Page 11 of Nurse for the Russian Mafia

“Where are we going?” Samantha asks, sitting close to me.

I stroke my hand up and down her bare leg, her flesh smooth and cool, making me want to warm it up. For the hundredth time, I thank fate for getting me into that gunfight, because, without it, I never would’ve met my voluptuous queen.

“Patience,” I tell her.

Soon, we arrive at the dog shelter, which is just one of many my organization owns and operates.

“What?” she gasps when I tell her. Surprise widens her eyes even more when we walk into the specialized playpen where we house them, which is fifteen times bigger than the average leisure room rescue dogs get. “Wow, this is amazing. I can’t believe your business runs this place! I thought…”

“You thought what?” I ask, when she trails off.

“I guess you’re just full of surprises, huh?”

My sharp instincts send an alert signal through me. She was about to mention my business, I presume. I let it pass. There will be enough time later to fill my queen in on the drab details of our empire. For now, tonight, we’ll just focus on us.

Or, rather, I’ll focus on her.

“Do you still want to be a vet?” I ask.

She beams. “You remember!”

“Of course,” I say. “And one day, Samantha, you’ll be in charge of dozens of rescue centers like this.”

“Woah, are you serious?”

“I am,” I tell her. “You’re hard working, intelligent, kind, beautiful. Our children will grow up seeing all those qualities in their mother in the best possible environment.”

After the dog rescue center, I have the limo take us to one of my many private penthouses I have littered around the city. And many other cities throughout the world.

“Before I met you,” I tell her as we ride the elevator up, “I never knew where I’d be or what I’d be doing. But now I do. I’ll be with you, the mother of my children. And, together, we’ll raise our family.”

“Oh, Alexander.” She hugs close to me, locking her fingers with mine. “I feel so silly, but…”

“You’re nervous.” I kiss her forehead, hoping to comfort her.

“Yes,” she whispers. “But I want it, too, badly. Does that make me a slut?”

“What?” I laugh.

“Wanting it. You know, I don’t want to be too eager or anything—”

I grab her shoulders and turn her so that we’re staring into each other’s eyes. “With me, you are free to explore your sexuality. With me, and me alone, you can be as wild and carefree and full of fucking desire as you want, Samantha. Because that’s how I feel about you. With me, always, just with me, we can explore the soaring heights of our lust. Do you understand?”

“Well.” She smiles. “If you’re going to keep being all bossy and hot, yeah, I think I get it…”

The elevator door opens and then her smile drops.

Confusion shoots through me with acidic speed.

“You said this is a private residence, right?”

“Yes,” I say. “Why?”

“So then why the heck have you got cameras pointing at me as soon as I walk in the door?”

I turn around to where she’s looking and then spot it, high up in the corner of the ceiling. The camera stares at us. I step into the hallway, meaning to walk over to it.

But then I hear the beep of the elevator and turn around to find the doors closing.

“Samantha, wait—”

“I knew this was too good to be true!” she yells.

Chapter Eight

Samantha

I feel like the past is wrapping invisible hands around me as I walk out of the elevator and across the wide lobby.

I remember the cold sting of embarrassment. It returns to me, but fiercer this time, because now I have the added layer of the present stacked on top of it.

The camera was set high up on the wall and painted the same color as the wallpaper, so that it blended in. If it wasn’t for me spotting the lens by accident, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it. Was his plan to record me and parade it around? “Ha, ha, everyone, look at the silly girl I tricked into believing I actually cared about her?”

When I reach the front door, I almost leap out of my hard-to-walk-in heels. Alexander steps out of the shadows, arms folded, his jaw tight.

“Woah,” I say. “Where the heck did you come from?”

“There’s a second elevator,” he says quietly. “Tell me what just happened, my queen.”

I snort. “Queen. What’s that, another cruel trick?”

He reaches forward and touches my arm softly. My confusion levels shoot through the roof because the touch sends comforting tingles surging through me. He leads me to a seating area at the edge of the empty lobby, and we sit down.

“Talk to me,” he says. “We’re going to be together forever, Samantha. You’re my woman. And that means I’m your man, too. Samantha and Alexander, forever. So that means we’re going to have to get used to explaining things to each other. Let’s start with what just happened.”

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