King of the Underworld by RJ Kane

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 18, 2023

Chapter Twenty-Nine
Sephie

I ran upstairs to change, while Andrei waited outside my bedroom for me. I traded the jeans for a pair of leggings. I threw on a sports bra and a bigger shirt, to make sure Andrei didn’t see anything he shouldn’t see.

When I came out of my room, he had his back to the door, like the guardian he was. I took the opportunity to jump on his back like a spider monkey.

“Onward, trusty steed!” I said pointing ahead of him. He grabbed my legs and bounced me up higher on his back. He walked down the stairs like he wasn’t carrying a whole ass other person on his back.

He turned at the bottom of the stairs and went toward all the guys’ rooms. “Ohhh, I haven’t been this way yet. It’s an adventure!” I said, trying to be as annoying as possible.

As we passed each room, he pointed out who the room belonged to. Like I was going to remember after just one time.

“Will there be a test on this later? Because I can tell you right now that I’m not going to pass that test,” I asked.

He laughed. “Net, sestrichka. No test. We will all help you when you get lost. It took me two weeks to remember where everything was when we first moved here.”

“That makes me feel so much better.”
The gym came after all the guys’ bedrooms. It was huge and completely furnished with every weight and machine you would find in a regular gym. There was even a boxing ring at the back wall. Andrei pointed to a door behind the boxing ring. “There’s a basketball court through that door.”

“Shut up. You guys have a basketball court here?”

“Da. We don’t really use it that much. In the winter more. Too hot in the summer.”

I looked at him, amazed at this house. “I just can’t believe it’s not temperature controlled,” I said under my breath.

Andrei set me down by the extensive racks of weights. “You do my workout, sestrichka?”

I nodded. I was always up for a challenge. “Please don’t kill me.”
He chuckled. “I’ll go easy.”

While we worked out, we talked about everything. I learned about his childhood, how long he’d been working for Adrik, how he got the job, everything.

During a lull in the conversation, I cocked my head to the side and looked at him, “how long have you had a crush on Tori?”

He paused, blushing immediately. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sephie.”

“Don’t lie to me. It’s literally written all over your face right now,” I laughed.
He put his dumbbells down and walked to me. He grabbed my arm and pulled me deeper into the gym. “Shhhh…” he said with his finger to his lips.

I looked around. There was no one there but he and I. “Who’s going to hear me?” I whispered.

“She comes to the gym sometimes. She could walk in at any minute.”

I gasped. “Is that why we’re working out right now??” He nodded.

“You dog,” I said slapping his massive bicep.

He looked down, his posture crumbling slightly. “I don’t think she notices me. I don’t think she likes me.”

I scoffed. “Are you blind, son? She might try to hide it, but it’s plain as fucking day that she hearts you,” I said holding my hands up in the shape of a heart against my chest.

“No shit?”

“No shit, Andrei. I saw it right away in the kitchen this morning. Even Adrik saw it. You should talk to her. Don’t ask her out, just talk to her,” I said, now putting my hand gently on his arm. “She notices you, trust me.”

He thought for a minute, then shook his head. “I can’t. I’m an idiot. I wouldn’t know what to say.”

“You’ve been talking to me for like an hour now. You’ll do fine. Hell, you got a marriage proposal out of me within an hour of officially meeting me. You’ve got more game than you think you do, Andrei.”

“You’re different, Sephie.”
“I am not,” I argued. “I’m just like everyone else.”

It was his turn to argue. “I beg to differ. You are different. You’re the only woman that Adrik has ever brought here. He worries about you when he’s not with you. He’s forgotten his girlfriend’s name before in the past. He wants to keep you safe. He wants you by his side, always. He’s never been like this with any other woman I’ve seen him with. It’s like he can’t keep himself away from you, like he always has to be touching you.

He’s never been like that with another woman. They usually cling to him like he’s going to run away from them at any moment. But with you, it’s like he’s constantly trying to run to you. And it was like that from the first moment he saw you. I’ve worked for him for a long time. I know him. The second he saw you, he was in love with you.”

I inhaled deeply, not knowing what to say. I was completely at a loss for words. Some part of me knew he was right, but I still didn’t know how to respond. I thought for a moment more and then raised an eyebrow at him, “you’re this observant and you still can’t tell that Tori likes you as much as you like her?”

He cursed under his breath, blushing.
“Okay, Bubba. I’ll make you a deal. How about I talk to Tori and try to feel her out for you first? Find out if there’s a chance before you shoot your shot?”

“You would do that for me?”

“Bubba,” I said, hooking me arm through his, “I was ready to marry you for washing my dishes. Of course, I’ll talk to her.”

He grinned at me, then hugged me tightly. We finished our workout. He escorted me back to my bedroom so I could shower quickly. Once again, he waited outside my door. And once again, I hopped on his back after I walked out of my room. I could get used to this mode of transportation through this giant house.

I was taken to his room, so he could get a quick shower. He walked out of his bathroom in a fresh pair of sweatpants, holding his shirt in his hands. Good Lord, were they all this chiseled? Tori better jump at the chance to get to know this Adonis better.

He pulled his shirt over his head as he walked to his door. “Come. You hungry?” he asked.

“Now you are speaking my love language,” I said standing to follow him. He stopped in his doorway, slightly squatting down, with his arms wide at his side. I immediately jumped on his back, laughing.

“Don’t tell Viktor. You’re my new favorite.”

He patted my leg, “your secret is safe with me.”

Once in the kitchen, he backed up to the island so I could sit while he rummaged through the refrigerator. He started pulling random things out and setting them on the counter.

“Is there a plan here or are you just so hungry that you’ll eat anything?” I asked, eyeing the strange combination of food he had compiled on the counter.

“There’s a plan. Trust me.”

“If you say so…” I said, still very unsure about what was going to happen next.

He ultimately ended up being a very good cook. It was unorthodox, I’ll give him that, but his combination of like six different meats, potatoes, and peppers was delicious. Or I was just so hungry that I would’ve eaten anything. It could go either way.

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 18, 2023

Chapter Thirty
Sephie

As we were cleaning up, Tori walked through the kitchen. She looked like she was on her way to the gym, and she stopped to ask, “is there anyone in the gym?”

“Nope,” I said. “Everyone else is gone and we just got done.” I caught her face fall briefly. She looked to Andrei, who was looking down like he was petrified of looking at her directly.
She’s not Medusa, Andrei. I smiled at her, shrugging my shoulders, and jerking my head toward Andrei. She blushed slightly and continued on her way. When she was out of the kitchen, I smacked his arm. “What the hell was that? You didn’t even look at her!”

“I get nervous.”
I sighed. I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose.

“You can like kill people with just your thumbs, but you’re scared to talk to a girl?”

“Basically.”

I shook my head. “Okay, that’s it. I’m going to talk to her right now. You guys are going to keep playing this game forever unless someone intervenes on your behalf. You can wait outside the gym,” I said, walking back toward the gym.

As we got closer, he started to get more nervous. “Are you sure this is a good idea right now? I mean, we could wait until later. It might not be a good time. We should wait.”

“Nope. We’re ripping this band-aid off right now,” I said, opening the door to the gym. “Wait here.”

As I walked in, Tori was just finishing her warm-up on the treadmill. She gave me a small smile, but she was looking past me to see if Andrei was going to follow me into the gym. I glanced behind me, following her gaze, to make sure he was waiting outside.

“Hi Tori,” I said walking up to her.

“Hi,” she said somewhat unsure of what I was doing there.

“Okay, so this is weird and I’m just going to come out and say it. Andrei really likes you, but he’s also terrified of you. He wants to talk to you, to get to know you, but he’s so scared that you’ll turn him down that he won’t let himself even look at you, which is why he acts like a buffoon anytime you’re around.”

Her eyes went wide in shock. “He does???”

“He does. He very much does. And I’m guessing from what I saw this morning that you do too?”

She nodded eagerly. “I’ve had such a major crush on him since I started here. The other guys are so intimidating, but Andrei just seems really genuine. I didn’t think he liked me though because he rarely looks at me.

I crossed my arms, “terrified.”
She laughed nervously, “I can understand. I’m mostly terrified of him too. All of them, really. They’re so serious all the time. This morning was the first time I’ve ever seen any of them smile and I’ve worked here for two years. Especially Ivan. He’s scary, but he was like a normal guy with you.”

“Eh, a normal guy that can kill you in 2 seconds. Clearly normal is relative with him.”

“I’ve never seen any of them act so relaxed before. Especially Boss. He’s always uptight and looks like he wants to punch the wall. We have a stockpile of punching bags for him because he breaks them frequently.”
“Seriously?” I asked, completely surprised.

“Yeah. Me and the rest of the staff thought he had anger issues or something. And we’ve never seen him with a woman. The house staff thinks he’s gay.”

I laughed, “he did tell me that.”
We were silent for a moment. Then I came up with an idea. “Ok, I have a plan. You’re supposed to cook dinner for everyone tonight?” She nodded.

“How about, I do that and give you time with Andrei, just the two of you. He’s supposed to be babysitting me, until everyone returns, but that doesn’t mean you guys can’t be in the next room without five other pairs of eyes on you for once.”

She looked shocked. “You would do that? No, I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking. I offered. We have a unique opportunity tonight, might as well take advantage of it, no?”

“Oh my gosh, thank you so much. You’re seriously awesome,” she said.

“It’s a gift,” I winked at her. “I’ll tell the buffoon and coach him on speaking publicly until you’re ready,” I said, walking toward the door.

Andrei was going to be so happy. And nervous. So nervous.

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 18, 2023

Chapter Thirty-One
Adrik

We left the house in three vehicles. Ivan and Viktor with me, Stephen and Misha each driving a separate vehicle. Sometimes I showed up in two, sometimes three. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was walking into, so we chose three vehicles. Since we were coming back to the house and not staying in the city, I wanted to make sure no one followed us. We could confuse any tails we had easier with more vehicles.

Salvadori had asked to meet me, to discuss his son. He started off by apologizing for him and said he had a plan that he felt would satisfy everyone. I was sure it would, in fact, not satisfy me but I would hear him out, nonetheless.

We pulled up in front of Salvadori’s house. The other bosses loved to show their wealth, so he had a giant fountain in his driveway and usually kept one or two sports cars parked in his driveway. Today, it was the Porsche and Bugatti. Nice cars, but I didn’t understand the need for multiple cars that no one ever drives. If you’re going to own one, you might as well drive it.

We were met at the front door by Salvadori’s head of security. A man named Andy. He was a mostly good man. He had worked for Salvadori for years. Salvadori didn’t know it was Andy that had first alerted me to Anthony’s dealings with human trafficking. He said he couldn’t stand that Anthony was “soiling the family name” by stooping to such a low level. Since then, he’s been my mole in Salvadori’s operation. Unfortunately, even Salvadori doesn’t know everything that Anthony has been up to. He can’t control his own son and that is going to bite him later.

“Andy,” I said as I spread my arms wide so he could pat me down for weapons.

“Sir, good to see you again,” he said. That meant he had no new information for me. If he said it had been a while since he’s seen me, then he had information I would be interested in. Andy patted down both Viktor and Ivan, as they would accompany me inside. Stephen and Misha stayed armed and stayed outside with the vehicles. They all had wireless earpieces so they could communicate with one another. Misha and Stephen would be ready in the event we needed to leave in a hurry.

I wasn’t expecting trouble, but I was always prepared for it. Salvadori was a smart man. He knew his place within my organization and appeared happy with his slice of the city. He was active in his community, as well as loved by the people in his area of the city. He had a good relationship with the other bosses of the city. The issue remained, however, that he was incapable of controlling his son and that needed to be rectified.

Andy escorted us through the house to the back patio. Salvadori was seated at a table; his grandchildren were playing in the pool. I relaxed slightly. This was a sign that he meant no harm. We were criminals, but we had a hard and fast rule of no harm coming to children intentionally. Ever. This is why Anthony’s foray into human trafficking was unforgiveable.

Salvadori stood and extended his arms, exclaiming, “welcome, Sir. Welcome to my home. I’m pleased you have come.”

I shook his hand, nodding once. I was a man of few words, whenever possible. I noticed early in life that it tended to make others say more than they should. Most people were uncomfortable with silence and would fill it however they could, spilling secrets in the process.

He motioned for me to sit, as he took his seat once again. Once seated, he began immediately, “My sincerest apologies for the disrespect my son has caused. He has always been a difficult child, with his own ideas of right and wrong. His mother spoiled him to the point of ruin, I’m afraid,” he said, making the sign of the cross as he talked about his late wife.

I remained silent, allowing him to finish. Viktor and Ivan stood behind me, keeping an eye on our surroundings.

Salvadori continued, “I believe I have a plan that will satisfy everyone. I want to keep my son safe, difficult as he is, but I recognize that he is out of control at the moment. I propose to send him to Sicily. I have a brother there who can watch him and keep him out of trouble. He can stay there until this rebellious time passes. He’s young, coming into his manhood. Hormones and what not.” He flipped his hand in the air, like that was a suitable explanation for his son’s behavior.

I inhaled, thinking about this “solution.” My reach in Sicily was minimal, at best. I’m sure that Salvadori knew this, which is why he picked Sicily. It was one place that I couldn’t easily reach Anthony. I felt my anger threaten to rise to the surface. I didn’t like this plan. I would much rather see that piece of trash dead.

“He goes to Sicily immediately. He is not to return here without my permission. If I catch him in this city, he will be a dead man. The entire city will have shoot on sight orders for him. Understood?”

Salvadori’s left eye twitched, just as Sephie had said, but he nodded his head in agreement. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something still felt off about this situation. I didn’t like it, but I didn’t know why yet. Was he being dishonest or was he angry?

“Your tax will be increased for two years, as well. 40%. Take it from Anthony, I don’t care.”

His eyes went wide in shock, but he immediately gained control of his reaction once again. “Of course, sir. That’s very reasonable. I will make sure Anthony leaves within the week.”

“He has two days.”

“Yes, sir,” Salvadori said. He looked to Andy and nodded his head, waving his hand toward the table. “Now, please, I have a gift for the lovely Sephie. A token of apology from an old man.”

Andy set a jewelry box in front of me on the table. I opened it to reveal a diamond tennis bracelet. It was beautiful, but I couldn’t imagine her wanting to wear it. I still had that feeling that something was off, but graciously accepted the gift on her behalf. I stood to shake Salvadori’s hand and followed Andy back through the house. As we walked through the front door, Andy looked to the sky. The spring storm from earlier had passed, but the sky was still slightly overcast. “Looks like it might rain again, sir. Be careful on your drive home.”

I nodded my head. We got in the vehicles and drove away from the house in silence. Instead of turning to go back to my house, we turned in the opposite direction to drive back into the city.

“Penthouse, sir?” Ivan confirmed.

“Da. Something is off. I don’t like this,” I said, turning the jewelry box over in my hands.

“Agreed,” both Viktor and Ivan said.

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 18, 2023

Chapter Thirty-Two
Adrik

It took us twice as long to get to the penthouse as usual. We basically drove in circles for at least 20 minutes, trying to make sure we weren’t being followed. When Ivan was satisfied we were safe, we pulled into the underground parking garage beneath the building. I owned the entire building. The bottom floors were office space and apartments. The top three floors were restricted, with only my people having access. The top floor was my penthouse, the floor beneath that was apartments for each of my men, and the floor beneath that was office space for me, gym, and secure rooms where I could keep anyone I needed to get information from.

Andy’s statement about the weather told me that something was off, but I couldn’t get details just yet. It confirmed my gut feeling that I was missing something.

We rode the elevator to my office. I wanted to look through my files in my office. I threw the jewelry box down on my desk as I sat and started leafing through files on my desk. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was looking for, but I knew I would know it when I saw it. I needed as much information on Salvadori’s brother as I could find.
After half an hour with still no luck, I called to Viktor. He stuck his head inside my office, “Yes, boss?”

“I think we should take the helicopter home. I still have a bad feeling.”

“I already called it, sir. It’ll be here in ten minutes, ready whenever you are.”

“Thank you, Viktor.” I smiled to myself, knowing they were already taking every precaution to keep us safe and protected, which ultimately meant that Sephie would also be safe and protected. She had been on my mind the entire afternoon. I was still in shock over what she had endured in her short life. She had every reason to be hateful, to be mad at the world, to see the evil in everything and everyone.

Instead, she was exactly the opposite. She practically exuded love and happiness. She had moments where her past would show up and her light would dim, but only briefly. She was incredibly strong. I was in awe of her. The more I learned about her, the deeper I was falling for her.
I stood up from my desk. It was time to go. I needed to feel her in my arms.

Sephie
When I came out of the gym, Andrei was facing the door, looking more nervous than a man of his size ever should. I chuckled. He raised his eyebrows, looking expectantly at me.

“So…?” I pointed both of my thumbs at my chest and asked, “who’s your favorite?”

He inhaled sharply, “she’s interested??”

“Bubba, she’s just as smitten with you as you are with her. She’s had a crush on you since she got here. Thank God I stepped in. You two would be in your 60s before you ever had a conversation about this.” I grabbed his hand, walking back down the hall toward his bedroom.

“We’re waiting in here until she leaves the gym. I need to have a coaching session with you on how to talk to girls anyway. Then, you and she are spending time together, alone, while I cook dinner for everyone.”

“But sestrichka, I can’t leave you alone until Boss returns.”

“I’ll be in the next room. You can even move the couches so I’m in your line of sight. It’ll be fine. I’ll tell Adrik that it was my idea, so he doesn’t yell at you. Come on, you have like one chance to be alone with her, so fucking take it,” I said as I pointed my finger at him.

He laughed as he shook his head at me. “Yes, ma’am.”

After we heard Tori walk past his door, we ventured out toward the kitchen again. As we walked by the doors to the back patio, I had an idea.
“Do you have a pocketknife?”

“Da. Why?” he asked, reaching into his pocket to produce his knife. He held it in his palm.

I grabbed it, then grabbed his arm, pulling him after me. “Come with me. I have an idea.”

“I don’t like your ideas when you’re armed. Misha was right. You’re feisty.”
I stopped and glared at him for a moment, then smiled, “that’s fair. Totally fair.”

We walked to the garden. I waved my hand toward the flowers and said, “pick one. Don’t think too hard about it. Pick the one that catches your eye first.”

He immediately walked to a rose bush. The roses were a mix of yellow, orange, and pink. It was beautiful and unique.

“These are my favorite. Don’t tell anyone.”

I smiled at him, “you’re a secret romantic. I love it.” I used his knife to cut one of the biggest flowers off the bush and handed it to him. “Now, you’re ready.”

He took the rose from me. He did not look ready. He still looked terrified. I felt bad for laughing at him, but it was such a funny picture. This huge man that has likely killed people and not thought twice about it was having a full-blown panic attack about talking to a woman. A woman who was clearly into him as much as he was into her. This shouldn’t be an issue, but alas. Here we were.

“Andrei, look at me.” He glanced up at me, fear still evident in his eyes. “Talk to her like you talk to me. I’m no different. Think of her like you think of me. Instead of jumping straight into her pants, think about being friends with her first. I know you like her, and she likes you, but you guys don’t really know each other yet. Start with that. That’s the easy part. Don’t overcomplicate things or you’ll end up making yourself crazy. You know, like you’re clearly doing right now.”
He exhaled loudly.

“You’re like my relationship coach now.”

I chuckled and jumped on his back. “Your relationship coach spider monkey that needs a ride to the house.”

“Well, since I’m your favorite now, I guess I can oblige.”

As he walked us to the house, I said, “I must take advantage of this while I can. If you actually start dating Tori, I won’t be able to do this anymore.” I hugged his neck a little tighter.

“You can do this no matter what, sestrichka,” he said patting my leg.
I sighed, “we’ll see, Bubba. We’ll see.”

Once we got back to the house, we went to the kitchen and I started to rummage through the refrigerator to look for ideas to cook for dinner. As I was looking through the extra-large refrigerator, Andrei was laying down the ground rules for the evening.

“You must stay within my sight. You’re my responsibility, so you must stay in the kitchen where I can see you.”

“I promise I will follow the rules while giving you two as much distance as I can. Don’t worry about me,” I said while opening a drawer full of knives. I waved my hand over the top of the drawer, “I’ve got weapons and I know how to use them.”

He chuckled. “That’s my girl,” he said, holding his palm up for a high five. I smacked his palm and went back to looking through the kitchen.

Tori walked into the kitchen shortly after. They exchanged pleasantries and walked into the next room, Andrei positioning himself on one of the couches so he could still see me while Tori timidly sat down next to him.

I busied myself working on dinner, trying not to watch them the whole time. I would glance into the room every now and then. Every time I did, Andrei was smiling. His gaze would switch between Tori and me frequently. I did feel bad for Tori. This wasn’t exactly fair to her that he had to pay attention to me while he should be paying attention to her. At least it seemed like it was going well. He’s managed to speak to her, so that’s progress.

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 18, 2023

Chapter Thirty-Three
Sephie

I was in my own little world, working on dinner, humming to myself, sometimes dancing to a tune in my head, but mostly really trying to listen to what was being said in the next room while not being obvious about it. She hadn’t slapped him and stormed out of the room yet, so I was taking that as a good sign. I turned around to wash a knife in the sink, glancing in the direction of the front of the house.

Adrik was leaning against the doorway to the kitchen, still out of sight of Andrei. I immediately grinned at him. I quickly glanced at Andrei, who was now fully paying attention to something Tori was saying. I motioned for Adrik to be quiet, but to look toward the back room. Just then, the rest of the boys walked in behind Adrik. I motioned for all of them to be quiet and to look toward Andrei and Tori.

They each quietly peeked around the corner to spy on Andrei. There was discussion amongst them, but it was quiet enough that I couldn’t hear it.
Adrik, smirking, pointed to me and then pointed in front of him, signaling me to come to him. With one quick glance toward Andrei, who still wasn’t paying attention to me, I ran quickly to Adrik’s open arms. As soon as I was with him, they all dispersed and hid in various places. Adrik pulled me with him, his finger over his mouth to keep me quiet. He took me to a spot under the giant staircase in the entryway. He pressed me to the wall, his body pressed against mine.

He whispered, “I’ve been waiting to do this,” as he pressed his lips to mine. “But first we must scare Andrei.”

“Don’t be mad at him,” I whispered back. “It was all my idea. Technically I put him up to this, because Lord knows he never would’ve made a move without me.”

He smiled at me. “I’m not mad, solnishko. The opposite, really. But he doesn’t need to know that right now.”

My smile grew wide. I loved seeing this impish side of him. I couldn’t help but think back to what Tori had said about him earlier. This was clearly not a man who had anger issues. I was happy I got to see this side of him.
We heard Andrei in the kitchen, calling for me. He cursed and yelled my name again. When he walked toward the front of the house, the other guys came out from their hiding places as he walked past them. We could hear them all jump on him, poor Andrei yelling and cursing each one of them.

Adrik stayed pressed up against me, his eyes never leaving my face. I looked in his eyes, still expecting to see a change. He raised his eyebrow and asked, “why do you look confused, solnishko?”

I looked down, not realizing I had given myself away. I felt my cheeks blush. “It’s nothing.”

He clicked his tongue, but let it drop. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. The guys were laughing now, “Come, we will witness the aftermath of the carnage.”

“Ohhh, I love good carnage in the evening,” I said clapping my hands.
When we appeared from our hiding spot, Andrei’s face was so red I was worried he was going to have a heart attack. He caught sight of me, “you’re going to be the death of me!”

I tried to look as innocent as possible. “Tomorrow is never promised, Bubba. You have to seize the opportunities when they arise,” I grinned at him.

The other guys all laughed, walking back toward the kitchen. Andrei looked toward Adrik, still worried he was in trouble. Adrik held his hand up saying, “she already told me she basically forced you to do it. You were fighting a losing battle.” He patted Andrei on his shoulder.

“Good. All is well.” Andrei exhaled and smiled at me, before turning to quickly return to Tori. I turned to Adrik.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For not yelling at him.” I paused, then added, “for coming back to me…and for not looking at me differently.”

He closed the short distance between us and held me close. “Why would I ever look differently at you, Persephone?”

I caught my breath. He was really the only one that ever used my full name, and I loved the way it sounded rolling off his tongue. I looked at him, somewhat sheepishly. “It happens almost every time someone finds out about…you know, my scars.”

He inhaled sharply. He started to speak but stopped. He just wrapped his arms tighter around me and held my head against his chest. He exhaled. “Never.”
hugged him a little bit tighter, wondering to myself how I deserved him. Then I remembered I was supposed to be cooking dinner.

“Oh shit. Dinner.” I ran quickly into the kitchen to find Tori keeping a watchful eye over the food, while Andrei stood close by, keeping a watchful eye on her.

“Oh, thank you, Tori. I got…distracted,” I said glancing back at Adrik.

“I should be thanking you,” she quietly said, blushing slightly. I looked around the kitchen. It was just the two of them.

The guys had all disappeared again.
“I will help her finish this up. You’ve done plenty tonight,” Andrei said with a wink.

“Are you sure? I don’t mind finishing up. I like to cook. I’m nowhere near as good as Tori, but I enjoy it anyway.”

I felt Adrik slide his arm around my waist from behind me. “Why don’t we give them a little more time. I have something to discuss with you anyway,” he said, pulling me out of the kitchen. Andrei simply waved as I disappeared.

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 18, 2023

Chapter Thirty-Four
Sephie

Adrik took me to his bedroom. As he closed the door, he untucked his shirt from his pants. He walked to me as he unbuttoned his shirt. I sat on the end of the bed, enjoying the show. With his signature smirk, he leaned down and kissed me as he took his shirt completely off. He stood and disappeared in his closet.

“What did you want to discuss with me?” I asked loud enough that he could hear in his closet.

He didn’t answer right away. He walked out in a pair of jeans that looked well worn. He left them unbuttoned, so they were sitting lower than usual on his hips, giving me an almost complete view of that lower ab V that he had. I inhaled sharply, biting my bottom lip without realizing I was doing it. He threw his t-shirt on a dresser and walked to the end of the bed, directly in front of me.

He pulled me up, so I was standing in front of him. He took one of my hands and placed it behind his neck, doing the same with my other hand. He ran his hands down my back to my ass. In one quick motion, he picked me up and wrapped my legs around him. I squealed and held on tighter. My hips were just above his, which meant he was eye level to my boobs. He pressed his face into my chest, mumbling, “I could get used to this.”
I laughed, trying to wiggle away from his face in between my breasts. One hand slid under my shirt and up my back. I froze for an instant as his hand touched my bare skin.

There had not been many people to actually touch my back since I had been scarred. He noticed my uneasiness. His hand stopped moving, but he didn’t remove it. His thumb just traced small circles while he held his hand against my back. I was fighting to remain calm. His warm hand felt amazing against my skin, but I was so self-conscious that I couldn’t completely relax. I was so used to keeping that part of myself locked away tight.

“Look at me, Sephie,” he said, barely above a whisper.

I looked into his eyes. His eyes were dark blue again. I searched his eyes, looking for the slightest change, but still found nothing. He was looking at me just as intensely as he always had. As I was looking at him, his hand started moving across my scars again.

“Keep looking at me, Sephie. Breathe,” he said, gently running his hand up and down my back. I exhaled, not realizing I was holding my breath. Still holding me, he climbed on the bed so that I was now lying underneath him. He brushed a strand of hair from my face, his other hand still on the bare skin of my back.

“I missed you today,” he said, placing small kisses down my neck to my collarbone.

I felt tears threatening to well up in my eyes. I felt a massive wave of relief come over me. I sighed, closing my eyes. I felt his lips on mine. I could feel him holding back, unsure of my mental state. As soon as his lips touched mine, I wrapped myself around his body. I kissed him like he was the air I needed to breathe.

He responded in kind. Groaning into my mouth, his hands started to roam freely over my body, exploring every inch. My breathing quickened when he unbuttoned my jeans. He pulled on them to undo the zipper, his fingers immediately tracing lightly across the top of my panties. I felt his fingers slide inside the fabric, sliding lower between my legs. I moaned quietly as I broke the kiss, needing air. He moved to my neck, biting me lightly as his hand fully slid into my
wetness.

He groaned, “fuck, Sephie.” His fingers traced lightly back and forth, causing me to moan and push my hips into him. He added more pressure but kept up the back and forth. My hips moving with his motions. His lips pressed to mine again. I kissed him deeply. As I felt his tongue push into my mouth, he slid a finger inside me.

He slid his finger out and then added a second as he went back in. I arched my back and moaned louder. He kept a steady rhythm with his hand, my hips moving against him. He kept his mouth on mine as he pushed me closer to the edge. As I got closer, I
pushed into him harder. He increased his rhythm, driving me wild. It didn’t take long before my body exploded into pure bliss.

He slowly slid his fingers out of me, causing my body to jerk slightly. He smiled before kissing my neck once more. He brought his fingers to his lips and sucked my juices off his fingers. I covered my face in embarrassment. He pulled my shirt up and kissed my stomach.

“You taste heavenly, solnishko. I want more,” he said as he bit my hip bone.

“But first, we must eat dinner. Otherwise, I won’t be able to hear your sweet moans over your stomach growling.” I laughed. Looking up at him, I reached up and traced my fingers lightly over his almost beard. He leaned into my touch, kissing my palm before letting me continue.

“I missed you today too,” I said. “Wait, didn’t you say you had something to discuss with me?”

He chuckled. “We just discussed it. We’ll have to revisit it again later, though, as we couldn’t come up with a solid solution.” He sat up on his knees, rolling me on my side. He slapped my ass once before climbing off the bed.

“Come, I’m hungry. Let’s go ruin Andrei and Tori’s time together,” he said as he pulled on his shirt.

“Diabolical. I love it.” I jumped off the bed, straightening my clothes. I reached up to pull my hair into a bun, as I was sure it was even more of a mess than usual.

He checked his tongue and pulled my arms down. “I love your hair wild and untamed.”

I smiled at him, still wondering what I did to deserve him, as we started downstairs to the kitchen.

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 18, 2023

Chapter Thirty-Five
Sephie

We walked in to find Ivan and Misha in the kitchen with Tori and Andrei. Misha was telling Tori stories about Andrei while she finished up dinner. She looked mostly relaxed, especially given that Ivan was in his usual quiet, murderous mood. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. I whispered “murderous aura” in his ear.

“Humph,” was all he said.

“That reminds me, Grumplestiltskin. I need to change your bandage later,” I said grabbing a glass from the cabinet. I filled it with water, drank half, and then gave the rest to Adrik. He finished the rest of it and refilled it.
Viktor came into the kitchen, soon followed by Stephen. Misha was still having fun telling stories on Andrei, so he recruited Viktor for more embellishment. Poor Andrei. It was like having four older brothers. Tori seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. She seemed much more at ease with all of them than I had seen her previously. I leaned against the cabinet, smiling.

I felt Adrik’s hand on my back. He kissed my temple. “What are you smiling about, solnishko?” he whispered, lightly rubbing his nose on my ear. I felt the goosebumps spread over my body.

I turned to look at him. “I’m enjoying watching everyone relax. You guys were very uptight the first time I saw you. It’s nice to see this side of everyone.”

He pressed his mouth close to my ear again, so that his rough facial hair brushed against my cheek. “It’s because of you, you know.”

I leaned my face against his as he gently rubbed his rough cheek against mine. My lips curled into a slight smile, thinking back to his hands on me. I felt my cheeks flush. I rested my head on his shoulder, as I felt his hand slip under my shirt. His thumb lightly tracing circles on my back again. My back was toward the wall, so there was no chance anyone would see anything. I sighed, turning my head to watch everyone in the kitchen as they all continued to chat.

The last three days had been anything but normal, but I found myself feeling happy. Really, truly happy for the first time in a very long time. Maybe I wasn’t cut out for normal.

After dinner, all the guys pitched in to help clean up the dishes. Andrei and Tori snuck away outside to go for a walk before the sun set completely. Adrik and Viktor were having a seemingly serious conversation in the corner of the kitchen. They were speaking Russian, which meant I wouldn’t be able to understand even if I wanted to.

I was wiping down the counters as Ivan was finishing drying the last of the dishes. “So, you want to tell me why you’re so grumpy again?”

“I’m not grumpy.”

“You’re definitely grumpy.”

“I am no…I held my hand up to him so he couldn’t finish his sentence.

“Did you just think about punching me for arguing with you?”

“Maybe.”

I crossed my arms across my chest. “I rest my case, your honor.”

He grumbled something under his breath and went to the back room to sit on the end of the couch. I followed. I draped myself over his shoulders, like dead weight on his back.

“Princess. What are you doing?” he said, starting to get even more annoyed.

“I’m your emotional support sloth. I’m staying here until you feel better,” I said, still laying over his back like a wet towel.

He stood up, to try to get rid of me, but I managed to hold on and stay on his back, staying as limp and awkward as I could. He just stood by the couch, with his arms crossed.

Misha walked in the room, “what the fuck is going on here?”

“Oh, hi. I’m Grumplestiltskin’s emotional support sloth. I’m just gonna hang out here until he feels better. Should be any minute now. I can feel it,” I said starting to laugh at the absurdity of my antics.

Once I started to laugh, Ivan started to crack. He craned his neck to look at me. I saw him fighting a smile Misha was laughing and Viktor and Adrik had walked into the room to see what was going on. They both laughed at the ridiculous scene in front of them. That was all it took. Ivan couldn’t hold it in any longer. He started laughing.
I jumped off his back and threw my hands up in victory. “Emotional support sloth for the win!”

Ivan just shook his head. He surprised me by turning around and hugging me to him. He held me tightly, in that way that someone who is fighting internal battles does when they find an anchor to cling to in their stormy sea. I hugged him back as he whispered “thank you” in my ear. I just squeezed him tighter.

“I still need to change your bandage,” I said, pulling away to look at his face. He nodded, as he let me go. If I didn’t know better, I would say his eyes were a little misty.

Viktor said, “we have bandages. I’ll get them for you,” as he walked out of the room.

Adrik walked up and pulled me away slightly. “I’m going to my office. I’m still looking for an answer that I can’t seem to find. Come get me when you’re done,” he said as he kissed my lips.

“I won’t be long,” I said.

“Good. There is that matter we still must discuss,” he said. He winked at me as he walked away. I could feel the heat between my legs return at the thought of it.

Ivan stood in front of me, shirtless, standing completely still as I carefully peeled his old bandage off. I was becoming convinced he was completely impervious to pain, as he never even flinched at the adhesive peeling back from his skin.

I worked in silence, checking that his stitches were still holding. Once I was satisfied that no infection was starting to set in and everything was healing like it was supposed to, I placed a new bandage over the wound. As I taped the new bandage to his skin, I said, “you know the trick about fighting demons?” I didn’t wait for him to respond. “The trick is to stop fighting them and make friends with them. Then they have no power over you.”

I noticed his jaw clench, but he didn’t say a word. He looked down at the floor, his shoulders slightly slumped.

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 18, 2023

Chapter Thirty–Six
Sephie

I cleaned up and left the bandage supplies on the counter. Everyone had since disappeared, so I wasn’t sure where they went. I wandered up the stairs to Adrik’s office.
I was chewing on my bottom lip when I walked in, my hands in my pockets. I was completely lost in thought. About Ivan, about Andrei and Tori, about everything that happened the last three days.

“You okay?” Adrik asked from his desk.

As soon as I saw him, I was snapped back to reality. I smiled warmly at him, taking in his features. He had ditched his shirt again and was just in jeans sitting at his desk, a stack of papers in front of him. He leaned back in his chair, pushing it away from his desk. He turned toward me as I walked toward him.

“Did you find your answer?” I asked, standing beside him, and picking at the top few files in one stack.

He shook his head no, letting out a frustrated breath.

“I can come back later. I don’t want to interrupt.”

A smile came over his face. “Give me twenty more minutes? This is really eating at me.”

“Of course,” I leaned down and kissed him, before turning to leave. I heard him blow out another frustrated breath and curse quietly as I walked out.

I found the shirt he was wearing earlier on the end of the bed, so I decided to change into that and lie down while I waited for him to finish. Between the sprinting and Andrei the personal trainer today, I was tired. My body was going to be sore tomorrow.

I went to the bathroom. I checked my bruises in the mirror. They were still clearly visible, but they were starting to fade just a little. A few more days and they would be much lighter.

I climbed into bed, thinking I was just going to comfortably wait for him to be done. I woke up sometime later. It was completely dark outside. The only light coming from his office. I got up to go check on him, not even sure what time it was.

When I walked to the door of his office, he was hunched over his desk, pouring over a file. I hesitated, not knowing whether I should interrupt him when he looked like he might’ve found his answer. Or at least gotten closer. I leaned on the doorway, rubbing my eyes. When I opened them, he had caught sight of me.

“Solnishko. Forgive me. I came in to find you were already asleep, so I came back in here,” he said, leaning back in his chair and turning toward me again. He had changed into pajama pants but kept his hatred for shirts alive and well.

“Why would I need to forgive you? You’re working. You have a lot of responsibility. I can’t be mad at that,” I said, walking toward him. He motioned for me to come to him. As I stepped closer to him, he pulled me onto his lap, so that I was straddling him.

“You’re so different,” he said. His hands immediately running over my legs and under my shirt.

“Different like ‘she might be touched in the head‘ different?” I asked, in my best southern accent.

He laughed. “All of the women I’ve dated in the past hated when I worked. They always complained when I worked or tried to distract me from it. It made me want to work more to avoid them. You? You try not to bother me, even though I want nothing more than for you to bother me. I want to ditch work, just to be with you. It was torture to have to be away from you today. I’ve never felt that way about any woman before.”

I felt the goosebumps rising on my skin as I listened to his words and his hands continued to roam under my shirt. I didn’t really know how to respond. I chewed on my bottom lip, trying to come up with words.

I heard him groan low. His thumb swiped my bottom lip as he said, “you know what that does to me, solnishko.”

I grinned at him. I yawned suddenly, still not completely awake, and stretched. “Did you find your answer?”

“Da. Finally,” he said, as he stood up, with me still straddling him. I just wrapped myself around him as he turned the light off and walked us to the bedroom.

“What time is it?” I asked, yawning again.

“Around 2, I think,” he said as he placed me gently on the bed. I moved over so he could climb in behind me. He pulled me back to him, pressing his body against mine.

I sighed, “you’re so warm.”

“Too warm?”

“No, perfect warm,” I said as I drifted off to sleep again.

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 18, 2023

Chapter Thirty-Seven
Adrik

I heard her inhale deeply and felt her body stretch against mine. It must be morning. I was not ready to wake up yet. I pulled her closer to me and she snuggled back into my arms. She rolled in my arms to face me, her fingers lightly running through my facial hair. I loved when she ran her fingers over my face. I kept my eyes closed, still not wanting to admit that it was morning.

I felt her lips gently brush mine as she whispered, “good morning.” Her fingers still in my facial hair.
I groaned and squeezed her tighter, hiding my face in the pillow. She giggled quietly, running her fingers through my hair and down the back of my neck. I buried my face deeper into the pillow as she ran her hands down my back. She rested her chin on the back of my shoulder, giving her better access to rub my back. It felt amazing. I’d been so stressed since my meeting with Salvadori that I hadn’t paid attention to how tight my muscles were.

She would alternate between the light pressure of just her fingertips and using her whole hand to press on my muscles, working the tightness out as she went. I felt goosebumps on my body as she kissed the back of my shoulder. I rolled onto my side, as my morning wood was making it uncomfortable to lie on my stomach. She laid her head on my arm and looked at me sweetly. Her hand continued to run lightly over my chest and arms.

“How did you sleep?” I asked, brushing a curl back from her face.

“It seems I always sleep well with you,” she said. She stretched her body again, this time several joints popping loudly in the process. She groaned quietly.

I raised my eyebrow at her. “I’m a little sore,” she said. My eyebrows furrowed, wondering why she would be sore.” “Between racing you yesterday and Andrei the personal trainer, my muscles are complaining this morning,” she said.

“Andrei didn’t take it easy on you?” I asked.

“No, he did. This is the problem. It’s been too long since I worked out. I used to go to the gym with Max sometimes after work, but I had skipped it the week before, uh…” she trailed off, not wanting to say it. She just pointed to her neck. The bruises were slowly getting lighter with each day that passed.

I ran my hands over her arm, down her body to her leg. I pulled her leg over my hip so I could easily run my hand over her leg while we talked.

“You can go to the gym anytime you want now, solnishko.”

“I know. I was actually hoping to go for a run today?” she phrased it like a question, like she was asking for permission. I smiled at her. She still didn’t know she could do whatever she pleased, whenever she pleased.

“You can do whatever you please, solnishko. Take Misha with you. He likes to run. He might be able to keep up with you.”

She laughed. “No sprinting today, but it’s been a while since I’ve been for a long run. I miss it.”

“Then I will tell Misha to stretch so he’s ready.” I grinned at her. She smiled back at me, but her smile faded quickly. She looked like she was struggling internally, like she wasn’t sure how to say something. I leaned over to kiss her lightly.

“You know you can say anything that’s on your mind with me. I want to know what’s going on in that beautiful brain of yours.”

She looked at me, slightly surprised. Shyly, she asked, “can I go back to work? I mean, I don’t really miss the job per se, but I miss Max. And I want to check on Ms. Jackson and Mr. Turner.”

I felt a pull in my chest. She’s been so happy here that I almost forgot I took her away from her life. She didn’t realize that she didn’t need to work anymore, because I would take care of every need, or want, she would ever have. I wanted her to be happy. Most of all, I needed to keep her safe. Anthony wasn’t gone yet, but even after he left, I still didn’t trust that he wouldn’t try something.

“Not yet, malishka. Anthony will be gone by tomorrow. I want you to stay here until he’s gone, so I know you are safe,” I said. I saw disappointment flash across her eyes, but she masked it quickly.

“Gone where? Like taking a trip down the river Styx gone?” she asked, her eyes wide.

I smiled at the direction her mind immediately went. “Unfortunately, no. I would prefer that outcome, truth be told. His father made a deal with me. Anthony is banished to Sicily. For now.”

“Taking that island off the list of places I’d like to visit one day,” she said, her face serious. She had handled. everything so well, but she had moments where I could tell she was still bothered by it all. I took a deep breath in, thinking about everything she had been through in a few short years. I watched as her face went dark for a moment, She closed her eyes, holding her breath for a moment. When she opened her eyes, her eyes were light once again.

“You have to work today?” she asked, snuggling closer to my chest, and wrapping her leg tighter around my hips.

“Not if you keep doing that,” I said kissing the top of her head.
I felt the vibration of her giggle against my chest. “Sorry…that’s a lie. Not sorry,” she said.

I ran my hands under my shirt that she was wearing. She didn’t flinch this time when my hands touched her scars. Good. I wanted her to feel comfortable. I wanted her to know that my feelings hadn’t changed. As I ran my hand over her body, I lazily told her what my plans for the day were.

“I have some work to finish here this morning. I have meetings in the city this afternoon. I will leave Andrei with you again if you like. Or you can pick another one to abuse in my absence.”

She giggled again. “You don’t have to leave any of them with me, you know. You need them more than me. You said nobody knows about this place, so how would anybody find me here? And if they did find me here, how would they get through the army of guards and dogs outside?”

“I’m leaving one of them with you. No arguing. The guards outside don’t have the…special set of skills that my guys have. You’re stuck with one of them. But I’ll let you choose which one,” I said.

“Should we let them choose? I feel like it’s punishment for them to have to babysit me, so I don’t want to force them to have to do it.”

I laughed at her. “This is a good idea. Then you’ll see that it is definitely not punishment to stay with a beautiful woman instead of following my grumpy ass around all day.” I held her close, not wanting to get up. Not wanting this moment to end. As soon as we got out of bed, my day would start and I already knew that I would be counting the mynutes until I could get back to her.

We laid in silence for a few more minutes. She sighed and rolled away from me slightly. “I should go get dressed,” she said, stretching her arms over her head.

“You can move your things in here. There’s plenty of room,” I said as she sat up.

She looked back at me. “But then it won’t be so easy to kick me out when you get annoyed with me and my smart mouth,” she said, a devilish grin on her face.

I sat up beside her. I looked at her very seriously. “Solnishko. I wouldn’t kick you out. You would just have to sleep on the floor,” I said as I jumped out of bed before she could smack me. I heard her laughing as I went to the bathroom, closing the door.

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 18, 2023

Chapter Thirty-Eight
Adrik

Everyone was in the kitchen when we came downstairs. Tori was making breakfast for everyone, as usual. The house staff was back and walking through the kitchen now that it was a weekday. I gave them the weekends off. I always offered Tori the weekend off as well, but she always refused. Now I understand it was because she wanted to be close to Andrei.

Misha was already ready for his run with Sephie. The other guys ready for their workouts after breakfast. Mornings were the only chance we had to get any kind of exercise in. My schedule was always full, especially in the afternoons.

After breakfast, Misha and Sephie left for their run. I was happy to see her happy. I felt bad for Misha. He had no idea what he was in for with my gazelle.

The rest of us went to the gym. Some days we worked out in silence. Other days, we discussed business. We rarely talked about anything else, but today we were very interested in grilling Andrei about his evening with Tori. It was obvious during breakfast that she was much more comfortable with all of us, but especially Andrei. I caught him finding reasons to touch her while we were in the kitchen.

Andrei and Misha were the most sensitive of all the guys. Andrei was young, but not as young as Misha. He was good at his job, though, and could turn everything off and rely on his instincts when it counted. He’d been with me in a few close calls, including a few days ago with getting Sephie here.

When we were done giving Andrei a hard time about Tori, I posed a question to all of them. “Sephie wishes to return to work. I can’t say I’m happy about that idea, but I want her to be happy. Is it possible to keep her safe while she’s at work?” They all stopped and thought for a moment. Ivan was the first to speak.

“Net. Not a good idea. There’s too many variables. All of us would need to be there, which leaves you vulnerable.” Viktor agreed.

“I don’t like the idea either. You saw how many people were in the restaurant the other night. That’s too many innocent people to have to consider.”

“She told me this morning that she misses her friend Max that she worked with and her neighbors,” I said.

Ivan asked, “are you planning to keep her here full-time? Why not take her to your penthouse. Move the neighbors into the apartments on the lower floors. She can see Max whenever she wishes. That’ll keep her neighbors out of trouble too. I wouldn’t put it past Anthony to plan an attack on the building if he thought it would get to her.”

“Ivan, you’re brilliant. I’ll arrange everything this morning. She’s not to know about this yet, though.”

They all nodded in agreement. Andrei smiling at the thought of surprising her with this.

Viktor surprised me and asked, “Boss, you love her, don’t you?”

I didn’t hesitate to answer. “More than anything I’ve known in my life. If something were to happen to her, I wouldn’t think twice about burning this city to the ground to avenge her.”

Ivan added, “I’ll bring the matches.”
Viktor nodded in agreement, Andrei spoke up and said, “We’re going to need gas as well.”

Even Stephen, who was usually the quiet one, said, “I will happily light that fire.”

I looked at each of them, not really surprised that they all felt the same way about Sephie, but proud that they did. She had brought out something new and different in each of us. We were already addicted to her. We had been living in darkness so long that we almost forgot what the light was. She came in to show us what we’d been missing this whole time and not a single one of us wanted to give that up.

After I showered and changed into a pair of slacks and a fresh shirt, I made a quick trip to the kitchen for a glass of water. I took the back stairs. As I was walking through the back room, I saw Sephie walking around the pool. Misha was behind her, but visibly dragging. His face was red, his shirt completely soaked. She looked like she had walked the entire time. Her cheeks were just the slightest bit pink, but she wasn’t even breathing hard.
Gazelle.

I opened the door for her, waiting for Misha to catch up. She stood on her toes and kissed me as she walked in the house. I held the door for Misha.

“You okay, man? Need someone to carry you the rest of the way?”
Still trying to catch his breath, he said, “Dude. How. She just kept going. And going. And going.”

I laughed. “Did you make the mistake of racing her?”

“Noooooo. I’m not that stupid. I thought this was going to be an easy morning.” He stood next to me. Misha was taller than I was, by a couple of inches. He looked down at me.

“Why, Boss. Why do you hate me?”
I chuckled at him.

“You’re the only one that had a chance. Can you imagine Viktor or Ivan trying to keep up with her? She’s like a fucking gazelle, man.” I said, shaking my head. My loss yesterday still fresh in my head.

“I can hear you, you know!” Sephie yelled from the kitchen.

We both laughed. “Go shower. You smell like you’ve been chasing my girlfriend for the last hour,” I said patting him on the shoulder.
When I got to the kitchen, she was leaning against the counter. Her arms folded under her breasts, pushing them a little higher than normal, making them look fuller than they already were. Her eyebrow raised, she looked at me, “girlfriend?”

I stammered. I hadn’t even realized I had said it, but now that I thought about it, it felt completely right. I was just hoping she felt the same. I had never considered that she might not want that title, though. Now, my heart was racing thinking about the possibility of rejection. I walked to her, taking her glass of water from her hand. I finished the last half of it, then went to refill it for her. “Yes,” I stated firmly. I then added, “if you’re okay with that, of course.” I was unsure of her reaction as I turned back to her to hand her the glass of water.
She didn’t speak right away, making me even more nervous. I never got nervous.

“I could get used to the title,” she said, smirking at me.

I let go of the breath I had been holding. I ran my hand through my hair, relief flooding my body.
She chuckled and walked to me.

“Were you nervous just now?”

“Maybe just a little. I mean, I should have discussed it with you first,” I said, staring at the counter instead of at her. I felt her hand on my cheek. She turned my head so I was looking at her. She stood on her toes and kissed my lips gently.

“You’re my boyfriend. I trust your decisions.”

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 18, 2023

Chapter Thirty-Nine
Adrik

I went to my office to make arrangements for Sephie’s neighbors to move to my building downtown while she showered and changed after her torture session with Misha. Poor guy was going to have a rough day because of her.

Ivan’s plan was a solid one. I was hopeful that Ms. Jackson and Mr. Turner would agree to it. It would make things much easier as well. I could be near her during the day. I hoped it would make her as happy as it would make me.

Calling her my girlfriend in front of Misha and then the sudden panic that she might reject me made it all seem more real, somehow. With women in the past, I never had any fear that they would reject me. They all threw themselves at me, so desperate for my attention. Sephie wasn’t like that at all. I could see there was an attraction there when she first looked at me, but she ran away just as much as she ran to me. She was always cognizant of what I needed. Women in my past were only concerned about what they needed. Sephie even considers my men before herself many times. She seems to intuitively know what they need, even before they do.

I had two apartments prepared for her neighbors. I would stop by later today to speak with them both in person. Unusual offers were always best delivered in person. I texted the addition to my schedule to Viktor.
Picking up the file on top of my desk, I read through the contents one more time. I’d been looking for information on Anthony’s uncle in Sicily. I didn’t have much, but what I did have didn’t make me any happier about this deal that I made with Salvadori. His brother, Lorenzo, was no better than Anthony. It apparently ran in that family.

I knew something wasn’t sitting right when Salvadori mentioned his brother, but I couldn’t remember what about that man felt wrong. Finally, I found the evidence that I needed. The reason Lorenzo was in Sicily was because of my father. My father had banished him, just like I banished Anthony. Lorenzo had been stealing from my father. My father caught him and in a moment of restraint, he banished him to Sicily instead of having him killed. I always thought he did it as a favor to Salvadori, who had been a loyal boss to my father for years.

Now I was sending Anthony, a man who had a grudge against me, to a man who had a grudge against my father. Lorenzo had made a few attempts to overtake my father after he was banished, but he could never get enough support. The other bosses were too scared of my father to side with Lorenzo. The question now was how loyal the bosses were to me. They weren’t scared of me, I knew that. But were they loyal?

My anger started to rise over this whole ridiculous situation. I cursed and slammed my fist on my desk. I put my head in my hands, thinking about how much I wanted to watch the life drain from Anthony’s eyes.
I felt Sephie’s soft hands on my shoulders. I hadn’t even heard her come into my office. She didn’t say a word, she just massaged my shoulders until the tension eased slightly. She leaned down and kissed my cheek, the floral scent of her shampoo filling my nostrils. I inhaled deeply. I reached up, pulling her arms around me.

“You look frustrated,” she said quietly.

“I’m better now. I don’t know how you do it, but I hope you never stop.”

She looked at me, puzzled. “Do what?”
“You always know what I need. Sometimes before I do. You do it with the guys too. You know what they need before they do.”

She just shrugged her shoulders. “It seems obvious to me, most times.”
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. “Most people are oblivious to those around them. Your observation skills are next level. I should give you a job just telling me things about people I miss. You were right about Salvadori, too.”

“Don’t be silly. Your observation skills are superb.”

I pulled her around to sit in my lap. “I think we should ask Ivan whether you or I am the better emotional support sloth.”

She started giggling. She covered her face with her hands. “Sometimes I don’t know what comes over me. I can’t believe he didn’t kill me for that. I know he wanted to.”

“You still don’t see it. Killing you is the last thing Ivan would ever want to do,” I said. My hands running lightly over her back.

She leaned against me, lost in thought. My phone started buzzing on my desk. She reached for it, handing it to me. She looked at me with a devilish spark in her eye, “you should let me answer it. I’ll be your secretary.”

Iglanced at the caller ID. It was Viktor. I handed the phone to her. Her eyes lit up, as she suddenly tried to be very serious. She cleared her throat and answered the call, “Hello, you’ve reached the phone of the man who shall remain nameless. He’s currently unavailable, but I will be happy to give him a message for you. May I ask who is calling?”

I heard Viktor’s deep laugh on the other end of the phone. She recognized his laugh too and started giggling.

“Sestrichka, can you please tell the man who shall remain nameless that the helicopter will be here at 12:30 and that, uh, the other matter has been added to his schedule. We will make an additional first stop and last stop.”

“Of course, I will give him the message right away and you have a wonderful afternoon, you giant Russian bear of a man you. Thank you for calling.”

We could hear his laughter before the call ended. She set the phone down on the desk and looked at me. “Sir, your helicopter will be here at 12:30 and your additional stops have been added to your itinerary.”

I ran my hand up her back to the back of her neck. Grabbing a fistful of her still damp hair, I pulled her close and kissed her deeply. She was so full of life. “I could get used to having a s e x y secretary,” I said, trying to catch my breath.

She pressed her forehead to mine, her breath erratic as well.
“Wait, you have a helicopter?”

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 18, 2023

Chapter Forty
Adrik

I had told the guys to meet me in the kitchen at noon. We still hadn’t decided who was going to stay with Sephie. She was still under the false impression that it was more like punishment to have to stay with her, rather than go with me and wanted to let them decide amongst themselves. She wasn’t expecting them to argue over who got to stay with her, but I was. I was expecting to have to break up a fight, honestly.
They all looked at me expectantly when I walked in the kitchen with Sephie.

I looked at them as seriously as I could. “One of you must stay behind with Sephie. She won’t make a decision on who she wants to stay with her. She wants you to decide amongst yourselves who will stay.” I barely finished the sentence, and they were already arguing over who it should be.

Andrei was quickly eliminated, as he had stayed with her the day before. That left the other four. Misha made a solid argument that she had tried to kill him that morning, so he had earned being able to stay with her.

Ivan argued that he was the most skilled in hand-to-hand combat and could therefore offer the best protection to her. Viktor used the fact that he was her favorite, so he should clearly get to stay. Stephen made the case that he was the most accurate shot out of all of them, so he should stay with her, as he could easily drop a threat from 40+ yards.

I looked at her as they argued, smirking. “I told you.”

“This did not go how I thought it would go,” she said, staring at grown men arguing over who got to babysit her. I kissed her temple and listened to the arguing for a few more minutes. When they still couldn’t come to a decision, I finally stepped in.

“Okay, enough! Misha will stay with her. My little gazelle did try to kill him this morning. He definitely earned it.”

Misha threw his hands up in victory while the other three looked quite disappointed at my decision. I wasn’t sure whether I should be proud they all wanted to protect her or offended they would rather stay with her than me. “Don’t worry, you’ll all get a chance eventually. We’ll have to set up a schedule or something so nobody gets their feelings hurt,” I said, overemphasizing “feelings” so they would know how silly it all looked.

Although, I couldn’t blame them. I desperately wanted to stay with her as well. Just a few more days and I wouldn’t have to be so far apart from her during the day.

Our first stop was to the hotel where Mr. Turner worked the door. I knew Mr. Turner, as he had been working the door to this hotel for at least 20 years, maybe longer. He had seen me as a child, with my father. He knew just about every important person in this city, as they all frequented this hotel for various reasons.

We caught him as he was returning from his lunch break, on his way back to the front of the hotel.

“Mr. Turner, if I may have a few moments?”

“Of course, sir. What can I do for you? How is Miss Sephie? Is she keeping you on your toes?” he asked, with the warm smile of a grandfather inquiring about his favorite granddaughter.

I gave him a half-smile. “Yes, sir. That’s actually what I wanted to speak with you about. Of sorts. She misses you and Ms. Jackson, but I don’t like the thought of her going back to that apartment.”

Mr. Turner nodded in agreement. “You know there were men that kicked her door in the day you left. Ms. Jackson told me about the whole fiasco.”

“I know this, which is why she’s still with me,” I glanced around us and nodded for him to move with me to a quiet nook in the lobby where our conversation couldn’t be overheard.

“I would like to offer you an apartment in my building, just a few blocks from here. I have the penthouse, which would mean she would be somewhat of a neighbor to you again. I will take care of moving everything for you. In fact, everything will be taken care of. As a token of gratitude for being so good to her.”
He stared at me, completely stunned.

“Sir, I can’t possibly. This is way too much.” I waved my hand dismissively.

“Please, Mr. Turner. She misses you and I would like to see her happy. I also don’t like that they know where her old apartment is. You could still be in danger there and I would never forgive myself if something happened to you and Ms. Jackson. You’re very important people to her and that’s all I need to know. Please tell me you’ll accept.”

He stammered for a moment, running his hand through his hair. “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

“And could we keep this between us for now? I would like to surprise her with it once everything is settled.”
His warm grandfatherly smile came back. “Of course, sir. Mum’s the word.”
I extended my hand to him. “Thank you,” I said as he shook my hand.

“She’s going to be very happy, which makes me very happy.”

“She deserves it. That girl is one of a kind,” he said.

I gave him a knowing look and took my leave. One down, one to go.
The afternoon was full of meetings and various matters to take care of. Before I knew it, it was time for the last stop. We pulled up to the small parking lot and parked next to Sephie’s car. As I stepped out of the vehicle, the curtains parted slightly in Ms. Jackson’s front window. I knew she had seen me, so I waved.
I didn’t even need to knock. Her door opened as I walked up.

“To what do I owe this pleasure? How is Sephie? Is she okay?” Ms. Jackson asked as she motioned for me to come in.

“Sephie is fine.” I exhaled and paused for a moment. “More than fine. She’s amazing.”

She nodded her head. “Does she know you’re in love with her yet?”
I raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

“Oh, please. You can’t fool me. It’s been written all over your face from the first time I saw you step out of your vehicle and look toward her apartment that first night.”
I smiled. “Guilty.”

“I can’t blame you. There is something about that child that draws everyone in. Her light is so strong that people just want to be near her. She’s a special one. If you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”

I coughed, not expecting to have my life threatened. “I don’t plan on it. In fact, I came to you with an offer to help make her happier, if you agree.”
“I’m listening.”

“I own a building downtown. Office space, apartments. I have the penthouse. I’d like to move her there soon. She misses you and Mr. Turner, so I’d like to move you both to that building so you can be near to her. Everything will be taken care of if you agree.”

She thought for a minute, then looked at me squarely in the eyes. “My Lord, you love her more than I thought. I’ve been worried about her since you took her, but now I see there’s no need to worry. You would die to protect her.”

“As long as I breathe, she will be loved and protected,” I said, not breaking eye contact with her.

“I’ll do it,” she said as she walked closer to me. She took one of my hands in both of hers. “You’re a good man, Adrik. She’s going to show you the best parts of yourself if you let her.”

“Her wish is my command, Ms. Jackson.”

She patted my hand, “good.”

“Oh, can we please keep this arrangement between us for now? I’m hoping to surprise Sephie with it.”
She smiled at me. “You’re in deep, boy. Hope you know how to swim.”
“Me too.”

Two down. I walked quickly back to the vehicle. Viktor was waiting outside. “Did you get everything?” I asked, as I climbed in the back seat.
“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Thank you.”

“Of course, sir.”
We drove in relative silence back to the house. I was lost in thought, anticipating how happy she was going to be when she found out. I smiled to myself, eager to get home to her. I chuckled, remembering Ms. Jackson’s frankness. I could see why she was so important to Sephie.

“You’re in deep, boy. Hope you know how to swim.”

I might not be the strongest swimmer, but I knew I could endure anything with her as my guide.

As we got closer to the house, Viktor asked Ivan, “do you think sestrichka has hooked Misha up with one of the maids yet?”

Ivan laughed but said nothing.
“She’s going to show you the best parts of yourself if you let her.”

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 18, 2023

Chapter Forty-Two
Adrik

We pulled up to the house, the spring storm that had rolled in late afternoon now in full swing directly above the house. We ran from the vehicles up the front steps, to avoid the rain, not bothering with umbrellas. As we got to the front door, we could hear music coming from the house. The house was always quiet. It was late enough that the house staff had already left for the day. Tori sometimes listened to music as she cooked, but never loud enough that you could hear it from outside.

As I opened the front door, we were met with a haunting melody. We all stopped in the entryway, listening. It was like we were frozen in place. It must be Sephie playing the piano.

The only time it ever got touched was when one of the maids cleaned it. Otherwise, no one ever played it. It had belonged to the previous owner of the house. They didn’t want to move it, so they left it. Now, I was glad they did.

The music felt like raw emotion expressed in a melody. It was haunting. It was beautiful. We walked quietly to the next room. She didn’t notice us walk in, she just continued to play. The piano was positioned in such a way that she couldn’t see much of the room. Misha was sitting in a chair, his gaze fixated on her playing. His expression one of complete awe as he watched her.

Without a word, we all took seats and listened to her impromptu concert
I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye and saw Tori step into the doorway, equally as mesmerized as the rest of us. She glanced and saw all of us in the room, then quickly left to the kitchen. She would be starting dinner, I was sure. Andrei got up as quietly as he could and walked to the kitchen, trying not to disturb Sephie.
She continued to play for a few more minutes, but the song slowly ended. As she played the last note, she sat and stared at the keys for a moment, sighing. I heard applause and smiled as I looked to see the guys all giving her a standing ovation. I stood and clapped with them. It startled her. She looked up, completely surprised that we were all there.

“Holy shit! When did you guys get here?” she jumped up from the bench, walking to us quickly, looking like she was slightly embarrassed. Her cheeks were flushed. She chewed on her bottom lip.

She walked to me, tucking herself into my arms where she fit so perfectly. I kissed the top of her head. “That was beautiful, solnishko. You must play for us more often,” I whispered to her.
She hid her face in my shoulder. “I haven’t played in a while,” she said shyly.

Viktor answered her, “no one would’ve ever known. You have a gift, Sephie.”
She didn’t answer, she just hid her face from everyone in my shoulder. This was a new side of her that we hadn’t seen. yet. She was normally so open and confident; it was adorable to see her be shy about something she was so clearly good at.

I wrapped my arms around her, holding her closer. I felt my heart swell. The guys all walked away quietly, leaving the two of us alone. I kissed the top of her head again. “I missed you, solnishko.”

She looked up at me, smiling. My heart skipped a beat as I looked into her beautiful eyes. “I missed you too. How was your day?”

I smiled back at her, “good. I have a surprise for you. You’re going to love it.”

“I love surprises! What is it?” she exclaimed, as she wrapped her arms around my waist.

I clicked my tongue. “Not yet. In a few days. It’s still in the works.”

She pouted her lips, feigning disappointment. I kissed her lips, realizing that I’d been longing for them all afternoon. Her hands moved to behind my neck as she stood on her toes and deepened the kiss. God, I could get used to coming home to this every day.

From the doorway, Andrei cleared his throat. “Boss, dinner will be ready in about 10 minutes.”

She turned her head and glared at Andrei. “Rude, Bubba. Rude.”

His face dropped as he thought she was serious. She giggled and he immediately look relieved.

“Thank you, Andrei,” I said. With my arms still tight around her, I walked us back toward the stairs. I wanted to change before dinner, and she was coming with me whether she wanted to or not. When we got to the bottom of the stairs, I stopped. I bent down and threw her over my shoulder, walking up the stairs as she laughed at me.

We got to my bedroom, and I threw her down on the bed. She was still laughing at me. I walked to the closet, asking what did you and Misha get into today? Were you nice to him, I hope?”

“Mmm hmm. I had to be since he gave me the world’s best sandwich for lunch.”

I looked back at the bed from the closet. “From Vinny’s?”
She nodded her head. Vinny’s was a great little ho le in the wall restaurant that we discovered somewhat by accident. Vinny’s father, who started the restaurant was having health problems. The family was trying to work as much as possible to come up with the money to pay for his treatments, but they fell short. Vinny came to me, explained the situation, and asked me for a loan. He had set out generous terms for paying me back. He had even brought lunch for everyone when he met with me. After one of his sandwiches, I covered all the medical bills for his father. I just asked that he pay me back in sandwiches, to which he readily agreed.

“Then we watched movies and Misha fell asleep on the couch. I watched the storm for a while, then got up and started playing. You know the rest,” she said, still sounding shy about her playing.

I walked out from the closet, my shirt in my hand. She was sitting on the bed, knees pulled up to her chest, her chin resting on her knee. Every time I saw her, I felt this invisible pull toward her. Like I had to be near her. Like I had to touch her. I pulled my shirt over my head as I walked to the bed.
She looked at me, matter-of-factly, and said, “I need to go back to my apartment. I need more clothes.”
“I can buy you whatever you like,” I said, sitting beside her.

“I have clothes. They’re just not here. There’s no need to buy me new clothes,” she said, rather short.
I smiled, loving this side of her. “I know, Sephie. Anthony is leaving tomorrow. I promise you will have all your stuff by the end of the week. If you need anything before then, I can send someone to buy it for you.”

She hugged her knees tighter to her chest. She nodded slightly, not saying anything. I knew she wasn’t happy with my answer, but I couldn’t let her go back to her apartment. She also didn’t know that we had already gotten all her things out of her apartment earlier this evening. If she went back to her apartment now, it would ruin the surprise.

I kissed her forehead. “Come, this talk of Vinny’s has me hungry.”

She silently got up and followed me out of the bedroom. Before we walked down the stairs, I stopped and turned toward her. I took both of her hands in mine, kissing each of them, “I won’t keep you here forever. Just until Anthony is gone, and the threat has passed.” I raised my pinky between us, “pinky swear.”

She smiled and wrapped her pinky around mine.

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 18, 2023

Chapter Forty-One
Sephie

After everyone else had left for the afternoon, Misha turned to me, grinning from ear to ear. Misha was the youngest. He was the little brother of the group, but right now, he looked like he’d won the special prize and he was going to enjoy every moment of it.

I couldn’t help but smile back at him. “What’s on the agenda for the afternoon, boss? You’re the babysitter and I can still only barely find my way around the house on my own.”

He laughed. “You know it took Andrei two weeks to remember where everything was when we first came here? You’re doing better than him.”

“He told me! Bless him,” I said, clutching my imaginary string of pearls around my neck.

He walked to the windows, looking at the storm clouds rolling in once again. “It looks like it might storm again this afternoon. What do you say we grab some lunch and spend the afternoon watching movies? I need some recovery time after you tried to kill me this morning anyway.”

“That sounds perfect. Want me to make you lunch?” I asked, walking back to the kitchen.

“Net. I have surprise for you. I sent Tori to my favorite deli. She’ll be back any minute now with the best sandwich you’ve ever eaten.”

“Oh, I love surprises! Did you know you were staying with me this whole time?”

“I suspected that Boss would take it easy on me after you tried to kill me this morning, but even if I didn’t get to stay. I could’ve had my sandwich later. It’s worth the wait.”

My stomach growled in anticipation.
Tori arrived soon after. Misha was right. It was the best sandwich of my life.

“I’m going to have to run more if I keep eating like this,” I told him as I finished the last bite of my sandwich.
He groaned, wiping his mouth. He thought for a moment and then shrugged his shoulders.

“At least it will be a delicious death.”
I started cleaning up our mess.

“I’ll clean this up. You go pick the movie. I’m successfully in a food coma and would love to do nothing more than lie around for a while.”

His wide smile appeared as he got up from the counter. His boyish good looks becoming even more attractive when he smiled. Tori reappeared in the kitchen. She went to help me clean everything up.

“It’s okay, Tori. I can clean this up. I feel bad for you to constantly be cleaning up after me.”

She gave me a tight smile. “It’s my job, Miss Sephie. Besides, I owe you for last night.”

“So, it went well…?” I asked, dying to know how it ended up.

“Very well, Miss Sephie. He was so nervous to start with, but he relaxed after Boss came back. He was almost completely different when we went for a walk after dinner.”

“He was so worried he was going to get in trouble. He’s adorable. I’m very happy that it went well.”

She grabbed my hand, looking at me seriously. “Thank you. You’re going to have to give me your secret on how you’ve changed all of them for the better in such a short time.”

I blushed. “No secret. I haven’t done anything other than allow them to be who they are.”

She gave me the same tight smile but said nothing further. Her reaction gave me pause, but I brushed it off as Misha yelled from the other room, asking me to choose between two movies. “My babysitter beckons!” I said dramatically as I left the kitchen.

We couldn’t make the decision between two movies, so we decided to watch them both. Not like we had much else to do that afternoon.

The first movie was about a fictitious war, with all the fighting and gore you would expect. Maybe a little over the top. but a good movie. I enjoyed Misha pointing out mistakes in the fight scenes.

He would point at the screen and say, “that’s not even humanly possible” or “he would be dead if he tried that in real life.” It made me laugh every time.

The second movie was a bit of a supernatural thriller. Ghosts, demons, and the like. The sky had gotten darker outside when we started the second movie, as the storm was now directly above us. The thunder rumbling and flashes of lightning added to the eerie feel of the movie. I didn’t usually get scared at these types of movies, but this one was creeping me out. I jumped a few times at what was happening on the screen. Misha laughed at me, but he still got up and moved to the couch I was on. He picked my feet up, placing them in his lap as he sat down.

“Don’t worry, gazelle, I’ll protect you.”
I kicked him in his ribs, gently, “I am not a gazelle!”

“You’re a gazelle. Or would you prefer wildebeest? Zebra, maybe?”

I scoffed. “Fine. I’ll stick with gazelle.”
He laughed and patted my legs.

“That’s what I thought, gazelle.”

I glared at him. “I hate you.”

“I know,” he said, his wide smile stretching across his face once more.
The movie ended, but the storm was still raging outside. Misha had fallen asleep as the movie was ending. He had stretched out beside me, his legs behind me on the couch. He still had his arm protectively around my legs as he slept. I smiled at how innocent he looked when he slept.

I watched the lightning show through the expansive windows. There was always something about storms that I loved. My mother told me I was born in a thunderstorm. She would say “children born in a storm can walk in the dark without fear, for they know the light is always with them.”
When I was young, I never really understood what she meant. After the past few days, I was starting to understand a
little more. I should be terrified of all these people. They basically kidnapped me, after one of their associates almost killed me. But I was more than fine with it. In fact, you could say I was happy about it. They weren’t terrifying in the slightest. Well, maybe Ivan was a little. But even with him, all I saw was good when I looked at him. When I looked at all of them. Adrik, especially.
Life was about balance. We all had good parts and bad parts. Each day was about choosing which parts you paid the
most attention to.
I heard Misha snoring softly. I slowly pulled my legs away from him and got up as quietly as I could. I stood and stretched, the soreness still present in my muscles. It felt good, though. I left Misha napping on the couch and wandered around the house. I walked into the room with the piano. No one was around, so I sat down and played a few notes. I was probably going to wake Misha up with this, but I didn’t care. It felt good to have a piano to play right
now.
My mother always said I had more talent for the piano than she did. She was the classically trained pianist though. I never had as much interest in it as she did. I just enjoyed playing the songs I liked and making up my own songs. I hadn’t played much since she died. Every now and then I would visit the Steinway gallery and would play one of their floor models for an hour or so. The salesmen had known my mother, so they would let me play as long as I liked. It was a free demo for them, so they loved it when I would come in. They always said they sold more pianos when I was
there.
I started to pick at the keys, trying to decide what to play. I played quietly at first, not really wanting to wake Misha up, but as I repeated the melody, I got lost in the music and just started playing, not at all concerned with the volume.
Music was an escape. A way for my emotions to come out. I could play angry, sad, happy, and everything in between. There was never a time that I didn’t feel better after playing for a while. Before my m om died, I would play for hours, getting completely lost in the music.

I was so wrapped up in what I was playing that I hadn’t noticed Misha come into the room. He didn’t say a word, he just sat in one of the chairs on the other side of the room and listened intently while I stayed lost in the melody, completely lost in my own head.

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 18, 2023

Chapter Forty-Three
Adrik

After dinner, she had asked if we could take a walk as the sun hadn’t set completely yet. We walked around the property in relative silence, followed by a guard at a distance. She seemed lost in her thoughts. I was honestly impressed that she was comfortable with so much silence. I would steal glances at her regularly, watching her as she took in everything around her. The way the fading light of the day made her hair look like actual fire, with its varying shades of red and orange. The evening sun also made the brown in her eyes more prominent, making her eyes almost match her hair at the right angle.

She caught me staring at her and walked closer to me, silently grabbing my hand. We walked the rest of the way to the house in silence, hand-in-hand.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked once we got to the bedroom. She stopped, like she was thinking about it, but shook her head no. “You know you can say anything to me, anytime. I want to help.” She gave me a small smile. She walked toward me and gave me a quick kiss.

“I just want to go to bed right now. It’ll be better in the morning.”

I woke up sometime later to an empty bed. I had fallen asleep with Sephie in my arms, but now she was gone. I sat up to see if the bathroom light was on, but the room was dark. The bedroom door was slightly ajar. I got out of bed to see if she had ventured downstairs. The bedroom that she had stayed in the first night was open and I could feel the cool breeze from the balcony coming into the hallway.

I quietly walked to the balcony, finding her sitting on one of the chairs. She was hugging her knees to her chest, with her head buried in her arms. I could hear her softly sobbing. My heart felt like it had just been punched at the sight of seeing her cry. I wanted to make it stop. I said her name quietly, so I wouldn’t scare her. Kneeling in front of her, I rubbed her leg lightly.

“What’s wrong. solnishko?” She sucked in a breath but didn’t raise her head to look at me. She stayed silent.

“Sephie. Talk to me. Please.”
She raised her head enough that I could see her teary eyes. I wiped the tears from her eyes with my thumb. I looked at her, full of concern. She looked at me for so long that I thought she wasn’t going to say anything.

“Everything. Everything caught up to me at once. I miss my mom. I’ve had to relive living with my uncle. The fu cked- up events with Anthony. Being here and not being able to leave. All of it.”

I found myself flinching at the last part. Did she want to leave me? Was she tired of me already? My mind was racing. How would I live without her now? It’s only been a few days, but I knew for sure that I never wanted to be without her for the rest of my life.
I heard a small laugh. She reached down and touched my face. “I don’t want to leave you, Adrik.”

I exhaled, clearly relieved. She stretched her legs down and pulled me to her. She was upset and yet, she was once again consoling me instead. I sat up again, asking, “what can I do? I promise you’ll be able to leave here after tomorrow. Anthony is supposed to be gone today, but I want to give it one more day to be safe. And then there’s the matter of
your surprise at the end of the week. What about your uncle? Do you want me to have him killed? Say the word and he’s a dead man.”

She laughed, but I could tell she was seriously considering it. “He’s probably fried so many brain cells that he doesn’t even remember who I am. I don’t think he’s anything to worry about. I just don’t like having to relive it when someone new finds out.” She leaned her head back against the chair and closed her eyes.

“Sephie, I don’t know why you had to go through all of that. But it made you into the woman that I’m falling in love with today, so as weird as it sounds to say, I’m glad for it all. You’ve come into my life and made everything brighter. You light up the room when you walk in. You have five trained killers downstairs fighting over who gets to stay with you. You notice the slightest things about people. What they need, what they like, what they need to hear. You share your light with everyone and never ask for anything in return. You have my heart, Persephone. So as in sane as I sound saying it, the road you’ve been forced to travel has led you here and I will spend every day of my life from this point on trying to show you how grateful I am that that road brought you to me.”

She had lifted her head when I started talking and was looking at me. A few stray tears fell from her eyes. I wiped them as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “I don’t know how I got so lucky,” she whispered.

“It’s me who is the lucky one here, solnishko.”

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 18, 2023

Chapter Forty-Four
Adrik

When I woke up this time, Sephie was still sleeping soundly in my arms. She would usually wake up once she felt me start to stir, but I was able to get out of bed without her waking up. She must be exhausted after last night and everything coming at her at once. I felt guilty for not being able to take care of her better. She’d been through h ell and hadn’t taken the time to process it all.

I changed as quietly as I could and went downstairs to breakfast. Everyone was very concerned that Sephie wasn’t with me. I told them that she had slept poorly and was still asleep.

“Is she having nightmares again?” Misha asked. “I shouldn’t have watched a scary movie with her yesterday. This is all my fault.”

“Net. No nightmares, at least not that I know of last night. She’s been through quite a lot in the last few days. It caught up to her,” I said, taking a sip of coffee.

“What can we do?” Viktor asked.
Ivan added, “does she want to leave? Is that it? She’s tired of all of us now.”

“She does want to leave, but not because she’s tired of all of us,” I said.

Ivan visibly relaxed when I said she wasn’t tired of us. “Ivan and Viktor, I want you two to oversee her surprise. I want to have it done by Thursday morning, if possible. I’ve asked her to give me through tomorrow. I want to make sure that little piece of shit gets on the airplane today and leaves this city. Then maybe I can relax.”

Viktor and Ivan nodded as they finished breakfast. My phone buzzed in my pocket. I looked at the number, but it was not a number I knew. I looked at the text:
Bracelet is compromised. Do not give to her. We need to meet. Regular spot, 10 pm? -A Salvadori’s guard. I knew there was something off about that gift. I felt my anger rise as I cursed loudly. I had forgotten about the bracelet, to be honest. Before leaving my office, I threw it in the safe, not giving it another thought.

“Boss? Everything okay?” Misha asked.

“Andy, Salvadori’s guard,” I said, holding up my phone. “He said the bracelet Salvadori gave me for Sephie is compromised. I haven’t given it to her. It’s too ostentatious for her anyway. But the fact that he would try to get to me through her means his time is growing short.”

I heard a couple of them curse. Ivan smacked the counter. “He’s working with Anthony. I would bet he knows everything Anthony has been doing. He’s probably been benefitting from it, too. They’re both cut from the same cloth.”

“Agreed. However, we can use this to our advantage. We’ll check the bracelet later. We can use it to feed them false info, if nothing else,” I said.

“It’s been in the safe since Sunday night, so he hasn’t gotten anything from it. We can change that. Andy also wants to meet tonight. He must have more info.”

“Regular spot?” Viktor asked. I nodded my head. I confirmed the meeting with Andy that night. I also sent a text to my spy at the airport, asking for confirmation that he was able to get a camera inside Anthony’s plane. I wanted to make sure it was him on that plane. I also had them put a tracker on the plane, so we could make sure it made it to Sicily.

Tracker and camera both in place. Plane is scheduled to leave at noon. Will notify when it’s in the air.

At least that detail was going to plan. Now I had to plan what to do about Salvadori, but I would wait to hear what else Andy had for me tonight before making any definite plans.

When I was done with my workout, I walked quietly back in my bedroom. Sephie was still sound asleep on the bed. I grabbed clothes and went across the hall to shower so I wouldn’t wake her up. When I was ready to leave, I left her a note on the bedside table and kissed her forehead gently. I was secretly hoping she would wake up so I could spend a few minutes with her before I left for the day, as I wouldn’t be back until late. She didn’t move as I kissed her forehead.

Sleep well, my love. I needed Viktor and Ivan, which meant neither of them could stay with Sephie. Since Misha and Andrei had both already gotten the chance to stay with her, that left Stephen as the only fair choice. Stephen had been with me the shortest amount of time of all of them. I trusted him, but I didn’t trust him as much as the other four guys. I didn’t feel completely comfortable leaving him with Sephie. Not yet.
I pulled him aside. “I need you at the airport. You’re the best shot of everyone here. I want you on a roof. If that fucker tries to send the plane off without him on it, sh oot him.”

“Yes, sir.” I can’t be sure, but he looked a little relieved to not be on babysitter duty. I wasn’t sure if that was because he was awkward around women or something else. He immediately left for the airport.
That left the choice between Misha and Andrei. Of course, they argued. This time, however, they decided by paper, rock, scissors. I was happy to see my men making such important decisions based on a children’s game.

Andrei won, best 3 out of 5. They would’ve kept going, had I not pushed Misha toward the door. I looked at Andrei. “She’s a little fragile. Be gentle with her.”

He nodded once. “She’ll be fine, boss. I’ll do my best to cheer her up. See you tonight.”

The day went fast, as I had endless meetings that consumed the entire day. Viktor and Ivan were successful at getting Ms. Jackson and Mr. Turner all set up in their new apartments that day. They just had a few items at their old apartment to get the next day. This meant I would be able to bring Sephie with me on Thursday to show her the surprise.

I was looking forward to seeing her l reaction. I caught myself thinking about how much making her happy was making me happy. I had never really bothered to care about anyone else’s happiness before. Definitely not any woman I had been in a relationship with. They were more like an afterthought. I would regularly forget their names when I was younger. That’s how little they mattered to me. I wasn’t sure I could breathe without Sephie in my life. I had known her for such a short time, but I couldn’t imagine being without her.

I was counting the minutes until I could get home to her. It was getting late. I only had my meeting with Andy left and I could see her.

Andy always met me across town from where Salvadori lived. He didn’t want to take a chance on anyone recognizing him. There was a small park in that part of town. He would take a stroll and sit on the same park bench, waiting for me to arrive.

Just as expected, he was waiting for me. I sat next to him, looking out at the river that ran next to this area of the park.

“Sir,” he said as I sat down.

I nodded. “What do you have for me?”

“That bracelet, sir. It belonged to Anthony. He had it custom-made for one of his girlfriends. He thought she was cheating on him, so he gave that to her so he could track where she went and listen to what she would say. It was Anthony’s idea to give it to you for Sephie. Salvadori wasn’t going to do it at first. I’m not sure what changed he’s been taking another guard with him when he meets with Anthony. They’re planning something, sir. His brother in Sicily has been waiting for a chance to come back to the states and feels like Anthony is his chance back. They want to take over, from what I can gather. I think they have Salvadori convinced they can do it. He’s become greedy in his old age.”

“I see,” I said. It did not surprise me that Lorenzo was trying to come back, nor that he would use Anthony and Salvadori to do it. “To your knowledge, are any of the other bosses involved?”

“No, sir. He tried to recruit Niko, but I’m not sure of Niko’s reaction.”

“Thank you, Andy. Anything else?”

“No, sir.”

“Are you okay still at Salvadori’s? He doesn’t suspect?”

“He might be getting suspicious. I think this needs to be the last meeting for a while, sir. My apologies.”

“No need, Andy. You know where to find me. If it goes south, we will get you out.”

“Thank you, sir.” I got up and walked away. “Viktor, schedule a meeting with Niko tomorrow,” I said as I climbed in the vehicle.

“Yes, sir. To the house, sir?”

“I think we should go back to the penthouse first. I want to take the helicopter instead of drive.”

“I’ll have the pilot waiting when we get there.”

“Thank you, Viktor.”.My mind replayed my conversation with Andy on the drive back to the penthouse. It angered me that Salvadori was actively trying to turn the other bosses against me. He was quickly becoming a cancer that needed to be cut out. But he could prove useful to me for a little while longer. This wasn’t the first time I’d dealt with unruly bosses. It was more of an annoyance than anything. I’d been so much more generous than my father ever was, I had a feeling they all thought of me as soft. Good. Let them think that. I could be just as ruthless as my father in matters of business. But I now had the one thing my father never did.

Sephie. I would destroy the world to protect her

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 19, 2023

Chapter Forty-Five
Sephie

I woke up and slowly stretched, fully expecting to feel Adrik’s body next to mine. Instead, I felt the cold bed. I sat up, not realizing it was as late as it was, searching for him. I reached for my phone on the bedside table and saw his note.

Sephie, You were sleeping so peacefully that I couldn’t bring myself to wake you before leaving. Know that I’m counting the minutes until you’re in my arms again.

I checked my phone. It was 12:30. They’ve probably been gone for a while already. I decided to get dressed to go see who the lucky guy was that got to stay with me today.
It didn’t take me long to find that answer. Andrei was reading a book, sitting on the top stair when I came out of the bedroom. He closed his book and stood up.

“Good morning, sestrichka. How did you sleep?”

“It’s not technically morning anymore, Bubba. That’s how well I slept,” I said, rubbing the last bit of sleep from my
eyes.

“You must be hungry, Sleeping Beauty. You slept through breakfast. It’s not like you to skip a meal,” he said, squatting down in front of me with his arms out to the side so I could hop on his back.

“You spoil me, Bubba. But I fucking love it and hope you never stop. Walking is highly overrated,” I said as I hopped on his back.

“I’m going to have to make some kind of agreement with Tori so you can keep doing this when you two get married. Like grandfather me into your relationship.”

He just shook his head as he walked downstairs, again like he wasn’t carrying me. “She will be okay with this. Or she won’t and I’ll deal with it,” he said shrugging his shoulders.

He deposited me on the counter as he opened the fridge. “How long has everyone been gone?” I asked, swinging my legs like I was a kid.

He placed a sandwich from Vinny’s next to me on the counter. “Long enough that I had Tori grab us lunch.”
My arms shot up above my head, “YES! It’s official. You’re my favorite. Misha had a good one-day run, but his reign is now over.”

“He almost won and got to stay home today. We had to go best 3 out of 5 so I could beat him.”

I raised my eyebrow and cut my eyes at him as I unwrapped the sandwich.
“We played paper, rock, scissor to decide who got to stay home with you,” he said grinning.

“He gave you the rock thinking it was going to win every time, didn’t he?”
Andrei laughed. “Almost every time. He’s too predictable.”

“Poor Misha. He’s so young. So inexperienced,” I said in between bites. “Besides, I wanna know about you and Tori. Did you get some time with her this morning while I was still asleep and everyone was gone?”

He blushed and nodded his head. “We had a little time this morning to speak in the kitchen after everyone was gone. She’s the one that told me about Misha getting you Vinny’s yesterday. We had lunch together, since you were still sleeping.”

“I owe her a high-five later.” He smiled. “You like her?” cocking his head to the side as he waited for my assessment.

“I don’t know her very well, but she seems nice, Bubba. Girls are sometimes weird with me, but she’s been nice. I think it’s because she works for my boyfriend.”

“How are girls weird with you? Doesn’t everyone love you?” he asked.

“Ha! Oh, no. No, they do not. Not everyone. I have a long list of people that would gladly clap for my demise. Most of those are girls. You can ask my friend Max. He’s never had a girlfriend that liked me.”

Andrei looked very serious as he threw away the wrapper from my sandwich. “I don’t understand. You’re so…you. How could anyone hate you?”

His innocence made me smile. I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know, Bubba. It’s a mystery because we both know I’m perfect in every way.” I grinned at him.

He was still looking at me seriously. “Da. You are. I read that on the internet so it must be true.”

I laughed. He couldn’t hold a straight face any longer and started laughing as well. He leaned closer to me so he could whisper, “she’s not as funny as you. She doesn’t think my jokes are funny.”

I covered my mouth and faked being shocked. “Your jokes are supposed to be funny?”

He clutched his heart. “It hurts. It hurts right here.” He bent over and clutched the counter just as Tori walked into the kitchen. She saw him bent over the counter looking like he was maybe having a heart attack, possibly dying, all while I sat on the counter and laughed at him.
Going out on a limb here and marking this one down as one of the reasons girls didn’t like me.

Tori rushed to him. “Andrei!” she said as she grabbed him. It only made him laugh, which embarrassed Tori. Her face turned red as she looked at both of us.

“We were joking. He faked being hurt by my sarcasm. No harm done,” I said.

She looked to Andrei, who was still laughing, and walked off in a huff. His face got serious. He looked to me, but I just shrugged my shoulders. “Don’t look at me, Bubba. I would’ve thought that was funny. I’m offended she didn’t laugh, if we’re being honest, but you should still go talk to her. I’ll stay right here until you get back.”

“You promise you’ll stay? I’ll be right back. Like two minutes, tops.”

“Go,” I said, shooing him toward the direction Tori had left.

It was more like ten minutes before Andrei came back. He had his head down, looking slightly defeated.

“That bad, huh?” I asked, still sitting in the same spot he had left me in. He just exhaled loudly, running his hand through his hair.

“Come on, let’s go for a walk. You can tell me about it,” I said hopping off the counter.

“You want to walk? You don’t want a ride?”

“Bubba. You’re already in trouble. I don’t think we should add to it. Come on, let’s go,” I said, hooking my arm through his and pulling him toward the back door.

Once we were outside and a safe enough distance away that she wouldn’t be able to overhear our conversation, I asked, “so she’s mad because you were having fun with me?”

He just looked at me, somewhat surprised. “Da. She said we’re all acting so different now that you’re here He paused and then added, “she’s right about that. We are acting different, but I thought she liked the change? I’m so confused. Now it seems like she doesn’t.”

I thought as we walked slowly past the gardens. The sweet floral aroma was heavy in the air as it was warm today, with very little breeze. I replayed the conversation Tori and I had in the kitchen the day before, when she asked me what my secret was for getting them to all come out of their shells.

I sighed. “I don’t know, Andrei. Maybe she’s jealous? Maybe she wanted you all to act differently for her? Maybe she thought we were laughing at her? Maybe it doesn’t have anything to do with us and she’s just having a bad day? Women are complicated.”

He rolled his eyes. “You are so right. She has nothing to be jealous of and I told her that we weren’t laughing at her. Maybe she’s just having a bad day. It has nothing to do with us because we’re perfect in every way.”

He nodded his head like he was confirming his last statement.
I grinned at him. “I mean, that explanation is good for me. Will it be good for her, though?”

“Ugh. This is why I don’t want a woman sometimes. They’re too stressful.”

“You’ll hear no arguments from me on that one. This is why the only female friend I have is 50 years older than I am. Ohhh, you can have Ms. Jackson. She’s got a good sense of humor!”

He had to stop walking because he was laughing so hard. “Can you…imagine…. I would break her. This is a bad plan.”

I thought for a moment. “That is not the visual I was planning to have in my head this afternoon, but you make a solid argument. I’ll concede. It was a bad plan. Looks like you’re stuck trying to make up for whatever it was that we did wrong.”

He hooked his arm through mine this time. “Let’s keep walking for a little longer first.”

“Procrastination for the win!” I said, happily walking farther away from the house with him.

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 19, 2023

Chapter Forty-Six
Sephie

We stayed gone for close to two hours. We walked to the lake where we sat and talked for a while, then decided we should probably return to the house. When we got closer to the house, he turned to ask me, “you miss your friend, Max?”

I nodded. Max and I had been friends for a few years. We both started at the restaurant around the same time and quickly discovered that we could make the time pass faster by clowning around with each other. The regular bartender had quit, so we covered the bar until they found a replacement. We ended up making the restaurant more money than the other bartender ever did in one weekend. Women were flocking to watch Max pour their drinks and give them his best million-dollar smile. I always thought he was handsome, but I didn’t quite understand the obsession with him. Maybe that’s why we were always friends. I was immune to his charms.

“I do miss him. I miss my life. It seems crazy to complain about being here and I’m not complaining. I’m really grateful to all of you for keeping me safe. But I miss being able to do what I want when I want. With no babysitter. Not that I don’t love you guys, I mean.”

He walked a few steps in silence. He just stopped in front of me and got in his usual stance for me to jump on his back. “Come, we must make the best of it while you’re here then.”

“You’re going to get in so much more trouble with Tori if I do that,” I said trying to walk past him.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me back toward him. “I don’t want to date a woman that has a problem with my friends. She will have to get used to it. Or she can date someone else.”

I looked at him, somewhat wide-eyed. This was a change. Max usually put distance between us when he would date a girl that didn’t like me. It only ever lasted a few weeks and then he’d be back to wanting to hang out with me. “You’re sure, Bubba?”

He smiled at me, “sure, spider monkey. Now get on.”

“You ain’t gotta ask me twice,” I said in my best redneck voice as I jumped on his back. He walked us toward the house. I thought about everything as we got closer and hugged his neck a little tighter. “I hope she deserves you, Andrei.”

We couldn’t find anyone when we got back inside. I told Andrei to drop me at the piano and he could go find Tori. He’d be able to hear me that way and know I was fine. He reluctantly dropped me off and rushed to find her. I sat looking at the keys for a few minutes, but eventually started to play one of my m om’s favorite songs. I had made up most of the song one night, just goofing around. She said she loved it so much she made me write it down and finish it. She would ask me to play it often. It reminded her of my father and a song he would hum to her when they were around the house. She was convinced I had remembered the song from when I was a baby. She said he used to hum it to me to get me to go to sleep.

I barely had any memories of my father, as he died when I was still so young. I had a few pictures of him, but it was almost like looking at a stranger. My mom told me I had his eyes, but my eye color was different than his. It was different from hers, too. And neither of my parents had red hair, so I was somewhat of a mystery to them both. My m om used to laugh, especially when I was mad about something as a child and tell me that I had come out right as the biggest streak of lightning lit up the sky and it burned my hair and gave me a temper.

I smiled as I played her sorig, remembering the good times with her. A single tear fell as I looked down at my hands, remembering what her hands looked like when she would play. When I was small, I used to sit beside her and watch her as she played. I was completely mesmerized by the piano from a young age. She was so hopeful that I would be a concert pianist one day. That didn’t exactly happen. More tears threatened to fall as I contemplated whether I was a disappointment to my m om. I was definitely not a concert pianist. I was a waitress that wasn’t even allowed to work at the moment because some in sane man wanted to have me killed to get to my boyfriend. Yeah, seems like the fairy tale she always wanted for me.

The song ended and I rested my head on the music rack, fighting back tears. I chewed on my bottom lip to calm myself. Just one more day and I can leave. Maybe I can go see Max. I exhaled, trying to keep the tears from falling freely. I wiped my eyes just as a giant Russian sat down beside me on the piano bench. Andrei didn’t say anything, he just pulled me into his side, hugging my shoulders. The tears started to fall, and he hugged me tighter.

I finally got control and looked at him. “How did it go with Tori? Did you blame everything on me like you should have?”

“Everything will be fine, Sephie. None of this is your fault and we will make it better very soon. I promise.”

I rested my head on his shoulder. We sat like that for a few minutes. He reached out and started tapping at random keys. He would test the sound of each one, then would play the keys that sounded best together. As he was pecking out a small melody, I played a more intricate improvisation on top. He grinned as he kept trying to play the right notes that he’d chosen.

“You’re a natural, Bubba,” I grinned at him.

The sun set and Adrik still wasn’t home. Andrei had said that he had a late meeting, so I was trying to not worry about him. The house staff and Tori had all left for the evening, so it was just me and Andrei. He was still partially in the doghouse, so he thought it best to give Tori some space. He said their talk that afternoon went better, but she was still mad at him for laughing at her in front of me.

Around 10:30, Andrei got a message that they were coming home. “They’re flying in, so they’ll be here soon.”

I tried to contain my excitement. I felt silly missing Adrik this much, but I had missed spending any time with him this morning after we went back to bed. I thought back to our conversation on the balcony that morning.

"it made you into the woman I’m falling in love with today.” He had said that so easily, like it was fact. I smiled to myself, thinking about his nervousness when I said I wanted to leave the house. Was this powerful man really worried that I would want to leave him?

Andrei pulled me out of my thoughts. “Come, I’ll take you to the landing pad. You can meet him there. It will make him happy.”

I jumped up. “Really? It would make me happy too.” He bent down and I jumped on his back eagerly, slapping his shoulder. “Get the lead out boy! We don’t want to be late!”

He laughed and took off toward the front door. He walked us some distance to the side of the house, where there was a large clearing with a concrete pad in the middle. I hadn’t been to this side of the property yet. We were just approaching the pad when he heard the helicopter.

“See? There they are,” he said pointing to the lights in the sky in the distance.

It didn’t take them long to land and Adrik stepped out of the helicopter. He was a sight for sore eyes in all black. Da mn, he looked extra sexy. Was it because I missed him? Andrei was still holding me on his back. I jumped down, as Adrik saw us and started to close the distance between us quickly. I ran to his arms, my lips crashing into his. I felt like I was almost desperate for him right then and I wanted him to know, without a doubt, that I had missed him. We heard a couple of whistles from the guys, but I didn’t stop. I didn’t care at that moment. He groaned as he broke this kiss to breathe.

“Somebody missed me,” he said, that sexy smirk on his face.

1 grinned at him. “Maybe a little,” I said as I reached up and kissed him again.

I felt him smile against my kiss. “I missed you more,” he said, picking me up to carry me to the house. I smiled and rested my head against his shoulder, wrapping my arms around his neck and shoulders.

“How was your day, solnishko?”

“Um…good.” I said, not sure if I should bother him with the drama between Andrei and Tori.

He stopped walking and looked at me seriously. “Who do I need to have killed?” he asked.

I giggled. “Well, technically me, so I feel like that’s a bad life choice all around.”

He looked at me sternly, one eyebrow raised. “Persephone, what have you done?”

"I made Tori put Andrei in the doghouse already. I didn’t mean to! We were just joking in the kitchen, and she walked in, thinking Andrei was hurt and we started laughing more and she thought we were laughing at her.”

He scoffed. “Women are complicated.” He continued up to the house.

“You’re telling me,” I said, rolling my eyes as he laughed. When we got inside, I asked “did you eat? Do you want me to make you something?”

“No need, love. We ate already. I am, however, still hungry,” he said as he set me down. He leaned in to kiss me and added, “just not for food.”

I couldn’t help myself. I kissed him deeply, my entire body craving his. I pressed my body to his, not wanting any space between us. I wasn’t sure what had come over me, but I simply couldn’t get enough of him. He responded in kind, his strong arms pulling me against him firmly. His lips devouring mine as his tongue explored every inch of my mo uth. A soft moan escaped my lips as I tried to press my knees together, feeling the incredible need for him growing.

“We should go upstairs before I lose complete control, solnishko,” he said as he grabbed my hand pulling me quickly to the stairs.

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 19, 2023

Chapter Forty-Seven
Adrik

I was anxious to get home to Sephie. Missing talking to her before I left for the day was harder than I thought. I had already grown accustomed to our morning routine in just a few short days. Not being able to kiss her, to talk to her this morning made me miss her more than usual. I found myself hoping that she was in better spirits tonight than last night, but I vowed to do everything in my power to make it better if she wasn’t.

“We’re 10 minutes out, boss. I also sent word to Andrei that we were on our way home. He said Princess was starting to get impatient and worried,” Ivan said. The corners of his mo uth were curled up in a half smile.

“Thank you, Ivan. Did he say anything else?”

“Net. Just that she was starting to worry because it was so late, and we weren’t back yet. He told her you had a late meeting.”

I found myself getting more anxious to see her. I never wanted to cause her worry. I should’ve told her I had a late meeting, but it slipped my mind. I was too focused on how beautiful she looked while peacefully sleeping this morning to consider small details.

We approached the landing pad on the side of the house. It was dark, but the lights from the helicopter were bright enough that I could just make out Andrei’s sizeable frame walking toward the landing pad. I could see Sephie’s red hair just to the side of his head. She must be hitching a ride. It was one of the small things that made me adore her. She had a childlike innocence about her in so many ways, but I was impressed that she could keep that innocence knowing what she’d been through. I smiled at the thought of her laughing with Andrei while they waited for us to land.

As soon as we touched down, I opened the door and stepped out. Andrei kept Sephie a safe distance away, but I could already see her gorgeous smile as she waited for me. Ducking to avoid the blades, I walked quickly toward her. Once I was clear, I stood up completely and saw her running to me. I was met by her lips crashing into mine as she wrapped herself around me.

I should let her sleep in the mornings more often if this is how she greets me when I get back. I pressed her even closer to me and returned the kiss, barely able to breathe from her passion. As the guys walked by us, they whistled.

Somebody clapped, even. She had been shy before about showing too much affection in front of them, but that was clearly not an issue tonight.
I groaned and broke the kiss, needing to breathe.

“Somebody missed me.” She grinned up at me. “Maybe a little.” She stood on her toes and kissed me once more.

I smiled against her lips. “I missed you more,” I said as I reached down and picked her up in my arms. She wrapped her arms around my neck, resting her head on my shoulder.

“How was your day, solnishko?”
I felt her tense slightly. “Um…good.”
I stopped immediately. “Who do I need to have killed?”

She giggled, that sweet precious laugh that meant she was truly happy. I felt my heart swell in my chest just looking at her, happy in my arms. “Well, technically me, so I feel like that’s a bad life choice all around.”

She was so adorable; it was hard not to smile at her. I looked at her sternly, with one eyebrow raised.

“Persephone, what have you done?”

“I made Tori put Andrei in the doghouse already. I didn’t mean to! We were just joking in the kitchen, and she walked in, thinking Andrei was hurt and we started laughing more and she thought we were laughing at her.”

Delicate ego on that one. I just shook my head and continued walking. “Women are complicated.”

“You’re telling me,” she said as she rested her head on my shoulder once again. As we walked to the house, her fingers played with my collar and ran lightly over my neck and chest where it was exposed. She was driving me crazy and didn’t even know it.

We got inside the house, and I set her down. “Did you eat? Do you want me to make you something?”

Always so thoughtful toward everyone else. “No need, love. We ate already. I am, however, still hungry,” I said as I kissed her lips once more, then whispered “just not for food” into her ear.

I was not expecting her reaction. She wrapped her arms around my neck, pressing her body completely to mine and kissed me just as passionately as she had on the helicopter pad. I felt my desire for her trying to take complete control.

I wanted her. All of her. I heard her moan softly into my mo uth and that was the end of my control. I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the stairs.

“We should go upstairs before I lose complete control, solnishko,”

I walked quickly up the stairs. She was right behind me the whole time. It almost felt like she was pushing me to go faster. We got to the bedroom and as soon as the door closed, I pulled her toward me again. I turned and pushed her against the door, pushing my body against her, my lips on hers.

I was now fully aroused and wanting her to know what she was doing to me. She grabbed my shirt, untucking it. Her hands quickly found their way to my bare skin, her touch was almost electric. She ran her hands up my back and I felt her dig her fingernails into my back lightly. I groaned into her mo uth. I could feel her smile as she knew she was driving me crazy.

Her fingers quickly moved to my chest, unbuttoning my shirt. Once she got two buttons unbuttoned, I stepped back from her. I pulled my shirt off over my head and threw it down. My hands grabbed her hips to pull her to me once again, her lips immediately on mine once again. As slowly as I could, my hands slipped under her shirt. I didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable. Not now.

She broke the kiss and looked at me like she knew what I was thinking. She smiled at me, gently pushing me back so I would give her a little room. She lifted her shirt over her head and threw it on top of mine. She then grabbed my hands and placed them around her, so I was touching her scars.

“It’s okay. I want you to touch me,” she said, looking me in the eyes as I ran my hands over her back. She didn’t flinch, she didn’t get tense, she just looked at me while my hands ran over her scars. I leaned down and kissed her neck. I could hear her breaths coming quicker as I nibbled my way down her neck. With one hand, I unbuttoned her pants, pulling at the zipper to give me more access.

I grabbed her hips, picking her up. She wrapped her legs around me, her lips finding mine once again. I walked us to the bed. Laying her down, I pulled her jeans off, throwing them toward the pile of shirts somewhere by the door. She laughed. I ran my hands up her long legs, watching her reaction to my touch. I leaned down and kissed her stomach. She flinched and giggled.

“That tickles.” I rubbed my facial hair lightly over her stomach to make her laugh again.

She pulled me up to her lips, wrapping her legs around my waist as I laid down on top of her. I could feel the heat between her legs. I was dying to be inside her. I kissed her neck again, giving her little bites every so often as they always made her gasp slightly.

“Adrik,” she said breathlessly. Her breathy voice turned me on even more. “I want you.”

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 19, 2023

Chapter Forty-Eight
Adrik

I looked at her, searching her eyes for the slightest hesitation. She put her hands on the side of my face and repeated, “I want you.”

I kissed her deeply, reaching behind her to undo her bra before standing to get rid of my pants and her panties. When she saw me fully na ked, her eyes widened just slightly before she swallowed once. I smirked at her.

“I’ll go slow, solnishko. I don’t want to hurt you.”

She nodded as I laid on top of her again. Her legs wrapped around my waist once again. I kissed her, my hands. roaming down her stomach and over her hips. When I felt her pus sy, it was even more wet than the last time. “Fuck, Sephie. You’re so wet,” I said kissing one breast, then the other. My fingers moving back and forth across her little. button. I leaned down and kissed her, positioning myself between her legs. I rubbed my cock in her wetness as she moaned into my mo uth. It was the sweetest sound.

I slowly started to enter her, watching to make sure I didn’t hurt her. I pushed in a little more, then waited for her to adjust before continuing. “You’re okay?”

She nodded her head eagerly and pushed her hips against me, indicating that I could slide all the way in. I still went slow, as she gasped when she felt the full size of my cock. Once I was completely inside her, I felt her clench around me. I groaned, knowing that I wasn’t going to last long if she kept doing that. She did it once more and giggled in my ear as she kissed my neck.

I moved slowly in a steady rhythm and then slammed into her hard, just once. She moaned loudly as I whispered, “turnabout is fair play, my love.”

She smiled up at me and pulled me to her so she could kiss me again. I followed her lead, as she increased the kiss, I increased the rhythm. It didn’t take long until her legs were starting to shake around me and I knew she was close. I watched as she gave into her orgasm, losing complete control for a few moments, lost in the feeling. She was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen.

As she came down, she wrapped her legs tighter around me, clenching against my co ck inside her. She was already tight, but when she did that, I just about couldn’t take it. Her hands ran over my back, lightly grazing me with her fingernails. She ran her hands down to my ass and grabbed it as she pushed her hips into me. I inhaled sharply.

I wasn’t expecting her to be so demanding, but whatever she wanted, I would give to her. I’d never felt this way toward any woman before. I already knew I’d never be able to get enough of her.

She pushed the limits of my stamina. I wanted her to orgasm again while she made me c um. Increasing my rhythm, I started to push into her harder. She moaned louder, meeting my thrusts with her hips. She was amazing. I could feel her getting close again and I knew I wouldn’t be able to last much longer. As I pushed her over the edge and felt her orgasm again, I felt my own release. She wrapped her arms around me as I collapsed on top of her, still inside her.

It took a few minutes for us both to catch our breath. I propped myself up on my elbows and looked at her. She was absolutely stunning lying beneath me, her eyes dancing in the light, her cheeks slightly flushed, her hair as wild as ever. My breath caught looking at her.

“You ok?” she asked, reaching a hand up to my face.

I turned and kissed her palm. “Very. I just can’t help it. You’re so beautiful.”
She smiled sweetly at me. I went to move off her, hating the part where I would have to pull out of her. I stretched out on the bed, opening my arms for her to snuggle in next to me. She immediately moved to my side and laid her head on my chest, her arm across my stomach. I ran my hands over her body as she laid next to me, still not feeling like I had gotten enough of her.

“I’m going to let you sleep every morning if this is the result,” I said.
She rested her chin on my chest to look at me. “I mean, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but I like seeing you in the morning before you leave.”

I smiled at her. “I like seeing you in the morning too. I almost woke you this morning just so I could steal a kiss.”

“You have my permission to always wake me to steal a kiss,” she said, resting her head on my chest again.

She was tracing circles across my stomach as I was running my hand across her back. It seemed like only a few minutes, and her hand got quieter, her breathing slower, and I knew she had fallen asleep. I watched her slumber for a bit before losing my own battle against sleep.
When I opened my eyes the next morning, the sun was beginning to rise, and the early morning light was just starting to pour into the bedroom.

I looked at Sephie, still sleeping soundly half on top of me. I managed to sit up just slightly, so I could get a better look at her. Her pale skin gave her the look of a porcelain doll. It was a stark contrast to her red hair that fell over her scarred back. I ran my fingers through her hair, causing her to snuggle into me more. She sighed.

“Good morning,” she said in a half-whisper.

“Good morning, solnishko.” I ran my hands over her body as she continued to wake up.

“Mmmm. This is really what I missed when you let me sleep yesterday. I love your hands on me as I wake up.”

“You can have my hands on you whenever you like. For as long as you like.” She rested her chin on my chest to look at me. “Promise?”

I held my pinky up to her. “Pinky swear.” She grinned and grabbed my pinky with hers.

“Are you going to be late tonight?” she asked, a devilish grin on her face.

“I can be if you want to greet me the way you did last night. I wouldn’t be mad at that.”

“It was pretty amazing,” she said, reaching up to kiss me. My phone buzzed on the nightstand. I groaned and checked it. It was Viktor.

Meeting with Niko at 10. Your office.
“Business?” she asked as she rolled off me and stretched, her joints popping.

“I have a meeting with Niko this morning. This Anthony situation is getting bigger.”

“Niko? He’s the older guy with black hair except at his temples where it’s shockingly white?”

I nodded. She thought for a minute.
“He rubs his left eyebrow when he’s being dishonest, like he’s smoothing out the hair. Granted, he has some bushy ass eyebrows. But that’s his tell when he’s lying.”

“How do you know all this, solnishko? You were right about Salvadori. His eye twitched like you said.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. It seems obvious to me. I have been their chosen waitress for a couple of years, but I picked up on their quirks pretty quickly. I guess I just notice things like a weirdo.”

I chuckled. “You’re not a weirdo. You have a very valuable skill. I’m going to give you a job just observing people for me.”

She inhaled and stretched again. “Are you sure you can afford me?” she asked as she got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. She looked back at me before she closed the door, grinning over her shoulder

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 19, 2023

Chapter Forty-Nine
Adrik

I reluctantly left the house much earlier than normal because of my meeting with Niko. I was tense at the possibility that this situation with Anthony was going to get out of hand. I feared it was already to that point, given he was talking to other bosses and trying to persuade them to turn against me. I was anxious to get this matter resolved quickly.

As we flew to the penthouse, I replayed the previous night in my head. The way Sephie looked at me with so much longing, so much passion. I’d never had a woman look at me like that, especially not after such a short time. She gave herself so completely to me. I wanted to spend every night showing her just how much she meant to me. I closed my eyes, the picture of her face etched clearly into my mind’s eye. I was already counting the minutes until I could hold.

her in my arms once more.
Poor Misha had to stay with her, as she wanted to go for another run after we left. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about him getting soft while he watched over her. She promised to go easier on him this time, but I have a distinct feeling that his idea of easy is much different from hers.

Niko was led into my office by Viktor promptly at 10:00. I motioned for him to take a seat. He looked nervous, so I reprained quiet and watched him. He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants as he sat in the chair opposite mine.
“Hello, sir. It’s good to see you again,” he said, trying to sound friendly. His thick Italian accent prominent. I l nodded.

“If you don’t mind my asking, sir, what is this meeting about?” he asked, still visibly nervous.

“It’s come to my attention that you and Salvadori have been…speaking,” I said.

“Salvadori and I speak often, sir. Can you tell me what we’ve been speaking about that gives you concern?” He rubbed. his palms on his pants once more.

“You tell me.” I wanted to see if he would tell me everything or if he would try to cover for Salvadori.

“Uh, well, sir, Salvadori sometimes has grand plans that he has no intention of following through on. I believe this was one of those times. He was angry about you increasing his tax, he might’ve said some things that he l didn’t mean in the heat of the moment.”

I raised my eyebrow and stared at him intently, which proved to make him even more nervous.

“Sir, if you please, I thought he was crazy for even thinking it and I told him so. I said, “Sal, you’re fuc king crazy to be even thinking that’ and told him to be careful.”

“Tell me his plans,” I raised my voice just enough that he cleared his throat, now visibly squirming in his seat.

“He wasn’t happy that you banished Anthony to Sicily, even though it was his original idea. He thought he’d be able to send Tony to Sicily for a few weeks and then he’d be able to come back. You forbidding him to come back angered him. He told me that his brother has been coming up with a plan to come back to the states, but he’s been ignoring him.

Now that Anthony is there with his brother, he’s starting to listen to his brother. Lorenzo is an evil son of a bi tch. I’m glad he’s not allowed in this city. He did tremendous damage while he was here,” he said while rubbing his left eyebrow, like he was trying to smooth the hair.

“What else,” I said, tapping my fingers on my desk. I could feel myself losing patience, but I was determined to remain calm. I couldn’t use this situation to my advantage if I lost my temper now.

“Sal was talking about talking to the other bosses, namely Vito because he thinks Vito is weak. Sal wants power. He wants to take over other areas of the city. He’s greedy in his old age. The people in his part of the city are not happy right now, as he’s been withholding money from them. I’ve heard he’s starting to force more taxes on the businesses in exchange for his protection. If they don’t pay, his guys go rough the owners up.

I clenched my jaw, trying to keep my cool. Those were tactics that were prevalent when my father was in charge. The people of the city feared my organization and wanted us gone when my father was in control. I’d spent years reversing that. Why does he now wish to ruin the peace? He’s making more money under me than he ever did under my father.
It didn’t make sense.

“Anything else?” I asked.

“No, sir. I just want you to know I’m loyal to you, sir. It was never a question,” he said, running his fingers over his left eyebrow once again.

“That’ll be all then.” He quickly got up to leave. Viktor opened the door to escort him out. Once he was out of sight, I stood and paced my office. Viktor would return with Ivan once Niko was out of the building. I was furious and on the verge of losing my temper. I slammed my fist on my desk just as Viktor and Ivan walked into my office.

“It went that well?” Ivan asked as he took a seat. Viktor smirked and took a seat beside Ivan.

“That son of a bitch Salvadori is trying to take over the city. Niko supports him. I need to meet with the other bosses to find out where their loyalties lie. I want you two to send guys to Sal’s part of the city. He’s been strong-arming his businesses.

Find out how the people feel about this change. We might be able to use the people against him. I need guys that I trust in there to find as much information as I can.” I was still pacing my office. “Viktor, I need you to set up meetings with the other bosses.”

“Yes, sir. Do you still want tomorrow mostly clear?” he asked. I had planned on surprising Sephie tomorrow and I wasn’t going to change those plans unless absolutely necessary.

“Of course. She’s the only thing keeping me from ordering their deaths right now.”

Both chuckled. Ivan asked, “why does he want to take over the city? Is he not making enough money? What’s the end goal? It doesn’t make sense.”

“I’m not sure yet. I suspect it has to do with his brother Lorenzo and my father, but I don’t know. I agree that it doesn’t make sense. He’s made more money under me than he ever did under my father. Up until a few days ago, I barely taxed him. Both Andy and Niko said he’s gotten greedy, but there must be a reason for it.”

Ivan tapped the side of his nose. “Is he sampling his product?”

“I wouldn’t have been surprised if Anthony was. Is. But I don’t know about Salvadori. Seems out of character, but four days ago I would’ve said him trying to take over the city was out of character as well.”

We all sat in silence for a few minutes, contemplating what to do next. “Let’s see what the other bosses have to say before we make a plan.”

“Agreed,” they both said. I looked at my watch. I didn’t have another meeting for two hours. I decided to hit the gym and beat the s hit out of a punching bag for a while to clear my head.

mshamba_mkuu · Aug 19, 2023

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma hivi vitabu unatunga mwenyewe?

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 19, 2023

Chapter Fifty
Adrik

The rest of the day went by quickly. Before I left for the evening, I stopped by to see both Ms. Jackson and Mr. Turner and make sure they were both settling into their new accommodations. I made arrangements for Sephie’s surprise the following day. They were eager to see her again and I found myself once again anxiously anticipating her reaction. Everything was ready.

We drove to the house. The vehicle had barely stopped, and I was already opening the door to get out. I couldn’t wait to see her, to hold her, to kiss her. The house was quiet when I walked in. I walked toward the kitchen. Tori was working on dinner. She looked up and saw me and just pointed to the back of the house.
I quickly walked through the back room and out to the patio. I spotted her and Misha walking back from the gardens. She was carrying a handful of flowers that she’d cut, listening intently to what Misha was telling her.

She smiled big at something he said, and my heart stopped. Her smile made me forget everything from earlier in the day. They got almost to the pool before she spotted me. As soon as she did, her face lit up again and she smiled even bigger at me.

“Did you bring me flowers, solnishko?” I asked, smirking.

“I did. I thought the house could use some color,” she said as she inhaled the floral scent. “And some fragrance. You boys st ink.” She winked at me.
From behind her, Misha said, “I heard that!”.

She laughed, turning to him, and asking him to take the flowers inside for her. Then she turned back to me and slowly wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling me closer to her.

“Hi.” I kissed her forehead. “Hi,” I said, wrapping my arms around her, inhaling her scent as she leaned against me. All the tension started to leave my body as soon as I felt her touch.

“You had a rough day, huh?” she asked, looking up at me.

I gazed into her eyes for a moment, admiring every little detail of her face and brushing a curl from her face. I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers, needing her to help me relax even more. Without a word, she stood on her toes, her arms wrapping around the back of my neck. She pressed her body even closer to mine and kissed me passionately.

My mind returning to the night before and what she looked and felt like beneath me. I felt myself starting to get fully aroused and stopped the kiss. Before I could say anything, she caressed the side of my face.

“Wanna tell me about it while you change, or you don’t want to talk about it right now?”

“I could think of a better option,” I said as I pressed my hips into hers.

“How much time do we have before dinner? Wait. Doesn’t matter. I have an idea,” she said as she pulled me toward the house quickly. She practically ran up the back stairs, pulling me along with her.

Once we were in the bedroom, she made quick work of my shirt, throwing it on the floor. Her hands worked feverishly on my belt and pants. I stepped out of my shoes so I could take my pants off just as she dropped to her knees in front of me. “Whoa, Sephie are you sure?” I asked as she was pulling off my boxer briefs, freeing my hard cock. She looked up at me, slightly confused. Instead of answering, she just looked at me as she grabbed my co ck in one hand, licking the tip of it.

I sucked in a breath. I felt her hot breath as she opened her mou th and slowly took my co ck in her mou th. I moaned as she started moving up and down, working her tongue along the shaft. My hands went to her hair as she increased the rhythm. I was so turned on by her that I knew I wasn’t going to last long.

She started to use one of her hands along with her mou th and I felt myself getting close. “Sephie, you’re going to make me cum.”

I could feel the vibration of her moan on my co ck. “Fuck, Sephie. You’re a goddess.” I inched closer and closer as her lips were tight around me, her tongue slowly working up and down my entire length. Her other hand grabbed my hip to steady herself. I warned her right before I exploded in her mou th. She stilled until I stopped twitching, then stood up, wiping the tiniest bit of cum from the corner of her mouth.

I stood, almost frozen. Completely stunned at what had just happened. I could count on one hand how many times a woman has offered to do that for me.

“You should try breathing,” she whispered in my ear as she kissed my cheek.

I exhaled, still not knowing what to say. She walked to the bed and sat on the edge. She looked at me with a somewhat worried expression. “Are you okay? Did I break you?”

I opened my mou th to say something and stopped, still not sure what to say. I walked to my closet to grab a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. When I walked out, she looked more worried.

“Should I not have done that?”
I walked to her, pulling her to her feet in front of me. I kissed her neck, biting gently the way I knew she liked.

“Please do that anytime the desire arises.” She pushed me away, but she was smiling. “You scared me! I thought I did something wrong!”
“I’m sorry. I was stunned. I…I haven’t had a woman ever do that for me…like that,” I said, running my hand through my hair. I looked down at the floor. I could feel myself blushing.
I felt her hands on my chest, slide up to my chin, making me look at her.

“I’ve never done that for a man before, so it’s a first for both of us.” She smiled as she kissed me sweetly.

“You’re amazing. I can’t get enough of you.”

“I hope you never do.”

“Come. Let’s eat. You’re going to need all your strength later,” I said leading her from the bedroom.

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 19, 2023

mshamba_mkuu said:
Muhindi Wa Kuchoma hivi vitabu unatunga mwenyewe?

Hapana
Hii imeandikwa na RJ Kane.
Unapenda kusoma novel?

mshamba_mkuu · Aug 19, 2023

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma said:
Unapenda kusoma novel?

hapana,

si bora ungetengeneza uzi tu ukawa unaupload PDF au EPUB za hivyo vitabu kuliko kujichosha hivi??

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 19, 2023

Chapter Fifty-One
Sephie

I felt Adrik stir next to me. I groaned a little as I didn’t want it to be morning yet. He made sure that I would have a hard time walking today. He was insatiable last night. I loved every minute of it, but I was paying for it now. My body did things and felt things that I didn’t know was possible. I felt his warm hands on my body, leaning into his touch.

“Good morning, my love,” he said as he kissed my shoulder. [hid my face in the pillow, not wanting to open my eyes yet. I felt his breath on my shoulder as he laughed.

“You must get up today, solnishko. Your surprise is ready.”

I picked my head up and looked at him. “Where is it? Can you bring it to me? I don’t think I can walk today. I think you broke me.”

He laughed as he ran his hands over my body. He rolled me onto my back, and I felt him above me, leaving kisses down my neck and chest. “If I agree to carry you everywhere, does that mean I can have you again this morning?”

He ran his hands over my breasts down my stomach to my hip. He pulled one leg up and over his hips as he leaned down and kissed my lips.

“I’m listening.” I said. I felt him lower himself as he pressed his hips to mine. I could feel his hard cock pressing against my slit. I tried to hold it in, but I moaned quietly. That was all the encouragement he needed. I gasped as he slid inside me, still needing a moment to adjust to his size. He stilled and kissed me. As soon as I relaxed, he started moving, slowly, gently at first. He kept the pace slow, but started to increase the intensity of his thrusts. It was exactly the thing that would make me have an orgasm every single time. I was close to the edge almost right away. It was like he knew exactly what to do every time to make me orgasm, like he was reading my mind.

My breaths quickened as he slowly increased the rhythm. Wrapping my legs tighter around him, I threw my head back against the bed, not able to contain my loud moans as he drilled into me, sending me over the edge. My hips met his with each thrust, pushing him deeper inside me. I grabbed onto him as I felt my orgasm explode, causing him to release as well, both of us breathing hard, unable to move.

He was the first to move. He kissed my lips, then got up from the bed.

“Wait here,” he said as he walked to the bathroom. I heard him turn the shower on. I wasn’t sure why he felt the need to tell me to stay. No way was I moving voluntarily right now. I closed my eyes, still riding the high of morning sex.

I felt his arms underneath me as he picked me up and carried me to the bathroom. He walked me into the shower and gently set me down under the warm water. “This will help your sore muscles,” he said as he grabbed the soap and started to wash me. I closed my eyes and leaned into his touch. I loved the way his hands felt on my body. He gently guided me to the water so he could rinse me and get my hair wet. I felt him massage the shampoo into my hair, taking extra care to massage my scalp before rinsing it and doing the same with the conditioner. He quickly washed himself, then wrapped me in a towel. He picked me up again and carried me to the closet so I could get dressed.

The warm shower did help loosen me up. I might be able to walk today, after all.

He carried me downstairs to breakfast. The smell of bacon making my stomach growl as we were coming down the stairs. “Somebody worked up an appetite,” he said, with his sexy smirk. I hid my face against his shoulder.

There was only Tori and Andrei in the kitchen when we walked in. It was still early. Adrik put me down on one of the chairs at the bar to the island. Andrei smiled when he saw me,
“good morning, spider monkey.”

“Morning, Bubba,” I said smiling back. I caught Tori frown out of the corner of my eye. She turned her back and I gave Andrei a serious look, pointing to Tori. He rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. Adrik saw our exchange and said something to Andrei in Russian. Andrei replied and they both nodded. Adrik winked at me, with a devilish grin.

Viktor walked into the kitchen, still looking half asleep. He walked to me and hugged me, sitting down next to me. “Good morning, sestrichka.”

“Viktor, you look like s hit, buddy. Did you not sleep last night?”

He shook his head no. “Coffee. I need coffee.”

I went to stand up to get him some coffee, but Adrik put his hand on my shoulder. He whispered in my ear, “we made a deal, remember?” as he walked to get Viktor a cup of coffee. I felt my cheeks blush.

As he was getting coffee for Viktor, the other three guys showed up, looking only slightly more rested than Viktor.

“Are you guys having a party down here at night? Did you not invite me? Rude,” I said, crossing my arms across my chest.

Ivan grumbled. Viktor said, “is Misha’s fault. He’s never seen The Evil Dead trilogy, so we stayed up to watch them all last night.”

“Worth it.” I laughed at them, as Misha nodded and winked at me.
After morning workouts were completed and everyone had freshly showered, Adrik asked Viktor to get the vehicles ready to leave.

“Who’s the lucky guy that gets to stay with me today?” I asked, walking to his side.

He smiled down at me. “You’re coming too,” he said, pulling me to him.

“I am? Really??” I started to get slightly excited about being able to leave the house after almost a week stuck there.

“Your surprise is waiting. It can’t come to you; you must go to it.” He kissed my forehead just as Viktor and Stephen were pulling up in front of the house. He took my hand and led me to the SUV that Viktor was driving, opening the back door for me. I hopped in and slid over so that he could get in beside me. Ivan got in the front seat, while Andrei and Misha got in the vehicle with Stephen.

“Where are we going?” I asked. Adrik’s arm around me, pulling me closer to him.

“That would ruin the surprise, my love. You will see,” he said as both vehicles pulled away from the house.

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 19, 2023

mshamba_mkuu said:
hapana,

si bora ungetengeneza uzi tu ukawa unaupload PDF au EPUB za hivyo vitabu kuliko kujichosha hivi??

Hizi ni ongoing stories. Bado zinaendelea kila siku wanatoa episode 5. Nikiwa nasoma napost kwa ajili ya wengine pia

You are too kind my friend.

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 19, 2023

Chapter Fifty-Two
Sephie

We drove away from the house and closer to the heart of the city. This area of downtown wasn’t too far from the restaurant worked at, but I didn’t have much reason to come here I would sometimes run through downtown when I was waiting for Grant to pass out. The buildings got taller and the people more numerous on the sidewalks. We passed by a small café, with a giant sign above it that read “Vinny’s

“Hey, is that the best sandwich shop ever?” I asked as we drove by.

“The one and only,” Viktor said from the front seat. A few blocks later and we were pulling into an underground parking garage. I was trying to pay attention to where we were, but honestly, I had no clue. There was so much to look at, it was hard to keep track of everything. We parked, the other vehicle parked next to us.

Everyone headed toward the elevators. There were three to choose from. We took the one that was by itself, away from the other two.
In the parking garage and in the elevator, the guys essentially surrounded us. Two in front, three in back, all times. Adrik had his arm around me, so I just walked with him, but it felt like we were moving as a unit and not seven separate people.

During the elevator ride up, I noticed that all the guys had smirks on their faces. Like they were all privy to a joke that I hadn’t heard yet. It made me wonder what was coming once those elevator doors opened. We stopped at the next to top floor and everyone got off the elevator, except me and Adrik.

“Give us a call when you’re ready,” Viktor said as they all exited the elevator.

I looked at Adrik, completely confused. He just pulled me closer as the elevator doors closed. “One more floor and you’ll see,” he said.

As the elevator doors opened, we were met with two guards, who both nodded at Adrik. We walked down a short hallway to another door. As he opened the door, he smiled at me, and motioned for me to walk through the door.

When I walked through the door, I could see that we were in a penthouse. There was a very spacious, very open floor plan, with incredible views of the city in every direction. I stood in one spot, just taking in the views, as well as the layout of the penthouse. My eye caught a familiar picture frame next to one of the couches. I walked to it, picking up one of the few pictures I had of my mother and me. I felt tears threatening to fall as I turned to Adrik.

“I don’t understand.”

“This is where you will live now, assuming you want to, of course. You’ll be closer to your friends, and I can see you throughout the day here too.”

“You live here?” I said, still astonished.

“Da. This is where I spend most of my time. This is my building. The lower floors are offices and apartments. The top three floors are restricted to only my people. You’ll be safe here. I had the guys pick up the rest of your stuff from your apartment and bring it here. Please don’t be mad, but I left your sh itty furniture,” he said, running his hand through his hair.

“I can’t believe you would not want my very expensive thrift store furniture in this place.” I said, still trying to choke back tears, but trying to smile through it.

He walked to my side, wrapping his arm around me. “You can leave whenever you want, just please take at least one of the guys with you when you go. We still don’t think going back to work is a good idea, but you can at least see your Friends again. I wish you could walk freely once again, but I still don’t trust this situation. There’s more to it that we don’t know yet. I would d ie if something were to happen to you,” he said, kissing my temple and holding me close.

I stared at the picture in my hands, not sure what to say, still fighting tears. I was so happy that I could be closer to Max, and I would be able to see Ms. Jackson and Mr. Turner again, even if it meant I had to take one of the guys with me. Ms. Jackson would be happy about that. I was so touched that he thought things through enough that he had the guys get my stuff from my apartment. I didn’t have much, but a few things were very valuable, if only to me. I looked up at him, tears still welling up in my eyes.

“Please tell me those are happy tears?” he asked, his face showing his nervousness at my reaction.

I put the picture down and wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his chest. I just nodded my head as I fought back the tears. After I gained control, I looked up at him, a few tears still in my eyes. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

He wiped the last few tears from my eyes and kissed my lips gently. “I will give you the world, solnishko.”

As I stood looking at him, looking down at me with nothing but love and adoration in his eyes, I realized that I loved this man. I was hopelessly falling in love with him. I never wanted to go another day without him.

“Come. You haven’t seen everything yet,” he said, pulling me with him to show me the rest of the penthouse.
I couldn’t get over the views of the city as we walked through the penthouse. “This must be beautiful at night,” I said, staring out the windows as he pulled me through the penthouse.

“I can’t wait for you to see it tonight,” he said. He proceeded to show me everything the penthouse had to offer, stopping at his bedroom. When he showed me the closet, he motioned for me to walk inside. When I walked in, all my clothes from my apartment were hanging in one section of the closet, with space for more.

“You did this?” I said, smiling at him.

“Well, not me technically, but I told someone to do it,” he said, sheepishly.
I walked to him. I placed my hands on his chest, as his arms circled my waist.

“Thank you,” I said. “Thank you for keeping me safe and for thinking of the little things that I missed from my life. Thank you for allowing me in your life. Thank you for trusting me enough that first night to tell me your name.”
He had a lazy smile on his face as he looked at me. “So, you’re happy with it?”

“Very.”

“Good. Because it’s not over yet. There’s more to the surprise later.”

“More? What else could there possibly be?”

He grinned at me. “You’ll see. Now, do you want to see the two floors underneath this one?”

“I want to see everything you want to show me.”

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 19, 2023

Chapter Fifty-Three
Sephie

We explored the next two floors below his penthouse. There was, of course, a full gym here too. Walking through the gym, I asked, “where’s the basketball court in this one?”

He laughed. “No basketball court here. Only at the house.”

“How do you guys manage. Like seriously. Take me back to the house. I can’t live under these conditions.” It was so hard to get that out with a straight face, but I managed. He turned to me, worried that I was serious. Just the look of worry on his face made me lose it. I started laughing.

He pushed me gently. “You worried me!”

We finished the official tour around lunchtime. On his private elevator back up to his penthouse, he asked “now, would you like to go somewhere for lunch?”

“Like actually go somewhere? We can do that?”

“We can do whatever we please, solnishko. What would you like?”
My mind immediately went to Vinny’s and their life-changing sandwiches.

“Can we go to Vinny’s so I can actually thank them in person for changing my life with their sandwiches?”

He laughed. “Of course. The guys will be so happy. They can’t get enough of that place,” he said as he pulled me to him. He kissed me, saying, “and I can’t get enough of you,” against my lips.

I rested my head against his chest, inhaling his scent. My arms hugged him tighter as I was thinking about how lucky I was.

Our trip to Vinny’s was not what I would consider normal, but they all acted like it was nothing. I was going to have to get used to having six men surrounding me in public, apparently. Most people were somewhat used to seeing Adrik with his guards, but the addition of me was clearly noteworthy, judging by the number of looks we got walking around. We left through the lobby, as they had pulled the vehicles out in front of the building, and we couldn’t even get through the lobby without everyone stopping and staring. I was starting to feel very self-conscious as we got in the SUV.

Ivan turned from the driver’s seat, grinning at me, “you just successfully smashed all the rumors that he’s g ay. He hasn’t been seen in public with a woman in a few years.” He winked at me.

“I feel like I should’ve given them a show,” I said, rolling my eyes.
The café was much better. It was small, without too many people inside, so we had a good time during lunch. We were laughing and joking, as usual. Vinny arrived as we were leaving. He stopped to address Adrik. “Good day, sir. I’m pleased you’ve come today. And with such a gorgeous woman, too!” he said as he looked at me.

I smiled at him. “You must be Vinny?”

“Si, bella.”

“You are single-handedly responsible for making me have to workout more, but my stomach is so grateful for it,” I said, offering my hand to him.

“Hey, we’re Italian. We can’t help but feed everyone,” he said pulling me into a hug instead of shaking my hand. I was surprised by it, but I felt Adrik’s hand on my lower back. “You come back often, bella. Goodnmarketing to see a beautiful woman eating at my shop,” he said winking at me and giving Adrik the thumbs up.

Viktor, with his serious, deep voice, said, “careful what you wish for, Vinny. This girl eats as much as we do.”

“Ah, she’s welcome. You’re all welcome here as much as you like. I’m so grateful to you, sir,” he said, shaking Adrik’s hand.

Adrik and I spent the next few hours by ourselves in the penthouse. In short, it was glorious to spend time with him during the day. We talked, we laughed, we acted like two people falling in love with each other.

At precisely 5:00, he stood up from the couch and extended his hand to me. “Come, time for the next part of your surprise.”

He led me to the elevator and pushed the button for the 5th floor. “Where are we going?” I asked.

He smiled down at me, “you’ll see.”
When the elevator doors opened, he pulled me down the hallway, made one right turn and stood in front of an apartment door. “Knock,” he said.
I knocked on the door, only to have Mr. Turner answer the door. “Mr. Turner!” I yelled, throwing my arms around his neck.

“Miss Sephie! I’m so happy to see you again!” he said, as he hugged me back.
“How? Why? You live here now?” I asked, confused. I hadn’t noticed that Adrik had stepped across the hallway and knocked on the door across the hall from Mr. Turner’s.

“He lives here now and so do I,” I heard a familiar voice from behind me say. I turned to find Ms. Jackson standing in her doorway. I rushed to her and gave her a hug as well. “Oh, Ms. Jackson! I’m so happy to see you!” I could feel the happy tears welling in my eyes at getting to see them both again, knowing they were both okay.

“Well, come in, child. Let me show you around,” Ms. Jackson said, grabbing my hand in hers. She looked at Adrik and Mr. Turner. “You two might as well come too. It’ll be an open house.”

“But how though?” I asked Ms. Jackson quietly as we walked through her apartment. Mr. Turner and Adrik chose to remain in her front room as she showed me the rest of her place.

“Do you believe me now that that man is in love with you?” she asked.
“He did this?”

She nodded her head. “He came to both of us, told us that you missed us, and asked if we would move here to be closer to you. He wants nothing more than for you to be happy, sweet girl.”

I stood still for a moment, in complete disbelief. “I can’t believe he did this for me.”

“Do you believe me now, child? He’ll give you the moon if you want it. That boy is in deep.”

I stared at her, knowing she was right, but still not able to quite believe it. She reached for my hand and patted it with her other hand. “You’re starting to believe it, but you’re also starting to feel the same for him, aren’t you?”
I nodded my head. “How could I not?”

“Smart girl. You offer him something that he’s never had before. He’ll die to protect it. To protect you. I was worried about you when you first left. I thought you’d gotten in over your head, but I couldn’t come up with a better solution. When he came to talk to me about coming here, I knew I was worrying about nothing.” She paused for a moment.

“Does he know?” I knew what she was asking.

“I told him. He’s seen the scars. I even told him you stitched me up and everything you did for me. Ms. L Jackson, he never looked at me differently. Not once.”

“Do you believe me now, child?” she asked, a small smile on her face.
I smiled at her, realizing she was helping me piece together everything. I hugged her. “I missed you.”

She hugged me back, “and I you, child.”

Muhindi Wa Kuchoma · Aug 19, 2023

Chapter Fifty-Four
Sephie

We walked back to the front of the apartment to find Adrik listening to Mr. Turner tell stories from his time at the hotel. Adrik probably knew most of the people Mr. Turner was talking about. I walked to Adrik. He opened his arm for me as I walked up. I stepped next to him, wrapping my arm around his waist as we stood listening to Mr. Turner’s story.
After he finished, Mr. Turner looked at me, smiling. “Miss Sephie, I don’t think you’ll be needing my services any longer.”

I laughed, forgetting that I used to ask Mr. Turner to find me the perfect man while he was at work. Adrik looked between me and Mr. Turner, a confused look on his face. “I used to ask Mr. Turner to please find me the perfect man while he was at work.”
Adrik’s face softened, as he kissed my forehead. “Turns out I found him while I was at work,” I said, hugging him a little tighter. He looked at me, slightly surprised, but quickly masked it.
We spent more time talking to both Ms. Jackson and Mr. Turner. It was starting to get late, for them, so we took our leave and went back upstairs. In the elevator, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out, looking at it.

“The guys are ordering Chinese. Sound good?”

“Yes please!” He responded to the text, putting his phone back in his pocket. He looked at me, like he was thinking about something. Finally, he said, “the perfect man? Really?” Then he added, “I’m far from perfect, solnishko. I don’t want to disappoint you, but I’ve not been a good man for most of my life.” He looked down at the floor.

“You’re perfect for me, Adrik. You’re good to me. You’re good to the people that matter to me. I know who you are. I knew when you walked into the restaurant that night, but when I look at you, I see the good in you.”

He looked at me, pulling me to him. “You say I’ve brought light into your life, and maybe that’s true, I don’t know. But you’ve made me less afraid of the dark and what’s found there.”
His lips crashed into mine. He reached over and stopped the elevator, pulling me tightly against him. His kiss was unrelenting, like he was desperate for me. Just when I thought I was going to pass out from lack of oxygen, he stopped with his lips still close to mine, his breath coming heavy. His eyes were closed, like he was trying to gain control of himself. I placed my hands on either side of his face, kissing him gently once more.

Without a word, he reached over and started the elevator again. He pulled me back to him, his thumbs tracing circles on my back as he held me close. I rested my head against his chest. We rode the rest of the way to his penthouse in silence, him holding me close.

The next day went by fast, as I had more to do during the day to keep myself busy. I spent time with Ms. Jackson, along with Andrei, much to her amusement. I also got to spend time with Adrik in the middle of the day when he had a break in his schedule. I could get used to this kind of day.

When he was done for the day, he asked “would you like to go see your friend Max tonight? Is he working? We can go to the restaurant.”

“Really? You would go there with me?”

“Of course. You haven’t seen him in a week. You should go to see him.”

“Oh, thank you! He’s going to be so surprised!” I said, hugging his neck.
We walked into the restaurant, with Viktor and Andrei in front, Adrik and I in the middle, and Ivan, Misha, and Stephen bringing up the rear. Max looked up from the bar when Viktor and Andrei stepped inside the door, vaguely recognizing them, but not seeing me behind them yet. When Adrik and I stepped forward, Max saw me and literally jumped over the bar to run to me.

Out of habit, all five bodyguards stepped closer, essentially boxing us in, using their bodies as shields. I laughed and tapped Viktor on the shoulder. “It’s Max. He won’t hurt me.”

“Sorry, sestrichka. Habit,” he said, stepping aside.

I stretched up and kissed his cheek. “No need to be sorry. Thank you for being so damn good at your job,” said as I stepped around him to get to Max. He hugged me tight, exclaiming, “I missed you So much!”
Once he released me, Adrik caught my arm, whispering in my ear. “We’ll be right over here. Go, catch up.” They all turned to sit at a table close to the door, where they could clearly see the bar and the front door.

I walked with Max back to the bar, so he could get back to work. I got plenty of looks from his fan club as we came back. They had all witnessed Max jumping over the bar to get to me. He pulled me behind the bar, so he could talk to me as he kept working.

“Where have you been, gingersnap?”

“Um, somewhere safe. I’m not far from here now, though, so we can hang out again.”

He turned his back to the customers at the bar, so they wouldn’t hear him. “Are you okay? Like for real? They didn’t kidnap you or anything?”
I laughed. “I mean, it depends on your definition of kidnap, I guess. I’m fine, Maximus. More than fine. I’m great.”
He looked at me, skeptically at first, but he could see the happiness on my face, so he relaxed.

“Okay, well give me the safe word at any point if you need to.”

“Max, I don’t think I’ll be saying ‘Saskatchewan’ anytime soon.”

“You just said it! You’re in trouble, I knew it!!” I laughed, pushing him away from me. As he went back to making drinks, I stepped beside him, leaning into his shoulder. “I missed you, Max.”

“It’s because of my face, isn’t it?” He slammed an ice cube into a glass.

“Da mmit, these devastatingly good looks are a curse!”

King of the Underworld by RJ Kane

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