(SERGIO)
Going pale, she puts her hand in her stomach and exhales loudly. Maybe her comment about vomiting one more time wasn't made in jest. I take an empty bin from below my desk and set it within her reach then wait.,
As soon as she regains her color, her gaze on me narrows. "I don't need a wedding dress."
I don't bother to correct her. "I have called in with a designer friend of mine. She will fly in tomorrow with racks of dresses for you to choose from. Then you will be fitted, and the dress will be made in a few weeks' time.
"I won't choose any."
I shrug like I don't care. "Then I will have to choose one for you. Are you on the pill, Ivanna?" I know because I have seen her health reports. Even so, I still need her to tell me.
Her brows shoot up and she clutches on the armrests. "What? How is that your business?"
"Until you marry my son, everything is my business, now answer the question. Are you on the pill?"
"I had the shot two months ago, if you must know. Would you also like to know the results of my latest pap smear? What about my weight and bra size?"
The mention of that has me dipping my gaze on her chest once more. I can't stop the flare of heat that rushes to my groin. Shit! How I'd love to put her over my knee and spank her until she stopped acting like a brat. It would be fun to show her what I like, teach her how to serve every one of my needs. Break her until she craves nothing else except my touch. My cock twitches at the thought. But then I remember that I have to lock those thoughts away because she belongs to Karlen.
"I suggest you watch your tone when you're speaking to me." I warn sternly. "You want your things back, don't you?"
She goes very still for a moment as suspicion draws in her eyes. "You're giving me my things back?"
"I might consider it. Only if you stop fighting me."
Her face scrunches. "I'll pass."
I almost smile. Ivanna has a spirit, that is certain. She is confident as well, the one that comes with experiencing sadness in life. Like she knows that she has faced all the bitterness that life has to offer but still survived. I know that feeling quite well because I, too, have experienced it.
"How about this? If you choose a dress, I will give you your satchel back."
"Really?"
"Of course. I'm a man of my word."
"Fine."
The way she answers so quickly makes me suspicious now. What is she planning? I know that my friend Ophelia will provide enough choices for Ivanna to find a dress that she likes. There will be no way around that. I hold out my hand. "See, that wasn't so hard after all."
"I want a phone."
"No."
"Why not?"
"First, you haven't earned the privilege. Second, it's not safe. If you need to make a Cal, Karlen and I can help you. But until you learn about our rules and abide by them, it's too risky."
"I need to talk to my family."
"I will think about it."
Her nostrils flare and I see how much she is struggling to not lash out. Then after a moment, she asks, "How am I supposed to earn these privileges?"
I'm silent for a bit. "By doing whatever is asked of you. Quit fighting me, and the marriage to my son. This is your fate, Ivanna. The earlier you accept it, the better."
She gracefully rises from her chair. "I'd rather you kept all your privileges. If that's all, capo?"
The title falling from her lips, even in a sarcastic way, twists something dark and hot inside of me. Like the word unlocks some secret fetish that I hadn't known I had until now. I want her to say it again, but on her knees begging me to fuck her mouth. Or on her back while I ride her hard. I want her to breathe it in my ear and scream it while she comes. I want it to be both pain and pleasure. The only word that she remembers in the bedroom.
I stare at her, breathing hard. An erection grows in my trousers, making them unnecessarily tight, all the while convinced that I must be losing my mind. Never once has a woman gotten under my skin this much. This cannot keep happening. I need her to settle with Karlen. She can never be mine.
The wise thing to do now is to push them to be together more often. Starting now.
"That is all." I finally say. "Enjoy your dinner in town later."
Her brows pinch but she doesn't look at me. "Dinner in town?"
"With Karlen. Yes. I assume he told you?" I know that Karlen hadn't mentioned a thing about dinner to her because I have just decided on the outing now. And she doesn't need to know that.
"I can't believe that you are trusting me to leave the estate."
I haven't even thought of trust. I have eyes and ears everywhere all over Tyva and I know for a fact that even if she tried to escape, she wouldn't get far. Someone would turn her in to me. The wrath of the Dvina Vory means certain death, and not many would risk their lives to cross me just to help a stranger. I'd make sure that Karlen takes along some of the guards as well. "I don't have to trust you, Ivanna. Because you know who suffers when you disobey me."
"Me?"
"Your pretty little sisters."
Her gaze blazes with immense hate. Her body vibrates with the urge to scream at me, scratch my eyes out or something. Anything to ease her turmoil. But there is no relief, because I'm Sergio Sakharov, and I always get what I want.
"You're a devil."
I give her a sinister smile. The one that I reserved for people who cheated and lied to me. "Never forget that, Malishka."