Page 11

TEN

Vlad

I nessa shuts her mouth but hatred burns through her eyes as I revel in it. She has no sense of self-preservation, always feeling free to mouth off when she doesn’t do that shit usually. I’ve seen her around other people, Misha and Anastasia have always said she’s a cold-hearted bitch. But she isn’t when it’s the two of us, she becomes fearless and proud, unable to back down.

I slow down to give me enough time to get the information I need, and she turns rigid thinking I’ll throw her out. Hopefully, the threat of it will make her be honest.

“Did Len touch you?”

There’s no softness to my voice and I harden exponentially with each second that she’s silent. I don’t trust the cunt and if he fucks this up just to be a spiteful bitter bastard I’ll be at zero again.

Her choice of not answering makes it worse as she orders me around, again.

“Pull over.”

I don’t stop and she spits between gritted teeth, “Please.”

The magic word has me acquiescing, and she turns in her seat, leaning against the door to look at me head on.

“Is there something I should know about your father?”

He’s a grade-A cunt that the devil himself would disown, but I don’t tell her that when it’s obvious from being in his presence.

She softens and puts her hand on my arm. People don’t touch me, or look at me, willingly. Looking from her hand to her delicate features, she maintains eye contact and her voice is gentle.

“Vlad, if he’s a threat to me I deserve to know. Especially if you’re concerned he’s going to rape me or whatever else is going on in your head.”

The urge to be truthful with her has my mouth opening, but I change the words on the tip of my tongue.

“Just stay away from him. He doesn’t give a fuck about your familial ties and I’m not going to have you ruin everything I’ve worked for.”

The soft openness leaves at my harsh tone and her face contorts in disgust. Her hand drops off me and she sits straight to look out the windscreen. I’ve found her off switch, and she doesn’t say anything else. This is how Inessa should be, not to make other people’s lives easier, but for her own sake. She’s already getting attached to Viktor and she’ll break her own heart by letting any Vartanov in.

There are no other cars as I pull into Maximoff’s driveway, and the ice princess comes out as she masks her rage. Dariya greets us at the door, giving me a disinterested look while scanning Inessa for a hair out of place. If I wanted to fuck her, I could have done it when she was naked below me, for fuck’s sake. I don’t need their disapproval staring at me like I’m some fucking predator leading an innocent lamb to slaughter when she’s a foul-mouthed irritant.If they cared so much about their precious heiress, they shouldn’t have offered her up, knowing the only people who would have agreed to keep her were violent.

Inessa walks ahead, her shoulders straight and Dariya at her side. I bypass them both, not caring about their gossiping, and walk straight to Maximoff’s office. She follows me and there’s no complaint on her tongue. Finally, she’s got them all out. She’s been relentless voicing them to me like I’m a sounding board, but utter silence in front of the man who could change it if he wished. Her thoughts are transparent, and I still don’t understand them — she clearly wants this marriage, but she’s going to be infuriating, complaining every step of the way.

Maximoff doesn’t waste any time once we’re seated and there’s no flicker of remorse in his eyes knowing Inessa won’t be a happy bride. Maybe he’s sick of her constant chatter too and wants to get rid of her. His tone is even, and I can see the resemblance in their mannerisms as he sits like a king giving his order.

“As you have already moved in together, your official engagement will be announced on Friday. I expect you have already got the ring and the party will be held here while both of your parents are visiting.”

There’s no argument from my bride-to-be and she nods once. His lips quirk as I stay relaxed, moving the timescales works in my favor. The sooner Inessa is my wife, the sooner she’s out of my life. Hunting for a wife only had one check mark that needed to be completed, is she connected enough to get me where I need to be. She could have been any other person and we both know she was going to be bartered to some fucker within the Bratva, at least I’m kind enough to have a contingency for her to have a life instead of serving me as a place to drop my cum and expect a meal.

I’m the biggest feminist in the brotherhood putting that get-out clause in for her fucking benefit. But my thanks is in her coldness as she drops the act as soon as we’re out of sight from her grandfather.She increases the distance between us and acts as though I’m not capable of harming her.

I’ve dealt with Valentin’s tantrums for over twenty years, and she beats him easily. Her pout is in full force as we walk back to the car, and she pulls the door open with less maturity than my nephew. Everyone in my life is either a child or a fucking moron.

She’s still pouting the entire drive to the jewelers, only perking up when she sees the luxurious frontage. Inessa can’t hide her glee. She can pick whatever worthless stone she wants if there’s no more insolence. Following her excitement, the manager takes a step back as we walk in. If I was going to rob the place, I wouldn’t do it wearing a $50,000 suit or park right out-fucking-side in view of the cameras.

The dumb spoilt act comes out as Inessa looks into each display. She extends her voice filled with fake sweetness as she turns to me and bats her eyelashes thinking I give a fuck.

“Can I really get whatever I want?”

Nodding once, she throws herself at me and wraps her arms around my middle while dollar signs pop up in every sales assistant’s eyes. Meeting them one by one, she sighs letting them know I’ll be paying their fucking debts off.

“He spoils me all the time.”

Just like that she’s going to be their best customer, and a woman moves closer guiding us to a private room. She introduces herself to me and I’ve already forgotten her name before she’s finished the first syllable. This shit is boring as fuck, there’s nothing special about any of the pieces we pass, but Inessa can’t help herself cooing over them. The gaudiest items get the biggest reaction, and the staff eat it up.

We’re left alone in a room that mimics a large lounge with plush carpet and expensive drapes. Seeing that there’s no one to act for, Inessa turns into herself again and follows me to the large sofa. She sits beside me, leaving a space, and holds her hand out, both physically and mentally.

“Give me a card.”

I’m already moving without thought. Pausing with my black card in hand, my tongue moves as control comes back.

“Pick whatever you want. I’ll settle the invoice.”

Her smile is lethal as she flips her hair over shoulder and fixes those dark eyes on me.

“Not for here. I need a card.”

She doesn’t do blow and I wouldn’t think she’s the type to start up in a jewelers, but I can’t stop myself.

“Didn’t take you for a coke whore, meelaya.”

Her laugh is forced and tinged with evil intent as she leans into me giving her promise in a husky whisper.

“You’ll wish that’s what I was using it for.”

Taking the metal from my hand, she slips it into her purse.

“Every time you piss me off you’ll pay for it. Make sure you’re near your phone when the bank call, it would be a shame to have to add to the items I’d already picked.”

If it gets her to shut up, I’ll happily buy the world three times over. There’s not much damage she could do to my bank balance, and she has her own money. Everything she wears is luxury, but it’s not extravagant, she prefers substance over excess. Moving closer to her, I hold her chin between my thumb and finger so she can’t move away and my voice drops.

“And every time you piss me off, how will you pay for it?”

Her anger radiates off her bones, enticing me in and promising warmth. Looking down when a hand lands on my thigh, her delicate fingers stretch as she moves up and stops before reaching my dick. Her whisper has my attention coming back up.

“Never in a million years would you be worth it, Vladik.”

Her skin is soft, and I trace her lips amending her punishment.

“Tears. You’ll pay with your tears because you’re too much work to fuck.”

She doesn’t lash out and squeezes my thigh as she hardens her voice.

“You’re not worth crying over.”

Nodding her head with my hold on her chin, my lips tip up watching her under my command and answer my question.

“But you will, won’t you?”

She doesn’t stop me or change my answer I’ve forced and continues nodding as I move her head.

My phone buzzes, pulling me out of whatever game she’s playing, and Dima’s message has me filling with the closest thing to joy. I missed the fight I should have experienced last night if it wasn’t for her intrusion, but I relax going through the stats of the opponents. They’re both fairly well built, more for aesthetics than strength. But you put a man in a cage with his life on the line and suddenly his depressing shit is worth something. It’s worth killing someone else and I stop myself delving into the details of how they’ve been found seeing Inessa looking at the screen.

She knows she’s caught and looks away as I lean back and tilt my shoulder so she can’t catch sight of it again. This is the only thing that brings me peace and I read through every transcript of their coded messages to get an insight to what will be my entertainment. My release will depend on the winner and the warehouse is fully stocked with the opponents who will join their relay.

I’m almost giddy knowing that there are four of the cunts chained up and soon I’ll be able to get out all my aggression to be able to continue another day. The room fills with staff members willing to worship at Inessa’s feet for the commission she’s promising, and I switch the programs to find any more information to add to the lineup of fighters. Her oohs and ahhs are fake as fuck as she picks each item up and inspects them. I can see them in my periphery as she tries them on, and I already know the contents of the safe have been emptied to please her.

She fixes her gaze on me with a twisted plot gleaming in her eye, I come alert and challenge her head-on getting rid of our audience.

“Everyone out.”

The bark doesn’t make her flinch, but it dims any joy she was going to get. Rushed steps sound around us until it all falls silent, and she pouts thinking her fake personality will get a rise out of me.

“You’re no fun.”

Firing back easily, I adjust my cufflinks as I widen my legs.

“And you have no manners.”

The movement has her focus. She leans into me with one hand on my thigh and drops her voice, attempting to be seductive.

“Should I get on my knees because you’re buying me pretty jewelry?”

I’d rather she was obedient than submissive. There’s a difference between the two, submissiveness is her relinquishing power out of choice, obedience is knowing that there isn’t one.

The bubble of lust she’s trying to create gets popped as she fits her lips near my ear and demolishes the thought she implanted.

“I’d bite it off before your trousers could hit your ankles.”

My hand moves before she can pull back and I thread my fingers through her hair above her nape. I pull her away and try to push away the memories she’s stirring up.

It doesn’t work and there’s too much knowledge in my words.

“It takes 200lbs of force to get through the vein. That doesn’t take into consideration that whoever you’ve latched on to will be doing everything they can to shake you off, punching you in the head.”

Holding her hair tighter, I pull, demonstrating my words.

“Ripping at your hair until it’s left between their fingers.”

Inessa is half laid on top of me, her neck bent so she’s staring up at the ceiling and her pulse hammering in her neck as she audibly gulps. I trace the curve of her neck with the back of my knuckles, all the sins I’ve gathered are inked on my hands, showing my position against her clean, unmarked skin. She doesn’t lash out, her hand is still softly resting on my thigh, her little finger getting closer to my dick. I want to see how far she’s willing to allow her stubbornness to stretch and wrap my hand around her neck. Each breath she takes is controlled by me as I gently squeeze so she knows I’m the one who decides if she breathes.

But that doesn’t work with this deranged woman. She becomes the brattiest pillow princess in existence, and attempts to plug false confidence into her voice.

“Maybe, I like having my hair pulled.”

Her eyes move and she tries to turn her head, pulling her own hair out. There’s no warning that she’s going to ruin everything as her lips part, and she says one word turning my stomach.

“Daddy.”

My insides freeze as my throat burns in disgust.

Dropping my hold on her hair, she falls against my chest and my lip curls up as I spit out, “Don’t use that word with me again.”

To the outside world I’m not old enough to be Inessa’s father, I know different and I manage to get myself in control as I rest my hand on my knee, my middle finger moves, reminding me of who I am, and where I need to be.

It doesn’t stop the echo of that fucking word in the room and I abruptly stand, uncaring as she slips and catches herself on the sofa cushion. I tap my thigh three times as a reminder, waiting for her to fix herself up. There are still jewels on her body, but I don’t have the patience to wait for her to remove them and my card is already on file. Taking the ring that’s loosely wrapped around her finger, I leave it on the tray with her correct ring size and she doesn’t open her mouth again making it all better.