by Sophia Gray
I grimaced. Denise liked bad boys, and Alec was probably the baddest out of all of the ones she had dated. I didn’t care for the guy, personally, but Denise had been head over heels for him. She really thought he might be the one. Of course, she thought that with every guy she dated.
And the worst part about Alec was that he was probably a mobster. Seriously. Who would date a guy like that? Yeah, even I thought he was hot, but that shouldn’t be enough to make someone turn a blind eye to his flaws. Denise liked to walk the wild side, and while I liked bad boys myself — more accurately, I had a major weakness for them — a mobster? Never!
“What happened?” I asked, kinda hoping he had dumped her because Denise wasn’t even considering that, and she just plain didn’t see he was no good for her. She deserved someone who would treat her like gold. I’d never forget the time she called me in tears because Alec cancelled plans on her at the last minute. She’d spent a pretty penny on tickets to a ball game for the two of them for his birthday, and something came up and he just dropped the, well, he dropped the ball.
I clicked on the next link for a company looking for a secretary. Not much of a web presence and it would be an hour commute. Too far. If something happened to Mom, I needed to be much closer to home. Cross that one off the list.
“Did you hear me?” Denise asked. Her tone suggested mild annoyance, which actually made me feel a little better since I’d rather her feel angry with me than for her to wallow.
I winced. The last thing I needed was to push my only true support away. “I’m sorry. I’m a little distracted. What did you say?”
“He dumped me,” Denise wailed. “I can’t believe it. I mean, I gave him everything he could have asked for. I was the perfect girlfriend for him. I was kind and loving and not too clingy. I just don’t know what went wrong.”
“It’s a good thing,” I muttered without thinking.
“What was that?” she asked, her tone sharp.
Crap. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud. Me and my big mouth. “It’s—”
“It’s not a good thing!” she fumed. “How could you say that? Seriously, Lily! You know how much I cared for him!”
I winced again. “I didn’t—”
“I heard you!” she shouted.
“I’m sorry. I’m just…I’m overwhelmed. I’m trying to find a new job and—”
“You want a new job? I got one for you.” She still sounded pissed, so whatever job she was going to mention was going to be completely off the wall. “Maybe you should get with Alec’s boss.”
“His boss?” What was she talking about?
“Yeah, some guy named Anton. I’ve met him a few times.” She didn’t sound quite so pissed any more, at least. “I thought Alec was hot, but even he has nothing on Anton.”
Now that was saying something. What did this guy look like? “What about this hot Anton?”
“You should get with him,” Denise said. “Anton’s looking for a woman to give him an heir. He wants to knock someone up, and it sounds like he’s willing to pay big money for it.”
What the heck? How in the world could Denise even propose such a thing for me to do? She must be really ticked off that I hadn’t been listening to her. Or she really was seriously bent over Alec.
But even more than her suggesting it, I was taken aback by the whole idea of needing an heir. “Isn’t that really archaic?” I asked.
“Kinda. It’s probably a Russian thing. It’s kinda strange, I know.”
Too strange for me. I shook my head. “Hey, I really am sorry I wasn’t listening to you more. You just know how I feel about Alec. You deserve better. I’m just looking out for you. You know I always have your back.”
Denise blew out a breath. “Yeah, I know you always hated him,” she muttered.
“Hate’s too strong a word. I just love you enough to be real with you. You need a guy who can be there for you. How many times did he blow you off for unknown reasons? He always had excuses, but he never bothered to share them,” I pointed out.
“You have a point. It’s just…he made me laugh and smile, and yeah…you might have a point. I wasn’t completely stupid for being with him, was I?”
“No,” I assured her. Alec, for all of his faults, had made Denise happier than some of the other guys she’d dated.
“Well, my lunch break is just about over. Gotta run.” She hesitated. “I’m sorry I brought up the whole Anton thing. I know it’s not your thing.”
I laughed without humor. “Right? Totally crazy.”
We hung up, and for the next hour, I called around to a bunch of companies to see if they had any job openings. I even called up that place that was way too far of a commute. Nothing worked out. They either weren’t looking to hire anyone or else had already hired someone and so any positions were now unavailable.
This was unreal. I couldn’t believe it, but I was so incredibly desperate I was actually thinking about it. The idea of Anton needing an heir, it sounded so old-fashioned, and it also made me think about the notion of old money, too. This Anton…would he be willing to pay top dollar to the surrogate? Just how much money were we talking? Denise had mentioned big money, but just how big?
No. This was crazy talk. There had to be another job out there. There had to be.
I did more digging and found a few small restaurants that were looking for waitresses, but the pay was laughable and the area of town they were situated in meant tips were not going to be stellar. Hell, I might make more money collecting from unemployment than if I took one of them. Maybe instead of waiting on tables, I should dance on them.
Which had me cycling back around Anton and his heir.
Just then, coughing sounded. I raced to Mom’s room. She was sleeping fitfully, tossing and turning. She had lost a lot of weight since her diagnosis, and there were times when I almost didn’t recognize her. She was so frail. Treatment was almost running her more ragged than the cancer itself. I hated seeing her so weak and worn all the time. She used to run me everywhere. I did a bunch of sports in school, and she got me clothes and equipment from secondhand stores. After Dad died, we didn’t have a lot of money, but I never wanted for anything. She gave me everything I could have ever hoped for.
Now, her remission was all I hoped for.
I closed the door quietly and walked away. I would do anything for Mom. I would go to any length to ensure she could still receive treatment, so she had her best chance at remission.
Which meant I knew what I had to do.
I was going to seek out this Anton guy and offer myself as the mother of his child.
Chapter 4
Anton
I had spread the word to my men about needing an heir but gave them clear instructions to not tell anyone about it. The last thing I needed was for word to spread to the wrong people. Or the wrong women. I didn’t want just any woman to be the mother of my heir. I didn’t just want a woman who was leaping at the chance to make some money. I didn’t want a woman who couldn’t be trusted. I didn’t want an ugly woman, as vain as that sounded. It wouldn’t do for my heir to be ugly.
The mother would have to be willing to stay under my protection, to take care of herself and her pregnant body. She would have to be intelligent and maybe kind. I was not a kind man, but maybe my heir could inherit that from her. Of course, since she wouldn’t have a hand in raising him, maybe that was wishful thinking.
I had given a lot of thought to the kind of woman I wanted, but I hadn’t yet figured out how to go about finding her, but find her I would.
The next night after I learned about my hated enemy coming to town, I returned to my bar. Smoking a cigar and drinking did little to ease my nerves. I kept jumping at every shadow, seeing ghosts when nothing was there. Last night, I had slept little, if at all. I refused to be scared, to revert to the terrified boy listening to imagined screams. I would have my revenge, and as such, I had my men more focused on locating Vanya Golovkin than on finding me a woman. That I cou
ld handle myself.
But where could I find a woman to have a child with quickly? I needed one who would agree to my conditions.
A curvy brunette entered the establishment and glanced around, hesitating by the door. I straightened in my seat, watching her. I hadn’t seen her before, and she seemed too innocent to be here. Yes, the bar itself was more upscale than most, but the gambling ring, the drugs, the fighting…that wasn’t her scene at all, and her appearance here had me instantly intrigued. She wore a long trench coat that hid her clothes but was tied tightly enough that I could see her curves, her hourglass figure. Her hair bounced as she glanced around some more, and she held a worn purse close to her as if she was afraid someone would snatch it and take off.
Don’t worry, lady. You’re safe enough from purse snatchers in here. There are other demons you should be frightened of instead.
She took a step forward, and suddenly, her expression changed from apprehension to annoyance or maybe even irritation. Interesting. It seemed like she was looking at Alec. As soon as she looked away, though, her features relaxed. She undid her coat, and I caught a glimpse of her short, tight dress as she slowly made her way through the tables and people to work her way toward the bar.
What kind of a drink would she order? Probably something fruity. Girly. She was good looking, that much was clear, but she wasn’t meant for this kind of place, or this kind of crowd.
You’re out of your league here, lady.
Before she could reach the bar, Boris stepped into her path. She barely even looked up at him. Boris towered over her at six feet two. I was six three myself. It was hard to tell in the dim lightning, but I thought she was blushing at whatever Boris was saying. That man had no manners at all. Yet, he found it almost as easy to pick up women as I did, but the kind of women he hooked up with weren’t in the same class as the ones I enjoyed.
A leggy redhead walked by my table, slowing down in a practiced move to try to catch my attention. I’d fucked her once, but she hadn’t been that good of a lay and she had only wanted to be with me because of my name and my money and my resources. Not the kind of woman I wanted in my life right now. A few days ago? Sure. But now? No. Not anymore. Not until I had an heir and Vanya Golovkin was six feet under. Then I could go back to doing whatever I wanted and fucking whomever I wanted. Then I could go back to living my life on my terms.
The redhead walked by me again, and I curled my lip at her. She paled and walked away as fast as her hooker high heels allowed her.
It took me a moment to realize I was looking around and seeking out the uncomfortable, curvy brunette now that I wasn’t distracted. Boris had moved on, and the woman was talking to the bartender, talking longer than was necessary for a drink order. She still seemed nervous and uptight, her posture rigid, her purse tight to her body, arms close and tight to her chest as if she were trying to hide.
Vulnerable. That wasn’t something I often saw. I surrounded myself with strength. My men were strong. Even the women we associated with had some power to them, whether it was actual skill or money or some other intangible thing.
She was a rose among thorns, and she really had no business being here. Maybe Sam, the bartender, would send her packing. Doubtful. He was one of the softest men here, though his accuracy with a simple handgun was impressive.
Honestly, I was a little surprised that Dave, tonight’s bouncer, allowed her entry, though we never did turn down customers unless they belonged to a rival, and none of my rivals were stupid enough to step foot in here. Not that I had many rivals, and none were noteworthy after Vanya Golovkin.
My shock rose when Sam pointed at me. He knew better than to point me out to strangers. I had made it quite clear the moment I stepped into my bar tonight that I didn’t want to be bothered. I had too much to think about, too many mental demons to extinguish, and the bottom of a bottle of whiskey seemed the best way to go about just that. And for him to send a woman who should be at her home in bed and far away from here, well…that just struck me as off. What did she want with me?
The curvy brunette turned away from the bar. The moment we made eye contact, my cock grew instantly hard. Who was this woman, and why was she looking for me?
I leaned back, amused, and waited for her to approach.
Chapter 5
Lily
What was I doing here? A dark bar, not seedy, more upscale than the bars I normally frequented, but it felt a little…edgy. Dangerous. Just walking inside gave me a thrill.
Yeah, sure, I gave Denise grief over Alec, but the truth of the matter was that she wasn’t the only one with a weakness for bad boys, and it sure looked like every guy here was a bad boy.
Oh God, had it been fun talking to Denise earlier.
“Hey…I need some info from you,” I had said.
“Sure. Whatever you need. Unless it’s a listening ear,” she’d joked.
“What are you talking about?”
“You. Earlier. When I told you about Alec and you hadn’t been really paying attention and then voiced your thoughts out loud? Ring a bell?”
I had winced. No way would she stay mad at me long for not paying attention to her and being a little less than sympathetic about the whole Alec-dumping-her thing, but I kind of hoped she would’ve accepted my apology. “I already told you I’m sorry for that! And I really am. I’m sorry.”
“I know. And you’re right. He wasn’t the one for me. It was fun while it lasted, but it’s over now. Time to move on and take another stab at Mr. Right. And besides, you really do have so much on your plate that I shouldn’t be asking anything of you. You need to focus on yourself.”
“You mean my mom.”
“Yes, your mom, but yourself, too, girl. You need to take care of yourself, too. Don’t worry. I won’t let you forget that. Anyhow, what do you need? Some info, huh? What about?”
“About Alec’s boss, Anton,” I’d blurted before I could lose my nerve.
“What? Why?” She had gasped. “Don’t tell me you’re actually considering…no way, Lily!”
“I just want to find out a few more details, that’s all,” I’d said defensively. “It’s not a big deal.”
Except she and I both knew it was.
“Lily…” She had grown quiet. For Denise to grow quiet was saying something.
A sinking feeling had come over me. I didn’t like her tone of voice. We hadn’t hung out quite so much as we normally did while she dated Alec, so I had no idea what to expect from the boss of a guy I hadn’t liked right from the get go. Alec had thrown his weight around. He was hot, and he knew it, and he expected women to fall all over for him. Honestly, I didn’t think he liked me much either. Denise and I still talked on the phone, but actually going out together just hadn’t happened. With Alec being out of the picture and with me being out of a job, we might have more than enough time together to make up for it.
I had to break the silence, so I’d said, “I just want to know how much.”
Translation? I was desperate for money. Maybe even desperate enough to give birth to the baby of a man who might be a mobster, maybe even a mob boss.
“I wish I had money myself to help you.” Denise had blown out a breath that had made me cringe. What if she wouldn’t tell me about Anton? Without his last name, I didn’t know if I would be able to find out the info myself. It wasn’t like I could type Anton looking for heir into Google.
But after another long moment of since, she finally told me the address of the bar I had now just entered.
The name of the bar hadn’t rung any bells, so I had done a little digging online about it. The bar was on the edge of town. So far, so good. At least it wasn’t super far away. But then I quickly learned it was known for its fights and its drug trade. You would never know from looking at the outside of the building or even the inside. The fights and drug trade and all that crap must happen on a different level, unless they cleaned everything up right away. I couldn’t see anything that looked out of place.
>
Still, I kept my purse tight to me, feeling uncomfortable and out of sorts. I had worn my sexiest dress, had worn it to hopefully impress Anton, and from the looks I was getting from various guys on the floor, either I had nailed it, or else they recognized me as fresh meat and thought I would be easy pickings. And while I might be tempted to accept the offer of a drink from a guy with an easy smile, I turned him down. I needed to keep my wits about me. It wouldn’t do to be slurring when I met Anton.
Was he in the bar right now? What did he look like? According to Denise, he was hot, so I found myself looking around, scoping out the hot guys, and then I shook my head. This was terrible. I should leave, or else, if I was going to stay, I should just ask someone where Anton was. The bartender. He would know.
I took a deep breath and started toward the bar when a tall guy stepped into my path. He leaned down close and before I could react, he whispered loudly in my ear, “Hiya. Did you remember to tip the bouncer?”
