Chapter 15
Dmitri
I’m going to crawl out of my damn skin if I don’t get some air after my meeting with Artur Suyunov. He’s worried about Annika’s safety after the shooting and doesn’t think I’m doing enough to protect her by only putting two guards on her.
I need to talk to someone who won’t use this against me, and it can’t be Cara because she’s part of the problem.
“He lives!” Andrei says as he enjoys a large lounge booth to himself in one of the secluded corners of Club Vibe inside his family’s casino. Strobe lights from the DJ booth and dance floor on the other side of the club cut through the darkness on this side, lighting up Andrei’s smirk.
I motion for the men I brought with me to step away before sitting on the opposite side of the booth from Andrei, a few empty shot glasses already occupying the small table between us.
“Glad you got out without a bullet in your head,” I tell him, speaking over the music but only loud enough for him to hear.
“Heard about the two guys that you lost. Sorry about that,” Andrei says before motioning to one of the waitresses in a white tank top and black mini skirt to come over. “Another round of shots for me and my friend. Thanks, sweetheart.”
The blonde smiles at him before heading off, strutting like she’s on a runway. She glances over her shoulder at Andrei one last time before hurrying to the bar.
Andrei turns back to me, looking pleased until he sees the stony expression on my face. “You’ve been shot at before. It couldn’t have been that big of a surprise.”
“The shooting is just an unfortunate part of the life. My men are getting security camera footage and talking to witnesses. It’s only a matter of time before we get a lead,” I reply as I wave my hand dismissively.
I have other issues bothering me more than that.
“Well, then what’s going on?” Andrei asks. “We usually only get a drink to celebrate or blow off some steam. I’m not getting either of those vibes from you since you lost good men. Did something else happen?”
“I’m about to tell you something that cannot be repeated to anyone,” I warn him, fixing him with a stern look. He’s not an Ivanov, but I’ve known him for a long time. Our fathers were close before mine passed.
“Of course, Dmitri. If you told my family some of the things that I’ve told you, they’d have my head,” Andrei replies as his playful expression drops off his face. “I swear my discretion.”
I nod to him, remaining silent until the waitress drops off our shots and clears away the empty glasses. I down the vodka, letting it burn its way through my body before I speak. “You know that I’ve decided to go forward with the Suyunov’s deal.”
Andrei nods. “Yes, I unfortunately heard all the wedding details from the heiress herself the other night. She seems…lovely.”
I scoff and lean back against the black leather seat, forcing myself not to blurt everything out at once. “There’s a marriage contract that we’ll sign after the ceremony is over, but I still haven’t made it official.”
“From what I’ve heard of Artur Suyunov, he’s strict and thorough about his businesses,” Andrei replies before downing his shot.
He sets the empty glass on the table and lifts his eyes to mine.
“I’m sure that contract is full of fun rules and restrictions to make sure that you’re the perfect husband for his darling little girl. ”
He’d be correct. The contract is long and quite particular for some clauses. It hasn’t been signed yet, though. There’s still time to alter it.
“We can barely stand each other,” I mutter. “She’s going to bankrupt me instead of bankrupting her father.”
“There has to be some sort of silver lining, Dmitri. She’s pretty,” Andrei replies. “And she was pawing all over you.”
I give him a pointed look. Unlike him, the Sin City Savage, I’m not a raging manwhore who will screw any woman who smiles at me. I’m sure he’ll make a move on the waitress once I leave if he hasn’t already had her. “I don’t want to fuck her.”
Andrei clicks his tongue, his eyebrows darting up like he’s surprised. “That’s unfortunate. Get friendly with your right hand. Her father will gun you down if you’re caught sneaking around with someone else.”
I run my fingers through my hair while shaking my head. He’s not helping. He’s just reminding me of how fucked I am once I sign the contract.
“It’s not like she loves me. If some other rich guy came along, she would be climbing him like a tree,” I tell him.
“Well, unfortunately, you’re the rich guy of choice,” Andrei replies with a shrug. “She seemed pretty attached to you at the gala too. I doubt she’ll be interested in anyone else if you satisfy her.”
“There’s no way to fully satisfy her appetite for shopping,” I assure him.
“Give her your credit card, and she’ll leave you alone for the day,” Andrei suggests.
I flash him an annoyed look. “I work hard for every dollar that I make. I bust my ass. I don’t like the thought of her blowing that money on thousand-dollar shoes that she’ll only wear once.”
“That’s why I don’t have any sugar babies,” Andrei replies. “I’m too selfish with my money, and it’s easy enough for me to get sex for free.”
He’s hopeless. I should’ve known better than to come to him for relationship advice.
“The point is that she’s a disaster. We’re both going to be miserable in this marriage if we don’t find some leeway,” I tell him.
Andrei raises his eyebrow at me. “Some leeway?”
I wipe my palm on the dark material of my pants as I glance around, making sure that no one is eavesdropping. I’ve already said enough damning things, but this one is particularly risky.
“There’s a fidelity clause. I’ve considered removing it, so we can see other people.”
Andrei barks out a laugh, ignoring my glare of warning. “Seriously, Dmitri? Do you really think that her father will go for that? How are you going to bring that up? Hey, Mr. Suyunov, is it okay if we amend the contract so that I can screw other women while married to your daughter?”
“Fuck,” I mutter as I lower my eyes, realizing that he’s right. Without some major persuading, I doubt that Annika will accept the change, and if she won’t accept it, her father certainly won’t.
Annika is possessive and jealous enough to do whatever she can to keep me on lockdown, even if I don’t sleep with her. She’ll probably complain to her father about that too, saying that I refuse to consummate our marriage.
There’s no easy way out of this.
“Why don’t you give Annika a chance? You’ll be stuck with her, so you might as well,” Andrei tells me before waving the waitress back over. “Sometimes, you just have to make the best of what you have.”
“Yes, sir?” the blonde purrs as she stops next to the booth with a tray of empty glasses resting on her left palm.
“Another round, sweetheart. Actually, let’s do two rounds. My buddy here needs a pick-me-up. He’s about to get married,” Andrei tells her as he gestures to me.
“Congratulations. She’s a lucky woman,” the blonde tells me with a teasing smile. When I merely nod, she turns back to Andrei, who still has his eyes locked on her. “I’ll be right back with those shots.”
I watch her brush her fingertips along Andrei’s arm before walking off, making me roll my eyes when Andrei chuckles. “I hope you get thrown into an arranged marriage by your family one day.”
“No, you don’t. You’re just mad that you did,” Andrei replies as he reaches across the table to pat my shoulder. “I don’t want you to be miserable. I hate that you feel trapped, but I’m sure the arrangement will be worth it.”
“Being able to use Suyunov’s clubs will be a benefit, but what about everything else?
” I ask. I hold back from telling Andrei about the new title I would acquire from the alliance.
“I’ll be stuck with a woman who I can’t get along with and am not attracted to for possibly the rest of my life.
At least her father’s life. I might be forced to start a family. ”
Andrei sits up more and motions for me to take a breath. “Maybe you can bring up opening the marriage a little later on, but you can’t say a word about that right now if you still want this arrangement.”
“I didn’t expect this to bother me so much when I agreed weeks ago. I was just thinking about the business part. I didn’t think about…all the rest.”
Andrei peers at me in silence for a few seconds before speaking. “What happened to make you rethink things?”
My shoulders tense, and a knowing look crosses his face. “It was inevitable.”
“So, who’s the pretty little gem you can’t have?”
I don’t answer. I can’t say it out loud or it makes everything that much more real. I’m about to fuck up a whole business arrangement for a woman who works for me.
My father must be rolling in his grave right now.
“I don’t think you want me to guess, Dmitri,” Andrei says as the corner of his mouth turns up. “There’s only one woman that I’ve seen you follow around like a little puppy dog. One you dressed up and paraded around not-so-subtly in a bright red dress.”
“Fuck you,” I mutter as my pulse spikes. He already knows how much I want Cara.
Andrei chuckles. “So, your assistant. That makes sense. Nothing sexier than watching a beautiful woman knock back whiskey like its water. I’m sure it’s torture for you to be around her five days a week.
But she can’t honestly be worth the risk, can she?
Men like us always want what we can’t have, then we go back to being miserable and disappointed after we finally get it. ”
Our waitress comes to the rescue and hands off our two rounds of shots.
I slam both of my mine back one after the other. It doesn’t help. I came here tonight thinking that I could get everything off my chest and take a deep breath, but I feel even more suffocated.
Would having Cara be a disappointment? No, I don’t think so. I’m certain she would exceed all my expectations.
“Good thing you have a driver,” Andrei comments before drinking one of his shots. “Now, are you going to abide by your contract and behave, or do I need to worry about you?”
A light buzz fills my head as my skin warms, the alcohol gradually taking effect. I need to figure out some sort of loophole to get what I want, or I’m going to go crazy and do something stupid.
My only option is to get what I want before the ring.
Cara’s worth the risk.
I meet Andrei’s gaze. “Everything will be fine.”
He exhales slowly, a look of concern furrowing his brow. He knocks back his last shot and shakes his head. “Yeah, we’ll see about that.”
Yes, we will. Because I’ve already made up my mind.