The Silver Fox and the Red-Hot Dove Read Online Free

grandmother. When she was little, Elena had even called him
babushka
, to his chagrin. Ordinarily she would have patted his arm in sympathy, but she was in a daze over the amazing Mr. Audubon.
    His card lay smoothly against the top of her left breast, as if his fingers still coaxed her with their secretive, rebellious, and probably deceptive touch. Who was he, really?
What
was he? The Americans had spies and agents everywhere, according to Sergei. And Kriloff had warned her repeatedly not to trust anyone they met in the United States. Because she’d been sheltered from outside news and information all of her life, she could only believe what she was told.
    She clenched her fists and wanted to scream from a lifetime of frustration. It was maddening to be kept so ignorant and helpless. Even a hostile American world was better than a future without even a taste of freedom. Back at home, Kriloff’s newest research project was waiting for her. She’d rather die than return to
that
. The two-month American lecture tour was almost over, and her chances of escape were dwindling. All of the groveling she’d done to win her place on this trip would be for nothing!
    Elena looked around the hallway desperately. With Sergei beside her every minute of the day and another bodyguard by her door every night, she had no opportunities. She’d been such a fool to jeopardize everything by dancing with the American!
    “Why did you do it?” Sergei asked, as he lumbered ahead of her and punched the elevator button. “Why did you let that smug American cause trouble for you?”
    Elena stared hollow-eyed at her humiliating gray image in the mirrorlike surface of the elevator doors. I
couldn’t help myself. He was wonderful
. “I’m a grown woman who has never been asked to dance before.” She raised knotted fists and begged, “Sergei,why should I live like this? No one should live this way. I want to be treated like an adult. Like an ordinary woman.”
    “You had Pavel. He didn’t treat you like a child.”
    The shame and fury that rose inside her made poor Sergei look guilty and nervously stroke his thinning gray hair. He’d made a mistake by bringing up the most painful reminder of Kriloff’s manipulation. In a low, trembling voice Elena said, “Mr. Audubon wasn’t
hired
to service my romantic needs. He offered of his own accord. Forgive me, but I was overwhelmed by the novelty of it.”
    “Oh, Laney-kitten, I’m sorry to see you so unhappy. I understand, really. But we must do our duty—”
    “I’ve been dutiful all my life!” She looked around again, then grasped his hands. “Please, Sergei, help me live a real life, like everyone else.”
    The elevator arrived and the door began to open. Sergei put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her awkwardly. “To your room now, Laney-kitten. No more rebellious talk.”
    She stared into the elevator’s shining hull. It was a casket. If she went inside, she’d be burying herself and her dreams.
Call Mr. Audubon tomorrow
. No. He must be a trickster. American men were self-serving playboys, weren’t they? She couldn’t trust him any more than she’d trusted her childhood faith in fairy tales.
    “What’s wrong, Laney-kitten?” Sergei tugged on her elbow. “Come along. Into the elevator with you.”
    Oh, she was going crazy, caught in T. S. Audubon’s spell. She’d seen a silver fox outside her window at the institute one night more than twenty-five years ago. The stories she’d dreamed up about him rescuing her had only been a child’s way to battle grief and loneliness. Why did they pull at her memory now?
Because he’s finally come back to help you
.
    “Elena!” Sergei was angry and worried now. He pushed her forward gently, but with a firm grip. Shedug her heels into the hallway’s Turkish carpet. All was lost, but she had to fight. Even futile rebellion was better than meek captivity. “Elena, I’ll have to report this!”
    His next sentence was drowned out