Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Viktor
“So,” the man on the other side of the room drawled, as he tipped the half-empty vodka glass to his lips and downed it in one.
“Is this really happening? Is the infamous Viktor actually going to give up his bachelor status and settle down?” His eyes crinkled mockingly, and at my sides, my fists clenched.
Mocking me was dangerous, and he knew it.
But the alcohol had loosened more than one tongue this evening.
Usually I enjoyed evenings like these because loose tongues always gave me the information I needed to get the upper hand, but tonight was different.
Maybe they thought finally choosing a bride would have softened me, but if he kept running his mouth, I would show them just how dangerous those thoughts could be.
“Yes,” I said through gritted teeth, my own drink of scotch forgotten in my hand. Tonight wasn’t the time for me to drink and lose control. Tomorrow, I will marry Leah, and both of our lives will change.
Hers more than mine.
Tomorrow, I will have to meet with my father as well, and I wanted to have my wits about me when that happens. I might run the business, but the old man was still king.
At least for now. Until I was married, that’s what the deal was. I needed a wife to take over completely, and I wanted that power more than anything.
“She really must be a looker,” he laughed, standing and swaying in place as he traced the outline of a woman’s body in the air. “With curves in all the right places. Or does she have other skills?” He made a lewd gesture with his mouth and hand, and the room erupted into cackles. Everyone laughed.
Everyone except me and Ivan, who sat stone-faced by my side. He knew better than anyone else how short a fuse I had these days. Especially when it came to Leah and what people said about her. Leah was about to be my wife, and men would respect her or face the consequences.
My eyes raked over them all. I memorized every face that laughed and locked them away for future reference.
“That’s it, isn’t it?” More laughter followed because none of them were smart enough to realize the danger they were in.
It wasn’t like I cared about her, I wasn’t capable of that, but she was mine, and they would respect her.
“Is she a good little whore for you or maybe—” his eyes crinkled. “A sweet little virgin for you to deflower? Fuck.” He ran his hand through his hair. Making it stand on end. “Maybe you could let us all have a go once you’ve worn her in a little. I haven’t had virgin pussy for—”
I was half out of my chair before Ivan grabbed my arm. “Careful, boss,” he warned in a hissing whisper. I sank back into my seat.
He was right, these men were meant to be my most trusted allies, with the odd business associate here as well for appearance sake, and every single one of them was watching what I was doing and how I was acting. Letting them think that Leah was a weak spot for me was dangerous for both me and her.
I could handle myself, but I didn’t doubt for a second that my enemies would try and use my wife to get to me.
And in my line of work I could never be sure who was a friend and who was my enemy.
They wouldn’t care whether I cared for her or not, whether this was a business arrangement or a love match.
If they thought they could use her they would.
That’s what this was all about. They wanted my reaction. And I refused to give them anything but indifference.
“Possibly.” I kept my voice completely calm and emotionless, throwing in a shrug for good measure. “I’ve never really been that taken with virgins,” I added, taking a sip of my drink. “I much prefer a woman who actively participates.”
That was the truth, but of course, Leah wasn’t a virgin.
Far from it, the way she moved under me was mind blowing.
And that breathy little moan that always signaled she was about to spill over the edge was a dream.
Not that I could tell any of the men here just how fucking addicted I was to the feel of her body under mine. My cock throbbed at the memories.
Fuck, I didn’t want to be here with these men. I wanted to be upstairs and remind Leah how hard good girls got to cum. And she had been a good girl since we had arrived.
“I thought as much. And that’s why I invited a special guest. I hope you don’t mind.” Mischief flickered into Piotres eyes, but I didn’t have a chance to ask what because the door opened and a familiar model-like figure slinked her way inside.
Sitting back, I raked my eyes over her. Tall and leggy with a mane of dyed hair that fell down her back in a perfectly straight curtain. Manda.
She was dressed impeccably. The dress was figure-hugging, so it showed off the curves that drove men wild. And I had been one of those men. Once upon a time.
“Viktor,” she cooed at me, sauntering over to me with a sway in her hips that demanded to be watched. I couldn’t take my eyes from her. I took another sip, enjoying the burn of the amber liquid down my throat.
“It’s so good to see you again.” Bending over me, she brought her painted lips to my cheek, giving me a perfect view of the breast down the gaping neckline of her dress.
She did it on purpose. Everything Manda did was on purpose.
“I thought you might want to see an old friend one last time.”
I didn’t. I’d ended things with Manda a week ago, days before this had all happened and Leah had shown up on my radar as Alek’s next of kin.
Not because I was getting married, I hadn’t even met Leah then, but because she was getting too clingy. Ours was a purely physical relationship. Or so I thought, until she started wanting more.
Forcing myself to smile, I motioned to the bar. “Help yourself to a drink, Manda. You know where it is.”
She didn’t answer, instead, she sat fully on my lap, wrapped one arm around my neck, and grabbed at my glass.
Taking a sip of it. “I don’t mind sharing with you, Viktor.
” She wiggled, her round ass sliding against me.
“I’ve missed you,” she whispered, licking my earlobe.
“And I can see you have missed me as well.” She wiggled again.
My cock deflated. There was nothing worse than desperation, and she stank of it.
Had she always been like this? Even in the beginning. It made me question what I had first seen in her.
Gripping her long hair, I yanked her head away, forcing her head back until her throat strained. Laughter filled the air because they thought something was happening. It was, but not the way they thought it was.
“I didn’t.” I hissed. I didn’t go so far to tell her that it was the thought of my future bride that had my cock throbbing and not the feel of her. “Now go and get yourself a drink and find a seat.”
“Boss,” Ivan hissed at my side. Following his eyes, I saw the smallest of movements behind the half-closed door. Manda hadn’t closed it on her way in.
Fuck .
“Why don’t you come in, Leah.” I called out.
She pushed open the door a few inches and froze. Her eyes were traveling around the room full of men, men and one woman, who was sitting on my lap.
Leah’s eyes widened in shock. “Sorry to disturb you.” There was a shake in her voice that I didn’t like. “I just wanted to tell you I was going to bed now.”
Chuckles filled the room.
I nodded my head politely. “That’s fine, Leah.
I will see you tomorrow.” Coldly, I let my eyes rake over her.
Maybe she wasn’t so much of a good girl after all because I’d thought I’d been pretty clear about her not leaving her room without being fully dressed, and yet here she was.
In her nightclothes. With her hair tied at the top of her head messily.
She didn’t move. She kept staring from me to Manda, and the more she stared, the deeper the line between her eyebrows got. Was my Printsessa jealous?
“Is there anything else, Leah?”
“Are you coming to bed soon?” Her voice was tiny. I’d never seen her so unsure of herself. She kept twisting her hands together nervously.
I paused for half a second, but before I could open my mouth and tell her no. Manda turned to her. “He won’t be sharing your bed, little girl. Not tonight and not in the future.”
“I am not a little girl. I am Viktor’s fiancée.” At her side, Leah’s hands balled into fists.
With a screech, Manda was out of her chair.
Towering over Leah, she laughed. “I am his woman. The actual woman he wants to be with. You might be marrying him, but as you can see, Viktor will always choose me.” Her eyes raked over Leah.
“You get the ring, and I get the man. But just know that every time he sneaks into your bed for whatever boring missionary sex you give him, it will be me he is thinking of,” Manda laughed, her voice mocking.
“Why would he want you when he can have me?” Her voice dropped to a loud whisper.
“A little advice, girl to girl, give up now. You have already lost.”
“Enough,” I growled. The room around me went silent. A dozen pairs of eyes watched my every move and judged it. Striding forward, I stepped in between the two women, reaching out, I closed my hand around Leah’s wrist. Her arm trembled as she tried to cover her face with her hands.
It was like all the fight had left her. But wasn’t that what I wanted? The perfect docile wife.
“Ivan.” I nodded towards Manda. And he jumped to his feet, heading in her direction without any order from me. He knew what I needed him to do.
I didn’t want Manda here, which was exactly why she had been brought. They were testing me for weakness.
Keeping my grip on Leah’s arm, I dragged her arm downward. “It was good to see you, Manda.” Turning to the other woman, I brushed my lips against the corner of her mouth. “Hopefully, I will see you again soon. Gentleman, if you will excuse me, I need to have a little word with my bride in private.”
I dragged her out of the room and down the hallway roughly. Her bare feet stumbled to keep up, but I didn’t slow down.
“Get off of me.” At the bottom of the stairs, she yanked her arm away. “I can find my way back to my room by myself. There’s no need to leave your party.” Her voice dripped with emotion as she stomped up the stairs angrily.
For a second, I watched her go. Taking in the curving hips and ass encased in cream silk. And then I went after her.
“You might be able to find your way around, Leah, but you clearly can’t follow directions. Leaving your room in your nightclothes is forbidden.” I stormed into her room behind her and shut the door.
“So is taking lovers for the duration of our marriage, Viktor, according to that stupid contract.” She motioned towards the table by the window. I wandered over, glancing down at the stack of signed papers on it.
She had signed. Good .
“Or is that just a me rule?” Her eyes blazed as I turned to face her. “They all seemed to be me, rules Viktor? What about you? Do you have any, or can you just do whatever you like?”
I watched her as she moved around the room. She was trying to put some distance between us, but if she carried on like she was, no amount of distance would keep her safe.
“Be careful, Leah,” I warned. Did I want her to be careful, though? Or did I want her anger to get her into trouble so I would have a reason to punish her like I had earlier?
Did I even need a reason? She was mine.
“Just leave, go back to the others,” her hand waved in front of us, and I grabbed it.
“Manda.” I tugged her closer to me. Pulling her so close that her breasts flattened against my chest. “The woman’s name is Manda.” I breathed in the scent of her shampoo. Only it was different because I hadn’t found out her brand yet. That had to be changed. I needed—
“Is she a prostitute?”
Throwing back my head, I laughed. “No.”
In my arms, she stiffened. “Girlfriend then?” Her voice shook with anger.
“I would not have called her that, but yes, we had a relationship.” I tightened my grip on her. Curling my body into hers.
It would be so easy to lose myself in her right now. Her jealousy was hot, dangerous, but hot.
“For how long?” Leah’s voice shook.
“A few years,” I admitted. My eyes never left her face as I gauged her reaction.
She’d been mad when she had thought Manda had been a whore, but to find out I had been in a relationship of sorts with her was making her furious.
She was trying to hide it, but I could see the jealousy in her eyes and in the shake of her voice.
“And you thought you would invite her around for one last—” she stuttered. “The night before our wedding?”
I paused. My first instinct had been to lie, but what good would that do? “No,” I admitted with a sigh. “I didn’t invite her at all. My relationship with her, and I use that term lightly, was over weeks ago. She was brought here as a test.”
Under me. Leah stiffened. Her whole body was going rigid. “A test for what?”
“To see how you would act, would be my guess, or maybe to see how I would react.”
“They wanted to see if we were a real couple?” She asked in a small voice.
“Yes.” With a sigh, I stepped back. “They are trying to work out what our situation is. Looking for chinks in our armor. We can’t let them find any, Leah. We need to make everyone believe that this thing between us is real.”
“I understand.”
She said the words, but I wasn’t sure I believed them because I had been sure I had seen jealousy in her eyes, and as much as that thrilled me in a way, it was dangerous.
I didn’t want Leah to fall for me. I just needed her to play her part and open her legs when I wanted her to, which was pretty much every second I spent in her presence.
“I don’t think you do, Leah, because, you see, in my world, you have no say in what I do. I can’t offer you the same freedom.”
“So you will take lovers?”
“Possibly, maybe, no.” Cupping her face between my hands, I drew her face towards mine. “But whether I do or not isn’t the problem here. It’s how you act that is. When you are my wife—”
“You can sleep with whomever you want, and I can’t?”
“Exactly that. And that’s just the way of things. You signed the contract, Leah. You know this isn’t about love. It’s an agreement, and I will hold you to it.”
It might have been my imagination, but something that looked like sadness filled her eyes for a split second before she blinked, and it was gone.
Was Leah more of a romantic than I had suspected? Did she hold some deep-down longing that this was something that it wasn’t? If she was hoping for love in this marriage, she was going to have her heart broken.
I tightened my grip on her face until her skin turned white under my fingers. “You’re only job here is to be the perfect wife for me. Anything else will not be tolerated. Is that understood?”
“I understand, Viktor.”