Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 72284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
“He doesn’t?”
She shakes her head. “Mr. Zarkov never has guests stay here either. You must be special.”
Special enough to kidnap.
She glances around to make sure no one is listening despite us being in a room by ourselves, and I realize there are probably cameras in the room. My eyes dart to the corners of the ceiling, where I see two of them. I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, Lev Zarkov isn’t exactly subtle in anything he does.
“I’ve heard what he calls you,” she says quietly. “Zayka.”
I nod. “He does. But you can spare me the translation. I’m sure it’s an insult.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh no. Zayka, translated into English, means little bunny.”
A strange warmth spreads through my chest. Little bunny. It’s kind of adorable. Which is a stark contrast to the cool aloofness of his royal highness, and for a moment, I feel my heart defrost because of it. But then I remember the coldness in his voice and the way he looked at me with absolutely no emotion when he told me our night was an error of judgment, and I’m reminded that feeling anything other than contempt for him would be very unwise.
Once my hair is done, Enya does my makeup. She keeps it minimal. Smoky eyes and lip gloss.
“There, all done. Shall we put on your dress? I hope you like it.” She picks up the dress off the bed and holds it up. “Mr. Zarkov picked it out himself. He made a call to one of the big design houses in the city.”
The dress is a gorgeous, dark-blue slip with spaghetti straps and a plunging back.
I sigh, resigned to my fate.
Play the game, Brooke. It might be a long one, but it will be worth it when you see his smug face behind bars.
Suddenly feeling more compliant, I let Enya help me into the dress.
“You look absolutely beautiful,” she says once it’s on. “It’s like it was made for you.”
I check my image in the mirror and smile at Enya whose sweet face is bright with a big smile.
She’s right. The dress is perfect. It’s also magical. Because for someone who has barely slept, it actually makes me look good.
Although the midthigh hem shows off a lot of leg.
“It’s not too short?” I ask.
“The lady on the arm of the pakhan has to make a statement.” She grins at me in the mirror. “And this dress makes a statement.”
“As long as that statement isn’t ‘Here kitty, kitty.’”
She giggles. “It’s not that short. Your modesty is in place.”
I don’t have the heart to tell her my modesty went out the door the day I met a strange man on a plane and then climbed on his cock repeatedly for the next twelve hours.
“Ready?” she asks.
“I think so.”
She smiles sweetly. “Mr. Zarkov has asked to meet you on the balcony before you leave.”
Probably to go over some more rules, no doubt.
I let out a shaky breath and remind myself why I am doing this.
Do as you’re told, and this will all be over soon.
You’ll go back to your life.
And Wilson will get to keep his brains inside his skull.
24
BROOKE
My stomach churns as I follow Enya through the mansion toward the balcony.
I’m nervous, and my pulse pounds rapidly in my neck. I don’t know why. Maybe because I’ve never been filled with so much murderous rage before. And if Lev bloody Zarkov is good at one thing, it’s bringing out the darkness in me.
Enya opens two large double doors, and I step out onto a vast balcony with sweeping views of the estate below and an expansive sky bathed in the colors of twilight above us.
Lev is at the railing overlooking the sparkling pool below. His broad back is to us, but when I step onto the balcony, he turns around and, dear mother of God, there must be something wrong with me because Lev Zarkov in a formal suit is more than my ovaries can stand.
I was ready to hate him. To launch into a tirade about how many laws he’s breaking, but all of that stops the moment our eyes collide, and my heart skips that extra beat it does whenever he is near. His jaw tightens, and one of his brows lifts as if he’s slightly taken back. But then it drops just as quickly, and his expressionless look returns.
He gives me a polite nod. “Miss Masters.”
“Monster,” I say as I lift my chin.
His lips tilt with amusement, and it annoys me that he’s so relaxed and unfazed by everything.
“Will that be all, Mr. Zarkov?” Enya asks behind me.
“Yes, thank you, Enya.”
He dismisses her with a warmth in his tone that is a stark contrast to the cold, uncompassionate piranha that he is.
Enya leaves and closes the door behind her while Lev pours me a glass of champagne, and I think of a million ways to make his life hell for the rest of the night.