It took me a little over four hours to get to Christians Aunts house in Washington DC. I had only met her once before in passing at graduation. She was much more interested in Lissa then she was in me. I pulled into the driveway. It was a modest two-story brick house. The garden was minimal but lush and green and all of the arched windows had black shutters on them. I stepped into the enclosed glass stoop and I knocked on the door.
A woman answered the door. She was tall and thin with hair cut sharp at her shoulders, it was a dark brown, so dark it was almost black and she had startling blue eyes like her nephew. She looked like she was about 35 or so. But I was bad with telling ages.
"You must be Rosemarie." She said with a smile, she had a beautiful face, round in all the right places and sharp were it was meant to be. Her large blue eyes were fringed with long jet-black lashes that grazed her cheeks as she blinked. "I'm Christan's Aunt Natasha, but you can call me Tasha."
"Lovely to meet you. I'd like to say I can tell now where Christian got his good looks from but..." I shrugged smiling at Tasha as she stepped aside gesturing for me to enter. She laughed throwing her head back. It was a hearty laugh.
"Oh, Christian warned me you were feisty." she continued her quiet chuckling as she brought me to the backyard where Lissa and Christian were sitting around some patio furniture, they had BBQ meat and salads set out on the table.
"Rose!" Lissa exclaimed standing. She was wearing a cheery yellow checkered dress that was remnant of the 50's, on anyone else but Lissa it would have looked ridiculous. Lissa embraced me. "You're just in time for lunch." she gestured to the food. "dig in."
"Always good to see you," Christian said not bothering to get up to greet me. He was already tucking into a chicken and roast vegetable shish kabob. I rolled my eyes at him and took a seat across from Tasha and beside Lissa.
"So, Rose. Lissa was just telling us all about your new job." Tasha said, she was leaning on the table her head resting on her hands as she looked over at me. Her face was a perfect heart shape. I looked over at Lissa and she was smiling brightly at me, it was clear she had been talking me up before I got here.
"Yeah, it's pretty awesome. I'm a personal assistant for a pretty big business mogul. He owns like half of New York." I said with a chuckle. Dimitri had tried to show me what he owned and what he was invested in but after the 8th business I zoned out and he just laughed at me.
"Oh," Tasha said with a large smile. "Anyone I would know?" she said looking at me with her head tilted.
"Aunt Tasha used to live in New York before she moved back here to raise me," Christian said around a sticky BBQ rib he was eating with his fingers. Tasha looked horrified at him.
"I had thought I had done a better job with him." she said looking at us with an exasperated look. "can you use a knife and fork," she muttered handing him a wad of pretty flowered paper napkins.
"His name is Dimitri Belikov," I said. "Have you heard of him?" Tasha's eyes opened a little wider for a second before composing herself. I guess she had heard of him.
"Yes," Tasha said leaning back. She didn't say anything else, just stared at me quietly. Lissa oblivious to Tasha's odd reaction, smiled at me.
"You would think someone as big and powerful would be a complete jerk but he is actually so nice, and so friendly," Lissa said pushing her salad around on her plate.
"You've met him?" Tasha said looking over at her nephew and Lissa. Christian nodded.
"He came over to our apartment for dinner the other night," Christian said. He was looking at his aunt with an odd expression he could see her change in attitude.
"What do you think Rosemarie?" Tasha said looking at me again her eyes narrowing slightly.
"I think he is amazing, he has been very patient and helpful," I said honestly. Tasha made a funny sound in the back of her throat.
"How lovely," she said with a large odd smile.
"What do you do?" I asked trying to get the conversation away from me and my job. I didn't want to think about Dimitri and my confusing feelings right now. Why had he acted like that after our kiss? Why did he hold his cards so close to his chest? Only allowing me small snippets inside to the true man.
"Nice to know that you talk so fondly of me Christian to your friends," Tasha said looking at her nephew with a quirked brow.
"Oh, I'm sure I told you before Rose that my aunt is a professor. She teaches economics and political science." Christian said back-tracking. He had begun eating his meal like a modern human. Using a knife and fork. I didn't remember Christian telling me anything like that. He didn't talk about his upbringing often. I knew that like Lissa it was hard for him to think about his parents and the things that both he and they had missed out on as he aged and grew. They would never be there for their wedding. They would never see his children being born. But I knew exactly how they felt. My mother wasn't dead and I assumed neither was my dad but they had just as much input in my life if they had of been dead.
But one thing that I would always feel in some way closer to Christian. Something that Lissa wouldn't understand. Our parents had chosen to leave us. My mother had abandoned me at a boarding school and Christian's parents had chosen a life of lies and crime. Whereas Lissa's parents were loving and kind. They didn't want to leave, they were taken from her, she grieved hard at the loss of her very soul, her family was her world and she was the last one left.
"Are you still teaching at Harvard?" Lissa asked, scraping her half-eaten food onto Christian's plate.
Tasha nodded her head at Lissa. "Hmm, yeah it's my first term back from my sabbatical. It's good to be back." Tasha's eyes were focused on Lissa and Christian as they chatted but her eyes kept flitting back to me. When she caught my eye, she would turn back as nothing happened. I was going to ask Tasha something but my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and the screen lit up. It was a message from Dimitri. My heart contracted as I opened the phone with my thumbprint. I held my breath as I read the message and let it go in a rush as I read it.
I know you are technically off duty. But can you please arrange for Jessie the housekeeper to have the sauna serviced and pick me up some new towels for the pool, pick whatever you think will suit. I was just in there and it's looking very tired.
Thanks.
I frowned shaking my head. This was not urgent matters. New towels. I sighed and Lissa looked over at me. "Everything okay Rose?" Lissa asked her hand touching my arm.
"Yeah." I laughed. "just a message from Dimitri asking for me to do some stuff for him." I said with a smile. It was my job after all. I had agreed to virtual 24-7 terms.
"Like what?" Tasha asked, she was wrapping a lock of her round and round her finger. I looked painfully tight. "isn't It the weekend, surely he gives you some time off."
"Oh, it's okay I don't mind, it's just funny. He wants me to pick out towels for him." I said with a shrug. Tasha frowned.
"is that appropriate, you picking out his towels, surely that's not in an assistants job description." She said with a little humourless laugh. Christian shook his head.
"Theirs is not a usual arrangement. She's basically at his beck and call day and night. She even lives with the guy. I was surprised when you showed up here, and even more surprised he wasn't towing along with you." Christian said with a chuckle. He pretended to look behind me like Dimitri was hiding back there. I stuck my finger up at him and he gave me one in return. We both laughed and Lissa sighed loudly beside me. She was glad we got along but she hated the way we teased each other all the time.
Tasha's brows were in her hair. "You live with him? How long have you known him?" she exclaimed before catching herself and giving me an apologetic smile. "sorry it's just I watch a lot of dateline. And you don't want to become a skin suit...do you Rose?" Tasha said her face the picture of concern. Christian snorted beside her and Tasha gave him a withering look even I might have cowered under. Christian put his hands up in defence.
"Oh Tasha, don't worry about Rose. He isn't like that and anyway she could take him. She already bet him up when they fought the other day." Lissa said proudly. I had tried time and time again to train Lissa so that I knew that when I wasn't able to be around she was safe. New York was our home and I loved it but it could be a bit daunting by yourself at night. But she couldn't do it. It wasn't in her nature to raise a hand to anyone, even if it was defending herself. She was content to sit on the sidelines and cheer me on as I took out everyone who came up against me.
"What do you mean when they fought?" Tasha asked with a laugh.
"I'm training Dimitri. I used to be a personal trainer." I answered Tasha.
"Well, what can't you do Rose?" Tasha said with a grin. Christian rolled his eyes.
"Hmm, let's see. Clean up after herself, cook, be an actual decent human being." Christian said with a grin. I picked up my eaten corn cob and threw it at him. He deflected it and it bounced into Lissa's lap. She just picked it up with dainty fingers and tossed it onto the table.
"that's not nice to say about yourself Christian. I'm sure you can learn to cook." I said with a smirk. Christian was about to say something back but Tasha interrupted him.
"Are they always like this?" She asked laughing but shaking her head.
Lissa laughed. "Unfortunately, yes. They never stop. The day they act civil to each other is the day pigs fly."
The rest of the weekend went by quickly but it was filled with laughs and relaxation. I floated in the pool for most of the rest of Saturday. And Lissa and Tasha dragged me around shopping most of Sunday. When it was time to go home I was both glad and sad. I had enjoyed my time in Washington but something about Tasha's behaviour that first lunch had gotten stuck under my skin. She had been the picture of friendship and kindness the rest of our time, but I still remembered the odd tone and the weird looks she had given me. She gave us each a big hug as we climbed into my car. Lissa and Christian had taken the train up on Friday evening.
When I was about to head to the car with the others Tasha caught my hand and pulled me in for a hug. "Be careful Rose," Tasha said quietly before pulling back. She said nothing more just waved at her nephew and Lissa as they got in the car. Christian had won the heads of tails to drive so I had the whole back seat to myself.
I made myself comfortable for the long drive and pulled out my iPad. I sent Dimitri's housekeeper a message about the sauna and pulled up the page for Bergdorf Goodmans. I searched through their towels changing my sort by to Most expensive to lowest. I knew Dimitri was not a bargain hunter and wanted the best. I ended up picking a nice set of fluffy white towels with two thin black stripes of black cotton on one end. Because I had spent over $1000 they offered free delivery. I put in the details and pressed confirm.
I groaned and shook my head. Lissa turned around. "Everything okay back there?" she asked with a laugh.
"No, I feel dirty. I just spent $1000 of Dimitri's money on towels." I laughed. I know it wasn't my money and Dimitri had plenty but I hated spending money frivolously.
"Oh, come on Rose that's not that bad. How many did you get?" she asked with a grin. Lissa had no problem spending money but she had grown up around it. She was old money. I was very very green; my money was my proof that I worked hard and I didn't want to part with it just yet.
"5 bath sheets at $110 each. 5 washcloths at $40 each and 5 hand washers at $50 each... does that sound okay?" I asked curiously. Maybe I should have gotten Lissa's advice. What if Dimitri hated them!
"No that's fine. I don't really know why you got hand towels and washcloths for a pool but I don't think Dimitri will even notice that kind of money coming out of his account." Lissa said giving me a comforting smile.
"Yeah, he probably makes more than a thousand dollars just sitting on the toilet taking a shit," Christian said, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to the music.
"Classy Christian." I groaned. Lissa looked both appalled and like she was trying not to laugh.
In the end, I had Lissa and Christian drop me off at Dimitri's penthouse. It was late and I knew I could have stayed the night at our place but I knew I had to be at Dimitri's at 6 am for training so It was easier. And I had way more stuff here than I did there anyway.
I left my bags with them and headed up to the apartment. I let myself in and peered around a little before I stepped out of the elevator. "Hello," I called. My voice echoed off the marble walls. "I'm back Dimitri," I said stepping out.
"Hello, Rose. I can hear you just fine. Front desk also paged me a told me you were on your way up." I heard Dimitri's voice call. I walked around the pillar and he saw him. He was sitting on the couch watching some tv, he smiled at me. It wasn't his full mega-watt smile. But it was a sight for sore eyes.
"Oh, they do that?" I said stepping around and joining Dimitri on the couch. I shucked off my shoes and curled up my knees against my chest.
"Only when the person seems suspicious," he said turning to look at me from his place on the couch. I rolled my eyes at him and he chuckled. "the elevator was a big hint too. You are one of the small few who has a key card." Dimitri clarified. "So, it was either, you. Jessie the housekeeper, Ivanna or an axe wheeling murderer." Dimitri smirked at me and I couldn't help but be so confused by his rollercoaster of emotions. One minute we are sharing a mind-blowing balcony kiss, the next he won't even look at me and sends me very odd emotionless text messages and now! Now he is being funny and witty and just really damn sexy.
"Are you bipolar?" I blurted out. I was pretty sure Dimitri had been speaking but I hadn't heard a word. He stared at me open-mouthed.
"No..why?" he said frowning at me. "are you crazy?" he laughed. "who asks someone something like that!" he shook his head.
"It's just you don't make any sense." I said "one minute your hot the next minute your cold." I shrugged my shoulders.
"Oh, so you think I'm hot..." Dimitri said with a grin. I sighed loudly exasperated.
"See" I pointed at him "that, that is very confusing," I said with a humourless laugh.
"I'm sorry," Dimitri said with a little smile tugging at his lips. "I don't mean to confuse you."
"It's fine. you know what I'm just overreacting, I'm tired it's been a long weekend." I said with my own small smile. Dimitri placed his hand on mine where it was sitting in my lap.
"How was your trip?" Dimitri asked. My keen eye caught the little grimace as he said it.
"Yeah, it was fine. It was nice to meet the person who raised Christian after his parents were killed." I looked down at Dimitri's hand, I expected them to be perfect and smooth like most men. But they were scarred and imperfect. Little shiny white marks showing that Dimitri had fought and clawed his way up the ladder, he was a self-made man. "it was very brave of her." I said looking up at Dimitri. His eyes were closed off but his fingers were making a slow circle over my knuckles.
"Yes, it was very brave. Not many people would do something like that." Dimitri said quietly, I placed my other hand over his and gave it a squeeze. He smiled crookedly at me. "it's something I could see you doing."
"me?" I laughed. "I would be horrible at raising a child." I scoffed. Dimitri shook his head.
"No, I don't believe that. You are wild and impulsive. But you are also soothing and gentle, you are kind and compassionate. I know I have only known you a short time. But from the moment I met you I knew you were something special. Something out of the ordinary." Dimitri's voice was soft but stern, it held an authoritative tone that said if I argued he would rebut straight back. My heart fluttered.
"Thank you, Dimitri." I smiled, his other hand brushed a stray lock of my hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering at my temple.
I turned my head leaning into his touch. His fingers traced the outline of my face like he was memorising it. I shuffled closer to him so my knees were almost in his lap and I was kneeling on the couch next to him. His hand traced up my jaw and slowly his fingers crept down behind my ear and along the side of my neck. His fingers were so warm on my cool skin. My breathing picked up and I leant into him. His fingers continued down tracing along my collar bones his fingers dipping into the gap in the middle. His eyes looked up into mine asking for permission and I nodded. His hands traced around my breast avoiding that area for now and pressed against my rib cage. He added his other hand. His hands moved in unison down my sides then up my back. It was a slow sensuous agonising pace. I could feel my heart hammering away and my breathing getting harder. His hands glided slowly along my backside and my eyes fluttered closed. I could feel the couch dip ad he turned around. I opened my eyes. He was kneeling on the couch in front of me too. His hands glided down my arms and he caught at my hands. He placed them on his chest and I smiled.
"Your turn." He whispered. His hands were still on either side of my waist. I took the same path Dimitri had, tracing his face then his chest, my fingers moving across every muscle revelling in the way they flinched as my fingers touched them. I touched my fingers at last to Dimitri's lips and smiled. They were beautiful lips. soft and full, I leant up and replaced my finger with my lips. Dimitri tasted like fresh strawberries. I sighed into his mouth as he gripped my waist pulling me closer till our bodies were touching up and down. This time I let my hands rove and linger, they pressed and pulled and I lost track of how long we knelt there on the couch kissing until I could feel my head spinning.
Dimitri pulled away but only far enough that he could touch his forehead to mine. I grinned up at him.
"You're so good at that," I whispered my fingers combing through his loose hair.
"And so are you," Dimitri said, he was cupping the back of my neck his other hand intertwined with mine. I didn't remember when that had happened but I was gripping his fingers tightly. "You are really something. I can't get you out of my head no matter how hard I try." Dimitri said his words coming out in a rush.
"I've tried too." I said with a laugh. "but I ended up right back here." I mused. From the moment I had laid eyes on Dimitri, he had intrigued me. He was beautiful, he was kind, he was filled with surprises I was dying to uncover.
"I would so love to see where this goes.." Dimitri said as he lent back. He dropped his hand from my neck and my hand fell away from his hair but he kept his hand tight around mine. "But we can't," he said with a frown. I caught my breath and looked up at him.
"Why?" I asked curiously. I bit on my bottom lip, it was swollen from all the kissing.
"I'm your boss." he said his forehead furrowed. "and I am way too fucked up to bring you into this."
That caught me off guard I dropped his hand and looked at him like he had just grown two head.
"what do you mean?" I said. Dimitri reached up his hand and gripped my chin. He pulled on it releasing my bottom lip from my teeth.
"You have to stop doing that. It's very distracting." he grinned. It wasn't a full grin but it was still playful. "I don't want to talk about it now, and probably never will. I think you are amazing and pure and that's why I don't want to be involved with you. For your sake, were better off just colleges and friends." Dimitri said. "deal?" he asked putting out his hand. I couldn't help but remember what Tasha had said before I left
Be careful...
I didn't want to agree but I knew that if I didn't I wouldn't just lose Dimitri as a friend or possibly more, I would lose my job. so, I took Dimitri's hand and shook it. "Deal," I said softly, my other hand was behind my back my fingers crossed. I knew it was childish but it helped me to lie to his face when I knew this wasn't going to be the end. I would get to the bottom of this. I would find out why Dimitri thinks he is too fucked up to date and why Christian's aunt was such a wacko when Dimitri was brought up. There was history there and I was going to uncover it if he liked it or not.
"Well," Dimitri said with a sad smile. "I think it's about time we both got to bed. We have training bright and early 6 am tomorrow morning then a morning meeting at 8." I nodded standing up from the couch. Dimitri did too.
"No problem. I'll set my alarm." I said smiling at Dimitri even though I felt like picking up my shoes and belting him over the head with it. This was exactly what I had been talking about when I told him he was giving me mixed signals.
"Thank you, Roza. For being so understanding. I really do appreciate you and everything you do." He said squeezing my shoulder before heading off towards his room. I watched him leave shaking my head.
oh, this was so on. I was going to make Dimitri take back those words soon enough. He was going to be begging on his knees for me. I smiled to myself all the way up to my own room.
Only because I love you all and I was just in awe of all your feedback on the last chapter I have bestowed upon you a new chapter!
*the crowd goes wild*
what are our thoughts on this chapter...whats going on? what is Dimitri doing? is he playing with Roses' head on purpose, is there someone else? is $1000 too much to spend on towels for a pool?! I don't know you tell me!
also someone please help me. I have a cold again and I am just miserable, I want to call in sick for work and just sleep all day but its just a cold and I would feel awful, my appointments would have no one and it's just too hard. I'd like to be a dhampir and not get sick. anyway, moral of the story what are your cold cure remedies. I have the sorest throat and I keep coughing and I'm hot and cold and just so tired. i don't really like antibiotics and stuff like that If I can help it. but i have tried pineapple juice for my sore throat. that was a tastey if not super sugar treat but did nothing. i was taking these weird japanese herbs but they just tasted so bad and they were like the size of a small village.
help me.
anyway enough about that! thanks for reading enjoy i love you all! new chapter should be up sunday/monday.
