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When Aunt Linda got married, right as I entered high school, things changed. When Uncle Frank came to live with her, and that bubble of safety I had always felt as a kid just sort of evaporated. I hated calling him that, but the manners taught to me by Nonna were so deeply ingrained it was automatic.
He never did anything. I was not molested in any way. But he was creepy. His eyes would linger on me for too long. Or he’d say something off color to make me squirm. Yeah, I did not like him one bit. Watching him shake when Adrik spoke to him was one of the biggest highlights of my life. I’d waited so long for someone to put the fear of God into that prick.
Who knew my for the moment boyfriend was such a badass? I rolled my eyes at the silly title. Adrik was not anyone’s boyfriend. Lover. Manipulator. Controller. Those were all better suited to the man. I tried to find out more about him, about his past. But the internet was a fickle bitch, and where on one hand you could find out almost everything about someone with the click of the keys, on the other hand, you had no way of knowing if what you found was true.
Adrik Volkov was rich and powerful. That much I knew. He was intimidating, The way he’d arranged this whole thing was unscrupulous. And yet, there I was. In his penthouse, just like he wanted. I could lie and say I was being held prisoner. But considering I’d gone to bed with him willingly that first night, it would be hypocritical of me to act like I didn’t want him.
Honestly, I’d never had someone want me, even if only physically, with the intensity I saw in Adrik’s gaze when he looked at me. It was thrilling. Scary, wild, seductive. He made me feel impossibly sexy, wanted. And that was one for the books.
Life was short, and I’d never been lucky in love or sex. But this was good sex. Fantastic sex. And even if it came with strings, I was human enough to acknowledge how good he made me feel. Jealousy rippled through me at all the women he must have practiced on, but I pushed those thoughts away. Everyone had a past. And I wasn’t a virgin, either. It was silly to expect him to be.
I sighed and stood up, stretching. I would not get any more work done, that was certain. I checked the time, and it was already past one. Too early to get ready for four. A walk might do me well. So, I pulled on my boots and new coat, topped it with a hat, scarf, and gloves and headed for the door.
“Sorry, miss, Mr. Volkov did not say you would be going out today.”
A guard dressed in all black with several bulges on his person to suggest weapons stopped me at the elevator door, which was located right inside the penthouse. I frowned. Was he serious?
“Well, Mr. Volkov did not say I wouldn’t be going out, did he?” I countered.
The man frowned and looked confused. He told me to wait while he spoke into what I assumed was a mic on his cuff. A minute later, a handsome man that I recognized as Adrik’s brother came in through the elevator.
“Well, well. Ah, I see. You are the beautiful creature my brother’s been keeping locked up. Tired of your cage, princess?” he asked suavely.
I didn’t reply right away. No doubt, Marat Volkov was used to sweeping women off their feet, and while I appreciated his purely masculine beauty, he did not move me. So instead of answering, I simply waited for him to continue with whatever game he was playing. All rich men played games. It was a fact, not a theory. And it was one of the foundations for my novel.
“Feisty? I like it. No wonder Adrik is so taken with you. Were you going somewhere?” Marat asked, and I noticed the small twitch in his eye with pleasure.
“Coffee. I was going to the café on the corner,” I decided on the spot.
“Would you mind some company, princess? It’s been a while since I had the opportunity to visit with such a,” he said, looking me up and down in what I assumed was a move most women pined for, “pleasant conversationalist,” he finished, tugging on his lower lip with his fingers.
Oh, the guy was good. A practiced flirt, with a handsome hot boy face and rich guy style that garnered him many a heart, I could just tell. He did not strike me as the same sort of man as his brother. There was a teasing air about him, like Marat never took anything seriously. I supposed it was obvious why he didn’t. No matter what anyone said, life was a beauty contest, and he was winning.
To me, Adrik was the handsomer of the two. His roughness, that serious, hard edge he had about him made my panties melt right off. But it was his severity that made the joy I felt exuding from him sometimes even more valuable. Marat was still a boy, playing at being a man. But not Adrik. I had the feeling he did not play very much at all. And it made me want to tackle hug him the next time I saw him, wrestle him to the ground and see if I could find a tickle spot.
Christ, I was losing my mind. Imagine me doing that to Adrik!
“As you like,” I replied coolly.
Marat’s searching stare was making me clench my teeth. He smiled and held out his arm, which I bypassed and walked to the end of the elevator. He spoke to the guard, informed me of where we were going, and stepped a little too close to me inside the elevator. He was tall, thinner than Adrik, and he looked and smelled expensive. Where his brother exuded power and authority, Marat seemed playful and carefree.
I wondered about all the things his brother must have done for him to make his life so smooth. And I wondered if Marat was grateful. Curiosity about the man who’d basically blackmailed me to be his plaything filled me. I wished I could stop it, knowing that way led to trouble and heartache. But I had an active imagination, and it couldn’t be helped.
“I never appreciated Adrik’s eye for exquisite things before,” Marat said, looking me up and down.
“Oh my God, you are not trying to flirt with me, are you?” I said and snorted a laugh.
The poor man looked shocked, but it was just too absurd. A man like Adrik might get caught up in whatever he saw in me, but Marat? No fucking way. He’d have to do better than to pretend to be interested in me to get to whatever it was he was getting at.
“You’re a beautiful woman, Sofia. I am sure all men flirt with you,” he tried again, regrouping from his first efforts.
“Sure. Men flirt with me. But your brother doesn’t strike me as someone who would appreciate this little game you’re trying to run, unless he put you up to it,” I said.
A dark blush spread across his boyishly handsome face, and I knew he knew he’d been caught. Adrik did not put him up to this. Marat was doing this without big brother’s knowledge, or approval, I guessed. He was out for something, and I was curious as to what he thought a nobody like me could possibly know. Maybe it was just an ego thing. I could have saved him the trouble and told him then and there, I was not interested, But I did not think his flirtations were genuine.
“Fine. It is the timing, you understand? We’re in the middle of an important deal, Sofia. A deal you are delaying with your presence, and I don’t think it is a coincidence you work for Missy Castle,” he said, all evidence of the charming young man gone.
“What does my old boss have to do with this?” I asked, my stomach turning.
