Owned by the Russian Mafia Boss: A Mob Romance (6 page)

She grabbed the file and followed him into his office. “Tell me what this is,” she demanded.

“Do you have any idea what you just did?” he growled. “Boris is a dangerous man. He takes what he wants.”

“How is that any different from what you do?” she muttered.

Angrily, he grabbed her chin and forced her to face him. “I know you’re angry about last night, but I did not hurt you. You went to sleep last night with a smile on your face. I guarantee that Boris would not do the same. He rapes. He maims. He kills. By disobeying my orders, you put yourself in danger.”

“And what did you think was going to happen when I found this?” she hissed as she jerked out of his hands and slapped the file on his chest.

“I thought you’d realize that your father isn’t the man you think he is. You wanted to know why I made a special trip out to see him? Now you have your answer.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “So my father worked for the previous boss. I’m sure plenty of men in the area did. He doesn’t work for you, so that means that he got out. And that’s all that I care about.”

“Oh, it would disappoint me greatly if that’s all you cared about. Your father recruited people to work for the mob. And when I say people, I mean young boys who didn’t think they had a choice.”

“Stop,” Natalia said as she got up. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not. Petr and I used to be quite close. You think you’re a martyr for him, but you’re not. He knew what was coming for him when he took that money and didn’t pay it back, and he knew what happens to family members. He doesn’t care about you, Natalia. He’s more than likely relieved that I made this deal with you.”

She reached out suddenly and slapped him across his face. The crack of her palm against his skin silenced him, and he absorbed the pain. When he turned to look at her again, she appeared terrified. Without a single warning, he reached out and grabbed her hand. She cried out, and he bent her back and punished her with a bruising kiss. It was forceful and meant to humiliate, but when her lips parted and he delved in her silky warmth, he couldn’t help but lose himself in the kiss. When he released her, her eyes were glazed over with lust, and his heart skipped a beat. She was under his skin, and he didn’t like that.

“Do not ever hit me again,” he said softly as he moved away from her. “Excuse me. I have work to do. Make sure you’re dressed and ready for dinner tonight. We have an engagement that we need to attend.”

“You’re wrong about my father,” she said hoarsely.

“No, Natalia. You’re wrong. Get out.”

She snagged the file and exited the office without another word. Alek found himself staring at the closed door for a long time, wondering if she was more trouble than she was worth.

Chapter Five

Natalia stared at the file while Ana curled her hair. She didn’t even flinch when Ana accidentally pressed the curling iron against her skin. “Oh, shit! I’m sorry.”

She waved her hand. “Not a big deal.”

“Okay. Dare I ask why burning skin doesn’t bother you?” Ana said as she grabbed another strand.

Natalia opened the file. “That’s Petr Primac. He’s my father.”

Ana leaned down and looked at the old picture. “He’s handsome. I see where you get your looks from. Why does this upset you?”

“This is part of Alek’s predecessor’s file. Apparently my father worked for him as a recruiter.”

“Shit.” Ana put the curling iron down and leaned against the vanity. “Are you okay?”

Natalia pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Alek wanted me to find this. He knew I’d snoop through the files he wanted me to put away and that I would find it. What kind of man does that? I may have only known Petr for a few years, but he’s my father. And he’s tried so hard to be my father. And Alek left a ticking bomb for me to find.”

“Not very classy of him,” Ana scowled. “Look, your father isn’t part of the mob anymore. Not many people get out. That’s saying a lot.”

Natalia nodded her head and shut the file. Her father had his secrets, and he didn’t have to tell her. She shouldn’t judge him on this. “You’re right.” Smiling, she met Ana’s eyes in the mirror. “Curls? What the hell am I getting all dolled up for?”

“Welcome back to the present, Natalia.” Ana laughed. “Alek has a charity function that he attends every year. He usually goes alone. You should feel honored to be by his side.”

“Ana, when are you going to get that I’m a prisoner,” she mumbled. “I’m not on his arm. I’m shackled to him.”

“So you didn’t enjoy last night.”

Immediately, memories of how he’d nearly set her body on fire flashed through her mind. Her toes curled at just the thought of what his mouth and fingers had done to her. God, she’d moaned. She’d whimpered. She’d screamed.

She’d melted in his arms.

“I don’t want to talk about last night,” Natalia whispered. “It was….humiliating.”

Ana set the curling iron down and ran her fingers through her hair. “Well, tonight you are definitely not going to look humiliated. I have turned you into a bombshell. I’m so good at this.”

Natalia couldn’t help but laugh as she stood. The dark green evening gown she wore slid down her body like a waterfall. It had a high slit on both sides to show off her long legs, and a low neckline. As she stepped into the matching heels, she couldn’t help but feel like royalty.

But she wasn’t royalty. She was Alek’s toy, and she needed to remember that.

“Thank you, Ana,” Natalia said with a forced smile. “Are there any more instructions from Alek that I need to hear before I go down?” Ana looked at the floor nervously, and Natalia crossed her arms. “What is it? You might as well just go ahead and tell me.”

“Alek just wanted me to remind you that there will be some influential people at the party. If you speak to anyone about your arrangement or if you act as anything other than a smitten woman at his side, there will be consequences.”

“Influential people? So I shouldn’t worry about getting blood on my pretty dress?” Natalia asked mockingly.

“Where in the world did he get you, and why did he think you would behave?” Ana said as she shook her head. “Of course, I like you.”

Natalia laughed. “I know. If I decide women are my thing, I’ll let you know. By the way my life is going, I’ll be yours before the year is up.”

Ana wrinkled her nose. “I doubt it. When I watch his women leave, I wonder if maybe I should give him a go in the sack.”

“Really?”

“Hell, no. I like my girls.” Ana laughed. “Okay. You look hot. Go knock them dead, act like a simpering fool, and behave yourself.”

Natalia firmly believed she had the simpering fool part down. After all, she was in the bed of a mob boss for the next year. It didn’t get much more foolish than that. Glancing one more time at the file, she tried to push it out of her head. Unless she wanted to trip up and do something dangerous tonight, she needed to try to take her mind off Petr.

Trailing her hands down the staircase bannister, she lifted her skirts with the other hand and descended. Like a fairy tale, Alek was waiting for her below. Of course, in most fairy tales, the gorgeous man at the bottom wasn’t flanked by five armed men. “You’re late,” he growled.

“You look nice too,” she said with a sweet smile. She stopped in front of him and turned her cheek. He eyed her wearily and denied her the ridiculous kiss. Instead, he looked her up and down and grunted.

“You’ll do. Let’s go.”

The driver pulled up to the front and opened the door. “You look beautiful, miss,” he complimented her with a big smile.

Cocking her head, Natalia smiled coyly. “Aren’t you sweet. You could teach a few things to your boss,” she said as she slipped into the back seat. Alek rolled his eyes as he joined her.

“Were you not told to behave?”

“Yes, which is why I have to get it all out now,” Natalia said with a shrug. “Where are we going anyway?”

“Charity event to raise money for Russian orphanages,” he said shortly as he gazed out the window. Natalia blinked.

“Wait? Seriously? You donate money to orphanages?”

Alek turned and studied her. “I’ve done bad things, Natalia, but there are many layers to me. I try to not be a bad guy all the time.”

“It’s not a scale, Alek. You can’t cancel out the people you’ve hurt by throwing their money at good causes,” she snapped.

“The people that grace my casinos are not good people, Natalia. They are degenerate gamblers. For those I think I can help, those that have an addiction and have families that suffer for their problems, I turn them away. But the rest know exactly what they’re getting into. Would you rather I shut down my casinos and let these other causes suffer because of it?”

“Other people will donate,” Natalia pointed out, but there was no conviction in her voice. When he put it like that, he almost seemed to make sense.

“And every little bit helps,” Alek said mildly. “You’ve spent some time looking through my files today. What do you think of my operation?”

Natalia turned her head away. The truth was that she’d barely scratched the surface of what she was hoping to find. She’d been too preoccupied with the news of her father. “That man that was in your office,” she said softly. “Who was he?”

“Boris Netchky. He’s a mob boss that’s been in business since before I was born. He controls twice as much territory as me, and he’s a nasty man. I wish he would never have set eyes on you.”

She could feel Alek staring at her, and she turned her head. Was that concern in his eyes? “If he was your rival, what was he doing here?”

“Boris wants to build a casino in his territory, but it was a mere ten kilometers from mine. I don’t want his clientele to spill over to my businesses. I told him to move his casino or he would start a turf war.”

Her eyes bulged. “And he agreed to that?”

Alek shrugged. “Boris is too big for his britches, and I mean that both figuratively and literally. He’s hemorrhaging money, and he’s forced to sell some property. I threatened to buy it, and although it would mean a few violent years, it would look worse for him in the long run. The more money he spent trying to run me out, the more property I could buy. In the end, I would win.”

“Then why don’t you do that?”

Alek looked sharply at her. “You’re quick to make a judgment that would send quite a few men to their deaths. Interesting.”

Natalia blanched and looked down. She hadn’t even thought of it like that. “The business of the mob is not as simple as it seems,” he said calmly as he reached over and lifted her chin. “I have quite a few people working under me, and I have to weigh their lives against every decision that I make. There are quick fixes that would pan out in the long run, but my people’s blood would run in the streets, and I won’t have that.”

“I didn’t even think…” she murmured. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, and for the first time since she’d gotten here, she leaned into the kiss. She was thankful that he’d shut her up. There was a soft rumble in his chest as he reached over and touched her bare thigh through the slit of her dress. She opened her mouth in a small gasp, and he took full advantage and deepened the kiss, his tongue tangling with hers.

Natalia couldn’t help herself as she shifted her body into him. Without even realizing it, she was running her fingers along the buttons of his shirt. Last night she’d been terrified to touch him, but now the urge was too great. She could still picture the body that hid underneath his clothing, and it was only a few short movements away from her fingers. If she just slid one or two buttons out of their holes, she could slip her fingers in and feel the rippling muscles beneath is warm skin.

Alek broke the kiss. “If you don’t stop, you’ll give my driver quite a show,” he whispered in her ear as his hands moved even higher.

Reality was like a dose of cold water, and she snatched her hand back. With a low chuckle, he withdrew as well. She pushed her skirts back in place and stared out the windows while her cheeks burned furiously.

“My sweet, you don’t have to feel bad about your reaction to me. Simply because you don’t like me doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy me. Believe me when I tell that you all intense feelings, include hatred, are enough to light a flame,” he whispered to her.

“I don’t feel bad,” she said quietly. “I hate myself for it.”

Alek didn’t say anything else as the car continued to drive, but he didn’t pull away from her either. She couldn’t tell if he was pleased by the news or not, but it still didn’t make it any less true.

Chapter Six

Alek watched Natalia’s jaw drop open when the car pulled up to the massive mansion. Decades ago, it had been a broken down warehouse that was turned into an orphanage. During the first renovations, the orphanage had tried their hardest to get donations to fix the place up, but no one thought the project was worth their time. Since he’d started publicly donating money, it became the trendy thing to do. Now the orphanage was almost never without money, and that pleased Alek.

It didn’t hurt that his reputation made sure that no one abused those funds.

Natalia stared open mouth at all the people that milled around. Alek didn’t blame her. The charity event invited everyone from old money to celebrities. There were models, actors and actresses, wealthy heirs, and quite a few political figures from several different countries.

“You’re allowed to hang out with these people?” she blurted out suddenly. Immediately her cheeks reddened, and she clapped her hand over her mouth. “Sorry,” she muttered sullenly.

Alek chuckled softly. “Don’t worry about it. You’re allowed to speak your mind, but I do ask that you watch what you say in front of these people. If you try to cause problems, I guarantee that it won’t go well for you.”

Her words still echoed in his head. She hated herself for wanting him. He couldn’t quite decide how he felt about that.

“Alek! My darling! It’s so good to see you!” And older woman with bright-red, curly hair and way too much makeup hurried over and kissed him on the cheek. She beamed at Natalia. “And who is this exquisite creature?”

“Dorie, this is my friend, Natalia,” Alek said smoothly. The woman didn’t even hesitate to reach over and hug Natalia. But that was just the type of woman she was. She wanted to believe in the best of everyone. Maybe if Dorie had been in charge of the orphanage, he would have turned out differently.