Page 36 of Wrapped in Perfection

"Yes."

"Give me your phone."

"Why?"

"I'm going to tell that piece of shit to send your laptop and samples to you, or I'm going to come find him and break his legs."

I bite a smile.

"I'm not joking, Anna. He has it coming to him for ever laying a hand on you, not to mention stealing your money."

I turn away, full of shame again.

Dmitri makes me look at him. "What he did to you isn't anything for you to be embarrassed about."

The phone continues ringing. "Then why do I feel that way?"

"I'm not sure, kotik, but you shouldn't."

"You still haven't told me what kotik means," I blurt out, and the phone goes silent.

Dmitri glances down the length of my body then back into my eyes. "It means pussycat."

"Pussycat?"

His eyes grow hotter. "Yeah."

My stomach flutters. I quietly force myself to ask, "And are other women your pussycats?"

Amusement crosses his face. He drags his finger over my lips. "No. Only you."

I bite my smile again.

He kisses my forehead. "We should go inside, kotik. There's a lot to do today."

We get out of the car and go into the showroom. The materials are similar to the ones in New York. It doesn't take long for me to feel comfortable and fall into my designer mode.

While I look at things, Dmitri adds me to the account. Most materials will be ordered elsewhere, and I want to take things with me so I can piece them together. I soon have too many sample materials to carry.

Dmitri comes behind me and puts his arms around me. "How's it going, kotik?"

I sigh. "I have a stockpile of all this in New York. This is making me realize how much I need to replace."And it's going to be expensive.Some samples are free, but a lot of things I had to pay for.

"Don't stress. Get whatever you need."

I point to the counter. "I need a cart." They don't have those in showrooms.

"Hold on a minute." He leaves and comes back with a short, stocky man. He has brown hair and eyes and a round face. "Anna needs those things boxed, and her samples are all back in New York. She needs replacements."

He pushes his glasses over his nose. "You need books, too?"

I hesitate. I have all this stuff at home.

New York can't be your home anymore.

"Anna, get everything you need," Dmitri repeats.

You can't do this project without your samples."Okay."

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