The Russian Billionaire: A Romantic Suspense Novel by Georgia Carre (readict .TXT) 📕

look like perfectly made up dolls with attitude. But they fall over themselves to please her. In one place they even open a bottle of champagne for us.

I quickly realize that Jane’s big, dopey smile is just a front. In fact, she is extremely efficient, professional, and exacting. She knows exactly what she wants and doesn’t allow anybody to distract her with anything but exactly what she wants. If she wants an item in blue and they only have yellow, then she sends someone by taxi to another location to go fetch the color she wants. All right, or fine will not do. Only fabulous will.

My head is spinning with all the selections she makes me try on and discard. A trouser suit which I will never wear after this weekend, two silk blouses, a tight black skirt, an ephemerally beautiful blue dress that is exactly the same color as my eyes. A gorgeous baby blue summer coat for the warm evenings, and a riding habit. We also drop by a lingerie store where I pick up a couple of underwear sets, the sweetest gossamer pink nightie ever with matching suspenders and sheer white stockings.

Then she gets me a suitcase for me to transport all my new stuff back in. I don’t know exactly how much money we have spent, but for sure it must have cost many thousands of pounds. Just the blue dress alone was £4,200,00. I saw the price tag before the sales assistant removed it.

“I think we’re done,” she declares looking at her small gold wrist watch. “And it is time for me to take you to Mr. Tsarnov.”

I nod. “Right. Back to the hotel.”

“No, actually. I believe you are having lunch at a restaurant and I’m supposed to drop you off outside.”

“Oh.”

We jump into the back of the car and her driver takes us back to Mayfair and comes to a stop in front of a restaurant called the Orange Bayleaf.

Jane turns to me. “There you are. Here is where I’m supposed to drop you off. Goodbye, Raine. I’ve really enjoyed our time together, and I know you are going to look stunning in everything we have selected.”

I smile gratefully at her. “Thank you so much for your help. You were amazing. To be perfectly honest, I feel as if I’ve been in a whirlwind. Everything is moving so fast, but I have definitely enjoyed watching you work.”

She flashes another of those disarming, big, artless smiles of hers. “Enjoy the rest of your stay in London, and if you are back here again, do give me a shout and we’ll have coffee or something. My card will be delivered together with all your purchases directly to Mr. Tsarnov’s driver at the hotel.”

I thank her again and slip out of the car and walk towards the glass doors. On either side are huge pots of bamboo. My stomach is growling with hunger. Other than a yellow macaroon I was offered at one of the boutiques I haven’t eaten anything since last night.

Raine

It is a terribly exclusive restaurant. You can feel it in the minimalist air. To start with there are more staff in starched, plain orange pinafores than there are patrons. The leaf green walls are without pictures or ornaments and the seats are black and yellow. Everything is either shining with polish or immaculately green.

A waiter comes to greet me.

I give him Konstantin’s last name and he nods politely and takes me to a secluded table where Konstantin is seated. He is concentrating so hard on something on his ipad screen, he does not even realize I am there until I am almost on top of him. Still, it gives me a rare chance to study him while he is unaware and again I am struck by how different he is from any man I have ever gone out with. I remember the way he was when I accidentally found the USB stick.

“Hello,” I whisper.

He looks up and smiles. The naked avenging god is gone. In its place the immaculately dressed, unknowable billionaire.

“Did you have a good time?”

“Yes, I did, thank you.” I wrinkle my nose. “Jane is incredibly knowledgeable and easy going, but she has also railroaded me into buying a lot more stuff than I have ever bought in my life.”

He grins. “Did you get something sexy for me to rip off?”

I giggle. “Yes.”

He smiles, it carries promise and secrets. “Good.”

The waiter comes and we order cocktails. The service is amazing and the drinks arrive almost immediately. My drink is sweet and refreshing. I sip it while I study the menu. It is a fusion restaurant, French and Thai. After we order we chat a bit about London.

The conversation is a surreal affair. He behaves as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened, but I cannot forget how quickly and frighteningly intense his eyes became in a fraction of a second. There is more, much more to him than he shows the world.

What secret is he hiding? He said he would tell me when we get to his house and I will just have to be patient until then.

The food arrives quickly. Since the establishment bears all the marks of a pretentious nouvelle cuisine restaurant, I expected the overpriced food to come in tiny portions with weird tasting ingredients, but I am surprised by how totally yummy my pickled green papaya and smoked duck are. And they are not small either.

I lean back on the chair replete. “What’s next on the agenda?”

“I believe you wanted a ride on an open-top bus, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but I don’t really want to go on my own so I’ve given up on the idea. If I come back I’ll do it.”

“I’m coming with you.”

My eyes widen with surprise. “You’ll come with me on a bus?”

“Well, sort of.”

“What does that mean?”

“Come, I’ll show you.” We walk out of the door, cross the road and go into the building opposite. A man sitting at the reception nods