Alexandr's Reluctant Submissive (10 page)

The smoky scent of the club filled her mind for a moment and she smiled when Alex plucked the ring from the black-velvet setting. It was a lovely five-carat sapphire with diamond baguettes flanking it on either side. She’d always loved the depth of the stone, the way it could almost seem black with wisps of a deep, radiant blue swimming inside. With it was a sparkling eternity band of tiny white diamonds.

With a soft sigh, he slipped the rings onto her finger, then kissed them. “Do you know why I picked this one for your new wedding ring?”

Not wanting to think about the fact that her old wedding set was probably buried with the burned corpse of someone Jorg had killed to take her place in the car bombing, she tilted her head and admired the sparkling ring. “No, why?”

“Because Krom informed me that among your possessions in Miami, he found your sapphire heart collar in a safety deposit box.”

“I-I couldn’t bear to leave it behind.”

The firm set of his mouth as he examined her made her want to kiss him until he softened once again.

Looking him in the eye so he knew she meant it, she said, “I want you to wear a wedding ring as well.”

He held up his hand, the hammered gold band she’d given him five years ago gleaming on his finger. “I never got rid of it. Sometimes when I was very lonely I would wear it to feel closer to you.”

She held her fingertips up to her mouth and rolled her eyes to the ceiling, struggling to regain her calm. There had been enough damn tears in her life during the past forty-eight hours. At this point she could either mourn over his statement, or try to make it into something positive. She loved Alex to death, but he was far too serious most of the time. One of the things that she’d loved about their relationship was knowing that she was the only person he ever completely relaxed around, other than Dimitri. That Alex could rely on her unconditional love.

And she was determined to make him feel that way again. “I stole a bottle of your cologne. I used to spray my pillow with it until it ran out. I’m surprised you didn’t notice.”

He blinked at her. “Our room had been ransacked, twice, before Oleg arrived. Once by representatives of the Boldin
Bratva
, and once by an unknown group. The Boldin
Bratva
claimed the home had been looted when they arrived to kidnap you. Plus, things were taken, and the Boldins would not degrade their reputation by stealing during a revenge abduction. Your jewelry at our home in Ireland was taken, except for a few pieces that had been hidden away, and they also took some guns and cash. We eventually traced the guns to a local gang, but they knew nothing about the men that had sold them. Your jewelry was never recovered…so I am very glad that you took your collar with you, that it didn’t end up in the hands of some thief.”

Her determination to look on the bright side of things suffered another blow as she tried to think of a way to put a positive spin on those horrible events. Unfortunately she couldn’t think of anything to say, and she hated the pain that had reentered Alex’s stormy gray eyes. His jaw tensed and the scar on the side of his face twitched while his anger built. No words of comfort would come to her, so instead she let her body and emotions guide her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, buried her fingers in his lush hair, and pressed her mouth to his, kissing the corners of his lips, tasting him with a soft moan.

A tortured sound came from him as he delicately returned her kiss, butterfly-soft strokes of his lips that had her pressing her hips into him. The brush of his beard over her face was a tactile sensation she was still getting used to, but his taste was the same and she was starving for him. Before she could slide her hand between them and grip his erection, he tore his mouth from hers then proceeded to place a gentle kiss on her forehead before stepping away.

He stared at her mouth, then let out a tortured sigh. “Come. The salon downstairs is expecting you. I will take you there, but will be waiting in private club on another level of the building with my men.”

Smirking, she stroked his bearded cheek. “What, afraid you’ll get girl cooties by hanging out in the salon?”

 “There is business that must be done, and I would rather deal with it while you are busy, so we can spend every moment we can steal from the world together.”

She nuzzled her nose against his, kissing away the tension in his lips. “Someday, I have no idea when but someday, you and I are going to spend the whole day being lazy and doing nothing except eat and sleep.”

“And fuck.”

“Mmm, no, not fucking. That’s too energetic. We’ll make love.”

His breath hitched. “I have not made love since I lost you.”

Uncomfortable with the mention of him being with other women, but not wanting to be a crazy bitch and yell at him for moving on when he thought he was a widow, she forced a smile. “Let’s go get my hair done so we can come back here and take a nap before Tatiana arrives. Trust me, you’re going to need your energy to keep up with her. And you get to meet Gwen. She’s staying, by the way. I don’t care what you have to offer her, just encourage her to stay on as Tatiana’s nanny, but don’t force her. For the past few years, she and her mother have been more like family than anything else. I love her, and Tatiana loves her, but…she speaks her mind and she is very defensive of me. I also want her to be able to take some art classes, which means she’ll need a bodyguard to go with her that can be discrete. And she’ll need a translator.”

She took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.

He kissed along her jaw. “Whatever you want. I will build this Gwen a castle if she wishes. If my daughter loves her then she must be a good woman.”

Ha, she’d remind him of those words the first time he locked horns with Gwen. Her friend may look cuddly and cute, but she had sharp teeth when needed. If she felt someone or something was a threat to Jessica she wouldn’t hesitate to say something. Jessica just hoped she didn’t try to take on Alex.

“No, not a castle, but she’ll need an apartment here. Maybe down on the same floor as the bodyguards so she’ll be safe. And make it a nice one, please. She deserves something decent for coming out here probably against her will. And please let her decorate it.”

“It will be done.”

“And we’ll both need Russian lessons. Mine is okay but it could be better, and I don’t want her to be unable to talk with the locals. She can be a bit of a spitfire so she’ll want to be able to communicate on her own.”

“What is spitfire?”

“She’s small and round, cuddly even, but when her temper gets riled you better step away because she spits fire.”

“Ahhh, hot temper.”

“Yeah, but only with adults. She has endless patience for Tatiana.”

Alex’s phone beeped and he read the screen with a frown. “Come, there is much to be done so I can savor you properly.”

She wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but she was all for anything that involved Alex slowly tasting her.

In an isolated circular booth at the back of the Novikovs’ private club, Alex forced his mind to stay in the present. He focused on the sight of his reflection in the mirrors lining every wall of this opulent, yet cutting-edge modern space. Everything was clean, simple, and perfect. He wished his life was the same way, but everything would be dealt with in time.

He needed to be patient, even when it went against every primal urge he had.

To his right, Ivan lounged on the pale-tan velvet sofa, his arm stretched across the back in a deceptively relaxed pose. His gold watch gleamed in the faintly blue-toned lighting and the masculine diamond wedding ring he wore had Alex running his thumb over his own band. Memories of touching the band for strength and patience tried to intrude on his thoughts, but with an iron determination he focused on the present.

Only two waitresses were working the bar, but as always the service was impeccable. The willowy brunette that took their earlier drink orders returned with her tray filled and her gliding walk would have looked perfect on some fashion runway. Dressed in a sexy, but tasteful little black dress, she gave each man at the table a sample of her bright smile without coming off as too flirtatious. Gia and Rya liked to bring their girlfriends here to party, so the staff knew their value was in their service, not in spreading their legs. If his guests wanted pussy, he’d send them to one of the many bordellos the Novikov
Bratvas’
owned where the women were willing and discrete.

But now his wife had returned and he couldn’t wait to wake up with her warm and safe in his arms again.

Dimitri snapped his fingers before Alex’s face while Luka chuckled. “The quicker we get this meeting over with, the quicker you can return to Jessica.”

Kostya Boldin looked bemused in a cocky way as Alex met his hard gaze. He was still a young man in his early twenties, but the heir to the Boldin
Bratva
had been raised much as Alex had, but with a much better father. He was blonde like most of the Boldins, and he had his tongue and ears pierced along with his septum. It was an unusual look among the more conservative upper ranks of the various
Bratvas
, but Kostya had the balls to pull it off.

Alex didn’t care if the little shit pierced every inch of his body, with his father Gedeon’s influence, Kostya was going to be a good leader someday and Alex liked him.

“Alex, we understand the less than ideal circumstances, but time is of the essence. My uncle Efim says that Petrov is moving swiftly to appoint his replacement, that he’s already having paperwork drawn up for shifting over the
Bratva’s
assets into the new heir’s name, so he is wasting no time. This is a delicate situation for all of Moscow—hell, for all of Russia, and many are scrambling to figure out who Petrov will select. It has created unrest and my uncle and I agree that the potential for violence hangs thick in the air. Whoever Petrov chooses will inherit a volatile
Bratva
. They will be tested, again and again, until they establish power. He will need to be a strong man, someone people will think twice about crossing. My uncle said there is much fighting within the Dubinski
Bratva
about who should rule.”

The urge to rub his face with frustration was huge, but he couldn’t let Kostya see his worry. Efim was Kostya’s great uncle and the man had been a part of the Dubinski
Bratva
for over 40 years. He was one of Petrov’s most trusted advisors and a key player in arranging for Alex and Dimitri to meet in secret with the Boldin
Bratva
. Alex trusted Efim, and wished he was here to shed some light on the situation, but right now his uncle Petrov needed Efim, so Alex met with Kostya instead.

 “I agree.” Sometimes it was necessary to be blunt and honest. Holding the other man’s dark gaze, he said in a low voice, “The Boldin
Bratva
has as much to lose as the Novikov if the wrong man is named as heir.”

“This is true.” Kostya nodded slowly. “It is no secret that the Dubinski
Bratva
is among our closest allies and we would not endorse a bloodthirsty, spoiled fool to lead it. And we certainly do not need another psychopath like Cozir Sokolov.”

Tapping his fingers on the gleaming rosewood table, Alex nodded in agreement. “That would be unfortunate.”

They all grimaced at the mention of the sadistic animal who led the Sokolov
Bratva
. So far he hadn’t messed with the Novikovs’ people, but Alex didn’t trust him at all. The man was still angry about losing his prostitution business to the Novikov
Bratva
and Alex knew that loss of income had hurt the fractured Sokolov
Bratva
. Fractured because when Cozir took over years ago, many of the Sokolovs who did not want him as a leader fled for the United States, taking their money and influence with them. Those who remained were corrupt men Alex wouldn’t trust to guard a pile of dog shit.

Ivan took a drink before setting his glass down with a controlled, precise movement.“The man who will run the Dubinski
Bratva
must understand that peace is better than war. I do not want some idiot getting us all killed. He must understand that the safety of our people comes first. It is no secret that the Dubinski
Bratva
helps keep my wife alive, as it does with your mother, aunt, and female cousins, Kostya. No man at this table wants anything but peace for his family. That is why we are here.”

The younger man curled his upper lip in a warning snarl. “I know why we are here.”

Instead of engaging in a pissing contest with the suddenly volatile young man, Ivan shrugged. “I do everything I can to ensure my Gia’s safety, but I am only one man. It is my circle of friends and family that have built a wall of protection around her. That wall includes the influence of the Boldin
Bratva
. I am grateful for that protection; it has allowed me to build a good life. The kind of life that I want to continue to live. The kind of life I want not only my children to have, but yours as well.”

Alex considered Ivan as he expertly handled the prickly young man. While he knew his old friend did not want to inherit the Dubinski
Bratva
, he also knew Ivan would be his choice. It was selfish of him; he understood that Gia, Ivan’s wife, wanted nothing to do with the criminal world, but Ivan would make a good
Pakhan
and Gia would fulfill her duties as the leader’s wife well. After all, it wasn’t just the man who would be running the
Bratva
, but also the woman working hard behind the scenes at his side. It used to baffle Alex that the Dubinski
Pakhan
would consult his wife on
Bratva
matters, but he now understood the need to seek his woman’s opinion. Jessica was highly intelligent and she often helped him look at things in a way he normally wouldn’t.

Kostya sighed. “Agreed. Come, let us speak of lighter things. Alexandr, on behalf of myself and my family, we congratulate you on your wife’s return. As is our agreement, she is now under the Boldin
Bratva’s
protection, as well as your daughter. My mother would like to meet them, sometime in the future when the world is a little less insane. I must say, not many women could do what Jessica did in order to survive. You should be proud.”