“I’m not most women.”
“No, you’re not,” he murmured as if to himself.
He reached for the little brass bell near his empty crystal wine glass, picked it up, and rang it. Two women entered the room, and Dolinsky spoke to them in Russian before dismissing them.
“Why are you treating me like an honored guest?” I asked.
He leaned back in his chair to study me. “A beautiful woman should be cherished.”
“For how long?”
He smiled, but for once it wasn’t charming—it was predatory and terrifying. “Until she is no longer useful.”
The two women came back. One carried a platter and put it down in front of us while the other poured us two glasses of red wine. They departed the dining room and went back into the kitchen.
Dolinsky lifted his glass of wine to signal a toast. With no choice, I did the same, wondering when all of this would hit me and my panic would come back.
“To partnerships.”
He kept his eyes on me as he took a sip. I took a small drink and then set my glass aside. I needed to keep my wits. The food could be drugged, but there wasn’t much I could do about that.
“Do you like beets?” he asked, reaching for the serving spoon. Before I could answer, he plopped a spoonful onto my plate and then served himself. I picked up the correct fork and took a bite.
“Delicious,” I said.
He hummed with pleasure as he sampled the food. “You have not asked where you are.”
The man wanted to play, did he? I arched an eyebrow. “Where am I?”
Setting down his fork, he leaned close to me, and with too much familiarity, gently pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. “Your new cage.”
Chapter 38
All through the six-course dinner, Dolinsky chatted amiably and explained each dish that was served. If I hadn’t been his prisoner, I would have seriously considered him charming. To hell with that, hewascharming. He didn’t ask me one question about Flynn or our personal relationship, and I had no way of knowing if Dolinsky realized we were married. After all, it still wasn’t technically public knowledge, and the subtle wedding ring I had on my finger could easily be explained as just another piece of jewelry.
By the end of the meal, I still had no inkling of Dolinsky’s master plan for me. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve assumed he was attempting to seduce me. Not sexually—that would’ve been a byproduct. No, Dolinsky was trying to seduce me with his charm, wealth, and power. What was his angle? Was he hoping I’d change allegiances just because he was being kind to me?
Flynn had told me Dolinsky was a killer, ruthless and hard. That wasn’t the persona he was showing me now. He was acting the part of doting playboy.
“I’m curious,” I said when we were lingering over coffee and dessert. “Were you the one who took me from the spa?”
“No,” Dolinsky said. “I sent one of my most trusted men to get you.”
“How did he kidnap me without anyone noticing? There were security cameras and I was in The Rex Hotel, surrounded by people who knew me by name.”
Dolinsky chucked me under the chin like a child. “Nothing is foolproof. There’s always a way.”
I stifled the urge to rub my skin. I noted that he hadn’t actually given me an answer, but had evaded my question.
“Any other inquiries?”
I took a deep breath and asked the question that had been plaguing me. “Do you plan on torturing me? Raping me?”
He frowned. “Why would I do such heinous things? You think because I am your husband’s enemy that I abuse women just because I can?”
Ah, so he knew who I was to Flynn. No matter what he said, I couldn’t trust him, no matter how fascinating and debonair he could be.
“I have but one goal,” he went on, “and that is to topple Flynn Campbell from his lofty throne—and burn his empire to the ground. That is no great secret.”
