He took another small sip of his bottle and offered it to her. She declined with a shake of her head.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
He looked across to her and the look on his face was purely apologetic. “For losing my temper this evening with you… I… I haven’t lost control like that in some time. I am ashamed I did so.” He sighed and looked at the bottle as if another thought swirling around inside of it. “I realized something else tonight too.”
“What?”
He looked at her somberly. “My fortunes for a favorable outcome to this trial are not pleasant, are they?”
She managed to muster up a positive voice and an expression to match. “It’s only just begun. We haven’t even heard Abram’s opening arguments yet. All we know is what he intends to do. There’s no guarantee he’s going to win.”
“And no guarantee you can win either, is there?” She began to respond but he silenced her with a hand. “Please, Regina, I have been in business long enough to know that my prospects are grim at best. There are too many interested parties in play that have much to lose should the court find in my favor.”
From her own experience she could tell that he wasn’t lying. He wasn’t hopeful, but there was nothing in his tone that suggested that he had no confidence in her. All she could do was sit there in silence.
He began to take another drink from his bottle, but stopped. He lowered the vodka and looked at it, almost as if he had never seen it before. “I suppose tonight is a night for revelations. My past… my future… they seem to have merged together tonight, haven’t they?”
She shrugged. “I suppose so.”
He looked at her. “If you’d like to be released from your contract to be my legal representation… I would not find fault if you did. I would hate to see a reputation such as yours marred by a blemish such as this. And I would, of course, pay the legal fees for your services thus far and I will see to it that you are not cast in any kind of a negative light for your services.”
The excitement rose up within her with such ferocity that she felt the lizard brain overcome every other facet of her mentality as if it had been given rocket boosters. Without thinking about it, without caring what her professional standing might look like when it was done, she reached out and took his face in her hands.
In a single swift movement, she brought his lips to hers.
He didn’t resist.
His breath was warm and though there was the slight taste of vodka, she felt a tingling sensation spread over her. His skin was smooth, as if he could have shaved five minutes before, but through her fingertips she could feel the hardness of his jaw. It felt as if he contained power that she couldn’t even fathom how to measure.
It felt as if the kiss had lasted hours though she knew it could only have been moments before she allowed their lips to part. As she drew gently away she surveyed his face. His eyes were still closed from their simple embrace but she noted that his breathing had changed. His breath came in softer, more slowly, like he had just taken a dive into a pool and finally surfaced for air. When he opened his eyes she saw a gentle smile form on his handsomely chiseled face.
This was insane… she had met the man less than six hours ago and here she was. The pull he exuded was undeniable and she couldn’t stop herself wondering – hoping maybe – that she had the same effect on him. But whether she did or didn’t, she didn’t care… in this moment it felt like she had won the prize either way.
“Another revelation?”
“Yes,” she replied with a smile, “one of mine.”
His smile remained, becoming more inviting. “We will still have our problems in the morning.”
“The morning can wait,” she said, her voice becoming breathless.
He dropped his vodka bottle carelessly upon the floor and bridging the gap between them once again and placed his mouth on hers with such fervor, such tenacity, that she fell over onto her pillows once again. He stretched out on top of her, his hands planted on her shoulders before stretching out and seeking out her hands.
Their fingers interlocked and she again felt his strength, both in his fingers as they clenched tightly around her smaller ones and in his tongue as it probed the inside of her mouth.
Her lips parted invitingly, welcoming his tongue into her mouth. His taste was sweet, even with the vodka on his breath. The heavy drink still held a profound effect and she felt herself becoming drunk, but off of his kisses and the work of his tongue.
He pinned her against the bed and she tried to wrap her legs around him, but her sheets prevented her. She felt like a fly, caught in a well-made spider’s web, unable to move and unable to escape the pressing feeling upon her. Somehow, the feeling of helplessness added to her passion and a soft moan stirred within her mouth.
Encouraged by the muffled sound, Alexi began to kiss his way south. His lips and tongue gently pecked at her chin… her neck… and slowing at her chest. His hands freed hers and he brought them to the neckline of her silken night gown.
With the kind of power she would expect a god to have he ripped the garment cleanly down the middle, reducing it to worthlessness. Not that she cared… she would have sacrificed a thousand expensive sleeping gowns to witness a display of that kind of power.
Her breasts, freed from the confinement of the silk, his mouth resumed its course. His lips and tongue tasted each of her nipples in turn. His tongue traced lazy circles around her areolas. Her breasts were not large but she reveled in how he took his time exploring every inch of them with his tongue.
Lightly, he traced invisible lines to the narrow valley between her breasts as he adjusted himself on the bed, licking his way down to her belly and beyond. When he came to the hemline of her panties again, with godlike strength, he ripped the obstacle from his path. Were he truly a god she would have thought that this is how women prayed to him and she would gladly have offered herself at his altar.
In a move that surprised her, he picked her up from off of the bed as though she weighed nothing at all, hooking her legs over his shoulders, and he planted his mouth upon her most sensitive of places. She felt the heat of his mouth rush through her and once more the idea of Alexi Romanov being likened to a volcano filled her mind for but an instant. It was as if his mouth had become a lava tube and she was the vessel that housed the warmth he offered.
Despite her posture she felt herself buck as his tongue slipped inside of her. He expertly explored her inside… the tip of tongue taking careful time with her labia… her mons… all of it was subject to the demands his mouth made and she happily accepted it. Her back curled until only the tip of her head was resting on her mattress, her ruined nightgown slipped from her body as her arms stretched out looking for something to grab a hold of. But all she managed to find was air, empty and unwilling to give her balance as Alexi lifted her further from off of the bed with ease.
Regina felt as if she were flying with her arms flailing almost wildly about. Her form wouldn’t have carried her but that did not negate the fact that she felt as if she were climbing higher and higher into the air even now. Not even the thick walls of these living quarters or even the iron gates beyond those could have kept her in.
“Alexi… Alexi…” she moaned softly, trying to both praise and caution him as he went about his task. Already she could feel the tides of her passion rising to dangerous levels inside of her.
The men she had bedded before had never been like this. There had been nights when loneliness and a desire to be reminded that she was still alive and young had driven her to seek companionship. Sometimes she found willing partners at the office; once or twice had been with a friend whom she had made an arrangement… but never with a client. Though the lawyer’s code of ethics forbade this kind of intimacy she didn’t care.
Her body drooped until the world seemed upside down to her. Her thickly braided hair pooled on the mattress and she found space to put her hands down flatly upon the bed as if
doing some kind of a yoga headstand. Still, Alexi’s tongue worked frantically within her sex, as if he were trying to dig buried treasure from within her.
Then it happened.
The lava that he had been filling her with reached its maximum point before erupting inside of her. Like a mini volcano she felt herself explode deep in her core, heat and passion mixed with each other for dominance and she lost control of her voice. All that managed to escape from her mouth was wordless sound that only bespoke of pleasure.
Alexi freed his mouth from her and gingerly he set her back upon the mattress as if she might shatter if he did not. Her legs trembled and her toes felt numb, but the sensation was amazing. More amazing still was Alexi as she witnessed him slip his thumbs inside the waistline of his sleeping trousers and pull them down.
Inch by inch she reveled in the sight, even though only the moonlight showed her everything that she had been craving. Finally, he revealed his manhood and she saw that that was just as hard as the rest of him.
As if she were about to touch some sacred idle she put out her hand and gently stroked him. His eyes fluttered at her touch and she savored the sight of him like that. His body trembled under her hand with every stroke until he fell forward, landing on all fours as her palm slid slowly over his delicate flesh.
“It’s been so long…” he gasped softly.
She reclined back upon her pillows and he followed her down and pried her legs gently apart. Her body tensed and moistened with the anticipation of his touch as he settled his weight upon her. Her head was still reeling from her first climax as he slipped inside of her, once more stirring the swirl of orgasm in her mind. Again, the lava he’d given her began to boil anew. He was hard and strong and he stirred his hips, touching her in all of the right places both within and without.
“Yes… yes… yes…” she panted as he began to thrust inside of her, her words keeping pace with his movements. He brought her to silence as he put his mouth upon hers.
Her arms attempted to encircle him but failed, his shoulders were too wide. Her fingers brushed up and down the flanks of his torso, like a farmer plowing his fields. She felt the hardness in the muscles of his abs, his chest, his back, and even the taught muscles of his buttocks.
Her body began to crest with sweat as his thrusts became more and more intense and she felt beads of perspiration forming along his flanks as well. She ran her hands through his hair, ruining what had been neatly combed there. Her actions drove him to greater fervor.
He penetrated her so deeply that it felt as if he was trying to reach her very mind through their union. She could already feel some of her higher brain function on the wane, enveloped by the craving for more and more of what Alexi had to offer.
He separated their kiss and lightly licked at the sides of her neck. A small sound of pleasure reached her ears as he did so and she rejoiced at his attention. She could feel him throbbing both within and without and the power made her feel more and more vulnerable. She was an insect captured by the power of a Titan and the power he commanded simply demanded her compliance.
His mouth once again found its way to hers and she could taste the musk of their union on his lips. Her tongue slipped over his lips this time and she delighted in probing the recesses of his mouth. His enthusiasm did not diminish and more to her surprise, his thrusting took on new and greater fervor than before.
Her fluids began to surge, nearing their peak for the second time. She moaned at its approach and felt her fingers digging into Alexi’s shoulders. Her fingers clutched so tightly that she was frightened that she might yet draw blood. But he didn’t seem to mind as they continued to dance the most ancient and primal of partnerships.
His thrusts deepened… her legs spread to accommodate his motions… he pumped four… nine… eleven more times… then held. She felt a small yelp build up inside of her that she managed to catch in her throat, a soundless scream formed on her face as the end result finally held, overcoming them both.
She tried counting the seconds that the sensation lasted, losing count somewhere around four or five before her senses became too befuddled to even count straight as her body became awash in the aftershock of her own personal inner earthquake. Her breathing came back to her and her legs trembled once more with the sensation of what she could only have described as earth shattering.
“Oh, god…” she managed to whisper.
Alexi pushed himself up, resting on his elbows and looking down at her. His face was beaded with sweat and in the darkness he still looked radiant. “Sorry…” he whispered back, sounding lightly breathless himself.
“For what?”
He licked his lips. “I… I should have done much better.” She wasn’t certain in the darkness, but it looked as if he could have been blushing. “I suppose I have been too long without a woman.”
Despite the reasons he had come to her, she felt a surge of victory within her. “You haven’t forgotten much, Alexi. I’d give you highest marks.” She chuckled, “Although… if anyone finds out about this, I could be disbarred.”
Alexi chuckled this time and gently kissed her lips. “This is a Russian embassy. You cannot violate the laws of your country here.”
A technicality, she realized, but despite that she laughed and kissed him back.
They held their embrace for a few moments before Alexi withdrew himself from inside of her and rolled upon her bed beside her. She nestled herself in the pit of his arm, lightly kissing his chest.
“Do you mind if I stay here tonight?”
She beamed at him. She hadn’t minded sharing her body, but there was always something appealing in sharing her space afterwards. The appeal held that she had never really done it before. All of her previous partners had been quick to leave for whatever reason and she hadn’t tried to stop them. But Alexi… he was a detainee here in this embassy. Where was he going to disappear to?
Even so, there was something special in keeping Alexi with her for the remainder of the night… and the thought of sharing it with him didn’t sound at all bad. She looked to her bedside clock… Jesus! Did all of that really happen in just over an hour? Whatever the case, she was happy to have him here for as long as she could manage it. “Really? Won’t it look strange if you leave here in the morning in nothing but your trousers?”
He smiled. “No… this is a private wing. Yuri will know where I am and he will collect me before anyone can become suspicious.”
She nodded, comfortable with the arrangement. “Sure… if you like.”
He gently kissed her forehead. “You really are the best at what you do.”
“Next time… I’ll try and do better too.”
He chuckled as he encircled her with one arm. “Oh… you plan on us doing this again, do you?”
“Unless you don’t want to?”
He gently stroked the side of her face. “I would not be adverse to the idea,” he said fondly. But then his expression soured, becoming more solemn. “But my future may not permit it… unless…” He paused.
“Unless what?”
He didn’t respond at once, but shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. It is something that can wait until morning.”
They didn’t speak again, but settled together with his arm around her and her head resting on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart.
Regina was content to live in the moment and simply savor the intimacy that she had been fortunate enough to share. But even as she lay there, the sweat drying from off of her body, Alexi’s words echoed in her mind.
She was the best at what she did… which was winning cases that seemed unwinnable. And she had no idea how she was going to pull this one off. The thought was still bouncing around in her head until finally sleep claimed her.
Chapter 8
When she opened her eyes the next morning, Regina noted right away that Alexi was gone. His sleeping trousers had vanished, as had the bottle of vodka he had brought with him the night prior. She looked to h
er alarm clock and found that she still had at least twenty minutes before the alarm was to go off.
Was I dreaming?
She sat up and noticed that she was still quite naked and the ruined remains of her sleeping gown and panties sat idly on the floor. Both were proof enough that she had not imagined the passions she’d had from the previous night. And her body still had that same tenderness that she associated with afterglow. A smile touched her face at the thought of it. She supposed that she should have been a little insulted to wake and find Alexi gone, but somehow his disappearance didn’t bother her in the slightest. She would be seeing him soon enough anyway.
Then her eyes fell upon a note, written in Russian on her bedside table. She gathered it up and chuckled at the small and simple missive that had been left for her.
Court is at 8:00. Don’t be late. I need you.
- A
She smiled at the message and quickly bounded for the shower. She could not clean and dress herself fast enough for a desire to get ready for court. She washed away all traces of musk that had followed her from last night and put on the best of the dress suits that she had brought with her.
She was half dressed when she exited the shower and found a surprise waiting for her. A breakfast cart had been brought in while she was cleaning up. It was laden with porridge, potatoes, and a small serving of meat that smelled like pork and a pitcher of chilled orange juice.
She swallowed her breakfast, brushed her teeth, and gathered up all of her legal materials after she finished dressing and for the first time since last night she began to think over how she was going to save Alexi. She found new motivations for pursuits from last night and she found that they carried her to new heights of thinking.
She checked her watch and found that she had ten minutes to arrive at the court room and was quick to make her way there, motivated by professionalism as much as… What? Love? Lust?
She wasn’t sure. She contemplated it on the elevator ride up to the court room as to what it was that she had done. With her sexual appetite sated for the moment she had the advantage of clearer thinking. Was she in love with Alexi? Logic dictated that she couldn’t be after only one night. But somehow, that didn’t feel right. Was it lust then? No… that didn’t seem right either. Lust had never left her wanting more. This was something else… something more profound…
REGENCY: Loved by the Duke (Historical Billionaire Military Romance) (19th Century Victorian Short Stories) Page 16