Angelina
Alexi, Luka and I had spent the entire morning talking about how things went on Friday night with Sabina and Dahlia, and how we were going to proceed at lunch.
As with the porn re-enactment from this morning, I had my concerns about the validity of the plan. I had felt that the whole living out a porn thing was too obvious while the plan for lunch made me feel we were being too subtle.
I had messaged my concerns to the boys and Alexi had charmingly replied:
Calm down, kid. Most guys would be content with just a visual to spark off their imaginations. But with Mitri, being the brooding, I-think-I'm-such-a-tortured-artist-even-though-I've-had-a-Black-Master-Card-from-birth type, you're going to have to appeal to his mind as well as his...little friend...to get him going.
I had re-arranged Dimitri's schedule to where we'd synchronized our lunch breaks perfectly, so that it would coincide with the only gap Dimitri would have today. I would have asked if Luka and Alexi had something to do, but with the amount of slacking off they do on a daily basis, I doubt it.
I had gotten all of my things together when the guys came to get me. Though it wasn't necessarily "the" plan, we felt that me flirting outrageously with every man who wasn't Dimitri was a good idea. Luka explained that this would appeal to his "inner caveman", which according to him, was buried very deep under a stack of 5-figure Armani suits.
The idea of Dimitri going caveman, throwing me over his shoulder and dragging me off so he could stake his claim on me, was something that featured many a time in my fantasies. Therefore, when Luka practically pinned me to his side and dragged me into Dimitri's office, I didn't put up a fight.
We entered his office to find him hunched over his desk, sleeves of his sky blue shirt rolled up; tie loose, studiously flipping through a report with a pen tucked behind his ear. Tucking a pen behind his ear was something he always did when he had to make notes or corrections on a document, and it was something that I - of course - found bloody adorable. In all honesty, the man could be a closet cross-dresser and listen to the Jonas Brothers and I'd still find him freakin' perfect.
When we came in, he sat up straight to see who was there, and his eyes immediately zeroed in on the hand Luka had on the side of my hip. His gaze was only there for a second before it flickered up to my eyes.
His eyes boring into mine made me blush, and I had to suck my bottom lip into my mouth, biting it, to keep from squirming away from Luka's hand. It was like I felt guilty that his arm was around me just because Dimitri gave me a pointed look - which was insane.
Dimitri's gaze lowered to my bottom lip momentarily before he abruptly turned to his brother. "What can I do for you, Luka?"
Oh gee, just ignore me.
Luka rolled his eyes at Dimitri's formality, which I knew was only for my benefit. Both he and Alexi had said that Dimitri was far less "stick-up-the-ass" when he was away from his employees.
"Just thought I'd let you know that I'm steeling Ang here." He paused there deliberately, letting an uncomfortable silence linger, before adding, "for lunch, of course."
"Of course." The reply was curt. But Dimitri, who was one of those people who could have an entire conversation just through his facial expressions and eyes, seemed to convey a message to Luka silently while I watched on. He looked frustrated about something.
What ever the communication entailed, it made Luka smirk slightly, while leaving me completely nonplussed and Dimitri looking even more frustrated.
"Brilliant." Luka said winningly, using the hand on my hip to steer me to the door. "We're just going to be in the restaurant with Al if you need anything. Let's roll Ang, apparently Dimitri doesn't mind lending you out."
The second we had joined Alexi in Dimitri's elevator I whirled on Luka. "Lending me out? You make me sound like a by-the-hour hooker!"
He let out a sound that was suspiciously like a snort. "Actually I made you sound like Dimitri's property." He and Alexi exchanged knowing looks at that. "Trust me, appealing to his possessiveness is the angle you want to be going for."
"And what was with the look you two had in there?" I asked, not done questioning him. Luka just grinned, patting my head like I had just rolled over or played-dead. It was annoying habit both he and Alexi had whenever I was amusing them.
"Relax Angie, it's just brother stuff." I wasn't sure I believed him, but we had reached the fifth floor, where there was an employee restaurant we occasionally frequented when we couldn't be bothered going out for lunch.
Once we'd gotten into a booth and ordered, Luka and Alexi immediately began subtly, and then outright, begging me for Sabina and Dahlia's numbers. I was under strict instructions not to give them out until Wednesday, so that I could "gage their level of eagerness and attentiveness" for the girls.
Which was pretty irrelevant at this point considering the fact that Sabina was literally seconds away from letting Alexi fuck her on top of our club table. I thought to myself.
We had been sitting there for half an hour, and we were starting to worry that the plan wasn't going to work. Outright inviting Dimitri to lunch when he had never shown any inclination of wanting to join us before (and when we had never offered) obviously wasn't going to work.
So instead Alexi had purposely omitted some details from a report he had sent Dimitri, knowing that he would need them. I was flattered that Alexi and Luka were such good friends that they were willing to go to such trouble for my silly little idea. Though, when I'd given them my very embarrassed and slightly drunk thanks on Friday, they had just laughed and told me that it was "worth it to mess with Dimitri".
Finally, Alexi's iPhone rang, and he waggled his eyebrows at me before checking the caller Id. He didn't answer the call.
"Ah, predictable Mitri. Falling right into my trap like a little lamb to the slaughter house." Luka and he cracked up at that, though I didn't get why it was so funny. "You guys are weird." I grumbled.
"Okay, so time for us to go stall for a little while...it's all up to you now Ang."
"Yeah, and if there are any confidence issues, remember that your tits are looking great in that top." Alexi said.
"I'm telling Sabina you said that!" They were already walking away when I called after Alexi, but I'm pretty certain he heard when I saw his massive shoulders flinch.
Both he and Luka were going to hide a discreet distance away so that they could watch. I wasn't too happy about that, but they assured me it was a good idea for them to judge Dimitri's responses. I was pretty positive they just wanted to laugh at me.
I pulled out the novel I had started on Saturday morning, trying to calm the automatic blush as I skipped to my bookmarked page.
I was actually slightly immersed in the novel when I felt the butterflies in my stomach, which was my spidey-senses telling me that that Dimitri was close. I felt, rather then saw, his eyes scanning over the busy restaurant, before he was suddenly striding over to me.
"Sorry to interrupt you, Miss. Jones, but is my brother here? There's some information I urgently need from him. " He asked, giving the hidden cover of my book a quick glance. The guys had told me that Dimitri was one of those people who loved to know what books people were reading, so I knew he was dying to ask what it was.
"They just went out on a coffee run. They'll be back in a minute if you'd like to sit and wait for them?" I gave Dimitri a smile as bland as buttered toast, knowing he probably thought I was bi-polar when just this morning I had been giving him the sex voice.
He hesitated, and I looked back to my book, mentally rolling my eyes. Just sit Dimitri. It's not like I'm some crazy-woman who spends all her free time dreaming about you, or who actively plans to catch and possibly devour you.
Oh wait...
He finally slid smoothly into the booth opposite me, looking distinctly uncomfortable to be there, running a hand through his hair. I gave him another courteous smile to show him I wasn't going to bother him, and turned down to my book.
Hopefully Dimitri was one of those people who liked to know other people's reading habits (just like I loved to know people's music habits, I mentally swooned at our likeness) otherwise I'd have to casually flash him the front cover of the book in the hopes of getting a response.
Luckily, he'd only been there for a minute before he suddenly blurted, "What're you reading?"
I glanced up at him, ignoring the way my heart sped up at his perfection only a foot away, and said casually, "Terry Southern."
Could he be anymore adorable? He was practically squirming in his seat, obviously wanting to ask me to elaborate, clearly not wanting to be rude, while trying to catch glances at the cover.
"Which one?" He finally asked in a defeated tone, plainly not liking having to pry.
"It's called Candy." I was praying to any deity that may be listening that I wasn't blushing.
As I spoke I saw Dimitri's blue eyes darken, and his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. Oh yes, I was definitely appealing to his mind...and his imagination. "Any good?" He croaked out quickly.
I shrugged lightly, looking him straight in the eye as I replied, "I guess. But really, there are only so many times you can read before it loses all meaning, you know?"
Dimitri couldn't have looked more shocked if I suddenly told him I was the reincarnation of Elvis. It didn't last for long, however. His face quickly smoothed, and his eyes narrowed as if he was plotting something sinister.
"No, actually, I wouldn't know. What's the book about?"
Liar.
I knew for a fact that he had studied almost every erotica novel made during for an "Interpretation of Modern Sexuality and Pornography" class he had taken as an elective in his first year of university. I knew because Luka and Alexi had told me to read the book in front of him. We'd been hoping that Dimitri would see me reading it and it would be another way for him to associate sex with well...me. I had not, however, been expecting him to pretend that he hadn't read it and then ask me to describe the fûcking plot.
What did that mean, anyway? Deciding to dwell on it later, I leant forward, my arms crossed under my breasts.
"It's about this incredibly beautiful, yet innocent and naive girl who's surrounded by men who want nothing but to dominate her sexually." I leant even closer, and I noticed that he was unconsciously doing the same, his eyes fixed on my lips.
"It's really about all the ways a person can be sexually dominated..." I licked my lips, as if contemplating my next words. A thrill shot through me, making my lower body throb, when Dimitri's tongue ran along his bottom lip, mirroring my movements. "...Or sexually pleasured. Basically, it's about how when you give someone knowledge over what gratifies you sexually, you give them power over you mentally, physically, emotionally. You belong to them."
By the time I finished talking, we were leaning so close together I could feel his cool, delicious breath on my cheek. I was sure he could feel my gasping breath on his cheek, too.
Adorable was no longer how I'd describe him.
Adorable was how you described kittens or little kids.
Dimitri Markov was smoldering.
There was so much heat in his gaze I could actually feel my body warming too him, melting for him.
He abruptly closed his eyes, breaking the tension between us. I could see his fists clenching and unclenching, his mouth pressing into a hard line. It was like he was fighting some internal battle.
I didn't want to push him too far, and I knew if I sat opposite him any longer I wouldn't be able to stop myself from burying my tongue in his mouth. Therefore I reluctantly rose to my feet, picking up my book and the bottle of water I'd purchased with lunch.
I plastered on a smile identical to the bland one from earlier, and told him in a calm tone, "Well, Mr. Markov, I'll leave you to wait for Alexi. I should get back and make sure Miss. Brenner is okay without me."
His eyes still hadn't opened, but as I moved to get out of the booth, his hand quickly lashed out, grabbing my wrist in a vice like hold. I gasped at the electric charge I felt when his skin touched mine, and I couldn't remember a time since our introductory handshake four months ago that I had felt his touch.
His eyes opened, and I couldn't help but gasp again. If I thought he was smoldering before, it was nothing to how he was looking at me now. The cords in his neck were strained, his nostrils were flared, and his eyes were black as pitch.
He looked like the Dimitri in my dreams.
"Wait." He ordered in a low, heavy voice. Heavy with what I didn't know, but whatever it was I could feel myself becoming wet in response.
Before he could expand further, Alexi and Luka were suddenly there, looking between us with equally delighted and curious eyes. Alexi had the coffee he had purchased earlier to show Dimitri evidence of his coffee run.
Seeing them, Dimitri quickly dropped my hand as if it had burned him. I tried to ignore the hurt and shuffled away from him quietly.
"We're not interrupting anything, are we?" Luka's question was directed at Dimitri, and again I noticed that his eyes were conveying something more.
Whatever that something more was, Dimitri seemed to be ignoring it. Almost as much as he was ignoring me, doing everything in his power to avoid eye contact.
"No, you're not interrupting anything, Luka." he said slowly, articulating every word carefully as if he was trying to focus. "I was just waiting to speak with Alexi."
I smiled brightly at the three of them, though Dimitri's eyes were still firmly fixed on his brothers, so he didn't see.
"I'll just be heading back to the office, then." I told them all, fighting against the impulse to touch the skin that was still tingling from his hand.
As I walked away, I thought about the inner struggle he seemed to be having, when he had closed his eyes as if to block me from view. Then for the first time I wondered if there was more to his indifference to me over the past four months then I had originally thought. Either way, there were three things I knew for certain.
One, I was incredibly, head over heels attracted to Dimitri Markov.
Two, there was a part of him, and I didn't know how large that part was, that was attracted to me too.
And three, when I got home tonight, I was definitely going have to relieve myself of the sexual tension he had created.
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YES I KNOW THAT TOOK AN INCREDIBLY LONG TIME BUT heeeeeeey looks like mr.markov is most definitely into miss. jones!
The next chapter will come sooner and won't take as long, I promise!
Aaaand we have Dahlia up at the top! Portrayed by one of the hottest red heads ever, Deborah Ann Woll.
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