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KARINA IS A WOMAN, NOT AN ASSIGNMENT
NATHAN
“Mr. Vasiliev, may I have a word?” I asked as I opened the door.
There at his desk, Mr. Vasiliev sat with his hands folded in front of him. On the other side, in my usual seat, was Mr. Prince.
“I was hoping you’d stop by Mr. James. Mr. Prince has a few concerns about Karina’s wellbeing.”
I stepped in, leaning against the doorpost. “Of course, by all means. What’s the issue?”
Calmly, Mr. Vasiliev looked in my direction before looking back at his business partner. “Go on, Mr. Prince.”
Mr. Prince turned, surveying my appearance. “I was simply further explaining why you are incapable of handling Miss Karina.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and raised an eyebrow. He was right, to a certain degree. Then again, it really didn’t matter what Mr. Prince said.
My grandmother always said it was hard for someone to warm up to a person like me. I was a learning curve. Not everyone was going to enjoy my company, and that was fine.
“How would you know, Mr. Prince? You are never around when Mr. Vasiliev is in danger. I think if anyone should raise the issue, it’s him.” I turned my attention to our boss. “Do you think I’m unable to do as you asked?”
“I think you’re doing fine,” Mr. Vasiliev responded.
Stifling a laugh, I lowered my arms and placed my hands into the pockets of my pants.
“Fine?” Mr. Prince nearly raised his voice. He leaned forward, standing up. His hands curled into fists against the desk. “He’s an immature low life. An amateur who cannot be put in charge of Miss Karina’s life.”
I couldn’t even argue with that. By Mr. Prince’s standards, I was a middle-class citizen who would never climb up the social ladder, become successful, or even become wealthy. And to be honest, I was perfectly ok with that. Especially if any of that was going to make me seem like I always had a stick up my ass.
“He’s meant to protect her, not be in charge.”
“Then allow me to watch over her.”
That was a bold move. He had never tried to take charge of watching over anyone before, not even Mr. Vasiliev himself. I felt a lurch in my gut. That could only mean one thing: he was a suspect.
“Mr. James is fully trained to take care of Karina by any means,” Mr. Vasiliev said.
Sure, right... We could go with that. I had the means to protect her if problems arose. I could hide and push her away from danger. But any other care she may have needed... like company or her sexual desires, wouldn’t be part of that deal.
Karina Vasiliev was business. Nothing more, nothing less.
“Of course, Mr. Vasiliev.” Defeated, Mr. Prince backed down, but there was still a bit of tension in that voice of his. Still, he knew when not to continue a fight. “I shouldn’t question your judgment.”
Each one of us was all too aware that Mr. Vasiliev wasn’t ever one to argue with.
“It’s alright. I understand you care deeply for my daughter, and I appreciate that.”
“I will always care for her and have her best interest at heart.”
The exchange made it sound like Karina dated this prick. Though it would have made sense if they did. Still, she said they didn’t, and I believed her.
“Do you have anything to add, Mr. James?”
I blinked twice, looking over at Mr. Vasiliev. He directed his attention to me.
I shook my head and opened my mouth. “I’m doing what I asked. Miss Vasiliev is nothing more than an assignment. Neither of us wants to be in this position. I might not care about her in the way Mr. Prince does, but I will protect her, regardless.”
Mr. Vasiliev’s frown revealed that he wasn’t happy with the answer, and I couldn’t blame him. He wanted Karina and me to get along, but I couldn’t get close to her without crossing lines I knew I should never cross.
Suddenly, a shadow beside me caught my attention. I took a step back from the office and peeked down the hall, noticing Karina heading back towards her room.
Mr. Vasiliev cleared his throat. “You are dismissed, Mr. Prince.” He said with a wave of dismissal. “Mr. James,” he continued, beckoning me to sit.
Letting out a deep breath, I walked further into the room and sat down. Once the door closed behind us, Mr. Vasiliev turned his attention to me.
“You wanted to speak with me?” He asked.
“It’s about the cab driver.”
“Did he reveal anything to you?”
I nodded, placing my hands on the desk and leaning in. “He found out about Karina’s kidnapping from a business partner of yours.”
“Is that so?” Mr. Vasiliev glanced down at the papers in front of him, picking them up. “Is there anything else?”
“He’s not just after your company. He’s after her as well.”
“Then it’s a good thing I placed you in charge,” he said, looking me in the eye.
I leaned back in the chair. “I guess, though I’m not sure exactly what that entails other than watching over her.”
“You will simply not let her out of your sight. Wherever she goes, you go.” He said, his tone short.
My lip twitched into a smirk. “Even to the bathroom, sir?”
“Don’t get smart, Nathan,” he exclaimed, breaking his usual professional demeanor, making me chuckle.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Vasiliev. I’ll make sure to keep her in sight. Anything else?”
“Karina is a woman, not an assignment.” He glanced back at me. “Treat her as such, unlike the way you have been.”
Fuck me. I was afraid he’d say something like that sooner or later. “I treat her as a human being. Isn’t that enough?”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “It won’t kill you to open yourself up to her a little. How else do you expect to gain her trust?”
“By showing her my awesome skills to keep her from harm.” I smiled, but Mr. Vasiliev wasn’t having it. His eyes were pure stone. I took a deep breath. “Fine. I will open up to her, but she’s not going to like the truth.”
“And what is that?”
“The fact that everything she thought she knew about me is a lie.”
