‘That took a long time,’ Sergei remarked when she rejoined him. He cast aside his copy of The Financial Times with a strong suggestion of relief.
‘The dress will have to
be altered,’ she admitted.
Sergei frowned, black brows pleating in surprise. ‘You’ve lost weight?’
Biting at her lower lip, Alissa said the only thing she felt she could say in the circumstances. ‘No, I’ve put it on. I’ll have to starve from now on—’
‘Not while you’re with me, milaya moya,’ Sergei quipped. ‘I won’t allow you to shrink your assets.’
It was impossible not to notice his downward glance that paid homage to the swell of her breasts beneath the sweater she wore. In receipt of that all-too-male look of appreciation, Alissa went so red she was vaguely surprised she didn’t spontaneously combust. ‘I like food too much, particularly chocolate,’ she heard herself respond inanely while she strove valiantly to ignore the sexual spark in the atmosphere.
It was a novelty for Sergei to be with a woman who admitted to enjoying food. He was more accustomed to ladies who demanded the calorie count of a dish before they would even consider eating.
Back in the limo, Alissa wondered how on earth he managed to make her so painfully aware of him as a man. Or was she oversensitive to his potent male aura? Whatever, she was conscious of every breath he drew.
In yet another exclusive designer salon they were served with champagne while a large collection of clothes was presented for scrutiny. Alissa tried on a scarlet dress and jacket. It was a perfect fit and very much more conventional in style than anything her sister would have chosen. Feeling ridiculously self-conscious, she emerged from the cubicle to let Sergei see it. He, she was starting to appreciate, liked to be in charge more than was good for him or her.
‘I like that,’ he breathed in sudden amusement. ‘Add some fur and you could be a very cute female Santa Claus…’
‘No fur, please,’ she replied, then queried, ‘Do you have Santa Claus in Russia?’
‘Ded Moroz…Grandfather Frost, and he comes in the New Year with a female sidekick called the Snowmaiden,’ Sergei told her. ‘But you can celebrate Christmas any way you want while you’re with me. I didn’t even know the festival existed until I went to live with my grandmother.’
While you’re with me; a subtle little reminder that she would be a temporary wife rather than a real one, Alissa assumed. Christmas was only seven weeks away. Where would she be living then? Feeling extraordinarily vulnerable, she stood still while his smouldering dark eyes raked over her. An inner glow spread through her pelvis, tightening her tummy muscles and leaving her insanely aware of his raw sexual power.
At his behest, she tried on outfit after outfit. Half the time he was on the phone, delivering terse commands in his own language, but the whole time his attention seemed to be on her. It bothered her that she got a thrill out of his obvious interest and she had to resist a shameful urge to preen and pose. It was becoming harder and harder for her to view their approaching marriage as just a job, since he was personalising everything. An hour after their arrival, a package was delivered to him by his chauffeur.
Alissa made her final appearance in an opulent full length turquoise silk evening gown.
One glance at her and the exquisite pain of rampant sexual arousal assailed Sergei in a tidal wave. The fabric cupping her breasts was too fine to conceal her nipples which protruded like ripe cherries. Expelling his breath in a slow hiss of restraint, he sprang upright and signalled her.
‘Come here,’ he told her when she stopped a few feet away from him.
With care, Sergei employed a tissue to wipe her lips clear of tinted gloss. ‘Less is more,’ he murmured in a roughened undertone.
Alissa gazed up at him wide-eyed and was ludicrously unprepared for the kiss that followed. Long fingers meshing with her hair, he pried her lips apart and took her mouth with erotic force. His hunger exploded through her and her head spun and her stomach lurched with excitement as if she were on a fairground ride. The tight knot in her tummy clenched hard and with every fibre of her being she craved more intimate contact.
‘Right moment, wrong place, milaya,’ Sergei quipped, setting her back from him, and she almost screamed and stamped her foot with frustration. While he called every shot and maintained supremacy, he also made her feel controlled and helpless. Nothing, it seemed, took the edge off her intense craving for him. ‘Open your mouth.’
‘Why?’ she framed stonily, annoyed that he had kissed her again and left her feeling things she barely understood and certainly didn’t want to feel. Her body was humming and all churned up in a very uncomfortable way.
‘You can’t have me right now but you can have…this,’ he murmured playfully, sliding a chocolate between her lips.
The meltingly rich taste of chocolate reached Alissa’s taste buds in a gastronomic tide of sensation. It tasted so good, she almost closed her eyes to savour it in full. ‘That is to die for,’ she whispered.
Sergei got an erotic buzz just watching her. She was a wonderfully sensual woman and she could wind him up like a clock. He wanted to scoop her up into his arms and take her somewhere private where he could sink deep and hard and repeatedly into her lush little body until he had satisfied the fierce hunger he was restraining with such difficulty. But on another level he was enjoying that unusual edge of anticipation driven by a level of moderation he had never practised before.
Somewhere close by a phone rang insistently. Alissa broke free of the spell holding her in stasis. ‘That’s mine.’
One of the assistants brought her the mobile phone from the changing room. It was Alexa calling, words gushing from her in a breathless tide. ‘Mum’s found out that you’re marrying Sergei next week. One of her friends brought in a newspaper with a picture of you together. She’s in deep shock—’
‘Oh, my word,’ Alissa exclaimed in consternation, uneasily conscious of Sergei’s proximity. ‘What did you tell her?’
‘Well, that you’d been seeing Sergei when you were still working in London but that it hadn’t worked out and that’s why you never mentioned him,’ Alexa explained. ‘And now he’s back and it’s all on again. What else could I say?’
‘This just goes on getting more and more complicated,’ Alissa lamented.