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“I think so.” I test my heart and find it beating with excitement rather than fear and I say shyly, “Ivan.”
“Yes, malyshka.”
“Can I ask you a favor?”
“You can try.” He laughs softly, and it causes me to smile, and I say with a hint of nerves. “If my life is about to become, well, shall we say, complicated, I was wondering…”
I falter and he nods his encouragement. “Go on.”
“Well…” I laugh nervously. “Can we pretend this is an, um, well, date?”
His raised eyes make me say quickly, “It’s just that, well, I’ve never had a proper one and if what you’re saying is true, this may be my last chance for one. I know it’s not. I mean, well, you would never ask a girl like me out but...”
I’m surprised when a firm hand rests against my mouth and two flashing eyes look at me with amusement and he whispers huskily, “Charlotte Richmond. Would you like to go out to dinner tonight, as my date?”
He grins as he says the word, and I can sense myself blushing as I nod. “I would. Thank you so much for asking.”
He laughs and drags his thumb across my lips and whispers, “Then I will pick you up in one hour.” He winks and jumps up from the bed and points to the dressing room. “There may be something in there you could use. I’ll head next door because according to this iPad, that’s Malik’s room and, knowing him, there will be a dressing room crammed full of the best outfits that money can buy.”
“Then whose room is this?”
I’m interested and he shrugs. “I’m guessing it’s a guest room and knowing my friend, he will have provided everything his guests need.”
I watch him walk away and as soon as the door closes, it strikes me that this is the first time I’ve been truly alone in a very long time. At school I’m in a dorm with six other girls and there is never a time one of them isn’t nearby. Now I have a room to myself and possibly a treasure trove of delights concealed in the adjoining dressing room, and I can’t wait to test out Ivan’s theory.
* * *
I wasteno time and head straight there and it appears he was right because when I pull open the white doors edged in gold, rails of dresses are a feast for my hungry eyes and on further investigation it appears they are not alone. Skirts, tops, jackets and jumpers in every color and fabric make my mouth water and nestling in white velvet lined drawers are silky items of lingerie edged in lace. With a squeal of excitement, I wonder if one hour is long enough and I start pulling out designer dresses and matching underwear as if I’m a kid on Christmas day.
How can one person bounce between heaven and hell without feeling the bruise because one minute I’m in an open pit of despair trying desperately to claw my way out and the next I’m floating on a heavenly cloud without a care in the world? I am currently riding high on one of those clouds and so I suppress any fear left inside me and embrace the moment, because this one could well be the best one of my life.
CHAPTER22
IVAN
As I expected, Malik’s room resembles an exclusive gentleman’s outfit store, located at the finest address in the world. I’m guessing he has a carbon copy of this in every house he owns and wonder again about the wealth his family enjoys. A gold lined prison can’t be all bad and I just pray his clothes fit me because I’m a little more well defined than my Arab friend.
Settling on a white shirt with black formal trousers, I pull a dinner jacket out and test it for size. It amuses me to be going on a date. I’m not sure I ever have before because I don’t date women. I fuck them and send them home. This is as new to me as it is for Charlotte, and I’m surprised to find I’m looking forward to it.
A date sounds just the right thing to put a smile back on both our faces and seeing the pain in her eyes almost made me forget my own mind. If she’s hurting, I’m hurting, and I wonder about that. When did she become more to me than a job? I’ve done shit like this a hundred times before and I’m guessing I will multiple times in my future. But somehow things have changed between us, and it can only be because I’ve spent longer with her than most. That’s all this is, and I must remember that. No emotion, no shit and I must distance myself from her.
But for one night only we can both dream.
Maybe tonight will be a precious memory for both of us to pull out when we need it most because one thing’s certain in both our lives, the future is a dark one.
I must be as mad as Massimo telling her I would think of a way to save her. I was caught up in the moment and hated seeing her cry. It wounded my soul and I’m wondering about that. I shouldn’t care, but I do, and I’m surprised that this is the hardest thing I have ever done becauseshe’sinvolved. A beautiful innocent virgin who has been set free from her cage, only to fall into a steel-clad prison with me and there is no way out of that. She’s a mafia princess and I must remember her father is the king. I wouldn’t be safe from him if anything ever happened to her, and I must sacrifice her to bring Winter back where she belongs. I keep on telling myself that Charlotte belongs by his side, but it crushes my heart picturing her living in his world of madness.
We have all heard the rumors surrounding Massimo Delauren and none of them are complimentary. A vile bastard of the cruelest kind. A psychotic murderer who kills for pleasure. A man who keeps young men as pets and makes their last days on earth a living hell and I am sending an angel into the fire and will have to stand back and watch her burn.
It’s too much to bear and so I sigh heavily and vow to make this night count for both of us. Charlotte wants a dream date. Well, I’ll try my best.
* * *
On the hour,I head back to her room and knock gently on the door, and it takes her only a few seconds to open it and I almost step back at the sight dazzling before me.
She looks so beautiful it momentarily stuns me and I openly stare at a transformation so astonishing, I blink to test she is real.
Charlotte is standing tall in ivory satin heels, wearing a dress that looks as if it was crafted by angels. Ivory silk encrusted with small diamonds and lace, with intricate braiding, covers a tightly fitting bodice that causes her breasts to push temptingly against the fabric. Small straps shimmer in the light that rest against her smooth, ivory shoulders. Her arms are bare except for the diamond bracelet that hangs from her wrist and the matching choker momentarily blinds me. She has swept up her long hair on top of her head, causing her slender neck to offer me a bite like the deadliest vampire. The make-up she has used is smoky yet subtle and the slight hint of rouge on her sweet soft lips, is like a beacon to a feral man who has only one thing on his mind.Her.
