Aleksandr

by S F Draven

  It felt so strange to still be under Edik’s roof and be free, ready to venture off to finally put an end to my pain once and for all. Yet that was never going to happen until Edik and his army was disposed of, and I could only hope that Aleksandr was going to teach me everything I needed to know in order to properly protect myself. It was the only way I’d have a fighting chance. He stared into my eyes, glancing down at my lips, and he brought me in for a kiss. I could immediately feel the need for him surface inside of me.

  Chapter Nine: Aleksandr

  I watched as the doctor I called in managed to get Irina all patched up, making sure that she was going to pull through alright without any irreparable damage. It was just the two of us alone again, in an abandoned mansion that was going to be home for the next few weeks if everything went according to plan. I sat by Irina’s legs, running my hands up and down her thighs with her upright on the kitchen table. Despite how battered and bloodied she was, she looked absolutely beautiful. There was nothing that would be able to dull the glow emanating from her skin, the way her eyelashes framed those big doe-eyes of hers. I wanted to take her right there, remind her that we were in this together, and that wasn’t going to ever change, but I knew I had to be careful this time.

  It was in times like these that I realized how far I’d come. There were still moments, blips even where I’d find myself wondering how different our lives would’ve been if we’d never met. I was always told to focus on the goal in life, to focus on building a legacy that was going to last generations. However, now everything had changed. Now I looked at Irina and the first thought that came to mind was how much I’d begun to fall for her. I knew soon there’d be no turning back, and we’d both have no choice but to look toward the future. I’d begun to feel as though I wouldn’t want it any other way.

  She’d been through so much trauma, and frankly, she’d been going through so much for years on end, it was probably one of the first times she’d had a chance to properly breathe. I couldn’t even imagine what was going through her mind when she had to escape the cabin that I promised her she’d be safe at, and I knew now that I wouldn’t ever be letting her out of my sight again. I stared back at her, feeling my eyes grow rather heavy after a long day, but I couldn’t rid myself of the urge to feel her. She bent down, pressing her lips against mine, telling me that she wanted me, and I wasn’t in a place to argue. I saw the bruises on her arms and legs, left behind after a night of absolute terror, but I promised myself I was going to make her feel better one way or another.

  I stood up from the chair, meeting her at eye level. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I pulled her legs up against me. I ran my fingers down the sides of her waist, to that perfect plump ass of hers. The cotton nightie she was wearing had been stained with blood, and after she got all cleaned up it was the only thing she had left to wear. I slipped the ties off, watching them fall from her shoulders, sliding the fabric out from underneath her as she sat there naked and beautiful. She bit her lip in anticipation, and I looked down to see the skin raised on her arms, and I could tell that despite her urges, she was cold. I stripped off my shirt, pulling it up over her shoulders, leaving the rest of her exposed. I unbuckled my pants, both of us breathing heavily, as I pulled out my rock solid dick. There wasn’t a moment that went by since I met Irina that I didn’t want to be with her at every moment, and this time was no different. Every time we fell into each other, it was like the first time, full of surprises.

  I laid her down on the dining table, spreading her legs open myself, making sure that I didn’t upset any of her wounds. I ran my fingers along the curves of her inner thighs, glancing down at her beautiful pussy while I spread those lips apart. She was already soaking wet, waiting for me to slip inside of her, but I wanted her to feel every ounce of pleasure possible before I did.

  I bent down, holding her legs up over my shoulders as I took those pussy lips into my mouth, tasting her. She was divine, throwing her head back and moaning like it was the first time anyone had ever tended to her needs. I sucked on her clit, my tongue slipping in and out of her, and she started to squirm under me. I stopped for a moment to gaze at how swollen her clit was already, how wonderful it felt in my mouth, before I continued working her with my tongue. I felt her hands brush against my hair, toying with the curls and tugging on them ever so lightly whenever I hit the right spot. I felt her out, explored every inch of her, enjoying every minute of it. I raised my head up, to see her skin flushed. She wore the biggest grin on her face. I brought her right up to the edge of her orgasm, stopping right before the waterfall emerged, so I could slip my dick inside of her.

  She was unbelievably wet. I steadied myself, holding her legs for support, starting off slow to make sure that it didn’t hurt her. I gradually started to pick up the pace, feeling the head of my dick hook on the opening of her pussy, pulsating and hungry for more. I listened to those extraordinary moans of hers, turning me on more with every thrust, as I drove my dick so deep inside of her that she just couldn’t hold it together anymore. I felt the table beneath her starting to shake as I fucked her harder, my balls slapping up against her ass as I thrust, like it was an earthquake erupting within us both.

  “Fuck! Oh my God, Aleksandr. Fuck, I’m going to cum!” she screamed, as I stared at her, holding her gaze as I watched the orgasm explode inside of her, while I filled her up. I pulled my dick out to see my cum dripping out of her pussy onto the floor, and it was certainly a sight to see. I bent down to kiss her, tucking her hair behind her ears, finally mustering up the courage to say the one thing I’d never said to any other woman before.

  “I love you, Irina,” I panted.

  “I love you too.”

  The next morning we were both curled up on the couch in the living room, one of the only remaining furniture pieces on the property apart from the dining room set. I woke to Irina cuddled up against me, the warmth of her skin comforting, but I didn’t want to disturb her sleep. I gazed down at her, sleeping ever so peacefully, watching as her eyelids started to flutter open as they caught the stream of sunlight coming in from one of the windows.

  “Good morning,” I said, smiling at her.

  “Good morning. What time is it?” she asked, wrapping her arms around me.

  “I believe it’s just after eight o’clock, and we should probably head out to get you some food very soon. I’ll give one of my associates a call to bring over a few necessities so you can get freshened up, but we’ll have to make do with very little for a couple of days because we need to lay low right now. I hope that’s alright,” I said, and she nodded.

  “Of course it is, Aleksandr. Whatever is going to keep us the safest right now,” she replied.

  “Well, from here on out I don’t really think there is a line of safety that we can stand behind anymore. I’m going to have to prepare you for the worst of it to make sure that there aren’t any more surprises, and that means bringing you along on all of my little errands,” I said, even though it pained me to admit it.

  “I will do whatever it takes, Aleksandr. I’ve been through enough as it is, and I don’t think anything is going to faze me anymore. I accepted the life of crime a long time ago, but the only thing I didn’t accept was being cheated on and lied to. Edik toyed with my heart, and that was where I drew the line. I never questioned his business practices until he got me involved with them, but I know you’d never ask me to do anything like that.”

  “I would never, Irina. I love you, and I vowed to protect you. Nothing is ever going to change that,” I said firmly.

  “I love you too, Aleksandr. I know it’s been such a short amount of time for us both, but we have something special together. Something that I never thought I’d ever be able to find again after Edik, but you came and rescued me at just the right time. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for that,”

  “There’s no need to thank me, ever. It brings me such joy to see a smile on your face after all of this, and I can’t wait
to see where life takes us when we’re out from under this threat. I want to give you the life that you deserve, Irina, the life you should’ve had a long time ago. I want you to know that it’s never too late to start living on your own terms again, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that you remain happy for as long as I live,” I said to her, caressing her cheek as I bent down to kiss her.

  “There’s always room for new beginnings.”

  “Yes, there is,” I said, certain that we were going to find a way out of this mess.

  Things were coming together, and I knew the closer Irina and I got to figuring out how best to approach taking Edik down, the closer we’d be to starting a life together. She was the kind of clever and calculated woman that understood how to play the crime field, but still maintained her loyalty to the people who mattered. That was the kind of personality I’d prided myself on my entire career, and I knew from the moment I laid eyes on her that we were a perfect match. I never would’ve pursued her had I not learned about how badly she was being treated, because if I had one cardinal rule, it was never to touch another man’s woman.

  When Irina and I first slept together, I had no idea that she was Edik’s, until I watched her stand up there with him looking quite miserable. I could see it in her eyes how unhappy she was from that very moment, and then I didn’t even know half of it. When I thought about the shit that Edik had pulled where Irina was concerned, I could feel the blood boil underneath my skin. I was simply counting down the days until I could put him in the ground once and for all, making him pay for what he’d done, all while taking his precious empire away from him.

  It was a way that I’d be able to help Irina make up for all the time she’d lost, as well as make way for a new, more improved empire of my very own. I wanted a reason to command the world around me, be as equally feared and loved by those I came into contact with and this was my chance. There wasn’t going to be another day that went by where I didn’t do everything possible to make sure that we were gradually getting to the point where the war was going to begin.

  When that time came, there’d be no telling whether we were going to make it out alive, but I’d been trying to shift the odds in my favor from the moment I started seeking out Jack. Now, it was time to start banding together, presenting a united front and laying low until we had the perfect opportunity to show up on Edik’s doorstep with guns blazing. I can’t wait to put a bullet in that fucker’s head for what he put Irina through, for what he nearly put me through making me think that signing on with him was going to be a good idea. The end of your days are very near, Edik, and it’s probably best that you start running.

  Chapter Ten: Irina

  My entire life has shifted, morphing into something I wasn’t sure I was ready for. I’ve fallen in love with a man who is making strides in the crime world, much like Edik was when we first started seeing each other, but this is entirely different. I feel genuine love whenever I’m around Aleksandr in a way that makes me think that I never truly loved Edik in the first place. It’s almost as if I was holding out hope that I’d eventually find what I was looking for with him, until he turned around and made my life a living hell. Now, I’m preparing to face my worst fear, hoping to come out on the other side on Aleksandr’s arm, building a life together. I can feel the anxiety start to boil over inside of me, but I’m going to stay strong. If I want to make it out of this, I have to stay strong.

  I took a hot shower in the unfinished bathroom of the mansion, before slipping into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that were far too big for me, but they had to do for now.

  Aleksandr’s men stopped by a few hours earlier with a suitcase full of necessities, but we weren’t going to unpack as though we were staying for a while, because there was always the possibility that we had to make a run for it. I tried to stay as calm as possible, because from the moment I started my day, Aleksandr was already running me through protocol rules that his associates followed whenever there was a crisis. I tried to absorb as much knowledge as possible, listening attentively as he explained different weapons to me, taking me out into the yard to show me how it was done. I wrapped my hand around the barrel of his gun, feeling the power in my hands like I never had before. It was the first time that I held a gun and wasn’t totally afraid of what it was going to do, or if I was going to hurt myself in the process. Aleksandr was slowly teaching me to be safe, to hold my own, so I could have the best fighting chance possible when the time came to infiltrate Edik’s location.

  Over the last few days, I’d been learning every piece of crime knowledge I could, because Aleksandr set a meeting with an old contact of Edik’s who he’d convinced to stay on our side of this fight. I had my doubts about the whole thing, but I knew that I trusted Aleksander wholeheartedly, and if he believed in this guy, then I had to trust him as well. It wasn’t long before I was sitting in the passenger seat of Aleksandr’s car, watching as he drove down the winding roads to this abandoned warehouse where he was supposedly keeping a lot of his contraband. He warned me that at any moment, things could get ugly, and I needed to be alert at all times. I nodded at him, hoping that he wouldn’t see the fear in my eyes, but he knew it was there. While my will to get rid of Edik was just as strong as his, I was still afraid that I was going to fuck something up and ruin everything. It seemed to me that Aleksandr didn’t feel that way, because he was trusting me a lot more than I expected him to.

  He gave me inside information into all aspects of his budding business, and I found the whole thing very fascinating. I never felt so included before, and it was a nice change to be considered for once instead of being ignored in the hopes that I’d one day be awarded the attention I sought.

  “How are you holding up?” asked Aleksandr, glancing over at me, but trying to keep his eyes on the road as much as possible.

  “If I’m honest, I’m scared, but not for the reasons you may think,” I confessed.

  “Oh?”

  “I’m worried that after you’ve spent so much time teaching me everything I need to know, I’m going to ruin something along the way that may cost us this fight. I know you say I’ve been doing good, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to crack under pressure when the time comes,” I said, and he smiled.

  “Listen, the second time I met you, you had mutilated a man in that hotel room to protect yourself. You escaped the cabin when there were armed men after you, Irina. You are far stronger and much better in a crisis than you give yourself credit for. It’s time you start acknowledging your strengths, and focusing less on your weaknesses. Don’t worry, we all have them,” he said, and I couldn’t help but be a little curious.

  “What weaknesses do you have? As far as I’m concerned, I haven’t seen one.”

  “When I was younger, I was very impressionable, and that landed me in a lot of shit. I like to tell myself that I lost that naïvety a long time ago, but after almost being roped into Edik’s scheme, I realize that I still have a lot I need to work on. I have a bad habit of trusting the wrong people when they dangle what I want in front of me, but I know now what my priorities are. A few months ago, my top priority would’ve been to make the biggest waves in the crime world, but even that has taken a backseat now,” said Aleksandr.

  “To what?” I asked.

  “To you, Irina. You’ve changed me so much in the little time we’ve spent together, and I wouldn’t change any of that for the world. You’ve shown me that there’s much more to life than chasing copious amounts of cash if you don’t have someone to share it with. Now, I’m doing all of this because I want to give us a chance at a future, and to give you everything you could possibly ever want. That alone is fulfilling to me.” He continued, “I spent most of my life living in my family’s shadow, always hounded by expectations, and I never really could make my own way in the world. I know now that if I were to speak to them again, that they would be proud of how far I’ve come, and what I’ve now chosen to focus on.”

  “Do you not
stay in touch with them?”

  “I left home at a pretty young age because I was convinced that I didn’t need training to make it as a criminal, that I didn’t have to follow in my father’s footsteps to make a difference. If I had listened to my brothers back then, I probably would’ve had a much easier time right now, but sadly that isn’t the case. Though, I can’t say I regret much of it because I’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons along the way. The kind of lessons you can only learn when you run into trouble yourself,” he said, and it warmed my heart that he’d chosen to share so much with me.

  “You’re the strongest, most able-bodied man I know, Aleksandr. You’ve come into my life and shown me that men in this lifestyle aren’t all bad. I was beginning to think that I made the wrong decision by pursuing a man with a career like yours, until I met you. You changed everything about my perspective, and I’m so grateful because of it. I see the world, and every opportunity in an entirely new light now, and I look forward to sharing that with you when this is all over,” I told him, watching as he grinned at me, before turning his attention back to the wheel.

  We were about two hours outside of the city, and I had no idea where he’d brought me, but I knew that I had to heed his advice and remain on high alert in case there were any enemies laying in wait. He lectured me about every criminal’s preferred trap, and how easy they were to implement, even when you believe that you have everything figured out. I made sure to brush against the back of my shirt, feeling for the gun in its holster, as the cold metal pressed up against my skin. I’m ready for whatever lies ahead, I thought, following Aleksandr into the small dive bar that was crawling with all sorts of terrifying characters.