Stingray Billionaire: The Complete Series (An Alpha Billionaire Romance)

by Alexa Davis

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Max

  I woke up before dawn the next morning feeling tense and anxious about the store's opening day. I'd taken out plenty of ads in the daily papers and paid a great deal of money to online promoters to set up Facebook accounts and Twitter feeds and to get the Malin brand name out into the public. I was hoping that the grand opening would provide me with a chance to get to know the type of customers who would be shopping at the store and maybe even ferret out a few big spenders from the get go.

  I knew that if Papa got wind of an opening that was less than stellar, it would make him bolder in his attempt to force me back into the family business, and I didn't want to leave him even the slightest opening. I thought about Kristov's visit and wondered how I could help my brother while maintaining my own, separate identity. I knew he needed me much more than I needed him, and that his ability to succeed was now completely dependent on my willingness to come back and serve the family.

  I quickly showered and dressed before drinking the coffee Natalia had set up for me the night before. She never stayed the night with me. She said she needed the space and comfort of her own bed, but I knew that it was also her way of keeping a safe distance between us out of the fear that one of us would get too attached. She was odd that way, but I loved her for her pragmatism.

  I called my driver and told him that we were going to make a detour before heading to the store. He nodded and drove north to Babi's. I stopped at a small flower shop and bought her a bouquet of the mixed summer flowers that she loved before we reached her flat. Despite the early hour, she was already outside sweeping the walk. Many of her neighbors thought she was a crazy old lady, but I knew that part of the reason Babi swept was to keep an eye on the neighborhood kids. She didn't trust the gangs that ran in the neighborhood, but they were well aware that she was Vladimir Malinchenko's mother so they tended to steer clear when she was out. Babi saw her sweeping as a contribution to keeping the community kids safe from the violence that Russian gangs brought to the neighborhood, allowing them to hang on to their childhood for just a little longer.

  Knowing how the gangs operated, I'd scolded Babi for being so reckless. That is, until she reached inside the pocket of the floral apron she always wore while sweeping and showed me that she carried a small pistol my father had bought for her. The handle was mother-of-pearl and there was a Russian orthodox cross etched into it. After that, I didn't worry as much.

  "Good morning, Babi!" I called as I got out of the car and headed up the walk.

  "Maksimka! What are you doing here? Doesn't your store open today?" she asked with a worried look. "Why are you here?"

  "Babi, I have a problem," I said. I knew I was taking a risk in spilling the problem to my father's mother, but I also knew that if anyone could see a way out of this dilemma, it would be my grandmother.

  "Come in and tell me what you need while I fix breakfast for you," she said as she climbed the porch stairs.

  "I'm okay, Babi. I don't need breakfast," I protested.

  "Pshaw! Everyone needs breakfast," she said, waving her hand at me. "Come upstairs while I cook and we will talk."

  I followed her into the kitchen and watched as she poured me a steaming mug of coffee and then quickly whipped up batter and began making thin crepes, which she flipped onto a plate and urged me to eat while they were still hot. Watching Babi cook was like watching a tornado. You couldn't believe what you were seeing until it was all over.

  "Eat! Eat!" she yelled at me as she flipped yet another perfectly browned circle out of the pan and onto the plate in front of me. "These don't keep, so you need to eat them while they're hot!"

  I told her the story of my meeting with my father and the visit from Kristov as I chewed on the hot crepes filled with blueberry jam. She didn't say much as I spoke. She only asked a few questions and then went silent. When she had run out of batter and had flipped the last crepe onto the stack still remaining on the plate, she turned and looked at me.

  "Maksimka, I know you want me to talk to your father," she began in a voice weighted down by family obligation and love. "But I'm not going to do it. Do you know why I'm not going to do it?"

  "No, Babi," I shook my head.

  "I'm not going to do it because your father is the head of this family and he has the right to make the decisions he needs to make in order to keep us all safe," she said carefully. "I'm not going to interfere with his ability to run his business."

  "Okay, Babi, I understand." I was disappointed that there was no one in our family strong enough to stand up to my father and convince him that making me become part of the vory v zakone was a terrible idea. I would have to find another way.

  "However." The word hung over the table like a cloud of hope. "However, I will talk to the priest at my church and see if he can work it into the sermon."

  I looked at my grandmother with wide eyes because I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My Babi, a Russian orthodox Catholic who went to church every morning and twice on Sunday's, was going to ask her priest to intervene in a mafia family's business. My father would have a fit.

  "Babi, I don't think that's such a good idea," I said hesitatingly. "I don't think Papa will like it, and more than that, I don't think he'll even hear it!"

  "Oh, he'll hear it all right," she told me with a twinkle in her eye and a smile playing around her lips. "He'll hear it from all the babushkas over on the West side who come here for mass on Sundays. They'll take the message back and pound their own kids over the heads with it and those kids are parents of kids your age, and they are cronies of your father."

  "Babi, that's so crazy, it might just work," I said, looking at her in amazement.

  "Oh please, give me a break, Maksimka," she said waving me off with feigned disgust. "How do you think we made kids behave in the old country before all this technology made your brains soft?"

  I laughed at her admission, took a swig of coffee, and got up. Babi quickly wrapped up the leftovers and put them in a neat container for me.

  "Thank you, but I've got enough for lunch," I said looking at her confused.

  "Not for you, Maksimka, for your poor driver who is out there starving to death in the car!" she scolded as she smacked my behind and then patted my cheek. "You have so much to learn."

  I leaned down, gathered her in a tight hug, and held her long enough that I felt the emotions begin to well up inside me. I understood my grandmother's feelings about family and loyalty and I didn't dispute the fact that they were essential to the continuation of the family tradition, but I couldn't bear the thought of being trapped by an outdated notion of loyalty and I didn't want to be caught in the deadly business that my father dealt in. Not even for my Babi.

  "Remember, Maksimka," Babi said as she pressed her hand against my cheek. "Ty nasha radast."

  "I know, Babi, but I don't feel like I can make anyone very happy right now," I said as I walked to the door. "I'll keep trying, though."

  She smiled at me as I looked at her over my shoulder, and then she turned back to the sink and started to do the dishes.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Lexi

  I chose another form-fitting wrap dress, this time in emerald green, to wear for the store's grand opening. Viv did a smoky eye and neutral lipstick before pronouncing me drop dead gorgeous and then told me to leave my hair down. I questioned her judgment and told her that I was going to work, not a nightclub, and that the smoky eye was dramatic enough as I pulled my hair back into a loose bun at the nape of my neck.

  I didn't own any really nice jewelry and I didn't feel like today was the right day for my bold fakes, so I slipped on my watch and the necklace that Max had given me on my first day and decided that the makeup and dress would have to do. Anna was beside herself as she chirped and hopped around the bathroom while I got ready. Viv laughed when the kitten tried to jump into the shower with her, but fell backwards onto the soft bathmat. Anna haughtily marched out of the bathroom, humiliated
by her ordeal, but was quickly soothed with a fresh bowl of kitten food and a snuggle under my chin.

  An hour after we'd woken up, Viv and I exited the apartment and headed in opposite directions. She told me I looked like a knock out before she turned and headed toward Michigan Avenue. I walked to the El stop, this time certain that I'd grabbed my wallet. Ten minutes later, I got off the train at Wabash and headed to the store. As I descended the stairs from the platform, I ran through the list of all of the things I'd learned about gems and jewelry. Max had been good about tutoring me as we worked, but my brain felt overloaded with the information on top of the words I had to remember for my audition, and I felt nervous about trying to sell.

  When I buzzed the office to be let in, I noticed that the name of the shop had been painted on the window in large gold letters. It looked classic and simple, and when I pushed open the door and stepped onto the sales floor, I got a rush of excitement as I realized that this was what our customers would be seeing for the first time today. Large glass cases stood at attention and shined brilliantly under the chandelier lights hanging from the ceilings. Everything in the cases sparkled and dazzled under the lights and I inhaled deeply as I took it all in. The sales floor looked like a wonderland of exotic jewels and metals, and I instantly knew we were going to be a hit.

  "Lexi, are you okay?" Max called from the back room. "What's going on?"

  "I'm coming!" I called as I quickly headed toward his office and set my bag down in the corner. "Where are you?"

  "In the store room getting the diamonds," he answered. "Come help me, please?"

  When I entered the storeroom, I gasped. Max was wearing a navy blue suit that fit him like a glove. His dress shirt was a shade of blue I'd never seen before and it matched his eyes perfectly, making them even more mesmerizing than usual. He'd let his hair go a little wilder than usual, giving him the look of a thoughtful artist. I was rendered mute and couldn't look away.

  "Um, good morning," he finally said.

  "Good morning," I replied as I stared up at him, unable to tear my gaze away from his handsome face.

  "Are you ready to sell today, Lexi?" he asked in a voice that made me shiver.

  "Uh huh," was all I could manage in response before he handed me a stack of display boxes that contained our diamonds.

  "Why don't you start putting these out on the floor and I'll bring the rest out to you," he said as he turned back to the safe and began pulling out more cases.

  "Um, okay, I'll put these out and you can bring me the rest," I repeated dumbly as I backed out of the room and headed for the display case. I silently cursed myself for being so awkward and stupid as I arranged the boxes in the displays. Max brought out the rest of the boxes and set them on the end of the counter before turning and heading to the office. He didn't say a word.

  The awkwardness lingered until a man in a very expensive Isaia suit rang the doorbell and was buzzed in. He crossed the floor and approached me. "Good morning, young lady. I want to buy some jewelry for my wife and I need something that will apologize for forty-five years of being her forgetful husband."

  I stared at him for a moment before I burst out laughing. A smile spread across his wide face as I tried to contain my mirth.

  "And what kind of piece do you think would best represent your heartfelt apology, sir?" I asked before I began laughing again.

  "Well, I don't know. That's why I came to the experts. I thought you could tell me what was required of me," he said, sending me back into a fit of laughter that brought Max out of the backroom to see what was going on.

  "I'm Max Malin and this is my-" Max began, firmly shaking the other man's hand.

  "Yes, yes, yes, you and your wife have a beautiful shop here, Mr. Malin, quiet beautiful indeed," interrupted the man as he kept shaking Max's hand. "Sergei Petrov, that's me, and I have been watching your store with great interest. I wanted to be the first to stop in and do business with you this morning."

  "Mr. Petrov, we're not…" Max tried to correct the man's error, but Petrov wouldn't stop talking long enough for him to get a word in edgewise, and over the next thirty minutes as I pulled out piece after piece, Mr. Petrov told us his story about making a fortune in the tech industry, but wanting to invest in something more stable. I listened to what he was saying and was skeptical at first, but the more he talked and the more pieces he looked at, the more I realized that this man was interested in backing the store as a silent partner and that the amount of money he was offering meant that Max would be able to buy the best quality pieces and not have to worry about the expense.

  "I've got a lot of connections in the shipping industry," Petrov said as he pointed to the amber ring I was holding and a matching necklace in the case next to it. "I'll take both of those, Mrs. Malin. And, could you wrap them up nice and pretty so that I can surprise her?"

  "It would be my pleasure, Mr. Petrov," I smiled as I pulled out two of our signature black boxes with gold writing on the top and proceeded to wrap them at the front counter. It was a good thing I did because Max seemed intent on killing our sale and our deal.

  "Where's your ring, Mrs. Malin?" Petrov asked as I wrapped the boxes.

  "Oh, she's not-" Max began.

  "I'm not wearing them because Mr. Malin bought me such a beautiful ring that I don't dare wear it in the store," I smiled, then dropped my voice to a conspiratorial whisper and added, "He's got exquisite taste, but sometimes he goes a little overboard."

  "Well, if that's the case, then you've got to use that taste to bulk up the exquisite collection here in the store, Malin," Petrov bellowed. "Only the best, no expense spared is my motto!"

  I shot Max a look that told him that if he knew what was good for him, he would shut up and not say another word. Max nodded and listened to Petrov talk about the ups and downs of the tech industry and his frustration with the way in which he couldn't find good people to run the factories he had bought in Moscow and China.

  "I need old school guys, you know? The ones who knew what it meant to work for a union! The loyal guys who knew how to work a full day," he sighed as I placed the wrapped boxes in a black bag and handed them over. Mr. Petrov gave me his heavy, black American Express card and I ran it, knowing that there would be no issue with it going through. After he'd signed the receipt, Petrov shook Max's hand and told him that a lawyer would be around in the morning with all of the paperwork, and that Max should have his own lawyer read it before signing anything.

  "Never sign anything without reading it, Mr. Malin," he warned. "I learned that as a child in Moscow. A beginner's mistake."

  "Very well, sir," Max said as Petrov headed toward the door.

  "Good day, Mr. and Mrs. Malin!" Petrov called over his shoulder. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you both!"

  And then, he was gone.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Max

  After Sergei Petrov had left the store, I turned to Lexi and asked, "What in the hell was that?"

  "I believe you just landed yourself a new business partner," she replied with a smile. The smile quickly faded as she added, "And, if I'm not mistaken, a wife."

  "I'm not even sure who I am right now," I said as I stared at her, shocked by the turn of events and overwhelmed by the amount of confusion I was feeling. She looked at me and then burst out laughing.

  "Apparently you are my husband, Mr. Malin," she laughed and then kept laughing until she was holding her sides as tears ran down her cheeks. "Max, we've been open for exactly two hours and this shop is going to go down in history as one where the most money, mergers, and marriages took place all at the same time!" She dissolved into laughter again and had to lean against the wall to keep from sinking to the floor.

  "I have no idea what just happened," I said as I started chuckling. Soon, I was laughing as hard as Lexi was, and from the outside of the store we must have looked absolutely insane. "He just offered to bankroll this business, didn't he?"

  "Yes, he certainly did!"
she replied, wiping her eyes and checking her makeup in the mirror. She looked even lovelier than she had when she'd walked through the door this morning. The green dress hugged her curves and laughter had made her beautiful amber eyes sparkle. I'd had the urge to reach around and undo the pins that held her hair in the twist at the nape of her neck this morning in the storeroom, but I'd stopped myself just in time. Now as I looked at her, the urge was even stronger and I was afraid of what I wanted to do – of what I might do if she gave me even the smallest sign of encouragement.

  "Well, we're going to have to figure something out for Mr. Petrov," I said as I ran one hand through my hair and looked out the front window. "He thinks we're married, and I don't know if that's a deal breaker, but I'm not so sure I want to find out."

  "Yes, that would be a bad way to lose out on something that could be so profitable for your business," she nodded. I watched her as she carefully reset the displays from which she had taken the ring and the necklace that Petrov had bought. Her sense of space and design were impeccable, and I got lost in the movement of her hands as she slid the other pieces around to make a new arrangement that gave no hint of the missing merchandise.

  "I've got an idea," I said suddenly. It was an absolutely insane idea, but it was the only one I could think of in the moment. "What if we acted like we were married? Until the deal is closed and I've got the money?"

  "Acted like we're married?" she repeated as she looked up at me expectantly. "What do you mean? Like, wear wedding bands while we're in the store? Sure, why not?"

  "No, I mean all the way," I said. I was pretty sure that if Sergei Petrov was going to invest millions of dollars in my jewelry business, he was going to also have me checked out thoroughly, and it dawned on me that if he was going to check me out, he'd realize Lexi and I weren't married. "We'll plan a wedding, our wedding, and we'll broadcast it on social media and show Petrov what kind of a high end event we can produce."