serve.
The time of her appointment arrived and Helen made her way back down the hallway. Alessandra’s hair even more out of place than it had been earlier in the morning, an occurrence which had never happened before. Alessandra was efficient and professional, exactly what Helen used to be like before Dimitri brought her onto his yacht, she realized.
The older woman waved Helen into the office, explaining that Dimitri was ready to see her. Instead of the relief Alessandra had shown upon Helen’s earlier arrival, the older woman now looked wary, as if Helen’s meeting with Dimitri would mean a more difficult afternoon.
Helen walked in but stopped at the doorway and knocked. “Enter!” was his only response, he didn’t even look up from the document he was reviewing. And apparently tearing apart if the red slashes and notes were any indication.
“Sit down,” he ordered and Helen’s whole demeanor shook at the anger in his voice. He’d never treated her like this but she supposed having one’s marriage proposal rejected did things to a man.
He continued to read and slash while she waited and Helen knew it was a power move. She didn’t mind though. She loved looking at him, her eyes softening as she watched him work, amazed at how quickly he could absorb information. She sighed as she turned away, tearing her eyes from his magnificent form.
“Regretting your answer already, Helen?” he asked, still reading through the document.
Helen swallowed painfully but shook her head. “No,” she said out loud when she realized that he wasn’t looking at her.
He looked up then, his dark, black eyes boring into her. “Then I suppose this is about tonight’s dinner. Is everything ready? You’ve already discussed the menu and the settings. What else is there to talk about?” he snapped.
Helen stood up and handed him the paper. She silently went back to her seat, letting him read through the page. But before she’d even sat down, she heard the tearing sound and swung back, her mouth open in shock.
“Trying to take the easy way out?” he asked smoothly.
“What do you mean?” she asked, angry now herself. How dare he tear up her letter of resignation! How rude!
Tossing the torn letter into his trash, he said, “I mean, you’re in love with me. And now you’re running away. The only issue I need to discover is why.” He stood up and came around the desk, slamming his office door and then walking back to her. “What are you hiding, Helen?” he asked softly, leaning over her chair, trapping her in the leather seat.
Helen shrunk back into her chair, terrified of his tone. She’d heard it in meetings before. It was nice and polite, but combined with the look in his eyes, she knew she’d have to get out of here as quickly as possible. The tone and the look meant he was working through all the evidence and coming up with an answer. And with Dimitri’s intelligence, he usually came up with the right one.
Knowing she’d have to be strong, for him as much as for herself, she forced her chin higher. Her eyes could not meet his, although she tried. Swallowing tightly, she said, “I’m not hiding anything, and I’m not in love with you.”
He watched her for a long moment, his eyes taking in each of her features one by one before he said, “You’re lying.” He pushed away from her chair and stood up. His arms crossed over his chest as he looked down at her. “The big question is why. What would be so horrible that you would deny everything we have between us?” His voice was softer, the anger no longer vibrating in his tone.
Helen took a long, fortifying breath and stood up, blinking back the tears. “There’s nothing between us, Dimitri. I thought this would be a casual affair,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She cleared her throat and looked at the middle of his chest, unable to hold his gaze while she lied to him. “I’m going home. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding.”
She started to walk away until she heard Dimitri’s voice behind her. “No, you’re not, Helen.”
She stopped in her tracks and turned around, a chill racing up her spine at his unrelenting voice. “What do you mean?”
He waited until he was standing over her, looking down into her worried blue eyes. “I mean, I moved you out here at considerable expense. You will fulfill the terms of your job requirements until I decide