Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81947 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81947 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
“Anal always counts,” came a dark voice behind me.
Pivoting so quickly I had to grab the back of the chair to not fall over in my high heels, I nearly fell over anyway.
There was Var leaning against the office door, looking like the embodiment of sin.
Behind me, a chair scraped. “Mr. Rubashkin! I had no idea she was your wife!” He adjusted his glasses and looked at the paperwork again, then frowned at me. “How dare you try and trick me!”
I pointed to the center of my chest. “Me?”
The attorney wagged his finger at me. “Yes, you! You didn’t tell me who you were married to. I never would have even taken this meeting.” He turned back to Var as he walked around his desk, his hands pressed together as if in prayer. “Please, sir. Please! You have to believe me. I didn’t know!”
Ignoring the attorney’s pathetic groveling, I placed my hand on my hip as I met Var’s stare. “Is this how it’s going to be with any attorney I approach?”
He straightened and offered me his arm. “Pretty much. You should probably know, the only reason why I’m not shooting him—”
Var was interrupted by a high-pitched whimper from the attorney as he collapsed against the desk the moment Var mentioned violence.
Var raised an eyebrow, then continued. “As I was saying, the only reason why he’s not dead is because you hadn’t retained him yet.”
Looping my hand through his arm, I said, “Is it fair to assume all the attorneys in Chicago now know that?”
He winked. “What do you think?”
As we emerged out into the sunshine, Var opened his car door for me.
I paused before entering. “How did you find me anyway?”
I stormed into the restaurant. “You told him?”
Barb and Millie both paused, a martini in both of their hands.
They then exchanged a look.
Barb shrugged. “He asked.”
Var came up behind me and pulled my chair out before sitting next to me at their table.
Millie leaned over and presented her cheek, which Var dutifully kissed. “Hello, dear.”
Millie blushed. “Hello, handsome.” She then looked at me and gestured to Var. “Darling, what did you expect? Of course we told him. I mean look at the man. I’d tell him my social security number forward and backwards if he asked.”
Just to annoy her, I snatched the dirty martini out of her hand. After tossing the toothpick with the olive out of the glass and onto the table, I drank the martini in one gulp.
They both cried out in unison, “Respect the olive!”
CHAPTER 43
VIVIAN
Ileaned my head to the side as I put in the diamond earrings Var got me to match my wedding necklace. “By the way, I talked to your mother today.”
Var walked into the bathroom with his shirt collar up as he placed his silk bow tie around his neck. He stood behind my vanity chair. “Oh, yeah?”
I met his gaze in the mirror. “I totally threw you under the bus, so expect an angry call from her.”
He leaned down and kissed the top of my head. “I expected nothing less from you.”
I rose and helped him with his bowtie. “She’s decided to plan a winter wedding in St. Petersburg for us. I told her I thought it was a lovely idea to book out Catherine Palace. Just think how fabulous a champagne toast will be in the Amber Room.”
He lowered his head and rubbed his eyes. “Catherine Palace. Subtle.”
I turned my back to him and gestured for him to zip up my dress. “By the way, Serg swung by the office after you left for that meeting.”
I’d picked up again as a sort of office manager at the Four Monks these past weeks and found that the work suited me. I loved talking schedules and staff with Polina and operations with Mac. I also found working directly with Var on the financial and membership side very interesting as well.
Especially when we had a disagreement.
Let’s just say it was the first time in my life I didn’t mind losing an argument.
I finished his bowtie and gave it a pat. “He talked to the Russian oligarch who owns the knock-off Mona Lisa, but the man didn’t know who it was he hired to recover my forged copies. He hired him through a shell company proxy.”
Var’s jaw tightened. “Fuck. Okay, I’ll talk to him before the party.”
I knew it really bothered him that they couldn’t run to ground the Russian who’d threatened me. All the other mafia syndicates had been ordered to stand down now that I was under his protection as his wife. The Russian was the final loose end. And of course, there was the extra burn that the man they were chasing was Russian.
I’d lost track of how many times the boys had sat on the edge of my desk and asked, “Are you absolutely certain he was Russian?”