“I can’t remember enjoying an evening more,” I said. My voice resonated in my chest and I realized that I meant the words. When had I taken the time to listen to a woman, like I’d listened to Ana? She was charming and elegant, beautiful and interesting. I pulled her into my arms and felt her small, warm body against mine for the very first time. I leaned down, forgetting the fear of moving too fast. Her lips were sweet and full as I plundered her mouth with mine. My cock was hard and painful, eager to push me forward too quickly. I was about to pull back when Ana slipped her hands around my back, pressing herself tight against me.
“God, Ana,” my breathing was ragged as I spoke the words against her mouth. She was hot and delicious, and her hands set my skin on fire where she touched me. “You’re incredible,” I said against her lips. “So lovely, so lovely.” I smiled into her flushed face and opened the car door, easing her inside. There was no way in hell I could fuck her tonight like my body was demanding. It was too big a risk, too soon.
I walked around the back of the car and felt my phone vibrating in my jacket. “What?” I demanded impatiently. It was Savvin and he was the last goddamn person I wanted to hear from now.
“I’ve spoken to Sergei, Max and he listened to what I had to say.” Savvin’s voice sounded quietly angry, and I heard the bitter edge of satisfaction as he spoke. “I think it’s time for the fucking plan to change.”
8
Ana
I sat in the car, waiting for Max. I took a quick look behind. He’d taken a call.
I flipped down the vanity mirror and smoothed my hair as I waited. I was grateful for a moment to collect myself. I just didn’t seem to think clearly when Max was next to me. I looked at my reflection. My eyes showed my excitement and my lips were red and full. I had the look of a just-kissed woman who wanted so much more…
Several long minutes later, Max opened opened his door and slid in beside me. I felt my body respond instantly. He was so close.
“I was looking at the portrait again today,” I began, feeling my cheeks burn in the darkness, remembering what I’d done afterwards… “The resemblance is just so striking. Do you know much about your family history? Wouldn’t it be amazing if it turned out you and Anton were related somehow, long ago?”
Max reached out and took my hand, holding it captive as he drove. “What was the last name? Kozlov, was it?” He looked over at me and smiled in the darkness. I felt that familiar warmth spreading low in my belly and pooling between my thighs.
“Yes,” I breathed. “Kozlov. It’s an old name in Russia.”
“And a common one. But not in my family, I’m afraid.” Max put my hand on his rock hard thigh and I could feel the muscles working as he pushed on the gas.
“It’s amazing,” I said, distractedly. “You could be his twin.” He put his huge, warm hand over mine and stroked it, forward and back along the length of his thigh. I was dizzy again. He had the most amazing effect on me…
“I have to be grateful for the coincidence,” he said, his voice deep as he brought my hand back up to the top of his thigh and held it there. I could feel the warmth radiating from his body. “Grateful that Anton brought us together.” He lifted my hand and held it against his chest. “He was the reason we met.”
He kissed my hand and held it as we drove. When we got back to my apartment, he got out and opened my door for me. I loved how feminine I felt, as he walked me to my door.
He took my keys, and headed up the stairs in front of me. But when we reached the landing he stopped, and I saw his back stiffen.
“Stay here, Ana. Don’t move and stay quiet.”
“What’s wrong?” I whispered.
“The door isn’t locked. Just stay here.”
I froze as I watched him slip inside. I had locked the door when we left. I was sure I had. A tremor of fear ran through me. I’d never had a problem here before. It was a good neighborhood, but still, this was a big city. I’d heard of break-ins, several blocks from here…
I jumped when he reappeared in the doorway and put my hand to my throat. Max took me in his arms, and held me to him for a moment. “There’s no one inside, Ana. Everything looks okay. Your computer and TV are still there.” He pulled back and smiled at me. “Maybe we just forgot to lock it.”
He led me inside and flipped on the lights. Everything seemed to be just as I’d left it. I’d straightened up when I’d gotten home after work, knowing Max would be coming over. I was just so sure I’d locked the door.
“Did you check everywhere?” I asked, still uneasy.
Max took me in his arms and stroked my cheek with a long finger. “Everywhere Ana. I promise you, it’s fine. It must have just been an oversight. There’s no one here but us, and nothing’s been taken.” He sat down on the sofa and pulled me down beside him. “I’m here, Ana. You’re safe as long as I’m here.”
He leaned forward and picked up a photograph from the floor, near the coffee table. “This is lovely, Ana. Is it one of the pieces from your exhibit?” he asked. I took the picture from him and smiled with pleasure, beginning to relax, as he put a strong arm around me and stroked my shoulder with his fingertips.
“It’s the diamond I told you about,” I said, as my skin tingled from his touch. “The one I’m convinced is the legendary Strastnyy. I’ve done years of research, and though I can’t prove it yet, I just know it’s the one Catherine the Great gave to Anton in the middle of the eighteenth century.” I looked at the picture. The central diamond was cushion shaped, rose cut, and darkly blue. It was set in an ornate silver and gold pendant with three more white diamonds suspended along the bottom edge.
“The blue diamond is twenty eight carats, the pear shaped whites are another thirty. The setting dates all the way back to the seventeenth century.”
Max reached for the photo, his hand covering mine. In spite of trying to focus on the diamond, I was aware only of him beside me. Nerves and excitement had me talking more and more...
“I’m bringing the stone to Hillyard in advance of the exhibit. They’re transferring it to me, two weeks from today, so I can examine the setting and test the stones.” Max was stroking my back now, gently up and down my sensitive spine. “I have a theory the Blue was a part of a much larger Indian diamond,” I said, my breath catching. “Part of the very same diamond that the Hope Diamond was later cut from…”
Max took the picture from my hand and turned to face me. He lifted my face to his and teased my lips with his own. Seconds later I was wrapped in his arms and he was kissing me, his hands spanning my waist. He groaned and pulled my legs over his. He bucked his hips gently, shifting me until I sat on his lap. He buried his face in my neck as I gasped.
“Ana, god Ana,” he breathed into my hair. His hand moved upward, almost to my breast. As much as I wanted him, I knew it was too soon. We’d only just met…
A crash outside the window brought us both to our feet, my heart pounding now with more than desire. Max put me behind him and opened the door. His body filled the doorway as he stood, tense and ready to protect me.
9
Max
I closed the door behind me, leaving Ana inside and walked down the stairs. There was no one in sight. I smiled to myself, excited with where the events of the evening had taken us. From sheer nervousness, Ana had shared more about the diamond with me than I’d ever expected. Once she started, it had been easy to keep her going. She needed only my touch to keep her talking, to keep her open to me. I’d expected to work much harder for what had come so easily tonight. The schedule for the transfer had been pushed up again. Timing was even more critical now, but at least I knew the precise day the diamond was to be moved.
It was only Savvin’s goddamn call in the parking lot that still had me uneasy. He knew I was with Ana and that tonight was important. He sounded like he’d been into the vodka again too, and was talking shit about expanding the job. My gut told me the man could rapidly become a liability. And it was going too well for him t
o fuck things up now. I headed back up the stairs to Ana.
I had fully intended to go home tonight, leaving Ana breathless and soaking wet with desire. I hadn’t planned to push my luck this fucking soon, even if it did mean going home to stroke off alone in the shower. Again. But the unlocked door, the noise outside and her nervousness provided an opportunity I wasn’t going to miss. And things between us needed to move faster now. I opened the door to see her wide, frightened eyes.
“I didn’t see anyone out there, but I’d still feel better if I stayed here tonight.” I saw her wide eyes widen even more. They were dark, her heavy lashes exaggerating the upward tilt at the corners.
“I’ll sleep on the sofa, Ana.” I was counting on this move to deepen her trust in me…
“I would never want to push you. Though I can hardly hide the fact that I want you.” I brushed her lips lightly with mine. “I want all of you, Ana. I have from the moment I saw you. You’re the loveliest woman I’ve ever met. But I’m staying tonight only as your protector. I want you to feel safe with me.” I took her face between my hands. “I want to keep you safe.”
She smiled and tucked herself into my arms, her face against my chest. I wrapped her in my arms and felt her breasts rising and falling against me. Never in my life had I held a woman this way, without following up by stripping her bare and burying myself inside her. It felt like… unfamiliar territory.
“I don’t know what to say,” Ana spoke the words into my chest. I watched as she pulled back and looked up at me. “I can’t tell you how much it means.”
I saw moisture pool in the corner of her eyes. One fat tear escaped and I felt something catch in my chest. For a brief moment, there was no job, no diamond, no seduction. There was just a beautiful, vulnerable girl who needed me.
And that shit wasn’t in the fucking plan.
“It’s late,” I said, letting her go. “And you have work tomorrow.” I brushed the hair from her eyes and gave her a gentle push. “Off to bed with you, young lady.”
Ana disappeared and came back with a pillow and some linens. She made up the sofa as I turned off the lights. She headed for the hall and then stopped to look back, as I took off my jacket and rolled my sleeves back. I stretched out on the sofa, keeping my eyes on her tiny form. She was a beautiful outline in the darkness.
“Thank you Max. For dinner… for staying, for being such a gentleman.” She turned away as I pulled the blanket up. “And just so you know… I want you, too.”
This fucking knight in shining armor wasn’t getting any sleep at all tonight.
I listened until I heard the bedroom door close and the sound of the shower running. Then I pulled out my phone.
“What’s this shit about the plan, Savvin? And calling me when you knew I was with Ana...” I didn’t like it. In fact, I didn’t like Savvin the fuck at all.
“I’ve been trying to tell you Max, there’s a fuckin’ fortune in that museum. I don’t know what the hell you’re thinking, you and Sergei. Why just go for the one diamond and leave millions of dollars more behind?”
Savvin was harping on that shit again. Why the hell couldn’t he just stick to his job?
“We’re gonna be so fucking close, Max. There’s no goddamn reason not to go for the whole lot.”
“There’s all the fucking reason, Savvin. This job is a personal one for our family. You know Sergei’s reasons as well as I do. This one isn’t about the fucking money and we’re not going to risk losing the Blue by getting fucking greedy.”
“Yeah, I know the old man’s got a soft spot for the family jewels and all,” Savvin said. “I just think it’s a fucking waste to plan this whole heist and leave goddamn near everything behind. I’m all into the fairy tale shit and all, but I’ve gone to a fucking hell of a lot of work to plan this, when you’re gonna screw the girl and only take one fucking piece...”
“That’s enough, Savvin. We’re here to do the job we’ve been assigned and that’s the end of it. And Ana’s none of your goddamned concern.” I struggled to keep my voice down.
“You’ll keep to the plan, Savvin. Sergei’s plan. Do your fucking part and I’ll do mine.”
10
Ana
Max was right here, in my apartment, stretched out on my couch. I should have my head examined.
The whole evening ran through my mind in waves. The dinner, that exquisite restaurant. Max, tall and powerful looking in his dark suit. Every woman there had watched as he’d escorted me to the table. I’d talked too much. The wine, and the tension of being so close to him… I’d babbled on like a schoolgirl.
He was here now… and I was headed for bed alone.
I loved that he wanted to keep me safe and that he hadn’t taken advantage of the situation. He so easily could have, I thought, as I stepped out of my dress. I walked to the bathroom and peeled off my panties and bra. I looked at my naked body, reflected in the mirror. My hair was loose and wild around my face and shoulders. My lips were dark and swollen from his kisses. I ran my hands over my breasts and down my belly. He was just down the hall and he’d told me he wanted me. All of me.
I bundled my hair up and turned on the shower. I was still feeling the effects of the wine. I usually never had more than a single glass but I’d had at least two with dinner. And I’d told him that I wanted him too.
Why do you make me feel this way, Max? You’re the first real gentleman I’ve ever met and I just want to walk back to the living room and feel your hands on me… Neither of us wanted to let go tonight. If I reached out to you now, I know you wouldn’t turn away...
And it could jeopardize everything, I thought. I closed the bathroom door and stepped into the shower, under the rushing water. A man like Max deserved a woman who knew how to act like a lady, and I wasn’t going to ruin everything by throwing myself at him tonight. I felt the hot water like a caress. The time would come. I was sure of that. And it would be even better for the wait, with the anticipation building in us both. He wanted to know me, to really know me. And when he finally held me, naked in his arms, I would hold nothing back.
I pictured him as I left him, in slacks and his crisp white shirt. Even in the darkness, I’d seen the powerful muscles of his forearms as he’d rolled his sleeves back. Arms I’d felt around me… I imagined the feel of his bare skin as he’d pull me to him…
I reached down to my swollen clit and pressed it hard. My breath caught as my empty pussy clenched. My climax had been waiting all evening to let go and nothing was going to stop it now. I reached down with both hands and felt my ready, swollen flesh. I kneaded my hard, slick clit and felt my knees go weak as my body responded and demanded more.
I pressed two fingers inside and leaned against the hot shower wall. “I want this to be you Max, your hands on me… you’re big… hard… cock… in me…” I felt my hot walls, slick with need and I pinched the hard nub of my clit with the other hand. I worked myself in both hands, rubbing hot little circles and pushing my fingers in and out. I pictured Max’s body against me, my legs wrapped around his hips as he thrust. He was just right outside. Was he picturing me, now? Did he know how much I wanted him… could he know what I was doing? Was he unzipping now, out on my sofa, and taking his thick cock in his hand…
My hands worked relentlessly, building to a powerful release. If only he was here with me, his hands on me, his cock buried deep... I pushed my fingers in as the water hit my tight nipples. It splashed over the curve of my breasts, down my belly and my thighs. When he came inside me, groaning my name against my ear I would feel his thick, hot cock swell, filling me…
It hit me like a tidal wave, rocking my body, collapsing me in on myself. My own hands held me up, taking me over the edge. I shuddered and rocked with the strength of it, my pussy gripping my fingers deep inside, and pounding with my heartbeat and my need. The hot flooding water pummeled my skin from the outside as the pounding waves of release shook me. For a moment, it felt like I wasn’t alone. It was as if Max was there
, with me, inside me. Part of me.
I leaned against the wall and let the water wash away the last throbbing sensations. I wrapped my arms around myself, as my heart beat steadily in the tender flesh between my legs. Even now, I still wanted him. In fact, I wanted him more than ever.
I shut off the water and reached for a towel. My whole body was tender. It was as if new nerve endings had suddenly come alive.
I slipped on a white cotton gown and climbed unsteadily into bed. The entire day had felt like an exciting new chapter of my life, opening up and waiting to be explored. Everything seemed different now and it had all changed so quickly. I thought of Max, just down the hall from my bedroom. Maybe Terry had been right. Maybe it was meant to be.
I laid in bed for hours, wanting Max beside me. Having him so near made me feel even more alone in the big bed. It was late, very late before I finally started to drift off…
I was almost there, in that strange twilight between consciousness and sleep, images of the evening floating through my mind. I had straightened up the apartment before Max had arrived… I’d fluffed the throw pillows on the couch and cleared the papers from the coffee table.
I sat bolt upright in the dark, instantly wide awake. I’d been so distracted that I hadn’t realized until now… That picture of the diamond Max had picked up from the floor had never been anywhere near the coffee table. It had been tucked securely inside my laptop case when we’d left the apartment for dinner.
Someone else had taken it out.
11
Max
I’d hung up on that asshole Savvin, and listened instead to the water running in the bathroom down the hall. I needed to get Savvin back in line. I knew Sergei would back me if I needed him… I should put in a call, just in case. The water ran for a long time. Too long.
Steal Me Page 4
