The Only Woman to Defy Him(14)

                ‘I’m sure we can come to an arrangement,’ Alina answered.

                It wasn’t just luxurious, it was all so immaculate—until Demyan opened a door.

                ‘Oh!’ Alina smiled when she saw that, in contrast to the rest of the penthouse, one room did need attention. A lot of it. It was, despite the expensive finishings, still very much a teenage bedroom. There was a guitar and music sheets on the floor, cups, glasses and some wrappers.

                ‘I’ll make sure the staff have this cleaned,’ Alina said.

                ‘No.’ Demyan halted Alina as she turned. ‘Roman does not like the domestic staff in his room. He is supposed to keep it tidy by himself, though he hasn’t been doing a very good job.’

                ‘Well, if you’re trying to sell it then it needs to be shown in its best light.’

                ‘If a guitar on the floor and a few chewing-gum wrappers are going to dissuade anyone, then they are not serious about buying,’ Demyan answered tartly, and then he paused. He was telling her to call in florists, designers, everything to show the home in the best possible light, yet he refused to have his son’s room tidied. It was better perhaps to explain why properly.

                ‘I don’t know if Roman will be returning here before he goes to Russia. In my country it is considered bad luck to clean and tidy the room of a person who has left, until they arrive at their destination. It is only for Roman that I do it,’ Demyan said, and then stopped even trying to explain it.

                Alina nodded, though she didn’t really understand.

                Neither did Demyan, yet some of his mother’s superstitions were still so ingrained that, though logic told him to ignore them, he simply could not take that chance.

                Not with Roman.

                Until he knew his son was safe at his destination the room would remain untouched.

                They walked up another flight of stairs.

                ‘The master bedroom,’ Demyan said, though it needed no introduction. Alina could never have guessed that, apart from staff that cleaned it, or people like her, who were paid to deal with his busy life, a woman had so much as crossed the threshold.

                Alina looked around. It was an incredibly masculine bedroom and it felt strange to be standing in here with such a very masculine man. ‘You might want to think of a few feminine touches,’ Alina suggested.

                Demyan stopped in mid-yawn. He hadn’t slept on the plane, or since he’d landed yesterday in Australia, and it was starting to catch up with him. The bed looked rather tempting.

                So too did Alina.

                He couldn’t quite read her. She was curiously provocative, yet Demyan wasn’t sure if she was being deliberately so.

                ‘Some cushions or paintings...’

                ‘Whatever you think,’ Demyan said. ‘Any more questions?’

                ‘I don’t think so.’ Alina said. ‘Or is that the wrong answer?’

                ‘Not this time. I will speak with security and arrange keys.’

                ‘Do I need a set for the agent?’

                ‘No one is to come here unless you are present. Certainly they are not to have access to keys and security codes.’