Page 7 of Seduced By the Russian

But there was no stopping Lisa as she bounded on the same path, intent on telling Nikolai how rude it had been of him to be leaving her all alone for 48 hours. Lisa barely remembered that Dmitri warned her that Nikolai's office was off-limits. But even if she had remembered, would she really have adhered to his instructions?

She barely said a word back to her foster parents all the years she was being abused, yet here she was, about to dish her mind out to a stranger who had taken her into his home. Lisa didn't think about that or the implications of her action as she pulled out her fist and knocked on the door.

Chapter Four

The knock on the door brought instant anger to Nikolai, and he stared hard at the door like the inanimate object itself was a contributor to his current state of mind. Nothing had gone well today for Nikolai, and he hated running into blocks. Of course, it was one of the thrills of leading the Bratva, but it still managed to get to him each time. His mother told him countless times before she died that he needed to learn how to live with his failures. But Nikolai had a mantra - no success came from managing failures.

Another rattle at the door, this time more demanding. Nikolai had told Dmitri to not let anyone bother him, and the only time Dmitri had broken that rule was when the head of the leadership family, Kuznetsov, had stormed into his home, accusing that Nikolai had taken a decision without informing the round table. They sorted that out, albeit with a battle of weapons. But it was settled nonetheless.

Muttering a string of curses, Nikolai walked to the door and threw it open, coming face to face with Lisa’s annoyed stare and her oh-so unnerving gray eyes. His brain started that dull working at the back again, gnawing on and on in trying to figure out why she looked so familiar. Nikolai thought he was going to go crazy if he didn’t figure it out.

Ignoring his brain for a minute, Nikolai observed the scene keenly, wondering why the girl was in front of his office, looking like someone had pissed in her meal. Didn’t his bodyguard slash best friend tell her this room was off-limits?

The outrage Nikolai felt when someone knocked on his door was turned down a notch as he folded his arms across his chest, still slightly irritated. Lisa stared on, her lips slightly open as if she intended to say something, but with no words coming out.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

He didn’t care much for her reason, but it better be good to have gotten him disturbed, and that only meant that it was a matter of life and death.

“Did a bear get your tongue?” Nikolai’s tone rattled her. He could see her shiver and take an involuntary step back.

Lisa said nothing, and Nikolai tried again.

“Your name.”

“Lisa,” she stammered, realizing that he had never asked for her name before now. How did that even work?

“Lisa, you better tell me what you came here for before…”

“Where have you been?” Lisa blurted out, regretting it the minute it was out of her mouth. She certainly shouldn’t have begun that way. Now, there was nothing she could do to wipe off that obvious anger etched on his features. What if he threw her out of his house now?

“I believe that is none of your business.” Nikolai was angry. Really angry. His nostrils flared, and in that instant, he looked like a callous monster devoid of every warmth humans possess.

“But…”

“And this should be the last time you even think of asking me something like that. Am I clear?”

So, bossy! Does he jerk off on hearing himself order people around?

“You left me alone for two days in this huge house. Dmitri won’t even talk to me. He acts like I did something bad to him.”

Dmitri wasn’t friends with anyone, but Nikolai didn’t think it was knowledge Lisa needed to be armed with.

“And?”

Lisa’s eyes flared open in surprise, and a red patch appeared on her cheeks. “I thought… I… Why did you bring me here if you’re just going to leave me alone all day?” Her shaky voice tingled Nikolai’s senses, and he looked at her face again - pure and innocent. He wondered what lay beneath all of that.

“I’m not sure I know where this is headed, and trust me when I say I know a lot of things.”

Lisa should have thought about this properly before appearing at his door. She should have gone over a speech in her head, and not just walked up here unarmed. Now, he probably thought her to be a dummy as well as poor.

Lifting her head with the little shred of dignity she had left, Lisa did what she had always done when people looked down on her in high school - she acted like she was always on the right. “It is wrong to bring a guest into your home and then leave them unattended. Did you know that?”

Nikolai’s eyes fanned over her, and he took a tiny step forward. He bent a fraction until he could feel her breath on his face. “I usually do not bother explaining myself to people, and I’m not about to do that with you. But humor me. Did you expect me to stay by your side like a piece of gum?”

“Answer me!” Nikolai urged her with force when she remained quiet.

“I think…”

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