Obeying the Russian Mafia Boss: A Mob Romance (9 page)

As he moved to push past, Danil reached out and snagged his arm. Surprised, Erik turned his head and looked at the younger man. The information specialist had never dared to speak out of turn, let alone touch him. “Sir, she’s a pretty girl, but she can’t possibly be worth you blowing this deal.”

Glaring at him, Erik jerked out of his grasp. “Don’t ever forget who is the boss around here. You owe me a lot of money, Danil, and I let you pay it off in information. I could just as easily make you pay it off in cold hard cash, and I wouldn’t be nice about it. Do not question my actions, and do not ever touch me again.”

Danil didn’t say anything as Erik left him, but the damage had already been done. Ella would have had a chance to cool down my now, and he had no idea what the hell was going on in her head.

Chapter Nine

Ella didn’t stop for anything as she raced to her room. Her body was on fire, and her heart pounded in her chest. For all of her fantasizing, she never thought he would even look twice at her, let alone touch and kiss her.

Slamming the door behind her, she leaned against it and closed her eyes. She could still feel the phantom traces of his fingers and lips. They’d barely started, and she’d already been ready to explode.

What would have happened if they hadn’t been interrupted? Ella didn’t have casual sex. It wasn’t just that she didn’t have the time. She’d had two boyfriends, and that was years ago. She felt out of practice and really unsexy.

Slowly, she slid to the floor and knocked her head back on the door. What the hell had she been thinking? He was her employer. He was incredibly rich, and he was probably surrounded by beautiful women while he was at the club. Ella would be no more than a passing fancy, and what if she couldn’t please him? He could easily cut her funding and kick her out.

This was probably all her fault. She’d been so excited at his offer that she’d forgotten how to be herself. She wasn’t the timid mouse that tip-toed along the halls, but she certainly wasn’t the brazen woman who fucked her boss on his desk.

Suddenly, anger washed over her. He thought she’d be so easy, and she’d done nothing to dissuade him. Erik probably thought she’d be so happy about the damn money and so turned around because of his wealth that she’d let him do anything.

“Fuck that,” she muttered as she stood up. She may have acted out of character, but she’d get her shit together, and she’d make it very clear that there would be no mixing business with pleasure. “He’s probably already forgotten you,” she muttered as she hunted for another hair tie in her room. Pulling back her hair, she stared at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were still flushed, but she looked less sexed up with her hair tamed.

There were still two rooms on her list that she hadn’t done. If there was anything that she could do that would show him that she wasn’t swayed, it would be getting back to work. She would go back downstairs and finish her list, but she’d left the cleaning caddy in his office.

Before she found the courage to go get it, she stopped by the bathroom and splashed some cold water on her face. When she finally made her way down the stairs and to his office, the door was closed, and her cleaning caddy was out in the hall.

“That answers that question,” she said softly to herself. He clearly didn’t want to see her. Grabbing the caddy, she straightened her shoulders and lifted her head. She wasn’t going to let this scare her away. She needed that money.

Down the hall, one of the guards eyed her. It wasn’t the nice one that she’d spoken to earlier, but lust was a universal language, and she read it all over his face. Not wanting any trouble, she lowered her eyes and moved to the next room. Beyond the office was a formal sitting room. All the furniture inside looked old fashioned—colored velvet cushions and dark polished wood. Not what she would call his style, but she wasn’t here to comment on Erik’s taste.

Setting the caddy down, she grabbed the lint roller and began working on the cushions. The way the sticky paper rolled over the velvet reminded her of Erik’s thumb brushing along her bottom lip. Closing her eyes, she stopped her movements and took a deep breath. What the hell was she doing here?

“You okay?”

Gasping, Ella whirled around. She hadn’t even realized that she wasn’t alone. The guard from the hall frowned at her from the doorway. “You not cleaning. You okay?”

There was nothing soft or nice about him, but he looked like he was trying. She eased her grip on the lint roller and tried to smile. What exactly was she going to do with the roller anyway, beat him with it?

“I’m okay. I’m just tired.”

He moved closer towards her. “I energize you.”

Her eyes widening, she took a step back. That didn’t sound good. “Coffee could probably do the trick as well. I’ll just go to the kitchen and get some coffee.” Pressing herself against the wall, she tried to slide past him, but his arm shot out to block her exit.

“You very pretty,” he said as he leaned towards her.

Ella turned her head away and stumbled back. “Have you been working here long? I thought Erik, Mr. Chesnovak, had a no fraternization rule.” The man barely spoke English, and she expected him to know what “fraternization” meant? Gritting her teeth, she tried again. “No touching.”

Instead of letting her go, another hand shot out effectively trapping her against the wall. “No touching?” he leered.

“No touching,” she whispered. Instead of leaving her alone, he leaned closer towards her, and she screamed at the top of her lungs. Lashing out, she kicked him right between the legs and grabbed the gun out of his holster. She fumbled it, trying to get it turned around properly. He moaned in pain and reached for her again, but she pointed the gun at him with shaky hands.

“What the hell is going on here?” Erik bellowed as he burst into the room. Two men followed close behind him, and before she knew it, they’d trained their guns on her.

The man who’d assaulted her said something sullenly in Russian, and Erik raised an eyebrow. “My man says he caught you stealing something.”

“What the hell does he think I stole? There’s nothing but crappy antiques in this room,” she muttered. Her palms were sweating, but she didn’t move the gun. When push came to shove, she knew that she wouldn’t be able to pull the trigger. Would he know that as well?

A small smile played on his face. “I happen to like this room. It’s my grandmother’s furniture.”

Great. Her eyes darted towards him. “He tried to kiss me. I told him no, and I know damn well that he understands that word.”

Erik’s face hardened, and he spoke in low Russian. The man in front of her argued back, and soon everyone was arguing. Ella felt the panic rise inside her. These men had probably worked together for years. Why would he take her word over theirs?

The guards straightened and moved forward. Ella tensed, but when Erik’s men roughly grabbed the first guard and pulled him away, she breathed a sigh of relief. Erik quickly walked into the room and eased the gun from her hands. She jerked before sagging against the wall. “I could have shot you,” she said weakly.

“I doubt that,” he said smoothly as he set the gun on the table. “You’d never shoot anyone.”

He tried to touch her, but she pulled away. “I can’t do this,” she whispered. “I don’t know what you expect from me. I know that’s a lot of money that you’re offering me, but I won’t be a toy for you and your men.”

His face twisted into an ugly expression, he grabbed her and pushed her against the wall. “Are you really going to compare what we did to what he did? If I remember correctly, you didn’t say no.”

Closing her eyes, Ella turned her head. “Please let me go. We can forget about the money. I just want to go home.”

“The only place that you’re going is back up to your room. I’m going to go deal with my man, and then we’re going to talk,” he said coldly.

Pissed, she pushed at his body, but he didn’t budge. “You can’t keep me here.”

“I have fifteen armed men surrounding this house. I can keep whatever the fuck I want here. Get to your room,” he growled and stepped back.

Fighting back the tears, she ran down the hall and up the stairs. It wasn’t until she was in her bedroom with the door locked behind her that she wrapped her arms around herself and burst into tears.

“You messed up, Ella,” she whispered to herself. She’d been seduced by money, and now she in way over her head. Trapped by a complete stranger.

She had no idea how much time had passed before there was knock on her bedroom door. Hunkering down, she refused to leave the safety of her corner to answer it.

“Ella,” Erik called through the door. “I’m alone. Open the door and talk to me.”

Slowly, she pulled herself up and unlocked the door. “I can’t explain what happened between us, but it’s not going to happen again. And if I’m just around here to be your sex toy, then you might as well cut me loose right now.”

Gazing steadily at her, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. “Here is one-third of the money I promised you,” he said as he handed it over to her. “It’s yours, free and clear.”

Suspicious of his endgame, she took the check and turned it over. The only time she saw that many digits was on the hospital bills. “Thank you,” she muttered.

“You can leave. I won’t stop you, but there is a check worth twice as much if you stay. My men will not touch you. Ivan hasn’t been with me for very long, and now he won’t be with anyone.”

“What the hell does that mean? ‘Won’t be with anyone.’”

A strange smile splayed over his face. “Let’s just say that you don’t have to worry about him anymore. Ella, I never hired you to be a sex toy. I don’t know what you think of me, but I don’t have to pay women to fuck me.”

“Fine. So if I stay, you can guarantee that no one will touch me?”

“None of my men will touch you.”

Her shoulders slumped, and she looked down. “Fine. Thank you.” Her heart hurt, but there was no point in pushing the issue.

“There is one thing that I want from you.” His cold voice dug deep into her skin, and she swallowed hard as she looked up at him. “Tell me that you wanted me.”

Incredulous, she gasped. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“You compared me to a man who assaulted you,” he said icily. “I am most certainly not joking.”

“Fine.” She raised her head defiantly. “I’ll tell you what you want to hear if you answer my question. Why exactly did you hire me? You don’t need a maid and no one seems to think that you’re a charitable guy. So what exactly was going on in your head?”

Silence fell between them as he narrowed his eyes. “Take the rest of the day off,” he said softly. “You can finish the rest of the cleaning tomorrow.”

“I want to see my mother tomorrow,” she said quickly. “Without armed guards.”

“The guards are non-negotiable, and you saw your mother two days ago.”

“Are you really that heartless? My mother is dying. I’d spend every second with her if I could. How would you feel if your mother was in the hospital?”

Erik stiffened and turned his back. “My mother is dead.” As he stared out the window, Ella closed her eyes.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Look, if I promise to get everything done first, can I see my mother? And leave the guards in the car?” she asked softly.

He turned to face her. “As long as we both understand each other.”

Understand what? Understand that he dangled money over her head like bait or understand that he refused to answer her questions?

“Sure,” she muttered. If agreeing meant that she could see her mother, then she’d agree to anything.

His phone range, and he pulled it out of his pocket and looked down at it with a frown. “I need to take this. Are you going to be okay?”

“I’m confused. Are you here to make sure that I’m okay or make sure that I know my place?” she asked with a snort. He only glared at her before striding out of her room and slamming the door shut.

Frustrated, she did the only thing that comforted her. Grabbing her own phone, she dialed her mother. “Hi, baby.”

Ella heard the weakness in her mother’s voice and held back a sob. She shouldn’t be turning to her mother for support. She should be supporting her mother. Plastering a fake smile on her face, she took a deep breath. “Hi, Mom. Did you get green gelatin today?”

“No,” Heather said hoarsely. “They only had orange. I hate orange. But they let me have some soup today.”

“Soup? Was it good?”

“Delicious.” Her mom’s voice always went up an octave when she lied, and Ella smiled. “How was your day?”

Tapping her finger gently on the wall, she swallowed hard. “My boss is a little frustrating.”

“Frustrating, how?”

“He’s a little hard to read. Sometimes I think he likes me and sometimes I think he hates me. But other than that, things are great.”

“Is he attractive?” Her mother sounded curious and more awake.

Ella chuckled. “He is attractive, but that doesn’t mean anything. He’s way out of my league, and he’s my boss. Plus, as I mentioned before, he’s frustrating.”

“Darling, no one is out of your league. And all men are frustrating. Go with your gut instinct. You’re a smart girl. I know that you’ll always make the right decision.”

Biting her bottom lip, she nodded. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, dear. Give me an update tomorrow.”

“I’ll tell you in person.”

“Oh, yay. Maybe you can bring your handsome boss with you so I can get an eyeful.”

She couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll see what I can do.” As she hung up the phone, she blew out her breath and laughed. Her mom thought she always made the right decision? Where was her gut instinct when she’d decided that Josh was the love of her life? When they kicked her out of Atherton, he didn’t even bother to stand up for her. His response?
Sorry, babe. These things happen. Let’s face it. You don’t really fit in here, do you?

Her family wasn’t rich and powerful. She was there on a scholarship, and the only reason that Josh even looked twice at her was because he had a weakness for redheads. To his credit, he did try to help her out with a job, and like an idiot, she’d taken him up on it. At the time, she didn’t think she had any other choice. But while the pay was good, the job itself was torturous. To them, she was just a nice piece of ass to look at. The only thing she missed from that place was the paycheck.