Chapter 21
Kasimir~
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her that she was going to quit the diner immediately, but I knew enough to know how to pick my battles, especially since I was probably going to have a lot of them with this woman.
Just then, my phone chimed with an incoming text, and though it was rude as hell, I pulled out my phone to answer it anyway. In my line of work, I couldn’t afford to not answer my phone if possible, and my erratic ‘work’ schedule was something that Zoya was going to have to get used to.
“I need to check this,” I told her as I unlocked my phone.
“By all means,” she drawled out, the sarcasm loud and clear.
Ignoring her frustration, I opened the text, and it was from my brother.
Viktor: We’ve a 2nd Dorel Zamfir sighting. We need 2 talk
The irony wasn’t lost on me as I read my brother’s text. When he and Aurora had first gotten married, he hadn’t wanted to leave her side, and I’d given him so much shit for neglecting his duties as the Korolev Sovietnik, and now that I was obsessed with Zoya, I probably owed the man an apology.
Me: B on my way n a bit
Slipping the phone back in my pocket, I looked back at the fuming woman in my living room, and little did she know, I’d take her any way that I could get her. Plus, truth be told, if I had a choice, I’d rather her be spitting mad at me than sad.
“My brother needs me,” I informed her.
“Fine,” she quickly replied. “Then you can drop me off at home on your way to speak to your brother.”
“This is your home,” I immediately said, correcting her. “Your home is wherever I am, Zoya. Please, do not forget that.”
Zoya arched a brow. “Then you can drop me off at my mom’s.”
I reached up to place my hand on the side of her neck this time. “I will give you the two weeks that you want for Ruby’s, but only if you spend tonight and tomorrow packing your stuff.”
“I have to work tomorrow night,” she said pointedly. “I’ll need the weekend to get everything.”
“Zoya, you can’t possibly have that much to pack.”
“I have enough that it’ll take a couple of days,” she countered. “Plus, it’s going to be kind of hard to pack with my mother arguing with me.”
“Are you going to need me to speak to your mother?” I asked, not liking the idea of her mother giving her a bad time.
“No,” she quickly rushed out, probably afraid that I was suggesting a bullet to her brain, which I wasn’t ruling out if she continued to give Zoya shit. “No, I...I can handle it.”
“Very well,” I said, giving a little. “However, if she is against our relationship enough to try to interfere, I will step in, Zoya.”
“That won’t be necessary,” she insisted, but we both knew that it might be. Not for nothing, I was very aware that not many mothers would want their daughters involved with a man like me.
“Get dressed, and I’ll drive you to your mother’s house,” I told her, but the words felt jagged in my chest. I didn’t want Zoya out of my sight any more than she had to be, and I didn’t consider her going to speak with her mother necessary enough to do without her.
Still, I didn’t want to show her the full extent of my obsession until I had her moved in with me.
Nevertheless, instead of allowing her to get dressed in peace, I grabbed her clothing from the floor, then watched her like a prison guard as she got dressed.
I also spotted the sweet blush on her cheeks as she tried to change as quickly as possible, but after having my tongue in her ass last night, I saw no reason why she’d be feeling shy this morning.
While she might not know it right now, there was going to be no privacy between us once she got settled as a Korolev.
She wasn’t going to be entitled to any kind of modesty, and she was going to learn the hard way when she finally hit that time of the month for the first time with me.
No amount of blood was going to keep me from touching her in any capacity, and I had no problem with fingers or a face full of blood.
Once Zoya was back in her dress from last night, I grabbed her purse, then handed it to her, all very civilized-like, and she took it without saying a word.
The drive to her house had also been in complete silence, but that’d been because I’d been mentally interviewing which guard would pair with Zoya seamlessly.
I needed the best, but I also wanted someone who she’d listen to, and for that to happen, it needed to be someone who she vibed with well enough to eventually trust.
As the car idled next to the curb, I was in the back of the SUV with Zoya while Yuri minded his own business behind the wheel.
Now, though I didn’t use a driver often, Yuri lived on the second floor of my condominium building, and so that made things especially convenient whenever I needed a driver for whatever reason.
I was also considering permanently assigning him to Zoya, but I thought that it’d be best to talk to Viktor about it first. No matter what could be said about my brother, he was good at reading people, something that came in handy when you considered who he was.
“So, before I let you go, I want to explain how this is going to go, and I need to make sure that you understand that I am serious, lepestok,” I told her.
“I will give you this weekend to speak to your mother, pack your stuff, and to give your notice at work. However, until you can interview our guards for yourself, I will be assigning Yuri as your driver.”
“Kasimir, I don’t need a driver-”
“I didn’t ask you if you needed a driver,” I said, cutting her off.
“You will have a driver assigned to you, and if you don’t give in gracefully, then I will assign six guards to take shifts on you every fucking second of every fucking minute of every fucking hour of the day, and see how well that will work when you’re looking for an new job. ”
“Kasimir-”
“Yuri will only drive you until you get assigned a personal guard,” I repeated.
“Considering who I am, this is non-negotiable, Zoya. However, Yuri will only see you safely to and from your destinations for the time being. It’s the best that you’re going to get.
If it were left up to me, I wouldn’t let you leave my sight. ”
“If it’s not up to you, then who is it up to?” she asked.
“I’m trying to cater to your apprehension about our relationship, and so...your reaction to all this is influencing what I am allowing,” I explained.
“How gracious of you,” she deadpanned, unimpressed.
“Zoya, do not test me,” I warned her. “I am not very good about granting allowances, and if I feel like you are not being honest with me, you’ll have bigger problems on your hands, other than looking for a new job.”
“Is that all?” she bit out.
“For now, yes,” I replied just as sourly.
After a few seconds, she said, “I have another favor to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Can you not walk me to my door?”
“No,” I automatically answered.
“Kasimir, if my mother sees you-”
“Then it’ll be the perfect opening that you need to bring up the topic of our relationship,” I pointed out, not wanting to hear any of her bullshit.
“Fine,” she sighed, and that was my cue to get out of the car, then walk over to open the door for her. Whether she wanted it or not, Zoya finally had a man to take care of her, and that’s exactly what I was going to do.
Once we got to her door, I wrapped my hand around the side of her neck, then bent down to kiss her left cheek.
Though I wanted to yank her towards me, then kiss her in a way that she couldn’t doubt what I felt for her, I was not going to do anything to give Darya Orlova the impression that her daughter was whoring for me; how we got together notwithstanding.
When I pulled back, I said, “You’ve until Sunday, Zoya. You’ve until Sunday to return to our home, and not a second longer.”
“Okay,” she said tiredly, and that bothered me in a way that might be guilt, but I wasn’t going to dwell on it.
“I’ll see you soon, lepestok.”
I waited until she got her keys out, unlocked her front door, then went inside before I headed back towards the waiting car and whatever it was that my brother needed from me tonight.