Chapter 18 #2
But what I think I do need from her is her presence.
It’s not doing my focus any good for her to be so far away from me while I’m in meetings. All I do is think about her and wonder what she’s doing, and obsessively sneak peeks at the camera.
But if she’s in the same room as me, that wouldn’t be an issue.
“You worked as a hotel manager before?”
Alina gets to her feet and takes a few steps closer to the cage door, chewing on another slice of her orange, and giving me an even better view of her entire beautiful body that’s filling out again. “How did you know that?”
“It’s my job to know details. I keep files on everyone we do business with, including family members. How do you think Dominik knew right where to find you that first night?”
“Well, that’s not creepy at all,” she mutters.
I tilt my head at her. “Your role at the hotel was in management, correct?
Alina stops a few inches from the bars, holding the other orange half in her hand. My eyes drop to her tempting cleavage pushed up in the corset, making me momentarily forget what we were discussing until she says, “Yes, I managed the front desk.”
No wonder she’s fine with sitting in one boring place for hours at a time. That’s exactly what I need from her. Although, she’ll need more clothing if others are present.
“Do you miss it?”
Alina shakes her head. “It was just another job. A means to an end. It’s not like I was doing anything important.”
She could be. She’s smart enough, more than interested, and she’s certainly determined when she puts her mind to something. I’ve seen that firsthand when she was half dead on the floor.
“I’m afraid you can’t go back to the hotel.”
“I know,” Alina replies. “Dom said one of his men turned in a notice when I disappeared. I’m sure nobody at the hotel was worried enough about my sudden absence to file a missing person report.”
If anyone did that, I’d have it quietly removed, but it wasn’t an issue. That does make me feel a flicker of sympathy for her.
“It’s not your fault that you had to live most of your life on the run.”
Alina sighs as she looks down to tear the orange slices apart. “At least I was free.”
“You have more freedom with me than you ever did with your brother,” I correct her.
Alina’s brow furrows. “That doesn’t make any fucking sense.”
“You had to fear for your life and wellbeing every day because of him. With me, you don’t have to worry about any of those things. Not if you behave,” I tell her. “You’re safe here, from outside threats and your own.”
She purses her lips at me. “If I do everything that you say, you mean?”
“If you eat and drink like any other normal human being would do,” I reply pointedly.
Alina pops two orange slices in her mouth. “Was there a point to you coming in here in the middle of the day?”
My mouth twitches at her question. “Not one you need to know about.”
“I’m hardly ever guarded anymore,” Alina replies. “Now you visit more. Why? Can’t stay away?”
“My guards are busy with more important things than watching you sit around and eat oranges.”
Which is true. It’s just only part of the whole truth. I don’t particularly trust all my men to keep their hands to themselves, especially when she’s being…difficult. Only Valentin because he’s the most scared of me.
She eats another two slices, leaving one more left. “Here,” she says, holding out the last slice like an offering. Or a test.
My eyes narrow. “What?”
“I’m full,” she says before nodding to the small slice. “Take it. Maybe a little bit of sugar would do you some good.”
I slowly reach for the orange slice in her palm, uncertainty crawling under my skin. “What do you mean?”
Alina leans her head a little as her eyes roam over me. “You just seem off. High-strung.”
My heart rate kicks up because she sounds just like Dominik. “I’m fine.”
Alina chews on her bottom lip with an unconvinced shrug. “You’re wound up more than usual.”
How can she tell that? She only sees me a handful of times throughout the day, and I never stay for too long. She doesn’t even know what all is going on outside of this room.
What am I missing that she’s seeing? Because it’s too much. She can’t read me like this.
I pop the orange slice into my mouth and shake my head as casually as I can. “I’m focused,” I say too quickly. “You just can’t tell the difference with me.”
“Whatever you say, Gavriil.”
Her skeptical tone bothers me, but I don’t think that there’s anything that I can say to convince her that I’m completely in control. I’ll just have to show her, and that’ll start tomorrow.
“You should get some rest,” I tell her as I turn away from her.
“Why?”
“Big day tomorrow,” I say simply before leaving the room and shutting the door behind me.
Maybe I will have a talk with Leon about who may have influenced his decision-making.
The sweetness of Alina’s orange lingers on my tongue on the way to the basement, but it’s nowhere near as sweet as I envision her tasting.
Maybe that’s an itch that I need to scratch soon to finally get her out of my head.
Whatever I do next may very well fix everything…or ruin me.