by Mia Faith
The old man that seemed to be in charge was the first one to finally address me directly. He walked up to me and smiled. If my mouth wasn’t covered I would have spit in his smug face. He stood there and called Igor and I heard him tell him that he could choose who died, me or Andrei. I wanted to scream at him and tell him how horrible and unfair that was. I was sure this man wouldn’t care but the desire to scream was so powerful inside my chest I felt like it would burst wide open. After he hung up with Igor he got a chair and pulled it up a couple of feet away from me and said,
“Do you even know who your lover is?” I could have nodded or shook my head. I preferred not giving him any response.
“He is the head of a family that runs the Russian syndicate. His family and my family have been rivals for years. When his father was alive it was a rivalry that was guided by respect. Now, this little punk thinks he can muscle his way in and kill my family and I’ll just stand by and let him do it. My brother was a late in life baby for my mother. I was already grown when he was born. After my mother died I raised him. He was more like my son. He died on the street with a bullet in his chest. That bullet came from a gun that your lover bought, paid for and may as well have shot out of that gun. He has to pay for that. You understand, don’t you? I mean…if I had killed that orphan that he calls a brother, he’d be pissed too.”
Igor is the head of the Russian syndicate? What the hell have I gotten myself into? Jesus, it probably doesn’t matter now anyways. This man is going to kill me. I’m going to die today. I didn’t turn my head away and I didn’t allow myself to cry. He might kill me, but he wasn’t going to have the satisfaction of seeing any weakness. The smug bastard smiled when his phone rang and I knew why when he put it to his ear and said, “Well hello Andrei, so nice to hear from you.”
Andrei? Oh, fuck! God, please tell me he’s not crazy enough to offer himself up as a sacrifice. Igor would never forgive me. How would I be able to forgive myself? The old man hit the speaker button and I heard Andrei say, “Don’t hurt her Mikel. I’m on my way. You know that Igor loves me whether I’m blood or not. You can kill me. He’ll be on his way any minute. You can do it in front of him.”
I started my silent scream once again. Noises must have been coming out around the tape because after a dirty look from Mikel Rapava Andrei yelled, “Jessica? Jessica if that’s you stay calm honey. I’m coming. Igor is coming. Everything will be okay.”
I began to get loud under the tape. Andrei ended the call and to me, he said, “A family reunion. This will be so much fun.”
Not long after that, Andrei showed up. There was a heated debate amongst them all but apparently even a bottom-feeder like Rapava had some sense of honor. He looked to his men and said, “Put her outside. I’ll take care of this one.” Once again I tried to object but couldn’t. I was half-dragged and half-carried to the door. As I was being pushed out I heard Igor yelling his brother’s name, I heard shots being fired and I heard Igor screaming. By the time they untied and ungagged me I was hysterical and rapidly headed toward a state of shock. I looked into the warehouse and saw Igor bleeding I thought he was dead. I realized how I felt about him in that moment and I was never so happy as when I saw him lift up his head and look at me with those beautiful eyes. I’d forgotten about Andrei for that moment and then suddenly I looked up and I saw him. I knew that I was going to have nightmares about this for years to come. Igor held me tightly while I screamed. Ten minutes later I’d calmed down but my body was shaking all over. Igor was still lying on his back. Ivan had brought in someone with a medical bag and they were working on his leg. I heard them say something about the bullet passing through and not hitting anything major. For that I was glad, but I could feel his chest heaving underneath me and I knew it was going to be a long, hard process for him to get over the death of his brother.
********
TWO WEEKS LATER
It was three days after Andrei was laid to rest before Igor and I sat down and talked. He was healing both physically and emotionally during that time and I didn’t want to put any more pressure on him. But I’d been doing a lot of thinking and what I had on my mind needed to be said out loud. He sat down with me on the couch and I said,
“First of all, I want you to know that the week I spent with you before all of this happened was wonderful. It was like a fairy tale come true. But I can’t help thinking that if I had known what you did for a living…”
“Jessica…”
“Let me talk, Igor.” Surprisingly he did. I went on, “If I had known what you and Andrei were involved in I could have known to be more careful. I would have never let Matthew leave that day and gone off on my own and Andrei might still be alive today.”
“Jessica, you can’t blame yourself.”
“I don’t. I don’t blame you either. I know that you didn’t tell me because you were sure if I knew that I wouldn’t stay. You were probably right about that. I just can’t help thinking “what if.” My point is that now I know and even after all we’ve been through the past few weeks I still want you, Igor. But there is something I’m going to need from you that will be a deal breaker.”
“What is that?”
“Honesty. I need to know what I’m getting into. I need to know what this family is involved in if I’m going to be a part of it. If I’m going to be your wife I want to be your partner. In your bedroom, I will submit to your will, but out here I want to be considered for what I am, an intelligent woman capable of making her own decisions once she has all of the facts.”
“So…you still want to marry me?”
I nodded. “That might make me a little crazy, but the fact is that I’m crazy about you. When I thought you were dead in that warehouse I felt like my heart was breaking. When I watched them bury your brother and saw your tears I wanted to do anything to make them go away. That’s why Andrei did this, you know?”
“What?”
“He sacrificed himself because he loved you so much that he couldn’t bear to see you unhappy after you lost me. I think you and I both need to stop trying to decide who was at fault here and focus on that. He made the ultimate sacrifice for you and for me.”
I could see in Igor’s eyes that he was thinking about who was really at fault…Rapava. It frightened me just a little bit to see the fire burning there. I was frightened for him and I was frightened for me because I actually hoped that someday he got to look into that crazy Old Russian man’s eyes and watch him die. I could see him concentrating on calming down his breathing before he finally said,
“How about a real job?”
“What?”
“I want you to marry me because you want to marry me. But if I remember correctly, we still owe you a real job. If I’m going to conduct the family business without my brother’s help I’m not going to have time to put into being the CEO of Usmanov IG. How would you like the job?”
“Are you kidding? Because if this is a joke it’s a really mean one.”
He laughed. “You think you could handle Ivan breathing down your neck every day?”
I laughed too. “Yes! Now that I know he was looking at me the way he did that first day for you.”
“Do you still want to marry me, Jessica?”
“I do…”
He pulled me up on his lap. I thought he was going to kiss me but instead he asked, “Are you all mine?”
“Yes.”
“What I mean is, I shared you with my brother because I loved him so much. But I don’t want to share you with anyone else. Will I be enough for you, Jessica?”
“More than,” I said with a smile. “You’re all I want, Igor.”
Suddenly he was kissing me possessively and I felt his hand underneath my blouse. He slid it up to where my bra was clasped and unhooked it with one deft move. Pulling back slightly he whispered, “Stand up, Jessica.” I did as I was told. He reached up and pushed up on my blouse. I helped him and tossed it aside along with the bra still dangling from my arms. He leaned for
ward and kissed the top of one of my breasts. It was the gentlest move he’d ever made with me and it sent chills down my spine. He brought his hand up and covered the other one with it. I pressed my hard nipple into his palm. A burning ache was throbbing between my legs as his lips finally made contact with my swollen nipple and he sucked it into his mouth. While he held it there he used his tongue to tease and torture while twisting and pulling on the other nipple now with his fingers. He sucked one and then the other until I was pulling at his hair and losing my mind. Then suddenly he pushed me back and said, “Lose the pants and the panties.”
He watched as I slid off my jeans and then peeled off my soaked panties. “Now turn around in a circle. I haven’t seen you for too long.” I did a little slow circle for him. And then as I faced him again he whispered, “So beautiful. Undress me, Jessica.” With pleasure, I leaned forward and began to unbutton his shirt. I placed a kiss on every piece of hot skin I exposed as I did. When I had it unbuttoned completely he shucked it off and tossed it down on the floor. Then my hands went to the button of his jeans and I dropped to my knees. He watched again as I unbuttoned and unzipped them and then he pushed up with his arms so that I could pull them off of him, taking his underwear with them. That glorious, huge cock was suddenly right at eye level and my mouth was watering.
I wrapped both of my hands around him with a tight grip and I began stroking slowly and firmly. I heard him suck in a breath and I shivered. I love making him feel good. I love how badly he wants me. I kept one hand on his cock and moved the other up to lightly cup his heavy balls. I gently massaged them listening to him moan as I did. He as flexing his hips and pushing his cock toward my mouth so I opened it and let him slide in between my lips. He cursed and began moving in and out of my mouth. I sucked and licked and ran my tongue in a circle around his hot, throbbing head. I could feel my own juices slowly running down between my inner thighs. I wanted that cock inside of me.
I licked along his wet slit and he groaned loudly. He tastes so good it made me want more. I sucked him in deeper and harder. He was breathing erratically when he finally pulled me back and said, “Bed.”
I held his hands as he got to his feet and he led me down the hallway to our bedroom. When we got in front of the bed he pushed me back onto it. I let out a little cry as he picked up one of my legs and brought my foot to his mouth. He kissed the sole of it and then across the arch and up to my ankle. Then he kissed his way up to my calf. I was the one gasping for air now. I was imagining him kissing all the way up to my pussy. God, I wanted his tongue inside of me. Instead, he used my leg as leverage and flipped me over onto my stomach. He leaned down over me and whispered in my ear. “I want to touch every inch of you.” He let his strong hands run down my back and across my butt cheeks. He gave them a hard squeeze and once again I cried out as his hand rose up and came back down in a sharp spank to my ass. I felt another flood between my legs and I moaned. “You like that?” I nodded into the comforter on the bed and he did it again and again until my butt stung and I’d left a puddle on the bed underneath me.
He sat down on the bed then and rubbed my sore cheeks with his palms. He rubbed in gentle but firm circles and it only served to make me wilder with desire. I spread my legs open and he rewarded me by letting his fingers slide along the opening between my cheeks and down between my thighs. I whimpered when his fingers came into contact with my wet pussy. He played with it, letting his fingers slide and dance in the creaminess there, dipping a finger inside every once in a while or grabbing my clit between his thumb and forefinger and twisting it. I was writhing all over and moaning so loudly that I wouldn’t have been surprised if the downstairs neighbors had heard me. It felt so fucking good, but I hadn't seen anything yet. He left two of his long fingers between the lips of my pussy and brought his thumb up and pressed it against my anal opening. I cried out, not in pain but because I was wild with lust. He pushed it in just slightly and I pushed back against his hand. He played with me there for a while before reaching his other arm underneath my belly and pulling me up so I was on my hands and knees. He got behind me and I felt his face press into the space between my legs. His tongue came out and he began lapping at my wet pussy. I pushed back and wiggled and arched and made all kinds of noises. He knew just how to use his tongue and he had me spiraling into the depths of an earth shattering orgasm within minutes. He worked me through it with the tip of his tongue and when I stopped convulsing I felt him bring his knees in closer. His big cock pressed up against my aching clit and I ground myself back against him. Then he held himself in his hand and stroked my slit with it, up and down back and forth. I was ready to lose my mind and actually begging him to fuck me out loud when all of a sudden without warning he shoved his thick cock inside of me and pressed forward.
I felt myself stretch to accommodate him and then the walls of my pussy clamped down tightly around him. He held onto my hips and began to fuck me. It was hard and deep and fast and with each stroke, he hit bottom and nearly sent me sailing into the headboard in front of me. Each time he pushed forward I pushed back. I wanted it all. I love his cock and I know that I’ll never be able to get enough of it. I’m glad that he doesn’t want to share me. I don’t want to be shared. I want to be his, forever. Igor fucked me for what seemed like hours before reaching up with a grunt, taking hold of my shoulders and holding me in place while he shot his hot come inside of me. Afterwards, we both collapsed down to the bed and I nestled into his chest. He kissed the side of my face and said something in Russian before he fell asleep. I didn’t know what it meant, but it was sexy.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
IGOR
“Stop fidgeting with that tie!” Ivan was once again hovering. I’d never been so close to punching him as I was today.
“It’s too tight.”
“It’s fine, breathe.”
“I can’t breathe because the fucking tie is too tight.”
He laughed. “You can’t breathe because you’re nervous.”
“Fuck that. I’m Igor Usmanov. I don’t get nervous.”
“I wouldn’t have laid odds on that six months ago. But since Jessica came into your life you’re a different man. So much so that I’m thinking of making a career change.”
“What are you talking about old man?”
“I was thinking about starting up one of those matchmaking services. Who knew I was so good at it?” I rolled my eyes at him. The truth be told sometimes I’m so grateful to him for Jessica that I want to kiss the old geezer, but I’d never admit that to him.
“Maybe you should concentrate on your own love life.”
He laughed. “I gave up women when I turned seventy. I only meddle in other people’s affairs from now on.”
Ivan was standing next to me not simply because he was hovering, but because in the absence of my beloved brother, he was my best man. We both stood at the altar in St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral and waited for my bride. For the past six months, I begged Jessica to run away with me and get married in Las Vegas. She wouldn’t hear of it. She told me she’d dreamt of her wedding day since she was five and now that we were productive members of the community we owed it to our acquaintances and friends to have a big party. I rolled my eyes at her too, but I gave her what she wanted. She would always get what she wanted from me. I was so deeply in love with her that sometimes I could hardly see straight.
“When is this thing going to begin?” I was glaring at the priest. He raised an eyebrow at me and I felt Ivan poke me from behind.
“Patience,” he said, “She’s worth waiting for.”
I knew that she was but it didn’t make the waiting any easier. By the time the music began to play and I turned to look past the three hundred guests to the alcove she would walk out of I felt like I would explode. Jessica’s friend Kendra was her maid of honor and she came down the aisle first. She was a beautiful woman and she looked great in her soft lace dress and flowers in her hair, but I didn’t want to see her. I wanted
to see Jessica. I was about to demand it when the wedding march started and the guests all stood up.
My bride appeared in the alcove then and my chest actually hurt when I saw how gorgeous she looked. Not that she wasn’t beautiful all the time, but today she was dressed in a white dress that hung off her pretty shoulders, molded to her sexy breasts and tiny waist and then flared out in a wide skirt that made her look like a princess. A tiny little satin hat sat atop the pile of blonde curls on top of her head and a long, lace veil spilled down her back. As she came toward me holding a bouquet of white roses and smiling so brightly she was glowing I had an incredible urge to take her right there in the middle of the church with everyone watching. Thank God for the modicum of impulse control I still had.
When she reached the altar I held out my arm and she took it. As she stepped close I whispered, “God Jessica you are the most beautiful woman on earth.”
She gripped my arm tighter and said, “I must be, I’m marrying the most handsome, sexiest man.”
The priest began the ceremony and as I stood there and listened to his words I marveled at the thought of me even being here. I’d promised myself years ago that I’d never get married. I promised myself that I’d never be with only one woman. I promised I’d never give up my lifestyle for anyone. Now I stood here ready to promise Jessica the opposite of all of that and happy to do it. When it came time to say the I do’s the only regret I had was that my father and my brother hadn’t lived to see this day. Igor Usmanov in love. Who would have ever guessed it?
********
JESSICA
The ballroom buzzed with excitement as Igor and I walked in. As soon as we were spotted people got to their feet and there was a standing ovation. I’d never been so happy. I was officially Mrs. Igor Usmanov and from this day forward I belonged to one man only and he belonged to me. During the ceremony I’d been thinking back on the unconventional way, we’d come together and all of the things that have happened since. We lost Andrei and although I honestly hadn’t known him that well I knew in my heart that he’d been a good man. Igor still grieved for him but he was healing and he and I were moving on. Last week we went upstate and looked at an actual home. It’s a huge home, a mansion some might call it. It has seven bedrooms, ten bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen a formal dining and living room and a foyer that my old apartment could have sat down inside of. But none of that was what had sold me on it. Igor had taken me out the back door and showed me the playground and the pool in the back yard. He’d put his arms around me and said, “Can’t you just picture our children playing here?”