My body froze. I stared at the man sitting in front of me, speechless, as my body started to go numb. No. It couldn’t be.
My heart drummed in alarm as I stared into his unmoving, cold eyes. Oh God. Please, no. It couldn’t be him.
“Does it ring a bell?” he asked.
My stomach twisted painfully and my vision blurred. I felt myself stumbling forward. Quickly, I righted myself before my face met the floor.
Oh, it definitely rang a bell. Dread and horror filled me. I thought I ran away from dangerous men, but this man sitting in front of me was more dangerous than any of them. He was feared by all.
But most importantly, I was trapped because I was his biggest enemy. My family was his biggest enemy. The Italians. The Abandonato.
The Russians and the Italians had been enemies for so many decades. But the Ivanshov and Abandonato, their enmity ran deep.
And I was standing in front of the Boss, who would kill me mercilessly if he found out that I was an Abandonato.
I stared into Alessio’s eyes. I ran from a deadly man, and now I was awaiting my fate in front of another. A deadlier and more dangerous one.
I closed my eyes and tried to calm my breathing. Think, Ayla. You ran from one. You can do it again.
Opening my eyes, I met his gaze. My body still shaking with silent tremors, I stood up straighter.
“Ayla Blinov. My name is Ayla Blinov,” I said slowly. I wasn’t ready to die. I ran away because I wanted a better life so I could finally be myself. I wasn’t letting this man take away my newly found freedom.
So I lied.
I swallowed hard, and continued. “I have been living on the streets for a few months, and some men found me and wanted me to work at a brothel. I ran away and hid in your car. When your guards found me, I panicked, so I hid under your bed.”
The lie rushed out from me effortlessly. My heart was beating hard against my ribcage. This was a big risk, and I hoped, prayed, that he would believe me.
Alessio sat back and uncrossed his legs. “Hmmm,” he said, never shifting his gaze from me.
Both of us stayed silent for a few minutes, my body tensing more with each passing second. My stomach cramped in fear.
Alessio moved forward again, until his elbows were on his knees and his fingers were crossed together. That was when I noticed he didn’t have his gun with him anymore.
My gaze moved to his sides, and I saw his gun sat next to his hip, on the couch. I looked back at his face, and he kept staring at me, his gaze more intense.
Did he believe me? Alessio Ivanshov was a man with many secrets. Dark secrets. He was also very unpredictable. “I have a deal for you,” he said suddenly. I jumped at his voice, my body shuddering.
“You have three options,” he continued, as I stood in front of him trembling. “One: You work for me,” he said. His voice was monotone, so I wasn’t sure what he might be planning.
“Two: You go back to the streets, unsafe.” He paused as my body froze. “Three: Or I shoot you for trespassing,” he finished.
My breath went out in a whoosh as he stopped talking. Alessio’s lips quirked up in a tiny smile as he waited for my response.
My eyes widened as I tried to think. I brought a shaky hand to my throat and rubbed it gently, a gesture of nervousness and discomfort.
Option three was obviously not an option. I was not even taking it in consideration. Option two meant being homeless, no money, unsafe on the streets, and very easy for Alberto’s men to find me. Option one meant that I would have money and probably a place to live. But there was only one problem.
I would be dead if he ever found out who I was.
With my eyes still locked on his face, I thought about my options. But most importantly, I thought about my survival. And only one option could help me.
“One,” I whispered hoarsely, as I stared into Alessio’s eyes. He seemed surprised, but then his lips stretched into a full smile.
And I just knew.
With that answer, I had signed myself over to him. I was no longer my own. I belonged to him.
Alessio stood up and walked slowly to me, his steps confident. When he was close, he reached out and touched a dirty strand of my hair.
“Good choice, Ayla,” Alessio said. The sound of my name coming from him made me shiver again. God, why did his voice have to sound so…intimate? My eyes widened with the sudden thought. No. No, Ayla. Don’t lose yourself.
“I’m glad that you decided to…work for me.” The way he said those words made my body freeze. He stared at me, his eyes intense.
Alessio stepped closer so that our bodies were pressed together. He moved his finger down my bruised cheek.
“I’ll make sure that you won’t regret this decision,” he whispered huskily.
Wait, what? Did he mean…? No, he couldn’t. He wouldn’t.
Oh, but he would. He was Alessio Ivanshov. Nothing had ever been denied to him. And I just said yes to his offer.
My breathing and the beat of my heart was too loud. I was sure he could hear it. Alessio bent down until his eyes were to my level.
“Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you.”
I swallowed and licked my lips quickly. His gaze followed my movement as his blue eyes turned from cold to hot. He licked his own, and then he whispered, “Not unless you want me to.”
I sucked in a shocked breath and it made my chest move against his. The friction made my body shiver. Was it apprehension? Or anticipation?
“Umm…what…what did you…mean by…work?” I asked quietly, tripping over my own words.
He took another step closer, forcing me to take a step back. Alessio crowded me, his presence so strong that it made me feel weak and small.
“Exactly what it means…work,” he continued in a husky voice.
Oh my God. Please no. Not that. Anything but that.
“What…what work?” I asked again.
Alessio stared into my eyes. Blue to green.
We both stared at each other, unblinking. The tension vibrated around us. But I couldn’t understand what type of tension it was. No. I refused to understand it. I refused to acknowledge it.
He suddenly took a step back. I breathed out at the movement, and my tensed muscles uncoiled with relief. Alessio stood to his full height, now looking down at me, his eyes hard again.
“My maids need a little help. You’ll be helping with the cleaning and cooking,” he said briskly.
Huh? He wanted me to clean and cook?
I stared at him in confusion. Alessio must have been the most perplexing man I had ever met. Confusing, strange, and dangerous.
“You want me to clean…and cook?” I asked in bewilderment. He cocked his head to the side, still looking at me. Then he smiled. The same malicious smile as before.
“Yes,” he said as he took a step toward me, crowding my personal space again. “Did you think I meant something else?” he asked quietly, his tone suggestive as he traced a finger lightly up my right arm.
Yes. Yes, I did think you meant something else. I thought you wanted me to be your wh—
I halted the thought. Don’t go there, Ayla.