by S F Draven
“My parents always had a fascination with naming their children with nods to trips they’d taken in the past. They visited Russia on their honeymoon.”
“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet such a fine young lady,” he said.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Robert,” I said, slowly shutting the door as I juggled all of the garment bags in my hands. I wondered why Dominik would have had them sent over to me, and then it dawned on me that I literally had nothing else to wear. My apartment was locked up with all my old things and I wasn’t allowed to set foot in Brooklyn, much less put my own key in the lock. This was my new life now, and I had a lot left to get used to. I laid all the bags out on the bed, noticing that they were all designer labels. I opened up each one and neatly put each outfit away in the closet on their own respective hangers. I’d never seen such quality in clothing in my entire life, and I hated to say how much I was beginning to enjoy it.
I was starting to feel rather anxious at the idea that soon I was going to be on my way to work for a very renowned publication, where I’d only really be able to do any physical work on the company time. I could already tell that Dominik had his claws in the editor-in-chief of the magazine to get me this job, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had his minions watch my every move while I was getting accustomed to the new position as well. He and I both knew that he was going to have to relinquish some control to me at some point, but I knew that we were both dreading that move. I could only imagine how many people he had spying on me, and I wouldn’t even dare trying to call out for help, because I could imagine that his people also had a way with computers.
It hurt to know that I’d never really be able to hide anything from him, and I knew that the only way I was going to get a leg up in this new life was to make him believe that he really couldn’t live without me. In all my attempts to prove my loyalty to him, I was starting to feel a bit comforted, a bit accustomed to the way things were being run and that alone scared me. I was worried that I had begun to lose myself in all of this and that it would only be a matter of time before I was asked to do something just as bad as Dominik. I still had no idea where my boundaries were, because anyone with a semblance of emotion would try everything in their power to get out of this situation even if it meant putting their own life on the line. That wasn’t the case with me, because I was starting to see that my fascination with Dominik had turned into fully-fledged infatuation and that was going to make me start questioning who I was as a person.
In all the lavish luxuries this life had to offer, there was a darkness that made part of me want to run and hide. Though, with Dominik by my side, there was a kind of power that came with the way he was able to command a room, with just how much pull he had in society, and there was another part of me that wanted to experience that for myself. If the world was going to see me on the arm of Dominic Volkov, I had every right to make it worth my while, though I was beginning to fear that would mean the end of the old Katerina Auclair as I knew it.
I still didn’t know how far I was willing to let Dominik push me, but for now, I was just going to enjoy the ride until something came along and made me change my mind. I found myself waiting around for instructions, waiting around for Dominik to return so that we could at least have a chat. It dawned on me just how lonely the rest of my life was going to be if this was the way it progressed, and I had to start playing my cards right before I died from lack of social interaction. I could feel the fire beneath my skin begin to well up with the need for adventure. I wanted to get out and do something, I wanted to experience the city in a different light, much like Dominik was expecting of me, but he was off handling business, and I was here wasting away until duty called.
Well, duty’s name is now Enquête and I shouldn’t even be able to complain about that. To have my name in the byline of a story for that publication, no matter its contents, is a dream that I’ve had for a very long time. Either Dominik has incredible taste in media or he’s had one of his minions do his research for him. Whatever it is, I have to do what I can to establish myself in society because once I gather enough information on Dominik, I’m going to find a way to break the story before he has a chance to break me. But the more I began to sit on that idea, the more I started to feel bad for hurting Dominik in that way. I was toying with the idea that I had begun to care about him, and that was a feeling I truly couldn’t fathom. He’d done nothing but disrupt my entire life, held me prisoner, and made me pay for a single decision I didn’t even have the chance to follow through on.
Though, I had to acknowledge just how much good he’d done for me – even though he was using me to further his agenda. It was almost as if I came into his life at the exact right time, and I could tell that he’d been very distressed about something. It would only be a matter of time before he decided to share what that was with me. Why the sudden urge to want to change his image and quiet suspicion? Has someone been changing the narrative for him? Are things out of his control? I asked myself, but those thoughts simply made me shudder. If Dominik was dealing with a situation even he couldn’t control, I had to think that we were all simply doomed. Dominik was a man who held his head high no matter the situation, and it worried me to think that there was someone else out there calling the shots for him, or at least threatening to.
I still had so much to see and learn about this world he lived in, who he trusted, and who he wanted to put into the ground. This situation had been incredibly tame thus far, and as much as I’d have liked it to stay that way, I had a feeling that I was going to be seeing a lot more that would challenge my fears very soon. The more that Dominik wanted me to do for him, the more he was going to have no choice but to be honest with me. There would come a time when someone would get angry enough to take a shot at him, but I was beginning to think that judging from the way the media might present the story, I may also become a target just for being associated with him. I wasn’t going to be presented as another one of Dominik’s late-night hook-ups. I was going to be a constant in his life, and he was eventually going to have to tell me exactly what that meant.
A few hours passed and it was starting to get dark out. I opened up the balcony doors to feel the cool evening air hit my skin as I tried to calm myself down. The moment I opened my eyes, I realized that Dominik had, in fact, been right all along. I came back to a place I’d called home for most of my life and I felt like a foreigner in my own city. I wasn’t sure what that meant for the way things were going to play out, but if there was one thing I knew for sure, it was that I was beginning to like where I was. That thought alone could very well be the end of who I was as I knew it, but there was still so much here left to explore, I’d be a fool not to see it through to the very end. I was surprised to find that I hadn’t felt a wave of emotion overcome me since coming back, and I hadn’t even felt the need to call up any of my old friends or family. It seemed that I’d become rather desensitized to this entire ordeal and I hadn’t even seen half of it yet.
I let my thoughts wander off to the idea of where Dominik might be right now. I wondered if he was off at a business meeting, having drinks with an old friend, or hacking someone to pieces. With him, and with this life, there was absolutely no way to tell, but I felt myself wanting to know more about it all. I felt myself wanting to be a part of it. This wasn’t something I could ever put into words because even I couldn’t understand how I could come to care for someone that had taken me prisoner, destroyed my life, and made me question who I’d been all this time. Why me, Dominik? You and I both know that there are countless people out there who have much more suspicion of you than I ever did. Why did you take me? I asked, as the question weighed heavily on my mind for the rest of the evening. It was one I was afraid I’d never truly learn the answer to, and that would be the greatest tragedy of all.
Chapter Eleven: Dominik
It’s been quite a while since I’ve been back in the city, and it’s like I’m seeing it for the very first time. Kateri
na has proven to me that her mannerisms and curiosity has been a byproduct of the place she grew up in, and I knew that if I wanted to get to know her better, I was going to have to bring her back to a place that could do that for me. I can already see that something is changing in her, that she’s rather caught up in the luxuries of this lifestyle, and for that I cannot blame her. I’ve taken her prisoner, but I’ve given her everything she’s ever wanted because there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to see her suffer. I can call it whatever I want, tell myself that the reason I did all of this was to make sure that I could use her to the best of my advantage, but I know that there’s more to the story than that. Katerina is changing something within me just as much as I am her, and I’m beginning to think that I want her to stick around for quite a while more.
Though, there is always the question of betrayal. Katerina reminds me so much of a woman much like her that I went around with, courted beyond belief when I was just breaking out onto the scene, but she became a colossal disappointment, and I never did get over having to deal with her. I hope that Katerina is different, that she can bring out the best parts of me, and that I can show her that my world isn’t as scary as she may think.
I sat alone with a glass of whiskey in the clandestine conference room I’d hidden in the belly of the hotel so I could conduct my business without being interrupted. Now, it became my escape as I tried to piece together how I let things get to be so fucked up. I was laying in wait, worried that the minute I let my guard down, the person that had been messing with me would strike. I couldn’t afford to have anything screw up this hotel opening, because it was the way that Katerina and I could both get the fresh start we were desperately in need of. She doesn’t realize how much she needs it, but it’ll soon dawn on her that she’s going to need something to cling to the minute the thought kicks in that she doesn’t have any part in her old life anymore. Everyone needs something or someone to keep them going every day, and she will soon see that she’s the one for me.
I sat there thinking about the first time I took her back to my place, how incredible she felt beneath me as the warmth of her skin reminded me that something had been missing in my life all along. I’d paraded women in and out of my property for such a long time, I forgot how incredible it could feel to actually have a connection with someone. I felt that connection with Katerina from the moment we shared our first set of words, and that hadn’t dissipated in the slightest, even if she was going through a rather large adjustment period. She’d taught me a valuable lesson on keeping up appearances, one that led me to this decision in the first place. I needed the world to remember my name, and using Katerina was the only way I’d be able to do that. I couldn’t let harmless banter destroy my business on account of people’s suspicions.
My clients were already worried that word was going to get out once I took my business affairs global, but I’d assured them that with the help of my hotels, I was able to keep everything under wraps and give them all a place to stay while we made our deals. I took a look around at this incredible lot I’d landed, and I knew it would’ve made my father proud to see just how far I’d come. If it were any other time in my life, I would have certainly been out celebrating, but there was still so much on my mind that I didn’t know what to do with or how to process. I’d never had someone attack my business instead of trying to break my doors down and get to me directly. It had always been about a man-to-man fight, but for some reason this felt a bit more personal. I began to worry that even I had no idea what I was dealing with, but for now I had to keep my head held high and focused on the tasks at hand.
Just as I was about to head back up to my room, my cell phone began to ring and I realized that it was Maxim.
“Hey, any word?” I asked.
“Unfortunately, no, Dom. Whoever has been pulling tricks on you has been doing it far smarter than I thought. There has been absolutely no trace of anything that would lead me to believe that we have any chance of finding this person,” he said.
“So, what do we do now?”
“We wait until you get back, and we set up a sting operation. The only way we’re going to be able to drive this fucker out of the darkness is if we entice him,” said Maxim, and I knew he had a point.
“Honestly, Maxim, I hate that idea because it could very well compromise everything, but I know that we really don’t have much of a choice. I’ll see you when I get back to Moscow. Thank you for everything,” I said, solemnly.
“Don’t worry, Dom. We will find the person that’s doing this to you one way or another. It’s just going to have to take some time and I know you hate to lay around in wait. Just try to enjoy your opening, give my best to the woman you’ve been keeping prisoner, and try not to get your panties in a bunch, okay?”
“You got it,” I said, with a chuckle as I hung up the phone.
When I got back up to the room, Katerina had been fast asleep on the large king-sized bed. I got out of my clothes and crawled in next to her, maintaining a comfortable distance so I wouldn’t startle her out of her sleep. She tossed and turned the entire night, and I could tell that she was anything but comfortable to be in this position, but something told me that she was going to get used to it much faster than either of us could’ve guessed. I need to get some rest; over the next few days it’s going to be strictly about business. I need to get everything in order for the opening. That is the top priority right now, and I refuse to let anything get in the way of it, I thought as I drifted off to sleep, going over all of the details of the last few weeks in my head, looking for the answers I knew I wouldn’t find so easily.
It was finally the day of the opening, and once my eyelids fluttered open, I noticed that the sky was completely clear on this cold morning. It was the perfect day to take care of business, and I was a little more at ease to know that everything was coming along smoothly. Katerina and I had barely exchanged a few words over the last couple of days as she got settled in her new office space at Enquête magazine. She was coming back to gather all the information she needed and have a few pictures taken for the story, and from what I saw last of her at breakfast, she actually appeared rather excited. This lifestyle was starting to grow on her, and the more time she spent getting dressed up and slapping designer labels onto her back every morning, the more she reminded me of a woman who also once threw me for a loop. It had been such a long time since I last uttered her name, but I could feel it curl up on my lips, waiting to be spilled out before me, and I couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“Everything looks absolutely incredible, Dominik. I’m glad to be here covering it all.”
“Thank you, Giselle,” I said, and when I realized what I had done, it was too late. Katerina stared back at me absolutely bewildered by what had just come out of my mouth. I knew I had done it now because the gears were turning behind her eyes and I could tell that she was going to have a lot of questions.
“Who is Giselle?”
“My apologies, Katerina. She’s someone from my team who has been working on getting everything ready for the opening. The last few days have been incredibly hectic, and I haven’t slept in ages. I’m sorry again,” I said, lying to her with a straight face in the hope that it was going to quiet the suspicion, and I believed that it did. She didn’t seem to be too concerned about what I had just said, and for that I was glad. The last thing I need is Katerina finding out what happened to Giselle and what I had to do to her to protect my up-and-coming image, I thought, as the memories of that night began to flood back. I remembered being far too young to know the inner workings of the business I had just taken over, the responsibilities I had to take on as a part of my family’s crime activity, and how incredibly naïve Giselle had been.
She was a journalist just like Katerina, looking for adventure while on her vacation, leaving work behind until she met me, and suddenly she wanted to find out everything there was to know about me. I had no choice but to put an end to it before things got worse, because sh
e was hot-headed, extremely determined, and there would be no convincing her otherwise. I remembered what it felt like having the shovel in my hands, burying her out in the woods one day, and how bad it hurt because I actually thought that we had something wonderful between us. I remembered picking out the ring I was going to use to propose to her, and if she hadn’t betrayed me, we could’ve done so much good together. We would’ve had the world between our fingertips, and now that was never to be.
Katerina felt like my second chance to get it right, but I couldn’t ignore the urges that came about that made me want to get rid of her before I got too close only to be betrayed again. I was still unsure as to whether I could trust her, and I worried that she was going to play me like a fool until she could suck all the information out of me, and turn around to try to take me down. I had to stay on high alert, watch to see if her behavior changed at all as we continued to do this together, but I couldn’t ever let her know or pick up on my suspicions. She and I would continue on as we had up until this point, and I would continue to shower her with everything she’d ever wanted as long as she did her job the way I asked her to.
“Mr. Volkov, everything seems to be in order and ready when you are. The press is already waiting outside, and I believe the ribbon cutting is happening outside the ballroom because you want to keep it controlled, correct?” Asked one of my representatives.
“Yes, that is correct. If everything is set, we’ll head there now. You have the list of which press is allowed inside while this is happening, as well as the guestlist for the after-party. Please make sure that everything remains calm,” I asked her and she nodded. I glanced over at Katerina who was probably just assuming that this woman’s name was Giselle but it certainly wasn’t. I wasn’t about to divulge any further information to her, as it was now time to finally put into action everything I’d been working so hard on for these last few weeks.
