A Special Treat 2

"This is her first picture," said Kim. The photograph had been made at WalMart, when Marina had been about two weeks old. She wore a frilly pink dress that Kim had just purchased, pink tights, and black patent leather shoes, and there was a white lace headband with a pink rose on her nearly-bald head.

There were no photographs of a newly-born Marina, as there had been no one to take them.

"And this was when she was about six months old." Marina was sitting and smiling, dressed in a pink-and-white-checked dress with a sailor collar, a tiny pink bow in the one tuft of hair on top of her head. "This is her first birthday." A little girl with pigtails grinned a toothy grin behind a cake with pink and white frosting. There were many others: Marina sitting in Santa's lap, Marina with the Easter bunny, Marina with her first tricycle.

"So much lost time," Andrei said softly. "Wasted time."

Kim sighed and stared at the floor. What could she say? She'd known that a choice had had to be made, and right or wrong, she'd made it. There was no going back.

"I thought about you every day," she told him. It was true. How many nights in her dreams had she seen his face, heard his voice? Sing that song for me again.

She'd obliged. Try to remember the kind of September when life was slow and oh, so mellow. Try to remember the kind of September when grass was green and grain was yellow...

She'd heard the soft click as he'd hung up the telephone. Why hadn't she sought him out as soon as it had all ended? There had just been too much water under the bridge, she supposed; too many lost days...

Six Years Earlier

"Thank you for dinner," she said. "It was nice."

"So, shall I take you back home now?" he asked.

"As opposed to what?"

In response he leaned over and kissed her, a deep, passionate kiss, his tongue sliding gracefully into her mouth, hers entangling with it in a dance of ecstasy. His hand slowly drifted downward to settle between her legs, and white hot passion shot through her.

They both knew that she wouldn't be going home that night.

As they slowly and gingerly undressed one another, she felt her passion building to a crescendo, and as she removed his final article of clothing, she saw the evidence of his arousal, and it increased her own exponentially.

He was surprisingly gentle, taking his time to make sure that she'd achieved fulfillment before allowing his own to happen. Afterwards, they lay together in one another's arms, talking softly.

"So all those stories about Russians being red hot lovers are true, after all," she observed.

He laughed. "I'm glad I pleased you."

"So what happens now?" she asked.

"What would you like to happen?"

She cuddled closer to him. "All I want is to stay right here with you."

Present Day

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" asked Kim.

"I was hoping to take you both out," Andrei replied.

"Yippee!" shouted Marina. "Can we go to the place with the indoor slide?"

"I was thinking maybe somewhere with a nice view," said Andrei. The restaurant he took them to had floor length windows looking out over an elevated view, a beige interior, plush carpeting, and pillars supporting a circular roof. The effect was magical, transporting Kim to another place and time.

"Wow!" Marina grinned happily as they entered the dining area, having quite forgotten about the fast food restaurant with the indoor gym.

Andrei ordered their meals: lobster with salad, corn and potatoes for himself and Kim, fish sticks and french fries for Marina.

"I never thought I'd sit with you having dinner together like this again," said Kim.

"Are you happy that things turned out as they did?" asked Andrei.

"Are you?" she asked.

He gave a sardonic smile. "I asked you first."

She smiled broadly. "To me it's like a miracle," she said. "When we were together before, things were so...complicated. And now, all of a sudden, they're not anymore. I can enjoy being with you without feeling that I'm betraying my country. I don't have to worry about what ulterior motives might be behind your every move. For the very first time, I feel like I can trust you completely."

He looked overjoyed. "I never stopped loving you, you know," he said. "When you told me what you'd decided, it hurt me very deeply, but I knew that I had to let you have your freedom. I couldn't force you to stay. But I never forgot what we'd once had, never stopped hoping that we could have it again someday."

She felt her heartbeat quicken. "Were there any other women after me?"

He didn't meet her eyes. "None that mattered."

For a few moments silence reigned. Kim had never been with any other man since the last time she'd been with Andrei. Although she'd known that chances of ever seeing him again were slim, she just hadn't had the desire for another relationship. The advancement of her career and Marina's welfare had been her only concerns.

Besides, every time she'd looked into those blue eyes, she'd seen him there.