[mature themes in this chapter]

Irina fluttered her lashes when she awoke, the sunrise breaking through a crack in the curtains, the corner of the window allowing just enough of the golden rays to cast a bronze shadow across half of the room.

She saw her dress crumpled in a pile in the corner, Alfie's trousers and suspenders hanging over the back of an armchair beside a wooden wardrobe. The bed sheets were white and heavy, sounding like fresh snow crunching beneath feet as she turned over.

Pulling her hair over her shoulder, she sleepily locked eyes with Alfie who lay beside her. She wasn't sure how long he'd been awake for, but his blue eyes were heavy and glazed over with last nights slumber, his lips pulled into a gentle smile.

"Morning," he said in a gruff tone, running a single finger down the curve of her bare waist beneath the sheets.

"Good morning," Irina replied, her skin prickling at the sensation.

Although the two of them had drank more alcohol than they should have the previous evening, Irina was glad she woke up being able to remember every single detail of her night with Alfie.

She gazed at him, her hand resting on his rough cheek, his stubble scratching her as she took a few moments to wake up her mind.

Irina bit down on her lip ever so slightly as she began to recall the way Alfie had carried her up the stairs, his shirt unbuttoned and hanging off his shoulders loosely, her hands touching his bare chest.

She remembered everything, from the moment they first kissed down to falling asleep with his arm around her waist, his lips on her neck.

"What are you thinking about?" Alfie asked, pushing the covers down his body so they sat just below his waist.

Irina tried her best to keep her eyes on Alfie's face, though she couldn't help but steal a glance at his toned body and muscular arms, unable to resist anything about him after experiencing what they had shared the night before.

"Nothing," she said quietly, shaking her head.

Alfie's hand settled on her hip, his other taking her face gently, tilting her chin upwards to place a soft, lustful kiss on her lips. He let his lips graze hers ever so slightly, smirking to himself as he heard her whimper needily before he kissed her hard, pulling her body effortlessly against his own as he did so.

Irina ran her fingers through his hair, breathing heavily as she felt his hand trail further down her body, teasing her inner thighs with devilish intent, feeling her body grind against him in desperate want.

He pleasured her intently with his hands, taking great satisfaction in making her moan against his lips.

"Alfie," she whispered between breaths.

He lay her on her back, pushing himself up onto his hands and hovering over her body, his eyes raking every inch of her skin as she lay beneath him.

Alfie was mesmerised by her body, every curve and pull of her olive skin, the freckles that had rained across her chest and the tiger stripes that pulled on her thighs and breasts. She was like no woman he'd ever seen, and as he looked at her for the first time with light in the room instead of pitch darkness, he lost his mind in the best possible way.

"You are so fucking beautiful, Irina."

She looked up at him with fox-like eyes and a pouted lips, making him swallow hard. He watched, tensing as she ran a finger down the centre of his chest before reaching his waistline, teasing him in the same way he had done to her.

"Don't do this to me," he whispered in her ear, kissing her neck, his teeth grazing her tender spot lightly.

"Do what?" She said playfully, making him moan as she touched him.

With a surge of lustfilled anger, he rose to his knees, taking her legs and placing them both over his shoulders before entering her, watching with his jaw clenched as her face fell into a soft o, her lips parted as her eyes rolled back, her lashes fluttering with every stroke.

Alfie wrapped his hand around her neck, squeezing lightly as he looked down at her, the way her nails clawed at his biceps only increasing the pleasure that he felt pulsating through his body.

He finished inside of her, looking into her eyes as their moment of connection peaked, wishing he could feel the way he felt in that second for the rest of his life.

"Fuck," he groaned, falling down beside her and resting a hand on his chest, the other behind his head as he caught his breath.

"We're late for work, both of us."

Irina jumped out of the bed immediately, running her hands through her hair before stretching her arms above her head, reaching up onto her tip toes as she yawned.

Alfie watched with a satisfied smile as she walked across the room, picking up the remnants of her outfit from the night before from the floor.

"Really? Just like that you're up and ready for the day?" He chuckled.

"We have businesses to run, Mr Solomons."

She pulled on her underwear, shaking any dust that had settled on her dress as Alfie pushed himself up and out of bed, his hair messy against his forehead and red scratch marks covered his shoulders.

"Mr Solomons," he mused, "We not on first name terms, no?"

Irina looked up at him with sleek, patronising eyes as she zipped up her dress halfway, pulling her hair into her hands and turning around, waiting for Alfie to help her zip it the rest of the way.

Alfie walked over to her, standing tall behind her petite frame. He touched the exposed skin on her back, dragging his fingers down her spine before tugging on the zip, only to pull it back down.

"Alfie I have a lot of work to do today and-"

"And?" He repeated, spinning her round to face him, his hands gripping her waist firmly.

Irina was incredibly close to folding, the way he looked at her with the feeling of his body giving her everything she'd ever needed still burning clear in her mind making it difficult to even think about denying him what he wanted.

And she would've given it all to him again, had the telephone not rang, interrupting Alfie as he kissed her neck.

"The phone, Alfie."

"Just leave it." He mumbled, still holding her body.

Irina rolled her eyes, not being able to ignore the shrill of the telephone. She pulled away from his grasp and picked up the phone that sat in the corner of the room on a wooden table.

"Solomons residence."

Alfie perched on the edge of the bed, leaning back on his hands as he took another chance to admire Irina's body in the shadow of the morning light, noticing more about her every time he looked.

He eventually returned his gaze to her face, only to furrow his brows when he noticed the flirtatious smile that had been on her lips moments before disappear into thin air.

"Who is it, darling?" He asked, standing up and taking a few steps closer to her.

She held the phone to her ear for a few seconds longer before letting the receiver hang off the edge of the table, pulling her dress back up over her body, pushing past Alfie without saying a word.

Confused, Alfie picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" He cleared his throat, watching Irina gather her lipgloss and house keys from the floor out of the corner of his eye.

"Alfie? Who answered the phone? Who was that woman?"

"Shit."

He slammed down the phone and hastily pulled on his boxers before running down the stairs after Irina who was already putting on her heels by the door.

"Irina, it's not what it looks like, I swear. I haven't seen her in-"

Irina spun round to face Alfie with a cold, steel gaze as she opened the front door, no reminder of the way she had been looking at him just a few minutes earlier.

"Perhaps you are just like Luca Changretta, Mr Solomons."