Being chemistry geeks we spend a full hour and a half talking about their product and how chemicals could be used to do something similar. We joke that we should start a new company, totally unrelated to perfumes, that targets this market.
At least I think we’re joking.
I can tell that Sergey wants to fulfill my every wish just as much as I want to fulfill his. The major difference of course being his ability to finance just about anything that comes out of my mouth, no matter how outlandish.
I need to be careful of not showing too much interest in something, the next thing I know I might be the proud owner of a submarine ready for us to disassemble and tinker with like a toy.
He’s so smart and everything comes to him so naturally. He reminds me of Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting. I’ve heard of the term sapiosexual, for people who are sexually attracted to intelligence, although I wouldn’t say I fall into that category.
It’s not because I’m not attracted to intelligence, I very much am, but that would almost seem like I was putting Sergey into some quantifiable box, and he is anything but.
The time flies by and after a couple more quick pit stops to refill we arrive in Sochi just as it gets dark.
“Too bad we have to wait until tomorrow to ski,” I say as soon as the helicopter blades stop skiing.
“Night skiing is better than day skiing, and we’ve already got our passes,” he says, just as a man from the Rodina Grand Hotel & Spa comes out, where we’re apparently staying since our helicopter is parked here.
How much of a fairy tale am I living right now? Just the absurdity of someone tapping me on the shoulder and saying, “Excuse me miss, could you please move your helicopter from the front lawn so one of our other guests can depart?” Complete insanity.
We’re quickly shown to our room in this luxury 5-star hotel located on the Black Sea coast, where we can decide if we want to ski right away, have a massage, or enjoy one of the multiple gourmet restaurants for a quick meal. I think that’s the definition of “high-value problem,” and considering a can of tuna approaches five U.S. dollars in Moscow, this is quite a change from the noodles and weekly treat of protein that I was expecting to live off of.
We grab a bite and head back to our sea view suite just in time to see the snow falling.
Sergey tells me I can have as many massages as I want, as long as they come from his hands and his hands only. I smile and tell him the same rule applies the other way around. He growls, wrapping me up in his arms, before scooping me up in them like he loves to do so much, and carries me into the bath.
Without asking he knows the perfect temperature for the bath, and the perfect way to wash my hair. His big hands have just the right touch as they run through my hair at times and massage my scalp at others.
He stops midway, pressing a button on the wall which plays some very light, almost ambient noise yet soothing, music.
Then he lights some candles.
The romance that is evident in everything he’s saying and doing tonight is the absolute perfect compliment to the desire driven evening before.
Most importantly there is one thing that is driving my feelings right now, one thing I can’t deny, nor would I want to.
Love.
I feel it deeply on so many levels.
It doesn’t matter if we’re geeking out over our love of science, connecting physically, or just holding hands in absolute stillness. Heck even when he’s a real-life action hero or romantic suspense book boyfriend saving me from the bad guys, he’s still the man of my dreams.
“I guess skiing will have to wait,” he says as he kisses my forehead as he massages the floral shampoo into my scalp.
“Huh?” I say, pretending to be asleep, although the reality is I’m more relaxed than I’ve ever been…except maybe this morning.
How one man runs me through the entire gamut of desirable emotions is beyond me.
“I guess I’m going to have a lot of homework to make up when I get back,” I say, with a big smile on my face.
“You’re already cleared with the dean, and I told him specifically not to even think about allowing your instructors to assign you make up assignments or dock your grade for time missed.”
I turn around in the tub so quickly the water almost splashes.
“How lucky am I to have you?” I say.
“I ask myself the same question.”
My heart just melts at his words.
“Is there any length you won’t go to to make my life absolutely pure bliss? Anything that you haven’t thought of already? Anything that I can ever do to even come close to making you as happy as you’re making me every moment I spend with you?”
“Yes…you can say yes,” he says.
“Whatever the question is…yes!” I say.
“Perfect, because I thought this might be too early but you’ve already agreed so there’s no going back now.”
He grabs the towel from just next to the clawfoot tub, drying his hands, before I see one shoulder lower down as he reaches underneath for something…a small black, velvet box.
My relaxed state quickly turns euphoric, and when he opens the top to reveal the biggest, most perfect diamond I’ve ever seen my hands shoot out from below the water’s surface and I hug him tight, sending water splashing out of the tub and onto the marble flooring.
“Oh my god, Sergey.”
“I haven’t even put the ring on your finger,” he says.
“You already claimed my heart, and that’s what matters most.”
He reaches for my hand, sliding the ring on.
It’s a perfect fit, just like the two of us.
“We can continue with the bath or—“
“Bath time is over!” I say.
I quickly rinse off and reach for a towel as Sergey uses one of our many towels to clean up the floor.
Less than a minute later he scoops me up in his arms, again, but this time straight from the tub.
I can’t keep from kissing every part of his face as he carries me to the master bedroom in our luxurious room.
He gently lays me on the bed before lighting some scented candles.
“No matter how many candles I light or how nice their scent, my nose always locks on yours, because nothing in this world has ever smelled so sweet and so perfect, and I’m the world’s foremost expert so you know it’s one hundred percent true.”
“Come here,” I say holding out my arms.
He slides onto the bed and we kiss slowly, deeply, and with the connection every woman in the world dreams of.
But he’s mine, and only mine.
And my obsession for him consumes my mind as his kisses and his touch consume my thoughts, my heart, and my soul.
“Looks like we’re going to miss skiing in the morning too,” I say.
“Good, because I’d rather lie behind you, holding you in my arms while I watch the snow fall gently outside, but from my angle it will look like it’s landing right on your smooth skin.”
“Awww,” I say.
“My special snowflake, truly one of a kind,” he says.
Our kiss deepens and I know I’m in for an amazing night…a night of lovemaking with the love of my life.
CHAPTER 17
Anya
A few days turns into a week, and Sergey makes a call to MSU to tell them I’ll be out another week. The dean hastily agrees and that’s that.
As much as I appreciate everything my man is doing for me, I need to get back to getting my education. It’s only the first semester of the first year, so the classes aren’t hard and I’m not missing much, but I don’t want to have a reputation as a lazy or bad student. I came here for a reason, and I need to get back to it.
But first there are other matters to attend to.
After a week which saw Sergey teach me the basics of skiing and one where we even made a snowman and saw Sochi’s famous Singing Fountains, it’s time to go.
But we’re not taking a helicopte
r back to Moscow.
Sergey charters a plane to Moscow and from there I fly back to my original home.
Having been engaged for a week already without telling anyone is going to go over terribly. Adding in the fact that I’m only eighteen and engaged to a Russian guy who’s a lucky thirteen years older than me is only going to make matters worse.
I wouldn’t be surprised if someone at the airport recognizes me, I was just there not even a few weeks ago.
That may be an exaggeration, okay it totally is, but the point is this isn’t going to go over well.
Sergey tries to calm me, pulling me in close on the plane telling me my family is going to love him.
I appreciate his confidence and he is very charismatic, but I’m still feeling angsty at everything.
In no way do I want to undo what’s happened. I’m completely committed to Sergey and our future, and that tells me that this is going to be a lesson in growing up.
If I want my parents to treat me like an adult then I have to act like one.
CHAPTER 18
Sergey
I’m excited to meet Anya’s parents, and brother and sisters. I know they’re going to be happy for her, but I’m not crazy enough to think they’re not going to have questions, a lot of questions for and about me.
We step out of the Uber and her three siblings, Ariella, Adele, and Anderson come out of the house. She gave me a quick bio on each of them in Sochi and I most certainly remembered. One thing I never quite understood are families that all have their names starting with the same letter. Must be a thing foreigners like. Russians have a few names and everyone typically has them. No one wants to take a chance while here you have kids named after Japanese beef, like Kobe. The world is truly an interesting place and I know Anya and I are going to travel a lot and I’m going to give her all the cultural experiences she can handle. Safety first of course.
“Hi Sergey!” little Ariella says, tugging at my trousers.
“You must be Ariella.”
“Uh huh,” she says as she bounces up and down with excitement. “I lost my tooth. Wanna see?”
“Sure,” I say kneeling down and she sticks her finger in her mouth where the missing Chicklet was.
“Well how are you going to chew these then?” I say, reaching into my carry on bag and pulling out a box of Tula Pryanik, our famous Russian gingerbread.
“Whoa,” she says taking the box. “Thanks!” She runs back into the house. I’m not sure if she’s going to hide it like a squirrel before her parents know she has it or she’s ready to dive in right now. Either way I’m glad she liked it, and I’m thankful that Anya told me her little five-year-old sister loved sweets.
Before she can get inside the house she runs into a man’s leg, apparently too excited to remember to watch where she was going. I remember those days well.
And I remember the way Anya described her father and this is definitely him.
“This is Sergey?” he asks, and I know we’re already off to one hell of a bad start.
“Yes, dad.”
“Hello Adam,” I say, getting no response.
He puts his hands on his hips and widens his stance on the sidewalk and my backup plan of booking a hotel just in case is looking pretty smart right now.
“He’s your…friend?”
“I think we should talk,” Anya says. “You, mom, Sergey, and me in private.”
“Is there something we should know?” Anya’s mom, Amy, asks.
“If there is just come out with it,” her dad says.
“Maybe we should all sit down and get to know each other,” I say.
“Who said we want to get to know a fella from the country that’s been meddling in our country’s affairs?”
I look past him at the house and see a giant flag hanging right on the side of the front door.
This is getting ugly quick.
“Kids, go inside,” Amy says.
Nothing is said for the next twenty or thirty seconds.
“What the hell is going on, Anya?” her dad asks.
That’s it. I’ve had enough. I’m big on respect and culture, and this may not be my country or my house, but this is my woman and I will protect her from anyone who’s threatening towards her no matter who they are.
I step in front of Anya, my eyes narrowing. I widen my stance with my hips to the sides. If he wants an old style Western shootout, with words instead of bullets, that’s exactly what I’ll give him.
“What’s going on is you have two options, Mr. Andrews. We all sit down and have a talk as grown adults, or we head right back to the airport without an invitation to your oldest child’s wedding.”
“Wedding?” Amy says as she inhales deep, her hands coming up to her face. “Oh my god.”
She puts her hand on the ground and goes to a sitting position.
“What in the hell did you do?” her dad asks.
“That’s it. Let’s go,” I say, motioning for Anya to come with me. We can pick up a cab on the next block. I didn’t fly all the way here to deal with this.
I look at Anya who also looks shocked, before suddenly her expression changes completely.
And just as she opens her mouth I realize I wasn’t expecting the way she was prepared to deal with this either.
CHAPTER 19
Anya
“Stop!” I yell. “Everybody calm down.”
I take a deep breath and blow it out.
“Dad! Doesn’t your doctor have you taking medicine and doing meditation for your stress levels? You don’t even have to answer because I know he does. Now take a deep breath and relax, or else what good is all that meditation you’re spending twenty minutes on every morning and night going to do for you?”
My eyes shift to my mom.
“Mom. Don’t be so melodramatic. The world’s not going to end, and as a matter of fact mine’s just starting to begin…a new chapter at least.”
I turn and look at Sergey. “And Sergey, I love your possessive alpha caveman ways, but these are my parents. After you I love them more than anything…and I don’t turn my back on them no matter how tough times get.”
Wow, I didn’t know I had it in me, but now that this snowball is rolling down the hill it’s only getting bigger and bigger.
“Here’s the deal. Sergey and I are in love. Is it fast? Yes. Is it crazy? It would seem that way. What do we think? We don’t, because we don’t need to. We know deep down in our hearts that we’re the right one for the other, the only one. I’m his and he’s mine. Is there an age gap? Obviously. Is that a positive or a negative? It depends on the person, not some year on a birth certificate, or a passport since we also have to address another of the glaring issues. Yes, he’s Russian. Does it matter? If you’re one of the few people in the world, out of the seven billion, that is lucky enough to find your true soulmate, you wrap your arms around them tight and never let go…and that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
No one says anything as I feel the stress roll right off my shoulders.
“Now, if you want to get to know my fiancé, yes I said my fiancé,” I say flashing them my ring for the first time, “then we can all go inside and talk. Oh, and he brought gifts for you too…not that that matters actually,” I say my voice becoming less aggressive, “but it’s a nice gesture.”
My mom turns to my dad and he offers her his hand.
“Or, we can go to a hotel room in town and meet when it’s convenient for you, or not at all, although I will still find a way to spend time with my brother and sisters while I’m here no matter what. So what’s it gonna be?”
My dad and mom stare at each other and then finally give each other a resigned look as they mumble something.
I don’t wait any longer.
I take off running towards them and wrap them both up in a hug.
Yes, at the end of the day this was an absolutely crazy, over the top moment in our family’s history.
But if you don’t take big chances it mak
es it harder to get big rewards.
And I took the biggest chance of all, many chances, in choosing to be with Sergey.
But it was really never a choice. We were destined to be together and not even thousands of miles, cultural differences, and my crazy family that I love so much and that really just was looking out for me, could keep us apart.
Russian's Obsession: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 88) Page 7