I was probably overstaying my welcome when I offered to whip up a pot of spaghetti, but when Viktor smiled, I figured that small emotion from him was worth it. He was so secretive about his feelings, and especially of his past. I learned a lot about his companies and investments over lunch, but anytime I tried to talk about his brother or his past, he wouldn’t let me in.
I chopped a green pepper in half and then began dicing it into small pieces. I didn’t hear the door open or close, but Viktor cleared his throat from the entryway, announcing his presence.
I spun around. “Hey, how long were you standing back there?”
“Not too long.” He walked into the kitchen. “It smells so good.”
“I hope it tastes good too.”
“I’m sure it does.” He moved to the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. “So, how much do they pay chefs these days?”
I looked up and realized that he was only teasing. There was a sparkle in his eyes, one I hadn’t seen before.
“Last I checked, they make more than me,” I replied.
“We’ve gotta fix that now, don’t we? How much do I owe you, by the way? Payday will be here in a few days.”
“It’s just the first day.”
“I’m counting dinner from yesterday too,” he said.
“But I stayed to eat, so you have to deduct some for that too, right? Let’s not forget the lunch. The sandwich you made was delicious. Do you have fresh garlic?”
“I think so.” He turned around and grabbed a clove from a basket.
I was too busy viewing his ass to notice that the blade of the knife was sitting too close to my fingers. I nipped it on the next chop.
“Ow!” I cried out as the pain pulsed through my finger.
Viktor was at my side in seconds, taking my hand and inspecting my finger. He didn’t seem to mind the blood seeping from the cut. “You nicked your finger pretty good. You’ve gotta be careful.” He handed me a cloth. “Hold this to it. I’m going to get a bandage.”
I nodded.
“Sit down. In the chair. Don’t do anything until I come back,” he said, before leaving the kitchen.
I sat down at the kitchen table.
I heard him rummaging around in the bathroom down the hall and then he came rushing back into the kitchen.
“I’m fine,” I said, when he pulled up a chair and sat right in front of me, pulling my hand into his lap.
“Yes, you’ll be fine, but as small as the cut is you don’t want it to get infected. Plus, you’re not getting me for worker’s comp,” he exclaimed, trying to keep a straight face.
I couldn’t hold back my laughter. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
His big hands were surprisingly warm against mine. I didn’t mind the roughness. In fact, I had never had a man touch me the way he did. I was getting hot and a bit anxious, but it had nothing to do with the itty-bitty cut on my finger that Viktor was doctoring.
“Bleeding’s stopped,” I said. “Looks like you know what you’re doing.”
“I have a lot of practice with Roy and all.”
He let my hand rest on his lap. “Hold it there.” He grabbed a bandage from the box and unwrapped it.
My finger accidentally brushed against his fly and I couldn’t help but lower my gaze to his package. He was huge behind his zipper, something I noticed whenever he was standing in front of me. He had caught me looking several times before, but now, I was actually touching him. The jeans couldn’t hide the fact that he was hard and generous.
He paused for a moment and I knew he felt something to, but he fumbled with the bandage and somehow managed to wrap it around my injured finger.
By the time he was done, I hadn’t moved my hand. I used my thumb to trace the indention of his cock, seriously wondering what it looked like in the flesh.
Viktor lifted his head and his gaze met mine. He seemed aroused but confused. But his manhood wasn’t confused at all. In fact, he seemed to grow harder as I massaged his rock-hard erection with my palm. I was embarrassed and curious at the same time. I couldn’t stop. I needed to feel a man inside me. I didn’t want to wait anymore.
I licked my lips and parted my mouth, letting out a small sigh.
He leaned in until our lips were only inches apart. His body language told me he was hesitant about this, but when he moved back, I leaned forward.
He gave in, taking my lips in his. The moment his mouth met mine, my body caved, loosening some of the tension in my core. His lips were firm, yet gentle. I parted my mouth and accepted his tongue. His arms were wrapped around my midsection pulling me close to him.
This felt like a piece of heaven. I understood now what I was missing. It wasn’t the first time I had kissed a man, but it was the first time I had felt this way while kissing a man.
He pulled away suddenly. “Kristene…”
“Please, don’t stop,” I urged, cupping his cheek.
This time, I leaned in and kissed him. Of course, I’d never taken charge like this before and it felt good…so right…and exotic. I wanted more and more. Fortunately, he allowed me to kiss him, letting me take control more than once. We kissed until I was on cloud 9.
I pulled back when I’d had enough of him. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop.”
My hand was still on his lap, stroking his cock which seemed to want to rip through his jeans. Suddenly, I had dirty thoughts in my head. It was like I had taken the first leap into a new arena and there was no going back. I didn’t want to go back. I wanted…needed more. My fingers danced across his zipper and I licked my lips.
He lifted my hand away. “Don’t,” he warned.
Before I could ask why, he stood up with the biggest hard-on I’d ever seen poking angrily at his fly.
I gasped. “I know you think I’m inexperienced—”
He held up a finger cutting me off. “You don’t understand what you’re asking for. And if you think you know what you’re asking for, you better be sure that’s what you really want. You’ve done enough here. Understand that there is no debt. You don’t owe me anything. You don’t owe this to me. I’m going to go get some money from my office and pay you early and take you home.”
Was he firing me? “But…”
“If you think this is what you want, feel free to come back tomorrow. I can’t control myself around you. Not this way. Not with the way I want you. If you don’t want this, don’t test me again. You know what I’ll do to you.”
He left it at that by giving me a long lingering stare before walking out of the room, leaving me with a pool of desire flooding my insides.
Chapter Twelve
Viktor
The next morning, I couldn’t even think straight. Kristene had constantly been on my mind ever since the day I caught her snooping around in my office unit. I was having thoughts about her that I shouldn’t have been having. Yesterday, when she kissed me back, I had nearly bent her over the table and taken her right there. If we hadn’t parted, I could’ve ruined her for someone else—for the future husband she planned to give her innocent gift.
I finished making dinner while she used the laptop to search for her sister, and when Roy came home, we ate.
Roy was getting attached to Kristene. I could tell. He was used to her being here and us having a new person that wasn’t the hired help over for dinner. And Kristene was good with Roy. She was a natural with kids.
Now I had to explain to Roy that Kristene might not be coming back because I couldn’t stop thinking about taking her to my bed. Well, I wouldn’t say it in those exact words…
Today was going to be hectic.
Roy was off playing at the Bennett’s. The snow was falling like mad, but I was determined to prep for the winter storm.
My cell phone rang. I answered it without checking the caller ID.
“Mr. Kamaz?”
It was Kathy.
“Yes, Kathy, how are you?”
“Great. Look, I got your message. I’m very sorry about t
he inconvenience. I think there was a miscommunication on our end. It seems that my new assistant called all of the women I matched you with while I was out sick and informed them to proceed with setting up meetings with you. There was a mix-up with the paperwork. I’m so sorry.”
“That’s okay. These things happen. I just wanted to reach out to you before you send any more of them out here.”
“What do you mean, Mr. Kamaz? Have you changed your mind?”
I walked over to the kitchen counter where my coffee was brewing. “Yes. I’ve changed my mind.”
“I understand. You don’t need to enter into these arrangements too quickly. Maybe you’ll give it some thought over the next week. The other ladies were really excited about meeting you,” she exclaimed.
“I’m sure they were.”
“Again, I’m so sorry, Mr. Kamaz. My new assistant wasn’t aware of the protocol when dealing with a high-profile client such as yourself. When the ladies saw your profile, they were anxious to meet you. You’re so successful in your businesses. I’m sure you understand.”
“Of course.” I understood just fine. In fact, I didn’t blame the ladies for jumping on my case one bit. In exchange for being a wife-for-hire, I was offering access to a considerable sum of money for the term of the agreement. All they had to do was work for it.
“So, when should I reach out to you. In a month? Two months?”
“No need to reach out again, Kathy. I’ll have my accountant send a check for the services you already performed as well as travel expenses for the woman who came out yesterday.”
After thanking her for her time, I ended the call with Kathy. Grabbing my coffee, I leaned up against the counter and prayed that I’d made the right decision. If anything, meeting Kristene made me realize that maybe there was a fighting chance that I could trust again.
Chapter Thirteen
Kristene
I still couldn’t believe I was doing this, but the taxi cab had already pulled up in front of Viktor’s yard, so it was too late. I was already here.
All last night, I considered what Viktor told me. Or rather, what he warned me about. I barely slept from thinking about it. The truth was, I wasn’t intimidated by anything about Viktor Kamaz—I was attracted to him. There was this pull I couldn’t deny. I felt like I knew so much, but yet so little. From what I learned, he was focused on his future and regretted something about his past. Yet, he had so much going for himself. What could make a man want to forget about his past?
I gave the cab driver a fresh twenty-dollar bill and told him to keep the change. The drive from the motel to Viktor’s house was a short one, but I was done trying to navigate the icy roads considering what happened the other day with the wolf.
I didn’t see any of Viktor’s workers on the property. He’d probably given them the day off. I’d heard that some schools were closed this morning, so I figured Roy was inside with his toys.
I tugged the strap of my bag over my shoulder and climbed the steps to the porch. I hesitated a bit before knocking. Several minutes passed before I heard some commotion in the foyer. Viktor must have looked through the peephole because he opened the door slowly.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hi.” His gaze roamed over me for the longest before his attention shifted to the driveway behind me. “You didn’t walk here, did you?”
I chuckled. “No. Although, I probably would have, but I don’t think I’m fast enough to outrun the wolf I almost ran over the other day.”
He smiled. “You could’ve called.”
“I didn’t want to bother you for a ride, so I took a cab. Can we talk?”
He stepped aside and let me in.
“I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time. I tried to come as close to lunch as possible.”
“You just can’t get enough of my tuna sandwiches now, can you?” he teased.
“I didn’t come for the free food, silly,” I exclaimed.
“Actually, I’m closed for business today. Unless there’s an emergency on the property,” he said.
I looked around. “Where’s Roy? I have a gift for him.” I took a wrapped gift from my bag. I had purchased the toy action figure this morning from the gift shop at the motel.
“I took him to the Bennett’s this morning. The boys wanted to make a snow fort together.”
“Oh, well…I guess you can give this to him when he comes home then.” I walked over to the console table in the foyer and placed the gift down on it.
“Kristene…about yesterday…” Viktor sat on the arm of the chair and ran his palm down his face. “I don’t know where to start.”
“I got a little out of hand. I know we’ve just met, but I…let’s just say that I haven’t been with anyone like that and I was tempted and needy and maybe a little hopeful that I’d learn something from you.” I looked down at my shoe.
I couldn’t believe that I was telling this man about how horny I was. Luckily for me, I was in control of my body and usually my needy spells passed—sometimes by itself and other times, with the use of my handy vibrator. It was a good thing I brought it along with me or I would’ve been tossing and turning all night thinking about Viktor’s thick erection.
At the thought of his erection, my gaze lifted to his fly. Realizing my mistake, I quickly cast my attention in another direction. “So…?”
“You have your whole life ahead of you, Kristene. I’m just some boring old guy living out in the middle of nowhere.”
“You live out in the middle of nowhere, but you’re not just some boring guy. And old? You’re not even forty. You hide your age behind that beard and bulk up like Hulk Hogan and pretend that every young woman in this town wouldn’t leap at the chance of dating you.”
His gaze narrowed. “What do you know about that?”
“About your age? Roy told me.”
“Not about that. About the women?”
I grinned. “Oh, that. Well, a certain clerk at the motel has a mouth that runs like water. She knows all about you and how you turn down every woman who comes on to you.”
“What else did she tell you?”
“She didn’t have to tell me anything else. You said you’re searching for help around the house, well, the help is staring you in the face wherever you go. But what are you afraid of?”
He frowned. “I’m not afraid.”
“Well, what then? What’s stopping you from having what you want? I mean, really having what you want. Not just something to pretend with.”
“Is that what you came to talk to me about?”
I glimpsed a flash of sadness in his eyes. I sighed. “Actually, I wanted you to know that I’m here to help you. I was really enjoying the job you gave me and then you fired me on the first day. I’d like the job back and I promise I won’t come on to you again. Also, I think I may have found out what my sister was doing here. I just had to tell someone.”
He smiled. “That’s good news.”
“It is. I’m going to use the money you gave me to stay here until I get this sorted out. By then, I should be able to find out who her boyfriend was visiting in this town.”
“Sounds like you’ve learned a lot.”
“Just a bit. Again, the motel clerk’s mouth runs like water. I also talked to the clerk at the Sheriff’s office. She couldn’t tell me much, but she promised the investigators were working on my sister’s case.”
“Then you’re not leaving anytime soon,” he exclaimed.
“Maybe next week when my extra money runs out. Until then, I have a proposition for you.”
His expression changed from solemn to confused, and then he laughed out loud. “You? Have a proposition? For me?”
I nodded. “I know you’re so used to being the boss and in control. I’m not trying to take that away from you, but I think if you had some help around the house that you’d be able to go out and date more.”
“Um…”
“So, I used to clean and organize homes with my grams.
That was years ago. It was my first job while I was a senior in high school. She was an interior decorator. She used to go in, deep clean, and make things more functional for the homeowner. These were top-notch clients. We’re talking multi-millionaire dollar households. I remember a thing or two. I can do something like that for you here. It’d probably take a few days, maybe even a week, but I figured if you weren’t so backed up that you’d have more free time to…you know…date someone. Why buy a wife from some agency when you can meet one right here in your own town? All you need is time, right?”
His face reddened and he chuckled. “You’re really cute. You know that, right?”
“Cute? I’m not that innocent. You may be older than me, but eleven years isn’t that much of a stretch. So, do you want me to help you or not? Time’s very limited. Unfortunately, I have to leave here and go home soon.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yes, okay, but I have some conditions to add.”
“What?”
He rose from the chair. “I’ve got breakfast and lunches squared away, but I’d need dinner on the table nightly, mostly for Roy.”
I shrugged. “That’s easy.”
“And your pay requirements?” he asked.
“My motivation wasn’t really the pay, but if you could give me a reference when I need it that would be a plus,” I said. “Who knows, I might even open my own business one day.”
“There’s no deal if I can’t pay you. I don’t make people work for free.”
“In Minneapolis, the pay rate would be double that of what we agreed on for me to answer your phones. Of course, cleaning and organizing and dinner prep are a little more involved than answering a phone.”
“I’ll pay your double, then.”
“It’s a deal.”
“One more condition,” he added.
“Yes?” I asked, warily.
“You live here. Not at the motel,” he stated.
I looked around his house. Anywhere except for his bulging fly and gave a resounding, “Fine.”
Wife for the Lumberjack: A Single Dad Mountain Man Romance Page 7