“You made her a maid,” I said to Mikhail.I flew to Finland for a few hours and he already made decisions without me. He may have been my second in command but that didn’t mean I wanted him anywhere near Livia’s business.She was mine to deal with.“I told you people would talk if we didn’t do something. No one will question who she is and what her role is if she is already working for us. The last thing we need is people claiming you bought a girl.”As much as I hated it, Mikhail was right. I only rose to the throne because I supported the agenda that women and children were not commodities for sale. That and the fact that I was the most dangerous man in Russia.If people found out I kept the girl Viktor bought, my men would break my rules.No one would respect my authority. It was important to lead by example. However, when it came to Livia Brown, I made impulsive decisions because I was so taken with her.I wouldn’t let her go until I figured out why she made me feel what no woman
When Mikhail told me he would give me a new role, I didn’t expect it to be Maxim’s personal maid. I didn’t understand what it meant. I thought Maxim was trying to lure me into his bed and I had yet to figure out if I was right.The uniform I was given was very different from my previous one. The previous one consisted of a long blue dress with a white collar and a white apron.The new one was much shorter, sitting a few inches below my mid-thigh. It was a short-sleeved black dress with lace trimmings on the sleeves and the hem and a sweetheart neckline that accentuated my cleavage.The outfit was topped off with a short white lace apron, white stockings, and short black Mary Janes. My hair was in a low bun with a few tendrils hanging on the side of my face.My cheeks were flushed red and I couldn’t stop shaking. I was both excited and frightened at the idea of seeing Maxim again. I always cowered under his intense gaze.“I don’t know what Maxim sees in you,” Polina said in her terribl
I blushed profusely, embarrassed that I had been caught staring. Maxim wasn’t wearing glasses and he looked better without them. I briefly wondered where he got his scar from. Not that it made him ugly. It only added to the allure of darkness that surrounded him. Maxim’s gaze was almost predatory as he angled his head to get a better look at me. His gaze lingered on my chest and my thighs. For reasons unknown to me, his gaze excited me. Unlike other times when the male gaze made me feel self-conscious. I liked the fact that a man as powerful as Maxim found me attractive. I may have been a virgin but I wasn’t stupid. We both stood there staring at one another for a few seconds before he turned and disappeared into his walk-in closet. I wanted to leave but I couldn’t since he had stopped me before. The last thing I needed was to get on Maxim’s bad side. I may have been a strong girl but I remembered what Carlos did to me when I disobeyed him. Men in the mafia didn’t like resistance
I left Russia as soon as I left my mansion. I didn’t tell Livia that, though. I still didn’t know who she was. Before I trusted her, I needed to know where she came from and why she was so special that Viktor broke the rules so he could bring her home. Every effort Mikhail had made to try and find out where she came from hit a brick wall. She didn’t raise any red flags but she remained mysterious and I hated that. Mikhail couldn’t even find her family. Not knowing who surrounded you in the mafia was like giving your enemy a loaded gun. Anyone could put a knife in your fucking back and I had to learn that the hard way. I’d taken way too many knives to my back. I was on my way to Italy to meet Nikita. He said he had something for me. Nikita was my cousin but I looked at him as a brother. He had stood by my side more times than I could count and saved my life a couple of times too. He was the best assassin I had ever trained and the best enforcer in the Bratva. He could get informa
Maxim never came home the day he told me he would. I didn’t understand why he lied to me. He shouldn’t have told me to wait for him to come because I did. I was angry at him and I didn’t understand why. He kidnapped me and kept me in his house against my will. The only thing I should have felt for him was hate. However, it was the contrary. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I thought about his eyes, mysterious persona, and intense gaze. I felt things for him I wish I never felt. Whatever happened, I knew it would end badly. I was the daughter of his enemy and one of the reasons his sister was dead. He would kill me sooner than later. What I needed to do was stay away from him and hatch a plan to get away from him as soon as possible. The Bratva was no place for a former Italian mafia princess who was masquerading as an American. I couldn’t help that my anger increased every single day that Maxim didn’t come back. It had been a week. That week was very miserable. What was worse
After about thirty minutes, my hair was in a neat but messy bun. I stood in front of the full-length mirror and admired what I saw. Everything reminded me of what I gave up when I left home five years before. I hated to admit it, but I missed a life of luxury. Alfonso may have been a toxic parent but he always gave us whatever we wanted. It didn’t matter what it took. He would kill anyone if it meant his little children, also known as his trusted servants did whatever he asked. In exchange, we had to worship the group that he walked and unconditionally obey his every order.And he never failed to remind us that we wouldn’t survive in the real world without him. I proved him wrong for a while before he finally caught me and sold me off to his enemy. I wondered if he knew Carlos sold me to the Bratva. Had it all been a part of an elaborate plan to make my death nice and slow without having to do it himself?My train of thought was cut short when I caught something in the reflection
I hated Vadim with everything I had. If it wasn’t for what he had over Nikita, he would have been dead. He was the kind of a man to stab you in the back and then wonder why you retaliated.When Nikita was a rookie assassin, he accidentally killed the wife of a Columbian Don. She was caught in the crossfire of a shoot out and it just so happened to be a bullet from Nikita’s gun that ended her life. Considering we have been getting product from them for years, we naturally hid the culprit and blamed it on someone else.The bad news was that Vadim got ahold of the tape and held it over our head. None of us knew how he got this tape, how he knew Nikita killed the Columbian queen or who he had shown the video to. He said that as long as he got a high-ranking position in the Bratva, everything would be kept secret.For three years, he kept his word. I didn’t trust him, though. I monitored everything he did. His mistake was thinking he was invincible. If he knew the information I had colle
I rushed to my room, unable to be at the party any longer. I knew I would get in trouble but at the moment, I didn’t care. I just wanted to get away.I was wet and I’d just found out that Maxim had a fiancé. I didn’t know what I expected from a man in the mafia, let alone a Pakhan. He could have any woman he wanted—of course, he wanted them all.I didn’t understand why I was so hurt by what I had discovered. I should have expected it. I’d been fooled one too many times by the men in the mafia to have had such high expectations.I thought he really liked me but he was just using me as a substitute for his gorgeous fiancee. She was the one he wanted and he was using me to make her jealous.It suddenly made sense why he wanted to take me to the party. He was hoping she would show up and see us together and she did. In the end, he got what he wanted.I rushed to the bathroom and closed the door. I stared at my reflection in the mirror and wiped my makeup angrily. I wasn’t as gorgeous as V
In one swift movement, he put his hands on my waist and perched me on his desk. He ripped my gown from my body and discarded it somewhere on the ground."You drive me crazy, little firecracker, " he said. "Do you know that? I think you do and that is why you strutted into my office wearing nothing."Before I could find some lame excuse for my behavior, he kissed once more, with both his hands on either side of me, locking me in place.His mouth was addicting. He kissed me with so much passion and lust that it drove me insane. It felt like he was making love to me with his mouth, giving me a teaser of what would come as he fucked me."God, you don’t know how much I have missed being inside of you. " He said into my mouth.He trailed his mouth down to my neck where he bit and sucked on the flesh as he fondled my breasts over my bra.I threw my head back and moaned, loving the sensation he brought. With just one touch, he lit every single port of me on fire.I quivered and shivered as h
I knocked on Maxim’s office. I hadn’t seen him in a week and I was hoping to maybe to talk to him. I had missed him, and I wanted to talk about Sergei. I didn’t know he was looking into me.It hurt even though it was selfish for me to yearn for him to trust me.The only problem was, I wasn’t there for any “talk” or pleasantries. All I wanted was Maxim inside me, panting and moaning in my ear.I loved his sex voice, domineering and powerful. He claimed me as his every time he was intimate with me. With him, sex felt so special. “Come in,” I heard his gruff voice through the door.I cleared my throat and opened the door. I was in a black lace lace gown with lingerie inside. I was wearing all- black matching bra and thong paired with a garter belt.But you couldn’t see the state of undress underneath my gown. I strutted towards his desk with black woolen fluffy shoes. He didn’t even look up from his laptop.“What do you want?” He asked rudely. I thought he would at least acknowledge my
Maxim and I didn’t talk for three days. Despite his silence, there was a trainer that came to teach me more about playing the piano named Gretchen. She was in her late forties and she rarely cracked a smile on her face.She was stoic and firm and she meant business. The only time I saw her move was when I played the piano. I was a bit rusty from years of not playing–only a professional could hear that. But after a few pointers from Gretchen, I was doing so well. That she managed a half smile. She asked me why I never pursued it professionally. I told her vaguely that life got in the way. She was no doubt repeating everything I told her to Maxim. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said as she waved and left the house. I watched her get into an SUV that no doubt belonged to Maxim. He didn’t let anyone come or leave his house unsupervised. My phone had been given back to me but I wasn’t sure if I was still on good terms with Maxim. I still didn’t understand why he blamed me for Sergei’s de
As he strangled me almost to death, I kept wondering what I had done wrong. I had done a lot of things, but it wouldn’t have to know what I’d caused my death. I tried to speak, to claw his hands with my nails, and to play with him with my eyes, but he wouldn’t let me go.I swear I felt the life draining out of me. I could practically taste death. I couldn’t believe I was going out like that. I always thought I would have a chance to fight for my life, but it seems like I wouldn’t.He seemed to notice his irrational behavior and let me go. I broke into a coughing mess, falling to the ground and holding my neck tightly. My head was pounding, and the air felt like a gift. For a moment there, I was sure I was going to die. I wasn’t sure why he let me go, but I was grateful. But his actions only confirmed to me the ease at which he was capable of killing me.“Sergei and his wife are dead. That can’t be a coincidence.” He said.I looked up at him, eyes bloodshot, mind foggy with confusion
There, on the ground kneeling was Mira. She had bruises and cuts all over her body. She looked beaten down and tortured. I could try to hide my shock but it was impossible. I could tell she had suffered all night and I couldn't help but wonder what she had said as she was being tortured. Even a chunk of her hair was gone from her head and blood was dripping down to her face. I felt sorry for her and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for myself as well. Who knew if she had something on her that could link her to me. Things were bad and all I could do was hold my breath and watch all of it unfold. “You know this girl, Mira? Or we should call her Clarisa Sanchez. She thought she was slick sneaking into a party and pretending she was just someone normal. She’s FBI.” Maxim said as he gauged my reaction.I was already so scared and shook that I was speechless. It felt like everything was falling apart and I was coming to my end soon. I couldn’t help but wonder what life had in store for me
I should not have trusted anyone to rescue me. I should have known the FBI would never forgive me. They were out to get me from the very start. I thought they would have my back when things got tough.Turns out they wanted to use me and stab me in the back.That night, after talking to Mira in the bathroom, I went home with Maxim. He immediately noticed my bad mood. Instead of being annoyed or irritated, he stopped at a bakery.He quietly went inside and came back a few minutes later with cake in his hands.“You love blackberry cake so I thought I would get it for you.Maxim was so good to me sometimes, that I questioned whether it was a good idea to plot to leave him.I quietly took the cake from his hands and smiled gracefully. He noticed the little things. He knew when I was sad, happy, angry or frustrated.It was a mystery sometimes why he pushed my buttons so much. But I guess you are all human and we weren’t perfect.“Thank you,” I said shyly.He just nodded in agreement and tur
“She is just someone that I used to know. She and I were neighbors and then suddenly she stopped seeing me around. When she saw me here, she was worried that I was in trouble. She told me she heard rumors that you were in the mafia and she was worried for my safety.“Oh yeah? If she was your neighbor, what was she doing at this party?” He asked.He was getting suspicious and I was worried he would find out that Mira was FBI and kill us both. There was no way I would have made it through the night if he had found out who Mira was and what she was planning.Her family had been killed as a result of gang wars while she was in Mexico. She and her older sister had to move to the U.S illegally to find a better life. Once she got to Chicago, it was hard for them to get a job.Her sister had to result to prostitution just to make ends meet. That was the story she had given me. It was no surprise that she resented the mafia and everything it stood for for that reason alone.It was the speech s
By the time I was done with my errands, it was already late and I couldn’t go back to the penthouse. I had to go to the ball directly. I changed into a tux, and slicked my hair back as a way of styling it. On the way to the ball, I went to Cartier and picked out a diamond necklace. Livia deserved the best, and even though I was mad at her, I couldn’t help but want to spoil her. When I got to the venue, I saw many cars lined up. The ball, unlike others I had ever been on, I was not a mafia one. It was a charity ball for the homeless. Every now and then, I gave back to the community. It was the least I could do considering I sold drugs and guns for a living. But just because it was not a mafia ball didn’t mean it would not have influential people in the underworld. I was meeting an important politician there since it would raise eyebrows if we met officially. He was supposed to uphold the law, not break it. “Where is she?” I asked John as soon as I saw him. He pointed at Livia sp
Livia was hiding a secret in Chicago and I was determined to find out what it was. The normal thibg for me to do was to give her freedom and then follow her to wherever she was going.However, the carnal part of me didn't agree with that sentiment. All I wanted to do was to keep her to myself. I couldn't shake the feeling that she was with someone else and I didn't like that.All I wanted to do was keep her to myself. The thought that she was meeting another man was a pill that was fucking difficult for me to swallow.I hated treating her like she was some sort of property I kept an eye on. I was past denying I had no feelings for that woman. What I felt for her was something I had never felt for any woman before.I was afraid she would let me down in the worst possible way and I would have to suffer the consequences of letting a woman so close to my circle.I left her in the room that morning after fucking her senseless just to prove a point. I wanted to show her that I was better th