“Yup.” Erik stretched his arms out in front of him before shutting off the monitor. For a moment, the only light was that of the moon and Nikita’s flashing screen. Then Erik flipped on the television and relaxed against the bed. He pulled out his cell phone and punched in a number.
“Marie?” he asked. “It’s Erik. Yeah. I know. Hear me out. I really think you should come with us to England. It’s a chance at a whole new life for you. No one will know you; it’s a completely fresh start. How often do things like that happen? I’ve already paid for a fourth ticket and I’ll hand you a thousand dollars to get you started. No, that’s not what I’m saying. Marie. I’m not saying you need my money. Yes. Yes. I know that. I know how well those men pay. I know. That’s great. Come on. I’m just saying that it would be in your best interest. I know. Okay. Listen, there will be a lot of new experiences in England...new food, new people…new shops. All kinds. I bet if you Google England shopping you’ll find lots of - I know. Okay. I guess I’ll...do you want to talk to me later? Okay. Bye.”
“What happened?” Jalisa could figure out some of it from his side of the conversation, but not enough to feel comfortable drawing a conclusion.
“She’s given up on life and offended by my offer in general.” Erik sighed. He put his phone on the hotel nightstand and held out his arms. Jalisa snuggled into them while Nikita rolled her eyes on the bed next to them.
It was a nice hotel room for not being pre-booked. Jalisa was worried they wouldn’t have any rooms available, but Erik flashed that winning smile of his to the woman at the front desk and they had a room. It was two beds, one for Erik and her and one for Nikita, with a bathroom, closet, television, and balcony. The city bustled outside of their window, a collection of lights and sounds. Every so often, a siren would go by. At least ten sirens had gone by since they checked in. Jalisa would be glad to get rid of Los Angeles.
They finished up the night by watching made-for-television movies and cuddling. Jalisa fell asleep feeling safe for the first time in forever.
That night she dreamed of the future. She sat at a kitchen table, blue paint over wood, reading a magazine. The cool air smelled like honeysuckle. The kitchen window, slightly open to let in the honeysuckle breeze, sat above a gleaming silver sink inset into Erik’s granite countertops. The stove beeped and she rose out of her chair. A pan of cookies waiting for the oven rested on the eye of the stove. She slid them into the oven and returned to her chair.
In the living room, a bright pink and yellow open space, Erik listened to Christian music and talked on the phone with his mother. Occasionally, he would laugh out loud. The sounds of their children playing in the backyard filtered through to her ears. Nikita’s voice, a little deeper with puberty, gave them instructions.
Three children, mixed to look perfectly like the two of them, listened intently and learned to play softball. The eldest daughter, Penelope, was 8. She had skin the color of western coneflowers and eyes just as bright and curious as Erik’s except brown. The middle son, David, 7, was lighter, with a fawn colored complexion and soft blue-brown eyes. The youngest girl, Faith, 6, was the spitting image of Jalisa, umber jewel toned skin and dark brown eyes.
They ran around the yard in an imaginary ball field. Nikita had set up bricks and buckets for the bases. David hit the ball and went running. He tried to imitate what he had seen on television and attempted to slide into the brick base, resulting in a cut on his leg.
Nikita and Penelope helped him inside while Faith ran ahead and told Jalisa. It was unnecessary, though, for his wails could be heard two houses over. Grover, the family dog, rose from his bed to see what the matter was. Erik exclaimed in Russian and also came to help. Jalisa took her son into the bathroom and stripped off his muddy pants. Erik held him and encouraged him to pet Grover to calm down.
Jalisa pulled out their first aid kit and cleansed his wounds. The girls waited outside for news of their brother and nephew. It wasn’t a large scratch, but it did bleed. David’s fear of the blood was probably more why he was screaming than any pain. Jalisa rubbed Neosporin on the cut and bandaged it up with love.
Five minutes later, David was out playing with his sister and aunt again. Jalisa and Erik embraced and looked over their happy family. There was nothing more Jalisa could ask for. God must truly be working in her life if she was this happy. The cookies came out of the oven, baked to perfection. It was perfect. Until the alarm went off.
The group rose and prepared for their early flight. Jalisa dared not tell Erik of her dream. She was worried that she was falling too deeply in love with a man who she could never have. She was determined to lead him to the Lord. Only then would she allow herself to fall fully in love with him and entertain the idea that her fantasy might one day become a reality.
The three of them took advantage of the hotel’s free breakfast buffet. They stuffed themselves on fruit, omelets, and waffles. Jalisa made sure to grab a couple motion sickness pills from the gift shop before checking out. She gave one to each one of them with a can of ginger ale. They took a cab to the airport since Erik had sold his car to one of his men after they checked in yesterday.
“Can we see Big Ben?” Nikita asked.
“I don’t see why not.” Erik smiled at her and she smiled back. Though Nikita was losing the few friends she had made in Los Angeles, she was quickly growing to like Erik. Saving her sister from being hurt scored him major points in her book.
The airport was busy, even this early in the morning. The sun streamed through the giant glass walls and illuminated everything. Planes took off and landed outside. People bustled about, trying to get to their flights on time or trying to rent a car or grab a snack. The smell of pretzels and coffee and airport food hung in the air. Nikita paused next to the Cinnabon.
“May we get a cinnamon bun?” she asked, fluttering her lashes at Erik, who she knew was most likely to say yes.
“Sure.” Erik reached in his back pocket and retrieved his leather wallet. He was about to pull out a crisp twenty-dollar bill when Jalisa stopped him.
“You’ll get a tummy ache if you eat that much sugar.” Jalisa raised her eyebrows.
“I won’t! I’m fourteen, not five!” Nikita gave Jalisa such pitiful eyes that she relented. Jalisa removed her hand from Erik’s wrist and allowed him to give the money to Nikita. She skipped off to the Cinnabon, money in hand.
“We’ll eat some of it so she doesn’t throw up on the plane,” Erik whispered in her ear.
“Good idea.” Jalisa laughed. “We’ll have mostly healthy food for our children in England, though.”
“Children?” Erik wrapped his arm around her and bent his head down to nibble at her ear. “When do you want to start trying for those?”
“Hmmm…” Jalisa turned her head to give him better access to her neck. “When does the plane land?”
“Cheeky,” Erik growled.
“In all honesty, I don’t really feel comfortable trying for children until after we are married. You do still see marriage somewhere in our future, correct?” Jalisa asked.
“Yes...somewhere in the future.” Erik smiled like he had a secret.
After the three had enjoyed a cinnabon, they waited for their plane to be called. Erik sat next to Jalisa while Nikita was next to an outlet, keeping her game pad plugged in to negate the battery life she was spending right now.
“What would you do if I asked you to marry me right now?” Erik stretched an arm around her.
“What would you do if I asked you to come to church with me?” she fired back.
“What would you do if I said that I thought about what we talked about last night and I have decided to get right with the Lord?” Erik kept on phrasing his sentences like a question to match hers.
“What would you do if I said that I doubted your seriousness? Getting right with the Lord is not just a decision that you make. You need to pray. You need to talk to Jesus and confess your sins and ask him for his divine forgiveness.” Jalisa look
ed at him.
“What if I told you I was working on that? I prayed with you at breakfast, did I not?” Erik took her hands in his. “I want to be a good Christian and a good husband and man. I want to live my live next to you and be with you every step of the way.”
“Are you sure?” Jalisa asked.
“I am.” Erik squeezed her hands in his, a solid grip that was meant to show her how serious he was.
It was then that Erik did it. It wasn’t like in the movies. Erik didn’t make a spectacle out of her; he knew she would not want that. Instead, he simply reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. Passing it to her, he waited for her to open it to reveal what they both knew would be inside. Jalisa’s mouth opened and closed several times before she finally made sound.
“How long have you been planning this?” she asked.
“Is that a yes?” He crossed his fingers and laughed.
“It’s been since before you rescued me? Or after?” she continued on.
“Is that a yes?” Erik grabbed her hand and held up the box in her hand, trying to draw her attention back to the most pressing issue. “Open it.”
“Oh!” She gasped as she flicked the box open. Inside was a ring with a princess cut diamond set in a silver band. All along the edges sat tiny red rubies that continued all along the band. The inscription on the inside read J.P.
“Jalisa Petrov?” she asked.
“Yes. We won’t have those names on any legal documents, but we will both know in our hearts that we are Mr. and Mrs. Petrov.”
“Yes!” she cheered. “Of course!”
The two embraced over and over, kissing and hugging until Nikita came over.
“You two need to calm down with public displays of affection before we get politely asked to leave because of a complaint by an elderly white couple.” Nikita put her hand on her hip. “What’s going on anyway?”
“Look!” Jalisa squealed and showed her what was in the box.”
“Oh, my goodness!” Nikita placed a hand to her chest, but her surprise was false.
“You consulted her, didn’t you?” Jalisa turned to Erik.
“I might have.” Erik had the decency to look a little sheepish.
“He did.” Nikita laughed.
They chatted amongst themselves, discussing wedding plans, until it came over the scratchy intercom that it was time to board. The three got on the plane and never looked back.
*******
Their honeymoon took them to Japan, where they stayed for a week. They landed in Tokyo and took a bullet train to Osaka. Each day they visited another prefecture, slowly working their way back up to Tokyo, where they would depart back to England. Though it was untraditional, Nikita came with them. She had nowhere else to go and could not stay a week in England by herself.
One of the biggest attractions was food, of course. They skipped the fancy, rich people restaurants in favor of real Japanese street food. Jalisa recorded Erik and Nikita sampling various dishes that they had never had before to see their reaction. Some of the time it was great but other times Nikita looked like a baby who had just been fed a lemon for the first time.
They visited shrines and hot springs and participated in a tea ceremony. Jalisa snapped photos of her two favorite people enjoying everything Japan had to offer. They spoke in broken Japanese to each other and learned lots of new words. The best part was the monkey park, where Japanese monkeys played with the group.
The two newlyweds slept in a hotel room right next to Nikita's. At first, Jalisa was very concerned about being in a strange place and not having Nikita by her side, but Erik comforted her through it. They made over and over and over, holding nothing back and expressing all their love with their bodies.
“I love you.” Jalisa’s hands drifted up above her.
“I love you, too.” Erik smiled down at her.
“You are perfection and I am so lucky to have you.” Jalisa felt tears prickle in her eyes.
“I feel the same way about you. I thank God every time your heart beats. You are so important to me. I…I have no idea what would have happened if I had not met you.” Erik kissed her palm and the tip of each one of her fingers.
“Don’t think about that.” Jalisa’s voice broke.
“I mean it,” Erik whispered. “You are my everything. My sun and my moon. God has made me for you and you for me. We are together by his grace. He is good at all times.”
“At all times he is good.” She smiled.
“I never want this to end.”
“It doesn’t have to,” she vowed.
She meant it with every fiber in her being. This never had to end. And it didn’t.
The end... but wait:
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The Billionaire's Dark Past
He's hiding a secret, will she be able to accept it?
A complete billionaire romance, brought to you by best selling author Steffy Shaw.
Tasha doesn’t realize what she was getting into when she goes to a gala hosted by Luke, a successful billionaire.
As a financial adviser, Tasha has done work for Luke’s company before.
But when things start getting more personal between the two and they become romantically involved, soon things about his past start emerging.
Just how is Luke connected to the Italian mafia?
And will his dark past ruin what the couple could ever hope to have in future?
Find out in this hot new romance by Steffy Shaw of BWWM Club.
Suitable for over 18s only due to scenes with an Italian billionaire extensively pleasuring his woman.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 1
“Who came up with working on Saturdays?” Jimmy complained.
He was new at the office, only had been with the firm for a few weeks, and not at all used to the irregular hours and the overall hectic nature of the work. Their business was financial advice to some of the biggest companies in the country, and that sort of job came with its inconveniences. Jimmy was complaining, but Tasha knew he’d get into it. She sure had.
“Quit it, James. Let’s get back to work, people! Another hour and we’re done for the week!”
It was getting late – 7:33 PM – and Tasha Hendricks was getting tired herself. She was head of the department that consulted hedge funds and other investment groups, and as such had to maintain appearances. Unlike the interns, who worked just sixty hours a week (as if it wasn’t that much), Tasha would often pull in over seventy. Of course, everyone had fixed hours, but only on paper. In the end, it came down to the task at hand, and nobody left until that was completed.
It was fine by her, however, as she found it well worth the while. She had all the money in the world, and her position in the business circles of New York was one to be reckoned with. Forget glass ceilings – Tasha was among the best of the best. These waters were tough to navigate sometimes, especially for a young black woman, but Tasha always found a way to come out on top. She was ambitious and assertive, obsessed with her career, but smart about it, too.
People at work, she knew, assumed she enjoyed working during the weekend, and they were right. She loved scanning countless documents and making sense of Excel tables. To most people that was gibberish, but to her it was a code, which she could read very well. It was her second nature, a language she spoke just as well as English and Spanish. Her work was her life, and she was happy with it.
She got off her laptop for a minute and walked to the coffeemaker, looking over the
cubicles, where the interns, tired out of their minds, researched the latest trends in the world of microprocessors. Their firm was tasked with researching the market and providing a detailed report on what was worth investing in, and what would be the next big thing.
Tasha had already gone through her contacts in the business, mostly those in China, getting the general idea, and all that was left now was the particulars: a lot of data would be collected and sorted out, and the numbers would have to be crunched. In the end, the client would receive a fat stack of papers, which, ideally, would contain an answer for them as to how best to invest their money.
The job was a peculiar type of entertainment, not suitable for everyone, but Tasha loved making sense of things. Every new task was a logical problem, a riddle of a kind. One had to take a bunch of facts into account and come up with a solution based on that data. It was tiresome and often seemingly impossible, but thus far Tasha Hendricks had time and again proved to be one of the best in business.
The coffee was ready, and as she took a sip she looked at the watch. It was ten to eight in the evening, which meant the juniors had pulled in a good 55 hours that week. Tasha liked to keep track of hours everyone spent at work, if only to understand the amount of work done and, more importantly, the amount of work that could have been done potentially in that time. There was no strict control, but everyone knew they had to produce results corresponding with the time spent at the office. They knew they were being tracked, and that was enough to keep their eyes on the prize.
Tasha drank her coffee leaning against the station counter, overlooking the room. She was relaxed and in her thoughts already on her way home, but she knew her mere presence there was intimidating. They saw her watching them, and worked harder, or at least pretended to. Tasha liked the feeling.
“All right, boys, let’s head home!” she announced, finishing the last of her drink.
In good tone, nobody rushed to get going right away. There was shuffling: people putting their phones away, getting some papers in order, shutting down the computers. A select few people kept staring at the screens, their foreheads wrinkled, but Tasha knew they were finishing up as well – closing windows and logging off.
Her Russian Millionaire (BWWM Romance Book 1) Page 13