Page 21 of Arranged Marriage By the Bratva

“Feels too good!” she crows, releasing into orgasm, her explosion enough for the rush of climax to follow shortly after for me.

Elena falls forward as I pull out of her, and her hair lays flat like a sheet over my chest, my fingers dancing over her back. At first it was about claiming her, but now it’s become more than expected.

And the next day we wake up in our bed together, with Elena no longer sleeping on the couch. She’s even peaceful in her sleep. She’s one of the fiercest women I’ve met, but under my touch she caves, and I like it.

Distance is the key, Nikk. You can’t lose to a Mancini. No. Not after what you have planned.

Stroking her arm lightly, I peek under the covers, seeing her leg draped over mine. I like it there, and that, too, is a problem.

I reach over to the dresser table to check the time, and soon I have to go. I’m needed in LA for a business trip, and as I take one last look at the sleeping beauty, I wish she could join me.

She herself is busy with her own meetings for nightclub openings, our schedules clashing. Fuck. I’m falling for her.

Carefully, I peel her leg off my body as drowsily Elena changes positions and I slip away, alone with newfound feelings I don’t want.

Chapter Fifteen

Elena

Nikk left out early for LA, and I find myself feeling a little lost and confused as I head off to my own meetings. Wait a minute, am I missing the guy? Shaking off the awful notion, I regroup, entering Bellman’s Bar and Grill from the town car in search of Matteo.

It’s been a refreshing change having him in such close proximity to me, and I’m sad about him flying out to Sicily tomorrow as well. I sail through the busy restaurant knowing Matteo’s booked us a table in the popular bustling restaurant. Scanning the restaurant, I look for the table where he’s seated, but there’s no need as he’s standing in the middle waving in my direction.

Instantly a warm smile spreads over my face, and the tension melts in my shoulders. It’s nice to see the man who’s been my confidant, and trusted family ally for so long. He represents so much to the famiglia, and without him being the glue holding the old and the new together, the Mancinis would be lost.

Matteo’s face lights up as he holds out his arms in greeting. “Ciao, Elena.” He kisses both my cheeks as we sit down together. “I took the liberty of ordering us a nice white if you don’t mind.”

Smiling at him, I relax into my seat. “No, not at all. Good to see you. How are things?”

Matteo clasps his hands together in a pyramid, nodding his head in satisfaction. “I believe they’re going well, Donna. I’ve organized all the necessary shipments for delivery today and personally dropped off the last run of lemons to the warehouse myself,” Matteo relays with pride as I take a sip of water, eagerly wanting to get the information about Bogdan off my chest.

It was hard enough to keep my mouth shut when Nikk left out in the morning, let alone exchanging pleasantries with Matteo. Nodding my head, I reply.

“Good. Nikk will be pleased. At least I’m building trust with him.”

Matteo’s face tunes into a disgusted scoff. “There’s no such thing as building trust with an Orlov.” His dark eyes probe mine as I offer him a cheap smile back.

“Speaking of a loss of trust, I’ve got a juicy secret I can’t keep to myself,” I tell him in a hushed whisper, leaning forward. Matteo’s brow knits together, and he shuts the menu he has in hand.

“You do? Oh, this I want to hear.”

“Should we order some entrees first? I’m feeling a little peckish.”

“Sure, we can do that.” Matteo signals to the waiter. The sea of voices around us is loud enough to shield our private conversation, but I still perform my checks for hidden Orlov spies, and since I don’t see anyone, I open up after he finishes placing the order.

“I can’t hold this in any longer. Matteo, Bogdan is stealing from the Orlovs from the inside.” Holding his gaze, Matteo balks, slowly placing his glass back on the table.

“How do you know?”

“I was looking over the last two years of profit margins, and I kept seeing this one organization cropping up and it was bugging me. You know me, I started digging.” I take a sip of my wine.

“Yes, that’s sounds like you.” He smirks.

“I traced the amounts back to Bogdan, he was in bed with the last CEO of the not-for-profit and they were working together, funneling the money out of the company,” I hiss, the layers of relief peeling off as I tell him more.

“Do you have substantial evidence to this effect?” Matteo is a by-the-book type of guy, and I could’ve predicted his extreme caution even before we sat down.

“Yes. I’ve got paper trails, his VPN, the emails going back and forth between him and the last CEO. It’s fucked!” I exclaim passionately, sliding a hand through my sleek ponytail.

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