Chapter 3

Chapter 3OliviaThe storm roared on for hours as I ate pub food and drank champagne with Viktor and his strange group of brothers. I called Anna, letting her know I was safe, but stranded, then did the same with Blaise and Daniel at the auction house. I had to push myself to do both, because every moment I spent with Viktor I became more and more fascinated by him. Real-life concerns had become annoying distractions from our conversation.“At this rate, we will all require rooms for the night.” Viktor sighed as we both looked at the rain turning into hail as it battered the windows. The sky was darkening further, and I knew he was right.“Yeah, I couldn’t navigate this in broad daylight for more than ten minutes, and that was a real nail-biter even with four-wheel drive. Where are you coming up from?”“Downtown, near Scollay Square. Yourself?” His bright eyes had a way of piercing into mine even when he was smiling. It didn’t intimidate me; instead, it only increased the warm, melting feeling I got deep in my belly when I looked at him.“Cambridge. Been there since college.” This was why Anna and I had shared a small apartment even when we both started earning—student loans had us both by the throat. When she married, I’d gotten a new roommate, but hopefully the commission from the McDonough sale would let me clear my debts and have the place to myself.“Ahh, I see. No wonder you are reluctant to make the drive at night.” He glanced over at his brothers, who were embroiled in some debate in Russian that involved a lot of mock anger, laughter, and back slapping. “Yet you are dedicated enough to brave it for the sake of your company. This auction house is lucky to have you.”“Let’s just hope they remember that when it’s time for my percentage.” This was my first big score for the auction house. We would have to do a series just to sell it all, and they would doubtless draw rich collectors from all over the East Coast.He chuckled again, a brief, low sound in his broad chest, accompanied by the faintest curve of a smile. I had learned that Viktor’s real smiles were subtle things, his thin, well-shaped lips barely showing the flash of his teeth. The one he had given Billy had been wider, fake, and cold-eyed. This one had warmth in it…just for me.“So you said you’re in imports?” I was trying to keep the conversation going instead of just staring at him, but that was tough. He had me all flustered without even getting into serious flirting.“Yes, my brothers and I have made our fortune through our warehouses and retail connections. It is a small fortune thus far, but I shall build on it.” His gaze swept over me. “Though I doubt you have much interest in the import business.”“Not separate from you, no,” I said as boldly as I could, although the somewhat shy smile that slipped across my lips as I spoke was entirely unbidden. My body had only gotten more drawn to him over the course of the conversation, and when he mentioned staying, I had to fight off a surge of excitement at the possibilities. Just listening to that silky voice of his made me crave his touch. “Is it that obvious?”“Not particularly, but I know women.” The gleam in his eye made me swallow hard. At this point, I barely noticed his loud brothers, or the intensifying hailstorm, or even the blues music Mike had put on to distract from the ice shattering against the windows and walls.I forced down the sudden shyness that tried to come over me. I wasn’t much of a flirt, I’d never tried to seduce a man in my life, but I’d certainly never acted shy about my interest. Normally I was happy to let a guy make all the moves, and if he didn’t, then, oh well. But Viktor made me want to try.“I’ll bet you do,” I muttered, looking him up and down. A man like this could probably get any woman he wanted into bed, and he knew it. His confidence was not overbearing, he didn’t brag. He didn’t need to. “The question is, what do we do about it?”His eyebrows rose slightly, his intense gaze locked with mine. “Well, I suggest we make the best of the situation.”My breath caught in my throat. But I pushed myself past my shyness, for once listening to the heat he stoked up in my body just by talking. “Guess we’ll need a room, then.”And the way he smiled at me at those words made it all the more worth it.***The walk upstairs took forever. I only had two small glasses of champagne in me, but I felt dizzy and warm and a little frantic to reach my room and follow Viktor into it.“I don’t normally do things like this,” I admitted, hoping to explain away my slight awkwardness as I fumbled the key into the door and failed to open it the first two turns.His hand covered mine, he took the key and pressed it in a fraction, then turned it smoothly. “I’m very flattered, then, that you are making an exception.”His green eyes mesmerized me for a moment before he leaned forward and kissed me, pulling me into his arms as the door slid open. We stepped back through it, one of his hands leaving me to close it and set the key on the shelf beside it. Then he wrapped me in his arms again, and the way he pressed his body against mine, all hard and lean beneath his suit, had my skin immediately spark with tingles.We were kissing roughly, hands starting to roam and breath coming heavy and shaky, when another lightning flash blinded me. A second later, the lights went out, turning us into shadows in the fading light.I froze and he looked up, but then just let out a low, warm chuckle that whispered against my ear before he bent down to kiss me in the dark.“The lights are out,” I muttered unnecessarily, as he trailed his soft lips down along my neck. When he let out another quiet chuckle, his breath ghosted against my collarbone. I couldn’t help the shiver that ran through me.“What do we need light for?” he murmured as his fingers grazed the underside of my breast, and I found my own hands clutching tightly against his lean hips. “I can see your beautiful curves just fine in the moonlight. And I will hear you moan my name with or without light.”I shuddered and lifted my hands to unbutton his shirt, but he moved back then and stuck me with his intense green gaze.“Viktor,” he rumbled, his face serious as he watched me, green eyes flicking back and forth between mine. “Say it.”“Viktor,” I whispered, wondering how something so simple as saying a name could suddenly be so sexy.His lips curved upwards. “Again.”I bit my lip at his order, my breath somehow escaping me, and his arms tightened abruptly around me.“Again, Olivia,” he growled, leaning his lips down closer to mine even as his smile broadened, became more predatory. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”“Viktor,” I said, louder this time, as my hands snaked their way around his neck. “Viktor.”“Mmm,” he hummed with a pleased expression, before leaning down to nip at my ear. “Good girl.”“Jesus…” I whispered, threading my fingers up into his dark hair, as he tilted my head up with a light fist in my hair and began kissing me once more.His touch was subtle and smooth while he ravaged my mouth, unbuttoning my blouse to caress me without a single fumble or tremor. Such confidence. Such patience. He slid his fingers over my exposed skin after pulling off my blouse, caressing my belly, my arms, my shoulders. He covered my cleavage with light, teasing kisses until my nipples ached for attention.Impatient, I reached back to undo my bra, offering my breasts to him in the dark. It fell open and his kisses circled down over my breasts, growing longer and more intense the closer he got to my nipples. My hips trembled as I pressed myself against him, fingers in his hair, breath already coming in harsh pants. When had I last wanted a man this badly?Had I ever?His mouth closed on my nipple and I whimpered, pushing my breast against his face while he suckled and nibbled eagerly. Hazy with desire, I started to take off his suit coat, only to have him gently stop me.He stood back and stripped, the filtered light from the shaded windows splashing over pale, smooth skin and lean muscle and catching in his brilliant eyes. I caught the faint dark patterns of tattoos on his skin as he set his clothes aside carefully on the bedside table. Meanwhile, I was down to my hose and panties, eager to feel his bare skin against mine.He retrieved a condom from his trousers before he’d even stripped off his boxer briefs, while I bent down to roll the hose off of my body. When I looked up again, he was watching me, expression unseen in the dimness, but his breathing had gone heavy and shaky as well.He scooped me up again, so easily that it shocked me, and carried me to the bed, settling me on it easily. I reached for him, my fingertips sliding down his chest as I tried to beckon without speaking. I kept feeling like any words I could say would somehow be inadequate, or destroy the mood.He reached down and took the waistband of my panties in hand, caressing my hipbones with his thumbs teasingly, his hands warm and sleek against my skin. I lay back and lifted my hips, and he pulled the little scrap of fabric off of me, tossing it away toward the clothes pile by the door.I watched him roll the condom on, his cock was a blurry outline in the dark. But then he was laying me back on the edge of the bed and I felt the smooth, throbbing head slide against my folds. I lifted my legs, wrapping them around him as he pressed the tip of his erection into me and then thrust forward, going deep in one long, easy slide from my wetness.I gasped out loud and gripped his forearms. He let out a groan and started thrusting, rocking the bed under us as our hips slapped together. I squirmed under him as the movement sent jolts of pleasure through me, trying to keep quiet but already failing.My voice rose in little gasps and whimpers, sobs of encouragement that were the only words I could form. He was thick, stretching me a little, adding a tiny edge of pain to the mounting pleasure that only pushed me faster toward my climax.I was going to lose control. I was already shaking hard, and my voice had gone from whimpers to shuddering gasps and low moans. My pussy tightened around him as he moved faster and faster, somehow staying on his feet, his fingers digging into my ass cheeks as he lifted me against him.“More,” I begged, and he gave it, speeding, growing rougher, punctuating my moans with little grunts and shouts as he fucked me better than I had ever felt in my life before. It felt like I was losing my mind. I cried out each time his hips slapped against mine, not able to stop myself.And then I didn’t care, I grabbed him by the hips and tightened my legs around him and begged for him not to stop. He sped up again, whole body rigid with pleasure, riding me hard toward our peak.When it came, I bucked under him like he’d shot me full of lightning, each contraction sending pleasure roaring through me almost unbearably. I heard myself screaming, “Yes, yes, yes,” and then his hard, breathless groans as his cock jumped and shuddered inside me.I started to slowly gray out from the intensity, feeling like I was dissolving in bliss. He laid his head on my shoulder, panting hoarsely, and I raised my hand and slid it through his short, sweaty hair in a weak caress. Then my eyes closed, and everything drifted away for a little while.I came to in time to feel him laying me back against the pillows before sliding under the quilt to join me. His skin was damp with sweat against mine, and shudders from aftershocks ran through us both.“Get a little rest,” he purred as he settled beside me and pulled me into his arms. He chuckled as I whimpered and buried my face against his chest, overwhelmed. The fingers of one hand slipped through my hair, caressing me. “You’re going to need your strength for later.”***When I woke, the storm was over, the quiet outside almost disorienting after all that chaos. I opened my eyes to a room slowly filling with the gray light of dawn, and Viktor’s warm bulk snuggled up behind me as he breathed slowly in my ear.My whole body was so relaxed that I didn’t want to move. I had never had sex like that in my life. It had exhausted me, exhausted him, and left me craving more. A woman could seriously get hooked on his level of dick game. Not to mention his charm. Maybe he would want to see me again. Maybe this was the start of something amazing.Eventually, I had to get up, and did reluctantly, heading for the bathroom to clean myself up and tend to my body’s needs. I was a little sore in spots, and as I showered, I caught glimpses of little finger-bruises and suck marks all over me. He had marked me beautifully. It turned me on all over again just to see them.But when I wrapped myself in a towel and walked back out, mulling over whether I was rushing back to Cambridge and my life or lingering for more of this sexual mini-vacation, I suddenly stopped short, and all those pleasant thoughts fled from my mind.Viktor and I had undressed in the dark. My clothes trailed to the door, while his were piled haphazardly on the bedside table. Along with something so unexpected that it left me staring at it while my body went from warm and relaxed to tense and cold.It was a shoulder holster. Invisible under a jacket or suit coat, it wasn’t the kind of thing an imports guy would need. Not the giant automatic pistol tucked into the holster.I hadn’t honestly thought he had a gun hidden in his suit coat the previous evening, I don’t know what I thought he showed that asshole at the bar, maybe flashing a cop badge or something. Maybe I just hadn’t wanted to consider the possibility of what scared the man off too carefully, because then I couldn’t look at him with desire anymore. Because there’s a big difference between the kind of man that owns a hunting rifle, and the kind that holds a handgun in a holster.Who the hell was he? An attaché from one of the Eastern European embassies? A cop? Something else? Definitely not just some benign importer, that’s for sure.He hadn’t owed a one-night stand the truth, but disappointment and worry gnawed at me anyway as I gazed at his sleeping form.That’s when I saw the tattoos.He had two eight-pointed stars inked on each shoulder. The sleek, well-muscled chest that I had caressed with such hunger bore an eagle and a crucifix. They were all in blue-black line art, faded with age, the lines slightly blurred like prison tattoos, and God help me, I knew what that meant. Not the specific meanings of each one, but rather what they implied.Viktor was an actual goddamned Russian mobster. The brothers downstairs weren’t family by blood, but by avocation. Bratva members.I had just gotten the most spectacular sex of my life from a guy who had probably killed people with that gun. Who had shown Billy, not a badge or bear mace under his coat, but that he was armed, and ready to blow his beer-soaked brains all over the bar floor if he had to.How had I missed the warning signs? But I knew. There was only one answer for that. I had been too wrapped up in Viktor’s masculine charm to let myself think about much else.I had to get out of here.Moving as quietly as I could, I pulled on my clothes and checked around for my belongings before stepping into my shoes. Viktor didn’t stir, three bouts of sex in a night had worn him out. I counted my blessings as I opened the door, slipped out into the hallway, and closed it carefully behind me.All thoughts of seeing him again had evaporated. I rushed downstairs, praying I wouldn’t run into one of his men, or anything else that would delay me on my way out. I was going back to Cambridge now, going back to my job, and doing my best to forget last night.If I ever could.