Chapter 17
Sienna
I can’t stop staring at his text.
Benedikt: Meet me at my office.
Cold and flat. I shouldn’t have expected anything else.
I’m a wreck. My hair’s in a messy bun. I threw on sweats and a T-shirt because I couldn’t bring myself to pretend like this was a normal meeting.
I’m not here for business or closure. I’m here to strike a deal with the devil.
The elevator dings, and I step into the quiet hall. My palms are sweating. My legs feel like they're moving through cement. The lighting here is clinical as I meet his blonde receptionist again, and I don’t bother being cordial.
She doesn’t either, nor does she seem surprised to see me.
Rising from her chair, she leads me to the elevator that transports us to Benedikt’s office floor, then down the hall in heels that clack noisily against the tile. Then, she knocks on the door and waits for his permission to enter.
She immediately gets it and walks away.
With all the strength in me, I twist the knob and open the door to meet the bane of my existence.
He’s behind the desk. The first time I met him, I thought he looked like the best-looking man I’ve ever seen. But now, after everything I’ve seen him do and everything I know he’s capable of, I can barely stand to look at him.
And he’s still wearing the same fucking suit.
Maybe not the same one, but that type. Midnight black, crisp lapels, fitted perfectly to his body.
He’s not wearing a tie today, and the top two buttons of his dress shirt are open, giving me a peek at a sliver of throat and ink.
He doesn't look up right away, but he knows I’m here. He makes me wait while he finishes typing because this is a game.
A dirty, deadly game.
And I’m the prey.
“You’re on time,” he says finally, lifting his gaze to me. His jaw twitches when he sees what I’m wearing. “You dressed for the occasion, I see.”
“So sorry.” I step inside and close the door behind me. “I left my mob negotiation dress in the wash.”
He doesn’t smile. Just stands slowly, rounding the desk in a slow, quiet, predatory way that makes my stomach clench.
I hate how good he looks. I hate that he’s calm while I’m unraveling inside, but I refuse to cower to this man again.
“Did you come here to be sarcastic?” he asks. “Or did you come to save your father?”
I don’t answer because he knows I’m caught between a rock and a hard place. No need to rub it in or confirm it.
He’s a smart guy, after all.
“I’ve already drafted the terms.”
Of course, he has.
“Terms?” I’m confused, but I knew saving my dad would come with a price. “I came to talk.”
“I’m not negotiating, princess.” He stops within a foot of me, making me press my back against the door. “You want to hear them or leave?”
I hate him.
I’ve never hated anyone in my life before Benedikt Volkov.
“I need an answer, princess.”
My nostrils flare as my pulse roars with anger. “Fine.”
Benedikt steps away, outstretches his arm, and gestures for me to sit in one of the two leather chairs in front of his desk.
I’m careful to step around him, each step spiking my breathing to an unsteady rhythm.
I want to stand, but I also want to get this over with.
He follows, careful to keep a distance between us when he leans against the edge of his desk, arms crossed and gaze fixed on mine.
“You stay with me. No running. No hiding. We make it appear that you’re mine. Publicly. I’ll deal with the whispers.”
“Appear?” I echo. “For what?”
“For now.”
I squint my eyes at him. “I’m not going to be your anything.”
“Then you’ve wasted my time.”
I’m speechless. The audacity he has to handle my father’s life like it’s nothing is unimaginable.
“I’ll bring you back information from the bakery,” I argue. “That’s all.”
“That’s not enough.”
How much does Dad owe this man?
“You’re asking an awful lot when I don’t know the full scope of what’s going on here.”
Benedikt lifts a brow. “Such as?”
“Such as the debt my father owes you.”
He puffs out his chest. “Fifty thousand dollars.”
I blink. “For what?!”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes! Did he borrow it? Steal it? Gamble it away?”
Benedikt sits back slowly, enjoying watching me squirm. “Your father borrowed it. Then borrowed again. And again. He said it was for a truck. Then an expansion. Then for a friend. Then it was medical bills and rehab.” He leans forward, his tone clipped. “It was all a lie.”
“So, what? You break his legs?”
“That was an option,” he replies calmly. “We’re far beyond that now.”
I can’t keep the disgust off my face. “This is insane.”
“What’s insane is that your father thought he could keep gambling his future and then just walk away. What’s insane is you showing up here like I’m the villain when all I’ve done is clean up the mess he left you with.”
“I didn’t ask you to clean it up.”
“Didn’t have to. You’re here now, aren’t you?”
I hate how smug he is. How right he is.
“What do you want from me, Benedikt?” I ask, quieter this time, and not because I’m scared.
I need to know.
His gaze shifts slightly. He’s finally getting to the part he’s been waiting for. “You know the answer.”
“I don’t.”
“You do.” He stands slowly and walks toward me. “I don’t need your father; I need collateral that holds value. Influence. Leverage.”
I swallow hard. “You want me to pretend I’m with you.”
“Yes.”
“You want me to stay with you.”
“Correct.”
“And?”
He stops in front of me, his eyes dragging down my body like he already knows how this ends. “I want a son.”
My stomach drops. “A what?”
“A son.” He says it more firmly this time, like this is the part that isn’t negotiable. “You’ll stay with me. You’ll give the appearance of being mine. And you’ll give me a son. An heir.”
I laugh, but it sounds manic. “That’s funny. I thought you said this wasn’t insane.”
“I’m not joking.”
“You want me to sleep with you?”
“Many times.”
I stare at him in disbelief, heat creeping up my neck. The thought of being in the same bed with his lips all over…
“And what if it’s a girl?”
Why am I even entertaining this?
Benedikt’s mouth lifts, just a little. “Then we try again.”
“No.”
Benedikt stares at me, and I can’t read him.
“Then we’re done here.” He pushes off the edge of his desk to stand at his full height. “Have a good rest of your day, Miss Graves.”
The formality of my name sounds like he’s shut down. And that sounds dangerous.
“What about my dad?”
He doesn’t hesitate. “You already know the answer.”
I clench my fists at my sides. “You can’t make me do this.”
“I’m not. This was a deal. You asked me what I wanted, and I spared your father in return. The debt will be null and void. I didn’t even get to the rest, princess.”
Tears burn the back of my eyes, but I forge on. My pride can’t get in the way of this. “What else is there?”
“I take care of your grandmother. I pay all your bills and debts. Anything you need or want, it’s yours.”
“How about your death?” I snarl.
He has the audacity to smirk. “Then use your allowance to hire a hitman, princess.” Benedikt takes one step forward, towering over me in all his alpha male bravado. “But I’ll warn you… if I find a man trying to kill me, you’ll be the one I fuck until oblivion for wasting my time.”
My cheeks burn again, and a violent shiver takes over my body. “You’re disgusting.”
“And rich. And powerful. And not in the habit of being told no.”
“I’m not a whore for your empire.”
“No,” he murmurs, “you’re the closest thing to leverage I’ve ever felt like keeping.”
I want to scream, throw something, or claw at the smugness etched into every angle of his face. But deep somewhere beneath the rage and disbelief is the same realization I had the second he picked up the phone.
Benedikt Volkov has all the power.
And he knows it.
Agreeing to this madness will keep my father alive and my grandmother safe and sound. I don’t care about my issues. My grandmother doesn’t deserve to suffer. And despite it all, I still don’t want Dad to die screaming in a dark basement because of things beyond my control.
“I hate you, ” I grind out. Even though it doesn’t matter, I want to make it known. “And I’m never going to forgive you for this. You think you can walk around and order everyone around? You’re a prick, Benedikt.”
“I’m pragmatic, Sienna,” he says coolly. “You came to me, not the other way around.”
“You left me no choice.”
“There’s always a choice,” he counters. “You just didn’t like the one you were dealt.”
“Because I’m not a psycho who’s going to allow my father to die.”
“You should,” he replies matter-of-factly. “He’s a waste of space.”
“So are you.”
“That’s a matter of opinion.”
I swallow the knot building in my throat and take a step back, desperate to create distance between us. “You act like owning me will fix something in your head. This isn’t how you get heirs, Benedikt. Go date someone who wants your power.”
“Why do that when I have someone who doesn’t?”
“I want it in writing.”
Benedikt nods. “You’ll get a contract.”
“I’m not giving you my entire life. I want out after five years.”
“Five years. One son. No running. No games. You’re mine until the clock runs out.”
I’m already regretting this, but I know I’ll never sleep again if I let my grandmother down and my dad dies because of this. Sooner or later, I’ll get some peace. I’ll be able to save them both and have my freedom. Five years is just a price I need to pay.
“Fine,” I whisper. “You win, Benedikt.”
“Don’t look so defeated, princess. I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Doubtful,” I leer. “There’s nothing I want from you. I don’t want to be anywhere near you.”
“That’s a lie.”
I shake my head. It doesn’t matter what he believes or thinks. He’s not of sound mind, and I’m not a psychiatrist. I just hope he doesn’t change his mind one day and kill me.
“Do we shake on it?” I ask weakly.
He smiles again, but there’s no warmth behind it, just darkness and the satisfaction that the argument is finally over.
“No, princess. I don’t want to shake on it.”
I glower at him. “Then what? Do you want a sacrifice? A spell cast on this arrangement, so I can never break it? Do you want to kill a newborn baby to seal this deal?”
He leans in, and I fight the need to cower away from him. I need to show strength through his tricks and vile ways.
I’ll be fighting this evil every day.
“No, princess,” he says, his voice so deep that it vibrates against my skin and chest. “I want you on your knees and sucking me off. Then we’ll call it sealed.”
Continue reading with Book 2, Bratva Vow…