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“I’m going to Juilliard to meet Heidi,” I say, turning away. “She needs my help with her composition. Let me know the time for this party.”
I haven’t taken a single step before Arman grabs me by the waist, and I crash into his hard body. He holds me in place, his lips close to my ear.
“You are no longer the princess who gives me orders,” he murmurs. “You’re mine. So you better fix your attitude fast.”
I’ve been close to Arman before, but not like this. The heat of his breath against my neck moves my thoughts uncomfortably close to the fantasies I indulge in when I’m alone and in need of relief. Without thinking, I lean against him, and he tightens his grip, his fingertips digging into me. I hear a low rumble deep in his throat, and he shoves me away, taking a step back.
“Here.” He rummages in his wallet and hands me a black card. “The PIN is 1006. I’ll call for a car, and you can shop for something to wear. Take your friend along.”
I take the card but can’t stop staring at him. He’s angry with me for mouthing off, but I don’t think that’s why his breathing is so heavy.
Neither of us says anything more. Arman taps his phone, and a silver sedan pulls up within a minute. Arman opens the rear passenger door and gestures for me to get in.
“You’re not coming?” I ask as I slide onto the seat.
He shakes his head. “I have a few things to attend to before this evening. You’ll be fine; Gustav here will keep an eye on you.”
The driver tips his cap. I turn back to Arman, but he closes the door and walks away without another word.
Heidi holds up an Alexander McQueen bandage dress. “This is amazing,” she says. “My tits are too big for a neckline this high, but on you, it’d be perfect.”
There’s no way I could wear that; I’d be so aware of it. Tight, elasticated, bejeweled? My over-wrought senses would be fried, but I don’t like to admit just how much my clothes bother me.
I wrinkle my nose. “It’s a bit too flashy. I wanted something less... obvious.” I roll my eyes as she taps her phone screen. “Is that the guy who works in fashion? Don’t you dare blow him off for my party.”
She frowns. “On a first date?”
“Blow him off, I said.”
Heidi smirks. “Okay, I’ll go through with it, and tomorrow we can compare notes and establish who had the worst evening.”
She pushes dresses along the rail. “Maybe just wear overalls and have food between your teeth. You know, to express your inner feelings. After what happened with Seb, your brother goes and springs this wedding nonsense on you? At least Arman is a good guy.” She gives me a mischievous glance. “Although not too good, huh? Maybe you’ll lose that V-card in style!”
I smile, but inside, I’m cringing. I’m like a child to Arman, and he could have anyone he wanted. Once we’re married, he’ll likely carry on like all bratva men, playing poker and drinking, and I’ll sit around with the other wives, chatting about handbags and the latest rumors. What a life.
Still, the encounter outside Arman’s apartment has my head spinning. The way he grabbed me, his words, his whole demeanor. If he’s going to marry me, I guess he has to play a role, but there was no one there to witness that moment between us.
Just as well. If there’s one thing growing up in the bratva has taught me, it’s that true love is as rare as it is dangerous. Both Vlad and Sasha nearly lost their lives because they lost their hearts.
It’s better for me never to give mine away; conveniently, no man will likely ask for it. With elegant, sophisticated, beautiful women at his beck and call, why would Arman be faithful to someone like me?
Forced marriages are common enough in our world, but most of them result in children and all the trappings of a shared life. I don’t know how fake this marriage will be, and I need to determine Arman’s expectations. What if he wants sex? Would that really be the worst?
How could it be when I’ve imagined it so many times? Those nights when I touch myself, chasing the climax I need as I picture Arman’s hands on my body, his lips on my—
“Lili!” Heidi is staring at me. “You’re on another planet today. You have to marry your bodyguard. Big deal! He’s sexy as all Hell and would give his life for you. Meanwhile, I get left on read!”
We laugh, and I relax a little. Maybe things won’t change much. I can still go to school and live my life. I just won’t be at the mercy of mafia men with ulterior motives.
Arman wants what he wants, but it isn’t me. So what?
7
Arman
Francisco ‘Sissi’ Barone is a friend of the Kislevs, but I haven’t met him until today. He’s the reclusive type, an old-fashioned Don who spends most of his life shrouded in cigar smoke in mahogany-paneled offices.
The Barones have a well-established presence in Chicago and set up a satellite operation in New York years ago. The Kislevs ceded some territory and supported them in maintaining it, and in return, they allowed us some trade with their interests in Cook County. Sissi is visiting New York for the first time as Vlad’s guest.
