Chapter Four

He had helped her collect all her gear and deposit it and herself in a cab back to her hotel.  He spoke to the driver and she got the idea that he was making sure she would get there just fine.  He was very sweet and quite dashing and she felt a little disappointed as the cab pulled away leaving him on the sidewalk.  The driver helped her with her gear when she got to the hotel. It just confirmed what she suspected.  

She had googled him once she got back to her room at the Hotel National. She was astounded by all the press on him. She quickly changed her mind, deciding she didn’t want to read it for fear of breaking the spell he’d cast on her. She’d met a kind man. She preferred to remember him that way.  She closed her laptop computer and flipped her long, chocolate brown hair into a twist and clipped it up.

It was warm in Moscow at the end of July even toward the evening. She shed her clothes and slipped into the plush robe that the hotel had provided. The Hotel National was a big splurge for her. She was spending several days here in Moscow. Her first location was St. Bazil’s, but she had a few other places to shoot and then she was going to St. Petersburg. She decided that she would only take a day there and return to Moscow.  She was going to take advantage of the book shoots to have a vacation and explore a city that she’d always longed to see.  She walked across the room to the window and pulled back the curtain. Her studio room had a lovely view of the Kremlin. It was an absolutely beautiful building. The sun was going down and only the top turrets had sunlight on them.

She moved back to the bathroom and ran water into the tub. She slipped her toe in cautiously, but the water was not too hot and she sat down and let the warmth wash the day away.  She closed her eyes and enjoyed the smell of the Réméde bath products that the hotel provided for her comfort. It smelled slightly like oranges.  It reminded her of springtime.  She cleared her mind and thought through her day for tomorrow. She would have to get to her next location, but that could be managed without too much difficulty.  The Cathedral of Christ the Savior was another very popular tourist attraction and she felt sure she could manage tomorrow. She would just not take so much gear. 

The sheets on the bed were so soft that she slipped right to sleep after crawling between them. She found herself thinking about those amazing blue eyes before drifting off.

It was late morning as she made her way toward the door, the sun peering through the windows in the lobby.  She’d overslept. She never overslept.  She was hurrying through the lobby and bumped into someone. She turned to apologize and stopped dead in her tracks.

“You make a habit of running over people?”

“No, I’m sorry. I… what are you doing here?” she asked, staring up into those deep blue eyes again.

“I stay here last night. I stay here sometimes when I am in the city,” he said nonchalantly. He was dressed in jeans a white t-shirt with a graphic design on it. His shaggy brown hair was tossled like he had just gotten out of bed, but his beard was neatly trimmed. It looked no more than a few days growth. Zoey had always had a weakness for facial hair and he looked very handsome in his.  He was tanned and he seemed very relaxed. His smile was surprising. He was missing a tooth in the front and, yesterday, it took her off guard, but his smile was so contagious. She couldn’t help but smile back.

“You look like you are in hurry.”

“Oh, yes,” she said remembering that she was late. “I should have been at the Cathedral hours ago. It’s going to be too bright if I don’t get there soon.”

“Too bright?”

“The light, for the pictures. I wanted something soft and now, with the Cathedral being so white, it’s going to be lit up like its glowing.”

“Might not be so bad,” he offered, with a bashful smile. Zoey felt the color rise in her cheek. Why on Earth was she blushing?

“You want ride? I give you ride.” 

She hesitated, knowing she should not accept a ride from a man she barely knew.

“It just a ride,” he added, reading her thoughts.

She smiled, “Okay.”

He led her outside and placed her into a small, white BMW sportscar.  She smiled at him again as he got behind the wheel.

“This looks fast.”

He flashed a crooked grin at her and said, “Hold on.”