Deep Trouble with You

2 Mine

Two days. I lasted exactly two days of us hanging around the house, enjoying ourselves. We’d already played every possible game, watched a whole pile of cartoons, jumped on the trampoline, splashed around in the pool, chased Jack, stuffed ourselves with treats, and… got bored. Well, I got bored. I’m not used to being cooped up that long, especially with kids.

Doubts started creeping in that maybe I’d seriously overestimated myself when I volunteered to look after the little ones while their parents were on vacation. I thought it would be easier! And how the hell did Vicky manage all this?!

And that’s with a cook making our meals, while the golden-haired one used to handle everything herself! And somehow she even managed to work on top of that!

And Kirill? How did he not lose his mind in this world of constant noise and shouting? No idea.

But it’s too late to back out. I signed up for this, and I’m not quitting. I’m not some loser who folds at the first sign of difficulty! I love the kids. They’re just loud and restless. I need to find a more interesting approach with them.

After thinking it over a bit, a brilliant idea hit me. I’ll take my nephews to work with me! They’ll find it insanely interesting, and I need to show up anyway to stay on top of things.

A few years ago, I fully moved to the capital, where my relatives have multiplied a lot. I opened a*****e called “Moto-Style,” where I sell various types of motorcycles, from sport bikes and Harleys to mopeds and all kinds of parts for our two-wheeled friends. My store also has a repair service where different iron horses get serviced.

I’d dreamed about a business like this for a long time, but in our childhood town it wouldn’t have been profitable. The capital is a completely different story. The demand here is crazy, especially since we even bring in exclusive models by special order.

I think the boys will love this stuff, and Soli… well, she’s kind of a tomboy anyway, growing up with two older brothers. Let her get in on it too. It’s bold and seriously hot when a girl knows her way around the topic. When they grow up, I’ll hook each of them up with a roaring favorite!

I’ll show them my bike too. A Kawasaki Ninja H2R! I adore my steed. Top speed four hundred twenty-three kilometers per hour, zero to a hundred in 2.2 seconds. A monster on wheels! And how many chicks were thrilled to give themselves to me on that beast… I couldn’t even count them all.

The kids eagerly agreed to the little adventure, so we quickly got ready and cleaned ourselves up. To match my usual image of a bold guy, I put on tight black jeans, a fitted white tank top that shows off my perfect, godlike body of temptation, and a leather biker jacket.

Yeah, I know I’m f*****g awesome! And there’s no point in modestly pretending, like, nah, I’m just like everyone else. I’m sexy and I know it!

But when I glance at my beloved little shits of a brother’s kids, I realize they don’t fit the picture at all.

Andry and Egor look like sweet little bunny boys in T-shirts with cars and light blue pants. And Soli… just one big pink explosion.

No, no, no! That won’t work!

“Alright, kids!” I look seriously at this colorful kindergarten disaster. “That outfit doesn’t fly with Uncle Nazar! You can’t come to my work like that! We’re hitting the shops first!”

To my surprise, the kids got just as fired up about the idea as I did, and we had a blast at the mall. Now the boys were rocking dark lightweight jeans, black leather jackets, and Metallica T-shirts.

And Soli… total candy! We got her black leggings, a beige leather jacket, and a white T-shirt with a skull on it. A real little bomb! I almost feel sorry for Kirill. In about ten years, he’ll be chasing suitors off with a shovel.

So what if it’s mid-July outside! It’s cool today after yesterday’s rain… and besides! If they want to be cool, they can sweat it out in leather! I do! The image of a bold badass demands sacrifice!

Looking at the newly upgraded little ones, I caught myself thinking that if I had kids of my own, I’d never let them turn into pastel marshmallows. They’d be badass… like their dad! Then I quickly brush off that sudden idiotic thought.

That’s exactly how our bold quartet rolled into my showroom. I’ll admit, it was nice seeing the confusion and a certain stunned admiration on the faces of both my employees and the customers. We swaggered over to the reception desk and greeted them.

“Mr. Yartsev, are these your children?” the administrator, Katerina, raises her eyebrows in surprise, studying the kids. Cute girl, juicy too, but married. “They look so much like you!”

No kidding! Kirill and I are identical twins. Andry and Egor are their dad’s spitting image, which means mine too. Solomiya may have taken a lot from her mom, but you can still see the Yartsev features in her.

“Let’s just say they are,” I laugh, and we head toward the staff entrance that leads to my office.

While I was digging into the details of my sales and orders, the little monsters managed to explore my office inside and out. My collection of miniature models of the most expensive cars and motorcycles got the most attention.

“Hey, careful with that!” I look at the troublemakers who’ve already pulled a black Bugatti Veyron off the shelf. “One model like that can cost as much as all your toys combined.”

“We’re bored,” Egor whines, pouting. “When are we going to see your bike, Uncle Nazar?”

“Can we sit on it?” Andry perks up, staring at me expectantly.

“I wanna too!” the little one starts squeaking.

“I’ll see how you behave,” I try to tone down the bandits’ excitement. “Maybe I’ll allow it. It all depends on you.”

Like magic, the kids went quiet and turned into pure perfection. While I wrapped up my business, not one of them made a sound, all waiting to saddle the metal beast.

Childish gasps of awe and anticipatory sighs reached me when we stepped into the workshop, where my fiery steed stood apart from the rest. Their eyes widened and shone as they stared at that powerful masterpiece. I had to keep my promise and let the little destroyers climb onto my bike. It was hilarious watching them imitate engine roars and racing sounds, imagining themselves as bikers. Even Soli got swept up in the boyish hype and played racer. Feeling unexpectedly soft, I even snapped a few photos of them on my phone. I’ll have to send them to my brother and Vicky.

While the boys were spinning around and admiring my monster, I noticed Soli quickly lost interest and was standing there, all puffed up.

“Solomiya, what’s wrong?” I crouch down to her level, and she looks at me with a hurt expression.

“I’m hungry…” the little one whispers quietly, almost ashamed, and I suddenly want to smack myself on the forehead. We’ve been out so long, and it didn’t even occur to me that they might be hungry!

“Don’t be sad!” I smile at the cutie, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “We’re going to a pizzeria right now!”

“Yay!” I hear the boys cheer in support. “We’re hungry too!”

That settled it. Saying goodbye to my staff, we head to a local pizzeria near the huge city park. At this time of day, it’s packed with people walking around with their kids, and finding a table for us turns out to be no easy task. So we order our food to go instead. No big deal. An improvised picnic on a bench somewhere might be even more fun!

Grabbing our food and drinks, satisfied, we head for the exit. In the distance, I spot a remote empty bench and aim straight for it. But after taking a couple of steps, I don’t notice a girl about ten years old crashing into me. She bounces off painfully and lets out a groan.

“Oh! Sorry, kid! I didn’t see you at all,” I apologize to the little girl, and she lifts her miserable gray eyes to me, full of regret and guilt.

“I’m sorry,” she tucks her head into her shoulders. “I was hurrying to my mom and wasn’t looking around. I didn’t mean to…”

“Don’t apologize,” I smile at the distracted little blonde without malice, briefly noting her slightly messy appearance and worn-out clothes. “It can happen to anyone.”

“Sorry again…” lowering her eyes, the girl quickly disappears toward a small crowd of women.

Adjusting our food in my hands, I nod to the kids toward the bench, where we settle down. Judging by how fast they devour their slices, I realize they were seriously hungry, which makes me want to smack myself even harder.

But once they’re full, they catch a second wind and drag me to the nearest playground. And I’m good Uncle Nazar, after all. So I let my nephews and niece burn off some extra energy on the slides and swings.

While they go wild on the playground, I glance around, and my gaze freezes on one spot, unable to look away. On one of the benches sits a beautiful woman who somehow pulls me in and locks my attention on her. I can’t take my eyes off her.

Standing there like an i***t isn’t an option, and I’m not a shy guy. So I decide to walk over to the gorgeous stranger and get to know her better.