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“Need has nothing to do with it.” He lifted a dark eyebrow. “Surely you won’t deny me the small pleasure?”
Her scowl deepened. “No. How could I?”
He ignored her insinuation. “Surely,” he said teasingly, “you will not tell me that diamonds remind you of a former pet? That they possibly have a soul?”
She looked down at the floor.
“No,” she whispered. “A diamond is just a cold, heartless stone.” Vladimir frowned. She suddenly seemed to recall she was speaking to the CEO of Xendzov Mining, one of the largest diamond producers in the world. Flashing him a wry smile, she amended, “But they are pretty. I’ll give you that.”
“So you’ll let me buy you something.”
“Don’t you have a closetful of diamonds back home? I’m surprised you don’t use them like rocks to decorate your garden.”
“My company produces raw diamonds. We sell them wholesale. The fine art of polishing them into exquisite jewelry is not our specialty.” He lifted his hands to indicate the little jewel box of a shop. “This is the best jewelry store in the world.”
“Really? In the world?”
He gave her a sly smile. “Well, the best in St. Petersburg. Which means it is the best in Russia. Which means, naturally, that it is the best in the world.”
Staring at him for a moment, she shook her head with a sigh. “All right.” Her tone was resigned. “Since it seems I have no choice.”
Vladimir had truly expected this to be a quick stop en route to dinner at
the best restaurant in the city. He’d assumed Bree would quickly select one of the most expensive necklaces in the store: the looped rope of diamonds, the diadem of sapphires, the emerald choker that cost the equivalent of nine hundred thousand dollars. But an hour later, she still hadn’t found a necklace she wanted.
“Six million rubles?” she said now, staring down incredulously at the ropes of diamonds patiently displayed by the portly jeweler. “How much is that in dollars?”
He told her, and her jaw dropped. Then she burst into laughter. “What a waste!” She glanced at Vladimir. “I won’t let you spend your money that way. Might as well set it on fire.”
He didn’t have nearly the same patience as the jeweler. “Money isn’t a problem,” he said tightly. “I have more than I could spend in a lifetime.”
“Lucky you.”
“I mean it. After you make a certain amount, money is just a way to keep score.”
“You could always donate the money to a charity, you know. If you hate it so much,” she said tartly.
He gave a low laugh. “I didn’t say I hate it. If nothing else, it gives me the opportunity to drape you in diamonds.”
“Against my will.”
“I know you will love them. All women do.”
“All women?”
That hadn’t come out right. “It’s a gift, Bree. From me to you.”
“It’s a chain.” She reached out a hand and touched the glittering diamond rope resting on the glass case, then said bitterly, “Diamond shackles for an honored slave.” She looked up at the jeweler. “No offense.”
“None taken, my lady.”
She looked at Vladimir. “Thanks for wanting to buy me a gift. But I don’t need a chain to remind me of my position.”
Vladimir felt irritated. He’d wanted to buy something that would please her, to distract her from the one thing he would not give: her freedom. “I am trying to make you happy.”
“I can’t be bought!”
“You already were,” he said coldly.
