Her Russian Hero (International Romance Series) (25 page)

“I want to meet one of the
handsome officers we saw in the video you showed us in Boston.”

Cecile exhaled loudly. “I’m glad
you had a good trip and are ready to work. I don’t know what Jeffrey told you,
but Minsk is not a dating agency. We’re here to work.”

Paul’s lips stretched into an
ironic smile. “I hear you, boss.”

If only she could erase that
smirk from his face. Nicolai glanced at his watch. “I can take three of you in
my car. The others will go to the lab with Tania and Jeffrey.”

John pulled himself out of his
chair. “I’m coming with you. I need to discuss with the general the
inauguration of the lab.”

Paul jumped to his feet. “Now
that we have a large group of chemists, I can assure you that things will
proceed fast. Are you coming, Cecile?”

“Of course, if you’re going to
discuss the inauguration, I’d better be present.” She turned toward the
chemists. “We’ll join you later at Belchem.”

They waited in the military Jeep
in front of the red brick building of the Ministry of Defense. The colonel
quickly emerged with his commanding officer. “
Dobroye outroh
, my
friends. I am sorry I cannot invite you in. Foreigners are not allowed in a
Ministry building. Let’s go to my office in the Hall of Officers. We need to
discuss the inauguration of the lab.”

Sergei placed a chair next to his
for Cecile and settled behind his desk across from the three men.

“Before we start our discussion,
I will order some coffee and tea for all of us.” He spoke in Russian in the
telephone, then folded his hands on the desk and said, “Yesterday was a very
hard day for me.”

All the heads snapped to
attention. “I received a message from my mother asking me to come. After a long
trip, I arrived just in time to see her. She died yesterday morning and we
buried her the same day. I came back by train in the evening.”

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 against
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.