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My threat works. She lets out a small huff and quickly storms out of my office, slamming the door behind her.
This betrothal I made may turn out to be far more thrilling than I first thought it would.
“That went well,” I murmur to myself and chuckle.
Katarina will definitely keep me entertained. With her by my side, my life will be far from boring.
FOUR
KATARINA
“What’s he like?” my friend Mila asks for the umpteenth time, wanting to know everything about Nikolai. “From what I’ve seen in magazines, I’d take him in a heartbeat.”
I roll my eyes and take a sip of the Screaming Eagle cab in front of me, courtesy of our VIP treatment at the grand opening of New York’s newest underground nightclub. It’s invite-only, and even without my status as a talent scout, I would easily get in, thanks to my father’s influence.
“If his dick is as big as he is rich, I’d never look at another guy ever again,” she adds with a sly grin.
I let out an internal groan. After leaving Nikolai’s office last week, he didn’t ask to see me again. There is still a possibility he’ll break the engagement, but I need to actually see him to convince him I’m the last person he’d want to marry.
It’s not the best idea to drink on an empty stomach. The alcohol has wormed its way into my brain, producing a desire to agree with my best friend that Nikolai is the hottest man in the entire universe. If he wasn’t such a despicable person, I’d accept the marriage instantly and give him countless babies.
“First of all, when have I ever dreamed of meeting a rich, handsome, and successful man?” I ask, slumping back in my seat. “I prefer good guys. Why can’t I have an old-fashioned doctor or a lawyer? They have plenty of love to give.”
“Your family is New York City Bratva royalty, and you’re telling me the fame, money, and luxury that come with that kind of power don’t affect your decisions?” she teases, grabbing the drink menu to see what else she can order.
“Very much, actually,” I hiss, swallowing the burning emotion. “What’s your point?”
A frown spreads across her face. “My point is that you must be a saint or something. If I were forced to be Nikolai Volkov’s sex toy, I wouldn’t be thinking about it too much.” She giggles.
“You act as if it is a done deal,” I reply, keeping my bitterness to myself. “I’ve heard enough about Nikolai to know that he’s a shrewd negotiator. If my father had another option, he would’ve taken it. I just need to figure out what it is that Nikolai wants more than me.”
But something still bugs me about the meeting that night. I felt my heart stop in that very office when I first laid eyes on my fiancé. His strong physical appearance is intimidating enough, but he also oozed elegance and confidence in his classic navy suit.
For just a moment, I’m reminded that seeing Nikolai for the first time at his workplace felt entirely different from seeing him on the front pages of a magazine. It’s not right for a man to look this beautiful. The sharp jawline. The elegant, sculpted cheekbones. The lean frame and thick, massive thighs. In his fancy office, the raw aura of power vibrating from his muscular body had heat pooling between my thighs. I wanted to shy away from him and take a seat on the sofa, no matter how stained it was with my brother’s blood. But I held my head high and pushed myself to walk up to him and face the fact that Nikolai and I met under not-so-pleasant circumstances.
“For the sake of this conversation, let’s assume that you can’t find anything else that he desires more.” Mila jolts me back from my thoughts, pouring herself more red wine until she drains the bottle. “What will you do?”
I need to devise a way to end this forced engagement. Deep down, something tells me it will be harder than I thought.
“Well,” I bite my lower lip. “I’m trying not to freak out right now, as getting out of the agreement would be the best-case scenario. But if—and that’s a big fucking if—Nikolai can’t be swayed into seeking a replacement bride, and I have to marry him, then it will all be a matter of finding out what he wants me to do and just going along with it until he gets bored. Hopefully, he’ll tire of me quickly and look for excitement in another woman’s arms. And I’ll be free again to do as I please.”
While I’ve made the situation sound perfectly under control, I wish I could actually get myself to believe it.
“I don’t know about that, my friend.” She laughs and shakes her head. “Have you seen you? You are every bit as beautiful as any high-end model. You even match their levels of bitchiness. He’ll be crawling in front of your feet before the day is done. Just look at all these suckers gawking at you right now.”
She flashes me a wicked grin, and I roll my eyes. Nikolai may be attractive, even charming, and one hell of a badass who I wouldn’t mind fucking. He also happens to be the only man to have touched some dark cord within me I didn’t even know existed.
“No, but seriously,” Mila says and leans closer. “Can you please do your best friend a favor and describe what Nikolai Volkov looks like in person?”
A heavy sigh breaks free of my chest, reminding me how my plan to get him to back off failed.
“Like an Adonis,” I groan. “Those gray eyes are like a slow-rolling thunderstorm.” I don’t even elaborate on the barely contained power of his body or the biceps straining under his designer suit that had my mouth watering and heat shooting to my cheeks.
Taking my glass of wine, I finish it off and flag the bartender for another bottle.
“Don’t stop there,” Mila insists, pouting her lips.
The young, muscular waiter hands me a new bottle. His bright smile could put the sun to shame, but I don’t grant him more than a polite nod.
