The Marriage Ultimatum (City of Dreams Series) (11 page)

Vlad was deadly serious in his belief that she had somehow been instrumental in putting out the media fiction that he had fathered Alex. And she had yet to figure out how to make him believe otherwise. Now she could either help him resolve the situation, or he would make sure that she never worked in New York again.

So, she had, in actuality, no choice. She couldn’t divulge the story of Alex’s parentage without revealing that he was not her son. If she did that, she would be pulled through the child welfare system where she was certain to be found lacking as Alex’s parental figure. She wouldn’t be able to provide the authorities with any information about Alex’s father. He would be placed into foster care. And since she would do absolutely anything to avoid that scenario, she was out of options.

****

“Yes, I’m hearing everything you’re saying, Yuri. How should I respond? What can I possibly say? This goes from bad to ridiculous.”

He paused. He paced. He ran his hand through his short black hair till it stood on end.

“No. She has no choice but to agree. Yes, send the paperwork.”

When he turned away from his stance by the window of his library, she was standing in the doorway. Freshly showered. He knew the look now. And so did his defiant body. The slightly pinkened cheeks and the damp hair that had escaped the loose braid and curled around her temples. The damp hair was a darker, burnished sable compared to the rest of the gleaming strands of copper.

He absorbed her, the jasmine scent that perfumed the air around them, the fresh faced, innocent look she presented in her loose jeans and T-shirt. For God’s sake, she even had bare feet. And unpainted toes. When was the last time he had been turned on by a woman who was barefoot?

What the hell was wrong with him?

She looked him in the eye, her chin tilted up in a challenge.

“So what do I have to do to help you fix this?”

He nodded, satisfied. She was going to cooperate. That was good at least. He rubbed his fingers along his temples trying to concentrate on the problem, not her.

“Okay, so you might as well sit down.” He gestured toward the leather chesterfield along the wall.

She shook her head, kept her arms crossed under her chest and remained standing.

“We’re going to present to the world the façade of a reunited couple. I found out about the child and we reconciled. We keep it simple and we move forward.”

Sabrina nodded. “So we pretend to be a couple.”

“Yes.” He inclined his head slowly.

“Okay.” Sabrina backed to the door again.

“Tomorrow we begin,” he said.

“Begin?”

“It’s no good doing this if people can’t see it. It’s a public relations exercise. We have to be seen, photographed around New York together. Happy. Tomorrow is Saturday. We’ll go out. We will be a couple together. A reunited, happy family together. For the benefit of the media.”

****

She could do this, she told herself. She could pretend. She had to. Sabrina nodded again and started to back out of the room.

“Hang on a second,” he said.

She looked away from him because it hurt so much; the memories flooded back so fast when she glanced at any part of his lean powerful body and especially those all-seeing eyes. Jeez, but it was taking her time to come to grips with the knowledge that this was all fake. That it had been phony from the start and was still a farce. She had to remember it had been an entertainment for him;
she
had been an entertainment for him during the hours of the hurricane. He’d viewed their intimacy as a way for him to break her down and get information. It was all so coldblooded. He had a block of ice where his heart should be. Or was it her? Was she the type of person that didn’t inspire true warmth?

“Yes. What?”

She was pleased that her voice was cool and gave no sign of the hellish thoughts running through her head. She forced herself to look him in the eye.

“Tomorrow we have to get started early. We’ll have to be out the door by eight.”

Sabrina laughed. A big, belly laugh. That brought her back to reality with a bump. What Vlad knew about kids would no doubt fit in a thimble.

“That won’t be a problem. Alex is always up by six.”

Chapter 9

Give the People What They Want

Vlad was toast. Three-year-olds were clearly powered by bionic energy. He was wiped out, and it was barely noon but Sabrina hadn’t lost her cool once. Not when they were in the trendy boutiques in Soho, not when they had hit the chic shops on Madison Avenue. Not when they’d visited the private ateliers in the Flatiron. How did she do it? He had already been on his cell to Mrs. Egan. She was available and arriving this evening when he and Sabrina would go out to begin what Yuri called the reunion tour.

He flung his spent body into the back of his town car in time to hear her tell Sergei, his driver, that they were heading to Central Park.

Her eyes were sharp emerald, and her gaze challenged him over the top of Alex’s soft black waves, her expression daring him to contradict her.

“Shopping in tiny boutiques and big scary department stores is not a small boy’s idea of fun!”

“No, really?” He raised a brow.
Not a big guy’s either.
Although there had been some very grown up compensations when she’d tried some of those outfits on.

Alex was unable to sit still and although the various staff had been ridiculously obsequious, not surprising given the serious money spent in a mere four hours, Vlad could feel the little guy’s pain. And it wasn’t because he rarely shopped in the traditional way anymore, since these days he enjoyed the services of a bespoke tailor and personal shopper. It was because Sabrina had been there, but was not available to either of them.

He’d directed her to get clothing for all occasions, and she was fulfilling the requirements with military efficiency. He’d only had a glimpse of her here and there as she had asked him to check out some of her more uncertain choices. He had loved every one of them.

The purple dress with the very short poufy skirt that made her look like a sexy ballerina? Yes, he had nodded.
A thousand times, yes.
He’d no idea where she might wear it. Maybe not outside at all, the voice inside his head told him. At that errant suggestion, his body had reacted predictably.

The slinky, red number that did amazing things to her already superb breasts and hips and had an oversized zipper running down the back from neck to hem? Oh yeah, he nodded. He hadn’t been able to articulate actual words by then.

She brought a packed cooler bag of snacks for Alex, and they had both cold water and coffee but he couldn’t remember the last time he had been more tired.

He was even more drained than he’d been after the back-to-back meetings with the UN Committee that would vet his latest proposal to revamp international shipping lanes.

Completely spent.

****

Sabrina texted Lacey first thing that morning.

‘—
Serious Shopping.
SOS
—.’

Lacey called her a second later. “Oh my God, you’re shopping with that hunka burnin’ love with an unlimited budget. Go sista.” Lacey giggled, then her voice lowered conspiratorially. “Exactly how much of what I read in the Post is true?”

“None of it,” Sabrina admitted. “But that has to stay between us. Actually, he,” she paused, trying to get control over herself but it was no use. “He actually hates me.” Sabrina tried and failed to keep her voice from wobbling.

“C’mon now, sugar, that’s simply not possible. As soon as you’re at liberty to tell, you have to spill it all but until then here goes. My priceless wisdom is at your service. You are now about to make up for many years of fashion deprivation. Let’s get you some wow outfits and let’s see how he hates those.” She laughed. Lacey proceeded to rattle off the names of all the top boutiques she frequented and personal shoppers she trusted. Sabrina scribbled it all down. “And Sabrina,” Lacey advised, “get yourself a nice, big pair of sunglasses. I know it’s overcast today, but honey, never let them see your thoughts.”

Sabrina settled into the backseat more wired than weary. She pointed her toes turning her feet this way and that, admiring the look of the spiky designer heels she wore. Yeah, they were adorable, but it was good to give her feet, unused to tottering on four inches, a break during the ride in Vlad’s car.

She had to admit that Vlad was definitely not a cheapskate. They’d breezed into and out of stores she had previously only ever seen in fashion magazines, doing their bit for the city’s economy in a big way. She’d thought to torment him with some extravagantly priced choices. Because after all, this was one big costume drama and she shouldn’t, if she had a conscience, break the bank when she only had to look the part for as long as it would take to get the paparazzi off their case. But she quickly realized she was only torturing her own more frugal self.

And she also swiftly discovered she had to keep the modeling of anything for him to a minimum once she saw how his eyes sizzled over her, reminding her of the night she first encountered him in the break room. A couple of times he’d gotten her so flustered she’d wanted to plonk his sunglasses back on his nose and tell him to leave.

By the time they left the last shop, her knees were wobbly and not because of her stilettos. Her whole body was on high alert because he hadn’t taken his eyes off her all day.

How would she cope when he could make her feel this way in public? She squashed the thought. This was all an act. That was how he looked at it. And it was time for her to follow suit.

Sabrina had taken the opportunity in the last boutique to change into one of the outfits she’d chosen that very morning, the soft skinny jeans with the mossy green cashmere sweater topped with a thin leather jacket. With their dual sunglasses in place, they could play the part of any young family enjoying an early autumn day with their son in Central Park.

As they’d meandered their way toward the zoo, Alex had gone from somewhat fussy to outright unbearable in his stroller. All day long Sabrina attempted to deny the physical effect of Vlad on her senses. Now it was worse, because it turned out that the more irritable Alex became, the more patiently Vlad reacted. There was nothing that pierced her heart more squarely than this austere man reacting so tolerantly to the little boy who’d unknowingly wreaked such havoc on his life.

“Hey, who wants a dirty water hotdog?” she asked, spying the cart on the corner near the entrance to the zoo.

“Me, me, me!” As expected, Alex had an instant mood change.

“A what?” Vlad raised an incredulous black brow as he watched Sabrina and Alex inhale two hotdogs with everything on them. Sabrina laughed out loud as Alex finished the process with his face covered in mustard and ketchup.

“You can’t call yourself a New Yorker if you haven’t tried one. C’mon, Vlad, they’re amazing.”

He looked as if he was suppressing a smile, but he held up a hand and said, “Next time.”

Sabrina rolled her eyes.

By mutual agreement, they exited the park after a brief stroll into the zoo where they were spotted by journalists and duly photographed.

Back at the apartment, Sabrina realized the surprises were not over. Vlad had, somehow during their morning’s absence, contrived to have Alex’s room turned into a little boy’s dream escape. It was painted a cool violet gray already, but now there were added warm reds on plenty of cozy pillows and bedding. Low shelves held little trucks, boats and ships, as well as stuffed animals, a selection of soccer balls, footballs, softballs, and basketballs. There were also books all suited to a child Alex’s age and a little beyond. A seaside mural had been painted on one wall.

Alex had no idea that the space was for him and the look he gave Sabrina was priceless. Tears welled in her eyes as she saw the overwhelming joy in his, but she could see the uncertainty there, too. She kicked off her stilettos and sat down with him on the carpet, pulling a pillow behind them and asking him to choose a book for her to read to him.

After she settled him for a nap, she found Vlad in his office. She got right to the point. Her mother had raised her well.

“On behalf of Alex and…um, me, I just want to tell you, I’m stunned. His room is nothing short of amazing.” She twisted her hands together. “I just wonder at the effect it will have on him to leave this all behind when this is over. And of course that’s not your problem. Don’t think I’m not extremely grateful. I am. I could never give him a fraction of what is in that room.”

Her voice trailed off.

He raised one broad shoulder.

“I have the ability to do this. I wouldn’t keep him from enjoying the small pleasures of that room no matter how short the duration. For the time being, this is his home and that is his room. Play your part well, and you will be amply compensated. He will live a good life thereafter.”

Wow. It was jolting to know that Vlad could see the end game so soon after beginning the very game. Play her part well? It sounded so,
skeezy
. But that was how his mind worked. See a problem. Attack. Solve. And right now he was attacking her on her weakest flank. Anything that would make Alex’s life better was something she’d sign on for. He figured that out fast and used it.

“Well, thank you again, anyway.” Sabrina started to back out of the room having said her piece.

“Can I ask you something?” He turned those navy eyes on her full blast.

“I, yes, sure.” She paused, back against the door.

“About Alex, I noticed he doesn’t really speak too much? Is that…?”

“Is it normal?”

Sabrina stood straighter and her voice took on a seriously protective tone as her inner lioness emerged.

“The pediatrician says he will speak when he’s ready, some kids wait till preschool. He’s very intelligent…” Her voice trailed off again as she fought the feeling she was a student ordered to the principal’s office. This was what would happen if social services visited. She would have to explain herself, her parenting, and her lack of ability to place Alex in a proper school setting where he would begin socializing with kids his age and gain language skills.