Page 2 of Plus-Sized Bratva Prisoner

My GPA is flawless, and I need to maintain an excellent record here at this internship in order to keep it that way. My GPA depends on it.

I’ll do whatever it takes. My future depends on it.

“Follow me, I’ll show you around. My name is Samantha, and I'm your direct manager. So, if you have questions or need to report something you can come straight to me.”

“Thanks, Samantha,” I say, following her through the side doors that lead into the open plan office space. She is beautiful and professional, and within minutes of meeting her I feel inspired to be like her.

I can tell that the other people in the office look up to her from the way they talk to her when she passes them.

The vibe here is great. People are friendly and welcoming, and most of them stop working to greet me and welcome me to the company.

I’ll never remember all of these names, though. I’ll just focus on the ones Samantha specifically points out.

“That’s the big boss's office. Yefim. He and his brothers own this company, amongst others.” She points towards an office on a higher floor, overlooking our desks below.

I stare up at it, watching as a tall, dark-haired man greets three other men.

“Those are the brothers with him,” Samantha confirms. “Oleg, Leon and Alexei.”

They are dressed head to toe in custom fitted suites. The stylish elegance of their outfits and the way they handle themselves just screams wealth and status. They work for what they have, and they know how to present themselves.

Never mind being inspired by Samantha—I’m inspired by the Dubrov brothers on a whole different level.

“Dubrov Enterprise imports and exports high-end electronics. Anything you can think of, from home automation, mobile devices and security equipment to machinery for wellness spas.”

Samantha is talking to me, but I'm completely distracted watching my new boss and his brothers. I don’t particularly care about the products, but I am interested in their worldwide network of connections and their reputation for being one of the most profitable businesses in Boston.

I can’t believe how powerful and impressive the Dubrov brothers all look.

As they walk into the office, my eyes follow my boss. He’s freaking hot.

“Tia?”

I quickly turn back towards Samantha.

“This is Eric. He handles project management for each of the teams in the warehouse. You will be doing a lot of work with him.”

“Hi, Eric.” I hold out my hand and shake his, a nice firm grip to show him I’m here to work.

Once she has shown me around and I’ve done my best to remember the important names, the people I will be working with, she takes me to my desk and leaves me with my first official task.

Sitting at my desk, I feel very exposed in this massive open plan office with the boss's office overlooking us all, but I’m not intimidated by any of it. I have to push myself if I want the same kind of success my boss has. It doesn’t happen overnight, but I know with determination and commitment I will have it in my future.

My whole life, I’ve relied on myself, no one else. Not my single alcoholic mom, not my absent father—no one but me. And I’ve done well.

As soon as I am out of this debt my mother left me with, things are going to be going better thanwell.Things are going to be great.

***

By Friday I’m exhausted to my bones.

Keeping up with this job, my studies, my part-time job editing for a local magazine and the hour I do every evening walking the neighbors' dogs—it’s a lot, and it’s getting to me. But I know all I need is time to adjust to my new routine. That’s all.

I glance at my watch. It’s five fifteen, and most of the people are busy packing up and heading home for the day.

No one works late here. The company seems to be pretty strict when it comes to taking care of their staff and making sure they fairly are all only working within working hours.

But I’ve been tired, and I didn’t finish this one project in the amount of time I expected of myself. It’s due on Monday afternoon, and I really wanted to hand it in now, before the day ended.

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