by Red Phoenix
“After today’s revelation, it’s clear your father was strategic in using you against them to ensure their obedience to him.”
Rytsar sneered. “I wish I could raise him from the dead just so I could torture him for all the wrongs he has committed against me and my family.”
Reaching out to Brie, Rytsar pulled her close. She was grateful he had survived the confrontation with Vlad.
As Brie laid her head against Rytsar’s chest, she gazed over at Sir, wondering what tomorrow would bring.
Twisted Fate
When Vlad arrived at the mansion the next day, he had dark circles under his bloodshot eyes.
Rytsar seemed amused by it. “So, you told your wife, then?”
Vlad growled in answer.
“How did it go?”
“I slept with the dogs.”
Rytsar’s lips twitched. “Good. Then you are ready for this meeting.”
Vlad frowned. “No, Anton, I am not. But I want to see my son.”
Brie hadn’t cared for Vlad up to this point. So, it surprised her that she suddenly felt a spark of compassion for the man. It seemed Vlad genuinely cared about the child.
At the appointed time, the four of them left to confront Sasha. Brie was grateful that Rytsar had insisted they attend. Sir would prove effective as a mediator, should things become dicey.
When Rytsar pulled up to a hotel, Vlad demanded angrily, “Why are we meeting her here?”
Rytsar shrugged. “It’s where we always meet. I didn’t want to arouse suspicion.”
Vlad snarled, clearly unhappy with the location.
“Will the boy be there?” Sir asked.
“Da, I asked that she bring him today.”
Looking at Vlad, Rytsar said, “You deserve to see your son.”
Vlad nodded curtly.
Brie let out a nervous sigh as they walked into the hotel. This was going to be an ugly confrontation. Sasha had no idea that Vlad would be there or that Rytsar knew he was not the father. There was no way this was going to end well for her.
Rytsar unlocked the door to the room and allowed Brie to enter first. She was impressed by the large suite. It sported a formal living area, dining room, wet bar, and kitchen.
Vlad snorted in disgust, obviously jealous, as he glanced around the spacious suite. Looking at his watch, he told Rytsar, “She should be here any minute.”
Rytsar shook his head. “Sasha is notoriously late.”
“That’s not true,” Vlad insisted. “I’ve never known her once to be late.”
Rytsar shrugged. “She likes to be punished.”
Vlad’s nose crinkled up in disgust. “Damn it, Anton, I don’t want to know that.”
“It’s obvious we know two different sides of the woman.”
Vlad ran his fingers through his hair nervously, reminding Brie of Rytsar when he rubbed his head. Apparently, it was a nervous tick they both shared.
Fifteen minutes later, Rytsar’s phone pinged and he glanced at the text. “She’s here.”
Brie’s heart skipped a beat, wondering about how this would go.
“I want all of you to stand out of her line of sight so she doesn’t notice you until after she’s entered the room,” Rytsar told them.
When Brie heard the excited chatter of a child running down the hallway, she noticed Rytsar and Vlad tense.
She held her breath when the door swung open and the little boy burst into the room. He toddled up to Rytsar and craned his head up, smiling at him.
Sasha walked in. She laughed as she shut the door. “Just look at how he loves you…” Her smile faded when she saw the other three standing there.
“Viktor, come here,” she commanded.
The little boy toddled back to her and she grabbed his hand, pulling him closer.
“Rytsar…what are they doing here?”
“I’m positive you know,” Rytsar answered, his voice cold as ice.
She shook her head. “Rytsar, you don’t understand.”
“But I do. I know Vlad is the father of this boy.”
She shot a nervous glance at Vlad.
“Why did you keep him a secret, Sasha?” Vlad demanded.
“I…” She paused a moment, beads of perspiration forming on her forehead. “Vlad, Viktor is the best thing in my life. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to share him with anyone.”
“That wasn’t your right!” he roared.
The little boy whimpered, grabbing his mother’s legs. She winced when she picked him up but wrapped her arms around him protectively. Turning to Vlad, she warned, “Lower your voice. You’re scaring him.”
Vlad’s nostrils flared and he opened his mouth to respond, but Rytsar interrupted. “You lied to us both. We have every right to be angry with you.”
“But Viktor isn’t to blame,” she answered, looking at her son. “He’s done nothing wrong.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about my son?” Vlad demanded.
The little boy started crying and Sasha pressed his head against her chest, murmuring. “Hush…hush…little one.”
Rytsar looked at the boy with compassion. “We are not here to scare the boy, but we expect answers.”
Sasha gazed up at him. “I never meant for this to happen.”
“Explain.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, letting out a long sigh. Glancing at Vlad, she told them, “When I had the affair, I was trying to recapture a part of my youth…to experience those feelings of young love again.”
Vlad’s eyes softened.
She looked at him sadly. “It was selfish, I know.” She kissed the top of her son’s head. “But I’m not sorry for it, because God gifted me with Viktor. How could I ever regret something so beautiful?”
Rytsar frowned, unmoved by her words. Pointing to Vlad, he said, “You denied your son his father for two years. Then you compounded it by lying to me about who the real father was.”
“I know…I never planned this. I was thoroughly happy living on my own with my son. But life isn’t always fair.”
“Explain.”
Sasha looked at Rytsar with sympathy. “It wasn’t right to involve you, but I would do anything for my son. Even if it meant deceiving you to get what I want.”
Rytsar’s eyes narrowed.
Sir addressed her. “What is it you aren’t telling them?”
Instead of answering him, Sasha looked to Brie. “You would understand. I know you have a daughter. If you knew you were dying, wouldn’t you do everything possible to ensure her future?”
Sasha said the word “dying” so casually that Brie felt time stop for a moment. She couldn’t imagine having to face such a thing. It would be too terrible to bear.
“…looking at my options, I knew what I had to do for my boy. Vlad already had a family.”
Sasha looked at Rytsar. “What I needed was someone fully devoted to my boy, and that man is you. You are what’s best for Viktor.”
Vlad pounded his chest, pain infusing his voice, “I love you, Sasha. I’ve always loved you. Does that mean nothing?”
“I’m sorry, Vlad.”
“Sorry?” he cried out. “What makes you think that means anything in a situation like this? First, you break my heart by telling me you’re dying, and then you crush it by telling me you want someone else to raise my son?”
“You were never supposed to know,” she said with tears in her eyes. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”
Vlad looked away from her, struggling to contain his emotions.
“Dying or not, that is not a decision you get to make,” Rytsar stated. “Vlad is the boy’s biological father.”
Vlad faced her again and insisted, “Let me at least hold my boy.”
She nodded, letting Vlad take the child from her arms.
Sasha stood back and watched them with a sad, far-off look in her eyes as Vlad held the boy up and smiled at him.
Brie felt sympathy for the woman despite the fact that she had pu
rposely deceived both men.
“Where do we go from here?” Rytsar asked her.
Sasha dabbed at her eyes. “I don’t know. I never planned for this day.”
“How long do you have, Sasha?” Sir asked her.
She frowned, sighing. “The survival rate is horrifyingly low for pancreatic cancer, and I’m in the advanced stages. Each day it becomes harder and harder to hold my son.”
“How can this be? You don’t look like you’re dying,” Vlad protested.
She gave him a sad smile. “It’s a silent killer. That’s what makes it so deadly. I went in for severe back pain and left knowing I would die within the year.” She looked at Rytsar. “The day I got the diagnosis, I wrote you the letter. I knew I didn’t have much time.”
“You should have told me,” Rytsar said with great sorrow.
“I didn’t want pity.”
Rytsar cupped her chin and gazed deep into her eyes. “I can see you are in pain. I am sorry this is your fate, lisichka.”
She gave him a tender look on hearing him call her by her pet name.
“I will be okay as long as I know Viktor will be taken care of.”
Vlad walked to her with Viktor in his arms. “I pledge my life to this boy.”
Sasha nodded, seemingly accepting this twist of fate. “He looks at home in your arms, Vlad.”
Smiling, she gave her son several kisses on the cheek.
The mood was somber on the drive back, but Brie took comfort in watching Vlad with the boy. Sasha had insisted that Vlad take Viktor for a few hours so the two could get to know one other. It resulted in Vlad comforting an unhappy child who was missing his mother, but he was patient with Viktor.
“What are you going to do with the boy after she passes?” Rytsar asked.
“Zoya would never turn a child away.”
“Even knowing the circumstances?” Rytsar asked.
“She may hate me now, but she has a tender heart for children.”
Rytsar nodded. “I will have the lawyers contact you to establish your parental rights.”
“Good,” Vlad grunted.
Vlad turned to his son, wiping the tears from his cheeks. “I’m here, Viktor. Your father is not going anywhere.”
Brie caught Rytsar staring at them. “What are you thinking?”
“That there is not enough vodka in all of Russia to help me cope with the last two days.”
Vlad left with his son shortly after they arrived at the mansion but, before he made his way to the door, he told Rytsar, “I still do not like you, Anton. You’re an arrogant ass. But, I have to thank you for uniting me with my son. If it hadn’t been for you…” He started to choke up and had to start again. “If it hadn’t been for you, I would have never known Viktor was my son.”
Rytsar looked down, swallowing hard. “And it’s because of you that I get the chance to spend time with Sasha before she dies.” His voice caught, and he shook his head. “It means more to me than you know.”
Vlad lifted his head, looked Rytsar in the eye, and held out his hand. “I forgive you.”
“For what?”
“For your involvement with Sasha.”
Rytsar stared at his brother’s outstretched hand for several moments, contemplating it before taking it and shaking it firmly.
Brie was stunned.
After Vlad left, they went up to him and Sir asked, “Did you really just shake his hand?”
“I was shocked at first, moy droog, I won’t lie. I never asked for his forgiveness—nor do I want it. But, as I was staring down at his hand, I realized it was something he needed.”
He looked at Sir and shrugged. “It’s a small thing, but I’m certain my mother would be proud and it cost me nothing to give it.”
They returned to the apartment so Rytsar could start on his vodka therapy.
The fourth round in, Rytsar received a phone call and looked to see who it was.
“It’s Vlad,” he told them, laughing. “He probably wants to shake my other hand.”
When Brie saw the expression on Rytsar’s face once his brother started talking, she knew the news wasn’t good.
Rytsar put down his glass and left them alone in the room.
When he finally returned, he had a dazed look in his eyes.
“What’s happened, Rytsar?” Brie asked, her stomach twisting into knots.
He turned to her, unable to speak.
Sir walked over and placed his hand on Rytsar’s shoulder. “What did he say, brother?”
Rytsar looked up at him, distraught. “Sasha jumped off the Krymsky Bridge an hour ago.”
“Oh, no…” Brie whimpered.
“Vlad received a text from her just before she jumped.”
Rytsar handed over his phone, so they could read it.
“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, it became a butterfly.”
Thank you, Vlad.
Now I can fly free.
Tell Viktor I love him.
Loving the Russian
Rytsar, distressed by the news about Sasha, started pacing as soon as they arrived back at the apartment.
Brie and Sir tried to console Rytsar without success.
After watching Rytsar pace back and forth relentlessly for over an hour, Sir took Brie aside. “Our friend is struggling. Too much has happened for him to cope.”
“I know, Sir. It’s so sad…”
She looked at Rytsar, her heart aching for him.
Sir shared, “Anton once told me that the power in BDSM lies in the fact that it takes the physical and mixes it with the spiritual to create internal balance. Our friend is in desperate need of that right now.”
“I agree, Sir. I think it would benefit us all.”
Sir gave her an unusual command, instructing her to take off her collar and replace it with a collar from Rytsar’s tool chest. Her heart raced, wondering what Sir was planning.
Brie nodded to Sir, indicating she understood her task. Before leaving, she bowed to him and headed to the bedroom to change.
As she was walking away, she heard Sir ask Rytsar, “Would you like me to pour you a shot, old friend?”
“Da, peasant! I do not know what took you so long.”
Sir’s low chuckle followed her down the hallway. Brie smiled, grateful that the two shared such a relationship. Sir had a way of bringing out a lighter side to Rytsar even during stressful times.
Taking extra care to prepare herself, Brie thoroughly washed her skin before spritzing on a light perfume that not only had a pleasant scent, but also a pleasing taste.
Completely naked, she stared into the mirror. She was suddenly hit by an overpowering sense of love for Rytsar.
Tonight, she hoped to express her love in a way that would help heal his hurting heart.
Brie wandered over to Rytsar’s bedroom and opened his tool chest, searching through it until she found a collar and leash. She carefully buckled the leather collar around her neck and attached the leash to the metal ring.
The sound of the click as she attached the leash sent a pleasant shiver down her spine.
With a sense of anticipation and love, she picked up the handle of the leash and headed out of the bedroom.
She could hear the two men talking, the tone of their voices somber and quiet. Brie assumed they were discussing what had happened and wondered if she should interrupt.
When Sir saw her, however, he smiled in approval.
Rytsar turned to face her. When their eyes met, her heart skipped a beat—the connection made.
She walked up to him with the grace of a feline, bowing low at his feet as she lifted the leash to him with open palms.
He made no move toward her.
She looked up at him questioningly.
Although his gaze held untold passion, there was profound sadness behind those intense eyes, and seeing it stole her breath away.
Brie was determined to ease that sadness with the strength of her love.
; She let out a soft moan when Rytsar took the leash from her hands and pulled on the chain. Claiming her offer of submission, he lifted her up to meet his lips.
His low groan spoke to her soul, filling her with a need to satiate his desire.
Her Master came up behind her and caressed her shoulders. Tingles of electricity coursed through her body when she felt his touch.
Grazing his fingers lightly over her skin, he murmured, “You are so innocent and beautiful, téa.”
“Hold on to my kotenok,” Rytsar ordered. “I must get something.”
He handed Sir the leash and left the room, returning with a strip of red satin clutched in his hand.
Sir smiled. “I like the way you think.”
Rytsar took the leash back from Sir and pulled Brie close. “First, you will reacquaint me with your oral skills.”
Brie smiled, looking down at the outline of his cock. “It would be my honor, Rytsar.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You will call me Anton tonight.”
Her eyes widened. Calling Rytsar by his given name changed the whole dynamic of the encounter.
It was no longer a simple scene because it added an emotionally charged element.
Brie glanced at Sir, needing to see his reaction.
When he nodded, she realized he had discussed it with Rytsar while she was in the bedroom.
“And what do I call you, Master?” she asked Sir.
Those sexy lips curled into a smile. In a chocolaty voice, he answered, “You will call me Thane.”
Brie felt the butterflies start.
A scene calling both men by their given names…
Sir continued, “Anton and I will do the same with you, Brie.”
Her mouth opened in surprise hearing Sir call her by her first name.
Although the change seemed deceptively simple, it was unchartered territory for the three of them.
Rytsar commanded in a seductive voice, “Turn around, Brie.”
The butterflies started again as he took her wrists and began binding them with the satin ribbon. The simple act of binding caused her nipples to contract into tight buds.
She looked at Sir, her breath coming in shallow gasps.