23. Kat

23

Nothing tastes as sweet as victory, but these gourmet chocolate truffles come pretty damn close.

There are a ton of things I could complain about the labor conditions at my current job. The impossibility of quitting it, for starters.

Luckily, the state of the pantry is not one of them. For all his many, many flaws, Nik has impeccable taste. I guess that explains what I confirmed last night.

The man's got it bad for me.

Why else would he tenderly tuck me in and kiss me goodnight before comforting me through that horrid nightmare? It's not like his reputation is that of a kind man.

No, there's no doubt about it. Nik can't get me out of his head.

Of course, I'm hardly one to talk, considering I wholeheartedly share his feelings.

Still, I can't deny it's really convenient for my plans that he can't keep his distance from me. Now, I know how to get this situation under control—I must seduce Nik.

A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, but I won't pretend it will be any hardship to try to have my way with him, especially after last night.

As if it wasn't enough that Nik is the most maddeningly sexy man I've ever met, the sweetness and tenderness he showed last night make me crave him even more.

After finding the bag of Life Savers this morning, I took extra care with my appearance. I wanted to look extra irresistible to my elusive bed partner. It was a waste of time—Nik is nowhere to be found. All day, I've waited for him to come and find me. But the man is MIA.

Once I grow bored, I even consider calling or texting Nik—maybe even sexting him—but then I realize I don't even have his number. It's a hilarious realization but also a sobering one. There's so much I don't know about my beau, even though he holds my life in his hands—my best friend's, too.

Maybe I should take Nik's unexplained absence as an opportunity to gather intel on him.

Besides, it's not like it's in my nature to sit around and look pretty. I'm not embarrassed to admit I can sometimes be a little fidgety and restless if left to my own devices.

With that in mind, I retrace my steps from the day before and make my way to his office. I half expect to run into him, Dmitri, or one of his other henchmen on my way there, but there is no one to be found. The penthouse seems deserted, which works just fine for me.

I lightly knock on the closed door. After hearing no response, I enter Nik's private study.

Once again, it surprises me how personal the whole space is. Everything in the room screams Nik, from his faint scent to the many photographs scattered throughout the area.

I grab the closest one off the bookshelf for a closer look. Nik is front-and-center, flanked by two other men, his arms wrapped around their shoulders. A slight smile curves his gorgeous lips, and his dark brown eyes sparkle with humor and affection.

I promptly recognize Dmitri at his right side, mid-laughter. His beautiful, pale, blue eyes squint with unconcealed delight.

I take too long to realize Maxim is the third man. He was even more striking than the low-resolution, grainy surveillance footage displayed. His deep blue eyes were hypnotizing. Even in the photograph, they shine with mocking amusement and undisguised intelligence. I can't help feeling like I'd have liked him a good deal.

Behind me, Nik's office door unexpectedly opens. The sound startles me, and I almost drop the picture frame. I place it back where I found it instead before turning around. My gaze locks with Nik's, and he raises an eyebrow at me.

"Honey, you're home," I say, giving him my most sugary smile. Behind him, Dmitri chuckles under his breath.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Nik asks me. "I sure hope you aren't disregarding medical advice just to snoop around my office."

"What can I say? You're too intriguing and irresistible. I couldn't help myself," I say. Dmitri laughs even louder.

Nik squints his eyes at me, clearly not sharing his protégé's appreciation for my wit. "You should be in bed. Resting. As the doctor ordered."

"I'm more than happy to go back to bed if you agree to join me there. But I can't promise we'll be doing much resting." I wink at him.

Nik's only response is an aggravated sigh as he ruffles through a stack of papers atop his desk, no longer bothering to spare me a glance. His feigned displeasure doesn't bother or concern me in the slightest. After last night, nothing will convince me I can't thaw his Siberian icy heart.

"Hiya, Kat," Dmitri says, smiling at me.

"Hello, Dmitri. You look nice today," I say. He cuts a striking figure in his light gray suit and white dress shirt. His outfit's colors compliment his dark blond hair, beautifully bringing out the light blue color of his eyes. The way the broad expanse of his shoulders fills out the finely tailored jacket doesn't hurt, either.

Dmitri smiles at me, and had I been a couple of years younger, my heart would have skipped a beat.

"Thank you," he says. "And you look nice every day. More than nice, actually."

I laugh in response to his raspy flirtations as Nik forcefully puts his coffee mug on his desk.

Dmitri and I ignore him.

"Don't you have somewhere to be, Dmitri?" Nik asks, irritation dripping from every well-enunciated word.

"Not really, Nik," Dmitri says with a sigh. "I'm done for the day. But it seems like you have a lot going on right now. Here's an idea, Kat—since Nik here is too busy to keep you company, why don't you lead the way to your room? I'll make sure you don't get too lonely while you rest." Somehow, he manages to make his words sound both innocent and full of innuendo.

Nik stands up so abruptly that his chair falls backward. "That's it," he mutters through gritted teeth. "You're done. Get out."

I swivel to face him, petulantly crossing my arms over my chest. "You said I wasn't your prisoner. You said I could have friends over."

Nik's eyes burn with undisguised passion. "Not this insolent fool. And most certainly not in your bedroom."

I study him while mentally weighing my options for my answer. With a sigh, I shrug my shoulders, turning to Dmitri. "Oh, well, Dmitri. You heard the boss-man. We'll have to take a raincheck on that."

"Kat," Nik interjects, an unmistakable warning ringing in his tone.

With my back turned to Nik, I wink at Dmitri and he smirks at me.

"I guess I better bounce, Kat," he says with a sigh of his own. "But I'll see you around." He winks at me.

"Yeah, I hope I'll see you soon," I say, fishing around my jeans pocket with my index finger. After pulling out the candy, I offer it to Dmitri. "Life Saver?"

Nik comes around his desk at once and grabs my arm, forcing me to face him. "If you're looking for trouble, you've found it," he says, staring intensely into my eyes as his breath touches my lips.

"Don't worry, Kat," Dmitri says. "He doesn't really mean it. He knows that I'm all bark and no bite as far as you're concerned. You see, my heart's taken."

Intrigued, I give him a curious look, even while my attention remains focused on Nik, mesmerized by the pull his fiery intensity has over me.

Before I can ask Dmitri any questions about his mysterious love life, Nik narrows his eyes at me. "Dmitri, I believe I've told you to get lost. I won't say it again. As for you, Kat, if you're well enough to go looking for trouble, you're well enough to get to work. Get dressed. Put on something nice. We are going out."

With that, he returns to his desk and turns his back to Dmitri and me, thoroughly dismissing the two of us.

With a final wink and a smirk directed at me, Dmitri bids me goodbye, whispering "good luck" under his breath.

On my way to my closet to follow Nik's orders, I pause, pointing to the disks on his desk. "Are those copies of the surveillance footage you showed me?"

"Yes, why?"

"Do you mind if I borrow them for a while?"

Nik raises his eyebrows, surprised by my question. After shooting me a considering look, he shrugs and hands the CDs to me. I grab the offering and exit the office before he can change his mind.

After changing into one of my new outfits—a red silk slip dress—I search for Nik. I find him waiting for me by the penthouse's front door. He's changed into a new set of clothes, too. He is so handsome in his black suit and black dress shirt that it hurts me a little. I don't bother hiding my appreciation as I take my time looking at him from head to toe.

Nik rolls his eyes at my enthusiastic reaction to his good looks, and I spin around on my heels to show him my new dress. "Do you like it?" I ask, coming closer to where he stands.

"It's beautiful," he says off-handedly, fussing with his cufflinks.

"Thank you. You bought it."

"I figured. Ready to go?"

"Just lead the way, boss."

With a long-suffering sigh, Nik shoots me an unamused look I'm starting to get too familiar with. Without another word, he holds the front door open for me, motioning me toward the foyer. We enter the elevator, and he presses the garage button before stepping away from me. He doesn't stop moving until he is as far away from me as the enclosure allows, resting one shoulder against the wall.

Charmed, I smile at him before leaning against the opposite wall, my body completely facing his.

"Can I ask you a question?" I ask, trying to catch his eyes as he tries to avoid mine.

With a sigh, Nik answers, "Can I stop you?"

I shrug good-naturedly. "Probably not. Tell me about Dmitri."

He glares at me. "You can't be serious."

"I'm just curious about your relationship with him. I know he works for you, but you obviously have a lot of affection for him. I've been wondering if the two of you are family."

"Not by blood," he says, turning to face me. "His mother used to work for me. She made the greatest borscht I've ever had in my life."

"What happened to her?"

"She passed away a couple of years ago. Cancer. Lovely woman," he says. "Dmitri was probably in his early teens when I first hired her. I suppose you could say I watched him grow up. And I guess the lines got blurred somewhere along the way over the years. He's become a little brother of sorts to me."

"What about his dad?"

"He was never in the picture. Elena raised him by herself." Nik shakes his head with unconcealed disgust.

The elevator stops, and its doors slide open before I decide what to say. Nik leads me to a small, black limousine, opening the door for me. I sit on the rich brown leather seats as he sits across from me. The air-conditioned interior is a welcome change from the humid environment in the garage.

"You never told me where we're going," I point out, adjusting my dress so its slit displays my legs to their best advantage.

Nik does his best to ignore my attempts at teasing him. "My accountant's engagement party is tonight. I was going to skip it, but since you're obviously feeling fine, I thought we might as well go."

"Oh," I say, surprised. "So, it's a date, then. I thought it was a work thing."

The look Nik shoots me is pure exasperation. "It is most definitely a work thing. For your information, as it happens, McGuire and I share the same accountant, so I'd bet good money he'll be in attendance tonight. Which reminds me," he says, pulling a small object out of the inside pocket of his black jacket, "I want you to put this on."

On his outstretched hand is a small recording device. The little voice recorder is barely bigger than my fingertip. After picking it up, I remove the plastic tab on one of its sides to reveal the adhesive patch. I don't bother to argue with Nik about it, wasting no time sticking it to the skin between my breasts.

I bat my eyelashes at him, leaning forward and giving him a great view of my cleavage. "Can you spot it?"

Nik clenches his jaw and shakes his head.

"Are you sure? Maybe you should take a closer look."

"Kat," he mutters in warning through gritted teeth.

"What?" I ask, feigning innocence. "Just want to make sure I do my job well. Speaking of which, I assume you have a plan for how I'm supposed to help you catch McGuire."

Nik nods. "I need you to seduce him. Or better yet, I need you to let him think he's seducing you."

It's my turn to raise my eyebrows at him. "Excuse me?"

With a sigh, he says, "The great thing about McGuire is that I can always count on him to be boringly predictable. The man is a womanizer and a bon vivant. He's hated me for years now. You're simply more temptation than he can handle. He'll be tripping over his own feet to try to steal you from me. So, I'm counting on you to charm him into confessing to putting the hit out that got Maxim killed. Maybe you'll need to hint at secretly despising me and only being interested in me for my money." He shrugs. "I don't know. All that matters is that we get hard proof that he's behind the whole thing. With it, I can rightfully take him out without causing a major war and bloodshed."

I study him as I absorb his words. I can't say I'm pleased about tangling with yet another mobster, but I'm also not surprised this is Nik's plan.

"Will you have my back if things go south?" I ask, thinking back to his earlier promises about protecting me.

"Without a doubt," he says, with no room for questioning in his tone.

I nod once and take a deep breath. "If I'm going to get up close and personal with McGuire, you need to tell me more about his history with you and Maxim."

It's Nik's turn to take a deep breath. After a brief second of hesitation, he says, "It's a long story. A few years back, Maxim was a bodyguard for McGuire's daughter, Erin. One thing led to another, and they got romantically involved. The problem is that Erin had been engaged to someone else. Someone who, just like her dad, wasn't too happy to learn that a mere bratva soldier had taken the Irish princess's virginity."

I stare at him for a second, a little shocked at his words to formulate an answer while a million questions rush through my brain.

Before I can ask any of them, he interrupts my racing mind to say, "We're here."