“Come on, let’s take a break.”

He stands up and stretches, and his shirt drifts up, revealing a tanned strip of skin above his jeans, which are sitting low on his hips. I can see the dip that leads—

Dammit, Tia. Stop it.

“I’m going to get a coffee. Do you want one?”

“I’d love one. Thanks,” I smile.

When he leaves, I pick up the binder titled ‘Staff’ and flick through it.

This is for Dubrov Enterprises, their legal business. It details the costs related to staff enrichment and benefits.

They are extremely generous to their staff. Not only in the standard ways—health benefits and life insurance—but in other ways that go above and beyond what would be expected from them. There is a budget for weekend get always and team building events. There are pizza nights and donations towards kids' schooling.

This is incredible.

I’m so engrossed in the binder that I don’t hear Yefim come back in.

“Here you go. I thought you needed a break?” he says, and I practically jump out of the chair, slamming the binder closed as though I was snooping around.

“Oh my word.”

He laughs. “Jumpy?”

I take a few deep breaths with my hand clasped over my heart, trying to calm it down.

He sits down next to me again.

When I’m a little more settled, I pick up the binder and open it again, running my hand down a list of staff expenses.

“Your family is very generous with your employees.”

“Yes,” he says, looking confused. “Was there a question?”

“No, it’s just—most companies don’t really do that.” I shrug.

“Maybe, but we feel that the employees make the company possible. On both the topside and underside of the business, if we can’t trust and rely on our employees—if they aren’t happy—then the business won’t be successful.”

“I get that, but in a lot of instances, you seem to treat them like family.”

“We spend almost every day of the week with these people. They are like family.”

A smile touches my lips.

Maybe I have to admit that he isn’t as bad as I thought he was. He seems to care deeply about people—the people thatwork for him. He could choose to do the bare minimum for them, and they would be satisfied with it, but instead he goes so far beyond that it’s hard to comprehend.

I've only heard rumors about Bratva. The rumors I've heard don’t include them being this nice to their employees.

Or am I being naïve? It’s so difficult to trust my own judgment when I really don’t know anything at all about him, his family, or how they operate.

“You’re staring,” Yefim says, and my cheeks turn fire-red when I realize I am literally staring right at him, my brows knotted, biting my lip, my eyes piercing into him.

I quickly look away, out the window, down at the table full of paper work. I spot my coffee. I grab it and sip it, desperate for something to do.

Yefim is laughing at me again.

I feel like a bit of an idiot.