The World in Reverse (46 page)

Looking into her eyes, Nicola knew there was no way that he could not be happy for her.  She deserved to be rewarded. Rubbing her bulging stomach, he kissed her hand and sighed. “You’re right, baby.  I am happy.” He corrected himself. “I’m grateful more than anything.  You’ve always wanted to run your own shop.  Magna Carta is a big company. You’ll do well.” 

“Good,” Ivy said, happy with herself also. “Now, I’m going to go and grab the bread pudding out of the oven, and I’ll be right back.” Standing up, she left him alone with his thoughts.

“Unbelievable,” Nicola said aloud, resting his head back on the chair.  Suddenly his pr
ivate cell buzzed.  It was a blocked number.  Automatic alarms went off in his head and he started to let it go to voicemail but the situation with Roxie still hand him leery about that.  “Hello,” he said, pulling at his uniform shirt.

“Agosto, happy anniversary,” Dmitry e
xtended gleefully. 

Nicola sat up straight. “Dmitry.”

“The one and only,” he said unapologetically, sitting across from Royal at a five-star restaurant in Belgium.  When the waiter was finished serving him his meal, he nodded and continued. “Do you remember when I told you that I’d come calling soon enough?” 

“How could I forget,” Nicola said, looking around the corner to make sure that Ivy wasn’t coming.  He got up quickly and walked toward the corridor leading toward the bathroom. 

“Well, it’s soon enough,” Dmitry said, putting forth his smooth palm on the linen table cloth and looking at his nails. “I need a favor.”

Nicola knew the day would come, but did it have to be his anniversary?  He lowered his voice and closed the door as he went into the hallway bathroom.  “I thought that we agreed that I’d do that favor,
not my wife
.”

Dmitry picked up the wine glass in front of him and swirled the contents around.  “Oh, I didn’t call your wife.  Royal did.  She seems to have an affinity for her.  Plus, I don’t think that her offer was unreasonable, from what she told me.”

“Depends on what you consider to be reasonable,” Nicola said under his breath. “I want to make it clear to you that she won’t be involved in anything illegal.  She’s worked too hard to be the subject of a federal investigation just because there was no one else to be the fall guy.”

“I’m hurt that you’d think I’d do such a thing,” Dmitry said, taking a sip of his wine.  “If I wanted to frame someone, it wouldn’t be a V.P in Marketing.  You can’t go to jail for bad PR, but I do appreciate your candor.”

“I just want to make sure that we’re clear.”  He checked his face in the bathroom mirror.  “So…what
favor
do you want from me.”

Dmitry smiled.
A man of his word to the death.
  That was why he liked Nicola Agosto.  “Two words.  Luke. Johnson.”

THE END

About the Author

National bestselling author Latrivia S. Nelson is the author of fifteen interracial romance no
vels. When she’s not writing books, she’s publishing them at RiverHouse Publishing, LLC, located in Memphis, TN. 

She is the proud mother of two children, Tierra and Jordan, and a devout movie goer. 

www.latrivianelson.info

[email protected]