Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Katya
Alek shows me the dress he wants me to wear to the Paris opera house. It’s a dark green flowy dress that looks like something a European princess would wear.
“It’s beautiful,” I say, gently touching it like I’m almost afraid I might ruin the dress somehow. After my wedding dress, anything is possible.
“Try it on. Undress for me.”
To his word, Alek did let me rest yesterday. For the most part, he left me alone and focused on business. It was a nice reprieve but now he’s back to demanding a lot from me. The difference today is that I’m prepared for it.
For some reason, I want Alek to look at my body again. I remember how he did the first time and it made me feel… sexy, which is something I never thought I would feel.
I swallow hard as I push my pants down but I keep my underwear in place. I need something to protect me, even if it is just a flimsy piece of fabric.
Alek’s eyes darken when I take my top off, revealing my bra underneath. “Take if off,” he says in a gruff voice. “You don’t wear a bra with this kind of dress.” He’s not wrong. The dress is strapless.
Slowly, I slip my bra down my arms and focus on my breathing so I don’t pass out from the way Alek is looking at me. Like he could eat me right up.
“Beautiful,” he murmurs when I hold my arms at my sides, my bare chest on display. I can’t look him in the eye. It’s too much. I can feel his presence. Sense the danger in him. The desire in him.
It’s intoxicating.
He walks around me, eyeing me over from every side. It’s a little dehumanizing but it’s also thrilling. Exciting in a way I never thought I would feel.
“Here.” He motions for me to raise my arms over my head and he slips the dress onto me. Once it’s in place, he turns me to the full length mirror in the bedroom so I can look at myself. And I can’t deny that the dress is a thing of beauty. That I look like a thing of beauty.
The dress is feminine and flowy but still womanly. Alek gives me a pair of black heels to wear and it only completes the ensemble.
“Did you ever think you’d wear something like this?” he asks, standing behind me and settling his hands on my arms.
“No,” I whisper. “I never needed to wear evening gowns in my room. I’ve never worn something like this before.”
“You look beautiful in it. As your husband, I promise to buy you more dresses like this so you can show off how beautiful you are.”
My heart skips a beat. “Does that mean we’re going out to occasions like this all the time?” I’m not sure if I’m ready for that.
“No. I’ll have you wear beautiful gowns like this even when we’re at home. You deserve to look beautiful every moment of the day.”
“For my kidnapper, you’re awfully nice sometimes.”
He chuckles darkly as he presses his lips to my ear. “I’m not nice. This is purely for selfish reasons. I just don’t have the desire to make you afraid of me. Nothing is sweeter than making you fall in love with me and crushing Dimitri to dust.”
My entire body goes cold. “So, you’re only doing this to hurt Dimitri?” I knew he wanted to hurt my brother. That’s not new. But I thought, maybe, Alek wanted me for me. It’s na?ve but it’s there.
He places his hands on my hips. “Not just for Dimitri. The second I saw you, I knew you had to be mine.” He kisses the spot right behind my ear, making me gasp. We haven’t even had a first real kiss yet. Just a brush of our lips on our wedding day.
“Alek…”
“Do you want to be mine yet, Katya?”
“You’re at war with my brother. You kidnapped me. My brother is panicking right now, trying to get me back. I can’t be yours.”
“And yet, you have my ring on your finger.” He interlaces our fingers together to prove his point.
“Because you forced it onto me.”
“True. I did. But can you honestly say that you hate me?”
I can’t answer him because… because I don’t know the answer to his question. Do I hate him? Yes, of course. But… there’s another part of me deep down that doesn’t hate Alek as much as I should. That feels excited to be around him. Thrilled.
Those are dangerous thoughts.
“We don’t want to be late for the show,” he says when I don’t respond. “Come along.”
I cling to Alek after we arrive at the opera house. So many people are mingling about inside the grand elegant lobby. I could look around the space and keep finding more and more things to discover.
I have to admit, if Alek had never kidnapped me, I never would be seeing something so beautiful right now. I never would have gotten something like this hidden away in my room.
“You look like you’re seeing the sun for the first time,” he murmurs as we walk through the lobby.
“It’s beautiful.”
“It sure is.” He keeps his eyes on me as he says it.
I can’t help but blush. This is all so new for me and it’s terrifying and thrilling and I have to make sure I breathe so I don’t pass out from it all.
“Alek,” a man says, approaching us with a thick, booming voice. He has an even thicker beard that covers the entire lower half of his face.
“Ah, Rocko. Nice to see you again.” They shake hands. The power in their stances is enviable. I wonder what it would be like to feel that powerful. To be a man in this world. A rich, handsome wealthy man.
“Who is this?” Rocko asks, sliding his eyes onto me.
“My wife, Katya.”
Rocko takes my hand and kisses the back of it. “A pleasure.”
I rip my hand away without even thinking.
Alek’s laugh is strained as Rocko gives him a confused look. “She’s been through some challenging things in her life. The touch of a man is not easy for her.”
“My apologies then.” Rocko settles his eyes back onto me. “My, I have to say, that you are effortlessly beautiful. Where did you two meet?”
“On a date,” Alek lies. “We met and just knew we had to be together.”
“How long have you been married?”
“For a day. This is our honeymoon.”
Rocko claps his hands together as if he’s happy and yet there’s a darkness underneath that belies that fact. “How novel. How sweet. You are a lucky man to have such a beautiful wife.”
“I am lucky.” Alek’s hand stiffens on my low back. He doesn’t like Rocko telling me this. It probably doesn’t help that Jack tried something with me just yesterday.
“How do you two know each other?” I blurt out. I may be new to all of this but I can’t help but be curious and the more questions you ask, the more you’re bound to get the answers you’re looking for.
“We go way back,” Rocko says. “We’ve worked together before.”
I may not know the details but I know about the mafia and if you’ve worked together, then there’s a good chance you’ve killed together.
“But you don’t anymore?” I ask.
“Not after Rocko moved to Paris,” Alek explains. “I haven’t seen him in years. I don’t make it out to Paris that often.”
The lights flicker, telling everyone that the show is about to begin.
“We’ll talk later?” Rocko asks.
Alek’s lips are thin as he responds. “Yes.”
“Do you not like him?” I ask as we head to our seats. Rocko goes in the opposite direction.
“Rocko and I haven’t always agreed on things in the past. We’ll just leave it at that. Now, come along.”
Turns out, Alek has his own private box at the theater. It’s just the two of us inside it, overlooking the stage. One of the best views in the house.
The box is nice and secure, allowing my beating heart to calm down. The lights dim and the show begins. It’s a story of doomed love. But what opera isn’t?
I was always one to listen to musicals growing up. Dimitri would buy me the CDs to my favorite musicals before streaming music was a thing. Then I preferred to get the albums on vinyl just so I could listen to them in a different way in my room.
But hearing an opera right before me instead of through a soundtrack is a completely different experience. It’s one of beauty. It’s calming. It brings me right back to my room but in a much more healthy way.
I lean forward in my seat and can’t hold back the tears that fall down my face. I can sense Alek looking at me but I don’t look away from the stage. From the singers and the lighting and the production. Yet, Alek continues to look at me.
Finally, I can’t take it anymore and I sneak a look in his direction. His eyes are soft. His gaze is curious. I wonder what he’s thinking of me.
Feeling self-conscious, I turn back to the stage.
It’s then that Alek reaches over and wipes my tears away. That forces me to look at him.
“What are you doing?” I whisper.
“I don’t like to see you cry.”
“I’m not… sad.”
“But you’re not happy either?”
I shake my head no. In our private box, no one else can hear us. At least, I hope so. I would hate to ruin this show for other people.
“Let me make you happy then,” he murmurs. “I’m going to push you outside your comfort zone, Katya. Don’t panic.”
He sets his hand on my thigh and I freeze. His touch is strong and sturdy and sexy.
“What are you doing?” I whisper again.
“I want to touch you. Will you let me?”
“Touch me how?” My heart is pounding all over again. This is too much. Too fast. And yet, I don’t push his hand away. I’m not sure why I do. Maybe I’m curious. Maybe I’m excited. Maybe I’m just ready to experience things in life as a woman for the first time.
“Let me show you.” He runs his thumb over my thigh, drawing circles. I try to watch the show but it’s hard. His hand is too distracting.
That’s when he moves his hand down my leg and slips his fingers around my ankle. I gasp. A part of me wants to push him away and yet I still don’t move. I want to see where this goes.
All the while, my panic is subsiding. He’s distracting me from the nerves of being in such a public space.
His hand pushes my dress up my leg as he trails his fingers along my calve.
Goosebumps break out on my skin. I hold perfectly still while he continues to bring his hand higher and higher until he reaches my inner thigh under my dress.
My skin there is sensitive to the touch and I can’t help but shiver.
“Do you want me to stop?” he asks softly.