6. Chapter Six
Chapter Six
Inessa
M rs. Green acts cold towards me all day. When I try to talk to her, she walks away. When I ask for lunch, she practically throws the plate at me. When I try to clean the floors, she deliberately gets in my way, preventing me from doing my job.
“What are you doing?” I finally ask.
“I’m upset with you.”
“I can see that. Why?”
“Last night. The party. The cake. You ruined it. Why did you do that? You’re going to make this household look terrible. You’re going to make Mr. Smirnov look bad.”
“How did you even find out about that?”
“Mr. Smirnov told me over breakfast when you were sleeping in. Need I remind you – you’re not allowed to sleep in?”
“I slept in an extra five minutes. I don’t think that really counts.”
“It does,” she snaps, grabbing the swifter away from me. “Now. Leave my sight. I don’t want to look at you.”
“I didn’t ruin the cake, Mrs. Green.”
“Then who did?”
Natasha’s name is on my lips but I tamp it down. If Viktor marries her, then she’ll move in and I can’t upset the woman of the house. I’ll be fired for sure.
It’s better to just stay quiet.
Mrs. Green huffs. “That’s what I thought. Go clean the kitchen. You didn’t do a good enough job last night.”
I do as Mrs. Green instructs, knowing it’s just easier to comply than to fight. That’s how I’ve always lived my life. If I didn’t, I would have been screaming at my dad every night for years.
As I move about my day, I can’t stop thinking about what will happen tonight. Viktor wanted to talk to me about the events of the previous day. What if he’s going to fire me? I almost drop the laundry basket in my arms at the thought of it. Already, I’ve saved up four thousand dollars. Since Viktor is paying me under the table, I haven’t declared taxes on the money. I know it’s wrong but I need every dollar I can get right now.
I still pay for my dad’s motel room but that’s just two hundred dollars a week. Everything else I’ve left for him to figure out. If he needs food, he can make his own money to get it.
I’ll need more money if I am to find my own place someday. If I am to support myself long term without Viktor’s help. Right now, I don’t have to pay for rent or food. He supplies all of that. But I know I won’t be able to work for Viktor forever and when that day comes, I need to have as much money as I can to buy food and shelter.
I’m so distracted by what will happen tonight that I almost leave the chicken in the oven to burn. Mrs. Green scolds me once more.
Viktor returns home and Mrs. Green serves him dinner while I hide out in the kitchen. I’m not ready to face him yet.
Dinner goes by way too fast and then before I know it, Viktor is calling me into his office.
Mrs. Green shakes her head disapprovingly as I leave her in the kitchen. I don’t need her judgment right now, making me feel worse.
“Inessa,” Viktor says, sitting behind his desk. He looks so powerful. So handsome. Except, I shouldn’t think that about him. He’s not my man and he never will be. Even if he knew I was a Bratva daughter, he would never marry me. I don’t have money or connections. Nothing to offer him.
“Have a seat.”
I sit down with trembling legs.
“You’re nervous. Why?”
“Are you going to fire me?” I blurt out before I can stop it. “I just need to know.”
“I’m not going to fire you. You don’t need to worry about that.”
I sag in relief.
“But.”
His one word makes me sit up straighter.
“There’s something I need to talk with you about,” he continues. “Finn told you about what I really do for work. I’m going to be honest with you and I trust that you can be loyal to me and not tell anyone else. Not even Mrs. Green.”
“Ok,” I whisper. What he doesn’t know is that I’m very good at keeping secrets. It’s something I never knew myself capable of until I started working for him.
“I do work for the Russian Mafia. A subset of it. I’m a powerful man, Inessa. I hold a lot of sway in this city.”
“The mafia?”
“Yes. You will not be harmed. You’re just my maid. You’re not a part of Bratva politics. But you have the right to know. In case I ever bring my work home with me.”
“I don’t understand,” I say even though I have a good sense of what he means because I’ve experienced it myself when my dad forced us from our home to hide from Viktor himself.
“In case anyone tries to attack my home. You see, I’m at war with another Bratva man named Erik Koslov. He’s in league with the Italian Mafia through a man named Dante Moretti. They’re extremely powerful. I’m trying to bring them down.”
“Down?”
“By hurting their business.”
Or through death. But I don’t say that out loud. I’m not going to ask because I don’t fully want to know.
“You will be safe here,” he says. “I have the best security system and I have loyal guards to keep an eye on this place. I am trusting you with this information. If you go to the police about this, Inessa, I will not be happy.”
“You would kill me?” I whisper.
“I wouldn’t want to. But if me or my family are threatened, I’m willing to do what I must.”
“Is that why you sent your sister away? Mrs. Green said that you told her that you sent your sister to stay with family in France.”
He sighs. “I did. It’s not safe for her here. I’m going to keep my family safe no matter what. But you and Mrs. Green are now a part of that family. I will keep you safe. I trust that you will not use this information against me.”
This is my defining moment.
“Who would I tell? I need this job. I will not give it up. And I… don’t want to be hurt.”
His lips twitch. “No. I imagine you would not want to be.”
“And I… want to make you proud.” I don’t know why that admission leaves me or why it feels so right to say.
No. I know why. It’s because for once, it’s not a lie, but the truth.
“You really do, don’t you?” he murmurs, gazing at me in a way I’m sure a boss should not be gazing at their employee.
“I do.”
He leans towards me, and even though there’s a desk between us, it feels like he could easily touch me if he wanted to. “I have to know, Inessa. Why was the cake ruined?”
“I don’t know.”
“You do know. I doubt you ruined it. Why would you after you spent all that time making it?”
“I don’t know.”
He stands up so fast, it makes me startle. I keep my breath steady as he walks around the desk towards me. “Tell me. Who ruined the cake. Was it Mrs. Green?”
“No. Why would it be her? She was sick in bed all day yesterday.”
“Exactly. So who was it? It had to be one of my guests. Tell me.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to lose this job. I don’t want to upset you.”
He nods once. “Lean over the desk.”
I’m not sure I hear him correctly. “Sir?”
“Lean over the desk. If you’re not going to tell me the truth, I’m going to spank it out of you.”
I gasp. I’m fairly positive that shouldn’t happen between an employer and their employee. But then again, what Viktor and I have is not exactly on the up and up. He pays me in cash. He just told me he works for the Bratva, even though I already knew. None of this is normal.
“You said you wouldn’t hurt me,” I finally say, finding my voice.
“This isn’t to hurt you. It’s to teach you a lesson. Don’t lie to me. I don’t appreciate it. Now, lean over the desk.”
I smooth down my skirt. During the day, I wear pants that are easier to clean in and are cheap so it’s not a big deal if they get dirty. But whenever Mrs. Green and I serve dinner, I always put on a nice dress. I do it for Viktor’s benefit.
Knowing I don’t have any other options, I place my stomach on the desk. In this position, my backside is on display. That’s exactly how Viktor wants it.
My heart is pounding so hard, I can barely think. Is this really happening?
Viktor steps behind me. His presence is strong; unmistakably him.
“Just tell me who did it, Inessa.”
I press my lips together.
“Ok then.” Before I’m ready for it, he brings his large hand down onto my backside, making me cry out. It hurts a lot more than I thought it would. Even though my dress and underwear are giving me some space between myself and his hand, it doesn’t stop the pain.
“Tell me,” he demands.
Once again, I don’t say a word.
Viktor spanks me again. I bite my lips to keep from crying out. Why am I letting him do this to me? I can just tell him Natasha’s name. But it’s the uncertainty of what he’ll do with that information that keeps me silent.
He spanks me in quick succession, three times, leaving me moaning in pain.
“I can make this stop,” he says, resting his hand right on my ass.
“You shouldn’t be doing this to me,” I whisper.
“You’re right. I shouldn’t be. But I have something else to confess. You’re distracting me. You’ve been on my mind ever since I hired you and you shouldn’t be.”
“I’m sorry.”
“The only way to get you off my mind would be to fire you and I’m not going to do that. So, I’m in a bit of a predicament, Inessa.”
I have no idea how to respond to that. My hands clutch the desk, seeking something to steady me, but his desk is only a reminder of what he’s doing to me.
And what he’s doing is a bad, bad thing. Even though I don’t hate it.
“Just tell me,” he says in a much softer voice. His hand moves down to my upper thighs. I hiss from the contact.
“You’re sensitive. God, why do you have to be so sensitive?” he asks. “Why are you on my mind?”
“I don’t know.”
“And so innocent too. I don’t want innocence.” He says it like he’s trying to convince himself. “I don’t want this. I don’t want you.”
A few tears slip from my eyes. “That’s ok. I’m just you’re maid.”
“Just tell me who ruined the cake, Inessa. You’re safe with me.”
I know I’m not. Viktor is the ultimate danger to me and I walked right into his home.
“Please don’t make me say.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to lose this job.”
“I will not fire you. No matter the answer you give me.”
I have to trust that Viktor is telling the truth, and so far, he’s been honest with me. I’ve been the one who’s been lying.
“Natasha.”
His hand stills on my upper thighs. It’s warm on my skin. “Natasha? You saw her do this?”
“No,” I admit. “That’s why I didn’t say anything. But she was in the kitchen and when I returned, the cake was ruined. I assumed it was her. But maybe it was an accident. Maybe she didn’t mean to do it. I didn’t get the chance to ask her.”
“Maybe,” he murmurs. “But you didn’t see her for a fact?”
“No. Not for a fact. That’s why I didn’t want to say anything.”
“I’ll have to ask her about it. Maybe it was an accident.” But he doesn’t exactly sound convinced of that. She’s his future wife from my understanding. Why would he not be sure of her?
Viktor does not remove his hand from my thigh. It’s all I can think about. How good it feels. How warm and strong.
He begins to rub circles into my skin with his thumb. “I should move.” But he doesn’t.
“Yes.” I don’t fight hard to make him move either.
This is crazy. I can’t be feeling these things for my boss, no matter how handsome and striking he is. He would kill me if he knew the truth. That is not a man to have feelings for.
Viktor inches his fingers up higher. I gasp when he touches my inner thigh. He’s so close to my underwear. So close to my most intimate area.
“I know it’s not my place to ask but do you have a boyfriend?”
“No.”
“Good,” he practically growls. I inhale sharply; my hands grip the desk tighter. “You’re so innocent. Have you had a boyfriend before?”
“No.” It comes out as a breathy whisper.
Viktor’s hand clenches around my thigh. “Why not?”
“My dad was strict about it. He didn’t want me dating anyone.”
“But you’re an adult. You could date now if you wanted.”
“It’s not that simple,” I say.
“Then explain it to me.”
“I’m focused on making money. I need to. I don’t have time to date. And… I’m trying to help my dad.”
“Can he not fend for himself?”
“He tries but he has a gambling problem.”
“He is not someone you need to concern yourself with,” he says. His hand stays clamped to my thigh. What would happen if he inched his hand closer to…
No. Don’t even go there. I shouldn’t be feeling this way at all.
“He’s my dad. I love him. I can’t give up on him.”
“You’re a good girl then.”
“Yes.”
“Fuck, Inessa,” he whispers. “I shouldn’t be doing this. Am I scaring you?”
“Yes. But also… no.”
He lets out a rough breath. “You’re not mine. It shouldn’t matter what you do in your spare time. Or who you spend your time with.”
“You and Mrs. Green are really the only ones I spend time with.” I will not tell him about Elena. Spilling too many secrets will make the truth come out and then I’ll be in danger. So will my dad and I cannot stand the idea of losing him, despite how much he disappoints me.
“So… no one has touched you like this before then?”
My exhale is shaky. “Yes.”
He brings his hand right between my legs. His entire palm cups me. My body responds on instinct and I buck my hips into his hand.
Viktor instantly lets me go. I slump onto the desk; all my energy leaves me. There’s nothing left.
“You can stand up,” he says gruffly.
When I turn around, I find him watching me with those intense eyes of his. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No. I shouldn’t have touched you like that. You’re my maid. I’m your boss.”
“You told me you’re involved with the mafia. I’m assuming that means you blur the lines a lot.”
“Not when it comes to my household. I shouldn’t have done that to you, Inessa. I am sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” My voice comes out choked. I fight back the urge to cry.
“You should go back to your room.” He walks over to his desk and sits down, no longer looking at me. I know this means I’m dismissed.
“Ok.”
Before I reach the door, Viktor says my name. “One more thing. You’re not keeping anything else from me, are you?”
Hiding my worry behind a frown, I ask, “Why do you ask?”
“Just making sure.”
“No, sir,” I lie. “I’m not keeping anything else from you.”
“You can go.”
I practically run from his office but before I can make it to my room, Mrs. Green confronts me in the hallway.
“What happened? What did Mr. Smirnov want to talk to you about?”
“He just wanted to talk about the cake incident. Nothing else. Now, can you mind your own business?” My tone comes out much sharper than I intend for it to. Mrs. Green stands back with a huff.
“I was just asking.”
“And you don’t need to know everything that happens between me and Viktor.”
“Mr. Smirnov. And don’t be na?ve, girl. You’re his maid. If he wants to be with you, then you’re only a dalliance. You will never be his wife.”
“I never asked for any of this.”
“Then why are you making stupid choices?”
I walk past her and into my room, letting the door slam shut. Let the entire house hear. I don’t care.
None of this is going how I imagined it to.
One thing is clear to me now: Viktor has some sort of affection for me and it only makes me feel even worse for lying.
Viktor
“I have to ask,” I say to Natasha. She lounges in a chair in my living room, giving me a great glimpse of her long legs. “Why did you ruin the cake for Samuel’s party?”
She blinks, then laughs. I found her laugh sexy before but now all I can think is how fake it sounds. “I didn’t ruin anything. Why do you ask? Was it that maid of yours?”
“You were the only other person in the kitchen that night.”
“Your maid was there. Clearly she ruined the cake.”
I cross my arms and remain standing so I can look her down. “Why would Inessa ruin a cake she worked hard on making?”
“Probably to win your affection. She wants you to like her. This makes her more sympathetic. Poor little maid.”
“That doesn’t make sense.” I push the memory of my hand between Inessa’s legs from my mind. What happened last night can never happen again. “Just be honest with me, Natasha. If it was an accident, then tell me. I’ll believe you.”
Her eyes turn downward, making her appear vulnerable and much younger than she is, more like a child. “I was just inspecting it. I didn’t mean to knock it over. It was an accident, Viktor.”
“That’s all you had to say. But you should have told me. You made both me and Inessa look like a fool at the party.”
“I never meant for you to look like a fool. I am sorry. It was an accident.” She stands up and wraps her arms around my shoulders. They feel good there. Her body feels nice pressed against mine.
But not as nice as Inessa’s does.
No. I cannot go there. She is my maid. That would be wrong.
But then again, I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life I never gave a second thought to. Inessa shouldn’t be any different.
She just brings out a caring, protective side to me that I cannot deny.
“Just be honest with me in the future.” I give her a small kiss before stepping back.
“We could do more, you know.”
“I know.” I glance around the room to make sure neither Inessa or Mrs. Green are around. “But now is not a great time. You came for lunch. Let’s have lunch.”
Just a week ago, I wouldn’t have hesitated to bring Natasha into my room and fuck her senseless. But now… all I can think about is Inessa.
I’m a man who has prided himself on having honor. A twisted sense of honor but honor nonetheless. Inessa is making me forget all about that.
And what am I to do about Natasha? How can I marry her if I have feelings for another woman?
I would be no better than Nadia and Elena when they fell for other men while engaged to me.
But I’m not a good man and I’ve never been one.
Inessa
Natasha is back again. I try to avoid her as I clean the house but she finds a way to run into me when I’m cleaning the fine china Viktor has in a cabinet near the kitchen. Mrs. Green told me that it was imported from Italy centuries ago and to handle it with very fine care.
It must have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. More money than I’ve ever seen in my entire life and now here I am, cleaning expensive china.
“Inessa,” Natasha says in a cheerful tone as she approaches me. I grip the plate harder in my hand. Mrs. Green told me these plates and cups were to only be used during special occasions so they don’t leave the cabinet much. That’s why they need to be cleaned at least once a week to keep them from getting dusty.
“Hello,” I say warily. I continue to wipe down the plate.
“Beautiful,” she murmurs, running her fingers over it. And of course, leaving behind finger stains.
I gently move the plate away from her. “I’m cleaning this so…”
“So, I shouldn’t touch it? Is that what you’re saying?”
“I am cleaning it. I don’t know what more to say.” I place the plate back into the cabinet and grab another one to clean.
“I’m not sure I like your attitude towards me. When I’m the woman of this house, I’ll use whatever plates I want. And I love this fine china. I’ll use it all the time.”
“You don’t want it to go bad. It’s very old.”
“I guess. But it’s so beautiful. And I won’t have my maid telling me when I can use it.”
“I’m not your maid,” I say matter of fact.
“ Yet . You’re not my maid yet. And when I marry Viktor, you won’t be my maid at all.”
I almost drop the plate. Get a grip, I tell myself. “Well, I am Viktor’s current maid, so I really need to finish cleaning this.”
“Understood.”
She grabs one of the plates from the cabinet and studies it.
“Can you put that back? I just cleaned it. I’ll have to clean it again now.”
“Oh. How silly of me.” She starts to put it back when… she opens her fingers and lets the plate fall right to the floor. It smashes into pieces.
I jump back with a gasp.
“Whoops. How clumsy of me.” And then, while keeping her eyes glued to mine, she grabs another plate and deliberately drops it to the floor. This time, a piece of glass hits me in the shin, drawing blood.
I stumble back. “Can you stop? Please?”
“What is going on here?” Viktor demands, storming over to us. He stops when he sees the glass on the floor. “What happened?” He whirls around on me. “Those plates cost three hundred thousand dollars. I told you to be careful with them.”
“She’s clumsy,” Natasha says. “It just slipped right from her hand. You know, I think she might have deliberately dropped the plates. I saw it with my own eyes.”
Viktor frowns. “Why would Inessa do that?” He looks at me. “Did you do that?”
I can’t speak. Natasha keeps accusing me of things and I don’t have the power to stand up for myself.
It’s then that I really feel the pain in my leg. With a wince, I bend down to check on it and see the blood seeping from my wound. It’s a lot worse than I thought it would be.
“Inessa?” Viktor asks in a softer voice. “You’re bleeding.”
Natasha rolls her eyes behind Viktor’s back. “She’s fine. Just slap a bandage on her.”
The sight of the blood makes me woozy. Feeling outnumbered between Viktor and Natasha, I can’t stay upright anymore.
I feel myself falling to the ground.