or accepted this position, knowing…” she stammered out an apology and then rushed out of the room, leaving Dimitri to stare in her wake.
Helen rushed to her room and closed the door, tearing off the ridiculous dress and hiding it in the back of the closet. She pulled on a robe and slipped into the large, fluffy bed then pulled the covers over her head, burying her head in the pillows and wallowing in the tears and self pity that flowed so easily down her cheeks into the soft linen of the bed sheets.
Over her sobbing, she heard the knock on the door and froze. Was it Dimitri? Who else would it be, she wondered and knew it was the one and only. She didn’t answer the door, preferring the coward’s way out and eventually, she heard the footsteps recede down the hallway.
Helen didn’t sleep until the early hours of the morning and even then her mind refused to release her fantasies despite her attempts to block them out of her consciousness. When she woke up, Helen found herself curled up in a ball and her eyes almost swollen shut from the amount of crying she had done throughout the night. She suspected that she’d even cried in her sleep, remembering the dreams she’d had and how traumatic she had felt throughout the night.
Chapter 6
The knocking on her door woke her completely and she pulled herself out of bed, tying the sash on her robe as she mindlessly opened the door.
“Dimitri!” she gasped, her hand instantly flying to her wild hair as she looked at the immaculately dressed man standing with his arms braced on either side of her door. “I’m sorry! I’m late for work, aren’t I?” she gasped. “Just give me fifteen minutes and I’ll be ready,” she begged.
In response, Dimitri walked inside slightly and reached out one finger to touch her eyes. “You’ve been crying, haven’t you?” he asked, but it was more of a statement than a question.
“I’m so sorry about last night. I know I’m being a nuisance but I guarantee that my feelings will not interfere with our working relationship,” she promised.
Dimitri sighed and put his hands on her shoulders. “Helen, I think we need to have a long talk about what this position is about,” he said. “Meet me up on deck. Take your time and I’ll see you when you’re ready.”
Dimitri left her standing in the doorway, her eyes watching his strong, muscular back walk out to the main deck, wishing she could just erase the last twenty four hours of her life and start over.
As she showered, her eyes teared up again and she knew Dimitri was going to fire her. What else could he do? He could obviously see that she was emotionally involved with him. But how could she help herself, she wondered? The man was sex personified and he was nice and charming to boot! Who wouldn’t fall for him? The man could give Clark Gable lessons on charm. Dimitri was genuinely the nicest man she had ever met in her life, despite his wish that no one see the kind side of his personality. Good grief, he didn’t even need to pay her as much as he did. He was so generous, she had worked for her previous employer for half of what he paid her. And now he’d provided her with a complete wardrobe and what had she done? She’d made a cake of herself. A complete fool, letting her emotions run free and embarrassing both of them in the process.
She had no one to blame but herself since she’d allowed herself to drink so much last night. The cocktail and the wine, not to mention the brandy during the dessert was much more than she was used to drinking and she obviously couldn’t handle it. She hadn’t thought she was too far gone last night, but what other reason could she put towards what had happened?
Putting her hair in to a bun, she smoothed down the business suit she’d put on, preferring the shield of professionalism versus the ambiance of the wardrobe that left her vulnerable and terrified, unsure of herself.
She swung out of the door and immediately ran into a brick wall. “Ooomph!” she heard herself say, raising her hands and feeling the strong arms wrap around her, supporting her but still keeping her close.
He looked down at her black wool skirt and cream silk shirt with one eyebrow raised. “I see you’ve retreated