“I’m not…. That’s exactly the kind of questions he’ll ask.”
“Julia, my love,” he said patiently, “a man doesn’t pay attention to such things. Now relax.”
“How can you be so calm?” Julia shrugged, raising both hands. “Our future hinges on the outcome of this meeting. There’s a very real possibility I could go to jail for involving myself in this…marriage.” Her arms seemed to have lost their purpose and fell lifelessly to her sides. “I’m not the only one who has a lot at stake with this. Your mother and sister’s plans depend on the outcome, as well. Didn’t you mention you’ve already seen to the necessary paperwork for them?”
“I’m aware of the consequences.”
“Then how can you be so calm?”
“Very simple, my love.” He said this evenly and without emotion as he leaned forward, clasped her around the waist and brought her down into his lap.
Julia struggled at first. “Stop,” she said, wriggling against him. “What are you trying to do?”
He let her struggle, but her efforts were weak. His arms were around her and he felt her yielding. Taking advantage of her acquiescence, he brushed his face against her hair. She’d left it down, at his request, and he gathered the length of it in his hands, loving its clean jasmine scent.
“Alek, are you insane?”
He dropped a trail of moist kisses along her throat and shoulder. “That’s better,” he whispered as her tight muscles relaxed. “Much better.”
“I…I don’t think we should be doing this.”
“What?” he asked as his hand caressed her back in a slow, soothing motion. “This?” He eased her against the chair until her hair spilled over his arm. A sigh escaped her as he pressed his lips to hers.
Julia felt hot, then cold and shaky in his embrace, but no more so than he. They’d kissed a handful of times and each had been a battle for him. His wife had balked at his touch in the beginning, then gradually she’d opened herself to him until he was so needy he ached.
This time the skirmish between them was over even before it started. Julia accepted his kiss with little more than a token protest. Perhaps she was ready for more.…
He broke off the kiss and told her how badly he needed her. He pleaded with her as only a man who needs his wife can implore. It wasn’t until he saw the confusion in her eyes that he realized he’d spoken in his native tongue. His English was hopeless just then.
Julia’s fingers were digging into his shoulders. He felt the rapid beat of her heart and heard the ragged echo of her breath as it rasped in his ear.
The doorbell chimed and Alek would have ignored it if Julia hadn’t frozen and then jumped from his lap as though she’d caught fire.
“Oh, my goodness,” she cried. Her face was a rich shade of red as she swept back her hair. “The interviewer is here.” She stared at him as if he had the magical power to make everything right.
“That would be my guess.”
“Alek.” Her voice shook as she quickly adjusted her clothes. “I’m scared.”
“Don’t be. Everything will be fine,” he said. He gave her a moment to fuss with her hair before he stood, kissed her lightly on the lips and answered the door.
Although Alek appeared outwardly composed, he was as shaken as Julia. And not because their future hung in the balance. His head reeled with the aftershock of their kissing. A few kisses, he’d thought, to take the edge off their nervousness. In another five minutes, he would’ve carried her to his bed.…
“Hello,” Alek said, opening the door to admit a lanky, official-looking gentleman. He wore a crisp business suit and from the tight set of his mouth, Alek guessed he would brook no foolishness. His expression was sharp and unfriendly.
“Patrick O’Dell,” he said.
“My name is Alek and this is my wife, Julia,” Alek said.
Julia stood on the far side of the room, her smile fleeting and strained. “Welcome to our home, Mr. O’Dell. Would you care to sit down?”
“Thank you.” He moved into the living room and didn’t pause to look at the view. Indeed, there might not have been one for all the notice O’Dell took. He sat on the recliner they’d recently vacated and set his briefcase on the coffee table.
Alek walked over to Julia’s side and held her hand in his. Together they ventured to the sofa opposite the interviewer and sat down.
Mr. O’Dell removed a file from his briefcase. He scanned the contents, then frowned with clear disapproval. “How did you two meet?”
“Through my brother,” Julia said quickly. “He’d met Alek several years earlier while he was in Europe. They corresponded for a number of years and then after the fire…” She hesitated and turned to Alek.
“Jerry offered me a job in this country almost three years ago. I’ve lived here for the past two.”
“Tell me about your work.”
Alek answered the questions thoroughly, while minimizing his importance to Conrad Industries. No need to raise suspicions.
“Alek is a gifted biochemist,” Julia added with unnecessary enthusiasm. “The company was nearly ruined a few years back following the fire I mentioned. I don’t know what would’ve become of us if it hadn’t been for Alek.”
Although he smiled, Alek was groaning inwardly. Julia was offering far more information than necessary. He wished now that they’d gone over what they planned to say. Jerry had advised them to do so, but Alek had felt spontaneity would serve them better than a series of practiced responses.
“In other words, you needed Mr. Berinski.”
“Yes, very much so.” Julia was nothing if not honest.
“Do you continue to need him?” the interviewer pressed.
“No,” Alek answered before Julia could.
“I disagree,” she returned, looking briefly at Alek. “I find we need him more than ever now. The new line of paints Alek’s been working on for the past two years is ready to be marketed. That’s only the beginning of the ideas he’s developing.”
Alek’s concern mounted as O’Dell made a notation. Julia really was as bad at pretense as she’d claimed.
“My husband has worked hard on this project. He deserves to reap the fruits of his labors.” Fortunately, Julia didn’t stumble over the word husband. She’d said it a number of times since their marriage and it always seemed to cause her difficulty.
“You give me more credit than I deserve, my dear,” he murmured, feeling they’d dug themselves into a pit.
“Nonsense,” Julia said, obviously warming to her subject. “Alek is a genius.”
Another notation.
Alek squeezed Julia’s fingers, willing her to stop speaking, but the more he tried to discourage her, the more she went on.
“If you two held each other in such high esteem, why did you wait until Alek’s visa had almost expired before you agreed to marry?”
“Love isn’t always planned,” Julia answered quickly. “No one completely understands matters of the heart, do they? I know I didn’t.” She glanced shyly toward Alek.
“I understand why the Immigration department is suspicious of our marriage,” Alek added. “We realized you would be when we decided to go ahead and marry. It didn’t make any difference.”
Another notation, this one made with sharp jagged movements of his pen.
There were several more questions, which they answered as forthrightly as possible. Alek was uncertain of how well they were coming across. He’d rarely heard Julia sound more animated and, to his surprise, sincere. When he’d first learned of the interview, his biggest concern had been Julia, but now he suspected she’d be his strongest asset.
If he was forced to return to Russia, Alek would go, because he had no other choice. He hadn’t dwelled on the consequences, refusing to allow any negative suggestions to enter his mind. He realized as they were speaking how much he’d hate to leave Julia.
“I think that answers everything,” O’Dell said, closing his file and placing it back in h
is briefcase.
The unexpectedness of his announcement caught Alek off guard.
“That’s all?” Apparently Julia was as astonished as he was. “You don’t want to know what brand of toothpaste Alek uses or about his personal habits?”
The official smiled for the first time. “We leave that sort of interrogation for the movies. It’s obvious to me that you two care deeply for each other. I wish all my assignments were as easy.”
“Will I need to sign anything?” Julia asked.
“No,” O’Dell said as he stood. “I’ll file my report by the end of the week. I don’t believe there’s any reason for us to be in further contact with you. I appreciate your agreeing to see me on such short notice.”
Alek stood in order to escort Mr. O’Dell to the door. Julia seemed to be in a state of shock. She sat on the sofa, her mouth hanging open, staring up at the official with a baffled, uncertain look.
“Thank you again for your trouble,” Patrick O’Dell said when Alek opened the front door.
“Julia and I should be the ones thanking you.”
The two men exchanged handshakes. Alek closed the door with relief and leaned against the frame. He slowly expelled his breath.
“Julia.” He whispered her name as he returned to the living room. She hadn’t moved. “We did it.”
She nodded as though she was in a trance.
“You were fantastic.”
Her eyes went to him and she blinked. “Me?”
“You were straightforward and honest. At first I was worried. I thought you were giving him far more information than necessary. Then I realized that was what convinced him. You acted as though you had nothing to hide. As if our staying married meant all the world to you. It wasn’t anything I said or did, it was you.”
“Me?” she repeated again, sounding close to tears.
Alek knelt down in front of her and took her hands. “Are you all right?”
Sniffling, she shook her head. The ordeal had been a strain, but he was surprised by her response. Julia wasn’t the type of woman to buckle easily. Nor did she weep without provocation. Something was definitely going on.
“What’s wrong?” he asked tenderly, resisting the urge to take her in his arms.
Tears filled her eyes and she made an effort to blink them away. “I think I’ll go lie down for a while. I’m sure I’ll be fine in a few minutes.”
Alek didn’t want her to leave. He was hoping they could pick up where they’d left off before they were interrupted by O’Dell’s arrival. The craving she’d created in him had yet to be satisfied. He wanted her to share his bed. She was his wife. They belonged together.
Alek had learned enough about Julia to know that she’d come to him in her own time, when she was ready and not before. He prayed he had the patience to wait her out.
* * *
As she lay in her bed, pretending to nap, Julia realized it wasn’t until the Immigration official had stood to leave that she’d recognized how sincere she was in what she’d told him. She’d answered the questions as candidly as possible, becoming more fervent the longer she spoke. It had suddenly struck her that Alek was as important to her personally as he was to the company. Perhaps more so. That came as an unexpected shock.
He’d been patient and loving and kind. His kisses stirred her soul. That sounded fanciful, overdramatic, but she was at a loss to explain it otherwise.
Heaven help her, she was falling in love with him. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. She didn’t want to love him, didn’t want to care about him. After Phoenix Paints was launched and he’d established his mother and sister in the country, she wanted Alek out of her life. That was what she’d planned. Involving her heart would be both foolish and dangerous. She’d already learned her lesson when it came to trusting a man. Roger had taught her well.
“Julia?” His voice was a whisper. She kept her eyes closed, not wanting Alek to know she was awake. Afraid he might want to resume what they’d started…
Her face filled with color at the memory of their kisses. She couldn’t believe the liberties Alek had taken with her earlier that afternoon. Worse, liberties she’d encouraged and enjoyed. She would be forever grateful that Mr. O’Dell had arrived when he had.
* * *
Julia had eventually drifted off. Because of her nap, she was unable to sleep that evening. Hoping to sidestep any questions from Alek, she’d gone to the hospital to visit Ruth later in the afternoon.
The condo was empty when she returned and Julia guessed Alek had gone to the lab to work. Feeling somewhat guilty, she microwaved her dinner, hoping he’d pick up something for himself while he was out.
He wasn’t back by the time she showered and readied for bed. She should’ve been grateful; instead she found herself waiting for him. It was nearly eleven when she heard the front door open. Light from the kitchen spilled into the hallway outside her bedroom as he rummaged around, apparently looking for dinner.
A second bout of guilt didn’t improve her disposition. Knowing next to nothing about cooking should prove beyond a doubt what a terrible wife she was. Another, more domesticated woman would have been knitting by the fireplace, awaiting his return with a delectable meal warming in the oven. Forget that it was summer; this imaginary dutiful wife would have a cozy fire roaring anyway.
Then, when he’d eaten, she’d remove her housecoat and stand before him dressed only in a sheer nightie.
But Alek hadn’t married the ideal wife; instead he was stuck with her.
“Julia?”
She was so surprised by the sound of her name that she lifted her head from the pillow.
“I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“No…I hadn’t gone to sleep yet.” She sat up in bed and tugged the sheets protectively around her.
His shadow loomed against the opposite wall like…like some kind of fairy-tale monster. But try as she might, Julia couldn’t make him into one.
“How’s your grandmother?” he asked.
She shrugged hopelessly. It became more apparent with every visit that Ruth wouldn’t last much longer. A part of Julia clung to her grandmother and another part struggled to release Ruth from this life and the pain that accompanied it.
“You were at the lab?”
Alek nodded.
“Is it really necessary for you to work so many hours?”
Alek crossed his arms and leaned against the door-jamb. “Work helps me deal with my frustration.”
He didn’t need to clarify his answer. Julia knew he was referring to the sexual disappointment of their marriage.
When she didn’t respond, he sighed and added, “I know why everything went so smoothly with the Immigration official. You, my dear wife, are in love with me.”
The audacity of the comment was shocking. “I’m what?”
“In love with me,” he repeated.
“You’re badly in need of some reality therapy,” Julia said, making her words as scathing as she could. “That’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said.”
“Wait, I promise you it’ll get better. Much better.”
“Much worse, you mean,” she said with an exaggerated yawn. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get some sleep.”
“Later. We need to talk.”
“Alek, please, it’s nearly midnight.”
“You’ve already admitted you hadn’t been to sleep.”
“Exactly,” she said. “And I need my rest.”
“So do I.”
“Then leave it until morning,” she suggested next.
“You’re my wife. How long will it take before you live up to your end of our bargain?”
“I…already explained I need time…to adjust to everything. Why are you doing this?” she cried, furious with him for dragging out a subject she considered closed. “I refuse to be pressured into making love just because you’ve got an overactive libido.”
“Pressured,” he echoed, and a deep frown formed. He rubbed
his hand over his face, sighing audibly. “I’ve been waiting for you since our wedding night. You agreed that we’d be married in every sense of the word.”
“It’s only been a few weeks,” she protested.
“Ah, but you love me. You proved it this afternoon. There’s no need to wait any longer, Julia. I need you, and you need me.” With a knowing smile, he turned and walked away.
The comment irritated her so much she couldn’t bear to let it go unanswered. Grabbing her pillow with both hands, she threw it after him. It hit the doorframe with a soft thud that was barely discernible. She knew Alek heard it, however, because he started laughing.
* * *
The following morning, as was her habit, Julia rose early and stood barefoot in the kitchen while she waited for the first cup of coffee to filter into the glass pot. The aroma pervaded the kitchen.
“Morning.” Alek spoke groggily from behind her.
Julia’s eyes flew open. Normally Alek didn’t get up until after she’d left for work. “Morning,” she greeted him with little enthusiasm.
“Did you sleep well?”
No. “Fine. How about you?” Her attention remained focused on the coffeepot. She didn’t dare turn around to confront her rumpled, groggy husband. Knowing he was only a few feet behind her activated her imagination. His hair was probably unkempt and his eyes drowsy, the way hers were. He’d look sexy and appealing.
“Julia,” he whispered, moving forward. He slipped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. “We can’t go on like this. We’re married. When are you going to recognize that?”
She braced her hands against his, which were joined at her stomach. His lips located the pulse pounding at the side of her neck and he kissed her. Small, soft kisses…
Julia’s breath caught in her throat. “Alek, please, don’t.”
“Stop?” He raised his head as though she couldn’t have meant it.
“Yes.”
“I couldn’t sleep for want of you,” he whispered.
Her throat felt as dry as a desert. Speaking was impossible.
“All I could think about was how good you tasted and how much I wanted to hold you and kiss you again,” he went on.
The coffee had finished brewing, but Julia couldn’t make herself move.