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And just as she had made the resolution firm, it broke apart like a sand castle being hit by a wave. Because just then Dmitri reappeared, water droplets rolling down his chest, a towel wrapped around his hips. If she had been paying attention and not been so busy gathering her determination, she might have realized that he’d turned the water off. But she hadn’t. And he had. And he had managed to surprise her again. Of course, she wouldn’t let him see that.
She swallowed hard, her throat parched. Which was odd since he was...wet.
“Do you own a shirt, Mr. Markin?” She looked him up and down, doing her best to keep her expression disinterested. “Because I have yet see evidence of it.”
“I do, but I don’t always see occasion to wear one. Does it bother you?”
“Not at all. I was merely concerned. You are a billionaire, so obviously I assumed that you were more than able to cover the expenses in your life. But if not, I’m happy to take up a collection. Charity is after all my area of expertise.”
He chuckled, the sound dark and rich, and far more off-putting than she would like to admit. “Your concern is very touching. However, you should not worry yourself with my clothing needs, as I find they are adequately met. But you do seem to know one thing I am in want of, and that is a better public image. I am wondering who your sources are.”
Victoria tapped her chin. “A lady never tells. Anyway, don’t worry too much about it. Your part in this will be minimal, all told. As I said, we won’t even really have to get married.”
“I only need to buy you a ring, is that it?”
She arched a brow. “If the implication is that I might be doing this to get a piece of jewelry out of you, then allow me to inform you that you’re very wrong. I have my own money, Mr. Markin, and I’m not in need of yours. I could buy my own damned ring.” She said the words crisply, knowing that she was betraying her annoyance.
After the loss of London Diva her father had withdrawn his support—both emotionally and financially. Her mother had left so long ago Victoria could barely remember her, but it hadn’t mattered because she’d had her father. She’d been the center of his world. And then...it was as though a veil had been torn from his eyes and he’d seen her, not as his princess, but as a flawed, craven creature, who wasn’t even related to the little girl he’d once cherished.
Oh, he hadn’t stopped speaking to her. Hadn’t thrown her out of the house, or openly shamed her. But the disapproval that always hung in the air was palpable.
So, she’d learned to be independent.
She had access to her trust fund. She’d made her own investments with it, paid back the fund and now proudly lived predominantly with her own money.
The break from her family had been what prompted her to get involved in charity work. Initially as an outward show of some sort of virtue, but in the end, it had come to mean a lot more to her than that.
It had taught her the value of independence. Of hard work. It was the one place she could see positive change coming out of her actions. A positive change that helped others. A much-needed outlet when, at home, she was still paying for mistakes of the past.
Not for much longer.
“You want your family business back. I don’t see any point in skirting around the real reason you’re here.”
“Yes, nothing more complicated than that. Nothing more nefarious than that. It’s such a small portion of your empire I fail to see why it would be of concern to you. I want my birthright, my inheritance.”
He said nothing, his dark eyes fixed on her as though he was waiting for more. So she obliged him. “Like I said, a straightforward transaction. My family’s company is returned to me at the end of our agreement, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that your reputation is solid. With me helping in the establishment of your charity you should have benefactors throwing money at you from all corners of the earth. I guarantee you that my presence in your life will improve your standing in the media.”
“You are quite confident in yourself.”
Victoria tried her best to keep her eyes on his...and not on his chest. “I see no point in failing to acknowledge your strengths. I know mine. Shallow, some might call them, or unimportant. But I see them for what they are. I have spent much of my life learning to be a savvy investor, and also donating my time to worthy causes. My reputation is flawless.” She hesitated. “I was very nearly engaged to a prince about three years ago. So that does make for interesting commentary on my past. However, if there was any dirt to be discovered about me, it would have been discovered then. Around the time I was with Stavros the media became quite interested in me, and since there were no scandals then...”
“There won’t be one now. Unless... Why did your engagement with the prince fail?” It was his turn to smile. “Or did he have a similar deal to me?”
“Nothing like that. I intended to marry Stavros. Sadly, he fell in love with someone else. And I wished him the best when it happened. I made not a ripple in the waves of the media when things ended between us. I was nothing but gracious.”
He crossed his arms over his broad chest, the muscles in his forearms flexing, distracting her yet again. Her eyes followed the dark lines of the tattoos that were inked into his skin, and to the leather band that was tied around his wrist. He was so very different than the kind of men she typically interacted with. Different and fascinating.
“Yes, you do come over as very gracious.”
She nodded in agreement, even though she knew he was being sarcastic.
He uncrossed his arms and waved a hand, beginning to pace around the room. And she was very worried for the precarious position of the towel, riding so low on his hips. Okay, maybe worried wasn’t the appropriate word. Concerned? Fascinated. No, she should not be fascinated. She knew better than to be fascinated by men.
“How long do you think this will take?” he asked.
She blinked, almost unable to believe that he sounded interested. “We’ll need to put in several appearances together. We will need to organize a few galas, where we will collect pledges and let the public know about what you hope to accomplish. We will need to make contact with the appropriate people in high society, and if not in high society per se, those who are part of the one percent. That takes time. In all actuality I’m imagining we will need somewhere around three months to accomplish all of this.”
“A month is a more acceptable time frame.”
Victoria tried to imagine planning something on the scale she was picturing in only thirty days. Obviously the man hadn’t planned many parties. “Yes, but sometimes no matter how liberally you throw money at things time is still a factor. It’s unforgiving, really.”
“You’ve got that right. Time really is quite unforgiving.”
Ironic to hear him say that, since time had clearly been good to him. In his thirties, Dmitri was in peak physical condition, and for a man who had lived the kind of life that he had, he was strikingly devoid of scars.
“I can’t promise it will be a success,” she said, pressing on. “You know I have to allow for variables. I’m not entirely certain what all your past entails, and that might hinder both of us.”
“I do not expect a guarantee—what I expect is effort.”
She shrugged, feigning a casualness she did not feel at all. “As long as you understand that while I can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear I will have a harder time making one out of a horse’s ass.”
He laughed again, his dark chuckle filling the space. “You are amusing—I will grant you that.”
“I am gleeful at the thought of being a source of your amusement.” She was not gleeful, not by half. Her heart was racing, the thrill of possible victory pouring through her. Yes, this must be what it was like to be an opponent on the mats. No, she had not defeated him with her fists, but persuading someone using only her tongue was much more satisfying. “Anyway, I promise I will keep my cleverness under control when we’re in public venues.”
“Don’t. I hardly think the press would be impressed by my engagement to a simpering, unclever female. Moreover, I doubt they would believe it. I like a fight. I like a fight in the ring, I like a fight in the boardroom. And I very much like a fight in the bedroom.”
His words sent a flash of heat through her. And they echoed what she had just been thinking moments ago, minus the commentary about the bedroom, so closely in fact she feared for a second he might be a mind reader. Which would be bad indeed, since she had spent an undue amount of time pondering his muscles.
“And what kind of woman do you suppose the press might expect you to be with?”
He began to pace again. “When I choose opponents in the ring I choose them because I know they’re going to give me a good match. I like someone who is clever, strong and fast. I like someone who will make me believe I might lose, if only for a moment. I like a challenge,” he said, his voice rough, sending a shiver through her. “So just be yourself. That should be enough.”
In spite of herself, Victoria felt strangely complimented. But she wouldn’t let him see it. In fact, now that she was aware of it, she wouldn’t let herself feel it. She only needed the approval of one person, the forgiveness of one person, and that was her father.
Sixteen years of perfection erased by one mistake. And every year since desperately trying to regain it.
Her father was the only one who could absolve her.
“I can be myself, Mr. Markin. Effortlessly, as I imagine most people can, but the question is which version of myself would you like?”
His smile turned feral. “Do most people have more than one version of themselves, Ms. Calder?”
“Everyone does.”
“Not everyone,” he said, his deep voice rolling over her in a wave. “Everything that you see now is all that I am. This apartment, this gym, my work. I have been other things—I have been a great many other things. But this is all that’s left.”
“I’m not sure I believe that.” There was something strangely grim about that. And there was something about it that she couldn’t quite believe, either. For some reason, though, she believed that he bought into it wholly and completely. And she was not certain why.
He seemed to think that he had only one layer, that this was the sum total of what he was, as though you could leave versions of yourself behind like an exoskeleton. Victoria knew better. Victoria knew that the part of herself that had betrayed her family still existed. She knew it, and that was why she kept it squashed. Forgetting what you were capable of doing didn’t do anyone any favors.
And she was capable of great stupidity.
She wondered why it was Dmitri Markin thought he had defeated his old demons entirely. Then she wondered if somehow he had. And for a moment she envied him. Because she would never be free of those past versions of herself. All she could do was try to atone for them.
“I know there are all sorts of people who believe in past lives,” he said, “who believe that when we die we are reincarnated as someone or something else. I’m not sure about that. But I do know that sometimes things in this life change you, burn you, leave everything you were as nothing more than ashes at your feet. And when that happens, you have no choice but to walk forward into a new life. Whether you want to or not.”
“That sounds...bleak.”
“Perhaps. But I’ve had many changes since then. All to do with Colvin. And the reason this charity is so important to me. Thanks to him, I am not the man I was.”
“Who were you?” she asked.
“A very bad man,” he said. His words sent a shiver through her, down her spine and to her feet.
“And now you’re a good man?” she asked, her voice thinner than she’d like it to be.
“I wouldn’t say that. But not as dangerous.”
Her heart bumped hard against her chest. “You were dangerous?”
He did nothing more than flash a smile, and this time she was certain she saw a predatory edge to it. “I find it best to leave the past buried.”
Something about the way he said this sent trail of ice down to the pit of her stomach, making her shiver, causing goose bumps to break out on her arms.
“So...I suppose we should finalize things. I have other appointments.” She was suddenly very aware of the fact that he was still standing there in a towel, and even more aware of the fact that somewhere over the past couple of minutes she had forgotten. She would love to feel triumphant about that, love to feel triumphant about the fact that she had obviously mastered whatever thing was happening to her when she saw his muscles. But she knew that wasn’t the case. That was oversimplifying. She was distracted, and that was unforgivable. Because the moment you became distracted, you revealed your weaknesses. She had done it in the past, and she refused to do it now. Something about him had drawn her in, made her lose her sense of time and space, and she could not allow that to happen again.
“As do I. When would you propose we make this official?”
“Tonight. We had reservations at a private dining room at a restaurant on the Thames. It was very romantic. We had a lovely time.”
“You really have thought of everything,” he said.
“I have. Rest assured that several people saw us arrive, and several people saw us leave looking very happy. We came and went by way of the back entrance, so it was only restaurant staff who saw us. Do we have an accord?”
He only looked at her for a moment. Then he nodded his head once, his expression unchanging. “We have a deal. Your family company is yours once we terminate the engagement, provided you help me establish my charity.”
“Excellent,” she said, trying not to betray the utter relief that had washed over her.
“So, what would you have done about your little ruse had I refused you?”
She laughed, ignoring the twist of nerves in her stomach. She had done it. She had got his yes. Got him to agree, and now she could leave. She could see the light at the end of a tunnel that was more than a decade long. She could have sagged with relief. Melted straight into a puddle of Victoria on the floor.
But up front, she stood firm. “Oh, you were never going to refuse. I knew that. And there were safeguards in place just in case, because I’m tidy like that. But they weren’t needed because you were never going to refuse.”
His expression hardened and so did his voice. “No,” he said, “I don’t suppose I was.”
“And with that, I bid you good evening. We will be in touch tomorrow to discuss a ring. I’m very classic. I quite like a white diamond.”
“And I’m old-fashioned, as well,” he said. “I would like very much for my fiancеe to be surprised by the choice of ring. Failing that, I shall choose the diamond that is most convenient to me.”
She gritted her teeth, annoyance spiking through her. Clearly, he was going to fight her every step of the way. “Do as you see fit.” She nodded once and started to walk out of the room, holding her breath as she moved past him, trying to avoid breathing in the fragrance of soap, skin and a scent that she disturbingly suspected was unique to him. But she kept her posture straight, kept herself from acknowledging the fact that she was affected by him. And with that, she strode out the way that she came in.
Victoria Calder intensely disliked places like this, but she did love a victory. And this one was so close she could taste it.
CHAPTER THREE (#u4a7d9962-27b5-52e8-9ee2-96b7ab84c026)
BY ONE O’CLOCK Dmitri Markin had already had a full day. He had sent his personal assistant after a ring. A yellow diamond in a platinum setting, because he wanted to see what Victoria’s reaction would be to his defiance of her order.
He did not take orders, and she would discover that quickly. He also didn’t take well to her coming in and attempting to manipulate him, to take full rein of the situation. So he was taking control now.
He had also alerted the media. He’d told them that the two of them had been involved in a covert relationship for the past couple of months, and that last night it had resulted in an engagement. While they were on a dinner date. Which matched up with witnesses’ accounts of last night’s sighting.
Victoria Calder would realize very quickly that this was his show now. And he would conduct it as he saw fit.
Now all that was left was to speak to his darling fiancеe, who was currently five minutes late. He did not take kindly to people running late. Of course, it might’ve been helpful for him to inform her that she was supposed to meet him with a bit more time for her to actually make the commute to his end of London. She had been somewhere quite a bit away, and traffic would be fairly awful at this time of day, as it was awful at any time of day.
He could very well imagine that she hated to be late, and he had all but guaranteed that she would be. The enjoyment he felt at the thought of her annoyance did somewhat temper his irritation.
And his irritation vanished completely when she burst through the door of his office, with his assistant on her heels, her blond hair escaping from its neat bun, her cheeks pink.
“So sorry to keep you waiting.” Her tone said that she was anything but sorry; in fact it did not denote apology of any kind. In fact, she sounded quite venomous. He found that quite enjoyable.
She had already backed him into a corner, her logic and facts more persuasive than a cattle prod. And here he was again, faced with a fait accompli. Faced with giving away the very last piece of his twisted soul.
He nearly laughed. Perhaps that would have been an issue if he’d had a piece of his soul left. Sadly, he was almost certain he didn’t. Not even a twisted one.
“I am a very busy man, and I do not like to be kept waiting.” He looked behind Victoria’s shoulder at his very put-out-looking assistant. “Of course that does not include you, darling.”
He could see Victoria’s muscles visibly tighten at the endearment, but his assistant’s face relaxed. Undoubtedly Louise had been afraid an intruder had got past her.
“Very giving of you, dearest,” Victoria sniffed. She crossed the room, and sat in the chair that was positioned in front of his desk.
“That will be all, Louise.” His assistant nodded, the relieved expression still on her face as she closed the door. “Nice of you to finally join me.”
“Yes, well, I was at a luncheon. I had to leave, quite abruptly. It was very rude. And I am never rude.”
“Are you not?”
“Not in public.”
“What else don’t you do in public?”
She blinked. “A great many things,” she said crisply.
“There isn’t much I won’t do in private. Or in public.” He said it to get a rise out of her, but as the words escaped his lips, and as the color deepened in her cheeks, he could not help but experience a rush of heat through his own veins. Because it made him think of all the things that a man could do in public, or private, with a woman like Victoria. Truly, there was very little he would not do with her in either setting. Especially with her.
Then he reminded himself that there was much easier game to be had. He was working with her, using her to his advantage, and that meant sex was most definitely out of the question. Of course, given the fact that they were to be playing at being a couple, and that introducing anyone else into their charade would be something of a liability, it was very likely there would be no sex for the foreseeable future. The thought made him frown. Deeply.
