2. Mikhail

2

MIKHAIL

This is the dinner from hell.

I knew the moment Lucia walked in that I would be in for a nightmare of an evening.

Her reputation as New York's most infamous party girl is no secret.

She is the last person I want to be spending my evening with, but I wasn't given much of a choice.

My family is expecting me to step up and marry this girl in order to form a strong alliance between our family and the Contis, and I want nothing more than to prove to them that I'm up for the task.

What I wasn't expecting was for Lucia to be quite so stunning.

I've seen enough pictures of her in the tabloids to know she's attractive, but they don't do her justice.

Dressed in the most mouthwatering black dress, I instantly stiffened as I took in her luscious curves and her long, brown hair cascading over her slender shoulders as she strutted toward me, her full breasts bouncing with every step she took .

With my cock still half hard in my pants, I clear my throat, shifting my belt.

She might be my future wife, but that doesn't mean I want her to warm my bed every night. All I want is for us to sign on the dotted line and be done with it.

I can thank my brother Dimitri for getting me into this situation in the first place. He was the one who was meant to be marrying the mafia brat, but after faking a relationship with the best friend of our oldest brother's wife, he managed to worm his way out of the deal.

Though I can't be too mad, not when it all worked out for the best.

Dimitri and Zara are disgustingly in love, and they welcomed their newborn twins, Sasha and Benedikt, only a few weeks ago.

I, however, am not destined for such a path.

Being a Koslov comes with great rewards but also great sacrifices. I have no choice but to step up and do what is best for my family, and unfortunately for me, an alliance with Massimo Conti is just that.

So, I push the feelings down. I have a job to do, and I can't back out, no matter how badly I want to.

The waiter appears halfway through to check on our meals and to top up Lucia's glass of champagne.

I've left mine untouched, wanting to keep a clear head.

She smiles at him. "Everything's wonderful. Though, would you mind bringing a glass of whatever crappy vodka my fiancé was drinking?"

My teeth grind at the dig, but I keep my attention on my half-finished meal.

"I thought the Koslovs were supposed to be well off?" Her eyes roam over my body.

"I'm not here to talk about money."

Lucia rolls her eyes, which only has me grinding my teeth harder.

"Is there anything you do talk about?"

"Not really." I pop another piece of ravioli in my mouth.

Of course, she had to go ahead and order the most expensive dish on the menu, but I'm secretly not mad about it. The white truffle is heavenly, and it's made even more so by the fact that Massimo is the one picking up the bill.

It's the least he could do for making me suffer through a dinner with his brat of a daughter.

"How long have you known about this little arrangement?" She sips on her champagne.

My body stiffens at her question. She really is blissfully unaware…

" Mikhail ."

Fuck, the sound of my name on her lips has me adjusting my belt yet again.

"Trust me, kisa , you don't want to know the answer to that." I toss my cutlery onto my plate and lean back in my chair.

"Yes, I do." Her brown eyes narrow as she folds her arms over her chest.

I shrug. "Very well. It's been a few months in the making."

"How many is a few?"

I let out a breath and run my fingers through my hair, bracing myself for the explosion that is likely to occur when she learns the truth.

"Almost a year."

" What ?"

A few neighboring tables glance in our direction, but as soon as I shoot them a glare, they turn their attention elsewhere .

"We thought it would be best to wait until you turned twenty-one."

"We?" She scoffs. "Did anyone think to include me in the conversation? You know, seeing as it's my life you're about to ruin."

"No."

Lucia glares at me

"I wasn't your daddy's first choice for a husband, so it took a little time for him to come around to the idea of a replacement. We didn't want to mention anything to you until we had finalized it all."

"And he chose you?" Her eyes flick over me again.

My arms flex, my muscles straining against the tight material of my shirt. "Who was the first choice?"

"My oldest brother, Alexei."

Her eyes widen and a soft flush appears on her cheeks.

"Oh, I like him," she purrs, flicking her long hair over her shoulder. "I've seen his picture in the paper. He's very handsome."

"Too bad he's fucking married," I growl. "And so is Dimitri."

"You're third ? Wow, nice to see I get the sloppy leftovers when it comes to the Koslovs."

I say nothing. My temper is starting to rise, but I can't afford to say something that I might come to regret.

Thankfully, a young waiter appears to clear away our plates. "Your usual dessert, Miss Conti?"

Lucia's rich brown eyes light up as she turns her attention to the waiter.

I ball my hands into fists as she licks her lips and offers him a sweet smile as she pushes her chest out, which has the poor kid practically drooling.

Is she always like this? If so, This needs to stop .

I can't be having her flirt with every guy she comes across.

Even if this isn't a conventional marriage, she's still going to have to abide by some rules. If she's linked to my name, I can't have her face blasted over the front page of the tabloids every other day. She'll not only put a target on her back, but on my family's as well.

I have a responsibility to keep them safe, and I'm not going to risk them because of some entitled brat who doesn't like hearing the word no.

This might be more effort than it's worth. But there's no way I can back out, not after the shit that went down with Dimitri last year.

"No, thank you, Elio. I think tonight we're going to have the tiramisu to share," she says in that sultry tone.

"I don't eat dessert." My patience is starting to thin.

"Of course, you don't." She rolls her eyes. "More for me, then."

Once Elio leaves, Lucia leans forward, resting her arms on the table as she watches me carefully.

"Something wrong?" The corners of her lips twitch. When she catches me looking, her tongue darts out to wet her lower lip.

"No."

"Hmm…" Her eyes narrow. "So, did you bring me an engagement ring or what?"

I frown. "Excuse me?"

"We're getting married, right?"

"Unfortunately." I'm past caring.

I've sat through almost an hour of this dinner, and I have a mountain of work to do back at the office. The sooner I can be free of Lucia, the better.

"I want a diamond."

"Too bad we can't always get what we want. Didn't your daddy ever teach you that?"

"He always gives me everything I want."

"Well, you're in for one hell of a shock, kisa ."

"You're an ass." She huffs.

"I've been called worse."

"Oh, I can only imagine…" Her eyes flick over my chest, and her eyes light up with a feral amusement that has me shifting in my seat.

The more she stares at me with those dark, sultry eyes, the more my cock is aching to explore what is under that dress.

I cannot afford to be thinking with my dick right now. Especially when Massimo Conti is involved.

I have to keep reminding myself that she's a spoiled child who hates being told what to do and is showing her rebellion by doing the exact opposite of what she is told, which is why she's partying every night of the week.

It's her own fault she's landed herself in this mess. Her father wants her to clean up her act, and he's hoping that I'll be the one to get her in line.

There're so many other things I would rather give my attention to.

Alexei has only recently allowed me to take over as CEO for one of our distribution companies. It's taking me so long to get him not to view me as his kid brother but as the capable, hardworking man I've grown into. I'm finally getting to show him what an asset I am to the family, and I can't afford to let Lucia Conti distract me.

But we have to get married.

Unless… She's the one to refuse to marry me .

I've done my research. I know exactly the type of girl Lucia Conti is. She loves nothing more than drinking and partying every night of the week. Her name is always in gossip columns with one scandal after another.

Despite her father's best efforts, she doesn't behave.

He's hoping this marriage is the answer, but perhaps I can turn it into the catalyst that sets me free.

As I glance across the table at my bride-to-be, a cruel smile tugs at my lips as the idea takes shape.

By the time I'm finished with Lucia, she'll be begging Massimo to ship her off to Italy to go and live with her grandmother.

It's going to be a challenge, but I'm not one to shy away from hard work.

Let the games begin.