Chapter 9: Tell Me What You Want...

Seraphina

I stood and instantly regretted the move. I knew he’d stand and tower over me as he always does. But it wasn’t just his stature that made him tower me; it was his demeanor and all the power he held.

His face was hard and his gaze narrowed with determination. Instantly I shivered. His gaze raked over me from my freshly manicured toes to my fitted jeans to my oversized sweater.

Dimitri stood, “No?” His gaze darkened and his voice lowered intimately. “Well, tell me what you want, little one?” His gaze darted over my face in hopes to read me.

What did I want? It wasn’t money that I craved from him but something much darker. A night with him. Just one night to experience his body and mine as they intertwined with one another.

Instead of giving in to desire, I requested something he’d never guess.

“I want a real proposal and-”

“You want romance. Romance isn’t in my repertoire,” he said wrapping his hands firmly around my waist. “But if this is your only wish, then I can grant this one request.”

His hand lifted my chin just as it did at the restaurant, but this time we were completely alone. I knew it, he knew it, and I felt it. Everywhere.

“And what else?”

A shiver moved through me, followed by a fiery ache between my legs.

“You can’t sleep with anyone.”

“Sleep with anyone?”

“No, you can’t. I don’t want to be in the tabloids with crazy, cheating headlines.”

“So, you’re saying I can’t fuck around with anyone other than you?” He said with a raised brow and put heavy emphasis on the word fuck. “You expect me to be celibate?”

“Yes and so will I.”

His hands left my waist and the ache for him grew more and more by the second. I yearned for the heat of his hand and body next to mine.

“If I so much as find out that you’re messing with anyone the deal is off,” he growled.

“That won’t be a problem.”

My eyes were glued to him as he walked around to his desk and checked his email still standing. I took this time to gather my composure.
“You’ll live here, appear at all functions as my fiancée, and present yourself as such at all times.” he sat after his last words.

“Why would I live here now if we’re only engaged?”

“Because I need to keep an eye on my investment.”

“Fine, anything else?”

“Act as though you’re madly in love with me.”

Part of me felt that wouldn’t be too hard but the other part of me felt like I was about to make the biggest mistake of my life. I knew he would ruin me and burn me to ash.

“I have no idea how long this will last in convincing everyone around us. We can go to city hall and end this when we can.”

“I’m not marrying you at city hall, Mr. Valor.”

“What difference does it make?”

“Real or fake, I will not marry you at city hall like a dirty secret. You want my hand? Then I want it done right.” I said standing my ground.

“Fine, it’s not like I will ever have to do this again. Done. Now, I need your signature and your answer.”

I was captivated and appalled by the conversation. We were speaking about marriage as if it was only a business deal and nothing more. It was sad on both ends. Here I was alone with only one person who cared about my happiness and here he is, surrounded by loved ones concerned with his happiness. Yet to him, it’s a burden. Curiosity arose in me as I now yearned to know his secrets and what would tame the beast.

“Yes.”

“I have the contract here, look it over.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to get you something to sleep in. We will get up early and get something for you to wear to work.”

I had nothing to retort at the moment because I was in shock. One minute he was a complete asshole and then the next, he was a gentleman. This rollercoaster was going to be dangerous to my health.

“Everything looks good to you?”

“Yeah, but this isn’t my bank information.”

“Once you sign, I will open this account for you and this is where your payments will go. All cards will be sent here to my address.”

“Ok, makes sense.”

“I have something for you to wear in the guest bedroom across from mine.”

“Thank you.”

Dimitri led me down the hall of his penthouse and I was amazed at how bright and spacious it was. I was sure it would be dark as the facial expressions he held at times.

“I’d give you a tour, but we have to be up in a few hours. Although, I’m sure I’ll hardly get any sleep.” he said while running his hands through his hair.

“Me too, plus I’m starving. I never got a chance to eat my food.” I said playfully.

“I can take you to the kitchen and you can fix something up?”

“Please.”

Once again, I followed him, watching his shoulder and back muscles flex through his shirt. He was a sight in a plain, white tee and lounge pants. I was tempted to undress him with my teeth.

“It’s pretty well stocked and you’re welcome to anything. What’s mine is now yours,” he said before heading back to his study.

I imagined he often passed out there. Although his place was beautiful, it felt cold and lonely. Maybe it’s more like him than I thought.

His kitchen was stocked with everything I could imagine, including a small herb garden. I smelled the herbs and the oregano was robust. How lucky would it be to have everything at your fingertips and to want for nothing?

I settled on a honey turkey and swiss on rye bread before heading to bed. It was a new space for me, so I sought comfort in leaving the door open. I changed out of my skintight jeans and removed my sweater before placing on the silk fabric pajama top. There was a complete set, but I never sleep in pajama pants. The shirt fell mid-thigh and covered just enough.

The bed was plush and welcoming, so I allowed it to take me. The sun was barely awake but I certainly was. Lazily I slipped out of bed and headed to the bathroom to quickly wash my face and brush my teeth. Once done, I headed back to the room to change my clothes from the day before.

I removed my shirt and the soft fabric hit my ankles. I leaned down to put my jeans on when I heard a light tap at the door.