by Taylor Lee
He assumed a professional air, as though she were a staff member that hadn’t made the grade. Bile rose in her throat, threatening to choke her. He ripped out the check and made a notation in the ledger.
“This is for your work this last six months. You’re good at what you do, Nicki. You are an accomplished agent. Any security company will be eager to hire you. You don’t have to worry. Wherever you choose to go, I will give you an excellent recommendation.”
Rage flooded her. His face blurred. She could barely see him through the red haze clouding her vision. Surprisingly, her voice was calm, almost as cool as his.
“A recommendation won’t be necessary, Rafe. As I’m sure you know, all I’ll have to do is wiggle my hot little ass and they’ll hire me, right, Rafe?”
Ignoring his startled gasp, she glanced at the check.
“Hmm. For some reason this makes me feel like a whore. That this money is payment for the times we spent together. Is that what this is, Rafe? Payment for satisfying your itch?”
He stepped toward her, his face dark with anger. She ignored his approach.
“Should I consider this a nightly fee?”
Nicki watched him make a visible effort to control his anger. Pressing his lips together in a straight line, he spoke quietly.
“That is a substantial sum of money, Nicki. I suggest you not make a hasty decision.”
She picked up the check and studied it.
“Let’s see how many times did you screw me or attempt to screw me?”
She counted on her fingers.
“Let’s see. There were… Oh yes: three times without consummation. Do those count, Rafe? Then we finally did consummate our little affair, but again I had to seduce you. And then there was that last time in the shower but once again, I had to beg you.”
His voice cut through the air.
“I’m warning you, Nicki. Stop. Now.”
She looked him in the eyes then gave him an impudent shrug. Gazing at the check she tapped her chin with her finger as though she was doing calculations in her head.
“Let’s see. That makes five times, if we include the times when we didn’t actually ‘do it’. For $500,000? Hmm. That’s $100,000 per ‘event’, correct?”
She shook her head.
“Nope, sorry Rafe. That’s not acceptable. Given what I gave you, it should be at least double that amount. But lucky for you, I don’t want your money. I won’t sell myself this cheaply.”
She ripped up the check and tossed the pieces at him.
“Keep it for your women. This doesn’t begin to cover what I am worth. Save it to pay for the women who are willing to have you on your terms, because I’m not.”
Rafe’s face was white with anger. If she didn’t know him as well as she did, she would think he might hit her. Closing her eyes to regain her composure, she moved toward the door.
His voice was cool and impersonal but his next question was loaded.
“I presume you are going to see your father?”
She whirled and faced him. She was shaking so hard she could barely stand.
“As of this minute it is none of your business what I am doing. Now or ever again.”
He shrugged. “So be it.”
Nicki swallowed hard. When she spoke her voice was as low, as dangerous as his.
“You arrogant asshole.”
He nodded. “We’ve established that, Nicki. We agree.”
“Yes, we do, but what we haven’t established is that you are a coward. A self-righteous, arrogant, coward.”
Rafe’s face blackened with rage.
Nicki persisted.
“That’s right Rafe. I’m calling you what you are. A coward. You put yourself in danger every day of the year, but you protect that precious heart of yours like it’s the Holy Fucking Grail. It takes courage to love someone, Rafe. To live with the fear that something terrible might happen. That they might get hurt… or God forbid, might be killed. I love you Rafe—or I did. And it took courage to let myself love you. I had to accept that I might have you for a lifetime, or for an instant. Either way I conceded it would be worth it. And no matter what, I would thank God for that gift until the day I died. You’re right, Rafe. Loving someone means taking risks, taking a chance. But you won’t do that, will you, Rafe? At least when it comes to loving me. Because cowards don’t take chances. They play it safe no matter what the cost. They throw away happiness with both hands because they are too cowardly to try.”
Tears flowed down her face and she didn’t try to brush them away. The lump in her throat was so big she had to force herself to speak.
“You aren’t worthy of me, Rafe. You don’t deserve me.”
She ran for the door, slamming it behind her.
~~~
Caleb was quiet for most of the drive, but when they pulled up in front of the commuter airport in Lansdale, he broke the painful silence.
“Where are you heading, hotstuff?”
“None of your business. Why should I tell you? You’ll just tell him.”
Caleb huffed a weary sigh. “Hotstuff, we’re ISA. We’ll know in 10 minutes where you are.”
“So stop asking me questions if you already know the answer.”
She jumped from the car and reached into the backseat for her carryon.
Caleb circled the car and pulled her up tight against him. He tipped up her chin forcing her to look in his eyes.
“Listen to me, hotstuff.”
She twisted away, blinking at the tears that threatened to fall.
“Please, Caleb. Don’t. Don’t make it harder than it is.”
He tugged her back and encircled her in his arms.
“Look, Nicki. The guy is crazy in love with you. Give him time. Let him get over his anger, his fear.”
She shook her head.
“No, Caleb. You don’t understand. He doesn’t want time, and he doesn’t want me.
~~~
The next three weeks were the most challenging in her life. She ached for Rafe. But little by little she began to accept that what she had told Caleb was the truth. Rafe didn’t want time and he didn’t want her. She tried not to think about him. Instead she focused on healing the rift with her father. Yuri was heartbroken with grief and shame. She comforted him, the way he had comforted her when she was a child.
“I will never forgive myself for putting you in such danger, Nikita. You could have been killed, and it would have been my fault.”
“No Papa. All of us share in the blame of what could have happened, but it didn’t. I am alive, my bruises are almost gone, and I am here with you.
She didn’t add what they both knew. What was the most painful result of the mission. That was that Rafe had left them both.
Nicki added, “As Katya once said to me, it’s not up to you to forgive yourself. It is enough that I forgive you. You have lived your life with a terrible burden, Papa. Now you can let it go.”
He shook his head, his expression was strained, his palpable grief tugged at her heart.
“Papa?”
“Yes, Nikita?”
“Tell me about my mother. What was she like?”
Yuri paled, and stared at her. His eyes flooded with unshed tears.
Nicki choked back her own tears; she reached out for his hand.
“Was she like me, Papa? Am I like her in any way?”
Yuri began to cry. He cried as though he’d been holding back the tears, the sobs for years. Because he had. After several long minutes, he swallowed hard then began to speak.
“Ah yes, Nikita, you are so like her sometimes I think she has returned. Returned to bless my life the way that you have blessed my life.”
“Then tell me about her, Papa. Tell me your stories. What you remember most.”
And so Yuri did; he went on and on, unburdening himself of stories—some of which he hadn’t thought of for many years. After three hours of tears and laughter and many hugs, Nicki asked.
“Do you have pic
tures of her? I have never seen them.”
Yuri’s face darkened.
“Can you forgive me, Nikita? I have done a terrible thing; because I couldn’t live with the past, I refused to share it with you.”
He stood and went to his study. He returned carrying a stack of photograph albums.
“This is your mother, Nikita. Your beautiful mother. She was so full of life I didn’t think she could ever die.”
Nicki eagerly grabbed for the albums. The afternoon was beginning to wane as she reached for the last album, having scoured the rest. To her surprise, when she opened it, she saw that it was filled with pictures of Rafe. Not meeting her father’s eyes, she forced her hands to stop trembling. She turned one page after another, drinking in the sight of the young boy who looked painfully young but already hardened, as though he were carrying a fierce burden.
“You have many pictures of Rafe, Papa. You must love him very much.”
“Yes, Nikita. Except for you, my dear, there is no one I love more than Rafe. When you were almost killed, Rafe made it clear that he would never forgive me, never speak to me again. I knew then that I had lost my son.”
“Was I as arrogant, as bullheaded then as I am now, Yuri?”
They both turned in shock, stunned to see him standing in the doorway.
Yuri’s face blanched, then flushed. He moved unsteadily to his feet. Tears crept down his cheeks. He coughed, gathering himself, and then cleared his throat, assuming a casual air.
“More so, Rafe. As hard as it is to believe, you were even more arrogant than you are now.”
The two men simultaneously moved toward one another. Nicki’s throat tightened, watching them embrace. Her heart bled.
Walking Yuri back to his chair, Rafe turned to face her.
“What about the cowardly part, Princess? Have I redeemed myself, just a little? Or do you think that crossing three continents with my hat in hand doesn’t take courage?”
When she didn’t respond, he held her in his gaze.
“I see. Clearly, Nicki, following you across the world doesn't make it to the courageous realm. Fine, let me continue. Gathering what courage I do have, I will tell you both that I came for two reasons. One, to ask for your forgiveness, Yuri. The other is to capture my wife, and bring her hot little ass back where it belongs. With me.”
Nicki stuttered in disbelief. She hoisted herself to her feet and clung to the back of the sofa for support. Looking at his too-handsome face, his dark emerald eyes, and the cocky grin on his face, her anger roiled to the surface. How weak, how pliable did he think she was? How dare he assume that all he had to do was appear and she would fall in his arms?! And…and…marry him?
Raising her chin, she snapped, “Aren’t you rushing things, Rafe? Making assumptions, decisions, that aren’t yours to make?”
His grin broadened. “But of course, Princess. How rude of me. Before I claim you, toss you over my shoulder and take you to my bed, I should ask for your father’s permission.”
He chuckled at the flush brightening her cheeks as she glared at him.
“How about it, Yuri? Are you willing to let me marry this—let me see, how did you put it when you foisted her off on me? I believe you said irrepressible, disrespectful, and headstrong.”
Nicki gasped and shot her father a glare that could burn through steel.
She tossed her head, clinging to her pride, refusing to cave so easily. She looked away, trying to ignore Rafe; the twinkle in his eyes, his lean tall body, his cool elegance that masked a dangerously sexy man. Nicki felt herself weakening… but she had no intention of letting on. Not yet anyway.
“What happens, Rafe, when I do something you don’t approve of? Or I get a little scratch or a cut? Then what? Will you leave me, disown me, for the disobedient creature that I am?”
“No, I won’t leave you, Princess. And I won’t disown you. Those things I will never do again….But I may tie you up and keep you someplace safe for a few days. Or do things to you that your father should have done years ago.”
Yuri glared at Rafe in mock dismay.
“Watch it, Rafe. That’s my daughter you’re threatening. I’ll not permit—”
Rafe broke in with a wicked grin. “Look, Yuri, you manage your daughter any way you wish. I’ll manage my wife the way she deserves.”
Nicki tossed her head amused in spite of herself at the two alphas pretending to butt heads. Seeing the two people she cared for most in the world, like this, together and reconciled, just brought her too much private joy. Nicki let go her defenses.
“Um. Before we discuss the marrying issue…About that tying up thing, Rafe? What…where…did you have in mind?”
“Where would you like me to tie you, Princess?”
“Hmm. Let me think. To our bed?”
“That’d do for a start.”
“Oh, goody!”
He roared with laughter, as did Yuri. Rafe reached out and captured her in his arms, pulling her up on her toes so that his lips were inches away from hers.
“May I take that to mean that you accept my proposal, Princess?”
Nicki smiled up at him, blinking back her tears.
. “Yes, Rafe. You may.”
Afterword
Thank you for reading The Volkov Affair. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much I enjoyed writing it. I love all my characters – their strengths as well as their weaknesses. Nicki was blessed AND cursed by the actions – long past – of the two most important men in her life. That the three of them found their peace was gratifying to me. And of course the best part was the seriously sizzling romance!
While my story is fiction, unfortunately the International Human Trafficking Arena is active in every country on the face of the earth. Please pay attention. It is all too real. I do my best in my stories to call attention to the crimes of the International Sex Trade, but only if we work together can we hope to make a dent in this hideous reality of our times.
If you enjoyed The Volkov Affair, do me a huge favor. Go back to www.Amazon.com, and please leave an honest review. Authors live and die by their reviews. The few extra seconds it takes really helps us authors out. Thank you!
Other Works by Taylor Lee
Big Girls Don’t Cry
If you enjoyed The Volkov Affair, be sure to check out Taylor Lee’s Best Selling Hot New Release in Romantic Suspense: Big Girls Don’t Cry
Praise for Big Girls Don’t Cry…
“Sizzling Romantic Suspense at its best! As the danger rages, their passions flare!”
KDR
“Taking down an international drug ring? Solving a vicious murder? All in a day’s work for the sexy special agent. Taming an irresistible woman as tough as she is beautiful? Now that’s another story!”
L. Takamia
“She’s an accomplished martial artist as fierce as she is beautiful. He sees the wounded woman beneath her tough exterior and is determined to protect her no matter how hard she resists.”
J. John
“The blond haired beauty hits the streets to find her brother’s killer. In the sleazy cesspool of drug dealers, strippers and pimps, she closes in on the killer. But he’s out to get her before she gets him.”
Sneaky Romance Reader
“An edgy mystery thriller with pulse pounding action and steamy romance. Unforgettable characters that will capture your heart.”
Action Junkie
~~~
Aces Wild
If you enjoyed The Volkov Affair be sure to check out Taylor Lee’s NEW Historic Romantic Suspense, Aces Wild (Angel’s Avenger’s Book 1).
They call him Angel but every woman he meets sees the devil in his eyes
Praise for Aces Wild (Angel’s Avenger’s Book 1)…
“If they needed men smarter than hell and as violent as their adversaries, even the mob turned to Angel's Avengers”
KDR
“She's temptingly innocent; he is savagely sexy. Neither one plans on falling in love.”
<
br /> Lisa Takamiya
“When the infamous Tong leader's family is threatened by a vicious killer, he turns to Angel's Avengers. As the danger escalates so does the attraction between the would be-savior and the young woman he's hired to protect.”
David Adams
To purchase Aces Wild, simply click here.
~~~
The GrandMaster’s Legacy
If you enjoyed The Volkov Affair you’ll LOVE The Grandmaster’s Legacy Books 1-4, Specially Priced Box Set HOT Historical Suspense!
A bargain at any price – A STEAL at this price!
To purchase The Grandmaster’s Legacy, simply click here.
Works by Other Authors I Think You Will Enjoy
Catch Me If You Can
Louisiana chief of police who oozes sensuality-a man who always gets what he wants.
An insurance investigator determined to put his thieving cousin behind bars…or lose her job.
An explosive attraction neither can ignore.
Two lovers…caught between duty and desire…
To sample or purchase Catch Me if You Can, click here.
~~~
Full Body Contact
As broken bodies pile up in back alleys, a disgraced Mixed Martial Arts champion is the prime suspect.
Can a rookie detective use her beauty and fighting skills to seduce the truth or will she pay the ultimate price for believing in him?
To sample or purchase Full Body Contact, click here.
~~~
In Deep Shitake
Take one devastatingly handsome movie star. Add one outrageously sexy female private eye with a penchant for food-word obscenities. Mix in a dose of mistaken identity and a handful of Russian mobsters…
And they're all In Deep Shitake.
To sample or purchase In Deep Shitake, simply click here.
About the Author
