Alexandr's Reluctant Submissive (20 page)

“You don’t like it?”

Aware that she wasn’t masking her reaction from her daughter very well, she hooked her hair back behind her ear to show Tatiana her earrings. “I love it. Your papa got these for me. We match.”

Tatiana pouted, “I want my ears pierced.”

“Not until you’re older.”

Alex’s deep voice rumbled from behind her. “Let her have her ears pierced, Jessica. She would look beautiful.”

Tightening her jaw, she stood and turned so she was facing Alex, not allowing herself to be distracted by how edible he looked in his black suit and pale-silver tie. “She is too young.”

“What harm would it do? I will find the best person in Moscow to pierce them for her.”

Tatiana skipped over to her father and gave him a beaming smile. “Thank you, Papa.”

Jessica could feel her eyes growing wide as she took in the indulgent smile Alex gave her. “Anything for you, my sweet Tatiana.”

She swore she snapped a couple of her back molars while gritting her teeth in an effort to keep from snarling.

People around the room shifted uncomfortably, then Petrov rose from the table, wiping his mouth with a burgundy cloth napkin. “Jessica, it is so good to see you again, thank you for the wonderful breakfast.”

It took a lot to contain her need to drag Alex out of the room by his ear, but she managed to turn her gaze to Petrov and attempt a smile. “You are welcome anytime, Petrov, it is always my pleasure to have you in my home.”

Vera, dressed in a chic peach crushed-silk dress, gave her a little nod of the head, as if approving of the way she was handling the situation.

The elegant older man graced her with a small wink. “As delicious as this meal has been, I am afraid I must steal your husband from you so that we may attend to some business.”

“Of course.” She darted away before Alex could touch her, not pausing as she made her way to the sleek chrome and metal table against the wall that held the coffee service. “Have a good day.”

She almost dropped the coffee cup she’d grabbed when strong hands gripped her shoulders. After she was spun quickly around, Alex pressed his mouth to hers and ravaged her in a most pleasant manner, all the while ignoring her attempts to discreetly shove him away. Those pushes soon turned into gropes as she felt up his solid abdominals beneath his shirt. The little moan that escaped her would have been embarrassing if Alex hadn’t growled as well and deepened the kiss. Their tongues stroked against each other and she was lost in him, the hard press of his body, the key lime and cedar of his cologne, and his lovely taste flavored with coffee.

A shattering sound made her jump with a small shriek, but to her embarrassment she realized she’d been so caught up in the kiss that she’d dropped her coffee cup.

Without missing a beat, Alex swept her into his arms, stepped over the shards of the cup, and gently placed her into an empty seat.

“Be safe, my wife. I love you.”

It had all happened so fast that by the time she’d remembered why she was angry, he was gone and she was left looking at a table full of bemused women.

Glancing around, she looked for Tatiana but didn’t see her. “Where’s my daughter?”

Rya was obviously fighting a grin as she said, “While Alex was busy asserting his dominance over you, Gwen took Tatiana to her playroom.”

She groaned and heat flooded her face as embarrassment spiked through her. “I’m sorry about the PDA.”

Laughing, Gia shook her head. “If I had a dime for every time Ivan has shut me up like that in public, I’d be a billionaire like my husband.”

“Besides,” Rya added while smoothing down her crimson off-the-shoulder shirt with a grin, “I’m impressed that you didn’t kick Alex right between the legs. He was being a complete douchebag.”

“Indeed,” Vera said in a dry voice, giving the two younger women a look of amusement and exasperation.

Jessica sighed, then leaned back and tapped the edge of the table with her fingertips. “We haven’t even had a chance to talk about it, but he’s already spoiling her rotten.”

“Are you surprised?” Gia asked while spearing a piece of melon with her fork. “Think of how much they spoil us. Ivan is going to be
dreadful
when we have children. I can only hope we have boys.”

“Amen,” Rya muttered.

“So,” Vera clapped her hands together, “we also have much to discuss. Gia, Rya, I asked you to join me today because the three of you must work together with your husbands to save the world.”

Rya choked on a piece of toast and Gia pounded her on the back while saying, “I beg your pardon?”

While Rya drank some juice, Vera smiled. “Maybe not so literally, but have you really considered how much influence you wield between the three of you? How many ties of friendship you have to other powerful women? Thankfully my nephews were wise in their choices of wives, because they will need you in the days to come.”

A frown twisted Gia’s full lips. “What are you talking about?”

Jessica’s stomach growled and she got up to make herself a plate from the elegant buffet while listening to Vera speak.

“There are many changes happening right now, and the world is destabilizing as we speak.” Vera sighed, then traced the edge of the table with her fingertip. “It is nothing Petrov and I can put our finger on, nothing that would indicate one problem that could be fixed, but rather a combination of things all happening at once. Wars, climate change, governments being overthrown and technology advancing faster than we can keep up. My husband, if he was not head of the Dubinski
Bratva
, would have made an excellent historian. He loves to read about the rise and fall of various empires and has developed an eye for how things might fail, and when. It has made him a very successful man. After much discussion over the last few years, we are afraid that there are signs all across Russia, all across the world, of a change coming. The empires that currently rule are beginning to rot from within and the world will seek to restore the balance of power once again.”

Gia spoke in a quiet voice as Jessica came back to the table. “Like a revolution, or World War Three, or something else?”

“We do not know.” Vera shrugged. “Of course this could all be the ramblings of a crazy old man and his wife.”

Rya snorted, then leaned back in her chair, her warm amber gaze sharp on Vera. “In the time I’ve known Petrov, he hasn’t exactly struck me as the hysterical type. If he feels that something wicked this way comes, we’ll try and help our husbands to be ready for it.”

“Good, now let us discuss your party, Jessica.”

“Party?” Jessica asked after hastily swallowing a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

“Of course. We must introduce you and Tatiana to society.”

“Uh—is that a good idea with a bounty on my head?”

All the women laughed and Gia gave her a small smile. “Darling, we all have bounties on our heads.”

“What?”

Rya nodded and reached out to Gia, grabbing the other woman’s hand and giving it a quick squeeze. “Different assholes would love to get their hands on us for a variety of reasons. Gia because she’s the wife of one of the richest men in the world, Vera because she is Petrov’s wife, and me either because my stepdad is the vice president of an outlaw MC back in the States or because of Dimitri. There isn’t a moment of our lives, since we met our men, that we haven’t been in some kind of danger.”

“She’s not trying to freak you out,” Gia added.

“Yeah, I’m not trying to scare you. I wanted you to know that just because someone or something threatens you, doesn’t mean you have to live your life afraid. When I first came to Russia with Dimitri it took me a while to adjust to my new reality, which included a loss of the freedom that I’ve always taken for granted. You have no idea how much I’d love to just hop on my motorcycle and go cruising around Russia, but that will never happen. At least not without a discreet helicopter escort.”

Gia snorted. “Or go for an early morning swim in the ocean without six other people joining you and more guards in scuba gear on jet skis patrolling offshore.”

“But,” Vera added with a wry look at the two younger women, “the rewards are well worth the sacrifice. You also need to remember that you chose this life. Right now you could be living with some normal, boring man in some normal, boring small town, where your biggest worry is what to make for dinner. All three of you had the opportunity to give up your husbands, but you chose to stay with them. Everything comes with a price.”

“If it was just me, I wouldn’t be so worried about my loss of freedom, but I worry about what this will do to Tatiana.”

“Having raised children myself, I can tell you it will not be easy, but being a mother never is, no matter where you live or what the circumstances are.”

She sighed and picked at her food. “I know. I just worry so much about Tatiana.”

 “Is perfectly normal to feel that way,” Vera agreed. “But you have to trust in your husband to protect you both, or life will drive you insane.”

“I do, but I’m not the kind of woman who can just sit back and let someone else do all the work. Not now, not after doing it on my own for so long. I can’t just relax and eat chocolates, ignorant of the danger around me. If someone is threatening me, I want to know so I can be ready to kick their ass.”

“You must trust your husband to handle these situations.”

Gia leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “So if someone is trying to kill me, I tell them to hold on, I need to contact my husband first?”

“I’m not exactly the ‘princess waiting for a rescue’ kind of girl either,” Rya muttered.

“Ditto,” Jessica added.

With an exasperated sigh, Vera threw her hands in the air. “No one is asking you to be a sacrificial lamb. I am telling you that is easier to trust your husband and work with him to protect you, than to do it on your own. Work together or this world will tear you apart.”

“Oh, well that’s different,” Rya said with a slight flush coloring her cheeks.

Once again in control of the room, Vera focused her gaze on Jessica. “Back to what I was saying earlier, we must prepare you for the party.”

“Like what to wear?”

“Not exactly. We will need to go over who to invite, and why. Then we will gather biographies on the guests and go over them. We will need at least few weeks before we send out the invitations, and then another few weeks to throw the party together and give people time to arrive. Gia, Rya, I know this is short notice but would benefit you to attend our planning. I know you have both done this kind of thing before, but I can help you figure out some of the undercurrents of our world. There will be people there who would kill you as easily as look at you if they had chance.”

Rya twirled her ponytail with a bemused and slightly uneasy smile. “I’m not sure if I should be excited we’re throwing a party, or terrified that we’re throwing a party.”

“It is,” Vera said with a knowing look, “entirely up to you on how you choose to live your life. Do you wish to live like you are at a festival, or a funeral?”

“Festival,” Rya said instantly and released her ponytail. “Definitely a festival.”

 A loud knock came from the door, followed a moment later by Zoya peeking her head in with a flush coloring her pale cheeks. “Forgive the interruption, ladies, but Mr. Dubinski wishes to speak to his wife.”

Jessica watched Vera, waiting for the other woman to stand and leave the room to take the call, but the older blonde merely looked back at Jessica with an arched brow. “I believe she means you, Mrs. Dubinski.”

Flushing, Jessica stood and smoothed down her dress. “Oh, right. That’s going to take a bit of getting used to.”

The corner of Vera’s lips turned up in amusement. “If I have not mentioned before, I am honored to have you and your daughter as my family now, Jessica.”

“Thank you.” She would have said more but Zoya thrust a cell phone at her. “Hello?”

“Jessica,” Alex said in a low, serious voice. “Catrin is on her way up to see you.”

She took an unsteady step back, waving away Zoya when the other woman went to steady her. “Catrin’s here? I thought you said she was with Nico in Madagascar.”

“Word reached them that you had returned.”

“Oh my God,” she whispered while her heart began to pound. “Oh my God. They’re here? Oh, Alex, I’ve missed them so much.”

“I must go, but you have my permission to enjoy anything you wish with them. Am I clear,
prinsessa moya
? Catrin has missed you as well and I know she will want to devour you. I want you limp with satisfaction when I come home so I can slide into your already wet, tight
pizda
.”

Conscious of the other women standing from around the table, she said quickly, “Yes, I understand.”

“It eases my worry to know that you will be with two people who love you almost as much as I do. You, my sweet girl, are starved for affection, and I will feed it to you however I choose until I think you are satisfied.”

Sure her entire body was flaming red with an intense blush, she whispered, “Okay. Goodbye, Alex. I love you.”

He hung up and she turned to find Rya and Gia moving past her with a surprised Vera sandwiched firmly between them. Giving Jessica a small smile, Rya said, “I’m sure Catrin and Nico would like privacy for seeing you again. Gia and I are good friends with Catrin and she has spoken very fondly of you.”

“Very fondly,” Gia said with a soft laugh while Vera looked confused.

“We will talk later,” Vera said over her shoulder as she was carried out the door.

“Thank you,” she told the other women, grateful that they were removing the elegant lady from a potentially awkward situation.

Then again, maybe Catrin had changed. The vibrant, exuberant, bubbly and energetic woman she knew five years ago may have vanished, leaving a stranger in her place. It wouldn’t be that unusual, hell it was part of growing up, but she still hoped that the woman that walked through her front door bore at least some resemblance to her best friend. As much as she’d mourned Alex, she’d also mourned the loss of the unorthodox relationship she’d had with Nico and Catrin, the connection that was always a source of comfort and strength for her.