Chapter 8 #2
“She’s an adult. She’s young, yes. But she’s still an adult. You are not. And even if you were, I’ll only ever see you as a daughter. Katya is my wife now. One day, you’ll get a husband of your own. When you’re older. Now, stop asking questions and trust me. Don’t meddle in this.”
“Why does she have blood on her dress?” The change in subject startles me.
“What?”
“You said she cut herself. So why is the restroom door locked? What is going on here?”
“I killed a man,” Katya says, surprising us all. Nina and Susanna stare at her like she’s certifiably insane.
“Katya,” I warn.
She keeps her eyes on Susanna. “I killed a man who tried to hurt me and Alek is trying to protect me. You can go inside that bathroom and see for yourself. See what I’m capable of.”
Susanna backs away from Katya. “Is this all true?”
“No,” I say. “I killed a man who was trying to hurt Katya. One of my men is dealing with the situation. I don’t want you girls involved in this. So just go back into the ballroom. Now. And don’t tell your mother about this. Don’t tell anyone. There could be serious consequences for it.”
“What kind?” Nina asks.
“Like if my men found out what happened, they would try to hurt me. Do you want to see me hurt?”
They both shake their heads no.
“Good. Now go back into the ballroom. I’ll announce that me and Katya are leaving. It’s our wedding night after all. Go.”
They finally hurry away back to the ballroom. I just have to hope that the two girls I see as my daughters will not come back to bite me in the ass.
“Why do you keep protecting me?” Katya asks, slipping my jacket back over her shoulders. “You told Sam that you killed Jack and now again with Nina and Susanna.”
“Because it won’t be as bad if anyone finds out I killed him. But if my men were to find out you did it…”
“What?”
“It just wouldn’t be good. Now, come along.” I grab her hand – it fits nicely in mine – and we head back to the ballroom. Once we’re inside, I leave Katya by the doors, hidden in shadows, and walk onto the stage where the band is.
“Hello, everyone,” I say into the microphone. “I appreciate everyone coming for my wedding but it’s time that me and my wife head off for our honeymoon. You all can stay here and continue to celebrate. Dance the night away. Eat. Have fun. Thank you.”
My men whoop and holler, knowing full well what happens on a wedding night but I know what’s not going to happen: me claiming Katya as my own. She’s too scared over what happened with Jack. I may want her but I want to take her when she’s begging me to. Not before.
Tonight is about getting her to safety.
I get Katya out of the ballroom without any of my men asking questions. The moment we’re in my private town car – with my personal driver – I let myself relax.
“Where are we going?” she asks, looking out the window. “This isn’t the way to your house.”
“My house is no longer secure. Your brother knows about it and I’m sure he’s caught wind of this wedding by now. He’ll try to attack me there. No, we’re going somewhere else. It’s our honeymoon after all.”
“Honeymoon?” she squeaks. It’s cute in an innocent way. God, I can’t wait to take her innocence from her.
“Yes. I thought we could go to France. Paris is beautiful this time of year.”
“France? You’re taking me out of the country? But I don’t have a passport.”
“I had one made for you yesterday.”
“So you were already planning to take me out of the country?”
“Yes.” I stare into her beautiful big eyes and all I want is to comfort her all over again. “It’s all handled.”
“So, this was the plan, even if I hadn’t killed that man?”
“Yes. You’re going to be mine, Katya, sooner or later. I thought a honeymoon could be a good chance for us to get to know each other.”
“Where my brother can’t get to you, you mean.”
I throw her a smirk. “Precisely.”
She stares out the window and from the reflection, I can tell that her eyes are filled with sadness.
“You miss your brother, I know. But he doesn’t own you anymore.”
“You do,” she snaps.
“I do. We took our vows together. You’re wearing my ring.” I take her left hand and run my finger over the wedding ring bound around hers. “You are mine now, Katya.”
“I thought you just wanted to hurt my brother? You don’t have to go to all these lengths just to hurt him.”
“Because it’s more than just about hurting him now. It’s about claiming you. Making you mine. And truly beating Dimitri that way. You’re too delectable for me to ignore. Too innocent. I need to have it at some point and I know you’ll give in to me.”
“How do you know?” she whispers.
“Because I know.”
Her eyes widen before ducking her chin to her chest. I think we both know that I’m right. She’s a woman who craves to be a woman and I’m a man who wants to teach her what it’s like to be a woman.
On our honeymoon, we can start.
Katya
Alek’s driver takes us to a private hanger where his jet is. It’s a marvel that he owns one.
“How much money do you have?” I ask, holding his jacket tightly around my shoulders.
“A lot,” is his only answer. Alek likes to decide what to tell me on his own terms. Just like how he told me he killed his first man at age thirteen. I’m still shocked by that. So young.
Just like I was young when I saw my dad murder my mom right before my eyes. Only eight years old and it still haunts me years later.
The inside of the jet is spacious and decorated in soft cream colors. Relaxing. Well, it would be if I wasn’t so nervous about traveling to a different country for our honeymoon.
“Why France?” I ask, settling in one of the seats. Maybe if I talk enough I can forget about what I did to Jack. I can forget about the fact that I’m going to a new country which will make Dimitri finding me even harder.
“I have a second home there. It’s nice.”
And far away from New York and the safety it provides.
“I’m in my wedding dress.” My torn, bloodstained wedding dress.
“I have a bag packed with clothes I bought for you ready to go. Don’t worry.
If you want to change, you can.” He gets up and opens the overhead container and pulls out a nice, leather bag and hands it to me.
Opening it up reveals clothes folded up nicely.
It’s so pretty that I almost don’t want to touch them but the last thing I want to do is remain in this dress for the entire flight.
Alek doesn’t make me undress for him this time, for which I’m grateful.
Instead, I change in the small bathroom into a pair of white sweatpants and a simple white top.
Alek had the forethought to pack me pajamas, which tells me that he doesn’t expect me to be naked for the entire honeymoon.
Maybe he’s a man who means exactly what he says. Somehow, that’s frightening.
He doesn’t comment on my clothes when I sit back down across from him. Awkwardly, I hand him the wedding dress.
“I didn’t know what to do with it,” I admit.
He takes the dress without question. “I’ll deal with it after we get to France. Now, it’s a long flight. You should get some rest.”
The airplane is too spacious. Too many chairs. Too many windows. Even though Alek and I are the only guests on the plane – the other people being the flight attendant and the pilot and co-pilot – it still feels like too much.
But there’s nothing I can do about it so I tell my heart to calm down and lean my chair back and curl into the smallest ball I can. And that’s when sleep takes me.
With Alek’s eyes on me.
When I wake up, I see that we’ve already landed. Alek is gently nudging my arm.
“You slept through the whole flight,” he says. “I’m sure you were tired. It was a long day yesterday.”
It’s light out now in France. France. I’m in an entirely new country and I have no way of letting Dimitri know. That pains me most of all. How worried he must be for me.
Alek leads me off the plane and into another town car with another personal driver.
“Where in France are we?” I ask. Beautiful trees pass us by. A gravel road is underneath us. We’re not in a large city that’s for sure.
“We’re in the countryside. It’s about an hour drive to Paris. Close enough if we want to go into the city but far enough away for some peace and quiet.”
Peace and quiet. I like the sound of that. But the thought of being alone with Alek is intimidating. I know he’s going to expect things from me. Look at me naked again.
Touch me when I’m naked.
I shiver. The idea is terrifying and yet… I can’t deny the small amount of heat that settles itself deep into my core.
The house we’re brought to is more of a chalet. It’s something out of a fairytale with grey brick covering the entirety of it and green vines overlaying everything to make the house look even more beautiful. I can’t see any neighbors in any direction from this location.
Alek shows me around the inside of the house. It’s classic European. Grand in some areas and minimalist in others.
We end up in the large master bedroom. The intimidating bed is on full display.
“We’re going to share a bed,” Alek announces.
I can’t help but squeak, even though I knew this would happen.
“I won’t touch you though. Not yet anyway.
Not until you want me to. Yesterday was a surprise to us all.
With Jack dying. I don’t want to push you into giving me your body just yet.
I know how to be nice when I want to be.
So, I’ll allow you today, Katya. One day to rest. To explore the house.
Get used to it. And then I’ll begin to push you.
Push you outside your comfort zone. Push you to new heights you’ve never thought possible. ”
I wrap my arms around myself. “What if I’m not ready?”
He cups my face and I can’t help but find some comfort in it. “You will be ready. When the time comes.”
The only consolation about being here in France is that Alek cannot go after Dimitri. He can send other men though and it’s a terrifying thought that Dimitri could die while I’m in a different country.
“You have too much faith in me,” I whisper. “I’m not ready for anything.”
“I can see the desire in your eyes. The desire for more. The desire to be a woman. I know you want it. So give in to it when the time comes. Now, I’ll let you rest some more.
I have a chef coming over today to make us food so you won’t need to worry about that.
Stay here, in this room. No cage for you here. ”
He’s forcing me to stay inside this large bedroom with its large windows and no enclosed spaces. It’s a test. A way for me to get used to being out in the open. Alek doesn’t want me to hide. Not one bit.
“Where are you going?” I ask.
“Why? Do you want to spend time with me?”
“No,” I say without even thinking.
He doesn’t comment on that. “I have things to get in order. I need to check in with Sam. Make sure everything is going well in New York. But I’ll see you later tonight. Tomorrow, we have plans to go out. Enjoy our honeymoon.”
“Plans? To… go outside?”
“Yes. To the Paris Opera House. It’s time you start entering the world again.”
“Why do you care?” I don’t ask it in a mean way. Just a genuine curious way.
“Because you are mine, so therefore, I care. I am going to make you into the woman you want to be.”