The Arrangement (Crimson Romance)

by Bethany-Kris

  It wasn’t long before they reached the dog park. Viviana found a bench to sit on quickly enough and waited for Ivan to join her. Surprising her, he pulled a collar with tags jingling from his coat pocket and placed it around Rocco’s neck, speaking quietly in Russian before the dog was off, running immediately in the direction of the water.

  “He always needs his identifier inside the gates,” Ivan informed her as he sat down. “Some of these owners get antsy around an unmarked dog, despite his excellent behavior. They’re quick to call animal control and we don’t need that nonsense. Anton has a collar he keeps on him, too. I imagine he has one for you to keep as well, but probably forgot, given the excitement over the last week.”

  Crossing her jean-covered legs and tightening the belt to the tweed coat she wore, Viviana settled into the bench just in time to see Rocco cut through the water of the pond. He looked almost carefree for a moment, like any dog would, until she watched him come back up. His eyes and ears searched her position out immediately to make sure she was still sitting where he had left her.

  “He never gets a second off, does he?” Viviana wondered.

  “Rocco knows his place,” Ivan replied flippantly. “This is probably the farthest he’ll allow himself to be from your person, unless you leave him to go out and do something alone, which you will, eventually. He’s all right if someone he knows is still with him, like Clarissa or myself, but Rocco couldn’t be left alone for more than a day; he needs his master—masters,” he corrected quickly, shooting her a small smile, “… to feel as if he’s acting—or reacting—properly. He’s very much like a furry little child … one who can’t speak.”

  “Why that breed? Not that I don’t think he’s a good choice, I’m just curious.”

  Ivan’s laughter caused her to grin. “German shepherds are known to be the chosen breed of officials. Anton’s method of raising his finger to the police. Imagine how they must feel to know their scenting or search-and-rescue animals can be outdone by a criminal’s pup.”

  She clicked her tongue in mock disapproval, giggling. “Figures. I probably should have guessed that, no?”

  He winked cheekily in response. “Maybe, though Rocco is more than just that. His ability to scent is incredible, more so than even the best scenting dogs officials use. They found that specialty of his during training, and it was something Anton demanded they focus on.”

  “What is it that he scents?”

  “Nearly anything that would be of some use to us. Hidden explosives, uncirculated cash or large stacks of handled money, weapons, drugs, bodily fluids, and people, of course. There are a few other little things, like hidden electronic devices, although if there are a lot of those in a room he is unfamiliar with, it can sometimes confuse him as to his purpose.”

  Damn, Viviana was confused. “I didn’t realize electronics gave off a specific scent.”

  His answering shrug was dismissive. “Everything has a scent, we humans are just unable to smell it.” A few minutes passed them by in a comfortable quiet while they watched Rocco play his own version of catch with a stick in the water. At that moment, Ivan sighed beside her, drawing her attention away from the playful pup once more. “Is everything a go then, Vine?”

  “Pardon?”

  “With you, Anton, and the marriage, I meant. Am I free to begin drawing up the proper paperwork and things we need to go ahead?”

  Viviana found it odd how her first inclination was to agree without wondering first if she should speak to Anton. She didn’t feel the least bit uncomfortable around Ivan, even though she knew exactly what he was, and the things he was capable of. But, at the same time, she also understood his importance to Anton—the situations they had likely been placed in together, the amount of trust and confidence that must have been shared between the two. She had to expect at some level, that Ivan would give her the same respect, given their positions.

  “Of course,” she finally answered, offering him a smile. Thinking about exactly what he’d asked her, something else fluttered through her mind. “What paperwork needs to be drawn up, anyway?”

  Ivan cleared his throat nervously. “Well, Anton’s last will and testament would need to be changed, for one thing, as he wants. Any of his possessions—houses, cars, and things of that nature—would be better switched into your name; if an arrest occurred, and fines or restitution was expected to be paid, the government could not seize what is not his.”

  There was an unspoken and at the end of his explanation. “What else?”

  “There’s also the small issue of a prenuptial agreement between the two of you,” he said, looking away and avoiding her questioning gaze.

  “Excuse me?” The noise level in her tone rose a little higher. Like hell … “Why on earth—”

  “For you,” Ivan interrupted, stressing his words for her to understand. “Anton is required to sign a prenuptial agreement for you, Vine.”

  “Anton is required …” Trailing off, she scoffed because even the words coming out of her mouth felt wrong. “That is ridiculous. The inheritance from my father’s estate was nothing compared to the money we both know he has. He doesn’t need to sign a damned thing, Ivan, and I won’t be asking for him to, that’s for sure.”

  The lawyer beside her looked awkward, as if he’d just shoved his foot in his mouth. “It would not be for the money from your father’s estate. This is money you don’t yet have, coming from a different place.”

  Confusion ran rampant as Viviana tried to process his words. “Shouldn’t I have been made aware of this … money?”

  “No, being the executor of the will, I wasn’t required to make you aware until certain requirements were met.”

  “Like a marriage,” she managed to grasp, her voice growing quiet.

  Ivan glanced sideways from the corners of his eyes, nodding sharply. “Like a marriage,” he repeated. “Specifically, a marriage with Anton before your twenty-fifth birthday.”

  “That’s …” Struck dumb, she fell silent, her mouth growing slack. “Who did it come from?”

  “Not really important right now,” Ivan offered, sounding apologetic with a frown marring his features. “I’m sorry that I can’t explain more of this to you, but it is not in my instructions or orders to do so.”

  Again, she grew quiet, needing to look anywhere but at the man sitting next to her. Anger was the first emotion to bubble up. They were hiding more things, things that directly involved her that would affect her future beyond her own choices. Not only did she not understand why they were doing it, but they wouldn’t give her the smallest of hints to work it out, either.

  How was she ever supposed to trust them?

  Standing abruptly, Ivan followed suit to her actions. “Don’t,” she mumbled through clenched teeth, a hand held out to ask him to stay. “I want to go for a walk, to think, or … something.” Cry, likely, that’s what Viviana wanted to do, but in private. She figured this was a better choice than yelling her anger out at Ivan, anyway. “Surely I can handle going for a walk without someone at my side, right?”

  “Yes, of course.” He whistled low under his breath and Rocco was trotting back to them in an instant. Shaking water droplets from his fur, the dog waited patiently as his collar was unhooked. With his finger pointed at a dark sedan with tinted windows parked in the visitor’s section of the park, Ivan said, “That is the only car trailing you. They are your guards. Two other men are close by on foot, but I doubt you will notice them, and they will not approach you unless they need to. You’re safe to walk if you’d like, and I’m sorry that I upset you, Vine. It wasn’t my intention.”

  Without a word, she turned and walked away. With no one at her side, Rocco stayed a good two paces ahead, his nose to the ground and ears twitching at every sound and movement surrounding them. Paying little attention to the pathways they traveled through the park, she only noticed that the deeper they went, the thicker the trees became. Joggers, mothers with strollers, and the occasional couple sa
untered past, never paying her or Rocco any mind as they went. The dog barely acknowledged them either.

  With a heavy heart, muddled up feelings, and a slow sense of being unsure about her surroundings, Viviana realized she didn’t know where in the hell they were. Stopping short, she peered around. Sunlight filtered through the pretty colored leaves all around, her flats crunching against the dried brush underfoot.

  A quiet kind of stillness settled heavily on her senses as Rocco looked back, brown eyes wide and waiting, his tail standing high. Looking around once more, she didn’t see a soul following, and there was no way the car Ivan had pointed out earlier could have traveled down the path she took.

  Oddly, her first thought wasn’t to run. It wasn’t that she was free of being watched, or that she was now available to make herself scarce if she wanted to. In fact, she didn’t think for a second that running now could be the one way out of the arrangement with Anton she’d agreed to … because Viviana didn’t want to.

  What she wanted was Anton.

  And she suddenly felt exposed.

  Unsafe.

  Unprotected way out in the open.

  They’ll find me in the bay, she thought, with a bullet through the back of my head just like Roman.

  Or maybe it’d be more like her mother and brother’s death, burned alive in a car that had apparently careened off a small cliff before catching fire, leaving them trapped inside. If anything happened to Viviana, she knew Anton would kill every member of the Cosa Nostra he could get his hands on until he felt the slightest bit better, even if that would only lead to his ultimate end.

  Air caught in her throat, chokingly so. Turning sharply, her flats hit the ground faster than a walk but not quite as brisk as a jog. Rocco was fast to take the lead again. When the breeze shifted, her dog stopped, ears perking immediately. A tail lifted higher and a sharp, short bark fell from his muzzle, halting her as well.

  Fear coursed through her heart, adrenaline spiking as she considered turning around again. Blood rushed her ringing ears, strumming hard and fast, echoing and overtaking the calm sounds of the park. Going back in the other direction would likely lead to her getting even more lost than she already was, but going forward only directed her to something the dog felt the need to alert her to.

  Unsure, Viviana froze to the spot, her hand slipping inside her coat pocket to find the semi-automatic .40 Smith and Wesson pistol Anton had handed over earlier in the week. Illegal with the serial numbers filed off and no registration to show ownership, the gun was compact enough to stay hidden in a pocket or purse. She had to admit that the firearm appealed to a certain side of her, despite the initial reluctance she felt to carry it at first.

  The small wag of Rocco’s tail melted her tension for only a split second. He wouldn’t show excitement in regards to danger, right?

  A figure entered her vision from around the small bend of the pathway, the blurry form making Viviana realize then that tears had started gathering in her eyes. Blinking away the wetness and breathing deep as she took in the man walking closer to her, relief began to settle through her panic.

  Wearing a dark suit with the jacket unbuttoned to show the pale blue dress shirt underneath, a grey scarf hanging untied around his neck, and a fedora tilted down on his face, all of her apprehension drifted away. A cigarette was tossed from his fingertips to the ground, smoke billowing out in a grey cloud.

  That wasn’t what he left the house wearing that morning.

  The very view of Anton’s confident, smooth stride as he came closer had the strangest effect on her lungs and heart. Butterflies were fighting their way up from her stomach into her throat, leaving Viviana unable to breathe or speak. Overwhelmed and on a sensory overload, her worry faded a little more.

  Anton looked up from under the fedora, the side of his lips quirking into a smile, making her stressed shoulders ease up when he came to a stop by Rocco’s side. His hand found its way into the dog’s coat. “Lost, Vine?”

  “No,” she breathed, and feeling stupid, she looked away. “Maybe a little. I thought there were men watching after me?”

  “There are,” he said, smirking. “Ivan asked them to stay a few paces away to give you some privacy.”

  Anger simmered on low again. “He called you?”

  Anton’s cocky smirk faded. “No, I was already on my way here. I knew you were walking Rocco with Ivan, so I came to the park first. Ivan was waiting for you to return when I arrived, so I decided to just take a walk and come find you myself. I was speaking to one of your bulls two minutes ago. That’s how I knew this was the path you came down.”

  “Oh.” Realizing it was still early in the afternoon, if not maybe a little closer to supper, she wondered why he was even back this early. Usually he strolled into the safe house with just enough time to sit down to eat an evening meal. “I thought you had a lot of stuff to do today?”

  The sight of his grin returning made her heart ache in the best way. Anton looked down at Rocco whose tail thumped happily to the ground. The pup was so pleased to have his other master close again.

  “I did, and I handled what was most important like I needed to. Then, I realized that I missed you, and so that took precedence. I wanted to see you,” he murmured quietly, still not looking back up. “Sending a text or calling seemed really ridiculous considering I have a half a dozen cars that I could jump into and come home to be with you. There are enough people who can handle things when I decide to take a day off. I’ve been busy this week, I know, and I’m sorry for that. Maybe I’ll try taking days away more often … now that you’re here.”

  “You didn’t ha—”

  “I did,” he interrupted, regarding her finally. Bright, blue eyes shined with emotions and want so thick she could feel it; her breathing stuttered. “I’ve already spent too many years keeping the distance for your safety. Now, I want to be closer. Close that gap for me, Vine.”

  There was no waver in her actions when she moved fast to meet his embrace. With his strong arms locked tight around her small shoulders, the sense of security and safety slowly faded back into her senses. The slight tremor rocking her shoulders had her understanding just how panicky and fearful she had become.

  “Hey, you’re fine, okay?” His lips pressed down on the top of her head as he whispered, “They were close enough, baby. Just following orders like they were told to and giving you some breathing room. Ivan was worried you had been the one who called me after your disagreement and that’s why I came back early.” Anton sighed when she tensed at the mention of his lawyer again. Really, it wasn’t something she wanted to get into, but he clearly wasn’t going to give her that choice. “Speaking of which, the money he mentioned … all that nonsense, don’t worry about it. It’s not at all important. It’s not mine, it wasn’t ever meant to be, and it has no real bearing on the arrangement, anyway. I’ve known about the prenuptial agreement for a while and already agreed to sign when he had it ready.”

  “Just …” A huff of breath escaped her. “Why all this secrecy?”

  “I missed you,” he said instead.

  “You woke me up to say goodbye this morning. You were only gone a few hours.”

  Anton shrugged, tilting her head up. His mouth brushed feather-light kisses on her cold cheeks, warming the flesh instantly. It was the closest he’d come to kissing her lips, and suddenly she was overwhelmed with wanting the heat of his mouth on hers. Shivering from everything but the cold, he held her tighter as his eyes flickered with something she didn’t recognize.

  “What is it?” Viviana asked, worried something had happened he didn’t mention. “You’re here, so I’m good now. We can … I don’t know, do whatever. Go back to the house if you want, or take Rocco back to that pond he seems to like.”

  “What I want …” Trailing off, he abruptly kissed her hard with no warning, her mouth opening instantly to taste the sweetness of his.

  The taste of cigarettes and the faintest trace of bourbon was heavy on hi
s tongue. It swept into her willing mouth with force. The kiss wasn’t gentle, soft, or slow like she expected, but instead he commanded with his mouth on hers, dominating and wanting so heavily with every sweep of his tongue. Tasting, needing, feeling. The ache that traveled from her middle outwards was all-encompassing. When his lips slowed, pecking light touches to the corner of her mouth, his thumbs rolled over her smiling cheeks.

  “I missed you,” he repeated with a throaty tone that had her muscles constricting. “Didn’t take the chance to kiss you, either. The first thing I should have done when you agreed to marry me last week was lay you across that bed and show you how happy that made me. Or just kissed you; that would have worked, too, hmm?”

  “I was starting to think you didn’t want to kiss me,” she teased.

  Anton’s eyebrow cocked at the statement. “I want to do a lot more than just kiss you, Viviana.”

  His hand ran down her coat to push against the small of her back. Pressing lightly, he drove Viviana’s body into his. Underneath his dress pants, the length of his thick erection pressed to her side, making his point clear. Her throbbing sex clenched at the thought of his suggestion, desire raging a war within her body while she breathed in the smell of him all hot and heavy.

  “All week you haven’t once—”

  “I know,” he interjected softly, smiling just a little. “I was battling something, I suppose. Trying to make sure you were doing this because you wanted to …”

  “Because I wanted you,” she assumed when he wouldn’t finish.

  Anton sighed. “That, too.”

  “What is it you want, Anton?”

  “I want to go home; I think Rocco has played enough, no?”

  “Okay.” Actually, that was more than okay. “But—”

  “No buts, things can wait, others can answer, and doors will be locked.”

  Driving her frame closer again, his fingers danced along the front of her shirt and down to the waistline of jeans only to slip under the fabric skillfully. Anton hummed low and deep from the back of his throat at the sound of her harsh intake of air. She felt his digits skim the sides of dampened panties.