Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83221 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83221 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
There’s a closed door to what might be a closet, so I turn the handle.
I cover my mouth with my hand. This is the biggest closet I’ve ever seen in my life. I could set up an entire office in this closet.
Will he let me?
Shoes and handbags, dresses and jeans. Tees and all sorts of leggings and skirts…wow.
Why does he have so much feminine stuff in here?
Did he buy this stuff? Wait. Is it…for me?
So am I expected to wear it?
On a small hook by the door hang several lovely robes in the softest material, beside matching fluffy slippers.
Well, then.
I wrap a soft blue robe around my body and slide my feet into slippers. I feel a little like a princess, and we’re just warming up here.
My stomach rumbles again with hunger. Where is he? I don’t much care about what he’s doing so much as I’m not crazy about the idea of stumbling into him unawares. He’s a tiger, after all. He’ll definitely bite.
I open the door and try to get the layout here. His room is on the second floor, and from here, much like the guest room I was in before, I can see the moonlit view of the Manhattan skyline. It’s gorgeous, with high-rises and moonlight glinting over the brilliant blue of the water.
From what I’ve seen and what I’ve pieced together, I can tell this is a luxurious, high-end home nestled prominently in The Cove. Expansive glass windows and modern architecture give it a striking, minimalist appeal with clean lines and vast rooms.
Even with only moonlight illuminating what I see, I can tell already we’re right on the water. It looks like there’s a terrace and garden out front, with soft, ambient light strips along the stone pathway and interspersed throughout the garden. It lends an elegant aesthetic to the home that might be too harsh without the touch of green and light.
And yet…it’s past two o’clock in the morning. Does the house not sleep, much like its master?
I think back on the note he left me. I’m allowed to roam this house, I’m just not…how did he put it? You will not be allowed outside of the home or to travel without my express permission.
I start toward the top of the stairs and breathe in deeply. This is the next stage of my life. I came here under duress and I wouldn’t be here if I truly had a choice.
With every step I take, I can feel the punishment he administered earlier tonight. I can’t help but wonder how this is going to work between the two of us. How will I maintain who I am — my identity, my autonomy, my self-worth — while married to a man that’s stripped me of everything?
He's spared me my life…but at what cost?
I hear the faintest sound of music playing. I stand still and close my eyes so I can concentrate. Where is it coming from? It’s not on this floor, but the main one.
I pad noiselessly down the gleaming hardwood stairs in my fluffy slippers and cinch the belt on my robe a bit tighter. My stomach growls, reminding me of my errand. First, I want to know what the music is. It’s something hauntingly familiar.
The night feels enchanted, bathed in moonlight, the quiet broken only by the music that gets a bit louder as I walk down the stairs. The view outside the windows looks solemn as the world sleeps, but when I get a little closer, I can see the earth is frosted in ice.
Now that’s why I have the robe and slippers.
On the main floor, I take in my surroundings. The living room that already holds quite a few memories for me — where we took vows, my momentary life as a princess. Then later, lying over his lap while he gave me the first spanking of my life. Our wedding night consummation.
I wonder idly if his group demands consummation. If so, we have nothing to worry about. I know hardly anything about organized crime, but I do know the basics. Those within the group are bound to secrecy and loyalty. There’s a hierarchy, and my husband’s at the top. They are wealthy and own property, business, territory. From what Tatiana told me, they own all of The Cove.
But there are other basic tenets of mafia life I’ve already seen firsthand. They use intimidation and violence to get what they want. They break the law. Those in charge demand complete obedience and will not hesitate to enforce rules.
I find I’m following the sound of the music even as my heart beats faster and I have the strange feeling I shouldn’t be up and prowling about this house. I’m curious what Mikhail might do when he finds me. Or, more accurately…when I find him.