continuously threw him out of the expected. “What are you suggesting, Ellie?” he asked, moving toward her menacingly. She wasn"t afraid of him. She stood her ground and challenged him. “Honey, I can"t believe you don"t understand. I need you. We need each other. It"s just who"s convenience we"re talking about.” She stared at him with wide eyed innocence and waited for his answer or reaction. Her shoulders were tense with anticipation and she didn"t have long to wait.
The expressions that crossed his face were fascinating. They started off with confusion, then a realization of what she was proposing, or more importantly, propositioning. When he finally understood, when her words sunk in, amusement hit him full force.
He threw back his head and laughed, holding his sides as his mirth took over and he had to hold the side of the door in order to balance himself. When he was finally able to control his laughter, he took a deep breath and looked down at her, his hands gentle on her shoulders. “Let me get this straight. You"re suggesting that I leave my work behind, move into a house near London and become your mistress?”
Electra shrugged delicately but nodded, “Or whatever the male equ ivalent is. But don"t worry, Dharr. I"ll stop by as often as possible. I promise you won"t get bored. There are plenty of shops you can spend money in and we can take lots of trips when I"m free. You can spend your days getting spruced up for me. Won"t that be fun?”
Her words only made him chuckle again. “I can"t believe you. I don"t know of another female who would ever propose such a thing to me,” he said.
She reached up and patted his cheek. “There"s a first time for everything, isn"t there, honey?” she replied. “So what"s your answer?”
He pulled her closer, hugging her agains t his strong body. “Yes, there certainly is. So I"m assuming from your response, that you don"t like the idea of becoming my mistress. Is that correct?”
She was still stiff, but at least she wasn"t pushing him away. Dharr considered that a victory in this situation and with this woman. Damn! She constantly fascinated him!
“How would you like it? I mean, really, it is sort of like being a doll that someone takes out and plays with whenever it is convenient for them. Not a very equal relationship, is it?” she suggested.
Dharr shook his head. Equality had never been in any of his relationships, male or female,and he"d never even assumed that word would come into play in his dealings with women. But that only showed him that this one was different from the others. He"d known that all along, but it was interesting to be proven right once again.
“Point taken. How would you define our relationship?” he asked. She tilted her head to the side and considered all the possibilities. “How about lovers?” she offered, terrified that he might reject something so intimate.
But he considered it, mulling the word around in his mind for a moment. “Lovers,” he suggested. “Does that mean I"ll have to send you a birthday card?” he asked.
Electra laughed , instantly relieved that he hadn"t rejected the idea. “Yes. If we"re still together when my birthday rolls around, you"d better send me a birthday card. And a Valentine"s Day card as well. And I might just want a big box of chocolates, but I"ll let you know. And if you"re a very good boy, you might just get a birthday card yourself,” she said, her eyes peeping out at him from under her lashes. “And something special on Valentine"s Day.”
Dharr pulled her closer and laughed as well. “It sounds like a deal,” he said. “But does this mean I can"t order you around the world and have you at my beck and call?” he asked, his hand slipping under her shirt to cup her breast, his thumb flicking across her nipple underneath the lace of her bra.
Electra gasped as his fingers controlled her body and shivered, then smiled shyly up at him, a promise of retribution in her eyes. “Well, depends on the timing. I"ll agree that I don"t make as much money as you do, nor will I ever. But that doesn"t diminish the importance of what I do and what all the kids mean to me. I"m guessing that a lot of people depend upon you and that all the companies, or whatever you run, need you at their helm to guide them.