The Bed You Make
Chapter 17, continued
The hotel bed shifted as Stefan returned from his trip to the bathroom. It was just after 5 a.m. and Dara could sense the rhythm of the city begin to increase.
“Does anything interrupt your routine?” she asked quietly.
Stefan turned Dara's way. “I am sorry if I woke you,” he said.
“You didn't. Well, you did. But I've gotten used to setting my day by your routine,” Dara replied. “You're better than having an alarm clock.”
“I am gratified to be of such value to you.”
Dara could picture her husband's raised eyebrow as he uttered the words. The lovely lawyer had been pleasantly surprised to discover that the man she'd married – albeit for business reasons – possessed a wry and sometimes biting sense of humor. It was the last thing Dara had expected from the somber man she had only dealt with from a distance.
Stefan's wry wit was most evident during their early morning conversations. Quite often Dara found herself smiling in the darkness at some subtle quip her new husband casually threw her way. She would never tell Stefan so, but she had come to enjoy their early morning give and take.
“So… which desolate, far-away corner of the world have you arranged for Russell Lee to be exiled to?” Dara sat up and asked.
“California,” was Stefan's succinct reply.
Dara grinned into the darkness. Stefan could be amazingly snobbish when it came to certain matters. As far as he was concerned, the very existence of Hollywood and its inhabitants made the entire state of California invisible to his cultural radar.
“Well,” Dara grew serious, “you will just have to un-exile him. There are a couple of projects I would like to have Mr. Lee undertake.”
“Such as?”
“Such as a line of lipstick in understated shades that working women can incorporate into their daily attire. Most of Reveal's cosmetics are like their creator – designed for shock value first.”
“And the other project?” Stefan asked.
“I'd like him to try his hand at a line of body fragrances. Nothing heavy or perfume-y. Just barely there.”
Stefan nodded. “Not unlike your own fragrance… a subtle invitation.”
“Um…yeah.” The conversation took an unexpected turn. Dara felt the change in atmosphere and instinctively sought to wrestle the discussion back to safer footing. “But I don't use a commercial body fragrance. I use a combination of essential oils I put together after a lot of trial and error.”
“It is most becoming. May I?” Stefan rose to a sitting position.
Dara leaned away from him. “May you what?” she asked in alarm.
“May I sample the scent you have created?” Without awaiting her permission, Stefan reached out and grasped Dara's wrist within his fingers. He brought it to his nose and sniffed lightly.
The simple action, there in the darkness of the hotel bedroom they shared, charged the air with so much sexuality that it was difficult for Dara to breathe. To her immense relief, Stefan gently released her wrist. “A line of body fragrances would be an excellent addition to the Reveal line,” Stefan commented. “Have Russell Lee undertake the task. With one condition,” he added. “He is not to duplicate the scent you have created for yourself.”
Stefan chose to withhold the remainder of his comment. ‘That scent', he thought, ‘is now mine to enjoy.'
