by Fiona Murphy
Elise’s fuzzy mind tried to follow his gritted out admission and pushed away to sit back up. He allowed it, but his hands slid back to her hips, locking her in place. “So, you had always planned to hire me on with your company?”
“I meant what I said before, you have no college education, but your intelligence and hard work were the only things keeping Steeltech going for the last three years. I know the decisions you’ve made, I know your hunger for knowledge, and research is what has helped you. To be multilingual so young also caught my eye, you’ve seen the number of countries I’ve gone to. But you need to learn more about how I operate and I believed a two year run at my corporate office was all that you needed before I moved you up.”
She sat back as she realized how close she had come to losing him, of never being with him, and she sighed with relief. “I want to be annoyed with you, but if you hadn’t been so sneaky and manipulative I wouldn’t be here now. I never would have gone to work for you in New York.”
Seeing her sincerity, he went still, “Why the hell not?”
“I wouldn’t have wanted to leave Alexandria. It’s my home, I grew up there. The only reason I went with you the first day was because you said it would be temporary. I don’t want to be some highflying executive, the only thing I’ve ever wanted to be is a wife and mother. I know the feminists will want me to hand in my card for saying it, but that’s the way I feel.” She couldn’t meet his eyes and found herself fascinated with the light dusting of dark hair that covered his chest. He really was gorgeous.
Dmitri captured her chin and brought her eyes back to his. She wasn’t ready for the words he wanted to say and it was painful to hold them back. Instead, he said the only thing that really mattered, and that she would understand. “This isn’t temporary, anymore. Do you understand that?”
“I’ll stay until you tell me to go.” She promised, as she leaned down to kiss him.
Chapter Six
Elise sighed as she forced herself to concentrate on what the man was trying to tell her as she scanned the plans without the slightest bit of appeal. He was intent on making sure she understood his vision, but all she could think was that his plans weren’t much different than the penthouse condo now. Dmitri had been adamant that their home was hers to design. But she also knew what Dmitri liked and she wanted him to be able to relax in the evenings and unwind. In the last month she had made great strides in getting him to pare down his workday to only twelve hours, he even did only a half day on Saturday, and she had him all to herself all day on Sundays. So what if she had used the enticement of sex, all that mattered was that it worked. A smile played over her lips as she remembered how she had managed that.
It had been a very early Saturday morning when he had risen, showered, and begun to dress. She knew when he did his best to be quiet and not wake her he wouldn’t be asking her to come in for the day. If he did, it would be late and for only a few hours then they would leave from work and go straight out for dinner.
Her mind in turmoil, she gave in and did what she had been thinking about, but was too scared to do for the past week. Sitting up, she stretched, careless of the sheet falling from her naked body. He stopped buttoning his shirt and his entire attention was on her.
Pouting, her eyes lingered over him, “So I’m to stay home today?”
He’d stiffened, preparing for an argument. “Sweetheart, rest, I kept you up late last night.”
“Hmm, yet I know I fell asleep before you and you’re up earlier than me, and about to put in another sixteen hour day. You’re right though, I am still very tired. I’ll sleep a little longer and then go do some shopping this afternoon.”
He smiled at her words, it wasn’t common for her to shop. Those were words he was more comfortable with though, coming from a woman. “That’s good, sweetheart. You have my card, whatever makes you happy buy.”
“Oh, I’ve heard this shop is very good at making their clients happy. They apparently have the largest selection of sex toys in the entire city. Pam suggested it when I mentioned how busy you are all the time. She encouraged me to explore, there are all these interesting things. There are some shaped just like a man’s real cock, others with a remote control. I have to admit, the idea of a remote control sex toy is fascinating.”
Gone was his control, he was across the room before she could blink. Her arms in his hands, he pulled her up to her knees to within inches of his half-dressed body. “Nothing goes inside your body but me.”
He growled into her mouth and her pussy just gushed for him. His kiss was almost savage, and she came to on her back with him pressing her into bed, and she was melting beneath him. Her hands went into his hair, attempting to soothe him. “I don’t want a piece of plastic inside me, I want you. I want your cock inside me. I want your arms around me and I want your body against me.”
“Then why the hell did you even say something like that?”
“Dmitri, it was one thing to be a workaholic when I was at your side, quite another when I’m alone all by myself all day. We moved to Chicago and you barely have me in the office anymore, me working from home isn’t the same. I know you said you found it hard to keep your hands off me, and yes, I didn’t help when I kept getting embarrassed when your hands would roam when I got close.
Are we in a relationship or am I your mistress?” When he closed his eyes it scared her, was he regretting their relationship? She would never have guessed what he was really thinking.
Closing his eyes, he fought to keep inside the words he longed to say. She was so very young, and although she was no longer a virgin, was she ready for all that he wanted from her? What if she thought she was but woke up ten years down the road upset she hadn’t experienced life to the fullest, and felt trapped? He remembered her saying she only wanted to be a wife and mother, but the reality could be so much more demanding than the thought of it. He would turn his life upside down and inside out, if that’s what it took to make her happy. To keep her wasn’t an option, it was a necessity. “Damn it, Elise! This went far beyond you as a mistress the first time we made love. Label it whatever it takes to make you happy. Spit out what you really want.”
“Just you, Dmitri. You want to leave for work at the crack of dawn fine, but I want you home by six in the evening. Saturdays and Sundays are just for us, no working.”
His eyes went to slits, negotiation, he was in his element. “Six has to be a joke, my love. Make it eight, a half day on Saturday and Sunday is for us.”
“Dmitri, you are a billionaire, how much more money do you need to say that you won? When is it time to enjoy everything you have? Home by seven, not a minute later, and fine, home by noon on Saturday and Sunday is for us, but anything else is unacceptable. I need you.” Her kiss was begging and he murmured yes again, and again into her mouth. Relief was so overwhelming that it killed her when her tears welled up and spilled out.
He shuddered, and his grip was so tight he trapped her breath in her chest, “Please, my love, no tears. Whatever it takes to make you happy, I’ll do it.”
He actually never did make it in to work that day and he had kept his promise to her, which had greatly relieved her.
With each passing day of their first two weeks together his workaholic ways had terrified her. She couldn’t get the vision of him keeling over from a heart attack before he turned fifty out of her mind. It didn’t matter that he worked out every day and had the body of a Greek god, he was always on, always under stress. He wouldn’t call it stress, he loved the roller coaster ride of the market and the twists and turns of his business but Elise knew differently. Jasper had a heart attack only three weeks after his fifty-fourth birthday, and his doctor had told him it was because he was a workaholic. It had been the reason he left Steeltech in Greg’s hands and began to wander various continents. Elise wasn’t going to let that happen to Dmitri, whether he liked it or not.
His eating habits were also scary, his idea of vegetables were French fries or a baked potat
o. So, she had hidden behind the need for her to eat better in order to cook more nutritious meals for the both of them. He’d made it clear he loved her body exactly as it was and he didn’t like the idea of her dieting at all. Close to bursting at his obvious annoyance at her body changing, she had attempted to soothe him with the excuse that it was simply eating better, not an attempt to diet. He’d given in, but been adamant that if she lost any of her curves then it would stop. She had actually lost a few pounds herself, but as her curves had remained Dmitri had sighed, but not said a word, simply squeezing her hips in his hands.
She also believed just settling into Chicago full time was half the battle won. He loved the city and admitted he only stayed in New York because that was the thing to do in business. Elise had pointed out that Dmitri had long ago stopped doing what everyone else did in business, so why shouldn’t he buck the trend as far as living there when he hated it.
Elise had been relieved when he agreed. She had done her best to hide it but she hated New York. It had been too busy and manic for her. Every time she had left the penthouse she had gotten lost and come home with a headache. Chicago was large and busy but compared to New York, it was a slow walk in the park. They had made the move permanent just a week and a half ago and she thought he appeared less tense at the end of the day.
She felt his eyes on her then. She always knew when his eyes were on her. Her body reacted in welcome. He had left far too early for work today. He wanted her at home to deal with the interior designer. He made it clear he wanted her to settle in and make any changes that suited her. At first, she held her tongue, but he knew her well enough to know she hated the stark white walls, glass and chrome and slick, black leather couches. He told her to find a decorator or he would, and she had given in. She teased him that a room done entirely in hot pink velvet had always been a dream of hers. He responded that he had always wondered what making love on velvet felt like. She crossed the room to slip her arms around him and he rewarded her with a tender kiss.
“He was standing too close to you. He needs to go, now.” The words were whispered in her ear and she smiled. She was working on his jealousy, but she had a feeling she would have an easier time getting him down to forty hours a week than getting his jealousy under control.
“Two minutes.”
“One.”
She turned and smiled at the man and thanked him for his time as she walked him to the door. She took his card, but knew she wouldn’t be calling him. She would have to make more calls, to women next time. He was waiting for her when she went back into the living room. He set the glass of scotch down on the bar with a bang, she sighed.
“Your skirt is too damned short and that shirt clings to you. I can see the lines of your bra, and I can see that your nipples are hard for me. Come here.”
She went, arguing wouldn’t help. She pulled her shirt off as she went and pushed her skirt down and let it fall as she came to stand in front of him. His kiss was ferocious, they mated hungrily and she went limp against him. He held her up against him and the kiss ended as they gasped for air. She slid down his body, her fingers making quick work of his trousers and taking them with her as she went to her knees. His cock jutted proudly from his body and she took him in her mouth, eager to have him there. In the last month, she had become well versed in what pleased him. She had also become more adept at taking him deeper into her throat, and it turned her on to know what that did to him. She often became wet just thinking of him in her mouth and while she made love to his cock, she gained as much pleasure from it as he did. He tried to pull away, she wouldn’t let him go and he spilled into her mouth.
He lifted her up onto the bar and tore her panties off. Her legs opened to him, he stepped between them, and his hot mouth found her dripping wet. “You really love it, don’t you sweetheart? You love having my cock in your mouth.”
“Yes, I love your cock in my mouth. I love the taste of your cock and your come. I hate it when you try and pull away from me before you come. The taste of you, salty and tangy on my tongue and sliding down my throat, makes me so wet.”
His mouth sucked in the juice that gushed out of her at her own words and he tightened his hands on her hips. She had learned fast, so fast it made his head swim as she begged him nightly for his body. What she was willing to do for him, and with him, never failed to surprise him. Elise was just as likely to instigate their lovemaking as he was and that thrilled him. He’d been so worried she would be meek and scared of his hunger for her, but she had met his every desire with a matching hunger. Damn it, he was hard for her all over again, and that had been a welcome discovery. Before, he had needed much longer to recover, but with Elise’s body in his hands, and against him, his need had him hard for her again in minutes. Even though he had wanted to enjoy her longer, he needed to be inside her, so he moved up and sucked her clitoris tauntingly.
She screamed when he tortured the tight bundle of nerves. Her orgasm hit her hard and she clung to the edge of the bar.
“I love your sweet little mouth on my cock, but nothing compares to your hot, wet and tight pussy.” He swung her off the bar and turned her around to face the bar and she knew this was the position that always set him off faster than any other. That day in the dressing room he hadn’t lied, he loved taking her from behind and his hands always roamed over her, shaping her ass in his large hands. She leaned forward and pushed her bottom toward him in undulating invitation.
Elise loved it when his excitement overtook him, with everyone but her, he was so calm and cool, and she loved knowing what she did to him. His stroke was fierce and clean until there was nothing between them and she moaned his name, begging for more. He gripped her hips just short of pain and pounded into her. He swelled inside her, and she panted at the pleasure and pain of him stretching her. As it did so often, her orgasm took her by surprise, washing over her and sending her crashing into a sea of pleasure. Her body clutched and throbbed around him sending him after her.
The wood was cool beneath her cheek as she rested against it and worked to even out her breathing. It wasn’t easy, he was still inside her and he held her against him lightly. He knew she loved the feeling of him inside her and he usually stayed inside her for some time after he came. His hands roamed over her, lightly caressing her as he calmed down. At last, he slid from her body and she moaned at the loss of him inside her. She felt him moving behind her and he picked her up and carried her to the long leather sofa that dominated the room.
Settling her onto his lap, her back against the arm of the sofa, she stirred at the cold leather against her back. Taking off his shirt, he wrapped it around her. She leaned back and sighed in pleasure. His fingers ran through her hair as he studied her, “You didn’t like his design, did you?”
It was an order, and she smiled. Lifting her hand and caressing his cheek, she shook her head. “I really did think he would be a she, his name is Sky. When I called to make an appointment, his assistant didn’t give any indication otherwise. He wasn’t really listening to what I wanted anyway, I’ll keep looking.”
“Good.” Taking her hand in his, he brought her fingers to his lips. “I got a call today from Sonia.”
There was something in his voice that brought her eyes up from her hand on his chest. He was tense and she was prepared for the worst. “What was she calling about?”
“She wants to come back sooner than the three months she had originally requested. At least part time for the next month, she says she’s going crazy. She and her husband have already sold their home. They’ll be in Chicago in a week. Her hope was to start back in two weeks.”
Elise went still, her mind working through the implications. Already, since they had moved to Chicago her presence rarely had been needed. Both Gus and Drew had followed them to Chicago and slid into a working team, of which she had no part. Her daily work had consisted of translating documents for Dmitri, mainly from home. The only time she had truly been needed was a three-day trip to review a
company in Spain he was interested in. “Where does that leave me? I already feel unnecessary with Gus and Drew here. You’ve sent me home early or had me come in late several times already and even more often I’m working from home.”
“You are very necessary, that hasn’t changed. I was trying to be thoughtful. Yes, I work too damned many hours a day, that doesn’t mean you have to. Sonia is no longer willing to travel. I spend half the year traveling. You will be needed at those times. Would it be so bad for you to work only part-time? You said before you had no desire to commit to an executive position.”
“Dmitri, all you do is work. When am I supposed to see you? Yes, you come home early now and we eat dinner together but half the week you’re back in your office here at home. What, an hour or two a night and a half day on Saturday, and oh my god, an entire Sunday, is supposed to be it?” He looked hunted and she swallowed hard. “Then again, I guess all that really matters to you is that I’m there at night. Am I right?” She pushed to get off his lap but he caught her arm and wouldn’t let go.
“Damn it, Elise, you know that isn’t true.”
She wanted to shrivel up and die when the tears slipped from her eyes, she did not want to cry in front of him. “Please, let me go.”
He heard the tears in her voice, caught her behind her neck, and brought her to face him. “Please, don’t cry. Don’t cry over me, I don’t deserve it. I’ll find Sonia something else. She’ll take another position if she wants to stay. You are so very necessary to me that whatever it takes to keep you with me, I’ll do it.”
She cried harder, she wanted to tell him then, but she was scared. Would he shrug off the words? Would he even value them? After all, just a little over a month ago she had believed herself in love with someone else. Would he discount her words as those of a woman only wanting to believe in love? He squeezed her to him until she moaned in pain. Her arms went around his neck and she tried to show him how she felt instead.
