~ Can't Buy My Love ~
by Katia N. Ruiz
passionatetyger@aol.com
Copyright 2004
Disclaimers: see part one.
***Two chapters this week, just because everyone's been so patient. PLEASE PLEASE let me know what you think of them. I beg of you!
***Hello, this is the reason I finally decided to shorten the disclaimer, I want to try a hand at putting lyrics of a song in the beginning, which probably won't work out ::laughs::, but I'll guess I'll give it a try. PLEASE LEMME KNOW IF THE LYRICS GO WITH STORY… J THANKS!
"Oh you set up your place in my thoughts
Moved in and made my thinking crowded."
By Indigo Girls
THIS IS A LITTLE OF WHAT WENT ON LAST TIME…
Domingo could see the far away look in her eyes, and he fought the urge to smile. There's definitely something here. "How do you feel about that?" He asked teasingly. "Ms. Ivanov getting married to some girl who would probably only be after her money…"
Kat snapped out of her thoughts, standing up quickly and walking behind her desk. "And why would someone only be after her money?" Kat demanded, frowning. "She's a very good looking woman, and she can be nice when she wants to be…" She stopped abruptly as she realized that her friend was leading her on. "I have work to do, Domingo." She sat down and picked up her pen, keeping her eyes carefully expressionless.
Domingo was fully aware that he'd been found out. I knew you liked her. He grinned and pushed himself out of the chair. "See you at lunch?"
"Yeah, sure," Kat said, lowering her eyes from his knowing gaze. Shit.
And this week…
Chapter Twenty- Two Months Later
"Whose idea was this again?" Oksana asked, sighing.
"Mr. Quinonez had a great idea, I think." Nadya said, tapping Oskar's chest sternly. "Stand still, Oskar."
Oksana shoved her hands into her pockets, lifting her shoulders. "But a welcoming party for me? After two months?"
"It is also a retirement party for Oskar," She gave his tie a firm tug as he fidgeted once again. The tie was perfect already, but she wanted to be close to him and any excuse would do. "Besides, you have been so busy taking over the corporation."
Oskar was leaning back against his desk, enjoying his wife's nearness. He felt like a new man, and couldn't wait to go on the trip that had been a part of their plans for the past couple of months. They were leaving early the next morning and he felt secure in the knowledge that Oksana was at the helm of the Ivanov Enterprises.
"You are doing excellently," Oskar said. "The acquisition of Clearwater Springs was a great addition to our company. Their employees will be grateful to you." His mouth curved into a smile. "Business is in your genes."
Oksana blushed at the praise. She looked down at her shoes, unsure of what to say. She hated that whenever her grandfather complimented her, she turned into a shy, awkward mute. That his admiration pleased her, now as a grown woman, unnerved her.
Nadya turned equally proud eyes upon Oksana. "Has Jayne warmed up to you yet?" She asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Oksana shrugged with a grin. "I think so," She said slowly. Her secretary had grudgingly developed respect for Oksana. Once she realized that Oksana was serious about running Ivanov Enterprises, she had stopped glaring at Oksana every single time she saw her. Of course, the secretary tried not to show it, but Oksana could see that she was winning her over little by little. Oksana knew Jayne had softened even more when Oksana had asked her to keep any wishful women who had no reason to interact with the head of the company away from her.
Nadya chuckled, patting her husband on the chest and turning towards her granddaughter. "Are you ready to go?" She asked, walking up to her granddaughter and standing on her toes to kiss her on the cheek. She pulled back and gazed adoringly up at Oksana and tugged on her red shirt's collar and then the lapels of her black jacket.
Oksana smiled at her grandmother, nodding and offering her arm to the old woman. She grinned at her smiling grandfather and patted Nadya's hand as she led her out of the study. Her smile faded a little as she thought of their impending departure. She would miss them terribly when they left for their six-month tour of the world. It would be her first Christmas without them there, and she wondered how she would spend it completely alone.
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Dena entered the hall at the arm of her date, walking away instantly and leaving him staring after her bewilderedly. As soon as she'd heard about Oskar's retirement party was going to happen, she'd gotten herself invited to the shindig. It was an opportunity to catch up with Oksana, since she hadn't had the chance to see her since her return to Sanford.
Dena wondered how Oksana had fared since college, and she smirked at the memories of their friendship and subsequent affair. Oksana had been dating someone at the time, but she had been sporting a deep crush on Dena. Dena was aware of Oksana's feelings and decided that seduction was the order of the day.
Back in Sanford, Dena had always been aware of the younger Oksana, but had stayed away from her due to their families' business rivalries. In University, Dena had felt that there was nothing to stop her from doing what she wanted. Oksana was gorgeous, her innocence about certain things making her a source of great temptation for Dena.
The seduction had been pretty easy. Oksana had put up no resistance to her advances, and they fell into bed with abandon. Dena taught the younger woman things about the bedroom that Oksana had never thought existed. Dena had loved sex with Oksana, but she enjoyed breaking her heart even more.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the abrupt blare of a corny classic by Will Smith. She had been only a child when that song had been released, but she remembered thinking it was a stupid song then.
"'Getting jiggy with it!'" An older woman sang, wiggling her shoulders as she passed Dena.
Dena arched an eyebrow and rolled her eyes. Dork! She thought, sighing. She looked around the room with bored eyes. There were plenty of attractive women dotting the room, and she raised her eyebrows with interest. There were plenty of possibilities for her if her meeting with Oksana didn't pan out.
Swiftly, she removed a glass of red wine from a passing waiter's tray, bringing it to her lips for a taste. She puckered her lips appreciatively. Good wine. Whoever chose this wine has good taste. She looked around the room once again, her eyes narrowing dangerously at the sight of a familiar face. Kat Gorky hadn't noticed her ex friend and Dena took advantage of this as she studied her.
Dena was disappointed to see that Kat looked good. She didn't seem depressed or to be pining away for Annie and what could have been if it hadn't been for Dena. She was chatting animatedly with a horribly bug-eyed man, laughing freely and tossing glossy hair over her shoulder. Jesus, he's obscene! What is she doing talking to that monster? She thought disgustedly.
Her upper lip curled as she thought of why she'd returned home. A vindictive femme had torched her home, just after showing up at her job and getting her fired. This capped a long period of harassment by women at being made fools of. Kat was behind it all, of course, and Dena was determined to make her pay.
Dena watched in curiosity as Kat's smile slowly faded, her eyes trailing towards the front doors. Her eyes took on a dreamy quality as her gaze locked on someone who had just arrived. Kat's eyes looked like that only when she was attracted to someone. If Dena was correct, Kat was desperately attracted to whoever she was looking at.
Dena looked in the direction of the doors, her mouth falling open at the sight that met her eyes. My God, she looks good! She watched Oksana shake hands with the people that had flocked to the front to greet the family, smiling and nodding. She felt a wolfish grin transform her pretty face; she brought her glass to her lips and sipped slowly from her wine. If anything, Oksana was even more gorgeous than when they'd been in college.
Dena cut her eyes over to Kat, whose eyes were fixed on Oksana, following her every move. She's mine, bitch! Dena thought. She noticed Oksana's eyes lifted, from time to time, in Kat's direction. Dena's eyes narrowed, and instantly decided to make herself known. Kat could never beat her when it came to Oksana. I'll have her eating at the palm of my hand, just like every other butch. She thought smugly.
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"If your mouth opens up any more, you'll be drooling." Domingo commented, unsuccessfully trying to suppress a grin.
Kat snapped from her staring, cutting her eyes towards her friend. "What are you talking about?" She demanded nervously, lifting her glass of white wine and gulping down a mouthful.
Domingo smirked. "Sure you don't." He said, chuckling. He glanced towards Oksana and her grandparents. They'd finally made their way past their greeters, and Domingo saw his way finally cleared. He grabbed Kat gently by the elbow and began to make his way over to them. "Come on."
"What-" Kat sputtered, taken by surprise. She recovered quickly, and snapped: "Where the hell's your wife anyway? If she were here, you'd probably be able to mind your own business!" She quieted down as soon as they reached the Ivanovs.
Domingo laughed, not bothering with a reply. He deposited Kat in front of a shy looking Oksana, and held out his hand towards the elder Ivanovs, grinning. "Mr. and Mrs. Ivanov, welcome to your party."
Both Oskar and Nadya shook the big man's huge hand, charmed by his demeanor.
"Thank you for organizing this. It looks like everyone's having a good time." Nadya said with a smile, glancing around the room at the crowds. Some people were dancing and others drinking and laughing, involved in conversations. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Kat and Oksana had not spoken one word, but were staring openly at one another. She looked at her husband, whose eyes were on the two women, a knowing smile on his handsome face. She looked at the large man, and realized Mr. Quinonez had the same look. She elbowed Oskar sharply in the gut. You old dog, why didn't you tell me anything?
Oskar jerked, looking inquiringly at his wife, wincing sheepishly when she shot her eyes at the two staring young women.
"So you leave tomorrow?" Domingo inquired; he was completely unaware of Nadya's vexed glare at her husband.
Oskar jumped on the subject. "Yes, we are going on a world tour…"
"Hey," Oksana said shyly, smiling softly at Kat.
"Hi," Kat said, equally shy.
Oksana looked for something to say, clearing her throat. She'd be unable to focus as long as she stared at directly at Kat. She settled her eyes on Kat's ear, finding that her distraction wasn't as acute then. She has beautiful ears. She thought before she could stop herself, wondering if Kat would mind if she nuzzled her lobes. She mentally reined in her attraction, shoving her hands into the pockets of her slacks. "How is everything going?" She finally asked, swallowing nervously.
Kat barely heard the question; she couldn't stop looking at her. Oksana looked good in her dark suit, her red shirt gave her cheeks a ruddy color, and the shine of the blue eyes even more pronounced with her hair so short. Of their own accord, Kat's eyes traveled the length of the blonde woman's body. Oksana was only a couple of inches taller than Kat, her body athletic and strong, the toned shape of her legs obvious through the close fitting slacks. When Kat's eyes finally reached Oksana's, she was thrilled to notice the heat she felt in her body matched the heat in the light blue depths.
Oksana found that she couldn't help but look directly at Kat's face, taken in by her beauty. She felt a shiver travel the length of her spine as Kat's eyes took in all of her body. She felt her heartbeat speed up and licked suddenly dry lips.
Kat swallowed hard, reminding herself that rumors would start up if she didn't get herself together. She opened her mouth to speak.
"Ms. Ivanov!"
Oksana's eyes snapped to the man who'd dared interrupt them. She thought he recognized him, but she couldn't place him. She narrowed her eyes at him. He looked way too smug, and the way he rudely insinuated himself between Kat and her without so much as a glance at the dark haired woman annoyed her.
The man tossed his full dark hair, flicking a lock out of his forehead. He extended his hand to her, his greasy grin growing when she shook his hand. "I'm Marion Brenner, Vice President of the Washington D.C. office." He informed her, hoping to impress her with his title. He faltered at her uninterested look. "I- um, I just wanted to welcome you to the company. Everyone had been wondering who would take over when your grandfather retired, and we're all happy that it is another Ivanov. I had to come up to Sanford and personally meet the new boss."
"Thank you," Oksana said distractedly, watching Kat walk away quickly. Shit. She returned her eyes to the man in front of her. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go mingle." She said with a fake smile. "Next time you find yourself up here, visit at the office." She shook his hand again and walked away, moving in the same direction Kat had taken.
She was stopped once again, this time by the president of the Florida office. For the past couple of months, the young woman had been working closely with Oksana as they dealt with new acquisitions in Florida. She wanted to touch up on the venture, but Oksana interrupted her with a gracious smile, thanking her for the dedication and bidding her to have fun. When she was finally able to get away, Kat was nowhere in sight. She looked around, sighing in disappointment. Fuck!
"Well, now, don't look so sad. It's your party, isn't it?"
Oksana stiffened, recognizing the voice instantly. She spun around quickly, and her eyes widened in shock as her fears were confirmed. All the old emotions pushed up the surface, and Oksana found herself momentarily forgetting about her search for Kat. "Dena…"
Dena grinned seductively, her eyes trailing up and down the shocked woman's body. "Still looking good, Oksana," She said sultrily, biting her bottom lip, reaching out to touch a suddenly red cheek.
CONTINUED…
(NOTE: Remember, this is a first draft, and I'm posting as I go, so if something doesn't jive or it seems a little awkward, bear with me. I'm going back to fix things. Now, if you see something, point it out to me anyway.)
Don't forget to send your comments…