SEVEN
We spend what seems like hours talking, mostly me and my invasive questions, and Nik, happy to answer them all. His childhood in Russia. “ Cold, ” he had said, but after the small things he’s mentioned about his father, I’m sure he meant more than just the temperature. As the heir to the Vostik brand, he assured me there was nothing glamorous about running a company while the rest of his family, itching to take his place, would sooner see him dead. I assume he meant Viktor, but he never said it outright.
The dinner he prepared must’ve taken the better part of the day, and each bite of the beef brasato only made me guiltier for almost running out on him. He would have never forgiven me, and after all the work he put into making this night memorable, I couldn’t have blamed him. I’ve exhausted a laundry list of questions so far, but there’s still so much I want to know about him.
I lean in close and stare at him. “Oh, here’s one. What’s in the vred vroom,” I say, giving my best impression of a Russian accent, laughing as I do.
Nik’s smile fades and his face goes slack. He rests the fork at the edge of his plate. “The what?”
Pursing my mouth to one side, I point out the window. “The red room. Big red door in the middle of the room. Kind of hard to miss.”
“Oh. That. It’s a VIP room. Important guests of the club get access if they’d like.” He picks up his fork, and the stare he’s given me all evening shifts suddenly to his plate.
I lift my brows. “Oh. Well, can I see it?”
He waves the question away like it’s a gnat flittering in his face. “ Nyet , it’s nothing special. This loft is far more comfortable, trust me.”
A certain amount of curiosity lingers in my gaze, and when he finally meets my eyes, I search them intently. I can normally pick out a red flag like a stray hair, but with him … I can’t find a single one. No, all I see are those golden irises with a thin black ring around them, creating the glowing effect I can’t fucking turn away from. Two glimmering lighthouse beacons guiding me home and into his arms. This loft is amazing, and the night has been beyond anything I could’ve imagined. What I really want, though, is more. To be wrapped up in him, his hands forming a knot behind my waist and our chests clashing together. For the warmth of his body to thaw the cold of not being touched in longer than I can remember. Our lips to meet halfway in this game of chicken we’ve started. Really, I just need to know this isn’t all in my head.
“You’ve asked me a lot of questions. May I ask you one?” he says, interrupting my mind working double-time.
I give him a half smile. “That would only be fair.”
Nik stands and walks to the other end of the table. Despite my entire body tightening, I force myself to stare up at him. “Our time last night was cut short, and there’s still something I want to make up for.” Nik reaches out to me, his palm opening slowly. “Will you dance with me, Natalia?”
Intense heat fills my cheeks, sure to be as red as the lipstick Courtney applied in my bathroom. It took three fucking times to get it just right, and while I’m partly to blame for struggling to sit still, I think it might’ve had to do with how shaky her hands were coming down off her hangover. I bite my lip, sure somewhere Courtney is cursing at me for doing so and smooth my hand into his.
Lifting me up, Nik reaches into his pocket, pulls out a small remote, and clicks it. Although the music of the club still vibrates the marble floors, something soft takes over the subtle hum. He puts his hands over my hips and a burning sensation ignites my skin. Instinctively, I lock my hands behind his neck, and there we sway. Slow dancing in the dim lights of his loft.
He dips his chin, bringing our foreheads together. “Is this okay?”
“Yes,” I say and nod. My body is no longer my own. I am merely a puppet, following his lead while my subconscious floats somewhere above the two of us like a ghost enjoying the show. It’s not fear keeping me in place, it’s how close his full lips are to mine. Inches away. A slip, a slight twitch, and our mouths will blend seamlessly into one.
Breathe, Natalie. If he wants to kiss you he will. But does he? I never imagined he’d cook for me. Take all of my questions in stride. But dancing with me is so far out of left field. Maybe he does want me? Maybe … this isn’t in my head?
“Don’t do that,” he says.
I shake the racing thoughts. “Do what?”
“Trap yourself in your own head. Talk to me.”
There’s a vault-style hatch within me, much like the one Nikolai uses for a front door, begging to be opened, but I’m not sure I’m ready to punch in the code. After everything I’ve been through, the constant disappointment. The let downs. Am I sure I even remember how to open it? I think what I’m afraid of most is not what might come out, but who I might let in.
“Why me, Nik? You could be with any of the women downstairs. Why am I the one up here right now?”
He grins, his teeth becoming visible. “Because you aren’t like them.”
I glance down at my dress, seeing the parts of my stomach I’d normally suck in to keep hidden. “I know.” I’ve always known. It didn’t matter how many crash diets I did, or the times I’d feign starvation just for a smaller waist. Nothing ever worked, and the depression that followed only created a new spiral for me to claw my way out of on some therapist’s couch.
Nik must see the way I look at myself and lifts my chin back to his intense gaze. “Small things break easy, Natalia.” He brushes his lips against my ear, his whisper leaving a trail of goose bumps on my arms. “And I’d rather not break you.”
I slam my eyes shut. Christ. How I continue to balance, even sway to the music, will be the scientific discovery of the century. This man, this thing created in a lab, holds me. Caresses me in no way I’ve ever been touched. The warmth at my core spreads like wildfire, reaching the spots of my body I didn’t know were cold until the heat takes its place.
He slides his palm to the side of my neck, grazing his thumb against my cheek. “Open your eyes.”
Part of me squeezes them tighter. There’s something else, though. A more obedient Natalie that would do everything possible to please him. Through my lashes, the lights reflecting the granite countertops shimmer, and when I open them another inch, Nik’s unmistakable eyes become clear.
When our gazes meet, he curls a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “You are beautiful.” He says nothing else. There’s nothing else to say really. He said the only thing that’ll ring in my ears for weeks to come. You are beautiful. Him, the handsome and successful one percent, and me? Someone doing their best to get by. It doesn’t matter, though. Not anymore. All I need is for him to take the first step. To know with complete certainty this is what he truly wants as well.
“Do I scare you, Natalia?” he asks, his voice rough.
I meet his eyes and move closer. “Not tonight you don’t.” My voice is soft, barely a whisper above the music in the background.
Nik’s smile curves into a prominent grin as if the entire night hinged on this question. More importantly, my response. No, he doesn’t scare me. To be honest, I’ve never felt safer than when I’m with him. Even now, tangled together, I am certain this man would sooner light someone on fire than let anything happen to me.
He lets out a deep breath and says, “Good.”
“Good,” I mimic his voice, slowly moving forward.
Before I close my eyes again, the last thing I see are his lips on a collision course for mine, ready to give me the taste I’m so desperate for. This is it. No more questions. No more of my second-guessing. This is the moment I’ve waited for since I put on this dress. The scenario I’ve played over and over in my head. Nik is about to kiss me, and unless there’s a knock on his hatch door, nothing is going to get in the way this time.
He closes the small gap between us. Three inches. No one knocks. Two inches. No calls out to him. One. There’s only him and me, standing in silence as the song ends. He hesitates for a moment, mouth practically grazing mine. If he pulls away now, I swear to Christ I will —
Nik kisses me.
In an instant, all thoughts erase from my mental chalkboard like his mouth activated some Natalie kill switch. When our lips touch, electricity sparks from one side of my body to the next. There’s a storm brewing inside me, a hurricane ripping apart everything I’ve worked so hard to keep grounded. This is where I completely fall apart.
Another kiss. And when our lips part this time, I graze my tongue on his.
Nik moans into me. “Fuck,” he rasps.
Fuck is right. Actually, I don’t know if another word will do the feeling at my center justice. Every bit of me aches for him. My stiffening spine. My burning hip bones. The spot absolutely dripping just from his touch. I’m losing any ounce of control I have. And to be honest, for once, I don’t fucking care.
I bite his lower lip and squeeze the soft skin between my teeth. Another growl escapes him.
“Careful, Natalia. I will fucking devour you.”
I stare up at him defiantly. “Prove it.”
His hands to my sides, he lifts me off the ground with ease, and my legs have nowhere else to go but around his waist. He takes two large steps forward and pins me against the window, the cold glass cooling my scalding neck and back. He kisses me again, harder and faster than before, an insatiable craving in each stroke of his tongue. And when our lips no longer cut it, he sinks his teeth into the base of my neck. It hurts in the best way possible. Do I care if he breaks the skin? No. Will I care if the expensive dress he bought me is dotted with my blood after tonight? The answer is also a firm, unquestionable no .
Nibbling from my collarbone to my shoulder, he swirls his tongue around the newly raised marks, making sure each one is given the attention they deserve. Carnal bliss takes hold, and I arch my head back with a moan. It doesn’t feel good. It feels fucking otherworldly. I do little else than tilt my head to the side and let this man continue sending convulsions throughout my entire body. He wasn’t lying, he really is devouring me, and I’d sooner rest over the dining table and let him feast on my flesh than have him stop.
But he does.
My chest deflates. My heart shudders. The desire doing somersaults in my stomach dissipates, and when I open my eyes, he’s no longer looking at me. No, his focus is on the few hundred people beneath us. He’s not watching them, it’s almost like he’s listening to them. That doesn’t make sense, though. I can’t hear a thing downstairs, not even the music. Another small beat passes between us, and he keeps his head in the same position. The more I stare at him, the longer he keeps his ear trained to the window.
The club lights flip on, raining fluorescents down to the disoriented crowd.
“What … what’s happening?” I ask, eyes widening in confusion.
Nik lowers me to the ground carefully, scanning every area visible from his loft. “I’m not sure.”
The steady hum coming through the floor cuts off in an instant. Screams barely make it through the door with more locks than I can count. Nik peers out of the other windows, concentrating solely on the bar toward the back of Volk.
“Stay here,” he says. It wasn’t a request. His strong voice left little room to argue otherwise. But can I? Stay in the safety of his loft while something horrible might be happening twenty feet below me?
I try and reach for his arm. “Nik, what’s wrong?”
He’s gone before I can even get the words out, sliding between the door and taking the stairs two at a time. The disruption of the club grows louder now. Shouts. Glasses breaking. And finally, I hear Nik yell too.
Glancing down, Volk bouncers and bartenders fight off a group of men intent on destroying anything in their path. The biggest of them is familiar, and when he turns to face Nik, shock pierces through me.
It’s him.
The man Nik forced to apologize last night.
He’s back, and with the wild gleam in his eyes, it’s obvious he came to settle to the score.
Nik knocks the man out cold with one solid punch to his chin, the force catapulting him into the clubgoers circled around them. Another takes his place and swings violently. Once for his face, and two more times for his chest. Nik dodges the advance with ease, grabs his arm, and leans into his hefty body. Then, he hip tosses the giant man to the ground with a shuddering slam. Bottles behind the bar teeter, and some even fall over and shatter. Some people rush for the doors and make an easy exit while most do the same thing I am—watch the horrific scene unfold, unable to look anywhere else.
Three more men surround him but it isn’t fear in Nik’s eyes that I notice. No, he seems to be enjoying every second of this. A large grin spreads across his face into something so sinister I hardly recognize him. The hair he combed back tonight breaks free from the band keeping it tame, allowing the long tendrils of brown to once again dance along his broad shoulders. One, two, three are on the floor unconscious, and Nik? Well, Nik only snarls at their lifeless bodies.
Club Volk goes still. No one close to the group of poleaxed attackers moves. They only stare, an awestruck expression on their faces. Standing tall at the center of the room is Nikolai Vostik, his chest heaving with an anger I’ve never seen. He glares at them all individually, and his eyes finally land on the biggest of them. The man who made the mistake of coming back here.
Nik grabs him by his shirt and drags him up to his dangling feet. He says something I can’t make out. Screams it, actually. Then, he balls his fist and hurls it for the man’s cheek.
Crack.
A sickening, powerful blow forces blood from his gaping jaw.
Nik rears his hand again, thick knuckles taking another deadly shape.
Crack.
When he connects, chunks of white decorate the blood on the dance floor a disgusting mix of red and ivory. Teeth. The longer I look, the more unmistakeable they are. A molar. A few different incisors. Every time his mouth flails open to scream for help, there’s one less tooth in his gums.
I cup my mouth, and a gasp wisps through my fingertips . No. He’s going to kill him. The man topples over, body folding to the floor. His limbs are useless, splayed out to the sides like all his bones were never there to begin with. His eyes roll so far back that the whites are visible from the window of the loft. He can’t even stand, not that it matters. Nik keeps him upright and readies himself for another wicked blow.
Those left in the club huddle around them, but no one dares to try and stop Nik. No, they stand to the side, some laughing, and some recoiling every time another punch connects. More than a dozen phone lights flick on, shining to this monster of a man and his ruthless premiere. Pictures. Videos. It won’t be long before this brutal beating is all over social media. Nik will be a spectacle for the Club Volk hashtag and those scrolling the latest videos on their for you page .
Another crack.
I turn away from the window, not sure I can stomach what happens next. Stay here. His voice was so calm. Collected. Nothing like the man I see now. The resemblance to his brother, Viktor, is uncanny. The same soulless eyes. The same vicious demeanor. Stay here. Can I, though? Can I just wait here and watch him beat the life out of someone, pretending this is okay? Justified? He can’t even stand for Christ’s sake.
No.
If someone doesn’t do something soon, this blood will be on my hands.
I won’t watch it anymore.
I push aside all doubt, regaining control of my stiff limbs, and slip through the hatch to the staircase. The cold metal door grates against my back but it’s the least of my worries. Right now, I need to save him. I need to save Nik from making a horrible mistake he can’t come back from.
“Nik!” I scream over the sound of his knuckles cracking against the man’s skull. I rush down the steps, my hair flowing behind me as I descend.
“Stop! Stop it!”
Another crash, and the floors vibrate to a different beat that Volk is accustomed to. Nikolai Vostik’s strong fist.
“Stop!”
People jump out of my way, clearing a path to the two of them. Nik’s back is to me when I reach him, and he holds out his hand to the side. It’s not balled into another fist but forming something else entirely. Outstretched fingers. Nails as sharp as talons. He isn’t planning on punching him again. No. It looks like Nik is readying himself to claw out his fucking throat.
“Nik!” I scream one more time and grab him by the arm.
He rears his head to me, the savagery in his eyes on full display. His chest expands with a stern breath, and he heaves out something feral. It’s as if all the animosity leaves him with that forceful grunt. This pent-up wrath he hides like his tattoos beneath long-sleeved shirts. I search for the gold in his eyes, praying a part of him is still there somewhere. But it’s not. There’s only blackness. Two deep pools of onyx reflecting the entire club and my horrified face.
His teeth bare. Saliva drips down each large incisor. Then, he takes a step toward me, gnashing his polished white teeth.
“Nik?” I gasp, terror draining the blood from my cheeks. He’s not the same man that danced with me in his loft, anymore. Whose kiss was so gentle and comforting. This person towering over me now is someone else. Nik … is something else.
The color returns to his eyes, and the snarl distorting his striking features subsides just enough to notice. Nik lets the man collapse to the floor with a heavy thud. His body twists in a way that one arm splays forward while the other is pinned behind his back. Both legs twitch uncontrollably. He isn’t moving. Christ, I’m not sure if he’s even breathing.
Fear ices every bone, every ligament, even the blood pumping through veins to solid stone. The person standing in front of me isn’t Nik. Not the Nik that told me about his life in Russia. Not the man so willing to share his horrible childhood. This guy … is different. Without warning, he hooks his arm into mine and guides me, no, forces me to the double doors of Club Volk.
“What are you doing?” I shout at him, struggling to keep up with his stride.
He doesn’t look at me, only straight ahead, his face as firm as granite. “This was a mistake, Natalia. I thought things could be different, but I was wrong.”
I try and pull away, but his grip tightens on my arm. “What are you talking about? Let go of me!”
He doesn’t until I’m outside of Volk, where the remaining bouncers work to keep the sidewalks clear. Onlookers watch from the street, whispering to each other. Some even record us on their fucking phones .
He stares at me, his features grave and unyielding. It isn’t until Nik’s mouth thins to a hard line that I know whatever tonight was is truly over. The dinner. The dance. The kiss, it was all for nothing. I was never meant to be in a club like Volk. To be with someone like him.
“You are not safe around me. Around this place.”
Tears fill my eyes, and I fight to swallow the lump building in my throat. I want to say something. To scream at him, but I can’t. The words seemingly evaporate the moment they hit my chest and leave a tremendous ache in their place.
“Yuri will take you home.” He turns for the stairs and pauses. Despite the hesitation to say more, Nikolai Vostik does, and my entire world shatters.
“Don’t come back.”