The Russian's Assertive Lover (The Tonov Triplets Series Book 2) (4 page)

With her tips supplementing her income nicely, and putting her way ahead of schedule for getting her tattoo removed, Courtney decided to splurge on a night of normalcy and went with Janet to Paddy Murphy's that Saturday.

As they waited for their food and drinks to arrive, they played tic-tac-toe on one of the activity pads stacked on the table for bored customers. A live jazz band was playing a cover of a Miles Davis song on the bandstand and employees bantered and bickered while going about their work.

Courtney smiled. It reminded her of the old days, when she was a carefree teenager and new adult, waitressing her way through college and hanging out with friends every weekend. If she could close her eyes then she was almost back to those days...

“Hey, you're not going to believe this, but the Tonovs just walked in,” Janet said.

Shit.
Courtney's eyes flew open and she risked glancing to the door for a fraction of a second to see the brothers walk in with a woman who had curves to kill for and possibly the world's largest handbag. She groaned and slammed her head right on the activity pad. Why did they have to ruin this?

“It's okay, they probably don't even recognize you,” Janet said, as the waitress brought them their food and drinks; a beer for Janet, tea for Courtney.

The party of four seated themselves just behind the two women.
Great
. Courtney could feel her pulse jump and dipped her head behind the menu. She could hear Nik's voice as he said something to the woman with the handbag.

She knew it was his voice because he was using the same tone he used with many of his employees, opposed to the business-like, subdued tone of his brother Valov and the cruel sneer that was a permanent part of Dimitri.

Even though they were identical, she could tell them apart after a week of working for Nikolay because both brothers visited often. And, if she wasn't mistaken, then the woman was Valov's girlfriend, Rae. According to Scarlett, Rae was the only one who had ever fully gotten through to a Tonov, which was definitely no small feat.

Courtney realized she was hiding from her boss and she straightened up. Even if they did see her, what would they care? She could eat out on her time off if she wanted to, damn it.

“Hey, Nik, isn't that the girl you were making out with the other day?” Dimitri asked loudly.

Shit. Fucking shit.
Janet's eyes widened and then she raised an eyebrow accusingly. Courtney flashed a sheepish smile just as Nik turned to look at the two of them. She turned to face him with a pained smile. “Hello,” she said. “Janet, this is my boss; Mr. Tonov, this is my friend, Janet.”

The mortification on Nik's face mirrored her own. Behind him and Dimitri, who was looking at her with his usual coldness, was Valov and the woman, who were looking at her with raised eyebrows and mild curiosity. She doubted they had known about that night.

“It's nice to meet you, Nikolay,” Janet said with a smile. “Don't worry, we'll leave you guys in peace. We now have a lot of things to talk about.” She raised her eyebrows even higher in Courtney's direction. The awkwardness was so thick it was stifling her.
Why, oh why did this have to happen? Ugh.

“Yes,” Courtney said, her voice strangled. “We'll leave the four of you alone.”

Just then, the woman spoke up. “Hi,” she said, getting up and walking around to shake both Courtney's and Janet's hands. “I'm Rae. I'm sorry about the guys. They still have the manners of monkeys, especially that one,” she said, pointing at Dimitri who scowled back. “Why don't you guys join us? It would be nice not to be outnumbered by the triplets for once.”

“Sure,” Janet said brightly. “We'd love to. Wouldn't we, Courtney?”

“Um, yes,” Courtney mumbled. She smiled at Rae who grinned warmly back. She and Janet pulled up chairs to the Tonov's booth and grabbed their food and drinks. Unfortunately, Courtney was now seated right next to Nikolay. She could feel the tension rolling off him in waves.

The waiter came by to take orders for drinks. Dimitri ordered vodka and Valov ordered a Scotch. Nikolay ordered green tea, and Rae ordered coffee.

“Janet,” Rae said. “I believe I've met you before. You look really familiar.” She snapped her fingers. “Oh, the
Maine Edge
! Your picture is next to your byline all the time.”

Janet grinned. “Yes, and if I'm not mistaken, you’re the criminal psychology journalist for Bangor Daily News?”

While Janet and Rae started talking about working in the newspaper business, Valov smiled cordially at Courtney. “How's work?” he asked. “Is my brother treating you well?”

“As well as can be expected,” Courtney replied, smiling. “I have nothing to complain about. How is your non-profit running?”

“Well,” he said, giving a wide grin. “The last game of the year is being played at Cameron Stadium next weekend. Hey, you should come.”

“I'll definitely try,” she said. “What are you planning on doing after the football season?”

“Possibly hockey, or swimming,” he said. “We are expanding into the fine arts as well. It won't be long before there will be theater performances and concerts in addition to games.”

“That's exciting!” Courtney grinned.

“Hardly exciting,” Dimitri said. “There's no profit in non-profit. It's counter-intuitive to go into the industry.”

“Sometimes there are better rewards than money,” Rae replied. “Helping people, saving their lives, has its own rewards.”

“Of course you would believe that,” he scoffed, and then focused his gaze on Courtney. “And I suppose after medical school you are going to join a free clinic instead of doing something worthwhile.”

She glanced at Nikolay, who flushed. How did he know that she was planning on going to medical school?

As if reading her mind, he said, sheepishly, “Scarlett might have mentioned something to me about medical school for you,” he said. “In front of Dimitri,” he added quickly.

“I see,” she said. “And what would be so wrong if I decided to work at a free clinic?”

“It makes no sense,” he snarled. “All you would be doing is making it harder for those who work hard to earn a buck.”

Rae stopped her conversation with Janet long enough to stare coldly at Dimitri. “Why do you insist on being a grouch during dinner?” she said, her tone light despite her expression. “Maybe we'll stop inviting you to these dinners.”

“You can hardly keep me from my brothers, even if you are sleeping with one.”

“Dimitri!” Valov shouted. He said something sharply in Russian to him and Dimitri sat back, his expression sullen.

“Forgive me,” he said to no one in specific. “That was out of line.”

“Damn right,” Nikolay growled. “I'll kick you out myself if you are that rude again.”

There was a moment of awkward silence before Janet struck up a conversation about the blizzard that they were going to be getting next week with exaggerated cheeriness and everyone slowly relaxed.

“So you really do not drink, do you?” Nikolay said, looking down at Courtney's tea.

“Nope,” she said. “And neither do you, from the looks of it.” She nodded pointedly at his own tea.

“I prefer to be in control of all of my senses,” he said.

“You don't like alcohol, you help homeless people off the street, and you don't like tattoos. I believe you are quickly ruining your bad reputation.”

“It seems as if I'm not the only one who detests tattoos,” he said, looking down at the bandage wrapped around her hand where her tattoo was. “Why did you get it when you obviously hate it?”

Like I had a choice.
“It was a long time ago,” Courtney muttered, looking down at her plate of food. Suddenly she wasn't hungry, even though the bar food was the closest thing she had gotten to real food in days.

*****

After dinner, Valov pulled Courtney back a little from the small crowd going to their cars. “I must apologize for my brother's manners,” he said. “He can be good at business but not always good on a purely social level.”

“Dimitri might have the manners of a monkey, but it is refreshing after some of the men I deal with at Suds,” Courtney replied with a tight smile. “No need for you to apologize for anything.”

“I was not apologizing for Dimitri,” Valov said. “I was actually apologizing for Nikolay.”

“Nikolay? Why?” He definitely didn't say or do anything lower than what Dimitri had.

“He obviously upset you when the two of you were talking,” Valov said. “I believe it had to do with your tattoo?”

Courtney went to rub the ink marring her skin, as if she could rub it off. “Oh,” she said. “Nikolay didn't know he was pressing a nerve. It's okay.” She shrugged. “It's a long story, and I don't really like to talk about it.”

“I understand,” Valov said, and Courtney was sure that on some strange level he really did.

“Val, are you coming or not?” Rae called. She was already leaning up against her car.

“I am coming,” he said. He smiled politely and nodded at Courtney. “Goodnight,” he said.

“Night,” she smiled and then went to Janet's car, only to have Nikolay fall in step beside her.

“I am sorry,” he said gruffly, looking down at the ground. “For upsetting you, for Dimitri, for everything.”

God, he is so hot.
“Please don't apologize, Mr. Tonov,” Courtney replied. “It truly isn't necessary.”

“I really wish you wouldn't call me that,” Nikolay answered. “You've just had dinner with me and my brothers. Why do you insist on addressing me so formally when everyone at the club calls me by my first name?”

“Because I don't wish to,” Courtney said. “So I'm not going to. That's it.”

“You’re angry,” his voice was quiet, Courtney almost missed it. She looked up at him and was sure she saw vulnerability in his expression before his usual unreadable look slid back into place.

“Of course I'm not mad,” Courtney said. “If it is my first night working that you're worried about, then I was just as much at fault as you were and it is best that both of us forget it.”

“Of course,” Nik said. He stopped just a few feet short of walking her to Janet's car. “Goodnight,” he said.

She smiled at him. “Goodnight.” As she got in, she breathed a sigh of relief, until Janet fired off a barrage of questions at her.

“You kissed your boss and you didn't tell me?” she shouted. “What the hell is wrong with you? What was it like? Was he good? Are you guys sleeping together?”

“Sorry, I didn't tell you,” Courtney mumbled. “A lot of things are wrong with me, and I want to forget the kiss. Yes, he was amazing. And no, we're definitely not sleeping together.”

“If it was amazing, then why do you want to forget about it?” she asked.

“Because he's my boss! Do you know how many things are wrong with this scenario? Besides, we're not even attracted to each other. It was just a bad night for both of us.”

“You wouldn't have said the kiss was amazing if you weren't attracted to him,” Janet shot back. “You would have said there was no spark. So don't even try to bullshit me.” There was a bit of a pause before she said, “They're not all like Gary, Court.”

“I know that,” Courtney snapped. “Rationally, I know that but do you really think I'll find a prince in a guy who parades half-naked women around in front of slime balls for profit? I don't think so.”

“Okay, so maybe strip club owner isn't ideal,” she said. “But he took the time to apologize to you tonight, didn't he? And, if he didn't have a soul, he wouldn't have felt so terrible about that little midnight kiss the two of you shared.”

“He doesn't feel terrible. He's just worried about a sexual harassment suit.”

“Uh huh,” Janet said dryly. “You keep telling yourself that.

*****

Nikolay shut his apartment door and took several ragged breaths. He was surprised to see her in the pub tonight and despite her conservative attire, he could think of nothing else other than peeling those jeans off her.

No. It's always the innocent-looking ones who are dangerous. If I let her, she'll betray me too.
He let out a slow, shaky breath as his erection strained against his pants at the thought of Courtney sitting next to him. She was enough to drive any man crazy as his cock stood at painful attention throughout dinner.

He took off his shirt on the way to the bathroom. The cold air in the apartment was particularly sensitive on the scars that decorated his torso but it did nothing to relieve the heat inside of him. He turned on his shower and turned it all the way cold before finishing undressing and getting in. He sighed as the frosty water ran over his skin and he slowly came back to reality. She was an employee, and one who was motivated only by money. She was bad news. It was about time he remembered that.

Cindy didn't show up for her shift on Monday. Nik called her cell phone but she wasn't answering. His brow furrowed as he stared at his office door.

This wasn't like her. She was one of the best workers he had, and was on time always unless she called but she had definitely been acting strange lately. Scarlett had said that she had been arguing with her boyfriend and he wondered if that was part of it.

He walked out to find Scarlett making a drink at the bar. He caught her eye and waited until she nodded before going back into his office. A second later, after Scarlett had gotten someone to cover the bar, she came into the office. “What's up?” she asked.

“Cindy hasn't come into work yet and she hasn't called,” Nikolay said. “Did she tell you that she would be late or that something was going on?”

Scarlett shrugged. “No,” she said. “Not that I can remember. She hasn't been looking too good lately, though. Do you think something's wrong?”

“That's what I'm afraid of, but it might still be nothing. Thank you. That's all.”

Scarlett nodded. “Let me know when you find something out.” She went to take over the bar again just as Courtney approached with a tray of empty drinks.

“Where's Cindy?” she asked. “A regular just requested a private dance with her.”

“She's not in yet,” Scarlett replied, glancing over both her shoulders. “She's late and Nik is starting to get worried.”

Courtney remembered the bruise on Cindy's face and bit her lip. “Where's Nik?” she asked. “I think there's something he needs to know about her.”

“He's in his office. Is she in trouble?”

“Yes. I think it's definitely possible.”

Courtney pushed the door to Nikolay's office open. “Mr. Tonov?” she asked quietly.

He looked up from his computer, his face haggard from looking at financial information. “Courtney,” he said. “What's going on?”

“I heard you were looking for Cindy and I thought you would want to know I saw a bruise on her face a few days ago. I think her boyfriend is beating her.” She described the bruise she had seen on Cindy's temple and she watched his expression grow more and more concerned. 

“Who else knows about this?”

“No one, as far as I know,” Courtney said. “When I asked her, she told me that it was an accident. I didn’t want to push her, but she clearly didn’t want to talk about it.”

The phone rang. Nikolay held up a finger to tell her to wait for a second and then answered. “Suds Gentleman's Club,” he said, his voice smooth and pleasant despite the worry still etched on his face.

Even though the phone wasn't on speaker, Courtney could hear Cindy's panicked voice from the other side, talking fast and low.

“Slow down,” Nikolay said. “I can't understand you. Where are you?”

He listened for a couple more seconds and then he hung up. “Tell Scarlett I'm leaving.”

“Something’s wrong, isn’t there?” Courtney demanded.

Nikolay stood up and grabbed his coat. “Just tell her I need to go.”

“I'm coming with you.”

“No, you're not. You are staying here. Get back to work.”

“The hell I will.” Courtney followed him out the door and to the floor. “Scarlett, we're leaving,” she called to the bartender.

Scarlett raised an eyebrow, but she caught one look at Nikolay's face and nodded. “Drive safe,” she said.

Courtney didn't bother to get her clothes or her coat before following Nikolay outside. “Are you insane?” he shouted at her. “It’s forty degrees out.”

“I'll be fine,” she said, clenching her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering. “I'm going with you whether you like it or not.”

He glared at her before shimmying out of his coat and draping it around her shoulders. “Then get in the god damn car,” he growled, “Before you freeze to death.”

Courtney jumped in and buckled up. “What's happening?” she asked. “What did Cindy say?”

“Her piece of shit boyfriend thinks that she's cheating on him. She thinks he's going to kill her. She's barricaded herself in her bedroom closet but it's only a matter of time before he breaks down the door.” He glanced at her briefly as he sped down the street. “You need to stay in the car when we get there, okay? I am not going to put you in a situation with a dangerous man.”

If only he knew.
“If you subdue him, I'll get Cindy,” Courtney said. “You can't do both and this will make it safer for you.”

“Don't worry about me,” he said. “I'm not—”

“No, you're not,” Courtney snapped. “You don't have a choice in this matter. I'm getting her out of the house with or without your blessing.”

He looked at her, surprised and Courtney flushed. How the hell could she have forgotten that he was her boss? She never should have talked to him that way.

There was silence until he pulled into the driveway of a rundown house on the outskirts of Bangor. “I’ll go in first,” he said finally. “I'll restrain him and then you can go get Cindy.”

“Fine.”

As they got out of the car and closer to the house, they could hear yelling from inside. Nikolay ushered Courtney behind him as he opened the door.

The entry way was empty. The boyfriend's yelling was coming from upstairs. They could hear pounding, as if he was throwing a heavy weight against the wall.

Nikolay went up the stairs first. As they went up, they could hear the shouting more and more clearly.

“After everything I did for you, you bitch!” he was screaming. “I gave you rides to your whore job. I've fed you and clothed you and put a roof over your head and you went and cheated on me. Open the damn door! Stop hiding in there like a coward, you bitch!” There was another thump as a heavy object hit the closet door. Courtney was barely able to see past Nik into the room, but she saw Cindy's boyfriend kicking the closet door and pounding on it with the side of his fist.

Before the man could notice their presence, Nikolay rushed into the room, grabbed the man by the back of his shirt and slammed him face-first into the wall. “Shut the fuck up,” he snarled as the man tried to wrestle away from him screaming profanities. He slammed the man against the wall again. “Go!” he shouted to Courtney.

Courtney knocked on the closet door. “Cindy?” she called. “It’s Courtney. It's okay, you can come out. We're going to get you out of here.”

Cindy opened the door slightly, revealing a bruised face and neck. “Courtney?” she said, her voice hoarse.

Courtney grabbed her arm. “Come on,” she said. “It's all right.”

Just then, her boyfriend started screaming again. Nik punched him in the face and threw him onto the ground, shouting something in Russian and shutting up the man for good with a kick to the gut. Courtney pulled Cindy out of the room and down the stairs.

“I'm so sorry,” she said. “I didn't want to drag anyone into this and now you're missing work and I know how much you want the tips--”

“Cindy, this is not your fault. You have absolutely nothing to apologize for.” They both got into the back of Nikolay's car. Cindy was shaking as she covered her face with her hands, sobbing. Courtney put her arms around her. “It's going to be okay now,” she murmured, taking off Nikolay’s coat and wrapping it around her. “You're safe now.”

“But it's not okay,” Cindy said. “He was right. He gave me everything. Now I have nothing. Damn it, I should have never made him mad--”

“Cindy,” Courtney said firmly. “He's nothing. He beat the crap out of you and you didn't feel safe. You couldn't stay there. We'll figure it out, okay? You're in good hands.”

Nikolay slid into the driver's side and turned to face the women. “Are you okay, Cindy?” he asked, his face etched with concern as he took in her disheveled appearance. His face quickly shifted from worry to anger when he saw the bruises on her face and neck. “Do you want me to take you to the hospital?”

“No,” she said quickly. “No, please. I'm fine.”

“Okay,” he said, and he started the car and pulled out on the road.

Courtney leaned against the cool car window, not letting go of Cindy for a second. Her sobs gradually stopped and it wasn't long before she was sleeping. Nikolay looked back at them through the mirror.

“Thank you,” he said quietly to Courtney. “He was a handful. I don't think I would have been able to get her out without you.”

“I hate to say I told you so, but...” she shrugged. “You're welcome. It was… nice of you to get her out like that. I have to admit, I didn't think you would even care.”

“Believe it or not, I do care about my employees,” he replied sharply. “I don't want any of them to be in danger and I will help them if they ask for it.”

“What do you know,” Courtney said. “The strip club owner has a soul after all.” Just then, they passed Suds and Courtney sat up straighter. “Where are we going?” she asked. “I thought we were going back to the club.”

“No,” he said. “Cindy needs to rest. I'm taking her to my place.”

“Your place?” Courtney asked incredulously.

“She doesn't have any other place to go,” Nikolay said. “Where did you think I would take her?”

Courtney shrugged. “That makes sense,” she said. “You're right.”

They pulled up in front of a building displaying wedding dresses. Nikolay got out first and opened the door. He gently picked up Cindy, who was still sleeping, and carried her to the door. “This is where you live?” Courtney asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “In the apartment upstairs.”

Courtney opened the door for him and they went upstairs to a large clean apartment that was comfortably furnished in Italian leather couches and dark blue rugs. Nikolay set Cindy down on the couch and then went into the kitchen. “Would you like anything to drink?” he asked.

“Shouldn't we be getting back to the club?”

“I would rather not leave her alone,” Nik replied. “She's going to be confused enough as it is when she wakes up. Scarlett can handle the club for one night and the other servers can cover your shift.”

“Oh,” Courtney said. “That makes sense. If you have tea, and it's not too much trouble, then I'll have some.”

“Of course it's not,” he said. He filled a black tea kettle with water and put it on the stove. “I was going to have some myself.”

“Really?” she blurted out before she could think better of it. “I didn't think you were a tea kind of guy.”

He grinned slightly at her. “Did you think I drank vodka?” he asked.

“Well, to tell you the truth, I kind of did,” Courtney replied. “I'm afraid I always fall back on stereotypes when I don't know a person well.”

“I've seen the effects of alcohol too much to enjoy it,” Nikolay answered. “It's a good thing you didn't ask me for any because there hasn't been alcohol in here since Valov moved in with Rae.”

“Believe me, I've seen the negative effects of alcohol too, which is why I don't drink either. Not anymore.”

He raised an eyebrow in question but he didn't ask, which was all well and good because Courtney didn't want to share.

“Nice place,” she said, looking around. On the walls were a few pictures of the Tonov triplets and a couple of landscape paintings done by a Russian artist she had never heard of. One was a landscape of the view from Beach Mountain, her favorite place to go hiking on Mount Desert Island. The other was of land that she had never seen before. She went over to examine it. “Do you know what this is a picture of?” she asked.

“It's from a postcard of Russia, up along the Siberian border. I gave it to a local artist and asked him to turn it into a painting for me.”

“Do you ever miss it?” she asked.

“I miss the land,” he said. “And spring was wonderful as well. Some of the people I also miss. But I am happier in America for the most part.”

“For the most part?” She turned to look at him.

He smiled wryly, “The golden arches signs are ugly and they seem to be around every corner here,” he said. “They give me a headache.”

She laughed. “Wow,” she said. “I can't imagine going to a new country. To live, I mean. And not just to visit.”

“It is strange,” he said. “And it can be hard at times. But it is worth it.”

Just then, the tea kettle started to whistle and Nikolay went back into the kitchen to get the water. Courtney eased down into an armchair. A second later, Nikolay came out with two cups of tea and handed one to her. When she took it, his eyes flew up from the ground to look at her. He flushed and looked away. “I'll get you a shirt,” he said, “To keep you from being too cold.”

Courtney flushed, feeling more than a little vulnerable in her skimpy uniform. “Thank you,” she said. “I am feeling a bit chilly.”

“I can imagine,” he said hoarsely. He cleared his throat sharply and set his tea mug down on the coffee table with a slight clatter before all but running down the hall to the bedroom. Courtney stared after him and then hugged her knees to her chest. He saw her like this every night. Why was he so shy now? Why did she feel so embarrassed at her state of dress?
Maybe it's because we're alone together.
The last time they were alone, they had kissed.

He came back a second later with one of his large cotton t-shirts. “Here,” he said thrusting it at her.