Chapter 18
Zoya~
I woke up feeling exhausted, sore, and desperately needing a hot shower.
Staring into the mirror, I looked like a true morning-after victim, but I wasn’t a victim.
Shame coated my face as I remembered how I had begged Kasimir to ruin me last night, and even when he had refused to wear a condom, I hadn’t put a stop to anything that had happened last night.
Oh, God.
Luckily, I’d woken up alone, giving me the time that I needed to try to get myself together.
So, with my dress still a wrinkled mess in the living room, I had grabbed one of Kasimir’s t-shirts, then had headed into the bathroom, using my finger to brush my teeth as best as I could, then washing my face in the same manner.
No matter what, I hadn’t been about to make myself at home in Kasimir’s shower, though we’d already had sex in there twice last night.
I’d also had to resort to using some baby powder as deodorant, and I just really wanted to go home to wash away so, so, so much regret.
Praying that Kasimir had been decent enough to leave me to do the walk of shame in private, I walked out into the living room to get my dress and purse, hoping to get the hell out of here as soon as possible.
Yeah, no such luck.
“How did you sleep, lepestok?”
I turned to see Kasimir walking from what I presumed was the kitchen area, and he looked clean, fresh, and like he’d been up for hours, which seemed impossible since we hadn’t fallen asleep until the early hours of the morning.
Ignoring his question, I said, “I need to get home.”
Kasimir immediately shook his head. “That’s not going to happen.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“You are not leaving here this morning, Zoya,” he said, and I honestly didn’t know what to say. He had me feeling completely flummoxed.
“What are you talking about?” I finally asked. “I have to get home, Kasmir.”
Then he said something that proved all the rumors about him being a psychopath true. “You are not leaving here. I am keeping you.”
“You’re keeping me?” I echoed, shock making me feel rooted where I stood.
Kasimir gave me a simple nod. “I am keeping you.”
“You...you can’t...you can’t just keep me,” I stammered. “That’s...that’s kidnapping.”
“You came here voluntarily,” he pointed out, and this had to be what it felt like to be gaslighted.
“Then it’s false imprisonment,” I corrected.
The man just shrugged. “Only if you’re able to report me to the police.”
“Are you insane?” I rushed out. “What...what in the hell are you talking about?”
“Do you honestly believe that I’m going to let you walk out of here to rush off to the nearest pharmacy?” he scoffed. “In a rush to get that morning-after pill, are we?”
Honestly, that had been on my to-do list for the day, but I’d wanted to go home to shower first, though that wasn’t anything that I planned on telling him. No matter what I might have consented to last night, I was not about to attend parent/teacher conferences with Kasimir freakin’ Korolev.
“Kasimir, you can’t just keep me here,” I finally said, trying to wrap my mind around this insanity.
“Says who?” he challenged, making my head snap back.
“What?”
“Who says that I can’t keep you here?” he repeated.
“The law,” I shot back.
“And who is going to report me to the law?” he asked, and that’s when I knew.
“Give me my phone back,” I hissed, anger finally licking up my spine.
“So that you can call the police on me?” he smirked. “I think not.”
“Kasimir, you can’t do this,” I repeated. “You can’t hold me here against my will.”
“Yes, I can,” he argued. “I can, and I am most certainly going to.”
“Are you crazy?” I demanded. “I have a job, bills...my mother. You can’t just hold me here prisoner.”
“I’m keeping you, Zoya,” he said, and there was no way that he was not completely out of his crazed mind.
“No, you’re not,” I fired back, and then he started humming that same tune as before. “Quit singing! This isn’t funny!”
Then, before I knew it, Kasimir was in my face, his hand wrapped around my arm. “I am not kidding, Zoya,” he hissed down at me. “You are not leaving here.”
He was serious.
God in Heaven, he was serious.
Changing tactics, I asked, “Why? Why are you doing this?”
“Because you let me cum inside you all night last night, and I refuse to experience that with someone else,” he answered, shocking the hell out of me.
“Because you took my dick like you were in love with me, and unfortunately for you, I am now addicted to how you feel wrapped around me. I am addicted to the way you sound, the way you look, and the way that you steal my sanity when you cum for me. You will be lucky if I ever let you leave my sight again.”
Oh, God.
“Kasimir, you’re not thinking this through,” I said, trying to steady my heartbeat, trying to calm my voice. “People saw me leave with you last night. If I show up missing, someone is going to say something.”
Kasimir cocked his head as he said, “That’s not true. People saw me leave with Montana Hughes last night, not you.”
“My...my friend knows the truth,” I reminded him.
“And you think I’ll have a problem ending your friend to keep you with me?” he asked, and I knew that he wasn’t bluffing.
“Kasimir-”
“Tell you what, I’ll make you a deal,” he said, throwing me off.
“What kind of deal?” I asked suspiciously.
“If you agree to move in with me, then I will let you move about life freely,” he answered, and I could feel my lungs seize in shock. “Move in with me, and then I will let you come and go as you please.”
“Have you lost your mind?” I choked out. “I can’t move in with you.”
“Those are your two choices, lepestok,” he replied. “Live with me voluntarily, or else you will never leave here. There is not a third option.”
“Kasimir-”
“Now, I have an early meeting with my father and brother, and you will stay here while you think it through,” he went on, not caring that he was turning my life completely upside down.
“And before you think to call for help or any such nonsense, I’ve already stationed two guards out front, and my office is locked, which houses the only landline and computer in the place. ”
“Kasimir, you can’t do this,” I repeated. “I mean...just...we need to talk about this.”
“Which we will when I get back,” he stated calmly, and he had to be insane for this conversation to be even happening.
“What about...what about my clothes and-”
“You’ll do fine in my t-shirts, but if you need more, we can pack your stuff together, or else I can order you all new stuff,” he replied evenly, as if we were discussing the weather. “It will be up to you.”
Letting go of my arm, he turned to walk over to one of the end tables that littered his living room, and I watched as he grabbed a set of keys, and I could feel my stomach tighten with a sense of dread that made last night seem tame.
No matter how nice his condo was, Kasimir was holding me prisoner here, and my mind was still reeling with the fact.
“I will be back in a couple of hours,” he announced. “I promise not to be much longer, but just know that if you try to leave, it will not bode well for you, lepestok.”
As soon as Kasimir locked the door behind him, I raced for my purse, searching for my phone, even though I knew the truth of where it was.
When I couldn’t find it, I dropped on the couch, and I didn’t know whether to cry or rage.
If Kasimir really was serious about keeping me here, how was I expected to fight that?
How did someone fight a goddamn Korolev and win?
I also had no desire to drag Marcelle into this mess, but it was true that everyone else knew me as Montana Hughes, so what in the hell were my options now? No matter how completely...engulfed I’d been last night, there was no way in hell that I could live with someone like Kasimir Korolev.
Don’t forget, you might also be pregnant.
Christ, what was I going to do?