A/N: Hey guys! All of you are amazing! I seriously cannot thank you enough. This chapter is short, but crucial for the future of this story. Enjoy!

-Breanna

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from this story and all creative rights to the characters belong to Richelle Mead.

The original content, ideas and intellectual property of this story are owned by Ms. Belikov. Please do not copy, reproduce, or translate without express written permission.

RPOV:

God, I needed to get a hold of myself. Seriously. I was a pathetic mess. Vicious sobs racked through my body as I walked down the hall towards Victor's room, using the wall to steady myself, with my bag swung over my shoulder.

I didn't have all of my belongings with me, there was no way I could haul all of that stuff out of the mansion before Dimitri caught me. Right now, I felt like I was suffocating and all I cared about was getting out, getting far away from him.

"Rose?...Rose?" Dimitri asked, striding towards me. His eyes flashed down to the duffel bag resting at my hip. His face grew dark and angry. "What are you doing?"

I growled around my tears. "Leaving."

"Why?"

I ignored him as I started walking to Victor's room, but Dimitri's colossal body stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

"Get out of my way." My lips curled up into a sneer. The tears and sadness were long forgotten, and my blood turned to ice.

"Not until you tell me why you are leaving and where you are going."

"Go to hell!" I shoved his chest. When all it did was cause me to bounce back, I grunted and pushed harder. It was like trying to move a boulder, he didn't go anywhere.

"Tell me why you feel the sudden urge to pack up and leave, and then I will let you get to your uncle."

"Fuck you," I said, suddenly feeling exhausted and defeated. Heartache will do that to you. "How could you Dimitri? How could you? Why? Am I not good enough?"

He looked positively dumbstruck as he crossed his bulging arms. "Pardon me? Do what?"

I laughed bitterly, threw my hands up. "Oh, great. Now you're playing dumb. Just splendid." I pointed my finger in his face. "Tell me the truth. Why was Tasha in your bedroom?"

"I fired her." Dimitri said. Damn, he was a good liar. His face showed no signs of guilt.

"Fired her. Why? She didn't meet your expectations in bed? Had to let her go?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Damn it! I saw her in your room, naked, and kissing you." I looked at him expectantly. "Please tell me that I am not crazy. Tell me what happened, Dimitri. Now. Or I swear to god, any chance of us ever getting back together is gone. Forever."

Realization settled in his bottomless eyes. Dimitri was quick to explain, he didn't stutter over his words or pause. "I fired Tasha earlier today because she wasn't doing her job right. Unexpectedly, she came to my room to try and reason with me, to get her job back, but when I denied her...Tasha went to desperate measures, and honest to god, threw herself at me, in hopes of getting her job back."

"You're a good liar, you know that? A fast one too." I said. "Get out of my way. I'm leaving." The burn in my chest was from despair, loss, and…love. Goodbyes hurt, but it was time for me to leave Dimitri behind in my past. This whole situation was too much for me to handle. I wanted my crappy apartment back, my endless minimum-wage job, and most of all, my simple, loveless life.

Suddenly, I was slammed against the wall and pressed against Dimitri, his arms boxing me in at either side of my head. He leaned his face down to mine slowly, some dark brown hair getting in his eyes. "Do you honestly think I would be so stupid as to have a woman in my room when I knew you were coming up?" he hissed.

I pondered the thought for a moment and sniffled. "No."

"I may be a lot of things Roza, but a liar isn't one of them. I am telling you the truth, I swear on my grandmother's grave."

I gulped.

"Tasha didn't get an important fax over to one of my clients today, and it cost me twenty-seven thousand dollars." Dimitri said. "I just had her escorted off the premises because she refused to leave my room."

I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that he was telling me the truth. There was no way I could not believe him. And I felt like a complete and stupid idiot for jumping to conclusions. I was so impulsive all the time…and fricking pigheaded.

"So you weren't going to have sex with her?"

Emotions flooded his eyes. "Oh, god Roza." Dimitri dropped his face in my hair, rested against my shoulder, and I let him. "No. Never. God no." He pulled back with sad eyes and met my gaze. "Please believe me."

I fisted my fingers in his hair and pulled him back down to me again. "I believe you. I do."

"Are you going to leave?"

Slowly, I shook my head. "Not tonight." The words came out of my mouth in a whisper.

Distress and sorrow surrounded his aura like a blanket, but he nodded, taking the best he could get. "Okay."

"Besides it's not like I could anyways…Victor is watching Die Hard again."

Almost like he was on cue, Victor's shouting carried from his room and into the hall. "Yippee ki-yay motherfucker!"

"I suppose not…" Dimitri said.

"That's what happens when you buy him a flat screen, DVD player, all the action movies he could ever want, and let him go wild."

My Russian god laughed, his delicious body rumbling against mine. "I couldn't help myself. You should have seen his face when he discovered it in his room."

I shook my head. "God, you are extraordinary." I squeezed him tighter, needing to keep him from harm, wanting to hold him forever. "Thank you so much. And I am sorry for reacting the way I did about you and Tasha. I-I…I just saw you guys together and it killed me."

"Don't be sorry," Dimitri pulled back, brushed some hair from my eyes. "I would have done the same thing if I saw you in the arms of another man. Actually, no. I would have gone mad, broke down that door, and…well you can leave the rest to your imagination. As long as it contains brutality and blood and broken bones, it should do the job."

I smiled widely. "I'm not going to lie, that makes a girl feel special." There was nothing like having a man who is tough and cool but has a soft spot for you. Everybody's scared of him, except for you. Because he loves you, a lot. Snapping somebody's neck while he's buying you flowers and chocolates. I sighed. Dimitri was my dream come true. My heaven on earth.

Oh, god. What was happening to me? Why was I having fantasies about making love with Dimitri, having my Cinderella wedding, and worst of all, why did I want to have a whole bunch of little Dimitri's running around the mansion? I hated kids!

Because you're in love with him, an annoying little voice in my head sang. I ignored it.

"I don't want to push you or make you feel uncomfortable, but," Dimitri paused. "Would you still like to watch a movie with me in my room?"

"Only if I get to pick."

Reluctantly, he nodded. "Fine."

"Two words: Terminator and Godzilla."

He smiled brilliantly.

I heard a squeak and looked back, Victor had come out of his room. "Hey honey. Hey Dimitri, where can I find that Opal lady? She makes incredible sandwiches."

"She's off tonight. But you can find Mathew in the kitchen, he is a wonderful cook as well."

Victor clapped his hands. "Great!" My uncle ran over and gave me a quick hug, then a pat on the back for Dimitri. "I'll see you kids tomorrow. The movie's on pause and I've got to get me some grub!"

The kitchen doors swayed shut behind him.

I laughed. "Man, he has gained some weight. I love it. He's so healthy now."

Dimitri grabbed my hand and led me to his room.

"I've never been in here before, you know." I ran my hand along the black silk duvet that lay on his massive bed, grimacing and pulling back when I imagined how many women had been on it.

"What is wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing." I bit my nail and continued to study his bedroom. There was a seventy-two inch plasma screen, expensive-looking oil paintings, a cherry-wood dresser with matching nightstands, and perched on the window ledge was four lit candles, giving the room an orange, intimate glow.

"This is really nice."

Dimitri came over to me and looked me in the eye. "Tell me what is wrong. Why did you look as if you wanted to vomit when you were near my bed?"

I shrugged.

"Tell me."

"I was just thinking about how many women have been in it, that's all. But it's none of my business really."

"Of course it is your business," He grabbed my hands. "I have my sheets changed and duvet dry cleaned weekly. And there hasn't been anyone but me in that bed for months."

I smiled, pleased. "Really?"

"Yes."

"I would kiss you right now if I hadn't seen Tasha put her mouth on yours. Go brush your teeth and stuff, and then come back for some sugar."

Dimitri laughed as he went into his bathroom. I followed. As he flossed and brushed his teeth, I gaped at how beautiful the room was…Ivory marble floors, a walk in shower with black tile and three different shower-heads, a luxurious bathtub with jets, and a fireplace. A goddamn fireplace in his bathroom.

"Do you like it?" He took the cap off the bottle of blue Listerine, poured some into his mouth, swished the liquid around.

"Yeah," I nodded. "It's…It's unbelievable."

Dimitri spit into the sink and dried his mouth with a towel. "I have to take a quick shower."

"Mind if I watch?" I teased.

"Not at all."

"Very tempting, but...I'll put the movie in and get the snacks ready." I shut the door softly.

After popping Terminator into the DVD player, flicking on the plasma, and laying all of the food and drinks on the table, I plopped down on Dimitri's bed, munching on some Snow Caps, waiting for him. The mixture of laundry soap and aftershave on the duvet smelled like heaven.

Moments later, Dimitri came out of the bathroom, dripping wet, shoulder-length brown hair down, only wearing a towel around his waist. Seeing all of that wonderful caramel skin, bulging arms, broad chest and shoulders, and gloriously chiseled eight-pack…my control snapped.

"What the hell are you trying to do to me?" I hissed, running over and tackling his body to the ground, crushing my mouth to his. I was claiming Dimitri as mine. Because he was. And he always would be.

Reluctantly, I pulled back, breathless. "I-I-I…you should get dressed."

I climbed off of him and straightened out my shirt, which had been hiked up when my Russian god had his hands all over me.

Dimitri stood up and fixed his towel.

"Why is it so cold in here?" I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself.

He simply grinned.

"You little shit, you turned down the thermostat on purpose."

"How else was I supposed to get you in bed?"

I narrowed my eyes.

"I meant under the covers," Dimitri explained hastily. "Just so that you're warm and you can get some rest. Nothing else. I'll even sleep on the ground if that makes you more comfortable." He swore in Russian, raking a frustrated hand through his hair. "I really screwed this up, didn't I? Please don't leave, Roza. Stay here tonight…don't pull away from me. I just want you here. With me."

"You're really cute when you beg, you know that? I like it." I peeled back the massive covers and slid inside the bed. "I want you to lay with me tonight." I patted the spot to my left. "Keep me warm."

Dimitri disappeared inside his closet in the blink of an eye. When he came back out moments later, he was wearing cotton pajama bottoms and a white muscle shirt. Although he looked incredibly sexy like that…"You're wearing too much for my liking."

His eyes practically bulged out of his head in surprise.

"Oh, relax. I'm not asking you to get naked." I got on my knees and waved my hands. "Come here. Come on. Come to Mama."

I pressed my lips to his as I slid my hands from his shoulders, all the way down to the bottom of his shirt. He smelled like water, soap, and his natural masculine scent…it was intoxicating.

I ripped my mouth away from his and met his dark and lust filled eyes. It was nearly my undoing. I moaned loudly, just from looking into his eyes, that's how desirable he made me feel.

Slowly, I slid the shirt up and over his head, revealing the body of a god. The shirt dropped to the floor as my eyes feasted upon Dimitri.

Unable to help myself, I ran my hands up and down his torso, loving the way his mountains of muscle rippled under my touch.

"You are so beautiful." I murmured, lowering my head and pressing my mouth to the hard flesh of his stomach. Dimitri kicked his head back and growled, like a wild animal. That one noise turned me on so much that I had to pull back, afraid of what I might do…or how far we might go.

"We should stop. Not tonight. I'm not ready."

Dimitri nodded. "I understand. Will you still stay with me tonight?"

"Do you honestly think I can leave after that? No." I smiled, laying down on the bed. "Come here. I want you to hold me." The mattress dipped down as it took in his weight. A moment later, I felt his arm around my waist. Dimitri pulled me into his body and rested his forehead against my shoulder. I had never felt so safe. The heat coming from him was maddening, I instantly felt myself relax.

"Thank you." He whispered, Russian accent thick. Dimitri grabbed the remote and pressed play on the movie. Those long fingers of his weaved themselves into my hair as I fought to keep my eyes open.

"You're not going to work as a housekeeper anymore," Dimitri said. "I want you to be my secretary. Do you think you can handle making me coffee and faxing papers?"

"I dated you for two years," I smiled. "I can handle anything."

Unknown POV:

He slapped the photo down on the table. "Meet Dimitri Belikov, thirty-one years of age, multibillionaire, owns some of the worlds most profitable hotels."

"Married? Children? Tell me about his family background." The blonde male said.

"Belikov has paid good money to keep their lives private and away from the public eye, but I was still able to dig some information up. Belikov visits his family monthly, and they all live together on a private estate in some town in Russia named Baia..." He shrugged, pulled out a cigarette, and paused before lighting it, "Do you mind if I smoke in here?"

The blonde male had a look of disgust. "Yes, I do."

"Too bad." He took a long drag and exhaled, thick grey smoke surrounded the two like a cloud. He reached into his pocket and pulled out something wrapped in yellow cloth. He gently set it on the table and pulled back the towel, careful not to get his fingerprints anywhere on the cool metal. "I need you to take him out."

"How much are we talking here?" The blonde male asked, staring at the 9mm pistol with the silencer attached to it.

He scribbled something down on the check and handed it to him, enjoying the look of surprise on the younger man's face when he read it. "I know your time is important, so I wanted to make sure that this was worth your while."

"Seven digits are definitely worth my while." The blonde male crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "When do you want me to do it?"

"As soon as possible."

As always, I'd love to hear what you think!