“That’s very noble of him but no longer necessary.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I know you don’t know the rules but as my daughter you will need to learn them. Your safety is priority. Star, Border, Krane, and Lucca come from a very prominent family. Border and Star’s father is a good friend of mine, a business associate and a trustworthy man. You need to show them respect, Malayna, despite the fears you may have with them being men of such larger caliber and personalities. I know they would protect you with their lives, as would any of the men here today enjoying lunch. So please hurry back. I need you to be strong, to learn confidence and accept your position in this family as my daughter.”
She swallowed hard. He was right. She was letting her fears, her attraction to an older man like Star, get in the way of who she was now. This was an opportunity to gain a newfound power in a way although that wasn’t really her thing. She had to show respect for her father and to make him proud.
“I’m sorry, Nicolai. It’s going to take time for me to not be scared or intimidated by certain people and certain things. I’ll work on it.”
He smiled softly then caressed her cheek.
“Come back outside and enjoy the company of friends.”
* * * *
Star watched Malayna walk outside with her plate and the same small amount of food she had earlier. He wondered what he had done to upset her. She was so beautiful and youthful looking. Her gorgeous brown hair was pulled back today in some fancy braided style that made her look young, yet sexy. Especially as she wore the pale pink button-down blouse and slim-fitting white dress pants. She looked classy, stylish, and professional. He knew she was only twenty-one but had a birthday coming up quickly. As he glanced around at the others he noticed Border, Krane, and Lucca watched her, too, and Krane actually pulled a seat out for her right next to him. He hadn’t stopped talking to her and she hadn’t stopped smiling.
He couldn’t understand the feelings he had at the moment. He had been uneasy lately and short-tempered. Even last night as they dealt with the guys that were sneaking drugs in and doing business without his permission he was extreme in his confrontation. Then when Nicolai called a meeting and he knew he was coming to the estate, all he kept thinking about was seeing Malayna. She had the face of a porcelain doll. Her bright blue eyes stood out against her light skin, her body petite, yet her breasts full and abundant. She was thin, but definitely looked much better than a few weeks back. Her coloring was good, especially in the kitchen as he pressed close to her and told her she needed to eat more.
She was shy, timid still, and he wondered how she was sleeping, and if she still suffered with nightmares the way Storm told him she did. She had been embarrassed by what he found out and asked to sleep in a room farthest from anyone else. It was there that Nicolai transformed a second room into an art studio for her and full access to the gardens.
He worried about her. At that moment Nicolai stood up and left the room, taking a phone call. One by one they were disappearing.
Nalia’s men were talking to her about resting upstairs for a while and she was arguing with them.
“I need to get going, too. I’m glad you’ll be around here now and helping with things. Remember, you’re always welcome at the estate in Salvation any time. We’ve got plenty of room,” Storm said to Star. Storm stood up and shook his hand.
“You forget, we have our real estate investments there, too.”
“That’s right. I guess the beauty of Salvation is no longer such a secret,” Storm said and smiled then shook the other guys’ hands before giving Malayna a kiss on her cheek good-bye.
Soon it was just Malayna, Border, Star, Lucca, and Krane. He watched her and could tell she was feeling uneasy being left there alone with them. How was she going to react if her father got the call to do business out of the country and would need to leave for a few weeks?
“I would love to see the studio and what you’ve been working on. That is, if you’re willing to give me a peek,” Krane said to Malayna.
“I’ve only just begun to paint, really,” she shyly replied, lowering her eyes and staring at her lap.
“Nalia was saying that you are very talented, a natural at both photography and painting. She described a piece you did of the gardens from your window.”
Her cheeks flushed and she tried blowing it off as no big deal.
“It was my first item in years painting.”
“Well, show us. We would love to see,” Lucca chimed in, too, now.
“Are you done, Miss?” one of the servants asked.
Malayna nodded and stood up. “I’ll help you. There’s no need to do it alone.”
“Oh no, Miss, it’s our pleasure to help you and our job,” the woman said to Malayna, and Star saw her expression sadden and she appeared embarrassed as she stepped away from the table.
“Thank you,” she added and then Krane placed his hand at her lower back and guided her along the patio and to the doors that led toward the studio.
He glanced at Border and Lucca, who stood up and followed them. Star followed close behind. When they got to the room, Star was immediately impressed with the space and with all the materials Malayna had access to, including state-of-the-art computers. He wondered what she might need them for.
“What are the computers for?” Lucca asked, moving toward them. Computers, surveillance, and technical operations of electronics were his specialty. Star smirked.
“Well, to be honest I really don’t know. I think Nicolai tried to think of everything I might need. I’m sure whatever expert he spoke with told him it was some modern necessary tool in design or something,” she said to them.
Lucca tapped on a few keys and started messing around with the computer. “Wow, this is cool stuff. You’ve got all the new software available to take anything you have and process it right here. You can take your photographs, even your artwork and copy them into this computer and do a whole bunch of things with them. The quality of the copies would be exceptional,” Lucca explained and she walked closer. When she placed her hand on the back of his seat and then leaned closer to see what he was talking about, Star watched Lucca’s expression change.