Page 6 of Seduced By the Russian

"I can leave you out here if you won't stop talking." Dmitri climbed out of the Jaguar and threw the key to a man who appeared out of nowhere. This place seemed to be run by hierarchy, because Dmitri was obviously higher than the man who took the keys in rank. He gave Dmitri a subtle nod and turned his eyes to Lisa.

"Where's the Russian Bear? He said he would be back for…"

Dmitri obviously didn't trust Lisa, because she couldn't think of a better reason why he suddenly cut the man off, harshly at that.

"Go park the car in the garage, and stop asking questions," Dmitri said irritably, squaring his shoulders and walking to the giant door without looking to see if Lisa was following suit. Sighing, she bounded after him. It was better following the grumpy bodyguard than ending up getting lost in this huge compound. They probably wouldn't find her for days, or maybe they wouldn't even realize that she had gone missing.

Really, Lisa? Look at the brighter side of this. You don't have to return to that shabby apartment of yours. Isn't that what you have always wanted?

Dmitri pushed the door open and stepped sideways for Lisa to get in. She barely heard the door close as she was taken aback by the electrifying look of the interior of the mansion. If Lisa had thought the outside was breathtaking, there was no word to describe the space she now stood in. It looked like a living room, but it was bigger than any Lisa had lived in. It was all shades of masculinity, from the black drapes to the dark leather couches that lined the curved walls, forming an arch. Lisa counted five single couches, with a side stool beside each of them. But there was also a three-sitter at one end, added like an after-thought. Lisa had always been able to discern these things.

She stepped further into the living room, feeling her feet get pampered by the black Persian rug. Did everything here have to be black? She stopped by the fireplace, certain it was not in use because of the absence of any wood. Lisa had heard people have built-in fireplaces in their homes for aesthetics, but she had never actually seen one, at least none that she could remember. The chandelier hanging above her head was the only source of light in the otherwise dark room, and it made Lisa swallow.

"If you needed lights to stare at, the ones at the hospital were more than enough. You didn't have to come all the way here to do just that."

"What?" Lisa followed the sound of his voice, and found him waiting for her at the foot of a huge stairway she hadn't even noticed when she came in. The stairs were created in an arch too, starting from both sides of the living room, and meeting in the middle, leading to a row of locked doors.

"Follow me!"

"Did I do something wrong?" Lisa decided it was high time she addressed this issue. She didn't know how long Nikolai was going to allow her to live here, but if she was going to be under the same roof as Dmitri, she needed to get this beef out of the way. If only she knew Dmitri had no plans to do that.

"You are standing right here," he retorted with venom on his lips.

Lisa didn't curl back from the tone because she had lived with foster parents who made her go through worse. "Your boss didn't give me much of a choice, you know?"

Something changed in Dmitri's eyes all of a sudden, and he stalked closer to her like a bear about to pounce on its prey. "I don't know what the Russian Bear sees in you, but I see right through you, and I will make him do the same too."

Lisa's heart thumped in fear as she lowered her eyes quickly, scared to look into his. Dmitri wasn't joking. She didn't think he even knew how to throw a joke. For some reason, he seemed to be convinced that Lisa was a bad person when none of this was her fault. It wasn't like she had purposely walked into the road. Maybe Nikolai should have been more careful driving. But of course, with the way Dmitri glared at her, the last thing she was going to do was point out a flaw.

"Now quit talking and follow me!"

Lisa followed Dmitri quietly up the stairs, hoping that somehow, he would forget she was right behind him. He took her around the mansion, showing her the kitchen, dining room, arcade, tea parlor, the quarters that housed the rest of Nikolai's men, and the guest rooms, one of which she was going to be staying in. At the last room in the hallway on the second floor, Dmitri stopped by the door and looked at her sternly.

"Nikolai's office - out of bounds."

"Nikolai…" Lisa mused about his name in her head. That name rang a bell. Where…

"Tell me you understand." Dmitri glared at her again.

"Okay! I do," Lisa muttered, following him to the third floor, where the guest rooms were. Nikolai's bedroom was the last in the hallway, too, and Dmitri emphasized steering clear from the boss unless she was summoned. For a minute, Lisa wondered what it felt like to get summoned by the boss. It sounded like something straight out of a narcissist's themed book. Dmitri showed her one last room before calling it quits. He didn't tell her what was behind the door or why he was even showing it to her in the first place. He only demanded that she go nowhere near the room.

And if she was to survive here, Lisa pledged to do everything Dmitri commanded. She didn't want to know what disobeying him felt like.

However, Lisa's opinionated mind could only go for so long, as boredom and frustration were beginning to find their way to her. For the next two days, all she saw were the four walls of her bedroom and that of the dining room on the days she didn't want to eat indoors. But that, too, wasn't any different, as she sat alone in the plethora of chairs crowned by the banquet table with her food before her. Each meal was always a feast in Nikolai's home, and even though Lisa was at first enthralled, the feeling was beginning to wear off.

It was getting replaced by irritation directed at both her attitude and that of Nikolai. Why the hell had he left her all alone since the accident? Lisa had thought that he would have at least checked in on her to see if her pains had subsided, but she had started to wonder if he had even been home since then. But what kind of uncouth host did that to his guest? Did he bring her here to act as a piece of furniture, doing nothing and getting bored out of her mind?

The worst thing was that Lisa had no clue as to why she was this angry. She knew she was the stranger in his home, and her presence didn't in any way mean he shouldn't go about his day like she wasn't there. But that knowledge did nothing to stop her infuriation, or even water it down at the very least. Lisa was piqued by the man's persona, and that was strange to her because she prided herself on her ability to keep her emotions in check. Now, all she wanted to do was yell at Nikolai, demanding to know why he left her all alone for so long. Even Dmitri was nowhere to be found.

Just as Lisa nursed her thoughts, she heard heavy footsteps outside the door. Almost tripping in a haste to see who that was, Lisa rushed to the door, and counted one to five before opening it slowly. Excitement and anxiety coursed through her bones as it was the first time she heard someone up here since she got here, apart from the homely looking woman who served her.

As Lisa pulled the door open, she ducked her head out and only caught the back of jet-black shoulder-length hair going back down the stairs.

That must be Nikolai.

Finally!

But there was no relief nor peace in Lisa's mind as she set her face in determination, going down the stairs. Nikolai was a very fast walker, so, by the time Lisa reached the second floor, he had disappeared down the hallway.

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