Dressing quickly, she picked out a black skirt from one of the many work skirts and a pale blue silk blouse. Her hands fluttered with apprehension over the underwear in the drawer. They were all so pretty, all romantic, not a single pair of panties or bra were plain or boring. There were a few thongs but she didn’t feel brave enough for them yet, and with a sigh she picked out a dreamy sheer white bra and the matching panties.
Dmitri was already at the desk, his hands flying across the keyboard and she had a moment to watch him, and revel in looking at him. He must have felt her gaze on him because he looked up at her and smiled in welcome.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, I was up early and have already had breakfast. Would you like me to have something sent up?”
“It’s okay, I’ll order. Would you like more coffee?” At his nod she placed her order and made her way to her seat, he shook his head. Without a word, she knew what he wanted.
Moving to him, she leaned down and offered him her mouth. His kiss was soft and welcoming and she sighed into his mouth as he ended it. She sat down content and happy. Pulling the clip from the contract she needed to translate, she began to read through it and pulled up a new word document to begin work.
An email came through and as she read it, happiness filled her so much she thought she would burst from it. “Dmitri! When were you going to tell me?”
He looked up and the happiness that shone from her told him what she was talking about. “Not until the deal was done. No deal is done until it’s signed on the dotted line. I take it that’s the signed deal?”
“Yes, these terms are amazing. How did you get them to agree to these? I had gone to them twice to look at a partnership, and my terms were nowhere as bad as these. The first time they listened and turned me down flat, the second time they weren’t even open to discussion. I was so sure, since they were our main distributor, they would accept.”
“They knew you were on the ropes, my sweet. They thought to pick you up for a song when you failed. But don’t worry, as you can see, I made them pay for their greed. Only ten percent of your workforce was cut, and those were mainly support and they were provided with a six weeks’ severance. Three men in the factory accepted nice retirement packages, but other than that, no more loss of staff, agreed upon for the next ten years.”
Tears slid down her cheeks and he sighed, stood, and pulled her into his arms. “It makes me crazy to see your tears. Please don’t cry.”
“I’m sorry, I’m just so happy. I know you did this for me and you didn’t have to, thank you.”
“Not have to? Of course, I had to. I know the future of the company still hung heavily on you. The way you devoured every piece of paper about the company that crossed your desk made it clear, which was why we pounded it out by email.”
“I just felt like such a failure, all those people depending on me and I couldn’t keep it going.”
“Don’t you dare talk like that. I’ve already told you before, and I meant it, you were the only thing keeping that company going for the last two years. I know every hard decision you made, and I wouldn’t have done it any differently than you did. Sometimes, things are too far gone to be saved. No more tears, smile for me and a kiss for a reward?”
She smiled, at his request and happily gave him both.
They had lunch in the room and worked through it. She was annoyed that she had managed to get her blouse dirty with pasta sauce and rushed to splash it with cold water. Distress filled her as the stain wasn’t moving and she took off the blouse and used the hand soap to help clean it. A moan of anxiety escaped her, it wouldn’t come out.
“Elise, sweetheart, it isn’t a big deal. I’m sure the laundry service knows how to deal with the stain, and if not it’s just a blouse.” He was leaning against the door to the bathroom, not trusting himself to get closer to her. Her bra was sensual in its simplicity, white and sheer with just a touch of lace at the scalloped edges. Only her distress was keeping his cock from getting so hard he wouldn’t be able to walk.
His casual dismissal of the waste of the blouse reminded her of just how different they were, and it stung. “Dmitri, this blouse cost almost what I made in a week. It will take me a few months to pay you back for everything you bought me, but the clothes are also well made enough that they will last just as long. I’m just not able to throw it in the trash and shrug it off.”
Standing straighter at her words, he frowned. “You are not going to pay me back for the clothes. Those were a necessary part of the job. Just as the phone and the laptop I’ve bought you.”
Elise finally remembered she was only in her bra and for a moment she blushed, but her anger at his order was enough to keep her from running for cover. “So, the woman I replaced, did you have to buy her new clothes? Yes, most of the clothes were work related and I can admit the clothes you bought, compared to the ones I had, were better. That makes it all that much more necessary to pay you back for them.”
“It isn’t happening, Elise. I don’t need the money; it was a pittance to me. Put it down to a perk of the job.”
“More like a perk of being your next bed warmer. Yes, some of the clothes were necessary, but it also felt like I was a new toy being dressed for your pleasure.” She knew she was pushing it, and even as she said the words, she regretted them. Yet, it had been bothering her, more than she would like to admit. Him buying her the clothes, so she would be up to his usual beautifully dressed standard for a lover.
Anger flared within him until he saw the shadow of doubt in her eyes. It was hard, so very hard, but he reined in the anger and sighed. “Elise, tell me what this is really about, because I don’t think it’s about the clothes.”
“I wasn’t good enough to be seen with you as your lover without them. That’s why you bought them.” She whispered the words, and was ashamed of them.
Shock punched him in the gut, and Dmitri was so at a loss for words he did the only thing he could, he walked away. How she could believe what she said, he had no idea. The only way he could think of to prove her wrong was to take her to bed and he still wasn’t sure she was ready for that. This agony he was suffering for the need for her body was his penance for taking a virgin he had no intention of keeping.
Frightened that she was right, and Dmitri was avoiding the answer to her statement, her hands shook as she tossed what was likely a ruined blouse into the hamper and pulled out a clean one. It took what felt like forever to do up the buttons; she was still shaking so badly. Leaving her room, she found him on the couch his head in his hands and his posture looked defeated. Knowing she had done that to him, could do that to him, had Elise in tears.
She swallowed her pride. It didn’t matter if she hadn’t been good enough without the clothes. Facing the facts head on, her clothes had been horrible. Had she been photographed with him, she would have been mortified to know others would have inevitably compared her to his past lovers, and she would have come up sadly short.
“I’m sorry, never mind what I said. It doesn’t matter.” Sinking onto the couch beside him, she hugged him.
“Don’t say you’re sorry, and don’t apologize to me for what you are feeling. Please don’t cry. I can’t stand to see your tears. I should have known when I broke my rules for you I would pay for it. Your appeal to me had nothing to do with or without the clothes. I wanted you from the beginning. In the past, I’ve bought women clothes because it made them happy. This time, yes, I did it for my pleasure because you have such a beautiful body that was just being hidden or squashed behind your clothes.” He sighed and she put a finger to his lips.
His words soothed her and told her what she needed to know. She kissed his cheek. “I shouldn’t have said that to you, because it was just me being scared and using that to keep you at bay. I can see what I wore before, as it was. I can admit, without the new clothes I would have felt inadequate at your side. That’s what scares me a little, if you hadn’t come right out and told me you were attracted to me, I would never have even dreamed of us being together. You are so out of my reach it would have seemed like I was reaching for the moon. I am sorry and you deserve the apology. You have done nothing to deserve me hitting out at you to keep you away, when I want you just as badly as you want me.