32
I get out of the car and walk glancing around.
It’s scarier at night than during the day.
When I turn around to say goodbye, the car has already faded into the dark.
I let out all my breath in a sharp exhale to gather my courage and keep walking.
There is no one at the entrance. The problem now is getting to the other side.
I try to climb that fence as best I can, careful not to get stuck on one of those metal spikes at the top, then I brace myself to reduce the distance between my feet and the ground.
“Damn fence,” I mutter under my breath, rubbing my foot when I’m on the ground.
“Kto ty?! Skazhi mne, poka ya ne izreshetil tvoyu golovu pulyami. (Who are you?! Tell me before I riddle your head with bullets).” I turn abruptly, looking for the owner of that growl.
A man dressed in black from head to toe is pointing a rifle at my head.
His lecherous gaze makes my stomach churn violently.
I part my lips, wanting to let out the words that have stuck inside me when I see him put his finger on the trigger. I’m about to run away when Sergei appears from somewhere and stops me by grabbing my arm. Then he says something to the man, who lowers his gun, but with considerable suspicion.
“Do you know her?” he asks, looking at me out of the corner of his eye. Sergei gives me a quick glance before answering.
“No. But I’ll take care of her myself,” he says with a sly smile. I give him an angry look. He tightens his grip on my arm, starting to drag me into the house.
“Let go of me!” I roar, digging the soles of my boots into the grass, but with one tug he manages to force me to walk again. “Are you going to tell me where the hell you’re taking me, at least?” I spit as we enter the house.
He puts his fingers on my wrist, leading us to what appears to be a living room. I’m surprised to see that most of the rooms have their lights on.
“Don’t you ever sleep or what?” I ask.
“Haven’t you heard that crime never sleeps?” As he speaks, he looks to his left as if searching for something. This gives me a perfect view of his profile, making me giggle as I notice his big nose.
“What?” he blurts out.
“You have a pretty face attached to that nose,” I scoff, making him press his lips together in annoyance.
“Walk before I change my mind.”
I follow him until we reach his bedroom door.
He then knocks on the door, but no one answers.
Before I can say anything, he leaves without another word.
With slightly sweaty hands, I turn the handle of the large double doors, which to my surprise are open.
Inside his bedroom, all the lights are off except for those upstairs.
I close the door very slowly, determined to wait for him sitting on the bed.
After a few minutes, I see him leaning against the railing with only a towel tied around his waist. His torso is wet, and thanks to the reflection of the bathroom light, I can see how a few drops from his wet hair scatter across the line that separates his perfect abs.
“Hello,” I whisper, looking away from his eyes. He gives me a sly smile before walking toward me, leaving a wet trail behind his feet.
“Hello,” he whispers in a hoarse voice, just inches from my lips. His proximity causes the water dripping from his hair to splash against my skin, contrasting with the sudden warmth on my skin. He then slams his lips against mine abruptly, hard enough to make our teeth clash.
When he brings his hands to the edge of the towel and drops it to the floor, I quickly look away. I can breathe normally again when he puts on a pair of boxer shorts he takes from the drawer of his bedside table, but that doesn’t make the heat covering my cheeks diminish even a little.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I could have picked you up.” His voice beside me now sounds reproachful and distant. I am unable to take my eyes off the movement of his lips as he pronounces each word. When he stops speaking, I blink, looking up at his blue eyes.
“I wanted to surprise you. And I brought you something too.” I search for the box in my bag and hand it to him, waiting for his reaction when he opens it to find a Sig-Sauer P-226 adorned with some embedded stones.
My stomach twists with anxiety when he says nothing and I begin to speak with a slight hesitation. “If you don’t like it, you can…”
“I love it,” he interrupts, setting the box aside and then gently pressing his lips to my nose. “But you didn’t have to.”
“Why not? You’re my boyfriend, I can give you gifts.” His eyes now sparkle.
“I’m your husband,” he emphasizes, curving the corner of his lips as a simple reminder. “And I don’t want you to spend your money on me.”
“Nonsense,” I reply with a click of my tongue, ignoring the first words that have me on the verge of blushing even more. I furrow my brows in confusion as he narrows his eyes at me.
“Have you gone on more deliveries with your father before?” His gaze intensifies as I don’t answer.
“How do you know that?” I ask.
“I asked you a question.”
“It was only a few times,” I say. He lets out an exasperated sigh before starting to fiddle with his piercing.
“Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?” His voice doesn’t match the calm expression on his face at all, and that confuses me for a moment.
“It wasn’t that bad, and my father is no novice.” I want to pull away when he holds my jaw with his fingers. I feel like his eyes can see beyond what I myself can see. I can’t say it scares me, but it makes me feel small next to him.
“You are absolutely forbidden from getting involved in that shit again.” I swallow all my complaints at his request, knowing they would be useless. “Does it hurt?” he asks, his gaze fixed on my arm. Soon I find myself sitting on his lap.
“No, I’m fine,” I hasten to reply to erase any hint of concern from his mind.
“What do you want to do?” he whispers in my ear, his hands gripping my arse.
“Whatever you want. I want you to do whatever you want with me.” The words come out of my mouth on their own.
“You’re supposed to rest,” he murmurs, raising an eyebrow in warning. He’s not talking about my arm now. I bite my lower lip, feeling frustrated.
“It’s okay. I’m not sore anymore,” I lie. His gaze turns towards the other side with unnecessary guilt.
“Please. I want you to use me,” I whisper, pouting my lips as I get closer to him.
He then curses under his breath, and I smile.
I get out of bed, wrapping the sheets around my body.
“Where are you going?” he asks in a hoarse voice behind me as I search for my clothes, now scattered on the floor.
“I have to go back.” His expression turns deadly.
“It’s still too early. Come back to bed.”
“I’m supposed to be sleeping now. In my bed, not in yours.” He sighs, then moves across the bed to reach his boxers and put them on.
“You don’t have to take me.”
“You know I don’t like you going out alone.”
“I was not alone. Lance drove me,” I protest, frowning. He runs his tongue over his lower lip and tilts his head.
“Who?”
“Lance, my bodyguard.”
“Oh, a nobody,” he replies with a cocky grin. “If one of my men isn’t with you, it’s as if you were alone.”
He hands one of his black hoodies to me.
It’s enormous, but the smell it gives off is more than enough to make it my favorite.
My legs are shaking so much that I have trouble following him.
He notices it and slows down. Soon I’m back in his arms. Almost unconsciously, I smile as I bring my face close to his chest and inhale his scent.
I don’t realize when we arrive at a garage full of luxury cars.
“Which one do you like best?” My attention is drawn to a bike parked in the distance. I think they’re called Harley. He follows my gaze and hands me the keys with a smile.
“I don’t know how to ride bikes,” I mutter with a confused look.
“I’ll teach you.”
“Isn’t that risky?” He shakes his head as he walks toward the bike.
“Five more minutes,” I murmur, my eyes still closed.
“No. Wake up now.”
I open my eyes, annoyed to find my mother looking at me reproachfully. I shake off the sleep and sit up without letting go of the sheets. Then I rub my eyes, getting used to the light. She just looks at me, trying to figure something out, then sits down next to me.
“I want to talk to you. Your father told me about this boy, Alex.” I curse internally as I straighten my posture.
“I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.” Seeing her sad expression makes me feel guilty.
But to be honest, I don’t feel like we had the kind of mother-daughter relationship where we tell each other these things, and my father only found out yesterday.
“I’m sorry. It all happened so fast. I swear I was going to tell you.”
“I don’t trust him much either, but if he makes you happy, then welcome, Alex.”
“It’s Alek, Mum, and thank you. It really means a lot to me,” I murmur with a small smile.
“He’s pretty handsome, too. Have you kissed yet?” My breath catches in my lungs.
“Mum!” I blurt out, my cheeks about to flush.
“It’s okay, we don’t have to talk about these things so soon. But you and I need to have a talk.” It doesn’t take a genius to know what kind of talk she’s referring to.
“Grace is waiting for you downstairs.”
“Tell her I’ll be right down.”
As soon as she leaves the room, I take a quick shower.
I bite my lower lip, hiding the smile that wants to escape when I see the marks on my breasts that will remain there for days.
I used to think that having sex with him would make that desire I felt gradually fade away, but it’s quite the opposite.
Now that I’ve finally discovered what sex is, I can’t help wanting to do it all the time.
“Where have you been? I’ve called you a thousand times.” Grace’s voice immediately fills the room as I enter the main hall.
“It’s a long story.” My gaze is fixed on the red box she is carrying in her hands.
“You can tell me later. Right now, I have something much more important.” With a broad smile, she holds out the box, urging me to open it.
“What is it?”
“Just open it.” The second I do, my jaw almost hits the floor. Inside is a red and white cake decorated with a heart and the word virgin in the middle crossed out by a red line, around that heart there are drawings of smaller hearts and… Is that a penis I’m seeing?
“Do you like it?” she asks, without losing her smile. “It’s red velvet, just how you like it.”
“Yes, it looks very… appetizing.”
“I knew you’d like it. I can’t wait to celebrate this new stage with you.”
“I just had sex for the first time, it's not like I'm a whole new person,” I say, furrowing my brow.
“Do you mind if I take a piece? I’m starving.” I don’t have time to react before she snatches the box from my hands and walks toward the kitchen. “And what is it that’s so important you have to tell me?” She asks as she shoves a piece of cake in her mouth.
I lick my lips before telling her everything that happened in great detail. When I finish, she stops chewing and looks at me in astonishment.
“Did all that really happen in 24 hours?”
“I’m worried something will happen to him. I know he won’t let it be. Not even because that man is locked up.” She nods, staring into space, not paying attention to me. Her mind seems to be elsewhere, which is really weird considering how much she loves gossip.
“I have something to do. See you later.” Before I can reply, she has already gotten up from the bar stool and says goodbye with a kiss on the cheek.