Page 15 of Bossed Around by the Bratva (Morozov Bratva #20)

I stood staring out the window as I listened to the ticket agent. It was a beautiful place, but I was glad to be returning home. “I have two seats available on the eleven o’clock flight. Would it be suitable?”

I responded without hesitation. “Yes, that would be perfect. Thank you.” I read out the card number for payment, and he confirmed the booking. Placing my cell phone back in my pocket, I turned to Zhen.

Staring at her, I let my eyes drift over her, trying to absorb as much of her as I could. I noticed a small hickey I had seemingly left on the side of her breast. A visible sign of what had transpired between us.

I felt a cocky smile crossing my lips. I loved that I was her first and was the reason for her peaceful smile. Shaking my head, I poured a cup of tea and walked to her side of the bed.

“Zhen,” I said softly, caressing her arm.

She stirred, blinked, and glanced at me. “Is it time to go?” she asked in a groggy tone.

Smiling at her, I shook my head lightly as I replied. “No, not yet, but it’s time to get up. I brought you some tea.”

I stepped back and waited for her to sit up before handing her the cup. “Thank you,” she said, taking it from me.

“You want me to fill the tub for you?” I asked, heading towards the bathroom.

“Yes, thanks,” she replied.

I opened the taps and added some bubble bath so she could soak and relax for a bit. Once the tub was full, I returned to the room. “Okay,” I said, watching her collect some clothes from her bags. “You want anything specific for breakfast?”

She walked to the bathroom door. Stopping, she glanced back at me, smiling. “Pan-fried dumpling, I think,” she said, raising her shoulders.

Grinning, I just nodded as she went in and closed the door. I placed a call to room service and ordered her dumplings and a piece of steak for me.

While she soaked and I waited for room service, I ensured everything was packed and at the door. I wanted to be ready to leave once we were done. The doorbell rang as Zhen came out of the bathroom with the towel wrapped around her hair.

I looked through the peephole to make sure there was room service before opening the door. We sat in silence as we ate. I watched her trying to figure out how she felt after everything that happened.

She appeared to be fine, but it was hard to tell as she was like a closed book. I was also distracted. I hoped the drive to the airport would be smooth. But I feared we might have another run-in.

As we left the hotel, I kept my eyes open for any sign of danger. The drive went quicker than I thought, and turned out to be quiet. We were about an hour early and went for a drink in the lounge.

After we boarded the plane, I could relax slightly. She lowered her seat and lay staring out the window. Watching her, I realized that having sex with her might not have been one of my best ideas. I had hoped to quiet the intense desire for her, to ease my obsession with her.

But it seemed I had made it worse. My desire to protect her had increased tenfold. Closing my eyes, I sighed softly. I had to find a way to keep her safe and out of harm's way.

Once we landed, I drove her home. The entire drive to her place, she stared out the window. After carrying her bags inside, I just had to ask before leaving. “Are you sure you’re fine?”

She rose to her toes and kissed my cheek. “All good,’ she replied. But I couldn’t shake this feeling that something was wrong. “Thank you.”

“I’ll see you in the morning then,” I said as I left.

Heading home, I dialed Alexandr. The phone rang for a while. I knew he could be busy and was about to hang up when his commanding voice came blaring through. “Akim, is everything okay? There’s been some chatter.” I could hear a hint of concern coming through.

“I’m fine, but yes, something happened. I need your help to get to the bottom of it, though,” I replied. There was a pause of silence as I waited for his response.

“Okay, you have my full attention. Let’s hear it,” he said calmly.

“There was an attempted ambush, but I managed to get out. We need to look into it, though. We must find out who is gunning for us,” I said briefly. I purposely left Zhen’s name out as I didn’t want to drag her further into it.

I heard him take a deep breath before speaking. “I will have Tasha do a deep dive and put Anton on it as well. You want me to send some guards to the agency or your home?”

Laughing, I responded lightly. “No, I’ve got my end, and the Chernykh men are protecting the estate. We just have to get to the bottom of this soon.”

“Okay, I’ll let you know what we find. Please stay safe,” Alexandr added before hanging up.

Pulling into my driveway, I surveyed the surroundings. I couldn’t see anything out of place and went inside. I dropped my bag on the floor beside my bed and collapsed onto it. Sleep came quicker than I had anticipated.

I felt refreshed after a good night's sleep without worrying about being attacked. But I forced myself to get up. I wanted to sleep longer, but it was back to work. There was no time to waste if I intended to catch the enemies.

Walking into the office, I couldn’t wait to see Zhen. She was on the phone as I came in, so I just nodded and went to my desk. Once I was done with my emails, I glanced up, hoping to have a moment to talk to Zhen, but she wasn’t at her desk.

Shaking my head, I tried to clear the images of her from my mind.

I had to focus. I soon realized that it was an impossible task.

My mind kept drifting to our time together.

I had really hoped that having sex with her would have cleared the obsession and cobwebs.

But it was like she was now imprinted on my mind.

Over the next two days, I realized my obsession had grown to a concerning level as I couldn’t help but notice everything she did. I found myself watching her like a hawk. Hanging on her every word and interaction.

I had also started to notice her interaction with the men in the building. I felt like a wolf stalking its prey. I watched as the men flirted with her, and my jealousy slowly climbed up the never-ending mountain.

By the fourth day since our return, I struggled to keep my anger in check.

Even though she kept things very professional with all of them, it didn’t help that she was seemingly avoiding me.

It felt like everyone in the office with a penis was after her.

It wasn’t only the Chernykh men, but now also the Morozov men.

My day went by slowly. I walked around brooding and didn’t get much of anything done. Every time I sat down to work, my mind flew out the window.

After work, I tried to catch up with her to offer her a ride home. But as I pulled up to the front of the building, I saw her getting into a cab. Since we returned, she hasn’t been coming in her own car.

All I could think was that she was still shaken from the ambush. I wanted to talk to her about it, but couldn’t do it at work. Heading home, I decided to talk to her early in the morning.

I awoke with fierce anger this morning. I was losing my mind. Heading into the office, I knew something had to be done about this silence between us. I was in before anyone else and hoped she would be early as well.

Making a fresh pot of coffee, my mind drifted back to our day spent in bed. I was pulled from my thoughts as the staff started arriving. Walking through the office, I didn’t see Zhen.

After the morning briefing, I spotted her talking to a client in reception. The day is still young, I told myself as I went back to my office. I will find a time to talk to her.

It’s day five since we returned, and I’ve had about as much as I could take of being ignored. I felt frustrated and annoyed that she had been avoiding me. Yesterday, she only brought me one coffee, and today, I haven’t even had one.

Everywhere I went, she seemed to leave as soon as I entered.

We have been communicating via email and messages.

She wouldn’t even sit with me for a morning meeting.

Deep down, I knew the reason for it. This was exactly the reason I never got involved with my staff.

It always ended up making things harder.

Needing to speak with her and clear the air between us, I went looking. She wasn’t in the front part of the office, and I had barely seen her all day. This wasn’t working. Stopping at the front desk, I spoke as the receptionist looked up. “You see my PA?”

“I think she’s getting something from the panty,” she replied, smiling.

“She’s getting what from where?” I huffed. I could feel the smoke coming out of my ears.

“Oh no,” the receptionist said, getting up. “I’m so sorry, that wasn’t what I meant.” I could see the shock even on her face at her own words. “I meant the pantry, sir.”

Nodding my thanks, I walked to the kitchen. The pantry door was open. I could see Zhen. The picture before me instantly lit a fire inside. One of the Chernykh men was chatting her up. He was smiling and gesturing with his hands.

As he lightly leaned forward and seemingly accidentally touched her hand, I knew I had to move in. Taking a slow, deep breath, I tried staying calm as I entered the pantry.

“Didn’t I assign you enough work?” I asked him calmly. He nodded but didn’t seem to be in a rush to leave. Stepping closer, I spoke more softly so Zhen wouldn’t hear me. “The work I sent needs to be done by morning, do you understand?”

He nodded, and I could see he understood me. “Excuse me,” he said, glancing at Zhen. “I forgot about something I had to get done. Have a nice day.”

She was reaching for something from one of the higher shelves. Glancing back, she replied spontaneously. “Okay, see you later.”

Turning my attention back to Zhen, I stepped closer, cornering her. I spoke in a seductive tone as she turned to face me. “So, tell me why you have been avoiding me?”