Page 11 of Caught By the Bratva Beast

There’s no other message waiting for me on the phone. A small part of me wishes that there were, just to see if his interest in me lies beyond what he saw the other night.

I think it does.

After all, he doesn’t know the real me. I wonder how he got my number. I wouldn’t be surprised if he blackmailed Noah.

Maxim Orlov didn’t come talk to me at the party thinking that I was a woman he could hire to spend time with him. A man of his caliber certainly doesn’t need to pay a woman to be his companion. He would have several women on speed dial who would willingly and happily be his date, for free.

Instead, he came after me with a purpose. Not what it would cost to spend a night with me. So, what does he want?

I must have played my cards right, the wheels are in motion, and he’s intrigued to get to know me or to sleep with me. Either way, a warm sensation runs through me, thinking of his muscular build that even his sleek tailored tux couldn’t hide. He must be at least six foot three tall. His hazel eyes sparkled mischievously, and his gaze held me captivated with such intensity like I was the only person in the room.

He is a sinfully attractive man, and if I didn’t know who he was, I could easily be swooned by his charm. But I know I must be careful around him; one wrong move and it could end horribly for me.

Aesha squeals and grabs me by the shoulders. “I’m so happy you might actually give a man a chance.”

“I didn’t say yes to the message yet.”

“Are you going to?”

“I don’t know.”

Chapter 5 - Maxim

It’s been years since I last went on a proper date, and I don’t have a fucking clue why I’m doing this now.

Taking women home and fucking them without a second thought, I can manage. It’s easy. All it requires is a drink, maybe a dinner, and then they’re falling into my bed and are gone in the morning.

Pearl is different. I knew that the moment I met her. I have to take it slow to win her over, to gain her trust. Fuck me, patients were never my strong suit.

Hell, I will be lucky she even stays in my company past an hour. She doesn’t seem like the kind of woman to be impressed by the fancy candlelight in the middle of the table, or the lights flickering dimly above us with the stained-glass fixtures. I doubt she will look at the menu and see the cost of a lobster or steak dinner and think that it is anything extraordinary.

I don't even know if she's going to continue with the coy game she’s playing for the entire date. It is much more likely that she is going to get here, take one look at me, and decide she isn't going to drop her façade.

It shouldn't matter either. In one way or another, I always get what I want. I’ll make damn sure she understands that I’m not just another business transaction in her books.

In the grand scheme of things, she is just another woman that I asked out for dinner. But I won’t let her get away this easily. She’s intriguing for such a young lady, smart and wise beyond her age, but there is something else, something deeper in those big, dark eyes–vulnerability.

She has given me an unspoken challenge, to discover piece by piece who she truly is. Fuck, I wouldn’t mind discovering every inch of her sexy body either.

While there might not be anything happening tonight, it is nevertheless a meal I’m sharing with a beautiful woman while other men in the restaurant are envious of me.

Who wouldn’t want to be seen with a woman like her drawing the attention of everyone around them?

She is so beautiful, and I would be a fucking fool not to pursue her.

Perhaps the fascination will fade by the time this evening is over. Once I get to know her, she could become nothing more than another beautiful woman. She could be a figment of my imagination—something not too good to be true anymore. I wouldn't care that she was unlike any other woman I have ever met.

Our only other option was that after this dinner she would fall for me and then I'll be left with a problem on my hands. One I have no intention of having.

A little voice in the back of my mind is chanting that it might be nice to settle down. Other men in my family have been settling down in recent times and they seem content with their lives. It could be time that I try just having one woman to be mine, one woman to fuck and protect for the rest of my life.

Could Pearl be that woman?

As I’m musing and getting lost in my thoughts she walks into the restaurant, her heels clicking against the ground. The hem of her flowing silk dress is clinging to her toned calves with each step. The deep color reminds me of evergreens at Christmas and it suits her tanned, shimmering skin. With every step she comes closer my cock grows harder. I shift in my chair and quickly adjust myself before I have an embarrassing situation.

Pearl gives me that sweet, dimpled smile, as I stand when she arrives at the table. I cross over to her pulling out the chair I'm waiting for her to sit before tucking her back in.

“Thank you,” she says as she places her napkin in her lap, smoothing it out over her dress.

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