Chapter 11
Dmitry
I pushed her to this, I know I did, but even knowing that, it doesn’t stop the anger pulsing through my body. I pace the reception area, fighting the urge to go marching back in there and scream at her to make her see she’s acting fucking crazy.
My mobile rings and I snatch it from my pocket. “What?”
“Your father asked me to call to see if everything is okay,” says Vivian, and for once, her tone sounds caring and calm.
“Did he?” I snap. “That’s the first time he’s given a crap.”
“Dmitry,” she says softly, “you know we’re all worried. We’ve said it numerous times. I thought you had her with a therapist.”
I scowl. “How do you know that?” I demand, because I’ve been very cautious about who knows about this.
“Your father mentioned it.”
“He shouldn’t have. It’s private.”
“We’re still friends, aren’t we?”
“I don’t believe we were ever that, Vivian.”
She sighs, and I wonder why she just doesn’t give up trying to be nice when I only ever give her shit. “Well, business partners at least. I’m sure it’s hard to watch her going through whatever this is.”
“It’s nothing,” I bark.
She gives a small laugh. “She turned up to our meeting wearing a ripped-up suit.”
I roll my eyes and rub at my forehead. “Well, she likes fashion, you know that.”
It breaks the ice a little and she gives a relieved laugh. “Yes, I saw, but maybe she needs to work on those designs.”
“I have to go,” I mutter.
“Okay. But, Dmitry, I’m here if you need someone.”
“I don’t,” I say firmly. The last thing I need is to blur the lines I’ve so clearly drawn.
“There’s no ulterior motive. I’m here any time,” she offers then disconnects.
I sigh heavily and drop down in a seat. I don’t know how much more I can take of Victoria’s craziness. I love her, that’s not in doubt, and yes, I like her danger and the way she doesn’t give a fuck who’s watching, but she doesn’t know when to switch it off. In fact, there’s no off switch, clearly. And there are too many eyes watching, waiting for me to break so they can take it all. I can’t walk away with nothing after I’ve spent my life becoming this man. Not even for her. And if it comes down to her or everything I have, I’m not sure I can take the risk.
It’s another half-hour before Harriet steps from her office, minus Victoria. I stand and ask, “Where is she?”
She hesitates. “I’m about to finish up the session. I’ve booked her in again for tomorrow morning. She’s feeling embarrassed right now, and I have some concerns, but maybe get her settled in the car and we can talk about it in the office?”
I give a nod, and she disappears, returning minutes later with my krasota , who looks drained and exhausted. A pang of guilt hits me hard. I slip my hand into hers, but she pulls away, folding her arms over her chest and passing me to head out to the car. I sigh and follow. I stand on the top step, watching as Nik opens the door and she slides in. “I’ll be right out,” I tell him before heading back inside.
“Take a seat,” Harriet instructs, but I ignore her and go over to the window where I can keep an eye on the car. The last thing I need is Victoria breaking free again and running around London dressed like a crazy hooker. “Or stand,” she mutters, joining me by the window.
“Given the things you’ve told me about Victoria, and the things she’s offered herself, I feel we’re dealing with a personality disorder.”
I scowl. “She’s just . . . extra.”
“Unstable personality disorder to be more precise,” she continues. “Her impulsivity, her outbursts of anger, the paranoia and mood swings, it all fits.”
“She doesn’t need a diagnosis,” I snap. “She came here for help.”
Harriet offers a sympathetic smile, something she’s never shown me before because she’s usually so cool and stand-offish. “I can treat her better once I know the diagnosis. There’s medication and therapy, all things that will help get Victoria back on track.”
“She can get back on track?” I ask, almost sounding hopeful.
Harriet nods. “With the right medication.”
“I’ll need to talk to her, see how she feels about it all.” She gives a slight nod, but there’s hesitation in her expression again. “What?” I ask.
“She might react badly. She really doesn’t see what she’s doing wrong. I doubt you’ll get her to agree.” I head for the door. “If she doesn’t agree, then you’ll need to come up with another plan.”
The car ride home is silent. I’m lost in thought and wondering when this got so twisted. Sure, she was always a little unhinged. I smile at the memory of the first time we met and she dragged her heel down the side of my car. Maybe the signs have always been there and I was just too blinded by her.
The car comes to a stop, and I blink from the memories, surprised we’re home already. Nik opens Victoria’s door, but she remains seated.
“Go inside,” I tell him as I get out. “I’ll sort it.”
He gives a nod and leaves us alone. I round the car, reaching in to unclip the seatbelt. “You looked cosy,” she murmurs, “you and Harriet.”
I pull back slightly to look her in the eyes. “Huh?”
“In the office, you looked cosy,” she repeats, fixing me with that glare she gets when she’s jealous. My heart aches. I’m not used to feeling like this, and I fucking hate it.
I gently cup her face and tip her head so she’s looking at me. “Victoria, I love you,” I say firmly.
She shoves my hand away, frowning in disgust. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
I shake my head in exasperation and step back so she can get out the car. She pushes past me and storms up the steps.
Inside, she’s halfway up the stairs before I catch her, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Just stop,” I hiss. I know she hates tenderness, she’s admitted that, but we have to talk about what Harriet suggested, so I carry her to the dungeon and dump her on the bed. She’s seething as she sits in the centre, glaring at me.
“You can listen willingly, or I can tie you up and force you to.” She folds her arms, so I continue. “I was talking to Harriet about you,” I tell her. “She thinks . . .” I pause, rubbing my forehead again. “She thinks you need medicine. She thinks you’re not well.”
Victoria frowns. “Why?” I stare wide-eyed, raking my eyes over her tatty makeshift dress. She glances down and laughs. “This was just payback.”
“In what world do you think that’s okay?”
“Our world,” she says simply, only confirming my fears that I’ve pushed her too far. “Jesus, you’re not listening to her, surely?”
I shrug. “I just think she’s got a point. Maybe it will help.”
“There’s nothing wrong with me,” she snaps. “And I’m not taking fucking tablets.”
She pushes off the bed and storms past me, and I let her go. What’s the point in stopping her when she’s like this? Who knows what she’ll fucking do?
I pull out my phone and put a call in to Harriet. “Victoria has agreed. I’ll pick the script up tomorrow.”
I don’t bother to chase Victoria down. My heart wants to curl up beside her in bed, but my head is telling me to put distance between us. She doesn’t want sympathy and she certainly doesn’t want affection.
I drink a quarter-bottle of whiskey by the time she finally appears. She’s spent most of the day sleeping, which was needed after our long night.
She leans against the door frame of the office, watching me watch her. “I’m not going to apologise,” she says.
“I wasn’t expecting you to.”
“And I don’t agree that I need medication . . . but if you think I should try it, then I will.” It feels like a small win, and I give a nod. “Now, can we put it all behind us?”
“I’d like that,” I admit, checking my watch. “I have a conference call now, but can we have dinner together?”
Right on time, my computer screen comes to life, alerting me to a call with Vivian and one of the suppliers she wants to change to. I see Victoria glance at the name flashing on the screen. “Stay,” I tell her, pointing to the couch. If she sees there’s nothing between Vivian and me, she might relax a little. “It won’t be a long meeting.”
She chews on her lower lip before taking a seat, and I connect the call.
Tori
There are a million things rushing through my head, but the main one is Dmitry thinks I’m crazy. I see it in the way he eyes me cautiously. It’s not the way he usually looks at me. Things have changed between us, and it gives me an uneasy feeling.
I watch him as he leans back in his seat. He’s all business, and it’s hot. Vivian’s screechy voice fills the room, and I roll my eyes. He catches it and smirks.
“Dmitry, thanks for joining us,” she says. “Ken is running a few minutes late.”
“And this is who you want to do business with,” he asks, “a man who can’t make an important meeting on time?”
“Relax,” she says, “he’ll be here. How are you?”
“Cut the pleasantries,” he mutters.
I like the way he brushes her off, even if he’s probably doing it for my benefit. A man joins the conversation, and they begin to talk business, but watching Dmitry like this makes me hot under the collar and I have thoughts that will probably have him sectioning me. But fuck it, he might see I’m still the same old Tori.
I lower to my knees and crawl towards him. He watches me with a slight frown. When I get to the desk, I tap his ankle, much like he does to me when he wants me to open for him. He takes the hint and twists his chair so his legs are free from the desk. I take the buckle of his belt as Vivian asks him a question which makes him turn to a folder on the desk.
By the time I reach into his trousers to free his cock, it’s erect. “The figures need to be much lower,” he says, keeping his eyes to the screen.
I lick the tip of his cock, and his hand grabs the edge of the desk. I smirk then drag my tongue from the base to the tip before slipping him into my mouth and pushing him to the back of my throat.
It’s a power trip. He can’t make a sound to give the game away, and he certainly can’t bark his instructions at me. I cup his balls and suck his length, noting how his hands are now gripping the arms of the chair.
“I think we can come down on the price by five percent,” the man replies.
“Five,” snaps Dmitry. “Try harder.”
I take it as a personal instruction and suck harder. Dmitry hisses, and his hand slips into my hair, gripping it at the roots. “Eight percent, and that’s my final offer.”
“Done,” he replies as I slide down, letting him hit the back of my throat again.
They say their goodbyes, but before Dmitry can disconnect, Vivian asks him to stay online, saying she needs to speak with him.
“I have other business to attend to,” he says, his voice almost cracking as I graze him with my teeth.
“I just wanted to reiterate what I said earlier,” she continues.
“Vivian, it’s not necessary,” he grits out, pulling on my hair as I devour his cock.
“I know you well, Dmitry,” she says, “and I know you’re stressed. I’m just saying if you need to offload, I’m here.”
“I have Victoria,” he says firmly.
I let him slip from my mouth, and he glances down, watching as I run my tongue over the tip. “How is she after her little outburst of cr—” she begins, but he slams the laptop closed, cutting her off and hauling me to my feet.
“You’re very naughty, my krasota ,” he hisses, pushing me to bend over the desk. He shoves my shorts down my legs and enters me in one swift move, causing me to cry out at the sudden intrusion. I’m still sore and oversensitive down there, but the pain soon turns to pleasure. “I need to feel you tighten on my cock,” he murmurs while fucking me.
He doesn’t have to wait long before I’m moaning through an orgasm. His climax follows, and he growls as he comes hard.
The sound of our heavy pants fills the room, and I glance back at him over my shoulder. “You realise shutting the laptop doesn’t disconnect the call, right?” I ask, giggling.
He slips from me, making sure to rub our mixed juices into my inner thighs before slapping his hand against my backside. “And you didn’t think to tell me that sooner?” he asks, pulling my shorts back into place. “Go and get a shower. I’ll join you shortly.”
I turn in his arms, kissing him. If that witch is still listening like the sick bitch I know she is, she may as well know he’s mine.
Dmitry drags me out of bed early. I have to go back and see Harriet as I refused to speak with her properly yesterday. He kisses me at the door, giving me that sympathetic look I hate.
As I descend the steps of the manor, Marshall opens the car door, and as I slide in, he hands me a new mobile phone. “You didn’t wait around for this before,” he mutters dryly, slamming the door before I can reply.
He gets in and starts the engine. “You’re mad at me,” I state.
He glances in the rearview mirror. “I thought we were past hide and seek. You remember what happened to me last time, right?” He puts the car in gear and drives towards the gates.
“I was out of order,” I admit, “but I did stand up for you when I called Dmitry. I told him I’d leave him if he touched a hair on your head.”
“And you think he’d listen to that?” he asks, arching a brow with a doubtful expression. “Do you even know him at all?”
I’m hurt by his words. I think I know Dmitry better than anyone. “He won’t hurt you again.”
“You’re an idiot if you believe that.”
“Look, I don’t apologise often, Marshall, but I am sorry. I had to get away yesterday. Sometimes he’s just . . . full on.”
“They’re talking about you,” he mutters.
“Who?”
“His men.” He sighs. “You didn’t hear it from me, and I’ll deny it if you tell anyone, but they’re all saying you’re crazy. You’re distracting the boss. You’re becoming a problem.”
“I’m not crazy,” I mumble, staring out the window.
“Then stop giving them reasons to think you are, Tori.”
“Do you think I’m mad?” I ask, feeling nervous for his answer.
“No,” he admits, “but I’m serious. You have to stop reacting to Vivian’s bullshit. I don’t know who sent you a picture, but whoever it was wants to come between you, and you’re letting them.”
“You believe me?” I ask, almost smiling.
“Always,” he confirms. We exchange a knowing look in the mirror. The fact he believes me makes me feel better. He’s on my side.
I arch a brow at Harriet. “Haven’t you ever been jealous?” I ask. “I admit it gets the better of me, and sometimes I get ideas that I think are funny when everyone around me doesn’t see them like that, but I don’t think that’s grounds to call me crazy.”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” she reassures me. “But with all the signs you’re displaying, it fits with my diagnosis of personality disorder.”
I snatch the script from the table and stare at it. “And you think these will help?” She gives a nod. “Will they make me boring?”
She almost smiles. “In what way?”
“Every way. Dmitry noticed me because of my crazy behaviour, and now, you’re saying I have to put a stop to it. What if he doesn’t like the new me?”
She gives a reassuring smile. “I don’t think you’ll notice a difference. And if Dmitry likes you, he’ll want you to get well.”
When I get back in the car, I hand the script to Marshall. “She recommends these,” I tell him.
He stares at it. “Really? Xanax?”
I shrug. “According to her, it’ll curb my crazy impulses. Then maybe Dmitry’s men will stop thinking I’m nuts.”
He twists in the front seat to look at me. “And you’re alright with this?”
I give a nod, even though inside I’m not sure at all. “Just make me a promise,” I tell him.
“Anything.”
“If these pills make me . . . weird, take me off them.”
“Tori, that’ll be down to Dmitry, not me.”
“You’re my friend,” I say. “I’d rather walk away than end up compliant and out of it. We both know, in this world, I need my wits about me.”
He gives a nod. “Okay. Deal.”