Dimitri (7 page)

"Are you…?"

He didn't have to finish the thought. I
understood what he was trying to ask. "No, I'm not on birth
control."

He didn't miss a beat. "Okay."

His calm reply soothed my anxious nerves. At
least he wasn't freaking out over it. I was glad we could both be
adults about our mistake.

As Dimitri slid down next to me and kissed me
so sweetly, I couldn't help but wonder if calling it a mistake was
the wrong word for it. It seemed such a harsh thing to call what
had just happened between us. A moment of passion like the one we'd
just shared? No, that definitely wasn't a mistake.

Reluctantly, I untangled myself from his brawny
arms. "I have to shower."

"I'm going to start some coffee." He ran his
hand along my thigh. "If I follow you into the shower, the bakery
won't open until noon."

Laughing, I slid away from him and off the bed.
"Would you mind running down to my office and grabbing the second
set of clothes I keep in the bottom desk drawer?"

Dimitri switched on the lamp, illuminating his
room and the rumpled sheets where we'd spent the night together. "I
don't mind. Where are your keys?"

"With my purse in your living room," I said and
quickly darted to the bathroom. He caught up with me before I could
disappear and gave my butt a playful smack. "Dimitri!"

"I'm sorry," he said with a laugh. "I couldn't
help myself."

Seeing him smile, with his blond hair tousled
and the shadow of a beard on his face, did funny things to my
belly. He pecked my cheek before heading to his closet. I slipped
into the bathroom and started the shower. A knock got my attention.
"Yes?"

"There are extra toiletries under the
sink."

"Thank you." I knelt down and found what I
needed in the cabinet. Apparently Dimitri liked to shop at the big
warehouse club store a few blocks over. He seemed to be so careful
with his money. I admired him for watching his pennies because I
knew where he'd come from and how hard he'd worked to amass his
wealth.

Sure, he'd caught a lucky break with those time
share deals a few years back but he wasn’t cocky about it. I'd been
doing some late night cleaning downstairs in the bakery when he'd
come home stumbling drunk after celebrating the deal he'd made.
Helping him up to the apartment had nearly broken my back but
somehow we'd managed it.

It was the first and only time I'd ever seen
him like that but I understood why he'd let loose. He'd clawed his
way off the streets to become a success—and it was something I
deeply respected about him.

Scrubbing away in the shower, I couldn't help
but feel a bit uncomfortable about our vastly different financial
situations. Dimitri lived the easy life of a bachelor of means
while I had days where I sat in my office praying that we'd have
enough outstanding customer invoices paid to cover
payroll.

Deep down inside, I feared what Dimitri thought
of me. Was he like Johnny? Did he think I'd run a thriving business
into the ground with mismanagement? It wasn't true, of course. By
the time my grandmother had let me see the books and come clean
about the creative accounting she'd been using to get by, I'd had
very few options left to save the business and the people depending
on me for jobs. I'd done the very best I could—but it wasn't
enough.

My stomach twisted with guilt and embarrassment
as I considered the very real possibility that I would fail and
lose the business that had been in my family for nearly forty
years. I could only imagine the kind of gossip that would blaze
through this neighborhood like wildfire. I'd probably have to
relocate to another city just to escape the humiliation of it
all.

Not wanting to ruin what had started as such a
good morning, I pushed away those ugly thoughts and dried off. I
squeezed as much water out of my hair as possible and tugged
Dimitri's comb through the snarls and tangles. I couldn't find a
blow dryer so I left my hair down to air dry.

Out in the bedroom, I found the jeans, shirt
and clean socks from my office stacked on the foot of his bed. It
only took one kitchen accident as a teenager working in the bakery
to teach me a valuable lesson about keeping extra clothes at hand.
If I'd known I was going to use them the morning after a torrid
night with Dimitri, I might have slipped a pair of undies and a bra
in there.

"I've tossed your clothes in the washer.
They'll be dry before you open." With my bra dangling from his
fingers, he leaned against the door frame and watched me shimmy
into my jeans. His mouth curved in a wolfish grin "Although I have
to admit I rather like the commando look on you."

I shot him a quick smile. "You would. May I
have my bra?"

Instead of handing it over, he came into the
room and slid an arm around my waist. He made sure to brush his
cock against my bottom. Not even the denim of my jeans or his
cotton pajama pants could stop the snap of heat between our
touching bodies. His big hand cupped my breast. "Hold out your
arms."

I glanced back at him. "You realize I've been
wearing a bra for, like, fifteen years, right? I know how to put it
on."

He nuzzled my neck and gave my nipple a little
pinch that made me rise up on my toes and gasp. "Humor
me."

How could I say no to that? Lifting my arms, I
let Dimitri help me into my bra. His skilled hands made quick work
of it but he let them linger on my bare skin. Kissing my cheek, he
caressed the spot just above my navel. "I'm going to make
breakfast. I'll bring something down for you."

I turned in his arms and gazed up at him. "You
don't have to do that. Go back to bed, Dimitri."

"Once I'm awake, I'm awake." His fingertip
traced my lower lip. "I want to spend time with you before I head
into the gym for my workout." Dimitri's hands glided down my sides
before he let me loose. "It's Friday."

I smiled and patted his chest. Like many of our
customers, he'd memorized the schedule we used for specialty breads
and pastries. "I'll make sure to put aside half a dozen of the
pineapple turnovers you love so much."

"Better make it a full dozen. Ivan and Kostya
are hooked on them now." He gave my backside a squeeze. "I'm
getting in the shower. If I don't, you'll never get
downstairs."

Our lips met in a quick kiss. I watched him
duck into the bathroom and close the door. My heartbeat finally
started to slow and I slipped into the red shirt with the bakery's
logo on the back. After finding my shoes in the living room, I
quickly braided my still damp hair, grabbed my purse and headed
downstairs.

Even though I was running a little behind my
usual schedule, I was still the first one into the kitchen. Most of
our morning crew started rolling in around five. I enjoyed the
quiet stillness of the place and took my time turning on the lights
and prepping the ovens.

After peeking into the proofing boxes and
ensuring everything was as it should be, I started a big pot of
coffee in the employee's locker and break room. I made a quick stop
in my office to lock away my purse. The sight of the bank deposit
bag made my stomach roll with unease. That was a conversation I
wasn't looking forward to having with Johnny but it had to be
done.

Back in the kitchen, I slipped into an apron
and checked the white board for the day's baking list. Marco had
long been in charge of making adjustments to it and I trusted his
judgment. Apprised of the day's schedule, I started arranging work
stations for Marco, Adam and Lupe, our three main bakers. I'd
worked with them long enough to know exactly how they liked things
arranged.

While I waited for the ovens to preheat, I
punched the power button on the seemingly antique stereo system.
The morning crew preferred a quiet, calm start to their mornings.
The gentle plucking of a guitar and the unmistakable huskiness of
Chavela Vargas echoed off the white walls. The familiar music
brought back such good memories.

I had a smile on my face as I
started mixing together the streusel-like topping for the
pan dulce
. Dyed vibrant
colors like pink and yellow, the sweet, slightly crunchy mixture
was pressed onto the dense, yeasty buns and scored to look like a
shell. As a child, the delicious bread had been my favorite
breakfast. Thankfully, I'd had the sense to lay off the carby
goodness once I became a teenager!

As I worked, I heard the side door open and
close. Certain it was Adam coming at his usual time, I called out
to greet him—but it wasn't Adam who answered me back.

"Good morning, Miss Burkhart."

Startled by the unexpected voice, I spun around
so quickly I knocked the metal bowl onto the floor. Sugar and flour
spattered the floor and my shoes. The man standing across from me
looked like trouble. He wore an expensive suit and nice shoes but I
knew the type.

"Who the hell are you? What are you doing in my
bakery?"

He took a step toward me. "I think it's time we
had a little chat…"

* * *

Dimitri heard the music downstairs as he got
out of the shower. His first few weeks in the apartment, it had
driven him crazy to hear the sounds from kitchen below. Soon, he'd
gotten used to it and had learned to expect it. The pangs of
loneliness he sometimes felt in his new country had been eased by
the noise and camaraderie drifting up from down there.

This morning, though, he heard a different
sound, one that made his heart stutter. He was sliding into his
jeans when the unmistakable clang of a bowl hitting the tile floor
met his ears. He went still and listened. Accidents happened all
the time in the kitchen but he worried that Benny might have been
hurt.

"Who the hell are you? What are you doing
here?"

Despite being muffled by the ceiling and floor
between them, Benny's frightened voice came through loud and clear
to Dimitri. Not bothering with a shirt or shoes, he zipped and
buttoned his jeans and left his apartment in a flash. The metal
stairs were hard beneath his bare feet but he didn't care. He'd run
across broken glass to reach her.

The moment he launched himself through the side
door, Dimitri spotted the dark-haired man. He didn't waste time
trying to figure out the situation. With the speed and silence of
his many years in elite ops, he came up behind the man. Clearing
his throat, he said, "Benny, I heard a noise."

Their early morning visitor visibly stiffened
and pivoted to face Dimitri. Shorter by a few inches, the man sized
up Dimitri and smartly took a few steps to the side. Benny's
frightened expression relaxed at the sight of him.

Wanting to ease her worries, he
joined her by the big stainless steel table. The sandy sugar
mixture on the floor squished between his toes. He held her gaze
just long enough to telegraph a silent message.
You're safe with me
.

Dimitri turned his attention back to the man
and gave him a once-over. He spotted the bulge of a weapon outlined
on his right hip. Without a gun of his own, he was at a
disadvantage. He slid his hand down to Benny's waist and let his
fingers sit there, ready to push her behind him at the first sign
of trouble.

"I think we may have gotten off on the wrong
foot, Benita." The man smiled but Dimitri wasn't fooled. His
weasel-like face and shifty demeanor put Dimitri's radar on high
alert. "My name is Carl and I work for UpStreet Properties. I truly
didn't mean to frighten you this morning. We were simply wondering
why we hadn't heard back from you about our offer for the
building."

"So pick up the phone and call me," Benny
snapped back, her voice laced with irritation.

Dimitri's lips twitched with amusement as shock
registered on the man's face. Clearly he'd come here expecting to
strong arm her but this little spitfire wasn't about to be pushed
around by anyone.

Changing tactics, Carl apologized with a sickly
sweet smile. "You're right, Benita. It's just that the offer is
time sensitive. We'd hoped to have an answer in the next few
days."

"Why?" She squared her shoulders and lifted her
chin. "Because you need this lot in your back pocket so you can
secure approval from the city and a financing deal from that bank
for the retail plaza you plan to put here?"

Carl's lips settled into a tight line. "That
isn't—"

Benny lifted her hand. "You think you're the
only one with friends in city offices? My customers talk to me and
I listen." With a shake of her head, she said, "Look, I told you
people last week that I wasn't interested in selling."

"And your brother? Is he interested in selling
his share of the business?"

Dimitri's eyes narrowed at the man's subtle
threat. He didn't doubt for a minute that this guy would stoop so
low as to turn a brother against his sister for the promise of a
little money.

"Carl, you
really
don't want to start down this
road with me." Benny's anger darkened her voice.

Not so easily swayed, Carl reached into his
jacket. Dimitri tensed but the man pulled out a business card. He
placed it on the stainless steel surface of the work table. "Call
me when you change your mind. The generous offer Mr. Krause made
expires on Monday."