Chapter 4 - Aleksandr

I couldn't believe my good luck as I led my sweet little prize down the stairs and through the still-crowded club. I was a little disconcerted with how excited I was, like I'd truly won something huge. It was a feeling I hadn't felt in years, maybe decades, and I didn't understand it. After all, leaving the club with a beautiful woman in tow was nothing new. Every woman, from the servers and bar staff to the patrons, were constantly throwing themselves at me. It came with the territory of being filthy rich and extremely powerful.

But this woman was different. If someone asked me to put my finger on how she was different, I couldn't have done it. There was just something about her. Something my kid sister, who was probably only a year or two older than Katie, would have called vibes.

It was how she spilled out her troubles but never lost the humor in her eyes. No matter what happened, she wasn't going to stay down. Her drive and fighting spirit brought out the same instinct I got when the guy on the dance floor crowded her too closely.

As we were passing the bar, Katie searched the dim booths until her eyes landed on the group she'd arrived with. She turned to me with a soft, questioning smile, her hand wavering near my chest. She'd gone shy since our heated dancing in my VIP area. I took her hand and kissed it. Even through the flashing strobes, I could see her blush.

"I just want to tell my friends that I'm leaving," she said, waiting sweetly for my nod before hurrying over to their table.

It took her a few minutes, since one of the women in the group kept glaring over at me. I raised a hand and smiled, then sent off a quick message to make sure the cleanup crew had finished their job over by the construction site.

By the time I had an affirmative answer a few seconds later, Katie returned to my side.

"I thought I might have lost you," I said.

She shook her head. "Not a chance. My friend Layla just wanted to be sure I knew you—I mean trusted you," she said, her cheeks flooding with color again.

I wanted to tease her, see how red she could get. Leaning close, I asked. "And are you sure you can? Trust me, I mean?"

Her face tipped up toward mine, her eyes wide. "Absolutely," she breathed.

I gripped her arm and led her toward the back, where I'd told my driver to have the car waiting. He was right there with the engine idling, and jumped out to open the back door for us as soon as we appeared in the exit.

My eyes never strayed from Katie as we made our way toward the apartment I kept. It was only a couple miles away, and I needed to get her alone as soon as possible. The mansion in the hills that was my primary home might have impressed her more, but this was closer.

Even my desire to impress her was something new for me. It seemed she brought out all sorts of new desires in me, and I couldn't wait to explore them all.

And return the favor. I turned to pull her close, needing to feel those lips of hers against mine, but then I noticed her hands twisting somewhat nervously in her lap. When she sensed me looking at her, she put on a big smile and scooted closer, as much as the damned seatbelt would allow.

In the brighter, clearer lights of the constant stream of street lamps, we drove under as my driver sped toward the apartment, I could see that she was much younger than the twenty-five I had guessed at the club. She had on sultry eye makeup, but the color on her cheeks was all-natural, and the way she gnawed on her plump lower lip made it look even juicier and more enticing.

That and her restless hands showed me just how nervous she was. Another reason why she was so different, so special. Coming home with me wasn't a careless decision, something to pass the time or a way to get herself ahead somehow.

It made me feel special.

What the hell? Why was this such a shock? It was impossible to pretend I wasn't who I was, and didn't wield the vast amounts of wealth and power I did. There was no false humility in my life. But when was the last time I felt special? Chosen? And by someone so perfect as Katie?

I turned away, laughing to myself. I hadn't drunk very much, but it had obviously hit me hard. Still, I wanted to treat her the way she made me feel, and put her at ease. I also wanted her to crave me the same way I was craving her.

When my driver dropped us off near the private elevators in the underground parking garage, I sent us to the roof instead of hitting the number for my floor. When the doors slid open, I tugged Katie out onto the carefully tended rooftop garden. It was pitch black at that late hour, only the lights of the buildings surrounding us and the stars dimly illuminated forboding shapes all around us.

"What is this?" she asked, blinking to identify anything through the darkness surrounding us.

I had a grim flash of Lev, and I let go of our ex- associate's legs, the dull thump when he hit the ground. Was that just earlier this evening? It was a hazard of my life in the Bratva, these inconvenient memories of the unsavory things I'd rather not have to do. I reached for Katie's hand, and as soon as her soft, warm fingers curled around mine, the memories disappeared without a trace. Yes, this girl was special.

"Let me show you," I said, reaching for the switches just outside the glass doors. With a flick of my wrist, thousands of twinkle lights around the perimeter burst to life. More were interspersed in the branches of the potted fruit trees, revealing several small round tables and chairs dotted in between the carefully tended flower beds. Behind a tiny building that the residents could use as a bar or catering station, was a vegetable patch surrounded by a low picket fence.

It was a nice place to come during the day if the smog wasn't too high, but at night, it lit up like this against the backdrop of the glittering city; it was magic.

Katie's gasp and huge smile told me I'd made the right decision to delay getting her into my apartment. The delight in her eyes was just as satisfying as sinking my fingers into her waist or finally getting to taste her. Well, almost, and I was glad to show her a tiny part of my world.

"This is amazing," she said. She held my hand and drew me over to inspect the vegetable patch. "Wow, stuff's actually growing, too. My backyard was about the size of this little garden, and half of it was concrete, but I still tried to grow herbs every year. Nothing. A cactus won't even grow in whatever calls itself dirt in my yard."

God, she was charming. I led her to one of the tables, but she tugged me toward the edge of the roof, leaning against the chest-high acrylic glass wall.

"It's a great view," I said, never taking my eyes off her. She turned to me and wrinkled her nose.

After staring out at the city for several long moments, she leaned into my side. "Thank you," she murmured.

"For what? The view?"

"Yes, but also…" she trailed off, shrugging. "Not rushing me."

Ah, so my hunch that she was nervous about going straight to my apartment had been correct. I rested my hands on her shoulders, smoothing my palms down her silky, bare arms.

"Are you cold?"

"Not at all," she answered, standing on her toes and tipping back her chin. "Not even a little bit."

"Good," I said, right before I found her mouth with mine. My instinct was to devour, but I tamed that inner beast, gently parting her eager lips with my tongue until she was soon clutching at my shirt and pressing against me.

A car horn blared far below us, and we broke apart, her with a slight giggle and me with a scowl.

"I can wait forever," I lied, easing my hands onto her waist.

Her head fell back, her lips parted, eyes closed. "I can't," she said. Her eyes flew open, and she blushed at her sudden boldness. "Aleks, let's go inside now."

"Whatever you want," I told her, already turning toward the doors.

In the elevator, she threw herself at me, but it was only a couple floors down until it slid to a stop, and the doors opened onto my private entry hall. Would I ever get enough of her?

She bobbed on her toes as I keyed in my door code, and when it opened, she tumbled inside, pulling me in with her. I dragged her close to my chest, looking down into her wide eyes. Even greener than in the dimly lit club, like rare emeralds ringed with moss.

"You make me crazy," I growled.

"Good," she said, her body sliding against mine as she stood on her toes, hungry for another kiss.

"We're barely in the door, little girl," I chided playfully.

Instant color rose from her supple cleavage to her hairline, the bright red making her vibrant auburn hair appear almost brown in comparison. We moved further into the apartment, and I snapped on the lights, wanting to be able to catch every captivating expression on her face as she took in the lux high-rise I barely spent any time in.

"Do you live here now?" she asked. At my frown, she blinked rapidly. "I mean, now, like, do you mostly travel, or is this home base?"

"I keep this place for when I have early or late meetings in the city. It's much closer to most of my points of business. Usually, I live in a house in the Hollywood Hills where I can have a sense of seclusion, even in this crowded city."

"Don't like being too close to your neighbors?" she asked, strolling around the large, open living area.

"I also have a beach house in Malibu for weekends and parties and such," I said. Was I trying to impress her?

As she wandered and her eyes darted over all the fine things my decorator insisted on packing in the place, she did seem impressed, but also like she'd seen this kind of thing before. I supposed if she'd been a caterer, she'd seen the inside of some nice places in town.

My breath hitched when she paused at one of the silver-framed pictures on the mantle. It was of my daughter Nataliya at her high school graduation, wearing the maroon and gold of St. Ambrose and a triumphant smile. Katie's face turned wistful as she stared at the photo, her fingers tracing the frame.

I took her hand and pulled her away, not wanting her to think of the age gap between us, or begin to wonder how close in age to Nataliya she was. I only wanted her to think about me and the electricity between us.

She melted into my arms, resting her cheek against my chest before looking up at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Oh good," she said. "I thought you were going to offer me snacks or something."

A laugh burst out of me. When had I ever felt so alive? "I could," I said. "The fridge is always kept stocked. Are you hungry?"

Her fists tightened in the fabric of my shirt. "Yes," she said, cheeks growing pinker by the second. "But not for food."

I lowered my head so that our mouths were only an inch apart. I could feel her warm breath against my lips.

"I feel exactly the same," I told her.