You Don't Own Me (The Russian Don 1)

While she goes to find a selection of jackets, I receive a text. It’s a blast from the past.

How’s it going? xx

For a fraction of an instant I hesitate. Then I text him a reply back. One that tells him exactly where he is in my life.

Great. Thanks for a being my friend. I really appreciate it. X

Mark’s reply is instant and a bit intriguing.

I’m the best friend you have at the moment. Don’t forget that. No matter what happens you can rely on me. xx

But the sales lady comes back with four different styles for Noah to try on so I just send Mark some kisses and a hug.

‘Go on, then. Try them on,’ I urge, putting my mobile back into my bag.

Noah takes the jackets from her, looks at the price tag of the first one, and recoils so drastically it is comical. ‘Fucking hell,’ he says with a horrified expression. ‘This thing is nearly two thousand pounds. Who’s going to pay for it?’

‘I am.’ I watch his eyes bulge with surprise and amend my statement. ‘Well, Zane is. He gave me a credit card and presumably that means I can buy whatever I want with it, right?’

He rubs his jaw. ‘Yes, but … you’re supposed to buy pretty things for yourself.’

‘I don’t remember him making any such stipulation.’

‘I’ll have to check this with the boss first,’ he says holding the jacket at arms length.

I fold my hands. ‘I don’t care what you do, but you’re not coming with me to my workplace unless you are wearing something other than that thuggish black leather jacket you’ve got on.’

‘All right. I’ll take my jacket off and stand in my shirt.’

‘Absolutely not. I’m not standing here arguing with you. You’re buying a jacket or you’re not coming with me.’

For a few seconds he looks at me with a stunned and confused face, then he takes off his jacket and tries on the first one.

‘There’s a mirror there,’ I say nodding to the wall behind him.

I trail behind as he walks to it and stop when he does. I look at his reflection. ‘You like?’

‘I don’t know,’ he says shyly. ‘What do you think?’

‘I kinda like it, but it’s very similar to the one you already have. Let’s see what the other three look like before we decide, huh?’

Meekly he takes it off and tries the next one.

We hit eureka with the third jacket. Both the sales assistant and I agree, Noah looks gorgeous.

‘How is it possible you haven’t got a girlfriend, Noah?’ I tease.

Big, strong, stoic Noah who wanted to body search me the first time he met me, flushes a deep shade of red.

I give the sales assistant Noah’s old jacket to put into a carrier bag, and pay for the new jacket.

‘Thank you,’ he says gruffly.

I smile at him. ‘Thank you for … protecting me.’

‘It’s my job.’

Then we pop upstairs to the Food Hall for a box of cereal before we go back down to the ground floor where I wander into the handbag department. As I pick out a smart, black leather handbag, I see Noah checking his reflection out in a mirror. Smiling, I slip the bag into the crook of my elbow and look at Noah.

‘Do you think Olga will like this?’

‘Olga?’ he asks with surprise. ‘You’re buying that for Olga?’

‘Mmmm.’

He looks at me with narrowed eyes. ‘Why?’

‘Why not? She’s always cooking for me and getting me coffee and stuff, and I’d like to get her something to say thank you.’

‘Oh,’ he says, looking at me as if I have just grown a second head.

‘So? Do you think she’ll like it?’

He shrugs. ‘I’m not a woman. I wouldn’t know.’

He looks so out of place in the perfumed, feminine environment that it makes me cheeky. ‘But would you fancy a woman who carried a bag like this though?’ I insist.

At first he stares at me as if I am mental, but then he grins, his first real grin. ‘Are all American people like you?’

‘Some,’ I say, and sail towards the cashier.

As I am paying I see Noah talking on his mobile. It must have been with the driver because by the time we get out of the doors the driver is already waiting. We get in and he drives us to my workplace.

Noah waits at the corner where he can still see me go into the building but not close enough to be seen by anybody from my office. The girls are happy to see me and offer to make a pot of tea and open the biscuit tin. I know they want to have a little gossip, but conscious of Noah waiting outside, I tell them I am in a hurry. I drop off the read manuscripts and pick another massive pile of submissions and go back out to Noah.