“Well, we never got around to talking about it last night.”
“We did talk about it after our first night together,” Dimitri reminded her gently. He reached over her and took an antique cigar case from the bedside table. “I don’t do relationships, Angela,” he said, holding the case towards her. She shook her head and he lit one, taking a long drag. “I fuck. Hard. But I can’t date you.”
She winced. “Ouch. That was brutal.”
He sighed and stubbed the cigar out on an ashtray before drawing her into his arms. “I wish I could date you, baby. But things are… things are complicated.”
“Complicated how?”
“There are things going on in my life… things that I can’t tell you about. It involves… my family,” he said reluctantly. “And you.”
Her face darkened. Without a word, Angela pushed off the sheets and swung her legs over the bed. He sat up and frowned.
“Babe, what’s wrong? Look, let me explain, alright?”
“Explain what?” She sneered, glaring at him over her shoulder. “Your family won’t accept me because I’m black, right?”
“Babe, come here.” He wrapped a powerful arm around her, effortlessly pulling her back in bed. “You’re the very first black girl who ever seriously caught my eye, yes. But, do you honestly think this has anything to do with pigmentation? I couldn’t give a flying fuck about your skin color. Actually, I do,” he amended with a smirk as he ran his long pale fingers up and down her arm. “There’s something about the darkness of your skin that just drives me wild.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Are you trying to change the subject?”
He ran his fingers through his hair, looking sheepish. “This is all coming out wrong.” He kissed the corner of her lips. “Angie, my future has been mapped out for me from birth. Everything that I am today is because of my family. My mother has very strict… principles about how my life ought to be.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “My life has basically been mapped out for me since the time I was born.” An uncharacteristically sad smile touched his lips. “And… well, shit happened.”
She placed her hand over his, touched by the sadness in his eyes. “What shit? Dimitri what happened to you?” She hesitated. “Is it because I don’t come from a rich family?”
His eyes flashed in anger. “Cut it out, will you? You think I care about your money?”
“Then what?” ‘She pressed. “Dimitri, what is it?”
Instead of answering, he kissed her lips, fierce and hard. “I’ve trained myself not to love, baby. Let’s leave it at that, shall we?”
Angela knew that the safest course of action for her would be to just leave his bed and go away. It wasn’t like there were a lack of men in this world. People walked out of relationships every day. Besides, this wasn’t even a relationship. This was a… fling, or however he wanted to label it. She could just get out of bed, get dressed, leave, and forget all of this ever happened. After all, they’d only been together for a few weeks.
“I would leave if I were you,” Dimitri whispered, sensing the tension in her body. “You’ll only end up with a broken heart if you stay.”
“I know,” she murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck as she pulled him on top of her. “’I know.”
Chapter 7
“Dimitri? Darling where are you? Come on, Thomas, I’m more than able to find my son myself. Darling?”
The shrill voice grew louder, yanking Angela out of her sleep. She blinked, suddenly aware of the incessant knocking on the door. Dimitri suddenly emerged from the bathroom, clad in nothing more than a towel that hung loosely across his hips. Rivulets of water dripped between his powerful muscles as he stormed towards the door.
Angela sat up in bed, clutching the sheet to her chest. “Is it your mother?” She hissed.
His face was alarmed. “Yes. Stay put.”
He opened the door by a crack and peered out. “Hi, mom. I wasn’t expecting you today.”
“Can’t I pop in to see my son from time to time?”
“Mom, I’m not dressed.” Dimitri protested as she pushed past him and walked into the room. “Mom!”
Angela flushed beetroot red as a stunningly elegant woman walked into the bedroom. Like Dimitri, she was blonde and had the same dark green eyes as him. Her face looked suspiciously fresh for her age and her frozen skin was stretched tight, hinting at more than one Botox intervention. With what looked like immense difficulty, she arched one eyebrow, her lips curving in a tight smile.
“And who is this?”
“Uh, hello. I’m… Angela,” Angela replied, looking helplessly at Dimitri. “Pleasure to… uh… meet you.”
The older woman gave her a frigid smile. “Cover yourself up, dear. I can see your nipple.”
“Mother!” Dimitri scowled at his mother as a flustered Angela yanked the sheet up to her chin.
“What?” The woman shrugged.
“Come on.” He grabbed her firmly by the elbow and steered her towards the door. “Let’s give her some privacy. Angie, we’ll be downstairs.”
“Can’t you ever find anyone in your league, Dimitri?” Angela heard her say as the door closed. “Does she know about Celine?”
Unexpected tears welled up in Angela’s eyes. She caught sight of herself in the full-length mirror opposite the room. His mother was right. Naked and disheveled with just-fucked hair and smeared lipstick, she couldn’t help but feel that she was certainly out of his league. Nothing - absolutely nothing - about her screamed blue-blood.
A sudden wave of depression washed over her and she reached for her phone. Flipping it open, she typed a quick text to Dimitri.
Is she still here? Do you want me to come down?
His reply beeped barely thirty seconds later.
Yes, come.
The wave of gloom followed her as she trudged to the bathroom and took a quick shower. She brushed her teeth and with a sigh of resignation, slipped in the tiny pair of Daisy Dukes and white shirt that she had on from last night. It was either that or the satin negligee that Dimitri had bought her.
Mentally cursing her outfit, she ran a brush through her hair, trying to work through the curls. Her carefully straightened locks had been rendered frizzy by the sex and humidity and no amount of brushing would sort them out. Gritting her teeth, Angela pulled her hair in a ponytail, dabbed on some perfume and lip gloss, and walked out of the room.
“Dimitri?” She called, tiptoeing across the front hall.
“In the dining room, babe.”
Angela paused and took a deep breath before stepping into the exceptionally wide room. They were both seated at the table, sipping on coffees.
“Oh, Angela.” Dimitri stood up as she walked in. He strode over to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Let me formally introduce you two. Baby, this is my mother, Linda. Mom, this is Angela Jones. My…” He paused, looking suddenly uncomfortable. “My girlfriend.”
Her head whipped up in surprise at the word but quickly recovered.
“Um, pleasure to meet you, Mrs.… I mean, Linda,” she hastily amended as Dimitri gently elbowed her.
Linda’s eyes flashed as she racked a scornful gaze down the length of Angela’s body before turning her attention back to her coffee. A magazine was spread out in front of her and she flipped through it while taking slow, deliberate sips.
Dimitri gave Angela’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze as he led her to the table. He pulled out her chair and she sat down opposite his mother.
“Coffee, babe?”
Angela smiled up at him. “Yes, please.”
Dimitri nodded at the butler who was standing so discreetly in the corner that Angela hadn’t even noticed him until then.
“Stanford, please bring out some coffee for Miss. Jones please.”
The butler vanished before reemerging seconds later with her coffee. Dimitri pushed a plate of freshly baked butter croissants in front of her and she hesitantly took one. The atmosphe
re in the dining room was stuffy and overly formal and, at that moment, Angela fervently wished she had gone straight to her apartment after waking up.
“Can I get you anything for breakfast, Angie? Bacon? Eggs? Pancakes?”
For some reason, Dimitri’s formal, overly courteous voice set her on the edge. She shook her head, forcing her lips in a polite smile.
“The croissant’s fine, thanks.”
She tore a piece of croissant before realizing that Linda was meticulously cutting up her own croissant with a knife and fork. Her lips pursed in annoyance as she picked up her own utensil. At that moment her phone gave a shrill beep, interrupting the chilly silence. Linda looked up, her upper lip curving in a sneer.
“Excuse me.” Flustered, Angela dropped her fork and grabbed the phone. It was a text message from Lilly.
How’s it going with the boss? Was the sex any good?
Angela hid a smile as she replied. Sex was amazing. Except for snobby mother who showed up this morning. Having breakfast with her. Croissants. With forks and knives.
Lilly’s reply beeped back immediately.
Who the fuck eats croissants with a fork and a knife?
“Ahem, ahem.”
Angela looked up as Linda cleared her throat, glaring pointedly at the phone in her hand.
“Mind your manners, dear. Kindly ensure that your phone is turned off at the table.”
A spark of anger flared through Angela but she bitterly swallowed it and stowed her phone away. Dimitri touched her hand in reassurance before looking up at his mother with a strained smile.
“Do you know that Angela enjoys the ballet, too?” He said. “We should go catch a show one night.”
“I’m afraid that I’m going to be quite busy, dear,” Linda said with a smirk. “But you take your little friend and go. If she can stand to be around some culture, of course,” she added with a syrupy smile.
That did it. Angela threw her napkin down and pushed back her chair.
“Please do excuse me.” She said with exaggerated formality. “But I’ve got a few things to attend to. It was nice meeting you, Linda.”
Before the older woman could respond, she stormed out of the dining room and rushed upstairs. She slammed the bedroom door behind her and sat on the bed, her shoulders shaking with rage. Barely a minute later, the door creaked open and Dimitri walked in.
“Hey,” he said cautiously.
Angela looked up, her eyes swimming with tears. Is it because of my skin color? Is this why your mother is determined to put me down so much?
“What?” He looked horrified. “Angie, no.”
“Oh, yeah? I thought your mother would only approve a blonde, blue-blooded socialite for you.”
“Yes, but the way she’s treating you has nothing to do with color or ethnicity!” His voice shook with sincerity. “It’s… well, she’s a bit of a snob, you know? She’s only civil to multimillionaires who went to Oxford or Harvard. I’m really sorry, Angie. If I’d known she would be here I would have…”
“Asked me to leave earlier?” She finished frostily. “So basically you fuck me and then kick me out when mommy dearest shows up?” An angry tear rolled down her cheek and she brushed it away.
“Come here.” Dimitri sighed, pulling her into his arms.
He pressed her to his chest, tenderly cradling the back of her head. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath, fighting off the overwhelming urge to break down in tears. He ran his fingers through her hair and brushed a soft kiss across her forehead.
“I meant what I said earlier, Angie,” he whispered. “You’re the first woman to evoke such emotions in me.”
“Actually your exact words were you’re the very first black girl who ever caught my eye,” she quoted with a sniff.
He briefly pulled back and searched her eyes. “I love it that you’re black, baby.”
“You’ve said that already,” she muttered grouchily.
“Well, it’s true. Look.” He laced his fingers through hers and held up their intertwined hands. “I love to see the contrast between my skin and yours.”
Her eyes widened as she felt him stir against her lower stomach. “That’s an interesting turn of events. Weren’t you in the middle of breakfast?”
“Screw croissants.” He fumbled with her shorts, yanking them down in a swift motion. “I’d rather have you for breakfast.”
“No, wait.” Angela fought against the overwhelming wave of desire that gripped her body.
“What?” he complained.
“Your mom said something earlier,” she said. “Something about a Celine?”
The words were barely out of her mouth but she already wished she could take them back. At that moment, everything she’d come to know and love about Dimitri vanished at once. His eyes hardened, growing almost black with an emotion that she could not place. In front of her stood the cold, distant man she’d always known. The tension that rolled off him was so strong, so overwhelming, that she instinctively took a step back.
Suddenly he blinked and shook his head, forcing a smile. “That’s not important. Come here.” He circled her waist again but she pushed him away.
“No, it is important.” She insisted. “Come on, Dimitri. You never open up to me.”
He cupped her chin, dropping a series a soft kisses down her jaw, his tongue lingering on her heated skin. “You’re the one who’s going to open up for me, babe.” He murmured, pushing her gently onto the bed.
Chapter 8
To Angela’s surprise, Dimitri did start to gradually open up to her. He did maintain, however, they were nothing more than sex friends, at the very least. There was another side to him that he was gradually allowing her to see, though. She didn’t know how, or when, but the walls around him were slowly coming down.
A few weeks after the scene with his mother, Dimitri even took her out for dinner to celebrate their three months together. And for once, he didn’t choose one of a faraway place to avoid bumping into anyone they knew.
“This is nice.” Dimitri leaned over and kissed her softly, interrupting her thoughts. “Sorry I’ve been grouchy all week. This merger’s turning out to be far harder than I’d imagined.”
“It’s okay.” Angela smiled. She suddenly looked sheepish. “I do have something to confess.”
“What?”
Angela placed her hand over his. “Please don’t be angry. But remember how I asked if we could double date with Lilly?”
“Yes?” Dimitri said slowly. “And I told you why I didn’t want to.”
She gave him a timid smile. “Well, I might have invited Lilly and Luke from sales to join us for dinner tonight.”
He stared at her. “What?”
Angela smiled apologetically. “Lilly wanted us to go out tonight so I thought I would ask her to join us. She was actually supposed to bring Darren but he wasn’t free tonight so she…”
Dimitri pulled his hand out from underneath hers. “You did what?” His face was pale with anger. “Angela, how could you do something like this? You know very well that I’m trying to keep this… this thing between us on the down-low. Do you even know what it means to be discreet?”
Her smile faltered at the look on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong is that I specifically told you that I wasn’t interested in this double dating thing of yours.” Dimitri snapped. “And yet you went ahead behind my back to set this up.”
“Well, you left me with no choice,” Angela protested. “Lilly’s my best friend and you keep refusing to meet her. The least I can do is introduce you. And I couldn’t exactly tell her to come alone, right?”
“What do you mean introduce me?” He asked irritably. “I know Lilly.”
“Not as your staff, Dimitri, but as my friend.” She sighed in exasperation. “Look, let’s not fight, alright? I’m sorry I went behind your back but let’s just try to enjoy the evening, alright?”
“No, it’s not alright.” He an
grily flung his napkin on the table. “You can’t go behind my back like that, Angela. I told you that I like to keep things discreet.” His eyes suddenly fixed on the door. “Shit, they’re here. And I can’t believe you would invite Luke of all people.”
Angela turned around to see Lilly crossing the restaurant, an ebullient-looking Luke by her side. Tall and gangly, Luke was practically sweating with excitement as he spotted Dimitri. Angela gulped at the eagerness in his face.
“Hello!” He thrust his hand at Dimitri before Angela could even say anything. “Luke Mathews, sir. From sales. We met in last month’s brief meeting? I gave that presentation on our online selling system?”
“Oh, right. Pleasure to see you again,” Dimitri said formally as he shook his hand.
“And you know, Lilly, right?” Angela smiled encouragingly at her friend.
Lilly gave Dimitri a warm smile that he did not return. Instead, he shook her hand just as formally.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, too.”
“Thank you.” Lilly glanced at Angela as she sat down. “Sorry we’re late. Luke took his sweet time getting ready.”
“It’s okay. Would you guys like some wine?” Angela smiled as she held up the bottle.
Luke poured himself a tall glass and drowned half of it before grinning widely at Dimitri. “I can’t believe I’m here!” He exclaimed. “It’s not every day that you get to have dinner with your boss, right” Luke grinned, nudging Dimitri. He self-consciously adjusted his tie and looked around the table, hardly able to contain his excitement.
“Here you go, Sir. Madam.” A waiter handed Luke and Lilly their menus.
“Man, look at those prices!” Luke exclaimed, flipping through the menu. “But I guess I won’t have to worry about these tonight, eh, big guy?” He elbowed Dimitri again.
Angela cringed at Dimitri’s face. His expression was completely blank but the look he gave her was absolutely thunderous. She took a deep gulp of wine as she flipped through the menu. “So. What’s everyone going to have?” She smiled much too brightly at the table. “I heard the steak’s great. Dimitri would like that,” she grinned at him.
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