14. Elena
ELENA
A drik made himself scarce the day after he fingered me and made me come at the front door.
He’d walked away that night, leaving me to go inside with my thighs sticky from my arousal, my panties hanging on as shredded scraps.
Despite how hard his penis was as he’d ground me against the door, he’d chosen distance between us.
As I headed toward the big house on the property that following morning, I sighed and wondered if it was because I was bad. Not good enough.
Inexperienced?
I cringed and prayed that wasn’t the cause.
As embarrassing as it was to have to admit it, I felt more shame at how easy I’d been.
One kiss from him, and I was a molten pile of goo.
He reduced me to a puddle of need, pliable and so willing for anything he’d give me.
That was how much I wanted him to approve of me, to want me back.
I’d never done that before. No man had ever touched me there. I hadn’t even bothered with toys or anything like that, either, too nervous to be that forward or risqué.
He was the first one to touch me like that, in such a way that it felt like a forbidden heat and a glorious tingle.
My boss, if that was what he still was.
My owner, if I had to be technical about it. When my father ordered me to go with the Volkovs, he’d practically sold me, a payment in lieu of his punishment.
I don’t know what to think of you now.
I entered the house and went to the “old” office instead of going to Adrik’s office. If I was confused after he’d kissed me that first time, then I was completely conflicted now after he’d made me come.
No. It’s not only that.
It was the push and pull. Hold and cold.
He gave me the gift of an orgasm, one so sweet and strong and unexpected that it had blown me away.
But then he was just as quick to stride away from me.
Like I was a regret.
As I settled into working, logging on to the computer and swirling the straw in my iced coffee, I registered his presence.
He was only walking through this part of the house, though. He didn’t stop, passing by on his phone. He wasn’t coming to see me.
I got into a routine of checking documents and files, and still, he didn’t directly approach me.
Hours passed, and I clung to the hope that he’d end this curt and cool indifference. And still, he didn’t speak to me, didn’t address me when he’d been so good at listening to me when I had something to share with him about what I was looking into.
Stop being silly, El.
I shook my head as I slumped in my chair, hard at work despite my twisted heartstrings.
You mean nothing to him.
Even though he’d decided to make me come, that was a fact.
You still don’t mean anything to him.
I couldn’t if his reaction to lowering his guard like that was to act like I didn’t exist.
It didn’t mean anything to him.
A sexy, powerful, and rich man like him could get any woman in the world. He’d probably fucked hundreds of women before me, and it did seem ridiculous to think I’d stand out among them all.
Why does it have to hurt?
I rubbed my chest and winced at the very acute heartache he’d made me experience. After a lifetime of being dismissed by my father, his distance stung. It hurt , deep down in my heart where he wasn’t supposed to even belong at all.
The sound of more men walking nearby yanked me out of my thoughts.
It was just Lev and Nikolai passing by, arguing about something but not to the point they’d raise their voices.
Nikolai seemed too easygoing to ever really pick a fight with his cousin, or anyone.
Not like Adrik and Alexei. I’d overheard them bickering often.
Focus.
Stop thinking about him.
Stop thinking about all of them. They’re not family or friends.
You’re here as part of a transaction. And you’re lucky to have a purpose.
So work. Concentrate and don’t forget that you need to remind them that you are useful for something.
Over the course of the day, I took my own advice.
I dug in deep, looking into all the possible leads for identifying those unnamed shell companies.
Someone had to have made them. They had to have an origin, but it wasn’t easy.
Too many transfers and monetary exchanges had taken place all over the world to know who was orchestrating these layers of companies.
Eventually, though, I found a pattern. Certain addresses started to link up. Some acronyms and names began to seem related. Tracking receipts and double-checking who and what was where, I saw a clearer picture of what was going on.
A network was the sole connection for the ambiguous companies.
They all pointed to one source. One man.
At first, I dismissed it as crazy talk. For one person to spend this much time and effort to organize companies like this, all to hide the money trails?
It seemed strange. But money did make the world go round.
That was a concept I’d never forget. For one individual to be behind this much, though, it seemed like an explosive secret.
I blew out a deep breath, locking down on the last piece of evidence I’d been seeking.
A property rental contract gave me the name.
I didn’t recognize it. Unlike the standard accounting work I’d done at my father’s firm, and then here, directly for Adrik, I was seeing the names.
Numbers were easier to work with, but since I knew where to look to track a money trail, I wasn’t acting like an accountant now.
“And who are you , Gregori Fyodorov?” I whispered aloud.
I narrowed my eyes at the computer monitor, taking screenshots and then copying and pasting all that I found so I could organize the results of my search. I’d take it all to Adrik. Maybe he’d recognize the name.
I could only wonder how this man could link to my father. And what his role was in how my father had been dismissive of the mistakes with the Volkov books.
It’s not for you to understand or debate.
I insisted on being spared the details, but as I gathered all the papers and braced myself to face Adrik with what I’d found, I couldn’t help but wish that I wasn’t only presenting my investigative results, but also a way for him to tackle the problem it presented, too.
Stop caring so much.
One orgasm.
A couple of kisses.
And that’s it.
It has to be it.
Because I’m still just the thing he got as a form of punishment for a mistake.
I frowned as I closed the laptop and carried it with me as I went in search of the damnable man who didn’t want me but would always possess me.
It just wasn’t fair.
But when is life ever fair, El?
I took the stairs, knowing that answer all too well.
Never.
Life is never fair.
If it was, I wouldn’t be a desperate fool wishing for Adrik Volkov’s approval and affection.