by Katie Reus
As if he sensed her, Viktor turned and pinned her with those icy blue eyes. Though his look was anything but cold. A blast of heat radiated off him, the hunger in his eyes clear as his gaze swept her over from head to toe.
Her surroundings melted away as she headed toward him. She’d called him early this morning and rescheduled their lunch so maybe he was here to see Harrison. Whatever the reason, she didn’t care. She was glad she’d run into him, regardless. Her heart rate was out of control as she drank in the sight of him. He had on dark pants, a button-down shirt, a custom-cut jacket and no tie. She loved the look on him.
“Hey,” she murmured as she reached him.
His mouth curved up ever so slightly and she wondered if that was his version of a smile. Whatever it was, she liked it. A lot. Seriously, how had this happened? How had she started to fall for Viktor Ivanov so dang fast?
“You look beautiful,” he said quietly.
The simple words took her off guard and pleased her at the same time. She started to respond when Harrison Caldwell—whose presence she’d completely forgotten about—cleared his throat.
“I’ve gotta go,” he said, nodding once at her before focusing on Viktor. “We’ll talk later.”
Viktor simply nodded before turning back to her. “I thought I’d walk with you to the phone store. Then lunch if you have time.”
She was irrationally pleased he’d decided to meet her here. “I think I’ll have time. I just saw on Twitter that one of my favorite food trucks is supposed to be a couple blocks from here for the next few hours.”
“Food trucks have Twitter accounts?” He sounded dubious.
Laughing, she linked her arm through his. “Everyone does. Even you.”
“No, some of my companies do… Lucy hired a team of people to head up our social media accounts. I’ve never looked at them.”
“Yeah, I can’t see you actually tweeting. Or using Snapchat.” She laughed when he just gave her a blank look. “You sure you don’t mind coming with me? I might not even be able to sneak in a lunch break if they’re too busy.”
“You will be able to.” He sounded ridiculously confident about that as they reached one of the big glass doors.
A rush of Florida heat rolled over them as they stepped outside. She savored the warmth after being cooped up inside all morning in the air-conditioned space, and slid off her light cardigan sweater. “Why does that sound as if you know that for a fact?”
“I know the owner of this particular store. I made a call.”
“Viktor…” She trailed off when he looked down at her, pinning her with such a heated look she felt it all the way to her core. A Florida summer had nothing on him. “What?”
“I like it when you say my name.” The words were a sexy growl.
She felt her cheeks flush and couldn’t blame it on the weather. Viktor had gotten under her skin, and she had no idea if she was ready for a man like this because she was pretty sure he was way out of her league. Deep down she wondered if he was going to freak out when she told him about her lack of experience. Part of her didn’t want to tell him, but she was beginning to really trust Viktor—which scared her too.
* * *
“So, it’s good information right?” his contact asked.
He tried to keep his tone disinterested, but this was gold and the man had to know it. “Very good.” Last night he’d received pictures of the blonde woman and Viktor out at a restaurant and it had looked like a date. “How’d you get the pictures without him seeing you?”
There was a short pause, then, “Because I’m very good at being invisible.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. It was easy to follow him. I placed a tracker on his SUV last night so I didn’t need him in my line of sight. I just followed the tracker.”
“Have you removed the tracker?” He didn’t want Viktor to know anyone was targeting him. Not yet. Not until it was too late for the fucker to do anything about it.
“Of course,” the man snapped. “Did you get what you needed from her purse?”
“Yes.” After he’d received the location of Viktor and the woman last night he’d sent a well-trained team of two to mug her.
He’d needed it to seem random but also have a team good enough to surprise Viktor. The circumstances had been perfect for the mugging. Viktor hadn’t had his driver and he’d been wrapped up in that whore. Unfortunately, now Viktor seemed to have someone watching the woman’s place. That seemed a bit paranoid but also confirmed what he’d needed to know—Viktor cared for the woman.
“I overheard Lucy talking to someone on the phone yesterday. I think it was about this Dominique Castle. Lucy was confirming with someone that she works for Red Stone Security,” he said.
A thread of alarm worked its way through his system. “Hmm, that could be a problem.”
“Why? It’s not like you’re going to hurt the woman, right?”
The owner of Red Stone Security and his sons weren’t the kind of people you messed with. Then again, neither was Viktor. He ignored the question. The woman might get hurt, she might not—but he was pretty certain she would die too. “Maybe it won’t be a problem. She is important to Ivanov though, that much I’m sure of. I know for a fact he had someone change her locks last night.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I had someone go to her condo complex last night. She’s a beautiful woman,” he said, looking at her picture again. “It’ll be a shame to waste all that beauty. Keep me updated with anything else. Your payment is on the way.” He hung up before the man could respond and traced a finger over Dominique Castle’s face.
What kind of woman got involved with a man like Ivanov, he wondered. She’d have to be a whore. No doubt about it. She’d get what she deserved too.
* * *
Viktor pulled out his phone as he left one of the hotels he and Abram had recently bought. This was one they wouldn’t keep, but would reorganize, get it running right again, then sell for a profit. His driver was waiting outside, the SUV idling as he approached. Viktor waved him off from getting out to open his door and slid into the back seat, calling Abram as Kir pulled away.
“Hey, I’m calling it a day.” Normally he’d work another two or three hours but he wanted to see Dominique and she was free tonight. It amazed him that someone like her wanted to go out on a date with him, but he was determined not to fuck things up. He might not know anything about relationships, but he would learn. For her.
“Me too. I’m going to check on Lucy. I’m worried about her.” There was an odd note in Abram’s voice.
“She’s sick. It happens. But…I think it’s a good idea.” Not that his brother was asking him. Because Abram wouldn’t ask for anyone’s opinion when it came to Lucy.
“Look, I want to hire a new assistant for me as soon as possible. We can start looking next week.”
“Any reason for the rush?” Viktor thought he knew, but didn’t want to assume.
His brother cleared his throat. “I don’t think Lucy should be working under me anymore, for personal reasons. I want to…be with her. She can’t work for me if that’s going to happen.”
“You finally tell her how you feel?” Viktor had been trying to ignore the chemistry between them but it was so damn obvious.
Abram cleared his throat again. “Sort of.”
“We’ll talk to HR, make sure—”
“I’ve already taken care of everything. No matter what happens between us she’ll have job security. And we’re giving her another fucking raise.” He said the last part as if he thought Viktor might argue.
“Agreed. Look…how serious are you about her?” He glanced at his driver, who didn’t seem to be paying attention, but he never underestimated anyone. He’d had the same driver for years, until recently when he’d promoted Lyosha to a different position.
“Very.”
Good. “I heard her talking to a friend about a Bulgari necklace she said would be he
r Christmas present to herself one day—”
“I bought it a month ago.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Shit, you are serious.”
Abram just snorted. “You going out with Dominique tonight?”
Something in his brother’s tone annoyed him. He gritted his teeth. “Yes.”
“All right. Just…be careful. I called Lyosha, told him to head up an extra security team tonight. They’re going to tail you, subtly. She won’t know about it, but I want you to have some backup just in case. I don’t like that mugging.”
Viktor scrubbed a hand over his face. He didn’t want to say too much in front of his driver, but he didn’t like the way the mugging had gone down either. A two-man team for a simple snatch and grab? What he hadn’t told Dominique was that he’d gone to the owner of the restaurant later that night and it turned out all their security cameras had been tampered with right around the time he’d arrived with Dominique.
Which meant someone could have followed him. He’d checked his vehicle for trackers and found nothing, but that didn’t mean shit. Someone could have followed him or tracked him another way.
He’d left his life of crime behind but that didn’t mean he didn’t have enemies. And he didn’t think for a second that she’d been the real target. This felt like a message to him. “I don’t either,” he finally said.
“What if she’s involved? Maybe the whole thing was a setup.” Abram’s voice was tight, agitated.
“To what end?” He didn’t believe it, regardless. Dominique had been shaken last night. Unless she was the best actress in the damn world, no, he didn’t think she was involved with her own mugging.
“I don’t know yet,” Abram grumbled.
Viktor hid an exasperated sigh. “Why don’t you quit worrying about me and worry about yourself?”
“You’re my brother.”
“I know.” The truth was, he worried about Abram too. All the damn time. He was the only family Viktor had. “Let me know how Lucy is, if she needs anything.”
Abram just grunted and hung up.
Shaking his head, Viktor tucked his phone into his pocket. He’d be seeing Dominique in less than an hour and the anticipation humming through him was like a live thing. She’d been on his mind all day, consuming him.
After she’d picked up a new phone today they’d grabbed lunch at a food truck and eaten at a nearby park. While he’d been vigilant about their surroundings, he’d realized that he’d been relaxed with her, unlike how he felt with most people. But it was as if she didn’t want anything from him other than his company. Hell, she wouldn’t even take the house. He’d tried to bring it up once but she’d shut him down fast.
It was clear she still hadn’t made a decision about it, and that was fine with him. The longer it took her to figure out what she wanted, the longer he still had a reason to contact her. Not that he seemed to need one other than to simply ask her out.
He wanted more than just dating though. He didn’t care if it was too soon—he couldn’t just do casual. Not with a woman like her. He’d had casual sex, sex he paid for. He wanted something real. Even if he wasn’t sure he deserved it.
The only problem was, he knew shit about relationships and women. He didn’t want to come off too strong, but once they crossed a certain line, he knew he wouldn’t let her go. He just hoped she was ready for him.
Chapter 10
Feeling a little bit possessed, Abram pounded his fist against Lucy’s front door again. He knew she was in there; had seen a light flip on about ten seconds ago. And he knew he was acting like a psycho. He just didn’t care.
She lived on a quiet cul-de-sac with beach-cottage-style homes, some two-story but mostly one-story houses. A next-door neighbor stepped out from his front door, eyed Abram with suspicion. The guy was good-looking too, probably in his early thirties.
Shirtless and tanned, he glared at Abram. “You need something?” the man asked, his tone brusque.
“I’m here to see Lucy.” He forced himself to remain civil even if it wasn’t this guy’s business who the hell he was. Still…he was glad Lucy had neighbors who cared enough to look out for her.
The man crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the railing of the front porch. “Don’t think she’s home.”
Before he could respond, Abram heard the click of the lock opening. Lucy jerked the door open, her expression unreadable as she watched him. She stepped out onto the porch and smiled at her neighbor. Some irrational part of Abram was jealous that the guy got to see her smile. He wanted all of that sweetness reserved for him, not some dick.
“Hey Leo, everything’s good over here. This is just a friend. I asked him to stop by to help me with my…computer.”
“You sure?” The neighbor’s gaze flicked to Abram, clearly not trusting him.
“Yeah, I promise. Tell Maria I’ll be bringing over that dish she left a little later this evening.”
The man nodded, still not moving from his sentry position.
Lucy grabbed Abram’s upper arm and practically dragged him inside, shutting and locking the door behind him. “What are you doing here?” She dropped her arm and placed both hands on her hips as she glared up at him.
“You’re not sick.” He swept his gaze over her, surprised to see her looking so casual, though he knew he shouldn’t be. She was at home, not work or a function. She had on skimpy beach shorts that showed a whole lot of skin, a tank top and the straps of a blue and white bikini tied behind her neck. She’d once told him that she had a small pool in her backyard so he guessed she’d been using it.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “So what? I needed a sick day, so I took it. And you showing up here to check on me is completely inappropriate.”
“As inappropriate as me eating your pussy at work?”
Her cheeks went bright pink. She opened her mouth but nothing came out as she stared up at him. Everything about her was adorable, right down to her painted cherry red toenails.
He was glad she wasn’t talking because there were some things he needed to say and if he didn’t get them out all at once he wasn’t sure he ever would. “We’re hiring someone new as soon as possible to be my assistant. You’ll work directly under Viktor when that happens. I don’t want there to be an imbalance of power between us and I can see how it could happen if I’m your boss—though to be fair, you boss me around a lot.”
She let out a shaky laugh and he could see some of the tension leaving her shoulders. That had to be a good thing so he barreled on.
“I want to be with you. I want…you to be my girlfriend.” Even saying that out loud was too strange. “Which is a dumb, fucking word. But I want to start something real with you and I know that can’t happen unless there’s a division between us at work.” When she watched him with those big dark eyes, not saying anything, he started to panic. “Say something,” he demanded—okay, snarled.
Instead of being taken off guard, like any one of his employees would have been, she rolled her eyes. “Jeez, Abram. You’ve just shown up and dropped a lot on me. Can we sit down and talk?” She motioned to the attached living room.
He didn’t want to fucking talk, but he did as she asked. When she sat on the long, white tufted couch he sat next to her, crowding her personal space. He’d been going crazy all day without seeing her, wondering if she was going to quit because of what happened between them.
Thankfully she didn’t seem to mind how close he was to her.
“I’m sorry I called in today. I felt really awkward about…what we did.” Her cheeks flushed again and he had to restrain himself from reaching out and touching her. “I know it was pretty weak, but I called in sick so I could think.”
“What’s there to think about?” He’d just laid himself on the line, made himself completely vulnerable. The very idea of doing that for anyone else made his skin crawl. Not that doing it for her was much easier. If she shot him down… He swallowed hard. He hadn’t thought that far ahead.
She clasped her hands together in her lap, her back ramrod straight. Even in her beach clothes she looked every inch the princess. “Well…us. I mean, you’re my boss and—”
“I won’t be your boss soon. And I’ve had HR and legal draw up papers so that no matter what happens between us, your job will never be affected. You will always have job security, no matter what.” He didn’t tell her that he wasn’t letting her go, that he planned on convincing her to take a chance on forever with him. Even he knew it was too soon to say that out loud.
Her pretty lips parted, her expression softening. “You did all that?”
“Yes. And…” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the long box he’d kept in his office for the last month. He handed it to her, not sure what to say. The thing had been burning a hole in his desk so he’d shoved it in his safe until today.
He’d overheard her conversation with a friend when she’d been on lunch break, talking about how once she’d gotten her retirement accounts maxed out for the next five years in a row, this was going to be her Christmas present to herself. Well fuck that. He was going to give it to her now. He wanted to give her the whole damn world, anything she wanted.
Her eyebrows raised slightly as she started to open the box. She let out a gasp when she saw the gold roped necklace inside. She ran her fingers over the thick chain almost reverently. “Abram, this is beautiful… Oh my God, no.” She handed it back to him, her hand trembling even as she looked at the beautiful necklace. “I can’t take this. It’s over eight thousand dollars.” She whispered the last part as if he’d committed a sin.
It was more like twelve grand because he’d had diamonds added to it, but he didn’t correct her. “Who cares?”
She blinked. “It’s too much. Way too much. And we’re not even… What are we?” She linked her fingers together again in her lap.
“I told you what I want. What do you want?”
“You. Since the moment we met.”