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I purposely took my time finishing my cigar before meeting Sevan down on the lower deck.

And by time, I mean, I took over an hour.

But it didn't seem to irritate Sevan in the slightest, if anything, she looked calm as she sat in the booth.

Compared to an hour ago, she wore an oversized t-shirt that covered her once-exposed stomach.

And I had done the same in a way, purposely pulling my loose cover-up back on to hide my body away from her lingering eyes.

Which I could tell left Sevan dissatisfied as I walked closer and closer to her.

There was fruit already situated on the table with a jar of honey—but Sevan seemed more focused on the different papers spread out in front of her.

"What's this?" I asked as I slid into the cushioned tan booth beside her, feeling the yacht rock slowly against the waves of the passing water.

"You would know if you were down here sooner," Sevan said, not bothering to look up from the different papers.

I narrowed my eyes at her, "Bothered?" I murmured, feeling my lips twitch up at the idea of my actions pressing her nerves.

Sevan lazily raised her brows, "Not even close," she shot back.

I only shrugged in response, deciding to grab a piece of fruit from the tray—mango specifically.

And as I took a small bite, I reached for the spoon in the honey jar, deciding to drizzle some of it on top.

"I wouldn't eat that," Sevan said, glancing away from the papers as I took a bite of the honey-drizzled mango.

I blinked almost blankly at her, "Too late," I pointed out almost sarcastically, taking another bite of the mango.

Sevan tilted her head slightly, her dark eyes analyzing mine, "The honey is an enhancer," she clarified, briefly glancing down to my lips as I chewed.

"An enhancer," I repeated back to her with emphasis.

Mostly to get a clarification on what she meant.

Sevan's lips twitched up, her dark eyes now glancing away from my lips to meet my stare, "A sexual enhancer, Zinovia," she explained.

Which made my chewing unconsciously slow.

Sexual enhancer?

"You put this out on purpose," I said, dropping the piece of half-eaten mango on the tray.

Sevan shrugged, "I wanted us to play a game, but it seems you beat me to it," she murmured almost nonchalantly, glancing back down to the papers.

I felt my jaw clench, eyeing Sevan for a moment as I contemplated my next move.

Until I suddenly reached for the spoon in the honey, carefully preparing a full scoop before sliding it out of the jar.

Sevan immediately glanced back up when I brought the spoon of honey to my lips, "Zinovia—"

She cut herself short as soon as I slid the spoonful of honey into my mouth, swallowing the sweet thick liquid as I held her dark eyes.

"You're fucking insane," Sevan determined, snatching the spoon from my hand and dropping it on the tray with a clatter.

I felt my lips spread into a smile.

A genuine smile.

"Maybe," I murmured, tilting my head as I held her stare, "But I am not a beggar—and no game or sexual enhancer changes that malyshka."

Sevan only shook her head, briefly pursing her lips together, which threatened to lift against her wishes.

But it was no use.

The laugh fell from her lips anyway, leaning back further in her seat as she grabbed the bottle of dark cognac on the table.

"We'll see about that," was all Sevan said as she poured herself a drink.

I only shrugged, determining that if it came down to it I would just touch myself to get off.

Especially since a small part of me knew this sexual enhancer would likely work.

But I had to prove my point.

"Let's talk business," Sevan determined as she set the bottle of liquor down and picked up her partially filled glass.

"Business," I said, now eyeing the papers in front of us.

Sevan hummed as she took a brief sip of her drink, "These three ports are going to be yours now," she said, pointing to the map in three different locations.

I nodded once.

And then again.

Until I realized one of those ports was Nerissa's.

"You lose what you already had when you're greedy for more," Sevan said, immediately picking up on my realization of Nerissa's port, "Nerissa will be losing a lot."

I felt a sense of satisfaction run through me, "Good," I said as my light eyes lingered on the map.

"I also want you to secure three new assets in real estate," Sevan determined as she lifted her drink to her lips.

I shrugged, "I get my men to handle it," I said, now reaching for the bottle of cognac to pour myself a drink.

Which made Sevan raise a brow, "I wouldn't drink after what you just ate," she warned me.

I only opened the bottle of cognac in response, grabbing one of the glasses to pour the dark liquid into.

And as soon as I had enough poured to my liking, I set the bottle of liquor back down and picked up my glass.

But only to clink it with Sevan's.

"Cheers," I murmured with a tight smile targeted at Sevan.

Who only shook her head, taking another long sip of her drink as I drank some of mine.

Until we were finally focused back on future plans, specifically focusing on the ports and new real estate models.

Which took about an hour to really get through, narrowing down the exact details.

It was weird.

Everything slowly began to feel sharper.

The glass in my hand was colder, making goosebumps rise along my arms.

There was a heat that spread slowly through my chest and into my stomach, a warmth that buzzed like a low hum in my ears.

The gentle breeze felt more intense—and the evening sun seemed to burn brighter and warmer through the tall windows.

Even the faintest sounds, like the clinking of ice in Sevan's glass or the distant waves lapping against the yacht, which felt like they were crawling under my skin.

My skin tingled, and my leg naturally bounced up and down at some point, feeling an annoying rush of energy burn through my body.

It was like I was on edge.

Like every nerve was on fire, crackling with the need to do something—anything.

I needed a fucking outlet.

And Sevan noticed immediately—I could tell by her eyes that lingered on my hand, gripping the glass so tightly my knuckles went white.

She watched me with her annoying calculating gaze, taking in the way my breaths came quicker, how my leg bounced up and down almost uncontrollably.

Her expression was unreadable, but I knew she saw everything.

Still... she didn't say anything.

She left me unacknowledged, focusing purely on the topics at hand.

Discussing business as if I wasn't slowly unraveling beside her.

Her voice droned on, deliberate and steady, as if she was savoring every second of my discomfort, letting me drown in the effects of that fucking honey.

I fucked up.

And somehow it only got fucking worse.

The heat in my chest spread to my face, almost like I was burning.

And then there was the desire to touch, to move, which clawed at me like a caged animal.

Somewhere along the way, my mouth began to run dry, craving more than just the bitterness of the cognac lingering on my lips.

Sevan's silence, her calmness specifically, only fueled the fire burning inside me.

It felt like a challenge—like she wanted me to crack under this burning need and cave into her demands that had been there all along.

I really fucked up.

I know that.

I'm aware of that.

I blinked a few times as soon as I heard a soft clink, noticing Sevan had set her glass down on the table.

And turned her full attention to me.

"You look tense baby," she said, practically stating the fucking obvious.

I hummed almost tightly, "Bored," I corrected her, "We save business for tomorrow," I determined, sliding out of the booth.

But her hand that wrapped around my bicep prevented me from going anywhere.

It also sent a burst of tingles down my spine, clenching my jaw to hold back any surprised sounds threatening to spill from my lips at my body's reaction.

"We're finishing business tonight," Sevan quickly corrected my previous words, "Over dinner," she purposely added.

I drew in a deep breath, letting it out almost tightly, "Nyet," I mumbled, finally turning my head to meet her dark eyes already pinned on me.

"It wasn't an offer," Sevan said, tilting her head slightly, "Stay or I make you," she clarified, drawing her hand down the exposed skin of my arm.

Which naturally made a warmth ooze in my lower stomach.

I jerked my arm away from her in response, refusing to respond to her previous words as I focused back on the papers in front of us.

"Onto government relations," Sevan said, ignoring my current irritation, "You need stronger ties, so I want..."

I slowly tuned her out, staring mindlessly at the papers as I focused on my leg shifting up and down.

Or how an ache nibbled its way up my thighs and buried itself at my core.

It was one of the most frustrating feelings I had ever felt, nearly digging my nails into the cushioned seat underneath me.

Even as Sevan had the staff bring out the main dinner courses, I remained stuck in place almost stiffly.

"Zinovia, you haven't eaten all day," Sevan pointed out, sliding the bowl of pasta closer to me.

I gave her a narrowed look, but before I could say anything, she had grabbed the fork to gather pasta on.

And proceeded to lift it to my lips.

"Nyet," I practically gritted, hating the idea of her feeding me.

Sevan raised a brow, "Feed yourself or I do it for you," she warned me, still holding the fork to my lips, "You do recall the pancakes baby?"

I felt my jaw clench at the distant memory.

I had been chained in a dark room and force-fed pancakes that I refused to eat.

Although, I recall the scratchiness of the fork being shoved down my throat repeatedly to prove Sevan's point.

I suddenly snatched the fork from Sevan's hand, which earned a look of approval from her.

Especially when I began eating the lobster pasta, now crossing my legs tightly together to fight away the feeling only burning deeper and deeper inside of me.

Weirdly enough, I was hungry.

Very fucking hungry actually.

I just didn't realize it until I began eating.

But it didn't matter to me.

Nothing did.

I just had to get away from Sevan.

I needed to touch myself.

So I ate as quickly as I could, purposely rushing through dinner so I could find time alone.

"I leave now," I said, pushing my half-eaten bowl of pasta away.

Sevan set her cloth napkin on her plate, "Let's go," she said, sliding out of the booth from the other end.

I raised a sharp brow, "I go alone," I said, sliding out of the booth to stand with her.

"You're sleeping in my room tonight," Sevan said almost purposely.

I could tell by the way she looked at me.

She's enjoying this too fucking much.

"Nyet, I sleep alone," I said, refusing her demands.

Sevan's lips twitched up slightly, "Why?" she murmured, taking a step closer to me, "So you can touch yourself and pretend it's me baby?"

I hummed almost unaffected, even if the heat burning inside of me was brimming past control.

"Da," was all I said as I attempted to walk past her.

But as expected Sevan didn't let me.

She roughly grabbed my waist instead, tugging me toward the direction of the other door.

"You're not touching yourself tonight," Sevan determined, easily furthering my frustration.

Which had already boiled over—along with any patience I had left.

"Sevan," I gritted, tugging against her hold.

She only gripped me tighter as we walked down the side hallway of the boat, giving us a perfect view of the sun that had begun setting on the horizon.

"I don't beg Sevan," I said, stumbling slightly as I continued to fight against her hold.

Sevan only hummed as we walked down the stairs, "Then don't beg," she shot back, knowing good and fucking well that I needed to be touched in some kind of way.

And with her hand on my waist, tugging and pulling me, the desire burned fucking worse.

Especially once we made it to the secluded bedroom.

I let out a rough sigh as I walked further into the bedroom, purposely walking over toward the bathroom.

"I take shower," I said, determining that would be a good way to secretly touch myself.

"Okay," was all Sevan said as she followed me into the bathroom, naturally making my brows furrow.

"Alone," I clarified as we entered the bathroom together.

"I'm not falling for that, Zinovia," Sevan clarified, walking over toward the shower to turn on.

But I knew if I got in that shower with her...

That might just be it.

"You wait outside shower," I specified as she backed away from the glass shower now flowing with water.

"Fine, ten minutes," Sevan said, motioning her head toward the door.

And I didn't hesitate to tug my cover-up off.

Along with my bathing suit that I untied.

Which was purposeful.

Especially with her dark eyes lingering on my exposed body, drawing in a visible breath as I walked past her.

And as I entered the steaming shower, I immediately submerged myself under the hot water—guiding my hand down between my legs.

I would need to be quiet, but I can do that.

"Zinovia, I want you to talk to me," Sevan suddenly said.

I rolled my eyes, feeling my frustration grow as I began running my fingers quickly around my clit.

"Da," I forced out, hoping my voice sounded somewhat normal.

But I had never felt this fucking sensitive in my life.

I'm never trying that honey again.

"Review what we went over earlier," Sevan said almost purposely, easily making it harder to focus on my hand buried between my thighs.

Mostly because there was too much to think about when it comes to what we covered earlier.

"Nyet," I forced out, rubbing my clit harder and faster as I tried to control my breathing.

But this was unlike anything I had felt.

And whether I liked it or not, the unwanted sound burned in my throat against my wishes.

I immediately paused my actions, halting my fingers against myself as I anticipated what Sevan would suddenly say at the obvious moan I let slip.

Because it was really fucking quiet.

Too quiet for my liking.

I suddenly glanced over, immediately noticing Sevan's presence emerging into the shower with me.

And da, I had seen her partially bare before.

But nothing like this.

Everything was on display for me to see—every inch of her body belonging to my eyes.

There were her prominent muscles and then the dark tattoos.

It made the heat inside of me burn so harshly that I questioned if I would lose it all right now.

Right here.

I clenched my jaw as soon as Sevan roughly grabbed my wrist, removing my hand away from core where I had halted my previous actions.

"Let's take a shower baby," Sevan murmured, now running her hands up the sides of my body.

Which annoyingly made me shiver, humming almost uncontrollably.

I fucking pray that I can make it through this shower without destroying my ego in the process.