Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
“Adelaide,” he said.
Ignoring him. I got off the bed, and with as much dignity as I could muster, I left him standing in his bedroom, without another word.
He didn’t want my touch. He wouldn’t get my words either.
****
Andrei
“This is rather small,” Ivan said.
This was his first visit to me since his supposed death and rebirth. He’d already briefed me on what caused the charade. I had only met Cara briefly. The woman had been one of Slavik’s brothel women, or something like that. She hadn’t seemed important to me.
I’m aware there was some kind of history between the three, but again, all of that was just rumors, and I’d never paid much attention to it.
“You didn’t seem to mind it when you visited my wife last,” I said.
Adelaide was out, again.
Since our episode, she’d been distant with me. Not that I could blame her. I expected her to cave soon, but she’d already tested me this past week. Other than dinner, which was a silent affair, she didn’t talk to me. Breakfasts were silent, as were the nights I made it home.
There was a distance now that hadn’t existed before.
“I know, but with you here, it does look small.” Ivan pursed his lips. “Do you think this is a good place to raise a family?” He shook his head. “I don’t know what it is with my men. You always seem to go for the penthouse option. Kind of boring.”
I wasn’t going to point out that he lived in a penthouse suite as well.
“Speaking of family, is Adelaide pregnant yet?” Ivan asked.
“No.”
I got to my feet. “Can I interest you in a drink?”
“You can, but you do know I’m not an idiot, don’t you?” Ivan asked.
I paused on my way to our drinks and turned toward him.
Ivan smiled. “Get me that drink.” He winked at me, and I poured us both a generous helping of whiskey. Adelaide had replaced the decanter on one of her many journeys out of the house. Ever since Leo had been given as her bodyguard, and I’d allowed her to leave, she was never home. I didn’t agree with this compromising bullshit. Adelaide was nowhere to be found.
Handing Ivan a glass, I took a seat, sipping at the dark amber liquid. It was the strong stuff, burning as it went down.
“Do you hate Adelaide?” Ivan asked.
“No. She’s my wife.”
“Ah, but you see, to have a true wife, you need to fuck her. Not drive her crazy until she’s happy with pathetic visits out. We both know you’ve not given her much of a life. At least Slavik did his duty.”
He’d never compared us before.
“Are you questioning my loyalty?” I asked.
“No, I’m not. I’m simply stating a fact. He got the job done. Aurora is very much pregnant, and you’ve not even taken your wife. Your marriage could be annulled like that.” He clicked his fingers. “Speaking of the charming woman, where is she?”
“Out,” I snapped the word, taking a large drink of my whiskey.
He chuckled. “I thought you were supposed to be good with women.”
I was amazing with women. The kind that wanted money for a good time. They were easy to handle.
Ivan sighed. “You know, I’m thinking that you and Adelaide might not be quite the good fit.”
“I will get her pregnant soon,” I said.
“I’m more than happy to take her off your hands. She’s more than a handful. I’m sure she’ll keep me entertained for plenty of months to come.”
My grip on the glass got too tight and it smashed within my hand. A couple of shards slid into my flesh, but I didn’t mind. The welcoming bite of pain doused me in a harsh reality check. I couldn’t kill Ivan. He was my boss. I was loyal to him.
Ivan smiled as if he knew what I was thinking.
“Those feelings rushing through you right now, I don’t know if you know this, Andrei, but they come in handy with women. It helps to bring them closer.”
“I know how to handle my woman.”
“Do you? Because from where I’m sitting, you seem to have a state of blue balls.”
My mind went back to the other night. Adelaide, naked, her eyes looking crushed as she watched me. I didn’t want her to look at me with anything other than pure heat. Spilling my release onto her chest had been a fucking waste, but I didn’t want to hurt her. She deserved more than that from me.
“You came here to talk about business,” I said, hoping to change the subject.
When it came to Adelaide, I kept fucking up, and I didn’t know how to stop it. Nothing I did was ever right.
“Ah, yes, I did. I want an update on everything.”
So I gave him a brief on everything that had happened. Since Ivan’s reappearance, my mafia problem had settled down. They had even handed me over three of their soldiers who they claimed had started the revolt against Ivan Volkov. It was all bullshit. I knew that and they knew that. They had played their true cards, and now I had to be on guard. It wasn’t like I ever dropped it. I was always cautious, always waiting for someone to strike.