by Harper West
Her Bratva Billionaires
A MFM Billionaire Mafia Menage Romance (Irresistible Billionaires Book Two)
Harper West
Edited by
C. Thompson
Contents
Dear Reader
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Join The Hotties!
Chapter 1
Also by Harper West
About Harper
Dear Reader
Thanks so much for taking a chance on my word baby! I hope you love them as much as I do! I’m still new to this whole writing thing, but I’m hella excited to see what happens and have you join me on this journey!
I hope you love sexy alpha males, and killer romance, as I’m a huge fan, so that’s what I’m writing about. Oh, and menage. I love me some menage, because it’s all about her, am I right ;)?
Keep an eye out as I’ve got quite a few books I’ve been holding on to, coming out soon so make sure you sign up for my newsletter to stay informed!
xoxo,
Harper
Chapter 1
Michelle
My father’s headquarters, located in downtown Manhattan, was the crown jewel of New York City.
Not only did he run his billion-dollar company from the top half of the Magnum Building, but he also owned the small businesses underneath. It gave his company, Affinity Finance, a steady stream of income regardless of the economy.
I was in a meeting with clients, discussing the final details of a contract. Everything looked good, but my father, Chase Harrington, taught me never to rush through a deal. Make sure you read between the fine lines before signing any document.
“I just have one question,” I said to the two representatives the client sent over. “Here at the bottom, you changed the percentage from what we agreed upon.” I pointed my long, red-nailed index finger to the fine print at the bottom of the page. Both of them leaned forward and squinted their eyes, then acted dumbfounded. “Don’t bullshit me, gentlemen. You're not the first ones to try and screw Affinity Finance out of an investment deal."
Their eyes widened as I stood up and leaned over the long conference table. The one in the blue Armani suit waved his hands in front of his face, a failed attempt at trying to calm me down.
“Oh no, Michelle, that’s not what we’re trying to do here.” The top half of my body lowered closer to the table, and I was fully aware that my cleavage was suddenly on display.
“First of all, it’s Ms. Harrington, not Michelle. I was in on the initial conference call with you guys, and not once did you call my father by his first name. So if you can call him Mr. Harrington, then you better show the same damn respect to me.” The other man, who was wearing a grey Gucci suit, cleared his throat and adjusted his tie.
“Ms. Harrington, I sincerely apologize. We don’t mean any disrespect, and if you allow us some more time, let us bring this contract back to our boss, and we’ll get it corrected.” I glared at them through my long, black eyelashes while tapping my acrylic nails on the table.
“I certainly hope that in the twenty-first century, you show other women more respect than you have shown me today. My father put me in charge of this project because he knew that I could get it done and let me be completely transparent, gentlemen: this is a terrific deal for you. The last thing you want to do is upset my father or me.”
“Of course,” the first representative said. “Ms. Harrington, we truly were unaware that our boss had made that change without informing us. May we have the afternoon to discuss it with him and then reschedule this meeting?” I sat back down and pulled up the calendar on my iPhone.
“We’ll reconvene the same time, same day next week.” I slammed my binder shut, making it clear the meeting was over. Both men nodded, stood up, and then left the conference room.
Not once did I smile, though.
As a woman in the financial business, I learned the hard way never to show my softer side. If you wanted to play with the boys, then you had to act like one. I also had quite a reputation for never caving in on a deal, which is something that I learned from my ruthless father.
He had brought several grown-ass men to tears while discussing business deals.
I leaned back in my chair and stared out the windows, wondering what my mother would have thought about me at that moment. She had died when I was thirteen years old, and growing up with my father was challenging, to say the least. He was never good at being soft and understanding. Whereas my mother, on the other hand, had been my support system in all aspects of my life.
Up until the day she died, she was a barrier to my father’s harsh words. It didn’t take much to set him off. It could be something as simple as getting an A instead of an A+ on schoolwork, or not learning how to ride a bike fast enough. He only cared about his image, including what the world thought about his family.
My father texted me within minutes of the two representatives leaving the office. Knowing him, I’m sure he watched them exit the building before calling me into his office. He had always been a bit of a control freak, ever since I had started interning at his office back in high school. Even though he never came right out and said it, I knew that he had some employees follow me around and report back to him.
I checked my hair and makeup before heading to the top floor. My mother was the one who instilled in me the importance of always putting your best face forward. As I reapplied my red lipstick, I pushed a few strands of blonde hair out of my face and touched up my blush. My father didn’t know much about makeup, but he always checked to make sure that it was on my face. Which was pretty ironic, seeing as how his toupee didn’t even fit on his head.
He consistently said, “Men like to look at pretty women, and that’ll help you close the deal, Michelle.”
Yet whenever I pointed out the irony of men being able to close the same deals while looking like Mr. Potato Head, he’d simply shrug his shoulders. “That’s how the world works.”
“Hi Daddy,” I said while standing across from his desk.
He looked every bit the part of a wealthy businessman, with his small hands rested firmly on his big stomach. “How did the deal go?”
I bought myself some time by pulling out the notes, knowing that my father wouldn’t respond well to what had happened.
“I’m hoping for a good job,” I said while staring at the paperwork in front of me. “Unfortunately, the buyer changed some verbiage at the bottom, which would have given him a bigger percentage back. The representatives acted aloof, of course, claiming they didn’t know about the change.”
My father’s face turned a deep shade of red, and I prepared myself for what was coming.
“And why didn’t you know about that before the meeting?” I saw his fists clench as beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
“I didn’t receive the contract until a few minutes beforehand,” I said, which was the truth.
My father stood up and looked out the window, then let out a huge sigh as he dug his hands into his pockets. “You should have had that contract days before this. It could have saved our company valuable time and money.” He turned around and glared at me. “When’s the next meeting?”
I swallowed the lump t
hat was forming in my throat. “Same time and day, next week.”
He nodded and sat down in his oversized chair. “Sit down, Michelle.”
I nodded and took a seat, thankful that his chastising was over.
“The expansion in Russia is a go, and I’m handing over the reins to you.”
Even though my father was against smiling in a place of business, I couldn’t help but grin. The Russian project was massive, and I wasn’t expecting to actually get it.
“Thank you,” I said.
My father leaned back in his chair and stared at me, almost like a Mafia boss. “I want to see how you handle it and how you do on your own.”
“You have no idea how excited I am to have this project, Daddy. I mean, we’ve been waiting on the Russia deal for so long now, and I know how much you want it to go through. I promise that everything will get done, and I won’t—”
He put his hands up, then turned around to face his computer. “Just don’t fuck this up and disappointment me, Michelle.”
“Of course not,” I said in a much quieter tone.
“Onto bigger and better things now.”
I watched him pull up a dating website exclusively for wealthy people, called Capitalist Courting.
“Why are you on that?”
My father hadn’t been in a serious relationship since my mother passed away, and to be honest, I don’t even think he wanted to be married to her. He only did it because that’s what his family expected of him.
“You need to find a husband in the industry,” he said while scrolling through pictures of guys on the screen.
My mouth fell open as I let out an audible gasp.
No way.
Absolutely no fucking way.
It took everything in me to keep my tone level. “With all due respect, Daddy, I’m not interested in getting married.”
He shrugged his shoulders while continuing to look at profiles of men.
“I never said it was for your interests,” he replied, causing me to tilt my head as he turned to face me. “Our empire needs more behind it than what we currently have, Michelle. Finding you a husband is a perfect solution.”
“Are you seriously viewing marriage as some sort of business deal?”
He nodded and went back to looking at profiles. “Every contract, be it in your personal or work life, should be treated as a business deal. Even though I eventually loved your mother very much, I chose her because she brought elegance and class to the company. When buyers saw me with her around my arms, it gave them a sense of confidence.”
I folded my hands in my lap, doing my best to keep it professional but still dripping with sarcasm. “So, how would a husband benefit the company?”
“Even though you’re one hell of a businesswoman,” he said, “the cold, hard truth is that you need a man if you plan on running this company one day.” He turned around and saw my icy stare. “Look, I knew you wouldn’t be that enthusiastic about it, so let’s put it on the back burner for now. I’ll give you some options once we finish the Russian project.”
There was no way in hell that I would ever be part of an arranged marriage, especially to some asshole who signed up for a dating site strictly for the elite. Marriage was the last thing on my mind, anyway. All I needed in life was money and sex.
“Can we discuss a personal project?”
Now it was he who folded his hands across his lap, giving me the go-ahead to speak.
“I’d like to have my own real estate company, but not just any real estate. I want to focus on private investments.”
My father tapped his finger on his chin, which drove me insane.
“It’s certainly something to think about,” he finally replied. “But not just yet, Michelle. That’s an even bigger reason to marry someone in the industry. How is a single woman going to sell expensive real estate to wealthy families?”
“The same way single men do?”
“Unfortunately, it’s not the same, Michelle. No matter how much you wish it were.”
I bit my tongue and smiled. It was all I could do at that moment. “As you said, we’ll discuss that after the Russian project. I have a lot on my plate with this company, anyway. I just wanted to lay it out there for you.”
“A husband can bring you to social events where you can meet with prospective buyers,” my father said. “A single woman, at your age, is unfortunately considered to either be physically or mentally deficient.”
“You’ve got to be joking.”
My father nodded and rubbed the non-existent stubble on his neck, “On the contrary, Michelle, I’m very serious. When you attend society events with your husband, people will be more inclined to listen. Without him, they’ll be more interested in what your mouth can do versus what it can say.”
Yup. He actually went there.
I’d considered my father antiquated at times, but this was just beyond, even for him. As much as I wanted to scream at him for being a caveman, I knew better. Getting emotional would only confirm he was right.
“With all of the connections that I’ve made in the business industry, simply working as myself for this company, I don’t think that’d be necessary.”
He glared at me, signaling that he was growing tired of my arguing. So I took a deep breath and decided to let it go.
“As long as you do everything by the book with this Russian project,” he said, “then I’ll help you get set up with your own real estate company. We’ll discuss getting you married soon. You have your mother’s independence, that’s for damn sure.”
It was no secret in our family, at least, that he hated her being a bit bullheaded. He said that it hurt his ego by making him appear to be less of a man. I always thought it was a double standard, but held my opinion to myself.
I nodded and left his office without saying anything else, knowing damn well that I would never marry some asshole who was only after money or connections. Try as he might, I was one woman with no intention of ever settling down. My calling in life was to make money and live a life of luxury, not say ‘I do’ to some guy with deep pockets.
My pockets were deep enough.
Chapter 2
Hugo
It was just me and my father, Alexander Stepanov, in his office at Erect-it Corporation. We specialized in real estate and construction, and my grandfather had founded the company. To say that we were financially successful would be a gross understatement, but our income didn’t just come from our legal businesses.
The Stepanov Family was one of the most prominent Russian mafia families in the world. We had business dealings with all different lines of work, from small hair salons to large department stores. Even when our legal business dealings had slight cash-flow problems, the illegal ones more than took care of our losses. Plus, our father had close government ties, which meant that we flew well below the radar.
My father went over to his wet bar and poured himself some vodka. He was a tall, burly man with a receding hairline that he tried to hide with a combover. From behind, he looked intimidating, but he always had a smile on his face. Even though people had a reason to fear him—he had fifteen people killed via hitmen—he knew the key to having a productive workforce was high morale.
“I’m so proud of you, Hugo. You and the guys have been taking good care of me. Things have never been better with our businesses, and the money speaks for itself.” He pulled two stacks of cash from his desk and put it in front of me.
“What about Nico?”
Nicolai was my brother, and we always worked together. There was no way that I could accept a bonus without him getting paid, too.
“As soon as he wakes up and gets in here,” he said, “I’ll give him some money. This money is in addition to your regular paycheck, of course. It’s my way of saying ‘thank you’ for everything you’ve been doing.”
“That means a lot to me, Father. Just knowing that you’re proud of the job we’re doing makes it worthwhile.”
“N
ow, don’t get me wrong son, we will always have our loose ends. For example, a few storefronts are behind on their rent. I don’t want you to worry about that, however. I’ll have a few of the guys shake the bosses up.”
I wiped a bead of sweat from my forehead, hoping that he didn’t plan on having them executed. Nico and I never asked about the killings, though. The less you knew in the Bratva, the better off you were.
“Understood.”
“Especially your brother,” he continued. “By the way, how’s he doing, son?"
“Nico seems to be coming around, although he’s still following my lead for the most part. I can tell that he wants to take on more responsibility, but of course, that means less partying, and you know him.”
My younger brother wasn’t quite as business-oriented as our family would have liked him to be. He was a grown man who still wanted to party like he did in college, which meant that he occasionally missed essential business meetings. If he hadn’t been his son, our father would have fired him by now.
“Yes, well, I’m just happy that he hasn’t landed our family in any gossip blogs.”
Unlike myself, Nico had a roaming eye when it came to the ladies, and it sometimes got him into trouble. He once spent an entire weekend with a Russian escort only to wake up on Monday to find she had taken his wallet.
“He hasn’t been in a bad predicament in a long time now,” I said. “If we can just get him to bed at a reasonable hour, then everything else should fall in place.”
My father laughed and nodded his head. “He reminds me of how I was at his age. Always partying and chasing women. It gets old after a while, though, son. Chasing women stops giving you that adrenaline rush, and when that happens, you pour that energy into business.” He held up his vodka and swallowed the rest of it, then slammed the empty glass on the desk.