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Chapter Four
Lom
Last night was something that needed to happen for a long time. I’d been lying to myself for months, telling myself Emily wasn’t anything more than a beautiful woman who was captivating me for a while. I even tried to convince myself I’d be bored with her by now, but somehow that didn’t happen.
Now I’m on my side, looking at the woman while she sleeps. It’s nearly nine-thirty in the morning, and since it’s the weekend, I know she doesn’t have to go into the office. She’s naked under the white comforter that comes up to the top of her breasts. It’s like she turned herself into a sexy little burrito. Her hair is as curly as ever, and I know she uses some hair products to keep it from being too curly. I don’t know why she does it, because I think her curls suit her. Her lips are still painted red from the previous evening, but not too much. Between the two of us, we managed to take off a lot of her long-lasting lipstick.
She furrows her brows as she dreams, and I press my lips to the top of her forehead, muttering to her. “Spi sladko, moy upryamyy myshonok.” I tell my stubborn mouse to sleep sweet. Unfortunately, I can’t stay and sleep in with her. I have a meeting with Jordan Steele. It’s not for anything in particular, but I want to do my due diligence and ensure he and his family are still happy with our services.
Still, I have a few minutes before I have to get out of bed and leave her. As much as I want to speak to her before I go, I won’t wake her up. She needs her sleep, and she deserves her rest. Looking at her sleeping so peacefully, I don’t know how I ever thought I could walk away from her. How is it that I ever thought it was possible? Not simply because she’s a divine creature, but because of the amazing qualities I’ve seen in her. I would bestupid not to lock it down with her, and I’d be a fool to let any other man have the pleasure of wooing her. I wonder if this is how Ruslan felt about Amelia.
Though, I think my attraction and dedication to Emily are quite a bit different from my brother and his soon-to-be wife’s. My brother had an infatuation with Amelia at first sight. She was accused of stealing money from the safe at Illusion, owned by Christian Steele, one of the brothers of Jordan Steele. He offered his services to get to the root of the problem with the theft, and in the process, he paid Amelia’s debt, and she owed him. What I’m sure my brother was going to use as a way to have a fun few months or years turned into him wanting to marry and have a baby with her.
There was an immediate attraction with Emily, yes… but there’s more to it than our physical chemistry. Something about her calls me closer and invites me in. It makes me crave her in a way I’ve never craved another. Her work ethic and intelligence are obviously a plus.
The truth is, finding a woman who captivates me as much as she does hasn’t been so easy. She’s the only one, and it gives me hope that she could betheone for me. Though, I think it’s too early to tell.
I slip out of bed and decide I’d better wash off the stench of sex and sweat from last night. I strip out of my boxers, toss them in the dirty clothes hamper, and then start the shower. As I let the bathroom steam up a bit, I take my razor and touch up my beard. I’m very particular about the way my beard looks. It’s not super full, but it’s not thin, either. I always want to make sure my lines are straight. One hair out of place bothers me to no end. After a few minutes of touch-ups, I’m happy with the lines, and I head into the shower.
I apply shampoo to my hair and beard, then rinse both of them. After that, I apply conditioner to both areas and grab myfavorite pine tar-scented soap. It actually has pieces of pine in the soap, which acts as an exfoliant to take off dead skin cells and the like. Once I’m done washing my body, I wash out the conditioner and then get out of the shower. I try to dry off and finish getting ready quickly since the meeting I have with Jordan is at ten-fifteen. I put on a devil-red suit, pairing it with a black dress shirt. Typically, I go for more neutral gray tones, but I’m meeting with the man dubbed the Devil of Atlanta, and for a good reason. The Steeles own this city.
I finish getting ready and pop in to see if Emily is awake, but she isn’t yet. I leave the bedroom as quietly as I walked in and shut the door behind me, finding Ludvik sitting at the bar in the kitchen eating breakfast.
“Off to the meeting with Jordan Steele?” he questions, and I nod.
“Yes,” I answer him and notice he rises, but I don’t want him to come with me. I hold up a hand, and Ludvik immediately stops. “Stay here with Emily. Make sure she knows I’ve gone to handle some business but that I’ll be back later. She can stay here for the weekend if she likes, but if she has things she needs to do at home, then follow her, but don’t make it obvious.”
Ludvik cocks a brow and smirks. “You make me feel like I’m Danill. He constantly watches over Amelia and Karim.”
“It doesn’t sound like a problem to me. You’d beluckyto be watching over my fiancée and child, and it’s best you remember that.”
Ludvik raises both of his brows and swallows hard. “I meant no offense, of course.”
“I’m sure you didn’t. You will do as I ask. I must get going, or I’ll be late,” I tell him and walk past him, preparing to turn the corner for the hallway that leads out of the hotel suite.
“Boss, I know you’re on good terms with the Steele family, but I have something. I feel like I need to say something.”
I halt, waiting for Ludvik to speak up. “State what’s on your mind.”
“Even the ones on good terms, the ones closest to you, have the ability to betray you the most.” What Ludvik says is true. After all, my former right-hand man, Kirill, betrayed my family and me. I thought I could trust him with my life, with my family’s secrets, and instead, he was helping my traitor of a stepfather. Even now, it sickens me, but there was nothing I could’ve done to ensure Kirill’s loyalty to me. That’s something I have a hard time understanding, that the choices he made weren’t my fault.
“You should put that in a fortune cookie. Good talk,” I comment as I walk down the hallway, grab the keys to my Ferrari Roma, and head for the elevator. In a matter of five minutes, I’m pulling out of the parking garage and heading for the restaurant where I’m meeting Jordan.
It doesn’t take me too long to get there, and somehow, I’m lucky enough to find street parking in front of the restaurant. Though, it’s more of a café than a full-blown restaurant. As I open the door and walk inside, I’m amazed by the look of the joint. The floors are concrete, but they’re stained a medium gray. All the tables and the bar where you order are of honey-stained wood, and the chairs or barstools have black legs with emerald green seats. This even extends to the booths in the back. Throughout the place, there are tall plants. Some even go twenty or thirty feet in the air. The café must own three or four floors to have ceilings this high up.
I scan the area to see if Jordan’s here already, but I’m a few minutes early. He isn’t here, so I head for the counter and order a bloody mary and eggs Benedict. I’m given a number before heading to the back of the restaurant and texting Jordan where I am so he knows when he gets here.
Jordan arrives about ten minutes later, and he orders before he comes over to sit with me. “Lom, it’s good to see you again.” I’ve seen Jordan a couple of times, but mostly since Ruslan left to go back to Grozny.
“Likewise,” I tell him, and he takes a seat.
“So, what’s the meaning of this meeting?” Jordan inquires.
“I guess you could say I’m checking in on things. I want to verify your family’s happy with the progress we’ve made over the last few months and ensure we can continue our business dealings for a long time to come.”
As I finish speaking, the woman who took my order brings out my bloody mary, but there’s a second one with it. “Your food will be about another twenty minutes. If you two need anything else in the meantime, please let me know.”
“Thank you,” we both say simultaneously.
