Page 13 of Room Nine: For Their Eyes Only

“I’m glad you like them. I thought about you and your brothers while I was shopping. Maybe you can tell them all about them.” Her sultry voice makes my heart pound like a jackhammer, and I lean in, salivating, with wide eyes before she readjusts the camera and angles it back to her gorgeous face.

“I will,” I whisper, mindful that my brothers are sitting nearby, listening to every word. The thought of watching her with them, letting me direct her, her eyes fixed on mine while she climbs the height of ecstasy, pulls a low growl from my throat.

An easy smile plays on the corners of her mouth, and I nervously moisten my dry lips, eagerly awaiting her following words. “You said you’d share me with them,” she murmurs, pausing to form words she doesn’t appear comfortable repeating. “What does that mean? Do you take turns? Would you take me at the same time? Do you watch everything?” Vivienne rests her head on her pillow and stares at the camera, her lashes fluttering as she takes a deep breath.

To my right, Vadim runs his hand through his hair, pulling it hard as he stares longingly at the girl slowly stealing my heart. Viktor nods, clenching his fists as he struggles to hide his feelings. Unfortunately for him, I see right through him.

I swallow hard and clear the emotion clogging my throat. “All of the above. Like I said, I love to watch. But that’s not all I want to do to you.”

“What do you want—" She cuts her words and exhales, choosing not to utter the question she’s dying to ask.

“I want to do everything, Vivi.Fucking everything.”

Vivienne’s expression grows pensive, her eyes drawn to something in the distance as she takes everything in. Her attention returns when a box appears on the screen and alerts us our time is almost up. She taps the screen, activating the tiny clock that counts our last thirty seconds. “Our time is up, Andrei. It was nice chatting with you. Maybe we’ll talk again soon.”

I panic and search the screen for a way to extend our session. When I can’t find that option, I ask her for help. “I don’t want this to end yet.”

Vivienne brushes away the tendrils of dark hair on her brow and shakes her head with a smile. “Sorry. The next hour is booked, but we’ll chat soon. Tell your brothers I said hello.” She blows a kiss at the screen and disappears with a click.

My heart plummets, and I tap my keyboard, hoping she hasn’t exited entirely. It’s no use. She's gone, and I’ll have to wait another day to finish what we started. Not only have I failed to learn her location, but I may have frightened her away.

Loitering a few feet away, Viktor mocks me with laughter. He stands and crosses the room to grab another drink. “I thought you were on top of this? You still haven’t come closer to finding out where she lives.”

My hackles rise, and I close my laptop, annoyed with myself, furious with Viktor, and suddenly aware that Vadim is no longer in the room. “Where the fuck did he go?”

Chapter9

Ilie in bed, my hand under my cheek and my body curled like a cat as I gaze at the screen. A man with gray-blue eyes visible through a sliver a light streaming in from another room lies on his side, his auburn hair disheveled as he tells me about his day. He’s either gotten careless or grown comfortable showing his face.

“Tell me about a place you want to visit and what you’ll do when you get there.” Andrei’s younger brother keeps his voice calm and his smoldering gaze fixed on me. He’s handsome beyond words and has my undivided attention.

My hour with Andrei left me unsettled. Not because he said anything wrong. On the contrary, I half expected him to continue what began two days ago. I’d thought about it all day. I fantasized what he would say and do, but instead of kindling the fire that he ignited our first night together, he seemed far more interested in getting to know me.

I can’t allow myself to fall for him. I won’t let my lust transform to genuine affection. What good would that do? We’ll never meet and never see this through. However much his words intrigued me, I couldn’t wait to leave the call for fear I was getting in far over my head.

As much as I’d like to pretend otherwise, I’m not entirely comfortable with my sexuality, yet Andrei makes me want to explore every kink that enters my mind. If the time hadn’t expired, I might have done something I’d regret. Again.

Vadim is different. I like him. I genuinely like him.

Andrei makes me feel beautiful and sexy. Vadim warms my heart and makes me feel seen. I want to meet him in the flesh, hold his hand, walk through Jackson Square, and get coffee and beignets at Café Du Monde. If I met him on a crowded street, I’d jump into his arms and beg for his love. Then I’d take him home and ride him until one of us passes out.

I lean back against my headboard and hold a pillow between my legs, clenching my thighs as I stare at the gorgeous man on my screen. While I consider his words, my eyes land on his chiseled face, auburn hair, high cheekbones, and the intricate, ornate ink peeking out from his starched collar. He’s elegant and rugged, dangerous and debonair. Every time I’m in his presence, I can hardly remember anyone else.

“My father took me to Paris to meet his eccentric sister when I was seven, and I haven’t been back since. I’d like to go back with someone I love, walk the cobblestone streets, watch the Eiffel Tower light up at night, and eat loads of fabulous French food,” I mutter, uncomfortable providing specifics about my family life to a stranger but longing to share more of who I am with this beautiful man.

“I love Paris. Maybe we’ll go together one day.” His kind smile makes my heart flutter faster than butterfly wings. He unfastens his watch and unbuttons his dress shirt, pulling it off his arms to get more comfortable in bed. I stare dumbstruck at the curve of his sculpted arms and lean in, struggling to read the tattoos etched into his skin. I can’t bear to look away.

“Maybe,” I bring my hands to my hot cheeks, my brain spiraling out of control as I surrender all sanity to this hot man who has my number. How can I become aroused by two separate men, hours apart?

“What’s your favorite place there?” I ask.

“I love wandering through the Tuileries Garden in autumn when the leaves have turned and the air is crisp. We’ll walk from the Louvre, hand in hand, toward the Concorde, and if you’re in the mood, take a ride on the Great Ferris Wheel.” He’s magnificent. Every word he speaks feels like it’s been pulled from a dream.

Be still my heart.

“Where do you call home?” I say the words without thinking, then quickly backtrack, afraid he’ll reveal his location and ask for mine. Andrei has asked this question countless times in multiple ways and I haven’t fallen for it yet. I understand the curiosity but I can’t forget my father is searching for me. “No, don’t answer that. It’s best to keep personal details to ourselves.”

Vadim chuckles and rests his head on his pillow, folding his sinewy forearms beneath his chin. “My brothers and I live in side-by-side penthouse apartments on the Upper West Side. Are you afraid I’ll track you down somewhere in the city? You are a New Yorker, aren’t you? I can tell by your accent.”

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