Page 36 of Ruthless Lullaby

No, I don't want pictures of Mindy Williams. I have no interest in having digital data of her. I wanther.Her body. Her personality. To have her completely to myself, in the flesh and blood.

I know she wants me too. She’s trying to hide it, but her body betrays her. I didn’t fail to notice how she looked at me earlier. I don’t fail to notice how she looks at me now. Even on stage, as she was removing her clothes, it’s like she was stripping for me, and me only. The image of her standing naked behindthat microphone stand sends jolts of electricity through me, pumping even more blood into my cock.

"Why would I follow you?" she shoots back with sarcastic defiance in her tone. Her eyes, however, dart down to the planes of my chest briefly before snapping back up. A spark of something flares there, just for a fleeting second. She instinctively wraps her arms around herself, seemingly self-conscious despite having just been on full display. "We are past working hours," she continues, voice a touch breathless, "And you are not my boss anymore."

"I’d like to talk with you in private," I tell her flatly, keeping my expression impassive. I then turn on my heels, and lead the way down the dimly lit corridor, towards the back hallway.

Despite her initial defiance, she quietly follows me.

We walk across the corridor in silence, until we reach the ornately carved door leading to a lavishly appointed private room. Plush velvet booths line the mirrored walls, affording an intimately indulgent setting. I’m the first to get in, moving to the wet bar to pour two generous glasses of top-shelf whiskey. When I turn back, Mindy is still standing in the doorway. She hasn't moved into the room, instead, she is eyeing me warily.

"Have a drink, Miss Williams," I cajole, holding out one of the tumblers invitingly. "You've had quite an evening tonight. This will take the edge off."

She hesitates for a moment before slowly crossing the room towards me. She reaches out, and her eyes meet mine once again. Our fingers brush ever so slightly as she accepts the offered glass.

"What are we doing here, Mr. Korolev?" Mindy asks after taking a sip of her drink, forcing confidence into her voice.

"I just happen to be one of the VIP guests tonight,” I arch an eyebrow, holding her gaze intensely. "And the way I see it, this is a chance for us to get reacquainted."

She frowns. "Reacquainted?”

I ignore her question, and gesture around the opulent room with a lazy sweep of my arm,"Please, take a seat."

As she does, I also settle onto one of the semicircular benches, splaying my legs in a posture of casual dominance. I take a moment of silence and allow it to stretch between us before I speak again. "Look, Miss Williams,” I begin. “I think it would be quite rude for an employer to not check in on his employee after such an... eventful evening."

"Ex-employer, you mean," she retorts, a hint of her earlier defiance returning as she frowns at me over the rim of her glass.

I furrow my brow in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"We both know what I'm talking about, Mr. Korolev. You fired me from your company just this morning."

I stare at her, keeping my expression impassive. "I can assure you, I did no such thing, Miss Williams."

It’s her turn to furrow her brows. If anything, her expression is making my cock even harder.Blyad.If this continues, it will tear through the fabric of my pants.

“I must have misunderstood something, then,” she says. “If I wasn’t fired, why was my access card blocked? And why did I receive an email to terminate my work contract with immediate effect?”

"Oh, I see.” I look her in the eye. “If that happened, it means Human Resources are doing their job as they should. We can’t have our chief accountant’s nudes roaming around on our company servers."

She blushes and stares at the floor in embarrassment. “Right. The photos.”

I nod. “Yes. The photos. What did you expect?”

My words are followed by yet another long silence. I take a swig of my whiskey and cross one leg over the other, giving her a minute to gather her bearings.

Eventually, it is Mindy who speaks. "Look, Mr. Korolev, I'm sorry,” She whispers, flustered. "I truly am. I made a mistake … I accidentally sent them to the wrong address and-”

"Addresses," I correct her with relish. "Many of our executives were being served the privilege to enjoy your exhibition, Miss Williams."

"I… I know,” she bites out, looking at the floor as if there was something interesting there. "It was the stupidest mistake ever, it really was. And as I said, I really am sorry."

"You're lucky you got away with an email from HR and your card being blocked, Miss Williams. Employees who flagrantly disrespect company policy don’t get off so easily." Her shuddering inhalation is like a balm to the darker parts of my psyche that revel in the game of power and dominance. Good. Let her feel a little off-balance, vulnerable before me.

But Mindy Williams is not a woman who is easily intimidated. She lifts her chin and turns her face towards mine. The air is electric between us, charged with a raw energy that sends my pulse racing all over again.

Holy fuck, she’s beautiful.

“So, what now, Mr. Korolev? You’ve seen my photos, and you’ve seen me perform on stage… without my clothes on. Are you going to blackmail me?” There is challenge in her tone. She straightens her back and pulls the robe covering her breasts tighter. It only makes her puckering nipples more visible through the thin fabric. My cock throbs in response.

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