Chapter 20
Viktor~
While the fine details still needed to be ironed out, my father had agreed to Aurora’s requests to revamp how we handled our prostitutes, and we had already put the word out, squashing any opposing opinions with the reminder that no one had overly cared about the women before now, and that I’d take any show of opposition personally since it’d be obvious what they were all objecting to.
So, with that handled, I had waited until Aurora had come back from visiting with her father to let her know that we’d be moving forward with her plans, then I had immediately taken her to bed, the idea of her being back in Marchetti territory fucking with me all damn day.
While she wasn’t expressly forbidden from having contact with her family, letting her go visit them had come with the risk of her not coming back, and that hadn’t sat well with me.
Her visit had also given me a peek into just how much I was in over my head when it came to my wife.
To say that I was already addicted to her was an understatement.
I wanted Aurora next to me all the fucking time, and it was making me impossible to deal with; I knew this.
People were remarking on how my fuse was shorter than Kasimir’s these days, and all because every phone call that I got, it took me away from being buried inside my wife.
At any rate, a week later, we were at The Akvarium, which meant aquarium for obvious reasons.
While the women who worked our territory had free reign to operate however they chose, this place was their main point of contact.
The club was always packed, and so it was a lot easier for them to make their money by simply coming here than combing the street corners.
So, when you walked into the place, while there were quite a bit of women decorating the room, the men outnumbered the women, and I knew that I was going to have to double Aurora’s protection detail whenever she was here specifically.
After all, my wife had a face and body that some men might just risk dying to touch or taste; never mind that she was still a Marchetti by blood.
Walking into the place, quite a few heads turned, no doubt wondering what I was doing here since I hadn’t ever had to go looking for pussy. However, with this club belonging to the Korolevs, it could easily be determined that I was here for business reasons, which I was.
“Why are they all staring at you like that?” Aurora asked, glancing around the room.
“Because I don’t ever come here,” I answered. “They’re probably wondering what I’m doing here and why I’d bring my wife.”
“Because they all know that I’m your wife?” she asked, looking up at me.
“Baby, everyone in Korolev territory knows that you’re my wife,” I informed her. “And you better believe that every single one of them has pulled up your picture on the internet or wherever when word got around that I married a Marchetti.”
“Well, this should be a treat,” she drawled out, glancing back around the room, no doubt already prepared to stab someone if she needed to.
“Come on,” I said. “Let me show you where the offices are.”
Ignoring everyone and everything around us, I escorted Aurora to the back of the club, and it was clear that I was going to have to do some serious security upgrades to the place before I allowed her to begin working here regularly.
While the building wasn’t old, it could use a new coat of paint and some polishing up, especially if Auroa wanted to turn our sex trade into something better than it was right now.
Once we got to the back of the club, I gave her a quick overview of what was what.
“This entire section is dedicated to the employees, which really just consists of the bartenders, barbacks, and bouncers. There’s a breakroom with personal lockers for everyone, a private set of restrooms, three offices, and that’s about it.
“What are the three offices used for?”
“One is our security setup...you know, cameras and stuff like that,” I answered. “Another operates as a storage room, but there’s a clerical setup in the corner for inventory. The last office, which will be your new office, would be for a manager if we had one.”
“Why don’t you have one?” she asked as we reached her new office.
“Never felt the need,” I answered honestly. “The bartenders do a good enough job with running things peacefully, and if any issues come to be, our security is good about taking care of it immediately.”
“So, how are they going to take to actually having a boss on site now?”
“No matter their opinions on the matter, everyone knows better than to utter a word to you or about you, zhena,” I assured her.
“I only care if I have to bring a gun to work or not, Korolev,” she retorted. “I don’t need you protecting my delicate feelings.”
“Jesus Christ, you have a fucking mouth on you, woman,” I said before opening the office door for her. “It’s like you are purposely inviting trouble.”
“Why?” she asked as she walked through the door. “Because I’m not begging people to like me? Because I’m not simpering behind you like a helpless fool? Because I’m still a Marchetti?”
“Which reminds me, we need to make time next week for you to take care of all your particulars.”
“My particulars?” she echoed as I shut, then locked the door behind me.
“Your driver’s license, your passport, your bank accounts...you know, your particulars,” I drawled out.
Immediately disregarding the room, she turned to look at me. “Why?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Why does any of that need to be changed?” she asked. “Lots of women keep their maiden names after marriage.”
“If you want me to quit treating you like a tourist on this ride, then quit acting like one,” I fired back. “You know damn well that our enemies will consider you not taking my last name as a point against what we’re trying to accomplish here.”
Looking me dead in my eye, she said, “I’m not ready to do that yet. I want everyone to know that I’m a Marchetti until I feel like I’m also a Korolev.”
“Spare me,” I scoffed. “We both know that you’ll never feel that way.”
Then, with balls as big as brass, she said, “Well, if I never come to feel that way, then we’ll know who to blame, won’t we?”
“Your stubbornness?” I deadpanned.
Done with me, Aurora turned back around to survey the room, and to my surprise, she said, “Just needs a broom and a mop as far as I can see.”
“Are you insane?” I practically squawked. “The place needs an entire upgrade.”
Walking towards the desk, I watched her press down on the surface, then say, “The desk is sturdy enough, so I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I mean, I might need a new chair, but that’s about it.”
“I will not allow you to work in this dump, Aurora,” I stated firmly. “I don’t care that it doesn’t bother you.”
“I’m just saying-”
“If you’re set to turn our sex trade into something more, working out of a shithole is not going to help your cause,” I pointed out, interrupting whatever she’d been about to say.
“It’s hardly a shithole, Korolev,” she retorted. “It’s just dirty.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” I snapped. “If you’re determined to work, and if you’re going to work out of this building, then it will be remodeled to my satisfaction before you do anything.”
Deciding to pick her battles, she asked, “Does sex happen on the premises?”
“Of course,” I answered, trying to calm down, but the woman really did drive me crazy. “Sex happens in all clubs. Why do you think the lines to the restrooms are always so long.”
“Does it happen on the floor?” she asked, looking at me pointedly.
“I don’t know,” I said, my voice still having a bit of a bite to it. “I don’t hang out here.”
“What about the cameras? That will tell us, right?”
“Yes, and I can also question the staff,” I offered.
Glancing around the room again, she said, “On second thought, I will need this office remodeled a bit. It doesn’t have a back exit, and I’ll need two points of entry.”
Fuck, if I wasn’t toast.
Stepping to my wife until she was pressed up against me and the desk, I asked, “I know what you said about overseeing your father’s gambling interests, but what else did you do for your family?”
Her eyes looked at me warily as she asked, “What do you mean?”
“You assess situations like a fucking admiral at war, and that doesn’t come from just balancing your father’s books, baby,” I pointed out.
“And what makes you think that I’d tell you anything about my father’s business?” she challenged.
“I’m not asking about your father’s business interests, I’m asking about you,”
“What you see is what you get,” she said, but we both knew that was a lie.