Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

C hantel

Did the man just tell me he was giving me a spanking? What?

It was worse than the horrible moment when we'd both been caught like deer in the headlights. I'd prayed I'd never see him again, but karma obviously had other things in mind.

The bitch.

This was different. He was different. No longer my mysterious lover.

"I don't understand," I said, even if I did.

"There are very few ways to get through to someone with as hard a head as you have. I think it would help you focus as well. Yes, I understand you went through something horrible, but you could have made it so much worse."

I was so floored I had no idea what to say. But the craziest thing happened. I felt warmth zooming throughout my body. As if I wanted it. Or at least as if I knew I deserved the harsh punishment.

"I… I can't just tell you I'm sorry?" I asked rather sheepishly.

"Not good enough. I'm sorry. So, here's how we're going to do it. I'll go easy on you tonight, only using my hand," Nikolay said as if this was common practice.

"Um… Okay. So how?" I couldn't believe I was going to allow this to happen. Was I out of my mind?

No, I did a stupid thing and deserved punishment for it. I knew that. But I hated it. No one punished me. Maybe that was part of the problem.

"You're going to come to me and drop your jeans and panties. From there, you're going to lie across my lap. It's as simple as that."

As simple as that. Was the man kidding me?

His voice was so deep, so powerful. Just like the man. I'd never been so attracted to anyone in my life. The desire had only grown stronger over the last couple of days and I could see the same hunger in his eyes.

Yet I was mortified, already embarrassed enough my cheeks were burning. I was an adult, a grown woman being treated like a disobedient child.

That's what you get for running.

My little voice decided now was the best time to become active? Shit.

He patted his lap and I gulped, feeling woozy. This was crazy but I doubted I was getting out of it.

I stood on shaking legs, trying not to pass out. Between the horrible night, the extreme terror and now this, I was more befuddled than I'd felt in a long time.

"I've had a shitty day," I said more in passing.

"And how do you think your father would feel if I had to call him and tell him you were hurt? Or worse?"

I could see his point and I hated it and myself for it. Seconds later, I found myself moving closer. When I gathered a whiff of his aftershave, my panties were damp. Great. Now he'd know exactly how excited he could make me.

"Come on. Be a good girl." His voice was even huskier than before.

He had a way about him that drew me in and I found myself obeying, unfastening my jeans. But I had to close my eyes when I started to lower my jeans and panties at the same time. When I gathered a slight whiff of my longing, I cringed all the way to my toes.

If he noticed, he didn't react in any way, acting more like a disciplinarian than anything else. I couldn't help but notice how large his hand was. A spanking from him was going to hurt.

I guess that was the point.

When my clothes were down to my knees, he gently placed me over his lap, daring to caress my naked bottom.

It caught me as strange that I felt more naked with my pants around my knees than I would if I was standing fully naked in front of him.

"Now, this is going to hurt but that's what you need. I'll do twenty-five tonight. That should be an excellent first reminder. If not, I'll do more."

More? Was he kidding me?

I couldn't remember the last kind of punishment I'd received. My father really didn't have time, plus he preferred being the hero daddy. My mother was far too busy with her social life and couldn't care less about what I did as long as I didn't burn her beloved house down. But I was mostly a good kid. Sure, there were little things. I wasn't perfect and had a highly caustic mouth. All my teachers had told me so.

But a hard spanking? I was floored.

When he brought his big hand down, I honestly thought I would die. I know I gasped. Maybe I yelled. Whatever the case, I was absolutely mortified, squirming to the point I almost fell off his lap.

He growled. Really? And jerked me back further onto his lap. And for about ten seconds, I was thrown into a moment where all time had stopped.

The spanking was a clear reminder of how young I was and that I was in Nikolay's house, forced to follow his rules. But his very hard, throbbing cock told me something else.

He was all male.

I was all female.

And the taboo issue meant nothing.

"Stay in position," he said in his usual deep, authoritative voice, wrapping one muscular arm around my waist. I could shift all I wanted. I wasn't going anywhere. "Or I'll be forced to start over."

"No. No!" He brought his hand down in rapid succession, moving from one side of my already tender and aching bottom to the other. I could tell I was completely red in the face, trying to hold my mind and my resolve together.

However, the man was right in that the round of discipline made me forget what had occurred, at least to a point. I was slowly regaining my ability to breathe, my aching muscles less tense than before. How was that possible?

Four more brutal strikes and he sighed. "You are a good girl. I can sense it. I just don't understand why you ran."

I tried to jerk my head up, struggling with the hair in my face. "You don't know how he looked at me, the grin on his face as if he knew something I didn't know. As if a huge plan was in motion. It was eerie and terrifying and I lost my shit."

"I guess you did. This will help you to focus."

There was something so intimate about the way he was caressing my skin, the heat transferring from his fingers to my bottom significant and sending an electrified warmth throughout my body. I wanted to ask him how many more, but I was fearful he'd add to the number.

Nikolay rubbed his hand along the small of my back and up and back down my spine. When he caressed my buttocks again before starting to lower a single finger, I sucked in my breath. I hadn't realized my legs were parted and there was no doubt he could see just how wet I was. None. I was sure my pussy lips were swollen and glistening. Oh, dear God. Lines were already being crossed.

Before he could start again, I heard a noise and exclaimed in a tiny voice.

"Um… Sorry to interrupt you, boss but the asshole was making a fuss and I popped him a few before we left." Danny. Jesus Christ.

I was still hunkered over Nikolay's knees like a child, my bottom exposed and one of his men had just walked in.

"Okay. Did he say something?" Nikolay asked.

"Yeah," Danny said. "That the apocalypse was about to begin. What the fuck?"

Nikolay chuckled. "Maybe the dude is trying to scare us."

"Maybe. The one thing I could detect was an Italian accent."

Even I took notice to what Danny had said. Nikolay sucked in his breath. "We haven't had any issue with the Cosa Nostra since Aleksander began dating Raphaella. Ask different questions on the street but be careful. The alliance Vadim and Aleksander established is still in place and there are two distinct groups of Italian pigs."

Danny snorted. "I know. I'll see if I can get anything else from the thug before I toss him officially on ice."

When the guy snickered a little under his breath, I sucked in mine.

"Enjoy your evening, boss."

It was Nikolay's turn to laugh. "I am."

The powerful Russian was enjoying this? Was he kidding me?

The footsteps were heavy but thankfully, within seconds we were alone again and Nikolay started back in earnest.

"Rules. They could save your life. Hell, they could save mine," he said in his gruff but far too sexy voice. "We will go over them more tomorrow but you're safe here. This is your home."

"What about a job? The prick was an animal." The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them. I could easily tell how angry Nikolay was.

"I'll deal with the shithead myself later, but his antics aren't high on my priority list at this point."

Four more cracks of his hand and I'll be damned if three of his fingers didn't hit my pussy lips. I was crazed for a few seconds, but the real reason was because I was more aroused than I'd ever felt in my life. So much so I was lightheaded, stars floating in front of my eyes.

The moment was crazy, inhibited but I couldn't help how I felt.

Hadn't he promised we'd be finished before?

Oh, God. Everything I did annoyed him already.

"Six more and we're finished. Then you can enjoy your drink before I take you to your room."

My room.

Everything was surreal at this point, including the fact that within twenty-four hours I'd lost my job, likely lost my apartment, been followed, almost killed, and was now living in another address with a man… I hungered for. And I'd have my own room in a huge, gorgeous house. I don't know if karma hated or loved me but maybe fate had intervened.

Of course, maybe I was just trying to live in the same fantasy I'd had about the man after our meeting a few nights before, the tiny vibrator I'd brought with me getting heavy usage that night.

I had to stop being silly.

He could be my fantasy but nothing else. My father would die.

No, my father would kill us both. Or at least try to.

Oh, this wasn't good. Not good at all.

"It's okay, baby girl. You will sleep better tonight."

One. Two. Three.

The cracks of his hand were harder, the anguish greater, and my desire off the charts.

Four. Five. Six.

I had the urge to drop to my knees in between his legs, sucking his cock until he came deep in my throat.

The vision clouded my judgment. But it was beautiful.

"You did extremely well," he said, his voice full of sexual innuendoes. Maybe I was looking too hard into this but that's the way I felt.

As he eased me from his lap, I was lightheaded, trying not to swoon in his presence. The embarrassment remained but there was so much more.

That was the damning part.

As he slowly lifted his head, I was certain I was going to say something entirely inappropriate. But I managed to take a step back instead, pulling my jeans back into position after turning around. "Again. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. Thank you for saving me."

"Well, I have a bad feeling this is only the beginning."

When I turned around again, he'd grabbed his drink, sitting back on the couch. He looked more pensive than before.

"What does that mean?" I wasn't even certain where I'd placed my glass but quickly found it. The man made me nervous as hell. I think he knew it but his methodology wasn't about lording anything over me. He was just being… protective.

Just like my father.

"It means that Vadim and I learned recently there are some pretty damning rumors about another crime syndicate or cartel trying to infiltrate our territory."

"Aren't you going more legit like my father?"

He chuckled as he looked at me, pulling the glass to his lips. "Yes. I own several lucrative and very legitimate businesses as do Vadim and Aleksander. However, from the dawn of time of the Bratva, including this chapter, our bread and butter still comes from a few more unscrupulous business activities. What we're most concerned about is our pink diamond shipments. We own a highly lucrative jewelry store in Manhattan that from the back room provides the most beautiful pieces of jewelry for very high-end clients."

"That sounds like you're following the letter of the law."

His grin was almost infectious. "Except almost anything coming out of South America or parts of Africa is not without… let's just say difficulties. In those countries, slaves of a different kind are still used. We would love to do business with more scrupulous individuals but that's just not the way it works. Destroying shipments could cost millions and damage our reputation."

"The life of anyone in the mafia."

He exhaled as if exhausted. "Drink your drink. It's time to get you settled. We'll talk more tomorrow, although I will have at least one meeting I must attend. I assure you that you will be heavily guarded."

"Meeting. Is that a cue for heavy, violent interrogation of the man who followed me?"

His smile was slow, sly, and sent a chill down my spine.

"You are far too knowledgeable about the way of the Bratva, my dear."

I nodded, taking another gulp of my drink to try to calm my nerves.

"One question," he asked a few seconds later. "Did I hear correctly that your cousin warned you about your father?"

"Yes. It kind of came out of the blue. She was trying to warn me personally about continuing to use my mother's maiden name in business."

"The reason?"

"Because my father and his world were hated."

"Interesting. I may need to talk with her."

"I don't know if she'll talk to you. She's very… eccentric."

His grin lit up his chiseled face, my core throbbing more than before. "She'll talk to me. I assure you of that."

"You're not going to hurt her. I won't allow it!" I could swear the man seemed amused.

"I'm not in the habit of hurting women, Chantel. However, she will need to tell me everything she's heard. But there are other aspects of the situation to deal with first."

I could sense his rage increasing. But he was so protective I felt as if he was becoming possessive.

Obsessive.

And I liked it.

"I have a father who doesn't keep secrets. I hope you'll be the same." I wasn't certain why I stated the words other than I had a feeling the man sitting a few feet away, the one that kept my pulse high and my pussy wet, was going to be a more permanent part of my life.

Or so I hoped.

What did that make me?

A very bad girl.