Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Sinking my teeth into my lip, I held the words back. Did I love this man? Could it even be possible? He didn’t love me. I was a job to him. He’d married me on boss’s orders.
Andrei moved his thumb to my lip and tugged. “Don’t bite that,” he said.
“Why?”
“Because it makes me want to do a whole lot of wicked things to you.” He kissed me. It started out gentle, and then he pressed harder against me, trailing his tongue across my lips, and when I opened, he plunged inside. I moaned his name, wrapping my arm around his neck, holding onto him, not wanting to let go.
His hand moved down my body, gripping my hip.
Cupping his face, I kiss him back, not wanting it to stop. He’s not touching my pussy, but I desperately want him. All too soon, he broke the kiss, lifting up and away from me, and I miss his touch the moment it’s gone, but it’s a good thing he did so. We’re at the restaurant.
He kisses the tip of my nose before climbing out of the car, rounding the vehicle to open my door. My face is all hot. I don’t question Leo and Terrance. I never saw the two men eat, but I knew they did. Andrei takes my hand and leads me into the restaurant. The maître d’ stumbles when he catches sight of Andrei.
Within minutes, we’re at a table, a waiter taking our drink order, and menus being given to us. I hold my menu and stare at Andrei, a little shocked.
“What is going on in that crazy head of yours?” he asked.
“Don’t you see the way people react around you?” I tried to discreetly look around the restaurant. It was rather busy.
The customers didn’t care who we were, but I saw the waitstaff, and some of them pointedly looked our way.
“I own this restaurant,” Andrei said.
“You do?”
“Yes. I own a lot of businesses. It was all part of Ivan’s plan. We have a lot of companies to our name.” He winked at me. “Does that surprise you?”
“Yes, and you know how to run them?”
He tutted. “Of course. Ivan Volkov would only ever have the best men on his team.”
I liked this side of Andrei. He was playful, sweet, kind, charming. He was easier to understand and so approachable.
Looking at the menu, there was a lot of yummy food on offer. I noticed the vegan selection, and I didn’t know what to have. The pizza sounded so good but then the lentil Bolognese sounded delicious as well. My mouth watered. In the end, I settled on pizza while Andrei had the steak with roasted vegetables.
“This is nice,” I said.
Andrei reached across the table, taking my hand. “If you ever want to come here, let me know.”
“Do you have the best chefs as well?”
“Only the best works for me.”
“Did you always have a vegan menu?” I asked.
“No,” Andrei said. “I came to the restaurant the day after I found out you were one, and I got all of my restaurants to include a vegan menu.”
“You did?”
He nodded, lifting his water and taking a sip.
I’d declined the wine that was going to be poured for me, and had a soda instead. They still poured the drink in a wineglass, and I raised my glass with his.
“It was good for business. People go through fads all the time. It would seem vegan is the new thing to be right now.”
I smiled. Some people went through fads, others did it because they wanted to. I was the former.
“Tell me about yourself,” I said.
“What do you mean?”
“Did you always want to be … you know?” I asked.
Andrei didn’t let go of my hand but I saw the scowl slowly settle into place. He wasn’t happy. There was anger in his eyes.
“Adelaide, there is no choice in this life. Once you’re born into it, there’s no getting out. My father was born into it, so was I. There was no choice for me. This was going to be my life, regardless of whether my father wanted me or not.”
“Do you miss your father?”
“No.”
It was so final. Not a single hesitation.
“Do you miss your family?” he asked.
“Mine are not dead.”
“True, but you don’t ask to see them.”
I stare at our hands and think about what he said. “There’s no love lost between me and my family. They don’t care about me. They never really did.” After what Bethany had done, I’d not given them a thought. They didn’t even come to see me in the hospital, so thinking about them, I didn’t care. “Was it easier?” I asked. “With him being gone?”
“Yes, in a way, but you have to understand that he had to die in order for me to be here today.”
I squeeze his hand, and we pull apart as the waiter brings our food. It smells delicious. My mouth waters. The pizza is quite large, and I know I’m hungry enough to demolish it all. Picking up a slice, I take a large bite and close my eyes as the flavors hit my tongue. Ripe tomatoes, garlic, onion, and lots of herbs. It’s what I love and I can’t resist taking another slice, another moan leaving my lips as I do.