that the company has been adequately compensated for your move expenses. Understand, Helen?”
He couldn’t do that, could he? She wasn’t sure about the legality of the issue but her pain turned to anger at his threat. “That’s not fair!” she retorted furiously.
“You’re right. I don’t play fair. When I want something, I get it. And I want you, as my wife, in my bed, forever,” he said, not a trace of doubt in his voice. “Sooner or later, you’ll tell me what you’re hiding, Helen. And once you do that, we’ll work together to find a solution.”
Helen’s eyes lost their anger and turned worried. Dimitri in full battle mode was terrifying. He never lost. She’d seen him forge through difficult business dealings too many times and he was brilliant, applying superior logic and merciless business tactics to everything he did.
She would just have to be stronger. She’d seen him work. She’d learned his tricks. After all these months of observing him in the board room, she was sure she could avoid his efforts. She had to, for both of them. He needed something she couldn’t provide. He’d have to accept that. She should just tell him, she thought to herself. But then the memory of him making her feel soft and feminine, alluring and wanted; a whole woman; stopped her admission. She’d never had that before meeting him and she couldn’t deal with losing it now. If he knew the truth, he would pity her and probably help her in some sort of generous way, but he’d never think of her as a whole woman again.
If she was going to gain anything out of this relationship, she was going to retain those memories.
“Please, just accept this as my decision,” she pleaded with him.
He shook his head. “Not an option. We’re good together. You’re in love with me and just fighting against some ghost that doesn’t make any sense.” He leaned forward, so close she could smell his cologne and inhaled, loving the scent of him as much as his touch and his smile. “And what’s more, I’m in love with you too. So face the inevitable, Helen. We’re going to be together.”
His words tore her up inside. He loved her! Those words were so sweet, so wonderful and yet, caused her more pain than she had ever known in her life. “No. I can’t.”
“Can’t isn’t in my vocabulary. Until you’re speaking my language, we’ll just have to do it my way,” he said and pulled her into his arms, his mouth covering hers hungrily. Helen had no defense against him. She wanted him so desperately and her body, so used to feeling his magic touch every night, usually more than once, was starved after a night with him only holding her gently in his arms. She could no longer resist his kiss than she could stop breathing.
When he finally pulled back, his mouth smiled down into hers. “See? We’re good together.”
Her body was shivering in reaction but she pulled out of his arms, shaking her head in response to his kiss. “That’s just sex. I’ve never denied that we aren’t good in bed together. Just that I can’t marry you,” she said, pulling out of his arms. She saw his eyes narrow and shivered, expecting the anger to return and bracing for it.
His face was expressionless as he said, “Wrong answer. I’ll stop by your office to drive us home for the dinner party tonight,” he said and walked back behind his desk, picking up the document he’d been reading when she came in less than a half hour ago.
Helen started to say something, but Alessandra buzzed through, reminding him that he had a meeting in two minutes.
“Was there anything else, Helen?” he asked.
Her mouth snapped closed and she shook her head. “No. And don’t worry about getting me tonight. I’ll find my way there. I’ve already moved my clothes into the corporate apartments. I’ll be at your penthouse at the appropriate time,” she said stiffly and walked angrily out of his office.
Dimitri smiled as he watched her stiff walk. He didn’t understand what could be causing her to be so violently opposed to marriage, but he would break through her defenses and find out what it was. In the mean time, he picked up his phone. “Alessandra, Helen dropped off some suitcases at the corporate suite this morning. Could you have them transferred back to my place? Have the manager change the locks as well.”
Helen walked carefully back to