by Nikki Rose
“Good to see you too, Mikhail.” Drew sat and guided me to sit on his other side away from Mikhail.
“My men tell me you wished to speak with me. I assume it isn’t to exchange pleasantries.” He took a shot of vodka. I noticed he didn’t offer either of us a drink as he had before.
“Yes. I wanted to apologize.”
I looked down at my hands, I knew this wasn’t easy on Drew which made me feel even worse about the whole situation.
“You wanted to apologize?” Mikhail confirmed.
“Yes. I was out of line the other night.”
Mikhail sat quietly, nodding and listening while Drew continued.
“I tend to be — possessive. I’d blame it on the only child syndrome, but I’m not one to make excuses. I apologize for the lack of respect I showed you. I want you to know that I’ve seen the error in my ways and I hope you’ll allow me to continue working for you.”
“We might possibly be able to work something out. I am a forgiving man, Andrew. And, I like you.” Hearing his voice, one might have thought he was being genuine, if his gaze hadn’t been roaming up and down my body the entire time.
“I am glad to hear you say that. I think our previous arrangement has proven beneficial to both parties. I would hate for our arrangement to be terminated as it would be a mutual loss.”
“Agreed. But, I’m afraid after your behavior the other night some sort of restitution is in order.”
“Restitution?” Drew raised his brow as if he didn’t know what Mikhail was hinting at.
“I want the girl.”
“The girl?” Drew looked from Mikhail to me with feigned upset. At least I think most of it was fake. “I don’t know...”
“It’s only fair considering the transgressions.”
“One hour,” Drew stated firmly.
“Andrew, a man like myself doesn’t like to rush these things. I want her for three days.”
“Three —.” Drew was losing his cool. He needed to remain calm. “I’m a man with needs too and I’m just starting to get her trained. One night — delivered back at breakfast the next morning.”
“Done.”
“Delivered back — unharmed. I like to dole out my own punishments on what’s mine.”
“As long as she behaves there should be no issue there.”
Drew cast me a warning glance. I swallowed hard. It was settled. Mikhail would have me for one night.
It would be a long night.
“We need drinks to seal the deal,” Drew said as he stood from the couch.
“Oh yes, vodka all around.” Mikhail called out and Drew went to work at the minibar.
Mikhail took the opportunity to scoot closer to me, his hand dangerously high on my thigh where his thumb drew little circles. It made me feel sick. “I have been looking forward to having you since you first walked into my club. You are in for a night you will never forget.” He leaned in, his lips brushing along the shell of my ear. “But know, just because you are his does not mean I will take it easy on you.”
I felt as though I’d been sucker-punched right in the stomach. What the hell had I gotten myself into?
Seeing the disturbed look on my face, Mikhail laughed and moved back to his spot as Drew returned with three poured shots and the remaining bottle of vodka.
He handed out the shots and held up his to toast. “To your health.”
“Vashe zdorovie,” Mikhail replied.
The men took their shot and I hesitantly followed. I’d never been one to shy away from a good drink but I’d have to be careful or the alcohol might loosen my tongue and get me into trouble. I nearly choked at the unexpected water that poured into my throat in place of the vodka I’d expected. Drew had replaced my shot with water. Clever.
“Another,” Mikhail demanded, taking our glasses and filling them. “Za milyh dam!” He toasted, his stare blazing into me. “To lovely women.”
“To lovely women.” Drew repeated and we took the shot.
This one was real vodka. A little liquid courage would probably do me some good so I took the shot. I’d never seen Drew push the alcohol as much as he had that night. Maybe he needed the alcohol himself to dull the knowledge of what I’d be doing or perhaps he thought a sloppy drunk Russian would be better than a sharp, cruel one? I had to agree.
The men took turns taking shot after shot of vodka. They toasted to all sorts of things — the motherland, family, the business, partnership, young women, loose women. There was no way I was going to drink that much and after my second shot, I began dumping my drink in the fake plant like I’d seen Drew do. And, the men still drank.
The night drug on. A part of me wanted to get the whole night over with while the other part of me dreaded the moment Mikhail would decide he was ready to be alone with me. The anticipation and gnawing dread were too much. I needed a moment to collect myself.
“Will you excuse me a minute? I need to go to the ladies’ room.”
“Of course.” Mikhail chimed. “I will send one of my men to escort you. So, you don’t get lost.” He gave me a suspicious look. It seemed even drunk Mikhail was cautious not to let what he wanted get away.
I went to the bathroom while Mikhail’s lackey waited outside the door. With no windows, it wasn’t like I could go anywhere.
Luckily the bathroom wasn’t busy. I went to the sink and splashed cold water on my face before blotting it dry with a paper towel. When I looked up, Lacy was standing nearby.
“Geez Lacy, you scared me half to death.”
“Sorry. I just wanted to talk to you and I knew this would be my only chance.”
I raised my eyebrow and waited, wondering what she was wanting to talk about.
“I heard about the men’s arrangement for the night.”
“How did you hear that?” I felt slightly defensive but more embarrassed than anything that people were already hearing about how I was being loaned out for the night like a pair of earrings.
“One of Mikhail’s guys.” Lacy shrugged before pulling a small plastic bag from her purse. “I thought these might help.”
She offered the bag to me and I took it, examining the contents which consisted of two small white pills. I looked up at her puzzled.
“They’re prescription. To help with anxiety. They help take the edge off when doing what has to be done.” She fidgeted uncomfortably. “He doesn’t know I take them so don’t let him see, but they’ll help. Just take one at a time and it won’t affect you enough for him to tell. He’ll just think it's the alcohol relaxing you.
“I don’t want —” I stretched my arm out, trying to give her back the pills but she wouldn’t take them.
“Trust me, you’re going to need it.”
“I don’t like the idea of taking something...”
“Then just hold on to them just in case.”
“Okay.”
I slipped the bag in my purse, considering what Lacy said. Tonight, was going to be a long night. Maybe I would need something to get me through.
The trip to the bathroom did nothing to calm my frayed nerves. As I walked back to the balcony, the music in the club seemed too loud, the lights too harsh against the dark backdrop. My head swam and my heart pounded in my ears as the realization of what I was going to do hit me hard.
I was grateful to return to my seat, my legs too wobbly to hold me up much longer. Drew’s brow furrowed with concern as he leaned over to check on me.
“Hey you okay?”
“I’m good. I just don’t think I can keep up with you men.” I tipped my head toward the vodka.
“I think the girls had enough — unless you enjoy your girls comatose.” He joked with Mikhail.
“Oh no. I like a little fight left in them.” Mikhail laughed but neither Drew nor myself found the humor in it. Drew faked a laugh but I just sat there quietly.
What the hell are you doing, Hailey? You are way out of your depth here.
I felt like I might throw up. Drew’s hand
landed on my thigh in a seductive move and he shifted close to my ear “You can still back out. I’ll figure out a way to get you out of this.”
Yes, I wanted to scream. Get me out of here. Take me far away from this horrible man so I never have to see him again. I wanted to tell him but I couldn’t. There was no backing down now. Too much was at stake so I said the only thing I could. “No, I’m fine.”
“I believe she is mine for tonight.” Mikhail interrupted. “And I think it's time for us to go back to my place so we can really get this night started.” He stood up and wobbled. He was drunk. Unfortunately, he was still a sharp drunk.
He rounded the coffee table and pulled me up by my arm. “Let’s go.”
Drew jumped up with some urgency he was fighting back. “Already? I thought we were going to celebrate our renewed partnership.”
“And we have. But now I’m going to go enjoy my prize for the night.” Mikhail threw his arm around my waist and pulled me hard to his side until I was sure I’d have bruises on my hip.
“But —.” Drew started, his eyes flashing with panic as they met mine.
“We’ll meet for breakfast in the morning at our usual place, but not too early. We are going to have a late night.” Mikhail smirked at me and I glanced at Drew whose fingers curled into fists. It was the last thing I saw before the curtain closed behind us.
Chapter 16
Morning sunlight from the large picture window woke me from a dreamless sleep. I had stayed up most of the night, not wanting to fall asleep next to the monster in bed beside me but had passed out sometime in the night.Mikhail snored beside me and I tensed. Objectively, he was a handsome man. Older than me, but still in great shape. His muscles were hard and unrelenting even in sleep. And yet, I couldn’t believe I’d ever found him attractive. Just the sight of him made me sick.
I pulled the sheet around my body to keep covered as I gathered my clothes from the floor and went into the bathroom. I’d made it through the night. I just had to make it to breakfast and I’d be safely back with Drew.
While in the bathroom, I used my finger to brush my teeth with the cinnamon toothpaste. I could still smell his cologne on me like wood and spice and vodka. I couldn’t stand it, having his scent on me like some sort of claim. I slowly cracked the door open and peeked out to make sure Mikahl was still asleep. I turned the doorknob and closed it so that it wouldn’t click shut before taking the quickest shower of my life. I didn’t want to risk him coming in to join me. I was bathed, dried off, and dressed in fifteen minutes.
I crept out of the bathroom, careful not to make a sound but Mikhail’s deep rumbling voice startled me and I jumped, letting out a yelp, “there you are.”
He stood just to my right with his arms casually crossed, “you’re not trying to sneak out on me are you?”
I forced a smile, reminding myself why I hadn’t told him off already. “Of course not. I didn’t want you to see me such a mess after last night.” I looked down and fidgeted with my hair.
“Yes, last night was wild. It’s all a bit of a blur. The alcohol hit me hard with all the excitement, but what I do remember...” He pulled me to him, gripping the back of my hair hard and forcing his lips onto mine. “You are an amazing woman. If you ever tire of Andrew...”
I wanted to kick him in the nuts for bringing up Drew after everything but I managed a smile. “Speaking of, what time are we supposed to meet him?”
“Eight sharp.”
“Oh, then we should probably get going. It’s already seven-thirty.”
“Seven-thirty? I never sleep that late. You must have really worn me out last night, woman.” He pulled me in for one more kiss. It was everything I could do not to push away each time he touched me.
I was relieved when he finally took his hands off of me and I could step back, letting out a sigh.
“My kisses make you breathless, huh?” the overconfident asshole smirked as he asked.
I bit my tongue -- hard. Forcing a smile and nodding.
“Go make us some black tea while I grab a quick shower, kotyonok.”
I walked into the kitchen, filled the tea kettle with water from the tap, and put it on the stove. Mikhail disappeared into his room. I waited until I could hear the water start running from his en suite bathroom to pull out my phone and text Drew.
Hailey: Hey. I wanted to let you know I was okay. Will see you at breakfast.
No answer.
He could have been getting ready or driving. I shrugged and went to put my phone away when I got an idea. Earlier, Mikhail had called me kotyonok and I was curious about what that meant. I had no idea how to even start to spell it so I used the voice to text feature on my phone and whispered the word into the phone. Kitten. Of course, he’d call me something like kitten. He thought I was just a weak, pathetic little thing that couldn’t take care of herself and would let a man like him run all over me. What he didn’t know was this kitten had claws.
The teakettle whistled and I hurried to finish the tea. I was just fishing out the second teabag when Mikhail’s shower turned off.
“Ah, good timing.” Mikhail walked up behind me, wrapping his arm around me so that his body pressed against me and I tensed.
He ran his hand down my belly and thigh until he reached the hem of my dress. He hooked his fingers under the hem of my dress and began running his hand back up my thigh. I took a deep breath. I didn’t want him touching me. I felt slightly dizzy as his hand reached dangerously close to the apex of my thighs. I had to do something or he was going to want an encore from the night before.
I grabbed up his cup of tea and turned around, letting the hot liquid slosh out of the cup onto his stark white dress shirt.
Mikhail let out a hiss and jumped back from me. “Stupid blyat,” he lifted his hand to strike me but I moved away.
“I’m so sorry. It was an accident,” I feigned shock and remorse.
The front door burst open and two of Mikhail’s men stepped inside. “Boss, what happened?”
“Just an accident. I’m fine. Go back to your posts.” Mikhail glared at me.
“I am unbelievably sorry. Let me grab some towels.”
“Don’t bother. I need another shirt anyway,” Mikhail waved me off before disappearing into his room to change.
I let out a relieved breath and let my shoulders slump for a moment before he came back.
“Are you okay? Again, I am so sorry. Can I fix you a new cup?”
“No. We need to go. We shouldn’t be late,” Mikhail was clearly irritated with me and with as hot as the tea had been, I was sure he was also in a good deal of pain.
He didn’t say another word as he led me to his car, opened the door for me, and I climbed inside. I’d swear the drive to meet Drew took at least a year and the tense silence wasn’t helping. We couldn’t get there fast enough. I wanted to be away from this man as quickly as possible.
We entered a small coffee and pastry shop where Drew sat waiting. He stood when we approached the table already filled with food and coffee.
“Mikhail, good morning.”
“Oh, it is a good morning indeed,” Mikhail smirked and we took a seat.
It amazed me at how his tone had changed when speaking with Drew. Was he really over the ‘accidental spill’ or was he just trying to make Drew think things went better than it had?
I was so glad to see Drew. I offered him a small smile when Mikhail couldn’t see but he only glanced at me with something that looked a lot like disappointment in his eyes.
What did he think was going to happen when we agreed to this?
Mikhail pulled a chair out for me across from Drew before taking the seat next to me for himself.
“Eat, drink, kotyonok. I know you had to have worked up quite the appetite.”
I hated his new nickname for me and grit my teeth behind my smile as I took a bite of the food in front of me and took a sip of the coffee to distract myself.
“I take it you enjoyed your nigh
t with the girl?” Drew’s words were like ice.
“Very much. You are a lucky bastard.
Drew shrugged and took a drink of his coffee.
“I have some business to take care of so I can’t stay long,” Mikhail continued. “But I’d like for you to meet me for dinner tonight. There are some business opportunities I’d like to discuss with you if you’re interested.”
“Oh, definitely.”
“Wonderful. I’m sure you have some catching up to do with your girl. I hope she’s not too worn out for you. And, she may be a bit sore.”
“If so, she’ll deal with it. Can’t have her neglecting her duties.” Drew smirked at me in the way Mikhail did and it made my stomach turn.
Mikhail laughed. “I must be off. Enjoy yourself, Andrew.”
As soon as he was out of earshot, I leaned over the table and whispered angrily, “What is your problem?”
“I have no problem.”
“You are acting like him.”
“I need to get on his good side. He likes himself so who better to mimic?”
“Whatever.” I sat back and took a bite of my bagel.
“Let’s go.” Drew stood abruptly.
“But I’m not done.”
“Work up a big appetite last night, huh? You can eat back at the apartment.” He sneered and started walking toward the door.
I tossed my bagel onto the table and got up from my chair. Drew was already halfway to the door and didn’t even look back to see if I was following him. We were in Russian territory and he knew I wouldn’t want to stay there where Mikhail or his men might return. I got up and followed him out but I was fuming with anger.
Chapter 17
We arrived back at the apartment without another word between us. I knew if I opened my mouth at that moment it would be disastrous. I did not go through everything I did last night to have it ruined now that we were so close.
I walked into the kitchen and fixed myself a bowl of cereal, grabbed the remote, and plopped down on the couch like I owned the place.
