Chapter 4 - Ivan

I fiddled with my glass, swirling around the few mouthfuls of vodka I had left in the glass. My nerves were humming. I was really looking forward to seeing that little blonde again, and it didn't tamper down my ego to know I'd been right. She did call, and it had only been two days.

Sweet, innocent little Adley. Goddamn, I am looking forward to this way too much.

The door opened, and I looked over from my seat at the bar to see the target in question walk in from the sunny day outside. As I stared down her body, I noticed that Adley had certainly dressed to impress.

She wore another pair of sleek leggings in black, this pair framing that perfect ass of hers like the others had. Paired with it this time was a simple black crop tee, exposing a bit of her abdomen, and a leather jacket that had clearly been around for a while. There were subtle cracks in the material, and it hung loose on her frame like it had been passed down.

Mmm, tasty indeed.

"Hello there."

She walked toward me, and I stood up from my stool, pulling one out for her.

"Glad you called, Adley." I kept my voice low, admiring her long blonde hair that had been worn down around her shoulders today.

"Hello," she replied, sitting and clearing her throat. "So, what are the details of this deal of yours?"

I chuckled. "Right to the point, huh? Shit, I was at least going to buy you a drink."

She sighed, looking over to the bartender and getting his attention. When he came over, Adley offered a tight smile.

"Hi, could I get a double whiskey on the rocks, please? Jameson."

The guy nodded, and I called out to him to put it on my tab. When he returned and delivered the drink, Adley took a large gulp. She exhaled hard as the burn hit her, and I just smirked, taking one from the vodka.

"All right, I have a drink. So, can we please talk about the deal now?"

It was charming how impatient Adley was, how much she couldn't wait to get things started, and how clearly flustered she was. Nodding, I leaned on the bar with one elbow, taking out a toothpick with my other hand and chewing on it.

"Very well. As stated previously, I will help you get the rent payments and such up to date for your family's bodega. I will also have my family and associates visit the shop to spend money on a regular to help keep it afloat. In exchange, you are to come to live with me as my wife and do as I ask."

Adley narrowed her eyes, chewing on that full bottom lip of hers. "How long am I supposed to do that? Stay with you?"

"For the foreseeable future."

She blanched, her eyes going wide. "Forever? Are you serious?"

I nodded, smirking as I chewed on the toothpick. "Deadly."

"Can I leave to see my family? Friends?"

I considered it, knowing that once she was living with me, there was no way to keep her in the dark about what I did for a living.

"Yes, permitted that you agree to keep the conversations away from my business and with an escort there to keep an eye on things."

She scoffed, and Adley rolled her eyes, taking a quick drink. "How am I supposed to play off some stalker watching me? People will notice that."

I shook my head, the corners of my mouth turning down. "I assure you my men can be very discreet."

Adley ran her eyes up and down, taking in my own change in presentation now that I wasn't meeting a client but her. I'd ditched my smart clothes in favor of my favorite pair of jeans, twin holes in the knees, and a simple black tee. My own leather jacket was in place, and hell, we looked like we could be a couple.

"Discreet, huh? As discreet as you? Because that's maybe not as great a cover as you think it is."

Another easy chuckle left me, and I just picked up my vodka and finished it off.

"Next question, sweetheart. We'll need to be going soon if we hope to close this deal before the end of the business day."

"Still so fucking cocky," she replied, and I watched as a determined fire lit behind her eyes, igniting the blue enough to make it sparkle like crystal. "Fine. How exactly do you plan on paying for the bodega's rent? It's behind a fair amount, and frankly, you don't look like you have the cash to handle that."

This time, when I barked out a laugh, it actually caught me by surprise. Adley was judging me by outward appearances, and while that was understandable, it was hardly the most important determiner of someone's ability.

"I assure you, I'll have the payments taken care of. What's that old saying? Don't judge a book by its cover."

Adley rolled her eyes, and it took everything in me not to yank that pretty stare back into place.

"Right, except everyone does that." Adley finished off her double, and despite that self-proclaimed tolerance, I was surprised that she wasn't at least buzzing afterward. "So, what? I just take you to the bank, and you work your magic? What about keeping the place afloat? It's not like we're rolling in customers these days."

"That's unfortunate. And essentially, yes. I'll go with you to settle the debt, and as for the future, I told you. My family and associates need a place to store items, talk shop, that kind of thing. They'll pay monthly stipend and order food while they're there."

Adley's eyes narrowed, and I could see the cogs turning inside her pretty little head. She was debating whether to say something. The look was easy enough to read. Because unlike my sweet, na?ve mouse here, I read people very well. It was part of the job, and I'd gotten damn good at it.

"Spit it out, Adley."

She grumbled, rolling her eyes before they landed on me again. "Can we please be honest? If you're going to be my fucking husband, I think I deserve the truth."

"Fair enough."

"Good, so these family members of yours, what exactly do you mean?"

She already knew I could tell that much, but Adley wanted me to say it. She needed me to be the first one to say it so that her brain could fully process what she was really doing and what she was saying yes to.

"I mean," I drawled, letting her hang there on the edge because I liked to watch her squirm, "the family-based organization I work for. The one that has purchased a lot of business downtown and offers protection. For a fee."

Adley ducked her head, lowering her voice to a whisper. "The mob."

I grinned, leaning in toward her and ghosting my lips over the shell of her ear. "The mob. Specifically, the bratva Russian one."

She sat back in her stool, widening the space between us, and she looked up at me with the oddest expression. Adley's face was tilted low, and she chewed on her lip. She blinked slowly, and her breathing hadn't shot through the roof either.

Trying to work on your poker face? Not bad.

"Thoughts, sweetheart?"

But Adley just stared at me. The silence between us stretched on, and I allowed it to. Adley could take her sweet time deliberating. I knew she'd say yes, and it wasn't rare for the good old silent treatment to help win over someone who had yet to make up their mind fully.

She looked at me, peering as hard as she could to see inside my head. I just smirked. I was a bit more skilled at this game than she was, and it was unlikely that a newbie like herself would get anything out of my expression that I didn't want them to.

I eyed the way she still chewed on her lip, the curve of her teeth making the pink flesh of her lip pale under the pressure. Adley eyed me right back, still combing over me like she was studying a map. Her stare landed on my tattoos several times, and I knew they were something of a distraction.

It's why I'd gotten them after all.

Still, it was the way her gaze kept returning to my mouth that had me the most on edge. The air was charged between us, invisible electricity surging through the air like cable ends nearing each other. The second they'd touch, they'd be sparks, and the power behind them was enough to jump a car or stop a heart.

"I just don't understand," she whispered. "Why me?"

My smile spread across my face easily, naturally. "I'd like to lie and come up with some line, but since you went and made me promise to be honest…"

I rolled my stare down for a moment, taking all of her in before flicking my gaze back up to her face. Adley visibly stiffened.

"I don't know. I saw you, and that was it. I had to have you. The bodega, well, I'm familiar with families struggling to get by, so that's a bonus. But really, it's just you, Adley. You…fascinate me. And that's rare."

One more prolonged beat of silence hit, a rubber ball smacking the cement, and then Adley reached for her whiskey, realizing it was gone.

"Get me another drink, and then…" she swallowed, "yes."

I smiled. I fucking grinned from ear to goddamn ear like I'd won the fucking lottery or finally ended that Pavel asshole and had time to spare on more lucrative jobs.

"Bartender," I called out, "get my fiancé another drink, please."

Adley blanched slightly as I said the word, but there was no going back now. As the guy came over and set down her new drink, Adley reached for it like it was the cure to some poison—and not, in fact, the poison itself.

I shot my hand out, snatching her wrist before she could grip the glass.

"You're going to need to talk to the banker when we get there. I hope that your tolerance wasn't just a show."

She shook her head slowly, those blue rolling. It was a gesture she gave me quite a bit, and I was genuinely looking forward to getting back home and teaching her just how that bratty display was going to be rewarded. Or rather…punished .

"I'm fine. And trust me, a little buzz will help me sound less like I'm being forced to sign my life away to save my parents' business." She shook off my hand, grabbed her drink, and knocked back a solid swig. "I really hope that your wallet can stretch. I have twin siblings looking to go to college, too."

Chuckling, I considered my end of this bargain. I knew I was good for it, and the Vadims would love having another place to do business.

"You're real funny, sweetheart. I promise the family will be thrilled to drop at least a grand each week to ensure their new hot spot is spouting a strong signal. Hell, they'll be tickled that the money is going toward school."

Adley's mouth fell open again, and she sat forward in her chair with her eyes wide. "A grand a week?"

"To start, I'm sure I'll be able to argue for more."

Gawking, Adley curled into herself before that snarky attitude found her again. She shrugged, finishing the whiskey like a pro, and sighed heavily.

"All right," I took out my wallet, going for my unique business credit card, "it looks like we have several errands we need to run. And I'm sure you'll want to swing by your place to grab some shit."

Adley snapped her attention to me. "You'll…You'll let me go home? Umm…okay."

"Okay," I returned, standing up from the chair and offering my arm to my new bride.