Page 44 of Unholy Tsar

She refuses to listen to me! Can I teach her a lesson? I won’t hurt her—much.

ME:

No. She’s mine.

My men all stop what they’re doing the moment I walk out, tipping their heads as I storm toward my disruptive little student. But I barely pay them any attention. My focus is trained on the private gun range. On her.

“What do you think Maksim’s going to do if he finds out you’re being this difficult?” Dante’s frustration seeps through his words, mirroring the expression I witnessed on camera.

“Wasn’t he watching us? I’m a hundred percent certain that he’ll—Maksim!” The little brat jumps up from the bench with an exaggerated smile. Dante turns around and nods curtly.

“I’ll take it from here,” I tell him, my eyes firmly fixed on Cecilia. I can practically hear him sigh with relief as he exits the room. Before he’s gone, though, I give him one last order. “Leave the door open.”

Now alone with Cecilia, I raise my brow at her. “What do you think you’re doing?”

She fakes a pout, but the relief in her eyes is obvious, “What do you think? I wanted to be taught by the master himself. Dante, bless his heart, just didn’t get me.”

“He didn’t get you or you were just being deliberately uncooperative?”

“Ah ha!” She shakes her index finger at me. “I knew you were watching. You’re too much of a control freak to just leave me in another man’s hands. I—"

“I didn’t leave you in his hands.”

Her eyes light up as she grins. “Is that jealousy I hear in—"

“I’m not jealous,” I grit out. But her grin only widens. Damn her. “You wanted me to be the one to teach you? Well, I’m here now. Get into the stance I taught you.”

She saunters up right to me, then spins around and bends over slowly, making sure her ass brushes against my crotch as she picks up the gun on the counter.

I suck in a sharp breath, feeling my semi turn into a full-blown erection. “Watch yourself,” I growl, taking a step back. I lean to the side to check if anyone is watching through the doorway. No one is. The bastards. They’re supposed to keep me honest.

“Oh, sorry, did I do something wrong, sir?”

“Are you out of your—” I cut myself off with a shake of my head when I see the mischievous glint in her eyes.

She’s trying to provoke a response from me, but I won’t give her the satisfaction. I refuse to. “You want a lesson, you’ll get a lesson. Get into your stance. Now.”

“Alright.” Like it’s the easiest thing in the world, she does as she’s told.

I shake my head in exasperation. “Did you want to be with me that badly?”

Her eyes go wide, cheeks flushing a delicious shade of berry. “O–of course not. Don’t be ridiculous. I just want to get my money’s worth.”

“You know these lessons are free.”

“I’d disagree. I’ve paid a heavy price so far, wouldn’t you agree?”

“You haven’t even started to pay for your—”

Before I can finish, Cecilia takes her first shot.

“Damn, missed it,” she mumbles.

“I thought we went over this yesterday. Don’t shift your stance when you shoot. Remain steady like a rock and—”

She shoots again, doing the same damn thing I just told her not to do. But this time, her grip on the gun must be weak too because the recoil knocks her off her feet.

The gun clatters to the floor as she falls on her ass.