The Arrangement (19 page)

Underdressed she would not be. The only thing he wanted her to do was enjoy the night. And if that meant dropping a few thousand dollars—more like twentyish—so that she could pick through whatever it was she wanted to wear, that was exactly what he would do.

Anton was a giver, after all.

“I’m not even going to ask how you did this,” Viviana murmured, voice still hot from his escapade with the toy in her ass. Just the sound was giving him a hard-on. There was no doubt in his mind that he’d have to stop himself from bending her over something and … “Can I just pick whatever?”

“It’s all yours,” he said, grabbing that tote bag of hers and dropping it into the chair.

“
All
of it?”

“Every little bit, baby. The sizes should be spot on, but if something’s not right, we can have it returned and replaced.”

Anton could see the question burning in her eyes before she even asked it. “It’s not …
hot
, right?”

It wouldn’t be unusual if it was, he had to admit. Bratva brothers, on more than one occasion, would pick up a load of something and the spoils were distributed as Anton saw fit. From all kinds of electronics to jewelry to high end clothing, it had all passed through his hands at one point or another. Some brought in more money than others, but that wasn’t really a part of the business that he wanted to discuss with Viviana.

Sometimes the less she knew, the better.

“No, it’s not. And that’s about all I’m willing to say in regards to that topic.”

With a small nod, he knew she understood. Anton stayed quiet as she moved over the rows of heels in opened boxes, reaching out to linger over the leather pumps, then a particular pair of silver peep-toed stilettos with shimmering crystals embedded from sole to tip. Viviana’s gaze lingered on those for a while and Anton knew then he had her caught. In a second, his hand was back inside his pocket.

“Anton!
Dammit
…”

The sweetest cry tumbled from parted lips as she staggered in place, a hand bracing on the arm of the couch. Anton simply lifted a brow and looked back at his open office door, knowing the four employees downstairs wouldn’t be coming up anytime soon.

“Those,” he said, turning the toy off. “Pick them.”

Air hissed through her teeth, but the pink blush staining her cheeks as she regarded him over her shoulder said more than Viviana ever could have. Her pupils were dilated, lips bitten a rosy red, and he had little doubt her thong was absolutely soaked with arousal. Good God, his dick fucking ached.

It was teasing him just as much as it did her.

“Could I at least look at the dresses before I pick a pair of shoes?”

“You’ve got to start somewhere. Build from those. I like them. Think of what it’ll feel like to be standing in them while I fuck your ass, Viviana.” The audible sound of her mouth clamping shut had him smirking. Anton brought the remote out and waved it as he added, “That was your point in this little show, right? You had a goal in mind, I’m just promising to follow through on it. But, I really like those shoes, so I couldn’t very well let you pass them up.”

“You should. They’re five hundred dollars a pair. You have expensive taste.”

“I have good taste,” Anton corrected, almost wanting her to challenge him. “And so do you considering they were the ones to catch your eye. Pick those shoes for tonight. The rest is all yours to do with as you like anyway.”

When he turned to leave the office, Viviana asked, “You’re not going to stay and help me pick a dress, Anton?” There was a little sarcasm hidden beneath her tone. That and a bit of her lust was coming through awfully strong, too, coloring her words. “Here I was thinking you’d press that button every time I came to something you might have liked, but nope. That’s too bad.”

“I have some things to do, so you’ll have a bit of time for yourself to go through it all.”

“But—”

“I’ll send Jen up in a while once she’s done with her liquor order. She has a good eye for fabrics on bodies.”

Anton didn’t miss the flash of something unknown in Viviana’s eyes. “Who is she?”

“The head bartender here. She also keeps the books on the legal side. The girl doesn’t have a bit of Russian in her, but she can drink like a fish and not be any worse for wear. Some of the younger guys like her a little too much, which got me to put her behind the bar instead of working the floor. They tend to leave her alone that way.”

Viviana tapped her sneaker to the floor, glancing away. “Anything else I should know?”

Ah, there it was. The question he figured she was eating but wouldn’t spit out.

“Yeah …” he said, turning to leave again. “I’ve never fucked her.”

• • •

Viviana was on sensory overload. There was much too much for her to choose from. Between the knee high dresses to the shorter, tighter ones, to even the lingerie that could be worn underneath them, and then the fifteen garment bags that only held the most expensive fur coats she’d ever laid eyes on, she was so lost.

The very least she had managed to do was to narrow the color scheme down to black. It seemed that was Anton’s favorite color when it came to dressy clothing, considering nearly all of the dresses were exactly that shade.

A soft knock on the closed office door drew Viviana’s head up. “Yeah?”

“You decent in there?”

The feminine voice had Viviana sighing. Apparently her earlier question about Jen to Anton hadn’t exactly been as vague as she meant for it to be, considering his response. The fact that the girl wasn’t some old flame of his was a relief for Viviana, but she still felt a bit childish for even having brought it up. Of course there were women she was going to meet that had been with him, and pretending like there weren’t any out there was only going to be more difficult when she did come face to face with one.

Or shit, she could just go down his path and shoot one of his past lovers.

Quit it
, Viviana thought bitterly.
You’re not even the jealous type.

“Um …Vine?”

“Yeah, come on in.”

The girl that opened the door was not what Viviana had been expecting. Jen was pretty, yes, but in a really unassuming way with a warm smile and bright eyes. At least in her early thirties, she was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, seemingly relaxed as she looked around the office.

“Wow, he really did go all out for you, huh?”

Viviana cleared her throat, feeling a bit embarrassed about the mess she’d made in the office. “I have no idea what to wear.”

“Well, something clubby but not whorish.”

A bubble of laughter burst from her lips. “Is that even possible?”

“Yeah, and by the looks of it, Anton had somebody helping him. He’s a man; there isn’t any way on earth he knew what to order. Oh, here …” Viviana barely caught the remote before it could have flown by her head. With a squeak, she hid the device in her tote bag. “He said something about leaving his coat lying around, so you needed to have that for now.”

Oh, God. The heat that crawled up her cheeks couldn’t even be hidden. “I—”

“Don’t want to know,” Jen interrupted with a soft laugh. “I just do as I’m told, honey. I don’t see, hear, or know a damned thing. My paycheck is always better for it, too. Of course, explaining some of those bonuses at the end of the year always hurts come tax time.”

Viviana shook her head, smiling. She liked this girl already. “Can you help me?”

Jen nodded. “Yep, I sure can. And we’ve got some time seeing as how he has visitors downstairs and I needed to make myself scarce for a while.”

“Okay.”

A too-short dress was picked up by Jen, the black, slinky fabric shimmering under the office lights before she dropped it back down with a disgusted sound. It wasn’t long before she had pawed through half of the articles Viviana had already dismissed as being a little much, given the occasion. Before long, Jen laid four black dresses across her legs then moved towards the rack that held the coats.

“My, my … what do we have here?”

Viviana scoffed. “I have no idea what those are for. The tweed coat I have is more than dressy enough for this, to be honest.”

Jen smirked over her shoulder. “I do.”

“Care to enlighten me?”

Jen opened up one of the bags, rubbing her hand along the fur in silence. Another bag was opened, and then another. While Viviana wasn’t exactly against wearing fur, she didn’t have a whole collection of them, either.

“I don’t think he meant for these to be worn tonight, but more for you to just have them period. These men have a thing for it. Gets them bothered in all kinds of naughty ways.”

“Excuse me?” Viviana asked, more confused than ever.

“Maybe it’s a Bratva thing … or a Russian thing. Furs, they like them a lot.”

“
Oh
.”

Jen winked. “By the looks of these, I’d say Anton has a preference for minks.”

With Jen’s help, it didn’t take Viviana long at all to find the right dress, undergarments, and purse to go with those shoes Anton decided on. The dress fell to her mid-thigh, hugging the curve in her waist with a perfect fit. Elbow length sleeves and a modest V-neck plunge in the front, the article was more than sexy enough to be worn in a club, but with the right accessories and coat, it was also quite appropriate for just about anything else, too. Even those silver heels didn’t detract from the dress, adding a bit of freshness to the dark color.

Fixing the strap of the white lace brassier underneath the heavy, black fabric, Viviana finally felt like she might not be so under dressed standing next to Anton in his suit. Of course, she was pretty sure that was exactly his motive, too.

“Okay, look.”

Jen turned with a smug grin, arms spreading wide as she appraised Viviana from all angles. A low whistle cut through her lips. “Damn, girl. Look at those legs of yours.”

“Too much leg.”

“Not enough, if anything. Oh, he’s going to love this.”

Viviana sighed. “Good.”

Jen perked up a brow. “You don’t sound happy.”

“Just nervous, I suppose.”

“Honey, for the last few weeks you’re all that man seems to think about. His head is not in the game here like it usually is, but thank God I’m the only one noticing at the moment. With that being said, he’s a damn good boss … in
every
aspect, you know?”

Viviana swallowed thickly, glancing away from the woman and wondering just how much of the behind the scenes business she actually witnessed day to day. “Yeah, I know.”

“So, it’s your turn. Smile and let him love you. He’s got you now, Vine, all that’s really left is to show everyone else just how much.”

• • •

At Jen’s insistence, the woman all but pushed Viviana out of the office to go find Anton. There was no question she wanted his approval on the dress. With the remote for the toy hidden safely in her palm, Viviana left the small upstairs of the club to find him.

Rounding the staircase, loud laughter brought her attention over the railing. Down below with dimmed lights shadowing the two men who greeted each other, she watched as a manila envelope nearly three inches thick was passed between hands. Anton slipped it under his coat resting on a table where paperwork was spread out.

“If I had to guess by the size, I’d say that’s a better turnout than last month,” Anton said, reaching out to cuff the other man on the shoulder.

“Last month I was a week late.”

“And you’re two weeks early this time around. You’re not forgiven, but I am impressed.”

Anton leaned against the wall so he could survey the large expanse of the club’s floor. It wasn’t hard for Viviana to recognize her lover’s posture or choice in seat. It gave him ready access to move if he needed to quickly, and his line of vision had nearly everything in its path.

“Sit,” he ordered, before his head dropped down to survey the paperwork in front of him.

When the man did, Viviana finally got a look at his shadowed profile. She didn’t recognize him, but his age surprised her. In his early twenties at the least, she figured he was a bit young to be having direct contact with a Bratva boss, especially where what she assumed was money was being exchanged. Usually those men’s ages reflected their time served in the business, but given Anton’s status, maybe there was newer, younger blood taking over, too.

“I took a big risk on you,” Anton said, not even looking up.

Viviana felt her fingers wrap around the edge of the banister, knowing she should probably turn around and leave. More than once she’d overheard conversations that weren’t meant for her ears, and it left her heartbroken because of it. There were things no daughter wanted to know—to
hear
.

“I know, Boss.”

“No, I don’t think you do. I don’t think you truly realize the weight of my choice. I despised your uncle, but everyone else said you were much too young to take over his spot when I wanted him gone. Sure, I covered for you last month, but I will not be doing it again, Bo. It doesn’t look well for me to do so, and shorts won’t be overlooked. Do that to me again and I’ll break every one of your fucking fingers.”

“I—”

“Shut up. We had this discussion once. I don’t want to have it one more time.”

Silence passed between the two men as Anton scrawled ink on a piece of paper.

“Steph is giving me shit again.”

“No wonder. She’s eight months pregnant and likely questioning why you’re coming home late every night. Marry that girl and explain it to her. Unless you have someone else on the side that’s keeping you away. If that’s the case, you’re just being an asshole and I’ll break your fingers for a whole other reason altogether.”

“No. Steph is enough.”

“Good to know. I’d hate to see my mother’s niece being done wrong,” Anton said lowly.

“And what about yours, Boss?”

Anton jerked his head up, meeting the other man’s gaze. “What do you think?”

“Just wondering how the honeymoon phase is coming along for you, that’s all.”

“It’s coming … every damned night.”

Loud, masculine laughter echoed through the club’s empty floor. Before long, the conversation below had turned to Russian mutterings Viviana couldn’t understand let alone hear. When a black case was pulled out from beside the younger man’s feet, Anton seemed to turn a little excited at the sight.