Illusion(12)

His cell phone rang, shrill in the quietness of the bedroom. He ignored it, still focused on me. Hoping to change the subject, I glanced at his phone on the dresser.

“Aren’t you going to answer that?”

His eyes unfocused and he spoke in a monotone voice. “It is Nigel. He wants to arrange to see us. He has information for you. Is that phone call more important to you than our conversation?” Stefan pulled away from me and stalked naked out of the bedroom. I heard the door slam to his office and I pulled the pillow over my head, groaning loudly. Leave it to me to fuck up a heart-to-heart conversation when the love of my life offered me his heart on his sleeve.

Wrapping the sheet around me, I walked out of the bedroom and hesitated outside of his office door. Taking a deep breath, I nervously turned the doorknob and pushed open the door to his office.

“Stefan?”

His back was to me at his desk, his shoulders tight as he flipped through e-mail after e-mail. He ignored me and continued tapping away at his computer.

I held the sheet with one hand and walked to his side of the desk. I sat down on the edge of the desk and scooted between Stefan and the laptop.

“Hey.” I brushed my fingers through his hair. His sea blue eyes shifted to meet mine. He didn’t move, but he was at least acknowledging me. “I’m sorry. You know how I feel about you. You’re everything to me. I’m just not good at this relationship stuff, Stefan. I’m still learning.”

He nodded and buried his face against my chest, wrapping his long arms around my waist. We sat like this for a long time, his face pressed between my breasts as I methodically stroked his hair.

Finally breaking the silence, I spoke quietly. “Come back to bed. All of this can wait.”

He pulled away from me and stood, offering me his hand. Taking it, I followed him back to the bedroom, watching as he spread his lean body across the king sized bed and stretched his arms out for me to join him. I unwrapped myself from the sheet and snuggled beside of him. Smiling gently, I reached behind me and turned off the light. Stefan’s eyes met mine in the darkness of the room, his eyes filled with unspoken questions.

“I’m not afraid anymore. I have you to protect me.”

A beautiful smile broke across his face. He slid down the bed, once again wrapping his muscular arms around my waist. His head rested above my stomach and he clung to me, softly humming against my skin.

“I have to leave you for a few hours tomorrow. I do not want to; however while I am here in the US there are things I need to attend to,” Stefan murmured. “I will be back by evening.”

“Ok. Be safe and come back to me,” I replied, mimicking his lilting voice.

Stefan snickered. “That is my line, vackra. I love you.”

Not another word was spoken the rest of the night. We lay together in silence, holding each other and watching the night sky change from shades of gray, morphing into light blue as morning broke over the New York skyline.

Stefan finally pulled himself away from me to shower. I listened to the water running and lightly dozed off, the sound of the shower lulling me to sleep. The feel of Stefan’s lips pressing against mine awakened me. I opened my eyes to see his face inches above mine, the smell of his expensive cologne, woodsy and sensous, filling my nose.

“I am leaving, Josephine. I love you.”

Stifling a yawn, I wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. “As I love you. Hurry home.”

He stood, towering over the bed. He was smartly dressed in an expensive black suit and white shirt, unbuttoned at the collar. His blond hair was still damp and finger combed away from his face. A red silk tie hung over his broad shoulder. He closed the curtains and headed for the door, looking back at me and winking. I listened as the apartment door closed and the locks slid into place. Snuggling into my pillow, I fell asleep dreaming of Stefan and the possibilities of what we could do with that red tie.



Papers rustling loudly was the first thing I heard. Sinking my head deeper into the pillow, I tried to slip back into sleep. It was quiet for a moment and then I heard a bored sigh and the paper crackled again. Turning over, I gasped when I saw Lukas propped up on the pillows next to me, flipping through a magazine. His thin lips were pursed and his pale, aristocratic face was twisted in annoyance.

“Lukas! What are you doing here?” I screeched, pulling the covers higher to cover my breasts.

“Reading this month’s Cosmo and waiting for you to wake up. I was reading the article on the top 10 ways to blow your lover’s mind. Been there, done that.” He gave an exaggerated yawn. He closed the magazine, placing it on his lap and flashed me a dazzling smile. “Josie, darling. I missed you.”