Chapter Thirteen
It took one month, but Nikolai had finally been able to do it.
At least, he thought he had.
There had been no attacks from the Petrovas, and he was moving up the ladder with Kuznetsov, who was beginning to look at him the way he looked at his father before he was murdered. But this time around, the Russian Bear would make sure that that didn’t happen again, even in hell. He was going to get what he wanted, and everyone was going to watch him get it. If they couldn’t look on their own volition, he was guessing they would with a drawn knife pressed to their throats.
And Nikolai was well on his way there, since he was throwing a party for the five leading families. It was all part of the grand scheme for Nikolai, because he needed Kuznetsov to see that he was capable of bringing everyone’s heads together without it turning into a war. It was going to be hard keeping an eye out on each of them and the crowd they were sure to bring along, but he had given his men strict instructions to ensure nothing went wrong.
Tonight had to make an impression on their minds.
But more importantly, Nikolai had managed to not have sex with Lisa for four weeks now. It was very hard to keep up with since he had kept bumping into her more times than usual. He had even seen her at the training ground, talking with a couple of his men like they were buddies. Her laughter held them spellbound, and he could almost hear what they were thinking at that moment. Nikolai had started to cross the grounds but stopped midway when he remembered he had to make it none of his business.
The Russian Bear knew Lisa hated every bit of it - he saw how she scowled at breakfast and later stopped eating at the table altogether, how she took to wearing crop tops around the house and spending more time with his men. But Nikolai had strong self-control, and he wasn’t going to fall.
His cock, though, had a hard time listening to him because the guy down there just wanted what he wanted. Each time he caught her scent in the hallway, he was sure to have a boner that wouldn’t go down until he jerked off, so he had taken to purposely opening his doors to all the other women who were ecstatic about returning to his secret room. Those fuckers would do anything to please him, and the more they did, the more he missed Lisa’s defiance.
But it was better than fucking her and not being able to let go of the fact that she was in love with him. Lisa had no clue that he was aware, and he planned on keeping it that way for now until she realized that he had no intention of touching her ever again.
Dmitri still thought she had something up her sleeves, so it was a good distraction from the shine of her hair and the intensity of her gaze, which he could feel right now on him, even though she was at the other end of the living room with the matron, discussing flowers and what color would suit the theme better. He knew because he had been paying attention too.
When he shouldn’t even have been there.
Catching his unheard cue to leave, Nikolai went up to his bedroom to have his bath, and only returned when Dmitri called to inform him that the guests were beginning to arrive. He was dressed in his typical black suit, but he had ditched the jacket tonight, replacing it with a brown scarf. Taking one last look at the mirror, he popped two buttons open on his chest, and ran a hand through his hair before walking to the living room.
Nikolai was stunned at how different everything looked. The chairs had been rearranged to create more space in the middle, and shiny crystals now hung from the chandelier. The blinds had been changed as well to a light gray to add color to the room, and Nikolai had to stop himself from thinking about how much they reminded him of Lisa’s eyes. And there were flowers everywhere, from the tabletop to the side stool and beside the fireplace. He was certain the flowers and the blinds had been Lisa’s idea.
Just as he thought of it, Lisa appeared in the corner, dressed in the most exquisite dress that Nikolai couldn’t remember buying. It was a purple silk dress with a really low back, the dip stopping right above the curve of her butt. The dress clung to her like a second skin, accentuating her curves, and the flimsy ropes holding the sides in place were alluring, inviting.
Swallowing, Nikolai continued his appraisal. Her hair looked brown under the lights, turned into a lot of rich curls at the base, and left to fall across her back, creating a soft and sensual look. It was nothing over the top, but it was enough to get everyone in the room staring.
What was she thinking?
At that moment, the doors were pushed open, and Nikolai drew away his gaze from Lisa. A pair of long legs were what graced his sight until the rest of Melody finally found its way into his mansion. The sharp contrast between her and Lisa couldn’t be more emphasized. While Lisa’s vibe was subtle and alluring, Melody went for the opposite, with her short red dress almost too tight for comfort and a pair of thin black heels that added more length to her legs. Her lipstick was a bold red, and she had dyed the roots of her hair red as well.
Was this fucking Halloween?
Ignoring the sour taste in his mouth, Nikolai held out an arm to Melody and she took it with glee. The party was only just starting and he already hated it. But maybe this was the right thing to do, because Lisa’s face fell when Melody stepped in. One minute, she was standing mere foot away and the next, she had run up into her room.
Nikolai hoped she would stay indoors throughout the party, especially considering the fact that Andreyev was around already, as well as his son, Volkov who was in the same age bracket as them. That boy was rumored to shag anything in a skirt, and Nikolai was determined to keep him away from Lisa at every cost.
But only because he was her guardian. Nothing more.
The classical music filtered into the air on cue, and the party started in full swing. Nikolai knew how to throw a good party, so he knew everyone was going to have a good time. So, he stayed by Kuznetsov’s side instead, talking about his business with the cartel. The Boss didn’t think it was a good idea to work with a set of people as fickle as them, but he had nothing to worry about. They wouldn’t try to cross him in their next ten lives.
He was certain of that.
Melody clung to Nikolai’s arm at the beginning of the party, but when he didn’t pay her any attention, she left, probably to get some wine down her throat. It was the only thing she knew how to do perfectly well: get drunk. Even her skills in the bedroom were questionable.
Funny thing, Nikolai had no reason to question that until Lisa waltzed into his life.
Speaking about Lisa, she chose that moment to return back to the party, still looking as sexy as she did when Nikolai saw her an hour ago. She sauntered to the bar and grabbed a glass of wine for herself while Nikolai’s eyes watched her.
“That girl,” Kuznetsov muttered, and Nikolai knew what was going to come next, so he saved them both some time and energy.
“She’s mine.”
“The way you proclaim it with so much fervor will only get Andreyev more interested. You should tone it down a bit.”
Deciding he’d had enough of Kuznetsov for now, Nikolai left the old man’s side and moved to find Melody in the room. He found her with one of Andreyev’s men in the kitchen downstairs, with his dick in her mouth. Backing out, Nikolai returned to the living room, deciding he would deal with that later.
Right now, he needed to keep an eye on Lisa.
When he finally singled her out in the room, she was by Volkov’s side, clutching her refilled glass of wine. Nikolai felt a vein move in his neck. Lisa laughed at something he said, her hands moving to touch his shoulders. At the contact, her eyes met Nikolai’s, and her mouth spread into a smirk.
The little fucker was flirting with that fool on purpose, and it was affecting him in every way possible.
Lisa even had the audacity to wink in his direction before returning her gaze to Volkov. The fool wrapped a hand surreptitiously around her waist and pulled her a fraction closer to him. Nikolai tensed as Volkov closed his eyes and sniffed her. He actually sniffed her.
The Russian Bear’s hand folded into a fist as Lisa whispered something into his ears, lingering for way too long. Volkov nodded and took her hands in his before moving out of the living room. Nikolai was about to follow them when Dmitri suddenly popped out of nowhere, demanding his attention outside.
Lisa would have to wait.
“Speak,” Nikolai muttered the moment the music was behind them, unable to hide his displeasure.
Dmitri noticed but was content with raising his brows. “The men were attacked at the site today while clearing out the parcel,” he relayed, his hard face even harder under the night light.
“Fucking cowards.” Any attack on Nikolai’s men was an attack on him because no one was bold enough to directly aim for him. “How many of them were left alive?”
“So far, only one person has been unaccounted for, and my guess is that he was held hostage for information. Three of them died, and the rest of them are in the hospital.”
“And the cartel?”
“Nowhere to be found.”
“They must be working together if there were no casualties from their end.” Nikolai hated when he was wrong about things, particularly since he was just bragging about how they could never cross him to Kuznetsov.
Yet, they just did.
“Let’s fix this.”