| RHEA'S POV |
"You can't afford not to do this , Rhea, lam sorry", His words felt like a dagger going through my back. "We all have contracts to fullfil, and this is too much money to turn down", He went on. I angled away from the dancer choreographer, Luke and crossed my hands to hold myself as if that would stop the ice freezing the blood in my veins. Even if I didn't want to hear his words. He was right.
"We have you set up in the skyview suite at the New York palace. It's fifteen minutes away and you have just about one hour to meet this guy on time", My eyes snapped up to Luke who was standing in the studio doorway. He drummed his fingers on the frame of the door as if he was waiting for me to say anything else. I simply nodded my head. It was enough of a sign for Luke to turn and leave.
After the grueling performance tonight , I was so exhausted. The moment the curtains closed,the show left my mind and all I could think about was thinking into my bed. The other dancers had tried to pull me along to the after party, but l certainly didn't want to make an appearance there. Too many people would sap what was left of my energy.
Fate had other plans for me. What I wanted to do or not didn't matter and this was something I really didn't want to do. Not tonight.
I had a contract, and I did really need the money.
As I quickly used the shower in the studio locker room and got myself ready , my mind raced with tonight's possibilities. This wasn't my first time fullfilling the term of the unpleasant contract I had signed. It could be any one meeting me there tonight and there was nothing I could do to back out.
I brushed through and rushed to blow dry my hair. Thankfully, I had a decent stock of clothes in my locker to pick from. It was early winter , so I grabbed an olive green sweater dress and boots. After throwing my hair into a loose bun, I reapplied simple make up and headed outside the theater.
"I don't want to do this," I grumbled to myself as i hailed a taxi. The chilly air nipped at the tip of my nose and shuddered from a gust of wind , blowing a few stray wisps of hair into my face. These "meetings" were common for the performers who took on the secret contracts. The terms of them weren't exactly legal, but there was enough incentive to follow through. God knew I had my reasons.
I watched the lights of the city through the cab window as we raced down the busy streets. The saturday night traffic might make me late, and with these meetings I preferred to be early. In minutes we passed Central Park and turned onto 5th avenue. My heart began pounding uncomfortably, as if it didn't belong in my chest any longer.
"Can you drop me off here?" I leapt forward to beg the driver. "Sure, no problem", The older man waved as I paid and got out of the cab in front of St Patrick's cathedral. The massive luxury hotel was across the street and I would turn that away in a minute but as I looked over the towering cathedral, I sent a silent prayer to the heavens. To save the ones I cared for and calm my nerves for what I was about to face.
Or who I was about to face tonight.
Anyone could come tonight and it was the not knowing that made this worse. Perhaps if we could see who they were beforehand, it might have prepared me for what I was about to do. I swallowed those thoughts and walked the rest of the way to the hotel entrance. I got the key to the room at the front desk and kept my eyes down as I made my way through the lobby. The chances of anyone recognizing me this late at night was low , yet I kept my eyes on the ground.
At the door my hand trembled, and I had to force myself to inhale deep breaths before I could swipe the key card. I had been in this room before, but it didn't get easier each time like they told us it would. Holding my breath, I pushed open the door. When I found the massive suite empty with the lights off, I exhaled loudly.
"Whoever he is, he is not here yet", I whispered to myself. "Thank God", Putting my purse on the counter next to the minibar, I started making myself a drink. This was the reason I preferred to arrive early. The small fridge was full of tinny little bottles and I downed three of them and discarded the trash in a flash. As tired as I was, the alcohol made quick work of stripping away the last stone of anxiety settled in my chest.
The liquor clouded my head and before I knew it, I no longer cared who walked through the door. My body was now going through the motions. I pulled out more mini bottles and made a basic cocktail over ice.
Just as I lowered myself onto the couch with my back to the wall of windows facing the city, the door clicked. My body immediately tensed and I know I was holding my breath as I listened to leather shoes against the floor. My body moved it's self and I rose to my feet. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, silently, so whoever he was couldn't hear me steadying my self.
But then when he came around the corner, my breath immediately left me. His presence sucked all the air out of the room and my body shivered of its own volition.
Black hair styled back , slightly longer in the front than on the sides, with a few stray stands falling over his forehead. A short, neatly trimmed beard graced his perfectly square jawline. His features were strong, and he was devastatingly handsome.
"Rhea." His voice was husky and deep, the hint of an accent i couldn't place in the understones. Dark eyes scanned my frame and the way they lingered made me swallow a shudder."Welcome," I lifted the cocktail trying to start a conversation. "Would you like something to drink....? I trained off again, hoping he would offer his name . They didn't always give one. That was fine. He didn't respond faster but he kept walking, stalking forwards like a predator. He was cornering me and I felt like a rabbit. The urge to flee raced up my spine but I couldn't do anything"I would love a drink", He stopped in front of me and after a pause that felt too long, he finally reached out and circled his fingers over mine to accept the drink. His fingers were warm and he exhaled when his hand was over mine. The smile on my lips weakened, but thankfully remained in place.He was so much taller than I was, towering over me so much that it left me in shadows as his frame blocked the low light overhead. Th
When his hand stopped roaming my sides and landed on my breast , a moan slipped past my lips. This never happened at the meetings. I never enjoyed them but here l was feeling like l was in heaven. His palm on my breast was soft as he touched me, yet I could feel now just how much he was restraining himself. There was a slight tremor with in him as he held back."Do you want to go to the bedroom?", My mouth asked, and I felt like I was going on autopilot. Perhaps it was my exhaustion,or the small amount of alcohol in my system. But I knew those things mixed with Aleksander's dark allure were dangerous. His touch was winning my body over ."Fuck yes," He growled. I froze, but in the next instant he lifted me up from the couch and rose to his feet. His quick speed and calm strength impressed me. A bright blush spread across my cheeks and I wondered if he could see my resemblance to a tomato. He carried me into the bedroom where nothing but the New York City lights streamed into a darkene
My body flushed with molten lava as l felt him thrust in my pussy. He grounded against me with each roll of his hips, making sure I felt every inch of him that was claiming me. It was so deep. So intense and the pleasure between us as he moved with a building expertise made me come undone."Oh....oh! God!", I trembled as if struck by lightning when a powerful orgasm pushed me over the edge of a cliff and I fell head over heels into the heavens with an explosion of pleasure. "Yes, good girl," he assailed me with praise as I shuddered and rode out the waves of my climax still rolling through me. He kissed up the side of my neck and along my chin while slowly fucking me.All I could I focus on was my sensitive core and the aftershocks of my organ as Aleksander continued drilling into me. It felt like an eternity as he kept thrusting, kissing and touching me but he finally sped up, jerking his hips and tightening his hold on me. After some minutes he finally grunted with his own release.
I stiffened remembering it was Nikolai's contact who had connected me to Rhea that night. Ofcourse, he would remember. Clearing my throat, I clasped my hands over the desk."It just came to mind," I shrugged the topic off."How was that, by the way? The Ballerina? She danced like nobody's business,but I bet she was good on her back too. Worth the money you forked out to get her?" My first clenched when l heard his words. Although this wasn't an unusual conversation, I came from an openly promiscuous family where we didn't keep our loves lives hidden; I didn't want to hear my uncle talking about Rhea.It was ridiculous. I barely knew her. Yet my jaw clenched painfully as I glared across my desk."Yes. Worth it", l responded lastly. "Great to hear!" He clapped his hands. "Don't go around spending that kind of money each time you need a lay, though. Plenty of women will give you that for free, Aleksander. You're a good looking man, and I see how the little slice out side looks at you", H
"Oh, Mr Makalov. That magazine company wants to know if you want any copies of the issue that they featured you in. They called earlier to see if you were interested since it went out this morning", Harriet hovered in the doorway. "No, I don't really care. My uncle will buy one if he wants to use it to make fun of me that badly," I answered without looking up at her. I was focusing instead on the two massive monitor screens on my desk."You're right. So funny, Mr Makalov", She let loose an exagerrated laugh. I barely dipped my head in a nod in response to get her to leave. She huffed through her nose, but seconds later she vanished. Once the door to my office was shut and the haze in my head seemed to clear, I pushed myself to focus on work. If we had a new nightclub going up near the river, I had many people to contact to make sure it got underway.Unfortunately, I started thinking about the area again. It was close to the theater. The same one I would go to back with my aunt this we
"Very good seats," Annika mused as we settled down. She was happy but every single one of my nerves was on edge. The world was moving far too slow as we waited and waited for the performance to start. Nikolai and I had missed the first half of the show last time and my eyes were wide and ready to seek Rhea the moment she set foot on stage.All I could I think about was watching her fly over the stage. My fingers itched to pull another smoke from my front pocket, but then the lights were dimming, and the music was starting. The first act of swan lake was terrible, Rhea wasn't in at all. The entire thing was about some dumb prince, and the man prancing about the stage. It annoyed me to the point that l bounced my leg in my seat.The second act's first half was equally boring. More than anything. I was certain that prince Siegfried was a moron.Everything changed when the swan Queen was revealed. Odette, the great beauty, cursed to live as a swan by day.Rhea, the most beautiful woman I
RHEA'S POVThe lights were on. Light music was playing in the background of the room and on the small circular dinning table laid the largest bouquet I had ever seen in my life. The flowers were so massive that they nearly eclipsed the table they sat on. Of course this wasn't my first time to receive flowers. They are normal with my performances but this was entirely different. The flowers were show stopping."Ah! You are early again", That deeper voice that haunted me in my dark, secret moments this past week greeted me."Aleksander,' l whispered his name, accompanied by a slight shiver down my spine. When he stepped around the flowers into the light, l sucked in a breath.He was as handsome as I remembered him. Devastatingly so. This man was a heartbreaker and my heart was beating a mile a minute to see that it was him. This man with me again in his room I didn't enjoy coming to. "Do you like them?" He gestured to the flowers. "They are for me?" My hand fluttered as I covered my che
Before I could respond, his hand moved to the back of my head. I gasped when he curled his fist into my hair and jerked my head back but he swallowed that gasp with his own mouth. That heated kiss took me by surprise, and the ferocity of it stole the air from my lungs. It aided in inflaming the heat coiling in my belly and my knees trembled. My legs threatened to give out underneath me as Victor deepened the kiss, but his free arm wrapped around me.I allowed myself to melt against him. He seemed glad to support me, pulling me tight to his chest and his lips bruised mine. All the while his hand remained in the back of my hair, controlling my movement. I couldn't pull away if I wanted to. I didn't and d there was that heaty scent, a touch of expensive cologne and cigarettes. Why did I like the smell now?"I'm going to take my time with you tonight," He promised, pulling away a fraction, so I felt his breath fanning my face, but my eyes were hazy, and I struggled to focus on his face. "