Page 35 of The Perfect Wife
When I turned my head in disgust, it didn’t stop his exploration of my body. Lowering his head to my ear, he bit the lobe. “My sweet Reyna. When will you learn? You can’t win.”
His hand was between my legs, and even though I was wearing jeans, I could feel the sensation he was causing. I hated this man, and I hated what he was doing to my body. Pushing away, he began walking out of the room. Stopping at the doorway, he turned to face me. “You better get started. The cleaning supplies are in the kitchen closet down the hall.”
He disappeared in the darkness, and I couldn’t help but crumble to the floor. He was right. I would never win against him, but that didn’t mean I would stop trying.
∞
I hadn’t slept all night once Rui had shown me to the room I would be staying in, which I also had to clean. If I had to guess, my reward for cleaning the house were the four suitcases that his men carried into the house. Unfortunately, my purse had been taken by the burly man and wasn’t among them. It was probably back in Georgia, still in the limo, along with my phone.
As I unpacked the suitcases, I noticed the only thing going for Rui was that he had excellent taste. Clothes and accessories from every designer possible were stuffed inside them. I didn’t want to accept them, but I had no choice. The only clothes I had were the ones I was wearing. Filth covered them from cleaning the house and they would probably never get clean.
It was early morning, and I could hear the staff arriving by sound of the tires against the gravel driveway. I was beyond tired, and every muscle in my body hurt. If I didn’t hurry, Rui would be knocking on my door. Pushing to my feet, I pulled the curtain back to let the sun in. After I spent the yesterday cleaning, I found that Rui's home wasn’t as bad as I thought. Once I allowed the light in, the gloomy feeling left, and so did the musty smell. It would never be my home, but at least it was clean.
Pulling what I needed from the closet, I headed to the bathroom connected to my room. Before going to bed, I unpacked all the suitcases and found that Rui also provided me with the essentials I needed. I wasn’t sure how he knew what I liked, but just like Davian, he had purchased my favorite shampoo and cream rinse as well as other items I used.
The shower was much smaller than the one at the safe haven, but it didn’t stop my thoughts of Davian and how he commanded my body as he pressed mine against the cold tile wall. I wanted to feel his touch again. The thought of never touching him again made my heart hurt, and my body ached. Enveloped with the steam of the hot water, I imagined him here with me. I closed my eyes, and it was Davian gliding his hand down my body. His touch was gentle as he layered kiss after kiss down my body. I could feel his finger slide between my legs, pressing it gently against my opening. Only he could find that special spot. I could feel my body give into his touch as he added another finger, thrusting them deep inside. Moving my hips, the sensation put me closer to the edge, just as he did. Releasing the breath, I was holding, my body shattered, and I fell to the tile floor. The gates opened and I let out a scream of agony. When I could finally stand, I left the tears I had shed in the shower. One by one, the tears disappeared through the drain. That was where they would remain. I refused to shed one more tear for Mr. Salko. He might have control over me, but he would never break me.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, the staff was busy running around getting the house ready. I had done most of the cleaning yesterday before going to bed. As I headed into the living room, the clean scent of furnish polish and flowers filled my senses. A smile of accomplishment spread across my face, knowing it was because of me. I headed to the kitchen, only to find two other staff members and no Rui.
Pulling their attention away from preparing breakfast, I said, “Excuse me, but does anyone know where Mr. Salko is?”
One of the two women cleaned her hands on her white apron and said, “Good morning, Mrs. Salko. I believe Mr. Salko is in the garden having his morning breakfast. If you would like to join him, I would be happy to bring your breakfast to you.”
Looking around the room, I wasn’t sure where the garden would be. Addressing the woman, I looked to her for an answer. “And where would that be?”
“Through the dining room. You can get there through that door.”
Moving my eyes toward the door she was pointing to, I tipped my head and headed toward it. I remember using the same door to clean the dining room last night. I had no idea that the glass doors led to a garden since it was dark outside. Pulling the glass door open, the warmth of the sun hit my face, warming my cool body. In the distance, I could see Rui sitting on a chair having his morning breakfast near a well-manicured hedge of flowers.
As I followed the brick path that would take me to him, I took in my surroundings. The garden was beautiful. No wonder Rui was having his breakfast here instead of inside. The thought of what I would face entered my mind as I continued to follow the path. Hopefully, after he saw what I had done with the house, he would be in a good mood.
Before I came into his line of vision, his voice bounced off his lips. “Good morning, my sweet Reyna, I trust you slept well. Come… sit.”
Taking the seat across from where he sat, I felt his eyes scanning my body up and down like a laser cutting through glass. “I didn’t sleep well at all. Thank you very much.”
“I’m sure it is the first night jitters. This house is very old and creates sounds that can be very disturbing.”
It had nothing to do with the sounds of the house. I was being held against my will by a man who devised an illegal marriage, a man who I hated and didn’t trust. That was what I wanted to tell him, but instead, I just nodded in agreement.
The air between us was thick, and it had nothing to do with the humidity beginning to coat in the air. Rui continued to enjoy his breakfast while I diverted my eyes away from him and looked around the garden. Spotting one of his staff in the distance, my stomach rumbled with hunger pains. I hadn’t eaten since yesterday morning. My appetite was gone, which was no surprise given the situation.
Tipping her head, she placed a plate covered with a silver dome on the table and walked away without a word. I had a feeling Rui's staff was as afraid of him as I was. When I lifted the dome, eggs, bacon, toast, and a small bowl of mixed fruit greeted me. There was a coffee cup turned upside down, covering a packet of butter and strawberry jam. A carafé of coffee was already sitting on the table, along with a crystal set of cream and sugar. Placing my cup right-side-up on the table. I filled my cup with coffee, all the while feeling Rui’s eyes sear into me.
I pretended to ignore his stare and the fact that he was making me very uncomfortable. “This breakfast looks amazing.”
“My staff…” he began but stopped as his phone buzzed inside his pocket.
All I could do was enjoy my breakfast as Rui conversed in Russian to the person on the other side. Had I known the psycho before me would kidnap me and then use his native language to hide his conversations, I would have taken Russian as an elective.
~26~
Davian
I was pacing the floor in my penthouse suite like a wild man. Five days had gone by, and there was still no word on Rui Salko’s whereabouts. Patton was able to track Reyna’s phone to an abandoned airstrip. Sitting in the front seat, he found her purse along with her phone. Not even tracing the plate on the limo brought any comfort since he found it registered to one of Rui’s shady companies.
The men ofThe Societywere doing everything they could, working day and night to find her. Still, it wasn’t enough. No sleep in five fucking days and yet nothing. Not a single lead showed us where that asshole took her. Every day that passed was one day too long. She would be under Rui’s control instead of here with me. The situation with Reyna might be different, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth. Rui had taken from me someone that I cared about, twice. This was just like five years ago. It scared me.
A long time ago, I buried away the memory of Gwen’s body propped up against that brick wall, but now it resurfaced. When I saw Reyna’s eyes filled with fear, it was the same fear I saw in Gwen’s. Fear, helplessness, terror, they were all visible. I failed her, just like I failed Gwen.
