The Swan Read online

  “Yes, seems like it,” she said quietly.

  “You want to ride.”

  “Excuse me?” She looked shocked, which made it clear she misread him, but at the same time, didn’t. He had been thinking about her getting on top of him for a ride, but he pushed that thought down. Or, at least he was trying to — for now.

  Still smiling, he pointed with his head to the left and said, “I saw you looking at the Ferris wheel and I wanted to know if you wanted to ride before we head to dinner?”

  She nodded her head in agreement and the hard swallow he saw her take let him know that she was just as affected as he.

  Nova didn’t want to reveal to Mikhail that she wanted to pick up where they left off. Yes, she played hard to get for a month. Yes, she was still afraid of what might happen if she gave in to her desires, but a part of her wasn’t.

  “I think so too.” She smiled, as the thought of kissing him lingered in her mind as they walked to dinner.

  Each bite of food became an aphrodisiac as they looked stared at each from across the table. Each sip of wine from her glass made him remember her lips upon him. Each time He picked up his fork, she remembered what those fingers holding the utensil did to her over and over.

  By time the waitress asked if they were ready for dessert, they both knew that feasting on each other would be the perfect ending to this evening.

  Chapter NINE

  Twenty-five minutes later, they were pulling up outside of her place, and he was helping her out of her clothes. Their hands and lips moved as their feet moved them to her large king sized bed. The room was dark except for the glow from her alarm clock. He could care less; didn’t need to see her to know she was beautiful.

  “Mikhail,” Nova moaned against his mouth, her fingers gripping his shirtfront as she lost control of her senses. Mikhail sucked her bottom lip. “I need you, Nova.”

  Restraint had flown out the window, replaced by something more primitive, and much more potent.

  He moved her to the bed and used his mouth to tell her how much he missed her. As he sucked her erect nipples, sheer ecstasy replaced all trepidation and caused moisture to leak from between her thighs. She’d never felt more alive; more on fire for this man. Her searching hands explored Mikhail’s sculpted body. His body was a work of art, sinewy, hard― hot under her touch.

  A rough, grunt erupted from his throat as her hand encircled the base of his long, thick shaft and stroked him sensually, making him shudder. Nostrils flaring, he stared into her impatient eyes as he settled between her legs with an urgency he could no longer hold onto. With one hard thrust, he entered her, stretching her wide as she let out a loud cry of pleasure. Mikhail responded with a gruff moan and another hungry thrust, embedding himself even deeper inside her. Quivering all over, Nova drew her legs up and wrapped them tightly around him, her hips lifting to meet his movements more fully as he began thrusting into her. His strokes were deep and slow, a language their bodies instinctively understood.

  “Nova,” Mikhail groaned thickly, rising up on his muscular arms so he could stare down at his dark shaft plunging in and out of her. “Oh, damn, you feel good. So tight and wet.”

  “Don’t you stop; don’t ever stop,” Nova breathed, closing her eyes as the intensity of their union consumed and blinded her. She clung desperately to him, her fingertips digging into the flexing muscles of his back and ass. Their breathing mingled in rapid, shallow pants, filling the room with the sound. As Mikhail’s thrusts deepened, Nova forced her eyes open to watch their delicious screwing.

  “Mikhail,” she sobbed his name. “Mikhail, oh, baby,”

  Seconds later, Nova screamed at the sheer force of her climax, clutching Mikhail’s broad shoulders for dear life as his pelvis slapped steadily against hers. She felt his back grow rigid, felt his powerful body shudder against hers as he shouted with satisfaction. And then there was stillness, the only sound was their ragged breathing. As he laid down and pulled her into lay upon his chest, all she could think was, what a delicious dessert.

  Chapter TEN

  Dawn was just breaking the sky. A sliver of dim light filtered through the curtains, allowing him to glimpse the small figure at his side. She slept soundly, her breathing barely ruffling the silence. He made note that she was easy to rest with. Not tossing and turning about all night, nor snoring too loudly that he couldn’t doze beside her. In fact, he slept deeply. Even in sleep, they were a good match. He thought that on the ship and it wasn’t an anomaly. He still felt that way.

  Her face, even without lip gloss, her eyes shut in peace and her hair matted to her head did nothing to detract from her beauty.

  God, he needed to paint her.

  He was hoping she would allow him.

  As he took the time to admire her beauty, it occurred to Mikhail that this was usually the time of morning that he would ease out of bed, quietly scoop up his clothes and tiptoe out of the room. Once he made it to the living room, he’d get dressed as quickly as possible and be out the door and on his way home while the woman he made bad decisions with was still sleeping. That allowed Mikhail to avoid that uncomfortable, we just had sex, what now, conversation that usually took place after great orgasms were given.

  You can’t have that talk if you’re not there for it, was a firm policy that he lived by.

  Nova was different and required a different man than the one he’d been to the previous women. He’d already went through all the reasons why and how he wanted her more than a little bit. The mere fact that he wanted to immortalize her in a painting was proof of that. He wanted to capture the sun on her dark brown skin in a way that highlighted her cheekbones in honey. The way her petite breast rose and feel

  She curled up closer to him and the warmth from her curves cloaked him and made him burrow deeper under the covers hoping he could join her.

  Mikhail picked up his phone as he watched Nova hips swing to the bathroom and looked at the time. “Shit!” he said and jumped out of bed.

  “What’s wrong?” Nova shouted from the bathroom.

  “I’ve got a sales meeting this morning at nine.”

  “I’ll only be a minute and then the bathroom is yours,” she said, smiling because now she didn’t have to have the conversation that she didn’t want to have it either.

  Mikhail stood there, thinking that it wouldn’t be the first time that he just got dressed and left without showering, but it was important to him to make a lasting impression other than the one she was holding on to. Her not thinking you’re nasty would be good.

  As she promised, Nova wasn’t long in the bathroom. “It’s all yours,’ she said, passing by him quickly, just in case he was thinking about pulling her into the shower with him.

  “Thanks,” he said and rushed by her like he hadn’t even thought about it.

  Nova was in the kitchen when Mikhail came rushing out of the bedroom. She stopped what she was doing and met him at the door.

  “I am so late,” he said as he rushed toward her. Nova opened the door. “Can I see you tonight?”

  “Call me,” she said, kissed him on the cheek and then he was gone.

  After a shave and a change of clothes, Mikhail was back in the car and heading for the Mercedes dealership, one of the top-grossing dealerships in the area, where he was always one of the monthly top salesmen. He arrived right on time for his meeting.

  “You look especially chipper today, Mikhail,” said John, the sales manager.

  “I certainly try my best to be every day,” knowing that his mood was attributed to the woman that was just in his arms that morning.

  As John began his motivational speech, Mikhail looked around for Dexter. He was a young salesman that he had kind of taken under his wing. He reminded Mikhail of himself when he first started working there after college. Like Mikhail, Dex had no experience, just a good attitude and the gift of gab.

  But four years ago when he started, Dave Dugan was there to show him the ropes. Mikhail saw this as his
opportunity to pay it forward. He leaned close to Charlie.

  “What happened to Dex?”

  “They fired him last night.”

  “I didn’t think they’d let him ride the draw for too much longer,” Mikhail said, trying to hide his disappointment.

  “Anything you gentlemen want to share with the group?” John asked.

  “Just that I’m on fire and ready to sell a car,” Mikhail said with false enthusiasm. John was the type that would let you micromanage if he felt you needed it, but the way around that was to appear like you had it all together and for the most part, Mikhail did.

  “That’s what I like to hear,” John said, pumping his fist and then he continued with the meeting. Once he was finished and the meeting began to break up, John asked Mikhail to wait.

  While John talked to the finance manager, Mikhail reclaimed his seat and thought about Nova and when he might be able to see her again.

  Before he could start to relive the memory of her mouth wrapped around his morning wood, John surprised Mikhail by telling him he wanted him to be in the commercial that they were going to be filming on the lot that day. He was surprised because blonde-haired, blue-eyed and chiseled Brett, one of the other salesmen, always did them. “It’s what the average American customer wanted to see,” was what he told him one time when he teased about the possibility of him being put into the commercial. Seems like they wanted to go a different direction, however. John was working overtime to convince Mikhail that he’d be perfect. Seems they took his teasing to heart.

  “I think you’ll be a natural.”

  “I don’t know,” Mikhail said. “I can’t act.”

  “That’s all right. We brought in an actress to do the heavy lifting. All you have to do is point to the cars and say one or two lines.”

  “And that’s it?”

  “That’s it.”

  Mikhail reluctantly agreed, because being in a commercial would be great for sales. Brett received many walk-ups based on those commercials, so he decided to stop whining about it and give in.

  “Great,” he said and handed Mikhail a copy of the script. “Look that over and I’ll come get you when it’s time to shoot.”

  After John rushed off to another meeting, Mikhail went to his office and looked over the script. “A 220 Sedan, only one hundred dollars over list,” he said and pointed like it instructed in the script. “I can do that.” Once he had identified his parts, he put the script down wondering, since when do we do commercial for the A-Class? Mikhail shrugged his shoulders and picked up the phone with Nova on his mind.

  “Flowers for Dreams. This is Adriana speaking. What dream can I help you make come true today?”

  “Yes, good morning. I’d like to order a dozen lavender roses for delivery today, please,” he said and gave the address. With that out of the way, he checked his schedule for appointments and then hit the lot.

  He was just wrapping up with a customer when John came to his office.

  “When you’re finished with your client, drop by my office and meet your co-star,” he said and disappeared.

  Once he escorted the client to the finance manager’s office, Mikhail went to John’s office expecting to see Jackie, who did all of their in-house. Therefore, he was more than surprised to see a caramel coated woman seated in front of John’s desk making small talk while they waited for him.

  “There he is,” he said loudly, standing up and waving Mikhail into the office.

  “Sorry that I took so long,” he said when he entered and that is when it hit him that they were targeting this commercial to a different group. That explains why no Brett and Jackie.

  “That’s all right. Mikhail, this is Toya.” As she stood up and turned to him, all the joy he had been feeling about moving forward with Nova started to vanish. There was no way she was going to like this set up, but he had no choice but to move forward. It was his job on the line.

  The question was, should he tell her now or later?

  Chapter Eleven

  Later...

  "When are you going to tell me about the guy that has you glowing?"

  Nova nearly choked on her wine and looked up into Debbie’s amused eyes.

  "I have no idea what you mean." Nova tried not to look away from Debbie's perceptive scrutiny.

  "That's always your story these days, but I know better and our friendship should be better than that too."

  The seriousness reflected back at Nova in Debbie’s eyes made her level with her closest friend. “Okay, I’ve been seeing Mikhail.”

  “Mikhail Luther?”

  “Yes, him.”

  “Since when?”

  “Since the cruise. Well a month after the cruise, well on the ship and then a month after and since then.”

  Nova hurriedly took another sip of her Chardonnay and waited for Deb’s reaction.

  Her friend took her time taking her sip of water, looking at Nova over the glass, before she placed it on the table. After she felt Nova had waited long enough for a response, she looked back up with a sly smile.

  “How big is it?”

  “Is what?”

  “His dick, if it’s got you looking this transformed, I imagine it’s large.”

  Shaking her head in disbelief of her friend, she answered, “A woman never tells.”

  “It’s big then.”

  Nova’s lips twisted into a smile but remained quiet.

  “Okay, so tell me this. Is he making you happy?”

  Pondering the answer and the possibilities, she was only left with one, “Yeah, he makes me very happy, but it’s still new,” she hurried to add.

  “Doesn’t matter if it’s new, all that matters is that it’s real.”

  Nova considered Debbie’s words and thought about her last session with her therapist where she revealed that she was ready to let go of the past.

  “Being with Mikhail has forced me to accept something that’s been holding me back.”

  Dr. Jones looked pleased that Nova was finally leading the session instead of being a bystander to it.

  “What’s that, Nova?”

  “That everyone has a past, we all have things we didn’t do right, especially when we were too young and dumb to know the consequences but that doesn’t have to define our future. He is not that young man anymore and honestly, I thought him to have been confident and secure when he was battling insecurities like I was. His silence that day was no different than the years I’ve spent staying away from my high school reunion. Trying to go unnoticed. Trying to fit in.”

  “What a wonderful observation, Nova.”

  “I’m in love with him and I don’t want anything to hold me back from experiencing whatever that might mean.”

  Dr. Jones ended up hugging Nova at the end of the session and told her that if she ever needed to come back just to talk, that she could but she was confident Nova was free from the one thing holding her back from experiencing love.

  After dinner where Debbie still tried to learn more information than was appropriate, she called Mikhail. He answered on the first ring and without even asking what she wanted, he told her to come over.

  It only took ten minutes to get to him from the bar and grill where they had dinner. She sent Debbie a text to let her know she made it “home” safely and then knocked on his door.

  When he opened it, he stood there and looked at her from head to toe. She watched him bite his lip and slowly shake his head.

  This was why she came. This was why she kept coming back to him despite her biggest fears of rejection.

  Because he made her feel like a woman. He made her feel desired, sexy … and powerful. She felt like a fucking goddess each time he looked at her this way.

  “Come in,” he told her and moved out of the way to allow her to walk by him. That was all the time she had before. And then he was on her.

  She let him lead her to his room. The distance to his bedroom down the length of hallway was cut in half with his hastened p
ace, but his mouth never left hers. The urgency vibrated off him, strumming through her. There was nothing sedate about his touches; nothing was held back as if he was afraid she’d bolt.

  At some point, he rid her of the dress she wore and before Nova knew it, she was in his room and in his bed. The texture of his sheets was soft and inviting and cool against her hot skin. His hand cupped her mound as his palm rubbed against her clitoris. She rocked against his callused skin. Hands that were expert at stroking the lightest and the most powerful of touches upon canvas, and upon her. This made her moan and writhe against the covers. “Be still,” he murmured against her lips and slipped his tongue into her mouth. His hand and mouth took up the same rhythm until she moaned out his name.

  “Why are you here?” he asked when she came for him.

  “For you,” she said.

  He groaned against her ear and brought her to another climax with this thumb.

  “Nova, I’ve been waiting for you to show up here all day.” She opened heavy lids and met his gaze.

  “I want you inside me.”

  Mikhail undressed above her, taking less than a second to open a drawer and then he was back sheathed and nudging her legs apart. She let her hands roam over the taut muscles on his arms and chest because unclothed, he was a sight to behold.

  She lifted her hips off the bed and he slid inside of her with swift motion. His thrusts were hard and deep. He trembled over her, breathing heavily for a couple of moments, until he caught his breath. He started to move again and the usual calm and stoic man was lost with every stroke. Each groan was followed by a nip to her flesh. His hands roved every bare inch of skin while his mouth worshipped her. Mikhail’s actions told her exactly how he felt about her in his bed. And in his bed, she felt like his prey and he the predator.

  He stroked and stalked her, forcing each violent climax until Nova was mindless because of him. He knew how to touch her; how hard and soft, fast or slow, shallow or deep. No words were needed. Breath and energy spent, he pulled her over him and Nova took over, rocking them to the place perfect lovers go.