The Lion in Russia Read online

  Chapter Five

  Vries came slowly awake. She’d never been a morning person and that wasn’t likely to change anytime soon, but this morning something was different. Before she was even fully awake she realized that the enormous body cuddled against her back could be no one but Leo, but she was pretty sure he hadn’t been in bed with her when she went to sleep. And if the erection pressed against her backside was anything to go by, they hadn’t had sex last night. At least she hoped a man his age wouldn’t be ready again so soon. He made a snuffling noise and she realized he was awake. She turned to face him as he grabbed a large lock of her hair and moved it out of his face. She pushed her hair behind her.

  “I’m sorry Leo. Usually I tie it up before bed. It can be such a nuisance.”

  “It wasn’t a bother at all, just tickled my nose a bit and made me want to sneeze.”

  Vries nodded. “Yes. It does that to me too. I really should cut it off, but it’s my trademark. I’ve always said it’s the first thing I’ll do when I retire.”

  Leo reached up and grabbed her hand, almost as though he feared she planned to take scissors to it that very instant. “That would be an abomination. Your hair is a work of art.”

  Vries rolled her eyes, and flopped back on her pillow. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those guys who’s hung up on hair.”

  “Not on hair. On your hair. It’s beautiful. I want to…”

  His words trailed off and Vries sat up frowning down at him. “You want to what? Don’t tell me you want to do something freaky with my hair. It takes an entire day to wash it.”

  Leo shrugged. “Nothing freaky. I just want to pull it while I make love to you.”

  Vries threw back her head and laughed. “Oh, is that all?”

  “No, not really, but that’s all I’m telling you for the moment.”

  Vries stared at him. “You’ve got to tell me now. Have you been on YouTube? They do all kinds of freaky stuff on there and I can’t have you defiling my hair. You can’t imagine some of the stuff I’ve heard about. Then again, as a bona fide member of the Billionaire Boys Club you’ve probably seen and done it all.”

  “Probably not.”

  Vries gave him a disbelieving snort. “Yeah, right.”

  “No, I’m telling the truth. I married fairly young and even though we’ve been divorced for ten years, I spent most of that time fighting to hold on to my money. You don’t get to be wealthy or stay that way spending all your time in bed with women. I’m no innocent, but I’ve probably had fewer affairs than you would imagine.”

  For some reason knowing he hadn’t been around made Vries very happy. Still, there were a few questions. After all his definition of screwing around probably differed greatly from hers. “When you say fewer affairs…”

  “Do you want an exact number?” he asked with an arch of one leonine brow.

  “No, no,” she said with a firm shake of her head. Yes! Yes! Of course she did, but the idea terrified her too. Besides if she asked for his number that would give him the right to ask hers, and while it wasn’t particularly high she intended to take it to her grave like any sensible woman would. “A range will suffice,” she said with a blasé wave of her hand.

  “Fair enough, fewer than a half dozen.”

  “Wait, did you say a half dozen?” He nodded the affirmative. He was right, that was stunning. “Does that include Pasha?” Why had she asked that when the last thing she wanted to think about was him in bed with anyone she knew? Her mouth had an annoying habit of running ahead of her brain.

  “Yes, I would definitely include my ex-wife in an accounting of my affairs. What about you?”

  “About the same I would guess. It’s funny, people think models lead these glamorous lives and really more than anything it’s just a helluva lot of work. I haven’t had time to pursue very many relationships over the years. Look at us. It took a year for us to go on our first date.”

  “Much longer than a year.”

  “What?”

  “I’ve been wanting to ask you out for much longer than a year. You just started noticing. I wanted you the first time I saw you at Girasole.”

  “When I first became La Luz? That was five years ago.”

  “Yes. I know,” he said with a heavy sigh.

  Vries frowned. “So why didn’t you ask me out.”

  Leo exhaled heavily through his nose. “Lots of reasons. I’ve had a very busy past few years. I knew that my involvement with you would not be casual. I would have to take my time.”

  Vries felt a little leap in the region around her heart at his words. Down girl, I’m sure he says this sort of thing all the time. “What other reasons?”

  “Pasha said you felt uncomfortable with our relationship.”

  “Well, yeah.” And that was the problem right there. Did he routinely discuss his love life his ex-wife? Who the hell wouldn’t feel uncomfortable with that? Exes should loathe the very sight of one another not go into business together as best friends. It was positively uncivilized.

  “Again, I knew it would take time for you to understand that as well. You do understand, do you not?”

  “Probably about as well as I’m going to.” She decided to change the subject, because really she didn’t want to spend a lot of time thinking about the fact that she was about to sleep with the ex-husband of the owner of the design house she represented. “How about STDs? I’m on the Pill, but…”

  “HIV is an unfortunate reality in my country and has been for much of my life. Thankfully we are getting it under control now, but still… I’ve always been careful, and I am tested regularly. My last test was less than six months ago, and I haven’t been with anyone else in over a year.”

  “I have to get tested every year for my insurance, and I’ve always been careful too. Still, I would like to use condoms.”

  “Of course, it will be as you wish,” he said.

  Vries sighed, and then laughed. “Now that we’ve got the heavy stuff out of the way can I ask you a question?”

  “Of course.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  He frowned in momentary confusion, his heavy brows coming down over his eyes for a brief moment. “You mean in your apartment?” She nodded. “I’m sorry. I took the liberty of staying the night last night. I hope you don’t mind overly much. I just thought since we’ll be spending our time together I didn’t want to waste even a second of it sleeping away from you.”

  Damnit, she was such a goner. “Oh good grief Leo, you really are a charmer, aren’t you?” Vries said, barely able to muster a whisper.

  “And I told you, I don’t waste time on charm. That is the literal truth.”

  “Yes, I know,” she said, leaning forward to brush her lips against his. Even that faint touch was almost too much for her overloaded system. His lips were just as she’d always imagined they’d be; firm, but soft. The fuller lower lip was too tantalizing to resist and she stroked it with her tongue. Before she could withdraw the touch she felt a growl work its way up through his chest and he grabbed her head with one hand. Suddenly the soft innocent kiss became totally feral. Something so soul-stirring that Vries knew she should run like the wind. Instead she wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him closer. Luxuriating in his warmth, his masculine scent that rose through the soft cotton t-shirt he wore.

  Now he had both hands in her hair as he pinned her to the bed under him, his mouth was devouring hers, taking all she had to offer and she could think of nothing else to do but to give him all that he demanded and more. His heartbeat thudded in time with hers and she groaned under his mouth, desperately seeking more and more of him.

  The telephone ringing in the distance would never have penetrated her consciousness had he not pulled away. When Vries finally realized what the disturbance was she grabbed the phone off the bedside table and stared at it in consternation. Deringer? Why on earth was he calling her at this hour? Vries knew she had to answer it. After all Deringer was in Milan at
her behest, but damn.

  She put the phone to her ear.

  “Good morning my lovely goddess, I hope I didn’t disturb anything,” Deringer said in tones so syrupy they were bound to send her blood sugar rocketing sky high right along with her current blood pressure and aggravation level.

  “Good morning,” Vries said, knowing he knew full well exactly what he’d disturbed. Dear God the man was possessed by devils. “What can I do for you this morning?”

  Leo sat up on the edge of the bed, then stalked toward the bathroom.

  “Just wanted to let you know that I’ve taken care of that problem you told me about.”

  “And you had to tell me about that at this hour?”

  “No, but I am supposed to be your lovesick puppy, remember?”

  Actually she hadn’t remembered. Leo had the amazing effect of making her forget pretty much everything, but she did recall wanting to make Leo jealous in order to ratchet up his interest and to give Deringer an alibi. If the look on Leo’s face was anything to go by she’d been more than successful. “Well, thank you so much for calling. I’ll be in touch.” She disconnected the call just as Leo walked out of the bathroom. Dressed in nothing but a t-shirt and charcoal gray boxer briefs which clung to the curves of his backside like a lover, the man was absolutely lethal. She could still feel his mouth against her and more than anything she wanted to invite him back to the bed, but he didn’t look as though he was particularly interested at the moment. He’d sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled on the trousers he’d worn the previous evening.

  “What would you like to do today?” he said.

  Vries licked her lips then almost groaned aloud as she tasted him on her skin. “That was Deringer.”

  “I gathered as much.”

  “He didn’t want anything. He’s just a friend.”

  “You don’t owe me any explanations Vries.”

  “I know that. I just thought I should tell you.”

  “Alright. So what would you like to do today?” he said again.

  Vries sighed. Her plan was working just as she’d wanted. So why was she so annoyed? Probably because he was so goddamned annoying.

  “I don’t have any plans for a couple of days.” Just saying that felt weird. She’d never cleared her calendar before, at least not to this extent. While it was liberating, it was pretty scary too. Foreshadowing as it did her probable future when her modeling career was over. “What do you want to do?”

  “I think I want to play tourist.”

  Vries stared at him. Why did he keep surprising her? She’d assumed he’d want to spend the day in bed.

  “You’ve spent nearly as much time in Milan as I have. Isn’t it a bit late to go wandering about with a camera around your neck?” she asked.

  “I rarely come to Milan for anything but business, unfortunately. I’ve never had time to really enjoy the city, and today I’d like to do that. You’ve been here for twenty years, my guess is you can show it to me.”

  “Well, of course I can. I’m just surprised you want to. You don’t have a change of clothes, are we going to your place…”

  “No. Pushka will bring my bag and we’ll go from here. How about we stop at that charming little caffè you like?”

  Vries frowned. “How did you know…”

  “I make it my business to know everything about you.”

  Not by a long shot, at least she hoped not. “Well, since all the streets lead to the Duomo I suppose we should start there. Have you ever been?”

  “I’m embarrassed to say I have not. Like I said, usually I’m too busy.”

  “Of course. Why don’t I hop in the shower and you give Pushka a call? I’m hungry and we need to be on our way.”

  ***

  As always when she approached the Duomo, Vries felt a little shiver as she took in the amazing architecture. The lacy exterior always reminded her of all things, a wedding cake. It had taken more than six hundred years to complete the cathedral, and there were several styles of architecture incorporated into its allover design. Still, it had a charm and elegance to it that made it the literal heart of Milan.

  She tugged on Leo’s hand to lead him over to the little booth where they could pay to go up on the roof of the building.

  “You haven’t lived until you’ve seen this,” she said. “Elevator, or stairs?”

  “By all means lets take the stairs. Pietro will be so proud.”

  Vries smiled in response then, and still holding Leo’s hand, began climbing the stairs to the top of the building. It wasn’t a particularly arduous climb and before long they were at the top, gazing down at the splendid vista below. Milan, notorious for chilly, misty days had blessed them with rare winter sunshine and they had an unfettered view of the city which had been built around the cathedral. As always she was struck by the incongruity of looking out at Milan’s business district with its tall modern skyscrapers from the rooftop of a medieval cathedral. Milan was like that; a city of intriguing contrasts. Vries never tired of it, and she could tell by his expression that Leo loved the city just as she did. He might have the heart of a merchant, but somewhere in that Tartar soul was an artist. She stood in his embrace, her back to his front, while they looked out over the city.

  “I remember seeing this when I came here as a girl to work. I fell madly and passionately in love with this city and knew I’d never leave. I didn’t tell my mother at the time; she would’ve thought I was insane.”

  “Amazing that you were so strong-willed at such a young age.”

  Vries shrugged. “I had to be. So I was.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever heard the story of how you got into modeling, or came to be here,” he said.

  “It’s a rather corny story, actually. I was discovered, if you can believe it. Shopping for a prom dress at a big mall in Atlanta. An agent gave me his card, I was so excited. I loved clothes and fashion and this was a dream come true. My mama didn’t believe it. She thought it was a scam, and almost threw the card away.”

  “I can understand how she felt, there’s a lot of predators out there pursuing young girls.”

  “Oh, I know. Fortunately, my aunt Sylvia was a librarian and looked up the information on the card. It turned out to be legitimate. The rest, as they say, is history.”

  “So you just came to Milan?” he said.

  “Well no. My parents were still against it. I was so young. And their only child. They were terrified for me. They would only agree if my mother could come with too. She took early retirement from her teaching job, and moved to Milan with me,”

  “So your parents separated?”

  Vries nodded. “For three years. We would go home for most holidays and Daddy would come here too, but for the most part, it was me and Mommy.”

  “That’s incredible,” he said.

  “I know. I was very fortunate. A lot of the girls were jealous because I had my mom with me and they were alone.” Vries said, brushing back a surprising tear from her cheek. Her parents’ sacrifice still had the power to move her to tears. She’d lost them both within a year of one another and still missed them deeply. “Okay, next we have to go to Sforza Castle.” She sighed. “I wish we could see Il Cenacolo, but there isn’t enough time.”

  “Il Cenacolo?” He frowned, and for the first time she heard him stumble with his Italian.

  “The Last Supper, the da Vinci painting. I could spend the rest of my life looking at nothing else. Photos really don’t do it justice. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to see it. You have to make an appointment months in advance. I’ve only seen it once. Since the restoration they only let you stay for fifteen minutes at a time.”

  He smiled, pulling his cell phone out of the breast pocket of his jacket. “I think something can be arranged.”

  Vries almost clapped her hands in delight. “Well there are some benefits of hanging out with billionaires.”

  Being unbelievably wealthy did have its privileges. They were escorted in to v
iew Il Cenacolo by themselves, and for the first time she was able to gaze upon its ethereal beauty for as long as she liked. Da Vinci’s artistry was almost indefinable and the painting seemed even more magnificent now than when she’d seen it previously. The colors seemed more vivid, the curves and lines more evocative, but the most compelling part of the painting had always been the faces. Despite all the damage done to the painting over the years and the controversial restoration efforts, Jesus’s visage still had a sweetness and a strength that reached out to her. The other figures were equally fascinating, with their various degrees of outrage at having been told that one of them would betray him, but the central figure seemed so real that she almost expected him to speak.

  Leo seemed to be similarly affected. “It’s probably a good thing it’s a mural and cannot be removed. I know several people who would pay any price to own it.”

  “Including you?” she said.

  “Especially me.”

  Vries turned away from the painting to look at him as he continued to gaze up at the painting. His aristocratic profile with its high forehead and prominent nose fit in with the art on display. “You know I’ve always wondered about that,” she said.

  Leo looked down at her. “About what?”

  “You know, you hear from time to time about some wealthy person acquiring a painting or even about a painting being stolen. I’ve never understood the point of owning something beautiful if you can’t share it with anyone else. I mean, that’s the purpose of art, is it not? Even if I could, I wouldn’t want to shut this away just for myself,” she said.

  He stared at her for so long that for a moment she wondered if he intended to answer. After all, she supposed what she had said could be interpreted as an insult, though she had never intended it as such.

  “Unfortunately for many of us the desire for beauty triggers greed. For some, if you’ve never known great beauty, you can be compelled to own it, possess it. You want to close it away out of fear that it will be taken from you. Do you understand?”