Dealing Her Final Card(41)
“Fine,” he said coldly. “If you don’t want to be here, go home.”
She lifted her gaze hopefully. “Home to my sister?”
“Our home! Together!”
Her shoulders slumped. She stared down at her feet.
“There is no together at the palace,” she said in a small voice. “There’s just me. Alone.”
“You know I am dealing with a complex merger, Breanna,” he said tightly. “I have no time to—”
“I know.” Her lips twisted. “I should just be grateful you show up in my bed in the middle of the night, right? Grateful you’re so very, very good to me.”
He ground his teeth, his eyes dark.
“I gave you my credit card. You should have bought out half the city by now. You should be enjoying yourself. You can buy whatever you wish—clothes, furs, shoes. And a ball gown. It is supposed to be fun.”
“Fun,” she muttered.
He scowled. “Is it not?”
“Shopping all by myself in a foreign city, as your bodyguards keep other people out of the store, and six different salesgirls try to convince me that a puce-colored burlap sack with ostrich feathers looks good on me...?” Bree shuddered. “No. It’s not fun.” She indicated the long black coat. “This is the sum total of my purchases.”
He blinked. “The coat?”
“And the lingerie.”
“Damn it, Bree, you aren’t in Hawaii anymore. I told you to buy warm clothes.”
“Who cares if I feel warm?” She glared at him. “I’m just your possession. My feelings don’t matter.”
He stared at her, and the air around them suddenly became electrified. “Of course they matter.” He took a single step toward her. “Breanna—”
A knock sounded at the door. An older man poked his head in, an American with wire-rimmed glasses and anxious eyes. “Your Highness. Excuse me.”
“What is it, Anderson?” Vladimir demanded.
The man looked at Bree and then cleared his throat. “We’ve reached an impasse, sir. Svenssen is demanding we retain every member of his company’s staff.”
“So?”
“Arctic Oil has a thousand employees we don’t need. Drillers. Cafeteria workers in Siberia. Accountants and secretaries. Dead weight.”
Dead weight. Bree’s spine snapped straight. He would no doubt consider her and Josie dead weight, too, with their ten years of backbreaking, low-paying cleaning jobs. Every month, they’d experienced the painful uncertainty of never knowing if their jobs would last, or if they’d be able to pay their bills. Biting her lip, she glanced up and saw Vladimir watching her. His eyes narrowed.
“Tell Svenssen,” he said slowly, “we’ll find places for all his current employees. At their current pay level or better.”
His employee gaped, aghast. “But, sir! Why?”
“Yes, why?” Bree echoed. She took a deep breath and gave him a trembling smile. “Don’t tell me you’ve actually got a heart.”
His lips abruptly twisted. “To the contrary.” He turned back to Anderson. “I merely want to ensure that we’re well staffed for future expansion.”
“Expansion?” The man visibly exhaled in relief.
Vladimir lifted a dark eyebrow. “That should simplify your negotiations.” Turning to Bree, he took her hand. “I will be unavailable for the rest of the day,” he said softly.
“You will?” she breathed.
“But Prince Vladimir—”
He ignored the man. Pulling Bree from the office, he led her down the hall to the elevator. As he pushed the button, she looked at him, her heart in her throat.
“Where are we going?”
He tilted his head, giving her a boyish grin that took her breath away. “I’m going to show you my beautiful city.”
His voice was casual. So why did she feel as if something had just changed between them, changed forever? She tried not to feel his strong, protective hand over her own, tried not to feel her own heart beating wildly. “But your merger is important. You said—”
“My people will manage. Let them earn their overpriced salaries.”
“But why are you doing this?”
“I’ve realized something.” Vladimir’s eyes were ten shades of blue. “You belong to me.”
She exhaled. “I know,” she said dully. “You already said—”
“You belong to me.” He cupped her cheek. “That means it’s my job.”
“What is?”
He looked intently into her eyes, and then smiled. “To take care of you.”
* * *
Vladimir’s mouth fell open as he stared at the beautiful angel who stood on a pedestal before him. Literally.