Page 44 of Poisoned Roses

“You’re not alone.”

She says nothing, and it’s as if she is erecting a wall between us. It’s unusual for me to be concerned about such matters, but I am now and I reach out to grasp her hand, hating how she lets it rest in mine without any added pressure.

“I will make it up to you when we return to the apartment.”

“There is no need.”

She is distant and pulling away from me and says with a sigh, “I’m tired. It’s been an emotional day and if it’s okay with you, I would like to sleep alone tonight.”

She withdraws her hand and turns to stare out of the window as she effectively shuts me out. I’m shocked at how much it affects me. Nobody ever turns away from me and refuses my attention. I have never experienced it and for the first time in my life, I don’t have an answer.

To distract my attention, I take out my phone and scroll through the messages, but I don’t read a word. I am struggling to deal with my current situation because the only thing that got me through the evening was the knowledge of what would happen at the end of it. I wasn’t prepared for the cold shoulder and I am too proud to do anything but agree to her demands. I will not force myself on a woman and will definitely not beg, so it appears that Tia will get her wish tonight despite what I want.

CHAPTER 24

TATIANA

Iam so angry. Immeasurably so. When Angeline laid out the facts, I couldn’t argue with them. She was describing my situation perfectly and if I am angry with anyone, it’s myself.

Titus knows no different. He was probably brought up this way and believes a snatched moment of pleasure, a kind wordand soft touch is all it takes to win a woman’s heart. Until now it was, and I’m the fool who fell for it.

Now my eyes have opened and I don’t like what I see.

I’m aware I have no other choice than to play the game, but I will play it on my terms. What those are is undecided, but it hasn’t escaped my attention that I am safer with Titus. When the police officer showed me the images of Leo’s apartment, I felt sick. He was planning to abduct me, to do God knows what, and would have been successful had it not been for Titus’s men bursting in and saving me.

Now he is gone, so has the threat and I disturb the silence by saying, “I would like to return to my apartment.”

“For what reason?” His voice is steady and unemotional, and I adopt the same tone with my reply. “Leo is gone. There is no reason to worry about my stalker anymore. It’s my personal space and I am comfortable there.”

“You’re not comfortable around me.”

If I detect a tinge of hurt in his voice, I’m probably mistaken and shrug. “This is a business arrangement, nothing more. You made that pretty obvious tonight and when business is finished for the day, we return home. I wish to return to mine and to the Bolshoi in the morning.”

I turn and note his eyes glittering in the darkness and almost back out of this altercation, but the fire is burning inside me so I snap, “I am a dancer you are a businessman. You do your job. Let me do mine.”

Once again, he says nothing and I fill the silence with anger.

“I will play your game for whatever your reasons are, but I will not sacrifice my soul in the process. I’m unaware what you want from me, Titus, but I’m guessing it’s my public profile, so in public I’ll play the loving fiancée and in private I will nurture my lying soul.”

“So, the interview and your declaration of love?” He cocks his brow and I shrug.

“I’m an actress as well as a dancer and that woman was seriously annoying me. I did what was required, and it apparently did the job, so you’re welcome. Give me a raise.”

I’m being uncharacteristically bitter, disguising the hurt inside me as I battle him with words. Tonight opened my eyes, and I didn’t like what I saw. I wasn’t kidding. I need to be alone to take stock of the situation and I’m a little shocked when he nods, with no expression at all and taps on the glass between us and the driver. The partition lowers, and he says evenly, “Miss Pavlov wishes to return home to her apartment.”

He settles back and retrieves his phone, leaving me with the consequences of my decision as we speed off into the darkened night.

It’sstrange returning to my apartment. Almost as if I’ve never been away and as Titus walks me to the door, the silence between us is more devastating to my heart than I realized it would be.

He doesn’t care.

He made no attempt to talk me around. To explain his behavior and apologize. He believes he has done nothing wrong, and that is more damaging than anything. He is just like Boris Fedorov. Cold, calculating and unemotional.

We head into my apartment and I watch with growing sadness as he checks it’s safe and says smoothly, “There are cameras installed at the entrance of the building, the hallways and the windows. My security team is monitoring them and ifanyone attempts to come within meters of your apartment an alarm will sound and my men will be alerted in seconds.

“Seconds?” I’m stunned. I never knew he had planned any of this and he nods, no apology in his voice as he says unemotionally, “I have a team nearby. All the time you are here, they will be outside. When you head to the Bolshoi, they will be outside, so if there is any threat, it will be dealt with.”

I have no words, just mounting confusion. If anything, I’m touched that he has considered my safety at all and then I’m reminded of what this is. I am a valuable commodity in his life right now, for whatever his reasons are. My safety means the plan runs its course, so I nod with resignation heavy in my heart.

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