Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 172(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 172(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
Putting the book down, she grabbed her robe and pulled it on. She stepped out of her bedroom and was no longer surprised by the man nearby. He held a gun in his hand. Again, they all hid them from Sofia, which was amazing considering she was so flighty; they had no idea where she wanted to play next.
She passed the guard, walked down the stairs, and saw two more at the front door. The first couple of weeks of staying in this house had been a shock to her. Now, they were as normal as statues. Only, she found statues a little more terrifying.
Alix knew where his office was, even though she had never been inside. Dmitry had always spoken to her in more informal settings. This was a boundary she had never crossed but she was changing that today. She stepped toward his office door, which was closed. It was always closed. Even Sofia wouldn’t dare go into his office. In her childish mind, she had said it was a special place that took people to a land of magic, but it was only a place for grownups.
Raising her hand, she knocked on the door and waited.
“Come in.”
He didn’t sound happy.
Alix wondered if she should just leave and pretend to have stumbled into his door. No, that would be childish, and she’d never backed down from a fight, or from fear. Her parents had always forced her to face what scared her. At the time, she had always thought it was cruel of them.
Not anymore.
Squaring her shoulders, she stepped into the office and closed the door. Her heart raced. Step one, complete. Staring across the room, she saw Dmitry sitting behind his desk. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, showing off his impressive forearms covered in ink.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I came to see you.” This wasn’t how she imagined this playing out. “I know your office is out of bounds, but I wanted to talk to you, seeing as you seem to be avoiding me.” She was just word-vomiting all over the place.
“I’m not avoiding you,” he said.
“Really? Last night you ran off and today, you ran off again.”
“I’m a busy man, but that doesn’t mean I’m avoiding you.”
“Are you done with me?” Alix asked. She was not going to avoid the issue. This was not the person she was. It was why George had gotten so angry with her. She wouldn’t allow him to bury his head in the sand and pretend this was anything more than a fake union.
Dmitry stared at her.
“I know that I was payment from George but if all you wanted was a one-time thing, then tell me. Do you want me to be a nanny to Sofia? Can I work for you? What do you want from me?”
“What do you want, Alix?” he asked.
“I want you to tell me some facts. I came with you. I didn’t put up a fuss. I didn’t cause trouble or make waves. I’ve been a very willing participant here.” She wasn’t going to tell him that she absolutely loved Sofia. That little girl had gotten under her skin and made her love her so damn quickly. She was such a charming little girl.
“And you think that gives you the right to some answers,” he said.
“No, I think just by being a decent person, that gives me the right.” She folded her arms across her chest. “How would you feel?”
“It doesn’t matter how I would feel,” he said, rounding his desk, but he didn’t stop there. He advanced toward her.
Alix refused to back down. She wouldn’t be frightened of him. Not now. Not ever. Staring at him, she felt her body tense, but not out of fear. Why did his arms look so good? The ink made her even more curious about the man himself. She had no choice but to tilt her head back to look at him. She licked her suddenly-dry lips, feeling an answering pull between her thighs. She loved feeling him and she wanted him again.
“I would never be in your position,” he said, reaching out and grabbing her hair in his fist and pulling her closer.
Even though the action appeared rough, he was incredibly gentle. There was no pain in his grip, and if there was, she didn’t mind, she rather liked it. With his grip in her hair, he pulled her close and she felt his hard body against hers. The tips of her nipples felt tight and one of his legs slid between her thighs. Another gasp slipped from her lips. He was so close.
“I would never be at anyone’s mercy,” he said.
“But I am at yours. So I guess the question is, do you want me, Dmitry, or have you already had your fill?” Alix had a feeling he wasn’t quite done with her yet.