In addition to the abundance of security, Maks was scanning the area like he expected an attack any second, and two more bodyguards that Dimitri had introduced to her stood a little bit away, their posture tense. Shifting on the high heels of her elegant black leather boots, Rya smiled up at Dimitri and tried to keep the stiffness out of her voice. “It’s beautiful.”
When Dimitri held her hand and gave her a gentle kiss she noticed a few of the people watching her look shocked. Dimitri had told her that news of her arrival had spread, but she’d still been surprised at the amount of attention they received. There had even been what amounted to the Russian version of the paparazzi waiting for them at the airport, but their bodyguards made quick work of the would-be photographer. Evidently, Russian laws didn’t protect the paparazzi because the man’s camera had been crushed while two police officers looked on and laughed. When she’d asked Dimitri about it he merely shrugged like it was no big deal.
He’d dressed her himself this morning, putting her in a lovely cream dress and pairing it with her sexy black boots. Then he’d put in the yellow diamond earrings and wrist cuffs. He said the view of her cleavage in that dress was sinful enough without adding diamonds. The look of pride in his gaze when he looked at her wearing the jewelry he gave her made butterflies take flight in her stomach.
Before she knew it Dimitri was leading her through the marble and bronze foyer of the apartment complex, pointing out the way to the gym, the spa, and a women’s clothing boutique among the other shops on the main floor of the building where he had opened a line of credit in her name. There was even a bank, a small grocery store, and a gourmet restaurant leading her to believe that this apartment building was more like a luxury fortress than a simple place to live. He informed her that she had an appointment with the banker tomorrow to set up her own separate account with an undisclosed, probably obscene amount of money in it for her to play with.
She was surprised when they had to stop and get her fingerprints and retina scan done at the building’s security office so she would be able to use the different biometric locks in order to access the building. Everyone she met treated her with a level of ass kissing that she’d never experienced before that made her very uncomfortable. The men and women were all elegant and professional, making her feel slightly out of place. She refused to be intimidated and kept in mind that just because they didn’t smile at her didn’t mean they hated her. However, Rya was pretty sure the hostess at the spa hated her. When Dimitri spoke to the hostess in English Rya had to hide a laugh at the way the woman’s face fell when Dimitri said Rya was his girlfriend, his woman, and that she had his permission to do or buy anything she wanted. While she had no plans to go on any spending sprees, it was nice to know that she could now use her savings to pay off the mortgage she’d taken out on her grandparents’ house to pay for college.
As they rode the elevator to their floor, she absently stroked the lovely fur jacket and looked at their reflection in the polished brass doors of the elevator. Dimitri looked as good as ever in his dark suit and trench coat, but she appeared a little shell shocked. Her eyes were as big and round as dinner plates and her mouth was slightly parted. Giving herself a mental shake, she took a deep breath and let it out.
“So, this is where we live?”
“Yes. Do you like it? If not I have many other places where we could stay. Or I could buy new home for you.”
The doors leading to the twelfth floor opened before she could respond. As they stepped out into the very modern black marble and chrome hallway she looked around with surprise. The hallway itself was very short and there were only two doors.
Dimitri moved over to the door to the right of the elevator and smiled. “Put thumb here please to make sure it work.”
She did and the door slid open, revealing a breath taking circular foyer with Brazilian cherry wood floors and pale cream walls. Stepping inside, she turned in a slow circle, taking in the staircase leading to an upper level and the archways opening to different rooms. She was used to apartments being like the matchbox she’d shared with her roommate in college, not this palatial expanse of wealth and luxury. The faint scent of paint hung in the air and the place had a brand new feel to it.
“Holy shit. We live here?”
Laughing, Dimitri helped her out of her jacket and hung it up in a small closet off the foyer with his trenchcoat. “This is our home.”
Something in the room to her right caught her eye and she wandered into what had to be a living room furnished in a surprisingly familiar manner. During the long flight over on Ivan’s private jet, she’d spent a great deal of time with Gia looking through her design portfolio on the massive screen of the jet’s entertainment system. At the time she’d thought she was just learning about interior design with Gia, but now she realized she’d actually been picking out furniture for her apartment. Dimitri had totally pulled the wool over her eyes and it touched her deeply that he somehow managed to make this happen, to give her new home her own personal stamp in the most amazing way. They’d spent the last day and a half in Paris, so when he was doing business while she was sightseeing with Gia and Ivan, he must have been setting this up.