Page 69 of Shutter and Sin
Our ride pulls up to the sidewalk. Alexei steps forward, pulling the door open, and I slide inside. Right as I move, his broad hand connects with my ass in a loud, stinging smack. I let out a sharp yelp and scramble across the backseat to put distance between us.
He gets in after me wearing a smug smirk.
I shove myself all the way to the opposite door and cross my arms over my chest, staring straight out the window. “Put your hands on me again and I promise I won't hesitate the next time you ask me to end your life.” A deep chuckle vibrates from his side of the dark car, showing zero concern.
The rest of the drive passes in a thick silence until we step inside the venue.
The club makes you forget the rest of Moscow even exists. Pulsing gold lights swallow the high ceilings, and the darkmarble floors mirror a sea of rich bodies moving to a heavy bass. Everything in the building smells like money, sex, and terrible choices.
Alexei keeps his broad palm pressed tight against the small of my back while we navigate the crowd, letting his warm fingers sink into my bare skin. He navigates us past the mass of grinding bodies and straight toward the velvet rope at the back, making sure every eye in the club tracks my movements. The bouncer unhooks the rope the moment he makes eye contact with Alexei. The VIP area is separated by thick glass and deep leather booths, holding a private bar and men in sharp suits paired with quiet women. Alexei moves through the space demanding every ounce of attention in the room. He introduces me to a few people, and I force a soft smile while nodding at the right moments to play the part of the silent accessory. After the third introduction, he leans down to brush his lips against my ear.
“Bohdan will walk you to the bar to get whatever you want.” He lowers his voice. “Stay away from alcohol and get a mocktail or water.” I narrow my eyes at him.
He holds my stare, his expression turning cold. “I mean it, Zoya.” Bohdan steps up to hover right beside me. I look at the rigid set of Alexei’s jaw and realize this is a terrible time to start an argument in front of his men.
“Fine,” I tell him, flashing a wide smile full of violent promises. “I wouldn’t want to embarrass you in front of your friends, daddy.”
I spin around and head for the private bar, refusing to look back even as Alexei’s eyes burn a path straight down to my skin. As soon as we move out of his line of sight, Bohdan rests his weight against the bar and stares me down.
“Relax,” he tells me, keeping his words trapped under the loud beat. “Get to know the guy. He isn’t the villain in this story, Zoya. Trust me.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Trust you? I don’t even know you.” Bohdan chuckles and flags the bartender for two waters. “Fair enough. But I’ve known Alexei a long time. He loves you. He means it.”
I let out a dry laugh. “Right. The man who kidnapped me and keeps threatening to fuck the attitude out of me is a total romantic.” Bohdan scans the area, making sure no one is listening, before leaning in to drop his voice.
“Look, this is between us, yeah? Keep your mouth shut about this.” He lets a second pass before going on. “Before he brought you here, Alexei was a full-blown playboy. He had a new woman every night and never touched the same one twice. Then he saw one picture of you and his whole world flipped. He dropped all of them cold and told us he was finished playing around. The whole crew thought he had gone crazy, but he was in love. He has been entirely obsessed with you ever since.”
I stare at him, struggling to make sense of the information.
Bohdan gives a small shrug and pushes a water glass into my hand. "Just give him a chance. He is nowhere near perfect, but for you? He is different."
I take the glass and squeeze it tight. Part of me wants to ignore the confession, but another part of my chest tightens with doubt. I open my mouth to drop a sarcastic remark and kill the tension, but then my eyes track across the room and land on her.
She is tall with dark hair, commanding attention with every step she takes. Her floor-length gown drips with money and status, proving she belongs in this world. She walks on a direct path straight toward Alexei.
I watch her close the distance and place her hand flat against his arm. She leans in to laugh at something he says, tilting her body into his space to show the room they share a history. I take a long drink of my water and force myself to stay calm.
Her fingers brush up to his chest for a split second, and while Alexei maintains a polite distance, he makes no effort to pull away. I slam my glass down against the marble top.
"Give me alcohol," I tell Bohdan. He sighs. "He said no alcohol—"
"Bohdan."
He takes one look at my face, spots the woman across the room, and chooses the path of least resistance. "One drink." As soon as I grip the cold glass, I run a hand down my skimpy dress and walk straight across the VIP floor to assert my place right next to him, and ruin his chances of getting laid.
I loop my arm through Alexei’s and press my body flat against his side, looking up at him with a sweet smile. "Hubby," I say with a cheerful voice, "the drink Bohdan picked was awful. Be a good future husband and buy me something strong."
Alexei clamps his hand onto my waist and pulls me hard against his side. His thumb drags over my hip bone to secure his hold. He stares at the full glass of alcohol already in my hand, then meets my eyes with amusement.
"Alcohol is a bad idea for you," he mutters.
"That’s why you’re here to look out for me," I shoot back, dragging my free hand up his chest. "Right?"
The woman clears her throat to pull his attention. I turn in her direction and act stunned by her face.
"Oh! I am so sorry," I say, opening my eyes wide. "I didn’t see you standing there at all."
She smiles without missing a beat. “Not at all. I’m Celeste. An associate of Alexei’s.”
