Bold

Aliyah froze in the hallway, her gaze traveled slowly, deliberately, from Ivan's face down to where his palms rested at Valeria’s waist.

The air felt heavy.

Ivan did not step away, he did not remove his hand from Valeria's waist.

He simply looked at her calmly.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, rolling his eyes. Barely, but she noticed it.

Aliyah let out a short, humorless laugh.

“What am I doing here?” she echoed. “That’s funny.”

Her eyes returned to Valeria.

Valeria felt pinned in place, fully aware of the warmth of Ivan’s hands still placed on  her waist. Firm.

Aliyah took a slow step forward.

“You can get rid of me so easily, Ivan. Not when you need my dad.”  Her eyes darted to Valeria. " It's not like you have something interesting to distract yourself with.”

Valeria felt the insult.

“This is my house,” he said. “You don’t walk in without permission.”

“Oh please,” she waved her manicured hand dismissively. “You used to like it when I visited unannounced.”

“I never did,” he corrected calmly.

Her smile faltered, her gaze roamed our bodies, how close we stood to each other.

“And you,” she said, addressing Valeria directly now. “Do you know who you’re standing with?”

Valeria opened her mouth, but no sound emerged.

Ivan’s fingers moved  slightly at her waist, a subtle reassurance.

“He’s very charming,”  Aliyah continued, her voice laced with hate and sarcasm. “He makes you feel very special, doesn’t he?”

Valeria’s pulse roared in her ears, not just from Aliyah's words, but from the heat rolling off Ivan, from the way his throat flexed as he spoke.

Ivan’s gaze shifted to Aliyah, colder now.

“That’s enough.”

She laughed again, but it sounded dry.

“Oh, so it’s serious?”

His hands were still there on her waist, still holding Valeria in place, still not letting go.

Aliyah's  eyes flicked between them once more.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” she said quietly. “Because when my father finds out about this—”

“There is nothing to find out,” Ivan interrupted smoothly. “Your father knows I'm married." 

Her brows lifted.

“Really? To a nobody? You think he was to associate with a woman with no name?" She stepped closer, her expensive cologne wrapped around me. “I wonder what he would think,” she murmured.

Ivan seemed unperturbed by her words.

“You do know I can get what I want from your father from any other person " 

She crossed her arms over her chest.

“I dare you.’

 

Valeria’s stomach clenched, she didn't like being in the midst of their drama, but Ivan's hands at her waist still held her firm.

Suddenly, Ivan’s hands finally shifted, not away, but pulling Valeria slightly closer to his side.

“You should leave," he said in a rather calm voice, then he turned and met my gaze, steady. " I wanted to show my wife here,  how much I wanted my hands on her body." 

Valeria's knees almost gave out as he said those words, eyes locked on hers.

“It can’t be as good as what we had," she said, forcing a smile.

Valeria got fed up, she was burning up inside just by being this close to Ivan, she was losing her mind.  She decided to piss Aliyah off, so she could leave.

“Oh yeah?" Valeria's voice cracked out. “You can wait, maybe my moans will convince you otherwise." 

A heavy silence fell in the hallway, Ivan shot her an amused look. Impressed.

Aliyah's hands dropped to her side, curling into a fist.  “You think you're going to last?”

" I know I will,” Valeria replied boldly. " Because I got the name and the ring,” she added, tracing her left fingers on Ivan's chest.

She could see Ivan's jaw jump when her fingers touched him, her fingers trembled. Hesitation? Fear? It was slightly, but Ivan noticed.

He turned to Aliyah, voice dark and dangerous.

“You should leave.”

Aliyah’s eyes darkened.

“You’re choosing her?” she asked softly.

Ivan didn’t answer,  he didn’t need to.

His hand remained where it was.

Her gaze dropped once more to that the proximity of their body, rage etched on her face

“Alright,” she said lightly. “I’ll leave.”

She turned toward the stairs but paused, and looked back over her shoulder.

“This isn’t over,” she said. “You know that.”

Her eyes settled on Valeria one last time.

“And you,” she added gently, “should be careful.”

Then she descended the stairs, heels striking each step like a countdown.

The front door slammed open again, then closed.

Silence  returned to the house.

Valeria became fully aware of the fact that Ivan was still holding her, he suddenly realized he was still holding her.

His hands loosened, but instead of stepping back completely, he tilted his head slightly and studied her face.

“You’re shaking,” he observed.

“I’m not,” she whispered. “I'm…I'm just…,” she shut her eyes, the words stuck in her throat.

Ivan stared at her, an amused smile tugged at his lips. When she opened her eyes again, he let his smile falter, replaced by that same innocent and unreadable expression.

He gave her a look that said otherwise.

“You don’t have to be afraid of her,” he said quietly.

He acted calm, like he hadn't just set her heart on fire 

She swallowed.

“I’m not afraid of her.”

“Did I make you nervous?" He asked, voice low.

She shook her head, back and palm  against the wall, chest heaving in heavy breaths.

He studied her for another moment, his eyes lingered briefly on her heaving chest, then back to her face.

He removed his hands from her waist and stepped back.

" Thank you for acting as my wife again,” he said.

Valeria just nodded, she was too flustered to speak, but as she made to leave, her knees gave out.

The wall was out of reach for support, so she let herself go. 

Ivan quickly moved and caught her, hands wrapped around her waist, her breast pressed firmly against his chest, their faces an inch away.

They both froze, eyes locked on each other.