“Please what? Does the man even care about your health or just keeping you in his bed and under his control?” he snapped and said it loud enough for Andriy and Paulo to hear.
Before Andriy could say something to Carlos, she pulled Carlos away. “Come on, let me show you the setup and what we’re working on, and then we can sit and catch up.”
He glanced over her shoulder at the men who followed.
“One of them is pulling out his phone, probably calling Dmitri. What the hell, Rayanna? I can’t believe you’re accepting this,” he said to her.
She took a deep breath and exhaled. She leaned her head against his shoulder, and his arm that she held relaxed.
“Puento hurt Giada. He could have killed her the first time, but then to go into her hospital room and try again…God, Carlos, it’s out of control. All of it. My friends now all have security. They’re complaining about it, too. It’s a mess, an absolute mess.”
He stopped her and cupped her cheeks. She held onto his wrists as he looked down into her eyes.
“It isn’t your fault. Puento wants you, and he will do whatever is necessary to find you and have you in his possession again.”
“But why? Why when he could get any woman he wants and make her do the things he likes, hell, make some woman his slave. There were always women around eyeing him over, drooling over him, hell, even hitting on him when he was with me. Those were all reasons why I needed to separate from him and his control.”
“He didn’t want that. He doesn’t, but you need to be smart.”
He looked around them. She knew Dmitri’s men weren’t far. She was getting used to them. She liked them. She kind of liked their different personalities and felt safe with them around. They were like military soldiers.
“Russian and Ukrainian mobsters, Rayanna? Really?” he asked, sounding disgusted, shocked, and making her feel as if she was making matters worse.
“Things happen, Carlos. You were there.”
“So he hit on you backstage and then at the bar in Chicago. Plenty of men have done that in the past. I’ve been there when you’ve flirted back, fooled around a little, and then pushed them away because you knew you weren’t ready to be intimate. That Puento had a hold on you still.”
He was right. He was there. He saw her struggles and knew nothing of the abuse she had sustained—the threats to her life, the gun to her temple. She closed her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I know he hurt you. I just can’t believe you’re with Dmitri Sanclare and that he issued an order of protection over you.”
“It was necessary, and his reaction to Puento threatening Dmitri, warning me to stay clear of Dmitri and other men. Let’s not talk about it. I’m so tired of all of this. I have a lot going on, and I want to focus on work, on going to L.A. for four days to do this job for Maxwell,” she told him.
He took her hand, and they walked toward a table by the corner of the room.
“I can’t believe you’re doing another gig for Maxwell. How are Dmitri and his men going to react to him in person when the man touches you every chance he gets?”
She looked at Paulo, who stood nearby, and she knew he heard Carlos.
“Maxwell will learn quickly that he can’t do that. Besides, he only does it when I first see him, and then I set him straight, and it’s usually not too bad.”
“Seriously, Rayanna, I was there when he scooped you up into his arms and jumped into the pool with you. He wasn’t letting you go that night, and I stepped in.”
“He was a little drunk.” She shook her head as he raised one of his eyebrows at her. She reached over and covered his hand. “You were always my protector, and you took care of business.”
“Yes, I did.” He looked over at Paulo and Andriy standing guard by the doorway. “And how about them? Would they jump into a pool to rescue you from some sex-crazed millionaire who wanted to take you to bed?”
“There are no sex-crazed millionaires tossing me into pools anymore.”
He held her gaze. “No. Just a billionaire Russian mobster tainting your name and forcing you to be his woman out of revenge against a man he never even met and he believes made a threat to him. I hope you know what you’re doing, that you’re not falling for his lies,” he whispered to her through clenched teeth.
She swallowed hard and held his gaze.
“I looked things up about Dmitri Sanclare, Rayanna. The man has no friends. He has his security, his money, his mansions, his name, and a trail of dead bodies, blood on his hands, and criminal acts that you would shudder at. He trusts no one, lies, cheats, steals from the weak, and he is feared for a reason. Do you realize any of this? How long will he want to keep you around? When will he get bored?” he asked and looked over her body.
Tears stung her eyes. He took her hands and exhaled.
“I’m sorry. I’m so worried about you. I feel helpless because I’m not here protecting you. I just want you to realize that beyond the safety he’s providing, past the money, the power, the attraction you as a woman probably feel being around a man of such power and abilities, that he can’t be trusted, that he will never love you or open up his heart to you because he’s incapable of it. He’s a monster, a killer, a thief—a man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants and then toss it away like garbage when he no longer needs or desires it.
“You’re too beautiful, too perfect for that kind of treatment. Please be smart. Don’t fall in love with the façade, the image he’s trying to show you, when behind closed doors, he’s issuing orders for people to die, taking money from those weaker and with less power, and monopolizing the criminal world just to get more money and more power. When Puento is found and more than likely killed, then what is left between you and Dmitri?”
She stared at him. His words hit hard. Was she seriously thinking that a man like Dmitri could love her? Could want her in his life forever? If not forever, then for how long, and then what? She would be that woman. One of many lovers to a made man.
“Just be smart. Don’t get your heart broken. Keep my words in the back of your head. You know you can trust me, always,” he told her.
“Rayanna, do you know where the order lists are? I can’t find them, and last I checked I put them on the speakers backstage,” Mirella, one of the women working the event, asked her.
“I think they’re on the shelf backstage by the other forms for each of the designers to fill out.”
“I should get going. You’re busy.”
“No, stay a little longer. She can handle it. I’m really just overseeing things. There won’t be much to do after today, and then Thursday evening we leave for L.A. I have a pre-party, and then preparation to work backstage at the event for Maxwell. It’s on the beach, so it’s going to be pretty cool. It goes right into the evening and evening wear. Should be pretty interesting.”
“Sounds like a nightmare for your security.”
“They can handle it. They just won’t be able to be backstage but can be immediately past the exit and entrance to it. It’s going to be cramped back there; I can tell already. One of the organizers sent me the dimensions and pictures. I don’t know what Max was thinking, but I already need to make changes before I get there. I’m going to be exhausted by Sunday.”
“When will you return?”
“Probably not until Tuesday. Then back here by Thursday after I recover from jet leg I’m certain to have.”
He smiled.
“You’ll be fine. You know, I could come along as extra security,” he said and winked. She chuckled.
“Bridget isn’t going to be there,” she stated and raised one of her eyebrows at him.
He leaned back. “Why would I care if Bridget was there or not?”
“Buddy, remember it was me who switched rooms with you at the hotel on Maui so you could impress her.”
He chuckled and looked away, then looked back at her.
“You hooked me up good.”
“If you want to, you can come along. I’ll work it ou
t with Dmitri.”
“Ahh, I don’t think the guy cares for me. I believe he blames me for that guy cutting you at the bar in Chicago. He was right. I should have been closer. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Like I was either?” She ran her palm over her side.
“Is it all healed? No scarring?”
“Just about healed. I’ve been putting a lot of ointment on it so it doesn’t scar.”
“Good. Well, I should get going.”
They stood, and Rayanna touched his arm.
“I’ll talk to Dmitri about you coming along.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I want to. It would be fun, and you can give them some pointers about where to stand and where not to in order to get the good views.” She teased him, knowing he always seemed to locate himself where he caught the models dressing and undressing.
“They can take lead and handle the actual security, and I can really enjoy the sights behind the stage.”
“See, now you’re thinking,” she said and laughed.
He pulled her into an embrace, and she held onto him a moment.
“I’ll call you later tonight with details.”
“I can always meet you guys out there. Commercial airlines, of course, but you’re worth it.” He winked.
“Okay, wise guy. Talk to you later.”
He headed out, and she noticed that Paulo watched Carlos go. She couldn’t help but think about his words earlier. Dmitri wasn’t a man who would trust her, yet he was insistent she trust him. She needed to remember that and to know who he really was, not just see the power, the money, the reputation of this Russian mobster. This wasn’t a fairy tale, and she needed to pull on the reins of her heart and stop thinking about how much she cared for him, maybe even loved him. It was foolish to think he could ever love her, too.
Tears stung her eyes. When everything was over, what would Dmitri do with her? Would he slowly put some space between them? Move her into her own place and out of his with some lame excuse? Would he stop making love to her so passionately and lose interest in her body, her looks, her personality? She felt the tears begin to fall and wiped them away.
“Rayanna?” Andriy said her name.
She looked at him and the scowl on his face.
“Did he say something to upset you?” he asked her.
She shook her head. “He spoke the truth, and sometimes the truth is hard to accept.”
* * * *
“Who do you believe Montego Cruz is working with here in New York then?” Dmitri asked Fedarro and Collin Fiorre. He and Grisha stood in their office, talking about new updates.
“We’ve been working with Grisha, along with other men in the family plus Clemenza and Sunny Costanza, and all interrogations are leading to Colo, the leader of the Puentez gang,” Fedarro told him.
“You had some problems with them months ago, did you not?” Dmitri asked him.
“We did and we handled it, but it appears someone else hired them to do these hits. We’re weeding out who that was and anyone else who could be connected,” Collin said to him.
“How are you weeding them out?” he asked sternly.
“Questioning men involved with both gangs and seeing who we can get to talk,” Collin said to him.
“Grisha, we need concrete answers and right away. We leave tomorrow night for L.A. and head back here for Yanna to finish the job for Solencio. In a week we head back to Chicago, and changes need to be made. I want this resolved, and I want Puento dead by then. Understood?” he said firmly.
Grisha nodded, and then Dmitri looked at Fedarro and Collin.
“Send Sunny Costanza along with Grisha and two other enforcers of yours to take care of interrogation. Grisha will show them how it is done,” he said, then stood, and exited the room with Grisha.
As they got into the elevator, Grisha looked at him.
“I want the men who stole from us killed but not before you explain why. Leave one alive to go back and let the others know we are coming. Try to get more answers on who organized these hits and sold our stuff on the black market. This needs to be resolved.”
“Understood. How do you want to handle this pursuit of Puento? We’re coming up with nothing on the streets. There’s some buzz on a guy called the Ghost underground.”
“That’s dirty business going underground and working the system,” Dmitri stated.
“Wasn’t too long ago we dabbled in it, and it was lucrative.”
“Lucrative, yes, Grisha. Dangerous, dirty, too unstable to maintain power in, and too many bad memories of the past.”
“Indeed, but our friends and connections are strong.”
“Yes, they are, but asking for his assistance, and paying the price he will surely put on it, never mind revisiting connections from our pasts, will be obscene. I won’t do that unless I’m close to a hundred percent sure he’ll have the answers and I’ll be more than satisfied.”
Grisha was quiet, and as they exited the elevator, Olek and Bodashka were there waiting by the SUV.
“Something tells me that you would pay the price to ensure Rayanna’s safety and life.”
“What makes you say that?” Dmitri asked, straight-faced.
“We’ve been together many years, Dmitri. Women are scarce, and none have ever been to your home, to share your bed, and none have made you do the things you’ve done in the last two weeks.”
“It was and is necessary, as this Puento threatened me. She’s a beautiful woman who doesn’t deserve to live in fear. If I can use my power, my order of protection over her to keep her safe, then why not?”
“The question is, Why?” Grisha asked as they headed out of the building through the underground garage and onto the city streets.
Dmitri couldn’t answer that question because he didn’t know the answer and refused to feel anything deeper than the desire and need he had right now for Yanna.
“Have you heard from Paulo and Andriy?”
“Yes, we did. Rayanna had a visitor today,” Hadeon said to him.
He clenched his teeth as they explained what Paulo and Andriy observed and how Yanna was emotional afterward and was now back at the apartment, showering and preparing for dinner out tonight.
That uncertain feeling hit his gut, along with jealousy. She knew too many men, was close to too many, had many flirt with her and want her in their beds. It drove him insane. By the time they reached her apartment, he was hard, needy, and nothing would eliminate the jealous feelings but being deep inside of Yanna, claiming her, and knowing she was with him and no other man.
He closed the bedroom door and could hear the shower running. He removed his gun and the holster and undressed quickly. When he entered the bathroom, he saw her palms against the shower wall, her head down. She was moving as though her neck ached and she was sore. The steam escaped the top part of the shower, adding a mist to the bathroom. He stared at her curves, her ass, and he wanted in. Without making a sound, knowing she was not aware of her surroundings and didn’t pay attention to being on guard, he got in behind her. She gasped as he wrapped an arm around her waist and then pressed hard against her.
“Oh God, Dmitri. You scared me.”
“You need to learn to keep eyes and ears open around you. Anyone could have come in here.”
“Not with your guards around. Andriy and Paulo are scary.”
He snorted against her neck. He ran his palm over her belly and up to her breast to cup it and then kissed her neck and shoulder. She pressed her ass back against his cock and belly. Dmitri moved his fingers lower over her pussy and stroked her.
“Oh God, Dmitri.”
“I missed you. Did you miss me?” he asked and nipped her earlobe.
“Yes,” she hissed.
“Good. I need you.” He lifted her a little higher. She stepped her legs apart, and he aligned his cock with her pussy from behind, then began to slide into her tight, wet channel.
The water dropped over his eyes, his no
se, and his mouth, and he slid a hand over her back as he stepped back so that she had to bend over and place her hands on the wall for support. He rocked into her in slow, deep strokes.
“Mine. No one else’s, Yanna. No other man gets to fuck this pussy, and eventually this ass.”
He stroked a finger over her asshole. She tightened up. “Oh God, Dmitri. Oh.” She moaned.
He felt his chest tighten. He pulled out of her cunt and dipped fingers into her pussy, wetting the digits, and then he pushed them into her ass and realigned his cock with her cunt and shoved into her.
“Oh!” She moaned.
“Ever have a cock in your ass?” he asked through clenched teeth. He didn’t know why he asked her. What if she said yes? Then he would think of who had the opportunity to fuck her ass.
“No. Never,” she said to him.
He felt relief knowing that Puento hadn’t been the one to do it, that he would be the one man to take her in every hole. He thrust again and again and stroked a finger into her ass. She rocked back.
“It burns.”
“It will subside, and when I get you to the bedroom, I’ll take you back here.” He thrust again and again.
She moaned, and he felt how wet she was. Even her ass was lubricated from his finger strokes.
“Maybe we won’t wait. Maybe I’ll claim this ass right now.”
He pulled out of her, turned her around, and lifted her up, then pressed her back against the wall, and ravished her mouth. She ran her hands and fingers through his hair, and she kissed him back. He breasts pressed against his chest, and he felt desperate to claim her. He pulled from her lips. He held her gaze.
“You want that?”
She shook her head. “I’m not ready for that, Dmitri.”
He squinted at her. Was this some sort of wall she was putting up? Did this have to do with the visit from Carlos? He had been making progress and breaking her down, making her see that he would protect her and care for her. What was this?
“Why not?” he asked.
She held his gaze.
“I’ve never let any man do that to me, Dmitri. We’ve done so much in such a short time. I need more time,” she said to him. Then she pressed forward and kissed him.
Made Men 5: Dmitri's Denial (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Page 11