Page 16 of Ruthless Daddies

Ican still taste him on my lips.

I’m leaning against the cool brick wall of the club, trying to pull myself back together. My pulse is racing, my legs feel like they’ve turned to jelly, and my heart is pounding so hard I can barely hear the music anymore. Dmitri kissed me like he was starving, like he couldn’t get enough, and now…he’s gone. He slipped away without a word, vanishing into the shadows like he was never there.

I press a hand to my lips, still swollen from the kiss, and feel the heat rise to my cheeks. What the hell was that? One second, he was dragging me off the dance floor, all fire and fury, and the next, he was…well, doingthat. And now he’s disappeared, leaving me here, breathless and completely rattled.

“Alice!” Jenna’s voice cuts through the fog in my brain, and I look up to see her weaving through the crowd toward me. She’s grinning, her face flushed from dancing, but the smile falters when she gets a good look at me. “Where did you go? I was looking for you everywhere!”

I shake my head, trying to muster a casual smile. “I, uh, stepped away for a second.”

Jenna narrows her eyes, clearly unconvinced. “Stepped away? You look like you just got mauled by a wild animal. What happened?” Her gaze sweeps over me, and she gasps, reaching out to touch the red marks on my neck. “Are those—did someone give you hickeys? Oh my God, Alice!”

I swat her hand away, feeling my face burn hotter. “It’s nothing, Jenna. Just…forget it.”

Jenna’s grin is wicked now, her eyes wide with curiosity. “Forget it? You disappear for five minutes and come back looking likethis, and you want me to forget it?” She leans in closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Who was it? Was he hot?”

I open my mouth to answer, but before I can, a shadow falls over us, and I look up to find Ivan standing there. He’s dressed in a crisp black shirt, the top button undone, his sleeves rolled up to reveal strong, tanned forearms. His expression is stone-cold, his ice-blue eyes flicking from me to Jenna and back again. There’s something unreadable in his gaze, something that sends a shiver down my spine.

“Who isthat?” Jenna whispers, her voice filled with awe as she watches him approach. “Please tell me that’s the guy you just made out with, because I willdie.”

I force a tight smile, my heart pounding in my chest for an entirely different reason now. “Jenna, this is Ivan Morozov. My employer.”

Jenna’s eyes go wide, her jaw dropping as she looks between us. “Wait,that’syour boss?” she whispers, looking like she’s just seen a movie star in real life. “Holy shit, Alice.”

Ivan stops right in front of us, giving me a once-over, his expression unreadable. His eyes flick to the marks on my neck—Dmitri’s handiwork—and for a split second, I think I see something flicker in his gaze, something dark and possessive. But it’s gone before I can be sure.

“Good evening,” he says. His voice is calm and smooth, but there’s an edge to it, a tightness that makes my stomach twist. “Alice. And you are?”

Jenna practically swoons as she introduces herself, all but batting her eyelashes. “I’m Jenna. Alice’s friend. We were just, um, dancing.”

Ivan nods, his expression polite but distant, as if he’s barely listening. His focus is entirely on me. “And what brings you to the club tonight, Alice?”

I swallow hard, feeling a knot of anxiety coil in my stomach. He’s too calm, too controlled, and I can’t tell if he’s angry or just…calculating. “I was just out with Jenna,” I say.

Ivan raises a hand, silencing me with a look. His expression doesn’t waver, but his voice cuts through me, low and direct. “You shouldn’t be here.”

My stomach drops. This isn’t good. He’s too calm, and I know that kind of calm means trouble. I can’t tell if he’s angry, but I get the distinct feeling I’ve crossed a line I didn’t know existed. The last thing I need is for him to think I’m a liability, some reckless girl who sneaks into his clubs and drags his family name through the mud.

“I’m sorry,” I start, my voice rushing out, trying to explain myself, but he cuts me off with a raised hand.

“No need for apologies, Alice,” he says, his voice like ice. “But I think it’s best if you go home now. This isn’t the place for you.”

The way he says it—soft, controlled, but with a steely finality—makes it clear it’s not a suggestion. It’s an order.

I swallow hard, nodding. “I’m really sorry, Mr. Morozov. I didn’t think?—”

He raises an eyebrow, eyes boring into mine. “Go home, Alice.”

It’s not a suggestion. It’s a command, and I feel my face flush with a mix of anger and shame. I open my mouth to protest, to explain that I wasn’t doing anything wrong, but his eyes stay on mine, unyielding.

Beside me, Jenna’s mouth falls open again, eyes darting between Ivan and me, but I don’t dare look at her. I know what she must be thinking—that he’s my employer, that he’s mybossin the most unmovable, authoritarian sense of the word.

“Fine,” I manage, keeping my voice steady. I turn to Jenna, giving her a tight smile. “Let’s go.”

As we start to head for the exit, I can’t shake the feeling of eyes on me, a prickling sense that I’m being watched. I glance around, scanning the balconies and shadows, and then I see him—a man standing in the shadows of the upper level, eyes fixed on me. As soon as he notices me looking back, he turns, disappearing into the dark.

A chill runs down my spine, and for a moment, I forget my frustration with Ivan, my nerves on edge.

“What is it?” Ivan asks sharply, his eyes narrowing as he follows my line of sight.

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