Page 28 of Taken By My Grumpy Pakhan

“And you’re begging to get shot.”

“So you’re fucking the staff.”

It was a final deduction with no room for argument. While my relationship with Nikolai didn’t require details, honesty was a crucial part of it.

And even if that were not the case, I still wouldn’t reduce myself to petty sins like lying. It was undignifying.

“Whatever happened to your no fraternization rule and how,” he made air quotes with his fingers, “fucking ruined the focus amongst staff?”

Fuck if I knew where all of that went. When I first saw Genevieve, she was perfect. Slender with boobs that poured out of her shirt and eyes that begged you to take her right then and there, but I saw the tag on her shirt and the thought immediately died.

But then she kissed me, and the little that was left of my restraint fell apart.

Common sense slipped through the narrow spaces in the elevator and the pent-up anger from dealing with stupid rich idiots took over, convinced me a fuck would smooth me out.

However, as impulsive and reckless as the decision might’ve been, I was clearly on a questionable decision-making streak because weeks later, I made the worst of them all. And now, all I did was sit behind my desk battling the urge to go into her little office and fuck her senseless.

Hiring her was a bad decision. Of that much I was certain, but wanting to fuck her again? Now that’s the part I couldn’t condemn.

I knew she would want it. I saw the way the pulse in her throat jumped when I was close, and she was doing a lousy job of discreetly squeezing her thighs underneath the table.

The door opened and for the first time, I was relieved to be confronted with the view of Svetlana and her interesting choice of outfit.

“Hey baby.” She bent to give me a full view of her boobs and planted her cherry-painted lips a narrow inch away from mine before turning to my companion. Her tone went flat.

“Nikolai.”

“Svet,” he responded with matching gusto. “Care to share the location of our cargo?”

“Certainly.” She got comfortable on the seat next to mine. What followed was pure venom. “Once your blood turns Russian.”

“Let’s save the blood details for a biology class,” I cut in before Nikolai could respond.

What he had in strength, Svetlana had in words. She could trigger a monk with a phrase. He was hardly a match for her in that department.

“I came as soon as I heard.” Her countenance changed when she faced me. “Father said it’s a setup.”

I cocked a brow, my tone flat. “Really?”

She reached out to dust an imaginary speck off my shoulder. “Of course it is. He owned thirty percent of the shipments and he vows to find those responsible.”

“He would?”

Her hand paused on my chest, curling back into her lap as her shoulders rolled back and her spine straightened. “You think I’m lying?”

The air froze on the chill in her tone. Behind her, Nikolai burned beams of laser through her head with his eyes. The tension in the room was low but palpable.

Her brow lifted slightly, waiting for the reply that would decide the fate of the coming decade.

I took her hand in mine, pressing my lips into the back while keeping my eyes on hers.

“Not at all, darling.”

Chapter Eight

Genevieve

If someone told me that I would go from barely pulling through to shopping in one of those boutiques that served champagne at the entrance in three months, I would’ve laughed in their face and asked for the brand of alcohol they consumed.