Chapter 6 - Dominik
Two weeks later
With a person like me, I could say it was difficult to move without drawing attention to myself. And since I wasn’t one to leave things to chance or make light of luxury, I usually went all-out.
The roar of my black Lamborghini caused heads to turn as I pulled up before the restaurant. Three black Range Rovers, all with tinted windows, escorted me, taking several parking positions all around. One was right across the road, one parked ahead and the other behind, watching my back and keeping an eye my surroundings. I gave them a nod as I entered, feeling their eyes on me.
I made my way to the glass doors, and a uniformed mad opened the door, holding it for me.
I nodded to him, and immediately, a pretty waitress approached me. “Welcome, Sir. Please, let me show you to your table.”
I followed as she led the way. We passed various glass tables till I spotted Feliks Sharov, my brother, staring down at his phone. He saw me approaching, lowered his phone, and got to his feet with both arms spread.
He had a smile on his face, and I grinned in response.
“Feliks!”
“Brother,” he responded, and we embraced.
We broke the hug and leaned back to examine each other before I clapped his shoulder.
Feliks was the operative head of major decisions in the formidable Russian Bratva. He’d been in Russia, overseeing the interest of the Bratva, as well as the activities of the KGB. All our dealings and investments there went through him, including those regarding the new Russian government.
Feliks knew how to find what mattered, and that made him a good choice. A very good choice.
“How have you been?” I asked as we settled at a table.
Feliks shrugged. “Fine. What’s the news from America?”
“Well, you know… The same old, same old…”
He grinned. “That bad, huh?”
“Oh, yes,” I replied with a frown. “LA is nothing compared to New York.”
“It has been a long time, hasn’t it?” Feliks drawled, his eye twinkling. “And you have changed in that time.”
I arched a brow. “Changed? How so?”
“You’re not one to come to fancy places like this when it’s official business.” He waved his hand, taking in the surroundings, and I huffed.
“Oh, you know, I thought I should shake things up a little. These meat bags wouldn’t even understand us, so relax.” I gave him another shrug. “Besides, I thought I’d spend time with my brother, who works harder than most! I must congratulate you on the way you handled the complication in Volgograd” I nodded, indicating my approval. “Really, thank you.”
“Anything for you, brother.” He winked.
Seated around the restaurant were mostly men dressed to impress, talking loudly about whatever topic they could come up with and ignoring their fellow patrons, who paid no heed. They looked like the type that would be the perfect target for assassination. Not that they held any political seats; they just gave off an annoying vibe which I really didn’t want to tolerate.
Feliks noticed my annoyance at one particular such man and made to stand.
Shaking my head, I raised my hand. “Ignore, Feliks. Ignore.”
The man looked our way, and the sharp glare Feliks and I gave him made him nervous enough that he and his colleagues looked away and shut their mouths.
For the next five minutes, they said nothing; after a while, they spoke, but in much-subdued tones.
Better. They were lucky I was in no mood to break their bones.
The same pretty waitress who’d shown me in brought us a tray bearing two glasses and an expensive bottle of vodka. Setting the glasses before us, she poured us three fingers each, smiling coyly when she caught Feliks’ appreciative gaze. Then, she inclined her head and walked away, leaving the bottle on the table.
“Well, then.” Feliks leaned forward, a mischievous glint in his eye. “If we are here to catch up, why don’t we catch up?”
I laughed as Feliks pulled out a chess board, setting it on the table, and began arranging the pieces. Ah yes, our usual tradition of playing these mind games with each other. It seemed that, even though we were meeting in a restaurant rather than my home, some things never changed.
I grinned. “I see you want to get your ass whipped again.”
“Not like last time,” Feliks said. “Black or white? Choose.”
“Black.”
“Let’s play.”
He moved a pawn first, then I moved one of mine. With that, we played, sipping vodka and making idle conversation. The waitress returned halfway through to take our order and bring a bucket of ice for the vodka. We were evenly matched, but in the end, I took the game.
“Checkmate.”
Feliks scowled, but his expression cleared quickly, and he shrugged. “Next time, brother—I will get you next time!”
Soon afterward, our food arrived. We ate in silence for several minutes before I decided it was time to get down to business.
“Mike is back,” I said.
Feliks narrowed his eyes. “The leader of the Red Jackets? That Mike?”
“The very same.”
He exhaled, leaning back in his chair. “What do you want to do about it?”
I shrugged. “Let it play out. See what he wants. Only, I hope he keeps it interesting.”
Raising a brow, Feliks leaned back an wiped his mouth on a napkin. “I never knew you to be one itching for a fight.”
“I’m not.” I caught the waitress’ eye and tapped the top of the empty vodka bottle. She nodded and scurried to the bar.
“Then why not eliminate him?” Feliks asked, putting his elbows on the table. “I don’t mind giving you an advantage.”
I shook my head. “I know. This isn’t about revenge, even if it would bring me pleasure.”
“I see… So you don’t plan on taking action unless he does something stupid.”
“Precisely.”
The waitress brought a fresh bottle of vodka, and I looked outside as she nestled it in the bucket of half-melted ice. This place reminds me too much of Moscow.
Batting her eyes at Feliks, the waitress asked, “Would you like dessert?”
We gave her our orders, and she sauntered away, glancing over her shoulder.
Feliks, however, was ignoring her, his eyes fixed on me. “You’ve got to stop this.”
“What? You’re telling me to leave the problem for someone else to fix? Besides, I told you I don’t intend to do anything unless he provokes me.”
“I know you, brother,” Feliks said, frowning. “If you kill him now, there will be rumors. People will ask questions.”
I scoffed. “They wouldn’t be able to prove anything, Feliks—you know that. Besides, who cares what happens? If I kill him now, he’ll just be dead.”
“Maybe so,” Feliks answered slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. “However, if he dies now, he won’t have to be a problem.”
I chuckled. “Now you want me to kill him?” I leaned forward, holding his gaze. “Trust me, brother. I’ve got it under control.”
Feliks gently spread both hands. “I trust you.”
The conversation turned to other things, and soon, my eyes fell on certain group of people. They stood out among the regular patrons; they were younger, and even though their attire was elegant, there was an air of novelty one didn’t see often among the elite. Suddenly, I felt my eyebrows lift as a surge of excitement jolted through me.
There she was: Maya. Sipping from a glass. Her eyes, the curve of her smile, and that rich brown hair all called to me. And, just like that, that beastly possessiveness that had emerged in her presence reared its head.
Well, well, well. Isn’t this a sight to see?And to think, I’d only come here to see my brother, but was instead given the gift of finding my little mouse in a place like this. My eyes tracked her, from her head to her toes, my excitement hardening into arousal as my cock stirred in my pants.
Shit, she was so fucking sexy; I wanted to drag her away from there and lock her up in my house. She was mine—that sexy body she was showing off right now was mine.
Feliks eyes followed my gaze.
“The brunette,” I said.
His eyes lit up. “Oh. You know that pretty thing? She looks fuckable.”
Knew her? Oh, it was more than that now—I was going to own her.
“You will watch your tongue if you don’t want me to feed it to you.” I glared at Feliks and his shit-eating grin.
He chuckled, thoroughly entertained by my rage. “So, the pretty thing already has you wrapped around her finger, huh?” He arched his brow.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “That girl is mine.” Wrapped around her finger? No. She was the one I intended to cage in my grip.
Feliks’ smile curved into a look of pity. “Oh, the poor thing.” He was obviously enjoying my agitation. “She’s caught the eye of a psycho. She’s never going to escape you now.”
I found it in me then to smile back. Oh, I was going to make sure of that.
She and her friends were drinking together at the bar, where they sat between two men with long hair. They were laughing. The guy with dark blonde hair was smiling, and his body language told me he was cocky. As they laughed, I found it hard to maintain my smile, but I managed.
One of the boys from her group casually draped his arm over her shoulder, causing a stir within me, and my expression darkened.
I tightened my hand into a fist at just the sight of another man’s hand on her. It made me want to snatch her away. It had taken all my control to stay away from her all this time, but now I knew I’d never let her out of my sight. It was impossible; she plagued my thoughts every waking moment and even infiltrated my dreams, as well.
My conversation with Feliks continued, but my mind was now solely fixed on Maya. My little mouse looked beautiful, and I couldn’t help but stare.
I wanted to speak with her. I needed to.
I wondered what she was thinking, whether she was happy with those boys touching her as they pleased. Or maybe even thinking of leaving and going to her friends. She was a nice girl. A beautiful, smart, independent woman.
The guy who was flirting with her wasn’t worthy to hold her attention. My fingers gripped the edge of my seat. I couldn’t help myself. I just wanted to reach for her and protect her.
The intensity of my emotions—irritation, arrogance, frustration over another man’s touch—surprised me. I wanted to cross the distance between us and make her mine in front of everyone. I could do it, too.
Soon, discomfort clouded Maya’s face as she struggled to escape from the unwanted affection she was receiving. She sprang from her chair, transforming her discomfort into action, then excused herself abruptly.
The boy whose hand had been across her shoulder looked crestfallen. His frown won me my smile. Maya had sidelined his advances. Clearly, he wasn’t her type, and that only served to pull me further in.
Maya helped herself out of the restaurant to the nearly-empty outdoor terrace. Perhaps, this offered her the solace she desired.
Without wasting time, I looked to Feliks. “Excuse me.”
He nodded with an amused grin, and I followed Maya.
I spotted her alone by the restaurant balcony, looking lost in thought. Her long brown hair flowed freely in the wind; however, her cheeks were flushed.
She looked up when she felt me walking toward her.
When Maya’s eyes met mine, shock rippled across her face with an alarming speed, displaying her surprise—and was that dismay?.
That didn’t please me. I expected her to remember our time together fondly. I expected her to brighten when she saw me—so what was this?
Her nervousness was palpable. It made me instantly wonder: Had she discovered who I am? There had to be a reason for her reaction.
I moved closer, hovering over her, and making her back press against the cold iron of the balcony railing. Her eyes were fixed on me, reflecting an untamed fear.
I felt like a nefarious predator, and she the fateful prey. Assessing the situation, it would have been so easy to dispose of her, her frail form barely an obstacle against my raw strength.
She made me feel like I was the connoisseur of terror, relishing in the fear that covered her, sparkling in her eyes, and yet I found myself uneasy. Maya was innocent, she didn’t deserve this.
Her breath quickened. She tried to swallow but failed, and she breathed deeply. As her lungs filled with oxygen, the fear in her gaze intensified. I noticed that tears had gathered in her eyes, and I took pity on her. In an attempt to put her at ease, I smiled gently. Then I bent down and caressed her cheek, wordlessly staking my claim on her.
“We meet again, little mouse.” I drawled, stepping closer. “Have you been thinking of me, Maya?”
Her eyes flashed with a mixture of fear and indignation that spiked my blood. Still, she didn’t move, almost like she was silently daring me—only she didn’t. What she put out was fear, but slowly, she morphed it into courage.
Her refusal to back down impressed me. She had spirit, that’s for sure, a fire that refused to be extinguished by fear; that made her all the more compelling to me, for even in fear, she was persistent in standing her ground, and her fiery spirit intrigued me.
Her eyes reddened, but she remained silent, and no plea for mercy escaped her lips.
I stifled a chuckle. Did she realize how much her silent defiance aroused me? How much watching that fear and defiance dance in her eyes made my cock stir?
“I see you’re out with other men.” I said, hearing her breath hitch in her throat. “I hope you’re not trying to give your body to that fool inside?”
Suddenly, a voice echoed her name. “Maya!”
And, as if the voice gave her courage, her expression hardened in front of me.
“What I do with my body has nothing to do with you,” she hissed, and I wanted to fuck that spunk out of her eyes right then and there. I wanted to turn her around, hike that dress up, and take her from behind until she was mewling for more.
My cock was hard as rock now, and it was with that possessive rage that I answered, “Oh, but it fucking does. Did you forget, little mouse? You’re mine.”
Maya’s eyes widened, fear returning full force at my reminder. As if she’d thought I’d been saying the words out my ass.
I chuckled and leaned in to whisper in her ear, “I’m not done with you. You can’t escape me. Just know that.”
The way she looked at me told me that she understood me. It felt good to see her struggle, but she still stood her ground.
My chest burned as I watched her fight her emotions: Her attraction to me was evident, but there was also stubborn denial. I wanted to break her, to remind her that she had no choice; she couldn’t reject me. Not anymore.
But there was no time. Feliks was still waiting for me inside, and the things I wanted to remind her of, to teach her never to forget? They were too explicit to cram into a few minutes.
Maya glared at me. “I am not your toy, Mr. Sharov.” She must have found out who I was, and that was why she was reacting like this. There was anger in her gaze, but most of all, there was defiance, and it showed.
My eyes flickered with satisfaction. “Oh, Maya,” I hummed, “You will be whatever I say you are. You are mine—never forget.”
Her eyes flashed with anger beneath her fear. I narrowed my eyes, my heartbeat spiking. Seeing that look in her eyes filled my head with all sorts of ideas, every one of them rather filthy. Was she trying to entice me?
“Maya!” Again, that voice interrupted our moment.
I turned to see the girl whom Maya had been with. She had strawberry-blonde hair, clear green eyes, and a nice, slender body. She was standing at the entrance of the restaurant, looking at Maya.
As much as I was drawn to this lady’s fearlessness, I wasn’t sure if she had what it took to play with fire. She had to be shielded, for her innocence was a rarity in this ruthless world. Particularly my world. Introducing her to our grim reality was a risk I was reluctant to take, but I was willing to take it if was the price of being with her.
As I walked back into the restaurant, I found myself wrestling the beastly urge to turn back around and take her with me.