Chapter 15 – Marielle
Things have been the same with Eduard.
Maybe a bit worse than they were.
After the night he fingered me against the wall in our bedroom, he had become as distant as he was before then.
Then he started taking me with him to his Bratva meetings, and some of the ice seemed to melt.
I occasionally caught him staring at me, watched him slightly side step whenever our paths crossed as if he was scared of touching me, and then he kissed me—in public, at that—at the club.
And there was the brief violence at the club against the guy who was talking to me.
It probably made me a twisted bitch, but I didn’t feel so bad for the guy.
I had made it clear to him that I wasn’t interested in small talk.
Not when I was still reeling from my husband’s random kiss.
The guy went on talking and even asking me questions.
I gave him a polite smile once when he seemed not to get a hint.
After that night, the status quo remained. But that did nothing to how I started to see him more. I had no idea why, but it seemed to me that he was struggling. It was fine if he didn’t want marital intimacy or whatever. I decided that I was done seducing him.
But I could be nice in the most basic way. Just as he was to me. He was committed to his promise of keeping me safe, after all.
But even that became hard after he came at me like he wanted to devour me—then he stepped back. Reliving the moment made me feel worse than I’d ever like to admit. It felt like he was bent on making me feel small.
So I made more efforts to stay out of his way.
***
“Well, it wouldn’t make any difference. I’m always alone, anyway,” I lashed out at Eduard.
He wasn’t huffing like I was, but I could feel the anger beneath his level stare.
“Why is it so important for you to go out when I can ask them to bring dresses for you to choose from?” he inquired.
I shrugged. “It’s just what I want to do. You just dropped this ‘event’ on me while you’ve known about it for weeks. Why should I do what you want?”
“It’s not safe for you to be out and about just yet.”
The pained resignation in his tone got to me.
“Your men would be driving. They can come into the store, as long as they won’t be following us into the changing rooms,” I pointed out.
He moved to the nightstand on his side of the bed and returned with a sleek black card.
“Don’t be out too long,” he uttered, giving me the card.
Then he left the room.
I didn’t waste any time sharing my shopping plans with Agatha.
So, in less than an hour, Ruslan was driving to the area where Agatha was sure the classiest boutiques were in.
“Oh, Ruslan, you’re coming with us?” Agatha asked, looking over her shoulder as he followed us into the massive store.
“Boss’s orders,” he answered, a small smirk on his face.
“Obsessed with keeping his dearest safe,” Agatha crooned into my ears.
“Jeez! Is every notion sweet to you? I’m sure you’d make a similar remark about him strapping me to his bed,” I remarked.
“Depends on the context. I mean, if he wants you to take all the pleasure until you beg him to stop…” she prattled, her voice low.
“Agatha!” I cut in, laughing. “Sometimes I can’t believe you’re a mother and not a teenager.”
“I didn’t make those lovely kids by reading books or cooking,” she replied, an unrepentant grin on her face.
That reminded me of Kat, my darling friend, who was having the time of her life in Spain.
“Enough of your depravity. We’re here to shop.”
We wandered the long aisles of first-lady category dresses. They were gorgeous, but they all seemed to be for older women. The type of woman who would wear a beige dinner gown. Definitely not me. And, considering she hadn’t gotten any dress to call my attention to, Agatha thought the same thing.
We turned a corner, and the colors started popping all around us.
“Aha! We’re in the right place,” Agatha enthused, bringing out a black sequined dress.
I examined it for a second.
“Let me try it on.”
I took it from her as she followed me to the changing area.
I loved the feel of it against my skin as I stepped out to show Agatha. But it just wasn’t the one.
Agatha didn’t speak at first as she stood.
“It’s…more like a club dress.”
“Exactly! It just doesn’t feel like the dress,” I concurred.
“Next one,” she proclaimed.
The next one was a short lilac dress with a barely-there back and a cutout just around my cleavage.
“No, no, no. You could flash someone if you moved too fast,” she complained.
I laughed.
“If you’re scared of flashing someone, then it’s the dress,” I stated.
“Says who?”
“Says everyone, ma’am,” I answered. “I’m not wearing it to this event, but I’m definitely taking it.”
“Good,” she commented. “Bratva events like these aren’t so much for the ceremony. It’s not all loud glamour and lavish style. They are somewhere between an excuse to show off and a celebration of the latest achievement.”
“So…silky dresses, subtle sparkles?”
“Yes,” she answered, nodding.
“Let’s do it, then. Although I’m not promising to opt for a long dress.”
She chuckled.
The next dress was a gold full-length dress with a slit by the side that came up to my left knee. The soft material shimmered in the lights, and it had tiny straps.
“Wow! This is the dress we came for!” Agatha exclaimed.
I looked at my reflection in the mirror. The dress clung to my middle, and my hips seemed to spread it out downward. The slight soft horizontal folds that crossed the bust area gave it a soft, enticing touch.
“I love it, too.”
Soon after we paid for the two dresses, we were entering another store.
A jewelry store.
We didn’t stay long there since we had a clear idea of what the dress looked like.
I was good to go before Agatha dragged us to another clothing store.
“For other times,” she had defended when I asked why we had to buy another dress.
To be fair to her, though, I absolutely loved the two other dresses I got.
Then we went into a perfumery, and although my signature perfume was out of stock, I found a close alternative—more expensive.
Just like on the day of the court marriage, I shunned Agatha’s idea of consulting a makeup artist.
I had a clear picture of the look I was going for already.
So we just got more makeup stuff and then headed home.
I couldn’t say I was so excited about the Bratva event. Neither could I deny the thrill in my bones at the thought of dressing up to go out with Eduard.
***
As fleeting as they were, Eduard’s admiring glances on the ride to the event provided solid assurance, even if we didn’t exchange words.
Likewise, the black strappy heels I hadn’t worn before made me feel good.
I would never know exactly what it was about heels that made me feel like a fashion authority every time, but this evening was no exception.
It wasn’t a bad makeup day either. While I gave the V of my upper lip a golden highlight, they shimmered with glistening wetness in their natural soft pink color.
My eyes, on the other hand, were more dramatic.
The gold color of the outer border of my eyebrow blended into the dark inner eyeshadow.
My lashes were as voluminous as ever with the mascara and black eyeliner that made my eyes pop.
My golden necklace that had tiny diamond-encrusted rectangles at the front matched my hoop earrings.
In all, with my updo that left ringlets down either side of the face, my lush dress, and my heels, I looked like a snack. And I felt every bit of it, too. That probably had something to do with the fact that my date also looked dapper.
His black tuxedo, pants, and shoes shone against his white shirt. His dark brown hair was slightly tousled as usual, making him look even younger.
Eventually, we were wading through the sea of people at the property that Eduard just told me was his as we stepped in.
Everyone looked the same to me, irrespective of the variety of outfits.
The men, a fairly even mix of old and young, looked sharp. Their dark suits and shoes were all business. While almost every small group had one big laugh, none of them seemed just here for drinks or music. Their cold expressions hinted at something deeper danger.
The women weren’t chattering about their wardrobe; they were icy and mostly silent.
Their dresses danced around them like the aura of silent pride they carried.
They were the kind of women that a waiter would step on just to feel better about themselves, just like they were also the type of women that were married to husbands that would rip the waiter’s head off the next second. And they were all looking at me.
Some of them looked with curiosity, as if they were eager to ask me a pressing question. Others eyed me with suspicion.
It made me feel like I was on display.
Or maybe I was. If Eduard’s never-getting-married was as far-reaching as I had been told, I was probably on display.
As Eduard’s new possession.
But the slight unease I felt wasn’t enough for me to be awkwardly rooted to a spot. Champagne flute in hand, I moved across the room, sending polite smiles to anyone whose eyes met mine.
I heard whispers as I moved without direction.
“She’s young enough to be his daughter.”
“She was probably a hooker who got pregnant.”
“She’s pretty, anyway.”
You got that right, bitch.
“Meh, how can she show her face?”
I had barely stopped moving when two women who looked a bit older than I was approached me, their steps uniform.
“Hello there,” the first one spoke, stoic. “Eduard’s wife, hm?”
“You must be feeling really special that he stooped so low to marry you,” the other one said with a sarcastic smile on her face.
They felt like high school bullies. It made me consider giving them what bullies couldn’t stand: bold retaliation. But I decided against it, not wanting to leave any bad impression.
“You must be a good lay for him to put a ring on it,” the first one taunted.
Okay, you’re asking for it.
I was done holding it in.
So I moved closer to them, all smiles as I answered, “And you must be such tacky lays to look so wrinkled and forgotten. That must be why you see others as you are.”
They fumed and glared at me. I’d give them credit for not sending their drink my way.
I moved away from them.
The vibration of my phone surprised me. Kat was definitely not getting back from Spain any time soon. So, who could it be?
Pulling it out of my purse, I unlocked it and saw a message notification. The sender’s name made me draw in a breath.
Shook, I read the message and stared at it.
I frantically typed out a reply before returning the phone to my purse.
I let out a shaky breath, dropping my glass into the tray of the waiter passing by.
Then I lifted my gaze, and Eduard’s eyes met mine across the room. He wasn’t moving; he was watching me, his eyes shining with desire and that territorial gleam I saw on our wedding day. Then someone walked toward him, engaging him in a conversation that looked serious.
“Oh, just the person I was looking for,” an older man remarked, stepping in my line of sight.
“Uh…hi. Good evening,” I greeted, returning the man’s smile.
“Lovely evening to you, too. I hope you’re having a good time.”
“Yes, I am.”
He leaned slightly closer as he asked, “So, you were a friend of Lucien Navarro’s?”
If I was perturbed before, I became disturbed.
“Not really,” I replied, chuckling.
“But you must know about his business. You know, we men tend to talk a lot around beautiful ladies like you,” he pressed.
“We didn’t get to that level. It was just a number of brief encounters, really,” I hedged.
“The thing is, I…” he started before he was interrupted by a metallic, cold voice.
“Enough.”
Saved by the husband, not that I minded.
That single word shut the older man’s mouth and erased his smile.
Taking my wrist, Eduard guided me through the crowd and away from them. Jaw tight, gaze hard, he dragged me down a dim hallway. He opened a door, and we were in an empty room. The door clicked behind us, and that was when I looked up at him.
His expression told me everything he didn’t: unadulterated lust that burned off every restraint.
Then his body clashed against me, slamming me against the wall as his lips claimed mine.
Eduard kissed me like I was a drug he desperately needed. His lips sucked and nibbled on mine with urgency. His hands gripped my ass with so much force that I moaned into the kiss, giving his tongue access.
Bending lower, he rubbed his rock-hard erection against me, making every hair on my heated body stand. My dress was suddenly pulled up as his lips latched onto my neck. His hands traveled up my thighs, his touch leaving a trail of tingles that begged for his attention.
When he cupped me through my soaked panties, I felt desire roll off of me in waves. His eyes locked on mine as two fingers entered my pussy. He swallowed my moan in a heated kiss.
I broke the kiss to let out an uncontrolled moan when he curved his fingers inside me, hitting a spot that sped up my race to my orgasm. I tightened around his fingers, and he increased his speed. I came in a rush, my whole body quivering.
Eduard brought his slick fingers to his mouth, eyes not leaving me. The sight was so hot that my still-throbbing pussy quivered.
I moved to pull my dress down when he held my hand, stopping me.
Then he dropped to his knees.
Is he…?
I hadn’t recovered from the feel of his hot breath when his tongue swiped my wet pussy. It was an effort to remain standing.
There was no build-up; his tongue was lapping hungrily immediately. My hands dug into the back of his tux when he applied suction.
“Oh, God,” I moaned.
His tongue flicked inside me with alarming speed. I couldn’t form any coherent speech. The magnifying sweet sensation his tongue gave me by sucking and fucking was all I had in my head.
My legs shook, and my body quivered as I came into his mouth. He licked every drop clean before emerging in front of me. My lips landed on his, and he kissed me back with equal intensity.
I adjusted my dress when we broke apart, the memory of my shameless moans making me avoid looking at him.
But he lifted my chin with a finger before placing a gentle kiss on my lips. His eyes remained on mine until I blinked.
The restraint didn’t come back.
We were on our way back home in minutes.
I relaxed into the leather seat, still feeling a soft vibration in my legs.
“Lean into me,” he urged.
“I might just fall asleep.”
“Then sleep.”
“I’d rather not walk sleepily in heels,” I remarked, smiling weakly at him.
“I’ll carry you. I always do,” he rasped, his lips showing a hint of a smile.
What does one say to that?
Sighing, I leaned into his shoulder.
Was it just my mind, or did he sigh contentedly as he brought an arm around me?