Page 57 of Vienna Bliss

“Wanted what?” Alexander stepped out of the open doorway behind her, pulling it closed. He took her arm and Alena could feel him glaring at Rolf.

It wasn’t Rolf’s fault that his part in their charade meant she would be leaving with him, so it was hardly fair that Alexander be pissed at him.

Alexander shouldn’t be pissed at anyone, because it’s not like he’d asked her to stay in Vienna. In fact, he hadn’t said anything about the fact that she was leaving tonight. That’s why Rolf was up here, to take her packed suitcase, which he held by the handle, and store it in his car.

“The curator did show up,” Sofie said.

Alexander’s silent rage was like a shock wave displacing the air around them.

“We expected this,” Alena reminded everyone. “Nothing changes.”

“You do not have to do this,” Sofie said.

Rolf’s expression was grave. Alena had told Sofie what Absolon had done. Interpol needed to know that he believed in the cause he was supporting with the stolen art. That was information she couldn’t keep to herself, so she’d had Sofie come up to the apartment, and then told her the story, much more succinctly and without the messy emotional components that had been present when she told Alexander.

“I need to go so that I can technically arrive at the event,” Rolf said. “Alena, Alexander.” He took her suitcase to the private elevator that connected to the garage.

Sofie cast her one last look. “If you’re sure.”

“I am,” Alena said.

“I am not,” Alexander countered.

“We’ll be fine. How long until you want us down there?”

“Start down the steps in ten minutes.”

Sofie disappeared, jogging down the steps despite the heels, a feat Alena would never be able to accomplish.

Beside her, Alexander sighed. He’d spent far more time with her over the past two days than she’d expected. Yesterday, he’d been with her almost all day. She’d planned to do nothing but read and maybe try and watch some TV to see if she could improve her German, but instead she’d spent most of the daylight hours making love with Alexander.

And it had been making love. Not sex. Love. At least on her side.

She’d almost said it a dozen times. There had been many perfect moments. But in the end, she was a coward. When night fell, she’d coaxed him into scening with her, though he’d skipped any impact play, focusing on bondage and exploring every inch of her body.

He’d been no less dominant as he did that than he was with a crop in his hand, but she’d missed the heavier sensations, though she wasn’t sure how much more her poor butt could have taken.

“Alena…”

She turned to face him, arching a brow. “Alexander?”

He sighed. “I hate this.”

Hate saying goodbye to me? Hate that I’m leaving because despite the utter chaos I’ve brought into your life, you love me?

“Hate my outfit?” She held out her arms. “I thought it was very appropriate.”

She was wearing a black dress that Dieter had helped her have tailored. Black and semitransparent, the neckline was a deep V, the point almost touching her navel. It fell to mid-thigh, except on the right it was slit all the way up to her hip.

Under the dress she wore body chains. Had this been a real slave auction those chains would have no doubt been attached to clamps or piercings, but she’d done her best to fake the look. A forty-inch chain around her neck ended in a small ring off of which she’d added chains that looped around her stomach at different heights. She had on a belly chain, which wasn’t visible except that it held up the “thigh jewelry”—several garter-like loops of chain around each upper leg.

She’d wanted the chains to remind him of the ones he’d used on her in Moldova. He was quieter tonight than he had been in days, but she’d seen his gaze lingering on the deep V neckline, and her decorated thighs.

She had on a black thong--another thing that certainly wouldn’t be there if this were a real BDSM event, but given how high the slit was, she’d decided underwear was a must. She had no desire to flash a room full of Interpol agents, and Zakaria Schroeder, the CEO of RTW, who was going to be the only non agent-in-disguise guest.

She also had on nipple pasties, and the edges of the dress were held down with toupee tape.

“Your outfit is lovely.” Alexander said formally.