Page 38 of The Den of Sin
I slid into his sports car, the seats too low to the ground. “Ever heard of a normal vehicle,” I complained under my breath, pulling my dress down that accidentally flashed him with the color of my panties. Mental note, getting into a sports car with a skimpy dress was not practical.
Once satisfied I wasn’t flashing the world, I threw him a glance. He still stood with the door open. I raised my eyebrow, waiting for him to shut the door. I caught his gaze on my thighs and I silently cursed Tatiana for convincing me to wear such a short dress. Vasili’s eyes told me he liked it however, and I couldn’t find a reason not to like that.
Just remember what he did to you, Isabella,I chided myself.
It was exactly the reminder I needed. Ryan might have humiliated me publicly but what Vasili did was worse. He tore my heart and then discarded it carelessly.
You were nothing more than a tight pussy to get my dick wet.My ears rang at the parting words he bestowed upon me five years ago. It was exactly the cold shower I needed. All the desire evaporated into the humid, hot air.
“Well, shut the door and let’s go. Or are you going to stand here all night?”
He raised his eyes to mine and then shook his head, as if to clear off whatever thought lingered in his brain. Shutting the door, he came around the vehicle and swiftly got behind the wheel, roaring the engine to life.
I turned my head away from him, staring into the night. There was nothing to see, but it felt like the images of that night reflected in the side windows, staring back at me. Reminding me. The memories still hurt. Five years and those words still shattered me.
Ryan’s heartbreak was barely two weeks ago and the sting had slowly diminished. The worst part was that now I knew the reason why. It was because of this man. I should have never come with Tatiana, knowing the risk of seeing her brother. I would have preferred never to see him again.
All the heartaches paled in comparison to my reaction to Vasili. Losing my mother to cancer was hard, but somehow even that pain paled to these feelings for this man.
Leaning my forehead against the cool window, I closed my eyes and focused on the purr of the engine rather than the voices from the past. I didn’t want to hear them, didn’t want to remember. But if I forgot, I would easily let him do it again. That was who Vasili Nikolaev was - cruel and ruthless. He took what he wanted and then discarded you when he was done with you.
Focus on the engine, Isabella.
I was just a stupid, young girl back then. I was no longer infatuated with him. Correction, my brain wasn’t but my body was.Damn this body!My phone buzzed, pulling me out of my thoughts, and I dug it out of my little clutch that matched the dress.
It was Tatiana, checking to make sure I was okay. I sent her a quick thumbs up. Studiously ignoring the man that was driving, I scrolled through my phone, checking for the latest job postings and opportunities to finish my residency. I applied for any level positions alongside the East Coast, knowing I couldn’t afford to be picky.
Now with Vasili in town, I felt getting a job sooner versus later might be in my best interest.
Losing my job in L.A. made my pride suffer a bit, knowing I’d have to start at the bottom again.
But I could do it. I was proud of what I had accomplished. The job at L.A. ER was my first one out of med school. It was tough and challenging, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. I had seen such a variety of cases, from gunshot wounds to broken bones. It was the reason I wanted to specialize in advanced cardiac life support and trauma care. I knew the pace would be strenuous and challenging. I’d never have a boring day.
A job opening caught my eye. A private ER room. The terminology was weird, but it couldn’t hurt. I scanned the job description and loved everything about it - a small, private clinic and treating all injuries, ER experience a plus.Perfect!They even offered additional funding for continuing education. It had to be one of the major metropolitan cities, but when I saw the location, I was surprised to see it was in New Orleans. It was the only drawback to the entire posting. I wasn’t sure that I’d stay. The more I thought about staying in New Orleans, the less I liked it. The potential of running into Vasili made it completely unappealing.
It doesn’t hurt to apply,I convinced myself. And with an easy button, the application was sent.
“Looking for a job?” Vasili’s voice startled me. I threw him a side glance and returned to my search, ignoring him. “That’s real mature, Isabella” he muttered under his breath.
“Hmmm.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
I didn’t even raise my head. “It means that a man that bribes another man to dump his girlfriend and gets into a bar fight has no right to preach to me about maturity.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “That wasn’t a bar fight. I saved your ass from a pervert that would have fucked you while unconscious.”
I shuddered with disgust at that thought. It was the reason I never accepted drinks from any boys during college nor later. I guess maybe he did save me, but Adrian would have eventually stepped in too. And it didn’t escape me he didn’t comment back on bribing Ryan.
“Just please stop talking to me.”
“No, I kind of like talking to you.” I rolled my eyes but said nothing else. He waited a few seconds but must have realized I had no intention of talking. “Are you looking for something in this area?”
I pressed my lips tightly fighting the urge to tell him off and finally failing. “Stop. Talking. To. Me.”
Couldn’t he get simple things through his thick skull?
“We have to talk.”
