CHAPTER 29. FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 14:30.
Caramarin protested but Natalya wasn't listening. She picked up the tab on her gold card. Explained that as far as Eugen was concerned, she was having lunch with one of her girlfriends. She took Caramarin by the arm and led him upstairs.
The room was as smart as the restaurant downstairs. Summer light flooded in from the balcony windows. Natalya closed the blinds then kicked off her sling-backs. She turned around.
"Help me with this," she asked over her shoulder with a toss of her hair.
Caramarin unzipped her Versace dress and shrugged it off her shoulders. Natalya let it slip down her body. It pooled on the floor and she stepped out of it. Had to admit, the woman looked gorgeous. She ran her hands down her body and gave a sexy little wiggle.
Caramarin took off his jacket and slung it over the armchair. He kicked off his shoes and sat on the end of the bed. Natalya crossed to the mini bar and bent over, deliberately showing her tanned bottom through the lacy panties. He could just see the slight bulge of her mound.
"Zibert Light, if they've got it," he asked.
He heard the crack and hiss then Natalya passed him a beer. He took a long swallow.
"Needed that," he said.
Natalya came over with a vodka and put it on the side table. She stretched out on the bed arching her back, showing her body in its lacy underwear to perfection. She leaned up, untied her hair and spread it out over the pillow like a halo. She looked at Caramarin who was still sitting there holding his lager.
"Come over here," she said.
Caramarin lay down next to her. With practised hands, she unbuckled his belt, unzipped his flies and pulled down his trousers. She knelt on the bed then unbuttoned his shirt and helped him take it off. Natalya kissed his chest, nibbled his nipples. Finally, she hooked her fingers into his boxers and tugged them down.
"Is that the best you can do?" she asked.
"I'm sorry."
Natalya took his musket in her hands and primed it to half cock. But no way was it ready to fire any love bullets.
"You all right, Nicu?"
"Fine."
She stopped loading his musket.
"I know just the trick," Natalya said. She opened her clutch bag and returned to the bed holding a couple of things. She lay back down and poured sparkling white powder into her navel. She handed Caramarin a violet fifty hryvnia note.
"A Hrushevsky? Times must be tough," he said. "Last time it was a two hundred Ukrainka."
Caramarin knelt over her outstretched body and snorted up the coke. The rush hit him almost at once.
"Wow. That's good!" he rocked back on his heels.
"So it should be. It's the best you can get. Special reserve. Now come here, big boy."
She sprinkled more powder over his musket, moved down the bed, then took him in her mouth. Caramarin lay back as the familiar pressure built up along his barrel. But he still wasn't ready to fire his load. After a while, Natalya sat back. She couldn't find his trigger. Gave up cocking the gun when there was no powder in the pan.
"What is it?"
Caramarin thought. Be honest?
"I'm sorry. Like you saw in the paper; last night I saw the body of a girl, a young woman. She'd been raped and killed. There was blood everywhere. I guess it's affected me more than I thought." He wiped his eyes at the memory.
Natalya looked him full in the eyes.
"Y'know what, Nicolae, In a way I'm glad. Despite all you've done you've still got a heart in there. Eugen never said anything last night. He just came home, had a few drinks and then had at me."
Natalya looked sad. "He was rough. Seemed to enjoy it more than he has for ages."
Caramarin didn't know what to say. He rolled over and faced the wall. Natalya snuggled up against his back and draped her arm over his body.
All of a sudden he was crying. The sobs racked his body. Natalya let the agony flood out of him, just held him, supported him, comforted him. Eventually, his hurt quieted, his body stilled. He turned to her.
"Thank you," was all he said.
"Nicolae. Deep down, you're a good man. But I've been thinking about what you've said. The only question is what are you going to do?"
"I don't know. But I can't go on for much longer. And please tell Eugen to cool it."
"I will," Natalya said. "But whether he'll listen..."
"Do your best, anyway. It's important."
He stood up and dressed without looking at Natalya. He patted his suit down, checking everything was there.
"Sorry about that," he muttered. "I'll see you soon if you want."
"Of course I still want to see you, Nicolae. I love you."
Caramarin let himself out and down through the hotel lobby and into the late afternoon sunshine. Adjusted his shades and walked along the street, looking at the smartly dressed young couples walking together arm in arm. Did they have his problems? Probably not. When had his life been so simple?
Not for a long time.