“For fuck’s sake, Dmitri.” Yuri grabbed his shoulder when he went to turn and walk away. “This isn’t about our past quarrels. This is about our dying mother.”
“Past quarrels?” He whirled back on him, and I began to run in time with Mildred as his meaty fist came up. “You stole the woman I loved.”
We arrived too late. Dmitri’s fist lashed out lightning quick, delivering a powerful jab to Yuri’s nose. Blood flew, spattering Dmitri’s still bare chest, staining Yuri’s shirt and suit jacket . His brother nearly fell over the side of a seat from the force of the blow. He covered his dripping nostrils and glared up at his enraged sibling.
“Break it up, you two,” Mildred said, getting between the pair.
I went to help the fallen man to his feet.
“Get away from him right now, Charlotte,” Dmitri snarled.
I looked at him, shocked by the ferocity in his trembling voice. I’d never seen him so full of wrath. I didn’t know much about the history between him and his brother, but I had heard the comment from Dmitri: You stole the woman I loved.
“He’s hurt,” I protested. “Whatever happened between you two, he can’t deserve this.”
His eyes narrowed to icy slits. “You have no idea what he’s done. Don’t make hasty judgments.”
Mildred held him by one brawny shoulder, while Ryan took the other. “Chill, big guy,” she said. “Before you say or do something you’ll regret.”
This seemed to take the edge off Dmitri’s anger. His brother murmured a thank you to me and Mildred, after she handed him a handkerchief from her purse.
“I don’t know what you’re doing here, Yuri,” she said, her tone clipped with coldness. “But if you screw with your brother, believe me, next time I’ll stand back while he goes at it.”
Yuri’s sigh sounded weary, heavy. “I’m not here to cause trouble. Given my past, I know that’s hard to believe. Things change, people change. I want to reconcile with my family, and see my mother before she dies. That’s all.”
“And last time you wanted to reconcile, what happened, hmmm?” Dmitri growled at him.
“I’m sorry. Despite what you believe, I did love Astrid. It’s because of her I’ve come to my senses.”
Dmitri’s jaw worked as he cast a sneer at his sibling. “How did you know I was here? What, trying to get into Surrender now, too? That’ll never happen.”
Yuri rolled his eyes. “No, brother, the sex industry was always your profession.” He gave a derisive sniff. “Not mine.”
Dmitri lunged for him again. This time I helped Mildred and Ryan hold him off. It was like trying to temper the rage of a giant made of stone.
“Okay boys,” Mildred said. “That’s enough. Yuri, get out of here and call your brother tomorrow. Dmitri, take your lady home and cool off.”
***
“John is definitely getting a reprimand when I speak to him,” Dmitri grumbled as he slid closer to me in the back of the limo.
“It was an innocent mistake,” I said softly. “He knew Yuri was your brother, so figured it would be okay to let him in.”
He frowned as he draped an arm over my shoulder. “Still, he knows Sanctuary policy. No one gets in unless they’re friends of the board or on the board.”
I shrugged. “He probably assumed your brother was your friend.” Poor John, the desk clerk who had let us in that evening. He’d receive an earful and then some, I was sure, for letting Yuri slip past the radar. And I distinctly got the feeling Dmitri didn’t care for my argumentative tone.
His hand slid up my stocking clad leg. Once more our long coats covered our skimpy costumes, and he parted the opening of mine, inching his fingers higher. But I knew his game this time. He was trying to distract me with sex. While the distraction would be pleasurable, I admittedly felt I deserved some answers.
“Your brother…what did he do to make you hate him so much?” I stopped his hand before it slid up my inner thigh.
His dark eyebrows drew together in annoyance. “You really want to talk about this now?”
I held his gaze with determination. “I think that’s fair. After all, I had to perform blind tonight, then witness you trying to kill your sibling.”
Now he sighed and rolled his eyes at me, as if I were being a petulant child. “That’s a blatant exaggeration. I just punched him in the nose.”
Now, he grabbed the back of my head and kissed me, obviously in an effort to silence my questions. I tried to resist his lips, but he plunged his tongue between mine with a raw hungriness that would not be denied. I whimpered as his teeth tugged at my bottom lip, and I slid my hands up his warm, wide arms.
“Did you enjoy the play inside the cage tonight?” he whispered, as he nibbled his way to my collarbone.
“Yes.” I gasped as his fingers slipped under my wispy thong and pinched my clit. Hard, at first, as if he punished me, but then the strokes varied up between insistent and gentle, sending my more chaotic thoughts and emotions to the back of my mind, replacing them with lust.
“I’m glad.” He untied my coat and parted it completely. “I apologize I didn’t give you some extra training before showing you off to a live audience.”
I tried not to think of how much I felt like a pet at his words. Like a possession and not a person, in that moment. Maybe I was just being foolish. He yanked my breasts out of the top of my corset, then dipped his head to bite the nipple, chasing my worries away with the hot spike of pleasure / pain. He alternated between each hardening tips, suckling them then flicking his tongue rapidly over their stiff peaks. I moaned and writhed beneath him, cradling the back of his head with one hand. When he bit the other nipple hard again, I cried out loudly and wondered what Lewis, our driver, must think.
His fingers continued to work my sex, rolling my swollen clit between his strong fingertips. Rubbing it until my hips bucked into his touch with a will of their own. Finally his digits slid inside my wet opening, and I sighed in bliss as my vagina closed tightly around his penetration.
“I’m going to take you right here, Mistress,” he murmured against my ear, while working my pulsing bud still with one hand and finger fucking me with the other. “I want to watch you come all over the seat, all over me.”
I melted in his arms, but before I could completely surrender my will to this ecstasy, a name floated into my head. And his words, just now, conjured it forth. ‘I want’ he said. This wasn’t about me. It was completely about him. Of course, it would be, because his heart belonged to another woman.
I pushed him back, gathered my senses enough to ask, “Who’s Astrid?”
His face, darkened by lust, now grew pinched and annoyed. “Why does it matter? You’re awfully willful tonight, Mistress.” His lips drew in a thin line, and his intense stare seemed to demand I obey.
“You seemed impressed with my dominant side last week,” I countered, trying desperately to ignore the command he held over my body. “So I can only be dominant on your terms, is that it?”
His fingers stopped stroking inside my cunt. “I thought this was a job to you? One you wanted to do well.”
I tucked my breasts back inside my corset, tried to swallow the stupid tears that itched at the back of my throat. “I think I’d like the night off.”
He growled as he withdrew from me and slid to the opposite side of the seat, far away. His knuckles sounded like a death knell as they rapped the glass shielding us from the driver.
“Lewis,” he said. “Take Ms. Hanson home. We’re quite finished here.”
After he unceremoniously dropped me off on the sidewalk in front my apartment, I allowed some tears to flow. He’d called me Ms. Hanson, and he’d never been so formal before. Not even during my first interview.
I turned to find the doorman, Phillip, staring at me as I brushed dampness from my cheeks.
“Ms. Hanson.” The name stung me, though he spoke it innocently. “Are you all right?” He came forward and offered an arm, leading me to the entrance
.
“I’ll be fine, Phillip.” I forced a smile for the kindly gentleman who wore a snow white, handlebar mustache. “Just as soon as I find another job.”
***
The next week at work was filled with hesitant glances and curt words spoken. Dmitri didn’t call afterward, nor did I drive home with him. There was a cab waiting for me every day after work, but while the short trip home should’ve gone quickly, the silence and loneliness seemed to stretch the minutes into hours.
“May I have our new patient’s file, please?” Dmitri avoided my eyes as he made the request.
“Certainly.” I slid the manila folder to him without even looking from my computer screen.
That’s when Mildred entered the office. She must’ve heard the tail end of our clipped exchange, for she stopped just in front of my desk and stood with hands on hips. “Okay, this has gone on long enough. What’s up with you two?”
From my peripheral, I saw Dmitri give her an annoyed glare. “Ask Charlotte. I have a patient waiting.”
I cast a scowl at his departing back.
Mildred pulled a chair up to my desk just as his door closed. “Is this still about last weekend? His brother?”
I faked a smile for her. She’d been nothing less than supportive since the incident. “Yes and no, I guess.” A truth had hit me like a rock to the stomach this morning, while I was getting ready for work, but I wasn’t sure if I could bring myself to tell Mildred just yet. Still, I knew I loved him. “We’ve been avoiding one another since that night. I … I don’t think my other services are required anymore.”
My friend’s lips, painted a vivacious coral today, pressed into a thin line. “That damn man. He’s doing it again. Well, I won’t let him give up this time. What’re you doing tonight, sweetie?”
I wondered what she meant by ‘doing it again.’ “Nothing, really. I was just going to watch some Dark Shadows reruns and eat chocolate.”
She smiled at this. “Mind if I come over? I’ll bring brownies. I think you and I should’ve have a little talk about Dmitri.”
***
Mildred arrived at eight o’clock with a pan of brownies and a bottle of Merlot. She grabbed a corkscrew while I cut the sweet square into thick, fluffy chocolate chunks. Then we curled up on the couch with our glasses of wine, plates, and the bottle resting on my coffee table, ready for refills.
I still hadn’t grown accustomed to the immensity of my apartment. I had two extra bedrooms, and a cleaning service! I’d never had either in my life, and I’d transformed one of the bedrooms into an office, where I secretly pecked away at a romance novel I’d been writing since high school. The color scheme was creme walls with honey colored wainscoting that matched my living room furniture perfectly. A modern, white, open fireplace accented the front of the area, and hardwood floors shone throughout. You could fit half of my old place into my bedroom alone.
“Nice set up.” Mildred nodded appreciatively, making the comment after she devoured another forkful of brownie. “So, when did you last see Dmitri? Other than work, I mean.”
I put my slice of brownie on the coffee table, heaved a deep sigh, and said, “He hasn’t requested my services since last weekend.”
“Requested your services?” Mildred laughed, but not in a cruel way. She sounded more incredulous. “Sweetie, you do realize that whole employing you as a sex mistress thing is a ruse, right?”
I nearly choked on my mouthful of wine. “Ruse?”
Wearing a kind smile, she nodded. “Dmitri…well, Dmitri still has trouble talking to women, particularly women he’s interested in. He used to give up or avoid pursuing a lady, his fear of rejection was so deep. I know, it might seem hard to believe. How can a billionaire lack confidence with females?” She shook her head slowly, and a sad expression came over her face. “A lot of his insecurities tie back to his brother, but those are stories Dmitri should tell you, not me. Let’s just say his childhood was painful at times, and he still feels like that awkward little boy deep inside. He doesn’t like people to see that side of him, so he plays parts, plays games, sometimes. The sex mistress proposition was just a way to get closer to you, be with you.”
“Why didn’t he just ask me to a movie?” I asked naively, and felt a fool the moment the question left my lips.
Mildred struggled not to smirk as she lowered the glass from her lips. “For Dmitri, it’s easier to dissect a damaged intellect than it is to woo a lady.” She laid a hand on mine and her blue eyes filled with compassion. “Oh, Charlotte…he loves you.”
A sob bubbled up into my throat, but I successfully choked it down before I confessed, “I love him, too.”
She refilled my wine glass then handed it to me before asking, “Did he tell you about Roxy?”
Roxy? Astrid? My head swirled with the names of these unknown women. “No, no he didn’t.”
As if sensing my apprehension, she patted my leg. “Don’t worry. Roxy’s been out of the picture for many years. They just went their separate ways, but she was a big influence on Dmitri. She helped him gain courage with women. Knowing about Roxy might help you understand why Dmitri approached you the way he did.”
“Oh?”
“Yes.” Mildred filled our plates with a fresh brownie each before she continued. “She was a femdom, like me. She introduced Dmitri to the world of bdsm. Through sexual role playing, he could become someone else—someone confident, or submissive. He could distance himself from his fear of approaching the opposite sex. He becomes a skilled master, seducing his mistress. Roxy taught him how to pleasure women, how to tap the overt sexuality he hid deep inside, and when he found he was good at it, he gained control over his terror of being rejected. After Astrid, his fear returned, but I thought he had that beat when he started seeing you. Yuri showing up didn’t help.”
My heart did a sick flip flop. “Who is Astrid?”
Mildred cringed. “That’s another one you should get full details from Dmitri on, but I can tell you this: She was Dmitri’s first sex mistress. They fell in love, and they were going to marry, but…”
“Yuri stole her away.” I finished her sentence.
She nodded. “Yes, and it wasn’t the first time he’d done something like that to his brother.”
We chatted about trivial things for another fifteen minutes, then Mildred cleared the coffee table of our dishes and said, “Tomorrow I’m going to have a little talk with Dmitri. Encourage him to get his ass over here and iron things out with you. Okay?”
I went into her open arms for a big hug. “Thank you, Mildred. Thank you for everything.”
***
Rain pelted the glass, and I sat in my bedroom window seat watching it pour down on a tiny gathering of people below. Colorful umbrellas moved beneath a lamppost, cutting a swathe of brightness through the inky night.
The day had been another cool one for mid-July, but it matched my mood after another frigid day at the office. Mildred said she would be paying a visit to Dmitri tonight. I wondered how that conversation had went, or was it still going on?
I glanced at the bedside clock: just after midnight. I hated myself for watching the phone, hoping he’d call. Hated myself for feeling this way, for loving a man who supposedly loved me, even if it didn’t feel like he did. I felt too vulnerable, too out of control of my emotions. But no matter how much I despised the turmoil swirling inside me, I couldn’t shut those feelings off.
We’d been friends as well as lovers. He’d said so himself, or had that been a lie? Did he really love me, or was Mildred just trying to be kind, wishful? Maybe they really were both playing a mental game with me. I sighed and slid from the cushion, trying to push the flurry of thoughts from my tired brain as I made my way to the kitchen for a cup of tea.
Two steps past the couch, someone beat loudly on my front door. Security hadn’t buzzed to inform me of a visitor, and every guest had to be checked in. I froze in terror and held my breath, dashing to grab my cell phone and punch in a single d
igit that would connect me with the building’s guard unit.
Then a voice stopped me. “Charlotte, it’s me. Can I come in?”
Dmitri. His words sounded slurred and husky. Had he been drinking? I rushed to the front door and unfastened the locks. When I opened up, I found him looming over me, braced on the doorjamb with both hands. His long, straight black hair fell around his shoulders in a tangled fury. He wore an open olive gray trench coat, sweat pants that left little to the imagination, and a rumpled green t-shirt. His bloodshot emerald eyes told me he had definitely had his fair share of liquor. There was a hint of ruddiness to his smooth, golden skin.
“We need to talk,” he said, swaying as he pushed by me to enter the apartment.
“Has Mildred been to see you?”
He flopped down on the couch before he could fall down. “Yes. That’s why I’m here.”
He appeared angry, sullen, and I wondered if Mildred had been incorrect. If she’d told him I loved him, and now he’d come here to sever ties and set me straight about my foolish, romantic notion that he might love me back.
I dared a step closer. “Have you come to fire me then?”
His head snapped around and he frowned at me. “No, of course not.” He seemed to look at me in disbelief over my question. “Come sit, please?” He patted the couch beside him, and I approached.
His large arm wrapped around me and all was right in the world. The stench of whiskey wafted off his breath, but I didn’t mind. I snuggled tight against his side and waited a moment before breaking the silence.
But he broke it first. “I’ve come to tell you about my brother, about Astrid. You deserve that, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the other night.”
I touched his soft, full lips. Gazed up at him. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” Leaning forward, he kissed my forehead, and his silky tendrils of hair tickled my face.
I took his hand, moved back so I could see him better. “Please, tell me everything. Everything you’re comfortable with.”
He rubbed my arm through my pajama sleeve. “I will.” Then his expression clouded in deep thought, and tiny wrinkles formed at the corners of his eyes as he struggled for the right words to begin. “My brother, Yuri… He has Narcissistic Personality Disorder. At first, he was a big part of the reason I went into psychiatry. I wanted to know what made people like him tick. As a child, he tormented me. You see, people with NPD have a sense of superiority. They often disregard the pain of others, lack empathy.”
BDSM Mega Boxed Set Page 55