Continued from here.

Maranya alighted from her carriage outside the building that housed Ko' Holding in Rhydin's town square. Her hazel eyes widened in awe at the sight before them.

So this is where Lyev moya rules. Impressive and powerful. Like him.

She shrugged off her emerald green wool longcoat and draped it over one arm to reveal her black velvet above the knee length skirt topped by a black and white print silk jacket, trimmed with black velvet around the shawl collar, three quarter length sleeves' cuffs, and down the front. The jacket was closely molded to her generous curves and cinched in at her slender waist by a black patent leather belt. A pair of emerald earrings set in platinum, a cherished Christmas present, dangled from her ears, while a trio of emeralds in a platinum pendant rested at sternum level. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Her black snakeskin pumps then clicked on the marble flooring as she strode inside the building with her head held high.

With model poise, Maranya stood before the reception desk, and delicately cleared her throat to gain the receptionist's attention.

"I am Maranya Tatiana Valkonan, and I am here to see Mister Wood and Mister Ergin. Please inform them of my presence," she declared coolly.

While she waited, she noted the stares and approving looks sent her way by some of the male employees as they passed by Reception on the way to their duties. Her sultry smile curved her lips as she nodded her expertly coiffed dark blond haired head in return for the unspoken compliments they paid her.

Maranya pleasantly smiled to the thoughtful receptionist. "Excellent. A latte and Danish would be lovely, spasibo. Raspberry if you have it, cheese if not."

She strongly resisted the urge to twirl in place while she waited. It would not do, after all, for the lover of the owner of such a grand corporation to act like a giddy schoolgirl. At least not while she was in full, public view of his employees, anyway.

Even if that is exactly how Lyev moya makes me feel inside, whenever he looks into my eyes.

The Chief of Staff of Riverview Clinic schooled her features back into coolly dignified lines when the receptionist returned with the refreshments. "Spasibo. How long have you worked for Mister Ergin?" Pleasant enough small talk to occupy her time until one or both of the corporate men arrived to greet her.

Ring. Ring.

Theodore sighed as the phone went off for what felt like the umpteenth time that morning. He glanced at the phone, seeing it was from the receptionist, and hit speaker phone. "Yes, Miss Lima?"

"Excuse me, sir, but Miss Maranya Tatiana Valkonan is here to see you."

"Ah, I knew this day was coming. I will be out shortly." He heard Juliana hang up and then he rose slowly from his oversized leather chair. He stretched lazily, bones cracking as he extended his limbs to their fullest extent.

A second was taken to check his tie in the mirror, straightening it from behind the sweatervest. Satisfied that he looked decent enough, he opened the door and slid out into the hallway, making way for the front office.

Maranya took the pastry and mug with a pleasant smile. "Spasibo." She alternated nibbles on the Danish with sips of the latte, and enjoyed the contrast between the cool, flaky buttery pastry and its tartly sweet fruit topping with the hot, strong, darkly rich brew accented by its foamy milk topping on her taste buds. While she let her refreshments digest, she listened to the receptionist's answers, and digested them as well.

"Please, call me Maranya." She dabbed at her lips with one of the napkins, and set the now empty mug down on the reception desk. The used napkins appeared to disappear by sleight of hand, instead of the much simpler, for her, anyway, explanation of simple Matter transmutation. The paper was turned into superfine dust, which drifted harmlessly away on the prevailing air currents. "I see. I have known Mister Ergin for almost a year, as well. Mister Wood, not as long, a few months, or so."

Having watched the woman at work while she waited, Maranya nodded. "You certainly look as if you enjoy working here."

Theodore chuckled, throwing his arm around Alper's shoulder in a friendly, manly gesture. "Indeed we do. And on the way to meet your pretty bird, to boot! I guess she wasn't lying when she said she'd drop in on us sometime."

He nods his head to all of the curious heads poking out of their offices to peer down the hallway as if they could catch sight of the beautiful, mysterious woman at the receptionist's desk.

"See? Droolers already!"

Maranya nodded, satisfied with the answer from the pretty receptionist. "I am the same way, with those who work with and for me at Riverview...."

Her words trailed off at the sound of a particularly enchanting baritone voice as it caressed her emerald adorned ears. The words spoken brought a flush to her face and a tingle to the pit of her stomach. She smoothly pivoted on her black snakeskin pump heels to face the source of that voice.

The sultry smile that she had employed earlier to tease the male employees now held warmth to it that was also reflected in the adoration that shone in her hazel eyed gaze. A look that was reserved at that instant in time for only one man. The man she loved.

"Da, I am looking for you, Alper," she purred as she strode confidently with a seductive sway of her black velvet skirt clad hips toward the tall Financier and his Vice President. "I was told by Fyodor there that you were being mercilessly teased about my lack of existence."

Maranya paused before Alper, and regarded him with a truly mischievous expression. "So, I am here to put that teasing to rest, once and for all."

She stood on tiptoe, gently cradled the sides of his scruffy bearded face between her palms, and pressed her lips to his in a warm, tender kiss.

Theodore shrugged innocently at Maranya's accusation. "Just the word on the grapevine, you know. I think Alper scared everyone away from even catching the spicy scene that you two are about to stir up."

He winked over at Juliana, gesturing for her to watch. It was going to be interesting at the least.

And indeed it was. There was a roll of honey heavenwards. Leave it to Alper to give a show. He mumbled something uner his breath that sounded a lot like 'show-offs'.

The press of Maranya's lips against her love's in that breath stealer of a kiss was tender at first. Then, as Alper dipped her in that swoon worthy position, her kiss deepened a bit, just enough to let him know how much fire he was playing with in a public setting.

Her head swam with the delightfully dizzy sensations, and she reluctantly broke the kiss to catch her breath.

"Ti nuzhna mne, Lyev moya," Maranya huskily whispered through slightly swollen lips. "Ti nuzhna mne? nu." A rosy flush flooded her cheeks once again as she admitted in her birth tongue her need, right then and there, for the handsome, scruffily bearded Financier that held her in his strong arms.

A soft gasp escaped from between her kiss swollen lips when he swept her off her feet and into his strong arms. The flush in her cheeks deepened with the words that caressed her ears in his low, seductive, commandingly masculine tone of voice. A fluttering tingle started up in the pit of her stomach again. Then it spread upward through her chest, and down through her limbs.

"Da, we should," she huskily whispered in response at first. Next, she raised her voice a bit, and let that sultry, seductive tone continue to color the words that were pitched and chosen precisely for their eager audience to overhear, "We do have a great deal of....business to discuss indeed, Alper? privately."

Maranya then turned her reddened face toward Alper's white pinstriped black suit jacketed chest in order to hide it, the devilish light in her hazel eyed gaze, and the wicked smile that played upon her kiss swollen lips from the casual observer while he carried her down the hallway that led to his private office.

Score! He was up 25 silver....Though that was insignificant. He only smirked at Juliana, shrugging innocently at her rude gesture. Since he was the older one, he stuck his tongue out at her. He saluted Alper and the Doctor, nodding understandingly.

"Oh, of course. I completely understand. Don't have too much fun." How he kept a straight face was a mystery, but marble cracked a wry smile as he watched them move down the hallway.

Moving back to the receptionist's desk, he grinned wolfishly. "You owe me, missy."

Cursory regard was given to the paperwork and other items on the polished wooden surface that she was set upon. Her hazel eyed gaze downright shone with the wicked thoughts that bubbled up like dark, sinfully rich chocolate fondue in her mind about both what she wished to do to the handsome Financier and what she wanted him to do to her. Repeatedly.

In between each press of their lips, she let her words tumble and fall like ripe, plump, succulent strawberries that ached to be dipped into that molten sauce, "But you? could be? djinn" and I" your houri" that you have formed" from wicked thoughts" desires" in this land" it is" possible?."

Maranya's ringed and bare hands reached up to let her fingers tangle gently but fiercely in Alper's dark mane, and drew him down into a fiery, knee buckler of a kiss.

Breathing was the furthest thing from Maranya's mind as her wanton desires began to thoroughly overwhelm any semblance whatsoever of rational thought. She melted against Alper in the kiss. Soft purrs were trapped within their hungry lips while his fingers tangled and made a thorough wreck out of her smoothly coiffed dark blond locks. Not that she minded. On the contrary, it only intensified her kiss.

Paperwork tumbled to the floor when she drew him even closer. The criminal need for oxygen had her thoroughly swollen lips finally part from his to greedily draw in air with panting breaths which dangerously strained the onyx buttons that currently held her black and white print silk jacket closed. Wickedly passionate thoughts lit her hazels from within when she tipped her gaze upward to regard the tousled dark haired and leaf green eyed dn'avol of a man who hovered like the lyev he was, over his quite helpless prey.

"Ty zavladevayesh' myenya? nu," she huskily whispered.