Page 26 of Diamond Don

“And where exactly is here, Nik?”

“This is my place.”

“Is that supposed to mean anything to me?”

“I’d think that a world-class con woman like yourself would have done a better job researching her mark.”

Temptingly rising and lowering, her chest expands when she sighs heavily. Against my better judgment, I stare at her low-cut blouse, entranced by the sight of her breasts moving with her forced intake of breath. I force myself to look away before it is too late.

“Again, I have no idea who you are. Besides a self-righteous, arrogant prick, of course,” she says.

“Cute. But save your breath, Kat. I’m not buying it at all. You know all about me.”

“I gather you are very impressed with your likely underserved sense of self-importance, but I promise you I am not. I have no idea who you are. Only that you are an entitled prick, of course.”

It’s my turn to sigh, shaking my head.

“Honestly, Kat. Why even bother with this little game of yours at this point? I’d be more impressed if you admitted to the truth. Knowing who I am and what I do, you still set out to steal from me. True, in the end, I did catch you red-handed. But still, that took some nerve.”

She rolls her eyes. “Look, I get it—you think I’m messing with you. But I have no idea who you are besides knowing your alleged first name and that you must be extremely rich to own something like the Flame of Mir. As far as anyone knows, the diamond was owned by an anonymous billionaire. All I was told when I took the job was that I had to take the jewel from The Metropolitan Museum during the opening gala for its newest exhibition. That’s it.”

“Do you honestly expect me to believe that you took a job so risky and high-profile as this one with that little information? And to think you called me overly confident.” I scoff.

“Believe what you will. It’s the truth.” She shrugs.

I study her. Kat sports a deadpan expression with a hint of exhaustion. Before I can stop myself, something suspiciously similar to guilt grows in my chest. I had her drugged and abducted, and then I had her locked up and tied down.

Still, I must stay vigilant with this woman. I can’t trust my instincts when she is involved, and she has proven to be untrustworthy. It doesn’t matter that I can’t shake the feeling that she might be telling the truth.

“Besides,” she says, unprompted, “there were some special, extenuating circumstances.”

I wait for Kat to continue, but she remains silent.

“Care to elaborate?” I ask.

“No, not really.”

“I don’t think you fully understand the seriousness of your situation, Kat.”

“No, I do. I get it, trust me. The leather restraints kind of give away how seriously fucked I am. But that’s all I’ll say about it.”

“If there is something—anything—that you can think of that would make you look better in this situation, why not tell me?”

“I have my reasons.”

Brimming with frustration, I find myself sighing again. I don’t know what to make of her. Or what to do with her, for that matter. I came into this room prepared to punish the woman for her crime against me, but now, looking at her, I can’t imagine carrying out the tortures I planned for the little thief.

“Is your friend A.J. one of those reasons? Because I already know she had a hand in this whole thing.”

She sharply turns to face me as far as the cuffs allow her. She gives me the darkest, most serious look I have ever seen on her face. That’s how I know I have found her soft spot.

“Do not bring her into this, Nikolai. Whatever issues you have with me, you will leave her alone.”

I could point out to her that there is nothing she can do in her current situation to stop me from going after A.J. Michaels. But somehow, I don’t have the heart to threaten her beloved friend, even if emptily, while Kat stares up at me with the big, blue eyes that have completely captivated me.

“I hope I won’t have cause to even think about A.J. ever again, Kat, because I’m counting on the two of us coming to an understanding.”

Kat slowly eyes the bed on which she has been placed and the leather cuffs that confine her to it. All at once, she seems to become intensely aware of the fact that she has been forcefully tied to a large bed by a man who has been sexually drawn to her from the start.

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