Page 40 of Bound By Revenge

“My thoughts exactly. Glad we’re on the same page,” he says, mirroring my tone

“Oh, absolutely. Besides, once this is over, there’ll be plenty of time for Dmitri and me to chat, right? I’ll give him my number so he can reach me.”

The look he gives me could cut through stone. Clearly, he hasn’t forgotten I refused to even give him my name when we first met.

“I hope you’re not too busy daydreaming about Dmitri to do your job properly. As his boss, I can tell you he’ll be way too occupied tochatwith you anytime soon. And asyourboss, I can say the same for you.”

“That’s fine. For someone as wonderful as Dmitri, I can wait.”

“He’ll be busy indefinitely.”

“Forever?”

“If that’s what it takes, yes.”

I set my cup down sharply and turn to face him fully. “What’s your problem today? Do you get off on antagonizing me?”

“I could ask you the same thing. For the record, not everything is about you. My life doesn’t revolve around your wants or wishes. I run a tight ship here—get used to it.”

“Right. It’s all about efficiency with you, isn’t it? That’s the only thing you care about,” I say, dripping with sarcasm.

A small smile curves his mouth. “Exactly. See? You’re learning already.”

“Uh-huh. So, this animosity I’m getting from you has nothing to do with jealousy, right? Dmitri flirting with me doesn’t bother you at all, does it?”

“As I said, all I care about is you and Dmitri focusing on this job. With that in mind, I’m afraid I have to insist you avoid any distractions until the work is done.”

He stands, clearly considering the conversation finished.

“And I’m afraid I must I insist you mind your own business.”

Slowly, he turns back to me.

“Your business is my business. You work for me now. And as long as that’s the case, I set the rules. Unfortunately for you, that means no dating anyone until the job is done.”

I must have misheard him. He can’t seriously be banning me from seeing any men for the foreseeable future, not just Dmitri.

“No dating anyone? Are you out of your mind? Who the hell do you think you are? You don’t get to make demands like that. I’ll be working for you, not signing my life away.”

Nik leans back against the kitchen counter, crossing his arms. His biceps flex just enough to distract me, even while I’m furious.

“You already signed your life away when you stole from me, Kat. Don’t act like you’re doing me a favor by working for me. If anything, I’m cutting you some slack. Men have died for less.”

“I’m starting to realize there are fates worse than death,” I mutter under my breath, my frustration mounting. I’m so done with men bending me to their will.

He chuckles at my dramatic statement. “There sure are, Kat, but this isn’t one of them. You’re getting off easy, and it’s about time you realize that.”

I shoot him a venomous look before glancing away. His smug expression says it all—he’s got me, and he knows it.

After a beat, he sighs, then pushes off the counter and walks over to me. He pulls the stool next to mine and sits down, facing me.

“Come on,” he says, his tone softening. “You know who I am and what I do. You agreed to this deal. What did you expect? You knew exactly what you were getting yourself into. Don’t act surprised I expect you to stay focused.”

I stare back in silence. It’s not enough for Nik that he has me at his beck and call—he wants me to be happy about it, too.

“Look,” he continues in an appeasing tone, “there’s no reason for us to be more miserable than we have to be. Come with me. I think I have something that’ll cheer you up.”

He stands and holds out his hand. I glance at it and sniff, not moving.

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