My heart was pounding more than it ever was before. As Asher rang the doorbell, I looked at my hand and saw that it was shaking wildly, like a leaf in a strong wind. I tried to calm my mind, but all I could think was how important this meeting was. Asher had assured me that, as long as I could keep the ruse up that I was pregnant, things would go well, and his father would approve of me.
But that wasn’t what I was worried about. I was worried about how I would react in the presence of such a man. Would I want to reach over and strangle him with my bare hands? Call him out on his despicable business? Puke on his shoes? Slap his face? None of the above? I shook my head, trying not to fantasize about cursing him out when I saw him.
Then a tall man who looked like an older version of Asher answered the door. He smiled broadly when he saw me. He was dressed casually in brown slacks and a white button-down and he was tanned and trim and had the same blue eyes and dark hair as Asher. He was extremely handsome. I shook my head. I always imagined that the face of evil would look like this man, for some reason. I never believed that an evil person was going to have an ugly exterior, but, rather, would be outwardly beautiful like this Sergei Pushkin person.
He spoke with a thick accent. “Come in, come in,” he said as he opened the door. He gestured towards the rest of the enormous home. “Make yourself at home.” Then he chuckled lightly and put his arm around me. “You must be CJ.”
I nodded my head. “Very glad to meet you,” I said politely. I looked over at Asher and he nodded and smiled. I hoped that was a good sign.
We followed him into the den, which I understood was the place where Sergei conducted his business. “What can I get you to drink?” he asked.
“Um, I’ll have a water.” I really, really, really wanted a drink, but I had to remember that I was supposed to be pregnant, so I had to stick with water.
He smiled and poured me a water and Asher a glass of scotch. He sat down in a large easy chair with a high back and Asher and I sat on a love seat close by. “So,” Sergei said. “I wanted to meet with you. I understand that you’re carrying my grandchild, no?”
I took a huge breath and hoped that Sergei couldn’t tell that I was lying. That was a problem, really, because I would have imagined that he was trained to spot a lie. He didn’t pick up the fact that Asher was lying, though, so maybe I had a chance.
“Yes, we just found out yesterday. We couldn’t be happier about it, too.”
His face didn’t show that he disbelieved me, so I relaxed just a little bit.
“I am glad that you are drinking water,” he said. “Stay away from alcohol and the raw fish.” Then he smiled. “I have been doing my research. Of course, I do believe that Alexei’s mother drank vodka when she was pregnant with him and Natalia, but we did not know the same things that we know now.”
I smiled and nodded. “Thank you for your concern.” I felt stiff and unnatural talking to him, and I really wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. I was surprised that I could even be in the same room with such a man, and it further bothered me that he was so charming.
Evil takes all forms.
“Alexei tells me that he intends to marry you. I am concerned that you are not Russian, but he made a good point. He said that you understand that your child may only be protected by my benevolence. So, I may assume that you can be trusted. You cannot know too much about my operation, of course, so you cannot meet anybody who works for me. You cannot even know who works for me. I am sure that you know generally what my organization does, but you cannot go further than that. What is the saying in America – ‘don’t ask don’t tell?’ That is the policy that you must adopt. I have ears in America, and I will know if you have been telling people things that you should not.”
I nodded and said nothing. I was too terrified to say a word. There was another part of me, though, that was very happy, because it sounded as if he was going to accept me and my union with Asher. He was merely going over what was expected of me, as opposed to grilling me. That seemed to be a good sign.
I looked over at Asher, who looked viery happy. I knew then that the way that Sergei was treating me was a good thing.
He sat back in his chair. “I do not know how much Alexei has told you about how he is protected in America. Let me just say that there is an understanding that if anybody touches him, there will be war. Any child of a Pakhan is specifically off-limits. Considering how powerful my syndicate is, Alexei is particularly insulated from threats. Nobody would dare even threaten Alexei, because they know that, if they do, they will pay the price and so will everyone they know and love. Alexei wants you to have the same degree of protection.”
“Yes, sir,” I said to him. “I would like that same degree of protection. For myself and my child.”
“Okay, then, I will give you that protection. On one condition.”
My blood ran cold. I had no idea what that condition was going to be, and I was terrified to find out.
“What is the condition?” Asher asked his father.
“Now, Alexei, I do not want you to get the wrong impression. I do not want you to think that I do not trust you and what you say. But I do need to take a precaution, of course. I am only entertaining the idea of protecting CJ because you tell me that she is carrying my only grandchild. I merely have to ensure that this is true – that CJ is carrying your child.”
Asher looked calm. I had no idea why he seemed so calm, but his equanimity was undeniable.
On the other hand, I felt the panic rise in my throat. What would happen if he asked me to pee on a stick right then and there? What if he brought in a doctor to examine me? What then? He would know that we lied, and would be none-too-happy about that fact. Yet, Asher’s face was completely calm. I hoped that my face was the same, as I didn’t want Sergei getting suspicious.
“I understand. CJ and I will be happy to see a doctor to confirm her pregnancy.”
I wondered if he had something up his sleeve. Perhaps more money was going to change hands? Was there another doctor that he knew who would be open to a bribe?
Sergei nodded. “As soon as you see a doctor, and I get that confirmation, then you will have my blessing to be married. CJ will enjoy the same degree of protection that you do, Alexei.”
“Thank you,” Asher said to his father. “That means the world to me.”
Sergei smiled. “And do not worry about Sophie. I will handle her. Remember, however, what else I said – you must agree not to renege on your promise to take responsibility for Sophie’s child.”
Huh. Something else Asher never told me. I bristled, knowing that if Asher was forced to keep taking responsibility for Sophie’s child, we would never be rid of that witch. Yet, that seemed like a small price to pay for what I really needed – to be with Asher, and to be safe.
Especially to be with Asher. That was all that I was craving.
At that, Asher took my hand. “Okay, CJ, I think that we got what we needed here.” He then turned to Sergei. “Father, thank you again for giving us your blessing. CJ and I will be leaving, and we’ll get the proof that you need to ensure that CJ is pregnant with my child.”
We all stood, and Sergei shook both of our hands. “It is very good to meet you, CJ,” he said. “I hope that you and my son will be very happy.”
I nodded but said nothing. I still didn’t quite trust myself not to totally go ballistic on this man. He seemed to be a classic sociopath – charming, affable and handsome on the outside, but on the inside, he was cold as ice. He had to be.
When we got inside Asher’s car, I laid into him. “Asher, what was that? How can you deliver on a promise that we might not be able to keep?”
“Optimism,” he said. “I can’t give you any one reason for believing that we can get pregnant soon, except that I have a gut feeling that we can get pregnant soon.”
“It would have to be very soon. It sounded like Sergei wanted this so-called ‘proof’ of my pregnancy this week. Why do I think that yo
u might have a fall-back position?”
“Everybody has a price,” he said. “I’ll just have to find a doctor and then find his price. That’s all.”
I rolled my eyes. Bribery again. I wondered if Asher had any other way of getting things done.
Then I had another thought – it was better that he gets his way through bribery than through violence. Bribery really didn’t hurt anyone, but using blackmail and violence would. Granted, Asher’s father thought that he was really sick, perhaps even dying, because of a bribe, so one could argue that Sergei was a true victim of a bribe. Yet the doctor himself wasn’t hurt by the bribe – in fact, he was saved by it. That would hopefully be the case again, although I knew that Asher had to tread lightly. If he got ahold of the wrong doctor, Asher could end up behind bars for attempting the bribe.
I guessed that I had to count my blessings. Yes, Asher was risking a lot by offering a bribe, but he would be risking much more if he wanted to blackmail the guy.
“So, I guess that we should go and see Dr. Wyatt for this,” Asher said. “We already know that he’s open to a bribe.”
“Dr. Wyatt is a cardiologist.”
“He might be a specialty doctor, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t know how to conduct a simple pregnancy examination.”
“That’s true.” I started to relax a little bit. Dr. Wyatt obviously had a price, and, really, with the amount of money that Asher was paying that guy, he probably should do this simple act as a freebie. I had no idea how this man would provide fake medical records regarding my heretofore phantom pregnancy, but I was quite sure that he could manage it. Hell, he managed to provide a completely bogus diagnosis to Sergei, and was able to do that with enough conviction that Sergei bought it without question. If he could do that, he probably could do just about anything at all.
We drove back to the hotel, and I laid down on the bed face-down. I didn’t realize it until right at that moment, but I was completely drained of energy. Just seeing that man took a lot out of me. You have to buck up, CJ. This man will be in your life for a long, long time. So will Sophie.
Asher came up to me and laid down next to me on the bed. He stroked my hair lightly and I sighed. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to figure this out. Trust me on this.”
I spoke into my pillow. “I wish that I could believe you. I really do. But I’m so afraid that we’re getting off to a terrible start. Bribing that doctor to lie to Sergei twice. Lying to him about me being pregnant. Agreeing to assume paternity for Sophie’s child. I just don’t know, Asher. I never imagined that lies and deception would be the way forward.”
Asher kept stroking my hair, and I looked up at him. Then I sighed. “Then again, what do I expect? I’m marrying into the mob. I can’t exactly hope for a simple, normal life.”
“Please have patience with this. I know that this has all been unconventional, and I apologize for that.” Then he kissed me, and I almost forgot about all the stress that I went through that day with Sergei. That was the thing with Asher – he had the ability to make me forget the bad things in my life. When I was with him alone, there was nothing else in the world.
I sighed and undressed completely. He was behind me and stroking my breasts. His finger found my clit. It throbbed while he lightly tickled it with his fingers. He had such a deft and gentle touch. He brought his cock out and he entered me with some force. As he moved in and out of me, going faster and faster, he was kissing the back of my neck. I groaned as I felt him come inside of me while he kissed me gently on the lips. “It’s going to be okay, CJ. We’re almost home free.”
“I know,” I said, although I really didn’t.
As we made love that night again and again, I got lost in his touch. It just felt right that I almost believed him that it was all going to turn out just fine.
Almost.
Chapter Thirty
The next day, we made plans to see the doctor. But before we did, I made the decision to take one more pregnancy test. I had to hope for a miracle to save me.
It was negative, of course.
I felt defeated, depressed and pressured. I was terrified at what was going to happen when I saw the doctor and even more scared to face Sergei.
I came out of the bathroom after having peed on the stick and seeing it come up negative. I hung my head, and Asher already knew that I still wasn’t pregnant. “I’m sorry,” he said. “It’ll happen. In the meantime, let’s go see Dr. Wyatt.”
“Okay. I guess that seems to be our only hope right now, huh?”
“Yes. At any rate, since he’s a doctor, he can prescribe us some fertility pills. It might not help right this very second, but it can probably help us get pregnant soon.”
We drove to the doctor’s office in silence. Ironically, I felt like puking. Asher looked over at me with concern, and I smiled. “Sorry. I feel pregnant right this very second, just because I feel like you should pull over and let me throw up. But, unfortunately, I think that I want to throw up for a much different reason.”
He put his hand on the back of my neck and squeezed it. Then he picked up one of my hands and kissed it. “We’re almost there.”
We soon arrived at the office, and we went in to see the doctor. He was only seeing us, because today was normally his day off. But, of course, Asher was his benefactor, so he was going to come in special for us.
“Hello,” the man said when we arrived at the office. “You must be CJ,” he said while shaking my hand.
“Yes,” I simply said.
He smiled and handed me a yellow packet. “Here is the information that you need to take to Sergei. The medical records that show that you’re pregnant. I was even able to put the name of my colleague on there – she’s a very esteemed obstetrician and gynecologist.” He looked very pleased with himself. “This will be foolproof, and I wish you luck with actually making these reports true.”
“About that,” Asher said. “We need a prescription for a fertility pill. Hopefully something that is powerful.”
“Of course,” he said, and then he dashed off some words on a prescription pad. “Clomid is a drug that works to stimulate egg production. You must use it when you first get your period, and use it for five days. Like any fertility drug, there are risks, which include the risk of having multiple births and possibly a swollen and painful ovary. But you’re young, so this drug should do the trick.”
“Thanks,” I said. Then I looked at the medical records. It showed that I had an ultrasound that detected a very early pregnancy, and a blood test that did the same. I was happy that the records indicated that the my pregnancy was in the very early stages, as that gave Asher and I a tiny bit of wiggle room.
We said our goodbyes and headed over to Sergei’s home.
When we got there, he was evidently waiting for us, for he opened the door the second we mounted the porch. “Come in,” he said, as effusive as he was the first time I met him. “I am so happy to see you again, CJ. I hope that you have that proof that I asked for?”
With shaking hands, I gave him my packet. He looked at it, nodded his head, and smiled again. “Very good, very good. I see that you saw Dr. Battle. She’s a colleague of my doctor, and very well-respected,” he said as he looked at the records. “These records show that you are in the early stages of a pregnancy. I am quite sure that you already are preparing for this blessed event. I want to make sure that you do everything right, because I am sure Alexei has told you how much I want a grandchild right now. I do not know how much time I have left, so having a grandchild would be heaven for me right now.”
I smiled wanly. It was so strange knowing this man. He seemed so kind, yet I knew the truth. He was nothing but a slave trader, a drug dealer and a thief. He had this enormous palace that was built entirely on the suffering of others. It made me sick that this was going to be my children’s grandfather, but, as long as I could keep them in America and far away from this man’s business, hopefully it would all turn out.
&nb
sp; Asher stepped forward. “Is this enough proof for you? Can we get your blessing to marry?”
“Of course,” he said. “In preparation for this, I have already informed my contacts in America that CJ will enjoy the exact same deference that you have over there. Nobody will touch a hair on her head, much like nobody will touch a hair on your head, Alexei.”
I breathed out a sigh of relief. I was happy that he had gone ahead and done that. Now, it was just a matter of Asher and I making things official.
Asher hugged his father. “Thank you.”
“Thank you, Alexei, for making me happy in my final years. I have wanted you to settle down and give me a grandchild for years. Now you are finally doing it. I hope that you and CJ have a wonderful life together.”
On the way to the hotel, Asher took my hand. “Well, we did it. We got my father’s blessing. Now, we just have to actually get you pregnant, and get married as soon as possible.”
“The marriage part will be easy,” I said. “But the other part…”
“Will also be easy. You’re 25. I’m 29. You’re soon going to be taking fertility pills. Of course, if you don’t get pregnant soon, we’re going to have to see a doctor to find out why, but, for now, these pills should do the trick.”
I nodded my head and raised my eyebrows. “And, of course, it should be a lot of fun actually trying.”
The next day, Asher and I were married in a civil ceremony. Nobody was there except the two of us, and a barrister, who Sergei knew, conducted the event. I tried to tamp down my feelings that this whole thing was terribly unromantic and not at all how I had pictured my wedding day, but there really wasn’t time for anything else. We had to hurry into this union, unfortunately, so there wasn’t time for an actual shindig.
“We’ll have the big affair when we get back to America,” he said. “Right now, we just have to get this done. We can’t go for another day with your life in danger.”
Close Up: Exposure Book Three Page 20