Taking Charge

KAIA

Time seemed to fly by in a blink.

I was so engrossed in Aleksandr’s world, his files, his network, that I often lost track of time. Feliks would leave me a tray of food when I forgot to eat.

Aleksandr was hardly around during this time. He was either out for work or locked in his office with Niko, probably dealing with “mafia” stuff.

We no longer shared meals. The only sign that he slept was the indentation on the pillow next to mine.

No matter how late I stayed up, he always came to bed after I fell asleep and left before I woke up. It felt like he was avoiding me.

I brought this up with Stasya during lunch one day. She apologized again for sneaking me out to Azure.

I told her I didn’t blame her, that I chose to go with her. We agreed to move past it, especially since we were about to become sisters.

She told me Aleksandr was a workaholic. She was surprised he spent time at home with me at all. When she lived here, she hardly saw him.

But that wasn’t what was really bothering me. Aleksandr shared my bed every night, but he never initiated anything sexual. It was driving me crazy.

I missed his touch, his heavy gaze, his spicy scent, and the feel of his hard body against mine. I felt like I was going through withdrawal.

I wondered if he felt the same. Or was he going to the club instead?

The thought ignited a fire in me. I stormed to his office late one night. I’d seen him and Niko lock themselves in there hours ago.

I’d waited in the kitchen, hoping they’d come out. They didn’t.

I knocked hard on Aleksandr’s door. The voices inside stopped, followed by heavy footsteps.

Niko smirked as he opened the door slightly, blocking the view of the room. “Aleksandr’s in a meeting.”

He didn’t seem surprised to see me. But he didn’t seem eager to let me in either.

I crossed my arms and stood firm. Enough was enough.

“He’s been in meetings all week,” I shot back. “I need to talk to him.”

Niko’s eyes dropped to my crossed arms and feigned pout.

“Let her in, Niko.” Aleksandr’s deep voice echoed from inside.

Niko sighed and opened the door wider, allowing me to march in.

Aleksandr was behind his desk. His jacket was off, revealing a crisp white shirt stretched tight over his chest. I caught a glimpse of the gold chain he always wore.

How could he look so perfect, so unaffected, when my stomach felt like a circus?

He looked at me disapprovingly, fingers steepled on the desk. I returned the look.

I thought I saw his lips twitch, as if he wanted to smile.

“Niko, leave us.”

Niko frowned.

“You have the call with Mexico in ten—”

“I know. I won’t miss it,” Aleksandr cut him off, his gaze never leaving mine.

Niko shook his head, left the room, and closed the door behind him.

“You have ten minutes, kotik,” Aleksandr drawled. “Need something?”

His eyes roamed my body, and I felt myself soften under his gaze.

I shifted uncomfortably and licked my lower lip.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” I blurted out.

He was making my mind go fuzzy, looking at me with those blue eyes, stroking his lip as if contemplating all the ways he could kiss me.

“I’ve been busy with work.” He rose slowly and leaned against the back of his desk, hands in his pockets. “Feeling neglected?”

His tone was laced with mockery, and I didn’t appreciate it. It felt like he was doing it intentionally, but why? Was he trying to punish me? I thought we had moved past that. Or maybe it was something else entirely.

A new thought crept into my mind, causing my confidence to waver.

“Is it because of what I confessed to you…about what happened on the Zula?” I asked.

Aleksandr’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

“What are you talking about?”

I brushed my hair over my shoulder, suddenly feeling a wave of heat.

“Is that why you’ve stopped touching me?”

He straightened up, looking at me with disbelief.

“You think I don’t want to touch you?”

I bit my lip nervously before releasing it.

“Well, you haven’t.”

He took a step closer to me.

“And that’s been bothering you.”

He took another step, forcing me to tilt my head up to meet his gaze. His fingers traced my throat, his thumb stroking my pulse, causing me to flinch at his touch.

“Is your needy little pussy feeling empty without me?” His voice dropped to a husky whisper, mirroring the intensity in his eyes.

My voice was barely a whisper as I succumbed to his allure. This was why I was here. There was no point in denying it.

“Yes.”

His head dipped down, his breath ghosting over my lips.

“For how long?”

My lips parted as I leaned in closer.

“~Days~.”

He pressed a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth before moving to my ear.

“You could have come to me.”

His hand moved from my throat to the back of my head, gripping my hair.

“If you ever need me, kotik, you can come to me and I’ll take care of you.”

I gasped as he nipped my ear, a wave of heat pooling between my legs.

“Any time?”

His tongue traced the shell of my ear.

“Any. Time.”

God, his lips were the only part of him touching me, yet I was already aching for him.

But I wanted to test this promise. Aleksandr wasn’t one to make empty promises. He meant what he said, right?

I placed a hand on his chest, my fingers curling into his shirt as I pressed my body against his.

He drew in a sharp breath at my boldness.

“How about right ~now~?”

I knew he had a call with Mexico soon. What would he choose?

Sensing my challenge, Aleksandr’s lips curled into a playful smile.

“All right.”

Before I could process his response, he wrapped an arm around my waist, lifting me up and spinning us around his large desk. He set me down on top of it, not caring about the folders and papers beneath me.

I was dressed in cotton shorts and an oversized T-shirt, but the way Aleksandr was looking at me, I might as well have been naked.

He settled back into his chair, rolling it up to the desk so he was positioned between my legs.

My lips parted in surprise as I lifted my hips, allowing his rough fingers to slide my shorts and panties down my legs.

His gaze dropped to the wetness between my thighs.

“You’re soaked, kotik.”

Suddenly feeling shy, I tried to close my thighs, but Aleksandr held them apart with a firm grip.

“Oh no, you can’t come in here and offer me this and then try to deny me.” His eyes were filled with desire, but his touch remained gentle.

“Lean back on your elbows.”

I did as he instructed.

“Good girl.” He moved his chair even closer, his lips hovering just above my throbbing clit.

Then the phone rang.

“Don’t move, kotik, and don’t make a sound. I have to take this call.”

And then the bastard actually answered the phone.