Chapter 11

TORI

I t’s been a long day, and the second Marshall starts the engine, I feel myself drifting off. Dmitry slides closer, and I rest my head on his shoulder. “Sleep, my krasota ,” he whispers, placing a gentle kiss on my head.

It feels like seconds before he’s lifting me from the car. I snuggle into his chest and allow him to carry me, because right now, I want to be as close to him as possible. The thought of losing our baby terrifies me. I didn’t realise how much I wanted it until tonight, and Dmitry is right—I have to rest and take care of our unborn child.

“Sir,” I hear, and I open one eye. It’s unusual for our ma?tre d’ at the apartment to greet us—he’s the silent but deadly type.

Dmitry must feel me tense because he immediately nuzzles his mouth to my ear. “Relax, my krasota .”

“Why are we here?” I ask, looking around the hall of the manor as he places me on my feet.

“Because you need to rest.”

“I can rest at home,” I snap, annoyed that he’s blatantly stomped all over our agreement.

He brushes a hand over my cheek, and I step back. He sighs. “This is your home, Victoria.”

“No, the apartment is my home. This is your home.” His jaw is clenched in anger. He’s trying to hold it in, but his eyes blaze with fury. “Go on,” I goad, “scream at me. Tell me I’m being unreasonable and stubborn. Take me to the dungeon and punish me. But right after, you’re taking me home.”

“This is our home,” he snaps. “Ours! And from now on, this is where we will be, together.”

“We had one nice day,” I mutter, shaking my head. “One. And now, you think you can boss me around again. The doctor said I shouldn’t be stressed, yet here you are, stressing me out.”

He relents, his jaw relaxes, and he reaches for my hand. “I’m sorry,” he says. “You’re right. I should have asked you, but tonight scared the shit out of me, Victoria, and I won’t risk you or our baby. Here, you’re safe. With me. As a family.”

Family . The word rattles around my mind. It’s what I’ve always wanted—a safe, loving family. “Okay,” I say, and he almost smiles.

He bends at the knee slightly to try and catch my eyes. “Really?”

I nod. “Yeah, you’re right, our baby deserves a family.”

He tugs me to him, wrapping me in his arms and kissing my head. “I love you, my krasota , more than anything.”

I smile against his chest. “I love you too.”

“Let’s get you to bed to rest.”

Rest. It’s all I’ve done for the last few days, and it’s driving me mad. Dmitry stuck around for the first two days. We stayed in bed and watched movies, something he’d never done until now. I even managed to convince him to turn off his mobile for some of it. And the doctor was right, I haven’t bled at all. But as I lie in bed, watching Dmitry fasten his shirt, I can’t help but feel annoyed. He hasn’t touched me since that night. The second I try to deepen our kisses, he pulls away and finds some excuse to avoid sex. He’s scared, I get it, but a girl has needs.

“You’re pouting,” he points out.

“You’re going to work,” I state.

He grins, leaning down to place a kiss on my head. “I have to work, my krasota . People are relying on me.”

I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him on the lips. “You went to work yesterday,” I remind him, running my tongue over his lower lip.

He sniggers. “Yes, it’s kind of a daily thing I have to do.”

I pout. “At least kiss me like you’re going to miss me.”

He does, cupping my cheek as he kisses me like his life depends on it. Then he pulls back slightly to break the connection. I remove the sheet, and he runs his eyes over my naked body. “Perfect,” he whispers, adding an extra kiss to my cheek before straightening up and grabbing his tie.

I get onto my knees, taking his tie and tugging him closer. “Let me,” I whisper, offering a seductive smile. But instead of fastening it, I pull it from his neck. He laughs, holding out his hand for me to give it over, but I hold it behind my back. “You need to kiss me again,” I say, and when he steps closer, I shake my head. “Not here,” I say, tapping my lips. “There,” I tell him, pointing downwards.

“My krasota , I don’t have time for this today,” he says, arching a brow.

I smirk, lying back on the bed. “If you’re good, it shouldn’t take long,” I whisper, parting my legs.

He stares at my pussy for a few seconds. “Victoria,” he whispers, sounding pained, “this is not resting.”

I groan. “I’m not even bleeding,” I say, sounding exasperated. “And this helps me relax.”

He goes to his drawer and takes out a different tie, throwing it around his neck. “You know I love you with all my heart,” he says, smiling, “and I would love to spend my morning worshipping your body, but I have to go.”

“Fine,” I mutter, standing. He eyes me suspiciously. “I’ll take care of it myself.”

“What do you mean?” he asks, following me as I head for the door. I step out, and he rushes down the hallway after me, trying desperately to throw my silk robe around me. I snatch it and pull it on.

When he realises where I’m headed, he slows. “Victoria,” he barks, but I continue without missing a step. If he won’t touch me, there’s a whole room of toys that’ll satisfy me. “Victoria, you will not go in that room,” he bellows.

“Fuck you, Dmitry,” I singsong.

I throw the door to the dungeon open and immediately relax. Stepping inside, I go over to the cabinet that houses a range of vibrators. I feel Dmitry standing in the doorway, watching. I glance back over my shoulder, smirking at his annoyed expression. “You brought this on yourself,” I say, opening the cabinet and running my hand over the largest dildo he owns.

“Don’t even think about it,” he snaps.

I grin, moving down the sizes until I find one less aggressive. I take it from the shelf and open the box. “Does Sir approve?” I ask, holding it up.

He strides over, snatching it from me and gripping my jaw roughly. “It’s not safe,” he hisses.

“I’ve Googled it, and it’s safe. You’re nowhere near the baby.” I run my hands over his chest, sliding downwards and brushing over his erection. I arch a brow. “It’s been too long, Dmitry.”

“A few more days,” he whispers.

I shake my head. “Now.” I slip the robe from me, letting it pool at my feet. I take his hand and place it over my breast. “Last chance before I kick you out of here and spend the entire day alone . . . just me and all this.” I wave my hand around.

He throws the vibrator to the floor and slides a hand into my hair. “We go slow,” he hisses, leading me towards the bed, “and gentle.”

I stare up at the ceiling, smiling. My backside stings in that delicious way that makes me want to do the last hour all over again. Dmitry rubs his freshly showered hair with a towel. “Satisfied?” he asks, arching a brow.

“Don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy every second,” I retort, pulling the sheets around myself. He stuck to his word, and we went gentle and slow, but my smart mouth got me a few slaps on the backside. I smile at the memory.

His phone rings out, ruining the moment, and I roll my eyes as he takes it from the side to check the caller. “Marshall,” he answers. “I’m running late. I’ll be—” He pauses, frowning, then his eyes fall to me. “Right. Erm, get Leo to reschedule my day. Send my apologies to Marco and explain it was unavoidable. We’ll see you shortly.”

I sit up, alarmed by his sudden serious tone. “What is it?”

He takes a seat on the edge of the bed. “When was the last time you saw your parents?”

I shrug. “When I last went home over a year ago.”

“They’re here, in London.”

My eyes widen. “What?”

“They called Phoebe this morning after being unable to locate you at your old place.”

I scramble to my feet, snatching my robe and pulling it on. “My phone is upstairs,” I say, heading for the door. “They must have been calling me.”

Dmitry takes my wrist, gently halting me. “Take a breath, Victoria.” I do, even though my heart is racing and I’m shaking. “It’s just your parents,” he adds, forcing a smile. “And it’s probably time they met me.”

I shake my head. “No, that can’t happen.”

He frowns. “We’re getting married, my krasota . I need to speak to your father and?—”

“No,” I snap, pulling free. “I’m going to call them now and arrange to meet them somewhere . . . alone. They’ll probably be wondering where their golden boy’s gone.” I march from the dungeon, heading for the stairs as Dmitry follows. “I need to get rid of them.”

I take the stairs two at a time and head straight for the bedroom, rushing into my wardrobe and searching through the ridiculous amount of clothes that Dmitry has stashed away here. I groan. Nothing is suitable. Dmitry lingers in the doorway. “Nothing to wear?” he muses.

I narrow my eyes. “Maybe you could be useful and get my phone.” He produces it from his pocket. “Why do you have it?” I ask accusingly.

“It’s pointless calling them,” he says, ignoring my question. “They’re on their way here.”

My mouth drops open, and I stare wide-eyed. “What?”

“Marshall collected them and he’s on his way with them.”

“Why . . . why would he do that?”

“Victoria, why are you so worried?” he asks, smiling. “They can’t be that bad.”

“Jesus,” I hiss, grabbing a pair of designer jeans and growling in frustration. “Why is everything fucking designer?” I yell, throwing them to the floor. “Where are my old jeans?”

Dmitry watches me as I rummage through the pile of jeans. “Why do you need your old jeans?”

“I need my old clothes!” I screech. “Where are all my normal clothes?”

He sighs, stepping into the wardrobe and placing his hands on my shoulders. “Victoria, what is going on?”

I groan, burying my face in my hands. “They can’t see all of this, Dmitry. They can’t meet you looking like . . .” I wave my hand up and down his body. “Looking like that.”

He stares down at his suit in confusion. “Why?”

“Because . . . because . . . they’re just so . . . they wouldn’t understand.”

“I don’t understand,” he mutters.

“I told you, they’re not good people. My dad is an addict. He’s going to see all this money and try to rinse you for everything.”

Dmitry smirks. “You think your father will be the first man ever to try and get money from me?”

“No, but you don’t know him. He’s manipulative.”

“Get dressed,” he orders, picking up the designer jeans and picking out a white T-shirt.

DMITRY

The worry in Victoria’s eyes increases the second she sees Marshall pull up outside. She stares out the window while wringing her hands together anxiously. Then a smile spreads over her face. “Poppy is with them,” she says, rushing past me to go to the door.

I follow, staying back slightly while Victoria races down the steps and wraps her younger sister in her arms.

Poppy is the spitting image of Victoria—their hair colour, their features, even their skin tone matches perfectly. Next out of the car is her mother. She looks tired and washed out, like her skin hasn’t seen the sunshine for far too long. Her hair hangs limply, falling in her face. Marshall joins me, watching as Victoria’s father climbs from the car.

“An interesting bunch,” Marshall says as I watch Victoria hug her mother. “He’s Roger, she’s Cassandra, and the sister is called?—”

“Poppy,” I finish, and he nods.

“Phoebe said they only ever contact Tori when they need something, usually money. Roger is an addict—he gambles and drinks.”

I give a stiff nod. “Did they speak in the car?”

“Not really. It was strange. I get the impression he’s the aggressive type. Cassandra didn’t utter a single word.”

“Thanks, Marshall. Stick around. If this goes badly, I might need you to take them to the station. Pull the file on Victoria and find me a way to get rid of him for good without it being . . . final.”

“No problem, boss.” And he heads for my office.

I stand at the top of the steps, and her father finally looks at me, narrowing his eyes as I descend them and stand beside Victoria.

I place a hand on her lower back, and she stiffens. “Roger, Cassandra, it’s good to finally meet you,” I greet, holding out a hand for him to shake.

After a few long seconds, he shakes it. His grip is weak, just like I knew it would be. “And you are?” he asks.

“Dmitry,” says Victoria. “This is Dmitry.”

“We haven’t heard a thing about you,” he says, arching a suspicious brow, “so you’ll have to excuse us, we’re still playing catch up.” His eyes are cruel, and I don’t like the way they glare at Victoria.

She shrinks slightly before muttering, “Shall we go inside?”

“Of course,” I say, holding out my arm towards the house. “Please, come inside.”

I wait until they file past me and head up the steps, then I hold Victoria back. “Are you okay?” I ask, and she gives a slight nod before rushing after them.

Inside, Roger looks around the entrance hall with a surprised expression. I notice Cassandra keeps her head lowered, but her eyes are scanning the room too. Poppy makes no secret of the fact she’s impressed as she spins in a circle murmuring, “Wow.”

I lead us into the living room, and Poppy immediately goes over to the bookshelf, scanning the titles in awe. “Drink?” I ask as Annie, the housekeeper, appears in the doorway.

“Tea, please,” Cassandra almost whispers.

“Got anything stronger?” asks Roger, eyeing the drinks cabinet.

“Of course,” I say, nodding to Annie, who disappears to make the tea. I head over to the cabinet. “What’s your poison?”

He moves closer, his eyes greedily taking in the various bottles. “Scotch,” he says, watching as I reach for the two-grand bottle of vintage two-thousand-three Highland single malt scotch whiskey. I pour a measure and hand him the crystal glass.

He takes a sip and nods in approval, “Nice.”

“You didn’t say you were visiting,” mutters Victoria.

He turns to her, narrowing his eyes, and she wilts again. “Do we have to announce it? We wanted to surprise you.”

“It’s just, I have work,” she lies. “And Dmitry needs to be somewhere.”

He turns back to me. “Don’t let us keep you.”

“It’s fine,” I reply, going to Victoria and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Please, take a seat.” They all sit, and I pull Victoria down on the couch beside me.

“Have you heard from Marcus?” asks Roger.

“No,” she says, shaking her head. “He left ages ago, and I haven’t seen or heard from him.”

“Strange. We’ve been calling, and he hasn’t returned them. It’s like he’s disappeared off the face of the earth.”

“You know what he’s like,” she mutters, shrugging.

“He’s never gone this long,” says Cassandra. “Not without at least texting me.”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” says Victoria on a sigh.

“He hasn’t paid our rent,” adds Roger.

“They’re threatening to kick us out,” says Cassandra.

“Maybe he got sick of supporting you,” Victoria suggests.

“He wouldn’t abandon us,” spits Roger, knocking his drink back. “He wouldn’t see Poppy out on the streets.”

“You’ll have to get a job,” Victoria states.

His eyes burn with rage. “Sorry?” he murmurs, his voice low and dangerous, like he’s daring her to repeat her words.

“It’s just, if he’s not around, how else will you pay?” She fidgets nervously, and I place my hand over hers to reassure her.

“That’s where we thought you could help,” he says, looking around the room.

“I can’t—” she begins, and I gently squeeze her knee.

“Of course, we’ll help,” I cut in, ignoring her glare burning into the side of my head.

“Can we speak?” she hisses, standing. I give our guests an awkward smile and follow her from the room. “What are you doing?”

“Being kind to your parents,” I say.

“They don’t deserve it,” she snaps. “We need to get rid of them, and then I’ll tell them we’ve broken up so they don’t come begging again.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“We’re not supporting him,” she hisses. “He’s fucking lazy, and he’ll spend the money on old habits.”

I smile, gently squeezing her shoulder. “There are conditions, my krasota .”

“Dmitry,” she groans, “you don’t understand. He’s an expert at all this, and he’ll find a way.”

“Trust me,” I say. “Now, I’m going to speak to your father while you catch up with your mother and sister.”

“No,” she cries, grabbing my hand when I turn to leave.

I place a kiss on her forehead. “Trust me,” I repeat, and she releases me.

“Don’t tell him about the baby,” she adds, “or about the marriage.”

I take Roger Harding into my office, and he looks around in awe. Marshall stands by the door, and when Roger notices he isn’t leaving, he narrows his eyes suspiciously. “Who the fuck are you exactly?” he asks.

I lower into my chair and point to the empty one opposite my desk. “Sit,” I say bluntly, and he does. “Your daughter isn’t happy that you’re here,” I state.

“Because she’s an ungrateful bitch,” he spits. “We raised her good, and now, she’s here shacked up in a palace and she keeps it quiet while we’re not fucking eating and facing being put out on the streets.” I force a smile, and it unnerves him. He takes a breath. “You’ll get to know what she’s like.”

“I know her well,” I say. “In fact, I plan on marrying her.”

His eyes widen and then he smirks. “You’ll be family,” he says, and I can practically see the pound signs in his eyes.

“Exactly, which is why I want to help you.” I open the file that Marshall left on my desk and stare at the picture of the rundown house before me. “This is your home, no?” I turn it to him, and his frown deepens. “I’ll buy your house,” I offer. “Outright.”

“What?”

“You can live out your days rent-free.”

“Why would you do that?”

“For Victoria.”

I turn the page to Poppy’s profile. “She’s intelligent,” I note, checking her IQ results and recent school report. “I can send her to the best school if she’s willing.”

“A private school?” he asks.

“Yes. She’ll live there, of course.” And I imagine she’d be happy to get away from this waste of space. “I’ll cover the fees.”

“All this for Tori?” He scoffs. “You do know she’s as common as us. She’ll probably fuck your butler or,” he glances back to Marshall, “him.”

“Let me worry about Victoria.”

“So, you wanna buy our house, send my kid to a posh school, all so you can marry Tori?”

I smirk. “Oh, I’m marrying her regardless. I’m doing all of this for two reasons. First, you will stay away from Victoria. You won’t contact her or ask her for anything. Second, you’ll not ask questions about Marcus. He took a good deal and is living his best life far away from my fiancée. I will not have him return.”

“You’re trying to pay off her commoner family so you can pretend she’s better than she is?” He laughs.

“No,” I say, placing my hands on the desk and clasping my fingers together. “I know all about Marcus and his wandering hands,” I say, and he stiffens. “I suspect you know all about that too. Seeing you reminds Victoria of what he did to her, and how you and her own mother ignored it so you could continue to claim money to look after him. So, Roger, my offer is a fair one, and one you will take without question. Should you decide not to, I will blow your world apart.”

“You’re threatening me?” he spits.

“Yes,” I say firmly. “And don’t think for one minute it’s an empty threat.” I turn the page in the file. “I have paid all of these,” I tell him, turning the file so he can see his gambling debts with all the balances now zero. “You’re free to return to your favourite haunts, gamble your life away, drink yourself to death. But you will not ask for anyone else to fund that. Especially not Victoria.” I pause before adding, “It’s a clean slate. Take it.”

“And all I have to do is stay away from Tori?” I nod. “Fine. Done . . . if you add some cash to your offer.”

I snigger. “I don’t think you understand,” I say calmly. “I’ve made the offer. You will accept, and I will arrange to have you driven to the station. We will keep Poppy here with us for the day before taking her to her new school, which is only a short distance from here, meaning Victoria will stay in contact with her sister. Goodbye, Mr. Harding, and good luck.”

He stands, eyeing me with hatred. “What happens if I don’t accept your offer? What happens if I go right out there and tell Tori you’re buying her?”

I smirk. “Go ahead. The offer will be removed, and you will meet a quick . . . end.”

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” he sneers, banging his hands on the desk.

Marshall moves quickly, slamming his head against the wood and then shoving him back into his chair. He places a hand on his shoulder and applies pressure until Roger winces uncomfortably.

“I am Dmitry Volkov,” I tell him firmly. “It was a pleasure to meet you, but it’s time you were on your way. Go and say your goodbyes before I change my mind.”