Page 13 of Dancing With Desire

I head to the bar in the VIP lounge. I haven’t been around much and want to check in with my bar manager, Stuart. I reach over the bar and shake his hand. “Busy in here today,” I comment. “How’s it been recently?” I ask as he pours me a whiskey.

“Numbers are good, boss, as usual. There’s a couple new DJs coming in tomorrow morning for a try-out,” he says as he passes my drink to me.

“How are takings?” I ask, sipping of the auburn liquor and allowing it to ease the tension.

“We’re up on last quarter.”

“That’s what I like to hear. Sorry I’ve been absent lately.” I don’t give an explanation, and none of my staff expect one.

“That’s what you hired me for, right?” he asks with a smirk. “You can deal with your other businesses without worrying about this place,” he adds, wiping down the bar with a towel.

I nod, grabbing my glass and making my way to my office.

I can still hear the slight drum of the music from the bar as I take a seat on the leather sofa, resting my head back and staring at the ceiling.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out. My heart skips a few beats as I see‘Krasota’ on the screen. Sliding the lock, I open the text. It’s an image of a pregnancy scan, and it immediately brings a smile to my face. Seeing that smudge in the centre of the picture is the reason I can never walk away. My child grows within her, a child who deserves me to be better than my father ever was, and there is no way I can let any harm come to either of them again. I make a promise to myself that one day soon, she will be back where she belongs and those fuckers who tried to take her from me will be ten feet under.

My heart swells with joy, a feeling that was alien to me until Victoria came crashing into my life. It’s something I never even thought I would be capable of, a love I never knew existed. I reply instantly.

Me: Thank you, my krasota. Both of you are my world and I let you down. Forgive me. D x

I stare at my phone for what seems like an age, but no reply comes. I know that winning her back isn’t going to be easy, and it’s only what I deserve for allowing my judgement to be clouded.

Dialling my father’s number,I need to get the ball rolling if I’m ever going to make them pay. He answers on the second ring. “What can I do for you, moy syn?”

I sense his unease. I’m sure he’s waiting for me to discover what he’s done.

“I’m just looking over the current figures for some of the businesses and the numbers aren’t tallying up. We need to arrange a meeting.” My tone is abrupt, hopefully putting him even more on edge.

“That’s odd. I took a look over those figures myself. Are you doubting my ability, moy syn?” he demands. He hates to be doubted, and I can’t wait until he learns the families are questioning his ability to run things.

“Of course, I trust you. I have no reason not to. But Vivian’s another story. I’ve noticed she’s disappeared since Victoria’s re-appearance.” I sigh, tapping my fingers on the arm of the couch. “I thought she would’ve been pleased with the fact Victoria’s left me and hanging off my every word. I wonder if she’s found someone else?” I ask thoughtfully.

“You sound a little jealous, Dmitry,” he mutters, and I laugh at his inability to read between the lines.

“I’ve been there, and since then, I’ve tasted so much better. Plus, I don’t like to mix business and pleasure because things get a little . . . confusing. And that is how mistakes arise.”

I imagine him pacing because I’m getting under his skin, and I’m enjoying every minute. “I will bring her over to you within the hour. We can clear up whatever it is that’s bothering you with the figures.”

“Within the hour, Father, quick work. It would suggest you’re with her, no?” He disconnects the call, and I laugh out loud.I’ve hit a nerve.

Sure enough,after an hour exactly, my father walks through my office door with Vivian trailing behind. She’s pale, and her eyes flit around the room without landing on me, a sure sign she’s nervous. My father allows her to pass him then places his hand on the small of her back reassuringly.

I make my way around the desk to where she is and lean down to place a kiss on her cheek, just as I would in any other meeting. She stiffens at my touch, and a sense of satisfaction runs through me. “Lovely to see you again, Vivian. It’s been a while. Are you okay?” I ask as I make my way back round to my office chair and take a seat.

My father and Vivian sit opposite me, and my father’s security detail stand just inside the office door, which is unusual.

“Sorry, Dmitry. It’s been very tiring. My mother isn’t well at the moment,” she replies. I almost smile at her obvious lie. I like to keep my enemies close, and I visited her mother just yesterday to do exactly that. She mentioned she’d hardly seen Vivian at all since her father died.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Maybe that’s why there appears to be some discrepancies in these figures,” I suggest as I push the spreadsheet across the table to her.

My father snatches it before she gets a chance to even look at it. “Don’t waste my time, Dmitry. I looked over these myself,” he tells me while running his eyes over them.

“I wouldn’t be protecting my own investment if I didn’t go through it all with a fine-tooth comb. Maybe you’ve been a little preoccupied with your new plaything,” I suggest smugly, and he glares over the sheet at me. I put my hands up and laugh, trying to break the ice a little. “Given the fact that one of my own men was responsible for holding Victoria captive, I would imagine you of all people would appreciate me double checking those closest to me.”

Vivian glances at my father with panic in her eyes, which she quickly disguises by bringing her hand to her face and forcing a cough. “I thought she was in hospital?” she asks with a frown.

I smirk, admiring the way she’s trying to act like she knows nothing of the past few weeks. “Nope,” I say, popping the P. “Turns out Nik was behind everything. He made me think she was crazy and then took her.”

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