Chapter 14 Constance
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CONSTANCE
Iwake up slowly, the lingering buzz of Nadya and Dimitri and sagging in bed. God… today I really will just lay in bed!
But when I open my eyes Pyper already dressed, flipping through a book, while Alik is sitting on a lounge chair in the far corner of my room, making them look like two well-dressed, pouting cherubs.
“What the hell are you guys doing here?” I grit out and Pyper looks up.
“Oh, you are avake,” Alik whispers a hint of blush on his cheeks.
“Vee have come to collect you, Connie, I have decided to take you to ze best past time! Vee go see horses run!” Pyper sits up, a grin stretching across her face.
“No, thank you. Today is my rest day,” I groan.
“Vhat?! But I had it all planned! And I miss you. Since you’ve been here, we’ve barely spent any time together,” she whines.
“That’s because you guys are so busy and I ha—”
“You have been busy vit Misha…” She cuts at me and I glance at Alik, wondering if they can smell me, but I throw the thought away because I have been spraying the perfume every time I leave the room. Hell, I sprayed especially hard after yesterday!
I don’t know how good their sense of smell is, but I don’t want to risk getting found out when it comes to Nadya and Dimitri…
“How do you even know that…?”
“Because you’re never in your room at night,” Alik snorts and I sit up because he’s not wrong… I always go to Misha’s room at night, but I always make sure to come back before morning…
“You guys are nosy.” I sneer and Alik chuckles as Pyper lays her head on my lap.
“Of course, vee are vhen it comes to you. Vee vant to protect you.” She grins and Alik nods.
“Sure sure.” I wave them off. “Anyway, why are we going to the race track when there’s so much to do here?” I grumble because I genuinely enjoy exploring this house.
“You have to get out of zhis house, Connie! Vee are going to ze racetrack because I vant to vaste an irresponsible amount of money.”
“If you want to waste money, give it to me,” I murmur, already feeling the energy drain from the room just from the mention of Misha. That man is insatiable… just like Nadya and Dimitri.
“I have tried… you never accept.”
“True. I’m a dummy,” I chuckle, squeezing their hands.
“Not dumb, just honest.” Alik winks and I flop back, groaning.
“Bruh… I need a few hours to myself before my schedule fills up again. This vacation has been so not stress free…”
“Sorry Connie, but zhings have been so busy since somezhing unexpected happened wit anozher family, so vee have all been busy.”
“No, no, it’s not you guys, it’s me… I screwed up getting involved with something I knew would take up my time…” That damn triad! “Anyway, I guess I’ll go out with you for now, but after this, let me rest!” I mutter, but as soon as I say that Alik’s phone immediately starts buzzing.
“Is zhat your priority line?” Pyper questions and looks back at him.
“Da, it’s Pakhan…” He quickly picks up as I slide form the bed and pad over to the bathroom to do my morning hygiene routine, but I can hear him from the bathroom.
“I understand,” Alik speaks into the phone, his voice losing its playful edge. “Nyet, I feel fine. Yes, a little headache. But I already had a visit to Dr. Vasilev. But Pakhan vee... Da. Da. By your vill.” I hear him stop talking and peek my head over to see him sulking.
“Is everything okay?” I ask and he glances up at me, looking miserable, and my heart aches.
“Apparently, somezhing shoved up on my scan… so I zhink I’m going to have to skip ze racetrack,” he mutters and I frown, worried.
I really don’t know what it is Alik suffers from and they have never made any attempt to and tell me, even though I have asked several times.
Whenever I do, they just change the subject.
Which is odd, coming from people who share everything with me.
I want to ask again, but I don’t want to feel like I’m prying.
Still.. if it involves Alik… I can’t explain it, but I feel like I have a right to know.
However, it’s as if that rope that I’ve been trying to hold onto…
that thing that says I’m supposed to be close with Alik slips even further from my tight grasp…
and I blink, the question fleeing from my head.
“Aww man, I was looking forward to going out with you,” I tell him truthfully, but Alik snorts.
“No you veren’t. You just vanted to lay in bed and laze around,” he shoots my way and I shrug.
“Fair, but I figure that if was going to go out, I’d at the very least want it to be with my friends.” I walk over to him, poking his cheek, and he raises brow.
Pyper claps her hand on Alik’s shoulder.
“Fine, it means more alone time vit Connie!” Pyper grins happily and Alik narrows his eyes at his sister.
“Are you rubbing zhis in my face?!”
“Hmm… leetle bit.” She dances and Alik growls
“You vatch! I’ll have my alone time vit Connie too!” Alik points the middle finger at her then gets up and kisses my cheek. “You have fun out of ze house, Connie,” he whispers. “I have to go see Pakhan. You both stay out of trouble.” He walks off, and I wave him off, shutting the door behind him.
“Finally!” Pyper fist pumps. “Some alone time!” she exclaims and I go over to the closet grabbing an outfit but she shakes her head. “No no, zhis causes for somezhing more expensive. Let’s get dressed and spend some moneyyyyyyy!”
“All right I’m going I’m going,” I tell her, changing quickly and following her, letting her get me together then getting my ass into a car and over to a fancy ass mansion that’s built overlooking a whole ass race track!
“Man…. how rich are you guys?” I ask her walking up the stairs as the guards stationed at the doors open them, bowing, and I’m immediately blown away.
It looks as if we’ve stepped into a black tie event.
Shit, the air even smells rich. I’m so glad I let Pyper dress me in the outfit courtesy of Pyper’s excellent taste and the Bershov credit card.
It’s a custom-made, pale lemon-yellow linen skirt suit, tailored so precisely it moves like a second skin.
The wide-brimmed straw hat isn’t some flimsy department store accessory.
It’s sculpted, held perfectly by a black grosgrain ribbon that matches fine leather gloves that I don’t need but wear anyway.
My small shoulder bag is vintage Chanel, the chain heavy and cool against my skin.
There are no loud logos, no obvious flexing, just the whisper of quality and the silent assurance that every single stitch, from the jacket’s peak lapel to the hem of the pencil skirt, cost more than I used to make in a month.
This isn’t just an outfit, it’s a financial statement that quietly screams money.
Bitch, I look like MONEY! When we enter I scan the room, just peeping the scene, and my breath hitches.
He’s here. Misha. He’s standing on a covered terrace overlooking the track, wearing dark sunglasses and a suit so perfectly tailored it looks liquid, and of course… his fiancé is standing next to him.
It’s as if he can feel me looking at him because his head moves slowly, methodically scanning the crowd until he finds me and the air leaves my lungs.
I try to look away… to pretend I don’t see him, but it’s too late.
His eyes, even magnified by the dark lenses, feel like a physical, suffocating force.
He says nothing.
He doesn’t need to as he simply leaves his fiancé’s side and comes over, scoops me up, and carries me, uncaring of who sees over to where Nadya and Dimitri are sitting, placing me right on his lap… uncaring that Veronica stays staring the entire time, mouth wide the fuck open.
This is wild… like what the fuck am I doing?
CRACK!
A loud, sharp gunshot splits the air, and the crowd erupts. The damn horses come rushing out of their gates, making the already tense crowd go haywire. I glance over when I hear a man down below, and someone climbs the side of the fountain to get a better view.
“RUN, RUN!” he screams like he’s coaching a stallion with trauma.
“AYYYYE! Zhat’s Zhunderbolt! Move, move, MOVE!” one of Mikhail’s cousins shrieks, holding twenty bands in his hands, waving them around like it’s Monopoly money.
Bro… this is… somewhere near the entrance, two uncles are already in a shoving match over which horse will win this race. Champagne flutes crash as the rest of the Bershov family lose their damn minds, including Pyper.
Meanwhile, my Black ass is just… sitting here, or more accurately, I’m planted dead-center on Mikhail’s lap while his hand rests lazily on my thigh, his thumb making slow, hypnotic circles.
I tilt my head, peeking at him, damn near drooling at how fine he looks in that black-on-black suit and loosened tie, leaning back and watching the race as Nadya and Dimitri lean over, whispering to him. I peek over to them, pussy already quivering, mind already gone.
I want to watch him and Dimitri fuck hard while Nadya and I…
I can’t even finish my thoughts because his cold grey eyes drift to mine, and I jump, turning back around.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and I peek over, cringing when I see his fiancée watching a bitch like she’s ready with a sniper.
Honesty, I’m not even mad at her for being upset. Hell, if I see my fine ass, horse dick fiancé canoodling with another broad, I might be a lil upset too… or I might just fuck her, too! I’m the I don’t get mad, I get even typa bitch, unless I know her… but in this case, I’m kinda innocent.
I’m not condoning cheating or anything like that, but it’s clear as fucking day this man is going to do what the fuck he wants to do and I’m being held hostage to his whims!
That’s not my fault! I was just supposed to…
you know what? I’m not going to repeat myself, but I stand on what I said.
Her eyes should be shooting daggers at his ass, not me!