Page 88 of Beguiled

With every nerve in my body on fire, I slowly turned to face him. “Then what?”

He pointed to the floor. “Come here.”

When I hesitated, I was offered another even deeper growl than I’d heard before. The sound was as thrilling as it was unnerving.

“I said. Come. Here. Do not make me ask you again.”

The trepidation was real. So was the excitement, but I did as he asked until I was standing only a few inches away.

He swept his gaze from my bare feet, allowing his eyes to travel along every curve as if mesmerizing what I looked like. Reaching out, when he took the clothes I had clutched against me into his hands, I held my breath. Only after tossing them aside did he lift his gaze to my eyes.

“We aren’t finished yet, my private dancer.” Once again, he pointed to the floor, the moment rocketing into an entirely different level.

There was the man I’d first met, the one that had convinced me why men had been created by God. Simply by the way he was looking at me. For a few seconds, the heat of his stare dragged over me, a promise made, one of darkness that I would never escape.

His jaw flexed, a subtle yet powerful look given.

One of possession and hunger, a fervent need that wouldn’t be denied.

My pulse stuttered.

With his command not to be questioned, I made the only choice that made any sense.

I dropped to my knees.

CHAPTER 20

Stash

Women were fascinating creatures.

Beautiful. Beguiling.

Beloved by men who had no idea how to handle them. I’d paid attention to the way both Kazimir and Kirill were with the women who they adored, cherishing every moment and every word out of their mouths.

Big strapping dangerous men who wouldn’t be in such a high level of power without them.

Everything about their relationships had created a more harmonious atmosphere in and out of the office.

On the flipside was how Dimitri was in his life, acting as if he was forever twenty-one. Never grounded. Never too serious.

Maybe I was stuck somewhere in between. I’d heard every word Saige had stated with her full heart and conviction that would easily convince most men.

But I wasn’t most men.

I’d had a crash course in dealing with the other side of the coin, the dark realm of existence few people were forced to deal with. In doing so, I’d lost a part of my soul, forced to shove my conscience into the toilet. My mother had warned me. My father had nurtured the notion, schooling me in proper etiquette and managing my emotions. Learning to control any weakness before it began whether it be alcohol or sex.

Or someone touching my heart.

The other word that lingered in the back of my mind was betrayal. It was synonymous with the Bratva and had been since the beginning of time. I’d heard stories from my father. I’d lived through the horrific betrayal of a brother who’d never accepted me. I was also well aware that with Saige’s suggestion of being used as a femme fatale for my benefit, she’d already fulfilled her own curiosity about what betrayal truly meant.

I couldn’t forget the possibility. Not even for a moment.

The two words issued as a threat meant someone was watching me, planning.

Mikhail.

I felt it in my bones. There was no discounting the fact he’d likely been watching me, plotting revenge effort number three since I’d arrived in New York. An irrational thought had powered through my mind since leaving from my visit with Vartan.