The other men seemed to hesitate a moment, as if giving in were somehow equivalent to a battle lost. Then there were nods all around as each of the four raised a palm, saying in unison, “
Ajda froze in place as a shiver ran through her bones. She had dropped all pretense now and was staring openly at them, certain that what she was witnessing was the planning of a crime of some kind. Possibly even murder.
What else could it be?
The woman glanced up sharply and Ajda quickly averted her gaze. She had to speak to Ferid. He knew people. Could summon the police. The auction house was closed at this hour, so maybe they could warn this man Ozan before these horrid people got to him.
But as she turned to flee to the kitchen, she stopped short, surprised to find the woman standing directly in front of her-an impossible feat that confused Ajda, rendering her momentarily immobile.
“You speak Russian,” the woman said.
A statement, not a question.
Alarmed, Ajda swiveled her head to look at the others, for fear they might be coming for her. But to her further surprise, the table was empty except for four untouched cups of tea. There was no other indication that the men had ever been here at all.
“You’re quite lovely,” the woman continued, now speaking Turkish with the fluency of a native. And as Ajda tried to move past her, she quickly discovered that her immobility was not temporary at all.
The woman looked her straight in the eyes. And just as Ajda had feared, this was no ordinary gaze. It felt as if a foreign entity had invaded her body.
But not, she realized, an unpleasant one.
“I’m sure all the boys adore you,” the woman said, then gave her a small, knowing smile. “And perhaps some of their sisters, too?”
Then, without even a hint of hesitation, she reached forward and gently cupped Ajda’s left breast, brushing a neatly manicured thumb across the fabric covering her nipple.
To Ajda’s astonishment, she was not offended nor embarrassed by this. It didn’t bother her that a complete stranger was touching her in a place that no woman had ever touched. It didn’t even concern her that the door to the cafe was unlocked and that someone might walk in at any moment.
It was as if she were dreaming. A dream she had no desire to awaken from. One with no restrictions, no taboos.
Her senses were whirling. This woman’s touch had stirred something inside her. Something primal. And as her body reacted, she suddenly felt . . . free. Free to act on her impulses without judgment.
“So beautiful,” the woman said, then ran her hands down the front of Ajda’s blouse, unbuttoning it, dropping it to the floor. With a quick, practiced motion, she unhooked Ajda’s bra, then leaned forward and kissed the spot where her thumb had just been.
Ajda didn’t resist.
Had no desire to.
Whatever fear she had felt before had vanished along with her modesty, and she found the sensation of this stranger’s tongue to be quite exhilarating.
Something loosened inside of her, something wet and wonderful-a feeling that Ferid, with all of his fumbling, had never been able to awaken.
And as they sank together to the floor, hands roaming, fingers exploring, all Ajda could think about was the hunger she felt.
She wanted more.
Give me more.
BOOK II
I fled and cry’d out, Death!
Hell trembl’d at the hideous Name, and sigh’d
From all her Caves, and back resounded Death!
3
Her screams were what told them she was in trouble.
Before that, Alejandro and the others had assumed that she’d merely wanted time alone, as she often did. And despite the danger, despite her utter carelessness, the moment the show was over, she had managed to slip away from them and disappear.
Some might have considered it a prima donna move. But Gabriela Zuada was no prima donna.
Alejandro knew this better than anyone.
After nearly a year as her personal manager, and three before that running
But the woman liked her privacy. Especially after a performance. And Alejandro knew that the hordes of ravenous fans, the paparazzi, and all the trappings of superstardom sometimes got to be too much for her. So he had assumed, along with everyone else in Gabriela’s entourage, that this was why she had quietly disappeared.
He had only turned away for a moment, to make another phone call. One minute she was walking alongside him, the next she was gone. A trick she had perfected after several months of practice.
Alejandro couldn’t count the number of times he had patiently explained to her that she was not only a public figure, but a controversial one as well, and that she must stay with her bodyguards at all times.
But Gabriela rarely listened. She may not have been a prima donna, but she definitely had a mind of her own.
This was the last night of her Glory Revealed World Tour, and Gabriela had always liked to end with a show here in Sao Paulo. Had once said to Alejandro, back in the days when she had shared his bed, that home was the only place she truly felt safe.
“This is where God chose to put me on this earth,” she’d said as she snuggled up close, pressing a warm breast against his arm. “Where his angel watches over me.”
Alejandro had loved the feel of her skin against his. The rise and fall of her chest as she breathed into his ear. Missed it even now, all these months later.
They had both known that their affair was a sin, but had succumbed to temptation more than once-seventeen glorious times, to be precise-until the guilt had finally driven Gabriela to break it off.
“How can I preach chastity to young girls when I’m not chaste myself?”
It was a fair question. One that Alejandro couldn’t argue with.
But when he had broached the subject of marriage, Gabriela had scoffed. She had no time for such things.
