DANIEL VOLKOV

I lied to Clara.

The reason I wasn't too crazy about her coming to dinner...

Yeah, Marko would get handsy, and it'd be unpleasant, to say the least. But what bothered me more, unfortunately, was that tonight Clara would see the other side of Daniel Volkov.

The bad side. The unlovable, cunning, deceitful side who'd do anything to get what he wanted.

In the tinted SUV which Grigor was driving, I sat in a black button-down with my white gold chain around my neck and a fake wedding band around my ring finger.

Another ring sat on my left index finger, a gift from Andrei when I got the leadership position. And one on my right pinky, a signet from Niko and Charlotte from my eighteenth birthday. Never been into flashy things. But these were sentimental.

Andrei wore one of his signature, tailored navy suits. Freshly shaved. Chestnut hair styled. Niko was more casual, as usual. A faded olive henley, with the tips of his honey-brown hair touching his arched brows. Charlotte wore a stunning off-the-shoulder gown in deep green, with diamond earrings and a sparkling necklace.

And her.

For the thousandth time, I glared at her choice for the night.

The black gown that fit her like second skin. Kissing every inch of evil curve from her neck, to her shoulders, and down to her feet. The only open part was a seductive thigh-high slit and a sweetheart cutout on her...delicious breasts.

Otherwise, she was covered in the most disgusting—

I shuddered.

Fingernails on a chalkboard. That's what looking at velvet did to me.

She raised a sculpted eyebrow, her smoky gaze oh-so amused.

Like I said, evil.

Grigor parked in front of a packed building. It was a three-story restaurant bar which Tomasso never stepped foot in. Located on the opposite side of his normal spots for business and fun.

Which, thankfully, could mean only one thing. Marko wanted to keep this a secret. Or that's what he wanted me to think, and in reality, this whole thing was a set-up to spy on us.

"Alright," I said to everyone. "We ready? Any last complaints? Clara?"

She shook her head, but her body language was nervous.

"The sooner he's hammered, the sooner this ends. There will be a lot of people around. But we don't know who's really a stranger, and who's there to keep an eye on us. So don't drop your act. Got it? No matter what he says and no matter what happens. Clear?"

A soft nod. "Clear."

"Let's party."

The moment we stepped in, it was a sensory nightmare.

A bar cluttered with suspicious faces, under dim lights on black-red walls. Too dark to properly scan for details, to know who had a weapon. Who was a threat? Who could attack us if we weren't careful? A jarring live band was torturing music instruments near a cramped danced floor. People humped like a can of sardines.

The worst part?

When I saw Marko's shit-eating grin, guess where he was standing? Guess where he had picked for us to sit for the next three to four hours?

In a velvet seating booth.

Charlotte snickered behind me. "At least he ordered bottle service?"

"Shut up."

I greeted the fucker like he was the first thing on my Christmas list. Opened my arms to hug his hairy, sweating ass.

"Wow! You recovered quickly..." He pulled back to inspect my shoulder.

Yup. The sling was off. Couldn't let Tomasso find out. But the tape and pain still lingered.

I shrugged. "I've been through worse."

His mouse eyes widened on Clara. "My pretty girl! Oh, look at you. Oh, it's so good to see you again. How have you been?"

He bent at the waist to wrap her in a choking hug. Charlotte grimaced. I stopped breathing. My attention narrowed on Clara and how she'd react.

Shockingly, she gave him a captivating smile. "I've been great, thank you. I'm ready to have fun tonight!"

He laughed and looked at me, making me laugh too. In my head, I fantasized killing him.

We took our designated seats before Marko could object. Forcing him to sit exactly where I wanted.

In the middle of Niko and Andrei, who poured him one shot after another. Across from me, his new best buddy who cracked jokes and boosted his ego. On each of my side, I had Charlotte and Clara, two beautiful women to keep him distracted.

Fast forward, two hours later, Marko was blissfully wasted. And we were pretending to be on his level.

Unfortunately that also involved thinking like him and acting like him.

Charlotte and Clara were dancing together a couple of feet away from our table. Moving their bodies in a way that made Marko drool like a dog.

"So that blonde one...you've never?" He wiggled his sweating eyebrows at me.

"Calm down, she's like my sister." I laughed and clicked my shot glass against his. "Cheers."

"But not related, right?"

I forced my lips to stay upright. "No."

"I mean..." He shook his head at her ass like he wanted to eat it. He made sure to check out Clara's too. "A man is a man, you know what I mean?"

My fist clenched under the table. "Mhm."

The girls shrieked and burst into giggles, jumping back in the booth. They embraced each other, pretending to shove me out of the way. All part of the plan.

"I want to take a picture together!" Charlotte exclaimed.

Clara gasped. "Me too!"

I curled a finger at a young waiter to come over, pretending to be occupied.

"Aw! My phone is dying." Clara dropped her arms with disappointment.

"Nooo! I left mine at home." Charlotte pouted.

I ignored them and ordered water. Niko excused himself to the bathroom and Andrei pretended to take an important call.

"H-here, baby girl. Take as—" Marko hiccuped, giving Charlotte his phone.

"Uncle Marko! You're so sweet." Clara beamed. "Now you have to take a picture with us!"

"Me?" If he wasn't already red like a lobster, he'd blush.

"Come on!" Charlotte pushed me out of the way.

"I see, I'm not wanted anymore. Thanks Marko." I stood up, offering him my seat.

He slumped on it and draped his arm over them. I claimed Marko's seat while Niko covered my back. Andrei monitored our surroundings, conversing on his imaginary business call.

The girls acted flawless. Lured him in like a moth to two flames. Stroked his fat ego.

He kissed Clara's cheeks. Once. Twice. Three times. He stared at her chest way more than that. Talked her ear off about how much he loved her, while bragging to Charlotte about his cars or boats or whatever.

Amidst all of that, he forgot about his unlocked phone, which Clara passed to me.

My fingers couldn't move fast enough. But my pulse beat harder. Adrenaline clogged my lungs. Dread looming. Buzzing. Pulsing in my ears.

Marko kept laughing. Distracted. Unaware. Almost—

The download percentage kept rising.

Halfway there. Sixty percent. Sixty-five—

A glass full of ice water dropped on my hands and lap, soaking through the fabric.

"So sorry!" The waiter stammered.

Everything felt sped up. Clara and Charlotte froze. Marko's phone was still on the table, covered in water, the screen said eighty percent. Niko and Andrei waited for me to react.

"Do you know who that is?" Marko yelled at the young guy. His drunken gaze murderous. "Do you know what he's going to do you now?"

Of course. To him, to everyone outside my family, I was a maniac. A monster. That's the picture I had painted. I was the guy who ruined an eighteen-year-old's birthday with a bleeding man on a leash. I was the guy who gagged and tied her up and forced her hand in marriage.

The waiter turned pale like a ghost. "I-I'm sorry..."

"Are you?" I asked with a stoic, indifferent expression. Stood up and with my chin, beckoned Andrei to come over.

Knowing what I wanted, Andrei took out his gun from behind his suit jacket. He handed it to me.

"How sorry are you?" I asked.

The waiter dropped on his knees. He cried. Pinching his eyes shut with uncontrollable panic.

I felt Clara watching me, but I couldn't force myself to meet her eyes. Not now. This is exactly what I didn't want her to see.

But Marko? Marko ate it up. To him, this was power. This is what Tomasso would do.

"I'm waiting."

"I'm really, really sorry, sir. P-please—"

"Sorry enough to pay for the whole bill?" I asked, glancing at the phone. Ninety-nine percent.

Download complete.

"Of course!"

"Good." I gave the gun back to Andrei and smiled at Marko. "My pants are wet. I guess, it's time to go home. But this was fun!"

He laughed like I said the funniest joke.

~

The drive back was silent. I texted CJ to update him that Marko's phone was successfully trackable now. We'd know every message and call he'd receive and deliver.

Hopefully, one of them would lead us to where we wanted. In the meantime, we'd continue pretending.

Back at the townhouse, Charlotte wanted to drink. Andrei and Niko kept her company. But Clara slipped upstairs without a word.

I wanted to disappear in my office to think, to plan the next steps, to go over the last couple of hours and make sure we didn't make any mistakes.

Instead my feet led me to her bedroom.

"Who is it?" she asked when I knocked.

"It's me."

It took her a moment. "What is it, Volkov?"

I cracked the door open and found her still in the gown, on the edge of the bed. Her head down and arms wrapped around herself. None of the lights were on.

"Why are you in the dark?" I asked.

"Because I want to be."

"Why?"

"I don't want to—" Her voice brittled. None of that sarcasm or fiery attitude. No banter. No playfulness. "Please, don't bother me right now."

Shut the door. My mind kept telling me to respect her wishes. Respect the line, the boundary between us.

She wanted to help. I didn't force her. I warned her this wouldn't be easy.

So why the hell could I not leave her?

So why did I close the door after I walked in?

"What are you doing?" She gasped as I came closer. "Volkov, what are you—"

I lowered on one knee before her. Because while words refused to leave me, something in my chest made me want to prove myself. To her.

To show her that I wasn't a monster. To show her my gratitude. That her efforts didn't go unnoticed. That I was sorry.

My voice came out gruff and low as I reached for her studded black heels.

"You thought wearing velvet would keep me away from you?"

I grazed my knuckles against her soft skin, undoing the clasp wrapped around her ankle.

"I thought you love velvet." That sultry, teasing voice left her mouth like a purr.

Something wicked and wanting in me burned. One moment I hated myself. Next, she had me locked in another realm. Where nothing but her skin and her voice and her words existed.

I took off her other heel and pressed my thumbs over the soreness around her feet.

The sweetest sound of pleasure died in the back of her throat. She swallowed it. Tried to hide it.
Oh, but it was too fucking late.

"Does that feel good?"

Her chuckle came out breathless. "Shut up."

How on earth she could smile at me after...after I scared and robbed that kid for something as harmless as spilling water...

"Hey..." Clara said softly. I looked up, hardly able to see the outline of her face in the dark. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?"

"That you have to pretend to be someone else, especially around people like him. I'm glad everything worked out tonight."

God, she was unbelievable.

"Yeah, me too." I pressed a kiss on top of her foot before standing up. "Glad we don't have to see his face for a while."

"Thank God."

I didn't want to leave. "Need anything else?"

"You don't want to get me out of this dress?"

My heart jolted, but her laughter told me that she was just mocking.

"No, thanks. I'm not touching that."

"Too bad."

"Such an evil woman, you know that?"

"You deserve it."

"I deserve it?" I asked with amusement. "Why?"

"You're evil too. Don't think I will fall for your innocent chivalry and massive hands."

"You think my hands are massive?" I smirked.

"Get out of my room."

Even in the dark, I could feel the heat radiating on her cheeks. A feisty and strong woman flustered and nervous. My smile widened.

"Sleep tight. If you have wet dreams about me and wake up with ruined underwear, I want them on my desk in the morning as payment."

"Fuck you!" She yelled as I left her room.

A/N
Who doesn't love a don on is knees? <3 If you liked it, please vote!