Amanda lay back down on the couch while Viktor went to the kitchen to start the coffee. He came back and headed for the stairs.
“Is your bedroom upstairs?” she asked as he started to walk up.
“Yeah.” He stopped and turned to her. “You want to come up?”
She pondered the question, wondering if it would be wise.
“I’ll behave,” he assured her with a broad smile.
She grinned. “Okay.”
She got up and joined him on the stairs and they walked up together. At the top of the stairs was a large open area with a balcony that looked down on the living room. She followed him down a short hallway to a set of double doors that were already open. On the other side was an absurdly large bedroom with a grand, king size bed against the wall on the left and glass doors to a large balcony on the right. Floor to ceiling windows offered lots of light but little in the way of privacy, she thought. Everything in the room exuded wealth to a point that made Amanda feel afraid to touch anything.
Viktor pulled off his shirt as he walked in the room and tossed it into a mahogany hamper next to the door that led to his private bathroom situated in the corner on the same side as the double doors.
“I don’t think it’s big enough,” she joked, seeing that his bedroom looked about as large as her mother’s first floor. “You must have thought my apartment was a shanty.”
“Stop it,” he rebuked her. “Your apartment was cute. I loved it … which reminds me. I have another confession.” He stepped over to her. “I bought your building. They’re painting next week and new carpet will go in after.”
“You bought my building?!” she exclaimed.
“I had to do something while you were at work,” he said in his defense and then quickly walked into the bathroom and shut the door before she could react.
“He bought my building,” she muttered to herself. “Why am I surprised?”
She heard the shower come on and glanced around his room. She saw a framed photo of them on his dresser and walked over to it. It was the photo they took in Burano, Italy. The one that looked like it belonged in a magazine where he kissed her cheek as she laughed. It was her favorite photo of them and she had the same picture in her bedroom. She picked it up as she relived the happy moment in her mind. She was amused that they both framed the same picture and kept it in their bedrooms.
She put the picture down and then walked over to the balcony to see what the view was like. She opened the door and stepped out. It overlooked the pool and a pathway behind the pool that weaved through foliage and flowers. She saw a large pool house off to the side that was separate from the main house. She wanted to explore the grounds and wondered if she could after he left.
She saw movement in the corner of her eye coming from the room and turned to see Viktor pass by wearing only a towel. “I guess he’s not shy,” she remarked to herself as she turned her back to the room and leaned on the railing. A few minutes later Viktor joined her wearing a pair of navy khakis and a light green button-up shirt. He wrapped his arm around her back and kissed her neck.
“Do you want an omelette?” he asked.
“You’re going to make me breakfast?”
“I can’t leave you here hungry.”
“I would love an omelette,” she agreed.
“What would you like in it?”
“Surprise me.”
He smiled. “Okay.”
He kissed her and then walked back inside. She glanced out over the backyard one more time before following him to the kitchen.
The kitchen was just like the rest of the house: prodigiously big, bright and lavish. It had large windows, light granite counters, stainless steel appliances and a seriously large gas stove and oven that looked like it would require a crane to move. At the end of the kitchen was a modest-sized table and chairs made from white oak.
Viktor was pouring coffee when she walked in. “Have a seat.”
She sat down on a plush stool at the large granite island in the middle of the room, facing him. He passed her a cup of hot coffee and then began pulling ingredients from the fridge.
“I should be making you breakfast,” she said.
“Nonsense. You’re still recovering. You got tired just walking up the stairs.”
“You noticed that?”
He looked at her and smiled. “I notice a lot of things.”
She watched with avid fascination as he prepared two omelettes with sauteed mushrooms, onions and peppers, feta cheese, spinach and sundried tomatoes. He served them at the table with a pitcher of orange juice.
“You are seriously spoiling me,” Amanda said as she sat down.
“I told you I would.”
“Reality is going to suck,” she added.
He laughed. “It will for both of us.”
After breakfast Viktor quickly cleaned up the kitchen and then headed out to the office. Amanda asked if she could wander the estate and he gave her a key and the code so she wouldn’t get locked out.
Chapter 25
After Viktor left, Amanda changed into a pair of light gray capris and a turquoise knit top. She then spent the next couple hours touring his estate. She started outside and explored the pool house which had a keypad entry. It had a full bath, kitchen and lounge area. She transitioned inside where she discovered the finished basement which had a complete gym, sauna, wine cellar and full bar along with another full bath.
Still feeling weak from her sickness, when she was satisfied that she had seen all there was to see, she went to her room to lie down for a while. She had just started to
