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Lahat ng Kabanata ng Submit To Me: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

158 Kabanata

Katerina

KaterinaTwo taps, and then the bedroom door swings open to reveal a woman older than my mother. Her short hair is streaked white and gray, like a birch tree in winter. She's wearing a stiff dress the color of mud that covers her from her wrists to her ankles. The only color on her is the twin sapphire studs in her ears. They match the discerning eyes that follow my hand as I shove my phone under a pillow."Dobriy vecher," she says. "You must be Katerina. I'm Ulyana Nazarova, the head of the household staff.""Dobriy vecher," I greet her cautiously. If she works for Sasha, she's as much of an enemy as the men who roughed me up earlier."You don't need to keep secrets, Katerina. It's fine for you to use your phone."Hesitating, I slide my hands into my lap, leaving my phone hidden under the pillow. "Seems weird for a hostage to be allowed to make phone calls at will.""I assure you, Sasha doesn't mind."My lips twist into a cynical smile. "Did he send you in here to spy on me?""I came

Sasha

Water runs in fast circles around my feet. Some of it gets in my eyes, blurring my vision. It doesn't stop me from watching the drain. It's easy to imagine myself washing away more than just sweat or dirt in this pristine place. The truth is, even if the water runs clear, my sins aren't gone. Nothing can wipe them from my soul.She hates me, but she agreed to dinner. I remember Katerina's face this morning when I came to her door, and how she glared at me through the crack. The thought draws a dark laugh from my throat. She is wild. I have a feeling if I'd stepped into her room, she would have tried to attack me. There are no weapons in there; I made sure of that. But still ... I wouldn't put it past her to have found something suitable outside of her bedroom, tucking it away until I came to see her.Katerina has claws; that doesn't make her foolish enough to use them. Bracing my palms on the pure white tiles of my shower, I arch my face upward into the hot spray. How fun it would hav

13

SashaKaterina is leaning forward in her chair, elbows on the table, hands clasped beneath her chin. Her eyes glint with humor. She knows she surprised me and is reveling in it. Gathering myself, I take a second to look at her. None of my guesses earlier on how she'd dress were right. Katerina has chosen a silky green asymmetrical gown that exposes her smooth shoulders while hinting at the dip of her waist. Her long hair is wound into a messy bun, with thin strands framing her face. It creates a casually sexy look, as if she just rolled out of bed and ended up here."That dress wasn't in your closet," I note. I know everything that was in her room.She shrugs. "When you told me we were having dinner, I asked Ulyana if she could help me out. She brought me this."Ulyana went shopping for her without telling me? I'll be chatting with her about that later. "It suits you," I say."I don't see how." She narrows her eyes. "Green isn't the color prisoners normally wear. I should have chosen

14

SashaI underestimated my prisoner.Panting heavily, I grip Katerina against my body. We're sandwiched tight, her heartbeat rattling against mine. Still, she continues her struggle, working to get the knife into my flesh. I give her wrist a sharp squeeze and she cries out. The knife clatters loudly at our feet. I don't look; I'm focused on her face, watching her frustration as it continues to boil over."And what, I wonder," I whisper in amazement, "do you think will happen to you if my guards find me dead and you are holding the knife?""I don't know and I don't care!"Shoving myself to my feet, I knock my chair over. Katerina spins in my hands until I have her pinned against the table. She wriggles wildly, her hips slamming into my pelvis. If she meant it to hurt, she failed. All it does is rile me up further.Winding my fist into her hair, I pull until the strands come loose from her bun. She yelps, but my other hand on her throat quiets her. I lean down and whisper in her ear, sav

15

KaterinaI should have kept the knife.That's all I can think about as I rip the green dress from my body, throwing it onto the floor of the bedroom like it's a useless rag. It joins the discarded heels, the only shoes I have since they're the ones I arrived in. Ulyana was prescient enough to bring me a few pairs of underwear along with the dress. But now, thinking about that kindness makes me angrier.She knew I'd need clean clothes because she's in on the plan to keep me here. It's easy to be mad at her. She's what set Sasha off when I was trying to probe him for information. He picked up on how I was subtly leading him into talking about himself. He's not an easy man to trick.Remembering how I attacked Sasha doesn't bring me joy. In hindsight, it was a stupid move. Because he's right. If I'd managed to hurt him, or worse, kill him ... What would have happened to me? Somehow, I doubt his men would have just let me waltz out after I killed their boss.And if he's telling the truth a

16

KaterinaMarriage. No. No way.I'd never get married to someone like Sasha! But it's more than that. I don't want to get married at all. Not after ...My mind tangles up with awful memories. Things that linger like flecks of glitter, popping up no matter how hard you work to sweep the mess away."Katerina?"My vision shrinks to a pinprick. "You're insane. Straight up insane.""I've thought that myself, many times, in fact. But in this case, I'm clear-headed. Marry me, Katerina."The rush of anxiety threatens to pull the ground out from under me. "Never!""You seem to be under the impression that I'm asking. I'm not. I'm telling you to marry me."Lifting my head, I watch him with blatant distaste. "If you're going to force me, why bother with the pretense of acting like what I say matters?""Because this will go much smoother if we're on the same page."That takes the winds from my sails. Sasha is watching me patiently. It's the same way he watched me when we had drinks, with that buil

17

KaterinaThe pancakes have no flavor. From a distance, I watch myself lift a forkful of the tender batter into my mouth. It's heavy on my tongue, like chewing a wet sweater, but I eat it anyway. Partly because I need my strength for what's going to happen today. The other reason is I'm being watched.The young woman waiting by the doorway of the breakfast nook is wearing similar garb to Ulyana. Hers is lighter in shade, more sienna than soil, but the dress falls to the same length on her wrists and ankles. She keeps her hair in a pair of blonde braids that reach her clavicle, and unlike Ulyana, she doesn't have a trace of jewelry on that I can see.Even if she's got rosy cheeks, I know a sentry when I see one."You don't have to stand there," I tell her. "I'm not going to vanish."She stiffens like a bolt of lightning hit the top of her head. "Oh! No! I don't think—It's just that, um, Mr. Ivanovsky, wanted me to make sure you had everything you needed."I'm not seated in the same dinin

18

KaterinaWall-to-wall dresses line the parlor. It's an army of silk and chiffon, the bodices glimmering as they stand at attention, waiting for me to choose one of them. The sight of them makes my tired eyes blur further."Well?" Ulyana prods. She's hovering near my elbow, watching in that expectant way of hers. "Go on. Examine them.""Yes," Sasha agrees. "Show a little excitement." He's sprawled on the velour sofa in the corner, his legs stretched out across the floor. He's so big that his arms dangle over the back, dwarfing the furniture.My eye twitches. Holding back a curt response, I study the dresses again. It's impossible to feel excitement. I'm barely keeping it together, my pulse throbbing quicker as I stand in front of the gowns. I don't want Sasha to see a hint of fear though. Showing him any sort of weakness would be a mistake .... I don't think my pride can survive anymore damage.Lifting my hand reluctantly, I brush my fingertips over the closest wedding dress. The silky

19

SashaWalking through my rose garden is a habit of mine. There's nothing here but the sky above and green leaves from every angle. Free of distractions, it's my favorite place to go when I need to think. I've come here a lot lately.Why did Ulyana send me away? I was pissed at the audacity of her command. But one look at the severity in her eyes, and I knew there was a reason for her to throw me out. Thinking back, I recall the way that Katerina was acting. The dimple at the base of her throat was flexing madly as she stared at the dresses. She can act strong all she wants, but I know what fear looks like. I was raised around it."—incredible tits!" a male voice cackles."I know, man, I saw them," another replies.The voices come from just ahead of me, where the garden circles a small water fountain. I recognize two of my soldiers. Slowing down, I peer around the corner, confirming it's Kostya and Niro. They're leaning on the weather-worn stones that make up the vase shape of the foun

20

SashaMy shoes crunch on the loose gravel that covers the path. One of the white roses has begun to shed its petals. Bending down, I lift one up, holding it up in the sunlight. It's as pale as she was. I'm not a fool. I know Katerina doesn't want to marry me. I gave her a ring, not a choice. I refuse to consider her wishes in the matter. I've fought too hard to get close to defeating Yevgeniy. Katerina's stage fright isn't my concern."The weather is finally getting too cold for them," Ulyana says behind me.Dropping the petal, I turn toward her with a shrug. "It was only a matter of time. Did she pick out a dress?"Ulyana arches her thin brows. "You don't want to know if she's okay?'""Just answer the question.""Yes, she chose a dress."Nodding, I reach for my phone. "Good. There's still a lot to do. We can't spend hours on every little task." I start to walk by her; Ulyana shifts to block my path. Frowning harshly, I wait for her to move."Sasha Ivanovsky." She doesn't budge. "This

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