Chapter 26: Fantasies

Dimitri ordered Laura's things to be put in the same room as his; she simply complied, although she didn't understand why he insisted on her sleeping by his side when it was clear he couldn't stand her.

"I don't understand why you want me to sleep by your side. The place is big enough for us to sleep separately."

"Because I can, and I feel like it," he said as he grabbed a bottle of liquor and drank straight from it.

"I don't care, but I think you shouldn't drink like that," Laura said.

"Then don't interfere," Dimitri replied rudely. Laura lowered her gaze, biting her lower lip to keep from saying what she was thinking. She felt truly fed up.

Dimitri drank all the contents of the bottle quickly, trying to drown some of the pain and sorrow caused by Laura's supposed betrayal with alcohol.

Later, Laura, who was watching him from the other side of the room while he sat on the edge of the bed, got up to head towards the door; she was hungry and thought of going to the kitchen to see if there was something she could prepare.

Seeing her heading towards the door, Dimitri got up and quickly approached her, grabbing her by the arm.

"You know, I'm fed up."

"I understand, let me go. I'll find a job and pay you back for what you've spent on us as soon as I can. Please give me a divorce."

Dimitri felt furious hearing her say that, thinking she wanted her freedom to go after her lover.

"A divorce? Do you think I'll ever give it to you? You're dreaming. You belong to me, just as much as this villa and any of this furniture."

He then pulled her closer to him, turning quickly so Laura was trapped between the wall and his arms.

"Please, let me go," the girl whimpered, pleading.

"I can't. You have no idea how much I've missed your body and the taste of your lips."

Laura was terribly frightened when she heard him; she feared he might harm her. It was clear he was not in his right mind. She trembled like a frightened mouse caught by a huge cat.

He brought his lips close to hers; Laura could smell his alcoholic breath up close. She was petrified with fear. Dimitri kissed her with abandon, exploring the inside of her mouth with his tongue. Laura, for some reason, responded to the kiss.

Mint and tobacco were the flavors she immediately tasted. Laura closed her eyes, the image of Luke came to her mind vividly. She felt as though it was him kissing her; perhaps it was the need she felt to be back in his arms.

Dimitri took her in his arms, carried her to the bed, and gently laid her down. She couldn't resist anymore, so she decided to momentarily forget her desire for revenge and prepared to enjoy her body as he used to.

He quickly discarded Laura's clothes, observing her for a moment before starting to undress himself. She seemed to have more curves than before; her breasts were much larger, and her hips had widened, perhaps due to pregnancy.

Laura weakly moaned as she felt him lean over to kiss her neck.

"Shhh, don't move, stay still, don't open your eyes. Let me explore your body with my mouth; your taste has always driven me crazy."

Those words momentarily interrupted Laura's fantasy; it was the same thing Luke had told her so many times.

Dimitri felt her trembling again; he began to kiss her with more fervor. Laura squeezed her legs, but they were separated by him. Once again, she let herself be carried away by the sensations that his caresses aroused in her body.

What followed was a back-and-forth of movements, accompanied by a symphony of moans that, despite her attempts to silence them, Laura couldn't stop.

They did it over and over again throughout the night; by dawn, they were completely exhausted. Laura fell asleep on Dimitri's chest, in her dreams feeling that it was Luke who was beside her, her Luke, how much she had missed him!

In the morning when she woke up, she looked for Dimitri; he was no longer by her side. Suddenly, she felt that the fantasy had ended; he had already gotten what he wanted from her, and now he would return to being the same ruthless man.

At that moment, there was a subtle knock on the door. Laura quickly got up to find a robe and cover her nakedness. When she opened it, she saw it was a young woman carrying a tray with several dishes and drinks in her hands.

"The gentleman asked me to bring up breakfast for him. I'll set it on the table. If you need anything else, just call the kitchen by pressing the number sign and then 2; it will connect you directly."

"Thank you," the girl left immediately. Laura approached the table; she was very hungry, and those dishes smelled exquisite. She imagined they were delicious.

She quickly devoured almost everything on the tray; the juice seemed delicious, freshly made.

After eating, she headed to the bathroom. Dimitri's scent was still on her. She washed herself perfectly, tears streaming down her face as she remembered the passionate night with Dimitri. She felt she had betrayed Luke.

She had simply let herself go, closing her eyes, thinking they were his caresses. And indeed, that man had touched her in the same way.

But it had been a fantasy, just that. When she came out of the bathroom, she looked for a short dress to wear, casual and comfortable. It would help her endure the exhausting heat on the island. Sandals and a high ponytail would also assist with that.

She applied a bit of blush and lip gloss, not knowing why she suddenly felt the urge to doll up. She usually didn't pay attention to such things.

She went downstairs carrying the tray the girl had brought up and headed to the kitchen. In the living room, Dimitri was with another man, and they both stared at her.

"Good morning," she greeted politely, then hurried to the kitchen, feeling their penetrating gazes.

"Ma'am, you shouldn't have bothered; I was going to come up later for the tray," the girl feared her boss would scold her for not doing her job properly.

"Don't worry, it was no trouble for me to bring it."

"Thank you," the shy service girl said. She seemed very young, slim, with a face full of freckles.

"What can one do on this island?" Laura asked, curious.

"Well, you could go horseback riding; the gentleman always does it, he even did it very early this morning. You could also take a walk in the garden; it's a very peaceful and beautiful place."

"Is there a phone around here? I need to make a call," the girl and the woman in charge of the kitchen, who entered at that moment, turned to look at her, very serious.

"There is, but the gentleman has ordered that you not use it. If you want to make a call, you have to let him know so he can authorize it."

"Okay, I will. Thank you."

She should have realized that Dimitri was still treating her like a prisoner, even on the island. In the living room, Dimitri's friend, who turned out to be Luke's ex-partner, had noticed that Dimitri had been in a strange mood since he saw the girl.

"Is there something going on between you and that girl?" he tried to remember but couldn't place where he knew her from.

"She's my wife; we got married not long ago."

The man found it even stranger. As far as he knew, Dimitri was engaged to the capricious Yulia, a woman he had never liked.

"Congratulations, my friend. It's the best decision you could have made. I don't know about this girl, but I know perfectly well what the other one is like, and what you've escaped from."

"Why do you say that?" Dimitri asked, intrigued.

"Don't worry about it. If you've ended your relationship with her, it doesn't matter anymore," he said as he took a sip of his whisky.

Neither Luke nor Dimitri liked being left hanging, but he decided not to press further at that moment. If that man believed Laura was better than Yulia, it was because he didn't really know her.

They spent the morning discussing a business opportunity that interested them, and where they would be partners again. Meanwhile, the service girl showed Laura the stables, and although she had never ridden before, those horses seemed truly beautiful to her.

"That's the horse Mr. Petrov usually rides. I've heard him say it's the best for that because it behaves docilely. Look, it still has the saddle on; the caretaker hasn't taken it off yet."

"Perfect, because I'm going to ride it."

"Are you sure, ma'am? Have you done it before? I think you should wait for the caretaker to come back to guide you. He shouldn't be long; he's taken the other horses out to graze."

"I don't think it's necessary. He probably doesn't really care what happens to me, so come on, help me get on the horse."

The girl quickly brought a small stool, and Laura climbed onto it to help herself up.

"Perfect, that was easy."

"To make the horse move, you have to kick it with your heels, but don't do it too hard, or it will run. When you want to stop, just gently pull back on the reins."

"Got it! I've understood perfectly."

Laura kicked the horse with her heels, and the animal moved immediately. The service girl didn't feel safe, so she grabbed a four-wheel bike to follow her.

Laura didn't know the island, so she followed the breeze. She wanted to ride along the beach. At first, she felt nervous, but minutes later, she felt more confident.

As she rode up a hill, she saw the beach below. The sand was very white, and she wished to dip her feet into the crystal-clear waters.

She kicked the horse's sides again, but this time she didn't measure her strength and did it forcefully. The horse made a strange sound and immediately started moving downhill.

Laura tried to stop it by pulling back on the reins, as she had kicked them strongly. The horse lifted its hind legs, and the girl screamed when she saw she was about to fall.

She had the misfortune that when she fell, her head hit a rock. The service girl approached immediately, frightened to see the grass stained with red.

"Ma'am, ma'am, please wake up."

Only silence answered her; Laura remained motionless.