didn’t like it when you called me weak. I pride myself on being a strong black woman, so when you said that, it made me feel like you had no respect for me at all.”
He shakes his head back at me. “What I said was not about respect, krasotka. It was about emotion. You are weaker than me, and that makes me want to protect you. Like your brother didn’t. That is all I meant. No insult. Just desire to be man who stands between you and anything that would hurt you. But other than that, I believe you are very strong. Strong of mind. Strong of spirit. This is what I like so much about you.”
Okay, no need to consult Cynda on that one. When he puts it like that, being called weak definitely feels romantic. But…
“I’m not sure a few days of great sex is enough to base a relationship on. In fact, that feels like a crazy thing to base a relationship on.”
He nods. “It is enough. I promise you this, krasotka.”
Krasotka…the way he’s talking to me, looking at me…I feel beautiful in a way I never have before, even after qualifying for the Queen America pageant.
But I’m an accountant. A strong black woman who’s worked hard to get to where I am. And my brother’s life is no longer at stake. I can’t just give in to this crazy idea. Can I?
As if reading my hesitation, Cheslav takes another step back. Gives me some room.
“I have another deal for you, Billie,” he says. “A month. Five days wasn’t enough. A month is what I need to make you believe what I already know.”
Chapter Fifteen
So…
Less than fifteen minutes after declaring my intention to leave, I find myself agreeing to his month. We also decide to take off our masks. I’ve been isolating ever since my firm switched to remote work. And Cheslav assures me he has, too. He’s heard bad things about how long it takes athletes to recover from the virus, and he wants to be ready to go when hockey comes back.
So we both take off our barriers.
As soon as I see his lips, memories of how he used them all over my body pummel me.
His green eyes heat as if reading all my dirty thoughts. “We should seal our deal with kiss,” he suggests.
My entire body pulses. Once…twice…
But then I drag my thoughts away from that subject to say, “No sex. You’re way too good at that, and I don’t want it to influence our decision.”
“We’re way too good at that,” he corrects, placing his mask on a side table. “Do you think any other woman turns me into animal like you do?”
Yeah, it’s going to take me at least a month to get used to Cheslav’s intensity levels.
“Regardless. No sex,” I answer out loud.
His eyes darken, and he gives me a hooded up and down look. But in the end, he says, “Fine. No sex. Unless you change your mind.”
“I won’t,” I promise.
But the words don’t exactly sound firm. I had a way better “I got this” voice while advising clients who’d lost their livelihoods to COVID about the new July 15th deadline for their 2019 taxes.
Cheslav smirks. But if he’s thinking I’m full of it, he doesn’t say it out loud.
The doorbell rings, and Vlad appears with a paper takeout bag from the Maple Street Biscuit Company restaurant, one of my favorite Charleston restaurants.
Cheslav’s been asking me if I wanted to eat since he showed up on my doorstep. But I don’t realize how hungry I am until the smell of biscuits, bacon, and syrup hits my nose.
Cheslav and Vlad have a short conversation in Russian, and I guess there must have been instructions somewhere. After handing Cheslav the food, Vlad turns and goes right back out.
“Where’s he going?” I ask Cheslav when he takes me by the elbow.
“To retrieve a larger car,” Cheslav answers as he escorts me back into the kitchen. “We will go to my other place after we eat breakfast, and it is long drive.”
“Your other place?” I repeat.
His other place turns out to be a huge Mediterranean-style villa, sitting on the golden mile. I’d been up to Myrtle Beach for a couple of cheerleading events, but I’d never visited this particular stretch of beach. Mainly because there are no hotels on the golden mile, only million dollar plus, oceanfront homes.
“I can’t believe you own this place,” I say, my mind spinning as we walk out on to