Tonya sniffled, and suddenly she was crying ugly tears, the kind that shook her body and had her making rasping, sobbing noises with every inhalation and exhalation.
Alexei put his hand on Tara’s shoulder, and this time she didn’t shrug him away. She appreciated having his presence, especially when she saw what someone had done to her little sister. She had no doubt Alexei would deal with the matter. “What happened?” she asked again as she eased away from her sister enough to take the handkerchief Alexei extended and use it to wipe her sister’s face. She was gentle around the bruises, wincing when she saw the seriously split lip that must have made it difficult to eat, talk, or drink. “Who did this to you?”
Tonya’s lips wobbled, and she shot an uncertain glance at Alexei before looking back at Tara. “You brought my boss into this?”
Tara’s hackles rose at the snippy tone, but she struggled to stay calm. Before she could reply, Alexei put his arm around her waist, his hand on her hip. “What affects Tara affects me.” He spoke forcefully and confidently, making it plain that he wasn’t there for Tonya but for her. She didn’t know whether to be annoyed at the macho display or to be pleased that he was making it so clear to her sister that Tara was the primary concern for him.
Tara blinked, her shock almost laughable. “You’re with Alexei Varnakov? No way.”
“Why not?” barked Alexei before she could ask the same question.
Despite her own personal troubles, Tonya apparently could still indulge in a moment of amusement, because she giggled slightly before wincing when her lip split further. “It’s just my sister is such a goody-goody, Mr. Varnakov. It’s impossible to imagine her with anyone like you. I mean, her last boyfriend was an IRS auditor, for chrissakes.” She giggled again. “You’ve gone from tax inquisition to tax evasion, sis.”
As quickly as Tonya had started laughing, she burst into tears again. Tara ignored the ribbing and hugged her baby sister again. “Tell me what’s happening to you, baby?”
“William Tarlington is what happened to me. I told you about the guy who paid me to spend time with him?”
Struggling to hide her disapproval, since she had already made her sister aware of how she felt about such actions, she simply nodded.
“He kept wanting to see me, and he seemed so nice, and he just…he was so generous with his time and money. He bought me all kinds of gifts, and he made me feel safe and loved. When he asked me to move in with him seventeen days ago, I put my own plans on hold, called my realtor to tell her not to make the final negotiations for the condo I was buying, and I leapt at the opportunity.”
“When did it go south?” asked Alexei.
Tonya shrugged, looking helpless and far younger than her twenty-three years. “I’m not really sure. It was almost from the moment I moved in, I guess. He was really controlling and possessive, but at first I thought it was sweet. I thought it was because he must really like me a lot, and I didn’t realize it was a bad thing, you know?”
Alexei nodded, as though empathizing, since he probably didn’t have direct knowledge on how abusive relationships progressed. Tara didn’t either—not counting her dysfunctional, but not abusive, relationship with Alexei—a fact for which she was grateful, even as she wished she had more knowledge about how to help her sister. “What happened?”
“About four days after I moved in, I was having a conversation with a neighbor, and he totally flipped his lid. He told the neighbor to never come near me again—and this guy is like forty years older than me, and not someone I would ever flirt with—and dragged me into his apartment.
“He lives in a really swanky place, with a doorman and private elevators, so I didn’t put up much of a fuss. I didn’t understand what he was planning, and I didn’t want to make a scene. I mean no more of a scene than he’d already made confronting the neighbor in front of the apartment building on the sidewalk.
“Inside the apartment, he screamed at me and called me horrible names, and he accused me of trying to cheat on him and replace him with a richer boyfriend. I guess the guy I was talking to was really loaded or something. I don’t know.” She paused for a moment to take a deep breath. “Anyway, he hit me. I mean not just once, but several times. He told me I was his now, and if I didn’t like it, he would hit me until I did. I immediately agreed with him, hoping it would calm him down, but that just seemed to make him angrier.”
Her gaze took on a haunted quality, and she paused for a long moment. Tara put an arm around her shoulders, squeezing gently, and she was glad to have Alexei’s arm around her waist supporting her. She didn’t know how to cope with this alone, which was a humbling realization. “Are you safe now?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I think so. He makes a phone call every night between seven and seven-forty-five in his home office, and I’m not to disturb him during that time. I thought about it this morning, and I knew I had to get out. He just keeps hitting me and hurting me, no matter what I do to try to please him.”
“You can’t please someone like that,” said Tara, scowling fiercely at the man who wasn’t there. She’d liked to smack him a few times, and perhaps she should have been alarmed by the impulse toward violence, but some people just needed a good beating. “I’m glad you got hold of me. Did you use his cell phone?”
She nodded, phantom fear flashing across her features. “I waited until he was asleep and crept out of bed, taking his phone into the bathroom to send you the message before deleting it from his sent messages. I was so afraid he was going to catch me, but thankfully he’d drank a bunch before bed and slept right through.” Tonya embraced her again, hugging her forcefully. “Thank you so much for coming, Tara. I know I’ve been a little shit, and I don’t deserve your help, but I’m so happy that you’re here for me.”
“You’re my sister. Of course I’m here for you.” Tara swallowed the lump in her throat, realizing that if she hadn’t found a way to make some kind of peace with her captivity and build…something with Alexei, she never would have gotten the message or been able to help her sister. “Let’s get out of here before he comes looking for you.”
Alexei’s expression was grim, and he pointed over her shoulder to a figure rushing toward them. He looked solid and well-built, and clearly angry. When Alexei stepped in front of her, she wasn’t at all afraid of William Tarlington. He had no idea who he was about to face, and she couldn’t help a dark grin of satisfaction as her sister’s abuser reached them.
He was shouting at Tonya, initially ignoring Tara and Alexei. It was only when he tried to grab hold of Tonya’s arm, and Alexei stepped in front of him, that he bothered to pay them any mind. He was about an inch taller than Alexei, but not as solidly built. Even if he’d had forty more pounds of muscle, she still wouldn’t have feared for her lover, because she doubted Tarlington knew the dirty tricks that she was certain Alexei had learned from his life in the bratva.
“Just go away, and you won’t get hurt.” The warning was more than the man deserved after the way he had beaten her sister.
Tarlington looked at her for the first time, his expression full of rage. “I could say the same to you, bitch. Nobody comes between me and my property, and that little whore on your arm belongs to me. I’ve paid more than enough for the privilege.”
“You don’t own me, you bastard,” shouted Tonya, surging toward him in her anger. Tara’s arm around her held her back, and Alexei’s presence kept Tarlington from coming closer to Tonya or Tara.
The tall blond man put his hand on Alexei’s chest, shoving just a little. “Step aside, pal, and you won’t get hurt.”
“Take your hand off me.”
Even Tara shivered at the ominous note in Alexei’s voice, though she was pleased to hear it. She was happy to have him there, because she wasn’t certain how she and Tara would have dealt with the angry man if it had been just the two of them.
Apparently, William didn’t move quickly enough to suit Alexei, because he grabbed the other man’s hand and
twisted brutally, and a sharp snapping sound, followed by a piercing scream, indicated Alexei had effectively dealt with the abuser.
Tarlington slumped to his knees, cradling his wrist as he glared up at Alexei. “Do you have any idea who I am? I’m going to destroy you. I’ll sue you for everything you own, have you fired from your job, and banned from the city.”
Alexei laughed, and he seemed genuinely amused. “Do you have any idea who I am?” At Tarlington’s tentative shake of his head, Alexei bent nearer to the man, saying in a low tone, “Alexei Varnakov. Does that name mean something to you?”
Apparently it did, because Tarlington let out a little bleat of terror and fell backward on his ass in his haste to escape Alexei. “Fine, take the whore. I don’t want her anymore. She’s more trouble than she’s worth.”
Alexei followed him at a leisurely speed as he scooted backward on his ass. His slow, steady pace was far more menacing than if he had rushed the other man. So was the way he flexed his fists as he loomed over Tarlington, finally growing impatient with the other man’s attempts at escape.
She drew in a breath of mingled fear and anticipation when Alexei jerked Tarlington to his knees by the lapels of his suit jacket.
“Have you never learned how to treat a woman, Tarlington? You don’t hit women, especially not in anger or as a sign of ownership.” It was the only thing Alexei said before he began punching the other man, concentrating specifically on Tarlington’s face. He seemed determined to give the other man a matching set of bruises to coordinate with what Tarlington had inflicted on Tonya.
Finally, when Tarlington was mewling and begging for mercy, he released his hold on his lapels and kick the other man in the side before stepping back. Yuri and Stepan stood nearby, but they had their lurked on the peripheral, obviously waiting to see if their boss needed assistance.
Tara stared at him for a moment, and he seemed to be bracing himself for harsh words. Instead, she simply walked closer to him and lifted his nearest hand, wincing in sympathy at the bruised knuckles. “You need to get this iced, and Tonya needs a hospital.”
Her sister immediately protested, but eventually agreed to visit an urgent care clinic a mile away. They climbed in to the limousine, taking her straight to the clinic. Tonya insisted on going in by herself, and Tara let her. It was difficult not to accompany her sister, but she had to respect the other woman’s wishes.
She didn’t know what kind of story Tonya was going to tell the staff, and perhaps having a witness would have made it more difficult for her to spin whatever tale she planned to share. She doubted Tonya was going to tell the truth, because not only would Alexei possibly face an assault charge, but she didn’t imagine her sister wanted to face Tarlington in court. It went against Tara’s ingrained need for justice to let the slimeball slip away, but Alexei had certainly dispensed harsher punishment than the justice system ever would have done.
Once Tonya had disappeared inside the clinic, Tara stripped off her jacket and fanned herself. She felt warm. No, she felt hot. Watching Alexei hit Tarlington had been surprisingly arousing. Perhaps it had been just the overall air of violence and tension in the atmosphere, but more likely, she had gotten turned on watching him protect her sister and deal with Tarlington and the only way the cretin would understand or respect—or at least fear.
He seemed surprised when she turned toward him, angling herself to straddle his lap. Before he could speak, she bent her head and captured his lips in a long, forceful kiss that she controlled. Her tongue swept into his mouth, massaging and stroking his while tasting and exploring his depths.
When she could finally stand to separate herself from him for a moment, allowing them both time to breathe, she threaded her fingers through his hair and tugged his head backward. “Thank you.”
He chuckled. “If this is the thanks I get, I’ll be happy to help any time, lisichka.”
A strange energy pulsed through her, something she’d never experienced before, and she had no idea how to rid herself of it besides surrendering to instinct. She tugged more forcefully on his hair, forcing his head backward to further reveal the strong column of his throat.
He let out a startled sound, but didn’t try to stop her when she bent her head to suck and lick on his neck, before nibbling the bend of his shoulder. He shuddered lightly underneath her as she sucked forcefully on the spot before exhaling against it.
His cock was swelling insistently against the thin material of her capris, and she arched against him as she scratched her nails down his arms, leaving several faint lines behind as she moved to the hem of his shirt, pushing it up to reveal his stomach. She scratched him there too, before digging her nails in hard enough to make his breath hiss through his teeth when he exhaled sharply.
Still, he remained still under the onslaught, though he did say, “Please be more gentle than that with my cock, lisichka. I’d like to be able to use it on you properly.”
She growled at him, an honest-to-goodness growl, that made her feel wild and animalistic. She had no idea what had gotten into her, but it felt good. Liberating. She scooted off his lap and sank to the floor of the limousine as she unzipped his jeans and shoved them open. His underwear was an impediment blocking her from what was hers, so as she shoved it aside too, resting the elastic band behind his balls to expose all of him to her greedy mouth.
She was eager for the taste of him, and Tara grasped his shaft in one hand, guiding it to her lips as she took the erection between them. She sucked him in forcefully until the head hit the back of her throat, and she swallowed. He groaned his pleasure at the sensation, so she repeated the maneuver as she twisted her hand around the base of his cock.
She felt wild, and she unleashed that frenzy on him as she licked and sucked him, occasionally biting his tender flesh before scraping her teeth up and down his shaft. He cursed and called her filthy and exciting names in Russian that she only sometimes understood, but every time he spoke in that rough, raspy voice with a hint of anger, it sent a pulse through her pussy, producing even more moisture.
When his cock twitched, and he was clearly on the edge of coming, she pulled away with a popping sound that made him groan, twirling her tongue around his shaft and gently dragging it down the underside, before teasing his tender sac. She sucked lightly on one of his testicles, bringing it into her mouth and rolling it before biting down just enough to make him curse again.
His cock jumped at the same time, telling her she hadn’t gone too far. He liked what she was doing. She repeated the motion on his other testicle, once again biting and sucking in an alternating rhythm that had him thrusting his hips upward wildly. Alexei had clearly lost control, and she felt just as out-of-control as she stood up long enough to wriggle out of her capris and panties before sitting down on him, taking his large erection inside her dripping folds in one smooth motion.
She flexed her inner muscles around him, making him arch his back and groan. She rode him rapidly, almost throwing herself down upon him, impaling herself on his cock as she rotated her hips and flexed her channel. The angle was perfect, sending the crown of his shaft pressing against her g-spot with every thrust downward, before dragging it up over the sensitive flesh when she lifted herself off to do it again.
Tara shoved his shirt higher up his chest, revealing the rose tattoo and his nipples, and bent her head, arching her back awkwardly so she could bite one of the taut buds. His breath hissed between his teeth when she bit more forcefully, but he didn’t try to push her away.
In fact, his fingers dug into her hips, and he slammed upward into her as he pulled her even harder down against him. They were either fucking or fighting, and she couldn’t decide which. Whatever it was, it was a huge adrenaline rush and hotter than hell.
With a small scream she couldn’t quite contain, even by biting his shoulder hard enough to make him flinch, her sheath convulsed around him, coaxing an orgasm from him in the process. His dick throbbed and twitched inside her as he came, shooting
prodigious amounts of cum inside her.
It was only after the release had dissipated, leaving her more mellow and relaxed, that she questioned what she had just done. “What was that?”
“Fucking incredible sex, lisichka.”
She nodded, because she couldn’t argue with that. It was just crazy sex, the kind she’d never expected to like, let alone initiate. “I just don’t understand what happened to me. Watching you hit that bastard… I was so wet. Every time your fist connected with his face, I just wanted to jump on you and fuck you.”
He smirked. “Apparently, you get off on violence.”
She frowned, not liking that idea at all. Tara shook her head. “No, that doesn’t sound like me. I don’t think I would have liked it if it was just any guy you randomly beat up. I certainly don’t enjoy boxing or MMA matches. I had an ex-boyfriend who dragged me to a couple of those, and I found it boring and barbaric. No, I think…” She trailed off, not certain how to verbalize what she had just realized.
“Yes, lisichka?” He lazily lifted a hand to caress her breast, flicking his thumb across the tip of her nipple, but not seeming intent on actually arousing her all over again. “You think what?”
She nibbled on her lip, trying to decide how blunt to be. “I think it was because you were beating him up to protect Tonya and me. He was such a sleazy creep, and you gave him a dose of what he deserved. It was oddly sweet and protective of you, even though that meant kicking his ass.”
He seemed intrigued, and he tipped his head sideways. “So what got you off was me protecting you and giving a bully a taste of his own medicine? Is that right?”
Slowly, she nodded. “I liked knowing how far you would go to take care of me.”
His expression was gentle and full of sincerity when he spoke. “I’ll do anything required to take care of you, lisichka moya. You are…important to me.”
They were hovering dangerously on the edge of making admissions that couldn’t be withdrawn, and she licked her lips. In a way, she wished she were braver, that she could say something a little less vague, but she wasn’t there yet. Self-preservation and common sense still held back the yearnings of her emotional side to say something more than, “You’re important to me too, Lyosha.”
Alexei: A Mafia Love Story: Dark Erotic Romance Page 10
