by Rose, Bella
“You don’t look like you don’t want me,” he said as he reached out. Quickly, she slid along the wall to the left out of his reach, but her legs hit the bench, and she stumbled onto it. Thinking as quickly as possible, she righted herself into a sitting position and squeezed her eyes shut.
“I’m not denying you. I just ask for more time. Please. I’ll just…I’ll pleasure you with my mouth tonight. Will that make you leave me alone?”
She felt his hands grasp her chin roughly and pull her face up. Opening her eyes, she braced her hands on the bench and waited.
His eyes searched hers coldly. She had a feeling he would take her up on her offer if only to find another way to knock her down a peg or two. He knew he could have her. She wouldn’t tell him no twice. Her body wouldn’t allow it.
“Close your eyes,” he said in a voice thick with lust. She felt the tears slide down her cheeks as she obeyed him. Waiting for his next command, she reached up to grasp his hips, but there was nothing there.
“Alek?” she said after a moment. Her eyes popped open, and she was alone in the shower. Relieved and disgusted with herself, she pulled her legs up on the bench and cried.
***
His whole body was tense as he wrapped a towel around himself and left Natalia huddled in the bathroom. Even with the sound of the shower, he could hear her crying. It pissed him off to no end.
He’d dressed her up and taken her to one of the biggest parties in the city. He made her shake from an orgasm last night. Hell, she’d almost given it up to him in the car, but when he was ready for her, she’d panicked like a virgin.
A blow job. Did she really think that a forced blow job was what he wanted? He wanted her naked and willing and screaming his name. He wanted to bury himself so deep inside her that he couldn’t tell where he ended and she began.
Damn it, she was wet for him. And there was lust in her eyes as they had roamed his naked body. If he had pushed, she would have been his and he’s be sinking himself inside her and listening to her moans echo from the bathroom walls.
Instead he was pacing in one of the guest rooms and shaking with anger. Force a woman? He had never forced woman in his life.
“Fuck,” he roared as he sat on the edge of the bed. His entire body was alive with desire, and there was no outlet. He wanted to put his fist through a wall.
“Sir?” There was a knock on the door.
Narrowing his eyes, he opened the door so hard he nearly ripped it off its hinges. Anastasia blinked and took in the towel that slung low on his hips. “What?” he said tensely.
“I just wanted to know if there was anything else you needed before I go to bed. If you want to stay in here, I’ll be happy to turn down the bed.” She met his eyes boldly. His half-nakedness did not intimidate her.
That pissed him off even more. Was no one under his roof scared of him? “Why would I sleep in this bed when I have a perfectly good bed down the hall?” he said softly.
“I imagine it has something to do with the crying woman in your shower.” She cocked her head and studied him cheekily. It was obvious she could see his erection under the towel. “Want me to call someone to take care of that for you?” she said with a smile.
“Why don’t I get you to take care of it for me?” he said darkly.
“I don’t think bedding a lesbian was on your list tonight,” she said dryly. “Look, I don’t know what the hell happened between you two tonight, but if you keep pushing her, you’re going to break her.”
“I want to break her.”
“No. I don’t think you do. If you wanted a simpering idiot under you, you’d be fucking Claudia tonight. Natalia is a strong woman, and she might take everything you throw at her, and you like that. But in one week she’s lost her freedom and the respect she had for her father. You may hate the man, but the Petr who recruited you and the Petr who has tried to give Natalia everything are two different men. You keep stripping everything she loves, and there will be nothing left of her.”
Her words punched him like a fist to the gut. Wordlessly, he stared at her. She was right, and they both knew it, but he was doing everything he had planned to do. Everything, short of leaving her alone in the shower simply because she cried, had all been part of the plan.
“That’s the point,” he said harshly. “I can’t punish the man who led me by the hand into this life, but I can bleed the man he became dry. Petr cares about nothing except his daughter, and when I give her back to him, I want there to be nothing left but hatred and terror.”
Ana’s mouth dropped open and she stared at him. “So you would destroy an innocent life as vengeance on the man who destroyed yours? When does the circle of broken bodies end, Alekandr?”
“It’s none of your business, Anastasia.” He got up and moved toward her. She didn’t give any ground, but he could see the spark of fear in her eyes. “You knew who I was when I employed you. This is what I do. This is what I was raised to do.”
“You’re a fucking idiot,” Ana said, but her voice trembled.
“Watch your tongue, Anastasia. You’ll find your ass back out on the streets if you don’t show me any respect, and there isn’t a big market for lesbian whores.”
She gasped as he struck a nerve, and he smiled at her. “Go to bed. I suggest you have an attitude adjustment in the morning.”
“She hides a picture of a man. And when she thinks no one is looking, she hugs that picture to her chest. You don’t give a damn about what might have happened in her past. The only thing you’re concerned about it Petr. It hasn’t even occurred to you that you might be ruining her life. She’s not Petr. She’s nothing like Petr.” Without another word, she fled the room. He watched her go with a heavy heart. That made two females that couldn’t wait to get away from him tonight. It only fueled the fire to his anger.
He left the guest room and slipped silently down the hall into his bedroom. Natalia was already under the covers, and she was pretending to be asleep. As his lips curled into a sneer, he reached over and yanked the coverlet away.
“Alek,” she cried out as she reached down to grab the covers. He let the towel drop and grabbed her shoulders to push her back. Crawling on top, he loomed over her.
“I’ve thought a good deal about your proposal, and I’m almost tempted to take you up on it. I bet you’re a good cocksucker,” he said harshly. “But I can think of no better punishment than to make you beg for me take you.”
Reaching down, he lifted one of her legs and settled on top of her so that his heavy erection settled between the juncture of her thighs. As he slid himself between her thick folds, he couldn’t help but moan. God, he needed her in the worst way, and it took everything he had not to slide into her warmth.
Natalia’s lips parted, and he leaned down and kissed her. The arms that were pushing at his shoulders slowly encircled him. As he continued to pump his hips, he adjusted himself so that he slid over her clitoris. She jerked and moaned into his mouth. She was just as aroused and he was, and it was clear she was ready to go off like a rocket.
“You were so ready for me to take you in the car,” he murmured in her ear as he reached down and slid a finger inside her. Her muscles clenched around him, and she pumped her hips to match the rhythm as he finger-fucked her. “Does it turn you on to have someone watch? Is that why you wouldn’t let me fuck you in the shower? You didn’t have an audience?”
“Please,” she muttered as she turned her head. “Please stop.”
“Stop what?” he moved his finger faster. Bending his head, he licked at her erect nipples and was reward with another breathy moan. Every sound out of her mouth was driving him wild. “Stop pleasuring you? Or stop reminding you of what you’re capable of.”
As he slid his thumb to her clitoris, he felt the muscles in her leg tense. She was close. She was about to shatter in his arms, and with that thought, he drew his hands away from her.
“Wait,” she cried out, but he was already moving away from her.
“This is your punishment for insinuating that I take women who don’t want me,” he hissed. “As you try to sleep tonight, I’ll bring your body to the edge of madness and leave you hanging. And if I don’t see you touching yourself, the torment will continue well into the morning. Do you understand?”
Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized what he meant. Immediately, she tried to scramble out of bed, and he reached over and grabbed her. “Don’t. If you try to leave, I’ll handcuff you to this bed and make things so much worse. Be a good girl and take your punishment. And when I come to you next time, you better beg for it.”
Bending his head, he tasted her lips again. She was so sweet. Tonight would test his limits of discipline like never before. As he released her, he hooked one arm around her body and closed his eyes. It took her almost an hour before she finally relaxed in his grip. He listened to the sound of her rhythmic breathing, and once he was sure she was asleep, he slithered down her body and pressed his mouth firmly on her mound. And when she awoke, he drove her all the way up again only to leave her just before she found her release.
Her cries of frustration were nothing compared to the silent screams of his own needs and desire. When he finally took her, he was going to ravage her until there was nothing left of either of them.
Chapter Eight
Alek woke after only two hours of broken sleep. He had stayed busy making sure Natalia had gotten no sleep, and in return, he’d also barely gotten any himself. She was curled up around him. An unusual amount of weight was settled on his leg. Raising his head, he looked to see a big ball of black fluff and green eyes staring at him.
Bones. It looked like the cat was finally starting to like him. How ironic was that? Exhaustion had finally set in, and Alek took pity on her and eased out of the bed. He’d let her sleep through the morning to recover.
“Who is he?” he whispered to her. “Who’s the man in the picture?” She didn’t answer. She didn’t answer because she was sleeping, and he couldn’t bring himself to ask her when she was awake
At some point last night, the anger inside him had dissipated. Stepping into the shower, he scrubbed his body down and contemplated doing something about the erection that had never found relief last night. But the truth was he had quite a few things to do this morning, and his discomfort would at least keep him awake.
He toweled himself off and watched Natalia sleep. She’d almost gotten violent last night the fifth time he’d woken her up. It had become less about tormenting her and more about watching the lust veil her eyes.
Rubbing his eyes, he finished dressing and lowly eased out of the room. The first person he saw was Ana. She glared at him, and he swallowed his guilt and drew himself to his full height. “Anastasia. Natalia did not get much sleep last night. I won’t require anything from her until she’s fully rested. When she awakes, you can make sure that she eats something. If I’m not busy, let me know, and I’ll find something for her to do.”
“Fine,” Ana said coldly as she turned away from him. Alek reached out and grabbed her shoulder. “I was not finished,” he said quietly.
“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what else you would have to say to me,” she said sarcastically. Spinning around, she crossed her arms. Her dark eyes pierced through him.
“If you would calm down,” he muttered with a twinkle in his eye, “then I could apologize to you. I was angry at the way last night had unraveled, and I took my anger out on you. I said some things that I regret, and I am deeply sorry.”
Her face twitched into a smile, and he narrowed his eyes. “However, I would like to remind you that I am your employer, and you need to respect my wishes. If you don’t like what I do under this roof, you are welcome to leave. I will make sure you get a generous severance package.”
The smiled dropped from her face, and she took a deep breath. “When I first found out what you were doing, I definitely didn’t approve. If it were anyone else, I’d quit. No severance package required. Let’s be honest, Alek. What you’re doing to her is wrong. But I’m not going to quit, because I think she’s good for you.”
He felt like his eyes were going to bug out of his head. “Excuse me?”
Ana smirked. “You heard me. At the very least, you got rid of that horrid redhead.” She visibly shuddered. “If you go too far, I’ll step in. And if that means that you fire me, then you’ll fire me. But that’s all I can offer you.”
“Agreed,” Alek said as he nodded his head.
“Does that mean that I can get a raise?” she asked as he moved passed her.
“Keep dreaming,” Alek called back, but he was already thinking that he probably should give her a raise. She certainly deserved it.
Misha and Sasha greeted him in the kitchen. Both men had a pile of eggs and sausage on their plates, and they dug in with gusto. “Gentleman,” Alek said softly.
“You’re late boss,” Misha said as he wiped his mouth. “We’ve got an appointment in fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll take my breakfast to go,” Alek said as he nodded at the serving girl in the corner. She nodded and pushed through the door to prepare it. “Remind me again what we’re doing?”
Even Sasha stopped and stared at him. Alek was always punctual, and he never forgot a scheduled meeting. And it wasn’t that he forgot the meeting. He knew he had a meeting, but he just couldn’t focus enough to remember what it was.
“Collecting deposits.”
“Collecting deposits. Right,” Alek said as he yawned. Collecting deposits meant going around to the businesses and grabbing their share of the money. Alek found the whole thing archaic. It seemed far more reasonable to take the deposits digitally, but Grigori went around and collected the cash himself. His men wanted to continue the tradition and grumbled for a month when Alek mentioned changing it.
Sasha was always gearing for a fight. Misha quietly waited, and Alek tried to talk business. Most of the business owners kept the conversation short. There was always fear in their eyes and in their voice, and it got to the point Alek often didn’t even want to go in. He sat in the car and let Sasha and Misha handle it. Of course, Misha had strict orders to make sure his brother didn’t get out of hand.
Maybe he could actually get some sleep while they made the rounds.
“Tired boss? Good night with the girl, eh?” Sasha said with a lecherous grin.
“That’s none of your business,” Alek said coldly. Sasha’s mouth snapped shut, and for a moment, Alek thought his second-in-command was actually hurt. It shouldn’t surprise him. Alek never talked about his women. Of course, his women weren’t usually worth talking about.
“Sorry,” Sasha muttered.
“It’s fine. I haven’t gotten much sleep, so let’s get through today’s business with as little problem as possible.”
The serving girl returned with his food, and he nodded his thanks. Alek waved his driver away. When he was dealing with mob business, he didn’t want to include any of his staff with the exception of his men. His household staff was not to involve themselves in his business. He made sure they were all trained, but he didn’t want to be responsible for their deaths.
As he climbed into the car, he glanced up and saw the curtains moving in the window. Natalia was up. And she was watching for him.
***
As soon as his eyes met hers, Natalia stepped back with a gasp. She’d woken up as soon as he’d left the room that morning. It was almost disconcerting how quickly she’d felt the loss of his presence.
Last night had been terrifying and achingly wonderful. She’d never felt as close to someone as she’d been last night. He’d read every sign in her body and kept her on the breaking point time and time again. The muscles in her legs ached, and she hadn’t once found her release. Part of her wanted to take care of herself now, but she knew Alek would ask her what she did today.
And maybe tonight he’d reward her if she kept her hands to herself. A delicious thrill raced up her spine at the though
t. Following that thrill was a feeling of disgust. What was wrong with her? Was she so sexually driven that she would so easily fall into the arms of her captors?
“I figured you’d still be sleeping for another few hours,” Ana said as she entered the room. “You look worse than Alek, although to be honest, he never seems to sleep at night.”
Part of her yearned to sleep some more, but if Alek wasn’t going to sleep, neither would she. “Where is he going?”
“He’s collecting deposits,” Ana said vaguely. “Although he’s not all that organized. He didn’t even pick out anything for you to wear.”
Really? Natalia grinned wickedly. “Bring me the jeans that I wore when I got here. And the shirt.”
“The shirt was tossed out,” Ana said wryly. “Your jeans would have followed suit, but I convinced him that was rude.”
“Damn.” Natalia shrugged. “No worries. I’ll think of something.”
“I have a feeling I’m going to like this,” Ana said with a wink before she left to get the jeans. Natalia ignored the closet with all of her things and rummaged around in Alek’s closet. Amidst the expensive silk shirts, she finally found something she could work with. Stuffed in the back were several sweatshirts and flannel button ups.
She’d just finished buttoning up the hideous red and blue flannel shirt when Ana returned with the pair of jeans. “What the hell are you wearing?” she asked with a wrinkled nose.
Natalia laughed as she pulled up her jeans. “That was just the kind of reaction I was looking for.” She pulled her long, dark hair back into a low ponytail and secured it with a hair tie. “What do you think?”
“I think you look like a lumber jack,” Ana grumbled. “All of my fantasies just disappeared. Alek is going to kill me for letting you wear this.”
At her words, Natalia faltered. She wanted to drive the man nuts but not at the expense of anyone else. “Maybe it’s a bad idea. I don’t want to get you in trouble.” Alek wouldn’t do anything to hurt Ana, would he?
“Don’t be silly,” Ana said as she waved her hand around. “He was ridiculously rude to me last night, and he was groveling this morning. Well, groveling is actually a pretty strong word. What I meant to say was I’ve got quite a bit of stretchy room before he goes off on me again. I don’t suppose you want to put on any makeup, do you?”