Close Up: Exposure Book Three (19 page)

T
he next day
, we made plans to see the doctor. But before we did, I made the decision to take one more pregnancy test. I had to hope for a miracle to save me.

It was negative, of course.

I felt defeated, depressed and pressured. I was terrified at what was going to happen when I saw the doctor and even more scared to face Sergei.

I came out of the bathroom after having peed on the stick and seeing it come up negative. I hung my head, and Asher already knew that I still wasn’t pregnant. “I’m sorry,” he said. “It’ll happen. In the meantime, let’s go see Dr. Wyatt.”

“Okay. I guess that seems to be our only hope right now, huh?”

“Yes. At any rate, since he’s a doctor, he can prescribe us some fertility pills. It might not help right this very second, but it can probably help us get pregnant soon.”

We drove to the doctor’s office in silence. Ironically, I felt like puking. Asher looked over at me with concern, and I smiled. “Sorry. I feel pregnant right this very second, just because I feel like you should pull over and let me throw up. But, unfortunately, I think that I want to throw up for a much different reason.”

He put his hand on the back of my neck and squeezed it. Then he picked up one of my hands and kissed it. “We’re almost there.”

We soon arrived at the office, and we went in to see the doctor. He was only seeing us, because today was normally his day off. But, of course, Asher was his benefactor, so he was going to come in special for us.

“Hello,” the man said when we arrived at the office. “You must be CJ,” he said while shaking my hand.

“Yes,” I simply said.

He smiled and handed me a yellow packet. “Here is the information that you need to take to Sergei. The medical records that show that you’re pregnant. I was even able to put the name of my colleague on there – she’s a very esteemed obstetrician and gynecologist.” He looked very pleased with himself. “This will be foolproof, and I wish you luck with actually making these reports true.”

“About that,” Asher said. “We need a prescription for a fertility pill. Hopefully something that is powerful.”

“Of course,” he said, and then he dashed off some words on a prescription pad. “Clomid is a drug that works to stimulate egg production. You must use it when you first get your period, and use it for five days. Like any fertility drug, there are risks, which include the risk of having multiple births and possibly a swollen and painful ovary. But you’re young, so this drug should do the trick.”

“Thanks,” I said. Then I looked at the medical records. It showed that I had an ultrasound that detected a very early pregnancy, and a blood test that did the same. I was happy that the records indicated that the my pregnancy was in the very early stages, as that gave Asher and I a tiny bit of wiggle room.

We said our goodbyes and headed over to Sergei’s home.

When we got there, he was evidently waiting for us, for he opened the door the second we mounted the porch. “Come in,” he said, as effusive as he was the first time I met him. “I am so happy to see you again, CJ. I hope that you have that proof that I asked for?”

With shaking hands, I gave him my packet. He looked at it, nodded his head, and smiled again. “Very good, very good. I see that you saw Dr. Battle. She’s a colleague of my doctor, and very well-respected,” he said as he looked at the records. “These records show that you are in the early stages of a pregnancy. I am quite sure that you already are preparing for this blessed event. I want to make sure that you do everything right, because I am sure Alexei has told you how much I want a grandchild right now. I do not know how much time I have left, so having a grandchild would be heaven for me right now.”

I smiled wanly. It was so strange knowing this man. He seemed so kind, yet I knew the truth. He was nothing but a slave trader, a drug dealer and a thief. He had this enormous palace that was built entirely on the suffering of others. It made me sick that this was going to be my children’s grandfather, but, as long as I could keep them in America and far away from this man’s business, hopefully it would all turn out.

Asher stepped forward. “Is this enough proof for you? Can we get your blessing to marry?”

“Of course,” he said. “In preparation for this, I have already informed my contacts in America that CJ will enjoy the exact same deference that you have over there. Nobody will touch a hair on her head, much like nobody will touch a hair on your head, Alexei.”

I breathed out a sigh of relief. I was happy that he had gone ahead and done that. Now, it was just a matter of Asher and I making things official.

Asher hugged his father. “Thank you.”

“Thank you, Alexei, for making me happy in my final years. I have wanted you to settle down and give me a grandchild for years. Now you are finally doing it. I hope that you and CJ have a wonderful life together.”

O
n the way
to the hotel, Asher took my hand. “Well, we did it. We got my father’s blessing. Now, we just have to actually get you pregnant, and get married as soon as possible.”

“The marriage part will be easy,” I said. “But the other part…”

“Will also be easy. You’re 25. I’m 29. You’re soon going to be taking fertility pills. Of course, if you don’t get pregnant soon, we’re going to have to see a doctor to find out why, but, for now, these pills should do the trick.”

I nodded my head and raised my eyebrows. “And, of course, it should be a lot of fun actually trying.”

T
he next day
, Asher and I were married in a civil ceremony. Nobody was there except the two of us, and a barrister, who Sergei knew, conducted the event. I tried to tamp down my feelings that this whole thing was terribly unromantic and not at all how I had pictured my wedding day, but there really wasn’t time for anything else. We had to hurry into this union, unfortunately, so there wasn’t time for an actual shindig.

“We’ll have the big affair when we get back to America,” he said. “Right now, we just have to get this done. We can’t go for another day with your life in danger.”

“I know,” I said. “I understand.”

So, we were married without fanfare. Still, it felt good to be Mrs. Sloane. Or Mrs. Pushkin, if I thought wryly. Asher had legally changed his name, though, when he got to America, so I was Mrs. Sloane and not Mrs. Pushkin.

W
e spent
the rest of the week seeing London with Natalia. I was starting to get to know my sister-in-law, and I really liked her. She was somewhat upset that she wasn’t going to be able to bring her girlfriend back to America with her, but Asher assured her that finding somebody else wasn’t going to be a problem for her.

“I hope you are right Alexei,” she said. “I know that there are more crabs in the ocean, but I really like Svetlana.”

Asher smiled. “Fish in the sea.”

“Right,” she said, and wrote that down in her book.

“Do you actually read through what you write down in that book?” I asked her. I was curious as to whether her little book actually helped her.

“Of course,” she said. “I write down everything and study it every single day. I am getting better and better with those slang expressions.”

“Well,” I said to her. “Asher is right. You won’t have any problems finding a new girlfriend once you get to the states.”

I knew that what I was saying was true. Natalia was a knock-out and was very outgoing. She would have a new relationship in no time.

“I know that you are right, but I am sad. Sad, yet happy to finally be going to America.” Then she turned to Asher. “When will our father find out the truth about his health?”

“As soon as you’re in America and safely working for me. We can’t afford for him to know sooner than that. So, the quicker we get back there, the better off he will be.”

Natalia gave Asher a spontaneous hug. “Thank you, Alexei, for saving me.”

Asher had tears in his eyes. “I’m happy that I finally could. I love you, you know.”

“I love you, too.”

Then Asher laughed. “Okay, so, since you love me, I have to ask you one important thing.”

“What is that?”

“Forget the name Alexei. I’m Asher. That’s my legal name, and it has been for about 11 years.”

“Of course,” she said. “Maybe I should have an America name, too?”

“Natalia is a beautiful name,” I told her. “You should definitely keep it.”

She shrugged. “I guess so. Maybe Alexei, I mean Asher, doesn’t want his sister seeming so Russian though. Maybe he wants me to pass as American too.”

Asher put his arm around her. “Natalia, it doesn’t matter. Once people get wind of who you are, there’s going to be some digging. I’m fully prepared for it. There’s going to be some fallout, I know this. But I’m willing, this time, to take my chances with that. Let the media drag me through the mud. I know that it will finally happen. I’m surprised that it hasn’t happened before now.”

We all hugged spontaneously, and Asher made plans for us to go home on his private plane the next day. We had spent the week seeing the sights of London, and I was ready to go home. So was Asher, and Natalia was extremely excited about finally moving to America. For her, America was freedom, and I couldn’t be happier for her.

Yet, we knew that we faced some real challenges when we finally got back to America. Asher and I still weren’t pregnant, and that scared me to death. And Asher was right about another thing – the media was going to dig into his past, now that he had a Russian sister in his midst. I internally braced myself for the fallout from that. The blowback could be considerable, and I was really afraid that the whole world was soon going to find out his past. That could have some severe ramifications. And, there was also the small matter of Sophie’s baby, which was still going to be legally Asher’s. I hated that Sophie was pregnant and she was forcing Asher to take responsibility, yet I knew that Asher had no choice. His father was holding his feet to the fire.

Yes, there would be challenges when we got back to America. But Asher and I were married and happy for once. I knew that our happiness might very well be shattered once reality set in at home.

But that was going to be another day. For now, we had each other, Asher had his sister back, and we were really happy.

B
OOK FOUR (AND FINAL
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F
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CJ

On the way home on Asher’s plane, I couldn’t do much of anything but worry and think about what was about to happen to all of us. Asher and Natalia were playing cards, talking in Russian, and laughing. I hung back and pretended to read a book, but, really, my mind was racing. I couldn’t believe that the two of them could seem so relaxed, but they clearly were having a good time together.

Then again, maybe Asher was more worried than he let on. He didn’t seem like it, but I had known him to have a poker face on more than one occasion. He probably was freaking out, like I was, but not showing it because he didn’t want Natalia knowing how he felt. I secretly hoped that this was the case, because it frankly bothered me that he didn’t seem to be concerned about what was going to happen once we landed. Maybe he wasn’t thinking about the implications of my not getting pregnant. Or the fallout that was going to happen once Asher introduced Natalia as his sister. He was finally ready to come clean on his past, although he wasn’t going to volunteer information. Yet I knew, as did he, that his past was going to come to light. As soon as he made the decision to quit running from it, he opened himself up for some serious interrogation.

“CJ, why don’t you come and join us?” Asher asked me. “We’re playing spades over here. I can teach you how if you don’t already know.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m okay over here. I’m really engrossed in this book.” I really wasn’t engrossed in the book, but I didn’t want to join them. They seemed to be having too much fun amongst themselves. I suddenly remembered, anew, that they were twins, so of course they were close. I would imagine that anybody who were exactly the same age and went through what these two went through together would be very close. I thought back on how Asher told me that it was just the two of them against the world at one point. Then they had that falling out because Asher had the chance to save her from her mob job and didn’t because of his ow selfish reasons. Now, apparently, all was forgiven and they seemed to be as thick as thieves.

I smiled at the chance to teach Natalia another colloquialism, so I said “you guys are as thick as thieves.”

Natalia looked at me quizzically. “Thick as thieves? I do not understand. Not all thieves are fat. In fact, most of the thieves I know are quite thin. I do not understand that that means.”

Come to think of it, I didn’t really know why people said that particular saying myself. I quickly Googled it, and, of course, I found out that the term “thick” in this case just meant close. I imagined that was a somewhat antiquated meaning for that particular word. No wonder non-English speakers have so many problems with learning this language well – I would imagine that learning the idioms would be a complicated task indeed. “According to Google,
thick as thieves
just refers to the fact that criminals would have to be close so that they don’t rat each other out. And thick, in this case means close.”

At that, Natalia wrote the phrase down in her book and smiled. “Thick as thieves. I guess that is a good saying for Alexei and me. We have both been thieves at one time.”

Asher rose his eyebrows at her and dealed the cards. “I would say to keep that secret, Natalia, the fact that we were thieves. But I think that’s a fruitless thing. I might as well just give my media contact the true story of my background now. It’s just as well…I’m tired of hiding it. I don’t think that I can ever come to terms with who I really am unless I can actually live my life authentically.” Then he shrugged. “I’m in a position now that I think that I can probably survive this controversy. At least, I hope so.”

I personally thought that he was taking the entire thing too lightly, but I didn’t want to say as much to him. I was bracing for there being some severe fallout once the media got ahold of the story. I even wondered if the entire thing would cause him to have to answer his charges in Russia. Maybe they had left him alone because he was living life on the down-low, but,, now that he was going to be “coming out of the closet” so to speak, he might get into trouble with the Russian government.

Asher suddenly seemed to have an idea. “Why don’t I give the story of my life to you? I was going to give the story to one of my media contacts over at
The Times,
but I should just give the story to you. It could make your career.”

I smiled. That was Asher, always thinking of me and how he could help me out. He was right about one thing – giving his story could certainly be my big break. Asher was well-known and popular. When the public found out that he was also shady, at least he was in his past – that was going to be huge.

“That would be wonderful, Asher, but….”

He shook his head. “Actually, the more I think about it, the better it sounds. I could control this story if you write it.”

“Asher, you might be able to control what details come out about your life if I’m the one who writes the story. But once that horse is out of the barn, there will be no putting it back. The other media outlets are going to do their own digging, especially since it will be obvious to all that I’m your wife, and they’re going to go much further. And my editor would kill me if I held back on the details of your life.” I knew that taking this story sounded good in theory, but, in practice, it wouldn’t turn out well. “No, I think that you should probably go with your first instinct. Call your media contact over at
The Times
and give you story to him.”

“You’re probably right,” he said. “I wish I knew what was going to happen with this story. You know that it’s going to get twisted and everyone is going to assume that I’m a killer.”

I bit my lip when he said that. Asher
was
a killer, or, at least, he was one. There wasn’t any getting around that little detail.

He seemed to read my mind. “Don’t say anything. I know what you’re thinking. You have to keep thinking one thing – it was me or them. Darwin’s law was very much at work. I was just always desperate to stay on the top of the food chain.”

I smiled, thinking of Asher as a lion who had to kill or perish himself. That was even a better image than a soldier in a war, as lions, as is the case with all animals, were innocent of malice. They simply worked on instinct. I wanted to think of Asher that way, as well – innocent of malice or evil.

“Don’t worry, my lips are sealed.”

The plane descended. Natalia and Asher had given up on playing cards and were now playing chess. They seemed to be evenly matched in this game. Asher realized that the plane was descending, though, and told Natalia that they were going to have to finish their game later. “But I’ll take a picture so that we know what pieces go where.”

At that, he took a picture with his smart phone and then he climbed on the seat next to me and fastened his seat belt. He held my hand and kissed it. “I love you. I’m so happy that you’re married to me now. I promise to take good care of you as long as you live. Or as long as I live. I guess it depends on who goes first.”

I kissed him on the lips, and he put his hand on my cheek while he kissed me back. His scent was sweet and his tongue was warm in my mouth. I felt tingly just kissing him, and, if Natalia weren’t sitting in the seat across from us, we would have made love right then and there.

The plane landed, taxied and then stopped. We all got off, and there was a limousine waiting for us. It took us to Asher’s house, where Natalia would be staying until she found something else. I didn’t mind that, of course – I really liked her. She was pretty and smart and eager to begin a new life. Everything was fresh for her, and I wanted to see the city through her eyes. For her part, she was looking out the window of the limo at the city, and it seemed that she was very impressed.

“How does this city compare to where you grew up?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s similar but not the same. St. Petersburg has older buildings that have been around for many years. And beautiful churches with domes. This city seems much more modern, which it is, of course. It doesn’t have the same history as my city does. But it will do. I’m just happy to be out of my father’s business. I really hated working for him. I hated what he does. I hate just about everything about my father. I don’t actually hate him, though. I just hate what he does.”

“You hate what he stands for,” I said.

Natalia nodded but looked perplexed. “Yes, I suppose. What does that mean, though? I hate the way that he stands? I do not have a problem with that. He does not have a problem with his posture.”

I smiled. “No. When a person stands for something it means that…” I found myself struggling to explain the term. I guessed that I always took certain terms and idioms for granted, and I never thought about what they really meant, and how to explain their meaning to a foreigner. “It means that he believes in something.” I thought that was as good of an explanation as anything else.

Natalia shook her head. “I do not think that is a good description of my father. He does not really believe in what he does, either. He only does it because it makes him very rich. But he does not have any love for it.”

“Well, even so, since he perpetuates that business, he must believe in it somewhat.”

“No. Do you think that people who work in slaughterhouses have a love for what they do? My father feels the same way about what he does – it has become a necessity for him. It is a necessity to make the money that he wants to make and it is a necessity for him to retain power. Our father is not a bad man. He is just….” Then she appeared to think of the word that she wanted to use. Then she thought of it. “Misguided. That would be the good word for my father.”