Regency Romance: The Rake's Fake Marriage (Historical Arranged Marriage Romance) (19th Century Victorian Romance) (18 page)

He was
right,
and she'd never seen it. How could she have been so lacking in understanding, she thought? ''Yes I guess that's it. That makes what happened all the harder to bear. I
was being
selfish. Have you got another
tissue?
''

''Sure,
here.''

“One weekend, I decided I wouldn't go to them. I decided to make a stand and insist they come to me. I called them and started to moan at them.'' A tear managed to escape the tissue and trickle down her cheek. ''If I remember correctly I told them they were unfeeling, and not interested in me. I asked them why they hadn't been to see
me,
and I told them to get in their car and come otherwise I wouldn't go home anymore.''

''A moment of weakness,' he said.

''A
moment
of madness. I don't know why. Suddenly I was lonely and afraid in the big
city,
and I needed them. It was pure selfishness. Anyhow, that morning it was foggy. So very
foggy
,'' she shook her head. ''I knew dad hated driving in
fog,
and although he told me it was too foggy, I simply didn't listen. I just kept on moaning.''

Dima already knew the rest of the story and thought she'd told him enough. ''It's okay I get the picture, you don't need to go on.''

But Tyra wanted to go on. She wanted to finish. She wanted to confront herself. ''Dad and
mom
, put on their Sunday best clothes, filled the car with food, including three pots of my favorite honey, and set off, in
fifty-meter
visibility.'' I don't know if I can go on now, she thought. She took a glass from the table and tried to pour herself some water. When he saw her hand trembling, Dima took over.

''Dad didn't drive too often. He only worked down the
road,
and he
walked.
Mom went on the bus. I don't even know why they had a car. Dad didn't see the slow moving truck until it was too late.'' She stopped and let out an sight. '' He ran into the back of it, bounced off it and lost control. They found them at the bottom of a ravine. The car was burned out.''

Dima just stared at her. Even for him, a man who had dispatched his
own
father, it was
a horrendous
story. ''Tyra, I......'' She looked at him and saw he was grieving for her.

''Thank you. Thank you for listening to me.'' A perfect stranger and he'd listened to her not because he was curious, but she was
convinced
because he wanted to help. ''How do I look,'' she asked.

''Your mascara has run a bit.''

''Okay, give me a minute and I'll be back.'' She hurried to the
rest room
to repair the damage.

Three security camera's here, he noted. Six in the main store. In need to get her to take me
into
the
strong
room, he told himself.

''That's better,'' she said when she reappeared. ''What about the jewelry?'' she asked.

''I'll take it, it's perfect.'' he said, noting how refreshed she now looked.

''Don't you want to see anything else, you never know, you might change your mind.''

''No, if I may say so, you have
chosen
the perfect gift, right from the start. Can you get them wrapped for me?''

''Sure, that's the least problem. Do you have
a sure
means of getting them home? We offer a .......''

''No it's okay. People don't tend to steal from me.'' Tyra noticed a flash of brutality in his voice.

''Talking
of
security, you must have a lot here if they trust you with the Hope Diamond.''

''Yes I suppose we do. It's not
really
my department, although I guess one day I'll have to learn about it.''

''Seeing as I spent so much here today, how about you show me where the Hope Diamond will
be displayed
. I'd love to have a preview.''

''It's just a blank room with a lot of cameras, it's
really
not that exciting.''

''Of course,'' he said. Don't push it, you've got her in the palm of your hand, he thought. ''Well maybe I'll buy a ticket and come and see it when it's here.
Listen,
Tyra, I have enjoyed our chat. You are a fantastic lady. Would you care to go on a date with me?''

A date? In her state? Nothing had been further from her mind, she thought. ''Yes, I'd like that.'' The words slipped out before she could help herself.''

*****

''What do you mean you didn't get to see it?''
Sergey
demanded to know. ''You told me you had her eating from the palm of your hand.''
Sergey
was leaning against the wall in his store. Over the
door,
it said, 'Russian Store.' It was
really
a front. Sergey used it to wash the cash he earned from his illegal drug dealing. The shop on Brighton Beach was big enough to put plenty of money through
it
but small enough to stay under the radar of the big boys.

He was not at all like his compatriot Dima. He was short, overweight and bald. The tattoo he had on his neck did nothing to enhance his appearance. They had been friends in Moscow and come
to America together
to further their business interests. In the case of
Sergey,
that meant, extortion, drug
dealing,
and contract killing. Since Dima had arrived in the US, he'd quickly realized that it was possible to make money legally. He
was increasingly involved
in real estate. He'd made a fortune in Russia by buying cheap stocks in major companies and selling them again. Luckily for him, he'd managed to get his cash to the US before the Rubel crashed.

''I asked her to show me the room, but she made it sound so bland it would have been too obvious for me to insist on seeing it.
Who asks to see an empty room for the sake of it?''

''But we discussed it. You were going to get access to the room and check out the security details.''

''Well it didn't work out like that,'' Dima hissed. He'd had enough of Sergey. If it
weren't
for the Hope Diamond, he'd have cut ties with him by now. Sergey had become a liability. When Dima found out Sergey had killed someone on behalf of the mafia,
Dimar
had kept a safe distance from him. He'd only got back with him for one reason. Sergey was an expert in matters of security, better said, he was an expert in overcoming it during bank raids. Dima had always wanted to own the Hope
Diamond,
and when he heard it was coming to New York, his interest had been awakened. Not that he wanted to make money from it, he just wanted to own it. Besides, he doubted whether he could sell it on the black market
anyway
. It was too famous and he only knew a handful of people who had enough cash to buy it.

''So, how the hell do you want to proceed now?'' Sergey picked up a red lolly from the counter and began to unravel the clear film around it.

''I've got a date with the sales girl. Don't worry, I'll find out what we need to know. She's sweet and
soft,
and I'm pretty sure I can unlock a few secrets.'' He looked around the shop. It reminded him of so many stores in Moscow. He didn't want to
be reminded
of
Moscow;
it held no charm for him.

*****

She knew very well she shouldn't be there. It was slutty to go back to a man's apartment on the first date. But he was hotter than she could resist after two glasses of champagne, and the events of the last weeks had left her badly in need. In need of someone to hold her and tell her how special she was.

Three million, five million, thirty million, she had no
idea,
but
she
knew it was in the millions. Nobody bought an apartment this size with a view of the harbor without reaching deep into their pockets. Dima had gone to find a cork screw and left Tyra standing on the balcony. She didn't like
heights,
and she got a strange tingling sensation
in
her feet when she looked down from the penthouse, thirty floors above the streets of Manhattan. Three weeks ago, I would have jumped from here, she thought.

Just as a wave of despair threatened to envelop her again, it was smashed back by the feel of his protective arms. She hadn't heard him creep up on her from behind. Now he'd made a
move,
and she loved it. He stood behind her, wrapped her in his arms and pulled her back onto him. It made her feel safe and protected. As they looked over the city, she felt something behind her slowly moving
against
her leg.

''I want
you,
Tyra,'' he
said gently
.

She turned and looked at him as he put his arms around her neck. ''Take me to your bed and make love to me,'' she said.

When Tyra felt his naked body on hers, she felt a tear flowing over her cheeks. He was handsome and caring, and he'd roused a level of sexual desire in her that she'd never felt before. When
he
'd undressed her, it was as if he was unwrapping a precious gift. With each layer he'd removed, she'd felt herself moving to a higher plateau of lust. When she was naked she'd wanted to dash under the bedclothes and hide, but he'd held her, caressed all of her, and made her wet. When he'd started to undress, she hadn't been able to resist the temptation to touch herself. He was her private male
stripper,
and she couldn't get enough of it. When he'd put his hand
to
his shorts and lowered them
over
his
strong
thighs, she'd found herself rubbing faster.

Now he was on top of her, naked and warm. He kissed her, and she opened her mouth to received his tongue. As they kissed, her legs opened, inviting him in. When she felt his penis against her, she reached down and placed it at her entrance. He looked deep into her
eyes
and pushed himself slowly inside her.

When he began to make love to her, she realized how much she'd needed a man to cling to and how wonderful it felt to be filled by a penis. When she felt his thick desire splashing
into
her, she came too. Her spasms were
strong,
and they made her scream out. The noise she made was an attempt to drive out the pain forever.

They slept for
hours,
and when Tyra woke, she noticed it was daylight. It was her day
off,
and she was looking forward to spending it with Dima. She looked across at him. He was asleep. He was lying naked, half under the sheet, half out. The sight of his tight buttock and hairy thigh made her want him
again,
and she began to massage his back. He grunted, opened his eyes and turned over. She smiled. He was big and rock hard again.

''Tell me about work,'' he said when they
were finished
. His body lay entwined in
hers,
and she felt relaxed.

''What do you want to know?'' She ran her hand over the hair on his chest and stomach and cupped his manhood. He smiled and shook his head.

''How much does that job mean to you?''

''Everything.
Mr. Samuels and his wife have been so kind.
Without
them,
I wouldn't have made it.''

''Then you won't want to help me steal the Hope Diamond?''

She laughed.
No,
but I'll help you get this big man up and running again, she said as her hand began to rub him. She loved the contrast between her black hand and the whiteness of his shaft.

''I'm not joking. I want the Hope Diamond.''

She stopped what she was doing and raised herself onto one elbow. ''You are joking, right?'' He shook his head.

''You can show me how. You are close to all the security. I have a
friend
called Sergey. He is a genius when it come to stealing things from
high-security
areas. He could tell you what he needs to know and over the next few
weeks,
you could give him the information he needs.''

''You bastard, you absolute bastard,'' she thumped hard into his chest. He tried to hold her
arms,
but she ripped them from him and jumped up from the bed. ''Have you been planning this all the time? Make the stupid bitch fall in love with me and she'll tell me all,'' she mimicked his Russian accent. ''How could you take advantage of me like this? If my dad
were
alive,
he'd kick your ass, you piece of crap. I never want to see you again.''