Obeying the Russian Mafia Boss: A Mob Romance (5 page)

The blonde immediately moaned on cue. “Please, Professor Granger. You have no idea how much I need to be on top,” she said as she bit her bottom lip and gyrated her hips. The men laughed nervously, and Erik smiled. They couldn’t take their eyes off her.

“Thank you, Erica,” he said as he reached out his hand to help her down from the table. She waltzed over to Granger and leaned over before whispering something in his ear. He grunted and reached for her, but she danced just out of his reach.

“We don’t just offer situational fantasies here. My ladies are also trained to push the limits to satisfy you. Ginny?” The red head moved in front of the judge and slipped out of her jacket. Underneath, she wore a leather bra and a short leather skirt. “Ginny can be dominant or submissive.”

She leaned over Taffey and ran a finger down his cheek. “Have you been a bad boy, Judge?”

Taffey licked his lips and smiled. “Very impressive, Mr. Chesnovak. But there are quite a few escort services that offer the same. What makes you different?”

Erik sat back down and waved Ginny to join the other women. They gathered their jackets and slipped quietly from the room.

“My rooms are soundproof, safe, and judgment free. There are armed guards at every entrance and exit so you’ll never have to worry about reporters, and I can personally guarantee that you will never be recorded. If you need them to come to you, they’ll come with their own bodyguard. This is for their safety as well as yours. I’m expanding the club hours to open for lunch, and I’m not just talking about strippers and a cheap buffet. The Black Orchid will target respectable business men. We’ll offer private lunches, business meetings, and other fronts so that no one will think twice about you joining us on your lunch hour. Of course, what you do once you get here is entirely up to you. I promise that our food is quite delicious.”

As he expected, the men leaned forward slightly. They were more than interested.

“The downstairs rooms will have private entrances if you want to join us outside of lunch hours. Some rooms are specially designed for different things. If you want to watch or if you want to be watched, we have two-way mirrors. And if you want more than one, well these ladies are more than happy to join you. And each other.”

“What do you need from us?” Taffey asked softly.

“Clients, gentleman. My girls don’t like to be bored, so they’re going to need lots of attention. You make sure I have a steady flow of customers, and I’ll let you enjoy my women for a drastic discount.”

The police commissioner wasn’t buying it. “You must want more than clients from us.”

“Very perceptive of you,” Erik said softly. “I’m sure you’ve done your research. The Chesnovak name is well known in Moscow, so I’m sure you’ve already figured out that more than just alcohol flows freely behind the bar. This is the type of situation where you scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.” He got up and offered the gentlemen drinks.

Chancellor swirled his scotch around and frowned. “You must have something on us to so freely offer such information.”

Shrugging, Erik poured himself a vodka. “I haven’t said anything incriminating.” Immediately, the three men chuckled. It was true. Erik played the game well, and he was careful to leave out the specifics, but the three men didn’t get to where they were now by being stupid. They each knew what he wanted from them.

“A tour of the facilities might help us make a decision,” Taffey muttered. “To make sure that you can put your money where your mouth is.”

“Certainly. In fact, all the ladies are downstairs waiting for you. I asked you here for a three-hour meeting, and we’ve only used twenty minutes. If there is some other way that you’d like to use your time, the ladies are more than happy to help you with that. For a fee, of course.” The men stood up eagerly, and Erik narrowed his eyes. “There are rules. As you can see from my club, there are quite a few women that fulfill several positions here. The bartenders and dancers are off limits. Also, I will not fulfill any requests that harm my women. If I even suspect that you aren’t playing by my rules, I will ruin you. Do you understand?”

“Who would want to hurt these beautiful ladies,” Chancellor muttered.

“Excellent. Enjoy yourselves. Make sure my girls enjoy themselves as well.” Erik crossed the room to open the door, and Sasha, an exotic beauty dressed in red, smiled at them. “Sasha will take you down below.”

As the men filed out, Erik tipped his glass back in satisfaction. Once he had the most powerful men in town on their knees, the city would be his for the taking.

His phone rang, and he glanced down with a frown. Rostilav Yashin. Again.

Erik was feeling good. He answered the phone with a pleasant greeting. “Yashin. I had a lovely visit from your daughter yesterday.”

“I heard,” Yashin said just as calmly. “And she informs me that you have yet to answer my question. She is a beautiful woman. I’m constantly fielding offers for her. Why are you dragging your feet?”

“This is a modern society,” Erik said mildly. “Offering your daughter’s hand in marriage is considered barbaric by most people.”

“We discussed this before you even left Russian,” Yashin growled. “Your father and I had a deal.”

“Be careful with your accusations, Yashin. The only deal that you and my father had was that I would consider it. This is not a decision to be rushed into, and as you know, I’m working on expanding my operation here. My focus is solely on that.” Erik wanted to hang up on the man, but a lot was riding on their deal. If he married Valeria, his business would expand across two states, but he’d also be sharing his profits with Yashin. And Erik hated Yashin.

“Fine,” he grumbled. “But you will keep in touch, and Valeria will be around.” The older man hung up, and Erik smiled. He already knew his answer, but he liked to keep them sweating a little longer.

“Erik?”

He bolted upright when the small voice broke through the muted music that blasted below. Looking up, he watched as Ella stepped tentatively into the room. “Am I interrupting anything? Your bouncer said that I could come on up. This is quite the place you own.”

“Ella. I’m glad that you came.” He stood up and smiled at her. “My business has concluded so there’s no reason for you to stay any longer. I’d be happy take you home so we can talk.” He did want to take her home, but he didn’t want to talk.

She was still dressed in khakis and her blue polo shirt with Supermart stitched on the front. Her messy hair was pulled up in a bun, and she looked completely drained of energy. Yet she stirred his cock more than any of the women below did. Ella looked completely out of her element as she looked around the swanky room. “I appreciate that. Club scenes are not really my thing,” she murmured nervously.

Erik put his arm around her and walked her out of the VIP room. “I come from family money, and that’s what makes my business possible, but I like to be successful. Rest assured, my dear, that I can deliver on my promise. Come with me.”

She didn’t say anything as he walked her out to the car. Opening the door for her, he watched her climb into the back before he slipped in behind her.

“Take us home, please,” he said before he settled back in the seat

Unable to do anything but smile, he didn’t feel an ounce of regret. The little lark was in his net, and she would be his for the year.

Chapter Five

Ella tried to compose herself in the car. She had already promised herself that she would not look like a naive fool. He was rich and sexy, but she would conduct herself with as much dignity as possible. Still, she was all too aware of how close he sat to her.

“Why didn’t you go back to Atherton?” Erik asked suddenly.

Fidgeting nervously, she stared at him in surprise. “I’m sorry? How do you know that I went to Atherton? I didn’t tell you that.”

“You didn’t think I would hire you without doing a background check, did you?” he asked with an amused smile.

“Of course not,” she said, embarrassed. Nervously, she tucked her hair behind her ears. “My parents never made much money. The only reason that I could go was because of a scholarship. My father fell ill right after my sophomore year. When I missed too many days of classes, I lost my scholarship. It didn’t even matter that I was still at the top of my class.” She didn’t even bother to hide the disdain in her voice.

“There must be more to the story,” he encouraged her softly.

Blowing out her breath, she rolled her eyes. “It was no secret that the dean’s daughter wanted my boyfriend. I didn’t realize that she wanted him bad enough to go to her daddy and get me kicked out. Believe me, if I had known, I would have let her have him.”

“You didn’t really like him?” he asked with raised eyebrows.

“Is any of this relevant to the job? It was years ago. I don’t need a degree to clean your house do I?” The words were harsher than she intended, but she didn’t apologize. She didn’t really want him poking around in her personal life.

“I’m just making small talk. I didn’t realize you were so sensitive,” he said dryly. “I do have one more question. How does a student studying veterinary science get a job as a receptionist at a
Fortune 500
company?”

Ella shrugged. “Ex-boyfriend’s father was vice president of the company. Josh felt bad after I got kicked out, so he pulled some strings to get me the job. The pay was good, so I didn’t turn it down. We needed the money after my father died.”

He stopped questioning her, and she felt exhaustion setting in. As she leaned against the door and closed her eyes, she nearly drifted off to sleep. When the car hit a bump, she jerked upright. Taking a deep breath, she searched for a way to continue the conversation. She couldn’t fall asleep before she even got the job.

“So the Black Orchid seems successful. Did you always want to own a club?”

“Actually, as a kid, I really wanted to own a small shop by the ocean,” he said almost wistfully. “I had never even seen the ocean until I was an adult, but I’d seen pictures and videos. The crashing waves on the shore always made me feel like I was so small. I liked that.”

Ella had a feeling that he’d told her something really personal. “The Black Orchid isn’t exactly a small shop, but you’re quite close to the ocean,” she said brightly.

“There’s no money or power in following the dreams of your youth,” he said darkly. She didn’t say anything else. Half-naked women dancing and swimming in a bar
was
a pretty far cry from a small shop by the ocean. “We’re here.”

She’d seen big houses before. San Diego was full of the rich and famous, but she couldn’t help but gape as she got out of the car. They had to drive through a huge wrought-iron gate guarded by three men. The home itself rose three stories high with several patios and men patrolling each patio. “Erik,” she asked softly, “Are you in danger? Is this job dangerous?”

He put his arm around her waist and gently led her inside. “Don’t worry about the guards. It’s just a precaution. The more money a person has, the more problems it seems to invite. They are there to protect me and all the inhabitants inside. That includes you as well, my sweet.”

Her heart skipped a beat. Did he give all of his employees pet names or just her?

“Your house is enormous.” Her mouth dropped open as they walked into the foyer. “How do you not already have a cleaning service? You’d need ten of me to keep this place clean. Not that I won’t do the job of ten people. For the money that you’re paying me, I’ll do the job of twenty.”

He didn’t say anything as he guided her through the foyer. The black slate floor reflected the light from the large chandelier hanging above them. She didn’t see a single speck of dust on anything. His long strides were almost too much for her, and she stumbled to keep up. Moving purposefully, he pulled her up two flights of stairs.

“Is your office on the third floor?” she asked nervously. That seemed strange. Most people with home offices kept them on the first floor. “Is this a tour? You’re not explaining anything.”

Without breaking his stride, he looked down and smiled at her. “What I want to discuss with you isn’t in the office, and the tour can wait.” He suddenly stopped abruptly and opened the door. She took a couple of steps inside before freezing.

“I don’t know what you were thinking,” she said coldly. “But I don’t conduct business in a bedroom.” She turned, but he blocked the door. Panic rose inside her.

“Easy,” he murmured. “I just wanted to clear something up from the very beginning so you understand every aspect of the job. This will be where you sleep.”

Her pulse jumped, and she frowned. “I didn’t know that my job meant I would have to stay here.”

“I’ll let you have guarded visits with your mother once a week, but that will be the only time you set foot out of this house. I guard anyone associated with me very closely. There will be a list of duties ready for you every morning. You’ll perform your duty flawlessly and keep me happy, and at the end of the year, you can walk away debt free,” he said in a low voice.

“That seems a little extreme.” She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes. “Am I missing something here?”

“Are these terms not acceptable to you?”

“I can be a live-in maid. That’s fine, but I don’t see why I would need armed guards to escort me to the hospital.”

He noticeably relaxed. “Ella, you have to understand that I am a powerful man. Anyone who works for me is at risk. The guard is for your protection as well as mine. There has been more than one instance of treason within my organization.”

Organization and not company. There was something odd about that. She was too tired to work it out right now though. She rubbed her arms and slowly looked around the bedroom. It looked comfortable for a prison.

“I guess that makes sense. Do all of your staff live in-house?”

“Yes. I don’t want you to feel that you’re not safe here. My bedroom is right next door.”

There was something seductive about the way he said it, and she slowly blew out her breath as she turned and stared at the wall. The gorgeous Russian would be sleeping on the other side? Did he sleep naked?