Chapter 32 #2
“I am a Borisov,” Alexei breathes, naturally aghast and drowning in outraged disbelief.
It’s the sort of outrage only afforded to people with immense power and propensity to use violence to back up their threats.
“I do not have sex on camera.” He throws his chin up, like a royal brat.
“I have proven myself to you because I have grace and dignity and my Papa would’ve demanded some level of humility.
But he also taught me that belonging to the family means you are treated right by the family so long as you’ve committed no wrongs.
I have committed no wrongs, Mr. Cramer.”
Cramer. Using his last name on purpose like that. Saying I am a Borisov by blood, and you sir, are not.
“Swallow. It.” Burt is not going to repeat himself again.
“Do it,” I say boldly, giving Ash the command even though I’d rather not. If it’s a choice between making a stand against Burt and forcing Burt to make a stand against us, we have to give something.
Ash audibly swallows, drawing Burt’s attention.
“There,” says Ash, black eyes like hunks of stone.
Face dead. Eyes a little too wide. This is the strength he has in him that allowed his sweet, soft self to survive.
He protected his inner core with everything he had, all of his life.
What’s happening tonight isn’t going to break him further.
But it could cause him to go on a hacking rampage with his sword.
Ash extends his clean tongue when Burt doesn’t react.
“Good boy.” Alexei takes up Ash’s hair again, holding on tight as he bends down to kiss the other man like he’s into it.
Only the flex of muscles in his back and shoulders reveal anything other than love and attraction.
Alexei releases Ash violently, nearly throwing him back.
Ash allows it, staring blankly at the floor like he’s submissive instead of two seconds away from grabbing his sword and jumping out the window.
He could probably kill several men with guns before any of them put him down. But not enough. I won’t let him.
“Alright, I’ve had enough.” I step in front of the camera, blocking Burt’s view of the boys. Bohnes is grinning, giving me a thumbs-up to indicate my timing is right. I need to show backbone tonight or we’re dead. I’m Alexei’s wife now. I am a part of the family.
What I also need to do is show just enough deference to prove we’re not hostile.
God, I hate rich people.
“You’ve had enough?” Burt asks, laughing at me. He lights another cigar, peering back at me with curious eyes. “How so? You think you call the shots around here, kid?”
“Listen.” I’m breathing hard. Widow is staring at me with a face that’s dripping in sympathy.
His body though? Strung up. Unraveling. I can’t let Burt push Ash and Alexei into…
anything else. “They proved that they’re lovers, didn’t they?
We’re going to pay our tithes on time, including the extra fee to keep Ash alive. ” I swallow.
Did I fuck that up? I’m improvising as I go. My survival instincts are honed in Prescott after all.
Alexei steps up next to me.
“One day, I may call the shots, yes? I would not forget a slight like this, Burt. Please inform uncle that we have done our due diligence.” He reaches down for the open halves of his pants, buttoning and zipping them back up with cool, calm fingers.
I don’t look over at the other boys, keeping my attention fixed on Alexei.
“I’ll be moving back into my father’s house tonight.
Feel free to enjoy my hospitality until you’re ready to leave. ”
“Meet me outside.” Burt hangs up on his end and Bohnes passes me back my phone.
Um. I need clothes on. I’m also dressed in Widow’s cum.
This was all pretty obvious to ol’ Burt, I’m sure.
Not that it matters. Burt knew exactly who Widow was when he showed up.
While we were waiting for him and Ash, I was given a stack of pictures.
One of each of my girls. Nisha. Bastian.
My mom, aunt, and Gram. My boys—even Bohnes.
There’s no way Burt doesn’t know that I’m fucking all four of these men. He seems to know everything else.
Ash is on the ground, clutching at his throat, eyes squeezed shut. Gagging. Widow throws open the hallway door and takes off, returning in record time with a glass of water. He squats down next to Ash, offering it to him.
Alexei is trembling, his fingers resting on his lips.
“Before we go outside, I will rinse and change my clothes. I’ll only be a minute.” He disappears into the attached bathroom, leaving the door wide open because he knows I wouldn’t let him be in there alone.
“You were perfect.” Bohnes leans down and presses a quick kiss to my lips, his hands clasped behind his back. “If they try to kill us tonight, just know that the careful choices you made with your words are the same choices I would’ve made.”
“Thank you, ghoul boy,” I grumble, in need of a rinse myself. “Nice of you to acknowledge that I know what I’m doing.”
Bohnes kisses me again, and it’s almost too much. I’m obsessed with him, and all this mob and mayor shit is cutting into our couple time. We should be fucking at the track and racing cars, not dealing with this crap.
I’m still horny. I didn’t have an orgasm. Bohnes knows. He smirks at me and licks his lips, anticipating the near future. If he’s looking at me like we’re set to screw soon, instead of like we both might die, then great. I can deal with some feelings here.
I kneel down beside Ash and Widow, putting my hand on Ash’s shoulder. He’s trembling, but not out of fear. This is a deep, festering despair. He believes his humiliation will be followed by his death, that we’ll never see each other again.
“Shh.” I stroke my hand down his back and he relaxes, turning to me and threading his fingers into my hair. Ash kisses me, a faint echo of Alexei in his mouth. Fuck. Mmm. I kiss Ash back, until he’s calmed down a little. “What do you need from me right now?”
“For you to be safe,” Ash whispers frantically, gazing down at the empty glass in his hand. His voice is raw from the experience. I’m trying not to fetishize that. “That’s what I need.”
“Then you already did what you had to do. It’s my turn now.”
We pull away from each other and I catch Widow’s eyes, focused on Ash. Worried about Ash. When Widow offers a hand out to help him up, Ash accepts it. Bohnes is the one who gives me his hand, like a proper gentleman.
Alexei reemerges, nude and wet and uncaring. He tears apart the dressers and the closets in that room until he finds what he’s looking for, dressing himself in this emerald green suit with a gold tie and a white shirt. Dark brown leather loafers with stitched X’s on the toes.
“Hey.” I grab Alexei’s arm and he turns immediately to face me, putting his hands on my shoulders.
He, too, kisses me like Ash did, like it’s important to them both that I’m the most recent person they’ve kissed.
“You alright?” I mumble when he draws away and stands up, turning to look absently at the curtain over the window.
“Minor sacrifice for a greater victory.” Alexei straightens his tie with the black latex gloves he has on. Hah. He has a choice of leather and he picked those? Hot. “We will survive to see the wedding.”
Bohnes is stroking a single finger down the length of his pale throat in thought, staring up at the ceiling. He tilts his head to look at me, the pair of us conferring in silence.
Burt is humiliating us, but that’s all he’s doing. Mocking our unconventional romance. Testing his nephew.
“We’ll survive,” I agree, weighing the odds. Checking the facts. Considering the most likely outcomes.
Bohnes climbs on the bed, reaches up, and removes a ceiling panel that must lead to the attic.
His gray-sweatpants ass is right in my face.
I’m so tempted to bite one of those firm cheeks.
The text even says that I should. ‘Eat This—Deadass.’ I do it, leaning forward and sinking my teeth in before stepping back with a smirk to grab my clothes.
Bohnes is shook, turning icy eyes down on me. It’s a look that reads, I’d even stalk you in the afterlife.
“If they’re smart, they’ll let us walk out of here. If I need to, I’ll shoot ‘em. I have a new rifle that’s calling my name.” And then he hops up and disappears into the gloom.
Ready or not, here we come.
Burt is waiting for us outside, near the fountain at the front of the house.
“Payment is due by New Year’s,” he says casually, focusing on me and Alexei like the other two don’t exist. To him, they don’t.
He has no idea what he’s overlooking with that mistake.
Better for us. I wonder if Burt knows Bohnes could blow his head off right now if he wanted to. “Not a dollar short, not a day late.”
Burt offers us both a cigar, and we accept.
There’s no other option, not even for Alexei.
“Burt, baby, have I let you down yet?” I tease, torching the cigar with my sister’s lighter. Something tells me to ham it up a little here. Burt was playing games with me before this, liked me well-enough not to have me outright assassinated without talking to me. “Sexist prick.”
“Is that an insult?” Burt replies, smug and self-assured.
He also asked us to suck dick for him. Doesn’t surprise me that he really is from Hollywood.
He’s dressed in a long, gray wool coat, hat on his head, red plaid scarf around his neck.
He has an old movie shine to him, a charisma that probably makes his men loyal followers.
I can understand that.
He’s still annoying as fuck.
“Money is what matters most, right? I’m worth a lot of money. I’m a gold mine.” I flash a grin, allowing Alexei to smoothly capture the conversation. Husband and wife, that’s our jam. Back and forth.
“Scarlett has a contact who can get Papa’s money back. I assume if I can accomplish that, I’ll be given control of the Borisov Group?” Alexei asks casually, like he’s more than prepared for such a position.