A strange shiver ran down her spine.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to leave before it gets
dark,” Lilly chuckled nervously. ”I was just looking for a short getaway from
the daily grind, somewhere remote and isolated.”
“Am I disturbing you?” he asked immediately.
“No, not at all, don’t even mention it! In
fact, it is such good luck to find someone like myself who also appreciates the
beauty of this view.”
“You must visit this place quite often with
your… boyfriend? Husband?” his voice revealed no emotion, he was apparently
asking just out of politeness.
“Come here with Andon? Oh, no, he considers it
a waste of time to go to places where he can’t be seen by others.” Lilly bit
her tongue at her premature comment. The last thing she wanted to do was to
slander Donnie in front of this stranger. She felt obliged to add. “He is a
very sociable person. He likes people and big crowds so we usually go out with
his friends”.
Kamen didn’t reply. He stared ahead. Lilly
grabbed the chance to stare at him. His t-shirt outlined his strong muscles.
Though at first he looked tall and slim to her, she could now see his body was
quite well-built. He was definitely tall but in no way thin. He just didn’t
emphasize his muscles the way Andon did. The sun was low now and cast fiery
reflections over the soft lines of his face. Even if it was hard to describe
him as handsome, his face attracted her in a way she couldn’t explain. High
forehead under disobedient strands of dark hair, strong-lined eyebrows, a
turned up nose and the steady line of his mouth suggested he would never let
himself fall under someone else’s control.
Curiosity was chasing her so wildly that she
dared to ask. “I wouldn’t suggest you’d come to enjoy this view all by yourself
either?”
“Do I also give you the impression of being a
“sociable person”?” he laughed. ”I fear I’ll have to disappoint you. I
appreciate the moments when I can keep my own company.”
He turned towards her and leaned one arm over
the back of the bench. His strong fingers were nearly touching her slender
shoulder.
“Can we be less formal? It feels odd to me in
this atmosphere and these surroundings.”
“Oh, of course we can,” Lilly replied, a bit
hesitant. He had managed to melt her barriers in no more than few-minutes talk,
wasn’t this getting too dangerous?
“How long have you been running your shop?” he
chose a neutral topic.
“We opened it two years ago. It was the result
of both mine and Masha’s efforts.”
“How did you come by that idea?”
Lilly tried to briefly answer but his detailed
inquiries encouraged her more and more to tell about all the difficulties and
challenges they had to meet. With sparkling eyes and real pride in her voice,
she suddenly realised she had been talking for half an hour and could have gone
on at length. His sincere interest had captivated her.
“I’m really honoured that people seek our
services and further recommend us to their friends,” Lilly added. ”It often
happens that someone comes and tells us they have found an item at a cheaper
price in another shop but they need our expertise to choose the ideal product
for their needs. In fact, people quite often don’t even know what they actually
need.”
“That’s true, most people really can’t properly
assess their aims and ambitions.”
“It’s not that easy to make a decision when you
don’t know what’s on offer and the difference between what’s available.”
“Well, it’s not only about the merchandise,
sometimes people can’t make a decision to save their lives.”
Kamen smiled and looked somehow oddly at her.
Something flashed in his eyes. It was inexplicable but it resonated all over
her body and she couldn’t find a proper reply.
“But
it’s me doing all the talking,” Lilly’s tone was somewhat premature. ”Tell me
something about yourself.”
“What would you like to know? Some of my
greatest secrets and passions?”
“Whatever you would like to tell me. What do
you have a passion for?”
“I have a passion for French music, for
mountain biking and for beautiful girls whose hair shines in the rays of the
setting sun…”
Lilly almost flushed.
“How did you happen to live here, in our town?
You didn’t grow up here, did you?”
He suddenly turned sombre. It took him a while
before he pronounced stiffly.
“No, I didn’t use to live here as a child. But
I do have relatives in the town. You never know what life will throw up. I must
admit I didn’t imagine I’d ever return to Bulgaria. But here I am.”
“To be honest, I don’t pay too much attention
to the van drivers but I don’t think you have been doing this job for long?”
“That’s right, not long. A few weeks.”
Kamen drew his arm down from the back of the
bench and settled his palms on his knees. He looked as if he wanted to add
something else but then changed his mind and kept silent. Lilly made one last
effort.
“What did you do before that?”
“Hmm, a lot of things. I’ve been in production,
in distribution, in management…”
“So, an experienced businessman,” Lilly tried
to joke.
Kamen cast a scrutinising look at her, his eyes
not smiling. Then he looked back to the roofs of the houses at their feet.
“I’d agree I’ve got a lot of experience.”
He swerved his attention towards the sun. The
enormous red sphere was already partly hidden behind the neighbouring hill and
the mountain was quickly devouring the other part. The whole sky was painted in
shades of red.
“Look, it’s gorgeous, isn’t it?”
“It is…”
There was a kind of magic in that moment. Lilly
felt as if she had flown away from the monotony of her daily life and her soul
soared free like a bird. She was floating wrapped in an unfathomable emotion.
They observed the setting of the sun quietly until the last of it set behind
the hill. Lilly wanted to thank him for sharing this magical moment but
couldn’t find the proper words. She was just about to speak when her telephone
rang.
Andon! She had totally forgotten about his
existence! She startled as if he had caught her naked in bed with another man.
What a nonsense, she was just sitting at her favourite site and observing the
sunset, as she had done dozens of times before. It was just that… just that
this time it was different. The telephone was still ringing and she couldn’t
make up her mind to answer it. Kamen raised his eyebrows in expectation. She
fumbled to pull out the green receiver and moved to a distance.
Kamen could hear parts of their conversation.
“Yes, Donnie… Well, I’m here… No, I’m not doing
anything… No, I’m not at home but I’m going to be there soon…. This evening? I
was thinking of having a little rest, I had quite a busy day at work… Okay…
Yes, I’ll go online shortly…”
Kamen smiled. Strangely, her mumbling and
stuttering brought him real satisfaction. He enjoyed the fact she didn’t dare
to tell her boyfriend where she actually was and what she was actually doing.
Not that it mattered or it was going to change anything...
“I think I’ll have to go now,” Lilly said as
she approached him. ”It’ll soon be dark and one of my headlights isn’t working
properly.”
“It’s getting late, you’re right,” he stood up
as well.
Lilly looked around. There were no other cars
and worrying this might go too far, she still couldn’t help offering him:
“Shall I give you a lift?”
“Give me a lift?” he laughed heartily. He
nodded towards the nearest tree and only then did she see the bicycle leaning
against it. “That’s very kind of you but I still have a way to cycle before I
reach my daily goal. We seem to have stayed here for a bit too long… But it was
worth it.”
“Well, if you have to cycle…. Thanks for the
lovely company and have a nice evening!”
Lilly nearly ran down the path to her car. She
didn’t dare to turn until she found herself sitting behind the steering wheel,
her seatbelt fastened. Kamen hadn’t moved an inch. She waved to him and he
waved in reply. She started the engine and drove away fast. Something peculiar
had happened that evening.
Chapter Three
Lilly
couldn’t sleep well. She had some strange dreams where people and images merged
and blended into one another.
...She is on top of a high mountain observing
the world at her feet. Stretching her arms up to the sun and feeling as if
touching the sky. At this very moment a black shadow casts a threatening shadow
on her. It is not a shadow, it is Andon. She attempts to smile at him but she
can see a massive glistening knife in his hand as his face is contorted by a
nasty grimace…
She woke up with a scream. It took her a while
before she realised it had been just a dream and she was now sitting alone in
her dark bedroom. She drifted off and this time her dream led her to a pair of
azure eyes, so deep and so familiar - they were calling her, alluring her, she
was stepping closer and closer until she finally sank into them…
In the morning she felt her eyelids swollen and
heavy. It was her turn to start early and open the shop. She had a quick cup of
coffee, got dressed and set off.
Still drowsy Lilly put the key in the lock of
the security roller shutter which covered the front door. Her mind was working
slowly and it took some time to figure out the key was rotating freely in the
lock with nothing stopping it. Her heart missed a beat. Instantly fully awake,
she looked closely at the lock and saw the roller shutter had been kept down by
a stick being inserted between the shutter and the window while the lock was
broken. She moved the stick aside and pulled the shutter up with her trembling
fingers.
As expected, the sight inside was devastating.
The shop had been gutted, the shelves knocked over, some of the items were
missing while others were just scattered around among torn packages. Tears
filled her eyes as she rushed to the back of the shop where the storeroom was
located. She had invested in a double locking system for it and most people had
mocked her for it. She turned the doorknob, it seemed to still be locked. Her
shivering fingers found it hard to unlock the door. She sighed - the thieves
had obviously been in a hurry and hadn’t spent enough time trying to break
through the security system. The stock inside was exactly where it had been the
day before.
How could this be? They were going to have a
meeting to sign the renewal of the security contract later today. How could
they have left something as important as this so late to be renewed? Lilly
furiously banged her fist on the counter. There was no time for timewasting.
She collected herself and got down to work. She
called the police and then phoned Masha. She hung a notice on the front door to
say the shop would be closed for the day and proceeded to evaluate the damage.
Fortunately, they didn’t keep much money in the till during the night so cash
losses were minimal. Most of the goods were kept in the storeroom, so they were
safe. The hardest part was to put the items back in their rightful places and
to find out what was missing.
Fifteen minutes later Masha burst into the
shop.
“On, no,” she looked around. ”I’ll smash their
faces! I’m gonna kick their fucking arses!” she began cursing the perpetrators.
”Lilly, this is no coincidence, believe me! This was committed by people who
knew our security contract had expired and we were unprotected!
“I think you’re getting paranoid… you can see
they didn’t know how to get into the storeroom and they weren’t aware we didn’t
keep any cash in the cash register.”
“That’s information only we have. Had they
known that, it would have meant one of us had been the initiator. I don’t think
it’s a mere coincidence.”
“I told you, last week a shop down the street
was broken into. It must have been the same gang… it’s all our fault we didn’t
arrange the extension of the security contract on time!”
“Did the shop down the street have a running
security contract?”
“To be honest, I don’t know. I’d have to ask
Yavor, the guy from Donnie’s crowd, he works at the security company and
knows...”
Masha froze her with a glance.
“Haven’t you, by chance, mentioned the expiring
contract to him?”
“Masha, I think you are too suspicious!” Lilly
was indignant and embarrassed at the same time. “I’m also angry but I don’t
think we should go blaming the whole world for our own foolishness. I don’t
believe I’ve discussed the topic with them, they are hardly interested in my
problems. One is for sure, Yavor knows better than me who in town has got a
valid contract and when it expires… Come on, let’s get down to work so we can
reopen as soon as possible. Let the police deal with the investigation.”
“Investigation? Ha-ha. They’ll just come round,
have a look and they will say they can’t do much about it,” Masha groaned.
She was proven right. The policemen dryly
informed them there were several similar cases in the past months which were
probably committed by an organized gang but gave them no indication that the
criminals would be apprehended. After the police left Masha and Lilly got back
to putting the items back on the shelves. The thieves had taken mainly
electronics as well as some rare equipment. The loss amounted to thousands of
euros. They were lucky to have at least their insurance but waiting for all the
terms of procedure and payments was going to cause them some hardship in terms
of cash flow. Moreover, they had just invested a lot of money in advertising;
customer flow had increased and people were searching for some specific goods
of which they had had single items or had been stolen. That meant they
definitely had to find some money in order to request more deliveries…
Both girls worked tirelessly all day. Shortly
after lunch they managed to open the shop again and rushed to order new
quantities of the stolen items. It wasn’t until five o’clock in the evening
that Lilly realised she hadn’t yet informed Andon about what had happened. Now
that everything was back to normal, she felt a sense of dread. She desperately
needed a shoulder to cry on. She grasped the phone intending to call Donnie
when suddenly it rang in her hands. Her brother. She had totally forgotten
about him.
“Pavel, I am so sorry I didn’t call you earlier
today! It was a really awful day!” She quickly told him about the incident. She
suddenly realised it all sounded like a contrived excuse so she could decline
his request for help. Pavel comforted her saying he was not angry at her but
after hanging up Lilly was ready to burst into tears.
She hurried to call Donnie before letting
depression subdue her.
“Oh, sweetheart, how terrible!” Andon sounded
shattered. “Why didn’t you call me earlier?”
“We had so much to rearrange… It took all day
to get things back in order. I didn’t even have the time to go online and
message you. Are we going to meet tonight?”
“Oh, did I forget to tell you? I had to go to
Plovdiv. In fact, I’m on my way now… Oh, I’m so sorry I can’t be with you now.
But I really can’t be back before tomorrow…. Will you be okay on your own?”
“Oh, of course I will, don’t worry. Drive
carefully,” Lilly collapsed on the chair. Utter disappointment seeped through
her. They talked a little longer over some insignificant things and ended the
conversation.
“Where has your good lad gone this time?” Masha
asked, overhearing part of the conversation. “He claims he’s so much in love,
why didn’t he come and lend a hand, we would have finished it all by now?”
“I don’t know… he said he had some urgent work
to do in Plovdiv.”
“What urgent work can somebody like him have in
Plovdiv? Doesn’t he work in the production department of the factory?”
“Yes, he is in charge of his shift. Well, I
guess it’s not connected to his job. I didn’t ask him.”
“I don’t like that man,” Masha said sharply.
“You don’t like anybody today,” Lilly tried to
smile.
“I wouldn’t mind if Monsieur Le Pierre came
over and asked me out to dinner.” Masha smiled. “Hе is woman-proof, though. I
don’t know if he finds me that disgusting or he has some big drama in his past
but he is really a causa perduta.”
Lilly froze. They had had such a busy day that
there was no time to mention the unexpected meeting from the previous evening.
Lilly was wondering what to say about it as Masha went on talking.
“You know about my little success in convincing
him to go out for a coffee. But he was like a stone. Kind and polite, never
letting me any closer to him. Since then, he’s had moments of genuine rudeness
in trying to keep me at a distance. Well, I know he’s not the only man in the
world but... He’s attractive, his body is absolutely perfect, tall and strong,
no fat, just muscles. Most men by the age of thirty-five have already got those
beer bellies, some are going bald. Whereas he looks like an ancient Greek
statue,” Masha was dazed, as if in a dream. ”And what’s more, he’s single. Even
if he had that woman in France - I couldn’t figure out if he’s divorced or they
just lived together and then broke it off but she is no longer figures in his
life.”
“Do you think you are in love with him?” Lilly
asked carefully.
“In love?” Masha laughed. ”Silly Lilly!
Sometimes you sound so naive. He’s cool, I would enjoy a night or two with him
but who the hell is talking about love?”
Lilly wouldn’t admit it to herself but she felt
deep relief by Masha’s reply.
***
The next day more deliveries were expected to
come. Lilly found herself constantly glimpsing through the window to check for
Kamen’s van. It was usually Masha’s job to accept deliveries and the van
drivers often didn’t even enter the shop. She was wondering whether she was
supposed to go out and say hello after their encounter the previous night? Or
would he come in to greet her?
Her phone beeped to indicate she’d received a
message and she quickly grabbed it as if to get rid of what was going through
her head. “I’m just back sweetheart.”
“I’m so happy you’re back. How are you, was
everything alright?”
“Yes. I’m dying to see you. Are you coming to
the bar tonight?”
Resentment filled her body reaching all the way
to her throat. He supposedly wanted to see her but surrounded by his awful
friends, she would once again feel like a wallflower. They would talk about
their own things and she would once again try hard to find something in common
to chat about. Sometimes she got the feeling he lacked the desire to see her in
private.
“Can’t we go to the cinema tonight?” she tried.
“I have an arrangement with a friend to bring
me some money in the bar tonight. Let’s leave it for tomorrow or the day
after?” he replied. Painfully familiar. She had heard it so many times.
“OK, we’ll talk about it tonight,” she typed
and closed her messenger application.
She rubbed her hands down her dress. Her palms
were moist. She regretted having put on the beautiful but rather uncomfortable
dress which required high heels. The garment limited her movements and the
customers, especially male ones, seemed to be more interested in her legs
rather than the items on the shelves.
While trying to gain control over her feelings,
she saw the familiar van coming round the corner. Her heart skipped a beat. I must
still be furious at Donnie, she thought to herself. She asked Masha to go out
and handle the delivery as she leant closer to the window so she could spy out.
The door of the van opened. The man who came
out though, was definitely not Kamen. He was a bit fatter, quite shorter and at
least ten years older. Lilly watched him and Masha fill in forms and move boxes
around. Where could Kamen be? She had a quick look around the shop, there was
nobody intent on buying anything soon so she made a quick decision and hastily
hurried outside.
“Masha, could you check what the problem with
the radio ads is? Dennis called and I couldn’t answer for you, as the agreement
was yours?” Dennis had indeed called but about half an hour ago. “I’ll finish
what’s needed here.”
Masha lifted her head in amazement and nearly
dropped the box she was examining. What was Lilly up to? Just as she was
scrutinizing her, the right hand side door of the van opened. A man whose
presence they hadn’t noticed slowly emerged.
“Hello girls,” Kamen greeted them, lifting his
sunglasses. The baggy shorts and wrinkled T-shirt were gone. He was wearing
elegantly lined and what appeared to be rather expensive trousers with a light
trendy shirt. Even his shoes attracted attention with their glow compared to
the dusty trainers he used to wear before. “I heard there’d been an incident at
your shop the other night?”
Lilly and Masha exchanged glances.
“That’s unfortunately true. We seem to have
been some gang’s latest target.” Masha gave a big dramatic sigh.
“Were the losses significant? What did the
police say about it?” He seemed genuinely concerned.
“What could the police say? They recorded the
crime and that was it, of course,” disappointment and anger sounded in Masha’s
voice. “The losses were not small but it has to be said that it could have been
much worse.”
“Is there anything I can help you with?” His
eyes were fixed on Lilly who couldn’t take her eyes off him and not daring to
even open her mouth. His tone required a reply.
“No, I don’t think so. You’re so kind!”
Slightly embarrassed at addressing him in an informal manner, she corrected
herself to her usual formal register. ”That’s very kind of you.”
“Have they stolen money or goods?” Kamen took a
small step towards her and she had the strange feeling that she was plunging
into a deep blue ocean while Masha and the other driver slowly faded away and
disappeared into the background.
“The money stolen was insignificant. They have
mostly taken expensive gadgets and small but valuable accessories.” Lilly had
the impression that the ground was shaking underneath her feet and she leaned
on the handrail behind her to steady herself.
“Have you thought of tracing them?” His eyes
couldn’t help straying to enjoy her long exquisite legs barely covered by her
dress.
“Tracing them?” she echoed, dazzled by his
sudden interest.
“Yes, tracing them. Doing the police’s job.”
The other driver announced his presence. “To figure out where they could sell
these goods themselves - in pawnshops, on the Internet, by means of “street
sellers”? You could catch them by pretending to be fake customers.”
“I’m convinced they have something to do with
the company providing our security services,” Masha intervened. “It was stupid
of us but having been busy with many other issues, we’d forgotten to extend our
security contract on time and were left unprotected for a few days. The
burglary occurred exactly on one of those days.”
“It’s quite likely,” Kamen reluctantly moved
his eyes away from Lilly to address Masha. “But I do recommend spying and
listening very attentively to everything happening around here. Your
merchandise is aimed at a very specific audience and the burglars would need
your customers in order to sell them. And please, don’t hesitate to ask for our
assistance in case we can help you!”
His eyes returned to Lilly who grabbed the
handrail. She hoped she hadn’t flushed but nodded and thanked him.
“Are you finished with everything?” He turned
to Masha and the driver. His tone was abrupt and imposing. “Martin, get the
boxes inside please, don’t make the ladies spoil their manicure.”
The driver quickly obeyed the order. They
exchanged a few more pleasantries and the two men got in the van and drove off.
Masha gasped as the vehicle disappeared.
“Lilly, did you just see that?”
“Come on, let’s get in, there’s no one at the
cashier till!” Lilly swiftly hurried into the shop.
“Yeah, yeah! Of course, but, Lilly, didn’t you
notice anything?” Masha followed her as she went on gibbering excitedly. “I’m
totally astounded! Monsieur Le Pierre looked like a model in a fashion
magazine! He looked nothing like the simple van driver he used to be! And the
new one? He would have been happy to start licking his shoes if ordered! You’ll
see, he’ll turn out to be a success story, probably a CEO or something! And his
sudden interest? He’s been rejecting all my attempts and offers for such a long
time, he even rudely let me carry heavy boxes on my own and now he’s got out
the van just to talk to us and to offer assistance!”
“It’s worth considering some of his advice,
right!” Lilly didn’t dare to comment on the other part of Masha’s rambled
statements. “It was very kind of him.”
“Very kind!” Masha laughed. “He won’t get away
with this, I promise. As soon as the evening comes, I’ll call to ask him to
share more of his advice on a personal basis! I can’t miss this chance: he’s
promised to help us!”
Lilly couldn’t understand why these words
stabbed her like a knife or perhaps she simply didn’t want to.
Chapter Four
The table was covered with thick cigarette
smoke that was choking her even in the open air of the outside garden, it was
so hot and stuffy that evening. The fumes produced by the cigarettes around her
seemed to be blown directly in her face, making her feel a desperate need for
fresh air. She was absently listening to the conversation that was going on
around her.
“... fish are biting better in Plovdiv. I think
we ought to get ready for the fishing again, we just need plenty of decent
bait,” one of Donnie’s friends said bursting into hysterical laughter.
“Fishing will be discussed later” Andon cut him
off sharply. “Do you want to know what happened today? I was up in the office
round the corner, the one with the tidy birds, to pay for my phone bill. I went
in and there was just one of them there…” And he went on telling a trivial
story which his friends found hilarious but Lilly couldn’t even smile at.
What am I doing here, she asked herself
gloomily. Something had happened to her after that evening on the hill. Why had
she become so dissatisfied with her life? Still, it was no use kidding herself
any longer - she found these people extremely repulsive and her only reason to
keep tormenting herself in their company was Andon. There was another reason
for her anxiety that night - it was so long since they last had sex that she
knew he would insist on her spending the night at his house. God knows why, she
had recently been getting more and more unenthusiastic about it, she had even
warded off several of his attempts using her tiredness as an excuse. She was running
out of excuses now and couldn’t postpone it any longer. Her only desire was to
get out of this smoky place as soon as possible, do what they were going to do
and go back to her nice, safe home… Lilly, get yourself together, girl! You
love Donnie, don’t you? You want to be with him, don’t you? This is all due to
the traumatic times you have had because of the burglary and the long time
without his affection, it is natural this has somehow alienated you from each
other! Once you fall into his arms, you know heaven will come down to Earth!
Time was slowly passing, the minutes dragged on
one after the other. Andon seemed to have no intention of leaving his friends.
She tried to start a conversation with a girl who was accompanying one of his
friends. Unfortunately, the girl didn’t appear to know any other words than
“yes” and “no”. Lilly couldn’t eat or drink anymore, she would only restlessly
reposition herself on the chair while Donnie was pouring glasses of vodka down
his throat. And another. And another.
“So here’s my gorgeous girl!” he wrapped his
arm around her shoulder so abruptly that she jerked with surprise. He hooked
her closer to him and his hand reached out for her breast. “Well, her boobs are
not as ample as Stacy’s but she’s still sexy, isn’t she?”
Disgusted by his abusing hand, Lilly tried to
imperceptibly twist her body in a way to get rid of it. He got her side and
grabbed her so tightly that it caused her physical pain. But it was even more
painful to hear his inappropriate comparison and the grotesque laughter of the
other men around the table.
“Donnie, let’s get going, please. I’m really
tired,” she said quietly gently putting her palm on his chest.
“You’re not the one to tell me what to do, you,
whore!”
Panic swept over her. Oh no, it was the same
old story! The huge amount of alcohol running through Andon’s veins had turned
him brutal again showing off to his holy company what an alpha A male he was!
She summoned all her temper and made one last attempt.
“Donnie, I think it’s time to go,” she smoothly
fondled his arm.
“Don’t tell me what to do! I can do with you
whatever I want!” Rudely pressing her, he used all his power to drag her to his
lap, gripped his iron fingers around her waist and started pushing her up and
down in an indecent movement.
All the others rolled with laughter.
Lilly was stuck in such a humiliating posture,
as if in a vice and it suddenly came clear to her. This was it! She had no
reason at all to be here with these people, with this person! She had overcome
so many difficulties, conquered so many challenges in her life, she was not
going to let herself be put down by a stinking alcoholic any longer! Not one
minute longer!
However, it was also clear to her that she was
in a difficult situation and getting out of it unharmed would only be possible
by acting carefully. Firstly, she had to persuade him to loosen his grip as her
strength was not sufficient to struggle free from him. She pretended to laugh
as though she found it all really amusing and turned round to caress his face
with her hands. He met her with a wet slimy kiss and it distracted his
attention so his grasp softened.
With an abrupt jerk Lilly forced herself out of
his arms, grabbed her purse and said:
“I need to go to the bathroom!”
This generated a new burst of laughter. She
rapidly breezed into the main lobby of the bar and rushed to the toilet only to
reach it and realise she was looking for the way out.
Lilly left the toilet and looked around the
bar, exploring the tables and the people who were sitting at them having their
evening drinks. She had to sneak to the exit and dash secretly into the street
to make her way back home. Unfortunately, the only way to the exit was back
through the garden. Andon’s table was in one of the corners. She just had to find
a darkened place and wait for the right moment to race the short distance
without being seen. Talking to Andon had to wait till later, when his mind was
not obliterated by alcohol.
The moment finally came. Somebody said
something that everybody considered hilarious and they all split their sides
with laughter. Lilly rushed to the gate at the end of the garden. If only she
had come here by car! Now she had to walk alone through the dark streets of the
town, constantly checking out for drunkards following her.
She heard a cry, far more of a roar behind her
back and hurried out of the gate. She had to quickly find a taxi, or hide
somewhere. The main street the bar was facing was pedestrian though. Taxis were
standing in the distance. Hiding was impossible as the main street was brightly
illuminated and her elegant but uncomfortable shoes prevented her from moving
fast enough.
“Lilly!” she heard Andon’s harsh voice
following her.
Lilly didn’t turn, she hurried even faster,
crossing to the darker side of the road hoping to find a place to hide from
him.
“You whore, stop right where you are, fuck…”
Andon stumbled over and this interrupted his tirade of insults, leading to a
new outburst of rage at the rutted pavement.
Lilly spotted a little side street and took it.
There was nothing but a tree to hide behind. She stuck firmly to the trunk and
began praying his drunken head would not figure out where to look for her. She
couldn’t see him, she could only hear his cursing. In fact, it could be heard
all over the central pedestrian street of the town.
“I’ll find you, smelly bitch, you can’t get
away from me! I know you are here! I’ll rip your...”
His voice was coming closer and closer. Her
heart was throbbing. Maybe she should phone the police. But should she take out
her phone, he would hear where she was hiding. For the first time she felt a
deep physical fear of him. All of a sudden, there was another familiar voice,
deep and uncompromising.
“Did I hear you yelling, mate?”
“She hid somewhere, that bitch...”
“Now, mate, shut your mouth and get yourself
home before I call the police. There’s actually a police car over there,” he
was speaking politely but his tone was icy.
“Agh, I know you! You’re not going to tell
me...” Andon commenced but his words were stopped by what sounded like a blow.
“I warned you. Move your arse! Now!”
Lilly heard snorting and shuffling footsteps.
Had Andon given up? She was trembling like a leaf and her breathing was uneven.
She couldn’t stand on her legs anymore so she slid down the trunk. She stayed
there, squatting and leaning on the tree. The rough surface had rubbed her back
but she was unaware of the pain. She closed her eyes. Now that the menace had
gone away, the shock she had experienced knocked her down.
Kamen inspected the dark street. He saw nothing
but a cat leap over the fence of the nearest house and run down the street.
“Lilly?” he called her softly. “Lilly, where
are you?”
“I’m here,” it was as if her voice was coming
from somewhere deep inside her. It was too big an effort to speak more loudly.
She tried to stand up but her muscles failed to obey.
Kamen followed the direction of her voice and
went round the tree in front of him. There he saw her. Sitting on the ground,
her hair in disorder, her purse unbuttoned and thrown away at her feet. His
heart sank. She had lowered down, folding her knees with her arms, her chin
flaccid on her knees. Her white trousers and top were covered in dirt and
sticks.
“That dirty bastard!” said Kamen through
clenched teeth. His blood boiled. “I shouldn’t have let him get away with it
unpunished! Come! Can you stand up?”
He offered his hand. She slowly raised hers and
touched it. His warmth gave a sparkle to her numb fingers. He raised her with
little effort. Her legs were still shivering and she grabbed his hand really
tightly, afraid she might once again collapse to the ground if she let go. His
firm and solid hand comforted her and made her feel protected.
“What did he do to you?” He touched her
shoulder with his other hand to gently turn her towards him, scanning her with
his eyes. “Did he hurt you?”
“No, no, he didn’t” she groaned. “At least not
physically.” She briefly told him what had happened. “It was all my fault. I
shouldn’t have teased him knowing he was so drunk…”
“Your fault?!” Kamen erupted. “Girl, stop that
nonsense! Whatever you have done, nothing can justify what I saw. I don’t want
to hear or...”
Lilly felt tears streaming down her cheeks. She
tried to clench her teeth and halt the tears but she failed. The more she was
trying to pull herself together, the more abundant her tears became.
“Oh, damn it! Come here!”
His arms welcomed her in a strong warm embrace.
She snuggled in him, rested her head on his broad chest and let herself sob.
“Don’t worry, it’s all over!” he gently stroked
her back and hair. “I’m here with you now and I won’t be leaving you here
alone!”
Kamen went on speaking softly and reassuringly
to make her sobbing fade away. His voice lowered and became hoarse. Compassion
was giving way to a different feeling. The tops of his fingers quivered as if
with electricity as they were touching her hair. His head was getting dizzy
from her scent. No, he hadn’t meant to go this far. He admitted Lilly had
attracted his attention since their very first meeting - no, even before, since
her first phone call. She was a beautiful girl, with inspiring looks, trying to
look independent but she was vulnerable in such a feminine manner. He had sworn
not to a let a woman close to him before he’d decided what to do with his life
but now that she was cuddling him and in his arms so trustingly he was ready to
forget his resolutions. The mere thought of that tosser, her boyfriend, was
enough to make him furious again and he felt that very little prevented him
from going back to find him, batter him and kick his fucking head in.
“Come, let’s sit on a bench,” he attentively
moved her body a little away from his to check whether she had calmed down.
“No,” Lilly sprung. “I don’t want to sit on a
bench in the middle of the street where everyone can see…”
“We’re not going to sit in the middle of the
street. Come on, let’s go to the benches in the churchyard. Can you walk?”
“I just need to get my bag.”
The bag was lying on the ground, open and her
personal belongings sticking out reminding her of her humiliation. Lilly
swallowed hard, picked it up and hastily returned to Kamen.
Kamen softly leaned his arm around her waist to
support her as they went to the churchyard. With every step she was getting
over the stress and it gave way to other feelings which were sneaking over her.
His fingers were barely touching her but she felt as if they were burning her
body. Walking very close to him, she soon became aware of his warmth, his
scent, his movements…
They soon got to the little garden outside the
church. There were a few secluded benches in it where lovers usually found the
much desired privacy they couldn’t find elsewhere. There was just one teenage
couple who left as soon as they saw them approaching. Kamen carefully set her
down as if she were a porcelain doll.
“I’m fine now. I was just a bit taken aback by
such behaviour. I’m so sorry for the trouble I’ve caused to you.” She made an
attempt to sit further apart from him but his hands seemed intent on remaining
where they were.
“You haven’t caused me any trouble at all, but
you were in trouble. When I picture it all again,” he shook his head and
clenched his teeth, “he was so drunk and totally obnoxious to you, I don’t even
want to think about what he might’ve done if he’d managed to catch up with
you.”
“I doubt he was going to do anything nasty,”
looking at his angry face Lilly felt obliged to counter.
“Why were you running and hiding from him
then?”
“Well… he was horrible to me.” Lilly shuddered
at that thought. ”It’s not the first time though. When he abuses alcohol, he
gets out of control and starts shouting his mouth off. I don’t think he
realises it. He’s always extremely sorry afterwards but he’s obviously one of
those people who turn aggressive when they drink a lot.”
“My goodness! You’re trying to excuse him
again! That idiot was going to rape you or at least bruise your face in the
middle of the High Street! I saw you long before I managed to get to you - you
were running and he was staggering behind you. I saw you swerve into that side
street though I was still too far away to catch up. I saw it all with my own
eyes. Are you so blindly in love that you can’t see it?
“I…”
Lilly paused confused. Was she in love with
Andon? No, she definitely wasn’t, she suddenly realised. She even doubted she
had ever been. Kamen turned away sharply and grunted. He rubbed his chin with
his fingers and angrily stomped his foot.
“You women never know what you want.”
“Kamen, please, I’m really grateful to you for
what you did for me!” Lilly intuitively reached out to touch his shoulders.
“The thought of him catching me was all too apparent. He was so close to me,
just a few steps away. I’d just about given up when I heard your voice. I can’t
blame anyone else but myself. I do apologise for getting you involved.”
“Stop talking nonsense! I don’t want to hear it
was your fault anymore!”
Still angry, he grabbed her and shook her
shoulders. He gazed in her eyes and he read his own puzzled emotions in them.
He longed to feel her delicate body next to his, to comfort and protect her… He
couldn’t help drawing her closer.
This time his embrace felt different. His arms
locked round her and she gave in but raised her head to meet his eyes. They
looked huge and dark. Her stomach quivered in a sudden thrill.
“I’m sorry, I had no right to shout at you,” he
mumbled and his lips covered hers in a tender intoxicating kiss.
Lilly
had once again the feeling of being weightless, of soaring over the ground in
another dimension and universe. He was kissing her gently and attentively as if
he was tasting her and was enjoying every single sip. Her arms slipped around
his neck as she wiped out any distance between them. She was craving to be ever
closer to him, to merge with him… She couldn’t say when the tender and
comforting kiss had turned into an outburst of passion. His lips parted with
hers only to caress her neck and face with a thousand light kisses all over her
skin. His hands moved along her body. She sighed and kissed his chin and
forehead, her lips moved on to his ear. Her fingers explored his muscular
shoulders and arms and went down examining his chest. His shirt seemed to be an
impediment. She yearned to touch his bare skin. His hands had gone down to her
hips and insatiably drew her closer. His fingers were trying to reach her warm
skin under the belt on her trousers.
“Lilly,” his voice was low and husky. ”I…
didn’t mean to…” he intercepted his words with a kiss as if the time needed to
pronounce them was more than he could bare away from her lips.
“Neither did I,” she couldn’t face withdrawing.
She hugged him, explored him, kissed him. She found a way to pull his shirt out
of his belt and reach out for his hot skin. She wasn’t aware of what had
happened to her but she was sure she had never wanted anybody so wildly before.
They had fallen into complete ignorance about
who they were, where they were and why they were there. There was just this
universe of yen and fascination surrounding them. Kisses followed one after the
other, sighs and groans blended with each other, time was flying by, never
enough to be together.
“You’re driving me insane,” Kamen pulled his
head a little backwards, gasping as if he had run for miles. “It’s probably
fifteen years since I’ve started it on a bench…” he jolted his head. “Let’s go
to my apartment?” she felt some hesitation in his question.
Her whole body was convulsing with desire, her
mind was so enchanted that if he had suggested to have sex in the middle of the
street she would probably have agreed. However, her mind was gradually coming
back and taking control over this enchantment. What was she doing? No more than
an hour ago she had run away from a man only to fall into the arms of another
whom she barely knew?
“Sorry, Kamen… I … I think I was somewhat
confused. I admit I also fell into it but I don’t think it’s a very good idea.”
“You’re right, it wasn’t a good idea” he
conceded so quickly she felt a hint of disappointment. “This story with your
boyfriend apparently turned us too emotional and we gave in before we realised
it.”
“It looks like it did,” Lilly stepped back and
straightened up her blouse.
“Do you live alone?” Kamen also started tucking
the edges of his shirt into his belt trying to disguise his anxiety. But he
wouldn’t let her go back to that drunken bastard…
“Y-yes, I do. Why?”
“Is there any chance this moron will come and
bother you?”
“No, I don’t think so. He was so drunk and he
is certainly long in bed by now. He doesn’t have a key for my place either,”
the thought about Andon had been so blurred and at the back of her
consciousness that it was hard to believe how that evening had started. “Only…
Can I just ask you to drive or walk me to my place? I left my car at home
tonight and it’s already quite late. I don’t feel like walking through the city
on my own, not tonight…”
“Of course I will!” Kamen cast a peculiar look
at her. “My car is parked on the other side of the High Street. Shall we go?”
Lilly unwillingly stood up. They walked side by
side failing to touch or talk to each other. The moment had now gone. He had
become alienated, lost in his own thoughts. She only spoke to give him
directions to her house. He insisted on going up to the door of her apartment
to make sure she was fine but he refused her half-hearted invitation to come
in. He blew her a kiss and quickly went down the stairs.
Lilly closed the door and leaned on the inside.
What an incredible evening! She wasn’t able to think anymore… she needed a good
sleep. Things would be clearer in the cold light of day.
***
To read further
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072SWHGTZ
Contact the author at:
https://www.facebook.com/EleazarRomance/
books@optimall-soft.com
***
To read further
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072SWHGTZ
Contact the author at:
https://www.facebook.com/EleazarRomance/
books@optimall-soft.com
