Page 29 of A Vegas Crush Collection #2

taking care of business

Boris

“Hello, Ally, it is Boris.” I have finally broken down and called Ally to get her started on my “life management,” as Talia has described it.

“Oh, hi,” she says. “I thought maybe you had changed your mind about hiring me.”

“That fact that I have not called you sooner is just proof how badly I need the assistance. We will start to travel soon, and I really need you to help me get organized. Could we meet for coffee?”

When we do meet up at the coffee shop the next morning, I don’t show up empty-handed. I’ve brought a substantial pile of bills and papers in a large file box. When I sit it in front of her, she raises her eyebrows. “What’s this?”

“This is a box of bills and contracts and other miscellaneous life papers.”

“And you want me to organize it?”

“Organize it. Help me set up recurring online payments. Read through and tell me anything that needs attention or discussion. I’m going to give you the key to my mailbox and I want you to manage it all.”

“Okay, I can do that. Why the sudden focus on this?”

“I am trying to move all of my financial investments to Talia’s firm as you know. Her apartment was ransacked after my current investment managers in Russia got word that I would be transferring my funds.”

“Oh my God, no. Is she okay?”

“Yes, thankfully she wasn’t hurt. But she was spooked. Apparently, they did not want to lose me as a customer.”

“That’s quite an excessive reaction.”

“And they were taking a very large cut for a very long time. Unauthorized cuts.”

“Ahh…that’s not good.”

“I have been too trusting for too long. The dyslexia makes it harder for me, of course, and so I need people who can watch my back. Talia is doing that for my financial investments. Can you do this for my daily life?”

“Yes, I can.”

“Good. Can you work with Talia to see how we can best manage getting you paid, and how she recommends managing bill payments and such?”

“I can but, Boris?”

“Yes?”

“I don’t mean to overstep, but…”

“Just ask me whatever you were going to say.”

“There are resources out there that could help you with your dyslexia. Would you like me to research some things for you?”

I sit back in my chair and run my hands through my hair. “I have managed for a very long time.”

“And, per your own acknowledgment, you have been ripped off for a long time too. I really don’t want to make you uncomfortable. It’s just that it seems like you might feel more…in control if you could manage it. A bit.”

I think for a moment, then agree to let her do some research. Ally takes my box of papers and my mailbox key and heads off, with a promise to check in tomorrow.

Practice is brutal, made up of two solid hours of drill work. We’re not far out from our first preseason games and we’re running like a machine. I feel much better about the way we play together in practice—I just hope it translates when the pressure is on in a regular game.

We head from the ice to the gym for strength and conditioning.

I put in an hour on the treadmill, followed by a one-hour CrossFit-designed circuit.

I’m literally dripping with sweat when I realize I have a PT appointment with Pam.

A quick shower first is a must. Pam will thank me for not coming to her stinking of sweat.

She has me working on some range of motion for my shoulder when she casually slips in a question about how things went with Talia.

“No go,” I say. “We both sort of stepped back and realized we should keep our relationship professional. There are a lot of things going on and it seemed like dating would be a definite complication.”

“But do you like each other?”

“Yes, I like her very much.”

“Then the ‘keep it professional’ excuse is baloney,” she says, making little quote marks with her fingers in the air.

“How is it baloney?”

“Look, I work here, and Georg works here. Scarlett works here and Viktor works here. Evan’s wife, Holly, used to work here doing Scarlett’s job before she had her second kid.

We all make it work, even though there can be professional crossover.

She’s your investment agent and you trust her with your wealth.

Why wouldn’t you trust that she can be an adult about trying a relationship? ”

“I do trust her. Look, she told me she once had an affair with a married client. She did not know he was married at the time, but she was very hurt by the experience. She moved here to avoid being embarrassed by it and to start over. She does not want to make the same mistake twice.”

“Are you married?”

“What? No.”

“Then what’s the problem? It’s not the same thing.”

“I already told you she doesn’t want to cross lines between her business and personal life. She is building her career here and she doesn’t want to have a reputation.”

“Did she say that? She doesn’t want to have a reputation?” Pam’s arms are folded beneath her breasts and she wears a look that makes me think she’s calling bullshit.

“No, she did not say those exact words. She said she doesn’t want to be humiliated again, and that she couldn’t take the risk of things being ‘icky and complicated,’ I say, making the little finger quotes like Pam did a minute ago.

“Okay.” She motions for me to lie down and starts the massage portion of the session. “So, I get she’s gun-shy and I get that you want to respect her wishes, but I also know when you find someone good, you should hold on tight to that person. I think you two can work it out, I really do, Boris.”

I don’t say anything in response. In fact, I am quiet for the remainder of the therapy session.

But I hope against hope Pam is right, because I want more with Talia.

Now, whenever Pam compares the relationships I’ve seen my friends in, all I can see is Talia.

Her wacky sense of humor, her bravery against adversity, her honesty even when it’s hard, and her heart.

Fuck, her heart. I want that in my life…

daily. And I can see it, but how do I get it?

“Vlad,” I say through the phone. “It’s Boris.”

“The Ice Dragon!” he yells. “How good to hear from you.”

“My new investment manager’s house got broken into. A note was left, warning her not to take my accounts.” Vlad better be the good guy in this, as I’ve trusted him for years, too. Perhaps, time will tell, but I refuse to sound weak to him about this. About Talia.

Vlad is quiet for a moment. His jovial tone has disappeared completely when he finally responds. “They are feeling protective of the relationship they have built with you.”

“Relationship?” I laugh. “It is not much of a relationship when they have been stealing money from me all these years.”

“Now, Boris, those are serious allegations, friend.”

“I am not your friend, and it is a fact. They have stolen millions from me over the years. However, I need you to do something for me that only you are qualified to do. Call your fixers on the ground in Las Vegas, or whatever you have to do to make it happen. I want those ublyudki to stay the hell away from Natalia Wentworth. If they want to come at me, fine, but she is just doing what I have asked her to do. I want you to figure out what these guys need to back away and move my money without problems.”

“These things are complicated,” Vlad says cryptically, “but I’ll see what I can do. I’ll contact Heisenberg and fill him in on the situation. He is in Vegas and coordinates jobs for me from time to time.

“Thank you.”

I hang up with him on my way to knock on Talia’s apartment door.

She opens, dressed in a T-shirt and shorts that make her legs look very long. I have to force myself to stop staring and admiring which is no easy feat.

“Hey,” she says. “Come on in.”

“Did the security system come?” I ask, looking around. Her apartment is back to normal, everything in its place, or at least in whatever place Talia wants it to be in. She’s slept at my apartment the last two nights, waiting until I could get here and install the security system she ordered.

In answer to my question, she points to a box by the door.” That’s probably it.”

I open the box, pulling out the components for the do-it-yourself system, along with the instructions. I stare at the words as they jump all over the page, then turn to find Talia staring at me with a frown on her face.

“Let me read the directions?”

I nod and hand over the paper. She reads the instructions step by step as I complete the tasks, and in just over an hour, we have the whole system installed and working.

“Wow, they say it is a simple install and it really is,” I comment.

“Hopefully it works like they say it will,” she answers. “Thanks for your help. I bet you’ll be happy to have your bed back tonight.”

“It was no bother,” I tell her with a shrug.

And it wasn’t. Having her in my house, even LuLu, provided something I hadn’t realized I’d been missing.

Conversation. Company. “The main box has a camera and works with the Wi-Fi to call for help if someone forces entry. There are sensors on the windows, and there’s a panic button in the bathroom. That should do it.”

“Yep. I guess that should do it.”

An awkward silence stretches between us. I don’t know what’s going on in Talia’s mind, but my mind is thinking about how much I loved having her in my space. How I wish I could have shared my bed with her.

She clears her throat and says, “I got Ally’s paperwork figured out and her payments set up.

I agree with what I think was your concern and wouldn’t give her access to bank account information, even to set up payments.

I’d like to suggest that maybe you two sit down together where you log-in and then she can add the auto bill payments, or she can lead you through it?

That way she doesn’t see any of your passcodes, you know?

It’s not that I don’t trust her, but in light of what we’re dealing with, I just feel like it’s better to be safe than sorry. ”