by Katie Dowe
After Ivan had come by to tell her what Jonny had done, Maya hadn't been able to concentrate. She was angry at his cheek. There would never be anything between them and Jonny knew it. So why was he pushing it and trying to ruin a good thing? Even with his demons Alexei was a good thing and Maya was looking forward to seeing where their relationship went. Maya didn't want to lose what they had before it had gone anywhere; she had almost lost him last time.
Not this time and Jonny was going to see that.
"I thought he was pushing it a little when he gate-crashed our dinner date but this is taking it too far."
Jenny sighed heavily and pressed her fingers to her forehead. She was just as outraged as Maya about Jonny's actions.
"And I thought Jonny was a nice boy. Until I heard from Marcie Doucette."
"Marcie Doucette?" Maya frowned. "That's not a name I recognize."
While she didn't know all of the models in the world, she was certainly up to date on the American models, even on a first-name basis with most of them.
"She's not a model, Maya. She's just joined my team as a hair stylist. You'll probably meet her soon."
"I probably met her today but I didn't notice."
With everything going on Maya hadn't been paying much attention. She was amazed she had managed to get through the rest of the day without serious incidence. At least she had Jenny and Howie to keep her in line. They both sensed that something was wrong but Maya wouldn't say anything. Howie ran interference for her and took over selecting the pictures while Maya simply shot them; her head wasn't in the right place to choose the best ones.
She was trusting Howie's judgment to get it right. And he always did.
She frowned at Jenny.
"What's Marcie got to do with Jonny? Is she an ex-girlfriend?"
"Not exactly. She and Jonny went to high school. They were in the same homeroom." Jenny bit her lip. "I mentioned Jonny to her to warn her not to let him anywhere near you and she said she'd already met him and knew exactly what he was like."
Maya sat up. She put her coffee cup down. This sounded like it didn't bode well.
"What happened?"
Jenny sat forward, lowering her voice even though there was no one in earshot.
"Jonny kept trying to ask her out through most of high school. It started with him asking her to go bowling on the first day of freshman year and it just went from there. At the beginning Marcie was flattered that someone as popular and good-looking as Jonny would ask her but she was already dating a sophomore from a neighboring high school. When Jonny found out he went mad. He actually went to the school and got into a fight with the boyfriend for stealing his girl."
"Seriously?"
This was sounding like something from a bizarre movie. Jenny nodded.
"Seriously. It took me a moment to process it but it did happen. Marcie said her boyfriend dumped her and Jonny tried almost immediately to get her as his girlfriend. He asked her out to prom, homecoming, the lot. But Marcie refused. She was scared of him." Jenny shook her head. "Unfortunately nobody took her seriously. They thought it was sweet someone as nice as Jonny Widecombe was paying attention to her and she should take advantage of it."
"But he wasn't sweet, was he?"
"No. He would fluctuate between sweet and apologetic to angry and threatening. He would send her flowers with ugly messages, leave threatening emails if she snubbed him or text messages so erotic it made Marcie's eyes burn." Jenny grimaced. "She told me a couple and they made my ears burn. I can't imagine how I'd react if I got those."
"You've sent racy messages before."
"Not this racy and no man has ever sent messages like that to me." Jenny sat forward and picked up her cup, taking a sip. "Then when she did finally get a boyfriend in her senior year and the guy, captain of the wrestling team, ignored Jonny, he spoofed her cell phone number and called the boyfriend, playing a recording of someone climaxing during sex. He'd got it off a porn video and tried to get the boyfriend thinking Marcie was cheating on him."
"He did what?" This sounded far too bizarre now. Maya wondered if she had stepped into another world. "What happened?"
"Thankfully the boyfriend wasn't to be taken in easily and knocked him out cold when they were at a house party." Jenny smiled. "They're still together and Marcie's saving up for the wedding."
"Good on her." At least something good had come out of it. But still Maya shivered. "But this is a side to him that scares me. How come we didn't know about it before?"
"He was never charged. Anything that has a criminal offense attached to it has to be on record, you know that."
"Maybe he got the record expunged or he never told anyone."
"No. Completely clean. I've already checked. Marcie was the only person who complained but she was virtually laughed out of the station. They thought it was a teenage crush." Jenny frowned at her friend. "Jonny's been known to flirt on set but if it has happened before people didn't take it seriously. Plus Marcie's just like you."
"How do you mean?"
"She's petite, black and pretty. That must be his type."
"That doesn't make me feel any better."
Knowing that he was the type he went for didn't help at all. That just made Maya feel even worse.
"Does Caz know about this?" Jenny asked.
"She does now." Maya had called Caroline as soon as Ivan had left and told her about Jonny's intrusion. "She's going to fire him. Hopefully that will be the wake-up call he needs."
"That's good, at least." Then Jenny glanced towards the door and sat up. "Look who's here."
Maya looked around. Alexei and Ivan were at the counter. They were talking to the barista but Alexei was watching her. Maya felt a shiver go through her body. Even a look from him could have her melting. She was still upset at his reaction but he had that effect on her.
Alexei said something to Ivan and approached them. Maya squeezed her thighs together as her core began to throb and kept herself seated as he reached their table.
"Hey."
Alexei leaned over and kissed her cheek, purposefully avoiding her lips. From the look on his face as he drew back he knew he would be pushing his luck if he tried to kiss her properly. He knew he was in the doghouse. Alexei looked at Jenny.
"Jenny, can I speak to Maya a moment?"
"Sure." Jenny stood and winked at Maya. "I'll see if I can wangle a free coffee out of Ivan."
She went to the counter and Maya watched her shake hands with Ivan. They chatted as the barista got their coffees. Maya turned back to Alexei as he sat in the chair Jenny had just vacated. She still felt the slight simmering of angry at his lack of trust in her.
"What's wrong?"
Alexei looked troubled. He sat forward, elbows on his knees, and put his face in his hands with a heavy sigh. Then he lowered his hands and gave her an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry about earlier. When I sent Ivan to you. I should've gone myself."
"Yes, you should've." Maya sat back and crossed her legs. She wished her body wasn't betraying her when she was still angry at him. "It wouldn't have stung so much if you had come."
"I know. But I wasn't sure what to say. Ivan's a smoother talker than I am."
Maya snorted.
"I'm not sure about smoother but he does get to the point." She arched an eyebrow at him. "Are you asking me to say sorry because my stalker came to rattle your cage?"
"In a sense." Alexei gave her a pleading look. "I'm sorry, Maya."
Maya knew what was going on in his head. She didn't like it but it was there. She sat forward and took his hand, squeezing his fingers.
"I'm not Katya." She reminded him. "Stop treating me as such."
"I won't."
Alexei gripped her hand in return. His body sagged as if he was relieved she had forgiven. Had she forgiven him?
Maya knew she had.
Alexei smiled. Damn, that smile made her go weak at the knees. Maya was glad she was sitting down.
"Do you want to spend the night again? We can pick up a few things for you."
Maya liked the idea of that. But she didn't want to keep going over to his place. She could have a quick word with Jenny before they left; her roommate and friend wouldn't mind if Maya wanted time alone with her new boyfriend.
She gave Alexei a coquettish smile.
"How about you spend the night at mine? I can make Jenny stay at her parents' place or with friends. She'll do that for me. We won't be disturbed."
Alexei's eyes went to her mouth and Maya licked her lips. Alexei groaned.
"Sounds like a good idea." He growled.
*****
They were kissing and pulling at each other's clothes before the elevator doors had shut. Alexei seemed to be hungry for her, ravishing her mouth as his hands ran over her body, slipping under her sweater and undoing the clasp on her bra. He squeezed her breasts and Maya whimpered, arching into his hands.
She wanted to do more with him. She had never tried sex in an elevator before. But there were cameras in there and Maya didn't fancy having the doors opening to one of her neighbors to see Alexei balls deep inside her. That was something she wasn't sharing with anyone.
So she managed to pull away enough to stop Alexei before he undid the button on her jeans.
"Wait. Let's get inside before you strip me down."
Alexei looked like he didn't want to wait. But he pulled back and settled against the side of the elevator, his muscles bunched up under his shirt. He watched Maya with a hungry look as she stood against the opposite wall trying to slow her heart rate down. If she stood near him and touched him, they would go off like fireworks and be naked before Maya knew what was happening.
She purposefully didn't touch him as they hurried along the corridor to her apartment. Maya quickly unlocked it and hurried inside. Alexei stepped through and shut the door before she could turn the light on, the apartment going back into darkness. Alexei spun her around and pushed her against the wall, kissing her fiercely. Maya clung to him, shoving his coat off his arms. They tore at each other's clothes, desperate to feel skin-on-skin.
Alexei ran kisses along Maya's jaw and down her neck before suckling hungrily on the point where her neck met her shoulder. Maya whimpered and her arms went against the wall, sliding down as her body started going limp. Then something sharp sliced at her arm and she flinched.
"Ouch!"
Alexei pulled away.
"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"
"I've just cut my arm on something." Maya brought her arm in and gingerly felt it. She winced when she felt something protruding out of the back of her wrist. "I've got glass in my arm."
Alexei moved away. A second later the light came on and Maya blinked as the brightness hit her. Alexei came back in front of her and he gingerly took her arm. There was a sliver of glass stuck in the back of her wrist near the bone. It didn't look big. Alexei glanced up at Maya, his expression dark.
"Stay still, Printsessa. I'll try and get it out."
Maya bit her lip and nodded. She braced herself as Alexei gripped the sliver and pulled it out gently. Even then it still hurt. Tossing the piece aside, Alexei brought out a handkerchief and wrapped it round her wrist.
"Keep pressure on that. We'll get you to the hospital and have it looked at."
"Okay." Maya didn't want to go to hospital but she had a feeling she might need some stitches. She looked around and saw the picture frame on the wall. It was just a simple drawing of a vase of flowers that Jenny's brother had drawn as a housewarming gift. "Why has Jenny broken that? She loves it."
"I don't think it was Jenny unless she went off the deep end." Alexei wasn't looking at the picture. He was staring into the lounge. "Take a look."
Maya followed his gaze and gasped. The lounge had been completely turned over. The couch's cushions were all over the place and ripped up. The television was smashed. The coffee table was upside-down and glass was all over the floor. Maya was glad she took her laptop everywhere because her desk was a mess, paper everywhere and completely shredded.
Heading into the kitchen, she saw that the crockery was smashed across the floor and the fridge door was open, food strewn everywhere.
"What the...?" She tried to comprehend was she was looking at. "What's happened?"
"I think someone's broken in." Alexei touched her shoulder and moved her against the wall. "Wait here. I'm going to check the place."
He disappeared down the hall. But Maya didn't want to stay on her own. She needed to stick close to Alexei. She hurried after him, heading into her bedroom.
Alexei wasn't there. But her bedroom had been turned over as well. Her clothes were out on the floor ripped up. Her favorite coverlet on the bed was slashed to ribbons. So were her panties, which were lying in a pile in the middle of the bed. On top of it was a note.
Maya's hand shook as she reached for it and picked it up. She opened it and saw the two words 'YOUR MINE' scrawled across the page.
Her body went cold.
"Dammit, Maya, I told you to stay put."
Maya turned. Alexei was in the doorway. She held out the note.
"This was Jonny's doing?"
"What?" Alexei entered the room and took the note from her. "How do you know?"
"That's his handwriting."
Maya had seen his signature on many occasions and knew what Jonny's handwriting looked like. Alexei growled and tossed the note onto the bed, where it fluttered down and settled on the floor.
"This is too much."
"I had no idea he would do this." Maya wrapped her arms around her body. "I didn't realize he was that unhinged."
"I don't think anyone did." Alexei's face fell and he drew her into his arms. "Oh, Printsessa, you're shaking."
"He's been in my home." Maya hadn't realized she was trembling until Alexei held her. She buried her face into his chest, clutching onto his shirt. "He's been here."
That was crossing the line. Now he was telling her he could get to her. Maya couldn't help but feel helpless about the situation. She was used to being strong and able to take care of herself. But this threw her completely off-kilter.
"Maya." Alexei eased her gently away and cupped her face in his hands, making her look up at him. "Maya, look at me. I can't have you panicking now. That's exactly what he wants. You need to calm down. Are you with me?"
His voice was low and soothing. Maya found herself falling into the deep baritone as if hypnotized. Suddenly she felt a lot calmer. She was still jittery but now she didn't feel as though she was going to go into hysterics. She took a deep breath and nodded.
"I'm with you."
Alexei smiled and kissed her head.
"Good girl."
Chapter 8
The police arrived quickly and began to process the entire scene. They took Maya and Alexei's fingerprints to eliminate them from the set and one of the detectives went to get Jenny's prints. But Alexei could already tell them who it was without the help of fingerprints.
Jonny Widecombe.
Alexei had never felt so angry. The bastard had the nerve to tell him to back off Maya because she was his girlfriend. And now he had invaded her home, the one place where she was supposed to feel safe. No man should ever do that to a woman.
There was no way Maya was staying there tonight. Pretty much everything had been destroyed. Luckily Maya always had an overnight bag in her car with a spare change of clothes so she didn't need to pack anything. Alexei drove them over to his apartment once the cops were finished with them. They promised to tidy up as best they could and to leave the key with Jenny at her parents'. Thankfully none of her stuff had been touched.
But, then again, she wasn't the target of a maniac.
Maya huddled in the passenger seat, staring into space. Alexei ached for her; she had been through a traumatic time and he wanted to make her feel better. But he didn't know how. He had no idea how to make this go away.
Now he was feeling helpless.
; Maya was silent as they entered his apartment. Alexei put her belongings in his room and came back to find her sitting on the couch, staring at the blank television screen. Alexei sat beside her and placed a hand on her knee.
"How are you feeling?"
"Not good." Maya drew a shuddering breath. “He's invaded my home. My personal space. Nearly everything was destroyed."
"He's crossed the line now." Alexei agreed. His hand moved to her back and he began to rub it in slow circles. "Hopefully the police will be able to find him."
That Alexei wasn't sure about. He had called Ivan and let him know what had happened. Ivan had been over to Widecombe's apartment but had called back to say there was no sign of him. The guy was in the wind.
That didn't bode well for Maya.
Maya sniffed and wiped her sleeve across her nose. Alexei's eyes fell to the bandage on her wrist. They had also called for an ambulance and the paramedic had taken one look at the wound and said it wouldn't need stitches so there was no need for the hospital. He had cleaned the wound and bandaged it up before leaving, telling Maya to get a tetanus shot in the morning just in case.
"I didn't think he'd go this far." Maya said shakily. She sounded like she was about to cry.
Alexei didn't like seeing her like this. He wanted to see her smile again. Reaching over, he pulled her towards him, settling her across his lap and wrapping his arms around her. Maya sobbed quietly, her head on his shoulder.
"Hey, Printsessa, don't cry. I'm here." He kissed her head. "I won't let him hurt you."
"I know you won't." Maya sniffed and looked up at him. Tear tracks lined her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Alexei."
"For what?"
"For bringing a nightmare with me into this relationship."
Alexei almost laughed but decided against it; this wasn't the time.
"Considering what I've brought into the relationship, what you've got is a breeze." He held her closer. "Widecombe will be found and he's going to be charged. Focus on yourself and don't worry about him."
