You Don't Own Me 2 (The Russian Don 2)

She smiles back. ‘OK, bottoms up.’

We empty our glasses and Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive comes on the music system. We both look at each other with widened, disbelieving eyes.

‘Is that the universe talking to us?’ Stella asks.

‘If it is what’re we waiting for?’ I ask, jumping up.

Together we race to the tiny little dance floor at the back of the wine bar. No one else is dancing, so we have the whole floor to ourselves. We’ve danced to this track is so many times.

‘Go. Walk out the door,’ Stella and I scream as we strut our stuff.

It is just like old times, Stella and I kicking it on the dance floor. Well, all right, making a total fool of ourselves on the dance floor.

In the background Noah stands watching us. We call him over to join us, but he shakes his head and gives us a thumbs-up signal. Laughing we dance and down our drinks and dance some more and drink some more.

Eight

Dahlia Fury

‘I am positively drunk,’ Stella slurs.

‘Me too,’ I agree, my voice no less wobbly.

‘Kebab?’ she asks.

I shake my head.

She grimaces. ‘It’s all right for you. You’ll be settling down to a super size sausage with lashings of sperm?’

I pull a face. ‘Stop being so rude you.’

‘Come on. I’m hungry,’ she cries plaintively.

‘All right. Let’s get your ass to Taki’s. I suppose, I could eat a bag of fries.’

‘Panties are kinckers, and fries are chips in England,’ Stella corrects fuzzily.

‘Right. Bag of chips,’ I say.

We stand up, stumble into each other, and start giggling uncontrollably.

Noah comes to us. ‘Ready to go?’

‘We’re off to get some food from Taki,’ Stella says, still laughing.

Noah scowls. ‘Taki?’

‘The kebab joint down the road,’ I explain.

‘Fine. Get in the car and we’ll drive down.’ Noah glances at his watch then back to me. ‘We don’t have that much time. You have to be back before 12.00.

That perks Stella up. She turns to me and wags her finger. ‘What? You have curfew,’ she exclaims and nearly falls backwards on her Jimmy Choos.

I grab her waist and hold her upright. ‘No, I don’t. I just told Zane I’d be back before twelve.’

‘For tonight’s helping of sausage and gravy?’ she slurs.

I glance at Noah, and his eyebrows are as high as I have ever seen them. It’s obvious he has no idea how to deal with two falling-down-drunk women.

‘We’ll have to take Stella home first,’ I tell him.

‘No need. The driver will take her back and make sure she is safely through her front door, and I’ll take you back in my car.’

‘God, you’re very efficient,’ I say, swaying slightly because Stella is swaying like mad.

‘Here let me take her,’ he offers and swings her easily into the crook of his elbow.

With his great arm around Stella’s tottering body, and with her heckling and calling out friendship overtures to all kinds of strangers on the road, we make our way to Taki’s. There is a queue of people waiting to be served, but Taki throws half a chicken on the grill, calls something out in Greek to the other man manning the shop, goes to the vacant end of counter, and beckons us over.

He slings a tea towel over his shoulder and leaning with his forearms on the glass counter cries out expansively, ‘Aiiiii, it’s my favorite Kouklas.’ The word, he explained to us a year ago, means beautiful dolls in Greek. Not in pervy way Taki is old enough to be our grandfather. It is usually used to describe pretty young girls or babies.

‘Hey Taki,’ both Stella and I say in unison.

‘Long time you no eat Taki’s food? Where you been?’

‘It’s her,’ Stella complains. ‘She’s gone and found herself a man and now she won’t come out with me.’

Taki raises both his veined, wrinkled hands and shakes them in front of his mustached face and says. ‘You find a man. So what? You still have to eat.’

I grin and he looks over at Noah standing by the door. ‘Is that him over there?’

‘No, he just a friend,’ I say.

‘He’s big,’ he says puffing out his shoulders and widening his old eyes.

‘Do you think he is big where it counts?’ Stella whispers.

‘Stella?’ I whisper.

‘Go have a feel,’ Taki urges with an evil grin.

Stella turns to do just that, but I catch her by the waist. ‘Stella,’ I say warningly.

‘What? He’ll never know. I’ll be discreet’ she says innocently.

‘Don’t do it. You’ll regret it in the morning,’ I whisper under my breath.

‘Just one quick feel,’ she wheedles.

‘Remember the last time you were this drunk and you didn’t listen to me.’

‘When I set fire to that bouncer, you mean,’ she says with a little giggle.

‘And what happened to us after that?’ I prompt.

‘We got banned from ever going there again,’ she says sulkily.

I turn to Taki. ‘She’s been drinking on an empty stomach so please don’t encourage her.’