by Risk, Mona
A collective gasp blurted in the office with the expected, “I’m sorry, General.” John and Paul sprang out of their chairs to grasp his hand and shake it.
Cecile covered the general’s hand with hers. “It’s good that you reached her in time.”
She noticed Paul watching her with puzzlement. With a suppressed smile, she figured he wasn’t so sure of his deductions anymore.
They heard a knock on the door. Nicolai opened it to admit a soldier carrying a big tray. He deposited it on the desk and saluted while talking in Russian. The colonel translated. “He said, ‘my General, in the name of all my comrades, I want to present our sincere condolences on the death of your mother.’”
The general saluted back. “Spacibo bolshoye.”
After the soldier left, Sergei shifted his gaze from one to the other. “My mother died of cancer. Her death is one more reason for me to accelerate the refurbishment of the lab, its inauguration and the chemists’ training, before more obstacles arise.”
Nicolai nodded. “Roussov is out of the country for two weeks. He planned it this way. He wanted to leave us without a permit for as long as possible.”
John banged on the desk. “I am fed up with this man. America is giving aid to his country. Instead of thanking us, he’s insulting us.”
“That is because he wanted the contract to deliver food and agricultural machines instead of environmental chemical instruments. We had a long discussion on the subject at the Ministry when we wrote the contract requirements. The minister agreed with me but Roussov voted against it,” the general explained.
“Let’s give him a taste of his own treatment and inaugurate the lab in his absence,” John suggested.
Cecile raised her hand. “We need two weeks to install the instruments. You can plan the inauguration in fourteen days from today, whether Roussov is back or not. We’ll throw a reception at the Nievol Hotel in the evening.”
They all agreed on the date.
“How do you plan to organize the inauguration?” Cecile asked.
The colonel leaned on the desk. “Leave it up to me. I will invite the ministers of defense, environment and foreign affairs. My Generalle, it would be great if you can convince the Vice-President to come. The man admires you. He recommended you for the Vallianskaya Medaal.”
“I will try. But I know he hates attending big gatherings. Dr. Kadelov will probably include the scientists of the Academy of Sciences.”
“Our Ambassador should attend and give a speech. I’ll pay him a visit tomorrow,” John said with importance.
Paul beamed. “This is the type of party I like with all the personalities. Don’t forget the booze.”
“No. No vodka in the lab, gentlemen. I’m trying to implement some safety procedures at Belchem.” Cecile scowled. She was not going to let them jeopardize her effort and spoil the reputation of the newly refurbished lab. “I absolutely refuse to allow a single drink at Belchem during the inauguration. Nicolai, I count on you to enforce my regulations.”
The colonel wriggled his nose. “No vodka at the inauguration?” He glanced at the general with a grimace.
“Cecile, when will you stop being a party pooper?” John protested very loudly. “This is the conclusion and celebration of so much effort.”
“Kind of you to remember that. But I said no alcohol in the lab and I mean it.”
She narrowed her eyes, sending Sergei a nonverbal message that she was adamant about the subject. Much to her relief, Sergei raised his hands. “Gentlemen, when it comes to the lab, Dr. Lornier is our highest authority. There will be no alcohol at the inauguration.”
Protests and interjections covered her sigh of relief. But she knew she would never hear the end of it. She owed them some sort of compensation, at least she owed Paul, Jeffrey and the chemists who had followed her to the other side of the world and would still be working hard to finish the project.
“I said no alcohol at the lab but…” They looked at her with anxiety and hope. “But at the reception I promise you an open bar.”
They showered her with thanks and compliments like young boys who just received a long expected treat from their severe and uncompromising mother. Even Sergei seemed relieved.
Another thought hit Cecile. This inauguration would help the Major General in his mission by providing him with as much publicity as possible. “Nicolai, can we invite the press, newspaper, TV, radio?”
“Terrific idea, Cecile. My Generalle, this would enhance our cause in the public eyes.” One more time, the colonel sought approval from his commanding officer. Sergei agreed and, they discussed their plans for the following hour.
“Well, my friends, I guess this was a good session. Each one of us has a task for this inauguration,” the general concluded.
John raised a hand. “Cecile, you hold the purse strings. Are you allocating some funds for this affair?”
“Dear John, what would I do without you reminding me of my financial duties?” While suppressing a sarcastic smile, she opened her purse to extract a big packet of money and handed it to the colonel. “I think this will cover the inauguration expenses. I’ll handle the reception. There are rubles and dollars here. They got mixed up somehow. You’ll have to sort them.”
“As a Belarusian officer, I’m not allowed to own foreign currency.” Nicolai eyed the packet as if it contained a deadly snake.
“I’m sorry. Let me remove the dollars.” She diligently separated the green sheets from the red ones.
“It’s way too much, Cecile,” the general protested.
“Please, use them. It’s for the project. We want everything to be first-class.”
Sergei sighed. Cecile knew it bothered him to accept financial help even if it was coming from the contract allocation.
The general stood, dismissing them. “Thank you, my friends. I will see you later at the Belchem Lab.” He shook hands with the men and then grabbed her hand. “Cecile, please, stay. I have a few questions to ask you about the new proposal.”
* * * * *
She stared at him and Nicolai leveled a questioning look at him. “My Generalle…”
Sergei interrupted him. “You too Nicolai, go. We will join you at Belchem.”
“But, Sergei…”
“I said go, Colonel.” The curt tone didn’t brook discussion. The others were already waiting outside.
She understood Nicolai’s concern. Sergei was becoming careless. “No, please, wait Nicolai. Come back to pick me up. Sergei, I can’t be seen going out of your office alone or with you.”
He sighed and nodded. The colonel closed the door behind him.
She remained standing near his desk. “Nicolai is right. Your caution is lapsing. Think about the danger to your public image if I’m seen leaving this place alone with you.”
“Being seen in public with a fabulous woman such as you should be an honor, Cecile. I will not hide our relationship anymore.”
She blinked and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him with all her strength. “Oh Sergei. I appreciate so much you saying that.” She lifted her head and stared into the startling blue eyes that had become her horizon. “What about your patriotism? Your mission?”
“Loving you does not contradict my patriotism. I believe I can still accomplish my mission and serve my country, with you at my side.” He arched his eyebrow in a familiar way that tugged at her heart. “That is, if you want to be at my side. We have not cleared up this point yet.”
Why was she hesitating so much? She was just torturing herself. Three weeks spent far from him had turned into pure hell. She was addicted to his lovemaking and his tender attention and didn’t give a hoot anymore about her vain independence as a well-paid executive, or even about the freedom she’d taken for granted in the U.S.
“I love you so much, Sergei. But will your citizens and officers accept me?”
“I will make sure they respect you as much as they respect me.”
Cecile was still hanging a
gainst his broad chest but his arms dangled along his sides. She realized he was bracing himself against coercing her with more kisses or passion.
“You may lose your glorious future. Nicolai told me your officers consider you the future leader of the country.”
“It’s their dream not mine. I’m not interested in politics. I just want to accomplish my mission of cleaning the environmental pollution. You can help me do it better than anyone else.”
“I will do it, Sergei. I promise I will help you with the cleanup.”
He grabbed her shoulders. “I want more, Cecile. I want you. I want to love you every night. I want to sleep and wake up with you in my arms. I want to hold your hands in public, talk to you in public, kiss you in public. I am sick of this secrecy.”
“What about Roussov and his National Security?
“The hell with them. I will fight them. So far, I have avoided a confrontation and tried the peaceful approach. It’s not working. I’m a soldier, an officer, Cecile. I’m used to fighting and winning. I will destroy them. I swear I would kill Roussov if he ever comes close to you.”
Her eyes widened with anxiety. Her dinner with Roussov lurked in the back of her conscience. Could they get over this hatred with their love unscathed?
Fear and doubt simmered in her stomach. She shuddered. He gently caressed her jaw. “Forget about this devil, my love. I will never let him hurt you. But you, my Cecilya, would you let me love you and protect you?”
Cecile tiptoed to brush her lips against his. He claimed them in a deep demanding kiss then brusquely snatched his mouth away. “You always evade answering me.”
“I wasn’t evading. I was saying yes.”
He cupped her cheeks. As his mouth hovered close to hers, she could feel his breath fanning and warming her face.
“Cecile, I can’t take it anymore. I know I ask a lot of you but I want a specific answer. Would you agree to leave Boston and come to stay here permanently with me?”
“Yes, Sergei. I also gave a lot of thought to our relationship. I want to be happy.” She searched his eyes. They reflected the love she was offering. She smiled softly. “And I can’t be happy without you. Freedom doesn’t mean much without you, anymore.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed her against him. “Oh my love. I have more questions that need immediate answers. What about your career?”
“I will offer Dr. Kadelov my services to work in the Belchem Lab. His chemists could use my long-term directives, if they can cope with me watching over their shoulders on a daily basis,” she said with a fleeting smile.
Sergei beamed. “Kadelov and his Belchem Lab would certainly benefit from your continuous supervision. This would be a godsend for my environmental program.”
“What are your other questions?”
“Can you live in my small flat and put up with my limited resources?”
Her arms still hanging around his neck, she tilted her face. “I love your apartment. You said that I could renovate it. I plan to do just that. As for your limited resources, I can supplement them with my own income.”
“Kadelov will not be able to pay you.”
“I don’t need his meager salary. Sergei, listen to me. I’ve always been an independent woman and I’ll remain so. I have enough savings and investments. I’ll draw on them. You’ll have to accept that.”
He burst out laughing. “I knew you would be a difficult wife.”
“Wife? I haven’t heard a proper proposal, yet. Do you know how a man proposes to his sweetheart in America?”
His eyes rounded and sparkled with merriment. He pointed to the carpet. “You want me on my knees?”
She disentangled herself and shrugged. “It’s up to you to do it right or not.”
He inhaled then exhaled deeply and glanced at her. Cecile backed up and crossed her arms, an amused smile curling her lips.
His eyes scanned the room. He strode to the door and tested the lock. “I’m just taking extra precaution. This is a first-time for the Major Generalle of Belarus.”
With another deep breath, he lowered a knee to the floor and grasped her hand. “My darling, I love you. I adore you. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Cecile dropped beside him on the carpet and threw her arms around his neck. “Yes, Sergei. Yes, my General and my hero.”
He crushed her mouth under his and lowered her to the floor half-lying above her. Her hands spread over his back rubbing and kneading the hard muscles through the khaki shirt of his uniform then moved to play with the smooth hair at his nape.
When his tongue tasted her mouth and his hand closed over her breast, her heart skipped a beat. She was his to keep for life. Her mind focused on the excitement that started in her mouth and crawled from her throat to her chest.
His hand relaxed and he rained little kisses on her cheeks and neck. “Cecilya, my sweet fiancée, I have one more question for you?”
“Hum?” she groaned unable to grasp what he was saying.
“When shall we get married? Tomorrow? This weekend?”
She jolted up, back into her business reality. “We will marry after the inauguration. We need to concentrate on finishing the contract. I’ll ask you to keep our engagement secret until then.”
She saw him scowl and quickly added. “Please, Sergei, I want to enjoy our wedding and honeymoon without having to worry about the contract and the lab. Let’s fulfill our mission first. We’ll get married as soon as the inauguration is over.”
His scowl faded a little and she hastened to add, “Your citizens will celebrate with us and share our joy when they know you took care of them first.”
He regarded her with amusement. “Are you always going to expect me to give in to your whims?”
Cecile chuckled. “Not always but often. In my book, it’s one of the fringe benefits of marriage.”
He rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a small envelope. He opened it and showed her a ring, an amber stone set in gold. “You should wear it on the right hand according to the Russian tradition.”
Cecile gasped. “It’s so beautiful.”
“It’s my mother’s. Later on, I’ll get you your own.”
“I don’t want another one. I’ll wear this one with love.”
Chapter Twenty
Cecile would never remember how the next days flew by. Her daily routine included a visit to the general’s office at the Hall of Officers followed by an inspection of the installation and training at the lab. Nicolai and Sergei made a point to accompany her to Belchem and assess the progress of the project. People got used to seeing her flanked by the two officers with or without the rest of the American delegation.
Rob had arrived a few days earlier. Paul Miller went with Tania to meet him at the airport. To Cecile’s relief, he was on his best behavior and abstained from blurting intolerable remarks. She’d introduced him to Sergei as the Director of Environmental cleanup and later confessed that Rob had once been her fiancé. “A detestable one. I didn’t want to invite him.”
“But you did it for me. How can I ever thank you, my darling.” At night, in the privacy of his apartment, Sergei thoroughly proved his love and gratitude.
There were only three days left before the inauguration. Lounging in a chair in the hotel lobby, Cecile reviewed the latest spreadsheet about the preparations for the big day while waiting for her EAL staff and John to show up for a group dinner. Rob rarely came. To think of it, Tania too, had stopped joining them when not on chauffeuring duty.
A shadow covered the papers. She raised her head and gasped. Roussov loomed over her, a menacing expression in his eyes and a cruel smile on his lips.
Damn the man, couldn’t he have waited another few days before coming back?
Bypassing any salutation, he slouched on the sofa too close to her. “You managed to get your equipment without a permit, Dr. Lornier.”
“The permit you promised but never signed.” She raised her chin haughtily.
“You refused to consider my offer. I see you rushed into the preparation of your big day. Am I invited?”
She clenched her fists into her pockets to prevent her hands from trembling and answered with an icy voice. “The Minister of Defense and all the high-ranking officers are invited.”
He sneered. “Good. I am happy to be included. I’ll expect the invitation card in my office.”
Cecile sighed. “We’ve already sent you one.”
“Am I supposed to prepare a speech?”
She shrugged, although she smelled trouble and threw him a look of disdain. “If you like, Colonel.”
“And congratulate you for ingeniously tricking me? You are a smart woman, Cecile but not smart enough for the Director of National Security. This is not finished. I will see you at the celebration. Until then, enjoy your equipment.”
He leaped out of the sofa with amazing agility. Cecile remained seated, watching him disappear through the revolving door of the hotel. With Sergei’s love and the inauguration of the lab, she had reached the culmination of her dreams.
But Roussov would not allow her to relax. She fidgeted with her pen and blankly stared at her notepad. How, when and where would his next dirty trick manifest itself?
* * * * *
“Today is our D-day. Is everyone ready?” Cecile paced the length of the lobby for the tenth time and stopped to shoot more instructions. “Paul, don’t forget the video camera.”
“Here it is, boss.” He dangled it in front of her. “Can you please sit down?”
Rob, Jeffrey and the chemists had already left an hour ago. Nicolai arrived at 8 a.m. sharp to pick them up. John extracted himself from his chair. “I’m glad you’re here, Colonel. Cecile is making us dizzy with her continuous pacing. She wanted to ride with Tania and inspect the lab but Jeffrey wouldn’t hear about it. It’s his job after all.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just that today is our big day, the culmination of so much effort.” Oh God, I hope that Roussov snake doesn’t jeopardize it.
They walked out to the icy sidewalk, which shimmered with the rays of bright sunshine. Paul squinted behind his gold-rimmed glasses. “See, the glorious sun is blessing our inauguration. I can’t understand your nervousness, boss. You’ve been to hundreds of events, meetings, audits, inspections, you name it… all as important as this one. I’ve never seen you this tense.”