Possession Ch. 05

Feeling somewhat at a loss. Beth stood in the centre of the room, looking at everything except the bed.

Meanwhile, Dmitri seemed to be going about his nightly routine without taking any notice of her. He shucked off his dinner jacket, hanging it and returning it to his wardrobe. He bent to unlace his shoes, removing them and then his socks, which he tucked into the black loaders. With practiced ease, he unclipped his cufflinks, leaving them on the windowsill, before removing his tie.

Beth watched him undress out of the corner of her eye. How could she not? The way he moved was so effortless. Again he reminded her of a panther, prowling leisurely, giving no indication of when he would strike. She might tell herself that she only watched him because she would prefer to know where he was, because she was wary. But the truth was that the way he moved was a source of fascination to her.

With his back to her, he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the rippling muscles of his back as he slipped it off. Her guess had been spot on. He was toned and well-built - clearly he looked after his body.

Turning to face her, she knew he had caught her staring and her face flamed. But he continued to take of his clothes. Unbuckling his belt, the leather hissed against the fabric as he pulled it through the loops of his trousers in a single tug. Then he reached down and undid the button at the waistband before unzipping.

Beth clamped her eyes shut.

She heard a softened thud as his trousers fell to the floor. Dmitri must have stepped out of them, as he padded across the room towards her.

"Open your eyes," he whispered. "Open them, my little dove."

Slowly, apprehensively, she did so. And in an instant her senses were all assailed by Dmitri. She was drowning in him. she could smell the spice of his aftershave, feel the heat emanating from his body, hear him breathing and, above all, see his bare chest, only millimetres away.

His skin was lightly bronzed and there were no tan-lines to detract from his physique. He must sunbathe topless, was Beth's renegade thought. His pectorals were defined and covered in a fine smattering of hair that Beth's fingers itched to run themselves through. Would it be soft, she wondered, or hard and wiry.

And lower down, concealed in a pair of black boxer shorts, was a pronounced bulge. She snuck a furtive peek - it seemed to be throbbing!

Desire actually stirred in her stomach, pooling even deeper, so potent that it eclipsed her hatred for Dmitri. So when he placed two fingers under her chin and raised her head, she did not pull back. She did not turn her cheek. She received his kiss full on her mouth, yielding to his demanding lips.

Then he released her and in an instant the spell was broken. She came to her senses and tried to push him away, but he caught her hand and pressed it to his chest.

"No!" she mewled, struggling futilely.

"You refuse me?"

"I'm not going to bed with you!"

Dmitri let her go so suddenly that she stumbled. He gave her no time to recover herself. Striding past her, he closed he bedroom door. It had an old-fashioned lock, with a key, which he twisted and removed, placing it on top of the wardrobe where he could reach it but she could not.

"Enough of this!" he said, his shoulders rigid with irritation. "How many times must we have this conversation, Beth? How many times must I make this clear - I own you!"

"No you don't!" she shouted at him.

"Give me my money then and I will give you the key to this room. You can walk out of this house, a free woman."

"I don't have the money."

"Then you stay."

"But it's not my debt!"

Dmitri shrugged. "Yet it is you who will settle the score."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I can," he pronounced with an arrogant flick of his head. "Now either give me the money or take off your shoes and get down onto your knees."

Beth looked as if she were about to argue, but closed her mouth when he shook her head at her in an implicit warning that she should not let her tongue run away with her.

Dmitri was beginning to doubt his decision - she was more trouble than she was worth, reminding him precisely why he did not deal in sex and women. He had always been of the firm belief that the two were related solely to pleasure and certainly not to business. Now he understood why affairs were best kept away from work.

What had he been thinking? He could easily have let the debt slide, allowed the goodwill to foster a sense of obligation in the girl and then wooed her with flowers and champagne. It had never failed him before. But when it came to Beth, he had wanted certainty. Any attempt at courting her would have left too much to chance.

Yet he had never found any other female to be so difficult. Well, maybe Masha. But as Ivan always said, Masha was a special lady.

Beth was also turning out to be pretty special - she was just as talented as Masha at winding him up! Between the pair of them, Dmitri knew his next medical check-up would result in a diagnosis for hypertension.

Every single moment with Beth was a battle. Even then he could see her mind working, see her calculating how far she had tested him and how close he was to breaking point. Beth that just made her surrender sweeter.

She moved in slow motion, as if every action caused her physical pain. Dmitri practised patience, quietly waiting, mentally willing her on.

She lifted her feet out of her shoes, first one, then the other, planting them on the floor. The carpet was plush and thick beneath her toes.

"I don't want this," she whispered.

Her entreaty fell on deaf ears.

"Please," she begged, her voice small. "I don't want to be raped."

She was so caught up in her predicament that she didn't see the flash of anger in his eyes. Rape her? No. He would not rape her. Before the ight was over, she would spread her legs for him willingly.

"Kneel," he ordered her imperiously.

She did not move. He placed a hand on her shoulder and pressed downwards, forcing her to the ground. Her legs gave way, buckling beneath her.

His cock twitched. She might be infuriating, but the vision she presented him with, on her knees in front of him, a beautiful creature at his bidding, would arouse any man,

He almost allowed himself to believe that she wanted to be there.