Fire and Silk

Chapter 3

The sound of clanging pots coming from the kitchen woke me with a start. A knock on my door with Lily peeking through made me groan.

“Dude what time is it.” I mumbled, groggy with sleep I looked at my phone seeing it was 9am. I usually didn’t sleep this late my usual routine waking me up at 6am. I hated waking up later in the morning I felt like I was always rushed to get done what I needed for the day.

“Come on girl I’m cooking breakfast and guess what, I’ve got champagne and OJ.” She walked back down the hall leaving my bedroom door open. Smells of bacon and pancakes had my stomach growling with anticipation. I forgot to eat sometimes when I was busy at work and it left me starving the morning after. I got out of bed finding my slippers to throw on while I went to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth.

I made my way down the hall hearing Lily sing to the top of her lungs a old Stevie Nix song, when I got to the kitchen I seen her dancing in her own little world. “Wow Dmitri sure left a lasting impression.” I couldn’t help myself I hadn’t seen her this excited over a guy, well since never.

“He called me and asked me to attend a event with him tonight at some fancy art gallery across town. He says his boss his hosting it and he needed a date.”

“Do you remember what the name of the art gallery was? I have a story to cover tonight and I’m wondering if it’s at the same place.” I checked my email remembering my assignment, finding the email sent by the directors assistant I opened the folder giving me the run down of the assignment. The Mackwain Art Gallery was a upscale gallery on the ritzy side of Miami. Only people with power and influence were invited to events held there and just my luck I had to attend tonight.

“He said it was the Mackwain Art Gallery over on Ocean Avenue. Have you heard anything about it?” She asked me passing me a plate of pancakes and bacon and a glass of her deadly mimosa where it was mostly champagne with a splash of orange juice.

“Yea I actually have to go there tonight for a article.” I showed her my email and the elegant invitation attached with it.

This invitation is for use by Eve Pike of the Daily Mountain Eagle Newspaper Company.

The bold text read and below it gave details on the event and formal wear required:

Participants will be only be allowed if wearing the below allowed attire:

Formal wear that includes ball gown or cocktail dress. Personal appearance well groomed and not of a gruff appearance. Men are allowed to wear suites and dress shoes. Anything besides this will not be allowed entry into the event.

I looked at Lily, “Well I guess it’s time to go shopping.”

Hours later we ended up at the Miami outdoor mall shopping at the outlets trying to find something suitable for tonight. We ended up passing a*****e that had a display of a woman covered in a diamond sequin dress which caught Lily’s eye.

“Eve let’s go in here, I’m sure they have something for both of us.” I followed behind her as she rushed into the store heading to a attendant to help us. Lily came from a wealthy family, her father being one of the most renowned lawyers in New York City he made enough for his family to live comfortably. He continued to pay for Lily’s apartment allowing me to live there and only chip in a small portion. I on the other hand came from a different background. I had never knew my father and my mother had abandoned me due to her drug addiction making me live with my grandmother. She had done her best at raising me and sent me to college. She wanted me to be better than my parents and make a life for myself. She lived in the Southern part of Alabama and with her being so far I rarely got the time to visit her but she loved to make the trip to Miami as much as possible.

“Come on Eve let’s try on some dresses so we can get ready for the evening.” Lily loved anything that had diamonds as for me I enjoyed the more subtle clothing. After hours of trying on dresses lily decided on a olive colored dress with a halter top that was covered in diamonds making it make her green eyes pop. She looked beautiful in it. It was now my turn to try on my selection and ended up going with a silver dress with a deep cut that reached almost to my navel. It was a long dress sweeping the floor with a slit up to mid thigh. The dress was beautiful, it made my tan skin shine and my light blue eyes pop. It was a flattering dress and honestly I felt beautiful.

We paid and made our way out heading to Lily’s car, she insisted on driving but honestly I don’t think she trusted my shopping skills.

“Eve that dress was stunning your definitely going to find your self a hottie to bring home.”

I laughed at her, “when the hell have I been known to bring someone home with me? Better yet especially when I’m working.”

“I mean there’s a first time for everything Eve, you’ve got to get over Noah’s sorry ass and stop living in the past. I know your just strictly relationships but I know there’s someone out there that had the same mindset as you. Stop waiting around and put yourself out there for once.” I started to object her trying to get something out to defend myself. “Look I love you, your like a sister to me and I’m not trying to lecture you. But your 21 and your gorgeous. I just don’t won’t you to waste your youth just focusing on work, you need to live a little.” I kept quiet, she was right but I had no interest in putting myself out there right now.

We made it to the car, making our way home listening to women sing their hearts about men who had done them wrong.

Finally in my room I laid the dress out making sure not to wrinkle it as I got ready for the evening. Lily turned on the sound system in the apartment blaring the top 100 hits of the summer while we got ready. I took great care in my looks tonight, applying a Smokey eye to make my eyes pop and matching it with a red lip to complete the look. I let my hair out of its braid brushing through the waves, I started to straighten it letting it fall down to my hips in a cascade of silver and blonde.

“Eve! Dmitri will be here in 15 minutes to pick us up!” I usually drove by myself to these events but Lily insisted I rode with them. Usually I hated being the third wheel but in this case I guess I’d take one for the team for my friends sake.

I put my silver dress over my white lingerie underneath. Because of the low-cut I had to go without a bra this evening which was doable with my breast size. They were a full C, filling out the dress but keeping it sexy without being to revealing. Completing my look with some four inch red stilettos and simple diamond hoops I was ready for this evening. I would be taking notes on my phone tonight since it was the only discreet way to journal on the evening without letting everyone know I was a reporter. I made my way into the kitchen to find Dmitri and Lily making out like teenagers.

I cleared my throat to grab their attention, lily let out a giggle while Dmitri looked like a kid that had got caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar. I couldn’t help but smirk at the two, with them both dressed to impress they looked like supermodels standing by each other.

“Are you both ready to go? My boss will be riding with us this evening.”

“Yes we’re ready, are we all going to fit?” Walking out of the apartment we seen a limo down in the parking lot.

“Yeah were going to fit, we have to take a company limo to events like this so we should be fine.”

Rhett POV

Dmitri told me we would be stopping to pick up his date but I didn’t realize that we would also be allowing a reporter to ride with us.

“Rhett you’ll like her, she’s not bad looking and honestly you could use the company tonight.”

I just nodded to him as he got out of the car going to get his date and her friend. I was used to Dmitri having several woman of interest, hell we all did when it came to this lifestyle, but we never took them out to events. I had known Dmitri since we were kids, his family had been pledged loyalty to mine for centuries. Being the next head to the Borisova mafia had its perks but I wanted something different. I was a business man at heart, and I had slowly but shortly amassed a empire. I started Borisova corporation and as of now we had our finger in many pies across the US growing more influential as each day passed.

But being part of the mafia and a young CEO had its downfalls. It came with a all consuming loneliness, that could be soul crippling at times. Sure I had shared many nights with women warming my bed but that’s all it amassed to. I didn’t have someone I could spend every day with or bare my soul to at times. My life consisted of so many dark moment that it would cause a priest to turn his face from me, I was just waiting on the right person to share this life with.

“What is taking him so long.” I couldn’t help but say, if he was up there trying to get a quickie in before this event I was going to kill him myself.

“Here he comes capo.” My driver Thomas said, making me turn my face to see a breath taking sight.

Dmitri came walking out with a petite woman, with shiny brown hair and mousy features but that’s not what caught his attention. It was the woman who followed behind them, she had to be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her hair was long making its way down her back, it looked to be silver in the way the light shined on it. Her dress clung to her body in the most delectable way, showing off her curves making the way her hips moved enchanting. She wore sexy red heels and the top of her dress cut low revealing a little bit of sideboob. Rhett thought that was the hottest thing he had ever seen in his life. As they kept walking to the limo he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. His d**k growing harder in his pants with each passing second.

“Fuck.” Is all he could say, this was going to be a interesting evening.