Ravaged Throne: A Russian Mafia Romance (Solovev Bratva #2)(45)

“None,” I say, proud of the way the word snaps out of my mouth with conviction.

She pushes her chair back and gets slowly to her feet. “Then I guess you wouldn’t care if I head into his office right now and fuck his brains out?” she asks.

My heart jumps into my throat at once. Why didn’t I just stay silent? There was no danger in silence.

She nods. “Brava to you, then. I’ll be back.” She sashays away, through a door I didn’t notice, and disappears.

I sit there, staring off after her, wondering what the fuck I've done. If I follow her now, it’ll only prove her point. It’ll confirm everything she’s just accused me of.

But if I go back up to my room like I should, I’ll just imagine it happening. I’ll imagine her stripping naked, climbing on top of him…

I get to my feet and stare at the threshold she just walked through.

“Fuck,” I mutter out loud. “Fuck!”

“Something wrong, ma’am?”

My head snaps to the side as one of the waiters enters from the kitchen. He’s looking at me, waiting for some sort of request or order. He’s not the waiter who walked in on me naked. I haven't seen that man since that night. And I’m pretty sure I know why.

“Ma’am?” he asks. “Is something wrong?”

“Yes,” I say with a grimace. “Everything.”





18





LEO





I look up from my files and see Ariel closing the door behind her.

“I’m working, Ariel.”

She walks around my desk and stands in front of me. A seductive smile tugs on her lips. “A handsome man like you shouldn’t need to slave away so often.”

She pushes my legs apart with her knee and climbs onto my lap. She’s playing one of her games; I just don’t have the patience for it tonight.

“Get off me,” I grunt. “I’ve got shit to do.”

She leans in, voice low. “This’ll be worth it. Just hang in there.”

“You’re supposed to be getting information out of Willow.”

“I got something better.”

“What?”

“Proof of her feelings for you.”

“Jesus Christ.” I roll my eyes. “Get the fuck out of here, Ariel.”

She pouts, but refuses to budge.

Instead, she wraps her hands around my neck and grips me tightly. “The easiest way to make her cooperate with you is by forcing her to accept her feelings for you. I’m just helping to speed that process along.”

“You realize she’s not in here, right?” I ask impatiently.

“No,” she purrs, a glint in her eye. “But she will be.”

She’s getting off on the high of playing puppet master. A trait that Belov has obviously encouraged over the years.

It’s a trait I’m going to have to rein in if she persists.

“I don’t have time for—”

The sound of incoming footsteps cuts me off.

Ariel fixes me with an ‘I told you so’ look and leans in. Her lips are almost touching mine. “Come on,” she wheedles. “Play along with—”

My door flies open.

Willow is standing on the threshold looking furious. She’s dressed simply tonight in jeans and a white sweater. It’s the look that suits her best.

Her eyes narrow in on Ariel straddling me. I wait, wondering what she’s going to do next. But she just stands there, watching the two of us like she’s waiting for something to happen.

“Um, something wrong, Willow?” Ariel asks pointedly. “Because if there’s nothing, we were kinda in the middle of something.”

Willow’s jaw twitches dangerously. Her eyes spark with fire. But nothing escapes her lips. Not even an insult or a curse. Ariel turns to me and shrugs.

“Guess she wants to watch.”

She leans in and starts kissing my neck. I feel nothing at all. The sensation is pleasant, but there’s no desire. I’m just detached.

And then, suddenly, Ariel is yanked off me with a scream.

Willow has Ariel by the hair for a moment before she drops her to the floor. Her eyes rise slowly to mine. I wait for the eruption that will inevitably follow.

But she does nothing.

Her gaze flits from me to Ariel and back again. Then she turns around and runs out of the room. The door slams shut. Silence takes over once again.

Down on the floor, Ariel has a hand on the back of her head. She’s wincing. “I wasn’t sure she had it in her. But at least you have your answer.”

I don’t even spare her a glance as I walk around her and follow Willow out of my office.

“You're welcome!” Ariel calls after me as I go.

In the living room, I realize the front door is open. I stride over and see Willow arguing with two of the guards stationed outside. They’ve clearly blocked her path.

“… Fuck you! Let me pass,” she’s growling. “I’m not trying to escape, you dipshits. I just want some air. Let me fucking pass!”

One of the guards catches my eye. I give him a small nod, and just like that, the two of them part, allowing her to move past them. She goes silent for a moment, but doesn’t question their change of heart.