“Huh?” Sasha followed the major’s annoyed glare toward a corner of the room where a tiny young woman was literally cowering. “Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t even see you there. Hi. I’m Sasha Bracciali.”
“Yes, from America,” the servant agreed, taking a few shaky steps forward. “Thank you for coming. I am Niski.”
“Nice to meet you, Niski.”
“Enough!” Svetlina’s black eyes flashed with impatience. “She is the maker of this monstrosity. Do you see how I look? This miserable girl would make me a fool.”
“Actually…” Sasha stepped right up to the major and touched the extravagant fabric of the off-the-shoulder creation. “It’s exquisite work.
So delicate.
Almost angelic.
The problem isn’t the dress, Major Zelasko. It’s just not the right dress for someone of your stature. You’re so…well, regal.
So commanding.
You need something bolder. I think I have just the gown for that.”
“I am regal and I am bold,” Svetlina agreed.
“Look.” Sasha unzipped the garment bag and pulled out a waltz-length gown. The skirt was navy-blue taffeta, the bodice in the same color, but of rich velvet. It was strapless, but the scalloped cut to the neckline—one of Sasha’s signature designs—would almost certainly draw the eye away from Svetlina’s shoulders, softening the effect of her overtoned physique.
Niski squealed with delight and seemed to forget that she was afraid. Instead, she rushed over to Sasha and gathered the dress into her arms. “It is beautiful!”
“Bring it to me,” Svetlina ordered her. “I must wear it to be certain.”
Niski quickly helped her mistress out of the golden gown, which Svetlina allowed to crumple to the floor. Stepping out of the pile of brocade, she stood seminaked for a moment, as though flaunting her body at Sasha. Then she allowed her servant to help her into the blue dress.
“Perfect fit,” Sasha murmured, reaching down to scoop up the brocade gown, then shaking it to remove any speck of dust.
“Yes, I am perfect for this,” Svetlina agreed, striding to a full-length mirror and nodding with approval. “It is your gift to me?”
“Yes.
Absolutely.”
“Good. And…” The major looked down at Sasha’s feet.
“Also those shoes?”
Sasha winced. She had thrown the Kestonian oxfords into the back of the armoire in her room in favor of something a little more stylish—her favorite tango shoes. Fashioned from soft copper-tone leather, they were strappy and sexy, and she’d kill before she’d part with them.
Not even for Teal?
she
challenged herself, but the thought of her precious shoes on this unpleasant woman’s feet made her sick. She had to believe Teal wouldn’t want that, either.
“I’m sure they’re way too big for you,” she assured Svetlina. “When I met your brother, the General, he told me that Kestonian women are known for their tiny feet. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for myself. I mean, just
look
at these giant things!”
Svetlina nodded as though acknowledging that they were in fact enormous.
Meanwhile, from the corner of her eye, Sasha noted that Niski was stifling a laugh, and she reminded herself to thank the servant later for not pointing out the obvious—the tango shoes would be far too small for Svetlina.
A phone on the dressing table began to ring, and Major Zelasko crossed to it and picked up the receiver, then began speaking rapidly in Kestonian. After a few moments, she hung up and announced, “It is necessary for me to leave. You will stay. When I return, we will have our contest.”
“Contest?”
Svetlina wriggled out the blue dress,
then
abandoned it on the floor as she stalked over to a large closet and pulled out a uniform.
“Niski!”
The servant ran to assist her, and in less than a minute, the major was fully dressed in a starched white blouse and a dark olive skirt with a matching jacket. Sasha had to stop herself from admitting out loud that of all three outfits—the gold dress, the blue one and the uniform—this was the one that suited the woman best.
“Do not leave,” Svetlina reminded her,
then
she disappeared without another word.
“Wow. She’s quite a gal,” Sasha said with a teasing smile. “It must be an adventure every day, working for her.”
Niski smiled. “I am so happy that your shoes are still your shoes.”
“Me, too.
And I’m glad she left us alone, because I’ve been dying to tell you how much I adore this dress. And this fabric! I’d kill for a bolt of it.” Stroking the golden gown, Sasha asked hopefully, “Do you think Major Zelasko would let me wear it to the ball?”
“That would honor me,” Niski told her softly. “You will be a beautiful Kestonian princess.”
“Like the ones in the portraits out in the hall?” Sasha asked, referring to the paintings of regal men in uniforms and exquisite females with elaborately braided hair and stunning gowns that lined every walkway in the fortress. “They inspired your design, right? You’re talented, Niski. You should come to the States and work with me.”
“Leave Kestonia?
My family?
My home?”
The girl shook her head. “That would not be. But again you honor me.”
“Are you married?”
“One day soon. We wait for permission. Major Zelasko has promised to assist, but she is so angry to me.
Because of the dress.
I am grateful to you,” Niski added fervently. “She will be happy now because of you.”
Sasha glanced toward the door. “What did she mean when she said she and I would have a contest?”
“She will fight you. It is my prayer that you will not be injured.”
“Fight me?” Sasha winced. “You mean, with her fists?”
“And a knife.”
“What?”
“She is champion. When she hears from her brother you are fighter, too, she decides she must fight you.”
“With a
knife?
”
Niski nodded. “She will kick you, too.
With her very big feet.”
Sasha laughed in spite of herself. “You’re hilarious. Anyway, thanks for the warning. We’d better hang these dresses up before they get wrinkled.” She carried both gowns to the closet, which was dominated by a row of uniforms, all cleaned, pressed and ready for the major.
Inspired, Sasha murmured, “Niski, I haven’t eaten in hours. Could you possibly—”
“Yes, yes.
Of course.
Please sit and wait.”
As soon as the servant had left, Sasha transferred one of the uniforms to the garment bag along with the gold gown,
then
zipped it securely. She was barely finished before the door opened again, and Svetlina stepped back into view.
“You are still here,” the major noted.
“You ordered me to stay.”
“True. Where is Niski?”
“She’s getting me something to eat. While she’s gone, I was hoping you’d let me give you a manicure.” Sasha stooped and picked up her satchel. “I’ve got all my supplies right here.”
“It is not necessary. Niski will do that.”
“I have some special paraffin that will soften your hands. Your dance partners will be impressed, I promise you.” Sasha hoped her smile seemed innocent, so that the woman wouldn’t suspect she was about to have her finger and palm prints lifted. “It’s a special technique, Major Zelasko, and it would be my honor to try it on you.”
Svetlina shrugged. “First we will have our contest. Perhaps I will break a fingernail. And you will repair it for me.
If you are still able.”
Because you’re gonna beat me senseless?
Sasha managed a confident laugh. “I don’t know where you got this idea from, Major, but I don’t engage in fights with anyone, much less someone in great shape like you.”
“You are trained. My brother the
prezydente
told me the details.”
“That again?
It was high school! Not boot camp. We didn’t actually fight each other, anyway. We just did shadow sparring.”
“Excuse me?”
“You know, like dance movements. It’s a form of exercise in America. That’s why I kept it up even after I graduated. I found a friendly class that meets three mornings a week and gives me a great workout. That way, I can eat and drink anything I want and still not gain weight.”
“It is for vanity? Not for fighting?”
“Right,” Sasha confirmed, silently apologizing to sensei Robert Hakira, who not only trained his students to fight like champions on weekday mornings, but also held a special Saturday class for six of his best pupils, Sasha among them, where he taught the art of defeating an armed opponent, specifically, those armed with knife, sword or firearm. Because of him, Sasha was confident she could take Svetlina. But she might get cut or bruised in the process, which could interfere with her ability to rescue Teal. And on a more superficial level, if she ended up going to the ball, she didn’t want the effect ruined by cuts and bruises.
“So it is true?” Svetlina was demanding. “Americans are soft?”
“Don’t judge us all by me. I never took self-defense seriously because there’s no one in America who would dare lay a hand on me, Big Frankie Bracciali’s baby girl.
“But believe me,” Sasha continued, her voice hushed, “if I’d known about the treatment I was going to receive in Kestonia, I would have studied
real
martial arts before I came here.”
“You have been treated poorly?”
“Well, let’s see. Your brother’s guards bullied me. Then
he
interrogated and threatened me. And now
you
want to fight me with a knife. So, yes, I think it’s safe to say I’ve been treated poorly.”
Svetlina smiled. “You are frightened?”
“No,” she said quickly.
“Not exactly.
I’m just not used to this.”
“Yes, I see.” The major licked her lips. “My brother is very impressed with you. If he could see you now, he would be surprised.”
“Don’t say anything, please? I’m trying so hard to make a good impression.”
“I am told you succeeded. Did he not invite you to dine with him tonight?
Alone?
In his suite?”
Sasha flinched inwardly. This was the first she’d heard that they were eating in his room.
Ick.
“It was such an honor that he asked me. I don’t want him to think I’m a wimp.”
“Wimp?”
“You know.
Scared.
Helpless.”
“Do not worry,” Svetlina reassured her with a grin. “It will be the quality he most prefers of you.”
“You are a vision of beauty, Sasha Bracciali.” Zelasko kissed his guest’s fingertips. “Thank you for honoring me with your presence.”
Sasha moistened her lips, impressed in spite of herself. This man who had seemed like such a monster was suddenly a nobleman. And sexy in ways few men could even try to be. Yet with him, it was clearly natural. The same raw, animalistic power that had frightened her now acted as a magnet, drawing her close, and because it benefited Teal, she allowed herself to embrace the confusing rush of attraction.
In place of his uniform, he wore black slacks and a black silk dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar. He was freshly shaven and smelled of expensive musk. But it was his black eyes and smooth voice that demanded Sasha’s full attention, hypnotizing her with the promise of seduction.
She had debated how to dress for this command performance, choosing between a blue silk suit and a ruffled black cocktail dress. Now she was sure she had chosen correctly. The dress had a halter-top and a semi-plunging neckline. She could see from the way Zelasko’s eyes darted over her that he planned to explore every bare inch of her before the night was over. This outfit would make his job quite a bit easier.
“Sit here.” He took her by the hand and led her to an upholstered dining chair, one of a pair that had been pulled up to a cozy round table. Candles blazed in the center of a rose-laden display, abetted by the gleaming silverware and light-splitting crystal of the place settings.
“It’s so pretty, General. I mean, Vlad.”
“I have decided you are correct. You must always call me General.
Even though in truth it is you who is in command.”
Whoa, nice line…
She gave him a flirtatious smile and settled into her chair.
He stood back and studied her openly, his gaze coming to rest on her feet.
“The infamous copper shoes.
It is a shame they were too large for my sister’s feet.”
“She told you about that?”
“She tells me everything.” He licked his lips,
then
surprised Sasha by pulling the other chair over so that he could sit directly in front of her without the table between them.
He took her hands in his own. “She told me something else.
That you are afraid for your safety in Kestonia.
Is that true?”
Sasha grimaced. “She wanted to fight me.
With a knife.”
He chuckled. “Yes, that sounds like Svetlina. But there is more, is there not? She said you wished your father’s bodyguards were here to protect you. Is that true?”
Sasha sighed, trying to appear docile. “I hope I didn’t offend your sister.
Or you.
It’s just that I’ve been so pampered my whole life.
So sheltered.
You and Major Zelasko are soldiers. You have no idea what it’s like to feel this helpless.”
He cupped her chin in his hand. “There is no one here who would dare harm you. You have always been under your father’s protection, and that was good. But now you are under
my
protection, and that is invincible.”
“Oh, Vlad…”
He pulled her to her feet, then into a long, passionate embrace that left no doubt over his state of excitement.
So it’s true? You do like your girls helpless? I think I can accommodate you.
Knowing her voice would be thick with arousal—she was only human after all!—she pulled free and murmured, “You’re going a little fast for me, General. I don’t mean to seem ungrateful—”
“What have I just told you?” he demanded gently. “There is no need to be frightened of me. Even if you wished to leave now—to return to your room and lock the door—I would not be angry. You may do or say whatever you wish. In fact, I insist upon it.”