Page 17 of Kaid's Empire

“Woohoo!” I cheer, doing a little dance, and people around the roulette table look at me. I abruptly stop my celebrations, feeling embarrassed––this clearly isn’t anything like Vegas, it’s a lot more reformed, people are dignified. The only celebrations you’ll see from them is a quiet raise of their champagne flutes, maybe a few little claps from the ladies, but that’s it. I bite my lip. “Whoops,” I mutter under my breath.

I feel him come and stand directly behind me, his chest pressed against my back, his hand moving to splay across my stomach. “Don’t bite your lip,” he warns in a low voice, his lips brushing against my ear. I release my lip and shudder at his touch.

“Mr Volkov, your table is ready,” a gentleman states.

I frown, it must be nearly ten o’clock at night. “We’re eating now?” I ask, twisting my neck to look up at him.

His eyes focus in on my mouth and I think he is going to kiss me. “Yes, Kroschka,” he answers. Well, that was disappointing.

He takes my hand and leads me out onto a secluded terraced that is lit with hundreds of white fairy lights and has a beautiful view of the ocean. “Wow,” I breathe. He pulls out a chair for me. “This might be the most romantic first date I have ever been on.” I smile while taking a seat.

He takes a seat on his chair. “This is a date?” he questions. Shit, have I read the signals wrong? I mean, he didn’t say the word date, I just assumed.

“I, er, I just… I assumed when you asked me…” I stutter.

He leans back in his chair. “I don’t date. If I want a woman, I get her. I fuck but I never date.” He shrugs nonchalantly.

My blood boils and I stand abruptly. I don’t need to hear another word of this. “Well, this woman you don’t get. I am not an object that you can just take and throw away when you're done. Goodnight, Mr Volklov,” I snap, using his last name.

I turn and start to make my way back, but I don’t get far. He grabs hold of my arm and spins me around, pinning me against the wall. “You don’t listen,” he growls.

“I listen just fine, thank you. You fuck, you don’t date, or did I forget something?” I seethe.

He growls deep in his throat and I can’t decide if the sound has me scared or turned on. “Did I say that I don’t date you? Did I say that I would just fuck you?” he asks.

“You questioned whether this was a date, like this isn’t date!” I snap.

He lets go of my hand above my head and wraps his hand around my neck. He leans in so closely that his breath mixes with mine. “Are you a woman I want? Yes. Are you a woman that I will fuck? Absolutely, multiple times. Is this a date? Nyet, this is me telling the world that I have made you mine.”

“What do––” My words are cut off as Kaid takes my mouth, kissing me passionately, his lips taking control and caressing mine. My hands grasp hold of his tux tightly, and I let out a whimper as his tongue strokes teasingly with mine.

He breaks the kiss suddenly, his hand cupping my face. “You are mine, Kroschka, now let me feed you.”

I blink a few times, my brain taking a moment to catch up. “I'm hungry,” I state, my brain not fully working.

He nods and takes my hand in his, leading me back to the table. Our food is brought out and I realise just how hungry I am.

“So, what is it you do for a living?” I ask.

“I oversea a large organisation, selling, and I have a few properties and hotels,” he states.

I pause. “You own hotels?”

He nods, watching me––he is always watching me. “It’s been part of my family for a long time.”

I nod. “Can I ask you a question?” He nods. “Why so intense? I mean, for someone that owns properties and owns hotels, you're not the most welcoming of people, and then there's the heavies that follow you around like someone is going to assassinate you at any moment. Then there is the way you’ve been with me… that isn’t normal behaviour.” He doesn’t answer straight away, he runs his thumb across his bottom lip again, watching me intently. “Like that, like what you are doing right now… Like I catch you doing all the time, watching me like… like I don’t know… like I have a big secret, or I'm about turn into an alien, or if you don’t look at me then I shall disappear,” I rant, finishing my wine.

He clicks his fingers and a waiter scurries over and refills my empty wine glass. He waits for the waiter to leave before answering. “I am who I am. What you say is not normal… in my world it is normal. I am in charge; I take control of everything. My men are loyal and business never sleeps.” He pauses, taking a sip of his wine. “And I look at you because I like to look at you, I like how you scrunch up your nose if something confuses you, or how you roll your eyes when frustrated, and how you bite that lip of yours when you’re concentrating or aroused,” he states.

I move to bite my lip but stop myself. I catch his slight smirk. I cough and clear my throat. “Okay, another question… why don’t you smile?” I ask.

He shrugs. “I don’t have anything to smile about.”

I frown. “You are successful, you own multiple properties, you own multiple hotels. I'm guessing you're doing pretty well financially, so how is that not enough reason to smile? It’s a lot more than most people have. Shit happens but there is always something to smile about.”

Right then, I feel the world shift out from beneath me as I watch, and he not only smiles but lets out a small deep laugh. “Shit does happen, and you’re right, Kroschka, right now, in this moment, I do have something to smile about.”

My stomach flips, and I feel like my ovaries are about to combust. Well played Mr Volkov, game fucking over.

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