Evgeni, My Russian Savior - J A Fielding

Evgeni, Savior

My

Russian

A BWWM Billionaire Mafia Romance A complete story, brought to you by best selling author J A Fielding. Athena Davis is still struggling to come to terms with the death of her fiancé on their wedding day. Two years have gone by, and despite her friend's insistence she needs to do otherwise, she's still living a fairly sheltered life.

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That is, until Evgeni Markovic comes along. Evgeni is a Russian business man full of charm, a handsome smile, and that 'je ne sais quoi'. However, he also has a very dark past. Part of the Russian mafia with deep ties in the lifestyle, he's now trying to go legit and change his ways. But his mafia buddies have other plans. Can these two find love and stay safe with Evgeni's dark past hanging over them? Find out in this sexy and thrilling romance by best selling author J A Fielding.

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Suitable for over 18s only due to sex scenes so hot, you'll want to scream out in Russian! Tip: Search BWWM Club on Amazon to see more of our great books.

Get Another BWWM eBook Free! Hi there. As a special thank you for buying this ebook, for a limited time I want to send you another one completely free of charge directly to your email! You can get it by clicking the cover below or going here:

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Direct link: www.saucyromancebooks.com/ love-bwwm-romance-books This book is so exclusive you can't even buy it. When you download it I'll also send you

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updates when new books like this are available. Copyright © 2015 to J A Fielding and SaucyRomanceBooks.com. No part of this book can be copied or distributed without written permission from the above copyright holders.

Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9

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Chapter 10 Get Another BWWM Ebook Free More Books By J A Fielding About J A Fielding

Chapter 1 Athena Davis adjusted her earpiece as she made her way back into the Virginia Aquarium. She had been outside getting a breath of fresh air and giving her feet a breather after being on her feet for almost five hours straight. “This fundraiser is never-ending,” she thought as she stroked her hair which she had pulled back in a high bun. Athena’s company GoCreative had been in charge of organizing the charity fundraiser at the Aquarium. She would have rather spent her time organizing a more exciting event but this was what fell on her lap and

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considering she had spent almost two weeks at her desk, she needed to be out of the office. A lot of people at GoCreative had been skeptical about the venue but Athena was positive she could pull it off…and she did. As soon as she stepped foot back in the Aquarium, she sighed. She could not wait for this event to be over so she could go home and soak in a long bubbly bath. That was all she really craved at that moment. She made her way to one corner of the main foyer. A smile played on her lips. They were now auctioning a date with one of her bosses, Conrad Malone. She had to admit, it was a brilliant move especially since Conrad was everything any woman dreamed of: rich, good looking and had a killer smile. The bid

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was now at sixty five thousand dollars. She picked a glass of cider from one of the waiters who was walking past her. “You are a very private person,” she heard a male voice behind her say. She could not help but notice the strong eastern European accent in his voice. Hungarian, Romanian, Russian…she could not quite place her finger on it. She was not very sure what it was. “What makes you say that?” she asked as she turned around to come face to face with a brown haired hazel eyed man. “I have been watching you since I got here,” he said. She raised an eyebrow over the other.

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“You have been watching me? Should I call the police or something?” The man smiled. “Maybe I should be the one calling for help,” he said in a soft voice. Athena took another long sip of her cider. “And why is that?” she asked again. “Attractive black woman in killer heels on her feet all evening,” he said as he slowly walked around her to lean on the wall. “And the earpiece you have on,” he added as he pointed at her right ear. “You are either an assassin who’s been sent out here for someone or CIA.”

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Athena laughed and shook her head. And it was not a forced laughter either. It was a genuine honest to goodness laugh. “So, Femme Fatale, which one is it?” he asked. “Assassin? Why would you come to that conclusion?” “Well, I have watched enough movies to know that the best assassins are the ones who can distract their mark,” he answered. “Mostly they use their sex appeal.” “So what you are telling me in so many words, is that I have sex appeal?” she asked and the man shrugged.

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“Everyone has sex appeal. Even the most unappealing people. They have their own idea of sex appeal.” His eyes ran down her body. “And yours is literally the life of this party.” She smiled and bit her lower lip. “I would have thought that the life of this party was Rue Sorrento,” she pointed out. He gently scratched his right temple. “And why is that?” “Simple. She has money coming out of her…well, choose an orifice and she has spent it to get that picture perfect body she loves flaunting so much.” She turned and looked at the subject of her criticism who had on a tighter than tight white dress with an

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amazingly low neckline. “Seriously, every man here is ogling at her.” She turned her attention back to the man again. “Makes me wonder why you are not part of that bandwagon.” “Well, for starters I am not every man.” “But you are a man, right?” she had an insincere smile on her face. “I am but I tend to delve deeper into personality rather than work with what is on the surface,” he said in a whisper. “And right now I would like to know if someone here will be dropping dead any time soon.” Athena looked into his eyes and then shook her head.

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“I hate to disappoint you sir, but I do not work for the CIA or some black ops program,” she smiled. “That is exactly what an assassin or a CIA agent would say,” the man pointed out. “I guess you are right but the earpiece is for team coordination,” she said in a soft voice. “Again, something a CIA agent or an assassin would do.” This time Athena laughed. “Most assassins work alone, right?” she said as she looked at him and he nodded. “Yes, so that option is out.”

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She bit her lower lip again and stretched her hand out. “Athena Davis from GoCreative, the company that organized this event.” “That clears a lot of confusion,” the man said smiling. “Evgeni Markovic,” he said as he shook Athena’s hand. “Nice to meet you.” “Believe me, the pleasure is all mine.” “So, I have to ask. Evgeni…what is that Hungarian?” “Russian.”

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Athena smiled. This was probably the most exciting thing that had ever happened to her. She had never met someone from outside the US let alone Russia. She almost asked him if he knew any guys from the mafia but she quickly realized that asking him that was as shallow as someone asking her if she knew Obama or Beyoncé. “I thought I was doing a killer job of masking my accent,” he said and she shrugged. “Not as well as you think.” “I blame my grandmother. She was always talking to us in Russian. Something about us not forgetting where we were from,” he said with a smile.

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“That’s a good thing, right? I mean, heritage is important.” He nodded. “I would know because my grandmother went the extra mile to trace our roots. I think I am Somali or something of the sort,” Athena said smiling. “You’ve got to hand it to heritage…being important and all.” “It is important, don’t get me wrong but mine went the extra mile to home school us for the first five years because she did not want us to be ‘corrupted’ by the western culture…it’s a long complicated story with her, trust me,” he said smiling and she nodded. “Clearly,” she said with a smile. Evgeni looked around the foyer and nodded.

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“So you put all this together, huh? This is pretty impressive.” “Well, I like to think that anything I put my heart and soul into is pretty impressive,” she said as she took another sip of her drink. “Of course,” he said as he scratched his brow. “I didn’t mean to be disrespectful.” “Disrespectful,” she echoed before she took the last sip and put her glass on one of the waiter’s trays. “Now I have to ask.” “What? What do you have to ask?” “Do you know any mafia guys? I mean, I know this is a very weirdly racist question but…” her voice trailed off when she saw the

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way he was looking at her. He suddenly laughed as he shook his head. “Yes it is,” he said, still laughing. “I am so sorry,” she whispered. She felt even sillier than she thought she would feel. “No, don’t be,” Evgeni said, still smiling. “As it turns out I think I have a few connections if you ever need a shipment of Kalashnikovs or something.” Athena felt herself blush. “I should really be more careful with my words,” she said in a soft voice.

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“Come on, I was kidding. I would not want you to think that I am such a shallow person.” “I wouldn’t ever think that,” she said. She pressed her earpiece to her ear when she heard the caterer’s voice calling “Sorry, duty calls.” Evgeni smiled and nodded. “I wouldn’t want to be the one to keep you from your job.” “It was really nice to meet you, Evgeni. You are actually the first decent conversation I’ve had all day,” she said and he reached into her pocket.

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“I will be here waiting to see you casing the foyer again but in case I don’t get a chance to approach you,” he started as he took her hand in his and placed his business card in her hand. “I would love to see you again. Hopefully soon.” She looked at the card and then at him and smiled. “Soon,” she repeated before she walked away. She could feel his eyes on her and for the first time that evening, she was not cursing at the world for wearing those five inch heels. She looked over her shoulder and saw that he was indeed still looking at her. She turned around and smiled as she

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walked into the foyer and disappeared into the crowd. Her heart was pounding as she made her way to the back where the caterer and good friend, Carla was. “What is going on? Why are you fussing?” she asked as she looked at Carla. “Your wine guy never came through and we still have a couple more hours of this damn event,” Carla said sighing. “I mean, how much money can these people have to give?” Athena smiled.

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“The who’s who of America’s Fortune 500 are here,” she said as she helped herself to a piece of pig in a blanket. “If anything they are having a pissing contest out there trying to see who gives the most money.” Carla smiled. “Well, call your guy. Otherwise this partnership I have with GoCreative is doomed,” she said as she leaned against one wall. Athena sighed and quickly dialed her wine supplier. She walked outside as she held the phone to her ear. It took a few rings before her supplier picked up.

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“MacGyver, hi. It’s Athena Davis,” she said. “What happened to my extra cases of champagne?” “I’m sorry,” MacGyver said. From the noise on the other end of the phone, Athena could tell that he was driving. “I am a few minutes from the Aquarium. I will not let you down.” “Well, I don’t know about that MacGyver. I have a room full of rich snobs without anything to drink and I am counting on them being drunk enough to give up their hard earned cash for some charity, dude.” “I know, I know. I am driving as fast as I possibly can.” Athena sighed.

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“Just how far are you exactly?” “Like I said, a few minutes. Maybe ten at the most.” “Fine. I’ll get creative in the meanwhile. Just…” she sighed again. “Just get your ass down here MacGyver.” She hung up and walked back into the room. She helped herself to another snack and looked at Carla who was preparing another plate. “Ten minutes,” Athena said as she bit into the piece of sugar coated meatball. “Oh goodness…what is this? It’s like an orgasm of sugar and bacon.”

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“Well, that’s exactly what it is. Bacon wrapped sugar coated meatballs,” Carla said without looking up. “Damn,” Athena whispered as she bit into the meatball again. “This has to be the best meatball ever.” “Decadent, right?” Carla said smiling. “Decadent indeed,” Athena said before she took another bite of the meatball. “So, how is the job so far?” Carla asked as she put another plate out. “I mean, did you rub shoulders with Richard Branson or someone of the sort yet?”

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“Well, for starters, Richard Branson isn’t here and no. I didn’t meet anyone yet,” she said as she pulled a stool and sat down. “That’s weird. The place is full of potential boyfriends.” Athena raised an eyebrow at her friend and forced out a laugh. “Potential boyfriends for whom exactly because I know that you are most definitely not talking about me,” she said and Carla smiled at her. “Well, I am kind of seeing someone so you know that I am not talking about myself.”

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Athena shook her head and took another meatball. “Kind of seeing someone is not the same as being committed and those are your words if I remember correctly.” “Well, I don’t want to rush things with Hank. Things are great as they are right now and I like how it is right now. I don’t want to complicate things by…” Carla’s voice trailed off and she put her hands on the counter. “I just don’t want to complicate anything right now.” Athena nodded. She had an idea of what her friend had been through before she got together with Hank Mosley and maybe she was right not to rush things. Maybe it would

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have been a good idea for her to go slow too. She smiled at Carla and then shrugged. “Maybe this is the best way forward. I mean, you are happy though, right?” Athena asked and Carla nodded. “More than you will ever know,” she said. “But what about you?” Athena frowned and shrugged. “What about me?” she asked as if she had no idea what was going on. “Come on Athena. You know exactly what I am talking about,” Carla said. “You are always avoiding the subject when I talk about your dating life.”

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“Well. I don’t really want to talk about it,” Athena said as she looked into Carla’s eyes. She knew she sounded ridiculous since Carla had been trying to get her to talk for the longest time and that was always her response. “Look, I know that I have been saying that for the longest time but…” she started before Carla reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You have been avoiding this discussion for almost an entire year,” she said and Athena nodded. “I just don’t…” Athena started before Carla shook her head cutting her short.

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“Listen, sweetie,” she started as she drew little circles at the back of her hands. “I love the way you always seem to go all out in support of everyone else but yourself. I mean it is what makes you, you. But you also have to remember that your own happiness is important too. You can’t just shelf off your heart, you know.” “I know but I just…I can’t do this right now. I mean right this minute,” she said in a soft voice. “That is always your answer,” Carla pointed out and Athena smiled. She then pulled her hand out of Carla’s and stood up. “Whoa…what’s going on? Where are you…” Carla started before Athena looked at a

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waiter walking towards them carrying a case of champagne. “I would love to stay and chat but my wine guy came through,” Athena said as another waiter walked in carrying another case. “Plus I have to go back to work.” “Chat later then,” Carla called after her. Athena was walking out as fast as she could but the truth was she was trying to hide her pain from everyone around. She hated that Carla had brought up what she had spent months burying. She walked as fast as she could across the foyer and even when she got outside, she didn’t stop. She went on

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walking past the valets until she got to the parking lot. Her heart was beating hard and fast as she leaned against one of the vehicles there. She had a tightness in her chest that she just couldn’t understand but she had felt this way before and she was almost too certain that she was having a panic attack. Tears were rolling down her cheeks and everything felt tight: her dress, her shoes…she would have done anything to strip down at that moment. She sunk down to the ground as she began crying hysterically. It seemed as though the more she tried controlling herself, the harder she cried.

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She was so engrossed in her self-pity that she never realized there was a male voice nearby, Evgeni’s voice. ***** Evgeni had been hell bent on not handling any business that evening especially since he had not really wanted to go to the benefit to begin with. It was one of those decisions that he was sure he would regret before the evening was over especially since after going to almost a million or so of such events, he knew for a fact that he would not enjoy himself since he was going to have the same conversation with twenty different people. And there was also the risk of meeting the one aspiring actress or singer that would

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most probably stalk him for the better part of that year. And that was exactly what happened. He had already talked business with Lucas Maines the biggest name in financial management, had a drink with Sarwal Singh, a known hotelier from India who was looking to set up some kind of Taj Mahal in New York and in less than two hours, had been hit on by two different women, both of whom were not his cup of tea. The evening was playing out exactly how he thought it would, at least until he saw Athena Davis. There was something about her that just seemed to call out to him. He was not sure whether it was her beautifully flawless dark skin or curvy body but as soon as he saw her, he knew

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that she was not like the rest of the guests at the event. He had watched her as she walked up and down the place and gave orders to the servers and he could almost see the graceful halo around her. The height of his evening came when he finally mastered enough courage to talk to her and sure enough, she was different from everyone at the party. He had been sad to see her walk away when duty called but seconds after she did, he got a call. In a perfect world, he would have ignored it but it was important. It was a call from Moscow, from his business manager Viktor. He exhaled loudly and walked out to the parking lot.

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“Da,” he said when he picked up the phone. “I hope you have good news.” “Mr. Markovic, things might be more complicated than we had initially hoped for,” Viktor said. Evgeni rubbed his temple gently. That was definitely not what he wanted to hear. “What is the big deal? Why can’t I have what I want?” “Mr. Markovic, we cannot have this discussion on the phone. I would much rather talk when I come over to your American offices,” Viktor said. “It is a long and daunting discussion as it is.”

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“What about the Dubai business? At least tell me that you have that settled.” “All your assets are tied up in the one investment you are trying to liquidate, Mr. Markovic. I don’t think we can make anything work without causing waves,’ Viktor said and Evgeni exhaled again. “Fine. Get on the next flight to Virginia and we will talk when you get here,” Evgeni said before he hung up. “Damn it!” he cursed silently as he began making his way back. As he made his way back, he could not help but hear the distinct sound of a woman’s sob. A part of him wanted to ignore it but the

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sobs seemed to grow louder as he slowly made his way back to the Aquarium. As he got closer and closer to a white Range Rover, he saw the familiar print of Athena’s dress. He had been watching her long enough for the print to register in his mind. “Athena?” he said in a soft voice as he rushed to where she was. He had not known her long enough but seeing her sad, tears flowing freely down her cheeks made him feel something that he hadn’t felt in a long time. “Athena, what happened?” he asked as he knelt next to her. He held the side of her face and used his thumb to brush off her tears.

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“Athena please, tell me what is happening,” he said again but she didn’t answer. There was a fresh flow of tears rolling down her cheeks. He pulled her into himself and held her close as she sobbed into his shoulder. He did not remember the last time he felt this helpless and sad.

Chapter 2 Athena hated that she had to be driven home by a complete stranger and one she found so sexy to make it even worse. She had tried talking Evgeni out of driving her home but he wouldn’t hear of it. “I would not be able to live with myself if I left you alone in this condition,” Evgeni had said. “I’m fine Evgeni,” Athena had tried convincing him but another tear rolled down her cheek. He took her hand and smiled at her. “Show me to your car,” he had said in a warm voice. “I know that I am still a stranger

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to you but that doesn’t make me any less of a gentleman.” “But I am still working,” she said in a soft voice. “It’s already a half past midnight which means that the benefit is almost over. Plus,” he slowly led her to the Aquarium’s entrance. “Look at that. If that is not a sign of a job well done, then I don’t know what is,” he added as he pointed at a huge LED screen that showed how much had been raised “We only expected to raise twenty million,” Athena said smiling, and it was a genuine smile too. The benefit had surpassed the

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twenty million mark and hit fifty seven million and change. “Well, that proves that your work here is done,” Evgeni said. “But the clean-up crew and…” she started before he shook his head. “I am going to walk you in there and you are going to get your stuff, alright?” he said in an authoritative tone. “And then I will take you home. Understand?” Athena forced out a smile and nodded. “Yes sir, Mr. Markovic,” she said before he led her into the Aquarium.

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When she walked back out, she pulled her keys put of her purse and handed them to Evgeni who seemed a little confused. “You didn’t valet?” he asked and she shook her head. “I was not a guest,” she said as she led him to where she had parked. She looked at him in gratitude when he opened the car door for her and then climbed in. She fastened her seat belt as he walked around the front of the car to get into the driver’s seat. “So, what’s the address?” he asked when he started the engine. “19 Broad Street, Richmond,” she said as she leaned against the window, hiding yet

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another tear that was rolling down her cheek. “I’ll get you home, Athena,” he said in a soft voice. She took a long deep breath and closed her eyes as she felt her cheeks sting. ***** When they got to Athena’s building, Evgeni got out of the car and then walked over to her side to open the door for her. She had expected him to leave as soon as he dropped her off but he wouldn’t hear any of it. “But you are here all alone,” he said.

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“I’ve been alone for a long time, Evgeni,” she said trying to force out a smile. “I have learned to live with it.” He looked into her puffy eyes and shook his head. “You don’t have to live with that,” he said in a soft voice. “No one has to ever live with that.” She shook her head. “If you knew half my life story, you would understand why I have to live with it,” she told him as she leaned against the open door. Evgeni took a step closer to her and put a hand on the open door to support his weight. He wanted to tell her that he was willing to listen to her life’s story but he knew that was not what she wanted to hear at that moment.

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“Let me in Athena,” he said as he looked at her. “Let me take care of you.” Athena looked into his eyes and shrugged. She wanted to be alone but having someone there who didn’t know her was probably just as good. “Fine,” she said as he walked into her apartment. “Can I get you anything?” she asked as she kicked off her shoes. “Actually, I am here for you,” he said as she looked at him. “What are you talking about?” she asked as she took off her earrings.

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“I was not the one lying down on asphalt with tears rolling down my cheeks,” he said matter of factly and then walked to the kitchen. “I will make you some tea or hot chocolate, whichever you prefer and you will get a nice soothing bath.” He looked around her kitchen and then sighed. “I am really trying to make sense of your kitchen right now but a little help would be great.” Athena walked to where he was and opened an overhead cabinet. “You don’t have to do this,” she said as she put two cups on the counter. “I’m fine.” “At the risk of sounding like some weird sexual predator, I will make you show me to

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your room and I can run you the bath myself,” he said as he looked up at her. “I’ll just have a shower. It’s more polite when you have a guest anyway,” she said before she began walking off. “Feel at home,” she called out from down the hall. She took a long deep breath when she got to her room and began pulling the zipper on her dress down. She did not understand why she felt so comfortable around Evgeni even though she had known him for less than half an hour. “Brilliant Athena,” she thought as she held her hair back and stepped into the bathroom. “The first man you bring home in two years is

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the one who found you crying in the parking lot.” She turned on the water and put on a shower cap. She was starting to think that maybe Carla was right. That maybe she had actually shelved her life for too long. She did not know how long she had been in the bathroom by the time she finally turned off the water and got out of the bathroom. She then put on her bathrobe and then walked to the kitchen. “That tea smells really good,” she said. Evgeni looked up from his cup and poured her a cup before he carried the two cups to the living room. She followed him to the living

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room and sat down as she adjusted her bathrobe. “You have more tea than a Chinese herbalist,” he said as he handed her a cup and she laughed. “Yeah, I’m not big on coffee. Green tea is kind of my thing,” she said in a whisper as she took the cup from him. “Well, I tried making the flavor best suited for the mood and I thought that a lemon grass and mint was the best fit for the evening,” he said with a smile. “Lemon grass and mint is my favorite,” she said as he sat down next to her. “Lucky guess?”

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“Not really. My grandmother swore by the relaxing properties of lemon grass,” he said with a smile. She smiled and took a sip of her tea. “So, miss Athena,” he started as he looked at her. “Do you mind me asking what the whole breakdown in the parking lot was about?” he asked as he looked at her. She took a long deep breath and began circling her finger on the rim of her cup. “I don’t think I am ready to talk about it yet,” she whispered. “I don’t want to sound cliché but I believe a very wise person once said that a problem

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shared is a problem half solved,” he said. She looked up at him and forced out a smile. “Let’s just say that long story short, I lost a whole lot in a very short time.” “That’s a little vague even for someone you just met,” he said and she shrugged. “It is not that I don’t want to talk about it,” she started. “It is just that I know when I start talking about it I may very well cry.” “I have already seen you cry, Athena. So that won’t be any surprise,” he pointed out. “Look Evgeni,” she started as she shifted her weight. “I really appreciate you driving me here but…I…I just can’t do this right now.”

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***** Evgeni and Athena spent the next two hours talking about everything and nothing in particular. She didn’t know why she found herself so relaxed around him. Maybe it was the fact that he reminded her of someone she once knew, someone she once loved…and maybe she still did. When Evgeni left, she locked up and then laid down on the futon in her living room. She switched on the TV and flipped through the channels trying to find something to watch but at the back of her mind, she was thinking about Evan Ridley, the man who changed her life forever…

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In 2012, Athena knew she had it all, everything she had ever wanted. She was the assistant vice president at Jameson and Klein, a public relations firm in New York and she was engaged to the love of her life, Evan. Theirs had been a whirlwind romance, something to get Lifetime to make a movie about. They had met in a business convention in Miami, a convention that Athena almost missed. She had been handling a new client who had been key on having his business handled by the best of the best. Something about him not entrusting his millions to a ‘naïve intern’. She had been second guessing herself all the way to Miami and

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even when she got there, she was not sure she wanted to get out of her hotel room. “I don’t get why I have to be the one to come all the way to Miami while we could have sent one of the junior associates,” she said as she straightened her hair. She was talking to her boss Harold Klein over the phone as she got ready for that evening. “I know but we are talking a five million retainer here,” Harold said as she put her straightening iron down. “And don’t even get me started on the billing.” Athena rolled her eyes and pulled on her black and white dress.

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“But Mr. Klein…” she started but Harold wouldn’t hear of it, “Athena, have you even stopped to think what a five million retainer would mean in terms of your bonus? Plus bagging this client would mean that you add a feather to your already much decorated cap.” Athena sighed. She knew he was right. Jameson and Klein had near tripled its business since she began handling their business personally. It was something about how she was able to talk to the clients that always sealed her deal.

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“Alright, fine,” she said as she pulled up her zipper. “But this trip could have been avoided altogether.” “I know but Mr. Lee Chang is going to be leaving for a business trip to the Middle East in a few days. We cannot risk him talking to another firm,” he said and Athena sighed again. “Yes sir,” she said before she hung up. She put on her shoes and grabbed her bag before she made her way out. “I don’t believe I have to sit through a long boring two hour lecture that I don’t need just so I can get five minutes to talk to some arrogant businessman,” she thought as she rode in the elevator.

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But what she did not know at the time was that she was walking right to her future. At first, when she met Evan, she thought that he was a little too nice for her taste but after a few months of correspondence, she knew that she couldn’t have been luckier to know him. By the end of the first year, Evan had proposed to her and she was only too happy to accept. The wedding had been set for June 6th 2013 and even though she had convinced herself that she was not the fairytale wedding kind of girl, she knew that she would never have another ‘big day’. She was hell bent on spending the rest of her life with Evan. She could almost picture what their future was going to be like. Their children, their house…everything. Life with

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Evan, as far as she could tell, was going to be perfect. On Wednesday June 6th 2012, Athena was over the moon as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was in a pale white, one shouldered wedding gown with a detailed bottom. Her dark brown curly hair had been straightened and pulled into a side bun and she had on plum lipstick that blended perfectly with her flawless brown skin tone. She was still looking into her reflection when her grandparents walked into the room. “You are a beautiful sight for sore eyes, honey,” her grandfather said with a smile. “Thanks grandpa,” Athena said.

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“So lovely,” her grandmother, Yvette said as she hugged her from behind. “I might just cry.” Athena smiled and shook her head. “Please don’t because if you cry then I will start crying and I definitely don’t want to look puffy eyed in my wedding pictures,” she said in a soft voice and her grandmother rubbed her shoulders. “Fine but before we leave we have something for you,” Yvette said pulling away from Athena before she walked up to where her husband was. Athena turned around and looked at her grandfather as he reached into his pocket to pull out a bracelet.

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“Is that…” Athena started as she looked at the all too familiar bracelet in her grandfather’s hand. “It is,” he said. “The silver and sapphire bracelet that has been passed down for generations.” “I used to be so mad when she wouldn’t let me have it in my dress up games,” Athena said in a soft voice. “Well, now it’s yours, honey,” her grandfather said as he fastened the bracelet around her wrist. “It’s something old, it’s something borrowed and it is definitely something blue,” Yvette said with a smile. Athena threw her arms

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around her grandparents and closed her eyes. “Your mother would have loved to be here with you, honey,” her grandfather said in a soft voice. “You know that, don’t you?” Athena pulled away from him and nodded. “I know,” she said as he dabbed her eyes trying hard not to cry. “I would have loved for her to be here with me too but I know that she is with me like she has always been.” Yvette touched the side of her face and smiled. “Of course she is,” she whispered.

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“Now both of you get out of here before I ruin my damn makeup,” Athena said as she fanned her face. Her grandmother smiled and nodded. “Well, see you out there.” “I can wait out here…in case you want to fan your face a little more,” her grandfather said. Athena smiled at him. “Don’t worry. I’ll only be a few minutes,” she said. “Besides, Evan’s not here yet.” “Talk about being fashionably late,” Yvette pointed out before the two of them walked out.

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Athena looked at her reflection again and smiled. She gently ran her fingers over the bracelet and felt a wave of emotion overwhelm her. All of a sudden, she felt like her mother was right there in the room with her. Her heart was racing as she blinked back her tears. “I should have gone with waterproof mascara,” she thought to herself as she fanned her face for the umpteenth time. She then sat down in front of the mirror and grabbed the makeup sponge. She dabbed little powder under her eyes and sighed. “This is it,” she thought. “This is the day I become Mrs. Evan Ridley.”

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She didn’t know how long she had been sitting there before she heard the door open. She looked up and saw Carla walking in. “Hey, I was getting worried,” Athena said as she stood up. She turned around and looked at Carla who was frowning. “What is it? What’s going on?” Carla walked towards her, a frown on her face. If she didn’t know any better, she could have sworn that there was something wrong. But at that moment, the worst thing she could think of was Evan being late. However, the hesitation in her voice said it all. There was something bigger on her mind. Something worse.

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“Carla,” Athena said in a warning tone. “Please tell me what the hell is happening. Why am I still here? What the hell is taking so long?” “Why don’t you sit down, Athena,” Carla started in a soft voice. “Why are you telling me to sit down? What happened?” Athena was already hysterical. “Did one of the service providers mess up? Is it the reception flowers?” she asked as Carla put shoulders.

her

hands

on

her

friend’s

“Sweetie, just listen to me,” Carla said trying as much as she could to calm her down.

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“Why are you not telling me what happened?” Athena asked again. This time, she caught a glance of her grandparents standing outside her dressing room. Her grandmother had her head on her husband’s shoulder and from where she was, Athena could see that she was crying. And the tears she had were not tears of joy either. At that moment, panic went through her. This was not good. “Is it Evan?” she finally asked as Carla looked into her eyes and when her friend didn’t answer she knew that whatever was making her grandmother cry had a lot to do with the fact that her groom was late. Her gaze shifted from her grandparents to Carla as she shook her head.

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“Carla…you would tell me if it was something to do with Evan, right? Is he okay? Why won’t you answer me?” Athena asked as she felt her heart beating faster, harder. “Athena…” Carla started before she pulled her friend into her arms. “Calm down, okay?” “I can’t…no one is talking to me,” Athena wanted to pull away but Carla was holding her tightly. A tear rolled down Carla’s cheek. “Athena, there was an accident,” Carla finally said and Athena stopped fighting. She was no longer trying to pull away. It was almost as if she knew what Carla was about to say. “The groom’s convoy…there was a head on collision on the highway. A drunk driver

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was…” Carla sighed. She didn’t want to overwhelm her with the details. Everything was already too much for her already. “There was a head on collision on the highway,” she said again. “And Evan?” Athena asked. “What about Evan? What hospital is he in?” “Athena,” Carla said as she pulled away. “They didn’t take him to the hospital.” “So he is okay? Where is he?” Athena asked as she looked at Carla. “Tell me where he is and I will go right now!” Carla held her shoulders again.

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“Athena! You have to listen to me!” she said in a voice a little louder than she intended to. “The paramedics never took him to hospital because he…he didn’t make it.” Athena suddenly felt the color draining from her face. She shook her head as she looked into Carla’s eyes. “No,” she said in a whisper. “I’m so sorry sweetie…” Carla started but Athena shook her head again. “No!” she cried out. ”I want to see him! I want to see him right now!”

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Carla pulled her into her arms again and at that moment all the tears she had been holding back began rolling down her cheek. “This cannot be happening,” she sobbed into Carla’s shoulder. “Not like this….not like this…” “Look there is a back exit away from everyone,” Carla said as she ran her hand up and down Athena’s back. “Why don’t I take you to my place, huh? I can make you that southern fried chicken you love so much and later we can have ice cream, okay?” Athena could not talk. She knew that greasy chicken and ice cream would not solve her problems or bring Evan back but at that

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moment, she just couldn’t imagine being there any longer. Being in the same place where she was supposed to pledge her life to Evan. “But I got everything…the dress and the food and ….” Athena started saying when Carla pulled away. “I’m your maid of honor. Let me handle that,” she said. “But right now all I want is to take you away from this place.” Athena shook her head again. “I want to see him,” she said in a whisper.

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“Sweetie, I don’t think that’s a very good idea,” Carla said and Athena banged her fist against the mirror, so hard that it cracked. “Carla! I want to see him,” she said again. Carla looked at her friend’s grandparents who were nodding at her. “Fine. I’ll take you,” she said in a soft voice.

Chapter 3 When Athena’s eyelids fluttered open the following morning, it was around six. She sighed when she realized that she was still lying on the couch. Her hand automatically went to her ring pendant. She closed her eyes and sighed loudly as her fingers ran over the surface of ring she had worn on her chain ever since the wedding. “Another day, another struggle,” she thought as she pulled herself out of the couch. She walked to the bedroom and wondered whether to just get back in bed or go for a run. She was supposed to go and check in on the Aquarium, make sure her clean-up crew had done their work but she was not

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feeling up to it. And she knew for a fact that having pulled off the charity benefit, she could definitely get away with not being at the office that Saturday. She climbed into bed and pulled the covers before she reached for her TV remote. She had just switched on her TV when she heard her doorbell ring. She sighed loudly. “What the hell? It’s freaking six in the morning,” she thought as she pulled a pillow over her head. She wanted to ignore the door but for some reason, whoever was at the door was not giving up. She sighed when she heard the doorbell ring again.

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“For God’s sake,” she said to no one in particular as she climbed out of her bed and walked to the front door. “Well, good morning sleepy head,” Carla said when Athena opened the door. “What the hell are you doing here so early?” Athena asked as Carla walked in, “Wait, this whole bathrobe thing is not ironic?” Carla asked. Athena closed the door and shook her head. “What do you mean ironic? I literally just woke up,” she said. She was now walking to the kitchen. If she was going to have to listen to Carla she was going to need a whole lot of coffee. Preferably cinnamon flavored.

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“We were supposed to meet up for a run like we do every weekend,” Carla said following her to the kitchen. Athena looked up from the coffee pot she was filling up. “I guess that solves the mystery of why the heck you are in sweats,” she said forcing out a smile. Carla rolled her eyes. “Breakfast?” Athena asked as she walked to the fridge. “It’s the least I can do after standing you up.” “Depends,” Carla said as she leaned on the kitchen counter. “Are you going to make those perfect blueberry pancakes?” Athena sighed. “Fine,” she said as she grabbed a bowl from one of the shelves. “I will make pancakes but

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regular pancakes. I am still a little tired to make pancakes from scratch.” “You owe me,” Carla said in a warning tone. “Batter out of a box or no pancakes. You choose,” Athena said looking at Carla who sighed. She smiled and did a victory dance in her head when she realized that she had won that argument. “So, what happened anyway? Why didn’t you show up at the park?” Carla asked as she took off her hoodie. She helped herself to a grape from the fruit bowl that was in front of her on the counter. “I don’t know…it was just an exhausting night, I guess,” Athena said shrugging. Carla

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popped another grape into her mouth and shrugged. “Are you sure it was just about the job? Because I have seen you pull off three events in one weekend and still look like you just put on fresh makeup,” she said. “Well this time it was different,” Athena said. “I was a little more spent than usual.” “Are you sure that was it?” Carla asked and Athena looked at her. “What else could it be?” she asked as she got the pancake batter from the fridge. “Well, you appeared a little shaken up after I brought up the whole Evan thing.” Athena

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looked at her and sighed. “I have not mentioned it for years out of respect but I am not sorry I did. I think it is about time I mentioned it.” Athena looked up at her friend and shrugged. She opened her mouth to speak but she realized that Carla was right. She had done everything right including packing up and moving to a different state with her. “I know and I am very grateful but I really don’t want to talk about it right now,” she said as she began washing her hands in the sink. “Well, it’s been two years Athena.” Carla looked at Athena as she poured two cups of

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coffee. “Two long years of watching you wallow and I cannot do it anymore.” “Carla….” Athena started as she placed a cup in front of her friend. “No, Athena. I am not done yet.” Carla’s voice was a little harsher than she would have wanted it to be. “I have held your hand through it all. But Evan was my friend too and I know more than anyone that he would not be happy seeing you like this.” She reached for her friend’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You need to let the past go.” “I have,” Athena said and Carla raised an eyebrow over the other.

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“Really?” she asked as she reached for the ring dangling from the chain around her neck. “So that’s what this is?” “This is a little too personal for me, Carla, and you know it,” Athena said as she shook her head. “Yes, but you know another thing that ring represents?” Carla asked as she gently ran her thumb over her friend’s knuckles. “The past. It is a constant reminder of the most painful day of your life.” Athena pulled her hand away from Carla’s and shook her head. “It is not as easy as you make it out to be,” she said.

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“Oh I know that and I know it very, very well,” Carla said. “You got closure and I didn’t.” Athena sighed. Carla was right…about everything. She had been married to a marine and after his third deployment, he never came back home. Everyone believed that he was either killed in action in enemy territory or taken as a prisoner of war. “Carla…” Athena started again but her friend was not quite done yet. “You are a beautiful woman who has resigned herself to mere existence and the Evan I know would not like seeing you this way,” she said again. “And I know that for a fact, A.”

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Athena looked at Carla for a long time and sighed again. “I guess I just don’t know how to get back out there,” she started. “Have you even tried, sweetie?” Carla asked and Athena shrugged. “Well I did meet someone last night that was a…” Athena started before Carla put her hand up. “Whoa, hold up,” she said cutting her friend off mid-sentence. “You met someone last night? I thought you said that you were too busy or something like that.” Athena forced out a smiled.

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“I might have lied.” “Might have or most definitely were?” Carla asked and Athena shrugged again. “I didn’t want to say anything because I honestly didn’t know what to do. I still don’t,” she said. “But he was the first person who I talked to in a long time that didn’t make me want to blow my head off.” “And who is this mystery man, pray tell.” Carla was popping another grape into her mouth. “And you have to tell me if he is cute too.” Athena smiled and nodded.

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“Yeah, he is cute. And he has an amazingly hot European accent,” she gushed. “Europe’s a pretty big place, you know,” Carla started as she reached for another grape. “Are we talking German, French, Italian, British?” “Russian,” she said as she took a pan and set it on the stove. “Okay, I definitely didn’t expect that one,” Carla said. “I know, me either.” Athena smiled as she turned on the fire. “But I actually enjoyed his company. He was actually trying to connect with me and not just get into my pants.” She

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took a sip of her coffee. “I think I would be open to seeing him again.” “Okay, now I have to know who he is,” Carla said excitedly. “His name is Evgeni Markovic,” Athena said as she poured the batter into the bowl in front of her. “Wait. Russian guy whose name is Evgeni Markovic,” Carla repeated as she reached for her phone and began typing. Athena raised an eyebrow at her and then grabbed a ladle from a container on the counter before she poured a ladle full of batter onto the pan. “Is this him? Is this the guy you are

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talking about?” Carla asked as she held her phone in front of Athena. “Yeah, why?” Athena asked. “You know him or something?” “Uh…yeah. The whole world does,” Carla said excitedly. “The whole world,” she echoed. “The whole freaking world,” Carla said nodding. Athena shook her head and walked around to where her friend was. “What do you mean ‘the whole world’? Is he some kind of celebrity or something?” she asked and Carla looked at her, raising an eyebrow over the other.

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“Kim Kardashian is some kind of celebrity,” Carla said as she handed Athena her phone. “Evgeni Markovic makes The Kardashian celebrity status look like some kind of drop in the ocean.” “Wait, Forbes?” Athena asked as her eyes ran down the page. “This article is on freaking Forbes?” Carla walked around to the other side of the table and flipped the pancake that had already began browning on the sides. “Wait…holy shit,” Athena said under her breath. She suddenly didn’t feel good enough to even talk to Evgeni. “His net worth…”

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“I know, right. Three hundred million and growing by the day,” Carla said and then frowned. “You didn’t know?” “Hell no, I didn’t know!” Athena put the phone down. “I mean, I know that the Markovic Foundation donated five million at the benefit but I didn’t think he was the Markovic.” “Well, he was and he is,” Carla said and Athena sighed. ***** When Evgeni woke up the next morning, all he could think about was Athena. He should have been thinking of the news Viktor gave him the previous night but he just couldn’t

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seem to get Athena out of his head. He walked to his living room and looked outside the quiet leafy grounds below. In a perfect world, he would have been standing there next to Athena as they sipped on coffee. He would have loved having her back here to claim her as his own all night long but sadly that never happened. He had noticed how withdrawn she had been when they got to her place, almost as if she was hiding something. He did not know what it was about this woman that called out to him so much. He would have done anything to take her pain away, to just make her feel like she could trust him. That was all he really wanted and it was strange too because he

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had not felt this way for anyone in a very long time, not since Natalya, his ex-wife. He was still standing there when he heard a familiar female voice behind him. “Good morning, Mr. Markovic.” He turned around and came face to face with Inez, his housekeeper. “Good morning Inez. Cómo te va,” he said with a smile. “Bien, gracias,” she said in a soft voice. “Why are you here? It’s Sunday,” he said raising an eyebrow.

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“I did not do the laundry yesterday and I thought I could do it before I go to church.” Evgeni shook his head. “Aren’t you supposed to keep the Sabbath holy or something?” he asked and she shrugged as she put her bag down. “I’m Catholic not Jewish. We can still do some tasks on Sundays, like cook and make sure our employers don’t starve,” she said as she started to walk towards the kitchen. “And I have three hours before mass anyway.” “Yes, but it is your day off,” Evgeni said as he followed her to the kitchen.

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“It is but I know for a fact that I cannot tell you to get the load out of the washer and into the dryer.” She started on the coffee and then opened the fridge and got a pitcher pf orange juice. “And I can always take a day off whenever I want, Mr. Markovic.” Evgeni smiled. He did not even know why he had engaged her in this conversation. If there was anything that he had learned from the eight years Inez had been working for him, it was that she acted like she was the boss and not the other way around. But he had never had a problem with that since she was such a good employee. Actually, she was more of a friend than an employee.

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“I’m making spiced eggs, Mr. Markovic then I will get the load in the washer,” she said as she poured him a glass of juice. “I love your spiced eggs,” Evgeni said as he reached for the glass. Inez smiled at him and then walked out. He took a sip of his juice and looked at his phone. He wished he had taken Athena’s number rather than give her his card. That way he could have been in better control of when he got to hear her voice again. He could have probably called her by now but he would have most likely seemed desperate.

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He took another sip and sighed as he looked at his phone. And at that moment, everything he had been avoiding thinking about came flooding back into his mind. In a few hours, Viktor would be touching down in Virginia and he had the worst news ever. The Markovic family name in Russia had long been associated with almost everything illegal and getting out from under that name had been a nightmare. When he got to America, setting up a legitimate business had been harder than he imagined it would be. The government was reluctant to give him a business license and his family back at home was insisting on him going the old way, the way they usually got everything done. But Evgeni wanted to do everything

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differently. Unfortunately for him, the only way he was going to get anything done was to work with one of his father’s associate, Isaac Cromwell, a man he knew well. And Evgeni did not like the idea of associating himself with the Cromwells especially not with anything to do with his business. By the end of his first year, Markovic Trucking had smuggled in more contraband than he had ever imagined possible, and all this was because Isaac Cromwell was actually in charge of shell companies across the country that were designed to cover up his criminal activities. Even after his father’s death, Evgeni didn’t think he could forgive his family for getting

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him tied up with the kind of criminal lifestyle he had been trying to escape from. For the last couple of years he had been trying to get every trace of the Cromwell fund out of his businesses and the one thing he had been left with was cleaning out Markovic Trucking. And much to his disappointment, Cromwell was hell bent on keeping his hooks into Markovic Trucking since that was the only sure way he had to bring in every illegal thing he needed in America. He was still lost in his thoughts when Inez walked back into the kitchen. “So, the TV was covering that party you went to last night,” she announced as she came

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back into the room. Her voice snapped him back to reality. “It was not really a party,” he said as he took a sip of his juice. “It was a benefit.” “There was free food and booze, right?” Inez said as she began chopping an onion. “Then that was a party. Not forgetting the fact that you were auctioned for a hundred thousand,” she added. Evgeni raised an eyebrow at her. “They showed that?” he asked. “Well, yeah. You and that basketballer were the two people who got the highest bids,” Inez said. She looked up from the onions

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and shrugged. “Any woman willing to spend that much money on a man deserves to be taken seriously.” “Actually, I never wanted to be in the auction in the first place,” he said as he took another sip of his juice. Inez looked at him and a smile played on her lips. “Since when have you turned down the chance to meet a beautiful woman?” she asked before she reached for a pan from the overhead rack. “How do you know the woman who bought me is beautiful?” “Well, it’s simple,” she said as she started sautéing the onion. He watched as she

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poured in chopped bell peppers and tomatoes and a whole lot of mixed spices. He had watched her making her spiced eggs a million times and he still couldn’t make them as well as she did. “Any woman who can willingly spend a hundred grand to spend an evening with a man can afford to look however she wants to look. Plastic surgery and everything.” Evgeni smiled. “I guess someone can do that, right?” he said and she smiled as she cracked two eggs into the mixture.

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“You don’t look very excited though,” Inez said. “I would have thought that you would be ecstatic.” “I did my part in the charity benefit and honestly being in the auction was something that was done without my knowledge,” he said shaking his head. “Maybe I can just pay the money back and…” he started before Inez shot him a dirty look. “The fundraiser was for a benefit and you would do that? I am no specialist but I can promise you that move is going to be a PR nightmare.” Evgeni sighed.

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“Just go on the date. I mean how bad could it possibly get? Just eating at some restaurant and maybe take her to the opera or something of the sort,” Inez said as she tossed the contents of the pan. “How hard could it get?” A smile played on Evgeni’s lips. He had no idea how he was supposed to tell his housekeeper that the only reason he did not want to go to the auction dinner was simply because he had his eyes set on another woman. A woman he had met that same night. A woman he had very strong feelings for. “Wait, a minute,” Inez said smiling. She served the spicy omelet and looked at her boss. “There is someone else isn’t there?”

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Evgeni frowned. “What makes you think that?” he asked eyeing the aromatic food she was holding. “I have been working with you for ages and I have learned a thing or two about your tells and right now I can tell that you are hiding the fact that some woman out there has you smitten.” Inez slowly passed the plate under his nose. “Smell that? Think about your very nutritious breakfast as you answer my next question.” “Inez, please,” Evgeni said. “Simple. Is there someone else?” she asked and he exhaled loudly.

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“Not exactly…” Inez put the plate down and smiled. “Aha!” she said excitedly as she handed him a fork. “Inez…” he started. “It is about time. Seven years without anyone and now you have two choices.” Inez sounded a little more excited than her face led on. He shook his head and took a bite of his eggs. He had been with other women since Natalya but mostly they were just physical relationships. What she didn’t know was that he always made sure he brought them back home on days when she didn’t visit. Inez was a little too Catholic and he

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knew that he would have an earful if she ever busted him. “Maybe when you decide on which woman you want, you can ask her to come over. I can make the two of you some dinner,” Inez said as he lifted the fork to his mouth again. “Didn’t you say you have to get to mass in a few hours? Shouldn’t you do that laundry already?” Evgeni asked. “Well, I could but you are just like Miguel and Santos, hijo. Remember that,” she said as she walked away leaving a smiling Evgeni seated at the kitchen table. His smile faded as he began planning out his day. He was normally not a person who

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would work on a Sunday but given the situation at hand, he didn’t really have a choice. He had to find a way to get Markovic Trucking out from under Cromwell’s thumb. “This might be harder than I thought,” he thought as he took another bite of his eggs. “Where is the wisdom when I need it?” he wondered as he took another bite. He was going to need a good plan, and not any good plan. A raging plan that was going to ensure he kept his profits intact while restoring his company to the glory he thought it out to be.

Chapter 4 When Athena’s white Prius pulled up in front of her building on Monday evening, she frowned when she saw a familiar black sedan. Matter of fact, it was the same black sedan that had brought her back home from the benefit on Saturday night. She grabbed her purse and climbed out of the car as the driver’s door opened. A smile played on her lips when she saw Evgeni stepping out. He looked exceptionally handsome in a gray slim suit and black shirt. “Should I be worried that I have a stalker?” she asked as she slowly walked towards him.

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“Well, you never called and I didn’t have your number,” he said with a smile, a lock of his ebony dark hair fell out of place when he talked. He had both hands in his pocket as he looked at her. “I’ve been a little busier than usual,” she lied even though she was sure that he saw right through it. “Is that so?” he asked matter of factly and she nodded. “Yes, a lot of people out there have parties and I have to plan them. Successfully, if I must add.”

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“So does that mean that I have to contract you to plan a party for me to be assured of a call from you?” “You need to contract GoCreative actually.” “What if I just want you?” “Contract GoCreative and ask for Athena Davis.” Evgeni smiled. “So, is this a good time or do you have a regimen to adhere to?” he asked. “Regimen?” Athena asked shaking her head.

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“Warm relaxing bath, hot chocolate and maybe a nice episode of the latest Downton Abbey season,” Evgeni said and she frowned. “Downton Abbey?” “What? Don’t you watch it?” Evgeni was now moving closer to her. “No, I do but…I guess I just didn’t expect you to know anything about it, that’s all,” she said smiling and Evgeni laughed flashing those perfectly pearly whites. “Would you like to come upstairs?” “I would love to,” he said before he followed her into the building.

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The two were quiet as they made their way to her apartment and all the while, Athena could feel his eyes on her well rounded ass. She felt herself blush as she unlocked her door. “Make yourself comfortable,” she said when they walked in. “I’ll get us something to drink or some food? I’m not sure what to do right now.” Evgeni looked at her as she took off her heels and then hung up her purse on one of the hooks on the wall. “What would you normally do?” he asked when she turned around. She looked into his eyes and shook her head.

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“I don’t know…maybe just bum around. Watch some TV or something,” she said in a low voice. “You know that you don’t have to change what you normally do just because of me, right?” he asked and she bit her lower lip. What she didn’t know was that biting her lip was turning him on more than she could ever know. “I’m just not used to having company over…except my friend Carla,” she said. He put his hands on her shoulders and smiled. “Well, let’s pretend that I am your friend Carla for just a few minutes, okay?” he said and she nodded.

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“That’s going to be a little hard though,” she said and he smiled. “Oh, I am already feeling the pressure alright,” he said laughing. “So, are you going to have some…” she started before she shrugged. “What would you like?” she asked when she found she had absolutely no idea what she was supposed to offer him. “Well, I’ll have whatever you will be having,” he said as he dropped his hands to his sides. She nodded uncomfortably and walked to the kitchen as he made himself comfortable on the couch. She then opened her

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refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of wine but she quickly put it back when she remembered that he still had to drive. She then pulled out a box of apple juice and then put it on the counter. She could feel her heart beating hard in her chest as she prepared a non-alcoholic drink. The ten minutes she spent preparing it seemed to be the longest she had ever suffered. There was an uncomfortably awkward silence by the time she walked back to the living room. “Smells really good,” Evgeni said as she handed him a cup. “A little thing I learned from Carla,” she said as she sat down. She reached for the TV remote and switched it on. She needed some

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background noise if she was going to survive sitting next to Evgeni. It was not that she didn’t want him there. She did but it had been so bloody long since she was in that position that she had no idea how she was supposed to carry herself. “What is it exactly?” he asked after he took his first sip. “Cloves, orange peel and cinnamon sticks simmered in apple juice,” she answered. “I thought it would be a good idea since you are supposed to be driving later.” “This is…divine,” he said a she took another sip.

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“Yeah, Carla is…an amazing chef though this was not exactly an original recipe but it is a great alternative for an alcoholic.” Evgeni looked at her and almost immediately she felt her cheeks flush. “Sorry…I’m just a little…uneasy.” Evgeni took another sip and looked at her. “Why are you uneasy?” he asked. She wanted to blurt out that it was because she had not been in the company of another man since Evan, because she had not been in the dating arena for years. Even when she and Evan got together, it had been him pulling the strings all the way. She didn’t remember the first thing about dating. The casual talks, the ‘hanging out’…if ever there was

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a refresher class in dating, Athena definitely needed one. “Athena,” Evgeni said again snapping her out of her trance. “Are you alright?” “I am…I’m fine…I just haven’t done this in a long time.” Evgeni smiled. “Good alternative for an alcoholic, huh?” he asked and she nodded. “Are you hinting at something?” She shook her head and took a seat next to him.

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“No, I just used to know someone…” her voice trailed off. It was too soon to open up to him about her personal life. “It’s all history now.” He looked at her and she saw a smile forming on his lips. She was trying as hard as she could not to stare at him but it was near impossible. It was not until that moment, sitting right next to him that she noticed how buff he was. A shiny Audemars Piquet watch adorned his wrist. “You know that you don’t have to feel awkward with me, right?” he asked and she forced out a smile.

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“I’m really trying here,” she said before taking a sip of her drink. “Don’t try…” he took a long deep breath. “Let’s try this. Let’s get out of the conventional talk and you tell me, what is it you like doing?” “Really?” she was frowning. ”It might not be the best idea.” Evgeni smiled. “Do you think that I might be turned off by what you say to me?” he asked as he looked at her. She was surprised at how direct he was.

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“Actually, yes,” she said, resigning herself to her fate. “I don’t have the best story.” He took another sip of his drink. “Honestly, who does? I’m pretty sure that you would run for the hills if you heard my story.” She looked into his eyes and for the first time, she felt that she was looking right into his soul. His blue green eyes seemed to be sparkling under the dim living room light. She felt her cheeks slowly getting flushed. She was blushing and she knew that he could see it. “Most normal people,” she said.

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“What about most normal people?” he asked. “Well, most normal people have normal stories.” Evgeni looked into her eyes for a long minute and then smiled before he ran his fingers through his thick dark hair. “Well, did you know that different is the new kind of normal?” he asked in a soft voice. “I don’t understand,” she said in a whisper. “Just speak, Athena. I’ll listen.” She took a long deep breath and then shrugged.

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“Well, I used to be the assistant VP of some PR company,” she started and he raised an eyebrow over the other. “Well, color me interested,” Evgeni said smiling. “Which PR firm was this, if you don’t mind my asking?” “Jameson and Klein.” She looked at him as his eyes grew wide. “At the risk of sounding very American, no shit,” he said and she nodded. “Shit.” “Are we talking about the public relations giants in New York? That Jameson and

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Klein?” Evgeni was shifting excitedly on the chair as he spoke. “The very one.” He took a long sip of his drink and she did the same. “Okay, I have to ask,” he started and she nodded. She knew almost immediately what he was going to ask. “What made me leave a Fortune 500 to organize parties?” she said and he nodded. “Took the words right out of my mouth.” “Something happened,” she said frowning.

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“It must have been something big if it made you leave Jameson and Klein.” He took another sip as she took another sip of her own drink. “It was. Life changing, if I should say it.” She didn’t want to go on talking about it. She took another sip and then put her cup on the table. “Do you want some more?” She asked as she pointed at his nearly empty cup. “I would love some, thank you,” he said in a soft voice. Athena grabbed his cup and then stood up without any notice before she headed back to the kitchen. She didn’t know why but her hands were shaking as she poured more

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mulled apple juice into his cup. She was too engrossed in her own world to realize that Evgeni had walked up to where she was. When she turned around, she let out a loud shriek as the cup in her hands slipped and fell to the floor landing in a loud crash. She stepped back and looked at the broken glass scattered all over the floor and gasped when she felt a piece of glass digging into her sole. “Don’t move,” Evgeni commanded. “I’ll clean this place up.” “There’s a broom and dustpan under the sink,” she said even though she was not sure that he could even handle a broom. She watched as he got on his hands and

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knees and then pulled out a broom and dustpan. He then got up and took her into his arms. “What are you doing?” she asked as he carried her to the living room. “Taking you out of here. There is broken glass everywhere and I think you have a cut on your foot.” He gently laid her down on the couch and looked at her foot. “It doesn’t look serious. It’s just a superficial cut.” She looked at him as he gently pressed on the area around the cut. “First aid box?” he asked. “Bathroom. Down the hall to the right.”

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He got up and quickly rushed to the bathroom before he came back with the first aid kit in his hand and a bowl of water. He sat on the edge of the table and took her leg in his hand. He looked at it and frowned. “Got any tweezers?” he asked and she pointed to the hooks next to the door. “My purse,” she whispered. “Don’t move.” He commanded as he walked towards the door. When he came back with her purse, he handed it to her and she rummaged through it before she pulled out a pair of tweezers. He sat back down and pulled on a pair of latex gloves, the only ones in the first aid kit. He took a generous cut of cotton

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wool and wet it before he wiped off the blood to get a better view of the shard of glass wedged in her foot. She looked at him and took a long deep breath. “You need to stay perfectly still now, okay.” She nodded and took another deep breath. She then closed her eyes and winced as she felt the shard being pulled out of her. “There. All done.” She opened her eyes as he used an antiseptic soaked cotton wool to clean her wound. He then put a band aid on her and then looked up at her. “How are you feeling?” he asked and she shrugged. “It stings a little but you didn’t have to do all that,” she said as she pulled her leg from his hand.

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“Of course I had to do it,” he said. “I don’t mind taking care of you.” She looked up and smiled. “I never got you a refill,” she said and he shook his head. “No, you sit down. I’ll do it,” Evgeni said before he stood up and gathered the messy cotton swabs and first aid box. She watched him as he walked to the kitchen. “As soon as I mop up the kitchen floor. That place is a health hazard” “All the cleaning agents are under the sink,” Athena called out. “And it is not hazardous to anyone’s health just…the slipping aspect.”

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“What is it Americans say? Apples and oranges?” Evgeni said and she smiled. As she sat there waiting for him to come back, all she was thinking at the moment was how she was not going to be able to wear heels for a while. That wouldn’t work out with new client meetings particularly if the client was a man who was a little too into femininity. She wasn’t sure how long she had been waiting before he finally walked back to where she was. “I don’t know what you prefer but I made a call to my favorite Thai joint and ordered us dinner,” he said. “Hope you don’t mind.” She shook her head and smiled.

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“I’m famished, actually and I am pretty sure that everything Carla made is all…finito.” “Good, because the food should be here in a few minutes, I like Savanh’s for its efficiency,” he said as he sat down. “Savanh. I’ve heard about it but I have never really dined there,” she said and then frowned. “Wait, they do deliveries? I thought they are kind of like the Uber of restaurants.” “They are and they just recently started making deliveries. Literally three or so weeks ago.” “Is that so?” she asked as she leaned back against the seat. He reached for one of the cushions and secured it behind her.

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“Comfy?” he asked. “Yeah, thank you. And you are spoiling me a little too much,” she said in a soft voice. “I don’t want to get used to living like this. You know I have been comfortable doing all this by myself, right?” “I know and you have been doing a great job so far but,” he took her hand in his. “You don’t have to do it alone anymore.” She took a deep long breath and sighed. “I…I have never dated a man like you,” she said in a soft voice and he shook his head. “A European American?” he asked and she smiled.

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“No. A man whose foundation donates five million dollars in a single night, a man who makes more in an hour than I make in a year…” she never had a chance to finish what she was saying. He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her softly. “What are you doing?” she asked. “Trying to figure out why you think I want anything more than the pleasure of calling you mine,” he said and she frowned. “You want me to be yours?” she asked both surprised and confused and he nodded. “Why do you think I am here right now? I have wanted you since that night at the benefit.”

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“Why?” “Because for the first time I was myself with someone who saw me as just another man at the benefit. The way I have always wanted to be seen,” Evgeni said as he drew small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. “And how is that?” she asked. “As Evgeni Markovic the red blooded man and not billionaire businessman Evgeni Markovic.” She smiled. “I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me who you were right away,” she said.

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“In my defense, I saw a beautiful intriguing woman who had absolutely no idea who I was.” “Is that a good thing?” She was not really sure. “Yes, a very good thing. Someone was interested in me for the man I was, the man I am.” “Interested?” she asked as she looked at him. “Well, I would like to assume that was the case,” he said and she smiled. “So when did you know?”

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“My friend Carla…She was on my neck about getting out of my shell and I told her that I did, well technically. And she had me Google you,” she said in a soft voice. “Well, that’s how I knew.” “And?” he pressed. “What do you mean ‘and’?” she asked. “Does that change your mind about me or anything?” he asked. She took a long minute before she shook her head. “No, it didn’t. I just don’t know how I can…” her voice trailed off. “I’m just not sure I can be fully committed to a new situation and everything.”

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“I am willing to wait,” Evgeni said. “Really? But for how long?” “I told you, you are the first woman I’ve met in a long time who doesn’t picture my bank account on my face as we have sex,” he suddenly snapped and she raised an eyebrow. “We haven’t had sex,” she said with a smile. “In a manner of speaking Athena. I just…I just want someone who I can connect with on every level possible including the intellectual,” he said. “Is that a way of asking me to dinner in so many words?”

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“That was not what I was doing but if it is working, I would have to say yes,” he said quickly. He looked into her eyes and smiled. “Tell me it worked.” “Maybe it did,” she said just as they heard a knock on the door. “Dinner’s here,” he said before he stood up and walked to the door. When he walked back to where she was, he sat down and began unpacking the food containers from the paper bag. “So does this count as our first dinner date?” she asked and he shook his head.

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“No, this was not a date. I have to ask you and you have to say yes and then get dressed up and I pick you up,” he said as he held two containers in his hand. “Cashew chicken or spicy chicken fried rice?” he asked. “Is it okay if I have a little of both?” Athena asked as she frowned. She had never been okay with just sticking to one order. A smile played on Evgeni’s lips as he nodded. “I don’t see why not.” She took one of the food containers and inhaled deeply. “This smells amazing,” she said under her breath and he nodded.

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“Yeah, it is pretty amazing.” He leaned back and took a pair of chopsticks from the bag. “But Athena,” he started as he looked into her eyes. “I need you to make me a promise.” “What?” she asked as she looked at him. “You are going to tell me what you are keeping locked up in that pretty little head.” She shrugged. “What makes you think I am locking anything up?”

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“I know that you are because one secret keeper knows another.” He opened his own food container. “And I did find you crying your eyes out in the Aquarium parking lot.” She took a pair of chopsticks from him and smiled. “I’ll show you mine.” She took the cashew chicken container and opened it. “But only if you show me yours.” He opened his own container and smiled at her. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Athena Davis,” he said before he took a bite of his chicken.

Chapter 5 “This is not a good look,” Athena thought as she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the reflective wall as she made her way to Carla’s restaurant. She was in a knee length, elbow sleeved dress and a pair of sandals. “I miss my heels.” A woman gave her a strange look as she walked into the restaurant and Athena sighed. “I really, really miss my heels.” “Hey,” Carla said when she saw her. “I was beginning to think you were not going to show up.” Athena leaned forward and gave her friend a quick hug.

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“Sorry, my last minute went on a little longer than I expected it to,” she said as Carla led her to the back. “Oh wow, private table…chef’s table, right?” “Right,” Carla said smiling. “You must feel very special right now.” “Well, of course. I am kind of a big deal, you know,” Athena said matter of factly and Carla rolled her eyes. “Yes you are. I even noticed the sandals you are rocking with that dress.” Athena bit her lip and nodded knowingly. “Please, don’t hold back the sarcasm on my account.”

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“I had to, honey. You are in a killer dress which should be probably worn with Louboutin heels or something but no, you thought that a pair of sandals would do,” Carla said. “Heading to the beach later or something of the sort?” “I have a cut on my sole, okay?” Athena said rolling her eyes. “A cut? What the hell happened?” Carla’s voice was full of concern. “It’s no big deal. I just stepped on broken glass, that’s all.” “Whoa, did you walk blindly into a crime scene or something?” Carla asked and Athena shook her head.

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“No, I dropped a cup in my kitchen. Seriously, it is not a big deal.” “If you say so,” Carla said matter of factly. “I do, missy,” Athena insisted as Carla signaled one of her waiters. “So, I know that I might not get all the dirty details since I didn’t see you yesterday but I want to hear everything,” Carla said. The waiter brought two plates of BLT sandwiches and Athena smiled. “You are really trying to butter me up, aren’t you?” she said as she looked at her sandwich. She had always loved Carla’s BLT sandwiches. She was not sure whether it was how she toasted the bread with cheese

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or the fact that she used extra crispy bacon. Either way, she knew that she loved the simple taste of Carla’s BLT sandwiches. “Well, I do need to know what happened and the happier you are, the better the situation will be for me,” Carla said as she took a bite of her sandwich. “Plus, I still have a couple of hours before the evening rush.” “Well, I don’t. I have to get back to work.” “And that is why I settled on sandwiches rather than a five course lunch.” Athena smiled again.

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“Ever wonder if maybe you are a bit too involved in my life?” she asked and Carla shrugged. “I know I should be offended but honestly, I don’t really care and the answer to your question is, no. I do not think that I am too involved.” She took another bite of her sandwich as the waiter brought them two bottles of water. “I am just the right amount of involved.” “I had a feeling you would say that,” Athena said before she took her first bite. “Dear Lord, that is so damn good,” she said under her breath.

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“Good, now you tell me what happened with Russian Moneybags,” Carla said and Athena shook her head. “He has a name, you know?” “Well, even his name sounds rich. Like, mob boss kind of rich though.” Athena frowned. “No, it doesn’t!” “Really, Athena? The guy’s name is Evgeni Markovic and I am almost sure that if he pulled the accent off, the really heavy one and flashed a toy gun at some poor baker, he would get like twenty grand or so for

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‘protection’.” Carla opened her bottle and took a long sip of her water. “I can’t believe you even said that,” Athena said, stifling a laugh. “So, come on. I am dying in suspense here,” Carla said in a whisper. “What happened?” Athena dabbed the sides of her mouth with her thumb and index fingers and smiled. “Well, I got home and found him waiting for me,” she started. “He has a key to your place already? You are moving pretty fast,” Carla said matter of factly.

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“He was waiting in his car in front of my apartment building you idiot. No one said anything about him being in the house.” “Your story telling skills suck,” Carla said and Athena shrugged. “So, anyway, he was waiting outside my building and I invited him in. Offered him a drink but I was a little too nervous though.” Athena took another bite of her sandwich. “That was when I broke the cup.” “When you offered him a drink?” Carla asked. “Well, I had already…we had already had a drink, mulled apple. I was getting him a refill and he was there talking to me and I don’t

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know what I was feeling…but I was suddenly feeling hot and cold at the same time and confused and….” Athena’s voice trailed off. “You blushed, didn’t you?” Carla asked. “I don’t think so…” Athena stammered and her friend smiled. “Yes you did and you are blushing now,” Carla said laughing. “I honestly never thought I would ever see the day.” Athena shrugged and took another bite. “I just don’t think I have it in me anymore,” she said with a sigh.

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“What do you mean you don’t think you have it anymore? You sound eighty or something,” Carla pointed out. “Because sometimes I feel eighty. Hell, sometimes I feel like I'm freaking century old.” Athena shook her head. “It’s like I don’t know what to do, what to say, what…I just choke when it matters the most.” Carla shook her head and took another sip of her water. “See, right there, that is your real problem,” she said and Athena raised an eyebrow over the other. “What is? What are you talking about?” she asked.

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“You are trying too hard, that’s your problem,” Carla said as she interlaced her fingers and rested her elbows on the table. “I know getting back on the saddle is hard but you are too young to live your life alone.” “I don’t intend on doing that, you know,” Athena said. “Really? At the rate you were going…at the rate you are still going, I kind of see a future for you that is a little lonely.” Athena shook her head as she took another bite. “But what if…” she started before Carla put a hand up.

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“I already know what you are going to ask and I have to stop you right now,” she said. “You want to ask what if he doesn’t measure up to the kind of life you had pictured for yourself and Evan, right?” Athena almost rolled her eyes. Her best friend knew her too well, it was sometimes uncomfortable. “Keep in mind, you are not looking for a replacement because if you are, you are being unfair to yourself and to Evgeni,” Carla started. “No one can ever be exactly like Evan and if that is what you are looking for then you are definitely going to miss out on the great personality Evgeni has.” She reached across the table and took her friend’s hand

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in her own. “How about you just give life a chance, huh? Close your eyes and ears to what the obvious dictates and see where your destiny takes you.” Athena forced out a laugh. “Since when are you so Zen?” she asked and Carla shrugged. “Maybe I have always been and you were always a little too busy to notice,” she replied. ***** By the time Athena got back home that evening, all she wanted to do was get into a shower and then maybe soak for a long hour. But she had agreed to a dinner date

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with Evgeni that evening. She walked to her room and stripped off her work clothes before she walked into the bathroom. She turned on the water and stood under the warm jets. It had been a long day and it almost felt as if the water was washing away every sore knot she had in her body. She leaned against the cold tiled wall as the water ran down her back. At the back of her mind, she was trying to figure out what she was going to wear that night. When she finally got out of the shower, she was almost half an hour later. She dried off and stood in front of her closet. She had to pick out something that flattered her body but also decent. She pulled out one of her new dresses and a smile played on her lips.

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“I knew I bought you for the right reason,” she thought as she held the dress against her body. ***** Evgeni straightened his jacket with one hand as he stood outside Athena’s apartment. He didn’t know why he was so nervous. It was not like he had not done this before but something about this girl just made him feel all warm and fuzzy. He was even second guessing the navy slim suit and sky blue shirt he had on – something that had never happened before. Not even with Natalya. “Here goes nothing,” he thought as he softly knocked on the door. It took just a few

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seconds before Athena answered the door. “Oh wow,” he thought as he looked at her. She was in a burgundy long sleeved bandage dress that reached just under her knees. She had straightened out her curls and she had matched her outfit with black strapped heels. “You look amazing,” he said in a soft voice. “And you look…really good too,” she said, smiling. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek softly before he brought his hand from his back producing a bunch of roses. “Wow, you went all out. Didn’t you?”

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“I did tell you that I wanted to go the whole nine yards with you and that included buying you flowers at some point.” He looked at the roses in her hand. “The only problem is I don’t know you well enough to know whether you are a rose person or…but I figured I couldn’t go wrong with red roses, right?” he asked and she nodded. “Yeah, I guess so,” she said. “Maybe if the evening goes well, I will let you know what kind of flowers I like.” Evgeni forced out a laugh. “If?” he asked and she shrugged. “The night is still young.”

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“Yeah it is. Hopefully, I will have you feeling a little more positive.” “Come on in. I’ll just put these in water before we leave,” she said as she walked in. Evgeni could not help but stare at her ass as she walked. He was not sure if she had chosen the dress because of the obvious effect it had on him or the fact that she actually got it especially for the evening. He watched her as she gently put the roses in a vase on the living room table before she looked up at him. “Ready,” she said in a whisper. “Good,” he said as he took a step towards her. “You look so damn gorgeous.”

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“You said that already,” Athena whispered as she looked into his eyes. “I know but I don’t feel like I have said it enough.” He was now standing right in front of her, fighting the urge to pull her close to him and just claim her, make her his all night long. “Will you tell me where we are going?” she asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. “My place,” he said without hesitating. “Your place? For a first date?” she asked with a smile and he nodded. “I don’t really conform to the norm,” he said taking her hand in his.

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“And what do you have in mind right now, Mr. Markovic?” Her voice was so low, almost a whisper. He smiled and pressed his lips into her hand. “I am too much of a gentleman to tell you that,” he said as he looked into her eyes. ***** Evgeni’s place was everything she imagined it to be. The black and white monochromatic color scheme blended perfectly with the black L-shaped couch in the living room. As soon as they walked into his house, she could not help but look around. Her place felt like a doll house compared to what she was standing in at that moment.

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“I hope you like Italian,” he said as he led her to the dining room. A smile played on her lips. He had gone all out. The lighting in the dining room had been dimmed and there were candles on the table that had been set for two. There was soft music playing in the background, a perfect mood setter. She looked at him as he slipped an arm around her waist and led her to the table. “Nice place you’ve got here,” she said in a soft voice as he pulled a chair out for her. “Glad you approve.” He pulled the bottle out of the ice bucket in the middle of the table. “Hope you will like this. A business associate gave me this as a gift when he traveled to South Africa.”

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He uncorked the bottle and poured two glasses of wine before handing her one. “To new and unexplored territories,” he said in a soft voice. She raised her glass. “Here, here,” she said before taking a sip. Evgeni took a seat across from her as he took another sip of her wine. “So, did you cook this or did you have someone do it for you?” she asked as she looked at the plate in front of her. It was still hot and it smelt divine. If she didn’t know any better, she could have sworn that there was someone else in the house apart from the two of them. “Plus, this food has been freshly plated and we only just came in.”

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“The cooking was done by a chef friend of mine,” he started as he looked at her. “See, you are not the only one with connections.” She smiled and shook her head. “Clearly, I’m not,” she said. “And his team did the plating and everything else before we got here. It is all about the coordination,” he went on. “It seems that coordination is something you know a lot about,” she said as he looked at her. “Well, it is something that I deal with on a daily basis.” He picked up his fork and smiled at her. “Bon apetit.”

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She looked at her plate and shook her head. “This…looks so beautiful,” she started as she looked down at her plate. “What am I looking at, exactly?” “Seared beef fillet and orecchiette grazed with garlic,” he answered as he took a bite. “One of the best things you have ever tasted.” She took a bite and closed her eyes. “This is heavenly,” she exhaled. “I told you so,” he said smiling. Dinner was relatively quiet. The music playing in the background was all that she heard

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as she sat there eating as they looked at each other. She could feel her cheeks getting flushed, her palms sweating. She was not sure whether it was the way he was looking at her or the fact that it had been so long since she last had been in the company of a man, any man outside an official setting. “Dinner was lovely,” she said when they were finally done. “I chose something that I hoped was worth your…grandeur,” he said as he pulled his seat from the table. “My grandeur?” she asked raising an eyebrow over the other and he nodded. “Yes, your grandeur.”

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“You do realize that I am not royalty,” she said as she followed him to the living room and he nodded. “Well, to me that is exactly what you are, Athena,” he said making her blush again. They sat down in the living room and he looked at her. “So, I have to ask, and it might sound a little cliché, but why is a woman like you still single?” he asked and she raised an eyebrow over the other. “A woman like me?” “Yes, a woman like you.”

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“What is that supposed to mean, anyway?” He shrugged. “You are a smart, sexy woman. A jackpot in every sense of the word.” He took a sip of his wine. “Why are you a single woman? Are all the men in Virginia blind and stupid or am I just lucky?” She forced out a smile. “And what makes you think that I am single?” she asked. “Well, it is quite simple really. You wouldn’t have agreed to come out with me if you had someone in your life,” he said.

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She looked away and took another long sip of her wine. “Well, I plead the fifth.” This time it was Evgeni’s turn to let out a cynical laugh. “You plead the fifth? You are not exactly at risk of self-incrimination or anything.” “Well, that is what you think,” she said and he placed his glass on the table before taking her own. “Let me ask you Athena,” he started as he placed her glass next to his own. “Do you really think that I could be turned off by anything you say to me?”

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“I don’t know…I am not really sure.” “What do you mean you don’t know?” Evgeni asked as he shifted his weight next to her. “I…I have no….” she stammered as he moved even closer to where she was. He held her chin and smiled at her. “Because if that is what you think, Athena, then there is definitely no point of me doing this,” he said before he leaned forward and brushed her lips with his. She closed her eyes and exhaled into his mouth as she felt his warm lips on hers. She could not really explain what she was feeling. It had been so long since she felt anything like that in a long time. It was like an awakening, a majestic

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burst of white hot energy inside her body. When he pulled away, she still had her eyes closed. “Now I am sure that there is nothing you can tell me that would push me away,” he said as she opened her eyes to look at him. “Nothing at all?” she asked him when she finally found her voice. “Absolutely nothing.” “But…but I’m damaged goods, Evgeni,” she whispered. “Too much baggage for anyone to…” he pressed his finger to her lips cutting her sentence short.

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“Everyone has baggage, Athena. Even I have my own,” he said in a soft voice. “And if what I have doesn’t push you away, then I don’t see what would make me want you any less than I do right now.” “But I don’t know your secrets,” she whispered. “Right now, we are talking about you. Right now, it is all about you.” She shook her head again and stood up. It was too soon for her, it was too soon to start over. “What was I even thinking?” she wondered as she pulled away from him and stood up. She looked at him and shrugged. “This was

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not a good idea…this…all this…” she started before she began walking towards the door. Evgeni stood up and walked up to the door before she could open it. “Athena,” he said in a soft voice, his hand on the door. He was standing behind her and he was so close that she could feel his warm breath on her neck. “You have me…smitten, Athena. Give me a chance.” He moved even closer to her and she could almost feel his crotch against her well rounded ass. “That is all I ask, Athena. Just one chance.”

Chapter 6 Athena closed her eyes as she felt Evgeni gently sweeping her hair to one side of her neck before he slowly pulled down her zipper. She waited to feel him pulling her dress off but he never did. He held her shoulder and planted a soft kiss at the base of her neck before he slowly trailed his kiss down her spine to her waist before he did the very same thing on the way up. He pressed his body against hers, pinning her against the door and she gasped. She closed her eyes as he kissed her shoulder and then her neck and then her cheek.

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“Do you feel how much I want you?” he asked in a soft voice and she nodded. “Can you feel how much I need you right now?” “Yes, I can,” she whispered. He ran his hands down the sides of her body gently brushing against her breasts, making her shiver. She sighed when she felt him pushing her dress past her hips leaving her in matching black satin and lace underwear. He took a step back and looked at her, his eyes slowly running down her body, savoring every succulent curve. “Turn around, Athena,” he commanded. “I want to look at you.”

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She did as he asked and he gasped silently when he saw her breasts pushing against her bra. He wanted to rip it off her body, to caress her, to own her. He held out his hand and she placed her own in his before he pulled her towards him causing her to step out of the dress that had gathered around her feet. She looked up at him and he put his hands on either side of her waist. He leaned in and kissed her softly before he pulled away. “I’ll let you in on a secret no one else knows, Athena,” he started as he caressed her hair. “It’s been long for me too and honestly…” his voice trailed off as he sighed. “I am afraid of letting you down.” He pressed his forehead into hers and sighed again. “I don’t want to

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let you down and God knows I want you, Athena, with every fiber of my being.” He pulled away and looked at her. “Tell me if you want me to stop,” he said. Athena shook her head. She was standing in front of him in nothing but her underwear and he was asking her if she wanted him to stop at that very moment? He had to be kidding. “Athena, I am not going to do anything you don’t want me to, baby,” he said again. He slowly brought his hand up and held the back of her neck. She looked at him and took a step forward.

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“The light…please turn it off,” she begged but he shook his head. “I want to look at you.” He took her hands in his and kissed them softly. “I want to see you.” He pulled her close and kissed her cheek. “I want to see every perfect curve.” He gently lowered his head and kissed her deeply. She was almost breathless by the time he pulled away. “Take me,” she whispered. “Take me right now.” A smile played on his lips as he brought his head down and kissed her softly. She held a lock of his hair as he pressed his lips against hers. She was moaning and exhaling into his

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mouth, yearning to feel more of him against her, inside her, all over her. She was panting by the time he pulled away from her. He took her hand and she stepped out of the dress that had gathered around her feet before he led her to the bedroom. She did not even notice the well decorated interiors as she walked down the hallway. When they got to the bedroom, Evgeni turned around and looked into her eyes as he began to slowly unbutton his shirt. She could not help but notice just how relaxed he seemed. For someone who had not been intimate for a long time, he showed extreme control. By the time he finally undid his last button, she had her hands on his chest. She was looking right into his eyes as she gently slid the shirt off his shoulders.

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There was a little resistance from Evgeni as the shirt slid off his shoulders but she did not really care. She ran her hand down his chest and sighed silently when she felt scarring on his tattooed skin. She had a million questions at the time but she knew that was not the best time to ask them. She gently held the side of his face and kissed him softly as her hand got down to his waist and began unbuckling his belt. She pulled away from him as she slowly pulled his zipper down. “Athena…” he whispered as she pushed his pants down revealing the bulge safely concealed in his boxer shorts. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her before he turned her around, holding her against him. “You are so sexy,” he said in whisper. “So

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damn sexy.” He kissed her shoulder and then trailed his lips across to her other shoulder. It was like having a surge of white hot energy just by having his lips against her skin. She gasped silently when she felt him undoing the clasp on her bra leaving her tits to fall free. He kissed her shoulder again as one of his hand slowly came round to her front and cupped a feel of her soft left mound. She closed her eyes and leaned against his shoulder as he caressed her and kneaded her. His other hand was slowly making its way downwards to slip it into the flimsy fabric of her panties. She bit her lower lip and gasped when she felt his fingers gently caressing her already wet slit. She loved the

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way he was running his fingers up and down her wetness soaking her crotch more and more. “I have to have you,” Evgeni suddenly whispered as he pushed her panties off. She turned around to look at him as he gently pushed her down on the bed. She slowly moved back on the bed as she watched him taking off his boxer shorts. At that moment, she realized that he was harder and thicker than she had been led to believe by the way he had been pressing against her ass. Her heart was racing as he climbed on the bed. It was not that she had never had someone that big, it was the fact that it had been so long, she was afraid it would hurt more than it would please her.

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“Go slow,” Athena begged. “I wouldn’t go any other way,” whispered Evgeni as he kissed her softly. He was hovering his body over hers, kissing her, his hands running wildly all over her body. She was breathing softly as he kissed her shoulder, her neck and pressed his pelvis against hers. She shivered under him when she felt his cock brushing against her wetness. He trailed his lips down her neck and then her shoulder before he took in one of her nipples. She exhaled loudly and held on to the bedding as he circled his tongue around her already hard nipple. He was giving her other breast equal attention from his flicking fingertips. She was arching her back and moaning as he adored her body with his

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mouth and tongue. Considering he had claimed that he had not been with anyone in a long time, she was surprised at how slow he was able to go, sustaining his skills until she shivered. She looked at up him as he pulled away and got a condom out of the top drawer of his nightstand. She was breathing hard and fast as she watched him rolling the latex onto his girth. Evgeni gently pushed the head of his cock into her, making her wince. He pulled back gently and pushed back into her. She held on to him as he pushed himself into her and without even knowing it, she was digging her nails into his back. He began to slowly move in and out of her, stretching her out with every long stroke. He kissed her as he

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pulled out of her and then pushed back into her. She let out a gasp into his mouth as she felt his entire cock buried inside her. He pulled away from her lips and buried her head in his shoulder as he gently moved in and out of her. She was moaning and groaning as he worked his length deeper and deeper still. Until then, Athena had no idea she could take in so much of his length. It was miraculous to say the least. By this time, he was moving faster and fucking her deeper than she had ever had anyone go. She moaned and held on for dear life as he went on kissing on her neck and shoulder as his hips pummeled on her. Athena moaned her disappointment when he suddenly pulled out of her. She looked at

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him as he pulled back and then lay on his side next to her. She then followed suit and turned to her side. She held on to the edge of the bed as he pushed himself inside her. In the spooning position they presently were in, he was so much deeper inside her than she ever thought possible. He filled his hand with her breast as he fucked her gently. He was kissing her shoulder softly as he worked his way in and out of her, harder with every thrust. She bit her lower lip when she felt her orgasm approaching. She could feel her pussy walls tightening on his length and she knew that it wouldn’t be long now. She suddenly gasped loudly as she felt her insides heating up, having so much force that his cock got expelled out of her.

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“Shit…” Evgeni muttered before he shoved himself back into her making her shriek loudly. He intensified his thrusts and she was shivering. “I’m going to cum again…I’m going to…” she warned before she felt herself exploding once more. It was like having a Fourth of July party right inside her and he was loving every single moment of it. He suddenly gave her one last thrust and let out a loud cry. “Vy prekrasny .... tak chertovski ideal'no,” he whispered as his almost limp cock slipped out of her pussy. She was panting as was he. She turned around and looked at him. His chest was heaving with every breath he

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took. He stretched out her arm and she lay her head on his chest. “What was that?” she asked in an exhausted whisper. “What was what?” Evgeni’s voice was hoarse probably because of his exhaustion. “You said something in Russian.” “I did.” He looked at her and planted a kiss on her forehead. “I said that you were… are…fucking perfect.” She smiled and ran a finger down his chest. “You are not so bad yourself,” she said and he forced out a laugh.

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“Not so bad, huh?” he said and she nodded. “I mean, I can’t really be the best judge of…character,” she waved her hand over his chest. “So, that’s what you are going to call me now, character?” “For lack of a better word.” He kissed her forehead again and then lowered his head to brush her lips with his. She looked into his eyes when he pulled away as she ran her fingers down his chest again, tracing over his scars. “You want to ask about it, don’t you?” Evgeni suddenly said as if he was reading her mind.

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She nodded and ran her hand down his chest again. “I want to tell you because I want to have you with me forever…for the rest of my life.” And she frowned. “But isn’t it too soon to make that decision?” “Why would you say that?” he asked and she shrugged. “I am simple old me and you are this hot man of Eastern European descent who has everything…and can have any woman he wants and…” her voice trailed off. “Why do you think I wanted you?” Evgeni asked as he ran his hand up and down her upper arm. She looked at him and shrugged again.

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“Path of least resistance, I guess.” He pulled away and looked down at her shaking his head. “Path of least resistance?” he echoed as he looked at her and she nodded. “Why would you think that?” “At the risk of ruining the moment, Evgeni, you are a freaking billionaire and a hot one at that,” she started and a smile played on his lips. “You are the kind of people who would rather be with some skinny Brazilian model or something not a plus size African American woman….” She never got a chance to finish what she was saying. He had lowered his head and kissed her.

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“A woman who can be acquired by money is not worth having,” he said in a whisper. “And I chose you because…you might not know it and I don’t even understand why but Athena, you are a spectacular woman and I am scared out of my mind because I am falling in love with you.” She looked up at him, her lips slightly parted. “You are falling in love with me?” she asked. “I fell in love with you that first time I saw you at the Aquarium and…” he held the side of her face and gently caressed her cheek. “That was just the one time in a long time I felt like everything was right in the world.”

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“Don’t just say things to me to butter me up, Evgeni,” she said and he smiled. “Look at us. You are in my bed and I just made crazy love to you…no, I just fucked the living daylights out of you and I am going to do it again over and over and over, Athena. I do not need to butter you up.” Athena felt her cheeks flushing. “You really do have a way with words, Markovic,” she said in a soft voice. She got up from the bed and pulled one of the sheets, covering herself with it before she walked to the bathroom. He got up and followed her to the bathroom where he cleaned up as he looked at her doing the same. He

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then walked up to her and pulled off the bed sheet. “Don’t hide yourself from me, baby,” he said as he slipped an arm around her waist. He pulled her to him and she gasped silently when she felt his already semi-hard cock against her thigh. She looked at him and once more, she caught a glimpse of his scarred tattooed body. “I don’t want to sound like a broken record or anything but I am just wondering why you have so much scar tissue.” “I told you, I don’t want to scare you…I don’t think I want to find out what life is without you,” he said in a soft voice.

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“How about I tell you something about me and you tell me something about you. But it has to be something big,” she said. “Something that you wouldn’t normally say lightly.” He nodded and led her back to the bedroom. He climbed into bed and held his hand out. She placed her small hand in his and snuggled up into him. He pulled the covers over them when she shivered slightly. He could not have known whether she was shivering because of the cool air or the fact that she was scared of revealing her biggest darkest secret.

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“So tell me,” he said as he pressed his lips on her forehead. “What is this big secret you have?” Athena took a long deep breath and sighed. “Remember that time I told you that I used to work for Jameson & Klein?” she started and he nodded. “Well, I met someone there…my fiancé actually.” Evgeni raised an eyebrow over the other. “Whoa…I didn’t know I was crossing a line here…” he started and she shook her head with her hand on his chest. “No, not anymore,” she said. “But I met him while working there…actually it was on a

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business trip to Miami.” She smiled. “Which was actually weird because I didn’t originally want to go on that trip in the first place.” “So, what’s his name?” Evgeni asked. Athena couldn’t help but hear the jealousy in his voice. “His name was Evan,” she answered. “Was?” “He died. He died on our wedding day,” she said as a tear rolled down her cheek. She didn’t think that after this long, she would still get emotional talking about him. “Talk about being left at the altar, right?”

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“I’m so sorry, Athena” Evgeni said. “I didn’t know.” “Please…don’t be. It’s been quite a few years anyway,” she added. “Okay just two…actually a little over two years. Twenty six months.” “There is never enough time to get over someone you loved,” Evgeni said and she nodded. “Yeah, I guess. So, anyway, being at Jameson & Klein was just a constant reminder of what I had lost and anyway, you could only eat so many muffins.” She smiled. “I needed to be in a place where people didn’t constantly give me those pitiful looks. So I

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moved out of New York to Virginia and my best friend moved out here with me.” She sighed. “And that was that.” Evgeni looked down at her and ran his hand up and down her upper arm again. “I’m so sorry,” he said as he looked at her. “I would not have thought…I just don’t…” his voice trailed off and she looked up at him. She kissed him gently. “Don’t….this, right now, is perfect.” He smiled as she snuggled even closer to him. “So, a deal’s a deal.”

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“Yes it is.” “Your turn,” she said in a soft voice. He held her tightly as if he was afraid that she would disappear if he did. “I told you, I’m scared that I am going to lose you so soon after I got you,” he said and she shrugged. “Just tell me,” she said. “A lot of the scar tissue on my body is basically stray bullets…four to be exact and I have a number of stab wounds too,” he started and she looked up at him. “My family has, in the past, been involved in…things that I am not so proud of. I’ve been trying to get my life straight…away from that kind of

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life because I honestly love the sound of my heart beating.” “Maybe you were right to be afraid to come clean,” she said without looking at him. “To be honest,” he started as he looked down at her. “You are the first person I have told that to. Even my ex-wife didn’t know the whole story.” She pulled away from him and looked up. “You were married?” she asked, surprised. “Well, yeah but all she ever cared about was shopping and my cousin Ivan,” he said, forcing a smile.

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“Oh,” Athena said, feeling a little awkward. “Sorry.” “Don’t be. I am so much better without her in my life actually,” he said. Athena sat up and looked at him as she held the bedding to her breasts. “So, she didn’t know about the scars, about the bullets and everything?” she asked and he shook his head. “Wait, didn’t she ever see you naked or something?” Evgeni laughed. “Of course she did but she just didn’t care. Before we got married, I only had a couple of scars from when I was younger but by the

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time everything changed, Natalya was already warming Ivan’s bed. So, I guess she didn’t give a flying fuck.” “Whoa…language, mister.” “Pardon my French.” Athena put a hand on her neck and sighed. “I’m not sure it’s my place to ask, but, bullet wounds and stabbings…” she shook her head and sighed again. “Should I be scared for my life?” Evgeni looked into her eyes and for a minute, he wanted to tell her everything. He wanted to tell her the real reasons for all his scars and the real reason why he preferred

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the US to Moscow. He held the side of her face and leaned forward to kiss her softly. “If anyone tries to hurt you, they will have to kill me first. Because I am not going to let anyone lay a hand on you, Athena,” he said as he pressed his forehead to hers. “Even if it kills me, I will protect you. From anything and from anyone.” She slipped an arm around his neck and closed her eyes. “I don’t know why I feel like I can trust you so much,” she whispered. “That’s because you can.”

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Evgeni pulled the sheet from her and looked at her naked breasts. He gently forced her down on the bed and got on top of her. “I want to have you again,” he whispered before he kissed her gently. She spread her legs and held on a lock of his hair as he pushed himself back into her still wet pussy. She gasped and bit her lip as she felt him once again pushing himself further and deeper into her.

Chapter 7 On Monday morning, Evgeni was still excited about the great weekend he’d had with Athena. It had not only been a couple of days but he had lived his fantasy with her, done everything he could possibly think of to her, with her, and for her. He was all smiles when he walked into his office that morning. As far as Evgeni knew, she was supposed to sleep over for just one night but they had ended up spending the entire weekend together and it had been magical. Sure, he was a bit drained but it was worth every single minute of it. He had just sat down when Viktor knocked on his still open door.

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“Mr. Markovic?” he asked as he walked in. “Viktor. Come on in.” He switched on his computer and looked up at him. “My assistant is just about to bring me my breakfast. Can I ask her to bring you something?” Viktor shook his head. “I just had breakfast. Thanks.” Evgeni raised an eyebrow over the other. “It’s seven in the morning and you had breakfast already? What time do you get up?” Viktor shrugged as he sat down.

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“Depends. Back in Moscow I am usually up by eight because my day doesn’t begin until ten but here…I don’t know why but I just can’t seem to sleep as well as I do back in Russia.” Evgeni smiled. “But that time in Cape Town, remember? You were the only one who seemed to sleep through the jetlag,” he said and Viktor smiled. “What can I say, I have a kind of gift,” he said just as Evgeni’s assistant walked in. “Dirty soy latte, bagel and breakfast burrito,” she said as she put his breakfast on the desk. Viktor looked at the food and then at Evgeni.

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“A bagel and a breakfast burrito?” he asked as the assistant walked out. “What can I say? I’m famished.” Evgeni started as he bit into his breakfast burrito. “Damn that Taco joint down the street sure knows how to spoil its clients…this is almost as good as Inez’s.” Viktor looked at him and smiled. “You know, I call you Mr. Markovic out of respect but I know you well enough to guess that the only time you eat like this is after a late night at the club or…” his voice trailed off when he saw a smile playing on Evgeni’s lips. “If I didn’t know any better I could have

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sworn you were recovering from one very long night.” Evgeni took another bite and then took a sip of his coffee. ”I don’t want to talk about it,” he said before he took another sip. Viktor forced out a laugh. “I never thought I would see the day,” he said with a smile. “What are you talking about?” “Well, it is quite simple really,” Viktor started. “You are seeing someone.”

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“No comment,” Evgeni said as he took another bite. “Finally, we are officially out of Natalya’s shadow,” he said. “Well, it is about damn time, don’t you think?” Evgeni said as he put the Styrofoam cup down on his desk. “Though I must point out that I came out from under her shadow a long time ago. It’s just that living single…people thought that I was still hung up on Natalya, though that was not the case.” “I have to ask,” Viktor started as he crossed a leg over the other. “Do you and Ivan…do you have any kind of relationship?”

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Evgeni sighed as he leaned back in his chair and then shook his head. “To be quite honest, there is no reason...I tried but there is no way things could ever go back to being the same. It is virtually impossible.” He took a long deep breath. “It is very hard to be civil to a man who I knew as my best friend for the longest time…and all the time he was sleeping with my wife.” He shook his head. “Even though Natalya doesn’t mean anything to me, I just can’t bring myself to forget what those two did to me.” Viktor nodded and then shrugged.

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“He was…when I left Moscow, he and Natalya had just come back from the UK,” he said and Evgeni shrugged. “Why are you telling me this? I don’t need to know anything about Ivan and Natalya, much less what they have been up to.” “But you do know that they were staying at your house in England,” Viktor pointed out and Evgeni nodded. “But she didn’t get the property in UK in the divorce, did she?” “No, she didn’t,” Evgeni said. “But she was always…that’s where they first hooked up and I really don’t need that on my conscience. Besides, the England property was

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a lease and it is almost up anyway. Let her deal with that bullshit. I want nothing of it.” He took another sip of his coffee. “So, what about the matter at hand?” he asked. “Yes, tell me why I can’t just walk out of this deal he had with my father,” he asked and Viktor shook his head. Viktor took a long deep breath. “The shell companies that all the money from the arms deals and narcotics pipeline have been passing through…he is the final word on all of them. And he has made it clear that

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the only way he walks out is if he has Markovic Oil.” Evgeni sighed again. Markovic Oil was one of the only two legitimate businesses he had managed to set up. A business that didn’t have any kind of influence from his family’s illegal businesses and it was a thriving business too even though it was not a very big company. He shook his head and put the burrito he had in his hand down on the desk. “He wants surprised.

Markovic

Oil?”

he

asked,

“That’s what he said.” “That doesn’t make any sense. It is not part of the ventures father began,” Evgeni said.

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“I know but that is his price for letting go of Markovic Trucking and Markovic Freight,” Viktor said and Evgeni shook his head again. “That is never going to happen. Markovic Oil is my blood and sweat!” “I know …I know…” Viktor started. “But…” Evgeni shook his head again. He was not letting this go on much longer. “I cannot…I will not let go of Markovic Oil. He can have the trucking and freight companies for all I care but not the venture I set up in the Middle East.” Viktor nodded.

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“I knew you would say that. But I needed to let you know what he said before you face him.” “Face him? Is he here? In Virginia?” Evgeni asked and Viktor nodded. “I didn’t know that he was. I actually found out a few hours ago,” he said. “I knew he wanted to have a sit down with you but I had no idea he wanted it to be so soon.” “Do you have any idea how long he has been around?” Evgeni asked and Viktor shook his head. “The only people who know everything about him are his inner circle. He always…he is just a strange man, Cromwell.”

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“I guess all Irish criminals are,” Evgeni said sighing. He rubbed his temple and shook his head. “What if I give him a check, the equivalent of Markovic Oil’s current net worth? Surely that will be enough for him.” Viktor leaned forward and shrugged. “That might just work,” he said. “But that will set you back a few billions, Mr. Markovic.” Evgeni nodded. “I know, but it is worth it. I can liquidate a few assets for that particular purpose,” he said. “But I don’t want to ever give that man a stake in Markovic Oil, let alone the whole company.”

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Viktor nodded and pushed his chair back. “I’ll make a few calls and set up the meeting. Hopefully, everything will be well sorted by the time you meet Cromwell.” “Hopefully,” he echoed. “Keep me posted, will you?” “Will do,” Viktor said before he walked out of Evgeni’s office leaving him sipping on his latte. “Fuck the Markovic clan! This is all your fault father,” he thought as he took the last bite of his burrito. “Money was so important to you that you thought the best way to make it was living by the sword? And now I can’t seem to

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get out from under the spell you put me under!” He took a long sip of his latte and then stood up before he walked to the window. “All I want is to be able to sleep through the night without worrying that someone might slit my throat in my sleep. All I want is a comfortable life with Athena,” he thought as he took another sip looking out into the moderately warm outdoors. He could not help but wonder why his life had to be so damn complicated. Why couldn’t everything just be simple? At that moment, he wanted to be anything else, anyone else other than Evgeni Markovic.

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***** Athena interlaced her fingers with Carla’s as they walked into Rubio’s, the only other restaurant the two friend’s considered a major competition for Carla. “I really don’t understand why we had to come all this way to spend two hundred dollars for something I would have whipped up in my kitchen,” she said. “Well, sweetie, I could think of a number of reasons,” Athena started. “For starters, you are always busy and never get time for yourself and two, you just hired a head chef. The best one in all fifty states…okay the second best one since you are the best one.”

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“Yes, but still…” Carla started but Athena shook her head. “No buts. You need to have some time off every so often, remember?” Athena said. “You are always saying that to me. Maybe it’s time you took your own advice.” Carla looked around and sighed. “I have to admit, I have respect for this Rubio guy but I honestly…” Athena didn’t give her time to finish what she was saying. “You should really have more days off, you know. If anyone deserves it, it’s you,” Athena said as they sat down. She looked at Carla and shrugged. “Besides, I am here celebrating something special.”

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Carla was about to ask what it was they were celebrating when a waiter brought a menu to their table. “Thank you,” Athena said with a smile. “But we already know what we want.” “We do?” Carla asked and Athena nodded. “We’ll have the fettucine and Rubio’s special chicken cordon bleu.” Carla frowned. “You want to have pasta with chicken cordon bleu?” she asked. “Not just any cordon bleu. Rubio’s special,” Athena whispered.

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“Drinks? Wine maybe?” The waiter asked. “The Savannah Red goes really well with that particular dish if I must say.” Athena looked at Carla and smiled. “Two glasses of Savannah Red then.” “This place better be all that, Athena,” Carla said in a low voice. “Rubio is a four star chef. You are a three star chef,” Athena said. “For once just chill out and be the one at the other end of service.” “It’s not exactly easy,” she said. “It’s like telling Mel Gibson to take a back seat in some low budget production.”

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“And I am assuming in this case you are Mel Gibson and this place is the low budget production?” she smiled. “Precisely,” Carla nodded. “Again I say, Rubio four stars and you three stars,” Athena said again. Carla shrugged again. “It doesn’t matter,” she said. “Actually, it does. That one star is the very reason why…” Athena shook her head. “I am not having this discussion anymore. This is not the reason why I brought you here.”

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“Yeah, you mention the celebratory mood you are in,” Carla said. “What is this about? Did you get a promotion or something?” Athena smiled. “You could call it that.” “Wait, there is something different about you,” she said. “You are not so uptight anymore. It’s like…you are glowing or something.” “Glowing, really?” Athena asked and Carla nodded. “I’m not sure if that is it but I think it is,” she said. “I just….I just can’t put my finger on it. But you come clean first and then I will bite

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your head off about why you were unreachable the whole weekend.” “I’m sorry about that…my phone…” Athena started. “Was off. I know. I tried it like seven million times.” A smile played on Athena’s lips. “Alright here goes,” she started. “The reason you couldn’t reach me is…I was with Evgeni,” she finally said. “Hot billionaire Russian dude from the benefit?” she asked and Athena nodded. “Holy shit, you got your groove back.” There was a certain excitement in Carla’s voice that Athena never knew was possible.

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“You don’t have to say it like that. It’s not like I’m Stella or anything,” Athena said. “I don’t care. You’ve been holding out for the last two years…” Carla started. “Two years, two months,” Athena corrected her. “Well that is still a hell of a long time to go without getting laid,” Carla said before she leaned forward. “So, how was he?” Athena blushed. “Amazing!” she said in a whisper. “And he is hung…like seriously hung. Plus he said that it had been long for him too but it didn’t feel like it. He was slow and gentle and

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passionate…” she sighed as her cheeks flushed even more. “I never thought I would feel like that with anyone else after Evan.” Carla looked at her and smiled. “Look at you, glowing in your post coital glory.” She pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. “My little girl is all grown up now, huh?” Athena smiled and nodded. “I guess you could say that.” “Wait, so…I couldn’t reach you for a whole two days,” Carla started matter of factly. “You were there all this time?” Athena nodded. “How much sex can someone have?”

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Athena laughed. “Apparently, a lot.” “And you are not sore?” Carla asked and her friend shrugged. “I thought I would be but I am actually fine. I could go on if time allowed it,” Athena said. “Whoa, nympho much?” Carla asked. “And to think, I can never go for more than two rounds at a time. Hank would love for me to have stamina like yours, that’s for sure.” Athena laughed. “Remember when you first hooked up with Hank and all you guys did was fuck?” she

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asked and Carla smiled. “At the time I was wondering where you got all that strength from.” “In my defense, I hadn’t had sex in nine months,” Carla pointed out. “Well, in my defense, I had not had sex in two and a half years,” Athena said. “Seriously? I thought it’s just been two years and two months since Evan’s…you know,” Carla said and Athena nodded. “It has but at the time, we agreed that he needed something to look forward to. So four months before the wedding we stopped having sex,” Athena said.

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“Four months? Are you kidding me?” Carla asked as the waiter came back with their food and wine. “That was a whole new definition of strong, if you ask me.” Athena smiled sadly. “And we almost made it too,” she said as she took her glass and raised it. “To a good memory, one of the best memories I have.” Carla nodded and picked up her own glass. “And to you finally moving on,” she said. “To me finally moving on,” Athena said as she clinked her glass with Carla’s before she took a long sip of her wine.

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“Holy shit, that waiter was right,” Carla said. “What wine did he say this was again?” “Savannah Red,” Athena said as she took a sip of her own wine. “This is good.” “I know. I should start serving this at my restaurant,” Carla said before she took another sip of her wine. “Maybe I might just get that one star to match this Rubio…” Her voice trailed off when Athena put up a finger. “Will you just shut up about this silly competition?” she asked. “Fine, I’m sorry.” Carla took a bite of her food and for a long minute she was quiet.

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“It’s okay. You can say it,” Athena said before she took a bite of her food. “Say what?” Carla was taking another bite. “That pasta and Rubio’s special chicken cordon bleu is deliciously perfect,” Athena said and Carla shrugged. “It’s not bad,” she said. Athena smiled. She knew that there was no way her best friend was going to admit that her competition was as good as she was, let alone better. “So, my best friend is fucking Russian billionaire Evgeni Markovic. What are the odds?” Carla asked.

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“It’s more than just sleeping together really,” Athena said. “Really? Your feelings for him are that strong?” Carla asked and Athena shook her head. “I’m scared because I don’t know him that well but I just don’t know…I just don’t know.” “Don’t over think it. Just go with the flow,” Carla said and Athena nodded, smiling. “What?” “He told me some things about him and then he told me he was falling for me,” she said.

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“Why do you always end up with the whirlwind romance stories?” she smiled and Athena shook her head. “I guess that the universe just sees me as a whirlwind romance kind of person,” she said. She took another bite of her food and saw a man walking towards them. He seemed to be in his fifties or perhaps older and he was walking right towards their table, smiling at her. There were two more men walking behind him wearing dark glasses and black suits. It was as if he was some kind of celebrity or important person she should have known about because those two men seemed to be his bodyguards or something of the sort.

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“This guy walking towards us,” Athena started. “Which guy are you talking about?” Carla asked and Athena gestured behind her. Carla turned around just as the man approached their table. “Can we help you?” she asked when the three men got to where they were. “I’m sorry,” the old man started with a smile. “I was just walking out and then I noticed you and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I know you from somewhere.” Athena shook her head.

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“I’m sorry…but you don’t look familiar,” she said politely. She could not help but notice the strange accent in his voice. It was like suddenly her life had become a magnet for men with strange accents. “I know but….I’m not saying that we have met or anything but…wait a minute.” He reached into his pocket and the two ladies watched as he typed something on his screen. “I knew I had seen you somewhere. This is you, right?” he held his phone in front of Athena. It was an article about the benefit at the Aquarium. She smiled. She didn’t think the benefit’s success had actually warranted an article that mentioned her in person. She was

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actually embarrassed with herself for not knowing about the article earlier. “Athena Davis, from GoCreative? Right?” the old man asked again and Athena nodded. “Guilty as charged,” she said and the man sighed. “What are the odds that I would come all the way from Ireland just to bump into the one person I need?” he asked and Athena raised an eyebrow over the other. “Excuse me?” she asked. “I am a businessman and I am supposed to be holding a cocktail party for a new partnership deal I just closed in a few days but I just

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don’t have a good events coordinator I can entrust this thing to.” He looked at her. “And my assistant did her homework and told me that GoCreative is one of the best, if not the leading party planning company in Virginia. But she also mentioned that I would need to work with an Athena Davis.” Athena smiled. “I don’t know what to say,” she said in a soft voice. “Are you kidding?” Carla asked looking at Athena. “The man came from Ireland to find you. Plan his damn party.” Athena smiled and the man nodded.

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“Wise woman. I would listen to her if I were you,” he said with a smile. “My best friend, Carla, who also happened to cater the benefit at the Aquarium,” Athena said. “I just hit the jackpot then,” the man said. “Please ladies, make this Irish man happy.” Carla looked at Athena and then at the man. “I go where she goes,” she said. “Then you are the defining word here, Miss Davis. Tell me you will plan my party,” the man said. “I will make it worth your while.”

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“I am not a free agent, like Carla. You still have to go through GoCreative,” Athena said. “Then I will come to GoCreative and specifically ask for you,” the man was persistent. “And if you agree to plan my party, then I will even throw in an extra ten grand for you personally and of course another ten grand for your friend.” “Whoa,” Carla said in a whisper. “Sir, you don’t have to…” Athena started before the man shook his head. “If it’s not enough, I can always give you more. I just want the perfect party.”

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“No, it’s not that…it’s already too much,” Athena said as she looked at Carla. “Please, Miss Davis, I need someone like you…no, I need you,” the man said and Athena shrugged. “Well, alright “Mr…ahem…”

then,”

she

said

smiling.

“Cromwell,” the man said as he handed her his card. “Isaac Cromwell.”

Chapter 8 As Athena rode in the elevator to Isaac Cromwell’s Virginia office, she still felt like everything was a dream that she had to wake up from. She turned around and looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed. She had chosen to wear a cream colored elbow sleeved midi dress, green suede pointy toed shoes and a red long sleeved jacket. She had straightened out her curls and held her hair in a loose bun leaving a few strands to frame her face. She was not sure that she was wearing the right outfit. Somehow, she felt she was a little too sexy but then again, she was seeing Evgeni later and she wanted to blow his mind. And the

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dress she had on was one that screamed sexy professional without being trashy. When the elevator doors opened, she walked out and came face to face with a small blond haired woman. “Miss Davis?” she asked and Athena nodded with a smile. “Mr. Cromwell is expecting you. Right this way.” Athena followed her down the hall until they got to a door to a corner office. The woman opened the door for her and she walked in. Isaac who was on the phone, waved her in and she walked to one of the chairs in front of his desk.

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“I’m sorry about that,” he said when he hung up. “I am very happy to see you again.” “You gave me no choice,” Athena said with a smile. “Or as Carla would say, you gave me ten thousand reasons.” “I would have offered more but you wouldn’t let me,” Isaac said and she shook her head. “I used to work for one of the leading Fortune 500 companies in the country and one thing I know is that when someone is offering a lot of money, then he probably has a lot to hide or a lot to lose,” she said. “So, which one is it?” “I have a lot to lose if my new partners are not impressed,” Isaac said.

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“Do you mind my asking who your new partners are?” Athena asked. “A Bhutanese Sultan has taken interest in one of my ventures and considering he is royalty…I need the very best. And you Miss Davis, are the very best,” he said. “Please, just call me Athena,” she said with a smile. “Miss Athena makes me feel like I should be next in line for some crown or something.” “Fine, Athena but you also don’t get to call me sir, I’m not a knight or anything,” he said. “Alright, Mr. Cromwell,” she said.

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“Please, Mr. Cromwell is so damn weird.” “Weird? Really?” she asked. “Well, yeah. No one has called me that in years and if you can tell by my years, they have been very many years indeed,” he said and she smiled. “I know I just insulted myself there but just so you know, I am the only one allowed to do that.” “Well, I wouldn’t dream of it.” “Maybe I wouldn’t mind it, if it was just you though,” he pointed out. “A beautiful woman like you would definitely make me feel like a young man again,” he added with a smile and she shook her head.

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“Much obliged, sir…I mean, Isaac but I am not exactly single.” Isaac leaned forward and smiled even more widely. “What do you mean by not exactly single? I mean, you either are or you aren’t.” “I just started seeing him the other day. It’s a relatively new thing.” Isaac leaned back and rubbed his chin. “So you are still in bliss. That moment in paradise before you define the relationship,” he said and she forced a smile. This conversation was getting weird. “Yeah I guess,” she said as she pulled a notepad from her bag.

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“He must be a very lucky man, this guy you are seeing,” he said as he looked at her and she shrugged. “Well, enough about me,” she started in a bid to change the topic. “Why don’t you tell me about this cocktail party you're having. What do you have in mind as far as the theme is concerned?” Isaac took a long deep breath. “Well, for starters, he is royalty so I will need something big, pompous if I may use that word,” he started. ‘But this merger is also cultural. I still have to remain Irish in my theme.” Athena looked up and smiled.

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“So, a lot of booze.” “Definitely,” Isaac said laughing. “Gin, whiskey, scotch…you name it.” “Well, I have just the man for that job,” she said. “So consider the drinks sorted.” “But you can also throw in a few bottles of wine for the ladies. And some champagne of course, we are celebrating after all.” “Noted.” Athena scribbled in her notepad. “And do you have a venue in mind?” Isaac rubbed his chin again and sighed. “I was thinking I would leave that to you. As well as the menu.”

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“That’s great. I will send you an invoice with everything itemized but meanwhile have a look at this,” she said as she handed him her company’s prospectus. “It will give you an idea of what to expect as well as the price range you will be in. I mean as far as the guest list is concerned and everything.” “Well, this all seems fair but I also have this for you and your friend,” Isaac said as he pulled the top drawer of his desk. “What is this?” she asked as he placed a yellow postal bag on the desk. “Twenty thousand dollars. For you and your friend as promised,” he said.

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Athena’s eyes grew wide. She quickly opened the paper and looked inside. “Holy shit,” she thought to herself as she looked at the crisp hundred dollar bill bundles in the envelope. “Is everything alright?” he asked and she looked up still shocked. “You were giving the money in cash? I thought it would be a check and….I didn’t even think you were serious about it,” she said and he shook his head. “I have to write this off as petty cash,” he said. “Otherwise my CFO will have my ass.”

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“What do you mean, petty cash?” she asked. There was no way twenty grand would ever pass for petty cash in her books. Not even when she was at Jameson & Klein. “Athena, I made a promise to you and I am going to keep it. So why don’t you just take the money and make sure Carla gets it too,” Isaac said. “People who work with me tend to be happy.” “Clearly,” Athena said as she put the envelope back on the desk. “Well, do you have something for me to sign? You know, something that makes this official?” he asked and she nodded. She

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handed him a folder containing the contract and smiled. “I can leave that for your lawyers, maybe they want to look it over or something and then we can have a talk later?” she asked and he shook his head. “No need for lawyers. You seem like a nice person,” he said as he reached for a pen. “I know there is no way you would screw me with some weird clauses, right?” Athena shook her head. This man was surprising her by the minute. “It basically just outlines the date of the said event and there is an agreement that you have to pay the company a percentage just

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for commitment’s sake,” she explained. Her jaw almost dropped as she looked at him signing the contract and then open his check book. He scribbled an amount and then tore the leaf from the book before handing it to her. “This is so much more than the company would expect.” “Well, the contract stipulates that I should have a down payment of at least fifty per cent,” he started. “Judging by the prospectus you just gave me and the guest list I have in mind, there is a possibility that we might be spending upwards of eighty grand. So I guess this covers it, right?” Athena looked at the check and shrugged. Her boss was going to be extremely happy

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and she knew a healthy commission was coming her way. “Yeah,” she said. “This covers it.” ***** Evgeni had just walked into his office when his assistant called him. “Your three o’clock is here, Mr. Markovic,” she said over the intercom. “I thought I was free for the afternoon,” he frowned. “It’s a walk in, sir and he says that you will want to see him.”

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Evgeni shook his head. “Who is here?” he asked. “He says his name is Isaac Cromwell,” his assistant said. Evgeni felt the room suddenly grow cold. He took a long deep breath and then sighed. “Send him in,” he finally said. He looked up, his heart pounding as he waited to see that old fool he had been longing to rid himself of. When the door finally opened, he didn’t bother to stand up. “Evgeni,” Isaac said as he walked into his office and shut the door behind him. “You are

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truly your father’s son seated behind that desk.” Evgeni shook his head. That was the last thing he needed to hear. That he was his father’s. Surely he was but in genes only. Definitely not personality or work ethic. He looked up at Isaac and gestured at the seats in front of his desk. “I understand you want in on Markovic Oil,” he said and Isaac smiled. “Straight to the chase. There is no beating around the bush with you, is there?” he asked and Evgeni shrugged.

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“I will not pretend that I want you here when I don’t. So just say what brought you here already.” “Well, it’s quite simple really. Plus you already said it,” Isaac started. “Markovic Oil.” Evgeni forced a laugh. “I mean, my merchandise has been getting to various parts of the world on Markovic Freight but now that you want out, I need a fallback plan. And Markovic Oil is it.” Evgeni ran his fingers though his thick hair and shook his head. He was getting more frustrated by the second. Isaac Cromwell was not the kind of person he would have chosen for good company.

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“What do you want from me, Cromwell?” he asked as he looked at Isaac. “Why don’t you just say what brought you here and then for God’s sake, leave.” “You know very well that I just can’t leave. Not before we sort out the issue at hand,” Isaac said in an uncomfortably calm voice. “You want out of the Cromwell business and I want to make sure that I will not lose out on my income.” “I am giving you four hundred million dollars,” Evgeni pointed out and Isaac forced out a laugh. “I don’t want money. I want a stake in Markovic Oil.”

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“You want controlling interest in Markovic Oil,” Evgeni corrected him. “That is what I said,” he shrugged. “It’s the same bloody thing.” Evgeni shook his head. “Controlling interest means that you own it. And I will not let you have something I built legitimately from the ground up.” He sighed. “Just take the money and let my freight company be. That is all I ask.” “Four hundred million dollars,” Isaac said under his breath. “That is more than what Markovic Oil is worth,” he added and Evgeni raised an eyebrow. “You think I didn’t do my homework?”

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“What are you talking about?” Evgeni asked. “I had someone do an appraisal of Markovic Oil and according to him, that Middle Eastern glory hole is worth almost half of what you are offering.” Isaac smiled at him. “Now why would you offer me double what the company is worth?” “Because I want a clean business. I want a clean import export business without having to worry every single time a friend from the SEC gives me a call and most of the time it is just to invite me to his place for Sunday potluck. And Cromwell, that shit sucks!” He exhaled loudly. “This is more than just about money, Cromwell. I am worried about my legacy.”

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“So, what kind of legacy are you trying to leave here, Markovic? A broke one?” Isaac asked and Evgeni shook his head. “An honest one. That is what I am trying to do. Create an honest lifestyle that my kids can be proud of.” “What do you mean proud? Your father left a great fucking legacy. Aren’t you proud of his?” Isaac asked and Evgeni shook his head. “No, because I have been cleaning up his mess for most of my adult life.” He sighed. “That is not something I want for my kids.” “Your kids?” Isaac asked. something I should know?”

“Is

there

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Evgeni shook his head. “I just think about the future, that’s all.” Isaac looked at him for a long minute before he shook his head. “You know, I really didn’t want to play this card but,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “I met this lady the other day and she is simply stunning. I gave her a job too.” He handed the phone to Evgeni. “What? What is this?” he asked. “Why don’t you have a look for yourself?” Isaac said matter of factly. Evgeni grabbed the phone and looked at it and immediately, he felt rage going through his body. He was

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looking at Athena’s photo. “There are more pictures if you care to scroll to the left,” Isaac added as he stood up and walked over to the window. Evgeni couldn’t see it but there was a sick smile plastered on his face. A kind of victory smile. With every photo Evgeni looked at, he got angrier. He was not just looking at pictures of Athena. If he didn’t know any better, he could have sworn they were surveillance photos. Cromwell had been following her. That fucking asshole had put a tail on Athena. He looked up and tossed the phone on the desk. “What is this shit?” he asked angrily. “What did you do? Where is she?”

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“Whoa, there tiger,” Isaac said smiling. “One question at a time.” “Cromwell, you better answer me or so help me I will bash your face in, right the fuck now!” Evgeni’s heart was racing. “That’s the hot Markovic blood right there,” Isaac said crossing one leg over the other. “I knew you had it in you.” “The hot Markovic blood you are so proud of is telling me to put a bullet between your eyes right now, Cromwell! Where is Athena?” Evgeni asked again. “Right here? In your office?” Isaac asked in a calm voice. “Don’t you know anything about that kind of business?”

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Evgeni was getting restless. “Cromwell!” he said in a louder voice than he had originally intended. He noticed people out of his office suddenly looking through the window but he didn’t really care. “She’s fine. You can call her if you don’t believe me,” Isaac said and Evgeni did exactly that. “She is probably at the office working on the party she is planning for me.” Evgeni shook his head as he held his phone to his ear. At that moment, everything dawned on him. Athena had been busy with some big project lately. It was his project. Cromwell had taken it upon himself to give

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her a project so that he could keep her close without her getting suspicious. “You son of a bitch!” he hissed. “Hey, no need for name calling,” Isaac said. “It’s not like I have done anything to her. Yet,” he added just as Athena picked up. “Athena Davis, hello.” Evgeni breathed a sigh of relief. He was not sure whether to practice his knife throwing skills at Isaac or just talk to Athena. “Athena,” he said in a soft voice. His heart had won the battle for now. “How are you?”

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“Fine…just trying to figure out where I can get fresh tamarind in Virginia,” Athena said. “Normal work day. How are you doing? You sound a little out of breath.” “Just…leaving the gym,” he lied. “This early?” she asked. “And why did you have to use a commercial one anyway? Don’t you have a gym in the house?” “It’s just an exercise bike, a treadmill and a few weights,” he said, almost smiling. “That’s a full gym to me,” she said. He could tell she was smiling. “I just had a bad encounter in the office and needed to work out the stress,” he said.

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“Listen, why don’t I come and pick you up after work?” “Sounds great. I would love that.” “Well, don’t leave until I get there,” he said in a warning tone but judging from the way she laughed, he knew she didn’t really heed his warning. “Yes, sir Mr. Markovic,” she said. “See you later?” “See you later.” Evgeni hung up and looked at Isaac. “See, I told you. She is fine,” Isaac said. “But you should know that someone on my payroll knows her every move.”

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“What the hell do you want from me, Cromwell?” Evgeni asked as he walked to where he was. “A fair trade. Fifty one per cent of Markovic Oil and I find a new pipeline,” Isaac said cooly. Evgeni shook his head. “You know what, take Markovic Freight. You can call it Cromwell Freight for all I care,” he said but Isaac wasn’t having it. “Then take the fucking money. Four hundred freaking million.” “Maybe you don’t value Athena as much as you claim to,” Isaac finally said. “You wouldn’t dare,” Evgeni said.

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“Maybe your father should have told you a little more about me, boy,” Isaac said as he began walking towards the door. “I say what I mean and I definitely mean what I say.” He placed his hand on the handle and pulled the door open. “You want your girlfriend to keep on breathing, I want controlling interest of Markovic Oil,” he said again before he walked out leaving Evgeni breathing hard. He was not sure how long he had been standing there, panting and sweating. But what he knew for sure was that he needed space. He needed to think. He needed to figure out what to do next. How to protect the woman he loved. He was pacing up and down his office for a long time before he finally sat down in his seat. He opened the

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bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a burner cell. He had thrown it there the first time Viktor had given it to him because he knew that he would never need it. Not after renouncing the Markovic name and ways. Not after moving to Virginia. But now, he officially needed it. He switched it on and sighed loudly. He knew that once he took the road he was about to, then there was no turning back. “And to think I have worked so hard not to be back here,” he thought. “But Athena…I can’t let anything happen to her. I won’t let anything happen to her.” He called the only number programmed in the phone and waited for it to be picked.

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“U menya yest’ sornyak v moyem sadu. Mne nuhzhno obrezat. Nemedlenno,” he said calmly using the exact same words he had been advised to use when he used the phone. The words he was to say were ‘I have a weed in my garden that needs pruning immediately’. “Da. Where is your garden?” the voice on the other end asked. “I will send you the address,” Evgeni said. “Maybe I can give you an advance for a job well done. You come highly recommended.” “Of course, sir. You will have a manicured lawn in no time,” the voice said before hanging up.

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Evgeni knew that he would be sending his banking details to him in a few minutes and maybe by the time he went to bed that evening, he would sleep better knowing that his greatest problem had been eliminated.

Chapter 9 Over the next few days, Evgeni couldn’t do anything but wait by the phone for the news of Isaac’s death but nothing ever happened. He was getting increasingly uncomfortable not knowing where he was or why he had suddenly gone underground. Could it be probably that he knew of his plot to end him? But his answer came when he got a package at his office. “Fuck,” he thought when he looked inside. It was a bloody hand and a note. You started this. Sign over Markovic Oil or the next bloody hand will be Athena’s.

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He had not been able to rest well, ever since getting that package. All he could think about was Athena and how he was going to keep her safe. He already knew that Isaac had a tail on her so he had to make his move without raising any suspicion. He was seated on his couch staring into space when Athena walked up to where he was. “Hey,” she said in a soft voice. “Why are you sitting by yourself in the dark?” she asked as he looked up at her. He felt his cock twitch when he saw her wearing his shirt which left almost every arousing part of her uncovered.

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“I’m fine.” He took her hand and pulled her down so that she could sit on his lap. “I’ve just had a little hard time at the office. That’s all.” She slipped a hand behind his neck as he held her waist. “You have been this way for a few days now,” she said. “Do you want to talk about it?” “It isn’t anything that should concern you,” he said, forcing a smile. “Anything I can do to help?” she asked and he shook his head.

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“You are doing it right now. You are here with me,” he said. “And that’s it?” she asked. He brought a hand up and held the back of her neck before he pulled her down to kiss her. “Oh, so that’s what you want,” she whispered when he pulled away. “I will always want you,” Evgeni whispered back as he placed a hand on her thigh. She exhaled into his mouth as he kissed her, massaging her lips with his, running her tongue against his. She pulled away and looked down at him before she climbed off his lap. She knelt on the floor and gently pushed him back on the couch as she ran her hand down his chest. She pushed his

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vest up and began kissing his chest, slowly working her way down to his navel. “Athena,” Evgeni said in a low voice as she began pulling down his sweat pants. “What are you doing?” She never answered. She went on pulling his pants but he put his hands on hers. “Athena,” he said in a stern low tone. “Don’t do this.” “Why not?” she asked. He shook his head. He had no way of telling her that all those years he had been celibate beautiful women throwing themselves at him would always get on their knees to take him

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into their mouths. He had never had a woman he had strong feelings for go down on him. “You don’t have to do this,” he said as he looked into her eyes. “I know,” she said as she began pulling his pants further. “But I want to.” Evgeni looked at her for a long minute before he raised his hips off the couch allowing her to pull his pants down. She looked at his semi hard cock and smiled. She had only done this for one other man and truth be told, she was a little nervous. It had been such a long time since she last did this and

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Evgeni was larger than she had ever known anyone to be. She kissed his right thigh and slowly worked his way upwards before she held his cock in her small hand. She felt him shiver when she licked the tip of his cock. She then took his sensitive head into her mouth and sucked gently as he threw his head back. She pulled away from him and looked up at him briefly before she took more of his length into her mouth again. She was slowly taking him deeper into her mouth and he was moaning. “Good Lord, Athena. How deep can you go?” Evgeni asked in a low moan as he looked down at her. He was completely at her mercy. The way he was feeling, his cock in

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her mouth, that beautiful hot wet mouth was enough to make him melt. He wanted her so much, he wanted to just be inside her and explode in her hot depths. “Oh shit, Athena,” he moaned again. She had one hand on his thigh and another one slowly stroking him, making him come closer and closer to his edge. Without wanting to, he held her head and began to slowly push himself into the very depths of her throat. He was amazed at her gag reflex. He was balls deep inside her mouth but she was not making any gagging noises. She was exciting him a little more than she wished for and she knew this well.

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“Baby,” Evgeni moaned as he let go of her head. “I’m going to cum! I’m cumming right now!” Athena knew that his words were the very warning he was giving her but she was not backing down. She could feel his cock pulsating in her mouth before he shot his warm seed into her neck forcing her to swallow wad after wad of his hot cum. “Spasiba baby,” Evgeni said as she went on sucking on his cock. “Ya lyublyu tebya, Athena. Ya lyublyu tebya.” Athena pulled away and dabbed the sides of her mouth with her fingers before she pulled herself up and kissed him softly.

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“You are going to kill me one of these days,” he said in an exhausted whisper. She smiled and got on the couch. “I think I love you too,” she whispered as he cradled her. “You understood that?” he asked and she nodded. “I did and Ya lyublyu tebya too, Evgeni,” she said. He laughed and shook his head. “Ya tozhe tebya lyublyu,” he said. “That’s how you say I love you too.” *****

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When they woke up on Thursday morning, Evgeni was having a hard time trying to find the right words to tell Athena that he thought she should work from home that day. His home for that matter. He sat up and watched her as she climbed out of bed. “Sleep well?” he asked and she nodded. She bent down and planted a gentle kiss on his lips. “I always sleep well with you by my side,” she said in a low voice. She walked to the bathroom and turned on the water before he climbed off the bed and followed her there. She took off her shirt she was wearing and stepped into the shower. He looked at her and took off his pants before he stepped into

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the water. He held her from behind and she rested her head on his shoulder. “Stay,” he whispered and she smiled. “You know I can’t,” she said in a soft voice. “There is so much to be done for that cocktail party I am organizing. You know it's tonight, right?” Evgeni sighed. “That’s what I’m afraid of,” he thought. “I do,” he said. “And you are coming, right?” she asked, her voice full of hope. He sighed and forced a smile.

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“Of course I am I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He pulled her even closer to himself and sighed. “The client you are working with, what was his name again?” “Isaac Cromwell,” she said. “Why? Do you know anything about him or something?” “Yeah I know him,” he started in a soft voice and Athena turned around to look at him. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before.” He had his hands on her waist. “Why? I don’t understand?” she said as she turned off the water. “He’s a person I have done business with before and I just didn’t want to make you feel

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pressured to give him a discounted price or anything like that…you know.” She looked up at him and smiled. “My bosses wouldn’t allow it. I can only give so much percentage…but besides, he was not even interested in a discount anyway.” She held the back of his head. “He gave Carla and I an extra twenty grand just to secure us for the day.” Evgeni raised an eyebrow over the other. “He did, didn’t he?” he said as he held her. “He is a really cool guy. You know I would expect a man of his age to be a little

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annoying,” she started as she turned on the water again. “But he is cool.” Evgeni exhaled loudly as she pulled him under the water. “Be careful about him, baby,” he said in a low voice. “Never trust a man who is willing to part with such a large amount of money. They are always looking for something in return.” Athena smiled. “Is that what you do?” she asked. “I mean, that day you asked me to stay over and I told I didn’t have anything to wear…you got me an entire Chanel and DKNY wardrobe just

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so I couldn’t go home.” He wrapped his arms around her body. “I know I am one to talk but I know this guy and trust me, he is no angel.” “Well, I never said he was.” Evgeni reached for the loofah and squeezed a generous amount of shower gel on it before he began scrubbing her back. “I just want you to be careful around him, baby. That’s all,” he said in a soft voice. “I would hate if anything happened to you.” She reached around and gently brushed a hand on his wet ass.

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“Nothing is going to happen to me,” she said in a whisper. She turned around. “Now, turn around. It’s my turn to scrub you.” Evgeni turned around and sighed. He didn’t know what freaked him out more. The fact that the woman he loved was working with the most dangerous man he knew or the fact that Athena didn’t have any idea. When they got out of the bathroom, Evgeni put on his bathrobe and walked to the living room. He came back with a key which he handed to Athena who was now busy fixing her hair. She looked at the key and shrugged. “What’s this?” she asked as she looked at it.

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“The key to BMW. Take that to work today.” She shook her head. “Why? My car is fine.” “Well, I drove you here last night,” Evgeni stated. “I could just take an Uber and then drive back here, Evgeni. It’s not a big deal,” she said. He let out a frustrated sigh. “You never take it for detailing. It’s about time you did,” he said. “Actually, I already had it picked up so just take this.” He held the side of her face.

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“You are being weird today,” she said. “First the whole thing with my client and then this thing with the car?” She put the key down on the dresser and looked at her reflection before she switched on the hair dryer. “I’ll just take an Uber, babe. I’ll be fine.” Evgeni ran his hand over his wet hair and suddenly punched the wall making her turn around, startled. “Damn it, Athena. Don’t be so stubborn just take the car,” he said. “Your car is at the shop being detailed. I already took care of it.” “What the hell is going on with you?” Athena asked as she looked at him. He had never

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been this frustrated, this angry in front of her and he knew that she must have been scared. “Athena…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell but the car is not at your office building anymore.” He walked up to where she was. “Take the car…or any other car.” She put the hair dryer down and stood up. “I can rock my curls today,” she said as she walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. She put on her shoes as he looked at her. “Baby, please look at me,” he said. “You are being weird, and I have a long day,” she said as she picked up her bag and

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walked out into the living room. He ran over to the dresser and picked up the key before he ran out of the bedroom and caught her just before she opened the door. He looked at her and held her waist. “Evgeni, let go of me. Please,” she said in a whisper. “Take the car,” he said again and held the key to her face. She sighed and grabbed it. “Fine!” She looked at him and shook her head. “Will you stop being on my case now? Or at least tell me what the hell is going on?” He took a long deep breath.

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“I want to tell you…more than anything I want to tell you but I can’t.” “So, you can tell me that you were once caught in a weird gang shoot out but you can’t tell me why you are biting my head off about my new client?” she asked. “And the car…what the fuck is that all about anyway?” He held her face in his hands. “Do you trust me?” he asked. “What?” she asked as he looked at her. “It’s a simple question Athena. Do. You. Trust. Me.” “Yes,” she said in a whisper.

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“Good. Then trust me about this. I will tell you all about Cromwell but in the meantime, be careful. He is not the man you think he is,” he said before he kissed her softly. “I asked Tino to keep you company today. He is one of my security guys and I trust him with my life. He won’t be a bother but his car will be following yours closely and he will be around the whole day.” “A bodyguard?” she asked in a scared voice. “Evgeni, what is going on?” “You are safer not knowing,” he said. “But trust me, everything will be fine.” “What about you? Are you going to be okay?” she asked as she looked at him.

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He lowered his head and kissed her again. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve been in this world longer than you can imagine,” he said smiling. “What world are you talking about?” He patted her still damp hair. “Go on,” he said. “I’ll call you later.” She looked at him for a long minute and then nodded before she walked out. He leaned on the closed door for a long minute before he walked back to the bedroom. He picked up his phone and dialed Viktor as he walked to his closet.

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“Viktor, time for plan B. The lawnmower failed,” he said. “We were already waiting for a go ahead. The plan is in motion,” Viktor said before Evgeni hung up. He pushed his suits to one side revealing the false bottom on the left side of the closet. He opened it and then opened the safe beneath. He pulled out a gun, a box of bullets and a silencer. “No one threatens to take Athena away from me,” he thought as he loaded the gun. ***** Carla was giggling excitedly as she and Athena walked into The Ritz.

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“I still can’t believe I am going to be catering an event at The Ritz,” she said in a loud whisper. “I mean, you would expect the client to prefer what a five star hotel serves but no….he chose me.” Carla looked at Athena and shrugged. “What is up with you? You have been weirdly quiet all day,” she said and Athena shook her head. “It’s just one of those days,” she said. “I just want to be done with it, that’s all.” “What do you mean? This is your biggest gig yet!” Carla took her hand. “Anything you want to tell me?” she asked as they walked into the ballroom where the cocktail party

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was to be held. She looked around the ballroom and then looked at her phone. “Evgeni should be here by now,” she said as she looked around again. “He said he would be here.” “Well, I haven’t known the guy for long but in the few months that I have, he has never been known to disappoint,” Carla said. “Now why don’t you come with me and help with the samosas?” Athena looked at her and smiled. “You trust me around those things? They are delicious.”

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Carla laughed. Athena had already had five samosas and she wouldn’t have minded having more. She could not believe that she had never tried them. When she got to the buffet spread, a smile played on her lips. She loved what she and Carla had come up with. Spicy skewered chicken, beef and vegetables, samosas, spring rolls, dumplings and the best sauce she had tasted that day – atchar, spicy mango chili sauce. The ballroom had been decorated in colorful throw pillows and fabric that made someone feel like they had literally stepped into some place in the Middle East. “Wow, you really do deliver as promised,” Athena heard Isaac’s familiar voice behind

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her. “Throw in some oil fields and you have The Middle East.” Athena smiled and shrugged. “Just doing my due diligence,” she said. “And we have traditional Bhutanese snacks plus endless bottles of Irish whiskey.” “You are speaking my kind of language, Athena.” Isaac was smiling. “And I heard that you usually throw in a surprise. I can hardly wait to see what you have in store.” “Well, I think the sultan is already here,” Athena said as she looked behind him. There was a foreign entourage walking in and she knew by the way the man in front of the group was dressed that he was the man

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of the hour. “Maybe you should just wait and see what the surprise is.” She was about to walk away when Isaac held her hand. “Please, I would like to introduce you him.” “Now?” she asked surprised. “Well, there is no time like the present,” he said as he began walking towards the sultan. “Mr. Cromwell. This is a beautiful spread,” the sultan said. Isaac bowed in respect. “Sultan Salim Al Fayed, I am honored by your presence,” he said. “Meet Athena Davis, the woman who put all this together.”

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“It is a pleasure and an honor to meet you, sir…your majesty…” Athena shrugged nervously. “I don’t know what to call you….I’m sorry…” The sultan took Athena’s hand and raised it to his lips before he kissed it softly. “Salim will do and the pleasure is all mine,” he said. “Please…this way,” Athena said as he led the men to the VIP area. “I thought this would be a suitable welcome.” Isaac watched as she gave a signal to someone right before a group of belly dancers walked to the dance floor. He looked at Athena and nodded.

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“You are worth every dime,” he whispered as he took a seat next to the sultan. Athena smiled and silently slipped away, making her way towards the exit. She was about to walk over to where Carla was when she felt someone’s hand on her wrist. She gasped as she slipped out into the hallway and then breathed a sigh of relief when she came face to face with Evgeni. “Hi,” she said in a whisper. “You scared me.” “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to,” he said as he pulled her into his arms. “You okay?” “I don’t know,” she sighed. He pulled away and kissed her forehead and then her lips.

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He looked down at her body and a smile played on his lips. “You are trying to make me jealous, aren’t you?” he asked and she shook her head. “I don’t understand,” she said. “Well, that dress guarantees that every man gets a clear view at what’s mine,” he said. She smiled. She was in a black and white midi combination dress that hugged her in all the right places and a pair of red stiletto heels. The dress had a low neckline showing off her cleavage. He pulled her into his body again. “I have half a mind to take you right here and right now.”

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She was still smiling when she pulled away. “I still have work to do,” she said. “Tino?” he asked. She looked over at Tino who was a safe distance away blending into the crowd all through watching her. “Been with me all day,” she said. “Good,” he said. “Everything is almost over.” She shook her head. “What do you mean?” she asked and he shook her head. She took his hand and led him out of the ballroom and into the hotel elevator.

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“Where are we going?” Evgeni asked. “We need to talk,” she said as she pressed a button. “We have at least thirty suites on hold in case of anything. We are going to one of them.” Evgeni sighed. She knew that he did not have a choice. It was done. This time round, she was not going to let him off. She had to know what was going on. “So,” she said when they walked into one of the rooms. “What the hell is going on with this Cromwell person?” He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. She looked at him and crossed her arms over her chest.

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“I’m waiting Evgeni. I trust you and you have to trust me too.” “Fine, but I am scared I might lose you after this,” he said. “Then maybe you don’t know me very well,” she pointed out. “Because nothing would make me walk away.” He looked into her eyes for a long minute before he finally spoke up. “Not even after I tell you that my family was involved in organized crime?” he asked and her eyes grew wide. “That was your family. You don’t get to choose your family,” she said.

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“Markovic Freight, the company my father started was used by Isaac Cromwell to bring in contraband. Drugs, guns, you name it and when I started Markovic Trucking, he dipped his hand into that too. At first I didn’t know but by the time I found out, it was too late.” He walked over to the bed and sat down. “I moved from New York, cut ties with my family in Moscow and tried getting Markovic Trucking clean. But it was harder than I expected. So, in a bid to start a new legitimate business, I invested heavily in the Middle Eastern oil industry but he says that in order to get a new pipeline, he needs…controlling interest of Markovic oil.” “Controlling interest?” Athena asked.

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“Initially, that was what he wanted but now, he wants it all. My entire oil company,” he said. “Oh please, why don’t you just tell him to shove it?” “Did you miss out on the part where I said Cromwell is an Irish crime lord?” “What’s the worst he could do anyway? He is an old frail man.” “That old frail man threatened you,” Evgeni said looking up. “Excuse me?” she asked surprised. “What do you mean he threatened me? As in my life?”

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Evgeni sighed and nodded. “He has been tailing you.” “And you are just telling me this now?” she asked, angrily. “Like I told you this morning, the less you knew the safer it would have been for you,” he said. “So

that

explains

the

car

and

Tino…but…why…” Athena shook her head. “Why would he….What are we going to do?” “The car is bullet proof and Tino is ex-Israeli Special Forces.” “What?” Athena asked shaking her head.

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“I had to make sure you got the best of the best.” She began pacing up and down as she rubbed her temple. “This isn’t happening…this isn’t happening…” she kept on saying. Evgeni stood up and walked over to where she was before he held her in his arms. “I’ve got everything in control,” he said. “What does that even mean?” she asked as a tear rolled down her cheek. “Are you going to move to some weird Island that very few people know about or maybe shoot him…” Evgeni shrugged.

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“Oh my God, you are actually thinking about it,” she said as she pulled away from him. She looked at him as he pulled her back into himself. “I am not going to break the law Athena,” he said a little louder than he intended to. “Then, what? You are going to give him a billion dollar company?” she asked and Evgeni nodded. “I can always start over.” “No, you can’t do this.” She shook her head. “It’s everything you have worked for.”

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“I would give up everything if it meant that I get to have you,” he said in a soft voice as he held her closely.

Chapter 10 Normally, an evening this big would have had Athena on edge all night long. She would have been running up and down trying to make sure everything was going well but after the talk she’d had with Evgeni, all she wanted to do was get out of there. But she just couldn’t leave. She could not leave Evgeni there, in the literal line of fire. She was leaning against one wall watching as Isaac danced with one of the belly dancers from earlier. The sultan was looking on, a smile on his lips. Without realizing it, she was holding on to the clipboard in her hands so tightly, her knuckles had turned white. Carla

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walked up to where she was and interlocked her arm with her best friend’s. “Penny for your thoughts, Davis?” she asked. “What?” “You have been acting weird all night. Is everything okay?” Carla asked as she stood in front of Athena. “Are you feeling alright?” Athena took a long deep breath and forced out a smile. “I am just a little tired. That’s all. I’m just waiting to go home.” Carla raised an eyebrow over the other.

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“I have never seen you like this, sweetie. Maybe you should just take an early exit and go put your feet up. Is Evgeni here? Maybe he can take you.” Athena shook her head again. “I’m fine Carla. I have never left my event before it was over and today will not be the first time.” She sipped on the energy drink she had in her hand. “Besides, I have this. I’ll be okay.” Carla gave her a long hard look before she shook her head. “Athena, I probably know you better than anyone here and …” she started before

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Athena shook her head, forcing a smile again. “I’m fine, Carla. I promise,” she said. Carla gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Well, remember to eat something. And I hope this is your last can of these damn energy drinks,” she said. “Too much and your heart might explode.” Athena frowned. “Really?” she asked in a concerned voice. “Well, I’m not sure but there is a reason why you are only supposed to have a couple of cans a day and I know for a fact that this is

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your second one today. So pace yourself, okay?” Carla said before she walked away leaving Athena standing there sipping on her drink. “Jeez, Cromwell. Have some dignity,” she thought as she watched Isaac practically dry humping the dancer. “Maybe I did overlook a whole lot of things. And all because of ten fucking grand” She was still looking at him when Evgeni walked up to her. “You alright?” he asked in a low voice. “I’m fine and it would be really great if everyone would stop asking me that,” she snapped. Evgeni looked at her as she took a

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long deep breath. “I’m sorry…this is just all too hard for me.” “I understand,” he said as he held her. “But it’s almost over. I promise.” “What does that even mean?” Athena asked as she looked at him. “What do you mean it’s almost over? It’s not like he is going to suddenly disappear.” Evgeni touched the side of her face and smiled. “Trust me, baby, it will all be alright,” he said before he walked away. Her lips parted slightly as she looked at him. She wanted to call him but she just couldn’t because even if

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she did, she could not think of what she was going to tell him anyway. ***** Evgeni made his way to the ballroom walking straight to Isaac. His heart was pounding hard as he approached him. “Markovic, I didn’t think I would see you here,” Isaac said, still dancing. “Well, I wasn’t planning on coming but Athena was coming here so I definitely had to come,” Evgeni said. “So, I gather from the way you are looking at me that you have your mind set on doing

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business,” Isaac pointed out and Evgeni nodded. “I have what you want right here,” he said. Isaac looked at him and then at the woman tugging on his arm. “I just want to end all this.” “But I already have plans with this lady here, Markovic,” Isaac said. “Please, Cromwell. The sooner we end this, the better it will be,” Evgeni said as the three of them began walking out of the ballroom. “Right now, I want to take this lady back to my penthouse before I come back to clear things with the sultan,” Isaac said.

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“GoCreative has suites on hold right here at The Ritz if you want a room so bad,” Evgeni said. By this time, they were standing outside waiting for the valet to bring his car around. “I want to just leave and…” Isaac turned around as his sedan drove up. “Let’s do this tomorrow. First thing in the morning.” Evgeni shook his head but he barely had enough time to respond before Isaac and the woman climbed in leaving him standing there alone like the idiot he felt. Isaac’s sedan had just driven off when he turned around and began walking back into the hotel. He had barely taken two steps when he suddenly felt a force pushing him off

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balance. He turned around and gasped when he saw a car on fire. Isaac’s car to be precise. ***** Tino like the ex-military man he was, worked fast getting his boss, Athena and Carla out of the hotel but they still had to wait to talk to the police. After what seemed like forever, Tino drove the three back to Evgeni’s. When they got there, Tino showed Carla to the guest room leaving a fuming Athena looking at Evgeni. “So this was your plan all along?” she asked in an annoyed whisper.

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“What are you talking about?” Evgeni asked, confused. “You said that it would all be over. That after tonight Cromwell wouldn’t be a problem and then his car mysteriously goes up in flames.” She was still whispering. “Athena…I didn’t do this,” Evgeni said and she rolled her eyes. “Yeah whatever. I want to go back to my place. Right now!” she yelled just as Tino walked back into the room. “Senor Markovic, Carla is settled but if you still need me…” he started as Athena walked past him to the bedroom.

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“Nothing, Tino…just…nothing.” Evgeni shook his head. “Thank you. I’ll lock up.” “I’ll be in the den if you need me,” Tino said before he walked away. Evgeni set the alarm and walked to the bedroom where she was looking through the closet. “I need a suitcase…I can give it back later,” she said as she rummaged through the closet. “Where the fuck do you keep your suitcases?” Evgeni could hear the emotion in her voice. He could tell that she was crying without even looking at her. He slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her shoulder.

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“Let go of me,” she said in a small scared voice. “Baby, you need to believe me. This wasn’t me,” he said. “I told you, I was going to give up Markovic Oil. For you.” She turned around and shook her head. “Too much has happened tonight. You told me about your family and the mafia and you had an ex-Israeli soldier following me all day and suddenly your sworn enemy’s car blows up on his way home?” She sighed. “This is all too coincidental.” “You told me you trusted me,” he said as he held her waist. His grip was tight, not too

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tight to hurt her but tight enough to make sure she wouldn’t suddenly pull away. “I did,” she said. “What about now? Did that trust just…disappear?” he asked and she shrugged. He reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out some folded documents before he handed them to her. “What are these?” she asked. “Signed documents that I was going to hand over to Isaac tonight,” he said. “But he was more set on getting laid so I thought I would do it tomorrow.”

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She unfolded the documents and looked at them page after page as she shook her head. She sighed and then gasped before she sunk to the floor. He got on the floor with her as she dropped the papers to the floor. “I wouldn’t follow in my father’s footsteps. I am not my father’s son,” he whispered as he held her face in his hands. “I would go to war for you but this time, I didn’t.” “I’m sorry,” she said in a whisper. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. He wiped off her tears using his thumbs and kissed her softly. “So, it’s over?” He shook his head.

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“I’m not sure…but for now, it’s over,” he said. He didn’t want to lie to her. Not anymore. He kissed her softly and then pulled away. He then kissed her cheek and then her neck. “I love you so much,” he said in a soft voice. “God knows, I love the fuck out of you.” She was now looking into his eyes. She closed her eyes as he lowered his head to kiss her again. She brought her hand up and held the back of his neck pulling him closer as he pressed his lips to hers. She was moaning into his mouth as he ran his hands hungrily all over her body. She pulled away and loosened his tie before she pushed his jacket off his shoulders. She then held the

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two opposite sides of his shirt and pulled it apart sending the buttons flying all over the floor. “Athena,” Evgeni whispered in surprise. “I want you,” she said in a low voice. “Not like this,” he said. She pulled down her side zipper and pulled the dress down exposing her bra covered breasts to him. “Then how?” she asked. “You are upset,” he said and she shook his head.

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“I know what I want.” She was looking into his eyes as she unhooked her bra letting her breasts fall free. “And I want you.” He looked down at her breasts and almost immediately, he could feel his hard cock pressing against his boxer shorts. Until now, he did not realize just how strong the hold she had over him was. He got on his knees and pulled her so that she did the same before he leaned in and kissed her deeply. He filled his hand with her breast and she exhaled into his mouth. Her nipple was already hard against his hand and he loved the way she felt in his hand, on his lips and against his body.

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He took both of his hands in his and got up, making her do the same. He gently ran his hands down the sides of her body gently brushing against her breasts as he did so. He then pushed her dress down leaving her in nothing but her panties. She had her arms around his neck as he slowly got her down on the bed before he pulled her panties off. His heart was pounding as he caressed her thighs. On the one hand he wanted to just drop his pants and bury himself in her but on the other hand, he also wanted to taste her. To eat her out until she screamed his name. He lowered his head and began kissing her soft inside thigh. He was slowly working his way down to her core, getting dangerously close to her already moist center. She was

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moaning and arching her back, obviously begging for him to end her torture. The way he was kissing her, licking her, everything he was doing to her made her want more and more of him. She held on to the covers and bit her lower lip as he began kissing her pussy softly. He was moving his mouth on her mound the very same way he had kissed her mouth just moments earlier. She let out a gasp when she felt him thrust his tongue into her pussy tasting her salty depths. She loved the way he was using his tongue to fuck her. She didn’t even think it was possible for him to go that deep with just his tongue. He had his thumb pressed on her clit rubbing the already hard bean making her shiver feverishly.

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She could feel herself draining into his mouth but that was not incentive enough for him to stop. He went on sucking and licking her out until she couldn’t take it any longer. He pulled away and he pulled himself up to kiss her lips. She could taste herself on his lips. “Now I do you,” she said in a soft voice as she flipped him over getting him under her. She traced her lips down his neck and then down his chest before she pulled his pants and boxers off. She did not trace her lips down his thigh like he had done with her. She just went straight for the kill, taking his entire length into her mouth. Evgeni let out a loud gasp and then raised his head to look at her as she bobbed her head on his crotch.

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She was moaning as she took his length deeper and deeper…harder. “Baby, if you keep this up, there won’t be anything left for you,” he moaned. She pulled away from her and brought herself up. “Ride me,” he said in a whisper as he looked up at her. She straddled him and guided his cock into her pussy. She winced lightly as she felt his large cock invading her wetness. She moaned and threw her head back as she slid down his cock to his base. She looked down at him as she began to slowly raise her hips up and down, sliding his cock in and out of her. He had his eyes closed as

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she ground her hips on him. He slipped an arm around her waist and began pulling her down as he thrust upwards. By this time, her moans were his momentum. He suddenly flipped them over and got himself on top of her. “You are mine,” he said in a low moan as he began working himself in and out of her. “All mine.” His strokes were getting harder and longer making her moan loudly and shiver in his arms. By the way he was going she knew that she was not going to hold up for much longer. She wrapped her legs around his waist pulling him even deeper inside her. She could feel herself convulsing in his arms

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as the premise of her orgasm became evident. He was grunting loudly as his thrusts got harder by the minute. He seemed to be going deeper and deeper still. So deep she wanted to scream. She clasped a hand over her mouth muffling the imminent scream that she was about to let out. She dug her nails into his back as she suddenly felt something ripping through her. His hot cum was filling her up with every pulsating feeling. “Oh shit…fuck, Athena!” He was now a mass of quavering flesh on top of her. She let out a loud moan as she felt his cock slipping out of her. He raised his head and looked down at her.

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“That was…amazing,” she said in an exhausted whisper. “You were amazing,” he said as he lay next to her. “So,” she started as he held her close. “What now?” Evgeni let out a loud sigh. “Honestly, I don’t know because maybe someone in Ireland will be seeking retribution,” he said. “What do you think about Cabo?” She looked up at him and smiled. “I’ve never been to Cabo,” she said.

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“Me neither,” he said. “But maybe it’s time we checked it out.” She smiled and kissed him softly. “Maybe,” she whispered. The end. If you enjoyed this ebook and want me to keep writing more, please leave a review of it on the Amazon Kindle store (the page where you bought it). By doing so you'll allow me more time to write these books for you as they'll get more exposure. So thank you. :)

Get Another BWWM eBook Free! Hi there. As a special thank you for buying this ebook, for a limited time I want to send you another one completely free of charge directly to your email! You can get it by clicking the cover below or going here:

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Direct link: www.saucyromancebooks.com/ love-bwwm-romance-books This book is so exclusive you can't even buy it. When you download it I'll also send you

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updates when new books like this are available. Now, if you enjoyed the book you just read, please leave a positive review of it on Amazon. It'll help get it out there a lot more and mean I can continue writing these books for you. So thank you. :)

More Books By J A Fielding If you enjoyed that, you'll love My Russian Billionaire by Cher Etan (sample and description of what it's about below).

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Description: Sophie is living the dream. She's married to Tony, a billionaire who loves her more than anything. But when your billionaire husband has had previous run ins with the Russian mafia, things can turn around in an instant. A strong woman is often defined by her ability to stand by her man, but will what's coming be all too much? Or will she be able to prove once and for all why she's managed to hold her man's heart? Sample: Sophie swept through the restaurant looking at it with new eyes. The eyes of its Chief Financial Officer rather than those of the

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owner’s wife. She stumbled slightly as she thought it and her new assistant slid a glance her way. ‘Way to go Devereux. Scaring the natives on your first day…’ “This is your office. Or rather your Boston office Mrs. Romanov,” the girl said with a smile. Sophie hadn’t really caught her name and now she was afraid to ask in case it offended her. She opened her mouth to say something but the girl beat her to it. “If you need anything, I’m just down the hall,” she said. Sophie nodded her head and smiled as the girl walked off with a perky confident high

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heeled walk that made Sophie grimace. She heaved a sigh and then opened the door to her office. “Surprise!” a jumble of voices screamed at her and she jumped about a foot in the air before she realized it was only her family. “Oh. Hey,” she said holding her hand to her heart which was pounding a mile a minute. She looked around the festively decorated room; it was a big office and there were balloons hanging everywhere which on closer inspection spelled the words ‘welcome’ in big inflated gray balloon letters. She smiled to see it and turned looking for her husband. He was at her desk grinning delightedly at her flanked by her brother Solomon and her

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grandfather Elijah. Her son Benjy completed the tableau as he sat grinning on her desk and smashing the stapler into the desk as if it was a hammer. She shook her head and stepped properly into the room only to be startled again when confetti started to fall on her from the ceiling. “Oh!” she exclaimed, making one year old Benjy laugh even more. Solomon came up to her holding his arms out and kissed her cheek. “My sister, the CFO. You done come up in the world gurl,” he said sounding faux impressed. Sophie snorted and returned his embrace.

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“The balloons were your idea right?” she asked him soto voce. “Hey! I heard that!” Tony protested as he tried to calm Benjy down; a losing proposition in Sophie’s opinion. She leaned around her brother to give him a sheepish smile. “I mean I love you and all but you are not a balloons kinda guy Tony,” she said. Tony opened his mouth to protest and then closed it again and shrugged, “Okay. You got me there. However, the flowers were all me.” Sophie slid her eyes toward Katarina who was standing tentatively in the corner. The latter grinned and shrugged as if to say

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‘well…mostly’. Sophie smiled but didn’t call Tony on it. It was the thought that counted after all. “How was orientation?” Elijah asked. “Short and sweet. I spent most of it sulking that you weren’t there Tony; but I see you had other plans,” Sophie said grinning. Tony gave her a whimsical shrug and then picked up the baby from the table. He moved away from her desk and indicated she should sit. As she moved to her desk Solomon was fiddling with his Beats headphones and the theme for Mission Impossible filled the room. Sophie burst out laughing as she dropped into her chair. As

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she sat down, the music reached a dramatic climax and then switched off. “Y’all are so crazy,” she said laughing. “Don’t look at me; I’m just here for the free food,” Elijah said and as if on cue the door opened and various hostesses walked in carrying trays laden with various delicacies. “Yes!” Sophie exclaimed, “I’m so hungry. Breakfast feels like it was ages ago.” “Yeah all of three hours,” Solomon teased. Sophie flipped him off and went to see what they had brought. In addition to coffee, there was cake, muffins, sausage, finger sandwiches, fruit and croutons. Sophie’s hands fluttered above the selection, absolutely

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spoiled for choice. Solomon came to stand next to her picking up a plate and putting a little of everything on it. Then he handed it to her. “Don’t front. You know you want it,” he said. She grimaced but took the plate going to pick up her son so they could share. The others served themselves and Solomon put on some jazz so they could eat in peace. Sophie had some questions for Tony about some things she’d noted that she felt could benefit from change and she opened her mouth to ask but then decided no; this was business, it should be done in a proper business environment.

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“Boss?” she said. Tony continued to talk to Elijah about the price of gold and didn’t so much as flinch. “Boss!” Sophie said louder, making Tony look around at her in bewilderment, “I need to make an appointment with you for a meeting. We have several things to discuss,” she said. Tony stared at her in shock, “Like what?” “That’s why I wanna have a meeting so we can discuss them in a proper business environment,” she said a bit prissily. “Okay then. How about after this we go to my office?”

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“That works.” “Would you like anyone else to attend this meeting?” Tony asked looking like he was trying to suppress amusement. “No. You and I are fine for now. If you feel someone else needs to be there of course that’s your prerogative.” Tony turned to look at Elijah as if for explanation for his granddaughter’s behavior but he just shrugged and stuffed his mouth with sausages. Benjy seeing him, tried to do the same thing with mixed results. Katarina, seeing the mess he was making, hurried forward to pick him up from Sophie’s lap.

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“Before he dirties your linens,” she said apologetically as she wiped excess sausage from Benjy’s face, “I should take this little guy home and let you guys work,” she said. “I guess that’s our cue,” Elijah said standing up and Solomon followed his lead. He bent down and kissed his sister on the cheek, whispering ‘good luck’ into her ear before following their grandfather out the door. Sophie watched them go with a slight frown on her face. “What?” Tony asked; he’d been leaning on her bookshelf watching her bid the family goodbye.

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“Do Solomon and Katarina seem to be acting rather strange to you?” she asked. “Hey. Young love. Who can understand that shit?” he asked straightening up and heading for the door, “I’m headed for my office, coming?” “Lemme just make a few notes, I’m right behind you,” she said pulling a yellow notepad to her. On the first go-round as CFO of Tony’s group of companies she’d seen a few things that were running inefficiently and she had some suggestions on how to improve them. She bent her head, writing furiously. Tony watched her with a fond expression on his face and then left her to it.

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***** “Hey,” Solomon said hurrying to catch up to Katarina, “Wait up.” Katarina slowed down so he could come up beside her but didn’t look at him or acknowledge him in any way. “Did I do something?” he asked. Kat looked up at him. “Why would you think you did something if I don’t talk to you for two minutes?” she asked sounding exasperated. Solomon shrugged. “Okay then fine. I’ll leave you alone,” Solomon said and lengthened his stride to walk ahead of her. When they reached the

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parking lot he didn’t wait for the car but headed for the gate. “Where are you going?” Katarina called to him. Solomon pretended not to have heard her. She stopped and stared after him but Benjy began to fuss so her attention was diverted back to him. She sighed deeply and Elijah came up to pat her shoulder. “The path of true love never did run smooth,” he intoned but his eyes could not hide their amusement. “Huh. True love? I wonder,” Katarina said getting in the vehicle. “What do you think it is?” Elijah asked her.

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“Maybe I’m just the most accessible female he can find,” Kat said holding Benjy closer so he didn’t have to hear this conversation. “What? And here I thought the whole concept of being in college was to be around smart young attractive women,” Elijah said faux shocked. Katarina rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean,” she said fighting a laugh. “Yes I do know what you mean. Do you know what you mean?” Katarina stared at him, totally mystified by that statement. “I don’t understand.”

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“Sure you do. You just don’t want to understand. It scares you so you’d rather hide behind this patina of ‘I know what’s best for him’. Well you don’t. He does. And he wants you. What do you want?” Katarina color was very high and she stared at him hardly knowing where to start. “You say the most uncomfortable things Mr. Elijah,” she said at last. “I speak true things and you know it. For some reason people are uncomfortable with truth. I’ve never understood why,” Elijah looked out of the window as if trying to puzzle it out. Katarina stared down at Benjy who stared back up at her as if to say ‘Don’t

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know nothin’. She fished out her phone from her pocket and sent Solomon a text. I’m sorry. Please come home quick so we can talk. She stared at her phone with absolute concentration, willing him to reply. When after five minutes there’s still nothing she felt a lump in her throat, wondering what she’ll do if this is it; he’s had it with her. I have class. Her phone beeped loudly, startling her; which in turn startled Benjy. He screwed up his face like he might potentially cry and then he thought better of it and subsided. She stared at her phone screen, trying to read

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something deeper in the words than just the fact that Solomon was at college. Did that mean she should stop bugging him or…? She looked up to find Elijah staring at her in bemusement. “You’re doing it again,” he said with a smile. Katarina tried to smile back but she was too anxious. “I used to be a grown woman,” she said wryly, “Sol makes me feel like a teenager again.” “Mmm,” Elijah said and looked back out the window. They finished the rest of the ride in silence, dropping Elijah off at the jewelry store before heading home. She asked Samuel, who was driving them, to pass by

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Mikhail’s Emporium of Empirical Delights which belonged to Mikhail Petrov, Tony’s uncle. He’d been quite instrumental in extracting Katarina from a very bad marriage and getting her and Sam a position. She’d become close with Cara, his wife but she didn’t get a lot of time to see her. This would probably be a perfect time – nobody at home waiting on her; Sam was at school – and they would be delighted to see Benjy. Maybe in passing she could also get some advice from Cara about how to conduct oneself successfully in a relationship. She really hadn’t cared about such things before. Heaven knows she’d never expected to need the expertise… *****

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“Baby is it too early to start redecoratin’?” Sophie sheepishly asked. “How do you mean?” Tony asked, not exactly wary but cautious. “Well, on taking a walk through your esta-“ “Our,” Tony interjected. “What?” “Our establishment.” “Oh yes, on taking a tour of our establishment I noticed there are various areas that could do with streamlining to improve efficiency. I could be mistaken about how things

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run or there’s something I’m not getting so I need you to work with me on this.” Tony perked up with a grin. “Sure thing. Where do you want to start?” “Let’s start with kitchen storage and the placement of fridges.” Sophie said coming forward to sit on his arm rest and place her notes on the desk. Tony had difficulty concentrating with her this close and he suddenly understood why she’d said working together might be a problem. “Er, darling. Yes I really appreciate the effort to streamline the business but I think you’d do better to work with the managers of each individual establishment on this; or some

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efficiency experts. I trust you and I know you’ll do a great job and it might go faster if you did all five establishments in one go; maybe get a team together and go crazy,” he said leaning back to look up at her. Sophie pursed her lips in thought. “Okay. That sounds more…efficient than this. I should get acquainted with what kind of finances we’re working with before I draw up a team.” She said standing up and heading for the door. Tony stood up as well. “Er honey?” he said. Sophie stopped moving and turned to face him, “Yeah?” “Don’t I get a kiss?” he asked.

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Sophie smiled and came back to him plastering her whole body down his side and placing her hand on his chest, “Of course you do honey. As many as you want,” then she leaned forward and licked his bottom lip causing him to open it with a sigh. That’s all the incentive she needed to insert her tongue in his mouth for a gentle yet thorough exploration of the inner recesses of his mouth. It felt like probing his soul and Tony clung helplessly to her, letting her do as she pleased. When at last she released him, his eyes remained closed and he had a beatific smile on his face. “Remind me again why working together is a bad idea?” he said.

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Sophie smiled smugly and patted him gently on the chest and sauntering to the door, an extra swing to her step. Tony flopped back into his seat, smiling at nothing. As she left his office, her assistant knocked tentatively and opened the door a crack, peering in at him. “Hello Mr. Romanov, can I come in?” she asked. “Sure,” Tony said feeling very expansive. Her eyes fell to his mouth and he wondered if he had lipstick stuck on him. With an internal shrug he decided he didn’t care. It wasn’t like it was some clandestine affair he was having. That was his wife’s lipstick plastered on him like a brand. He smiled

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inwardly at the imagery that evoked and then looked up trying to give…er, what was her name again? all his attention. “Sir, I was wondering if I could be reassigned. I don’t think your wife likes me very much,” she said to him. Tony stopped smiling and looked at her stonily. “Why do you say that?” he asked. She shrugged and sighed. “She was just really rude to me today and I don’t know how I’m supposed to work with her,” she said looking at him with puppy dog blue eyes. She leaned forward and her blouse fell open. He could see her bra

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peeking out where the blouse exposed her flesh and his eyes narrowed. “Are you saying you can’t do the job?” he asked, “Just to be clear.” His voice was cold and she couldn’t fail to notice that. She stepped back from his desk and clasped her hands anxiously in front of her skirt, “No sir. Of course not. I was just wondering if I could be reassigned. I know your assistant is going on maternity leave; maybe I could take her place.” Tony stared at her, wondering what games she thought she was playing. He needed to get his lawyer in the room, maybe find out which laws applied in the case where he

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wished to dismiss an employee because she didn’t like his wife. He was aware those were flimsy terms but… “Let me think about it, I’ll get back to you,” he said. Her smile was sunny as she thanked him and she left his office with a new spring in her step. He clicked on his intercom, summoning his assistant into the room. “What was the name of the employee that just left my office?” he asked her. Nancy his PA looked at the door as if she could still see the girl who’d been here, “I’m not sure. Shall I find out from HR?” “Yeah. And get me her employee file while you’re at it would you?” he said.

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“Right away Tony,” she said and headed out. Tony decided it was high time he got back to work; the business wouldn’t run itself. * Want to read more? Then click here to get My Russian Billionaire now.

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Also available, the huge (828 pages) best selling romance story by myself J A Fielding: Steven And Julie!

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You can see more BWWM romance books from myself and other top authors by clicking here.

About J A Fielding Hey my lovelies, J A Fielding here! You want to know more about my writing? Ok, here goes: I specialize in stories with strong black women (although we're all human and need support at times) and sexy white men. I enjoy this genre so much I've teamed up with other writers to start the website BWWMRomance.com. Here you can see a selection of books in the BWWM genre, all with different view points and authors. I'm always open to writing on new related subjects, so if you want to suggest any story ideas for me, leave a review on one of my

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current books and mention your story idea. If it's something I feel I'll enjoy writing, I may give it a go. I will of course leave you a credit in the book for inspiring the idea. ;) I hope you've enjoyed this story and go on to check the others out. If you do leave a review, thank you in advance. J A Fielding. Click to get it free now:

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