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“Any man who decides he wants to behave like a fucking dog in my home will be put down like a dog. Make it clear.”
I tip the last few drops from the vodka bottle into my glass and snatch it up, heading upstairs to my bedroom. Stepping inside, I’m met with the scent of Lara again. I close my eyes and allow myself to enjoy it one last time.
When I open them, I catch a glimpse of Grace’s legs outside on the sun lounger. My heart twists painfully as I head onto the balcony where she lies, soaking up the sun’s rays. She’s wearing the shorts and vest I’d brought for her.
She blinks a few times and uses her arm to shade her eyes from the sun. “Thank you,” she murmurs. “You didn’t give me chance to say it before.”
“Did you anger him?” I ask bluntly.
She stiffens at my words, slowly sitting up. “What?”
“I told you not to antagonise him. Did you?”
“How dare you,” she spits. “You left me in here alone. You put me at risk.” I turn my back to her, and she follows as I go back inside. “If I wasn’t here in the first place, naked, that wouldn’t have happened at all.”
I remove my tie, throwing it on the bed, followed by my shirt. “If you kept your mouth shut, you wouldn’t have pissed him off. Now, he’s dead.”
“And that’s my fault?”
I turn to her as I unfasten my belt, and she glances at the discarded shirt, becoming wary as I remove the leather and toss it beside it. I kick off my shoes, remove my socks, then drop my trousers. She gasps, turning away, and I smirk as I step into the shower. “I’m a man down,” I say. “Igor has worked for me for five years. Men like him are hard to find.”
She scoffs. “I can take you to plenty of bars that have men exactly like him, if it’s a replacement rapist you’re after.”
I chuckle to myself. “Maria is making dinner. Shower,” I order, grabbing a towel as I step out and wrap it around my waist.
While she showers, I go into the next room, which Lara had turned into a walk-in wardrobe. I pick out shirt and trousers for myself and then turn to Lara’s side and stare at the rails of clothes. Clothes she no longer needs. I sigh, running a hand along them until I find a dress with the tags still attached. Lara has many clothes she’d never worn, and as I take it down from the rail, I smell it first to make sure. It smells new, and I relax. If she’s never worn it, it will be fine for Grace to borrow for this evening.
When I return, she’s drying off. I hand her the dress. It’s slightly bigger than her slender frame, but with a few more meals inside her, it’ll fit perfectly. “No underwear?” she asks. I shake my head, dressing quickly.
Before we leave the room, I turn to her and take her chin in my hands. “If you play up tonight, I’ll send you back into the basement. And if any of my men come to you there, I cannot stop them. Are we clear?” She nods. “I’m giving you a chance, sladost. Don’t make me regret it.”
GRACE
His words scare me. After Igor’s little show of alpha bullshit, it took me hours to stop shaking. I was so relieved to see Ivan that I felt grateful, but that was swiftly replaced by anger for putting me in that situation in the first place. I’m no safer here than on the streets. And now, he’s acting like it was normal to have a man attempt to rape me before dying on top of me.
My hands tremble as I follow Ivan downstairs to the dining room. He pulls out a seat for me before taking his place to my left, at the head of the table. Maria has set out places with a glass of wine at each, and Ivan tops up our glasses. I don’t usually drink alcohol, as I like to have a clear head, but after the last few days, I deserve a drink.
Ivan lifts the lids of the silver dishes that sit between us. There’s meat on one and vegetables on another, and as he serves me, I smile gratefully. After losing my lunch earlier, I’m extremely hungry.
“What do you do for work?” I ask politely.
He smirks. “Eat.”
I try the meat. It’s like nothing I’ve ever eaten before, but it tastes amazing. “Maria seems nice.” He keeps quiet. “Has she worked for you long?” He continues to eat in silence. “How many people work here?”
He places his fork down. “Grace, we don’t talk at the dinner table. Eat.”
“Sorry, nervous habit. It used to drive my mother mad.”
Once dinner is over, he stands, holding out a hand for me to take. I do, because after my afternoon with the devil, something about Ivan comforts me.
He takes me back upstairs and into his bedroom, which disappoints me. I was hoping to see more of the house and look for a way out.
Ivan sits in the chair by the balcony doors and pulls out his mobile phone, clicking away on it. I head out to the balcony again. It’s a lot cooler now the sun is setting.
A long time passes before he calls me into the bedroom. He’s stripped out of his shirt and trousers and is sitting up in bed. He pulls back the sheets. “Undress.”
I glance down at my dress. “I like to sleep in clothes,” I say.
