Page 43 of Wicked Arrangement

Yaroslav—the mysterious businessman who’s vague about his wealth and seems to have more money than possible. Who also has a dark side. A man who has round-the-clock security, and recently escaped an attempt on his life—a bombing no less. What normal businessmen are people trying to blow up? Suddenly, David’s words don’t seem to be so absurd after all.

A shiver runs down my spine as I ask myself who the man I’ve been sleeping with really is.

Who is Yaroslav Volkov?

Another thing that David says keeps coming to mind. He said that Yaroslav loves me. An hour ago I’d be giddy at the thought of it, I’d be wondering how I felt about him. Asking, do I love him too? Now I’m wondering what that means. Is Yaroslav the man I’ve been falling for, or is he a monster whose affections I’ve now gained? And what does being loved by a man capable of god knows what mean?

If I wanted to leave, would he let me? Or like something out of a fairytale am I now the princess, locked away by a beast who thinks he loves me?

Chapter 22

Yaroslav

It’s been a long day. Eventually, after doing some digging and pulling a few teeth, we discovered the fool who thought it was a good idea to steal from me. He’s now on his way to a watery grave somewhere no one will find him. It might be a cliché, but weighing a body down and dumping it in the ocean really is one of the most effective methods of disposal. Of course, amongst our own, I’ll make sure everyone knows what happened to him. No one steals from the Volkov Wolfpack and lives to spend a penny of their ill-gotten gains.

I’m feeling stressed and I know I won’t sleep. One thing I’m confident will make me feel better is fucking. Losing myself in Kim and forgetting the world for a while is too tempting so I decide to go to her room. She answers the door in a skimpy pair of pajama shorts and a silk camisole top that I can see her nipples through. My cock immediately jumps at the sight.

She stifles a yawn, “Yaroslav, it’s late. Is everything okay?” she asks, holding the door close to her so she’s stood in the way.

I’m a bit confused, normally she throws the door wide open for me and invites me in right away, or just calls out for me to come in without coming to the door. Why does she now seem shy?

“Can I come in?” I ask with a small smile.

She hesitates for a moment before, moving aside and opening the door wider for me to enter. The room is dark, with only her bedside lamp casting a soft glow. Her bed is unmade, with a book on the nightstand, so I assume she was in bed reading when I knocked.

“Did Artem show you the pottery room I had made for you?” I ask.

“He did…” she says hesitantly.

“Is something wrong with it?” I ask, wondering why she’s acting strangely.

“No, no it’s perfect, thank you. It was very generous of you. You really shouldn’t have…” she says.

“Why not? I wanted to do something nice for you,” I state, feeling a little stung that she isn’t acting more grateful.

“And I appreciate that, it just seems a bit extravagant when I’ll only get to use it a few times,” she replies cautiously. Upon noticing my confused expression, she continues, “You know, because I’m leaving in three days.”

Fuck, how has it already been four days since she agreed to another week?

“No,” I blurt out without thinking, I’m not ready for her to leave.

“No?” she asks incredulously, folding her arms and glaring up at me, “You can’t force me to stay.”

“Wanna bet?” I growl.

“We had a deal!” she cries.

She looks adorable when she’s mad, I can practically imagine her petulantly stamping her foot in a moment.

“And now I’ve changed my mind,” I purr, stepping closer to her until there’s barely any space between us.

Kim’s breath hitches and I know my proximity is impacting her, that she’s responding to me and soon she’ll give in. She blinks, shaking her head and backing up, as though breaking a spell. I step forward again and she places her hands on my chest and shoves me.

“No. You don’t get to do that,” she declares haughtily.

“Do what?” I purr, circling her wrist with one hand and trailing my fingers on the other hand up her arm seductively.

“Demand that I stay without giving me a choice in the matter and then try to seduce me into agreeing. You can’t do that!” she retorts, yanking her arm away.

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