I'm usually already awake by 5 a.m. to go about my day. It's like a default setting my body and mind has grown accustomed to. But when I awoke and saw that Lucia had gotten past the pillow she used as a barricade last night and her body was practically tangled with mine, I knew I couldn't push her away so I remained in bed for another hour. Plus, it's been a while since I was this close to a woman, and it felt so good to have her sprawled on my chest like that and in my arms. There's no way I'm letting her leave after today. When the time reaches 6 a.m., I know I must get up before I impulsively decide to take the day off. I inhale her vanilla scent before getting up and going to the ensuite to start my morning routines. When that is done, I dress in a three piece beige suit and style my hair. I have to be at work early today to begin my search for Lucia's ex, Alfred Curtis. There's a possibility that it might not be him, but at this point, I don't care. I'm not willing to gamble a
I'm very much awake when Ivan comes into the room. Infact, my laptop is still turned on next to me on the bed. I don't think I'm ready to start explaining why I'm still in his room even after his mum left today. I don't know how or what happened, but my room looks like something exploded in there. When I went in with my laptop and a few of my dresses on a hanger, I ran back out in shock when I saw that the ceiling of my room was practically littered all over the floor.Aliya was equally as shocked as me when she came to see what freaked me out. I'm just grateful all my belongings - down to my luggages - weren't there. Otherwise, it would've been a hassle trying to get them all out. When Ivan's back is facing me, I open my eyes properly as he enters the ensuite with a tequila bottle and gently shuts the door behind him. I doubt he even noticed that I wasn't actually sleeping.I pick up my laptop, shut it down, and quietly place it on the bedside table before covering myself up again.
After two weeks, Ivan's gun wound has healed enough that he can now go about without the bandage. Despite the pain, he's been going to work wearing his usual suit attire except he wears it without the jacket so there can be enough room. Sometimes, he switches it up, wearing jeans and a polo instead. Now that the bandage is off, he's back to wearing his suits which I honestly can't complain about. This morning, he dropped me off at a cafe since I didn't want to be at home. I've come to realize that the change of scenery helps a lot when I have a writers block.I've been here for five hours now and so far I've written a very impressive number of words. Since I couldn't get past writing the sex scene for my romance novel, I dumped the incomplete manuscript and started a new thriller novel today. I look at my wrist watch to check the time which says quarter to one, and look behind me to where Pavel and James are seated on high alert, throwing death stares to anyone who looks in my dire
It took everything in me to restrain myself from devouring Lucia as soon as I saw her wearing the dress I got for her. She looked stunning, and apparently, I wasn't the only one who thought so. I caught a few lingering eyes on her at the event, and if not for the time and place, I would've plucked out every pair of eyes that looked her way this evening. Immediately we got back, I changed into my swimwear and came down to the pool to let out some steam. That's my one form of relieving stress, but in this case, I'm letting out the tension I feel from holding back when it comes to Lucia. Plus, it doesn't help that we lay on the same bed. I fucking applaude my self control.She's my wife by law and I have every right to claim her but despite how tempting that is, I want her to want me as much as I do. I don't know how long I can last though. I've just completed a second lap when I feel my neck tingle from being watched. It's not a bad sort of tingle though and I Instantly know it's Luc
I watch as confusion slithers his expression for a moment. I wasn't planning on telling him, but then I've heard the pain of losing your virginity isn't exactly a good feeling. He stares at me for seconds, which brings me instant regret because I just might have ruined the moment.Silly silly me. I slap myself internally.Then the realization of my confession suddenly hits him, and his eyes grow a shade darker than I've ever seen.“Fuck, baby.” He growls. “Thank fuck you spoke on time.” And just like that, the moment is back. He captures my mouth again in a searing kiss while positioning his cock at my entrance. He begins to lower himself slowly as he stares into my eyes. I gasp when he breaks through and inhale when he's all the way to the hilt. God I feel so full. “Are you okay?”“Yes baby, move please.” I whimper, aching so much for him but he doesn't move right away, instead he remains unmoving for a minute, giving me time to adjust. Then he pulls back an inch and comes back
When I turn on the bed at dawn, I find Ivan's side empty. I assume he's using the toilet, so I go back to bed. I'm properly up by 8:35 a.m., and Ivan is nowhere to be found. Even at his home office. Aliya confirmed that he left very early this morning for work. I wouldn't have been surprised if not that it's Sunday today. He's always home on Sundays. I go to shower and have breakfast so I can resume my writing. When my laptop is in front of me, Ideas are flowing and I should be more than excited about that since it's the romance manuscript I abandoned when I couldn't figure out the sex scene but I just can't concentrate.Firstly, my mind wanders off to last night, which was undoubtedly an amazing one for me. I had sex for the first time and even enjoyed it, though I still feel sore. When Ivan walked in on me touching myself, that had to be the most embarrassing thing I have ever felt in a long time. I didn't think he would react the way he did, which made me feel relieved knowing he
“There's no sign of life, Pakhan.” Alex says as he limps into one of the rooms of the underground tunnel that I and more than a dozen of my men are holed up in. There are a few bodies sprawled at every nook and cranny of the room.“Doc, see Alex's wound next.” I motion with my head in Alex's direction, signalling that he takes a seat. Pavel is currently getting a stitch on his inner thigh.“Where's Lev?” I ask Nikolai, who is standing beside me. He lifts his chin at the entrance, and I look up to see Lev walking inside, a blunt in between his lips. He looks like shit. Fuck, we all do.After what I would consider the best and most peaceful night I've had in a long long time, I was woken up with a call that the Terka Syndicate had breached one of my major warehouses in New york. They obviously didn't take my rejection - to not use my border route - lightly.I have a total of twenty-five warehouses scattered all over the state and a few more outside the state; three of which are fully e
I've just put up my hair into a ponytail when there's a quick knock on my bedroom door. Yup, you heard that right. I moved out of Ivan's room 2 days ago. Being in his space was really messing with my head, and I just couldn't take it anymore. It doesn't even help that his scent practically fills up the entire room.His action over the last four days since he left tells me of the kind of person he is. I scoff at my own stupidity for not keeping my desire for my sexy husband in check. I couldn't go back to my former room because while the ceiling has been repaired, the room still needs a lot of fixing to look like it did before whatever it was that happened to it. So I moved into the room opposite Ivan's. It's a bit smaller than what I'm originally used to, but the cosiness of the space makes it more than perfect for me. “Come in.” I respond.Aliya opens the door and peeks her head inside. “Pakhan is back, ma'am.” I restrain myself from showing any obvious interest in Ivan finally fi
The next few weeks pass by in a blur of events. First, Ivan never told me what exactly he did to Alfred but i heard rumors amongst his men, Naya, Aliyah and even Lev that Alfred's death was brutal and one that would not easily be forgotten. I know he killed Alfred and I should be relieved that there would be no more trouble from him anymore, but be it a facade or not, I really held Alfred to high esteem when we were together. Seeing what became of him still makes me wonder what the hell happened to him and why he changed courses. Was he always that crazy but I was just too blind to notice? I guess I'll never know. I'm just super glad that peace reigns again. “What's on your mind?” Ivan's smooth voice speaks into my ear. His arms enclose me on either side as he stands behind me on the balcony overlooking the beach of the private island he apparently owns in Maldives.“Everything that's happened since we got married. It's been a hell of a ride.”“It's all over now, my love.” He kisses
There are days where I get in my feelings and just go for a drive or bury myself in work till my anger subsides. I mean, since I can't just go about hitting people or firing them, that's the safest option anyway.But today? Today is definitely one of those days, and boy, am I glad I have a punching bag this time around. Alfred has been locked up for the past week in the torture room at Dmitry Enterprise.“No food?” I say to one of my men standing guard at the back entrance when I walk into the building the next day. I had planned to over stretch Alfred's torture. I wanted to take a piece of him every day until he took his last breath. Maybe then, in his next life, he wouldn't be such a nuisance to society. But no matter how satisfying it would have made me, I just want to get it over and done with so I and Lucia can successfully move on from this stage. The quicker the better.“As instructed, Pakhan.” He gives a curt nod and steps aside to let me in. Walking deeper into the basement,
The persistent beeping grabs my attention first, akin to a pesky mosquito hovering around, waiting for its next unfortunate victim. Next, I become overly aware of the soreness and dryness in my throat.I gently flex my fingers, noticing one hand tightly clenched. With effort, I open one eye, then the other. Despite the dimness of the room, the unmistakable scent of a hospital fills my nostrils. Gradually, I turn my head to the left and find my sweet Ivan clutching my hand in his as he sleeps.My eyelids drop heavily as sleep threatens to swallow me whole again. Knowing that Ivan is with me, I hold on to his hand as well and let sleep take me for the second time.When I wake up again, the day is bright, and I don't see Ivan by my side anymore. My hand unconsciously goes to my belly as I rub it, but something immediately feels off. like it's empty and void of a living being. Just as I begin to panic, the door slides open, and Ivan walks in, holding a cup of coffee in one hand as he sli
Thirty minutes after driving like a maniac, looking for the closest hospital to home, my wife is finally pulled into the emergency ward. But they won't let me get past the door they just wheeled her through.“You're going to have to wait here, Mr. Dmitry. Please.” A female nurse in scrubs blocks my path, and I swear to God, it takes a lot of self-control to not push her out of my way and go after my wife. “Let us do our thing. Your wife is in the best of hands.” Her voice has grown calmer when she sees the despair in my eyes.“She's pregnant. Do all you can to save them both, please.” I never thought I would say please to a stranger. That's what Lucia does to me.Understanding dawns in her eyes. “We'll come get you as soon as we can.” She says to me before walking through the door and shutting it after her.Having no other choice but to wait, I settle down on the chair in the waiting room while the doctors see that my wife makes it out alive. My heart threatens to explode when I reme
I feel the trickle of a liquid running down my face before it seeps into my mouth. Blood.That's what the liquid tastes like. On my third attempt to open my eyes, they finally pity me and flutter open. I can't make out any figure in the room because it's so dark, and for a second, I'm confused as to how I got here. But everything comes flooding into my head.As soon as Ivan drove off, I was worried. I couldn't stop pacing our bedroom. Then I went to sit at the window overlooking the compound gate, hoping he would drive back in immediately, saying everything had been settled. But I knew I was only being delusional.Or was I? Because tell me why five minutes after Ivan had driven out, I got a text from a number saying ‘Lucia honey, It's Ivan. come outside for me. Hurry’No one had driven into the compound yet, so I assumed he was on his way and a few seconds out. I sprinted downstairs as soon as I saw the text, thinking everything was finally over.I didn't even check to see the sende
The months go by in a blur of happiness and peace. There's too much of it that I begin to worry and get suspicious, especially with the whirlwind of negative emotions Lucia had to go through because of Anna. All I had to do to get rid of Anna was threaten her with her finances. We both knew there was more I could have done, like actually banning her from my city or killing her. But I have always been a stickler against hurting women and children. Since I couldn't harm her physically, I automatically transferred the blow to Rodrick, who was stupidly her informer. I always wondered how she knew of my whereabouts sometimes and was surprised when she gave him out. So much for loyalty these days.But despite the worry, Lucia reminds me to enjoy the serenity. Of course, I appease her by not looking or acting worried in her presence but behind doors, with the help of Gertrude, we've been looking into the reason for my worrying; Alfred's absence.It's been three months since the entire Alfr
It has been such a confusing morning for me since I woke up, all puffy eyed from crying last night. Even as I try to get food into my stomach, it's impossible not to think about the events that played out last night and how it ended. I woke up this morning feeling embarrassed, and the feeling followed me to the bathroom to shower and straight to the dining area where I'm now having breakfast.I really did believe that Ivan played me after hearing everything Anna said to me last night. I was so hurt. But hearing all the explanation he gave is what's been confusing me all morning.Some part of me believes him wholeheartedly. It really does. I mean, with the photo evidence he sent to me showing the debris in an open yard, an underground entrance, cages containing frightened women and some more pictures of even more women entering the back of vans. They were really believable, and that's enough proof to know that he wasn't lying at all.Then there's the part where he showed me the one wa
The night started off so well. Infact, the whole day beginning from last night. Well, that is until now.I knew something was up immediately I saw Lucia's expression when she came out of the restroom. There was just something different about it from when she went in at first. But hearing the words coming out of her mouth tonight has my thoughts spiralling. I have no doubt that Anna… crazy crazy Anna ambushed my wife in there and put thoughts in her head.And I can't blame Lucia for her reaction. Just looking at her breaks something in me. There's nothing but hurt on her face, and it kills me to think that I'm the cause of it.She thinks I went to be with Anna after that beautiful first night we had together only because I didn't go into details about the events of the four days I was away. And Anna, who somehow got information on my absence, decided to use it to her advantage. She'll learn soon enough why that was a bad idea but first things first. I take Lucia's hand in mine as I l
Ivan and I stride into the grand hall, joining the other formally dressed guests who are here for the fundraising gala. Ivan said it's a charity auction, which has me excited. I haven't been to one before.Just like the last time we were out like this in public, every heads turn in our direction immediately we step into the room. And once again, I can feel every pair of eyes sizing me up. Especially the ladies. I'm wearing a strapless silver sequin dress that's floor length and has a high slit that runs across my legs. My hair is finely done in loose curls, and I put on just the right amount of makeup.Ivan had this gorgeous dress specially made for me and because there wasn't enough time to go shopping for new heels and a purse that would match my outfit, I paired it with one from my wardrobe much to Ivan's surprise. He said he didn't know I owned that many items since I am usually almost always at home. His statement made me laugh, and I told him a woman can never have ‘too many’ c