June was resting when Dmitri came in to check on her.

"How are you feeling now?" he asked coming to sit beside her. He had brought in some warm ginger tea. June's heart started to explode. His nearness was doing strange things to her body. She was feeling tingly all over. She tried to sip the tea slowly as they remained in quiet. Dmitri was staring at her and she was looking everywhere but at him.

"How old are you?" she blurted out.

"Why do you want to know?" he countered staring at her intensely with his brown eyes.

"You never answered my question," he smiled.

"I am thirty-two."

Wow, he was five years older than she was.

He bent to take the empty cup from her and she could smell the masculine scent of his body.

She inhaled and he looked at her, for a moment, they were suspended in eternity and bent his face toward her. As his lips captured her own, her mind was screaming no but her body was getting warm all over. His lips were full and so soft that she opened up her mouth for his tongue, which slipped, into her mouth. As their tongues mingled, June spiralled; her hands pulled him closer to her.

This was pure bliss, she had never been kissed by a man like this before, he was her nectar, he slowly released her mouth as she opened her eyes and let her hands fall away from his face. His eyes were full of passion and she could feel the heat coming off him. She shyly lowered her eyelashes. She had never wantonly given herself to a man like that before. He picked up the tray and walked out without saying a word.

June exhaled what had come over her. What must he think of her? She was too tired to move although she wanted to high tail it out of the room. Instead, she sank under the covers and promptly fell asleep. She woke up a few hours later. It must be afternoon. She had no idea of time.

She needed to get out of here, sick or not. She scrambled out of bed feeling stronger. She needed her clothes. She found her case in his closet and her clothes neatly folded in his bureau, did he expect her to stay forever?

She hurriedly packed her stuff into her case and dressed in a black striped pants suit with a white camisole. She wanted to regain any manner of formality. Her head felt a bit light but she had to muster all her strength since her packing had fairly taken all out of her. She went over to the bathroom and tidied her hair into a ponytail. Her face had shrunk, she had lost some weight, and her clothes were loose about her body. Her makeup made her look decent again and hid the dark circles around her eyes and red blotches in her cheeks. She tidied the bed and descended the stairs. Dmitri was not in the house and since the kitchen door was open, he must be outside.  She would call a cab to pick her up.

Outside was a welcome sight. The gardens were immaculate with roses and carnations; there was also a good-sized kitchen garden, with herbs and vegetables in various stages of growth. Dmitri was not in the immediate back yard so she followed a stone path and noticed another cottage; a smaller one but hidden nicely in between some bushes. Who lived there? More mafia men? June thought.

The stone path led to a lake. Dmitri was on the jetty near a boat.  He was speaking to two men dressed in black suits. Were they his henchmen? He was talking quickly in Spanish to them. This man was full of surprises, how many languages did he speak?

June decided to return to the house and not disturb the 'mafia'.

This place was indeed a slice of paradise. It was very tranquil and quiet.

She needed a cab or some form of transport to get her out of here. She was about to call a cab when she heard the creak of the boards and turned around. Dmitri's eyes showed that he was shocked by her appearance.

She tried to look confident as he gazed at her scowling. He was obviously displeased to see her standing there dressed and with her bags around her.

"Well, since I'm feeling much better I must get back to my world," she was deliberately avoiding his gaze, " but first I must thank you for all that you have done these past three days I know it was an intrusion but I am totally grateful."

She put some distance between them and walked a bit further into the room. He was just standing there with his hands in his back pockets.

She faced him now "I do not know how I can repay you for your help but "she stretched out her hand, he hesitated before he reached out to take it. However, he stepped forward and pulled her closer to him.

"Stay with me tonight." he said quietly holding her in his arms. She tried to break free,

"I can't." she cried weakly.

"You asked what you can do to repay me... stay tonight." June was distressed. She did not know what to say. He was asking her to stay with him. She looked at him and the expression on his face showed her the passion he had for her. They both knew what would happen if she stayed the night.

"I-" she stuttered

"Just say yes," he whispered against her lips.

" Well,"  she moaned as he nibbled her lower lip.

"Yes" she released as his lips captured her words into his mouth.

She relaxed in his arms as their kiss deepened, he moulded her to him and she could feel the hard presence of his erection pressed against her stomach. She warmed up all over as she let herself be drawn into the essence of their kiss. He was a skilled kisser, he was passionate yet fierce and she had no doubt how much he wanted her. She had never felt so consumed by such intense passion before.

Did she take a chance and stay or leave and forever regret the one time she had to fulfil her own passionate feelings?

She wrapped her hands around his neck as his hands went under her white camisole. His hands were electric against her skin as she felt a tremor pass through her entire being. She crushed herself closer to him as his hands moved to the undersides of her breasts. His hands were caressing her as he pushed up her bra and let her breasts spring free. She moaned into his mouth as his fingers gently squeezed her nipples. June was mesmerized by the forceful desire coursing through her. She had never been kissed like this, not even by Gary who she thought was the best kisser in high school.

She was floating on a cloud until she felt empty, and slowly realised that Dmitri was no longer kissing her although he was still holding her. She slowly opened her eyes and found him staring at her his hair was mussed and his lips were so full and pink. She tried to regain her standing but he kept her close to him. She could feel the rock of his length against her chest and she stiffened.

"Come with me," he commanded as he led to the living area. She fixed her clothes and followed him silently.

"Dmitri" she said trying to tell him that this was all new territory for her.

"Go rest while I prepare you some dinner, you still look a bit tired."

June was lost in a battle. She had actually agreed to stay a night with him. He pulled her in an embrace and kissed her senseless again. June was now weak from his kisses.

He smiled and said "Go on," sensing her hesitance. She had made her decision. She climbed the stairs anticipating the evening's events. The sun was setting and it cast a golden glow into the house. She took her case to her former room, unsure what to do. She took off her suit and put on her night dress. 

She lay on the bed ready to think this through but her eyelids were heavy and closed soon after she snuggled under the covers.

Dmitri checked on June she was not in his room but the one she had been in on the first night. She looked so beautiful and at peace as she slept. He brushed a loose strand off her face and smiled.

June awoke to a soft noise from outside. She sat up and it all came back to her with a heavy lump in her stomach.  She knew that it was night and that Dmitri was probably waiting for her downstairs. She was unsure what to do.

She was nervous but excited. She put on a pair of red lace underwear and snuck into Dmitri's room and put on a white shirt of his she found in his closet. She descended the stairs slowly and noticed him in the kitchen. He was humming a popular song along with the artist on the radio. He looked up at her and a smile spread across his face as he took in her outfit.

"Would you like something to drink?" He asked

"Some juice please." She answered sitting on one of the counter top stools.

"You seem very competent in the kitchen." June remarked looking at the pots steaming on the stove and Dmitri expertly cutting some vegetables.

"My mother insisted that her son know how to cook." Dmitri smiled while handing her a glass of orange juice.

"She must be proud."

"She is." Dmitri was not very forthcoming and June presumed in his line of work privacy was important.

"I can't really cook." June admitted. "My mother gave up on me after I exploded the microwave and broke the blender."

They laughed and continued to chat light heartedly about June's kitchen disasters.

They sat to eat a meal of tossed salad, couscous and spetzofai. It was very sumptuous meal because Dmitri was a great cook. Spetzofai is a traditional Greek dish made with sausages, peppers, chillies and onions.

"So what do you do apart from cooking?" She asked quietly, " I mean as a hobby?" June rushed to correct herself not wanting to know anything about his real line of work.

 Dmitri laughed before he answered. "I fish, I fly, and I do a lot of outdoor sports like hiking."

"Fly as in a plane?' This man was perfect. He spoke well knew how to cook and had good hobbies. A pity he was a mobster. He had such charm which sucked her in easily.

"Yeah I learned ten years ago, it has a feeling of freedom in it."Dmitri revealed openly as his gaze continued to devour her.

"I always wanted to learn but I never found the time." June took a sip of some wine momentarily looking away from the gaze which captivated her.

"When was the last time you had a vacation?" he asked staring at her, the heat barely contained in his gaze.

"I don't know if a few days to see my sister graduate could be counted as a vacation." Dmitri grabbed her hand and caressed her palm slowly running his fingers in a circular motion in the centre. 

"You are in need of some really serious down time... I used to believe that work was the beginning and end all until recently." Dmitri said softly and June almost wrenched her hand from his as her body started to grow warm from his touch.

Dmitri did not elaborate and June was not going to ask. However his brown eyes looked angry for a moment before he held himself in check.

"Is that why you were so angry when I first came here?" she changed the topic.

He smiled, "Well, you did invade my home, well not mine technically but my boss." He leaned forward and said softly "Plus you did catch me rather nude if I remember correctly." she bent her head and blushed using the opportunity to snatch her hand away.

"You were pretty nasty, if I remember correctly," she countered staring back into his twinkling eyes.

It was his turn to smile, "I had just come in after a long and arduous two weeks of tough work. I thought you were an intruder and I guess I was frustrated that you had invaded my space but now," he took her hand again. " I quite like your company June Stapleton."

June shivered from the intense stare he was giving her as he kissed her hand leisurely sucking on her fingertips. June wa a bundle of nerves how could one man create such emotions within her. 

Dmitri's answers were too simple but she felt something was missing. She too had her secrets but the sadness he had shown when they had first met was too raw maybe for him to admit. He was recovering from something; she hoped that this time away would heal whatever wounds he was holding.

They finished dinner and tidied up. He led them to the living area where they watched some news and snuggled while being entertained by a sitcom. She knew that tomorrow they would be back to their own worlds but tonight she would savour this experience with Dmitri, at least she would be alive for one night. She snuggled into his chest and hugged him closer almost drifting into sleep as the air became cool.

Dmitri stood up spread a blanket on the floor in front of the fireplace. He knelt on the blanket and beckoned her to him. She moved as in a trance into his open arms. They knelt before each other on the soft rug, their lips joined and the fire exploded within them. The heat escalated to a point of no return. June pulled him to her and they collapsed on the floor with him onto top of her.

He nibbled her ear as she ruffled his hair. His hands were doing magic with her hips as he squeezed her to him. She arched and his hands slipped under her shirt and slowly opened it. He kissed her chest each time he undid a button. Soon, she lay before him exposed in her underwear.

"You are beautiful." He told her as he removed her bra and flung it away. He cupped her breast as he softly moulded them under his hands. June arched her body sizzling from his touch.

"Oh June how I want you so much." Dmitri whispered against her stomach as his hands pulled off her underwear. He continued to kiss her stomach gently with soft butterfly kisses flowing down her thighs. she rubbed her legs together her heat building within her. June was on fire. 

Dmitri removed his shirt exposing his solid and firm chest. She stared at his body the ultimate model of perfection as he removed the rest of his clothing. She had already seen him naked but his body was too perfect to not want to see again and again.  He  stood over her as he took out a condom from his jeans. Dmitri knelt then held her legs and pulled her to him  slowly bringing them together. Their joining was slow and sensual and June had never thought she could experience such a subliminal feeling.

Dmitri marvelled at the thought that such a dynamic woman would still be a virgin. She was meant to be his. Later they soaped each other in the shower and ecstasy was repeated.

They made love once more in the early morning when the air as still and quiet. Afterwards they slept fitfully in each other's embrace.