My Billionaire Boss

by Gold, Bella

  “Where is Igor this morning?” I asked as I took a seat across from Andrei at the table.

  “He had to take care of some business. I am guessing he’s going to be tied up for a while.”

  “Andrei, can I ask you a question?” My eyes went to the holster that was strapped around his silk shirt waiting for the gun I’d already seen him tuck into it more than once.

  “Sure.”

  “What is it that you and Igor really do?”

  “I don’t know what you mean.” He got up and put his bowl in the sink. Turning to face me he said, “You’ve been to the office. You know we operate a successful investment group.”

  “Yes, but I’m also sure there is more to it than that. What did your father do? How did your family get so wealthy and so powerful?”

  He raised an eyebrow and said, “That would be a question for your fiancé. I was adopted into the family. I feel very lucky to be a part of it considering where I came from. I don’t think it’s my place however to divulge the family secrets especially to my brother’s future wife.”

  “Why is it a secret?” I tried. Andrei smiled and came over and leaned down over me.

  “Ask Igor,” he said with a grin. Then he covered my mouth with his luscious lips and gave me a long, hard kiss. By the time he pulled back my mind was the pile of mush I was becoming accustomed to. “I’m off to work,” he said. “Have a good day, Jessica.” He opened a drawer and took his gun out of it. Tucking it into his holster he pulled on his jacket and left, just like that.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  JESSICA

  Igor didn’t come home that night. Andrei and I had dinner together and he told me about growing up in the poor section of Moscow. He had never known his real father and his mother worked as a prostituted.

  “I’m sure she had no idea who he was either,” he said, sadly. “Probably one of her John’s.”

  My heart hurt for him. “How did you end up in foster care? Did they take you from her?”

  “No. No one cared that I was with her as long as we weren’t asking for any hand-outs…not where I came from. She put me out begging for money in the streets when I was four. I did that until I was seven. If I came home with too little money she would send me back out and lock the door sometimes for days until I’d earned what she thought was enough.”

  “Oh no, Andrei I’m so sorry!”

  He shook his head. “Don’t be. It was a long time ago and it toughened me up. When she died I was eight. I thought I’d just go on like I had been, panhandling for my money and living on my own. The authorities saw it differently. They came and took me to an orphanage where things that I still have nightmares about happened. When I was thirteen years old I met Fabian Usmanov and my life changed.”

  “Igor’s father?”

  He nodded. “He was in Moscow on business. They were already living in the states then. The Usmanov’s have always been generous and he was at the orphanage that day to make a donation. They usually cleaned up when they knew he was coming. That day he came unannounced and walked in right in the middle of me getting beaten for not eating the moldy bread they’d served me that morning for breakfast. He shut that place down in a matter of weeks and found new homes for all of those kids. For some reason, he took a liking to me and brought me with him to the states. Igor’s mother was already dead by then. She died from cancer when he was only four. But he accepted me just as much as his father did and they treated me as if I was born into the family. I’m very lucky.”

  I nodded, “Yes, but I’m sure you’ve touched their lives in ways that make them feel lucky too.”

  He smiled. “I hope so. I love my brother.”

  “I’d bet big money that he loves you too,” I told him. I know their sexual tastes were a bit “odd” but who was I to talk? I was right there with them. When it came down to it though I saw how they looked at each other with respect in their eyes and I knew Igor cared very much for his brother.

  After dinner, Andrei left too. He told me he had “business” to attend to. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of business kept these two out at all hours of the night. I tried to ask each of them about it at separate times, but no one was talking. I wondered about things illegal but the family seemed so respected and everyone at that gala the other night had gone on about all of the things they had done to give back to the community. What Andrei had just told me about Igor’s father didn’t fit with the life of a criminal either. Of course, I didn’t really know any criminals to compare them to. What I did know was that they were very secretive and I found that odd and at times frustrating.

  I took a long bubble bath after Andrei left and then spent some time applying some lotions and creams I’d bought two days before on my shopping spree. I loved using fine, brand-name products. I loved sitting in front of a floor to ceiling window and looking out at the lights of Manhattan as I did it. After having a nightcap of a glass of very well-aged wine I climbed into bed and snuggled down into the soft mattress on top of the Egyptian cotton sheets that felt like heaven against my skin.

  I was in Igor’s bed, hoping that he’d make it home sometime during the night. I have to admit that I loved sex with Andrei just as much, but I did hope he didn’t try anything when Igor wasn’t home. I just wouldn’t feel right about it and I’m not sure how Igor would feel about it. I think after our talk tonight I didn’t have to worry about that much. Andrei respected his brother too much to go behind his back. I was grateful to have Andrei to talk to. He was so easy-going and his moods didn’t seem to change with the arrival of a text message or a phone call the way Igor’s often do. I had an easy time having fabulous sex with Igor. It was like we were made to fit together in bed. But once the sex was over, talking to him didn’t come all that easily. I found his dark moods to be intimidating and scary but at the same time something about his dark side turned me on. Sometimes I wondered if something was wrong with me for feeling that way, but who’s to say what’s right and what’s wrong where sexual urges are concerned.

  Just as I started to close my eyes and give into the sleep that was tugging at me, my phone rang. I reached over to the nightstand and smiled when I saw it was Igor. I was so happy to hear from him I answered it, “Hello there, my love.”

  There was a pause and then he said, “Your love, really?”

  I was suddenly embarrassed. “Um…I’m sorry. I just meant…”

  “Are you in bed with my brother?”

  “What? No, Andrei is not here.”

  “Not at the apartment or not in my bed.”

  “Neither. He left after dinner.”

  “So you two had dinner together. What did you have for dessert?”

  “Nothing. Igor, I don’t understand where is this coming from. Aren’t you the one that wanted to share me with your brother?”

  “When and where I say.”

  He was annoying me. How dare he suggest all of this and then presume to act like I’m doing something wrong? “I agreed to that already and Andrei must understand because he hasn’t tried anything.” Except for that one hot kiss this morning.

  “Oh, but if he had you would have taken him up on it?”

  “Igor I’m hanging up now.”

  “You’ll hang up when I tell you!” I felt a tickle of fear in my belly as I pressed the red off button. He intimidated me and I suppose I have to admit that I feared he’d renege on the engagement if I pissed him off. I have no problem submitting to him while we’re having sex, but I’ll be damned if he’s going to boss me around like I’m a simple-minded fool that needed him to tell me what to do. I’m an intelligent, independent woman and if he couldn’t handle that then too fucking bad. I still had my degree and my brain to fall back on. I sat the phone down and got comfortable once more. Again as soon as I closed my eyes the phone rang. I thought about letting it go to voicemail but knowing Igor he wouldn’t let me off that easily. I picked it back up.

  “Hello?”

  “Did you really hang up on me?
”

  “I’m sorry Igor but first of all, you were treating me like I was some kind of whore and second of all like I was too stupid to figure out right from wrong. I know the thing with Andrei turns you on but I’m smart enough to know you wouldn’t want me sneaking around with him behind your back. I’m also capable of taking care of myself so don’t believe because I choose to be here with you that you own me.” I waited and expected him to be the one to hang up this time. When I heard the sound of his laughter I was shocked. I waited, quietly for him to finish. When he stopped laughing he said,

  “Ivan truly found a gem in you, Jessica. I’m sorry for presuming things about you that aren’t true. In all honesty, I’ve never cared before but I find myself growing attached to you.”

  “Good, because I find myself growing attached to you as well.”

  “I won’t be home tonight but I will tomorrow night if I have to kill someone to get there,” he said. It was sweet and a little creepy at the same time. I got the feeling he meant it.

  “I can’t wait to see you,” I told him. In spite of my misgivings about him, it was true.

  “Spend the day shopping for something sexy tomorrow. We’ll make a night out of it.” I wasn’t going to argue with that.

  ********

  I spent the day going in and out of swanky little boutiques in Manhattan. As soon as the people who worked there realized who I was engaged to I was treated like a visiting princess. They served me champagne and suddenly seemed to have a fleet of models willing to try on lingerie so that I could see what they looked like on a real body. I read a lot of books and watched a lot of movies about rich people and I still had no idea just how overwhelming and incredibly seductive it could all be.

  I had lunch at a cute little place on Fifth Avenue called E.A.T. The bill for my simple vegetarian lunch was over a hundred dollars. In my former life, I would have had a heart attack on the spot. In this one, I simply gave them Igor’s credit card and thanked them for a wonderful meal as I left a generous tip.

  After lunch I asked Matthew, the driver to take me to Macy’s. I wanted to visit the cosmetics counter before I headed home. It dawned on me that he’d been patiently waiting outside for me when I went into each shop all throughout the morning and afternoon. It was after three p.m. and I hadn’t seen him eat or drink a thing save a bottle of water he kept beside him on the seat. “Matthew why don’t you get some lunch while I’m inside. I’ll probably be a couple of hours.”

  He looked conflicted. “Are you sure Miss? I wouldn’t want to be away when you were ready.”

  “I’m positive. Why don’t you leave me your cell phone number and I’ll just call you when I’m ready.” I was thrilled to suddenly be rich, but I wasn’t going to forget what it was like to simply be a worker trying to get by. The man deserved a sit-down lunch.

  “Well if you’re sure…”

  I smiled at him. “Really, I would feel so much better if I knew you had a nice lunch.”

  “Thank you, Miss.”

  I handed him a hundred dollar bill and said, “Have lunch on me today too, Matthew.”

  “Oh no Miss, I couldn’t…”

  “Please. I feel funny accepting so much from my fiancé. I’d feel so much better about it if I could give back just a little.”

  He smiled again and said, “I’ll have lunch and donate the rest to a good cause.”

  “Great.” He waited to leave until I was inside the large building. I spent about an hour at the cosmetics and perfume counters before I was suddenly just exhausted and ready to go home. I was all the way outside before I remembered that I had sent Matthew to lunch. I was taking my phone out of my purse when I felt a hand go over my mouth. Everything happened so quickly after that that I had to doubt any of the people on the street would remember anything if asked. I was propelled forward and shoved into the back of a big car. The door was slammed behind me and the car surged forward out onto the street. I reached for the door handle and I was suddenly crushed by a pair of meaty arms. There was a tattoo of a fish on the arm and whoever it belonged to had a barrel chest that he was holding me back against. I tried to fight, but I could barely move enough to breathe.

  “Who are you? What do you want? Take my purse. My ring! Take my ring. Please, just don’t hurt me.”

  “I don’t want your purse or your ring Miss Johns.” The accent was distinctly Russian and I felt the heat of his voice against my ear.

  “Who are you?”

  “Not for you to know,” he said. I felt his grip on me loosen slightly and he said, “Are you going to behave?” I nodded and as soon as he let go of me I went to the door again. This time, when he grabbed me it was around my neck in a choke hold. The last thought I remember having before waking up tied to a chair in a cold warehouse hours later was that I hoped Igor wasn’t mad at Matthew for leaving me alone.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  IGOR

  “So how are things working out with Jessica?” Ivan was hovering and I wasn’t in the mood. I’d gotten word that Mikel Rapava was in town with quite a few of his men. I had the feeling the showdown for the retribution he was looking for was coming and fast. I was working on a plan to present when I met with my men this afternoon.

  “Jessica is fine, things are working out well. Now, back to business Ivan! Did you find out where Rapava is staying?”

  “Yes, the Gorbachev family took them in like I told you they would. How many times have I told you we needed to court them and have them on our side?”

  I rolled my eyes. “You spend so much time patting yourself on the back for being right it’s a wonder you ever get anything done at all.”

  “Mr. Usmanov?” Marie’s voice floated through the speaker.

  “Yes, Marie?”

  “I know you said to hold all calls sir, but this man says you will want to speak to him. He’s very insistent.”

  With a sigh, I said, “Who is it, Marie?”

  “Mikel Rapava sir.”

  Fuck! “I’ll take it.” She put the call through and seconds later Mikel’s gravelly voice floated through my office.

  “Good afternoon Igor. I assume Ivan is there up your ass as well. Hello, Ivan.” Ivan flinched visibly. If it were up to him I would have killed Mikel by now. I was doing my best not to start an all-out war but I felt like I was losing that battle fast.

  “What is it you want Mikel? I’m busy running a business here.”

  He laughed and said, “Too bad you weren’t home getting busy with that sexy little blonde American of yours.”

  The hair stood up on the back of my neck. “What do you know about Jessica?”

  “That she’s a little spitfire for one thing. We have her tied up securely and she was still trying to bite my men when they got close to her. I didn’t want to, but I had to have them tape that pretty mouth of hers.”

  Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I knew this son of a bitch was coming for me. I never thought it would be Jessica he’d take. I should have had the bodyguards on her. What the fuck was I thinking? I’ll never forgive myself if anything ever happens to her. Mikel Rapava just declared war. “Let her go,” I said in a low voice through clenched teeth. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ivan on his cell phone. He’s a pain in my ass but good to have in my corner at times like these.

  “I don’t think so. I mean, I don’t want to hurt her but every time I feel my soft spot taking over I remember my poor dead brother that didn’t even get to celebrate his eighteenth birthday.”

  “You know that nobody wanted to kill that kid. He got in the way…”

  “He’s dead, regardless.”

  “And you killed three of my men. This stops here!”

  “I say when it stops. You didn’t care about those men. They were soldiers. This pretty little thing, however…I saw how you looked at her at the gala.” Fuck! I hadn’t even known any of his men were there. Maybe this thing with Jessica has me off my game.

  “What will it take for you to let her go?” I was going to try
and bargain with him if it would save her life…and then I was going to kill him, maybe with my bare hands.

  “The way I see it there are only two people in the world you care about enough to lose a night’s sleep over. This pretty blonde and…” Andrei walked in just then looking frantic. He must have been the one Ivan called. “Your brother the orphan. I’ll give you an hour to decide which one dies. I’ll be in touch.”

  “You mother fucker!” He had already hung up. I ripped the phone off my desk and threw it at the wall. I looked up at my brother and said, “Call everyone together.”

  “Already done,” he said. “But you and I both know he won’t stop until he has blood. When he calls back, tell him we’re ready to make the trade.”

  “No!” Ivan and I both said it at the same time. “He won’t kill anyone I love. I will kill him first,” I said.

  “Easy enough said,” Andrei said. “But he won’t be there to face you even if you find him. They’ll whisk him away to safety and we’ll have a mini-war with his men. Blood will be shed, maybe even Jessica’s and when the smoke settles, Rapava will be back. You know it’s true.” I ignored him and said,

  “Ivan get in touch with Gorbachev and find out what it will take for him to tell us where to find this mother-fucker. Anything he wants, I don’t care what it is.”

  “On it,” Ivan said. I looked back at Andrei and asked,

  “When and where are the men meeting us?”

  “At the safe house in ten minutes,” he said.

  “Let’s go.” Andrei followed me down to the car he already had waiting. We were taken the four blocks to the mansion we owned. Nobody lived in it. It was used to train our soldiers and for times like this when strategy was called for. On the way there I saw Andrei take out his phone and look at it. He was reading a text. “Who is that?”

  “Ivan,” he said. “He’s meeting with Gorbachev and he’ll be in touch soon.”