side of the conference table beside her, leaning over and reading the last paragraph she’d transcribed. “Send that out to the other members of the meeting, they’ll want to emphasize that in the marketing strategy,” he said, pointing to several areas of the text but Helen could barely breathe as she felt herself wrapped in his arms.
“Okay, break time,” he said after they’d been working for perhaps three hours. “Go put on something glamorous and meet me in the dining room,” he said. “Do you want me to show you to your cabin?” he asked. “The ship is pretty large. You could get lost,” he said.
Helen noticed the wicked gleam in his eye and shook her head, not understanding any of this. “No,” she replied, almost breathless and eager to escape his sensuous touch that was turning her mind to mush. “I’ll find it,” she said.
“Are you sure?” he asked, stepping behind her and taking her hands in his. “In fact, I’ll follow you, just to help you pick out something appropriate for the night.”
Helen bit her lower lip, then regretted the action as he turned to face her, his thumb reaching up to caress her lip. “Don’t do that,” he said. “Your mouth is beautiful. Don’t abuse it.” His finger was hot and heavy as he tenderly applied a slight pressure to her full, bottom lip.
Helen could barely breathe by the time he opened her stateroom door and walked in. He walked immediately to her closet and pulled out a stunning evening gown of red velvet. “Here, this will work,” he said and laid it on the bed. “And wear these,” he said, pulling out a pair of strappy sandals that looked incongruous in his large, masculine hands.
“I’ll see you in about an hour? Will that give you enough time to get ready?” he asked gently, taking her hand and lifting it to his mouth to gently kiss the knuckles.
“Yes, of course,” she said, trying to understand his intent.
When he left, she almost fell onto the bed, her knees giving out on her. She stared up at the ceiling and wondered what was going through his mind. Was he after just a simple fling? And if so, would she care? The man had been the center of her fantasy world ever since she started working for him. Could she deal emotionally with a casual affair, then continue to work for him?
The simple answer was no. The man was too sexy and wonderful to just love and then walk away from. But would she be able to say no?
What was she thinking anyway? Helen felt foolish as she considered this issue. The man was just more relaxed than normal out here in the sea air. She was completely misunderstanding his intentions and making more of his actions than she should. Laughing to herself, she walked to the en suite bathroom and turned on the showers, amazed that there were four different shower heads. Luxuriating in the warm water, Helen allowed her fantasies to take flight, knowing that she’d never be able to act on them, but loving the dream which wove around Dimitri and herself.
She dried her hair and pulled it up into its normal chignon, then applied a little more makeup than usual, using more mascara, a darker lipstick and soft powder to tone everything more evenly. Pulling on the gorgeous red velvet dress, she was fascinated by the way it hugged her figure, enhancing her tiny waist and seeming to increase her bust line. Her breasts were almost too large for the dress, which hugged her rib cage and pushed her breasts up higher. She was just about to unzip the dress, afraid of the amount of décolletage showing when the knock sounded on the door. Since she was past the mentioned hour, Helen knew that it was Dimitri coming to collect her. Opening the door slightly, she peered around the side. Sure enough, Dimitri was standing there in a tuxedo, looking more stunning than any man had a right to do.
“I’m not quite ready,” she said, hiding her body behind the door.
Dimitri’s eyes showed his amusement. “Are you in the dress?” he asked.
Helen hesitated for only a moment before confirming, “Yes.”
“Let me see you in it,” he said and put a hand to the door, gently pushing his way inside.
When he simply stopped and stared down at her, Helen’s hands moved up to cover the skin showing over the top of the dress. “I know, I look