Page 23 of Bratva Queen

“It’s perfectly innocent, I swear,” she said quickly. “My mother will be right there, and she knows I’m with Stepan. She would never let anything scandalous happen. I swear, it’s just a polite thank you and nothing more.”

I had to admit, I was a little disappointed to hear it was nothing more than good manners. Naturally, I wanted her to desire me, like I desired her. I wanted her to say that she wanted me tomeether mother, to be a part of her life, not just to thank me in passing. But I had my head on straight. I put my hand against the wall above her shoulder and leaned in. Her pupils dilated, and her breathing quickened. It gave me some sort of satisfaction.

“We both know it’s not a good idea, Isabel. Innocent or not. I can’t spend time with you, not any more than is required of me.”

She broke eye contact and nodded quickly. “Right, yes, you’re right.”

I nodded and pushed away, about to say goodnight when she spoke again.

“Is it… Is it because of that girlfriend Stepan was talking about?”

“What?” I asked in confusion.

“Are you… unwilling to spend time with me because you have a girlfriend?”

The thought crossed my mind to say yes, to see if she’d get jealous, but that was not me. I wasn’t deceitful. If there was anyone I would never lie to, it would be Isabel. But I had to push her away. She was getting way too friendly with me, and it made things so much more difficult.

“Isabel, you have to understand,” my voice deepened, becoming harsh, “we are not friends, you and I.”

“Oh,” she said, pulling back a bit. It pained me to see that hurt in her eyes.

I pressed on. “Please, focus on Stepan. Do what he says—pretend I’m not here,” I said, unemotionally.

She looked down. “Okay…”

“Good night, Isabel.”

“Good night, Aleksei.”

Chapter9

Isabel

Iwas in the dressing room at the club, absentmindedly getting my outfit ready. I had the day shift, so it was quiet and I was alone in the room.

My mind felt plagued with the words Aleksei said.We are not friends, you and I.It felt obvious. We weremorethan friends. We’d kissed so passionately before, who could possibly be platonic friends after that? I didn’t know why I even thought we could be. I guessed I just wanted to get closer to him, to end the animosity that had festered between us ever since then because it made my stomach hurt every time I saw him at the club.

But he was right. I was more intelligent than that—I couldn’t be stupid and risk Stepan finding out that I had even a molecule of feelings toward Aleksei. I hadn’t seen a whole lot of the bratva side of Stepan, but I was sure it wasn’t exactly merciful.

Suddenly, someone rushed in behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist, and set his lips to my neck. My first thought was Aleksei. I knew he was already out there in the club. Had he finally decided,fuck it, I love Isabel, and I want to be with her?

But, of course, it wasn’t him. It was Stepan. I quickly pushed away all thoughts of Alek and focused on the warm feeling of Stepan and his devotion to me. I spun around with a smile. He grinned and kissed me.

“You can’t be in here,” I said against his lips, giggling naughtily. His hands slithered down to my hips, pulling me closer. I gave him one more kiss and separated myself from his grasp, sitting down at my makeup table. He ambled behind me, leaning down against my seat. I decided to say what had been on my mind. “So, how come you never told me Aleksei was my bodyguard?” I glanced at him through the mirror.

“I didn’t think to mention it,” he answered with a shrug. “I just want you to be safe. Alek is my right-hand man. My most trusted man. You can call on him for anything—he is at your every command.” Resting his chin on my head, he said a little more gently, “Aleksei has been with me for years. He is the only other man you can trust, besides me.”

I hoped he’d never know just how much I already trusted Aleksei.

I nodded, his chin moving with the motion. “I need to get ready,” I reminded him, standing and slipping off my shirt. Stepan unhooked my bra for me, and I stood topless for a moment, grabbing my outfit.

“Isabel, you’re on in five,” Boris said, swinging through the doorway from his office.

“I know,” I called back.

He nodded and walked away, shutting the door. Thinking nothing of it, I slid my arms through the bra I’d be wearing on stage—a much more decorated piece of attire. I caught a glimpse of Stepan’s reflection.

His arms were crossed and eyes narrowed, jaw ticking and tightly clenched. “Why the fuck is he coming in here when you have your shirt off?” he growled, his tone sending a shiver through my spine. “Your nipples were exposed.”

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