by Cara Wylde
“I’ll be back for you. And if you want my family to take you in, Vera, you better have the information I need.”
I wanted to say something, to ask him to give me more details, but my heels hit marble, and I was suddenly aware we weren’t outside anymore. It was so hot that I was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. I felt gross and dirty, and I could only hope that Petrov would finally remove the bag over my head. I also needed to use the toilet. Badly. I might have been dying of thirst and hunger, too, but the need to pee was so powerful that I found it hard to focus on any of my other needs.
Finally, we stopped, and Petrov took out a knife and cut the rope around my wrists. I took a deep breath in as he worked on the bag over my head, and when he removed it, I kept my eyes tightly closed, too terrified of what I might see. This was Vasily Petrov we were talking about, the mob boss who’d slaughtered my family. I couldn’t trust him.
“What is this?” A deep, manly voice came from a few feet away.
“This is Vera, and she is my gift to you and to your associates.”
“They aren’t my associates,” the man growled, and I had to open my eyes. My heart skipped a beat. He was dark and handsome. “We lead this family together.”
“Of course.”
“Do you have the money you owe me?”
Petrov motioned for his two men to step forward. They were both carrying heavy bags that were clearly filled with money. They dropped them at the feet of the three men who seemed to be the masters of the palace I currently found myself in. I hadn’t seen such luxury in my life!
“This doesn’t seem to be all of it,” the handsome stranger said after glancing over the piles of money that had come out of the bags.
“I will get you the rest in two weeks’ time.”
“Petrov,” the man growled, and the other two by his side shifted in their seats.
“Aryan, two weeks, no more. Meanwhile, please enjoy my gift.”
He pushed me forward, and I lost my balance. I fell on my knees. Looking up, my ocean-blue eyes met Aryan’s midnight blue orbs. He studied me for a long minute, then nodded at Petrov.
“We accept your gift. Two weeks.”
I was doomed.
Aryan
“This is bullshit.” Navin jumped to his feet and started pacing.
I shook my head and sighed. Navin had always been short-tempered. From the corner of my eye, I stole a glance at Dev. I could see how tense he was. His dark, thick brows were furrowed as he studied the young woman Petrov had brought with him in hopes he could appease us. After a while, Dev smacked his lips, and turned to me. There was a question in his black eyes. He wanted to know if I’d truly meant it when I said that I was accepting Petrov’s gift and giving him another two weeks to pay what he owed. I nodded at him, and he scoffed. He didn’t agree with my way of doing business, but he knew that it would’ve been a bad idea to express his own opinion freely in front of Petrov and his men. It was hard to rule over a family together with two other bosses, as it was too easy to unintentionally undermine each other.
Navin wasn’t going to have it, though. He reached for his gun.
“Bullshit! You’re not getting two more weeks! Pay the money you owe now.” He pulled out his gun, and Petrov’s men pulled out theirs. But Navin pointed his gun at the woman on the floor. “Do you think we don’t know who this is? Vera. Anton Kudrin’s daughter. What did you do, Petrov? Nah. Don’t answer that. I already know. You killed all of them, didn’t you? He stepped on your toes, and you wiped out his entire family. News travels fast. Faster than your private jet.”
Petrov shook his head, as if he were disappointed. He raised his hands and turned to me, hoping that I would calm Navin down. I was going to. The last thing I needed was a full-on shooting in my living room. I rather cared about the expensive tapestries on my walls. But Navin did have a point.
“What do you suggest, Navin?” I asked him in a firm voice. Even though he had his gun drawn out, he knew not to shoot first.
“He can easily pay up with what he stole from Kudrin,” he said, never taking his eyes off the Russian. He had his gun pointed at him now, while Petrov’s men had theirs pointed at his head. Dev had drawn out two of his knives, more for show than anything. “If he doesn’t, maybe we should treat him the way he treated her family.” He spat on the ground, which made me cringe. He had no respect for the exquisite marble adorning our floors.
“This is ridiculous,” the Russian said. “Yes, we robbed Kudrin, but he hardly had any cash in his home. The valuables we found need to be appraised first, and then sold. That’s why I asked you for two more weeks, so I’d have time to take care of it. And you have the girl to guarantee that you will get the rest of your money.”
“She doesn’t mean anything,” Navin said. “I’m surprised you didn’t kill her.”
Petrov finally looked him in the eyes. “She’s a virgin.” He grinned when he noticed Navin’s free hand turn into a fist at his side. “Kudrin was a controlling psychopath. He made sure no one touched her.”
Vera whimpered pathetically. My gaze fell upon her once more. She was on her knees, her hands clasped in her lap, her whole body trembling slightly. She was wearing a yellow summer dress, delicate sandals, and her long, blond hair tumbled down her narrow shoulders. She had big blue eyes, pale skin, and plump, rosy lips. She was young, but not too young. Simply perfect. And ripe. Oh, she was so ripe. Her tiny nipples had hardened underneath the soft fabric of her dress, and I wondered whether it was because she was scared or excited. When she’d looked at me earlier, I could swear naughty thoughts had gone through her mind. It was easy to understand why. No woman could look upon me, Dev, and Navin and not imagine how it must be to have us – separately, or at the same time.
“Navin, enough.” I stood up. “I stand by what I said. Petrov has two more weeks at his disposal to deliver. If he doesn’t…” I made a long pause. “Well, we’ll deal with it then.” I looked Petrov in his small, beady eyes. “Go now. You’ve done enough for today.”
He nodded, motioned for his men to put their guns away, then bowed slightly and turned on his heels. I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my light pants. There was no way one could wear anything more elegant in New Delhi. The heat was soon going to kill us all.
“Fuck,” Navin cursed as he shoved his gun back in its holster. “That was a bad call, Aryan. We shouldn’t have let that motherfucker leave. Every time he steps foot on our turf, we have a chance to get rid of him, and we always miss it. Why? Why do you insist on letting him live?”
“Because I’d rather see my money back!” I raised my voice. “Our money.”
“Dev, what do you think?”
The dark-haired giant stood up and walked up to the woman, who was still on the floor, shivering as she awaited her fate.
“I think the chick’s a sweet piece of ass. Two weeks is nothing. We can easily wait for Petrov to return with the rest while we defile this beauty.”
I rolled my eyes. Dev was a big, strong guy. He was great with his knives, unbeatable in hand-to-hand combat, but he had one weakness: women. He could get into a lot of trouble for a cunt, especially if it was fresh and unspoiled by others. And Vera… Well, Vera truly was something. Word had spread even to us that Kudrin had a maiden princess under his roof in Sankt Petersburg, and that he’d kill anyone who touched her with his bare hands. But he was gone, and his princess was here, in my home. Our home. Dev, Navin, and I weren’t brothers. We were what was left of three close families in New Delhi. When the old bosses died, we decided to form a united front and prosper together in the face of the westerners who thought they could come here and take advantage of our land’s riches and cheap workforce. We took care of our own, and we took care of our city and its people.
“We’re not defiling anyone,” I grumbled, although I didn’t believe the words myself. I knew I couldn’t stop Dev from doing whatever the fuck he wanted.
Navin stepped closer. Realizing that she was surrounde
d, Vera tensed up, and since her body was already as tense as a bow, the effect was that she started shaking even harder.
“Stand up,” I ordered her.
She obeyed and stood up on thin, trembling legs. She wrapped her arms around her body, right under her breasts, which pushed them higher, emphasizing that she wasn’t wearing a bra. I licked my lips, then suddenly becoming aware of my gesture and of how this woman made me feel, I clenched my jaw tightly and steeled myself. I could feel my cock expand in my pants.
“What shall we do with her?” Navin asked, grinning.
“I don’t know, and I don’t care. Take her away. Come up with something. I have business to attend to.”
I turned on my heels, threw the piles of cash back inside the bags, grabbed the leather handles, and walked out of the room. I needed space to think, to figure out what Vera’s presence here, with us, meant. I could trust Navin and Dev to make the best decision about where she should be kept while she was with us. It was important that no one knew who she was and that she’d landed in India. No one aside from us, Petrov, and his crew. I had to find out whether the late Kudrin had any friends left in Russia, any distant relatives that might want Vera back. Probably not. He’d never been very likeable.
But more than anything, it was important that Vera never found out who we actually were. What we were.
Vera
Aryan left. I couldn’t help but follow him with my gaze. He was tall, with wide shoulders, bulky arms, and a strong chest. His hair was raven black, curly, and he kept it tied up in a messy bun, shiny strands escaping to frame his aquiline nose and square jaw that was covered in the slightest stubble. His skin was dark from spending too much time in the sun. Aryan seemed to be cool-heated and serious. He seemed to be a diplomat, as opposed to the other two men, Navin and Dev.
“Let’s get you unwrapped,” Navin said.
I turned to him, trying to understand what he meant. He smirked. He was handsome, too, but in a different way. Of all the three, he was the leanest one, as if his exercise of choice were swimming or running. He had short black hair that was a little floppy in the front, and warm brown eyes. A long, sharp nose, thin lips, and a perfectly shaved cheek. He seemed to be the kind of guy who didn’t care about anyone but himself. Earlier, he’d acted like a ticking bomb, disagreeing with Aryan and confronting Petrov. He was dangerous, I realized. Because he was hot-headed.
“Strip,” he clarified. “I want to see the goods.”
He stared at my breasts unabashedly, and I cursed myself for having put on the yellow dress this morning. My back was bare, and my nipples were visible through the thin fabric.
“Come on, honey,” Dev said in a husky voice. “We don’t have all day.”
Indeed, we didn’t. Through the tall, large windows, I could see that the sun was about to set. But no, I wasn’t going to strip. They couldn’t order me around like this. I came from a family that was just as powerful and important as theirs. Used to be, at least… Did that mean nothing to them?
“N-no,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I won’t strip.”
Navin threw his head back and laughed. He seemed to be genuinely amused by my stubborn refusal.
Dev sighed in annoyance and stepped up into my personal space. He stared me down, his intense black eyes boring into mine, forcing me to submit. I did my best to resist him. He was the tallest of them, with broad shoulders and arms and legs as thick as tree trunks. It was obvious that he must have spent a lot of time in the gym. His hair was also black, and his skin was just as tanned as the others’. They all looked sun-kissed and exotic. Dev, however, had long, shiny hair he wore loose on his back, and I was a little jealous, I had to admit. My own hair wasn’t as nice as his.
“Strip, or I’ll do it for you. Cunt.”
I shuddered. The C-word. No one had ever called me that in my life. In our house, crass words were forbidden. I knew my father and my brothers cursed all the time, but not when I was around. Cunt. It sounded dirty. It sounded sinful. I grew wet between my legs. My chin trembled, and I was afraid I might start crying. And I wouldn’t be crying out of fear this time, but out of sheer embarrassment. Why did they have to make me feel this way? Vulnerable, weak… turned on.
I shook my head in refusal, not trusting my voice to say “no” again. I was terrified I might open my mouth and a “yes” would come out instead.
“Fine by me,” he growled.
He wrapped his big hands around my wrists, and I realized there was no way I could fight him. He was too strong. I gave in, and he peeled my arms off my chest. My nipples hardened even more.
“Hold her,” he told Navin.
“My pleasure.”
Navin pulled my arms behind my back. His hands were warm and slightly sweaty on my skin, which could’ve been because of the heat, or because he found the situation just as arousing as I did. But I shouldn’t have found it arousing. This was all wrong. So wrong.
Dev winked at me before grabbing the front of my dress with one hand, fisting the fabric, and pulling harshly. The soft material tore in two, the sound filling the air, making my ears ring and my head spin. I was in my panties now, but they barely covered my shaved parts. Yes, I shaved down there. I’d been shaving since I turned eighteen, knowing full well that I had to be ready just in case my father let his guard down and I’d find a way to sneak around his back and get some real action, action that didn’t come from my own hands. The last thing I wanted was to run into the opportunity to lose my virginity and have to refuse it because I didn’t feel sexy enough. These days, men liked their women shaved everywhere except on their heads. I knew that because my girlfriends at college had told me. Of course, I hadn’t been allowed to get a dorm-room, like they all did. My father had hired a chauffeur to drive me to college and back home every day.
“Not bad,” Dev whistled.
“Huh.” Navin let go of my arms and stepped in front of me. “Don’t you dare,” he sneered when he saw I was about to use my hands to cover my breasts.
My nipples were painfully hard. My breasts had somehow grown rounder and firmer, and my chest rose and fell with every panicked breath. Both men were staring at me like I was a piece of meat and they were just trying to decide what better way to cook me.
“Lose the panties too,” Dev said.
I shook my head, making my long hair slip over my shoulders to cover some of my nakedness. I knew it was futile. If they wanted the panties to go, they would go. Just as I expected, Dev reached over to grab them. To my surprise, Navin stopped him.
“No. I like them. Plus, if I see her pussy, I might not be able to control myself.”
“So what? Aryan said we can do whatever we want.”
Navin looked up at me even though I could tell it was hard for him to peel his eyes off my nipples to look at my face. He gave me a smile, and my stomach did a little flip. His teeth were white and perfect. He looked so hot when he smiled.
“Nah. I’d rather she begged for my cock.” His hand went to his crotch, and he squeezed his erection suggestively.
“Good luck with that,” Dev laughed.
“She’s wet already.” He tipped his head and sniffed loudly. I cocked an eyebrow. What the hell was he doing? “Can’t you smell it? Her wetness.” He licked his lips. “It’s almost dripping down her legs. Soon, she’ll be on her knees, ass in the air, her cunt open and ready for us.”
“N-no,” I whimpered. “You’re wrong.” But he wasn’t, was he? I could feel my juices leaking out of me, leaving a damp spot on my panties. “I won’t. Never.”
Dev huffed. “Your body says something else.”
“You don’t know…” Tears started gathering in my eyes. I was so ashamed of myself, of my sinful thoughts. “Please, you have to let me go. I’m not nobody, okay? I am Vera Antonova Kudrina, and if you do anything to me, you’ll regret it.”
“Oh, shush it.” Dev grabbed me by the arm and pushed me out of the room. “No one’s coming for you, except that path
etic low-life, Petrov. Though I don’t know why he’d want you back. No one will ever want you back after we’re through with you.”
“No, please… Where are you taking me?” He kept pushing me to walk in front of him, and even though my hands were free, I wasn’t sure it was a good idea to fight him. My heels drummed steadily on the marble as I took small, quick steps. “Please don’t hurt me. I never did anything to you.” Dev ignored me.
Navin stepped in front of me, walking backwards as he delightfully watched my breasts bounce.
“What do you know about your family’s business?”
“N-nothing.”
“Come on, princess.”
“Nothing, I swear! My father and my brothers… they always protected me, always kept me away. They never talked about anything of importance in my presence.”
“What about your dear mom?”
I burst into tears, remembering her screaming inside the house, and then the sound of gunshots silencing her.
“Jesus,” Navin sighed. But at least he stopped asking about my family. He stopped in front of a door, pushed it open, and stepped aside. “Your abode, princess Vera. Not humble at all, eh?”
I stood frozen on the threshold. The room was spacious, almost as big as an apartment. There was a four-poster bed on the northern wall, but it barely occupied a quarter of the space. The floor was covered with a thick, soft carpet, and there were colorful pillows scattered everywhere. The walls were adorned with incredible tapestries sown in red, blue, gold, and silver thread – elephants, tigers, and naked women. On the wall opposite the bed, there was a large mirror with a gold frame.
“Whose room is this?” I heard myself asking.
“Yours,” Dev growled. I felt his big hand on the small of my back. He pushed me inside. “Get in.”
“I mean, whose was it?”