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Then there’s his voice. It’s smooth, too smooth. I don’t know what he’s really like behind closed doors, but he’s almost too calm, it’s unnerving.
“If you think that he’ll hurt us, you’re wrong,” Donya snaps. “We have children. Maryam is probably pregnant. There is no way that he’s going to do anything to us.”
Shifting my attention from Rostam to them, I cross my arms over my chest and tip my chin down slightly. The man standing across from me grunts but doesn’t say anything as he watches. Though, his lips are tipped up in a small smile as he does watch.
“I’m not sure you realize the kind of man Rostam is or any of these men, really. Sure, he’s nice and all, but this is business and although I don’t know any of the details, judging by the way he’s talking to these other men, there is business involved.”
“We’re his people,” Maryam says, lifting her head slightly, her nose stuck straight in the air.
“Which means he can kill you and answer to nobody,” I state before I turn and walk away from them. I don’t need to talk to them. To listen to their shit. They are nothing to me now, though to be honest, they never really were anyway.
Instead of standing around the living room, I slip back into the bedroom and walk over to the window. There isn’t much to look at, though it wouldn’t matter if there was. I’m staring straight ahead, not looking at anything or at least, not seeing anything.
There is a noise behind me, but I can’t force my attention anywhere else. I’m thinking about nothing and everything all at once. What is going to happen to me? What kind of business is Ruslan going to have with Rostam? And the fact that I don’t think I’ll ever be rid of the Persian Mafia, no matter what.
I feel two arms slide around my waist, then lips press against the side of my neck. “They’ve all left,” Ruslan murmurs against my skin.
“Okay,” I breathe.
He doesn’t say anything else immediately, he stays at the window with me, his arms wrapped around mine, his mouth against the side of my neck. Then, what feels like an hour later, he speaks.
“Talk to me, Isa. What is wrong? Are you okay?”
Turning around in his arms, I tilt my head backward slightly to look up into his eyes. “You’ve stripped me too, Ruslan. I realized as those women were here that I cared absolutely nothing for them. I don’t give a shit what happens to them at all. They were part of my life for six years and I feel absolutely nothing for them. But you, if something happened to you, I would be destroyed.”
His face shifts expressions right before my eyes. His lips curve up into a smile, a big one, and his eyes soften before he lowers his head and his mouth slams against mine. The kiss is closed mouth, but it’s full of emotion. So much emotion, lust, and maybe even love.
Love.
I can hope that it’s full of love, considering I fell for him a long time ago. Even if I didn’t want to, I did.
He lifts his head, both of our breaths coming out labored. Ruslan doesn’t smile, but he doesn’t look angry either. Instead, he just intently, seriously, stares down at me. Watching me. Taking me in and I want to call out his name. I want to tell him that I love every piece of him, but my words are stuck in my throat.
“You will never see Rostam or those women again. I swear this to you. I won’t allow it, not in any way whatsoever.”
“Tell me what you’re doing with him,” I demand.
He arches a brow, no doubt taken aback by my demand. I know that you do not ask questions, let alone make demands about business. I know this and yet, I can’t help myself. This seems important. It seems like something that I deserve an answer to, at least in this case.
“It’s business,” he mutters.
Shaking my head, I clear my throat. “It’s not just business, not when it comes to them, to Rostam and his people. Tell me what the hell is going on.”
Ruslan lifts his hand, taking a step back, he runs his fingers through his hair. He shifts his attention to the side, then brings it back before he lets out a sigh.
“I needed new women, more girls for the club. Willing women. That was part of the agreement. Part of the agreement to get you.”
His words don’t surprise me. Maybe they should. I knew that women were part of the business, part of this trade. This is just part of what keeps this business going. Sex, drugs, and guns… maybe some loan-sharking and definitely dues for protection. I’m not an idiot.
“Should I ask where he’s getting these women?”
Ruslan shakes his head. His gaze never leaving mine. “I don’t know where they’re coming from. I’m interviewing them on Friday. I need to have a virgin brought in as well, for a particular client. A very important one.”
“Are you serious?” I hiss. “A virgin?”
He shrugs a shoulder. “I only employ willing women. This is something that this particular man wishes to pay handsomely for. He’s also very important. This is what I do. It upsets you?” he asks.
Logically, I understand what he’s saying to me. This is a business. This ishisbusiness. But inside, my heart is screaming. Because I know how women in this world, our world, are easily given and sold against their wills.
I don’t say anything. There is nothing to say. Instead, I decide to just accept this as fact. Lifting to my toes, I lift my hand and cup his cheek. I love feeling his skin against my own, being able to touch him freely, so I hold on to that, I push that to the forefront of my mind as I lean forward and touch my mouth to his.
