by Harper West
The sex was the best that I’d ever had. The way that Hugo and Nico fucked and made love to me, both in different ways, was more than a woman could ever ask for. Their personalities, though, were really what I craved again. The way that we could all spend time together, laughing and talking as though we were a family. Because during our short time together, we had become a family.
Michael was only concerned about money and porn, so I already knew that we wouldn’t get along. Hugo and Nico, on the other hand, complemented me so well. And I couldn’t see myself being with one and not the other, which is weird seeing as how I’d never been in that kind of situation before. The thought of being with only one guy, when I could have two, was such a turn-off. All I wanted was to be in their arms, both of them, as we all fell asleep together.
I met Elaina for lunch at a local pizzeria, even though all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and hide.
“How did everything go with the guy?” I slowly chewed my pizza and rolled my eyes.
“I’m positive he’s a virgin,” I said, causing Elaina to laugh. “Even though he’s just a few years older than me. He spent the entire meeting discussing his business plans for the company once he takes over. Not once did Michael ask me a question. In fact, he repeatedly interrupted me whenever I tried to say something.”
“That’s not how Nico and Hugo treated you, though.”
“No,” I said while shaking my head, “it wasn’t. They actually asked me questions, paid attention to what I like and don’t like, knew the kind of clothes I’m into, and god the sex was amazing. The thought of fucking Michael makes me sick to my stomach.”
“So don’t have sex with him,” she said. “If he’s going into this thinking it’s a business arrangement, then why spread your legs? Have some fun on the side. I’m sure he will, too. Just be discreet about it, though. You know, since you’re a Harrington and all.”
“Yeah, maybe Elaina. I just can’t get the guys out of my head.”
“Didn’t your dad say that he’d fund your real estate company if you married this jerk, though?”
“Yup, so this shit better pay off in the end. Maybe I’ll divorce his ass as soon as my dad gives me the money, then run off and live with Nico and Hugo.”
I knew that if I never saw them again, I’d never get rid of the aching in my heart.
Chapter 18
Nico
Hugo and I were waiting to speak with our father in his office, back at Erect-it Corporation. Hugo had come up with a plan, and now all we needed was our father’s approval. We never did anything major without running it by him first, and this was no different. You never wanted to upset Alexander Stepanov, especially if you were next in line to be head of the family.
“Are you sure this is going to work, Hugo?”
Hugo ran his hands through his hair. It wasn’t like him to be hesitant about any decision, but for a moment, he seemed to be. Just like all of our previous business transactions, except for the one with Michelle, he had been the one in control. The same was the case at that moment. It was his plan, and if it didn’t work, then I don’t know how I’d survive.
“Listen to me, Nico. In business, you always have a back-up plan. But with your personal life, sometimes you just have to tell yourself that it has to work. You can’t sit and wonder ‘what if,’ because doing so will only create doubt. Would you go into a major business meeting with even an inkling of self-doubt, Nico? Or would you walk in there with your head held high?”
“The latter, Hugo. You know that. I’d rather give up everything than ever let our father down.”
“Then tell yourself right now that it will work, because it has to work, okay? There’s no ‘what if’ with this plan, Nico.”
Hearing my brother sound so confident reassured me that we were making the right move, even though deep down, I had my doubts. Every plan had the potential to fail, including ours. We were putting everything on the line, and all for Michelle.
“Look, you and I both love Michelle. And I’ll be brutally honest, Nico: I’m in love with her. There’s no way in hell that I can let her be stolen away. And that’s exactly what’s happening right now, Nico. She’s being stolen away from us. Who the fuck has an arranged marriage? No, Nico. We are too invested with Michelle to just stand by and let this happen. Do you want to see her marry this asshole?”
“Oh fuck no,” I said, suddenly feeling just as confident as he did. “I read about him online this morning. The guy has never been seen with any woman in public, which tells me that he’s probably addicted to porn. I mean, I can see where she’d find him attractive, but I watched a few videos of him on YouTube and immediately wanted to fall asleep.”
Hugo nodded. “So did I. Michael Anderson is a fucking tool bag, and Michelle doesn’t deserve that kind of a dick in her life. On the flip side, at least Michelle knows that he’s only after her money. It’s like with us, Nico. The women that we’ve dated have probably only wanted our money, but with Michelle, that’s not even a concern because she has money.”
“But only because of her father,” I reminded him.
“Focus on the plan, Nico. I’m talking about our future together. All three of us are in the same lines of work, make about the same amount of money, and therefore aren’t really after anything else besides a relationship. Now listen to me. No matter what happens, we will not back out, all right?”
I nodded at him. “I understand, Hugo.”
“A Stepanov never surrenders, Nico. Not in business, and not with personal matters.”
I thought more about what he was saying. The Stepanov family was known for always going after what they wanted, both behind closed doors and in the real world. It was already all over the internet that we had been in a relationship with Michelle, so there was no use hiding it. Our father was supportive of the idea, too. He said that it was progressive, and as long as we were happy, and it didn’t get in the way of business, then he was happy for us.
As we sat there waiting for our father to finish up his conference call, I thought more about our family. Michelle was the missing puzzle piece to our family, and we didn’t even know that we were missing a piece.
“We need her, Hugo.”
“Yes, we do. The Stepanov Russian mafia family needs Michelle. Our is the biggest in the world, Nico! We’re not going to roll over for some pathetic, piece of shit, American liar businessman. He’s not even a member of any mafia in the United States!”
“That’s right,” I said, forming fists with my hands. “Who the fuck does he think he is?”
Chapter 19
Hugo
Approximately two hours later, Nico and I were on a private jet heading towards the United States. I knew that our father would give us his approval, but it was still a bit nerve-wracking. Anytime we asked him for a favor, there was always the chance that he’d not only say ‘no’ but get upset.
That was part of his personality, and we had been on the receiving end of it a few times. We had also heard about the people he had killed, which luckily was never a family member, but still showed my father’s vindictive side. He believed that our family deserved more respect than any other ones in Russia, and Nico and I vowed to carry on his legacy. Now, all we needed was Michelle to join us.
Nico fell asleep almost instantly in his reclining chair. He had always been the more tired one between the two of us, though. I was surprised when he’d woken up early that first night we all slept together, but then again, he was probably excited to see Michelle next to him in bed. He was a good kid and deserved to be with her, too.
I started to think about Michelle. From the moment I laid eyes on her, I sensed that she was the one. The way she walked about and demanded the attention of everyone in a room turned me on, and I never thought that I’d be fine with sharing her with another man, let alone my own brother. But I saw how happy it made her, and I understood how different Nico and I were from each other.
By having both of us, she had formed the
perfect man. Or so I had hoped, at least. That’s the way she acted when we were all together. I was the one to show her the cultural side of Russia, while Nico was the one who showed her a good time. They’d often play video games while I was cooking, or take a bubble bath while I washed her hair. Overall, life was so much better with Michelle in it.
From the start of the project and up until that moment, nothing had gone the way I expected it to go. Nico and I assumed that Chase would send a man, but he sent a woman. When Nico told me how infatuated he was with her, I just had to see it for myself. And when I did, I was in love. Plus, I had never felt so close to my brother before. That was actually my favorite part.
It was hard when both of us moved out of our parent’s house. We discussed getting our own place together, but our father encouraged us to be on our own and find our way in the world. It hit Nico harder than it hit me, though. He was constantly calling me with basic home maintenance questions. Now that Michelle brought us together, it was like we could live together again.
I wanted all three of us to be together, and to become a family regardless of what it took to make that happen. I wanted us to live in a home together, maybe a penthouse or condo in Russia, share a large bed together, and just live our lives. Seeing Michelle walk down to us in the kitchen that morning had changed my views on everything. I knew that I needed her in my life regardless of what happened with the business deal.
Society would probably judge us for being in that kind of relationship, but if a wealthy businessman could literally buy a woman just to acquire a company, then why couldn’t Nico and I be with Michelle at the same time? Plus, in Russia, people knew not to mess with the Stepanov family. We’d be known as trendsetters, not some weird guys who shared a woman.
My heart pounded faster as we flew on the plane. Even though I’d done my best to convince Nico that our plan would work, deep down in my stomach, I was still a bit nervous. I just never let that side of me show that much. I had to be the stronger brother between the two of us, just as my father had raised me to be. The truth was, however, that my world would be crushed if the plan failed. I knew without a doubt that I would put a steel cage around my heart and vow to never date another woman.
Michelle was my soulmate, and we belonged together. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became at Chase Harrington. He was such an asshole, viewing his daughter like some fucking commodity. He deserved to have his business go belly up and to lose everything, and if it did, then I’d raise a glass to it. Any man who treated a woman that way was a piece of shit.
Michael Anderson seemed like a douchebag, too.
The thought of him touching Michelle made me sick to my stomach. Not because I was jealous, but because I knew that she’d hate it. I pictured her lying there in bed, letting him have sex with her simply because she signed some form and became his wife. She probably wouldn’t even fake an orgasm, either. If what I’d heard was true, then Michelle was vehemently against this marriage.
We assumed she left Russia without saying anything to us because it’d be too hard, and that part we understood. I don’t think that I could ever say goodbye to Michelle, so it’s best that she hadn’t done so. I probably would have called Chase right away and ripped him a new asshole, but thankfully Nico had already taken care of that part.
I reclined my seat a bit and closed my eyes, deciding to take a nap myself. It had been a long day, and I was tired, and I needed to save my energy if we were going to successfully carry out this plan.
I don’t remember what the dream was on the plane, but it definitely involved Michelle.
Chapter 20
Michelle
It was just me, my father, and Michael in the conference room that afternoon. It was an actual business meeting about the two of us getting married. My father didn’t even have the courtesy to discuss this at his house or in a more personal setting. It was right there, in the middle of Affinity Finance, as employees walked by the large, glass doors outside. Our arranged marriage wasn’t a secret, either. All of them knew what was going on, and I was utterly humiliated.
I had gone to bed the night before feeling sick to my stomach but woke up with a smile on my face because I’d dreamed about Hugo and Nico. All three were living together in Russia. The smile quickly faded from my face as soon as I woke up, though, and realized that it was my wedding day.
There was a stack of legal agreements that we had to sign. Michael was scanning them over a bit too quickly for my liking, whereas I was reading everything down to the fine print. I would have liked a prenuptial agreement, seeing as how we’d probably be living in the penthouse that I owned. But of course, there was none to be seen, which meant that if our marriage didn’t work out, he could legally take it from me.
“So, when we get married,” I said to both my father and Michael, “what will change around here exactly?”
“Well,” my father said, “I’ll be staying on long enough to show Michael all of the ropes.”
“Why would you do that when I can do that for him, Daddy?” My father shrugged his shoulders, then looked over to Michael.
“It’s better for men to deal with men,” he said while putting his hand on my thigh. I quickly moved it away. “You’re so beautiful that I don’t think I could concentrate on what you’d be saying.”
I rolled my eyes then turned my attention back to my father. “Based on what I’m reading, Michael and I will each own half of Affinity Finance, but he’ll be the Chief Executive Officer, and my only title is Mrs. Anderson? Is this some kind of fucking joke to you guys?”
“Watch your tone, Michelle.” I glared at my father but bit my tongue because I needed his money. “After you two are married, you can discuss giving you an actual title.”
“Besides,” Michael said, “you’ll be busy running your little business. Why would you want more responsibilities here?”
I pushed my chair back and glared at him. “Because I’ve worked my ass off closing million-dollar business deals, that’s why. Plus, I’ll still own half of the company.”
“But only because you’ll be my wife,” Michael said. I looked at my father, who simply shrugged his shoulders.
“I told you she had her mother’s independence, Michael.” Both of them chuckled, then went back to reviewing the documents. My mind kept going back to Hugo and Nico. If they had been there with me, they’d have knocked Michael so hard in the face that he’d fall back. I clenched my fists so hard that I actually thought about punching him myself.
“If we have any daughters,” Michael said, “I don’t think they should be raised to be quite so independent. You see, I come from a more conservative and traditional family. Women are submissive by nature, Michelle, and grooming them to be otherwise is simply unnatural.”
“Then why did my father groom me to run his business?” My father glared at me, letting me know that he didn’t like the tone of my voice. I refused to look him in the eyes, though. In fact, I was actually happy that it upset him.
“With all due respect to your father,” he said while nodding towards my dad, “that happens when there is no son. I understand that you were an only child, so of course, he’d train you to run his business. It makes sense to keep Affinity Finance in the family, too.”
My father laughed out loud, then said, “I really failed on that part, Michael. I always wanted a son, but we were only able to conceive Michelle. Although her mother was happy with just having a daughter. They were very close up until she died. Still, it would have been nice to train a son to run this company.”
“Of course, if we decide to adopt our children, then I’d go with four boys and a girl. The boys will be raised to run this company once I decide to retire, and having more than one means that we’ll be able to expand, and then a daughter for Michelle to bond with. Oftentimes mothers and sons have too many differences, and I wouldn’t want Michelle to feel left out.”
I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples, doing my best to block out hi
s voice. It was impossible, though. The thought of sharing a bed with him made me want to scream, and I wouldn’t even want to raise a goldfish with him, let alone a gaggle of kids.
“Michelle, are you all right?” I looked up at my father and smiled.
“Yes, just feeling a bit lightheaded.”
Michael poured me a glass of water, which I gladly took from him.
“She might be a little nervous about sharing a bedroom with me, Chase. When we first met, I got the feeling that she preferred to have her own bedroom. It’s actually quite common for married couples to have separate sleeping arrangements.”
“Absolutely,” my father said. “Her mother and I never shared a bedroom. We had vastly different tastes, and it worked out just fine.”
I could feel the color draining from my face. There I was, sitting with both my father and Michael Anderson, about to sign my life away. Suddenly all I could see was a penthouse full of spoiled little brats, throwing temper tantrums if they didn’t get what they wanted, and a sweet little girl whose father only wanted her to be seen and not heard. Meanwhile, Nico and Hugo would be over in Russia, living their lives and making billions of dollars.
“It’s your turn for signatures,” my father said. I looked into his eyes, silently begging him to reconsider what he was asking me to do. I had worked so hard for his company, and this is how he was rewarding me. Not by making me the heir once he retired or passed away, but by signing me off to a man because he looked good on paper, and that was better for the company’s image. But my father didn’t say another word. He simply held the pen out and waited for me to take it.
My hand shook as I took it from his hand, and then hovered it over the square box at the bottom of the marriage certificate. I made myself re-read everything over if only to give myself a little more time as a free, independent woman. Yet the whole time, all I could see was Michael smiling out of the corner of my eye. I couldn’t help but look up and glare at him.