Chapter Seventy-Three

Chapter Seventy-Three

Adrik

Sephie walked back into the office with Andrei and Misha, the rest of us looking at them expectantly. She walked straight to me, taking her place in my lap once again. I could tell by the look on her face that it did not go well. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tightly, wanting to protect her from anything that could make her anything but happy. Instead of asking her for the details, I looked to Andrei and Misha for a recap of what happened.

They were both trying to hold in their laughter. Andrei spoke first. "I would just like to take a moment to state once again how happy I am that Tori is not a part of my life any longer. But the good news of this week is that Max won't be coming here ever again."

Viktor, Ivan, and Stephen all looked to Sephie, surprised. My expression matched theirs. Misha looked to me, a sly smile on his face. "It was impressive. Max was mad that he was made to wait in the lobby, so it didn't start well. It went downhill from there, basically."

"What did he want?" Ivan asked, watching Sephie's face. I could almost watch his anger envelope him as he looked at her. She was clearly upset, which meant Ivan was ready to end whatever or whomever was the cause of her being upset.

"He wanted Sephie to fix his life like always. He said Tori is destroying his life, but he wasn't smart enough to figure out how to get rid of her on his own," Andrei said. He looked to Sephie, completely flustered, adding, "I mean, the solution was so fucking obvious and he had no clue until you gift-wrapped it for him."

"Solution for what? Getting rid of Tori?" Viktor asked.

Misha nodded his head. "She asked him if he'd broken up with Tori yet, after he told her that he can't afford to pay his rent right now. He said no because he was afraid of her. Apparently, she'd scared the kitchen staff a few times after she'd lost it."

Ivan laughed. "I knew she had it in her."

"No joke, man. Sephie told him to get the restaurant owner to fire her and even laid out exactly how to do that. The owner has to know something is off because Max isn't pulling the numbers he normally does. He'll likely happily fire Tori once he knows what's happening," Andrei said.

"Max got all happy once she spelled it out for him like he was a fucking child and wanted to hug her, but we stepped in front of her. I fully expected her to stop us, but she didn't. So, Andrei told him to leave and never come back. He made it clear that he'd chosen crazy over Sephie for the last time. Of course, he was butt-hurt. He looked to her like she was going to argue with Andrei. She didn't. She tried to be nice though, but she told him he couldn't keep treating her like this," Misha said. She pulled my arms around her tighter, folding her legs up inside mine. "He switched to angry real quick."

Sephie interrupted him. "That even surprised me. I've never seen him that angry before." Her voice was flat.

"Right? I was actually worried he was going to make a scene," Andrei said.

Misha looked to me. "You're about to get mad again, but wait until you hear how she handled it," he said. He even put his hands up like he was trying to keep me from flying off the handle already. "Max said, and I quote, ‘You think you can ditch me now that you're giving it up to some rich guy?'"

Misha was right. I was livid. Sephie felt it, leaning her head back against my shoulder, so she could somewhat see me. She stretched up and kissed my cheek. "It's okay. I owned him. Right before I threatened his life," she said quietly.

I glanced toward Ivan, Viktor, and Stephen. All three of their faces were red. They were just as angry as I was.

Misha continued, "This part was beautiful to watch, Boss. You would've been so proud of her. Andrei and I were still standing in front of her, partially blocking her from him. She stepped in between us and got right in his face. She turned it back on him and asked him if he meant she was ditching him how he's always ditched her. He took a step back. That was a big mistake," Misha said, starting to laugh.

"I glanced at Misha when it happened. We both knew what was coming. She started pushing him backward, still just verbally slaughtering him. We were worried we'd have to pull her off him. She told him to leave and never come back. Then she said he'd clearly forgotten just exactly who she was giving it up to and that he'd be lucky if she could convince Boss not to have him killed after he finds out," Andrei said.

"And he will find out, she added," Misha was still laughing, unable to hold it back any longer. "You should've seen his face," he said. He could barely get the words out he was laughing so hard.

"She told him he did this to himself and that he was going to live with it. Then she asked me and Misha to get him out of her sight," Andrei said, now also laughing along with Misha. "I've never been so happy to throw someone out of this building."

I found myself feeling incredibly proud of her. Not just for owning Max and not taking his shit, but for finally starting to see her worth. It meant she was starting to see in herself what I'd always seen in her. I felt my heart swell as I knew that her confidence was growing.

Ivan got control of himself after laughing with Andrei and Misha, saying, "Yep. We woke the beast, but she's in complete control of the beast now." He looked at Sephie, clearly proud of her.

"It's because of you guys. You've all shown me what love and loyalty really are. What I had with Max doesn't come close. I don't want people around me that are only going to take from me," she said, quietly, her hands fidgeting with mine. She took a deep breath, then added, "He's just lucky my hands still hurt. I wanted to punch him." I could hear the smile in her voice.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with him, especially this week, solnishko. But I can't say I'm sad he won't be around anymore," I said.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Not like he was around that much to begin with, really. But he won't be around again. Not unless he has a death wish."

Sephie and I were alone in the penthouse that afternoon. She had her hands soaking in a bowl of very hot Epsom salt water to try and help the bruising calm down. She was staring at her hands as they soaked. Her expression was somewhat blank, but I knew she likely had more going on in her head than what I could see on the surface. I found myself just watching her, my own thoughts drifting in and out.

I had set a timer for her soak. I was jerked back to reality as it went off. I grabbed ice from the freezer and filled another bowl with ice water, switching it out with the hot water in front of her. She looked worried about sticking her hands in the ice water. She hated it the first time we did this too.

"Trust me, it won't feel as cold as you think. You don't have to leave them in very long either," I said, smiling at her.

She shut her eyes tightly and held her breath as she shoved her hands into the ice water. "Nope, hate it," she said as she pulled them out quickly. She wouldn't leave them in the ice water for longer than a few seconds the first time we soaked her hands. I think I got her to last ten seconds that time.

"You didn't even give it a chance, love." I couldn't help laughing at her, but I knew she really did hate to be cold.

"Don't need to. Hate it."

I grabbed a towel and walked to her side. I soaked the towel in the ice water, then took her hands and wrapped them in the towel. She sighed. "Slightly better, but still hate it," she said as she tried to pull her hands away.

"Only for a little bit. It will help, I promise," I said.

She scoffed. "Fine," she said.

I took the towel off after a minute and inspected her hands. They were still swollen and her poor knuckles were not the color that knuckles should be. I looked at her, concerned. "Maybe we should've x-rayed your hands when you went to the hospital with Ivan. Maybe you broke something."

"Nope. Hate that too," she said. She grinned at me when I looked at her sternly. She pulled her hands from mine, making a fist with each one. "I can still make a fist. I can still move all my fingers the way I'm supposed to. It just hurts when I do," she said, showing me she could still use her hands normally.

"We'll do this again later then," I said, kissing her forehead.

She looked at me, complete surprise on her face. "You're not going to argue? Or threaten to call the doctor?"

I know she saw the pain flash across my face when I thought about everything she'd been through with doctors, now that I knew the whole story. I wasn't about to make her go to a doctor unless it was life or death ever again. "You've had enough of doctors this week, solnishko," I said, grabbing the bowl of ice water to empty it in the sink.

She watched me walk away, not knowing what to say. She got up and followed me to the sink, hopping up on the counter next to me while I washed the bowl that had the salt in it. When I was done, I stepped between her legs. She wrapped her legs around my waist, her hands on the back of my neck in my hair. She didn't say anything, she just looked at me for a moment. She smiled softly, then wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly. I pulled her closer to me, relieved to have a moment like this with her.

I tried to step back from her, so I could go get the arnica cream for her hands. She just clung to me tighter. "Nope. Hate that too," she said, giggling.

I couldn't help but laugh. "You're coming with me then," I said, picking her up off the counter. I walked to the bathroom in our room, setting her on the counter in between the sinks. She let go, so I could get the cream once we were in the bathroom. She had a wide smile on her face. I think she enjoyed trying to be bratty just to see if it would get a reaction. She would occasionally do it with the guys too. It never worked. I don't think she'd caught on that I loved it. Honestly, I loved everything about her.

I stood in between her legs, holding out my hand for one of hers. She placed her bruised hand in mine. I started rubbing the cream into her knuckles, trying not to hurt her. She had been quiet since Max had come to the lobby. She seemed okay with it, but it had to be bothering her. Anytime you have to part ways with a friend you've had for years is difficult. Even more so when it's in a dramatic fashion.

She watched me put the cream on one hand, then the other. I would steal glances at her periodically. Her eyes were always on me. It made me think of the first night I was in her apartment, when we were in much the same position, just with me putting cream on her neck instead of her hands. I'd like to see Anthony try to put his hands on her now. I couldn't help but laugh at the thought. She looked at me, curious.

"I was thinking back to the first night I was in your apartment, when I set you on your kitchen counter so I could put cream on your neck. I had a thought that I'd like to see Anthony try to put his hands on you now," I said, grinning at her.

She smiled, but she also looked troubled before she closed her eyes to mask it. She laughed, looking at me again with no trace of anything but happiness. "I might actually break my hands in his case." She looked up at me, smiling. My phone rang in my pocket. I leaned down and kissed her gently as I pulled the phone from my pocket. It was Trino. I put him on speaker, so Sephie could hear as well.

"Trino, what's up, my friend?" I said.

"Jefe, I'm sorry to bother you, but I want to check on something and make sure everything is good. I don't know who we can trust and who we can't trust at the moment," he said. Sephie looked at me, slightly worried.

"No bother, Trino. What happened?"

"One of my top dealers said there's a guy asking a lot of questions about brawn. He thought he was a cop at first, but then he said he confronted him about asking so many questions and he dropped your sweet angel's name and told the dealer to check with me," Trino said.

Sephie said, "That's Chen, Trino. He's asking around for me. He used to be my neighbor. I told him that any of your dealers would help him, but told him to drop my name if they gave him shit. I hope you don't mind."

"Miha, it's good to hear your voice. I don't mind at all," he said. Sephie smiled at me. Trino added, "You're a smart girl, Miha. That was a good move telling him to use your name. I would definitely check that. I don't want to ever be on your bad side." He laughed.

Sephie laughed as well. "Chen knows that your dealers are not with this plan. He's trying to find out more info for me. Did he tell your guy what he knows?"

"No, not yet. He found out more info?" Trino asked, clearly curious.

"Yeah, I was going to call you tonight, Trino. None of the dealers he's talked to except one guy that works for Sal knows anything. Sal's guy said they're getting a heads-up before they switch the shipment. The dealers in his area of the city are supposed to lay low that weekend and not sell. Sal is trying to keep his area quiet that weekend to gain favor back from his people," I said.

We could hear Trino cursing in Spanish. "No shit? Did he know when it's happening?"

"No shit. He didn't know, but that guy thinks Chen is in on the plan already, so we're hoping he gives Chen a heads-up. Chen is trying to find the right person in your network to pass the info to," I said.

"And you found this guy through Sephie?" Trino asked.

"Yeah, I used to live in the same building as him. I saved him from marrying a whore, basically, so he owes me," she said. Her eyes went wide and she shook her head like she couldn't believe she just said that out loud.

"Miha, I know Jefe is right there, but I love you. Come to Colombia, mi amor," he said, still laughing.

"I'll come to Colombia, but only to find you the perfect woman who already loves Colombian men. I seem to have a thing for Russians," she said, grinning at me.

"Deal," he said.

"I'm guessing the dealer that Chen talked to is a good contact if he does get a heads-up?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from talk about Trino and Sephie together. While I knew I had nothing to worry about, it still didn't mean I wanted to think about that happening.

"Yeah, he's one of my top guys. I talk to him regularly. He can get the word out to all my guys quickly too. Any progress on the warehouse or are you going to take my advice and go with the car bomb?" he asked.

I chuckled. "We're still working on it, but I do like your idea, not gonna lie. I'm beginning to enjoy your dramatic flair, Trino." I smiled at Sephie. "Speaking of, have you picked out the cliff for Massimo yet?"

"Oh, I have the perfect one, Jefe. I was considering a different one, but you're right. It needs to be the tallest one I can find. I have the perfect spot. He's going to be falling for a solid five minutes before he hits the ground. On fire the entire time," he said. We could hear the slight edge of anger to his voice as he talked about Massimo.

"Can you video that? That guy has always been a dick to me," Sephie said.

Trino laughed. "Jefe asked the same thing. Okay, okay. You're perfect for each other. I won't try and steal you, Miha. But please come to Colombia and help me find a woman as perfect as you."

"Deal," she said.

"Thanks for checking, Trino. Chen's been helpful to us. I'd like to keep him around," I said.

"De nada, Jefe. Thank Sephie for her brilliant idea to drop her name. You two are becoming unstoppable," he said seriously.

"That's the plan, Trino. Keep me informed on your end. I'll do the same here," I said.

"Will do, Jefe."

I ended the call. Sephie was still looking at me, a little surprised. "You weren't kidding. He wants to kidnap me," she said, smiling.

"And to think, you used to think there was no reason to kidnap you. Now everyone wants to," I said, smirking at her.

"You are not wrong. The list of people who don't want to kidnap me? Very short. The list of people who do want to kidnap me? Very long. Do normal people have this issue?" she asked, her eyes still wide. I couldn't help but laugh. She smacked my arm. "This is not funny! Wait, no. It's a little funny," she said as she couldn't keep her own laughter in any longer.

I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. There were times where I felt overwhelmed with how much I loved this woman. This was one of those times. We were being completely ridiculous about a serious subject, but I found myself feeling lighter any time I laughed with her. About anything. It felt like there were no limits to how happy she could make me, regardless of what was going on.

Just as I deepened the kiss, my hand moving to the back of her neck, my phone rang again. I groaned against her lips as I looked down to see who it was this time. I looked at her, smiling up at me, her lips fuller from my kiss. I groaned again. "I need to take this, solnishko. I'm sorry," I said, answering the phone. It was a business associate I'd been waiting to hear from.

I stayed in front of her, one hand on her thigh, as I had the conversation. She reached up and started to run her fingers lightly over my neck and down my chest where my shirt was unbuttoned. She was making it hard to concentrate. She reached up and kissed my neck lightly, letting her teeth graze my neck just barely. I cleared my throat to keep from making a different noise. She leaned back, a devilish grin on her face. I looked at her sternly as I was talking. Her fingers continued to run lightly over my neck and chest. I had to catch her hand and stop her. I had asked my associate to repeat a sentence twice already because I couldn't concentrate. I heard her giggle quietly as she pushed me back, so she could hop off the counter. She gave me one last kiss to my cheek as she walked out of the bathroom.

It was only slightly easier to concentrate after she left. All I could think about was her. I don't know how I managed to get through the rest of the conversation, but I couldn't end the call fast enough. I stepped out of the bathroom, looking for her. She was curled up on the bed, smiling at me when I walked into the bedroom.

"You're a little bit evil, solnishko," I said. I unbuttoned two more buttons on my shirt, pulling it off over my head as I walked toward the bed. I couldn't get enough of the look on her face as she watched me walk toward her after I took my shirt off. She chewed on her bottom lip, her eyes filled with lust as I unbuckled my belt, then my pants, walking out of them as I continued toward her. I grabbed her ankle, pulling her to the edge of the bed as she squealed. I pulled her up, so she was standing in front of me. "You appear to be overdressed. Let me help you with that." I pulled her shirt over her head, then unbuttoned her pants, pushing them down her hips. I pushed her back on the bed quickly, making her squeal again, then laugh. I grabbed her legs, pulling her jeans all the way off, along with her panties. She made quick work to get rid of her bra as well.

I stood over her for a moment, just drinking in her naked body. She had gotten so skinny before the ball that she almost looked sick. She'd been so hurt after the ball that it took her a long time to put the weight back on. But once she felt better and Andrei started really getting serious with her training, she'd put on muscle too. She was still soft in all the right places, but her body had changed. I found myself very fond of the changes.

I ran my hand lightly up her leg. I loved to watch her react to my touch. She never disappointed. She closed her eyes, a small smile on her lips. I could see the goosebumps rise on her skin as my hand ran over her stomach. I crawled onto the bed over her, leaning down to kiss her stomach lightly. I felt her hands softly run through my hair. I looked up at her, seeing nothing but desire on her face. My lips were on hers instantly. She responded by wrapping her legs around my waist tightly. She surprised me by grabbing my cock and positioning me, pushing my hips toward her with her legs. She put her arms around my neck as I slid inside her. She couldn't help but moan each time. I loved it.

She pulled me toward her, but instead of kissing her lips, I kissed her neck as I started to move in and out. I needed to hear her. It was the best stress relief I had. She must've known because she moaned loudly right away. She put her head back against the bed, helping her to push her hips harder into me. I had flashes of the last time we had sex on the couch. I ran my hand down her body to her thigh, pulling her leg from my waist. I hooked my arm behind her knee, pushing it to her shoulder. She moaned approvingly. That was all it took for me to lose control. I wanted to hear her scream. She grabbed onto my shoulders as she got completely lost in the pleasure. I could feel and hear her building. I kept my unrelenting rhythm, knowing it would be amazing when I finally pushed her over the edge. I felt her nails dig into my skin and I knew she was close.

I felt her orgasm as it happened. Her whole body responded to mine, pushing me closer to the edge. I couldn't get enough of her. I would never get tired of her. How she felt. How she sounded. How she made me feel. I was so lost in what she was making me feel that I ended up exploding into my own orgasm as she was coming down from hers. I collapsed on top of her, apologizing.

"Why are you apologizing?" she asked. Her hands were lightly running over my back. It was one of my favorite things. I was still riding high from the orgasm, so her touch was extra sensual right after we had sex.

"I meant for that to last a lot longer," I said, smiling sheepishly at her.

"Don't apologize. I think you would've broken me if it lasted longer." She grinned up at me.

"Did I hurt you, solnishko?" I asked, concerned.

"No, not at all. It was really intense though." Her fingers moved to my facial hair. I leaned down, kissing her passionately. She smiled against my lips. "You felt it too."

"I did. It was different this time. I got lost in the feeling," I said, playing with the curls around her face.

She giggled. "Welcome to my world. That's what you do to me every time."

I leaned down and kissed her once more. "I might get addicted to that."

She laughed. "You will. I definitely am," she said, her smile making my heart jump in my chest.