Dara looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror and frowned. The outfit she was wearing would simply not do. She gritted her teeth in frustration and began stripping the unsatisfactory clothing from her toned form.
She tossed the offending garment onto an already impressive pile and dove back into her closet to try again. Just as quickly, though, she bounced back into her bedroom and flipped the dial of her Bose Wave radio. Music always calmed her butterflies. She definitely needed that sense of calm now.
Dara took a moment to nod along with the song's rhythm. Already feeling more relaxed, she softly hummed along with the young popular performer.
Her eyes fell upon the beginnings of the perfect ensemble. Dara snatched the soft cream-colored blouse and put it on. Satisfied, she dug through the pile of clothes she had already rejected and found a pair of silk pants that accentuated the blouse perfectly.
“Yes!” She nodded. “If this doesn't impress him, well…”
The classical chimes of her doorbell interrupted the moment of self-appreciation. Dara swiftly gathered the discarded clothing, threw them into the closet and closed the door. She slipped on her shoes and hurried to answer the door.
Realization that he stood just beyond the three inch solid wood door set Dara's pulse racing. She utilized an old trick that musicians often employed just before a performance. Dara took a deep breath and held it until she couldn't any longer. When the breath was released in an explosive rush, the Assistant District Attorney felt prepared to greet her guest.
“Hi,” she breathed. It was the most she could manage after being greeted by the exquisite sight of him standing in her doorway.
“Hello.” His dark eyes took in every inch of her. “You look exquisite,” he said, presenting a single perfect rose her way.
Dara smiled brightly and inhaled the flower's fragrant aroma.
“Is something amusing?”
“ Exquisite is the word that came to mind when I saw you. ” Dara glanced once more at the perfectly tailored suit he wore. “Please, come in.”
She was not surprised when he stepped aside and allowed his men to enter before him. It was a thing she had vowed to learn to accept. The stolen moments they had spent together proved to her that he was worth that particular inconvenience.
“I am sorry,” he murmured. “But the sooner they learn the layout of your home, the sooner we can be left alone. Once done, this need not be done again.”
The words were a subtle promise that there would be a future of private moments between them there at her house.
Silently the two men completed their examination of the house. They gave a single nod and left the couple to their privacy.
“Would you like a drink?” Dara offered. Now that they were alone, his presence was a bit unsettling. In fact, Dara swore she could feel his piercing gaze bore a hole straight through her.
“What I would like,” he came up behind her and enfolded Dara in his arms, “is a taste of you.”
Turning, Dara smiled and lifted her mouth to his for a passionate kiss that seemed to last forever.
At last he broke the kiss. “Thank you,” Nikolas Cassadine rasped, his voice hoarse with passion. “But that,” he easily lifted Dara into his arms and strode toward the bedroom, “is not exactly what I meant.”
