Page 78 of Gamble with Me
"I need your signature," I replied breathlessly, trying to act calm and collected, but it wasn't possible. The effect this man had on me was unimaginable and incomprehensible.
My heart missed a beat when I handed him the files, but his only reaction was a lifted brow.
"Sign it for me, Valeria," he said in a low voice, surprising me.
"Excuse me?" I clutched the file tightly, blinking in confusion. He was giving me immense responsibility. He hadn’t even checked the papers, and he wanted me to sign them instead of him. These papers went to the financial institutions where they would be reviewed, and if something wasn't okay, the casino could end up in trouble.
"You heard me," Zyon replied nonchalantly, adjusting his black glove on his right hand. "Sign it for me. I trust you, Valeria."
My heart fluttered in my chest excitedly at his words. It was the first time in my life someone had ever told me this, and I couldn't fight the wide smile that stretched across my face.
"You trust me, Mr. Zhumagulov?" I repeated, trying to mask my smile, but I failed miserably. "I wouldn't consider you a man who trusts easily."
"Well." He shrugged casually, wiping the sweat from his left eye. "Maybe I just let you intentionally fool me with your stunning, innocent face."
He winked at me playfully and thankfully turned his back on me so he didn't see the flush creeping on my cheeks. The man was freaking irresistible, and these little inappropriate flirtatious remarks made me blush like an inexperienced teenager.
"One more thing." Zyon came to a halt abruptly, turning back to me. Our eyes met briefly, but I didn't notice anything unusual in them. "Attention, everyone!" he hollered, and all the men in the room instantly stopped what they'd been doing and directed their attention to the boss. It was fascinating to watch how they obeyed his orders. "From this moment," Zyon started in a firm voice, pointing his glove at me. "Whatever this woman wants, she'll get." My mouth fell agape, but it was just the beginning. "Whatever she tells you to do, you'll do. You'll obey her as if my brothers or I issued an order. One act of disobedience or disrespect toward her will grant you a severe punishment. Understood?"
"Yes, boss," the men confirmed in unison while I stared at Zyon in bewilderment. He outwrote every fantasy story I made up in my head. He demolished my imagination with reality. He stood me on the pedestal before his men without blinking as if it was the most natural thing he ever did. Shit, it felt as if he crowned me the queen of his kingdom.
The reality hit me like a speeding wagon, knocking the air out of my body. This wasn't just a one-sided crush. Zyon was interested in me.
But what about my stalker?
-37-
Valeria
"It was Dorian," Zyon chuckled when I told him what happened in his office with his brother.
He told me to wait for him in the gym, and it took him only ten minutes to get out of the bathroom, clean and shiny, dressed in a perfectly fitted, custom-made black three-piece suit with a black button-up shirt and black tie. This time, the vest was beautified with tiny black roses, giving his outfit a romantic touch. Or I was just still shocked by his words and couldn't see him differently, just as a dark villain prince from a romance book.
"Are you sure?" I raised a doubtful brow, following him into the elevator. "I would bet it was Malin."
"And you would lose," he replied, taking files from me and leaning against the wall. "Malin would never allow a stranger to touch him."
"What do you mean?" I asked, ignoring the heat spreading from my core just from his overwhelming presence. I had difficulty focusing on my thoughts when his casual existence filled my personal space.
"Malin is extremely picky about the people in his circle," Zyon answered, opening one file and scowling at the numbers. "When it comes to women, he's even more selective. I can count on one hand the girls he’s been with during his life."
"If only every man were like this," I sighed, suppressing a smile when Zyon lifted his gaze from the paper.
"Women are bitches, too, Valeria," he pointed out, motioning for me to exit the elevator. "Don't throw all the dirt at men and their cocks."
"Men invented infidelity," I lectured, shrugging when he rolled his eyes.
"So, you want to tell me you've never been unfaithful to your husband?" he fired, and it felt as if he punched me in the gut. My head spun, but his unsuspecting expression told me he didn't know about my secret affair. "Be honest, Valeria. You’ve never thought about another man? You’ve never imagined being fucked by someone else?"
"That's not infidelity," I objected in a hoarse voice, thinking, when did my mouth get so dry?
"Isn't it?" Zyon held the door to his office for me until I walked inside. The place was empty and creepy, as usual. "You wouldn't expect your husband to be angry and disappointed if he found out about your long night calls or texts with another man?"
Chester would go nuts if he knew something like that was happening under his nose regularly. He would probably burst through the roof if he discovered I had sex with my stalker in our daughter's room while he stood behind the door.
"Of course, he would be angry," I admitted, getting Zyon's point but refusing to acknowledge that fantasies and late-night texts were the same thing. "But imagining another man and actually encouraging him through texts are two different things. Dreaming about someone isn't infidelity."
"In my eyes, it is, Valeria," he said, sitting behind his desk. "Because you're not committed to your relationship if your mind is preoccupied with desiring someone else."
