Page 5 of Slipping into the Dark Side

Her heart jump started in apprehension. She didn’t know this man, she didn’t know what he was capable of, but there was one thing for certain, she had a knife tucked against her thigh and if she had to, she would use it. But this wasn’t any man. This was Yakov Morozov. If he were to make an advancement, could she deny him?

Yakov could see the fear in her face and took a step back. He had thought that would excite her, not scare her. “I only wish to talk to you.”

The space brought comfort, and she relaxed. Now, she felt foolish. Yakov did not need to take from women when they willingly gave it. “What could we possibly have to talk about?”

Yakov motioned to a door, and she followed him skeptically. They stood in a library, which happened to be the third library she had found. The number of books these people possessed was astounding. She was sure they were collective items. The Morozovs didn’t appear to be the kind of family that collected anything that wasn’t of value.

The curtains were open to reveal the gardens and Tatianna searched the maze for Fedor. It was dark out, but he carried a lantern as he walked around, asking random people if they had seen her. She thought it was adorable and she smiled in spite of herself.

Tatianna felt terrible for him. He deserved someone so much better than her.

“I want to offer a business venture.”

“Talking to the wrong person,” she mumbled, leaning against the window pane.

Yakov had never felt jealous over a woman before. Over his father’s attention to Yefim, yes, all the time, but not for a woman’s attention. He belittled those who fell into a female’s web, much like his father had done, who became so bitter being controlled that he overcompensated by constantly talking about women being good for only two things: Fucking and impregnating. Otherwise, they were useless. This mantra had followed him, and for the most part, he had begun to believe it to be true. But now standing here staring at Tatianna, Yakov wanted her eyes on him and only him.

“Marry me.”

Tatianna flipped her head toward him. The outrage in her gaze was humorous. “What?”

“As a business venture, of course.”

“No.”

“You haven’t heard my proposal.”

“I don’t need to. I’m already engaged.”

“Yes, and I will make it up to him. He and I will be partners.”

“You’ve talked to him about this?”

“Not yet. But he’ll do it. Fedor is quite ambitious.”

“He loves me.”

“So?”

“He won’t let me go.”

“Every man has a price.”

Tatianna looked out the window. Fedor was frustrated, standing on a balcony just below where she was standing. If she pounded on the window, he would look up and see her. But she didn’t.

“Do you love him?” Yakov asked with a sigh. He didn’t want to hear it. The answer would aggravate this situation more than he wanted it to be.

Tatianna turned to him, “Why me?”

There were selfish reasons and not-well-thought-out reasons, but the business reasons were the only ones he wanted to reveal: “Your father’s lands sit on the Pakhra River. It makes it easy to distribute goods to all the distant villages. If I invested in his lands, he could become very rich in a very short time frame. And if he makes money, I make money.”

“Why me?”

Yakov shifted. She was making him uncomfortable, and she wanted a better answer. What answer did he have? This was a new business idea that he had only had five hours ago. The reasons were based on instinct, but how could he explain that to her?

“I want you,” he surprisingly admitted.

She flushed and bowed her head. “You want to marry me because you want to sleep with me?”

---