Page 7 of Caught By the Bratva Beast

“Ivan might. Unsure of some of the others.” Nik shrugs out of his tux jacket, hanging it on the back of the brass chair, catching the side of his hand on one of the tall spindles. “You should reconsider the chairs here. One of these days they’re going to poke an eye out.”

“They’re fine.” I put the tumbler down, shifting the champagne flute out of the way. “If you have a complaint, take it up with Yegor. He’s the one that organized this entire event, so if there’s an issue with anything, bitch at him.”

“Geez, you are in a fine mood, brother.” He teases me.

Nik grins and turns to Yegor, his mouth opening, but it snaps shut. “Who’s the woman with Noah Hearst?”

“Doesn’t matter.” I tap my fingers on the table to the beat of the saxophone in the background. “Noah Hearst is nothing but a problem. He’s trying to push his cloud computer program onto me, but it’s obvious, he wants to sniff around in my businesses.”

Yegor leans to the side, looking over my shoulder at the woman Nik is talking about. “No, Maxim. You must look. There’s no way that he would be able to score a woman like her.”

“I have no interest in what he does. Within a year, we’ll compete with his tech company. Who he brings with him to try and flaunt his position in society is none of my concern.”

“It should be.” Nik rolls his sleeves up to his elbows, winking at a woman as she passes their table. “You may not want anything to do with Hearst, but she’s been staring over here since he arrived. Wouldn’t it be amusing if you went over there and stole her from under his nose?”

I roll my eyes, once again reconsidering the choice to come to the fundraiser tonight. Still, I turn and when I see her, there is no doubt in my mind that Hearst shouldn’t have anything to do with a woman that beautiful. What a douche, he must have paid a hefty sum to bring a woman like her to this event.

Chocolate eyes flicker over to me, full mouth giving me a coy smile. Her tongue darts out to wet her bottom lip before she reaches for the glass of wine in front of her with slender fingers.

When her grin grows around the rim, a dimple pops out on either cheek. Fuck me, she is gorgeous. Looking all innocent, but somehow, I can sense her determination.

How the hell would Hearst convince a woman as stunning as her to spend time with someone as dull as him? What the heck is she doing here?

I can’t fathom it, and I am not going to spend time figuring it out. Not now.

Nik hums, fluttering his fingers against the side of his bottle of beer. “She looks familiar, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. I don’t think I would forget someone who looks like her.”

“You’re right.” I turn to face the pair of them, not wanting the woman to think I have any interest in her.

The only thing I want to do is get through the hour or two I must stay at this damn event before leaving for the night. Once I’m home, I’ll be able to watch an F1 race or two while sorting through the latest profit and loss statements for Orlov Tech. It is still in the beginning stages of a business, but soon it will be climbing to the top of the tech world. The men my family hired are making advancements in their programming left and right. In no time at all, Hearst will become obsolete.

And I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he is.

Yegor makes a noise in the back of his throat before rapping his knuckles on the table, sending the gold-rimmed plates rattling. “I know where I’ve seen her before. She’s a high-end escort. One of the highest paid in the city if I’m not mistaken.”

Nik takes a long pull of the beer. “That explains how Hearst was able to get her to come here with him. She wouldn’t have given him a second look if he weren’t paying her good money.”

I cast a quick look at her again, my cock twitches when she stands and turns for the bar, her flowing gold dress hugging every curve like it was sewn onto her body.

She’s fucking perfect.

“What else do you know about her?” I track her around the room, smirking when two men approach her, and she brushes them both off.

While she may be paid for her time, she’s loyal to Noah. At least for the time being.

Perhaps it would be amusing to snap her from him. I could use a little entertainment to lighten up this party.

Yegor scrolls through his phone, shrugging. “Not much. Name is Pearl Wilson. She doesn’t sleep with her clients, and nobody becomes her client without her approval, so as far as I know there isn’t a man behind the scenes pulling her strings.”

“Interesting, clever, for her age,” I murmur.

She leans against the bar, the front of her dress dipping low, showing off the valley of her breasts and her bronze skin. Pearl enchants the men around her, and based on the mischief shining in her eyes when she arched an eyebrow at me, she knows it too. The men gather around her, all of them, vying for a moment of her attention.

Nik laughs and nudges me with his elbow. “If you keep staring at her any longer, you’re going to fall victim to whatever siren song she is singing over there.”

“He would never fall for that.” Yegor snickers, getting up from his seat. “You know, if you don’t go over there soon, Hearst is going to get up and scare everyone off. You might be the only person in this room who has a chance at rescuing her from a dull night.”

Pearl’s shoulders slump as she takes her drink from the bar, looking at me again.

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