CHAPTER 7
BAKER
Walking into the large security office, I watch the men who are watching the monitors for a moment.
They’re focused on their job and barely glance my way.
Before I can turn to leave, movement at the camera covering the lobby reception catches my eye.
My heart starts to pound in my chest when I realize what I’m looking at.
Without realizing it, I step closer to that monitor and the man watching it moves to the side to give me the room I need.
I’m shocked to see Oaklynn Chambers standing at the reception desk.
Sierra is sitting there, her back straight and an air of haughtiness about her as she shakes her head.
Oaklynn raises her chin with her hands clasped together in front of her body.
I narrow my eyes as I take her in.
Something is wrong, but I can’t put my finger on it.
I don’t acknowledge anyone as I turn and sprint down the hallway and toward the elevator.
Even though it makes no difference, I press the down arrow button over and over again while shifting from foot to foot.
Just as I’m about to say fuck it and run down the stairs the elevator doors open.
I’m just as insistent about the lobby button as I was about the down arrow.
I’m almost bouncing on my toes, the need to get to Oaklynn and find out why she’s here is riding me hard.
The moment I step into the lobby, I hear Sierra’s voice.
It’s high, nasally, and makes me cringe.
“Like I’ve already said,” she practically sneers, “I can’t send you up to Mr. Volkov’s floor. You don’t have an appointment. He’s a busy man.”
I close the distance to the receptionist desk and find Sierra staring at Oaklynn with a curled lip and hatred in her eyes.
I’ve never hit a woman nor been tempted before, but Sierra is pushing my buttons.
The possessive need to protect and shield Oaklynn doesn’t surprise me.
Ever since I met her two nights ago, I have wanted her.
There is no doubt in my mind that she would fit in my arms perfectly.
She could nestle against me and be held perfectly safe and sound.
“I understand Mr. Volkov is a busy man,” Oaklynn tries to keep her voice calm and even, but I can see that she’s about at the end of her rope with this woman.
“I’m not asking you to simply allow me upstairs, all I’m asking is for you to call his office to find out if he has a moment to speak with me.”
“He doesn’t,” Sierra spits back without even considering Oaklynn’s request.
Sure, Kirill is a busy and important man, but Sierra is overstepping big time.
“Sierra,” my hard voice has the woman in question snapping her head towards me.
The smile which started to grow on her face falls instantly when she takes in the look I’m giving her.
It’s not surprising since I’ve never looked at her like I could slit her throat right where she sits.
That is exactly how I’m looking at her now.
Normally, I’m all smiles, joking, and flirty looks.
Being charming and kind usually serves me better than being hard and unyielding.
It throws people off and makes them underestimate me when it is the last thing they should do.
Being able to find humor in life doesn’t mean I can’t be relied upon when life throws you in the deep end.
“Mr. Dalton,” Oaklynn breathes.
When I look over at her, I can’t help but smile.
Her brown eyes are wide and filled with surprise.
Her reaction to me has my dick twitching behind the zipper of my slacks even though now is not the time for that.
Not yet at least.
“Baker,” I correct her, and her cheeks turn a pretty shade of pink.
With a wink, I turn my attention back toward Sierra, my eyes cold and my jaw set.
Sierra swallows hard and makes a sweeping motion toward our woman.
She clears her throat, clearly considering using my first name until I arch an eyebrow in challenge.
Giving Oaklynn the privilege doesn’t mean Sierra can take such liberties.
“Mr. Dalton,” she tries to sound sweet and innocent, but Sierra can’t fool me, “this woman is asking to see Mr. Volkov. I told her she can’t go up without an appointment and have asked her to leave more than once.”
Oaklynn clears her throat, her words soft, “I’m sorry to come here to the office, but I need to speak to him.”
When I look at our woman, I can see the plea in her eyes.
I hate that she believes she needs to beg me for anything.
I get it, but I hate it.
Soon enough she’ll realize we’ll give her anything and everything.
It’ll take time.
The longer I look at her, the more what didn’t seem right when I saw her on the monitor becomes apparent.
Her make-up is heavier than it was the other night and she’s holding her body stiffly as if moving even a little bit is painful.
As realization dawns, I have to clench my jaw to stop the anger bubbling up in my chest from taking over.
That would not serve me well right now.
“Oaklynn never needs to ask for permission to see Mr. Volkov or any of us,” my voice holds no room for argument or interpretation.
I hold a hand out to Oaklynn who looks at it for a moment before sliding her palm into mine.
Her movements are stiff as she steps next to me.
Most women would look smug, but not our woman.
The only thing I see is relief and a little bit of concern.
And pain.
My eyebrows furrow and I desperately want to ask her what’s wrong.
Biting my tongue isn’t easy, but I manage.
I lead Oaklynn toward the elevator with a final look at Sierra who is gaping at us with wide eyes and so many questions written all over her face.
Thankfully, she doesn’t ask any of them.
Little does she know she is one of our employees.
I’ll be looking into her and seeing if this kind of thing is normal.
As far as she knows, she’s employed by the building and not Volkov Enterprises specifically.
The reality is that we own the entire building.
Since we didn’t need all the floors, we’ve rented some floors out to businesses who needed the space.
Why wouldn’t we?
Sierra is clearly more power hungry than I realized.
But she’s replaceable.
Unlike Oaklynn.
She follows me willingly to the elevator, but the moment we’re inside and the doors slide closed, she pulls her hand from mine.
It’s almost as if she thinks she shouldn’t be touching me.
She’s adorable as she looks down at her hand with wide eyes.
The longer I study her face, the more anger wages war inside of me.
One side of her face is off and then there’s the way she’s standing.
If I didn’t know better, I would think at least one of her ribs is broken or maybe her side is bruised badly.
Are dark circles under her eyes or is that a bruise?
When I reach over and touch her face, she flinches away from me.
It fucking kills me.
Making it so much worse is the fear in her eyes.
It makes me want to roar and go on a killing spree.
“I’m sorry,” she chokes out.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, Oaklynn,” I promise her, my words sincere.
She swallows hard and nods.
“I do need to speak to Mr. Volkov,” her words are fierce, but I can see the tremor in her hands as she links her fingers together in front of her.
“I’m taking you right to him.”
With a nod she looks anywhere but at me.
Knowing the ride is short prevents me from wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her against my chest.
Everything inside of me is screaming to do it, but I know it won’t be nearly enough time to enjoy her body pressed against mine.
Soon.
I place my hand on the small of Oaklynn’s back when the elevator doors slide open.
Betty looks up from her desk, her eyes going hooded when she sees me.
She thinks she’s being seductive, but she just looks sleepy.
What Betty doesn’t realize is I wouldn’t touch her with a ten-foot pole.
Not only is it a horrible idea to shit where you eat, but she does nothing for me.
Sure, I can appreciate that she’s an attractive woman, but the calculation in her eyes is a huge turn off.
Over the last few months, she’s gotten more desperate and aggressive in her advances.
Not just with me but with all of us.
While she would prefer to snag Kirill, she’ll take any of us because she believes it’ll give her the status, money, and power she’s desperate for.
When Betty’s eyes slide toward Oaklynn because my hand is still resting on the small of her back, the way her eyes narrow has me thinking about pulling my knife from its hiding place.
It would be so easy to slit her throat.
“Baker,” Betty coos and I’m barely able to hide my wince.
She cocks her head to the side when she looks back at Oaklynn.
“And who are you?”
“I’m Oaklynn Chambers,” our woman stands tall, her head held high.
“Okay?” Betty holds out the word, the question clear as day.
Oaklynn doesn’t bend; she simply arches an eyebrow and offers nothing more.
I have to bite back a grin at how strong our woman is.
She’s going to be the perfect person on Kirill’s arm while also being the queen of the Bratva.
Strong with a hint of softness is what we all need.
Movement behind Betty has my eyes flicking in that direction to find Kirill walking down the hallway.
His eyes flash in surprise when he sees Oaklynn standing next to me and one side of his mouth tips up when he notices where I’m touching her.
Even if he demanded me to drop my hand, I wouldn’t be able to.
The need to touch her is strong, I’m barely satisfying it as it is.
“But who are you?” Betty’s question is demanding.
“I’m here to see Mr. Volkov,” Oaklynn responds without really answering Betty’s question.
Betty’s eyes narrow before she glances down at her computer.
“You don’t have a meeting with Mr. Volkov,” she states as if it is enough.
It’s not.
“Betty,” Kirill’s voice is filled with malice and warning.
The woman in question spins around, her eyes wide as her face pales.
Oaklynn stiffens next to me, but she doesn’t shrink in on herself.
She exudes a different attitude today than she did the other night.
At dinner she was casting her eyes downward and would barely look any of us in the eye.
Today she’s exuding confidence and has an air about her that she won’t be taking any shit.
I swear there’s a little bit of glee sparkling in her eyes with the way Kirill is looking down at Betty.
Our woman has a bloodthirsty edge to her.
I’m going to love fueling it.
There’s a challenge in Kirill’s tone as he asks, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“She doesn’t have an appointment, but is insisting on seeing you,” Betty demurs.
I scoff and shake my head subtly when Kirill looks my way.
Oaklynn tilts her head to the side, and I already know she’s not going to let it stand.
“I didn’t insist on anything,” Oaklynn states, her voice silky and going right to my cock.
“I told the woman downstairs I needed to speak to Mr. Volkov and was willing to wait, but she tried to turn me away until Mr. Dalton intervened. He’s the one who brought me up here. We were headed to see Mr. Volkov until you decided to try and piss all over your territory like an untrained chihuahua.”
Unable to hold it in, I bark out a laugh and Kirill’s mask slips as he grins.
Betty turns bright red, her mouth opening and closing in shock.
“I, I,” Betty starts to stutter, “that is not how it happened.”
Oaklynn simply arches an eyebrow in Betty’s direction, the dismissal evident before she looks at Kirill.
“Do you have a moment to speak with me, Mr. Volkov?”
“Miss Chambers,” Kirill’s voice is an octave lower, “I will always have time to speak to you.”
Betty’s unable to stop a sound filled with indignancy from leaving her lips.
Kirill barely even spares her a glance before holding his elbow out for Oaklynn.
Taking the cue, she slides her hand into the crook of his arm.
From the way Kirill’s eyes slide to me, he also sees the way she’s holding herself stiffly and keeps her movements steady.
I make a humming sound and pull my phone out of my pocket to text Maxim and Huck to get to Kirill’s office immediately, if they aren’t already there, as I follow behind the pair.
Together they make a striking couple.
I’m able to take in what Oaklynn is wearing and my cock throbs.
The skirt she’s wearing is fitted around her hips but then flares toward her knees.
Her blouse is tailored perfectly.
The way her dark brown hair glistens under the lights in the hallway makes me want to reach out to find out if it is as silky as it looks.
I can feel the anger coming off Betty behind us and I’m pretty sure I hear her stomp her foot like a toddler throwing a tantrum.
The woman is a problem, I already know.
It’s why I’ve been keeping a close eye on her and her movements.
She’s the kind of person who could be easily turned by our enemies.
Even though she’s desperate for attention from any of us, there is not an ounce of loyalty inside of her.
Kirill leads Oaklynn straight to one of the high back chairs in his office and we both watch intently as she gingerly takes a seat and crosses her ankles while smoothing her skirt down over her knees.
Her poise is obvious, but nothing can hide the pain I see flash in her eyes as she gets comfortable.
“Can I get you something to drink, Solnishko ?” Kirill’s voice is smooth and there’s a glimmer of mischief in his eyes as he pushes her before she can decline.
“Water? Maybe something stronger?”
Her shoulders slump slightly as if she’s unable to carry her burden any longer.
“Something stronger would be wonderful,” she whispers.
“I don’t need anything frilly. I enjoy whiskey and vodka. No gin,” she grimaces slightly, the disgust clear.
I chuckle softly as I sit on the couch, putting myself closest to her because I can’t bear to be too far away while knowing Kirill will want the chair across from her so he can study her.
The man is observant to a fault and his eyes haven’t stopped assessing her since the moment he walked up to us.
After Kirill hands her a tumbler and she takes a sip, she seems to relax a little.
You wouldn’t know from the way she’s holding herself, but I can see it in her face.
She glances toward me before directing her attention to Kirill.
Oaklynn takes a deep breath, steeling herself, but before she can say anything Huck and Maxim rush into the room.
Both of their eyes are wide and a little wild, but the moment that they see Oaklynn sitting in the chair, their bodies slump slightly.
Maxim smirks as he strides toward our woman, stopping just short of looming over her.
“What are you doing here, Zolotse ?”
Oaklynn blushes and glances down at her hands before looking back up into his smirking face.
“I came to speak to Mr. Volkov about my father.” Her eyes slide around the room before landing on Kirill again.
“He’s not a good man and the only reason he offered me up to you as a trophy is because he expects me to spy on you for him.”
Even though her words don’t surprise any of us, silence descends in the room.
When her shoulders roll inward, as if to protect herself, I want to go and shoot Richard Chambers.
It would be too quick an end for him though.
The fear in Oaklynn’s eyes is unacceptable and I’ll do everything in my power to erase it and ensure it never comes back.