Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Ava
I t’s been a few days since my blowout with Viktor. He’s been staying away from the mansion, and to be honest, I’m glad. I don’t want to deal with his controlling, demanding self. Just because we have an arrangement doesn’t mean I have to sit around and take his bullshit, but there are moments when I find myself missing him. Why do I miss someone I despise? It’s so annoying.
I’ve pretty much stayed in my bedroom most of the time I’ve been here. There really isn’t anything to do, and no one ever comes to the mansion. It’s just Mary and me. I wonder if he planned it that way. Planned to keep me away from people. It’s weird. I remember he told me I must go to functions with him, but he’s yet to take me out in public. Which is fine with me since I don’t want to be seen with him. It’s been a week since I last spoke to Dad, so I decide to check on him. It takes a few rings before he answers.
“Hi, Pumpkin, how are you?”
“I’m good. How about you? How’s work?”
“Work is work. You know how it can be. Well, maybe not anymore.” He laughs. I’m not sure what he’s inferring, but I try not to read into it.
“How’s everything around the apartment? Have you been well? Have you been eating? I know how much you hate to cook.”
“It’s been ok. I’ve been eating frozen dinners.” He laughs.
“Dad, you need to eat real food. Those things aren’t good for you.”
“They’re fine, and I’m fine. I’m more worried about you. You’ve been quiet. It’s been a week since we last spoke. Is everything okay with the Manarch boy?”
“His name is Viktor. You need to start calling him by his name.” I can’t imagine what Viktor would say if he knew my dad called him ‘the Manarch boy.’ I find it funny, but I’m not sure he would.
“He needs to earn the right for me to call him by his name.” I shake my head, but it’s pointless to argue with him. He’s a stubborn old man.
“Well, I just wanted to check in and make sure you’re okay.” My bedroom door opens, and Viktor walks in. What the fuck?
“I’m fine. Do try and call me more often,” says Dad. “I worry about you.”
Viktor walks straight to me. I stand from my bed.
“I will, Dad,” I promise. “Call me if you need anything.”
Viktor stands in front of me.
“I love you,” I tell my dad.
“I love you too, Pumpkin.”
I end the call.
“What the fuck, Viktor? Have you never heard of knocking?”
“Last time I checked, this was my house. I do as I please.”
“That might be so. But how many times do I have to tell you this is my bedroom. You can’t just barge in here. I was on a call.”
He grabs my arm. “The only person you to talk with on your cell is me.”
I try to pull my arm free, but he grabs my other arm and tightens his grip.
“The world doesn’t revolve around you. I have a life, you know.”
“Your day starts and ends with me. For the next year, your life will revolve around me.”
“You’re an asshole. Let me go.” Despite my continuous attempt to free myself, I still can’t break loose.
He throws me on the bed and kisses me while pinning my arms to my sides and holding me in place. I fight him at first, but the kiss is intense, and I can already feel myself getting wet. I stop fighting him and let him consume me. I want to touch him. I want him to claim me, but deep inside, I know that’s a line I don’t want to cross. I shouldn’t. I mustn’t. I’m not sure what will become of me if I let him. I already have a hard time when he kisses me.
He breaks the kiss but stays inches from my lips. He stares at me, his dark eyes filled with lust, but he doesn’t speak.
“You’re mine for the next year. Don’t forget it,” he finally says.
“You love to remind me. I. Already. Know. No. Need. To. Repeat. Yourself.” I try to pull my arms free again, but he still won’t let go. He leans in and kisses me gently, finishing with a soft bite on my bottom lip.
“You don’t tell me what to do. I give the orders. Take a shower. There’s a black dress in your closet. We’re going out. Be downstairs in an hour.”
“I don’t want to go.”
“What you want is irrelevant. Do as you’re told.”
“I don’t have to do shit.”
He lets go of one of my arms and takes hold of my neck. It isn’t tight enough to hurt me, and I see in his eyes how turned on he is. I can also feel it. Fuck.
“You do. I don’t have a problem bathing and changing you.”
“You wouldn’t.” A flush rises in my cheeks at the thought. He chuckles.
“Baby girl, you have no idea what I’m capable of. One hour.”
He kisses me again before he lets me go. He gets off the bed with a smirk. I fucking hate him. He’s everything I don’t want in a man. He’s pure evil. I need to stay away from him. But can I? Am I able to stop myself from giving in? Viktor Manarch might just be my destruction.
The moment the door closes, I walk to my closet, wondering what black dress he’s talking about. I don’t have to walk far to find a black dress waiting on the counter with four-inch pumps beside it. I don’t understand his need to control everything, including what I wear. I pick up the dress and can immediately tell it is fitted and shorter than I’d like. But I don’t want to argue with him, nor do I mind torturing him the way he does me. We can play the same game.
Forty minutes later, I’m staring in the mirror, admiring my work. As usual, my makeup is subtle, and my hair is pinned to the side. Even I must admit I look hot.
“I can do this,” I tell myself as I walk to the bedroom door.
As I open the bedroom door, I find myself nervous. Who knows where Viktor is taking me? I try to keep calm, taking deep breaths as I walk to the stairs. Midway down, I hear voices but can’t make out what they’re saying. I think about stopping to eavesdrop, but knowing Viktor, this might be exactly what he wants.
“You’re ready?” Viktor asks as I take the last step of the stairs.
“I am.”
“You know what you need to do. I expect an update in an hour.” He tells the man standing beside him.
“Aye,” the man responds before turning away.
“Where are we going?” I ask, even though I’m pretty sure he won’t tell me.
“Dinner,” he says as I reach him.
“We can have dinner here.”
“The dress looks better than I expected,” he says, ignoring me.
“Viktor…”
“Ava…” he says with a smirk. I roll my eyes. “I already told you rolling your eyes is unladylike. Stop fucking doing it. The next time I have to remind you, I’ll do it with you over my knee.”
Somehow the image excites me. What the fuck is wrong with me? He takes my hand and starts walking. I try to pull away, but that only encourages him to bring me closer. The moment he does so, his scent surrounds me. I’m quickly learning his scent wakes a fire that I need him to put out—not exactly what I want.
Outside the house, an SUV is waiting for us. Viktor opens the front passenger door. When I’m settled in the SUV, he takes the seatbelt and buckles me in. He lingers longer than he should.
“I got it,” I tell him trying to get him to stop.
“Still, I’m doing it,” he says with a smirk.
I want to roll my eyes but not wanting to be scolded like a child, I refrain from doing it. He stays still for a few more seconds like he wants to say something, but ultimately, he doesn’t. He closes my door, and I feel like I can breathe again. Hopefully, this dinner will be quick, and I can go back to the safety of my bedroom, far away from him.
Forty minutes later, we’re pulling up to the Time Warner Center building in Columbus Circle.
I’m about to ask Viktor why we’re here, but he speaks before I can. “We’re meeting some of my Board Members from Manarch Industries.” He turns to face me. “I expect you to behave.”
He looks like he’s going to add something else, but a valet walks toward my door. Viktor might not have noticed, but he looks annoyed. I’m not sure if it’s because he has to be here or the valet interrupted him. Either way, I get out of the SUV as quickly as I can.
Before I can take a step forward, Viktor is beside me, taking my hand. It feels so intimate. I want my hand back, but I doubt he will go for it.
A minute later, we are riding in an elevator.
“It’s a Japanese restaurant, and the menu is preset,” he says, absentminded.
“What if I’m allergic to fish?” I don’t know why I say it since I’m not allergic. Maybe I’m trying to get under his skin for dragging me here.
“Fuck, I should have asked.” He looks annoyed at himself. “We?—”
“Relax, I’m not allergic.” I try not to laugh.
He huffs. “I need this dinner to go smoothly,” he announces as the elevator door opens. I’m not sure if he is telling himself or me.
“Tell me what you need me to do,” I say, surprising myself.
For a few seconds, he looks at me, unsure. But quickly, the doubt vanishes from his eyes.
“Act the part. You're supposed to be the future Mrs. Manarch,” he says, stepping out of the elevator.
If this were more time, I probably would have said something. But there is something about his tone and the rigidness of his body that tells me this is a big deal for him. So, I find myself wanting to do exactly what he is asking me to do, which again surprises me.
“Good evening, Mr. Manarch, how nice to see you again. Ma’am,” A man in a suit greets us at the entrance of the restaurant.
“Have my guests arrived?” Viktor is curt. I almost feel bad for the host.
“Yes.”
“Let the chef know to start with the first course,” Viktor orders, stepping into the restaurant.
I want to scold Viktor. Being in the service industry, I know how it feels to be treated like shit by people like him. But I know better, so I don’t. I have a job to do, and my father’s life depends on it.
“Viktor, you made it and brought the future Mrs. Manarch with you. We’ve heard so much about her. She’s even more beautiful than she was described in the tabloids,” a bald fat man says, scanning me up and down. He makes me feel dirty. “I’m Gerald,” he adds, holding out his hand when we reach the table.
“How about you take a fucking seat and stop gawking at my future wife.”
Gerald takes a step back. “I was just admiring her beauty. I certainly did not mean to disrespect you,” he apologizes, already walking to a chair.
Feeling uncomfortable, I turn to Viktor. “I need to use the bathroom.”
“I’ll take you,” he says in a cold tone.
We walk in silence. At the bathroom door, I face him. “I can take it from here,”
He doesn’t say anything. He merely pushes open the door to the bathroom, then leads us inside. Once inside, he takes my face between his hands and kisses me. I don’t know why but I don’t challenge him. Instead, I allow him to kiss me.
He doesn’t break the kiss until I’m gasping for air. Taking a step back, he looks at me. His eyes are darker than the night.
“You’re fucking mine. Don’t ever forget it,” he declares, staring. “Don’t take long.”
As I watch him leave all I can think about is, what the fuck is wrong with me? I need to find a way out of this arrangement. Viktor Manarch might be more dangerous than I anticipated, and it has nothing to do with him being the heir to the Scottish Mafia.