Tony, Her Billionaire Russian: A BWWM BBW 5 Stories In 1 Bundle

by Cher Etan

  “I guess it depends on how much she wants this emerald. Is it that valuable?” Roman asked curiously.

  “It has a history and apart from its monetary value it has historical significance. There are some who would pay a pretty penny to own it.”

  Roman nodded, “Give the driver directions,” he said drawing out a gun and checking that it was fully loaded. Elijah glanced at it and then away recalling Miss Sandra’s words.

  You bring guns to a knife fight…

  He gave the instructions as to where to go then looked out the window and prayed, mostly to Sylvie, who he knew was listening.

  ***

  Solomon tried to be silent and hear what the people on the other side of the door were saying but the wood muffled sound and all he could catch were snippets. His head was pounding – that Camille chick had hit him quite hard and he was extremely pissed. Talk about crazy women…

  His mind went to Katarina, wondering if she knew and how she would react to it. One part of him hoped that she was falling apart at the thought of him kidnapped and bruised and bleeding somewhere out of reach. She had never really said how she felt about him; maybe she didn’t care…Solomon dismissed that thought as unworthy. Another part of him wondered how he could spare the brain cells to wonder how Katarina was feeling when he was trussed like a turkey ready for slaughter with no way out and no way to know if anyone even knew he’d been taken.

  “Need a plan to get out of here,” he murmured aloud.

  The noises in the other room stopped and then he heard footsteps coming toward him. The door banged open and Camille stood framed in the doorway.

  “Who are you talking to?” she demanded in a voice which could not quite hide the underlying fear.

  Solomon just looked at her and then smiled a little derisively. He felt mean as he did it, but then he reminded himself that she’d knocked him on the head and dragged him here to this…he turned around looking around him trying to get his bearings. He was in a small storage space tied to a stake that was at the edge of a group of shelves. Some sort of pantry then. His feet were nailed to the floor with a rope. He studied the nail and wondered if he fidgeted, would he be able to cut through the rope like they did on the TV shows? But he had no traction and could hardly move any part of his body let alone keep up a continuous fidgeting. Camille got tired of being ignored and slammed the door shut. Solomon looked up at the door then turned his head, trying to peer through the gaps in the slats of the wooden wall. He squinted but all he could see was some marsh grass. If he concentrated really hard, he thought he could hear some water as well. Were they on or near the bayou?

  ‘And how does all this musing help you exactly Sol?’

  He thumbed his nose at his subconscious for asking him counterproductive questions and his mind turned again to Katarina. He couldn’t die without at least kissing her once. That option was just not on the table.

  “Nonna help me,” he said aloud. His mind gave a pause, wondering why he should say that of all things. His grandmother had died during Katrina – maybe that was why. The connection between Katrina and Katarina must have brought her to mind. Solomon gave an internal shrug and began to try and work the knots binding his hands together. He could already feel his shoulder muscles knotting in pain but ignored it.

  “Come on Sol, this will not defeat you. Get going,” he whispered to himself.

  ***

  “I think this is it. This is an old property that used to belong to an ancestor of mine; Jacques Devereaux; a Frenchman who emigrated here from Haiti. Brought with him slaves from the island including my many times great grandmother. She was a house-slave…and a healer. Jacques had a wife too who was with child when they made the crossing. The child came early as a result of the difficult journey and the mother was bleeding to death. My ancestor agreed but her price was freedom and a black emerald that the master had in his keeping; confiscated in Haiti from a shaman. Jacques agreed and wrote the manumission there and then.” Elijah stopped speaking abruptly and Roman looked at him expectantly, wanting to know what happened next.

  “We should get out and go on foot from here. We don’t want them to hear the car.” He said.

  Roman opened his mouth to ask a question but then closed it again and gestured to his man to stop. Roman, Elijah and the bodyguard alighted while the driver drove toward a wooded area to hide the car. Elijah led the way, diagonal to the road, letting the tall plantation grass hide them from view.

  “My ancestor managed to save Jacques’ wife and legend grew about her that she was a great healer and that the emerald helped her to heal. This place we’re going is the spot where Jacques’ former plantation house stood. I suppose this Camille thought it’d be poetic to make the exchange there.” Elijah suddenly said.

  “Phew. Sounds like a soap opera.” Roman said shaking his head but his eyes were burning with interest. He wanted to ask how true the legend was but he didn’t want to pry, so he kept quiet and let Elijah speak as he would.

  “After the wife was healed, Claire left the ranch and took the emerald with her. She eked out a living telling fortunes and healing the sick but the emerald disappeared into legend. Or so they said.”

  “But you have it?” Roman asked, unable to stop himself.

  Elijah turned to him and smiled enigmatically but said nothing. Suddenly his hand reached out and took hold of Roman’s arm, adjuring him to stop. He peered ahead pointing to his right where Roman eventually made out the small ramshackle cabin hidden in the trees. Elijah turned to look at him in inquiry and Roman nodded that yes, he’d seen it.

  “We can’t let them see us or they’ll kill him.” Elijah said with eyes narrowed at Roman. The other man nodded his acknowledgment and crouched without moving for a while, clearly thinking. Then he gestured at his body guard in a series of hand signals that the latter seemed to understand because he was there one minute and the next he’d disappeared into the brush. Elijah opened his mouth to ask but Roman indicated he shouldn’t talk. They crouched in the long grass for what seemed an interminable long time to Elijah and then the bodyguard was back and making hand signals to Roman which he seemed to have no trouble following.

  “The boy is in a room at the back,” he whispered to Elijah. “There are three other people with him in the shack and one standing guard outside.”

  Elijah nodded waiting for instructions wordlessly, “My man will take out the man on guard and then we’ll take out the three inside. You go straight for Solomon and get him out. Plan?”

  “Plan.”

  Roman glanced up and then disappeared into the grass. Elijah looked around him and found that the bodyguard had disappeared too. He looked left and right but still couldn’t see anyone so he shrugged and made his way in a zig zag crouch toward the back of the building where Roman had said Solomon was.

  ***

  Solomon tried to move his feet to see if he could saw through the rope using the nail that pegged it down to the ground. The people in those movies seemed to do it so easily but it was all he could do to get his feet to move even a little bit. Somehow he knew that he would succeed in getting away.

  “That or I’m crazy.” He said aloud before remembering what had happened the last time he spoke aloud. This time Camille didn’t come barging in though.

  “Starship?” a voice whispered from behind him.

  Great, now he was hearing the voice of his grandfather. He really was ready for the nuthouse.

  “Starship can you hear me?” the voice whispered again.He turned his head but couldn’t see beyond the wooden stake he was tied to.

  “Grandpa?” he whispered.

  “Yes! It’s me. I’m coming to get you, just sit tight okay?”

  Solomon almost laughed; he literally could not do anything else but sit tight.

  “There’s some sort of cellar in here. I bet there’s a door which opens to the outside,” he whispered at what he sincerely hoped was really his grandfather.

  “Got it.” The voice s
aid and then there was silence. Solomon got increasingly fidgety and then he began to hear shuffling under the floor and breathed deeply in relief. At the same time, there was some sort of commotion going on in the front room, muted shots and then a loud scream.

  The cellar door in front of him opened and Elijah climbed through, looking very spry for a seventy year old jeweler. He came up to Solomon and untied him, using the knife at his side to cut the knots. Solomon could not support himself, his hands and feet had gone numb but Elijah supported him until he could. He gestured for him to go through the cellar first and then followed, closing the cellar door a moment before someone burst into the room above. They hurried out the other door and then his grandfather exhorted him to move as fast as his numbed limbs could carry him away from what was clearly a battlefield now. They crawled away until they were back at the spot from which Elijah and Roman had parted ways.

  “We’ll wait here.” Elijah said, knife in hand.

  “Grandpa. I’m so glad to see you.” Solomon breathed.

  Elijah grinned, “Yes well, we are not out of the woods yet so we’ll keep the celebrations till then.”

  Solomon kept an eye out for anything moving but Roman still startled him when he appeared suddenly out of the grass.He lifted a small walkie to his lips when he saw Solomon and said, “The package is secure.” Elijah burst out laughing.

  They had killed two of the people in the shack but hobbled Camille and one of her men together and bundled them in the trunk of the second car. Roman and Elijah kept to either side of Solomon the entire time and let the other men do the heavy lifting. Then they got in the car and drove. Roman was all for heading to the airport and leaving town but Elijah felt that they needed answers and Tony and Sophie needed to see Solomon. Solomon did not offer an opinion but sat quietly with his hands in his lap. Elijah suddenly turned to him, ”Huh you could probably use a shower eh boy?” he said.

  Solomon smiled, “Yeah, but I can wait. Let’s go see Sophie then deal with the ‘packages’.”

  “Don’t worry about them. My friends will handle it from here.” Roman said, the look in his eye scared Solomon a little.

  “Don’t kill them.” He said.

  Roman turned to look at him and then simply nodded his head, picked up his walkie and spoke in Russian to his men.

  ***

  Sophie tried to get out of bed when she saw him filling up her doorway with his height and his smile but Tony pushed her back down.

  “Star! You idiot! Where did you go?” she exclaimed instead.

  “Oh you know how it is. Girls go crazy over me; can’t take no for an answer.”

  “Come here.” She said holding out her hands. He went and enclosed her in a tight bear hug. They stayed like that for a long time.

  When they separated, Tony took Solomon in his arms as well and hugged him close.

  “Don’t do that again,” he said gruffly, wiping moisture from his eyes.

  “No sir, I won’t.” Solomon said smiling softly at them all. He went to the crib and picked Benjy up and kissed him on the forehead.

  “Hey baby. Miss me?” he crooned to him.

  “Bleh,” Benjy replied and everyone laughed releasing the tension in the room. Solomon passed the baby on to Roman who was eager to hold his grandson. When gray eyes met gray, one pair of those eyes blurred with tears but they were not allowed to fall.

  “He is perfect,” Roman said.

  “Of course he is. He’s a Romanov.” Tony said.

  “Devereaux-Romanov,” Sophie corrected.

  Roman bowed to her in acknowledgment but could not keep his eyes off his grandson.

  “When will he come home?” he asked.

  “Well the doctor said-,“ Tony began.

  “Oh Tony’s just going to discharge us now.” Sophie said at the same time.

  The glared at each other.

  “It time.” Sophie said with finality. Tony tried to stare her down a bit longer but gave up with a sigh and went off to discharge his family; against doctors’ orders.

  Roman put the baby back in the crib, “I’ll go make arrangements to get us to the airport.” He said leaving the room. And then there were three.

  Elijah sighed, “Well who knew how useful it was to know criminals?” he commented to no-one in particular.

  “Not you apparently,” Sophie replied with a smile.

  “Grandpa?” Solomon said.

  “Yes Star?” Elijah said straightening up to look at Solomon who had a hesitant yet thoughtful look in his eye.

  “I think…I remembered Nonna. Like…not just from what you’ve said but who she was and how much she loved me…us. She gave me strength to fight today.”

  Elijah only looked at him and nodded, “Indeed,” he said.

  Solomon looked at him in surprise, “Indeed? That’s all you have to say?” He said.

  Elijah smiled and shook his head, “You’re not the only one who was thinking of Sylvie today.” He said. Sophie looked at him enquiringly but he just shook his head and looked down. His eyes were bright. Sophie knew how much it pained him to talk about his dearly departed wife so he turned to Solomon with a smile.

  “That’s another memory right there. You remembered you used to call her Nonna?”

  Solomon stared at her his eyes widening, “Actually…I remember everything.”

  ***

  They touched down in Boston in the early morning and Samuel was there to pick them up and take them home. He had come with a second car and driver in deference to the baby who was fast asleep and held securely in his father’s arms.

  Even though it was so late, or early depending on how one chose to look at it, Katarina was still waiting up. As Solomon came in the door she stood up and then went completely still. His eyes found hers in the relative dark of the front hall and he stilled as well.

  “Hi,” he said softly.

  Katarina swallowed. She wanted to say something but her vocal cords wouldn’t work. Elijah came up the stairs pushing Sophie’s bag and he barreled into Solomon barreling him into the house and breaking the tension. Solomon tripped forward with an uttered, “Awk!” but caught himself on the table before he fell. Katarina’s arms stretched toward him to straighten him and he took it as an invitation pulling her to him and fitting his lips to hers.

  Katarina’s whole body froze in shock but Solomon ignored it, pulling her into him and running his tongue along her bottom lip to get her to open her mouth. She did even though it was involuntary and he darted his tongue forward, tasting, savoring, sucking softly at her bottom lip and relishing the softness of her mouth. Katarina’s eyes were wide open but her hands rose of their own volition and settled along his back. Elijah, Sophie and Tony sidled around them and crept away, leaving them to it. As the room emptied, Katarina’s touch became firmer and she pushed her mouth up into his seeking lips, catching hold of his bottom lip and biting softly. He made a sound of surprise and pleasure and stopped being tentative. He caught hold of her arms and pulled her right into him so his tongue was halfway down her throat. She could feel the strength of his erection through the thin cotton of her dress. Her arms were held in a vice but she used her fingers, still resting on his back, to urge him even closer, giving him everything she had and allowing him anything he wanted.

  Solomon pulled back with a groan, breathing like he’d been running a marathon.

  “Gawd,” he whispered letting her arms go with difficulty and bending forward to hide the hardness poking at his jean zipper and causing him actual pain.

  Katarina just stood there not saying anything, just watching him.

  “I should get to bed…or possibly a very cold shower,” Solomon said, still looking down.

  Katarina opened her mouth to ask him why but then shut it again, “Okay,” she said instead, “Goodnight.”

  Solomon listened to her slow steps as she walked away and then limped off to his room. He doubted he would get much sleep but peeled off his clothes slowly, careful of his ere
ction. He sat on his bed contemplating it ruefully and then went to take the coldest shower he could manage, while simultaneously jerking off. It didn’t take long, but it was unsatisfying and he tried to block out the image of Katarina pressed against him that insisted on filling his head. As he dropped naked on the bed with a sigh he stared up at the ceiling, wondering if she would totally throw him out if he went knocking on her door right this minute. That hadn’t been all him downstairs.

  But it had been their first kiss. And he wanted to go slow. So he turned on his side, feeling miserable and restless and closed his eyes willing sleep to come.

  He woke in the morning to Samuel standing by his bed, staring at him unblinkingly.

  “Whoa!” he shouted startled, sitting up quickly. That startled Samuel and he took a step back, a look of uncertainty marring his features.

  “Did you bring me colors?” he asked Solomon eyes fixed on the window.

  “Hey Sam. How are you?” Solomon replied.

  “Fine thank you. Did you bring me colors?” Sam answered.

  “One track mind isn’t it?” Solomon said with no small irony. “Well Sam, in spite of having to take my sister to hospital because she decided to go into labor prematurely, and then being subsequently kidnapped, I still did not forget your watercolors,” Solomon said as he padded to his bag and dug the paints out. He handed them over to Sam who took them with no change of expression.

  He held them in his hand then glanced briefly up at Solomon, then away again. Solomon knew it was his way of showing that he was happy and he smiled.

  “What is kidnapped?” Sam asked.

  Solomon stared at him in surprise. It wasn’t the first question he’d asked, but it was the first in response to conversation.

  “Er, well, it’s when people take you away without your permission.” He said, “Don’t worry, it can’t happen to you.”

  A small frown marred Sam’s brow before it disappeared. He took his paints though and walked to the door. As he reached for the handle he turned around, staring at the window again.