by Sherie Keys
THE RUSSIAN'S
CONVENIENT BRIDE
A BAD BOY BWWM ROMANCE By..
SHERIE KEYS
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Summary
Low on money and facing eviction from her apartment, Alicia Augustus was desperate for a way to make some extra cash.
So when she was approached online by a mysterious Russian man called Dimitri who offered her $5000 in exchange for marriage so he could gain a green card, Alicia jumped at the chance.
After the transaction was complete Alicia never expected to see the handsome Russian again.
However, when Dimitri found himself in trouble with the police and facing possible deportation, he knew he had to turn to the one person in the world who could help him.
His wife....
This is a BWWM Romance full of twists, turns and sensual love scenes. Expect a page turner that will keep you hooked to the end!
Copyright Notice
The Russian's Convenient Bride © 2017, Sherie Keys
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.
Contents
Chapter1
Chapter2
Chapter3
Chapter4
Chapter5
Chapter6
Chapter7
chapter 8
chapter 9
chapter 10
chapter 11
chapter 12
chapter 13
chapter 14
Chapter1
A wedding day was supposed to be the day that a little girl dreamed of as soon as she was old enough to understand it. It was supposed to be her perfect day, filled with every detail that she had chosen specifically to her liking. She would pick a long, white gown from some fabulous store. The second she put it on, she would know that it was “The One”-the same way that she knew her fiancé was “The One.” There would be tears, most likely from her mother at the idea of her baby girl growing up. There may even be a few from the girlfriends who had joined them. Everyone would be in awe of how she looked in that gown.
The day of the wedding would arrive. They would pray and hope for no rain, because that was what could ruin every bride’s dream day. She would get dressed with her bridesmaids and her mother beside her. Everyone would fuss over their hair, the makeup, the entire experience. The photographer would take pictures of them prepping and finally of her heading out in her gown.
At the church, her father would take her arm. She would give him one last kiss as his little girl before they would stroll together down the aisle while “Here Comes the Bride” played. At the end would stand her husband-to-be. She would see the love and awe in his face at how wonderful she looked in her dress as she made her way to him. Then her father would hand her off, maybe give her a quick peck on the cheek, before going to join her mother in the congregation. Her mother, by this point, would be crying.
The ceremony would be moving and beautiful all in one. She and her fiancé would both cry happy tears as they were pronounced “man and wife.” Then they would turn and greet the congregation with smiles and applause. Now it would be her husband’s turn to take her arm and lead her up the aisle. They would be off to their reception where they would dance and celebrate their happiness. A true dream come true!
Unfortunately for Alicia Augustus that was not how it was happening. In fact, in all of the hundreds of fantasies she’d had about her wedding day, she had never dreamed that it could be something like this.
There was no elaborate gown. The dress that she was wearing was a plain white sundress she had found on clearance rack at TJ Maxx. She’d splurged and gone there for a dress-it was her wedding after all. If she couldn’t have a girl’s dream wedding, she was at least going to have a particularly special dress. Besides, the color set off her dark hard and dark skin nicely. She would not complain about the rest of the circumstances as long as she looked decent.
As for friends and family, there was not a bridesmaid, a groomsman, or a family member in sight. There was only the judge, and one courthouse clerk to serve as a witness. It was the most unmoving, depressing wedding day that Alicia could ever imagine.
At least her new husband looked good. Dimitri was medium height, but he was rock solid with muscle. His dark hair, which was usually unkempt had been smoothed back and slicked down. His beard and mustache had been trimmed. He’d at least played the part of a good groom-even if it wasn’t ideal.
Normally, two people got married because they were in love. This was not the case for Ashley and Dimitri. As she listed to the judge’s words, Ashley remembered too clearly what had brought her here.
There was no money. Literally, none. She had tried to budget, tried to save, but she was still looking at an empty bank account. She could not pay her rent, she could not buy groceries, and she could not keep her phone turned on. At the end of the day, she needed money-fast.
She was browsing odd jobs on Craigslist when she’d seen the post:
Do you want to make money just from helping people? Then click here to be connected.
Intrigued, Alicia clicked on the link. It popped up a site titled “Connections from a Far.” The whole point of the site was to connect men and women who were looking to meet American citizens and get their green cards. Alicia paused on the link.
Was this really something that she was into? Could she actually get connected with a man just to help him stay in the country? She thought again of her bank account. They would be desperate enough to stay in the country that she might be able to get some cash out of them. She didn’t know what all she’d have to do, but she’d be selective. She wouldn’t get involved with just any man.
In that case, yes, she was that desperate.
Alicia had signed up for the site. She’d filled out all of the details, told them exactly what she’d wanted…and they’d spit out Dimitri. He wasn’t exactly bad, per se. He had a job, and he was decent looking. He was from Russia, though when he’d told her where she hadn’t really understood the location. He’d settled in Baltimore when he’d gotten his mechanic’s job. He was a man of few words. Alicia didn’t mind that. She hadn’t wanted someone too overly talkative and overbearing.
On their first night, he’d told her how he did not want to go back to Russia. He preferred being here to there because he wanted the life that came with it. So he needed to get married. It was the easiest way for him to remain. If she was willing to marry him, it would be worth five thousand dollars.
Alicia quickly did the math in her head. Five thousand was a good sum. It would get her back on her feet, and let her do some
saving for a few months. So she told him yes. Yes, she would marry a man she had just met so that he could get his green card. It would keep him in the country.
They set the conditions, of course. They lived in the same town, but they would not live together. They would see each other occasionally, and neither of them was responsible for supporting the other. They were both also free to see whoever they wanted. She did not think that would take him long to get involved with someone else.
So now, here they stood. Him in his gray suit and her in her white sundress. The judge gave them their vows, which they quickly exchanged. She gave him a ring. It was a cheap one that he had purchased at some cheap discount store. When the judge looked expectantly at her, she gave an explanation that she could not wear rings at work and would get a tattoo or a silicon one later. The judge smiled, either understanding or pretending to. He probably knew exactly what this marriage was-probably saw a lot of them too.
“By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife.” He stepped back from them. “You may kiss your bride.”
He leaned into her awkwardly. Alicia could smell his cologne. It was cheap, and strong, and she didn’t like it. He pecked her lightly on the lips, which she returned just as uncomfortably.
“Congratulations.” The clerk who had served as a witness gave them a polite smile as she slipped out of the room.
“Thanks.” Alicia muttered.
“Thank you.” Dimitri’s accent was heavy. She could not imagine for a split second that that judge did not know what type of marriage he had just performed.
Sighing, Alicia followed Dimitri out into the bright spring day. She’d just gotten married. It was supposed to be a happy day. But her marriage was to a man whom she barely knew. Oh well. She supposed that this was life.
“Here you go.” When they were at her car, Dimitri reached into his pocket. He with a folded money order. “Just like we promised-five thousand dollars.”
Alicia reached out and took the piece of paper. She studied it for a moment, nodding.
“All right. That looks good. Thank you.” Dimitri gave her a firm nod of his own.
“Thank you. I…will call you?”
“Yeah…you probably should. We’ll get together…soon.” Alicia tried to smile but found it difficult. Dimitri seemed to take the hint.
“All right then. I will see you later.” He turned, heading to his own car. Alicia watched him for a few moments, and then stepped into her car. She would put the money in the bank now. She would start paying her bills tonight.
*
Dimitri was back to work in his garage. He ran his own place, but didn’t actually own it. The real owner was in his seventies. He had always been one of those men who had dreamed of passing the business onto his son, but he’d had none. His grandson had gone into the military, uninterested in taking on his grandfather’s mechanic’s business. When Dimitri had shown up, looking for work, it had been the perfect arrangement for both of them. Now Dimitri ran the shop, and as long as he brought in money, Stan simply paid the bills.
Being good with your hands in Russia was a real talent, and a good trade to have. Dimitri had never considered himself the corporate type. It wasn’t that his family was in the corporate circle anyway. He’d grown up in the city of Khimki, which lay northwest of Moscow along the Moscow Canal. It had been a big enough city to have options, but it stayed out of the Moscow insanity.
His father had loved vodka. That was ok. Most men in Russia did. Dimitri had his first taste of it at five. At that age, he’d declared it to be the vilest beverage he’d ever had. He’d had a change of heart by the time he reached age eighteen. It was still his favorite drink.
His father’s passion for vodka had not made him a bad man, or a bad provider. He had taught Dimitri to work with his hands. He’d put the tools into his hand at a young age, explaining each one and what it did. As he got older, the tools became more dangerous. Roman Petrescu had given him a healthy respect for these particular types of tools. Dangerous tools deserved respect. You could hurt someone with them. You didn’t want to use them casually.
While the legal drinking age in Russia was eighteen, it was never enforced. Dimitri was sixteen when he started stopping into bars for a drink, or joining friends for a bottle of homemade vodka on the street. Maybe that was why Dimitri had fallen into the crowd that he did. One night in a bar, he’d met a crowd of boys. They were all older then him-eighteen to twenty all around. After they’d spent some time talking, they’d invited him to join them for more drinks. This sort of thing started happening on a regular basis. Dimitri was pleased with his crowd of friends. It was nice to have people that accepted him.
It was a month later before he found out just what his new friends did for a living. It happened late on a Saturday night when one of them had gotten a call about a job. Dimitri went with them-just to see what they were into. All along, he’d noticed how big they were, but that hadn’t meant anything to him. Well, it hadn’t until tonight.
His friends had gone to a nearby house in a local working class neighborhood. Once there, they knocked on the door. Immediately, the man had come out. His friends began a whispered conversation. Dimitri couldn’t really hear it one because he was drunk, and two because he was putting himself towards the back of the crowd. He picked up something about money. One of the men owed money-but not to the men he was with. To another group. The word ‘mafia’ started to play around in Dimitri’s head. It all made sense when he saw one of his ‘friends’ punch the homeowner.
His friends were enforcers for a mafia group. It wasn’t the worst group in the city. At the end of the day, this particular class of mafia was probably one of the smallest in the town. Dimitri wasn’t even sure that they had actual connections to Moscow. But as far as Khimki went, they were legitimate. And now that Dimitri had seen what they did, he had two choices: join in or face their wrath himself.
It had been a difficult decision for him. He wasn’t particularly a man who thought highly of hurting people. His father had pumped that into his head with the respect of tools. Men could hurt other men very easily. The human body was really a frail thing. You hit it in the right place and you could kill someone without even trying. Dimitri wasn’t sure he was in for that of work.
But what he was in for was the money. When his friends told him of the money he could make being an ‘enforcer’ with them, he was sold. His parents would have extra money, hell, he would have extra money. This idea brightened his opinion of this particular task. For this kind of money, he would take on the risk of hurting someone. They didn’t want anyone actually killed after all, just…threatened.
After a while, it wasn’t so terrible. He could distance himself from it. Besides, the man that he was beating on had done something on his own to get himself into this particular situation. It was his fault-not Dimitri’s. So why should he feel bad for simply reminding them that actions came with consequences?
Dimitri quickly learned that his group was bigger than he thought. They did in fact have ties to Moscow. This made him question even harder if this was a group that he should have gotten mixed into. But as easy as it had been for him to stumble into, it was going to be a lot harder to get out. He didn’t even know how he would begin that particular process. So he just let it go and continued to go along with it. Besides, money was money. Extra was coming in all the time. He wasn’t in debt to anyone, and from the outside he looked like a simple mechanic. Plus, he had paid off a little of his parents’ debt. He hadn’t thought that they would accept it, but his father seemed ok with his son growing up and providing for them. Of course, he was a bit skeptical where Dimitri had made this type of money as a mechanic, but he had never asked. So Dimitri did not feel the need to offer up exactly how this piece of information had happened.
It was in August when he’d gotten the latest job. One of the men that the group was looking for had fled to the United States. He’d settled in a town called Baltimore. They now want
ed Dimitri to go there. Dimitri knew nothing about Baltimore, except that they had an American football team represented by a bird. He’d had to look it up on the map to find out its exact location. He hadn’t exactly had a choice, but he’d agreed to go. Sometimes, it was just easier to agree.
As soon as he’d stepped off of the plane in the United States, he’d been overwhelmed. This was such a different environment than what he was used to experiencing. He had fake documents that his group had provided him. They were good enough to get him into the country via Canada, but he knew that he had to be careful. He either had to do his work and get back out, or remain and stay quiet. He quickly made up his mind that he was staying. He liked it here, and he was going to try and start over.
He sought out his ‘client’ immediately. He wanted to get his business taken care of quickly. So on his first night he’d paid him a visit. He’d broken both of his legs and texted home that his job was done. Then he set out to explore the United States.
The United States was a good place, filled with people who had made lives for themselves. Dimitri liked that. He saw a lot of himself in the people here. Here, he could make himself an honest living. It was a fresh start and it freed him from the life of crime he’d lived in Russia. But it was a hard life for someone who had no real paperwork or any way to get solid work.
It was sheer luck that had led him to Stan. He’d mentioned one night in a bar that he could fix cars. The guy sitting next to him asked if he would mind taking a look at his. A light had come on while he was driving over, and he didn’t know if it was anything serious. After Dimitri had given it a once over, added some fluid and advised the man to seek out a mechanic in the morning, he’d gone on his way. But another man at the bar stopped him. That man was Stan. And he wanted to know in what garage Dimitri worked. When Dimitri said he didn’t, Stan had offered him a job. Which had gotten him here.
