Chapter 11 - Arina

I can't believe I allowed him to seduce me like that. God, it was good. I've never been with such a confident, cocky man before, all puns intended.

But I regret it. I regret giving in to that primal desire. I'm not here to fuck him. I'm here to get revenge against my so-called family.

I step under the hot water and start to wash my body, including my hair. As I touch myself, I remember how he touched me, how I had touched myself. My body is still sensitive, and I avoid certain places. I have to admit, having primal sex against the window of the suite was pretty sexy. I've never done anything that wild before. I've never really been into anyone that much to try.

I rinse my hair and body and step out of the shower, wrapping a towel around me.

I saunter into the bedroom, but Igor isn't there, and I drop the cocky attitude. I want him to see me as confident, not as a nervous wreck around him.

I get dressed and towel-dry my hair before I venture out of the bedroom. No one is there.

Igor must have gone to another business meeting. Although I would have thought he would have wanted to shower first.

Oh well, that's his problem, not mine. I'm not walking around the resort smelling of sex.

I open the suite door and peek down the hallway. There are guards on either side, standing at the ends of the hallway. I want to explore the resort, but I don't see Alfie, and I'm not sure if any other guard will take me.

I wander to the right, walking down toward the two men joking at the end of the hallway. When they see me, they fall silent.

"Have you seen my husband?" I ask since I'm not sure they'll respond to much else.

"He's in a meeting, ma'am. He said you are welcome to explore this floor until a family member is ready to escort you around the resort."

I sigh and walk back up the hallway. There's another hallway to the right, and I take it. It leads out into an open dining space. Yvonne is sitting there, reading a newspaper. She looks up as I walk in.

"You caused quite the stir," she comments. "You do know how to get into trouble."

"Did Matvey moan to you?" I ask curiously, sitting next to her.

"He moaned to everyone. It's what he does. He whines and kills people. Those are his functions." Yvonne sets the paper down. "Did Igor ditch you here on the Sidorov floor?"

"The floor is for the family members?" I ask.

"Naturally," Yvonne says. "My room isn't far from yours."

I blush slightly, wondering if she heard Igor and I having sex. She watches me for a moment and smiles. "I have figured out something you can do for me to earn my forgiveness and company while we're here."

I lean forward. "What is it?"

"I have a business deal I need to be taken care of. I hear that you're a top real estate agent. If you help me secure this deal, I will help you learn the ropes of the family. "

"And you'll forgive me for everything?" I ask.

"Everything," she says. "We'll start over."

I nod. "Okay, how soon can I see the deal?"

"Right now, though, you'll have to think on your feet because we're going directly to the meeting." Yvonne stands, and I follow suit.

We walk down the hallway, and I pause at the guards. She turns to me. "You're with me. They'll let you come down to the business floor. They'll just follow us."

I nod and follow Yvonne into the elevator before the guards slide past us and stand behind us as the elevator descends.

Guards are in all the hallways. I'm not free to move around, not even at the resort my husband controls.

We step off at ground level, and Yvonne leads me to a restaurant. A few families are dining here, and she leads me over to one of the more private tables. She hands me a folder, and I sit down and go through it. This is a straight real estate deal. She just needs me to negotiate the best possible deal.

"When will the sellers be here?" I ask quickly.

"They just walked in with Igor and Matvey," Yvonne whispers with a smile.

I stand up, folder in hand, and plaster a smile on my face. "Gentlemen," I say as they approach the table.

Igor looks at Yvonne, who says something to him in Russian before she turns to the severe-looking Mediterranean men before us. "This is our real estate agent. She's going to be helping facilitate the deal."

I hold my hand out. "Arina Maia."

I shake both their hands firmly before we all sit down. A waitress comes to the table, and I instantly take charge. "Red wine, best we have, and bring some California lobster rolls for the table."

The men glance at each other, and the older one introduces himself. "I am Matthew. The resort we are looking at today belongs to my family and has been for many years. I'm moving back to Greece and don't want to be burdened with running the resort, but I also don't want to be swindled on a bad deal."

"Absolutely, and we don't swindle people."

"That remains to be seen. Discuss your proposal," Matthew says.

I hand out the folders Yvonne has prepared and thank God I can speed read.

I flip open mine and ask them to turn to the same page.

"Your resort hasn't been updated in almost ten years. That means there's going to be renovations that will need to be done, equipment that will need to be replaced, and staff that are most likely stealing from you," I say. "We need to take these things into account when discussing a price."

"The price is set at a firm nine million dollars," Matthew says. "There is nothing to negotiate."

I flip the page. "Your resort doesn't even make nine million in revenue. Looking at these figures, I would be generous and offer you five million for the resort on condition it's transferred immediately so that we can make the necessary changes off-season and maximize profit during peak season."

"Five million? Do you think I'm an idiot? I know its potential," Matthew growls. "Igor, your estate agent is pushing her luck."

Igor looks at me and then at Matthew. "Potential or not, that's not what your property is currently turning around in profit, and I'm going to have to invest heavily to get the resort to reach that potential. That is why we are offering you four million dollars less."

I can feel Igor looking at me with longing, but I don't let it go to my head. Matvey is silent and Yvonne is beaming.

"Six million," Matthew finally says.

"If you want us to give you six million, you need to include something else in the deal," I say, looking into his eyes.

He smirks. "You're tough, I'll give you that. Aside from the resort, I have a theme park nearby. For eight million, I could be persuaded to part with both."

I look through the folder. "I don't have the financials on the theme park, so I can't say whether it's worth an additional three million. We'll give you five million for the resort, and if the theme park is as cracked-up as you say it is, we will give you an additional three to purchase it."

I fold my hands in front of me and look at Matthew and his brother.

"We have a deal," he says finally after a long pause.

He stands up. "Have your lawyer draw up the contract for me to review, and if all looks good, I will sign it."

I stand up and hold out my hand, which he shakes. "Of course, we'll have that to you ASAP."

Igor stands up and fixes his suit jacket before shaking the brothers' hands. "The food will be out soon. Yvonne, Matvey, and Arina can go now while we discuss business."

That is our hint to leave.

We get up and leave the table, only stopping when we're in the lobby.

"You think you're clever," Matvey says, turning to look at me.

"Don't start, Mat." Yvonne gets between us.

"How can you trust her to know what is best for our family? She's been in it less than a week," he says.

"Because she needs her place in it, and she's good at this. Didn't you just hear that excellent deal she negotiated? Not even you could do that."

"I could have," he huffs. "I was told not to get involved."

He looks directly at me. "I've got my eye on you, Arina. I know you will betray us."

He turns and walks off, and Yvonne clicks her tongue. "Ignore him. I know you've turned a corner. Why don't we celebrate with some bubbly in the private pool upstairs?"

"It is rather hot," I say. "Sure, why not."

We take the elevator back upstairs and agree to meet in the hallway. I go into the suite and change into the skimpiest bikini I brought with me. I know how curvy my body is, and I know how good I look in bikinis.

I have a plan to ensure that Igor sees my value, even if I have to use my body to get his attention.

I wrap a towel around myself and meet Yvonne in the hallway. She leads me to the private pool on a balcony surrounded by guards. I drop the towel and climb into the cool water.

Yvonne joins me, also in a bikini, and she summons one of the staff to bring us some champagne.

"I wouldn't mind some food as well," I say. "I've worked up quite an appetite."

"Well, you did a great job. Greg," she calls, and a guard approaches. "Get us the hotel menu, please. We're hungry."

I can tell some of the guards are trying their best not to check us both out, but they're doing a piss poor job at it.

Greg brings the menu along with a phone and sets it down on the edge of the pool. I swim over to Yvonne, and we look at the menu together. "It all looks good," I comment.

"I want something with cheese," she says. "Everything tastes better with cheese, especially melted cheese."

"I don't know. I kinda want that lobster roll I ordered earlier."

A servant sets down a tray with two glasses of bubbly near us. I pick one up and sip it, sighing. "Definitely the lobster roll and the decadent chocolate brownie for dessert."

Yvonne picks up the phone and dials the front desk. "Hi, room service, please. I'd like to order an extra cheesy lasagna, one Californian lobster roll, and two decadent chocolate brownies with extra chocolate drizzle and whipped cream."

I lick my lips. My stomach is aching with hunger now.

I sip my champagne and float to the edge of the pool that overlooks the rest of the resort and, beyond that, the city.

"Right, food is ordered. Now we can relax and enjoy ourselves," Yvonne says as she joins me.

"So, what am I expected to do in the family? Because that was fun. I like those sorts of situations," I explain.

"I don't know if Igor was impressed that I let you handle that," Yvonne admits. "But maybe we can convince him to let you help with the property side of the business because, at the moment, he wants to acquire more property to put him in a place of power against the Milovs."

"How do you know so much?" I ask.

"I'm a wallflower. The men aren't afraid to speak around me." Yvonne giggles. "I also work for the family, but I hate the property side of things."

"I'll gladly take that over for you." I smile.