Owned by the Badman (Russian Bratva #1)

by Hayley Faiman

  “Calm down, angel moy. I talk to Radimir, my boss, he already has a big penthouse apartment in the business district for us. Perfect for small family,” he offers, sliding his hand over mine and pulling it to rest on his thick thigh.

  “He owns the building, golubushka. It is actually supposed to be my penthouse, but I turned it down to live in the other one. I was drunk all of the time and it was a home for a family, not a single man. It was depressing, but now, I take my family there and all is well.”

  “The other women, Maxim … I just have to know. You said there wouldn’t be any others, but you said that to me once,” I confess to the fears that consume my thoughts. Maxim’s hand cups my cheek and his thumb traces my bottom lip.

  “I never had sex with another woman. You are the only woman I have been inside of since the Catia mess. I know you do not trust me yet, Haleigh, but I swear to you, there will be no other women ever again. There is only you. There will only ever be you from now until death. I was stupid and self-destructive,” he admits, nodding. I lick the tip of his thumb.

  “All right, baby,” I whisper. He grins; it’s the second time in less than an hour that he has smiled, and it is then that I feel truly blessed.

  This badman.

  He owns me in more ways than he can ever know.

  I relish in the fact that I am indeed owned by the badman.

  Arriving back in the United States, I feel a twinge of sadness. This will not be my home much longer. I have only ever known New York, the city, and then Maxim’s refuge in the country. I hope that I will be able to learn the language and navigate Maksimilyan and myself without being a burden to Maxim.

  We walk toward my flashy SUV, a gift that I thought for months Maxim sent to me when Maksimilyan was born. Later, Dimitri confessed he purchased it for me. I hated the sight of the car for weeks but later decided it wasn’t the luxury cars fault my husband was behaving like an asshole. Maxim slides the keys from my hand, ushering me into the passenger seat, buckling me in with a soft brush of his lips on my cheek.

  My heart skips a beat at the gentle gesture.

  “Where is Maks?” he asks, starting the engine. I smile at the nickname Maxim has already given his son.

  I like it, and I vowed the day he was born that nobody would call him anything but Maksimilyan. But when his father calls him Maks, it is perfect.

  “Pasha and Sonia’s. I miss him so much,” I admit. Maxim takes my hand in his, gently squeezing my fingers together before threading them with his.

  When we arrive at Pasha and Sonia’s, the house is lit brightly, no doubt in anticipation of our arrival. I practically run to the door as Pasha swings it open and envelops me in a huge fatherly hug. We have become close since Maxim left, and he is like a father to me, the father I have never truly had. He steps back and wraps his hands around my shoulders, looking me over, and his lips thin as his eyes narrow.

  “You are happy, but not. Tell me what that man did to you?”

  “I have done a lot to her, old friend, but she is mine, and so is Maks, to do with as I wish,” Maxim states.

  Pasha looks behind me, and he smiles widely.

  “Thank fuck,” he breathes as he ushers us inside. He then claps Maxim on the back and speaks softly in Russian to him.

  Only a moment passes before Sonia comes down the stairs with Maksimilyan in her arms. I run over to them and take my son, nuzzling his little neck and smelling the sweet scent of baby.

  “Mommy missed you, little love,” I whisper peppering his little round cheeks with kisses.

  “He was such a good boy for Aunt Sonia, weren’t you, little Maksimilyan?” Sonia lightly touches his blond hair before turning her attention on Maxim.

  “You got him back. He looks happy,” she says softly, so as not to let Maxim hear her.

  I smile widely, foolishly.

  “He is happy. Then again, so am I. My family is together, but Sonia, I have news,” I confess, chewing on my bottom lip in worry as her eyes turn back to mine. She frowns slightly.

  “Tell me.” Her voice is sharp, and I inhale a ragged breath before I tell her that we are moving to Moscow.

  “This is what you want?” she asks. I look down at Maksimilyan, and I know that this is right.

  “I want my husband. I want him to be a true husband, and I will do whatever I have to do to make the best of this life I have been dealt. I love him and he loves me, so yes, this is what I want,” I affirm. Sonia nods, her perfectly styled short blonde hair unmoving.

  “There is a knowledge in your eyes that was not there before you left. I assume you now know who and what we all are?” She presses her red painted lips together, and I nod.

  “You are a good woman, Haleigh. I was unsure when I met you two years ago, but you have proven to be much stronger than I ever anticipated. Maxim is lucky to have you at his side, and I am lucky to call you friend.

  “This life will not be easy, but you will make it beautiful for him. For a man who has had nothing but ugly, he surely deserves beauty. From being owned to being the owner, and you do own him, beautiful girl.

  “It is breathtaking to see the transformation from the young man I first met years ago to the man looking at you like if he blinks, his good fortune will be over and he will be a lost soul again.” Sonia wraps her arms around me and pulls me in for a hug.

  “I am only a telephone call away, and we will visit. We go to Moscow at least twice a year, so you will still see us,” she whispers as I choke back the tears.

  Maxim chooses this time to walk up behind me, his hand sliding around my waist. Maksimilyan sees him and holds out his arms. Maxim looks taken aback but gently takes his son from my arms. Maksimilyan lays his head down on Maxim’s shoulder as he wraps a tiny baby arm around his neck, like he knows this is where he is supposed to be; as if he recognizes that this man is a part of him, his flesh, his blood, and his father.

  It is the most beautiful sight I have ever seen in my life.

  Maxim’s big hand wraps around Maksimilyan’s diapered bottom, but his eyes are shining with unshed tears and I know he feels at peace finally.

  “We will see you. Be happy,” Pasha says, choking back his own unshed tears. With that, we walk out of their home.

  We are on our way to beginning a life, a life that should have started two years ago but was derailed by happenstance and circumstance. A life that not only brought past horrors to the present but also caused two hurt and broken people to evolve and fall in love. I have no doubt that had Maxim stayed, we would still be happy, but we would not truly understand how lucky we are to have each other and to have this life together.

  We will now forever fight for our happiness together, without even blinking.

  The house is quiet as we pull up and I look around for one of the last times, realizing that I was never truly happy here. I had moments of happiness, but as a whole, I wasn’t happy being here or living here.

  I belong at my husband’s side, being his support and raising our son and future children together. Once inside, I bathe and then feed Maksimilyan while Maxim watches with a small smile on his lips the entire time.

  “You go take a bath, angel moy. I put Max down.”

  Maxim takes the baby from me and places a soft kiss on my forehead.

  I do as he says and I go into our bedroom, filling the bathtub with bubbles and salts. I finally relax for the first time in what feels like my entire life. I let my mind float, and eventually, I fall asleep.

  I feel my body being lifted and I flail slightly at the flying sensation. I hear a shushing sound, and I recognize that it is Maxim; his heat surrounds me, and I burrow closer into his body. He drapes a towel over me, but I can’t seem to open my eyes. I feel like I am floating between conscious and unconsciousness.

  “How is Maksimilyan?” I ask drowsily as he dries my body on the bed, my eyes opening just a crack.

  “He sleeps, Haleigh, so perfect.” His voice is thick with emotion, and I slowly sit up in bed and
look at him.

  Maxim has missed so much this past year, so much that he will never get back, but I am thankful he is here now. I can’t be upset about this situation. Had he not left, who knows what would have become of us.

  “Come to bed,” I whisper spreading my thighs for him, suddenly feeling awake and alive. This is the boldest move I have ever made.

  I trail my fingers down between the valley of my breasts and my stomach to my pulsing core. Maxim doesn’t move, but I watch as his hungry eyes darken and he licks his lips.

  “Did you touch yourself while I was away?” he asks, his voice deeper than before.

  “I did,” I admit. He shivers, sending jolts of pleasure through me. I made him shiver, and it makes me feel sexier than I ever have in my life.

  “Show me,” he rasps.

  I slide two of my fingers through my damp sex and then slowly dip them inside as Maxim moans from across the room, his hand wrapped around his cock over his suit pants.

  I slowly stroke myself, enjoying the way my body reacts to just having Maxim’s presence in my room. His eyes haven’t left my core, and it makes me feel desired, sexy, and like a woman. I lift my other hand off the bed and pinch my nipple as my thumb presses against my clit.

  “Stoy, stop,” he growls and throws himself at me, landing between my legs. Before I even realize what’s happened, he propels himself inside of me with one hard thrust.

  “Maxim,” I cry out, my fingernails digging into his back.

  “Fuck, yes, angel moy. Take my cock,” he yells as he roughly pushes inside of me, his arms sliding under my knees to spread my thighs up and wider. I am pinned and I love it. I let myself relax as I accept Maxim inside of me, to control me, to dominate me, and to love me.

  “You feel so good,” I groan as Maxim licks my neck before kissing it. Then he bites the flesh and I come, my center pulsing around him, trying to keep him inside, but he doesn’t stop.

  I know he must have drawn blood on my neck, but thinking about it makes my orgasm last longer. I know he is marking me, and I am relishing in it. Maxim mercilessly continues to move inside me, even after he comes. I find myself feeling so emotionally and physically connected to him at this moment, I don’t ever want to leave.

  “I love you,” he whispers, his blue eyes focused on mine as his hand smoothes my damp hair away from my face.

  “I love you too, Maxim,” I whisper back. Just as our mouths touch, there is a loud knock on the door.

  “Somebody better be fucking dead,” he growls sliding out of me.

  He tosses the bedding on top of my nude body before he drags his boxer briefs up his thighs. I watch as he yanks the bedroom door open, his hands on his hips, his tattoos on display, looking menacingly sexy.

  “How long will you be back this time?” I distinctively hear Dimitri ask. Maxim huffs.

  “We’ll be leaving in a few days. I will have movers pack what we do not take with us,” Maxim explains.

  A sound escapes Dimitri’s throat. It sounds like a whine or a growl, I’m unsure from where I sit, hidden in the massive bedding.

  “We?”

  “Yes. I take Haleigh and Maks with me,” Maxim explains. I hear Dimitri snort at that explanation.

  Maxim doesn’t like it; I can tell by the way the muscles in his back tighten.

  “You have problem with this?”

  “I do. If you are just going to discard her again, if you abandon your child again,” he says haughtily.

  I hear the unmistakable sound of flesh on flesh and then Maxim’s deep voice follows.

  “You are my friend, Dimitri, but this is not your business. My wife and child are coming home with me, and that is the way it is,” he barks, low and menacing. There is a shuffling sound, and I assume Dimitri is standing up from the ground.

  “She is your wife, but I have been caring for her for the past year when you were drinking vodka like water and fucking whores looking for Mariya. So since I took care of them, I would say yes, it is my business,” Dimitri’s voice is ice cold, and I have never, ever heard this tone from him before. It is frightening.

  “You go too far, friend, brother. I take my wife and son, and if you wish us to remain friends, you’ll not say another word about it.”

  “Does she know that you gave up your firstborn to the cause? That Maksimilyan is going to be taken, going to be a soldier? How will you stop them, Maxim? How will you keep them from taking your son? Then when you give her a daughter, how will you keep her from turning into Mariya, turning into a girl who has spread her thighs since she bled?”

  I gasp at his words as my stomach roils and I feel sick. Oh, my God. Those evil men are going to come after my baby and my future babies? I can’t and don’t hold back the tears that begin to fall from my eyes.

  “Get the fuck out of my room, Dimitri. You say another word about it, and make no mistake, brother or not, I will fucking tear off your cock with my bare hands and I’ll feed it to you before I gut you,” Maxim growls.

  Wisely, Dimitri doesn’t say another word, and I blink a few times, trying to process everything that Dimitri has said.

  “Are you all right, Maxim?” I ask tentatively through my tears.

  Maxim just rips the sheet from my body, his eyes full of fire. He frightens me, but I feel my belly clench with anticipation.

  “I will never let another person touch you, and I will never let anybody take Maks. Do you understand this?” he asks, sliding his boxer briefs down his legs. I decide to be wise and just nod my response.

  “This,” he grabs my core roughly, thrusting two fingers inside of me, cupping me.

  “Is,” he roughly pumps his fingers in and out, my body responding by growing wet.

  “Mine,” he growls, his hand gone and his hard length filling me.

  “Yours,” I moan, my hands flying into his hair.

  “No man touches what is mine,” he whispers dangerously, his voice barely there as he slides his hands under my ass to lift my hips up, holding me to him, fucking me hard and perfectly.

  “Only you, baby,” I groan, feeling my belly clench and my center begin to flutter around Maxim’s cock.

  “Take me. I fill you with my seed and plant another baby inside of you, golubushka. You are mine,” he growls before he makes good on his promise and fills me with his release, hot and warm.

  Suddenly, his thumb is at my clit and he begins to press against it, making circles until I come around his softening cock, making him groan at the feeling of my pussy pulsing around him.

  “MARIYA, YOU WILL BE safer here than back at home, you must trust this,” I plead.

  My sister shakes her head. I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. Stubborn, foolish women—I am surrounded by them.

  Thank fuck I had a boy.

  “He will find me no matter what,” she insists.

  “That old man who had you will not find you, Mariya,” I state. She pauses and then throws her head back in laughter.

  I stare at her, unable to figure out what is so fucking funny about any of this. Haleigh, Maks, and I are due to leave in less than two hours and my sister is being difficult.

  “That lazy bastard is too busy trying to get his cock hard to care about one of his girls leaving,” she states. It makes me ill to think about. He had more? How did I not know this?

  “Just be clear, for once in this conversation can you just say what the fuck you mean,” I bark impatiently. Mariya eyes me and then sighs.

  “Ivan Chekhov, you fool,” Mariya hisses. I feel the blood drain from my face.

  Ivan Chekov is practically royalty in Russia. He is one of the most powerful, legitimate businessmen in the country. He is all over the television and news, and his children—the boy treated like a prince and the girl treated like a princess.

  Ivan Chekov is the owner of the largest oil, bank, and telecommunications companies in Russia.

  “Why would Chekov give a flying fuck about you?” I demand, my voice raised and anger p
eppering my vision.

  “You really have no clue, do you?” she asks, cocking her head to the side.

  I don’t respond. I just wait because she is being an emotionally difficult woman at this point.

  “Ivan Chekov is in charge of everything,” she whispers, her eyes wide. I notice fear in them, a fear I haven’t seen from her, even when I approached her in that shithole apartment.

  “Not of me. My Pakhan is Sergei Burak,” I explain.

  Not that she needs to really know that, but she isn’t talking and she knows more than most women as it is. It isn’t important to the conversation, but I think she may be going crazy.

  “Yeah, Sergei is in charge of your world, but Ivan Chekov is in charge of the whole underworld, the political world, and the business world. He rules it all, Maxim. He won’t want me alive. He will find me, and he will kill me, simply because I know too much,” she says, her eyes darting around in fear. I nod and then narrow my eyes at her, wondering how on earth I am just now hearing this shit from her.

  “How do you know these things, Mariya?”

  “He bought my virginity, Maxim. He enjoys fucking virgins and keeps them until he gets bored or until they grow into women, whichever comes first,” she admits softly. I know she didn’t want to divulge this information to her own brother, but it needed to be said.

  I swallow the bile down my throat, images of my too young sister being taken by a man three times her age makes me ill. It also makes me angry and irrational, but I try to control myself. I am of no use to anybody when I do not have full control over my body and mind.

  “Which were you?” I ask. I have to know. Why, I don’t know; maybe better motivation to torture the fucker.

  “I grew into a lovely woman, no? I stayed with him from the time I was eleven until the time I was sixteen. In those five years, he felt me incompetent. He held meetings and had phone conversations right in front of me, important ones. Make no mistake, Maxim, he will come for me. He checked on me regularly, and he will know I am missing.”