She didn't notice Raphael sitting at a table near the door until she and Rod went out to the lounge area for coffee. He was at a business luncheon with three other men, but his green-eyed gaze bore into her as she approached their table, telling her that he had been watching her for some time. And judging by the thunderous expression on his face, he assumed Rod was the man she was telling her she had found a 'bigger prize'!
She smiled up at him as she passed her arm through Rod's. 'Let's skip the coffee and go back to your place,' she suggested throatily. 'We haven't properly said goodbye.'
Rod was taken aback. 'What—'
'Smile,' she said, her falsely bright smile encouraging.
He did so, though his eyes remained puzzled until they reached the pavement outside. 'Wasn't that Mcklerin in there?' he enquired, frowning.
'Yes,' she sighed, finally releasing her tight grip on his arm.
'So, what was the point of the siren act?' He appeared suspicious.
She shook her head. 'Things aren't always as they appear, Rod,' she said dismissively.
'At the moment, they don't appear to be anything; I'm completely puzzled!'
She comforted him by patting his arm. 'Don't worry about it,' she said lightheartedly.
'If moving in with him isn't really what you want—'
'It's what I want more than anything,' she stated emphatically. 'I wouldn't mind if I never sang another note as long as I could stay with Raphael,' she admitted truthfully.
Her career had never been that important to her; it had simply become a substitute for what she truly desired.
'So that act in there wasn't really for him, was it?' Rod appeared more perplexed than ever.
'Yes, it was,' she admitted, sighing. 'You have to understand, Rod, Raphael is a very dominant man; I just don't want him to dominate me!'
'Ah, yes, I see.' His brow furrowed. 'You don't want him to be too certain of you,' he said, nodding.
That wasn't exactly what she meant, but it would suffice if Rod accepted it. She didn't want Raphael to think he was the only man in her life; she just didn't want him to think there had been no men since him. That could make him suspicious, and if he becomes suspicious enough, he might look into why she left him five years ago.
Sophia entered the apartment with the key Raphael had given her the night before, noticing there wasn't much love or laughter in his life right now.
The impersonal lounge could have been a room in any first-class hotel, except for the brown-and-white color scheme, which made it less appealing than any hotel she had ever stayed in. Every room displayed Raphael's wealth—as well as a total lack of human warmth and comfort.
Her suitcase was once again unpacked in Raphael's bedroom, but this time for a different reason: she had gone out to provide the apartment with the finishing touches it needed. Her first call was to a florist, where she ordered flowers for each room of the apartment, as well as several pot plants to add the life and color that it lacked. She then purchased brightly colored cushions for the dark brown suite in the living room, as well as several for the bed, which also had a coverlet the same color. She also purchased a couple of large cushion chairs that molded to your body when you flopped down on them, as well as several bright, albeit inexpensive, paintings to hang on the coldly white walls. With the mention of Raphael's name, she was able to have everything delivered that same afternoon, amazed at the difference those few purchases made to the look and feel of the rooms.
Although, after hanging the last print on the wall, she began to worry about Raphael's reaction to the changes she had made. Maybe he preferred living without those homey touches?
She scowled at the thought. She didn't like it at all, and it was now her home as well. She had a feeling Raphael wouldn't agree with her reasoning.
'Wait a minute—! 'Have you purchased a florist's shop?' When he got home at six o'clock that evening, he rasped, a large vase of pink-and-white carnations greeted him on the entry-hall table.
'Not quite,' she smiled, sprawled out in one of the low cushion chairs, resting after the previous two hours of working to improve the apartment's comfort.
Raphael's scowl deepened as he noticed the cushions and prints. 'I see you've moved in,' he said dismissively.
Her smile remained unwavering. 'Oh, these aren't mine; I had to go out and buy them,' she explained.
'Why?' He tossed his briefcase into an armchair, loosening his tie and pulling it off completely.
Sophia frowned. 'Does that really need to be asked?'
'Yes!'
She shrugged, pretending not to notice that he was stripping naked in front of her, jacket and waistcoat discarded, shirt unbuttoned. 'If I have to live here, Raphael,' she grumbled, 'I think it should be with some degree of comfort.'
'Designer furniture and original artwork on the walls weren't comfortable enough for you?' he scoffed.
'Not with stark white walls and not a single flower in the place,' she admitted.
His jaw clenched. 'I like white walls because they're practical, and the flowers and plants die when I'm away on business.'
She felt a sinking sensation at the mention of the latter, even though she knew he would visit the other hotels he owned. 'I'm here to water them right now,' she said dismissively.
'And after you've left?'
'Oh my goodness, Raphael.' She laughed mockingly to hide how much that thought bothered her. 'We might all be dead by then!' 'I happen to like plants,' she said obstinately.
'And what's the name of that thing you're sitting on?'
'Comfortable,' she said emphatically.
He sighed impatiently. 'I suppose if I said I hate it all, it wouldn't matter to you in the least?'
'Don't worry, I'll take it all with me when I leave,' she exasperatedly assured him. 'Raphael, I'm going to be living here as well; does it matter that I like it here?'
'Not particularly,' he replied, cuttingly bluntly. 'I'm going through to shower before dinner,' he said flatly. 'Do I understand correctly that you did not limit these changes to the lounge?'
She flushed at his mockery. 'No,' she said softly.
His brow furrowed in displeasure. 'I hope you didn't come into my bedroom!'
'Our bedroom,' she pointed out sharply. 'No, I didn't,' she says.
'Damn it,' he screamed angrily. 'You had absolutely no right!'
'If you want me to throw it all out, Raphael, I'll do it,' she said angrily. 'But I'm not going to like it.'
His lips twisted. 'And I'm sure this displeasure will be evident in bed,' he drawled.
Sophia knew she paled. 'You can think or say whatever you want about me, Raphael,' she snapped. 'However, you can't deny that my responses to you in bed were always completely genuine.'
Were they?' he scoffed. 'I don't think you've ever been completely honest!'
She bit back the angry retort she was about to launch. 'Perhaps not,' she said flatly. 'I'll leave the bills on your dressing table,'
He sneered. 'So, in addition to putting up with the damned things, I have to pay for them as well!'
She hadn't even considered it until a few seconds ago. But if she was going to be a 'kept woman,' she might as well start the right way. 'Yes,' she said dismissively.
'Although the stereo unit for in here has yet to arrive.'
'Wait, what?'
'Stereo,' she said flatly again. 'And a television.' 'What did you do to pass the time here in the evenings before I arrived?' she sneered.
'I didn't need amusement,' he grumbled. 'And I'm not usually here in the evenings.'
'I'm looking forward to staying in,' she exclaimed. 'I've had so few opportunities to just sit and watch television, listen to records, or read a good book in the evening.'
'This isn't supposed to be a vacation for you, Sophia,' he snapped.
'But it will be,' she remarked lightheartedly. 'And I have so little to do for a living.' She challenged him with her gaze.
His face darkened ominously, and she was not disappointed. 'Except sleep with me,' he stated emphatically. 'Do you think about that little exchange?'
'What's the harm?' She shrugged, trying to hide her anxiety about sharing a bed with him tonight. It had been far too long, and she loved him far too much; she only hoped she hadn't revealed how much.