Her Russian Millionaire (BWWM Romance Book 1)

by Scarlett Mallam

  “Yes, Lord.” A very skinny white woman with a pink cap on spoke out.

  “Sister Martha.” The pastor nodded to her. “She was diagnosed with cancer. The church collected donations from members to help pay her bills. We organized fundraisers and even had a bake sale. Through prayer and medicine, we are working to heal Sister Martha.”

  “I’d like to testify.” An elderly man held up his hand.

  “Brother Max.” The preacher nodded. “May your words grace the Lord.”

  “I was sitting at a bus stop a week ago, and I saw an angel come down and enter a woman. She crossed the street and talked to a homeless man sitting under the liquor store sign. Turned out he had been stabbed last night. No one cared, and he was too weak to move. She called him an ambulance and saved his life. Most beautiful thing I ever saw in my eighty years.” He sat down after a round of applause.

  “That’s what I’m talking about. The Lord comes to people and works through them. There may come a time in your life when you, too, feel the pull to help somebody. Listen to it, for it is the Lord. Trust your feelings. Trust other people. Above all else, trust in the Lord. Allow the Lord to be a force for good in your life.” The pastor continued on with his sermon.

  Jalisa felt as though he was speaking directly to her. She needed to put her trust into other people if she was going to make it through her hardships. The larger woman squeezed her younger sister to her body in a seated hug. Nikita clutched at her shirt and hid her face. Soon, the telltale feeling of wetness sinking through her shirt and the soft shakes of Nikita’s body indicated that she was sobbing.

  “Lord, bless this girl.” A woman from a pew behind the sister rested a hand upon Nikita’s shaking back and began to pray. Thick trails of tears began to leak from Jalisa. This sense of belonging and acceptance and care was what she missed most about her old church.

  More people laid hands on the sisters, and they eventually got the attention of the pastor. Jalisa told him that their father had recently passed and he led the group in prayer. Jalisa felt a weight lift off of her.

  After the sermon, the two stayed to mingle. The mixed boy turned out to be the pastor’s son, and Jalisa pushed Nikita into talking to him. They chatted as kids would and discovered that both of them followed Major League baseball. Jalisa watched the two with a smile. This would be the end of the crush on Stone.

  The fellowship dinner in the basement was just like the ones at Jalisa’s old church. The women of the church went all out, cooking and baking enough to feed the city. Pots and pans filled with any food you could want lined a buffet table. Plates passed back and forth between as everyone sampled everything. Laughter rose to the ceiling. Children ran around.

  Nikita joined the kids in playing tag while Jalisa found some older women and asked about the church. They had a children’s choir and some sports, though there was no softball. By the time Jalisa and Nikita were ready to head home, they had signed up for choir and enrolled in Sunday school. They were offered leftovers to take home but declined. Stone and Marie’s beer took up most of the fridge.

  “Did you have fun?” Jalisa asked, already knowing the answer.

  “Yes! Andre is cute!” Nikita bounced her leg up and down excitedly.

  “Did you make any other friends?” Jalisa casually flipped through a brochure about the church.

  “I met a couple girls. One said her birthday was coming up and if I’m still coming to that church by then, I’m invited!” Nikita clapped her hands. It was such a blessing to see her being carefree.

  “I think we found our church.” Jalisa reached over and pinched Nikita’s cheek right where her dimples where.

  ”I think we did, too!” Nikita beamed. “I want to go back!”

  It was twilight by the time the cab driver pulled up at The Semya. A cluster of cars in the adjacent parking lot told Jalisa that she was most likely late for her shift. Once again, she had to throw money at the driver and run.

  The two entered through the front door. They were technically supposed to use the side door, but Nikita was terrified of that alley. Marie was mostly the only person downstairs, and she promised not to tell. If Stone was downstairs, the girls would just say that they were ready to get to work immediately.

  Marie wasn’t downstairs tonight, and there was a whole line of people waiting to get drinks. There was no way of telling how long she had been gone, what she was doing, or if anyone had stolen drinks. Jalisa made her way through the horde of sweaty bodies in the way while holding Nikita’s hand. She hopped behind the bar and started slinging alcohol as fast as possible.

  The smell of alcohol hung in the air like a fog. It tickled her nose and made her want to sneeze. Jalisa desperately tried to remember what went in what drink and in what order. She had a cheat sheet behind the bar, but the orders were coming in so fast that she could barely look at it, and when she did, the drink was often not even listed.

  Nikita, though she was not supposed to be going near the bar, helped out by grabbing beer out of the cooler for people who just wanted a glass. The two girls were a flurry of hands for about ten minutes. Eventually, the bar calmed down as people settled in with their drinks. Where in the world was Marie? She picked a Saturday night to disappear.

  Jalisa told Nikita to only hand out beer and not to even try to mix drinks. She told her exactly where she was going, and to come get her if anything bad happened. Jalisa went up the stairs and was about to open the door when a loud crash came from the other side. She recoiled from the doorknob and leaned down to listen from under the crack.

  “Give me what I want. The longer I stay up here, the more money you lose. I bet those drunks have hopped the bar and are emptying the register as we speak.” Marie’s voice was cold as death and twice as mean.

  “Bitch, you know I can replace what you lose ten times over,” Stone said, and there was another big crash.

  “I brought you two!” Marie screeched. “I brought you two so you could let one go!”

  “I don’t want to let one go!” Stone screamed. “Get it through your fucking head!”

  “You said I could leave!” The unmistakable sound of Marie’s heels on the tiles echoed.

  “I was high! I was just saying whatever the hell popped into my mind. You’re mine!” Stone was getting louder, and Jalisa worried for Marie’s safety.

  “I’m done being your prostitute! I hate fucking strangers! That’s why I brought you two new ones!” Marie screamed, and Jalisa’s hand flew to her mouth. This couldn’t be real.

  Chapter 4

  Jalisa had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. Muscles shaking, her breath caught in her throat. Ever so carefully, she reached up and cracked open the door. Once it was possible to see a sliver of what was happening, she stopped and pressed her face into the crack.

  Broken glass was strewn across the floor, and it was probably the cause of the loud crashes Jalisa had heard. Marie stood in a tight red dress and kitten heels, her form shaking with anger. Stone stood in front of her, strong arms crossed in front of his chest. Erik was in the back, pinching the bridge of his nose out of frustration. The entire scene looked like a Renaissance painting.

  “I held up my end of the bargain. You have two new girls. One is only fourteen; a lot of sickos would pay their entire life’s saving just to watch. The other is only eighteen, and probably a virgin from the way she goes on spouting about God nonstop. These are the two biggest cash cows you could ask for. Plus, the sisters thing might do it for some,” Marie insisted.

  “You’re a real dumb bitch. I already told you: There is no bargain. What I say when I’m high does not count. I say all sorts of shit when I’m high. I tried to convince Erik for half an hour that fish lived on the moon.” Stone laughed in her face. “Fish living on the moon is more likely than you ever leaving me, babe.”

  “Fuck you. I’m never coming back here. I don’t owe you shit anymore.” Marie spit at his feet.

  “I will fucking kill you.”
Stone said the statement like it was completely normal. He didn’t sound one bit angry, and that made Jalisa think he was much more dangerous than she had previously realized.

  Marie lunged for the breadbox and Stone grabbed her and threw her down in the broken glass. Jalisa gasped in horror before covering her mouth. Thankfully, Marie’s screams of pain covered up Jalisa’s one sound. Erik hopped up and put his hands on Stone’s shoulder. Though he was smaller than Stone, Stone relaxed and stepped back.

  “I agree with Marie,” he said.

  “Ha!” Marie managed to say while trying to stand up in broken glass.

  “The two girls should not be made into prostitutes,” Erik said. He glanced between Marie and Stone like he wanted to help her but was afraid to turn his back to Stone.

  The two men engaged in a staring contest while Marie shakily made her way back on her feet. Bright red rivulets of blood streamed down her legs and arms. The woman threw her long blonde hair over her shoulder before turning on Erik.

  “They are perfectly capable of being prostitutes.” She stood beside them blocking Jalisa’s view. “I picked them out to be prostitutes. Why the hell else should they stay here?”

  “They can be employees of the bar. They just keep doing what they're doing.” Erik paused. “You could bring up prostitution to Jalisa and see what she says. She is an adult and can choose to be a sex worker if she wants to. I highly doubt she’ll want to do it voluntarily, though.”

  “No fucking shit,” Stone growled. “You think any one of those girls wanted to do it? They all had either a fucking tragedy like Jalisa or a drug addiction. The two will be working girls.”

  “You would make a working girl out of a fourteen-year-old?” Erik sounded disgusted.

  “I’ll wait until she’s older before I auction her off.” Stone snorted a laugh. This was all just a game to him.

  “If I had to do it, so do they!” Marie stepped in between Stone and Erik and landed a finger on Stone’s chest. “I also expect to be let go.”

  “This bullshit again. Let me spell it out for you. You try to leave, and you will be d-e-a-d.” He sighed. “Drop it before I get really angry.”

  “Erik!” she whined. “Tell him! Tell him that bringing in those two mean I can go!”

  “The two girls aren’t working! That is final!” Erik made some sort of motion with his hands that Jalisa couldn’t see.

  “The fuck you say! They are my girls! I do what I want with them!” Stone grabbed Marie and shoved her toward the couch. She stumbled in her heels and fell onto it. He placed a finger on Erik’s chest much like Marie had done to him. “Normally, you don’t care about the junkies Marie drags in here. Something different this time, huh?”

  “These girls aren’t junkies. They’re just people trying to make a new life after their father died. Not to mention Nikita’s fourteen.” Erik ignored Stone’s physical contact.

  “They aren’t junkies. Their poor little dad died, and they’re making a new life.” Stone mocked Erik in a high pitched voice. “Nikita’s only fourteen.”

  “Stone, please.”

  “Stone, please what? Not fuck Jalisa?” He smirked. “That’s it, isn’t it? You like her. You just can’t stand the thought of another man fucking her. Oh, I can’t wait to wrap her twists around my hand and jerk her head back. I like doing curvy girls from behind.”

  “Cut it out.” Erik reached up and hit Stone’s finger from his chest.

  “I wonder how customers would like to fuck her. Hey, Marie? What position do most men like to take their prostitutes in?” Stone called out.

  “They like to be ridden,” she answered weakly from the couch. Jalisa directed her attention back to Marie just in time to see the woman pick up an already open beer can and begin to finish it off. Blood from her wounds had been smeared around, making it look like she was wearing some sort of pantyhose.

  “Wow, can you imagine what that looks like? Her body just bouncing up and down, working her magic all over other men.” Stone laughed. “Then they sling some money at her and I get most of it. Incredible.”

  “I told you to cut it out.” Erik balled up his fists. Jalisa’s mind raced with what to do if they started fighting. Breaking it up herself would put her in danger and calling the cops was out of the question. She would just have to pray for Erik not to be hurt badly.

  Stone shoved Erik’s chest. He stumbled back a foot before throwing the first punch. Stone saw it coming, probably purposefully provoking Erik to fight, and caught it. He twisted Erik’s arm behind him and pushed upward. Erik thrust his head backward, smashing his skull into Stone’s nose. He let go with a cry of pain. A thick trickle of dark red blood rolled down his nose and caught on his upper lip.

  Erik used the opportunity to grab Stone and throw him into the kitchen table. The edge bit deep into his midsection, and he doubled over on top of it, hands splaying out. Stone lunged for the kitchen counter, and Jalisa briefly worried that he might be going for the breadbox, but he instead grabbed a knife.

  The two men danced around, Stone trying to hit Erik with the knife. Erik jumped all over the floor, moving as quickly as his tight-fitting suit pants and dress shirt would allow him. He was one second too late, and Stone sliced into Erik’s arm. Erik cried out in pain, his hand immediately covering the injury. Stone stopped to laugh at Erik’s blood, which gave Erik the opportunity to charge at Stone.

  Stone dropped the knife as they hit the table top. Protesting first with a groan and then a crash, the table collapsed under their combined weight. Erik got up first, waiting until Stone stumbled up and went for the knife on the floor. While he was bent over, Erik kicked the seat of his pants hard, and Stone head-butted the side of the couch.

  “Back off, asshole,” Marie spit as she was disturbed by the moving of the couch.

  Stone stood up slower this time, his hands grasping at his neck. Before the larger man could stand up, Erik kicked the back of his knee, using his own weight against him. Stone fell down to his knees, and Erik put both of his hands together to come down on Stone’s head hard.

  Stone threw his body backward, causing Erik to fall down. His head hit the tile floor hard, and he didn’t move for a moment. Jalisa softly began praying to herself as the fear crept up inside of her. She called upon the words of the pastor and reminded herself that God was always with her.

  The larger man stood over Erik and grabbed a beer bottle from the floor. He threw it hard at Erik’s head, but the thick glass didn’t break. Stone grunted in dissatisfaction and stalked over to the kitchen to get a better object. Erik’s eyes fluttered open just in time to rush for the knife. Jalisa felt a glimmer of hope now that Erik had a weapon, but the fight wasn’t over yet.

  Grabbing the beer bottles that littered the counter, Stone threw objects at Erik. He dodged most of them, but a few hit their target. Erik began to walk toward Stone, and the larger man grabbed a toaster and threw it with both hands. Erik jumped out of the way, but the cord whipped him across the face. Jalisa tugged on her twists as the men battled.

  The fight was a pretty even match, and the two men eventually dropped any weapons and just beat each other with their fists. Erik wrestled his way on top and stayed there. His movements slowed until he was a panting heap onto of a motionless Stone. The silence felt like forever, but it was only a few minutes before Erik spoke.

  “Go clean yourself up and get back down to the bar,” he said. Marie grunted.

  It was then that Jalisa realized that Nikita was still down alone at the bar. Distracted by her thoughts of Nikita, she didn’t notice Erik was approaching the door until he was a few feet away. She tucked her fingers under the door and quickly pulled it shut. Her feet crashed down the stairs, but it wasn’t fast enough.

  “Jalisa.” A bloody mess and clutching his arm, Erik quietly called out to her.

  In the middle of this perilous situation, her fight or flight response sparked. One slim brown hand reached into her pocket and grabbed the color coded keys
Marie had given her for the employee door. If need be, she would fight her way out of here and to Nikita. Fitting them neatly in between her fingers, she braced herself before turning to meet her possible threat.

  “I won’t hurt you.” His voice was gentle. Erik approached her as if she was a sleeping tiger, ready to pounce at the first sign of sudden movement.

  “I won’t let you.” She slunk down low and tried to keep track of him through the flashing lights coming from the main bar room.

  “I am not like those people.” He came close, and she backed into a crate. “Can’t you tell that I am different? I don’t enjoy hurting people. Look into my eyes and see that I am different.”

  To be able to discover his true intents by looking into his eyes was such a romantic notion, one she did not believe in. He came closer, and she lashed out in warning, missing him on purpose. His entire body tensed and he slowly lowered himself to the ground. The rational part of her mind cut through the adrenaline, and she lowered her fist.

  “Marie will be coming down soon. If she sees you, she will warn Stone that the jig is up. He will try to force you into sex work very quickly. Right now, you’ve got about two weeks before he will make his move. He wants you to be dependent on him, to need him more than anything, and that takes time. If you play along, you might be able to escape with enough money and resources to build a life here. Let’s go somewhere and talk.” Erik’s blood dripped onto the floor, and she saw just how vulnerable he was.

  “All right, but I’m warning you. I may not be strong or have any experience in fighting, but I will fight for my life and the life of my sister with a fire that will burn you alive.” She returned her keys to her pocket and held out her hand.

  “I don’t doubt it.” Erik’s blood squished in between them.

  The two moved quickly to the bar floor. People were gathered around the counter again, and Nikita was swamped. Jalisa shoved Erik into the bathroom, thankful that no one noticed his injuries. She washed her hands in the counter sink and took place next to Nikita.