Champagne Venom (Orlov Bratva, #1)(16)

But this? Working with him every day? Being part of his world?

I didn’t mean to sign up for that.

“I can’t do this,” I mutter, whispering the words against my palms.

“You okay, dear?”

Misha’s receptionist is standing in front of me, her lined face creased in concern. I hate that my first thought is that she isn’t a threat. That Misha won’t pay any attention to her in her oversized cardigan, thick spectacles, and elastic-waisted pants.

It doesn’t matter what he pays attention to, you psycho. He’s not yours. You’re not his.

I smile as pleasantly as I can. “I’m fine. Just hungry, I think.”

“Well, there’s no need to starve yourself,” she says brightly. “We have a lunchroom that’s always stocked to the rafters. You can help yourself.”

“Thanks, but I’m afraid I didn’t bring any cash with me today.”

Not that there was any cash to bring. Rent on my apartment is already paid for the month, but I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel until my first paycheck.

She waves away my concern. “Everything in the lunchroom is free. It’s a perk of the job. I’m MaryAnne, by the way.”

“It’s nice to meet you, MaryAnne. I’m Paige.”

“Paige! Lovely name. Now, Paige, you had best go feed yourself. Mr. Orlov needs you healthy and strong.”

I thank her again and head to the lunchroom to find something to shove in my piehole.

I’m imagining a bowl of months-old granola bars, some browning fruit, maybe a crusty, overused Keurig machine. But I’m floored by the feast in front of me.

There’s a snack counter loaded with racks of chips, packaged baked goods, and candy bars. Next to that are two glass-front refrigerators. One is filled with an assortment of different boxed salads and sandwiches. The other is brimming with drinks: sodas, tea, sparkling water, kombucha, and everything in between.

I’m practically drooling on the sandwich fridge when a woman’s voice brings me back to reality.

“It’s overwhelming at first, isn’t it?” she laughs.

I look back and grin sheepishly. “A bit.”

Especially since, as of three days ago, I couldn’t afford to eat a thing.

The woman who spoke is wearing a bright red pantsuit and a daring pixie cut, with a lightning bolt-shaped earring and a diamond stud piercing her tragus. She’s effortlessly cool and I’m girl-crushing instantaneously. There’s more than just sandwiches to drool over, apparently.

“The ham and cheese is always fuego. And the egg salad sandwich is bomb, too, if there’s any left.”

I scan the fridge and shake my head. “Egg salad is gone.”

“Bummer. I’ll save you one next time.”

I grab a ham and cheese sandwich and turn to her. “Thanks. I’m Paige. Today is my first day.”

“Congrats, and welcome to hell. I’m Rowan. I’m the P.A. to Samson Montgomery.”

“I’m working for Mr. Orlov.”

Rowan’s eyebrows rise to the roof of her forehead. “Whoa. The head honcho. That must be intimidating as hell.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well… um… because he’s intimidating as hell.”

“You’re not wrong there,” I admit. “To be honest, I’m a little nervous about this job.”

“Understandable.”

“No,” I say, taking a step towards her. “Not nervous like first day jitters. More like… um, how much do you know about Orion Enterprises?”

Rowan steps back, her friendly demeanor suddenly cautious. “Enough to know that it’s not your traditional company.”

I exhale slowly. “So my gut feeling is right.”

“I signed the same NDA that you did, Paige,” she tells me quietly. “Yours probably had a few extra clauses in it because of who you’re working for… but still, same thing. So my advice? Don’t break it.” There’s a warning in her eyes. “Misha Orlov is not someone you want to fuck with.”

“You make him sound like some kind of gangster,” I say with a bubble of nervous laughter.

Rowan smiles, but she doesn’t rush to correct me. “You know, this is a pretty nice place to work if you keep your head down and do your job. The pay is good, the benefits are fair, they give great annual bonuses, and the Christmas party always has a top-shelf open bar. Just… color in the lines they give you, you know?”

“It felt like a dream when I got offered the job. I’m starting to wonder if it was too good to be true.” I shudder and shake my head. “Not to be morbid or anything. Do you have any other advice?”

She leans close, voice low. “If you notice anything weird or out of the ordinary… pretend you don’t.”

I can’t help what escapes my lips. “Oh, God.”

Rowan smiles mysteriously. “Even if you believed in God, Orion Enterprises is the last place you’d find Him.”





12

PAIGE

“Paige.”

At the sound of Misha’s voice, I jump out of my seat and click my heels together like I’m in the military. It feels like an oddly formal way to greet my boss, but the last week hasn’t exactly given me a lot of practice.