something than she had ever felt before. Suddenly, a warm hand crept across hers, and she looked over to find Dmitry. His bright eyes were fixed on her.
"Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.
"I'm wonderful," she said, holding back tears. She clinched his hand tightly. "Thanks for all of this. It's beautiful. I've never had anything like this done for me before." Her voice was nearly a whisper.
"Get used to it." He waved over the waiter for more wine. He could see her wide brown eyes start to relax. Her long lashes flopped lazily and the tension had started to come out of her erect posture.
"You feel relaxed yet?" He ran his large hand over her shoulder and massaged her back.
"Umm, yes," she said empting her glass. She wiped her lips gently with her finger tips. The wine perfumed her breath and hazed her thoughts.
Dmitry watched her, still smitten by her small perfect movements. He looked away for a moment and smiled to himself.
Royal looked over and caught his smirk. She raised her brow and set down her glass. Used to his idiosyncrasies, she knew sex was on his mind.
"Can you manage to keep that mind of yours out of the gutter, Dmitry?" she asked slurring her words a little but still in control of her thoughts.
"You've now gone from shop girl to mind reader?" Dmitry laid his long arm around her chair and her exposed back like a boa constrictor and let his thumb rub against the bare skin of her back.
"It doesn't take much to read your mind." His movements aroused her.
"If that were true, I'd be out of business." He smirked again showing his long dimples.
"It's not that. I've just had more time to know how to read you."
She met his eyes and swallowed hard as he leaned in.
"What am I thinking right now? Tell me exactly. Each and every word."
"You're thinking you want to give me a raise," she said smiling.
He grinned. Her humor continuously renewed him. "You have proven yourself to be quite the remarkable woman," he said softly. "I have watched you transform from this diamond in the rough to...Hope diamond. Irreplaceable. Irresistible. Irritating." He smiled. She laughed.
"Jeez, don't set the bar so high," she whispered.
The band played in the background, hand organs bellowing out beautiful Russian music. He smiled. "Dance with me?" he asked, urging her from her seat. His hand caressed her back.
"Alright." Royal stood, placed her napkin in the chair and followed Dmitry to the quaint, candlelit dance floor. Again she could feel the many eyes burning through her. They all watched her like spectacle she was. It would have driven her crazy if Dmitry had not continued to steal her thoughts.
He turned to her and bowed gracefully.
"May I have this dance and every other there after?" He winked at her.
"Yes, but I have to warn you, I tend to lead."
"So you've danced with many seven foot men, huh?"
"A couple," she grinned. "Okay. You're the first, but don't let it go to your head."
"Too late," he hummed. "If I was foolish enough to omit observation earlier... you look absolutely beautiful tonight."
"Thank you." Royal smiled. "You do too."
Dmitry looked regal in his black tailored suit, cut for his large lion frame. As normal, there was nothing out of place. His hair was just the right shade of blonde, his tan just the right shade of bronze, his eyes just the right shade of blue and his lips just the right shade of pink. Even more was his intoxicating cologne—a signature fragrance that she had never smelled before meeting him, but could not forget.
He dipped his head to greet her, ever so gentle and refined in all of his movements. As he took her small manicured hand in his own, he pulled her close into his towering body. She slipped her hand in between the
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