Her Russian Hero (International Romance Series) (26 page)

His eyes scanned the room. He
strode to the door and tested the lock. “I’m just taking extra precaution. This
is a first-time for the
Major Generalle
of Belarus.”

With another deep breath, he
lowered a knee to the floor and grasped her hand. “My darling, I love you. I
adore you. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Cecile dropped beside him on the
carpet and threw her arms around his neck. “Yes, Sergei. Yes, my General and my
hero.”

He crushed her mouth under his
and lowered her to the floor half-lying above her. Her hands spread over his
back rubbing and kneading the hard muscles through the khaki shirt of his
uniform then moved to play with the smooth hair at his nape.

When his tongue tasted her mouth
and his hand closed over her breast, her heart skipped a beat. She was his to
keep for life. Her mind focused on the excitement that started in her mouth and
crawled from her throat to her chest.

His hand relaxed and he rained
little kisses on her cheeks and neck. “Cecilya, my sweet fiancée, I have one
more question for you?”

“Hum?” she groaned unable to
grasp what he was saying.

“When shall we get married?
Tomorrow? This weekend?”

She jolted up, back into her
business reality. “We will marry after the inauguration. We need to concentrate
on finishing the contract. I’ll ask you to keep our engagement secret until
then.”

She saw him scowl and quickly
added. “Please, Sergei, I want to enjoy our wedding and honeymoon without
having to worry about the contract and the lab. Let’s fulfill our mission
first. We’ll get married as soon as the inauguration is over.”

His scowl faded a little and she
hastened to add, “Your citizens will celebrate with us and share our joy when
they know you took care of them first.”

He regarded her with amusement.
“Are you always going to expect me to give in to your whims?”

Cecile chuckled. “Not always but
often. In my book, it’s one of the fringe benefits of marriage.”

He rummaged in his pocket and
pulled out a small envelope. He opened it and showed her a ring, an amber stone
set in gold. “You should wear it on the right hand according to the Russian
tradition.”

Cecile gasped. “It’s so
beautiful.”

“It’s my mother’s. Later on, I’ll
get you your own.”

“I don’t want another one. I’ll
wear this one with love.”

Chapter Twenty

Cecile would never remember how
the next days flew by. Her daily routine included a visit to the general’s
office at the Hall of Officers followed by an inspection of the installation
and training at the lab. Nicolai and Sergei made a point to accompany her to
Belchem and assess the progress of the project. People got used to seeing her
flanked by the two officers with or without the rest of the American
delegation.

Rob had arrived a few days
earlier. Paul Miller went with Tania to meet him at the airport. To Cecile’s
relief, he was on his best behavior and abstained from blurting intolerable
remarks. She’d introduced him to Sergei as the Director of Environmental
cleanup and later confessed that Rob had once been her fiancé. “A detestable
one. I didn’t want to invite him.”

“But you did it for me. How can I
ever thank you, my darling.” At night, in the privacy of his apartment, Sergei
thoroughly proved his love and gratitude.

There were only three days left
before the inauguration. Lounging in a chair in the hotel lobby, Cecile
reviewed the latest spreadsheet about the preparations for the big day while
waiting for her EAL staff and John to show up for a group dinner. Rob rarely
came. To think of it, Tania too, had stopped joining them when not on
chauffeuring duty.

A shadow covered the papers. She
raised her head and gasped. Roussov loomed over her, a menacing expression in
his eyes and a cruel smile on his lips.

Damn the man, couldn’t he have
waited another few days before coming back?

Bypassing any salutation, he
slouched on the sofa too close to her. “You managed to get your equipment
without a permit, Dr. Lornier.”

“The permit you promised but
never signed.” She raised her chin haughtily.

“You refused to consider my
offer. I see you rushed into the preparation of your big day. Am I invited?”

She clenched her fists into her
pockets to prevent her hands from trembling and answered with an icy voice.
“The Minister of Defense and all the high-ranking officers are invited.”

He sneered. “Good. I am happy to
be included. I’ll expect the invitation card in my office.”

Cecile sighed. “We’ve already
sent you one.”

“Am I supposed to prepare a
speech?”

She shrugged, although she
smelled trouble and threw him a look of disdain. “If you like, Colonel.”

“And congratulate you for
ingeniously tricking me? You are a smart woman, Cecile but not smart enough for
the Director of National Security. This is not finished. I will see you at the
celebration. Until then, enjoy your equipment.”

He leaped out of the sofa with
amazing agility. Cecile remained seated, watching him disappear through the
revolving door of the hotel. With Sergei’s love and the inauguration of the
lab, she had reached the culmination of her dreams.

But Roussov would not allow her
to relax. She fidgeted with her pen and blankly stared at her notepad. How,
when and where would his next dirty trick manifest itself?

* * * * *

“Today is our D-day. Is everyone
ready?” Cecile paced the length of the lobby for the tenth time and stopped to
shoot more instructions. “Paul, don’t forget the video camera.”

“Here it is, boss.” He dangled it
in front of her. “Can you please sit down?”

Rob, Jeffrey and the chemists had
already left an hour ago. Nicolai arrived at 8 a.m. sharp to pick them up. John
extracted himself from his chair. “I’m glad you’re here, Colonel. Cecile is
making us dizzy with her continuous pacing. She wanted to ride with Tania and
inspect the lab but Jeffrey wouldn’t hear about it. It’s his job after all.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just that today
is our big day, the culmination of so much effort.”
Oh God, I hope that
Roussov snake doesn’t jeopardize it.

They walked out to the icy
sidewalk, which shimmered with the rays of bright sunshine. Paul squinted
behind his gold-rimmed glasses. “See, the glorious sun is blessing our
inauguration. I can’t understand your nervousness, boss. You’ve been to
hundreds of events, meetings, audits, inspections, you name it… all as important
as this one. I’ve never seen you this tense.”

Not wanting to impose her anxiety
on her friends, Cecile hadn’t shared her last encounter with Roussov. Claiming
to be very busy with the preparations, she’d even avoided Sergei in the last two
days. They’d become so attuned to each other’s feelings, he would have
immediately guessed that something was bothering her.

Nicolai fixed a speculative look
on her. “I heard Roussov is back in town and plans to attend both the
inauguration and the reception at the hotel.” He took her hand. “Is your
nervousness related to him?” he asked kindly.

She nodded and bit her lip.

Paul patted her shoulder. “Don’t
worry. He can’t harm you. You’ll be well surrounded.”

“I’m not worried about myself.
That devil is determined to hurt Sergei.” She tried to swallow the lump
blocking her throat.

The three of them stared at her.
Paul wrapped his arm around her back and tugged her away from the others. “Tell
me, boss, are you falling for the general?”

She didn’t answer but she knew
her whole attitude shouted that she loved Sergei.

“Cecile, ever since you came back
to Boston, I’ve noticed you’ve changed. This is wonderful. You couldn’t have
chosen a better man to love. We all admire him.” He chuckled. “He’s a big boy,
you know, a soldier and a general. He can take care of himself but as always my
boss wants to protect everyone.”

Nicolai joined them. “Cecile, the
feud between Sergei and his father-in-law has been going on forever. Don’t make
it your battle.”

She fiddled with the collar of
her coat and frowned. “Let’s go. We need to be at the lab before our guests
arrive.” She had confided as much as she could.

* * * * *

As she entered the Belchem
building, Cecile stopped in her tracks. A podium had been set against the wall.
The crummy old floor positively sparkled. “Have they spent the night waxing the
tiles?”

His baldness shining even more
than the hardwood floor, Alexander Kadelov beamed with pride. “All night,
Cecile, all night. Sweeping, washing, waxing. Wait until you see the labs.”

A festive air hovered over the
Belchem Lab. For a change, the security lock was inactive and the lab doors
ajar.

Sergei, in full uniform, his
chest covered with military decorations, chatted with his colleagues. He turned
toward her and herded his companions in her direction.

“Dr. Lornier, allow me to
introduce our Minister of Defense, Mr. Gregory Anatov and our Minister of
Environment, Mr. Fiodor Letovin.”

The Minister of Defense, a tall
thin man with grayish hair bowed over her hand. “I am pleased to meet you, Dr.
Lornier. I have heard so much about you.”

His colleague from the
environment grabbed her hand in a vigorous shake. “Dr. Lornier, everyone at the
Ministry and the Academy of Sciences is astounded by your accomplishments.
Setting up the Belchem Lab in such a record time is unbelievable.”

Cecile acknowledged each one with
a gracious word and praised the help of General Fedorin and Colonel Nicouvitch.

John Gordon, followed by a guest,
rounded the hall and strolled toward her. “Cecile, you’ve never met Bill
Turner, our Ambassador?”

“Nice meeting you, Cecile. You’re
becoming a legend here. I’m delighted by the smooth way our contract is
proceeding.” The well-built Yankee shook her hand and surveyed the crowded
hall. “Excellent idea, this inauguration. I have prepared a little speech. By
the way, Gordon, I heard about the new proposal you sent to our Department of
Defense, the one for environmental cleanup. I’m giving it my full support. Let
me know when you get a response from Washington.”

A reporter carrying a camera
scurried by them. Bill Turner shook his head. “I wish you’d invited the
American and European press. After all, this is a first for this type of
project.”

John interrupted him. “We did.
USA Today and L’Européen are represented here.”

“Excellent, excellent. I’m glad I
came. I see the Minister of Defense. Excuse me, Cecile, Gordon.”

Cecile heard him through a daze.
While turning toward the group where Sergei stood, her gaze collided with
Roussov’s. Negotiating his way through the human sea, he strolled toward her.
She felt the blood drain from her face. His eyes probed her with such intensity
that an icy fear clutched at her chest. She looked away but her limbs felt too
leaden to move.

Roussov was in front of her
before she could recover. His fingers grasped her hand in a strong grip. “Good
morning, my dear. Quite a festive event. Everyone is singing your praise.”
Against her ear, his words dripped with scorn. “Are we honoring the Belchem Lab
or Dr. Lornier?”

“What do you want from me,
Colonel Roussov? I don’t understand your hatred.” She hissed between gritted
teeth.

She tried to pull her hand away
but he wouldn’t let go. He pressed closely against her. With the crowd
surrounding them, she was stuck and unable to escape.

His sarcastic laughter paralyzed
her. “Don’t be scared. I don’t want anything from you, my dear. In fact, you
don’t interest me anymore.”

She raised her head high and saw Sergei
coming toward them. Roussov snorted and brought her hand to his lips. He
disappeared into the crowd before Sergei could reach them.

The scowl on Sergei’s face
worried her even more than her encounter with Roussov.

“What did he want from you?”

“Nothing. I don’t know what he
wants. He didn’t say much.”

“He talked to you, smiled at you
and kissed your hand. And you look as pale as a ghost.”

“Sergei, for heaven’s sake, calm
down. Whatever he said didn’t make sense. He asked me if people were celebrating
the Belchem Lab or me.” She grabbed his hand trying to find comfort in his
touch.

Over the loudspeaker, Dr. Kadelov
announced that the inauguration would begin. Ushered by Colonel Nicouvitch, the
invited celebrities stepped onto the podium and the other guests stood in a
circle, facing them.

“They’re starting.”

“You always evade my questions
about Roussov but not anymore. Tonight, you will talk. You hear me, Cecile?”

“We’ll clear the air, I promise.”

Nicolai was throwing frantic
glances in their direction, urging them to come forward. Cecile breathed deeply
a couple of times to calm her wretched nerves and plastered a professional
smile on her face.

Acting as master of ceremonies,
Nicolai introduced his illustrious guests. They delivered their speeches in
order of rank, the Minister of Defense, followed by his colleague of the
Environment, the U.S. ambassador, Major General Fedorin and John Gordon. The
Belarusians spoke in Russian and the Americans answered in English, with
several interpreters translating.

Nicolai announced, “And last but
not least, the person who has accomplished the transformation of the Belchem
Laboratory, Dr. Lornier, to whom we will be forever grateful.”

Struggling to get her jittery
nerves under control, Cecile appreciated the two hours she’d dedicated to
writing and memorizing her speech the previous night.

She thanked the ministers and the
ambassador for honoring the ceremony. She acknowledged the help given by the
Major General and his colonel, the efforts provided by Dr. Kadelov and his
chemists and she recognized her managers and staff.