She flashes another of those disarming, big, artless smiles of hers. “Enjoy the rest of your stay in London, and if you are back here again, do give me a shout and we’ll have coffee or something. My card will be delivered together with all your purchases directly to Mr. Tsarnov’s driver at the hotel.”
I thank her again and slip out of the car and walk towards the glass doors. On either side are huge pots of bamboo. My stomach is growling with hunger. Other than a yellow macaroon I was offered at one of the boutiques I haven’t eaten anything since last night.
Raine
It is a terribly exclusive restaurant. You can feel it in the minimalist air. To start with there are more staff in starched, plain orange pinafores than there are patrons. The leaf green walls are without pictures or ornaments and the seats are black and yellow. Everything is either shining with polish or immaculately green.
A waiter comes to greet me.
I give him Konstantin’s last name and he nods politely and takes me to a secluded table where Konstantin is seated. He is concentrating so hard on something on his ipad screen, he does not even realize I am there until I am almost on top of him. Still, it gives me a rare chance to study him while he is unaware and again I am struck by how different he is from any man I have ever gone out with. I remember the way he was when I accidentally found the USB stick.
“Hello,” I whisper.
He looks up and smiles. The naked avenging god is gone. In its place the immaculately dressed, unknowable billionaire.
“Did you have a good time?”
“Yes, I did, thank you.” I wrinkle my nose. “Jane is incredibly knowledgeable and easy going, but she has also railroaded me into buying a lot more stuff than I have ever bought in my life.”
He grins. “Did you get something sexy for me to rip off?”
I giggle. “Yes.”
He smiles, it carries promise and secrets. “Good.”
The waiter comes and we order cocktails. The service is amazing and the drinks arrive almost immediately. My drink is sweet and refreshing. I sip it while I study the menu. It is a fusion restaurant, French and Thai. After we order we chat a bit about London.
The conversation is a surreal affair. He behaves as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened, but I cannot forget how quickly and frighteningly intense his eyes became in a fraction of a second. There is more, much more to him than he shows the world.
What secret is he hiding? He said he would tell me when we get to his house and I will just have to be patient until then.
The food arrives quickly. Since the establishment bears all the marks of a pretentious nouvelle cuisine restaurant, I expected the overpriced food to come in tiny portions with weird tasting ingredients, but I am surprised by how totally yummy my pickled green papaya and smoked duck are. And they are not small either.
I lean back on the chair replete. “What’s next on the agenda?”
“I believe you wanted a ride on an open-top bus, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, but I don’t really want to go on my own so I’ve given up on the idea. If I come back I’ll do it.”
“I’m coming with you.”
My eyes widen with surprise. “You’ll come with me on a bus?”
“Well, sort of.”
“What does that mean?”
“Come, I’ll show you.” We walk out of the door, cross the road and go into the building opposite. A man sitting at the reception nods respectfully at him. There is an elevator at the foyer which we enter.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“Patience, Raine,” he teases.
The elevator doors swish open and we get out to a narrow space with a set of stairs. We walk up the stairs together, he opens a fire door and I step out onto the roof of the building. There is a helicopter waiting on a helipad.
“We’re going in that?” I scream, my voice full of excitement.
He smiles at me, a smile of indulgence and pleasure, like a father who presents his daughter with her first bicycle. “Yes.”
“Wow, This is so ah-ma-zing,” I gush.
Then the pilot starts the chopper’s engine, the blades start moving, wind whips my hair into my face and eyes, and the air fills with the sound of the engine. With a laugh of pure joy, I tuck my head down, and hand in hand we run towards the chopper like children on the way to a fabulous adventure.
The trip is the best thing that has ever happened in my life, oh wait, after the sex that is. The sex with Konstantin Tsarnov is obviously and definitely the best, but this is a close second.
Raine
By the time we arrive back at the hotel my body is pulsing for him. The need is so powerful I can hardly keep my hands off him in the old-fashioned elevator. As soon as we get to the suite, he slams the door with his foot and crushes me to him. I wrap my arms around him.