by Leona Lee
Before he could go further, his phone rang. Smiling at her, he set her down in the seat across from him before getting up to answer it. After dealing with the call, he turned back only to find Sarah curled up on the seat asleep. As he covered her up with a blanket, he made a mental note to not give her so much alcohol.
*****
Sarah woke when she felt the landing gear engage. Sitting up, she was surprised to see that she was covered in a blanket. Looking around, she saw that Vitaly had moved over to one of the tables and was going through the files she had brought with her.
Seeing her sit up, Vitaly smiled. “Good, you’re awake, we are landing soon.”
Sarah wasn’t quite sure how to respond as she straightened out her clothes and brushed out her hair. As she looked out the window at the Manhattan skyline, she remembered kissing Vitaly. As her face flushed in embarrassment over this happening again, she hoped that he didn’t think that she was that easy. As she licked her lips, Vitaly eyes darkened as he remembered their kiss. While he was annoyed that she had fallen asleep as he had hoped to enjoy what she had to offer, he realized that he had given her far too much to drink and that was his mistake. He was completely enchanted by this little blonde and he was looking forward to having her. He watched as she touched her lips with her fingers, as she smiled to herself.
As they disembarked, a Town Car pulled up and the driver got out to load their bags into the car. The drive into the city was spent in silence as Sarah stared out the window.
“Is this your first time in New York?”
“Yes,” Sarah responded enthusiastically. “I’ve always wanted to visit.”
“Well, we will have some time while we are here, I will take you to my club.”
Before Sarah could reply, they pulled into a parking garage. As they walked to the elevators, Sarah realized that they weren’t in a hotel. “Um, aren’t we staying in a hotel?”
“No,” came Vitaly’s curt reply. “It’s inefficient. I spend enough time here; it made more sense to purchase an apartment.” At Sarah’s sudden look of discomfort, he squeezed her arm lightly. “Relax. It has three bedrooms.”
Sarah still wasn’t comfortable sharing an apartment with her boss. Especially after what happened between them, but she wasn’t sure how to respond. While she understood the logic, there was an intimacy associated with an apartment that made Sarah nervous. When they got upstairs, he showed Sarah to her room. As she walked in, Sarah noticed clothes hanging in the open closet with tags still on them. As she turned to ask Vitaly about it, he was one-step ahead of her.
“You had said that you didn’t have a coat. Since I didn’t want to take any chances on anything else, I had Laurel send over your picture to a personal shopper along with your basic size. She took care of the rest. You are free to use anything in the closet and drawers and if there’s anything that you like, you may keep it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some things to do. We have a semi-formal engagement this evening, so be ready by seven.”
And then he walked out, shutting the door behind him.
Chapter 6
Sarah wasn’t sure what to say. She had the distinct feeling that she was being manipulated and she didn’t like it one bit, but she was completely overwhelmed at how fast everything was moving. Only a week ago, she was thinking of cancelling her interview and now she was in New York. Grabbing her phone, she hoped to catch Mia. Lisa and Chloe were with her, so Sarah found herself filling her friends in on everything that happened. She was glad that her friends couldn’t see her when they were hooting and laughing over the kiss and her falling asleep.
At Chloe’s urging, she surveyed the closet and drawers giving her friends an inventory of what she found. When she pulled open one drawer, she grew silent as she took in its contents. At her friends’ urging, she described the beautiful silk and lace lingerie.
She was interrupted by their muted chatter. “Hey, I can’t hear you. What’s going on?”
As the girls got back on the phone, Mia spoke up. “Listen, girl, it sounds like this guy has some plans for you. Now, if you’re okay with that, that’s fine, but we think that you need to show him the spitfire we know that you can be and give him a taste of his own medicine.”
“What do you mean?”
“Dress up. We mean REALLY dress up and flirt. We’ve seen you smooth talk those poor cattle buyers at the auctions. Pour it on thick and have some fun.”
As the girls continued to chat and plot, Sarah looked through the closet and settled on a Chinese red silk dress with a side slit that went halfway up her thigh.
After unpacking what few things she brought with her, Sarah took a long shower. As she dressed for the evening, she spent extra time on her make-up and brushed her hair out into long waves. The dress was tighter than she would normally wear, but when she looked in the mirror, she was impressed at how good she looked. The dress hugged her curves and accentuated all the right places. Slipping on a pair of Louboutins, Sarah couldn’t believe how good they felt on her feet. She was definitely taking those home with her.
At ten minutes to seven, she exited her room to meet Vitaly in the living room. When he saw her reflection in the window, he turned to greet her and caught his breath. She looked beautiful.
Smiling, she walked up to him. She had to admit to herself that he looked fantastic in Armani. The dark suit color complimented his complexion and she smiled at the red tie. One might even think that they coordinated their attire for the evening. “Are you ready?” she asked.
“Would you like something to drink before we go?”
“Oh no, I’m good for now. Might change my mind later,” she said as she gave him a small smile before heading to the door.
*****
As they rode over to the restaurant, Sarah asked whom they were meeting. Vitaly informed her that it was representatives from the two port authorities along with two union reps. His goal was to secure a place in both ports so they could begin doing business on the east coast. As they drove into the meatpacking district, Sarah was surprised at the number of clubs and restaurants. It was still early and yet the streets were alive with people. As they pulled up outside the Aero Club, Sarah asked if he owned it.
“Yes. I took it over when the original owner went into bankruptcy. The restaurant is on the second floor and the dance club is on the third. I opened the fourth floor up as a private area with a view of the club and the top floor is for private parties.”
As Vitaly escorted Sarah in, he was surprised at her transformation. She wasn’t the shy young woman he had grown accustomed to. Instead, she was practically vibrating with energy.
As they entered the lobby, Sarah was surprised at how crowded it was. The industrial building was at least one hundred years old and still had much of its original charm. The thick-planked floor and heavy ironwork gave the whole space a sense of openness. As they walked up the stairs, Sarah looked around. “You do like open spaces.”
“What did you say?”
Pointing at the interior of the building. “Open spaces. It’s like the tenth floor at the office and the apartment here. Everything is wide open.” Vitaly stilled as he looked at her.
“I do not like to be confined,” he answered as his mouth compressed tightly.
Before Sarah could respond, they entered the restaurant where they were met by four men and two women. Sarah was introduced to Bart Sullivan and Bill Hanson, along with their spouses. They were the union reps for the two ports. Steve Markos was with the New York Port Authority and Nicolai (Nico) Demolios was from New Jersey. While no one said anything, they were all surprised that he would bring an intern with him and the women suspected that there was more to her than simply a summer position as his personal assistant.
As they were seated, Sarah watched as Vitaly engaged with everyone throughout dinner. Taking his cue, she answered questions and posed many of her own as she kept the conversation moving. Before dinner was over, it was obvious to everyone else at the table that
Sarah was indeed qualified for the job. After dinner, Vitaly suggested that they move up to the fourth floor to continue their discussions. The union reps excused themselves and left with their spouses, but both Steve and Nico agreed.
As they settled upstairs, Sarah looked around. The fourth floor was a loft-like setting designed to provide semi-private seating for small parties while still open to the nightclub one floor down. Walking to the rail, she looked down at the dance floor and an oversized DJ booth. A bar lined one entire wall and there was ample seating that wrapped around the dance floor. The same industrial motif of open ironwork and exposed ductwork that was in the restaurant was used in the nightclub and the raised ceiling with cleverly placed acoustical modifiers kept the noise from the nightclub down so that fourth floor patrons could speak in normal tones.
As she turned around, she caught Vitaly looking at her. He was surprised at how well she handled herself at dinner and that she kept up with the conversation. He didn’t realize how versed she was on his expansion plans and he was pleased at how well she conducted herself. She looked gorgeous in that dress and she knew it, as he caught her flirting with the other men at dinner. He kept telling himself that he wasn’t jealous, but she managed to pay attention to everyone except him.
As she tilted her head to smile at him, she walked back over to the couches. The Louboutins looked fantastic on her and the heels were just high enough that her hips swayed seductively as she walked.
All eyes were on Sarah as she sat down next to Nico. Reaching for the cigar cutter, Sarah deftly clipped the end of his cigar before flicking the lighter so he could light his cigar.
As the server dropped off their drinks, Nico asked, “And where did one as young as you learn to prep a cigar?”
Smiling coyly, Sarah reached for her brandy. Sniffing lightly, she took a small sip as she savored its sweetness. “My mother died when I was young and I was raised around men. If I wasn’t dodging spit from chew, I was lighting tobacco.”
“And where was this?” asked Steve.
“Cattle ranch in central California.”
“So, you ride horses?”
As Sarah leaned across Nico, she lit Steve’s cigar. “Why yes, sir,” Sarah drawled. “Been riding bareback since I was big enough to mount a horse on my own.” Vitaly choked on his brandy as he narrowed his gaze at Sarah who turned to look at him. “Everything okay, Mr. Chekov?”
“Fine,” he managed to ground out as he stared at her.
Turning her gaze from his, she continued to banter with both men as they asked her questions about life on the ranch and why she chose her degree. As the evening drew to a close, Sarah excused herself briefly. Once she was gone, both men leaned forward to ask about her availability.
Vitaly had been boiling slowly with anger as he watched Sarah flirt with both men and ignore him. From the way she behaved, it was clear that she was far more experienced than he first thought, but he would be damned if he would allow either man to have her. Declining their requests, he informed them that she was already taken.
When Sarah returned, the men had already finished and were moving toward the elevator. As she joined them, Vitaly possessively placed his hand on her lower back. Stepping forward and away from his touch, Sarah thanked both men for a wonderful evening and wished them well.
Chapter 7
They rode back to the apartment in silence as Vitaly continued to seethe. Inwardly, Sarah couldn’t help feeling smug that she had dished out what Vitaly deserved, but she had wondered if she went too far given that his anger was palpable. Continuing to ignore him, she did her best to appear unaffected but the tension in the elevator was thick. Once inside the apartment, she turned to wish him a good night, but before she could say anything, he was on her.
Pushing her to the wall, he pressed up behind her. Grabbing her hair, he pulled her head back as he whispered into her ear. “Did you really think that you could treat me that way and get away with it?”
Sarah’s hands were pressed to the wall as she attempted to push him off her, but he continued to lean heavily against her. Kissing her neck, Sarah shivered against him as she found herself becoming turned on. “Mr. Chekov, I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“Liar.” Turning her around, he pulled her arms over her head and kept her pinned to the wall. Kissing her savagely, Sarah’s legs almost gave out from under her at the sudden onslaught. Hoping still to have the upper hand, she was not prepared for her body’s response to him. As he loosened his grip on her hands, Sarah managed to pull free. The resounding slap as her hand connected with his check echoed across the living room. As Vitaly stepped back in surprise, she put her hands on her hips as she stared him down.
“I don’t know who you think you are or what you are used to getting, but you will NOT be getting that from me. I took this job so I could learn from you, NOT to be your whore! Now, good night, sir!”
As Sarah moved away from him, she managed to stomp down the hall and shut her door behind her. The turn of the lock was evident in the quiet apartment.
Sarah leaned heavily against the door as she caught her breath. That man was a force to be reckoned with. It was all Sarah could do all evening to ignore his stares, as she flirted with the two men. She was way outside her element and afraid that she might go too far and find herself in trouble. While she seemed to have done okay with the men, it was clear that Vitaly was angry.
Who the hell did he think he was? Vitaly Chekov, of course, Sarah answered herself. His ruthless reputation and temper were common knowledge and Sarah was prepared to deal with it in a work setting, but this was entirely different.
Changing out of her clothes, Sarah threw herself on the bed hoping that sleep would overtake her. She was still staring at the clock at three when she decided to get up. Slipping on a robe, she padded quietly out of her room. The apartment was dark, but the curtains were open and the lights from the city basked the living room in a soft glow. As Sarah curled up in one of the chairs, she stared out at the city. Lost in thought, she didn’t realize that Vitaly had joined her until she saw his silhouette against the glass.
“I’m sorry,” she said with a sigh.
“For what?”
“My behavior tonight. That’s not me.”
“Then, why did you do it?”
“I was pissed at you about the plane and the clothes. Okay, mostly embarrassed about the plane, but the clothes.”
“What was wrong with the clothes? You looked fantastic.”
“All that lingerie.”
“What about it?”
“I’m NOT that kind of person who…who-”
“Likes to wear nice things?”
“Yes. I mean no. Did you see the lingerie?”
As Vitaly shook his head no, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “I did say that we used a personal shopper. Since she wasn’t familiar with your tastes and only going off a picture, she bought a variety for you to choose from.” Turning toward her, Vitaly saw Sarah sitting with her legs up and her chin on her knees. “Well, if it helps, that extra attention you lavished on them may have secured the deal for me.”
Laughing softly, “Well, I suppose that’s a good thing so long as I don’t have to do it again.”
Kneeling in front of her chair, Vitaly gently grabbed her ankles and tugged her feet to the floor. He was glad that she couldn’t see his smile, as he realized that despite everything, she was still submissive toward him and probably didn’t even realize it. Rubbing her feet, Sarah closed her eyes, as she enjoyed the massage. She was too proud to admit that was the longest she’d spent in heels and her feet and legs were killing her.
Groaning, she flexed her feet and gave in to the sensations as his hands worked their way up her legs. While the feel of his hands was soothing, it was also doing something to her insides.
While she readily admitted that she was inexperienced, she had tried the vibrator her friends bought her for Christmas and read enough romances to know that what she w
as feeling was arousal. She couldn’t help but think about Daniel. They had dated for almost three years and despite a considerable amount of kissing and touching, he had never made her feel the way Vitaly did simply by the way he looked at her.
Putting her hand on his shoulder, she stilled his movements. “I think that I should go back to bed,” she managed to say.
Stopping, he sat back from her. “As you wish.”
Sarah sat there looking at him, and sighed heavily. As she stood up, Vitaly rose at the same time. The sudden proximity had Sarah swaying into him. As he caught her, he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up. Without thinking, Sarah wrapped her arms around his neck as he leaned in to kiss her. Nipping at her lips, he kissed her gently before crushing her against him. As Sarah moaned, his tongue plundered her mouth. Sliding his hands over her hips, he lifted her legs as she wrapped them around his waist and he pulled her tight against him as his erection strained against his pants.
Pausing, he leaned his forehead against hers as he kissed her lightly. “If you want me to stop, we have to now before this goes too far.”
“And what if I don’t want you to stop?”
“Then you must understand what this means. I do not do nice. I am not nice. I do not ask. I take.”
Sliding her fingers into his hair, Sarah tugged his head closer. Nipping at his lips, she mimicked his actions from earlier as she tightened her legs around him. “So take already. I’m done waiting.”
“So be it. There will be no turning back,” he said solemnly as he kissed her.
Chapter 8
As they kissed, Sarah felt him walk her toward his bedroom. Stepping inside, he kicked the door shut behind them before carrying her to the bed. Throwing her down in the middle of the bed, he reached for the tie on her robe. Pulling it free, he grabbed her wrists and tied them together before securing them to the headboard. Pulling her robe open, he stood back and let the lights from the city cascade across her flesh. She was perfection in such a small package. Her blonde hair lay fanned out around her as she looked up at him. Her eyes held arousal as he straddled her body. Reaching out, he cupped her breasts as she gasped and arched up against his hands.
