Only One Man Will Do (8 page)

She approached the bartender who was putting out napkins to get ready for the incipient crowd.

“Do you have Jack Daniels?”

“No, Ma’am.”

“What kind of whiskey do you have?”

“Name-brands?”

She nodded wordlessly.

He began to list the choices but she soon stopped him.

“Give me a double shot of Maker’s Mark.”

He turned to fill her order and she felt movement behind her and knew without turning around that Dmitri had found her.

“Isn’t that kind of strong when you’re trying to maintain your image in front of all of these people?”

She hissed at him. “Leave me alone!”

He chuckled in her ear. “I can’t do that,
Sashka
. You’re in my blood. You’re becoming a part of me.”

She whirled on him. “That can’t continue!”

“Are you ready for it to end?”

She stared into his dark eyes for a long moment. When the bartender returned with her glass, Dmitri turned to him. “Do you have Beluga vodka?”

A slow smile spread across the man’s face. “Why, yes, sir. We do. But few have a discerning enough palette to ask for it.”

“Give me a double-shot please, no ice.”

The bartender went off again to fill the order.

“We need to talk,” Alexandra hissed.

“But not here,” Dmitri countered as the bartender returned and Dmitri put a generous amount on the counter to cover the drinks as well as a tip.

“Why not?”

He inclined his head towards the door. “Because the rest of the members are coming into this room now for the evening. The DJ has started to play music. And I want to dance with the most beautiful woman I have ever met.”

She took a sip from her glass and scowled. “Dance?”

“Yes, you know…we stand close to each other and your body feels what mine is doing, then follows along. It’s the closest we can get to fucking in public, while still pretending to be strangers. Of course there’s always the danger our bodies are so in tune with each other that it will be obvious to everyone we are lovers…”

Alexandra gulped the rest of the liquid and slammed her glass to the bar. “You’re on, big man. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

With a smirk, Dmitri downed his double-shot and took her hand to lead her out onto the dance floor to join the first few couples already practicing their ballroom moves. The first few songs were older tunes, the kind that called for more formal dancing. They did a waltz, a quick-step, a fox-trot, and a slow dance that allowed for way more bodily contact than Alexandra was comfortable with, knowing her father and his friends were there watching them.

Shit! He acts like he belongs here more than I do! His manners are impeccable. His small talk entertained everyone all through dinner. And now I find out he’s a great ballroom dancer also? He’s all of that and yet also still the edgy Russian with dangerous talents and skills that make him a great bouncer in a biker bar. And he fucks like an animal! If I had to pick only one man to have for the rest of my life, I’d want it to be someone like him…

Her train of thought was interrupted as Dmitri took advantage of the steady dimming of the lights that was meant to enhance the mood of those dancing and encourage others to join them. The hand behind her trailed fingers along her spine making her shiver from the contact. He leaned forward to speak directly into her ear, his warm breath raising the hairs along her neck, as a second shiver raced the other one to be the first to warm her clit with memories of pleasure and new anticipation.

“Would anyone think we were being impolite if we were to leave soon? I’m not sure how much longer I can stop myself from bending you over a table and enjoying your screams as I make you come.”

A tremor ran through her entire body as every cell lit up with excitement. “Um, I think we could probably use the excuse that I’m going to show you some of the skyline of the Twin Cities at night. Everyone will agree what a good idea that is, while also assuming we’re going to head somewhere more private. But no one will call us on it…”

“Not even your father?”

Alexandra arched one eyebrow. “Especially not him. He’s the one who introduced us. He’ll be hugging himself thinking he finally introduced me to a man I might find interesting. And the fact he’s already salivating about the business you might send our way means he’ll be anxious to encourage us to continue exploring what we might have in common.”

Dmitri’s eyes narrowed as the corners of his lips rose. “Then let’s tell your father we’re leaving and head back to your condo.”

As Alexandra had suspected, her father was enthusiastic about the idea of her entertaining Dmitri with a tour of the cities. He shook Dmitri’s hand warmly, reminding him that the company now being run by his daughter could handle any business needs the Russian conglomerate might have.

“You should join me for lunch here soon. The chef does a themed lunch here every Thursday. I’m sure he’d be glad to try his hand at Russian delicacies in your honor. You must miss the food you grew up with, being so far from home.”

Dmitri smiled. “You have my card. If you email me with the date, I’ll try to arrange my schedule to allow for another fine meal at your club.”

“Excellent. Good-night, then. Have fun.” Thomas turned to his wife to pat her arm dramatically. “Oh, to be young again…”

Alexandra, who was less than ten years younger than her stepmother, smiled inwardly at the fleeting look of jealousy that raced across the other woman’s face as Dmitri held her coat for her to slip her arms into and his hands lingered for a moment on her shoulders.

“Good night, Abby. See you soon, Dad.”

A few minutes later they stepped outside and Alexandra took a deep breath. “The air is still cold, but it feels good to be out of there, finally.” The valet approached them as she asked Dmitri, “Did you drive here?”

Dmitri shook his head, “No, I took a taxi. I figured he’d know how to get here better than me. Plus I didn’t plan on going home alone.”

Alexandra’s lips twitched in amusement. “Cocky, aren’t you?”

He bent over to whisper into her ear. “You’d know.”

The valet took the ticket she handed him wordlessly and went off to retrieve her vehicle.

“Stop it!” she hissed. “Wait until we can’t be seen anymore.”

Dmitri shrugged. “No one’s watching us out here. Besides, your dad likes me.”

“He likes the business he thinks you’ll bring us, you mean,” she corrected.

“Same thing.”

“Is there really any business?”

“There might be…”

The valet pulled up in front of them and opened the driver’s side door. With a pointed glance at her passenger, Alexandra strode over to the open door and ignored the valet who was attempting to help her into her seat. Dmitri got in on the other side and they drove off into the night.

* * * *

The elevator ride up from the parking garage wasn’t private, since there was an elderly couple with a small, barking dog already in it when the door slid open. Dmitri’s eyes were dark with passion whenever Alexandra glanced at his face, and since she was also anxious to be alone with him, she kept looking at the numbers on the wall, willing the elevator to be quicker than usual. It wasn’t, but eventually the door slid open on her floor and the tiny dog yapped at them as they walked out. They both walked quickly to her door and Alexandra unlocked it with Dmitri pushing it open from next to her.

Immediately after she locked the door, Alexandra turned to Dmitri and grabbed at the huge bulge tenting out the pleats in the front of his trousers.

“Fuck me now!” She hissed at him.

A small smile played on the corners of his mouth as he shook his head slowly.

“No. That’s not how I want to play this out tonight.”

“What?” Outrage made her voice higher than its usual low timbre.

“Tonight I was a gentleman in a very exclusive club. I was introduced to the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, who allowed me to press myself against her as we danced. She lit a fire inside of my soul that demands satisfaction…”

“Yes.” Alexandra rubbed herself against the immovable wall of man in front of her. “Satisfaction…I like the sound of that…”

He put both of his hands over hers where she was busily undoing the knot of his tie.

“Patience,
Sashka
. Tonight I’m not up for simple fucking. I want to make love with the fiery redhead who has captivated my very soul. I want to demonstrate to her how much she has moved this cold, dark, dour Russian man to want to bask in her sunlight. I want her to feel cherished, to let her know how precious she is to me. And making that kind of love takes time.”

Alexandra sighed dramatically. “Is this going to take so long I should get myself a drink so I have something to do while I’m waiting for you to finally plow your way into my—”

The corners of his lips rose as he shook his head, covering her lips with a finger to silence her.

“Tonight I plan to worship at the altar of your beauty. I hid a bottle of French Champagne in your fridge yesterday. I’ll get it, along with two glasses. Then I’ll follow you into the bedroom and seduce you as a gentleman does a lady.”

Alexandra rolled her eyes. “Fine. As long as I eventually get laid…”

She turned and headed toward the bedroom with him following right behind her until he turned into the kitchen to grab the supplies.

When he strode into the bedroom a few minutes later carrying the bottle and two crystal flutes, he was amused to see Alexandra had posed herself on the bed, with one leg bent, the other straight out, providing him with an uninterrupted view of her lack of panties. She smiled at him as he put the glasses onto the table next to the bed and began to loosen the cork from the bottle.

“Are you sure you want to take your time, mister?” She purred. “I’m already dripping hot for you…why not take the edge off quickly, then we can take things slower after that?”

He poured the bubbling liquid into the two glasses and handed one to her as he shook his head.

“No, my dear. This is too perfect of an opportunity to resist. We both wear many faces, as I’ve said before. Tonight is for you to be a lady being seduced by a gentleman. Especially one you didn’t expect to find at the club where you are usually bored with the selection of men.”

Dmitri sat on the bed next to her and lit the candle next to the bottle before he turned off the lamp. The room was softly illuminated only by a tiny flame. He pulled off his tie and loosened the top buttons of his shirt, then held out his glass and indicated she should clink her glass with his.

“A toast…to the most beautiful woman I have ever had the honor to dance with.”

Alexandra took a sip and grinned. “Wow! I’ve had cheap bubbly and expensive Champagne. This tastes expensive.”

He nodded. “It is. Nothing is too much to show you what I think of you.”

He spent some time appreciating the view as Alexandra arched her back and stretched sinuously, posing for him, each time inching closer to him.

Dmitri inclined his head towards her feet. “Your feet must be aching in those strappy stiletto heels. I wondered why you were almost taller than me while we were dancing. What are they? Three…four inches?”

“Three and a half. And yes, my feet are killing me!”

“Then why wear them?”

She had moved slowly up to the headboard where Dmitri was leaning back against it, admiring the view. She stretched out one leg and the dress draped back along her thighs, showing him the garters he already knew would be there, along with a glimpse of the expanse of the very white skin of her upper thighs. Dmitri sucked in a breath as he wrestled control away from his rigid cock.

Trying to force his hand, Alexandra casually let one hand move up his thigh until he suddenly pushed himself up to stand, then moved to the end of the bed to sit closer to her feet.

As her face set into a pout, she answered him. “Why? So it will make my legs look sexy…duh! Why do I wear garters when they sometimes dig into my thighs? Same reason.”

“And you are so right,
Sashka
,” Dmitri murmured softly as he removed one of her shoes, tossed it to the floor, then began to rub her foot. His fingers massaged her arches then moved up to the front pad of her foot, and onto her toes, making her giggle. He moved back to the arch and concentrated on upwards movements that made her moan with pleasure.

“I am?” she asked in a dreamy voice. “That feels so good! The only way I ever get foot rubs is when I pay for a pedicure. And that’s over too quickly. You’re taking your time and rubbing where it hurts…aah. Don’t stop.”

He continued to pamper her foot, slowly beginning to include her ankle and calf in the deep-muscle massage.

“Yes,” he continued in a low tone. “Your legs were the first things that made me realize I wouldn’t be able to hurt you to get you to behave. They convinced me I would have to use more…ah…gently persuasive methods with you. And that would have to involve getting you naked as soon as possible, so I could plunge my cock into you repeatedly until I’d had my fill. Which hasn’t happened yet, by the way. It might never happen…not when you show off your legs with garters that end in the creamy white thighs of a natural redhead. I can’t resist you…”