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It left me feeling a little bit dirty, but also somewhat relieved to have space to myself after our fervent interludes. Whenever he was near me he seemed to take up all the oxygen in the room, and definitely all my attention.
How did he do it? Every day I schooled myself to resist him, feeling like he had too much power over me. It would last until Hetty laid out the evening’s pretty dress for me and helped me do my hair and makeup. It was like getting ready for a date, but it wasn’t a suitor trying to impress me, it was my husband and we never left the house. When I heard his gruff voice outside my door sending Maksim away, my resolve began to crumble. Just the sound of his low, rumbling voice sent anticipation coursing through my veins. As soon as he walked through my door, it was all over. There was no fighting, because I didn’t want to fight. I only wanted to feel his strong arms around me, and his lips on mine. And so much more. Ivan wasn’t stingy with gifts, and he was even more generous with his body.
Then I woke up alone, and it started all over again. The self-recrimination, the resolve, the throwing myself at him the second he smiled at me. If I wasn’t so sure I hated him, I would have started to think I was falling in love with my husband.
As usual, I sat on my balcony, flipping through one of the stacks of magazines Hetty brought me every day. This one was from France, featuring the scandals of their own celebrities, and I couldn’t understand a word, just looked at the glossy pictures to pass the endless time. Trying not to think about Ivan, but craving him desperately since it had been three days without seeing him. It pissed me off, and I tossed the magazine to grab one that I could understand so I could stop obsessing about when I’d see him again. When I could feel his expert touch.
Hetty stuck her head out and told me there was a new delivery.
Whoop-de-doo. She looked so excited and was so kind to me that I pretended as best I could to give a crap and followed her inside. The big, cream leather couch was loaded down with garment bags and there were stacks of shoe boxes lined up next to it. The entire surface of the big glass coffee table was hidden under smaller boxes, some flat and long, some square, some tiny with perfect little bows on them.
Even my grumpy heart picked up at the sight of such bounty. “Where should we start?” I asked Hetty.
She began to unzip all the garment bags while I tore into the shoeboxes, squealing at each pair. It was shoe lover’s Christmas, and my mood brightened as I tried them on. Hetty held up each sumptuous gown, and I grabbed the shoes I thought would look best with them and soon we had six stunning outfits hanging from the bar and draped across the couch.
“This must mean it’s your date night tonight,” Hetty said, motioning toward the smaller boxes. “You know what those must be.”
“Accessories,” I breathed, fully taken by the sweet surprise.
This was almost as good as shopping. It was insane how I would have picked every one of the dresses myself, and certainly all of the shoes, if I could have afforded them. How did he know me so well?
Sure enough, there were three designer clutches along with a treasure trove of jewelry in all those other boxes. My eyes ached from the amount of sparkle and shine, and I finally leaned against the couch from my spot on the floor with at least a hundred thousand dollars’ worth of bling strewn across my lap. Hetty opened the last box to reveal an actual diamond and emerald tiara and we both cracked up laughing after I reached for it and popped it on her head.
She hurriedly took it off and nestled it back in its satin box, shaking her head. “Do you know what time you should be ready?”
I slumped, because of course I didn’t. Ivan didn’t consult with me, he ordered me around. Or his goons did. I got up and scurried to the door, startling Maksim, who gave me his customary dirty look.
“Ask your boss what time I’m supposed to be ready, if I’m supposed to be ready at all,” I said bitterly.
He tapped out a message on his phone and glared at me while he waited for a reply. I glared right back. His phone pinged a few seconds later and he told me seven o’clock. Hetty sucked in a breath behind me.
“It’s four-thirty now. We have to get started.”
Slamming the door on Maksim, I turned around and looked at my living area, which now resembled Aladdin’s cave with all the riches. Truth be told I was tired of being miserable, either angry or resentful or just plain sad. My intense morning sickness had mostly subsided and apparently I was about to get a night out on the town. I wanted to let go and have some fun.
Hetty was as good of a friend as I had in that situation, and she was just as eager to get me glammed up as I was to look amazing. She wanted me to choose the full-length, green silk gown and to wear the tiara with it, describing how she wanted to put my hair up.
“It’s not prom, Hetty, it’s just a date.” But my cheeks grew warm, and I couldn’t hide my smile thinking about it. Not just getting to leave the house, but spending time with Ivan. I wanted him to find me attractive.
“He wouldn’t have picked this dress if he didn’t want you to wear it,” she said. “And it fits you like a glove.”
I had tried it on just to get her to stop nagging me, and it really did look perfect. My stomach barely pooched out and the supple fabric skimmed the rest of my curves, accenting them in all the best places. When I walked across the room and did a dramatic turn like I was in a runway show, the silk swished enticingly along my calves.
“Fine, I’ll wear it.”
How could I not? This was my big night out. It had been just under a month since my “wedding,” if the tense ceremony in the neon chapel in Vegas counted as one, and this was the first time I was getting to leave the secluded grounds. Hetty cheered and then made me get out of it so she could fix my hair and makeup. By the time she was done, I almost thought I could go down to any agency on the beach and get signed. If I was six inches taller, anyway.
“You’re a miracle worker,” I told her, twisting and turning to admire my new look.
“Eh, you’re very pretty, Miss Reina. Just accept it.”
I wished she wouldn’t call me Miss. It only reminded me we weren’t really two friends hanging out. I refused to let it dampen my excitement while we picked out what jewelry and bag I would use. I flatly refused to wear the tiara. That was just too much. In the end, I chose a delicate, emerald-encrusted bracelet and diamond drop earrings. We decided against any of the necklaces to make my ample cleavage the star of the show.
“This is ridiculous,” I said, anxiously twisting the bracelet. It had to be worth more than a car. “Who wears jewelry like this?”
“People who live in houses like this,” Hetty said with a shrug. “People like you, Miss Reina.”
There was a sharp rap at the door, and Ivan came through it. I barely noticed Hetty skittering around him to leave because he took my breath away. Dressed in a crisp and perfectly tailored, dark gray suit with a snowy white shirt he looked even taller than usual. He was clean-shaven and while I loved the feel of his rough stubble against my tender skin, his strong jaw and full lips not being hidden made me realize just exactly how handsome he was. Even the intense look in his eyes was softened a little by his smooth cheeks and it made him a bit less intimidating. Only a bit, because his eyes were as fierce as always as he looked me up and down. There was ownership in his gaze, which made me bristle even as it sent shivers all over my skin. There was also pride there, which made me puff up and extra grateful for Hetty’s help.
