Dimitri by Roxie Rivera Page B

as the waves of his climax ripped through him.
    When we finally calmed, he left me just long
enough to discard of the condom. Back in the living room, he
dragged me down onto the floor with him. Our limbs were tangled in
the blanket. The hardwood wasn't the most comfortable place to rest
but we didn’t mind.
    I simply wanted to feel his hot body pressed to
mine. He caressed my naked skin and peppered my face with loving
kisses. Every now and then he whispered sweetly against my ear,
telling me I was beautiful and amazing and so damn sexy.
    In short, it was perfect.
     
    *
     
    Dimitri hated to ruin a perfect moment but it
had to be done. Of all the times to bring it up, he figured now was
as good as any. Benny rested in his arms, completely satisfied and
relaxed. Surely she'd be more amenable to what he was about to
say.
    "Sweetheart, I've been thinking about UpStreet
Properties."
    "Oh?" She sounded a bit sleepy.
    "I think you should raise the price on the
building and sell."
    She went rigid in his arms. A moment later, she
pushed up on hand and glared down at him. The look on her face
promised one hell of a fight. "What?"
    "Benny, look," he said carefully, "I did some
checking into Jonah Krause. He's a dangerous man."
    "So what? I should just give him what he wants
without a fight?"
    He frowned at her naïve reply. "And just who in
the hell do you think is going to fight this war of
yours?"
    "What's that supposed to mean?" She
poked him in the chest. "I never asked you to fight this battle for
me. You're the one
who rode to my rescue and offered to help me ."
    "What did you expect me to do, Benny? Let you
get wrapped up in something you can't possibly
understand?"
    "There you go again! What is with you? Why do
you assume that I don't know how to maneuver through these types of
business deals?"
    "Because you don't," he replied tersely. "The
fact that Jonah Krause sent a man into your bakery to intimidate
you this morning should have driven that point home,
Benny."
    "So what? I cave? I sell out my family's
history?"
    "Better to sell out now than to go bankrupt in
a month or two and have nothing to show for it!"
    She reeled back. Her eyes suddenly glistened.
His gut clenched painfully at the realization that he'd hurt her so
deeply with his stupid retort. "Benny…"
    "Screw you." She scrambled off the floor and
started jerking on her clothes. "I'm out of here."
    He pushed up onto his knees and snatched away
her skirt before she could grab it. "No. You aren't leaving like
this."
    "The hell I'm not! Give me my skirt,
Dimitri."
    He shook his head. "I'm not letting you fly out
of here upset. You could wreck. Now sit down and listen to me." She
started to tell him off again but he cut her off with a pleading
look. "Please, Benny. Just hear me out."
    She crossed her arms and huffed but eventually
sat down. Still staring angrily, she said, "I'm listening.
Talk!"
    Kneeling down in front of her, he put his hands
on her bare thighs and held her hurt gaze. It killed him that he'd
upset her like this. "Benny, I'll support whatever choice you make.
I've got your back. I need you to know that up front. Do you
believe me?"
    Her jaw tightened and relaxed. With a growl of
frustration, she admitted, "Yes."
    "Then believe that I wouldn't tell you to sell
if I didn't think it was the best idea." He cupped her face and
brushed his thumbs over her cheeks. "I want what's best for you,
Benny. I think if you push back against Jonah Krause it's going to
end badly. He has millions of dollars on the line and you
are—forgive me—a nobody in the great scheme of things. He won't
think twice about striking at you."
    She gulped and her lower lip wobbled. "Dimitri,
I can't just walk away from the business my grandparents built.
You, better than anyone, should understand what it's like for
immigrants to come here, to work hard and build something so
successful."
    "I do, Benny. But this business is failing
here." She started to cry and he felt like the biggest