AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She hadn’t realized how wet she’d become until his fingers explored her.
“Oh,zolotse…can you feel yourself?” Kostya whispered to her. His index finger stroked her clit in slow circles, and Maya bit down on his shoulder to keep herself from making too much noise. They were in public—someone would hear. “Can you feel how wet you are for me?”
Maya couldn’t speak. She couldn’t risk the moan that might tear from her lips. The way Kostya touched her was teasing, but the more she pushed herself against him, the more she found she wanted. A second finger joined the first, and he used his palm to press down against her clit while he worked his fingers inside her. She ground down on him, but even as pleasure exploded behind her eyes, she craved more.
“I want you,” she uttered, risking speech just once.
“I know you do. I can feel how badly you want me.” Kostya’s fingers continued to tease, fingers easily sliding in and out. She should have been embarrassed at how sloppy and wet it sounded, but the pleasure she was feeling drowned out all shame. “But now isn’t the time. All I need is to see you come. I need to show you how serious I am—that I will do anything for your satisfaction.”
Maya, in her desperation, tried to rest her foot on one of the lower shelves. After she caught her footing, the angle was perfect. She pressed herself on and off Kostya’s exploratory fingers, pleasure arcing through her like electricity across water. Just a little more…
Kostya flicked upward with his fingers unexpectedly, and Maya could take it no more. Her body shook. Turning her head, their lips met. She moaned into his mouth and he swallowed down her ecstasy as she came for him. Her walls clenched and fluttered, and she rubbed herself against his fingers greedily as wave after wave of pleasure rolled through her. With a shudder, she pressed her head to his chest and took several deep breaths.
“That’s a good girl, Maya,” Kostya whispered. “Know that I will keep you safe…that I will tend to your pleasure and ease your suffering no matter where you go.”
Maya nodded against him. She couldn’t do anything else. Her lungs felt withered, and she was sure her knees would give out if she tried to walk on her own. She’d given in to the enemy’s brother—the Mad Dog himself—and now he was loyal to her.
With his help to capture her father, she hoped they could put bad blood behind them and never think of each other as enemies again—because if she had her way, she could envision them becoming something far better.
CHAPTER13
Maya
“Maya!” Kristen called out right as Maya came in through the door. “Thank goodness you’re here. The council just called about your paperwork, and they’re still on hold. I was about to ring your cell phone.”
Maya had taken a cab back to New Beginnings with Kostya, who’d insisted that he stay with her until the situation was under control—now, she was thankful they’d rushed back.
“The council?” she echoed. Maya’s heart leaped into her throat. As concerned as she was for her well-being, she still had a life outside of the mess that was her family. The paperwork for the council had been submitted last month. They had to have come to a decision. “I’ll go take it in my office. Which line?”
“Two,” Kristen said and grinned. “Go knock their socks off, girl! I’ll be out here cheering you on.” Kristen’s gaze swept over to Kostya, who stood by Maya’s side protectively. Now dressed in clothes that fit him and were probably worth more than she made in a month, he looked indisputably gorgeous, even with the giant bruise on his head. Kristen smirked. “Do you want me to entertain your friend while you’re on the phone?”
“No, he’ll be sitting in my office with me, thank you.” Maya grabbed his hand and tugged him toward her office door. Kostya nodded politely at Kristen, who was visibly pouting, then followed Maya through her office door and made sure that it was shut behind them. When he took up a spot right in front of the door, Maya sank down into her office chair and picked up the phone’s receiver. She pressed the button for the second line and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that she’d be given good news. “Hello, this is Maya Orlov speaking.”
“Good afternoon, Ms. Orlov.” Maya recognized the voice—it belonged to Richard Wright, a high-ranking member of the city council. Maya had spoken to him only twice before, but she recognized his dry, drawn-out way of speaking immediately. “This is Richard Wright from the London Council. Am I calling at an inopportune time? I was told that you were out of the office.”
“I came back just in time, it seems,” Maya said brightly. She turned her chair slightly so that she could look at Kostya. He’d leaned back in his chair so his weight was pushing against the door, and his arms were folded over his chest. The shirt he wore looked like it was made for him, but she knew he hadn’t had enough time to have one made, much less tailored. He’d rolled the sleeves up and she watched the muscles in his arms, following them to those delicious fingers that a short time ago had had her writhing in pleasure. He seemed to be following her thoughts, because when she looked back to his face, she saw the way he was smirking. Blushing, she went back to trying to concentrate on the caller. “I assume that you’re calling to follow up on the shelter permit paperwork?”
“You’ve assumed correctly,” Richard replied. “We’ve had time to comb through the paperwork top to bottom, making sure every item is in order. The plan and presentation you’ve assembled are fantastic, Ms. Orlov—truly commendable.”
“Thank you.” Maya’s hopes rose. Richard wasn’t the type of man who sugarcoated news. Or, at least, that was the impression she got from him. He was an uptight, stuffy, older gentleman who led his life by going by the book, and he approached work with a similar mindset.
If he thought her work was commendable, then…
“But, unfortunately, we’ve had to reject the application.”
Maya almost dropped the phone. She fumbled to adjust her grip, then turned away from Kostya so he wouldn’t see her face. “You had to…what?”
“We’ve had to reject the application,” Richard repeated. “Unfortunately, while we analyzed the paperwork and the zoning, it came to our attention that there is a city code that would make the establishment of a social services building in that part of the city unlawful. As it stands, we cannot allow New Beginnings to open a sister location in the building you’ve specified.”
“What city code is it?” Maya asked. She grabbed a pen from her cup holder and clicked the top, bringing down the nib. “Is there an appeals process?”
“You’ll find the ordinance listed in section C.47.1043 under urban development and social services. The language used is quite clear.”
Maya scribbled down the information. “And the appeals process?”
“There is no appeal process for rejected applications, unfortunately. If you wish to reapply, you’ll need to submit the paperwork again. It would be in your best interest to thoroughly research all codes and ordinances before submitting the next round of paperwork, Ms. Orlov. It’s unfortunate that your original application had to be rejected.”
“I thought that I had gone over everything,” Maya admitted, frowning. “I’ll make sure to look into the information you’ve given me and draft a new application.”
