Page 39 of His Smile
“Hi sweety,” she squealed. Hearing her familiar high pitchtone, she normally used for them, both dogs stood up from their laying positionon the floor and stepped halfway up the marble stairs that led to the largedeep tub she was currently soaking in, sticking their faces close to hers.“No,” she turned her face to both of them and laughed. “Not you guys.”
"Where are you?" Roman's eyes narrowed darkly, andshe froze. Mosca had told her Roman never allowed the dogs upstairs in hisroom. Seeing her frozen wide-eyed guilty face, he gave her an accusing look."I can see now that there will need to be some discipline when Ireturn."
“Oh, come on, I get lonely in this big house, and Moscarefuses to come play with me, so I have to have some sort of company," sheargued, “besides you’re too strict.”
“You will learn to like it,” she would have reacted to thethrilling promise in his words if she didn’t notice the fatigue in his eyes.Standing on what she could only assume was a balcony, she caught glances oftropical trees around him.
"It looks hotthere," she observed.
"You have no fuckingidea,” he grumbled, shifting in place giving her another peek of the bright sunover his shoulder. “I hate this place, and we are nowhere close to finalizing thisdeal, it's getting more complicated by the day."
"Aww my poor pale baby,you weren't built for the heat," she joked, hoping to take his mind off hisanger. His wide mouth was set in a hard-unsmiling scowl that worried her, shewas used to Roman’s never-ending smile in the face of anything, and she knewthat whatever was going on was really pissing him off.
“I miss you,” she confessed.
Something deep in his eyessoftened, taking away his perpetual look of anger for a second. “Tell me, whathave you been doing while I have been gone,” he asked softly, looking at herwith honest interest.
She let out a heavy sigh."Well it's probably nowhere near as serious or important as what you'redoing but…"
“Trust me, everything you dois important to me.”
The meaningful look in hiseye felt like a barb to her heart. Just like earlier with Mosca, she could feelherself wanting to tear up again.
“God, I really do miss you,”she whispered, feeling very emotionally raw suddenly. She wanted him here withher, she wanted to lay on his chest again like she did that night before heleft. She wanted his warmth and strength seeping into her again as she faced thisupset in her life.
“You have no fucking idea,baby,” he groaned deeply, looking out away from the camera squinting into thesun before looking back at her. “Continue,” he commanded.
“I…” she had to reign in herwayward emotions and swallow the lump of tears in her throat. “I am justsending out inquiries at this point and waiting to hear back. Although, I havegotten a bunch of missed calls and texts from Theodore.”
“Good, let that piece ofshit stew.”
She laughed. “That’s what Ithought.”
Rahina could see Roman lookoff camera and say something in Russian to someone behind the phone. She didn’twant him to go yet, she thought frantically.
Not wanting the conversationto end, she quickly came up with another topic. "So, I tried looking upsome of the letters beneath your knuckles on the internet, but I could only getlike one word from it."
With his attention back onher, Roman gave her a lazy smirk. "Lower the camera, and I will tell youwhat they say."
Surprised, her eyes widened.“How did you know I was in the tub?”
“I know the tile of mybathroom, you are keeping the phone way too close, and I can hear water movingaround occasionally,” he explained evenly.
His gaze was waiting, but shecould see the intrigue and lust warming up his cold, angry eyes. Tilting thephone down she revealed only the tops of her breasts which were submerged inthe soapy water.
"Is it sad howsatisfied I am with just that?” he grumbled his eyes taking in every detail hewas offered. "What word were you able to translate?"
Tilting the phone back toher face, she answered. “Smile,but that is it.”
Shifting the phone to onehand, he held up his right hand, forming a large fist to display his knucklesand presented it to the camera. “Smile,” he said before switching hisphone to the other hand and repeating the process. “For me.”
“God, you're twisted,” shewhispered, pulling her knees up to her chest as she sat up a little in the tub.
“You and I both know itturns you on,” he accused, daring for her to argue.
The sad thing was, he wasright, it did. “Only because you're corrupting me.”
Holding the phone, a littlecloser, he pinned her to the spot with his stare. "I plan on doing so muchcorrupting when I come back.”
