I stand, not caring anymore about my raging erection, as I walk closer to her.
I can hear her breathing hard as I approach. I can see her body pull back before it betrays her and then leans forward toward me, as if to meet me.
“I want your trust, your commitment, just as I’m giving you mine. I want you on my team, to share all of this with me. Is that what you want too?”
“I…I…can’t say for sure yet. I mean…I’m feeling things, but this is happening so fast.”
“Let it happen. Don’t fight it.”
“I need time to process, and being Vitaly’s nanny will allow me that, but please allow me time to come to my senses and draw my own conclusions about…everything.”
“Yes, of course.” I circle her, putting the tip of my finger on her shoulder and then moving it along the top of her back, feeling the goosebumps form in anticipation of the path my fingertip will take, until it finds her collarbone and then moves up the side of her neck.
I step back in front of her again, taking her feminine jaw in my hand and even from this distance of well over half a foot away, I feel my need press into her stomach.
I don’t mean to be an aggressive bastard, poking her with my cock, but I can’t help it, and when I feel her lean in even more I’m no longer concerned with how she feels about it.
I move in closer, only a hair's breadth away, feeling the heat from her mouth as her lips part.
My nostrils flare as I take in her scent and my eyes roll back in my head. I move in that last small distance and just before I’m about to taste her purity, to claim her mouth, I hear fine China smashing on the floor and I look up to see Ludmila staring at us with a look of complete shock on her face, and then rage, before it quickly turns back to shock…but this time it’s feigned.
I knew something was off about her and her response proves it. Distancing her from Vitaly was clearly the right move, but I can’t distance myself from her too far.
Being a member of the Russian mafia you learn one rule early and often.
Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
I step back, giving Crystal space, pissed that our moment was missed…lost.
But Crystal’s not going anywhere and I’ll claim her mouth, and all of her, soon enough.
Because she can only be mine. And she will be just that. Mine.
CHAPTER 8
Crystal
I wake up swearing I heard footsteps outside my door, which is weird because it seems like my room is almost soundproof.
It’s no secret that Alexei takes his home security very seriously, as witnessed by the big thugs he has everywhere you look, but soundproofing the rooms too? What, exactly, goes on inside this house that he doesn’t want getting out?
And how could I hear footsteps if my room is indeed airtight?
I swear it’s like a Las Vegas casino in here. With my black out blinds pulled and the lack of a clock I could just be sitting in here gambling my life away without any idea what time it is.
But there’s definitely an alarm going off in my head and coming here is turning out to be more of a gamble than I thought.
I step outside my room and down the hallway to the bathroom. The time difference has me off and I need to splash some water on my face to right myself.
Once in the bathroom I turn on the water and get to it, feeling the lukewarm water start to wake me up.
I pause, letting the water run a little longer as I contemplate whether I should just mind my own business or open Pandora’s Band-Aid box again.
I feel like I’m rummaging around in someone’s underwear drawer if I do. I shouldn’t be reading these notes. It’s not why I came here, but…
I squat down and open the little door underneath the sink.
Sure enough the Band-Aid box is where I left it. I lean to my side and pull a few squares of toilet paper and grab the box, removing it. I grab some more toilet paper and carefully open the top, the toilet paper serving as a buffer between my fingerprints and the cardboard.
Nothing. Just the Band-Aids, and no note.
Someone’s been in here, removed the note, and didn’t leave anything. Unless they left something that’s already been taken, a response that’s already been received. A plan of action that’s already been set in motion.
I carefully put the box back and step into the hallway.
“Can’t sleep?”
I gasp and spin to my side, my hands coming up in a fighting position as I see Alexei standing there already dressed for the day, or is it still the prior day? I’m so confused with regard to time right now.
“You scared me.” My voice is heavy before I blow out a sigh of relief.
“It’s just jet lag. You’ll get over it.”
“I thought I heard a noise in the hallway.”
“You might have. Some of the guests use this bathroom when the other ones are occupied.”
“Guests?”
“This is a busy week, which is another reason why I needed a nanny so quickly.”
“Busy week?” I don’t want to feel like I’m interrogating a man who’s likely got secrets and values privacy, but the questions just instinctively come out.
“Friends in from out of town that have to be entertained, but no need to worry. I’ve got everything under control.”
I don’t doubt that one bit.
“Speaking of which, in regards to your compensation…with FACTA it’s going to be nearly impossible to get a bank account opened here for an American, plus you’ll have additional reporting each year. If you forget to file the form which lists your foreign accounts you can be fined up to fifty thousand dollars. That being the case I was wondering if you’d like to be paid in cash.”
Cash. Of course he’d ask that.
“Yeah, but at some point I should probably get an account.”
“We can get you set up back in your home country, or offshore.”
“An offshore account? That seems like a bit much.”
“Normally, yes. The key is their screening process is a bit less stringent. That’s all.”
I have a feeling that that’s not all…that it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
“Okay, let’s do cash at first so I can avoid bank fees and get some money in my pocket for day to day stuff that I might want to pick up.”
“Sure, but any day to day stuff will be provided. Just ask. You don’t even need to go out and get it. We have someone who takes care of that for us.”
Strangely, I’m not sure if the fact that I don’t need to go out of the walled off compound once a week is a good thing or a bad thing. Having a reason to leave every once in awhile will make any other trips seem less suspicious. What am I talking about? I’m already thinking about sneaking around and I’m not the one hiding notes in Band-Aid boxes. My paranoia level is off the charts right now.
“Great. Thank you.”
“Enjoy your morning, and don’t worry about waking early. I’ve scheduled a few days for you to get acclimated. I’ll have Ludmila keep an eye on Vitaly until you wake up naturally. Your circadian rhythm will reset soon enough.”
Alexei turns on the ball of his heel and walks down the hallway. I start to lose him in the lack of light until he reaches the foyer. It’s only then I notice Ludmila standing there with a tray of something as she eyes me…eyeing him.
She caught me checking him out.
This time I’m the one who turns on the ball of my heel as I make my way back to my quarters, but just before I open my door I hear another door open somewhere in the house and immediately the sounds of a party spills out.
I guess these are the guests he’s talking about entertaining. I don’t know why it’s causing me to wonder about what’s going on. Rich people entertain, right? It’s what they do.
But I’m the one still entertaining thoughts of who would have come and taken that note…and who left it.
And should I leave this entire situation first thing in the morning?
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br /> CHAPTER 9
Alexei
The next morning
The first rays of light from the morning sun hit my skin as I throw punches into the air in the backyard.
It’s only spring, and it’s not particularly warm yet, but I’m hot enough to shed my shirt and then go right back to air boxing.
Even after last night’s party I have so much pent up energy.
It has nothing to do with hiring the world’s best DJ for the event, or having what most consider some of the most beautiful women in attendance. No…it’s not that at all.
It’s her, my woman.
I told her I’d try to go slow, but I know that’s not a reality. I can’t take my time, even if I wanted to…and I don’t.
Hell, it’s taken thirty-one years to find her and I’m not about to waste another second not having her as mine. Yeah, I’ll try and let her come to the complete, same conclusion, but I’m not about to wait very long. I just can’t.
I run my hand over my face, wiping away the sweat. I can’t believe I’m not tired yet, and I’ve been up all night.
I throw jab after jab, imagining it’s someone trying to hurt my woman. I punch with so much force I practically throw my shoulders out.
I was supposed to have a big day of work today, but I’ll have to cancel it, or at least push back the less important tasks. There’s no way I’m going to be able to concentrate on anything other than her.
The heat of my body is producing steam in the air surrounding me, almost as if I’m some sort of ghost. That’s it exactly…I’m not a complete human without her. My brain is on autopilot just wanting me to take my body to her room and claim her, but that would scare her…send her running. Not to mention be highly illegal and immoral.
I laugh as I punch some more. I never cared about legality until her.
My body moves in a circle as I bob and weave, pretending someone is throwing punches at me too. As I move I get a glimpse of the house and I freeze.
She’s standing there, just on the other side of the glass. Her white, thin cotton T-shirt is damn near transparent and I can see the tips of her nipples trying to break through both the cotton, and the bulletproof glass that separates me from her.
She licks her lips and the silky, wet coat that she gives them causes a fire to burn inside me. It’s like a raging forest fire that only she can put out.
Scratch that. It can’t ever be put out. Even when I have her I’ll need her again, and again, and again, and again.
My appetite for her insatiable. My need obvious. My devotion to making a family with her unquestionable.
“Crystal,” I say her name. I know she can see my lips move, but she doesn’t respond in kind. Instead she just smiles and it fucking melts the cold inside me that I always thought was even more frigid than the barren, frozen tundra of Siberia. She’s woken me up like spring. She’s the sunshine to my darkness.
She’s the one who holds all the power, and controls the time until I can finally have her in my bed.
Unless I do what I’m already damn close to doing which is losing my mind and taking her right here and now.
I’d spent the night surrounded by women men would cut their right arm off for for just a night with them, but I want nothing to do with them and never have. They are the most beautiful women from the country known for its beautiful women, but I don’t want any other woman but her.
None of these rich socialites. None of these models and actresses.
I wanted a real woman, a genuine creature that made me feel more like a man than I ever had which is saying a lot considering how “alpha” most people perceive me. I don’t like that term and never refer to myself that way though. If you have to say you’re alpha, well then you’re not.
But if others want to say it, so be it.
But I don’t care what other people say. I care what I think and what I do and am responsible for my actions…although I can’t be held responsible for what I do if she stays by that window in those revealing clothes she wore to bed.
I take a step toward her, but as soon as I do I feel something crash into my leg.
CHAPTER 10
Crystal
I watch as Vitaly comes out of nowhere and wraps his arms around Alexei’s leg. He’s got on Spiderman pajamas and it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
On the one hand there’s big, feral, Alexei with his shirt off and steam coming off his body in the orange hue of the morning light.
On the other there’s this little boy, so cute and vulnerable, clinging to his dad’s leg as if it’s the one thing in this world he knows will never go away. He knows his dad is rooted like a tree and he can always come back to him and rely on his strength and wisdom.
Alexei’s gaze is still on me causing a tingling in the back of my neck. He looks down and scoops up Vitaly just as I hear a coughing sound from the side.
“Morning,” Ludmila says. “Did you stay warm in those last night?”
I’m not sure if it’s a dig at the thin material or genuine concern. “Yes. Thank you.”
When she forces a smile I know it’s the former. “Breakfast should be ready in about fifteen minutes. I know Alexei would like to have you as his guest.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
I scurry back to my room and take a quick shower. By the time I’m back Alexei has already showered and is dressed too.
“Morning,” he says. And what a good morning it is getting to feast my eyes on him first thing.
“Morning.”
“I thought we’d go out for breakfast.”
“Oh. Okay. I should probably put on something dif—“
He raises his hand. “Nonsense. You look perfect. Shall we?”
He offers me his arm and the next thing I know we’re walking out of the house to his Rover, which is already pulled up out front.
He helps me up like a gentleman and we’re quickly out of the property and on the road. I notice a Chevy Suburban following us from behind, but it pulls out of the gate with us so obviously it’s there because Alexei wants it there. He seems to get what he wants…in every way.
I watch his forearm muscles move as he shifts the automobile and steers it through traffic. It’s a turn on to watch a man drive, at least one who knows what he’s doing. He’s safe, yet assertive.
When we pull up to a light he grips the leather steering wheel hard, and I hear it creak. I can only imagine the power in those fingers, in his hands, and I want to feel them all over my body.
I catch my breathing picking up yet I can’t slow it down.
“What kind of breakfast do you like?”
“I’ll probably just have a coffee, or two, and a pastry if that’s okay with you.”
“I know just the place.”
He maneuvers through traffic, the Suburban staying on our tail, as classical music plays softly through the speakers. It’s like he’s the conductor of an orchestra, except this performance is him operating machinery, but it’s music nonetheless.
Five minutes later we pull up to the quaintest bakery I’ve ever seen and when we walk inside we’re ushered to a private table in the back. I have a feeling Alexei is used to this kind of lifestyle. I’m certainly not, but I sure do enjoy it already.
He orders for me in Russian and then we sit there, side by side, but angled slightly so we can look at each other. It practically feels like we’re on a date, but who goes on breakfast dates?
He’s just such a big man sitting in this tiny coffee shop. His big, masculine presence the epitome of the opposite of the walls which are decorated in a way that looks very much like something I’d pin to my Pinterest board for interior design. I know he picked this spot out for me and I appreciate it. I’m even more impressed he was able to guess what I’d like.
He moves in his seat and my eyes quickly skate over his body, catching sight of his need. He’s trying to get comfortable, but can’t. I swear his thighs are like tree trunks, and his calves are bigger than most gu
ys thighs. He looks so lean when he has a suit on, but when he’s got on slacks and a linen shirt and I’m this close to him I can see the outline of his muscles even more. He’s definitely bigger than he looks. I think it’s because he doesn’t have that inflated, swollen, red skin look of someone who gets their muscles from a bottle. He clearly works out and he’s earned this body he’s built.
Nanny for the Russian Mafia (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 102) Page 4