Page 61 of Beautiful Deception

“It wasn’t a date.”

“Wasn’t it? Sounds like a date to me.”

“It wasn’t a date,” I reiterate.

Natasha jumps to her feet. “I feel like you’re not hearing me. I’m worried you have feelings for your maid.”

I don’t say a word in response to that.

“If you do, you need to fire her.”

It’s my turn to get to my feet. “I’m not going to fire her.”

“Why not? Clearly something inappropriate is going on. Is that why your housekeeper was acting strange? Is something going on, Viktor?”

“Nothing is going on between me and Inessa.”

She scoffs. “I don’t believe you. You always take her side on everything. She ruined that cake for your party and you think I did it. She dropped your expensive china on purpose and you think it was an accident because I startled her. How is any of that fair?”

“Because I don’t believe you,” I admit.

“What?”

“I don’t believe you, Natasha. I think you’ve been trying to hurt Inessa’s chances here. I have no proof so this isn’t fair of me to say but -,”

“No, it’s not fair.”

“But,” I continue, “I have this sense that you’re trying to sabotage her work here. Why?”

“I have done nothing.”

“Are you jealous of her?”

She crosses her arms and refuses to look me in the eye. “Of course I’m not jealous of some pathetic little maid.”

“Ok then. So what’s the problem?”

“There is no problem!”

“Then why do you keep harping on Inessa? Why does she bother you? If you’re not jealous, then what?”

“Because I think you like her! I think you want to be with her and yet you know you can’t. No Bratva man actually marries his maid. It would be uncouth.”

“We kill people for a living, Natasha. I think we’re past uncouth.”

“You know what I mean. The Bratva has an honor. A code. You don’t go around having feelings for your maid. Sure, you can fuck your maid, but you don’t have feelings for her. So answer me this, Viktor. Do you have feelings for her?”

It’s a question I will not allow myself to answer. So I say nothing.

She makes a disappointed sound in the back of her throat. “I’m going to the bathroom. I need a moment.”

“Natasha.” I reach out for her but she steps out of my way. Why am I clinging so hard to her when I know I don’t love her? When the sight of her fills me with a deep emptiness?

I don’t follow after her, even though I should, because the reality is: I just don’t care about her enough to go after her and tell her she’s wrong.

Inessa

I’m busy cleaning one of the bathrooms – even though it’s my day off and I don’t have to do this but I need to do something to help clear my mind from what Viktor and I did – when Natasha barges in.

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