Page 56 of Claimed By My Ex's Dad
Galina won’t tell me about Valerian’s history.
I have hope with this guy if I can show him a bit more cleavage. He might start to give me what I want then.
“Sure. We can go outside.”
“How about upstairs?” The man’s face darkens.
“Um.” I swallow. “I really think?—”
The man grabs me. Hard. He keeps his hand locked around my wrist, subtly dragging me through the crowds, toward the staircase.
My throat tightens. And then my vision goes hazy from the alcohol again. All the fight leaves my body. I want to shove him off. I don’t care about the history. I don’t wanna hear it from him. Trading information for sex isn’t really my thing
Besides, this guy doesn’t really care about anything I have to say.
“Hey. Um. I really need to?—”
“Get out of the dress,” the man finishes for me. “I know. I’ll tear it right off and fuck you. I bet your husband has never made you finish.”
How much is he betting?Because I could use some money for when I get out of here.
I glance sideways at the camera crew as the man pulls me away from them.
Fuck, I can’t make a scene…
I suppose that’s why Valerian makes one for me.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Valerian hisses in the man’s ear.
Before he can answer, he sends him flying into the staircase.
Gasps fill the air. The entire lobby comes to a standstill. Every single person in this room is looking at Valerian and the man.
And me.
The crowd parts around us, holding onto their flutes of champagne. Startled. There were lots of conversations going on before. All of them have been paused. Even the string quartet has stopped. Their bow falls to the ground, belonging to a woman whose jaw is all the way on the floor. Everything is forgotten about.
Valerian stalks back to the staircase, picking the trembling man up by his shirt collar. Like he’s a dog.
“You’re fired,” he says to the man.
He releases his collar, sending him back onto the staircase.
When he turns around to face the audience, I can hear other peoples’ bones shaking. That’s how fucking scared everyone in this room is.
I am, too. The adrenaline is pounding through me. But it always comes hand in hand with arousal.
“There’s nothing to see here, ladies and gents,” says Valerian, his voice echoing from the walls. “Let’s continue the party.”
The musicians snap out of their trance, reaching for the bow. And the songs start up again.
I hear a bunch of women asking questions to my left. They have beautiful dresses, even more beautiful faces. That tells me they could be the wives of some of the Bratva men.
“What was that about?”
“That girl over there, the one in the blue dress. I think one of Valerian’s employees from the company was about to rape her.”
“Holy shit.”
