Page 12 of Savage Little Lies

Cara briefly brushes her knuckles against her cheek when it reddens as if recognizing that I’m blurring the lines between employer and employee, that I just fucking called her sweetheart. “But that’s my job.”

I shake my head. “I’ll do it. I need you to focus on strategizing.”

“Okay,” Cara replies before taking another bite. A tiny smear of cherry filling stains the corner of her top lip, drawing my eyes to her enticing mouth. She notices my staring and cocks her head. “Is there something on my face?”

“Your lip,” I say as I gesture to the spot.

Instead of wiping it off with her thumb as I expect, she drags her tongue over the corner of her mouth, licking up the cherry filling. Her teeth then graze her bottom lip for a second, making desire burn through me.

I don’t need to get involved with her in any way, especially when the alliance is riding on my marriage to another woman but fuck, she’s so damn beguiling. She probably tastes as sweet as that Danish.

“You got it,” I tell her once I manage to remember how to speak.

“Thank you,” Cara replies before checking the time. “We should probably head back to the office soon so that I can get you prepped for the meeting.”

I nod in agreement and finish off my coffee before tossing our trash. As we slip out of the café together, our hands briefly touch, fingertips brushing. It sends an electric charge up my arm, making me tense. A fluke, surely.

Cara notices and gives me a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” I say before holding my arm out, motioning for her to go ahead of me.

I’m not used to these tense moments. My curiosity about her is threatening to throw me off my game, and with so much happening with the marriage, my businesses, and the cops grabbing my men off the street or finding my drugs, I can’t have that happen.

I need to be focused, which means seeing her as an employee, not someone to ogle over or even wonder about. I’m too busy to entertain someone, and I’ll be stuck trying to make a prissy heiress happy for the foreseeable future, anyway.

When we get back to the office and head to one of the conference rooms, I hear muffled voices inside, grounding me again to my purpose here. Not only do I need to get myself together for my own wellbeing, but I also have to remind the men who work for me that I’m not a person that they want to disappoint.

That I don’t hesitate to eliminate liabilities.

The Ivanov empire comes first. Always.

It’s my sole purpose. The reason I was born. The reason I’ve been chosen and trusted to lead the whole family.

I don’t know anything else.

And I don’t care to.

5

Cara

I’d say my plan is progressing nicely if Dmitri’s requesting late-night strategy sessions.

Just before five o’clock hits, I excuse myself to go to the restroom, passing by other employees as they get ready to head home for the day. Dmitri doesn’t keep many employees, but someone has to draft documents and handle invoices.

I’m sure the NDA they had to sign was just as thick as mine.

Once I enter the restroom, I stop in front of the long mirror above the sinks, studying my reflection. The dress looks good, and I can tell that Dmitri thought the same because he hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off me all day. Earlier, he used a Russian term of endearment. Milaya. Sweetheart.

I’ll keep wrapping Dmitri around my finger, drawing him in until he can’t stand the thought of being with Annika when he could be with me instead.

I just have to keep putting on a show and planting the seeds of destruction so that his engagement implodes before it’s even finalized.

Tonight, being alone with him, is vital in the progression of my plan. I need to entice him without being too forward. It’s a fine line, but I’m determined.

I will ruin their engagement.

My fingers breeze through my hair as I give the long strands a light fluff, freshening myself up before our work begins. Hopefully, I can help Dmitri with his issue and score some points for myself. Listening in on my father’s business meetings every summer should come in handy, and I’m sure he can forgive me for helping the enemy short term in support of a bigger, more important cause.