He glanced at his watch. "He calls around seven, yes? So that will be one o'clock in the afternoon here."

"Okay."

Yuri began plucking free the buttons lining the front of my blouse. "I want you to get comfortable and rest. Understood?"

"Yes." I glanced around the room in search of the closet where they'd probably stowed my things. "I should probably dig out my pajamas."

"No." He dragged my shirt off my shoulders and draped it over a nearby chair. "The images of you naked in my bed are the only things that will get me through my day in the office."

I worried about the pipeline deal. While we'd been flying to Paris, the news of the shooting had hit the press. I wanted to apologize for the mess I'd dragged to his door but I recognized that it wasn't going to help. He didn't want an apology from me anyway. He'd made the perfectly clear.

Standing still, I let him undress me. He made sure to cup and squeeze and pinch every inch of plump flesh that interested him. I giggled as he swept me off my feet and put me to bed. Crawling over me, he grasped my wrists and dragged them over my head. I experienced the most deliciously illicit thrill at being held in place my by him.

He must have read it in my face because he quirked his head to the side. "How would you feel if I tied you up some night?"

I licked my lips. "Just tie me up? Nothing weird like spanking?"

He laughed softly. "I take it Benny's been telling you stories of Dimitri's dirty little penchants."

I squirmed uncomfortably. "She's told me a few things."

"Relax, Kitten. I'm not into that sort of thing. I wouldn't pass up the chance to tie you down and worship this sexy fucking body-but that's as far as I want to go."

The description of what he wanted to do to me left my mouth dry. "We should really try that soon."

He laughed harder and kissed me long and hard and deep. "You little vixen! You're trying to keep me away from my business meetings."

I wrapped my thighs around his waist and tugged him down against me. "I wouldn't dare do such a sneaky, underhanded thing."

Yuri captured my mouth in a sensual kiss. His tongue swiped mine a few times. Sucking my lower lip, he nibbled it gently and left me vibrating with lust. "Later," he promised. "But right now I really do have to take care of business matters."

I smiled up at him and let my legs slide back to the mattress. "If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know."

He moved off of me and tugged the thin sheet over me. "Would you mind looking over some of the materials my PR team is putting together? I know that energy and environmental concerns are outside your area of expertise but you have good instincts."

"Sure. Of course. I'm sure your team has it under control but I'd like the chance to get to know your business better. It would be nice to have a better grasp on the issues you're facing when we sit down at the dinner table every night."

"See?" He said with a pleased grin. "Now you're talking as if we really are partners."

Rolling on my side, I watched Yuri leave the room. The giddy smile tugging at the corners of my lips couldn't be suppressed. I hoped this was one partnership that never ended.

Later that evening, I reclined on a comfortable chaise lounge stationed in the secluded and totally private balcony off the master suite. The sliding door between the two spaces was wide open. Yuri had already slipped into his pajama bottoms for the night but paced back and forth as he chatted on the phone with Niels. I hadn't met this elusive Danish friend yet but he seemed to be one hell of a guy for putting this mini-poker tournament together for Yuri.

After an afternoon of shopping and the most delicious dinner at one of the top restaurants in the world, I wanted nothing more than to prop up my tired, aching feet and enjoy the gentle sea breeze. A stack of the public relations materials and the prospectus for the pipeline sat on my lap. The lamp next to me provided enough illumination to read through the detailed information provided.

Reading through the spiral-bound reports, I spotted Yuri's notes in the margins and on the actual copy. It was clear that he was extremely hands-on and had very strong opinions when it came to the business. It also became clear to me how many levels of management and acquisition there were between Yuri and the rest of his workforce. Even so, the firm ran as one well-oiled machine.

"Has that bored you to sleep yet?" Yuri had a smile in his voice as he came out onto the deck.

"Not quite," I said and shifted the stack to the small table near me. My lustful gaze roamed his sexy chest. Shirtless and awash in the warm glow from the lamp, he looked so damn hot. "I'm very impressed with the organizational setup you have. If I ever start my own company, you'll have to give me pointers."

"If?" He turned to face me and leaned back against the high railing. The position exposed the corrugated plank of his finely-toned abdomen. "Is there any doubt that you won't be going into business on your own or with Ty?"

I shrugged and pulled my knees toward my chest. "I'll have to see what he has to offer at our rescheduled meeting."

"How did he take that?"

I snorted indelicately. "He made sure to send me some rather melodramatic texts earlier after I posted pics of us shopping together. I let him know that he's not in your league and if he wants a minute of my time he has to up his game."

Yuri chuckled. "I'm sure he found that amusing."

I thought of the colorful text he'd sent me. "Sure. We'll go with amusing."

"Do you think you can work with him? And be honest with yourself, Lena. There's nothing worse than being in business with someone who grates on your nerves and tries your patience."

"Honestly, I really like Ty. I think he can be difficult at times but the same can be said for me." Dropping my gaze in embarrassment, I confessed, "The bouncers at 716 called me the Dragon Lady."

Yuri's belly laugh got my attention. Head thrown back, he practically guffawed at that embarrassing tidbit. "Dragon Lady, huh?"

Rolling my eyes, I fought the urge to smack him with one of the thicker reports. "So I could be a little testy at times."

"Testy?"

I thought of the first few run-ins I'd had with Yuri, before we'd been friends and when he'd totally offended me. "Yes, I guess you have seen me at my worst."

"Sexiest," he clarified. "You have no idea how sexy you are when you cross your arms and tap that foot."

I gawked at him. "You're joking."

"No." He crossed the deck and nudged my thigh with his bare foot. "Move over."

I happily slid to the side of the wide, low chaise lounge so he could join me. When he was resting on his back, I curled up against him. "Is everything set for tomorrow night?"

"Yes." He threaded his fingers through my hair in that soothing way I'd come to love. "Niels has already spoken to the rest of the gang-Archer, Misha, and Tari-so they're fully apprised of the situation at hand and the necessity of me getting back that painting."

"Why can't you make an offer on it?"

"Niels already tried. He even tried again with an anonymous buyer but Jerry-the man who has the painting in his possession-knows the painting is hot. He doesn't want the wrong kind of attention right now."

"So what's the plan?"

"In a lucky coincidence, Jerry has been asking to join our poker games for years. Niels offered him a spot but only if he buys-in with the painting."

I thought of all the ways this setup could go wrong. "How good are you at poker?"

"I'm not as good as Mikhail or Tari but I'm all right."

"What if you lose?"

"It doesn't matter. As long as Jerry doesn't win-and he won't-the painting will end up in my hands tomorrow night."

"You sound very confident."

"I refuse to go into that game feeling anything less."

That was one strategy for keeping his head in the right place. "Are all of your friends already in town?"

"I saw a helicopter flying out to Misha's yacht a while ago. Tari came with him apparently. Archer and Niels are at a hotel in Monte Carlo. They invited us to a party they're having but I declined."

"Because of me?"

"No." He rubbed my back. "Because I'm tired and because I don't think you'd like the kinds of parties those two throw."

My curiosity wouldn't let me rest. "Um...what kind of party is that?"

He hesitated. "Let's just say those two are deeply into a certain lifestyle that involves a lot of leather and collars and riding crops."

Pushing up on my palms, I stared down at him. "No way! You have super kinky friends?"

He laughed. "These two make Dimitri's restraint fantasies seem like child's play."

"Wow." I started to put my head back down on his chest but another thought gripped me. Holding his gaze, I asked, "Have you ever been to one of their parties?"

He reluctantly nodded. "Once, seven or eight years ago, I went to the private club the pair owns in London. It was an eye-opening experience."

Feeling fluttery with excitement, I drew my initials on his bare chest. "Did you like what you saw?"

"Some of it aroused me but most of it was too far outside my comfort zone to make feel anything but distaste. I had my ass beat enough as a child to associate only pain and suffering with canes and paddles and whips. It does nothing for me."

I sensed he didn't want to take a trip down memory lane to his childhood in that rotten orphanage so I let that comment go. Instead, I focused on the part that interested me most. Walking my fingers down his tummy, I asked, "What did you see that aroused you?"

As if reading my mind, he shifted his hips. "Niels showed me to a private room. It had one of those one-way mirrors like you see on cop shows. You know, for interrogation rooms? I could see the group in the room but they couldn't see me."

My heart started to race as he described the risque scene. I swept my hand over the tented fabric rising higher and higher just below his navel. "What were they doing?"

"There were four of them. Three men and a woman," he clarified. "They'd set up this kinky interrogation-themed fantasy. By the looks of it, the woman was supposed to be a hooker. The men were police officers. They were making damn good use of their cuffs."

I slipped my hand into his pajama bottoms and encountered his hot, naked skin. My fingertips brushed the steely heat of his erection. "Tell me more."

His breath hitched in his throat as I grasped his cock and stroked him slowly. "It was the first and only time I'd ever seen a real woman take more than one man. Not a porn star, you understand. It was-intense."

I let my hand move lower and cupped his heavy sac. Not sure I'd like the answer, I asked the question that had me a little worried. "Is that something you want to try in real life?"

His chuckle rumbled through his chest and into my cheek. "No. I think that there are some fantasies that are best left in that realm." Reaching down, he covered my hand with his. "I think I'd probably end up in jail if I had to watch another man touching you." He paused. "Unless you wanted to-"

"No," I hastily interjected. "I'll admit the idea of it is rather sexy. Maybe I'd even enjoy watching it from afar but actually letting two or three men go at me? No. It's not for me."

"I'm sure that has something to do with the places we came from, Lena. What others find illicit and titillating loses some of its erotic appeal when you've watched pimps force prostitutes into cars to be used and debased."

What he said made sense. The sort of violence I'd been forced to witness at such a young and tender age hadn't been a good thing. No doubt it had colored my outlook on all aspects of my life.

"But I don't want to think about those ugly things," Yuri decided. "I want to make love to you here in the middle of the Mediterranean."

"What? Out here?"

"Where else?"

"But someone might hear or see us!"

"This section of the ship is very well hidden." He dragged me onto his lap. "As for the other, you'll simply have to try to be a little quieter than usual."

I moaned as Yuri's lips moved across that ticklish spot on my neck. "I'm not sure I can do that. You make me lose all control."

"Oh, you know how to stroke my ego." He pushed my hand against his erection. "Now be a very good girl and stroke my cock."

"Like this?" I clasped his rock-hard shaft and stroked from the very base of him to the tip.

He groaned loudly. "Just like that..."

"Before you get too relaxed, you might want to remember that I'm not carrying a condom tonight. So unless you've got one hidden away somewhere in these pajamas of yours..."

His frustrated growl sent shivers through me. "Wait here. I'll be right back."

We untangled ourselves. While he darted into the bedroom, I stood up long enough to peel off my night clothes and place them on the pile of paperwork. Resting on my tummy atop the chaise, I placed my cheek against my arm and waited for him to return. The cool breeze washed over me. The sound of waves crashing against the boat provided the most wondrous soundtrack.

"I wish you could see yourself right now."

I glanced back at Yuri and found him staring down at me with such love and hunger burning in his pale eyes. "How do I look?"

"Delicious." He put a knee onto the chaise. "Sexy. Like some otherworldly creature." He kissed his way up my calf and thigh to the curve of my buttock. I inhaled a shocked breath as he gave me a love bite on my plump flesh. "You look like a dark-haired siren."

A pleasured sigh escaped my lips as Yuri caressed my back and crawled over me. With his hand planted next to my shoulder, he held most of his weight off of me. His other hand moved between my thighs. "Lift your ass for me."

I happily complied. When his hand applied gentle pressure to my thighs, I widened them even more. As he nipped at my nape and whispered the dirtiest things, Yuri used those skilled fingers of his to make me so wet. I clawed at the all-weather fabric of the chaise and rotated my hips as he worked me into a frenzied state.

"Do you want me to fuck you now?" His thrusting fingers kept me hovering right on the edge. "Do you want my cock, Yelena?"

"Yes! I want you. I want you now."

His throaty groan filled me with such anticipation. He backed off just long enough to sheath himself and then grabbed my hips, hauling me up onto my knees. "You'd better hold onto something because I'm burning up for you. I can't hold back."

That was all the warning I received before he thrust roughly into me. Moaning, I urged, "Don't hold back. I want you. All of you."

He tangled his hand in my hair and found a hard, fast rhythm that made my damn toes curl. Gripping the back of the chair and the cushion, I held on for dear life as Yuri pounded into me from behind. The perfect angle of his penetration hit all the right spots. I pressed my face into the thick cushion and howled with sheer delight as the first waves of ecstasy punched through my core.

But that wasn't enough for him. He seemed determined to make me come again and again. His hand slipped around to my front and down to the spot where our bodies joined. My inflamed clit still pulsed from that first powerful orgasm when he started to roll his fingertips across the swollen bud.