Chapter 1
Dateline: Moscow
The Russian billionaire, Aleksandr Kasianenko, admired his supermodel girlfriend as she stepped, unabashedly naked, out of the indoor swimming pool in his luxurious Moscow mansion. Her name was Bianca, and she was known across the world.
God, she is a beautiful creature, Aleksandr thought, beautiful and sleekly feline. She moves like a panther — and in bed she is a wild tiger. I am a very fortunate man.
Bianca was of mixed race — her mother was Cuban, her father black. There was no doubt that Bianca had inherited the best of both her parents' looks.
She'd been raised in New York, discovered at seventeen, and now at age twenty-nine was the most sought-after supermodel on the planet. Tall, lean and agile, with coffee-coloured skin, fine features, full natural lips, piercing green eyes and waist-length glossy black hair, Bianca captivated both men and women. Men found her irresistibly sexy, while women admired her sense of style and raunchy humour — which she exhibited every time she appeared on the latenight talk shows.
Bianca knew how to handle herself in front of the cameras, and she certainly knew how to plug her brand. Over the years she'd created a mini-empire that included a fine jewelry line, exotic sunglasses, a stunning makeup collection for women of colour, and several bestselling scents.
Bianca had mastered the art of the sell, making a fortune doing so. Then at the age of twenty-nine she'd finally decided that rather than be a one-man-band who worked hard for her money, she was looking for a powerful man who would take care of her and parlay the money she'd earned into super-rich status.
Aleksandr Kasianenko was just such a man, for Aleksandr was not only a super-rich businessman, he was also tough and rugged with a steely reserve.
Bianca was sick of the long list of pretty boys she'd dated over the years. Movie stars, a clutch of rock stars, a half-dozen sports heroes and a politician or two. None of them had really satisfied her — in bed or out. She'd always been the dominant force in whatever relationship she'd been trapped in. The movie stars were all insecure and fixated on their public image. Rock stars were mostly into drugs and getting fucked-up, not to mention totally vain. The sports stars were publicity-crazy and never faithful. And as for the politicians — sexually incorrect. All horn and no blow.
Then, at exactly the right time, she'd met Aleksandr. And she'd fallen for his silent strength.
Only one problem.
He was married.