Chapter 9

Dominic finally looked down at me, a ghost of that dark smirk playing on his lips. He reached down, and for a wild second, I thought he would offer me a hand up. Instead, his fingers hooked under my chin, tilting my face up to the unforgiving light.

"For someone who has never sucked a dick, you’re dangerously good at this." He murmured, his thumb stroking over my damp bottom lip. His touch was possessive, branding.

I said nothing. I couldn’t. Shame and a treacherous, unwanted thrill warred inside me.

He released my chin and I finally found the strength to push myself up, my legs trembling violently beneath me. I couldn’t meet his eyes anymore, focusing instead on the stark lines of his desk.

"The driver is out front," he stated, his voice all business now. He walked to his desk, picked up a phone, and pressed a button. "Ivan. My guest is coming down. You will drive her back to the estate." A pause. "Yeah. She waits for me. No one else touches her. No one else speaks to her. Do I make myself clear?"

He hung up without waiting for a reply.

He turned back to me, his piercing eyes scanning my disheveled form once more. "Go downstairs. The driver will be at the black sedan. He will take you back." He took a step closer, and the air crackled again. "And you will wait for me on the bed. Naked."

I gave a slight, jerky nod, my voice coming out in a whisper. "Okay."

"Good." The single word was a dismissal and a promise all at once.

I turned, my body moving on autopilot, and walked on unsteady legs toward the door. My hand was on the cool brass knob when his voice stopped me, curling around me like smoke once more.

"And Maleeshka?"

I paused, not turning around, my back to him.

"Be ready for me when I get there."

***

The ride back to the penthouse was silent, at least on the surface. The car hummed smoothly along the asphalt, the city lights flashing by in fractured shards of gold and white. Outwardly, I looked calm but inside, my head was a goddamn war zone.

Just a week ago, all I wanted was Dominic’s head on a platter. I had rehearsed it, fantasized about it. Driving a blade into his chest, watching that smug arrogance drain from his dark eyes. I wanted his blood on my hands, wanted the sweet taste of revenge for taking my sister away from me.

And yet tonight… I had been on my knees for him. On my fucking knees.

Letting him use me. Letting him choke me with his cock until tears burned down my cheeks. Letting him spill inside me like I was nothing but a whore with no backbone.

And the worst part is that I hadn’t stopped him.

I could have. God knows I could have. When he was deep inside my mouth, I could’ve bitten down. Could’ve ripped him open and watched him bleed out on that Persian rug. His guards weren’t close enough to stop me in time. I had him right there between my teeth, the chance dangling in front of me like forbidden fruit and I didn’t take it.

Instead, I wanted him. 

And that made me feel disgusted. 

Not disgusted at what we did. Disgusted that I liked it. That it turned me on instead of turning my stomach. That I forgot the reason I came here in the first place and let the man I'd vowed to kill use me.

I hated him. Hated myself. And yet, the thought of him coming to me, of him taking me again, sent a heat coiling low in my belly. I pushed it down, forcing myself to focus on the facts. He’d used me. And I’d let him.

A shift in the front seat broke my spiraling thoughts and my gaze flicked up to the rearview mirror. The driver’s eyes were there, locked on me. They weren’t darting away in polite dismissal. No, they were fixed, tracing the line of my neck, the part of my lips, the swell of my breasts under my dress. Our eyes met and his darted back to the road like he hadn’t just undressed me with his stare.

I arched a brow. 

Interesting.

From what I knew about the Bratva, no man with half a brain dared even look at a woman his boss touched. It was an unspoken rule. Since Dominic wasn’t done with me, I was basically untouchable... at least until he got bored and discarded me. Which meant I was out of bounds. But the driver had been eye-fucking me since the club, and it didn't need a genius to figure out what was going on in his mind.

Maybe he was stupid. Maybe he was reckless. Or maybe he was just greedy. Either way, it made him useful.

I leaned forward in the seat, catching his gaze again in the rearview mirror. "Ivan, right?" I remembered Dominic calling him that when he was talking to him on the phone.

He glanced at me, surprise flashing across his face before he schooled his features into a neutral expression. "How did you know my name"

"Was it supposed to be a secret?" 

He shrugged, eyes flicking back to the road. "You aren't supposed to talk to me," he said with a nervous edge. "Boss said—"

"Yeah, yeah. The boss. I know the drill." I tilted my head, batting my lashes for show. "But he's not here right now. Is he, Ivan?"

He swallowed. "If Boss knew you were talking to me—" The sentence trailed like a noose. The implication was clear. Dominic didn’t tolerate disobedience. And he had clearly told him that no one was to speak to me. I knew the consequences would be dire if he found out Ivan had disobeyed him.

"But you've been driving me all night," I pointed out, leaning back in the seat. "How can I not talk to you? "

He made a noncommittal sound, but I could see the tension in his shoulders. 

"What's your real job here, Ivan? To drive me around? Or to watch me? Because it seems like maybe you're doing a little more than just driving." I was poking the bear.

His jaw clenched, and he glanced away from the mirror. "It's not your business what I'm doing here. You're not in charge of me."

I smirked, sliding back into the seat. "No, I'm not in charge. But it seems like you're not really following orders either."

He said nothing but his grip on the steering wheel showed me he clearly knew where I was driving at.

"Tell me, Ivan," I cooed, letting my voice drop to a seductive purr. "How much trouble would you get into if I decided to tell your boss that you've been checking me out all night?"

That got him.  He shot me a glare in the mirror, heat rising up his neck.

I had struck a nerve.

“What if I told him you’ve been ogling me? Hmm? Staring when you thought I wasn’t looking. Imagining what it’d be like if I bent over this seat and let you fuck me. Should I tell him that?”

I wasn’t stupid. Dominic would never put me above the Bratva. The Brotherhood always came first. He’d believe his soldier over the woman whose mouth he’d used half an hour ago. Still, the point was to rattle Ivan, and judging by the way his grip strangled the wheel, I had.

His face flushed dark crimson. "Are you threatening me?"

"I'm not threatening you, Ivan. I'm just saying that maybe we could work out a little arrangement, hmm? You help me out with something and I'll keep quiet about your... indiscretions."

"What do you want from me?"

I grinned. "Now we're getting somewhere. Let me use your phone. Just for a minute. "

I needed to find a way to contact Olek. He was probably going crazy trying to find me, and I couldn't let him keep looking. Dominic hadn't given me a chance to pick up my stuff when he'd dragged me from Lust & Lace. My phone was probably still in my locker and I had no other way of communicating with Olek. 

Ivan shook his head furiously. "No, absolutely not.

"You sure about that? Because if you don’t… I’ll just have to tell him then. You think he’ll shrug it off? Or do you think he’ll put a bullet between your eyes for wanting what’s his? Your choice."

I could almost see the gears turning in his head. He clearly was scared of Dominic and I was counting on that.

Finally, his shoulders slumped the tiniest bit, like the fight was bleeding out of him. He cursed under his breath, then shoved a hand into his jacket and pulled out a sleek burner before tossing it back without meeting my eyes. "One message. No calls. If anyone finds out—"

I blinked. That easy? Seriously? These were the men Dominic trusted his life with? From what I knew of the Bratva, they’d sooner put a bullet in their own skull than betray their Pakhan. And yet Ivan had folded after a little pressure.

I didn’t waste time. Olek didn’t need a story, he needed a signal that would tell him I was okay.

The blackbird’s still at the east ledge. I’ll open the window when the moon’s low.

The message was clear. I'm alive. I’ll contact you when it’s safe.

My thumb hovered before I hit send. The words looked harmless, poetic even. To anyone else, it was just dramatic nonsense. But Olek would know. He always did.

I leaned back, closing my eyes, a faint smile tugging at my lips. For the first time tonight, the power tilted just a little back in my favor.