Page 63 of Diamond Don

With that, he returns to his desk and turns his back to Dmitri and me, thoroughly dismissing the two of us.

With a final wink and a smirk directed at me, Dmitri bids me goodbye, whispering “good luck” under his breath.

On my way to my closet to follow Nik’s orders, I pause, pointing to the disks on his desk. “Are those copies of the surveillance footage you showed me?”

“Yes, why?”

“Do you mind if I borrow them for a while?”

Nik raises his eyebrows, surprised by my question. After shooting me a considering look, he shrugs and hands the CDs to me. I grab the offering and exit the office before he can change his mind.

After changing into one of my new outfits—a red silk slip dress—I search for Nik. I find him waiting for me by the penthouse’s front door. He’s changed into a new set of clothes, too. He is so handsome in his black suit and black dress shirt that it hurts me a little. I don’t bother hiding my appreciation as I take my time looking at him from head to toe.

Nik rolls his eyes at my enthusiastic reaction to his good looks, and I spin around on my heels to show him my new dress. “Do you like it?” I ask, coming closer to where he stands.

“It’s beautiful,” he says off-handedly, fussing with his cufflinks.

“Thank you. You bought it.”

“I figured. Ready to go?”

“Just lead the way, boss.”

With a long-suffering sigh, Nik shoots me an unamused look I’m starting to get too familiar with. Without another word, he holds the front door open for me, motioning me toward the foyer. We enter the elevator, and he presses the garage button before stepping away from me. He doesn’t stop moving until he is as far away from me as the enclosure allows, resting one shoulder against the wall.

Charmed, I smile at him before leaning against the opposite wall, my body completely facing his.

“Can I ask you a question?” I ask, trying to catch his eyes as he tries to avoid mine.

With a sigh, Nik answers, “Can I stop you?”

I shrug good-naturedly. “Probably not. Tell me about Dmitri.”

He glares at me. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’m just curious about your relationship with him. I know he works for you, but you obviously have a lot of affection for him. I’ve been wondering if the two of you are family.”

“Not by blood,” he says, turning to face me. “His mother used to work for me. She made the greatest borscht I’ve ever had in my life.”

“What happened to her?”

“She passed away a couple of years ago. Cancer. Lovely woman,” he says. “Dmitri was probably in his early teens when I first hired her. I suppose you could say I watched him grow up. And I guess the lines got blurred somewhere along the way over the years. He’s become a little brother of sorts to me.”

“What about his dad?”

“He was never in the picture. Elena raised him by herself.” Nik shakes his head with unconcealed disgust.

The elevator stops, and its doors slide open before I decide what to say. Nik leads me to a small, black limousine, opening the door for me. I sit on the rich brown leather seats as he sits across from me. The air-conditioned interior is a welcome change from the humid environment in the garage.

“You never told me where we’re going,” I point out, adjusting my dress so its slit displays my legs to their best advantage.

Nik does his best to ignore my attempts at teasing him. “My accountant’s engagement party is tonight. I was going to skip it, but since you’re obviously feeling fine, I thought we might as well go.”

“Oh,” I say, surprised. “So, it’s a date, then. I thought it was a work thing.”

The look Nik shoots me is pure exasperation. “It is most definitely a work thing. For your information, as it happens, McGuire and I share the same accountant, so I’d bet good money he’ll be in attendance tonight. Which reminds me,” he says, pulling a small object out of the inside pocket of his black jacket, “I want you to put this on.”

On his outstretched hand is a small recording device. The little voice recorder is barely bigger than my fingertip. After picking it up, I remove the plastic tab on one of its sides to reveal the adhesive patch. I don’t bother to argue with Nik about it, wasting no time sticking it to the skin between my breasts.

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