Page 9 of Pregnant By the Mafia Boss

A mischievous grin covers my face. “I will hunt you down if I have to. Trust me. I’m a great hunter.” She giggles, and it’s clear she doesn’t understand the seriousness of the situation. I will hunt her down.

God. It’s hard to leave her. Her scent is a mixture of sex, sweat, and peaches, and it’s forever left its mark on me. I take one hard look back at her, my eyes devoid of emotion.

OhKrasny oktyabr’you have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into.

Chapter Five - Fiona

Two days later…

“You gave him the wrong number?No fucking way!”Rachael exclaims, sucking down her orange juice, right along with the blow-by-blow details of my hot one-night-virginity stand with an absolute stranger. It’s a mild enough Chicago day, but nothing about my feelings are mild. Rachael and I are seated at the back of a popular Chicago eatery—Charge—and it’s only a hop, skip, and a jump from my work offices.

I’ve been itching to give the girls the juicy details of my sordid night, even though I already texted them both once I arrived back home. It was a strange cab ride home as the scent of Ruslan clung to my clothes. I think I’m supposed to feel differently inside, but all the night did was leave me feeling even more confused having done the deed. Thankfully, my article rewrites are minimal this week, and everything else is reasonably calm in the office.

Biting into my chicken sandwich, I chew a little more, chuckling a little at my phone number switcheroo. It’s not as if I directly planned to evade Ruslan, but when he handed me his phone, I panicked, launching into quick-thinking mode.

I turn my attention back to my overeager friend. “Yes way, Rachael. The guy’s a player, and he’stoohandsome and charming. He’s like a bighotmistake. Great for virginity loss, though,” I reason with a nonchalant shrug. I shimmy around in my seat, still conscious of the imprint of Ruslan in my core from the night’s escapades.

And now, the way I see the Nobu Hotel will never be the same again after this. A thrilling shudder skates through my veins, recalling the night’s events because he knew exactlywhere to touch my body, and how to elicit sensations I’ve never experienced with any man before. Sure, I’ve dated boys in my life, but mostly it was innocent and short-lived, especially the Midwest Ohio boys.

There was this one guy—Brody, who was a soccer player, and I was stuck on him back in high school. I had high hopes. We dated when I was sixteen for a couple of months, until he wanted to go all the way.

“We like each other; let’s just do it. You’re kind of behind all the other girls, and it will be fun.”

“I just want to wait a bit. What’s wrong with what we have now? I think it’s important to build a friendship first. No?”

“Nah, we’ve been friends long enough. What’s to learn? Come on, let’s do it.”

And that’s when he ghosted me, and the following day I spotted him on campus with one of the Ohio girls who was known for her“reputation,”on his arm. Both of them walked straight past me as if I didn’t exist. After that disappointment, Ohio boys ended up at the bottom of the shit heap in terms of men to date.

Chicago men were worse and none of them produced the same electric current buzzing through my body like I experienced with Ruslan. A rush of fiery heat floods my system as I dial up the memory of Ruslan’s dark controlling gaze, and his tongue performing small miracles on my body.

It was puzzling at first when he handed me the phone, but I quickly switched on to his game, punching in the wrong number. There’s no way in hell, I planned on giving him my correct number.Ever.

Racheal jumps into my pervasive thoughts, pleading her lost cause of a case. “You could have given the guy more of a chance, don’t you think? You lost your virginity to him!”

I giggle at Rachael’s disbelief, personally feeling as if I dodged a serious bullet. “No. I couldn’t have. You should have seen how expensive his shoes were, and his watch had more diamonds in it than I can count. Had to be a Cartier,” I reason, remembering the glint shining off the top of it from the nightstand.

“Oh my God!If it’s a Cartier, then you definitely should have let him have your number. I mean, why not? He could have wined and dined you—which yousodeserve.” You could have let him take you to all the fancy restaurants, and for sure he could have taken you shopping. You could have gotten some good jewelry out of him!” Rachael’s animated gestures don’t change the fact that Ruslan came across as a total player, and I’ve decided I’m not about to be the unsuspecting spider caught up in his web.

Scoffing, I laugh again, but deep down inside, I wonder what it would be like to date him, even if it’s a crazy fantasy. “That’s exactly why I don’t want him to have my number. He can have anyone he wants.”

“Yeah, but he choseyou.What does that say?” In many ways, I admire Rachael. She doesn’t overthink things too much and likes to have fun, including when it comes to men, but I’ve seen her tears when she’s cared about someone, and they haven’t reciprocated her feelings.

“I don’t know what it says, but everything he had on looked expensive,” I tell her dramatically as I look out at the Chicago foot traffic along the busy sidewalk. “His watch looked as if it cost more than my yearly salary! There’s no way,” I insist,Rachael’s eyes growing incredulous and her lips curving into a cheeky smile.

“And you’re counting yourself out because you looked expensively hot babe. And that’s because you’re worth it. Can’t you see how perfect a fling it could have been for you?”

I stare at her as if she’s gone cuckoo. I don’t know who she’s trying to convince, but it’s certainly not me. “No, I really don’t. There’s no way—and with his good looks, he wouldn’t be capable of taking me seriously, but the simple matter of fact is, I can’t get Ruslan out of my head. He left so abruptly; it’s been lingering in my thoughts as to why. What was so urgent he had to get up and leave in a hurry? I don’t say it, but his hasty departure left me feeling jilted.

Rachael shakes her head in defiance. “No. You should have just given him your number. It could have been a great opportunity. You looked so good with him, and man he was into you. You were the femme fatale, the quintessential lady in red,” Rachael praises, waving her hands about.

Giggling, I almost spit out my sandwich. “Stop it!But I did look good in that dress, didn’t I?”

“Sure did. But it’s more than just the dress. It’s you, babe. It’s like you can’t see yourself or something. Guys were gawking all over the place.”

“It’s not like Ididn’tsee them. It’s just that I’m not interested in all those player types. Not long term anyway. They’re not for me,” I remind her, still processing my thoughts and feelings from the night.

“And come on—think about it. Let’s just run a hypothetical for funsies.”

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