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After the most surreal conversation, the aloof woman returns and waits by the door as Mikhail turns to me.
“Go with Katerina. She will prepare you. We leave in one hour.”
Prepare me! what the actual fuck.
Dimitri stands and blocking out Mikhail, he raises his eyes and whispers, “Last chance, Melissa.”
It would be so easy to walk away from this. Katerina could go in my place, surely. But I promised Serena, and some may call me stupid, but when I say I’m going to do something, I do it. I was foolish, irresponsible, and naive and Adonis’s warning is ringing loud in my ears, but the proud part of me shakes her head and smiles.
“Thank you for everything, Dimitri.” I stand and then even shock myself as I impulsively step into his arms and hug him hard.
He whispers in my ear as his huge arms close around me, “Just say the word, Melissa. There is no shame in changing your mind.”
“I know, but, well–” I pull away and smile. “I wanted an adventure, and got more than I bargained for but to be honest, I have something to prove and not only to myself. So, I’m good, but thanks for asking.”
I hate the pity in his eyes as I step away and cast a glance at my ‘date’ for the night. Even he terrifies me and he’s supposedly going to protect me. Be careful what you wish for because this wish would have been better left in the lamp.
I follow Katerina out of the room and as we close the door behind us, I take a deep breath.
All I can hear are her heels clicking on the marble floor and her ass sways from side to side as she walks. Is she a robot? I wouldn’t be surprised to find she is and as we take another staircase, it’s in silence, with only my inner voice berating me for company.
She guides me to a huge bedroom. Then again, I doubt anything is small in this place and I stare around at the white sterile space and it’s as if I’m in an operating theater. It’s so clean I can see my reflection in the floor and Katerina says in a thick Russian accent, “I will show you to the bathroom. You will shave, shower, and clean your teeth. Wash your hair and apply the creams laid out on the side. When you have finished, you will head through the opposite door to the one you walked in through, where I will be waiting to style your hair and assist you with dressing.”
She nods toward the door and says firmly, “You have twenty minutes.”
It’s as if I’m being tested and if I don’t complete it inside the allotted time I will fail, so I say nothing and head into a palatial bathroom that makes my jaw drop. Fuck!
The biggest tub I have ever seen is standing in the middle of the room. The floor is mirrored, and the walls are paneled in marble with mirror inserts. There is not one chandelier but six and a huge walk-in shower dominates one wall, along with LED lighting and an apparent waterfall feature.
There is a vanity station set near a huge panoramic window and the double sinks and huge mirror are suspended from the ceiling. The floor is covered intermittently by white fluffy rugs that appear to be fresh from the store. Another station is crammed with every lotion, bath foam and cosmetic that a girl could need, and I notice a collection already set out that are apparently the ones she was talking about.
A giant television screen is mounted in a huge ornate frame and there is even an area to sit on a white leather couch, dressed in designer cushions before a glass coffee table littered with large photographic books.
This isn’t a bathroom. It’s a statement, much like everything else in this penthouse. It’s only when I catch a glimpse of a gold clock on the wall, I shift into gear and strip off my clothes in haste. I lift the razor off a shelf mounted into the shower wall and quickly strip my body of any excess. This is so freaking weird, and I dive into the shower, wishing I had longer to enjoy it and shampoo and condition my hair at speed. Then I’m amazed when a burst of warm air hits me as some kind of jet delivers warm heat to my body, abolishing the need for a towel.
I spy a large white dressing gown hanging on a hook beside the shower and even that has been heated to provide a warm, cozy experience.
I glance at the clock and realize I have exactly five minutes left and quickly scrub my teeth before slapping on the lotion that smells so amazing I make a mental note of the name.
As I make to leave, I notice a pair of white slippers by the door and slip them on and head into another room that resembles an exclusive boutique. White again, with a marble floor this time and mirrors on every wall, interspersed with marble paneling. This room has larger rugs, deeper seats, and more flowers in vases than I’ve ever seen in one place. There are shelves on the walls, dripping with everything a woman desires, from handbags, shoes, belts and sunglasses.
Katerina is standing by a vanity unit that has a shelving unit beside it, full of products from make-up to perfume to hairstyling implements. There is a white velvet chair set before it and she says in her emotionless voice, “Sit.”
I note a glass of champagne waiting and whisper, “Is that for me?”
“Of course.” She removes the towel from my hair and proceeds to brush my curls with an expertise that doesn’t escape me.
As I reach for the champagne, my hand trembles and I stare wide eyed into the mirror at her and whisper, “This place is incredible.”
She shrugs. “It is normal.”
I watch as she sets about her task with military precision, and I attempt to strike up a conversation.
“Have you worked for Mr. Romanov for long?”
“Five years.”
“As his assistant?”
