by Rose, Bella
When he pulled up to the restaurant, her jaw dropped. “Dmitri, this place requires reservations months in advance.”
“I have a standing reservation.” He got out and went around to the side to open her door. Much to his displeasure, she had already opened the door and was climbing out.
“Sorry,” she grimaced when she realized her faux pas. “I’m not used to men opening doors for me.”
“Not all chivalry is dead.” He offered her his arm, and this time there was no hesitation as she took it. As usual, he didn’t even have to give a name at the door. A woman wearing a skintight black dress looked shocked to see him, but she wisely didn’t make a big deal about it. Soon they were seated in a private corner of the dining room. The black leather booth sat plush against the wall but it hid behind several plants. No one would be able to see them without walking completely around the plants, but there were mirrors situated at the corners of the restaurant where he could see everything. Private and secure. Not to mention that the food was delicious.
She asked a few questions about the menu, and he made the order. After the wine was brought to the table and poured, he leaned back and studied her. “I’ll make you a deal. For every question that you answer, I’ll let you ask one in return. If either of us refuses to answer a question, then the interview is over.”
Dmitri watched as she nervously reached for her wine. “I promise you that nothing in my history is interesting enough for you to give up your trade secrets.”
“Let me decided that. I’ll even let you go first.”
She sat the glass of wine down and studied him. “How many lives have you taken?”
“Starting out with a pretty damning question. This night should be interesting. Unfortunately for you, I can’t answer that.”
Sitting back in the booth, Charley crossed her arms. “So the game is over even before we begin?”
“You misunderstand. It’s not that I don’t want to tell you. It’s simply that I don’t know the answer. You’re looking for a specific number, and I can’t give it to you. I know how many contracts I’ve taken, but there are casualties of my job that I don’t necessarily keep track of. Any number that I give you would simply be in the ball park range.”
“Is it more than ten?”
Dmitri exhaled slowly. “My dear, if you’re starting at ten, I guarantee that you aren’t ready for my answer.”
“Fine. I get to ask another.” He nodded his head to concede, and she wrinkled her brow in concentration. “Have you ever been married?”
“No.”
“Close?”
“Not so fast. It’s my turn now.” He smiled slowly. “Why Russia?”
She shrugged. “I’m a history major. America is a baby in diapers compared to the rest of the world. Europe is ripe with history, but going to England or Scotland or Ireland seemed too easy. I wanted something challenging. I’d taken a bit of Spanish in high school, so Spain was my first choice. I could have gone, too, but Russia intrigues me. It seems so open and honest. Almost brutally so. And I wanted to be here to scrape at the wound.”
“Interesting. To answer your previous question, no. I’ve never come close to marriage. And so that you’ll bury this line of questioning, I’ll go ahead and answer all the other ones. I’ve never been in a relationship with someone. I’ve never been in love, and I’ve never craved anyone before. My job is to lie to people. Love has nothing to do with it. Why don’t you like to talk about your past?”
Her eyes widened. “I thought the point of this game was to gently ease each other into information.”
“You’re welcome to forfeit the answer and thus the game.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear and shrugged. “This entire thing is based on your assumption that I care enough about your past to be curious. You should probably be working on the assumption that the less I know, the safer I feel.” He waited, and she finally sighed. “Fine. You’re not wrong. I don’t have anything scandalous in my history. I’ve had some bumps, but I’m a fairly well adjusted person. I handle bad things as most people handle them. Sometimes I drink too much or party too much, but I always know what’s important.”
“You haven’t answered the question.”
“The past is a fundamental part of a person. It absolutely shapes who they are in the present and predicts who they will be in the future. That makes the past extremely precious. Anyone with that kind of information will immediately judge a person based on the things that already happened. To have that knowledge is to have power over someone. It should only be given with extreme trust, and I don’t know very many people here well enough to share that power.”
Of all the answers he had expected her to say, that was not one of them. “You feel vulnerable when people know more about you,” he said quietly. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Charley, I don’t mean to make you feel vulnerable. I just want to know more about you.”
“But why? It’s not like we’re going to be hanging out and exchanging secrets like best friends. When this is all over, we’ll both walk away. That is, of course, if we’re not dead. So this insane need that you have to know more about me is about power. You can file information away for the future and retrieve it as you need it because it’s not about developing any sort of relationship between us.”
Stunned, he could only stare at her. When she laid it out on the table like that, it seemed true. And if he refuted it, he would have to admit that he did want to cultivate something more. That revelation alone terrified him.
Luckily, dinner was served. She nibbled at her meal quietly, and he watched her closely. Something was happening between them. Something he didn’t understand. They were never on equal footing. He was merely here to protect her, and that automatically made him superior, but as she stripped away the outer layers of their coupling, he realized that he was never superior. They weren’t even equal. He was her submissive in every way, and he hadn’t even realized it.
“Kazimir used to say that you didn’t have friends, but after everything went down with him and Veronika, you stepped out of the shadows to bring them together. You wouldn’t have done that if you didn’t think of Kaz as a friend,” she said suddenly.
Dmitri arched an eyebrow. “Do I hear a questions in that sentence?”
“Do you have friends?”
Did he have friends? “I kept a close eye on Kazimir. The man saved my life, and I was anxious to repay the favor. Although he asked for information and help, it was something he could have done on his own. It wasn’t until he walked away from Veronika that he truly needed help. I could have walked away, but it would have bothered me that I hadn’t fully repaid the debt. He was living, but he didn’t have much of a life. Now he has Veronika.”
“That didn’t answer my question.”
“I don’t know what having a friend means, Charley. Do I have someone that I meet for beers or watch a movie with? No. I don’t cultivate those kinds of relationships.”
“So what is this? This isn’t because you think I have cabin fever. Why have you brought me here?”
“That’s more than one question.”
“I don’t want to play your stupid game, Dmitri. I want you to freely answer a question because I asked it.”
He put down his fork. “All right, Charley. I wanted to leave the hotel so I could see if anyone was tailing us. I chose this restaurant because I’m familiar enough with its exits and entrances to see if someone was watching us.”
It was almost fascinating to watch the wall between them go up. The mask that hid every emotion in her face slammed into place, and she looked at him coldly. “Is there anyone following us?”
“No,” he said softly.
“Good. I appreciate the dinner, but I’ve lost my appetite. If you’ve discovered everything you wanted to discover, I’d like to go back now.”
Dmitri wanted to tell her that there was so much more than that. He wanted to reach across the table and take her hand. He wanted to t
ell her that he’d picked this place so he could see her in a dress and watch her face as she was pampered. Instead, he nodded and gestured for the check.
When he crawled into bed next to her that night, she’d scooted to the edge of the mattress. He almost let it go, but the urge to be inside her was too great. He skimmed his fingers over her arms.
“Don’t,” she whispered.
“I saw a way for both of us to get something that we wanted, Charley.”
She turned in the bed and stared at him in the darkness. “And what makes you think you have any idea what I want?”
“I know that you want the thrill of danger. You may want it to be over, but you revel in it now. You fight with a passion I have never seen before.” His hands trailed over her bare thighs. She was already parting her legs for him, and he ever so gently caressed the fabric of her panties. “You’re tempted by adrenaline and darkness.”
“I draw the line at being treated like I’m disposable, Dmitri.”
He leaned up so he could move his body over hers. “You’re not disposable, Charley,” he said as he bent down to taste her lips. “Absolutely everything about you is unique, and it should be treasured.”
“I shouldn’t let you do this,” she said heavily as he inched her T-shirt up. He smoothed the palm of his hand over her flat abdomen, and she inhaled sharply.
“You shouldn’t,” he agreed as he moved down her body. He replaced his hand with his lips and darted his tongue out to taste her skin. “It’s dangerous to let me get this close to you.”
He suckled on her skin and moved down even further. When he placed a hot and wet kiss over the fabric covering her mound, she lifted her hips sharply and cried out. The sound of her pleasure drove him wild, and he ripped her panties down with a growl.
“Fuck,” she cried out as he slid his tongue along her slit. She was sweet and tangy, and he was suddenly starving for more. Pushing her legs up and out, he held her hips down as he feasted. She squirmed under him and tangled her fingers in his hair, but she was at his mercy. He wouldn’t let her push him away, and he wouldn’t let her maneuver her hips to get what she wanted. He teased her with his lips and prodded gently with his tongue.
“Please, Dmitri. Quit playing with me,” she moaned.
“I’m not playing, baby. I love the way you taste. I love the way you move under me. If you’d let me, I’d keep you here forever,’ he murmured. He felt her thighs tense, and he backed away.
Her frustrated howl made him smile, and he pushed her more forcefully to the bed. “You can’t just leave me like this, Dmitri. Please. Make me come,” she sobbed.
“I want to hear my name on your lips,” he warned her. He went back in and scraped his teeth along her clitoris. She pulled sharply at his hair and bucked her hips as he licked and sucked until finally, her body convulsed.
And she screamed his name.
Muttering a curse, he moved up her body and slid into her. They both moaned at the union, and he shoved her T-shirt up under her armpits while he reached down and licked at her nipples. She moved her hips to meet his thrusts and scraped her teeth along his neck. She was wet and tight, but God, she felt like velvet.
“God, you feel…fuck...Charley,” he hissed, as he was unable to complete any coherent sentences. She pushed at him, and he let her flip them over. Rather than sitting up to ride him, she completely dismounted, and he moaned as she left him.
Before he could protest, she grinned at him wickedly. “I want to see how I taste,” she muttered as she wrapped her lips around his hardness.
“Shit,” he muttered as she ran her tongue along his base. Closing his eyes, he tangled his fingers in her hair and thrust gently into her mouth. “God, you’re good at that.” He was helpless to stop.
“Some assassin you are,” she teased as she released him. “I could get any information I wanted from you.”
He grunted as she slid her lips over him again. Her mouth was made for sin, and he lost all track of time as she continued to suck him. His breath grew shallow, and he pulled her off. “Come back up, baby. I’m not ready for this to be over.”
She straddled him again and took him in deep. “How did you taste?” he asked hoarsely as she wiggled her hips slowly. She bowed her back and ripped off her shirt. He moaned at the erotic vision of her poised on top of him with her curls spilling over her naked breasts.
“Good,” she whispered. “I tasted good.” And then she began to move. There was nothing left to say as she picked up the pace, and soon he was gripping her hips and slamming her down. The room was filled with the sound of slapping skin and their moans of pleasure. He kept his eyes open so that he could watch every second of it. His. At that moment, he possessed her body. He was the reason sweat was trickling down her cleavage. He was the reason she was shaking with desperation and need.
And she was the reason he completely lost control. He could normally go for hours without release, but seeing her climax over him drove him to the brink of madness. When he came, he almost shouted her name.
When it was all over and they were drifting off to sleep, her name was still on his lips, but he couldn’t say it out loud. He couldn’t admit that something was changing. That he was ready to risk just about everything to keep her safe.
Chapter Eight
He had miscalculated. It was a rare occurrence. He’d been taught far too well for mistakes like this, but as he sat at the nearly empty bar and tossed back another shot, he felt another’s eyes on him.
The bar had been empty. He’d checked twice before sitting down. The bartender looked uneasily at the door, and he knew. Someone had spotted him.
Whirling on his barstool, he grabbed for his weapon, but it was too late. The shot rang out. And, to his disbelief, someone knocked him out of the way.
The stranger grunted as the bullet hit him. The shooter, realizing what had happened, turned and ran. The man whirled around and emptied his gun into the bartender.
It had been a set up.
Uneasily, he glanced at the man on the floor. The bullet had entered his shoulder. He would live. The man should have walked out. He should have simply just let it go. But he couldn’t. No one had ever saved his life before. Something had to be done.
Wordlessly, he pulled out a piece of paper and jotted his number down. “The name is Dmitri,” he said quietly. “And I will owe you a favor. Should you go to the police with this information, I will kill you and everyone you love. One favor only. Do you understand?”
The stranger holding his shoulder looked calmly into his eyes. This was not an ordinary civilian. He had seen death. He had probably caused his fair share of death. He would not go the police.
Turning, the man who now called himself Dmitri left. It would be a long time before the stranger would call in that favor. And it would change Dmitri’s life forever.
***
He wasn’t in the bed when she woke up. She almost panicked when she reached for him and felt the cold sheets next to her. He’d abandoned her.
But as soon as she opened her eyes, she knew he was still in the room. She could feel his presence like a blanket. It comforted her.
Sometimes it almost smothered her.
But something was different as she watched him through sleepy lids. His body was tense, and his hands gripped the edge of the table. Something was wrong. Or maybe something was right. Either way, she knew it was almost over.
Charley swallowed hard as she watched him staring at the document. She’d heard the sharp intake in his breath. He’d obviously found what he was looking for. “What’s going on?”
He looked up at her as if he were seeing her for the first time. “Ivan killed my father,” he said in a hollow voice.
She felt her heart breaking as she watched the conflict in his eyes. Crossing the room, she stopped hesitantly at the edge of the table. She wanted to take him in her arms and comfort him, but she wasn’t sure Dmitri was the kind of guy who liked comfort. “You have the proof?”
Charley chose her words carefully. “Dmitri, that’s not proof.”
“I know. But Ivan’s words were chilling. My father said that at least Fedor Saiko was stable. He knew that Ivan was a psychopath. He knew that if he commissioned weapons for him, hundreds of thousands would die. Ivan promised him that he would regret that statement. That was just days before my father was shot to death.”
“This is what you’ve been waiting for,” Charley said softly. “You should call the authorities.”
Dmitri gave her a sharp look. “I’m an assassin, Charley. Killing is what I do. Not only can I not go to the authorities for help without getting arrested, but I also promised myself that I would kill that man who murdered my father. Nothing is going to make me go back on that promise.”
And what about me? Charley wanted to scream at him, but how could she keep him away from the only goal in his life? Instead, she tried to compose herself. “When do you make your move?”
“I’ll drop you off with a colleague and scope out his schedule for the next couple of days. I should be back for you within a week,” he said absently.
She stared at him. “I’m sorry. Did you just say that you were going to drop me off with a colleague?”
“He’ll make sure you’re safe,” Dmitri said slowly as he stared at her. “But that seems to upset you.”
She all but snorted. “The only person I’ve ever heard you mention is Kaz. When you didn’t have him, you kept me here. And now all of a sudden, you have another option? Someone else you trust but you’ve never mentioned before now?” She threw her hands up. “I’m betting that this isn’t a friend or a colleague. It’s just someone you barely know but is skilled enough to keep me safe. Does that sound right?”