Page 29 of Forced Bratva Bride

“But I'm wearing jeans and sneakers.”

“Trust me, they won’t have a problem with it.”

We step inside and immediately someone rushes over to us. “Mr. Dubrov. Welcome back, it’s good to see you, will it be a table for two tonight?”

“Yes, my wife and I would like to sit by the window.”

My heart jumps a little as he refers to me as his wife.

The host smiles at us, glancing briefly over my attire. “Welcome, Mrs. Dubrov, what an absolute pleasure to meet you,” he gushes.

We follow him through the pristine restaurant with ornate, glittering decor that is modern and luxurious. Maxim immediately steps in front of me to hold my chair out for me. I smile and sit down, and he takes a seat right next to me, then grabs the edge of my seat and pulls me closer to him. Our legs touch, and the sexual tension I feel remains constant.

I stare at the menu in my hands. “I don’t actually know what I feel like eating.”

“Shall I decide for us? Is there anything you don’t like?” he asks.

“I like almost everything. Maybe everything expect liver,” I laugh.

“Oh, we agree on that, then,” he grins.

He points out a number of items on the menu and the waiter nods. “You can pair it with a bottle of Chateau Mouton.”

“Good choice, sir.”

When we are alone, Maxim turns towards me, his hand slipping beneath the table and resting on my thigh. “I realized that apart from the one dinner, we haven't really left the house much, and when we did it was for social events, surrounded by other people. I think this is what we need more of.” His smile is absolutely divine.

“I was starting to feel a bit of cabin fever at home. Thank you for this.”

Chapter 11 - Maxim

Her eyes glitter in the soft restaurant lighting as she looks over at me. There is a softness in her face that I have not seen before, and even though there is no one else with us, she appears to have dropped that cold attitude she usually blocks me with.

“Um, how is business going?” she asks, looking a little shy, perhaps because I was staring at her for too long.

“It’s going well. My brothers and I make a good team.”

“Business fascinates me. How things fit together, and the way you can change growth just by changing the patterns in which you move.”

“You studied business economics at university, didn’t you?”

“I did. I loved it. Apart from the fact that it was so interesting to learn so much, I also really just enjoyed being away from home, in my own space, doing my own thing.”

“That's the time you really learn who you are as an individual, isn’t it?”

“It is. I love my father, he is the most amazing man, but he can be a bit overbearing.” She laughs lightheartedly. “It was nice to spread my wings a bit, learn about the world and meet new people.”

“What did you plan to do with your studies?”

“Oh, well, I mean, um, before I got called back home, I was already planning to start my own business. I wanted to go into consulting. I have a sort of a gift where I can see the big picture of things, how they operate. So I wanted to offer my services and knowledge to companies who need to be restructured or have things improved. But I guess it wasn't meant to be.” She shrugs.

“Why not?”

“Well, because of—the marriage. I had to come home.”

I laugh and squeeze her thigh lightly. “Chiara, just because you got married does not mean you have to put your own dreams aside. You can be anything you want to be. In fact, the benefit is that you have someone on your side now to support those dreams.”

“Really? I thought mafia wives weren’t supposed to work,” she chuckles, still sounding nervous, but I can see she is enjoying the conversation.

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