Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
ANTON
A part of me can’t believe Katya is actually letting me shave her. She looks like a good girl, but there’s a naughty side to her I like. It’s fascinating.
A real life Barbie with a dark side. That appeals to me completely.
Katya stands before me naked, looking beautiful and sexy. God, I want to grab her and make her mine. I’ve been with my fair share of women, but I swear, none have made me feel this crazy for them this soon. With Katya, I want to claim every part of her.
“How are we going to do this?” she asks breathlessly. I can tell she’s a little afraid. Good. That means I can still have some power over her. Is it fucked up? Yes, but I never claimed to be a good man.
“Sit on the edge of the bathtub and spread your legs.”
Her swallow is visible in her gorgeous neck. “Do we really have to do this?”
“I want to see all of you, Katya and I’m going to do that.”
She sits down without any more complaint and spreads her legs. The sight of her pretty pussy makes my cock hard all over again. Since I’m naked, I know Katya can see my erection. Good. Let her look. Someday, it will be inside of her, claiming her as my own.
I turn on the bathtub and scoop up some of the water into my hand. I combine it with the shaving cream and then place my hand right on her pussy.
Katya gasps, her hips surging forward. “I can do that part myself, you know.”
“I know, but it’s more fun my way.” I rub the shaving cream around her folds. Her thighs are tense as she holds herself still. “Doesn’t feel good?”
“No comment,” she says through gritted teeth.
I laugh as I coat her entire pussy with the shaving cream. I lift the razor up. “Shall we begin.”
She sighs and parts her legs more. “If you insist.”
I place my hand on her thigh to steady myself, then bring the razor to her sensitive folds. Katya’s breathing is loud in the quiet of the room. I don’t say a word as I slowly shave away the hair surrounding her labia. I take extra care to be gentle. I don’t actually want to cut her—that’s not my intention. If there’s any part of Katya I want to harm (and there isn’t), it definitely wouldn’t her pussy.
I keep shaving. I dip the razor in the bathwater, then apply more shaving cream. Katya holds still. And then I’m done.
I sit back on my heels. “There. All gone.” I grab a towel and wipe away the remaining shaving cream. The sight of her fully bare pussy before me is almost too much to resist.
“God, I want to taste you,” I growl.
Katya looks so startled it’s almost comical. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”
“Not willing to take the risk?”
“I’ve only known you a short time. Shouldn’t we take things slow?” She pauses, biting her lip. “Start with a kiss, maybe?”
“A kiss I can do.”
We both stand up, and I cup her face with my hands. Her blue eyes are striking as she looks up at me innocently. But there’s something stirring behind her eyes—a thought process.
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking we should kiss,” she responds. Then she stands on her tiptoes and kisses me.
I don’t let it last long before pulling back. “What are you doing?”
She frowns. “Uh, kissing you?”
“Yes, but why?”
“Can’t I kiss my husband?”
“You can. But as you said, you barely know me.”
“Anton, I just let you shave my vulva. I think we’re past formalities here.”
“Oh, I know.” My eyes rake over her gorgeous body. Fuck, I want her, but I hold back. If I give in to Katya too quickly, I might lose some of my power over her. “But why aren’t you running from me right now? Why do you actually want to kiss me?”
“Do I need a reason?”
“With you? Yes.”
Her shoulders slump as she rolls her eyes. “You asked me to trust you, Anton. I did. I let you shave me in my most intimate area. And props to you, you didn’t cut me. But you need to trust me, too. If I say I want to kiss you, it’s because I want to kiss you.”
I eye her critically. It can’t be this easy. Katya cannot be falling for me yet. There’s just no way. But if she wants to toy with me and have fun of her own, who am I to deny her?
“Ok. Then let’s try that again.” I take her face back in my hands and kiss her properly this time. This kiss lingers. Katya is tentative at first, but she soon sinks into it, our lips melding together. It’s easy how effortless this kiss feels.
Our bodies aren’t touching but they’re so close.
And then my cock brushes against her thigh.
Katya gasps and backs away, almost stumbling into the bathtub. I catch her to steady her.
“Are you ok?”
“I’m fine,” she gasps out. “Thanks for the kiss and the, um, shave. Buy me some clothes.” Then she runs from me and back into her bedroom, where she shuts the door.
I could just let myself in, but I don’t.
Katya’s trying to be brave, but she just showed her true colors. She’s still scared of me.
And I’m not mad about it.
KATYA
That wasn’t supposed to happen. The shave, the kiss, getting naked in the first place. I wanted to seduce Anton, but it’s clear I’m out of my depth. He has all the power here. I’m powerless against him.
My wedding dress is in a heap on the floor. I slip it back on to have something to wear, then fall face first onto the bed and let out the loudest scream I can.
Around midday, I leave the room in my ripped wedding dress and find Katerina in the kitchen eating lunch. I immediately turn on my heel to walk away.
“Where do you think you’re going, girl?”
Damn it.
With a sheepish smile, I turn back to her. “Katerina. Hi.”
She eyes me over like I’m gum stuck on her nice Louboutin shoes. “Why is your dress like that?”
“Because I have nothing else to wear.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“Because your son ripped it. Happy?”
She huffs and shifts in her seat. “You need to get proper clothes if you’re going to be living here.”
“Take that up with Anton. He has the money. And I can’t go out shopping like this. So, if you want me to dress nicely, then you can get me new clothes.”
Katerina looks horrified at the suggestion. “I’ll tell Anton to buy you some.”
“Great. We’re on the same page.”
That also horrifies her. “I don’t like you, girl.”
“You’ve made that abundantly clear, and, I don’t like you either. So, again, we’re on the same page. Now, I’m gonna eat because I’m starving. You can’t force me not to eat.”
She looks like she wants to try, but even she knows that wouldn’t fly with Anton. He wants me here, and she just has to deal with that.
Since the housekeeper, Connie, is nowhere in sight, I assemble a sandwich of my own and make a point of taking a large bite in front of Katerina. Normally, I like to take small bites as it’s better for digestion, but today, I’m past giving a fuck.
After what Anton and I did just a few hours ago, nothing can faze me anymore, not even a scary mother-in-law.
She turns her nose up at me. “You should learn some manners.”
“Shouldn’t you? You didn’t welcome me into your home. You’re not a gracious host.”
“Technically, girl, you’re the host since this is your home now. I’m the guest here.”
Damn it. She’s right. “Fine. So, leave.”
She blinks before her jaw slowly drops open. “What? You can’t make me leave.”
“You just said this my house now, and you’re my guest. I don’t want you here, so leave. Simple as that.” I smile as I take another bite of my sandwich.
She stands up and points her bony finger at me. “You ungrateful little twit. You should be on your knees thanking me for not getting in the way of your marriage to Anton. Any woman would be lucky to be his wife.”
“Oh, so any woman should be lucky they’re married to a madman who likes to blow things up? Gotcha.”
“Ooh, you’re asking to be slapped, young lady. Learn some manners.”
“Only once you do.” I take another bite of my sandwich, then set it down and waltz out of the room. There’s some satisfaction knowing Katerina can see the back of my ripped wedding dress and do nothing about it. I’m sure it’s driving her crazy.
Anton returns home with multiple shopping bags. “Here.” He deposits them on my bed. “Clothes.”
I look through the bags. Shirts, pants, skirts, dresses. All of them are pretty cute, I’ll admit. A lot of the clothes are things I would wear.
“How did you know my size?” I ask, looking at a shirt tag.
“Because I saw you naked, and it wasn’t hard to guess from there.”
I blush and keep my eyes focused on the clothes even though I can feel him staring at me. My eyes land on a few different pieces of clothing—lingerie, skimpy pieces of lace, all in pink or white.
“What is this?” I ask, holding up a small lace nightie that doesn’t look humanly possible to wear.
“I thought that was obvious.”
I drop it back into the bag like my hand is on fire.
Anton laughs. “You know, one day, you’ll end up in my bed.”
“You’re very confident.”
“You wanted to kiss me, remember? It’s not out of the realm of possibility that you might want to fuck someday.”
I need to remember that I have to seduce Anton. I need him to like me so my family will always remain safe. But I can’t stop feeling intimidated by his presence.
“What if I said I wanted to have sex right now?” I ask, rifling through the clothes so I don’t have to look at him.
He goes silent for a long moment. Then he leans down and murmurs into my ear, “I would say I don’t believe you.”
I turn my head to tell him off but we come face-to-face. Our noses are practically touching. Our lips are so close again. I could bridge the gap between us and experience his lips on mine once more. I have to admit, Anton knows how to kiss. As someone who was denied the experience, I’m itching to kiss again. But if I push Anton too far, will he expect more from me than I’m ready to give it?
“Try me,” I say.
“So, if I laid you down right now and had my way with you, you wouldn’t stop me?”
I hesitate for too long, and he gives me a knowing look before pulling away.
“That’s what I thought. Don’t play with things you’re not ready for, Katya.” He nods at the bags. “Enjoy the clothes.” And then the bastard whistles as he leaves the room, knowing full well what he does to me.
I decide to wear a little nightgown to dinner.
It barely reaches my upper thighs and clearly shows my bra and underwear underneath. There’s nothing subtle about this outfit. I don’t want there to be. I want Anton to see me in it and know I’m not afraid.
I walk into the kitchen, a devious smile on my face knowing Anton won’t know what to do when he sees me. But I stop when I see Katerina at the oven, pulling out a roast chicken.
“You cook?” I ask, completely and utterly shocked.
She sets the chicken on top of the stove. “On occasion. I have the skills to be a homemaker. I was taught this, which is something I know you know nothing about. Do you even know how to boil water?”
Honestly? No. But that’s beside the point.
Turning to me, Katerina blanches at the sight of my outfit. “What in the world are you wearing?”
I make a big show of looking down at my body. “Oh, this? I just wanted to give Anton a little show. Let him know I’m appreciative of him.”
“By wearing that? To dinner? You have no shame. You don’t even know how to cook. What kind of wife will you be to my son?”
“At least I look like this.”
Katerina turns red. God, it’s satisfying.
“Remember,” I say, “ I’m Anton’s wife. Not you.”
“You think you’re so clever. But Anton will want a wife who can make him a homecooked meal. He needs his mother.”
I tilt my head to the side. “Does he? Why don’t we ask him how he really feels about this.”
Right on cue, Anton walks into the kitchen and stops short when he sees my outfit. “Interesting outfit choice for dinner.”
I turn to face him, letting him take it all in, and from the way his eyes darken, I can tell he likes it. He likes it a lot . “I thought I’d give you something interesting.”
He leans close to my ear and says, “You’re playing with fire, you know that, right?”
“Why? What are you going to do about it?” He knows he can’t just take me. I haven’t consented to sex. Yet, anyway. Giving Anton blue balls is kind of mean, but it’s payback for how he locked me in a room and almost forced me to pee on the floor.
I want Anton needy for me. I need this to know my family will be truly safe from him. If we can make this marriage work, then it benefits everyone.
He gives me a slow, dark smile and pulls back, turning to the chicken. “Mmm. Smells good.”
“I made it,” Katerina says with a tilt of her chin.
“Thank you. Your roast chicken is always amazing.”
“I know. Shame you don’t have a wife who knows how to cook.”
Anton thinks on it, then shrugs. “It would be nice, but it’s not needed.”
Shit. Am I going to have to learn how to cook to make Anton happy? Push it over the edge so he falls in love with me? Maybe my body isn’t enough, especially if I’m not ready to give him it yet.
“Would you want me to cook you something?” I ask.
“Only if you can.”
“What if I can’t?”
“Then looking at you is good enough,” he practically growls.
A flash of arousal hits me again, but I push it aside. I don’t want to tie myself into knots to impress Anton. It goes against everything I believe in. But I need him happy. I need him content. The happier he is, the safer my family is.
Goddamn it. I’m going to have to learn how to cook for him.
“I’ll go change,” I say, trying to walk past him, but he grabs my arm.
“You wore this to dinner. You can stay in it.”
The thought of wearing this nightie in front of Katerina for the next hour just so she can ridicule me does not sound fun.
“I should change.”
“She should,” Katerina agrees.
“I think she shouldn’t.” Anton has a glint in his eyes. “You chose to put this on. Follow through with it.”
He lets me go and heads over to the adjoining dining room.
Katerina gives me a smug look and carries the chicken into the room, setting it on the table.
So, trying to seduce Anton isn’t working. His face lights up as he cuts into the chicken. He gets annoyed by his mom, that much is clear, but he also likes some things, and a home cooked meal is one of them. Maybe the way to Anton’s heart is through his stomach. Lust isn’t love. But food could turn to love.
I sit down at the table, my mind spinning with ideas.
“This is delicious,” he tells Katerina, chewing on a piece of the chicken.
I take a small bite and shrug. “It’s ok.”
Katerina glares at me. “Roast chicken is my specialty.”
“It’s pretty bland. Needs more seasoning.”
“Like you could do better.”
“Maybe I can.” I turn to Anton. “I can cook for you.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Yes,” I say with a huff.
“Ok. Well, there’s always ingredients in the food and cookbooks in the kitchen. You can make something for us tomorrow night.”
“Great.”
“Great,” Anton says cheerfully.
“Great,” Katerina says sarcastically.
We eat in silence for a moment. I’ll admit, the chicken is really good. This is one thing Katerina can do well. But as a mother-in-law, she’s freaking awful.
“So, how long is your mother staying with us?” I ask.
Katerina’s silverware clatters on her plate. “How dare you ask him that!”
“What? It’s an innocent question. I’m curious how long you’ll be staying with us.”
She points her knife at me. “You just want me gone, don’t you? Tell her, Anton. Tell her how I’m not going anywhere.”
For a moment, Anton hesitates, then he sighs deeply. “Mom, you can’t live with us forever, you know.”
She stares at him like she’s been slapped. I first thought she was going to throw her knife at me, but now I think she’s going to throw it at her son. “What do you mean? I’m your mother. You can’t kick me out. I have nowhere else to go.”
“We both know that’s not true. We’re rich. You have houses on multiple continents.”
“Anton, I’m your mother. I’m supposed to be here for you during this changing time. You can’t make me leave now.”
He shrugs. “All right. You can stay.”
My jaw drops. “Just like that?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“Because she’s rude to me,” I explain.
“Mom, stop being rude to Katya. She’s my wife now. Show a little respect.”
Katerina’s lips purse into such thin lines they practically disappear. “I’ll show her respect when she shows me respect. Flouncing around in that little outfit is disrespectful.”
“It’s just because you’re jealous you don’t look like this,” I fire back, making Anton laugh.
Katerina looks at him with so much betrayal that he stops laughing and takes a large bite of his food. “See what I have to put up with? It’s terrible.”
“If you want to stay here, Mother, then you need to learn to get along with Katya. Simple as that. Now, I’d like to enjoy my meal without all the fighting.”
I stare at Anton in surprise. In a way, he’s choosing me over his mother. He’s not exactly what I expected.
“Thank you,” I tell him.
“And you need to stop pushing my mom,” he says. “I like your backbone, but it’s going to get you into trouble one day.” There’s an implication there that he means I’ll get into trouble with him.
“Is it, now?” I lean forward to grab the salt, giving him a flash of my cleavage.
The look he gives me is filled with pure desire. “Trouble, indeed.”
Anton and I are at a standstill. Neither of us will bend, but one of us will break eventually.
I don’t plan on it being me.
Since I need to be the perfect wife to impress Anton, I need to try my hand at making him something so delicious he’ll love me just from that. And when he loves me, I’ll know I’ll be safe.
Right now, there’s a chemistry between us. That much is obvious. But chemistry doesn’t equal love.
I open one of the cookbooks and look for something simple. One of the recipes is for broccoli pesto pasta. I love healthy food, so this sounds right up my alley. There’s pasta in a cabinet and broccoli in the fridge. The only thing I have to make is the pesto, and it sounds easy enough.
I fill a pan with water, then … what? How do I even work the stove?
“Confused?” Katerina’s voice makes me flinch. I swear, it’s like nails on a chalkboard listening to her.
“No,” I say lightly. “Just … figuring all this out.”
“Mmm.” She eyes me over critically. “At least you’re dressed appropriately for once.”
I’m in jeans and a crop-top with just enough midriff showing to give Anton a little tease but not enough to drive him crazy.
“Well,” she says, “appropriate is debatable.”
“You just can’t help yourself, can you, Katerina?”
“I never wanted you in my son’s life.”
“So? He chose me. Get over it. If you don’t like it, you can leave.”
“Anton will never kick me out.”
“He said you have to be nice to me if you’re going to stay. So, be nice.” I turn back to the stove and finally realize what I have to do. I turn on the burner. See? I can figure out how to boil water.
“All right, then.” Katerina comes over to me, practically invading my space. “Why don’t you come with me to a tea function tomorrow?”
“One with other Bratva women?”
“Yes.”
If Evie, Ava, and Luna are there, it would give me the chance to see my friends. I didn’t realize how much I missed them until this very moment. And I’ve only been here for less than a week.
I eye Katerina. “What’s the catch?”
“There is no catch. I’m trying to extend an olive branch. Come with me. We can have a fun time together.”
“Fun being a debatable word,” I mutter.
She scowls. “You’re impossible. Just impossible.” She turns away from me in a huff. This is my one chance to possibly see my friends again. I can’t lose it.
“Wait. I’ll … go. Happy?”
She smiles, but it’s so tight, it doesn’t even reach her lips, let alone her eyes. “Yes.” She nods to the stove. “And your water is boiling.”
Oh! I actually figured it out.
I pour in the pasta, and after spending almost a minute figuring out where the timer is on the microwave, I set the timer and let it cook. Now, I just have to make the pesto, which is a bit harder, but the recipe says all I have to do is mix together a few ingredients, and that’s that.
Within an hour, I’ve made broccoli pesto pasta.
I serve it to Anton and Katerina.
“Looks good,” Anton says, taking a large bite. I watch him chew slowly as surprised delight crosses his face. “It’s good. Really good.”
I sigh with relief. “I’m glad.” Score one for me. Now, I just need to keep making food for Anton until he loves me.
“But I know what you’re doing,” he says, startling me.
“What am I doing?”
“Trying to impress me with food, but Katya, it won’t work.”
“What do you mean?” I ask as dread pools in my stomach.
“I mean you’re going to have to try harder than skimpy outfits and food to win me over. Right now, I have all the power, and frankly, I’m not interested in giving it up. So, if you want to play games, then we can play. But I’ll let you in on a secret: I’ll always win.”
All my hard work for nothing. Anton is not an easy man to crack. I’ve failed. Again. I try not to cry as I eat the food I worked so hard to make.
Katerina gives me a smug smile, then takes a bite of the pasta. “It could use more salt.”