Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Calina
All through the night, sleep evaded me.
I lie beside Maxim, listening to his steady breathing while my mind races.
And by the time the first light of dawn creeps through the curtains, I have come up with a plan. Risky, maybe even foolish, but I can’t just sit back and do nothing.
If Dmitri is the mole, I need to know before he can do more damage.
Maxim and I start the morning in the most delicious way possible, his head between my thighs until I am shaking, then him on top of me, deep and slow, and finally me riding him until we both come undone.
He takes me in so many positions I lose count, wringing pleasure from my body until I am breathless and mindless.
Even now, hours later, I can still feel the pleasant ache between my legs.
Currently, Maxim is outside in the gym by the pool, working out with Dmitri and Viktor. The sound of weights and low conversation drifts through the open windows.
I reach out to Milana and ask her to come over. She agrees without hesitation. I'm going over the plan in my head when the maid ushers Milana in, my sister looks equal parts concerned and curious.
“Calina, what was so urgent that you asked me to come over?” she asks.
I grab her hand and quickly pull her away from the earshot of her bodyguard and the other men lingering nearby. I lead her down the hallway, far enough that no one can overhear us, then turn to face her.
“I need you to do something for me,” I say, keeping my voice low. “Something important… and it has to stay between us.”
Milana’s eyes widen slightly, but she nods, squeezing my hand. “Tell me.”
A maid walks past us carrying a laundry basket, greeting us as she passes.
“Come with me.”
I pull Milana into our bedroom and quickly close the door behind us, making sure we’re completely alone.
“Calina, what is going on? You're scaring me.”
My heart is racing as I turn to face her. “I need you to steal Dmitri’s phone,” I say without preamble.
Her eyes widen in shock. “What? Why? How am I supposed to steal Dmitri’s phone? What for?”
She looks completely confused, almost alarmed. I take a deep breath and tell her everything, how I overheard him on a hushed call last night, the strange way he acted when he caught me listening, and my growing suspicion that he might be the mole.
Milana stares at me for a long moment. “That’s very risky, Calina. For all you know, he was just making a legitimate work call. Why would you suddenly suspect Dmitri of all people?”
I pace a few steps, trying to keep my voice low. “Because we have to be careful. Especially after what happened at the wedding. Dmitri practically lives here. He’s around all the time. I need to know I can trust the people in this house, the people around my husband. Around me.”
She still doesn’t look convinced. “Even if that’s true, how are we supposed to get his phone? And what do we even do with it?”
I step closer, grabbing her hands. “It’s simple. Dmitri is enamored with you. I’ve seen the way he flirts with you every time you come over. We can use it.”
Milana’s eyes narrow. “You want me to flirt back? I don't like him like that.”
“Just enough to distract him,” I say quickly. “The men are outside working out by the pool right now. We’ll change into bikinis, go out there like we’re just going for a swim. You distract him, keep him occupied, and then we’ll find a way to get his phone.”
She’s quiet for a long moment, clearly uneasy. “This is dangerous. If we get caught…”
“I know,” I whisper, guilt twisting in my chest. “I’m scared of dragging you into this, but I don’t how else to do this. I can’t tell Maxim yet. The last time I mentioned something about Dmitri and Victor, he got really angry.
“We’re finally in a good place. I don’t want to ruin that. But if Dmitri really is the mole… I need to be sure before I say anything.”
Milana lets out a shaky breath, searching my face. “You really think he could be betraying Maxim?”
“I don’t know,” I admit, my voice cracking slightly. “But I have to find out.”
She squeezes my hands, even though she still looks uncertain. “Okay. Let’s do it. But if this goes wrong…”
“I'll take the blame,” I say softly. “You don't have to worry.”
We quickly change into bikinis, mine a simple black one, hers a soft sage green that barely covers what it needs to. The top is a delicate triangle style with thin strings, and the bottom sits low on her hips.
She keeps tugging at the strings self-consciously, clearly uncomfortable. So, I hand her a sheer white kimono that still doesn't hide much.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she mutters, cheeks flushed. “I’ve never been this exposed in front of men who aren’t family.”
Guilt twists in my chest. “I know. I’m sorry for asking this of you. But it’s the only way I can think of right now.”
She nods, though she still looks uneasy. We head downstairs together and walk out to the pool area.
The men are working out. Maxim is doing pull-ups on a bar, shirtless, his powerful back and arm muscles flexing with every rep.
Making me remember how it had felt with those arms holding me down to the mattress as I orgasmed. My thighs involuntarily cling together at the thought.
Sweat glistens on his skin, making his tattoos shine under the sun. He looks incredibly strong and dangerously attractive.
His eyes lift the moment we step outside. The heat in his gaze as it rakes over my body is immediate and scorching. I feel it like a physical touch.
Victor is on the phone a short distance away. He ends the call quickly and tells Maxim something before walking off toward the house.
I decide to make my move. I walk over to Maxim as he finishes a set and jumps down from the bar, breathing hard, chest rising and falling.
“Nice workout,” I say, letting my eyes drift over his sweat-slicked torso.
He smirks, stepping closer. “You like what you see?”
“Very much.”
Before I can say anything else, he grabs me by the waist and lifts me effortlessly. I laugh in surprise, wrapping my legs around his hips and my arms around his neck.
He holds me there like I weigh nothing, then reaches up with both hands to grip the pull-up bar again.
My eyes widen. “Maxim—”
He starts doing pull-ups with my full weight added. Each smooth rep lifts us both, his muscles straining, sweat dripping down his chest.
I can’t help but laugh, holding on tighter as we move together. The sensation of his hard body pressed against mine, the raw strength it takes to do this, sends a thrill through me.
From the corner of my eye, I see Milana approaching Dmitri. She’s smiling shyly, playing the part perfectly. She says something that makes him laugh and turn fully toward her, completely distracted.
While they talk, I watch her hand slip subtly into his pocket and retrieve his phone, sliding it into the pocket of her kimono with surprising smoothness. He's too distracted to notice.
I bite back a smile of relief.
Maxim finishes his set and lowers us both down. I slide off him, breathless even though I did nothing but hold on.
He pulls me in for a deep kiss, his hands gripping my waist possessively. “Want to do another rep?”
What? Doesn't this man get tired? I'm tempted to remain pressed against him but I need to get that phone from Milana before Dmitri figures out it's missing.
“I’ll leave you to it,” I murmur against his lips, pulling back with a playful smile. “I’m going to get some lemonade from the sunroom.”
He squeezes my ass before letting me go. I can feel his heated gaze burning into my back as I walk away.
I signal to Milana, who whispers something in Dmitri’s ear before following me. To keep up the act, I shoot Dmitri a warning glare with no real heat behind it. He raises both hands in surrender, as if to say he did nothing wrong.
We both step into the sunroom, and the moment the door clicks shut behind us, she lets out a shaky breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
“I got it,” she whispers.
She reaches into the pocket of her kimono and pulls out Dmitri’s phone, holding it like it might burn her. “Here. Take it before I change my mind.”
I grab it, my hands slightly trembling. Through the glass walls of the sunroom, I can see the men still working out by the pool, but they can’t see inside clearly because of the reflective tint.
“You did good Mil, thank you.”
Milana looks at me with wide eyes. “What now?”
The phone is locked so I can't access anything in it. I worry my lip as another idea forms in my mind.
“You’re going to take this back to the house,” I tell her, keeping my voice low. “Give it to our family’s hacker. Have him go through everything, messages, emails, call logs. Anything that might show if Dmitri is working against us.”
She stares at me like I’ve gone mad. “What? The second I walk out of here with this phone, Dmitri is going to notice it’s missing. How am I supposed to explain that?”
“He won’t suspect you,” I say quickly. “You’re the last person he’d think took it. I’ll switch it off. Just get it to the hacker. We need to know if he’s communicating with Adrian or anyone suspicious.”
Milana still looks unsure, shifting nervously. “This is risky, Calina. What if we’re wrong? What if he really was just making a work call?”
“I know it’s risky,” I admit. “But I have the feeling that he might be doing something shady.”
She lets out a frustrated breath. “God, Calina.”
I squeeze her hand. “Just do your part. Go back out there, act normal. After a while, say Artyom called and you need to leave urgently. I’ll handle the rest.”
Milana hesitates for another second, then nods reluctantly. I quickly hand her two glasses of lemonade. She takes a deep breath, straightens her shoulders, and steps back outside with a composed smile.
The moment she’s gone, I start pacing in the sunroom, my mind spinning.
What if I’m wrong? What if Dmitri is innocent and I’m about to ruin everything? What if I’m right and he really is betraying Maxim?
I feel sick with doubt. I promised Maxim I wouldn’t hide things from him anymore. If he finds out I did this behind his back, he’ll be furious. But I can’t bring it up again without proof.
Just then, the door to the sunroom opens. I shriek, spinning around in panic. But it’s only Maxim.
He steps inside, still shirtless and sweaty from his workout, eyebrows raised at my reaction.
Maxim walks into the sunroom, his eyes darkening the moment they land on me. “And what has got you acting all sneaky?”
I shrug. “I was just surprised to see you—” I start, but before I can finish, he’s already crowding me against the glass wall.
His big hand comes down hard on my ass with a sharp smack.
“You know exactly what you’re doing,” he growls, pressing his body against mine.
“Walking around in this flimsy little swimsuit, showing off what’s mine for everyone to see. Teasing me.”
His hand slides between my thighs from behind, pushing the thin fabric of my bikini bottoms aside. Two thick fingers drag through my soaked folds, spreading my wetness.
I bite my lip hard to hold back a moan as he circles my clit slowly, teasingly.
“Already dripping for me,” he murmurs against my ear, voice rough. “Such a needy little wife.”
He pushes two fingers inside me without warning, curling them deep. My knees buckle, but he holds me up with his body, fucking me with his fingers in slow, deliberate strokes.
The wet sounds are obscene in the quiet sunroom. I can see the men outside through the tinted glass, including my sister and Dmitri, but they can’t see us clearly.
When I let out a broken cry, his other hand covers my mouth.
“Shh,” he warns, lips brushing my ear. “You don’t want your sister or anyone else to know how badly you’re getting fucked right now, do you?”
I shake my head frantically, whimpering against his palm as his fingers thrust deeper, stroking that perfect spot inside me over and over. The pleasure builds fast and intense.
My thighs tremble, my walls clenching around his fingers as I come hard, biting down on his hand to stay quiet.
He doesn’t give me time to recover. He spins me around, lifts me by the backs of my thighs, and pins me against the glass. I wrap my legs around his waist instinctively.
He frees his cock with one hand and slams into me in one powerful thrust. I gasp sharply at the sudden fullness, my nails digging into his shoulders. He fucks me hard and deep, each thrust driving me up against the glass.
The angle is devastating, he hits so deep I can barely breathe. “Fuck, this pussy is so tight,” he groans against my neck.
“Taking me so well. Such a greedy little cunt, milking my cock while your sister is right outside.”
I bite down on his shoulder to muffle my moans as another orgasm crashes through me, my body shaking violently in his arms.
He keeps pounding into me, relentless, until he buries himself deep and comes with a low, guttural groan, filling me with hot pulses of his release.
We stay like that for a long moment, panting, his forehead pressed against mine. When he finally pulls out, my legs are shaky.
He gently sets me down and carefully slides my bikini bottoms back into place, his fingers brushing my sensitive skin.
He kisses me softly, then smirks. “Now you can go back and swim.”
I laugh breathlessly, knowing full well that swimming is the last thing on my mind with his cum slowly dripping down my thighs.