Page 42 of Beautiful Deception

“And you don’t need to know everything that happens between me and Viktor.”

“Mr. Smirnov. And don’t be naïve, girl. You’re his maid. If he wants to be with you, then you’re only a dalliance. You will never be his wife.”

“I never asked for any of this.”

“Then why are you making stupid choices?”

I walk past her and into my room, letting the door slam shut. Let the entire house hear. I don’t care.

None of this is going how I imagined it to.

One thing is clear to me now: Viktor has some sort of affection for me and it only makes me feel even worse for lying.

Viktor

“I have to ask,” I say to Natasha. She lounges in a chair in my living room, giving me a great glimpse of her long legs. “Why did you ruin the cake for Samuel’s party?”

She blinks, then laughs. I found her laugh sexy before but now all I can think is how fake it sounds. “I didn’t ruin anything. Why do you ask? Was it that maid of yours?”

“You were the only other person in the kitchen that night.”

“Your maid was there. Clearly she ruined the cake.”

I cross my arms and remain standing so I can look her down. “Why would Inessa ruin a cake she worked hard on making?”

“Probably to win your affection. She wants you to like her. This makes her more sympathetic. Poor little maid.”

“That doesn’t make sense.” I push the memory of my hand between Inessa’s legs from my mind. What happened last night can never happen again. “Just be honest with me, Natasha. If it was an accident, then tell me. I’ll believe you.”

Her eyes turn downward, making her appear vulnerable and much younger than she is, more like a child. “I was just inspecting it. I didn’t mean to knock it over. It was an accident, Viktor.”

“That’s all you had to say. But you should have told me. You made both me and Inessa look like a fool at the party.”

“I never meant for you to look like a fool. I am sorry. It was an accident.” She stands up and wraps her arms around my shoulders. They feel good there. Her body feels nice pressed against mine.

But not as nice as Inessa’s does.

No. I cannot go there. She is my maid. That would be wrong.

But then again, I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life I never gave a second thought to. Inessa shouldn’t be any different.

She just brings out a caring, protective side to me that I cannot deny.

“Just be honest with me in the future.” I give her a small kiss before stepping back.

“We could do more, you know.”

“I know.” I glance around the room to make sure neither Inessa or Mrs. Green are around. “But now is not a great time. You came for lunch. Let’s have lunch.”

Just a week ago, I wouldn’t have hesitated to bring Natasha into my room and fuck her senseless. But now… all I can think about is Inessa.

I’m a man who has prided himself on having honor. A twisted sense of honor but honor nonetheless. Inessa is making me forget all about that.

And what am I to do about Natasha? How can I marry her if I have feelings for another woman?

I would be no better than Nadia and Elena when they fell for other men while engaged to me.

But I’m not a good man and I’ve never been one.

---