Second Best (Volkov Bratva Book 1) Read online

  Slavik wrapped his fingers around my wrist and tugged me close. “I don’t like being ignored.”

  “You’re hurting me.”

  “And you’re starting to piss me off.”

  Tears filled my eyes. He could so easily break my wrist. I stayed perfectly still.

  “I just … I wanted to leave.”

  “You think I didn’t see a difference after you’d gone to use the bathroom? What was said? They went after you but came out first? Are you hiding a pregnancy from me? Tell me.”

  He spat out all these questions, and I struggled to keep up. I was terrified, scared.

  “What? No. I’m not pregnant. And … I don’t want to have anything to do with the other women.” I didn’t want to tell him the reason why, but when he insisted, I had no choice but to tell him what I heard. I told him every single word.

  Afterward, silence fell between us, and I realized he’d released my wrist. I pulled away from him, holding my wrist against me, protecting myself against him. He … frightened me. There was no other word for it, and now he heard my shame.

  “You will never be left alone with those women,” he said.

  Not like I hadn’t already planned to ignore them. I wouldn’t invite myself to any of their parties, nor would I have anything more to do with them.

  I’d wanted friends. Who didn’t? But there was no way I was going to impose my presence on people who didn’t want me.

  My lip wobbled.

  I hated this feeling. Gritting my teeth, I tried to ignore the pain. The loneliness. The desperate question of why people didn’t like me. It wasn’t like I did anything to incite it. At least I didn’t think I did. I guessed I was just one of those people others couldn’t stand.

  “Are you sure you’re not pregnant?”

  “I’ve been having my period,” I said. “It takes sex to have babies.”

  I hoped he didn’t think that was an invitation.

  We arrived back at his apartment building. From what Sergei had told me, Slavik owned this place, and several more. They were his personal investments. It was why if I chose, I could have the indoor swimming pool to myself, along with the gym.

  Thinking about the cake tonight, those horrible words the women threw at me, I finally made a decision.

  I took a deep breath and climbed out of the car, not waiting for either man to open my door.

  Whenever something like this happened, solitude helped me to deal. Keeping the tears at bay was proving to be difficult. A burn settled at the back of my throat.

  Staring at my reflection in the metal elevator doors, I had to wonder, was it me? Did I make people hate me? Was being nice a crime? A weakness? Why did people go out of their way to despise me? To hurt me? Or better yet, to avoid me?

  I rubbed at my chest where a stabbing pain struck hard.

  Stepping into the elevator, Slavik put his hand at the base of my back, but I didn’t feel it.

  “Do you ever care what people think of you?” I asked.

  “No.”

  I smiled. It didn’t exactly reach my eyes. Simple. Direct. To the point. I liked it.

  “Do you?”

  “I know I shouldn’t, but it’s kind of hard not to when everyone around you seems determined to hate you.”

  The bell dinged, and the doors opened.

  We stepped out.

  Slavik keyed in the code to our apartment.

  When we arrived, I often kept my distance, steering well clear of him out of fear of capturing his attention. Today, I wanted to be alone.

  I removed my shoes, placed them in the right place, and without another look back, I went to the bathroom.

  Door closed and locked, I stared at my reflection in the mirror and allowed the spiteful words to wash over me.

  They were not the first.

  “The fat Italian. Honestly. People feel sorry for Slavik. I don’t know how he puts up with her. He could do so much better. I know my dad tried to get me thrown at him, but Volkov decided the Fredo girl was more important.”

  “She looked like a cow. All Slavik has to do is say the word and I’d do anything for him. I heard on her wedding night, Slavik had to cut himself because he couldn’t find her pussy through the layers of fat.”

  “You’re a disappointment.”

  “The ugly one.”

  “The fat one.”

  “What can we do to avoid being near her? No one likes her, no one wants to be around her.”

  I pressed my palms against my eyes as the tears fell, thick and fast. Each one that dropped added to my mortification. I was not liked. I was not loved. My own family didn’t care who they sold me to.

  “Aurora, open the door.”

  “I’m in the shower.”

  “I don’t hear it running. Open the door or I knock it down. Two choices.”

  I splashed my face with water, wiping off the makeup I’d chosen to wear.

  “Aurora!”

  I opened the door and stepped back. Turning the shower on, I reached for the clasp at the side of my dress and eased it down.

  Slavik was in the bathroom, and any other time, I’d have been afraid. There was no fear right now. Just pain and anger. Humiliation.

  I hated this feeling.

  “What is going on with you?” he asked.

  I ignored him.

  Was I sporting a death wish?

  No one ignored Slavik Ivanov. His reputation for destruction preceded him. Women talked about him with a combination of awe and fear.

  With the dress on the floor, I flicked the catch of my bra, followed by my panties, then stepped beneath the spray of the water. I let out a cry as the cold water washed over my body, shocking me to the core.

  In the back of my mind, I cursed myself, telling myself that I shouldn’t be doing this. Slavik had asked a question, and the least I could do was answer.

  Silence.

  Gritting my teeth, I closed my eyes and tilted my head back.

  I’m fine.

  I’m fine.

  I’m fine.

  The mantra went on and on inside my head. I didn’t have much choice. When I was a kid, I had to learn to live with it. My father had hit me for showing weakness. Tears were pathetic and shouldn’t be seen on a Fredo’s face.

  I released a gasp as strong arms grabbed my shoulders and turned me around to face him. Slavik was naked as well, which surprised me. I expected him to leave.

  Why hadn’t he left?

  “Tell me what the hell is going on.”

  “Nothing! Nothing is going on. Don’t you get that? I’m taking a shower.”

  “I know you’re lying to me.”

  Be the lady. Don’t give in.

  Old advice and demands rushed forward. The rules of the obedient woman consumed me, making me feel sick.

  “You really want to know?” I asked. I didn’t give him chance to answer. “I am sick and tired of being treated like I don’t care. Like I don’t matter. I tried to make friends and like always, I got shit on. What is it about me, huh? Do I just have unlikeable written across my forehead? Do people just enjoy kicking me while I’m down? The only reason they were nice to me tonight was because of you.” I took in a deep breath, realizing my mistake and wishing I could take it back.

  This wasn’t what I wanted. I stepped beneath the spray, waiting for the hit, the punishment. It was destined to come. My mother, when she talked back to my father, always ended up bruised. One time, I had lain in bed, terrified as I heard them. The yells, followed by the screams, the cries, the begs. The following day, I hadn’t been allowed to see my mother.

  For three weeks she stayed in her room, and when she came out, she sported a broken arm, split lip, and bruised face. That was what we could see.

  My mother had taken me and Isabella aside not long after and said we must do whatever we could to not fall into the trap of inciting our husband’s wrath.

  This was a code I tried to live by.

  No blow came.

&
nbsp; I wasn’t even worth it.

  Instead, Slavik left the shower, leaving me to feel far emptier than I ever thought was possible.

  ****

  Slavik

  The following day, Aurora’s words were still running rife through my mind even as I dealt with the necessary business of incorrect funds at one of our many brothels. We worked it all, guns, drugs, money, pussy, whatever depraved thing men and women wanted and could pay for, we supplied.

  We had politicians, government officials, and police officers on our payroll, and all were told to turn a blind eye. Where there was power, we had a hand in it. It was how we always stayed one step ahead.

  When a brothel began to lose money, especially a really good one, it meant trouble. Not for Cara, the cute redhead who ran the place. The moment she saw a problem, she called. I didn’t like dealing with the small businesses, but Cara was … a friend of sorts.

  She sipped at her coffee, dressed in a cute pinstriped business suit. No one would have ever guessed that she loved her job running and participating in a brothel. She was a powerful woman and knew how to manipulate men.

  I happened to adore her, as did Ivan, which was why I dealt with her face to face. Cara had been on the streets, fighting for her life. She’d helped to save our lives a time or two, and that meant we took care of her.

  She was loyal and we cared for her. Protected her.

  “As you can see, the money doesn’t add up. We’re gaining more clients every fucking day, and that shit doesn’t sit well with me.” She also didn’t dress anything up either. She was fact all the way.

  “Are you sure you just can’t count?” I asked.

  “Cheeky bastard. You think I didn’t go over the figures a hundred times before calling you?” she asked. “I get how busy you all are, and I run a tight ship.”

  I took the file she offered me and started to look through the facts and figures. Just from the quick glance, it appeared they were losing close to ten grand a night—not good. The brothel Cara ran was more … exclusive. Rich men who wanted to live out every dirty little fantasy could have their fun. The women were always beautiful, always ready to fuck. Cara said she didn’t deal with crack whores, or women who were desperate. She worked with women who wanted to get paid to fuck. Who actually enjoyed their work. When she ran the idea by Ivan many years ago, I thought she was going to fail. There was no way women would be lining up to want to fuck for money. I’d been wrong. Her club, aptly called Cara’s, had proven to be a success. Even if it hadn’t been, I was sure Ivan would have seen to it that Cara was taken care of.

  Cara put down her coffee and rubbed at her temples. “I’m pissed off, Vik. It means someone is in my business, taking from me, taking from Ivan. I don’t like it.”

  Only close friends called me Vik.

  I looked at the figures. “And you’ve had no new people?”

  “No. None. I haven’t hired anyone in a year, at least.” She sighed and sat back. “The problem I have is the security cameras, they’re all in the rooms. I don’t have them in our private business. You know that.”

  “So whoever it is, they’re either taking it from the private rooms or up front. You ever thought the girls are giving it away for free?”

  She shook her head. “I have to protect them. You know that. I’ve got guards there. Payment is always secured before any business takes place. You know my rules.”

  I did. “I’ll take this to Ivan. He’ll look into it.”

  “Tell him I’m on his side. That I’ll deal with it.” Cara sat back. “So, now that business is out of the way. Tell me how your wife is doing.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Not happening.”

  “Oh please, you’re being an asshole, aren’t you? I think I can see it now. You probably don’t even see your wife.”

  I thought about how she spoke to me in the shower. Aurora had been different then. She’d been filled with fire, passion, and pain. I recognized all three. They were emotions I could relate to.

  Staring at Cara, I know she’d understand, but when it came to my wife, I didn’t understand her.

  “This is not a topic of conversation.”

  Cara ran her finger along her chin, assessing me. I’d never fucked her. A lot of men had, but me and Cara, we weren’t inclined that way.

  “You know I met her at the wedding,” Cara said.

  “You did.”

  “She … seemed nice. Terrified, which is a given. She was being given to you, but I also heard what people were saying about her. What they were calling her.”

  “I heard as well.”

  “Yeah, but does your wife know what you did to those people?” Cara asked. “Is she aware that you put a blade in a man’s throat because they called her a fat cow?”

  “No one disrespects my wife,” I said.

  “Which again, I find so intriguing. For a man who claims not to care, you seem to do a whole lot of caring.”

  “Are we done here?” I asked.

  She chuckled. “We are, for now.” She stood up and held out her hand.

  I shook it and then we embraced.

  “Take care of yourself, Vik. Don’t be a stranger.”

  “Let me know if you have any more findings about this.” I held the file she’d given me, and she agreed.

  She left and I paid the bill, leaving a healthy tip.

  I turned on my heel and left the restaurant. After heading to my office, which was located at one of our casinos, I sat down and went through the figures. Cara’s notes were along the side, and I could see she was trying to work out the problem.

  Cara was an amazing businesswoman, but she sometimes didn’t see patterns. There was something here, I could see it.

  Closing the file, I placed it to one side, handled a few emails, checked over some inventory. Called men to arrange meetings with, and handled my district one. Sergei regularly checked in with me about my wife’s whereabouts, and today wasn’t any different. He texted me that she was still inside the apartment.

  What was different this time was she’d taken a quick detour to the gym, followed by the pool.

  She normally sat and read.

  My wife’s calendar was always empty.

  Sitting back, I stared at the text message.

  Aurora was hurting.

  Her family hadn’t been in touch. Everyone she’d ever known had left her behind as if they didn’t care about her.

  I didn’t understand her pain.

  My family was dead to me.

  Ivan’s words about children came back to me.

  Getting to my feet, I texted Sergei to let him know I was heading home.

  Everyone moved out of my path as I made my way to the car. I climbed inside the back and handled some more business as I was driven to my apartment. I didn’t give Sergei any instructions.

  After arriving, I climbed out of the car, took the elevator, and entered my apartment, dismissing Sergei with a single look.

  Aurora was nowhere to be seen.

  I checked the kitchen, living room, dining room, and then opted for the spare bedroom I’d turned into a library for her.

  She sat in a chair, reading a book. Exactly how I found her more often than not. This time though, she wore large clothes. They completely covered her body. Her glasses were perched on her nose, and she did look incredibly cute.

  I entered the library.

  “Hi,” she said.

  I stayed silent, glancing around at the bookshelves. When I’d married, I’d been determined to ignore this woman, but each day, I found her invading my thoughts. It was very fucking annoying.

  “You like to read?”

  “Yes.”

  It was a dumb question. Anyone could see she loved to read.

  Spinning around, I found she now stood, looking at me. Her hands held the book close to her as if it was a protective shield. It wouldn’t ward me off.

  “We have a duty to produce a baby,” I said.

  “Oh.” She nibbled on he
r lip. “I didn’t think there was a rush.”

  There wasn’t, but the truth was I wasn’t used to going without fucking and so far, I hadn’t been with any other woman. Again, it was fucking beyond me why I hadn’t. We had willing women at our fingertips, and it would be so easy to find a woman.

  “Get in the bedroom. Get naked.”

  I wasn’t a good man. I didn’t know how to have a wife, or to be nice to a woman.

  She was the enemy.

  Aurora left the library.

  I didn’t trust her. For all I knew, she could be running off and telling her dad all of our secrets. The moment I had the thought, I quickly squashed it. There was no way it would happen. All her actions were monitored. There was no way she’d be able to do it without us noticing.

  No one had called her.

  Her family had cut her off.

  So much for a blessed treaty.

  Entering the bedroom, I found her lying on her back, naked, staring up at the ceiling. My cock hardened at the sight of her.

  It was true what Cara said. Some men on our wedding day and night offered me their condolences. I’d made sure the men knew to keep their opinions to themselves as they’d been unwanted.

  When I looked at Aurora, I didn’t see a woman lacking. She wasn’t a stunning beauty, but she was beautiful. I liked her curves. I was a big man, and I didn’t want to break a woman while fucking her. My strength and my appetite had me drawn to fuller women like Aurora.

  I enjoyed sex and wanted it often.

  I’d gone without for so long, only taking care of my needs by my hand. Several women had offered themselves to me, all of which I’d turned down. I had no interest in sticking my dick into a used cunt.

  There was the problem.

  Aurora had spoiled me.

  Her virginity had been given to me, and now, there was no other pussy I wanted but my wife. The only problem was I didn’t exactly know how to have a wife. It was a weakness, and there was no way in hell I’d ever fucking tell anyone that.

  I had no weakness. I was fucking strong.

  Standing at the edge of the bed, I saw her eyes close, and I couldn’t do it. There was no way I could climb between her thighs and fuck her while she looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but with me.

  “Come here. On your knees.” I clicked my fingers, and Aurora did as I asked. I saw the redness in her cheeks, but I didn’t care.