Page 17 of Possession of the Bratva

I watched Mila as we entered the casino. Stepping through the doors, Tasha and Akim were there to meet us. After a friendly greeting, we could move on. On both sides lay slots and tables. Before us was the reception area, and on both sides of the desk were stairs leading to the upper floors.

Mila’s face was expressionless as we walked through each side first. At the back of the machines and tables was a bar on each side. There were also a couple of tables with seating for patrons. We greeted the servers, barmen, and women as we passed.

Before heading upstairs, I ordered drinks for us, which we took with us. Mila still appeared unimpressed as we went up to the second floor. This floor had six corridors leading to all sides.

“This floor is for guests who want to stay over,” Tasha said as we started down one of the corridors. Opening one of the doors, Tasha stepped inside, and Mila followed. “This is our basic suite,” she said.

One of our cleaning staff was inside. He was vacuuming and humming to himself. It looked more like he was dancing with the machine than cleaning, but seeing Mila smile, I knew this was the key.

He stopped abruptly as he noticed us. Putting off the vacuum, he removed his earpieces and gave a soft bow. “Great work, Fabiano,” I said, walking closer and shaking his hand. Tome, this was a normal occurrence. I liked seeing the employees happy.

Fabiano nodded and waited until we left to continue cleaning. Tasha took us through two more rooms. Each was more luxurious than the previous one. As we returned to the stairs, Tasha spoke, “Well, this is where I leave you. Akim will take you the rest of the way. I have work to do.”

I watched as the two hugged and said goodbye. We headed up to the next floor, which held a variety of entertainment. There was the cinema, the restaurants, and the swimming area.

We quickly glanced at the theater, which was only open at specific times. There wasn’t much to see. It held a large screen at the front and rows of seating.

“Let’s head to the pool,” I said to Akim as he locked the cinema. “We’ll do the restaurant last.”

Akim nodded and led the way outside. The swimming area took up half of the roof. There were three different pools. The largest was a cold-water pool; the medium held hot water. Then there was the smaller one, which consisted of three hot tubs. Between these was a bar area with seats and tables.

Two barmen and one woman were getting ready for the evening rush. There were three pool area cleaners. One was making sure the pumps, lights, and other electrical items were all in working order. The other two were cleaning up. The music was blaring, and the workers seemed to be swaying and singing along as they moved.

As we neared the bar, the barmen and waiters smiled widely. They came out from behind the bars and greeted us cheerily. I noticed a look of shock crossing Mila’s face as I spoke to them.

It all became clear to me at that moment. I felt sure she assumed I was a horrible boss. Thinking back to her interaction with the workers, I knew it had to be. She had seen me as a brute, someone who barked orders and didn’t care about others. Yet today, she saw something else.

Feeling confident about my assumptions, I continued as usual but kept a closer eye on her. “It’s good to see you, boss,” the eldest of the three said, holding out his hand. “Is there anything we can get you? It’s been a while since we last had the honor of seeing you.”

Shaking his hand, I smiled at them as I spoke. “No thanks, John. I’m showing my wife around.” Turning to her, I placed a hand on her shoulder as I continued. “This is Mila.”

Pointing at each of them, I introduced her to them. “Mila, this is John.”

He shook her hand and smiled broadly as he replied. “Nice to meet you, my lady.”

Mila nodded, but before she could reply, I moved on. “This is Shanty. She’s been with us from the start. Don’t let her young look fool you.” Shanty laughed as she shook Mila’s hand.

“Lastly, but not to be missed, is our young Mic. He’s new here but quite a barman, I must say.”

Mila also shook his hand as Shanty and Mic relayed their pleasure to meet her. “Please call me Mila,” she added, smiling at them.

“Noted,” Shanty said as she ushered the men back to their places. “If you need anything, just let one of us know,” Shanty added as she went to the middle bar.

Mila suddenly appeared more relaxed than before. She didn’t pull out of my embrace as I put my arm around her waist.This time, we walked to the restaurant area. The area was lit in a soft amber glow from the hanging chandeliers. The tables were ready for the dinner clients.

I noticed Mila looking around the room with a newfound interest. The walls held top-to-bottom mirrors between panels of gold and burgundy. The tables and chairs varied in size and color. Some were round, some square, and others oval-shaped. Half was gold, and the other half burgundy. On each sat candles and flowers.

There were servers at the door and others standing at the back where the kitchen was. Soft music was playing in the background. We greeted the waiters and moved through to the kitchen. The more people we interacted with, the more her softer side appeared to be coming out. I found this side of her alluring.

With me, I had only seen the defensive Mila; with my siblings, a more civil side popped out. But this was something completely different. She seemed more interested in the workers, their state of mind, and comfort than any of the operations.

The kitchen smelled divine. We moved slowly, greeting the staff, the cooks, and the main chef. I stood watching as she spoke to each. She fitted right in with everyone she met. I felt my need to hold her and protect her grow as I watched her. As she came to stand by my side, I took her hand and squeezed it lightly. Mila glanced up, smiling.

For a moment, we just stood and watched as the kitchen staff cooked, joked, and danced around. They appeared to be in sync with each other and were having fun. I pulled out the chef’s chair at the table in the kitchen corner as I spoke. “Have a seat, dear.”

Mila sat down with me. The chef brought over samples of the meals they were preparing. I was astonished at her softness. It was a vast difference from the annoyed attitude I had lived with.

I had heard many stories through the grapevine. These all spoke of her cruel and destructive ways when it came to work. Seeing her in this light made my heart yearn for her love even more.

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