Dirty News (Dirty Network Book 1) by Michelle Love (10)

My newest idea is to stop writing about Nic completely. But it’s damn hard not to express my feelings. Now, I express them mentally, and that is all.

My father, being the master interrogator that he is, had me telling him everything about me and Nic. I don’t know if he manages to mix truth serum into my food or what but I find myself unable to lie to the man.

He hasn’t asked me about the incident when I was a teen, though. I suppose somewhere deep inside of him, he doesn’t want to know the truth about that. He’d have to feel shame for hurting a man who didn’t deserve it. My father doesn’t like to feel shame.

I’ve written several letters to the man whose life I ruined. Those too were never sent as I have no idea where he lives anymore. But I wrote them in an attempt to appease my conscience. I don’t know if it’s helped or not.

I still feel numb about that time in my life. I’d assume it hasn’t helped. So, today I’ve decided to talk to the shrink about that part of my life. There is confidentiality between us. I do believe he’s a man of his word.

I overheard he and my father getting into a heated argument when he refused to tell my father anything about our sessions. My father is a hard man to say no to and that made me feel a bit better about anything I tell the doctor.

A knock at the door signals someone is about to unlock it and come inside. I have no idea what the exact time is as I have no device to let me know that. I watch the sun and guess but that’s about all I can do.

The woman, who speaks no English, brings me my afternoon meal of a cheese sandwich and boiled potatoes. A pot of warm tea is on the tray and she places it on the side table.

I give her a nod and she returns one to me. “Thank you,” I say.

She merely nods again and leaves. I hear the door lock as it’s padlocked from the outside. A metal rod was placed between the stone wall and the heavy wooden door, it runs through a metal sheathing they put a lock on to hold me in the room with no worries of me getting out.

When you add in they’ve put me at the tip-top of the castle, I have no way to get out. Although I can see the genius in it, I hate it. I hate everything about this.

My birth control pills were left behind, sending my body into an upheaval of hormones. My cycle is completely off and has me doubling over with cramps often. The way they deal with feminine necessities here is not a thing I like at all.

As I sip on the warm tea that’s on the bitter side, I start to feel tired. A nap follows every meal for some reason. I don’t know if I’m sick or what the problem is. I just know it’s hard to think straight.

Another knock comes to the door and it opens. A young man is standing at it. “I am here for you, Natasha.”

He’s of average height and weight. There’s a gleam in his blue eyes that tells me he’s got some kind of a secret as he steps into the room, closing the door behind him. I hear someone lock the door from the other side.

My mind is swimming and I suddenly realize there must be something in the tea that’s making me feel this way. “Who are you?”

He moves slowly toward the bed then sits on it. I’m at the small table, sitting in a chair. My eyes follow him but I’m having trouble keeping my focus.

“Your doctor sent me to you. He thinks you need another man to help you get over the one you were taken from. I am to be that man, Natasha. My name is Nic.”

I shudder at the name and shake my head. “No! No, I want no other man. You should leave.”

When he pulls a line of condoms out of his pocket, he grins at me. “I think you might be in need of some sexual release, yes?”

“No!” I try to stand up but I fall right back on my ass. “Leave!”

“But I cannot leave. They have locked me in with you. For the night.” His words leave me stunned. They’ve gone too far!

“I will not do anything with you. Put the condoms away and leave me the hell alone,” I shout at him.

My eyes are feeling heavy even though I’m furious. He pulls something else out of his pocket and comes toward me. “I have this to help stimulate your libido, Natasha.”

“No!” I shout but quickly find that was a huge mistake.

The pill is placed in my mouth and his hand covers my mouth, holding it in. I feel the pill dissolving on my tongue and gag a bit with the acrid taste. He doesn’t move his hand until he sees me swallowing the nasty thing down.

A smile moves over his face as he steps back. “I’ll wait in the bed with no clothes on. You’ll be coming to me soon.”

All I have is the damn tea, I know is drugged now, to drink to wash the taste from my mouth. I take a drink then ask, “What did you give me?”

“What do you call it in your country?” he asks as if I should know. “Here, we call it ecstasy.”

I’m Fucked!

NICHOLAI

“It’s possible I’m being watched,” the man, with a heavy Greek accent tells me as I find myself falling against the wall once I exit the elevator. My hand grips the phone as if it’s a lifeline. “We should meet someplace discreet. You have any ideas?”

“There’s a café we could meet at. You sit at one table and I’ll sit at the one behind you. We can talk without anyone knowing we’re meeting at all. I’ll change my clothes and wear a hat and sunglasses so I mix in with the crowd,” I tell him. “I’ll text you the address. Is she okay?” I close my eyes as I wait for his answer.

“She is okay. She misses you more than you can comprehend, though.”

I can comprehend it. I also miss her that much. “I have to change. I’ll send you the information. And, thank you.”

We end the call and I feel a weight of emotion fall on top of me like an avalanche. Hurrying to the bathroom, I find myself crying as I open the door and lock it behind me.

She’s okay!

And she’s sent someone to me. I’ll have her in my arms again soon!

My knees are weak and I lean against the wall again to support myself. I don’t recall the last time I cried. I was a small boy, I think. Many times, I’ve felt like crying with her gone but now the tears are flowing from my eyes all on their own.

Heaving my body off the wall, I move to wash my face in the sink. Tossing water over it, I feel a bit better. Then it hits me that I’m wasting precious time and my tears halt.

Wiping my face with a paper towel to dry it, I then hurry out of the bathroom and make my way to a little clothing shop not far from the building my shrink’s office is in.

Changing inside the store is the best idea. I will emerge as a different man. If I am being followed, surely they will not think it’s me. I hope this works!

The store is on the right and I slip inside of it. The door chimes when one enters the store. As I make my way to the outdoor clothing part of the store, I listen to hear if anyone comes in directly after me. That would signal that I am being followed.

Not hearing anything, I hurry to find a set of sweat pants and a hooded shirt to go with it. I find some dark sunglasses and running shoes too. As I walk toward the counter to pay, I notice a shaving set and pick it up too.

I’ve let my beard grow out and if I shave it off, it’ll further distract from my usual appearance. The clerk rings my purchases up and I take them in the bag he placed them in and make my way to the bathroom I saw in the back of the store.

It’s a private one, so I lock myself inside and change and shave, stuffing my suit and shoes into the bag. Running my hand over my now clean-shaven face, I put on the sunglasses and pull the hood up on the sweatshirt.

I pass the clerk to see if he says anything that tells me I’m still recognizable as the man he just waited on. He watches me pass by then says, “Did you need to make a return, sir?”

“Huh?” I ask as I stop.

He points to the bag. “Did you bring in a return?”

Then I see he doesn’t recognize me and it makes me smile. “No, thanks anyway. I’ve changed my mind. I’ll keep the clothes. Bye.”

Wiping the smile off my face so I don’t draw any attention to myself, I put an emotionless expression on and head out the door. Moving swiftly, I make my way to the café to meet with the man who knows where my Natasha is.

The café comes up soon and I text the man I am to meet, ‘Are you at the café yet?’

He texts back, ‘I am. I am wearing a red baseball hat and am sitting at the back of the café. There’s an empty seat right behind me.’

Opening the door, I spot the red hat and head toward the back of the café. It’s one where you place an order up front and the person at the counter greets me, “What can I get for you today, sir?”

I stop so I don’t look so obvious that I’m here merely to meet someone. “How about a bottle of water and one cookie. Chocolate chip. Just a little snack, not very hungry.”

She nods and hands me the things and I swipe my card to pay for them. Then I head to the back of the café and take the seat behind the man. “I am Nic,” I say as I sit with my back to his back.

“And so am I,” he says. “Your woman is in need of your help to get her out of captivity.”

“She’s being held against her will?” The idea makes me furious at her father. How could he do that to his own daughter?

“She is. She is being well cared for, though. I had a very hard time making my way to get to you. It took every dime I had just to fly here. She told me you would help me in the financial department if I could get you to her. Is that so?” he asks me.

For a brief moment, I feel uneasy about the man. But then I quickly realize even if I simply lose money to the man it’s still worth the gamble to get her back.

“I will reward you greatly for this. Tell me where she is and I’ll go and get her,” I say as I tap the water bottle on the table with a nervousness I’ve never felt the likes of before.

“It won’t be that easy. She’s locked away very well. I’ve tried myself to get her out of the castle but have been blocked each time. That’s when she asked me to come to America to get you.”

“She’s in a castle in another country?” I ask as I find a rage building inside me against her father.

“She is in Greece. Thessaloniki to be exact. Her room is at the top of an abandoned castle. The window has a wooden shutter that can be opened. You just need to figure out how you will get her out of it,” he says.

“That’s the only way for her to get out?” I ask as I rack my brain as to what I can do to get her free. “And how far up are we talking?”

“I’m not good with that concept. It’s at the top of a freaking huge castle. Take a guess,” he says with an exaggerated huff.

“I need something that will allow me to get up to her without being seen. Is it hard to get on the grounds, undetected?” I ask as I’m sure it must be.

“Very,” he says, reinforcing my thought. “I might be able to sneak you in at night. To the grounds I mean. I can’t sneak you into the castle. There are people watching that entrance all the time. There is only one way in and out.”

“A commercial flight is just about the best way to get to Greece. If I take my jet, they’ll know I’m onto her and her father will move her before I can get there,” I tell him. “I’ll set up tickets for tomorrow. You can go to a small hotel, I’ll pay for, for the night. I’m going to leave a thousand dollars on the table. Pick it up, quickly. This is New York and people are quick to grab what’s not nailed down, especially cash. Stay out of sight as much as possible. I’ll call you with all of the information”

“I look forward to hearing from you. And for what it’s worth, she never let me touch her. She said she belonged only to you, Nic.”

Taking the cash from my money clip, I sigh as I hear what he’s said. It stirs me deeply. She’s waiting for me. She knows I am the man for her. Then it hits me as to why he’d say such a thing. “Why would that even come up?”

“Her doctor sent me to have sex with her. To get her over you. I had to give her ecstasy for three days straight and was locked in the room with her all that time. And she never allowed me to touch her. It was rough on the poor girl. I can promise you that. But I never laid a hand on her, other than making her take the pills. The doctor saw it wasn’t working and took me out of there. But she told me all about you and her while we were trapped in that room. It broke my heart that anyone would tear you two apart.”

“It broke mine too. But as soon as I find her, it will be healed again. Thank you, Nic. I’ll be in touch very soon. And you will get an enormous reward once I have her safely in my arms.” Placing the money on the table, I get up and leave.

My mind is racing with the great news and I find myself jogging down the sidewalk as I pull my phone out and call my driver to pick me up in a nearby alley so no one will see me getting into the car.

I will have her soon and everything will be okay again!

NATASHA

The man who was sent to make me get over Nic must have gone on a mission for me by what I’ve heard from my father and the others who are talking in the castle hallway. Just outside of my room, I can hear them talking about him being missing.

There’s talk of moving me which has me afraid. When my father walks in, I steady myself so no emotion shows on my face. “Hi, Dad. I’ll be good. Can I go home now?”

He laughs as he shakes his head. “Tasha, you’re not fooling anyone. Now I need to ask you a question and you will tell me the truth, young lady.”

I freeze as I know what he’s about to ask and I don’t know if I can lie to the man. “Yes, sir. I always tell you the truth, Dad. You know that. Even things I don’t want you to know, I’ve told you. What is your question?”

His eyes bore into mine as he takes me by both arms and holds them, tightly. I think it’s to measure my heart rate so I keep that in mind as I make my body do what it has to in order for him to believe my lie.

“Natasha Greenwell, did you get that man, who was sent in here to help you get over that horrible man, to go to New York?” he asks as he keeps eye contact with me.

“No,” I say as I look back into his eyes with the same expression on my face.

For the longest amount of time ever, my father stares into my eyes then says, “Then where has Nic gone to?”

I shrug. “How should I know?”

“Because you two talked, extensively,” he says.

I’m not sure how he knows that as I whispered everything I said to him about my Nic. He had no clothing on to hide a wire. Up until now, I wasn’t even sure he went to New York for me. But since he’s missing, I assume he did.

“Did he tell you about anyone he knew or might be seeing that would have him disappearing overnight?” he asks me as he lets me go.

I want to let out a sigh of relief but know that would look suspicious so I keep it in as I turn and walk to sit in the chair at the table. “He and I did not talk about him or his life. And on that subject, tell me why you thought it would be okay to try to force a man on me?”

Dad turns and looks at me with a crease in his forehead. “Your doctor is the one who came up with that. He didn’t notify me or ask if he could do such a thing. I’m not happy with him about it. As such, he’s been terminated.”

I gasp because that means something terrible when my father says it. “Dad, no!”

His expression changes to one of humor as he laughs. “Not that kind of terminated. Fired. I fired him. No killing was done.”

With relief, I sit back. “Thank God! Dad, this really is too much. I know how you feel about Nic and I promise to stay away from him. You’ve set me back so far in school, I’ve missed my graduation.”

He interrupts me as he points his finger at me. “You need to worry about things other than that. You will graduate some time. What’s more important, your life or that diploma?”

“My life is not in danger,” I say as I roll my eyes. “Nic would never hurt me, Dad. And if I told him I didn’t want to see him he’d leave me alone. He has tons of other women he can spend his time with.”

“Well, he hasn’t seen fit to spend time with any in the last thirteen months. He’s obsessed with you,” he says as he takes a seat on the small sofa in the corner of the room.

“You’re having him followed or what?” I ask as I think about what he’s said. Nic hasn’t been messing around. He’s waiting for me!

My father nods. “Of course.”

Then it hits me that even if Nic manages to get to me and get me out of here, we will be pulled apart again and the overwhelming feeling of defeat takes me over. My body falls forward as I fall out of the chair.

All I can see is blackness, then I feel my body lifted and I’m placed on the little bed. “Tasha!”

I can’t seem to open my eyes. My body is limp as my father lifts my arm up and it falls back down. I can hear him, yelling at me to wake up. I can feel his hand as he slaps at my cheeks. But I can’t open my eyes or talk.

I hear him slam out of the room and into the connected bathroom. He comes back and I feel cold water splash all over my face and chest and sputter as it brings me back. “Dad,” I croak, weakly.

My body begins to shake and he stands there, watching me. “Tasha, what’s wrong with you?”

I hear a knock at the door and my lunch is brought in. The woman says something in Greek and my father’s face goes ashen. “Take the tea away and bring her some without that in it,” he orders her.

She hesitates as she places the tray on the table, then says some more to him in her language. He nods and runs his hand over his forehead. I look at my father and ask, “What’s she saying, Dad?”

“The drug they give you in the tea three times a day is making you dependent on it. If you stop cold turkey, you will get the tremors and have seizures.” He looks at me with a certain amount of sadness in his eyes, mixed with a touch of guilt.

“You’ve had me drugged and now my body is dependent on it?” I ask him as I glare at him.

He doesn’t answer me as he sends the woman away, leaving the drugged tea for me to consume. “It’s not that I meant to do that. I thought you or he would move on. I didn’t think it would take this damn long, Tasha. I’ll get you into rehab. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” I ask as I try to sit up. My head is swimming and pounding as he hands me the fucking tea.

I knock the glass out of his hand, spilling the drink all over his white shirt. “Tasha!”

“Get the fuck away from me,” I tell him with a low and even tone.

“Now, you listen…”

I cut him off. “Don’t. Just don’t. You’ve done something horrible to me and I will not lay in this bed and let you do one more bad thing to me. You may have done this in a misguided sense of parenting but you’ve done something terrible to me. You’re done. Do you understand me?”

The way he’s looking at me, through hooded eyes that show remorse as it sinks in what he’s done, has me thinking I may finally get to go home. Not that I have a fucking place to live anymore as I know they’ve thrown my things out of the dorm.

No one waits for thirteen months to see if anyone will show back up. And Dani was most likely spirited away too as Dad let that cat out of the bag back in Nic’s office that fateful day that changed my fucking life.

“I’m a fucking drug addict because of you.” I turn my back to him and hear him leave my room.

I feel sick to my stomach and my head is throbbing and I know that tea would’ve stopped this from happening but I’ll be damned if another drop of that shit goes down my throat.

I made it through three days of being fed ecstasy without letting it get to me. I can overcome this too. I have to!

Nic may be coming for me. He may be on a plane right now for all I know. If he does get to me, I’ll be sick and weak and in no condition to fly. And maybe that’s exactly what my father meant to happen.

As I lie here and think about everything, I think either my father planned things out very well or half-assed. Either way, it makes no difference. He’s made me sick and I am done with the man.

Hours have passed since my father left the room. I’ve thrown up four times and feel awful. I had the flu once and it was about this bad. I can get through this. I know I can. Nic fills my fevered dreams and I have no doubt I can fight this for him.

I hear the door open and keep my burning eyes closed as I hear my father’s voice, “See, it’s pretty bad.”

“It is but I have something that will help her,” I hear a woman say.

A prick stings the inside of my elbow as she presses a needle into my vein there. I want to pull away but lack the strength to. “No more drugs,” I whisper.

Her hand moves over my forehead. “Not drugs, honey. Just a mix of powerful vitamins and nutrients to help you. No more drugs. And I’ll set up an IV drip to hydrate your body.”

Rolling over, I see my father’s red-rimmed eyes as he reaches out and touches my cheek. “I’m sorry and I’m taking you home. As soon as you’re safe to travel. This is over. I am done. I am a fool but I know when I’ve gone too far. I never meant for this to happen to you. I swear it.”

A tear runs down my face as I watch him get on his knees beside my bed. “Dad?” I have to stop talking as a lump forms in my throat.

“Don’t talk. Just rest and let the vitamin mix do its magic. I’m sorry. I’ll make this up to you. I promise. I’m taking you home to your mother. We’ll take care of you until you’re all better,” he tells me.

I don’t want to go to their house. I want to go to Nic’s. But I’m not about to try to argue. I’m going back to America. Nantucket isn’t that far from New York and I can get to Nic then.

The mixture is working as I no longer feel the need to vomit. Sleep invades my thoughts and I drift off, knowing soon I’ll be back to where I can get to him. To the man I love.

NICHOLAI

Finally, after ten hours in the air, we are landing in Greece. Night has fallen so Nic and I can travel by car to the castle where Natasha is. He’s had his brother make a purchase of a grappling hook and rope so I can climb up the castle wall to get her.

I’ve never done that type of climbing before but he’s told me it’s easy. I hope he’s right. I have to come back down that rope with Natasha and I don’t want us both to fall to our death or get hurt badly.

“Thank goodness the darkness will cover us, huh Nicholai?” he asks as we wait in line to exit the plane.

I have on black clothing to help me stay hidden in the darkness and the stewardess looks me over as I walk up to the exit. “You look like a man on a mission,” she says.

Not knowing exactly what to say, I find Nic answering for me. “He’s into that goth crap. I tell him always he is a fool.”

She eyes me and nods. “You look like a man who would look more at home in expensive business suits.”

I shake my head and smile as she is more than right in both ways and I find that amusing. “See you on the trip back home, gentlemen,” she says as we leave the plane.

Neither of us will be getting back on any commercial airline. Nic will stay in Greece, of course. I will be in hiding with Natasha until my jet comes for us. From there we will decide where to go while things cool down. I’m not about to take her back to New York just to have her father steal her away from me again. We must plan and perhaps negotiate with the man to get him to see we will be together, come hell or high water.

Climbing into a cab, we head to Nic’s home. Even in the dark of night, I can tell the scenery around us is beautiful. The homes we pass are brilliantly lit up and one family is having a gathering on their front lawn.

“Everyone seems so happy here,” I say as I look around.

“Generally, yes,” Nic agrees.

“My family will welcome you with open arms. Many sisters I have, so expect to get a pinch on the ass or two,” he tells me with a laugh.

“I think I can handle them, Nic. Thank you again for what you’re doing. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you doing all of this. Before I leave here, I will make sure your bank account looks nothing like it does now.” I pat him on his leg and he smiles.

“You know, I’ve been thinking about that. Nicholai, I want no reward from you. What’s happened to her is a crime. I merely want to see her leave with you, safely and happily. That will be payment enough.” He pats my leg. “Think of it as my gift.”

I nod but I will give the man a reward for his help. Maybe he won’t know about it until he checks his bank account and I am long gone. But I will reward him.

We pull to a stop on a hillside and get out in front of a modest home. “This house holds how many?” I ask as I look it over and grab my one bag from the truck.

“Fifteen. We are to the roof in this place. Do not worry. We reserve a private room for our guests,” he leads me to the door where we are met by three other young men.

“Nic! Where have you been?” one calls out as they hold the door open. “Many have been coming to look for you.”

“Damn,” he says under his breath. “That is no good.”

“Why is that?” I ask as he takes me inside.

He shakes his head and introduces me. “This is Nicholai. Remember I told you to get that rope and hook?” He looks at one of the men who shrugs. “Don’t tell me you don’t have it!”

“I don’t have it,” the guy says, sending me into a worried and tense state.

“Where is it you would be using such a thing, Nic?” a woman, obviously, his mother, asks as she comes into the room. She stops when she sees me and wipes her hands on her apron. “And your friend?”

“This is Nicholai, Momma.” He looks at me. “My Mamma.”

Her arms go wide and I move in to hug her. “Nice to meet you.”

“You call me, Momma. Everyone does. Come and eat. Food is on the table,” she says as she pulls me along with her to another room.

We go through it and I find several children sitting and talking over a board game. All eyes come to me. Nic shouts, “He is my friend. You call him Nicholai.” He looks at me. “These are some of my nieces and nephews.”

We go out of a door and are outside at the back of the home. The yard is lit up. Every tree has white lights wrapped around it, illuminating the large yard. Three of the trees are olive trees and the smell is amazing.

“This is lovely,” I say, bringing a smile to his mother’s lips.

“You are single, yes?” she asks as she looks at my left hand.

“He is currently unwed, Mamma,” Nic tells her. “But he is not single. He is quite taken.”

She looks me over. “I happen to have some lovely daughters who are single. If you’d like to do a little window shopping before you make a wifely purchase, you are welcome to.”

“Mamma!” Nic chastises her as I grin.

“What?” she shouts as she throws her hands in the air. “A man should shop around before he makes a choice that big. Marriage is forever you know. Go tell your sisters a gentleman is here.” She sends off another guy and I find myself laughing as he runs with his mother’s words.

“Thank you, Mamma,” I tell her as I take the seat she’s offered me. “I have done a bit more than dabble with other women. The one I’m picking up here is the one for me. It’s been over a year since we’ve seen each other or even talked. And my heart pines for her. No one can even come close to taking my attention. Sorry.”

She pats my back as she begins placing food on a plate then she places it in front of me. “Tell me what has you two lovebirds apart for so long.”

“Her father. He’s against our union,” I tell her as she pours a large glass of wine.

I haven’t touched a drop of liquor since that morning she was taken away from me. I thought it unfair to drown my sorrows when she was God knows where. But seeing as there seems to be nothing else to drink and this is the beginning of what I hope will be a fantastic night, I indulge in the sweet liquid that tingles in my mouth.

She watches me as I take the first sip. “Delicious,” I say, making her clap her hands and laugh.

“Yes! My family has made their own wine for generations. We have tried, quite unsuccessfully, to get our own company. We are not a family of business people. Food and drink we are great at. Business, no.” She points to a grape leaf which is expertly wrapped around something. “You taste that. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever tasted, I promise you.”

Picking it up, I take a bite and find the meat inside melts in my mouth. “Ummm.”

She nods. “Good, right?”

“Great!” I say, then take another bite. “You wouldn’t want to come back to America with me and be my cook, would you?”

She laughs and claps her hands as I hear the sound of women coming out to join us. “And who have we here?” one of the tall, slender brunettes ask as three of them come out.

I stand up. “I am Nicholai Grimm.” I make a bow and they giggle a little.

Then I find them moving into the seats around me as Nic tries to shoo them away. “He’s unavailable.”

“I see no ring,” one of them says as she takes my left hand.

I pull it up and kiss the top of hers, making her flush with most likely an unexpected heat between her legs. “But I can assure you that I am very much taken. You will meet the woman I am hopelessly in love with soon, I hope.”

Her eyes move to Nic’s. “Who is she?”

“She’s from America,” he answers.

“Yes!” his mother shouts. “You were going to tell us your story, Nicholai.”

Suddenly everyone is sitting around the enormous table and staring at me. “My story is boring,” I say as I look at each and every one of them as they seem to be waiting with baited breath.

Nic makes an attempt to save me. “I assure you, the story he has to tell is X-rated. I’ve heard it. It’s not for the faint of heart.”

One of his sister’s hands moves over my leg and I quickly take it and shake my head at her. “Naughty, naughty.”

She wrinkles her nose and says, “Come on, tell us your story, Nicholai. We love a good X-rated story.”

I give Nic a wink. “I’ll church it up a bit.”

He nods. “You do that, Nicholai. My mother is a widow. She has to go to bed alone tonight. No need to heat her up.”

His mother rubs her hands together. “Oh good. Tell us what has you in our town and our country for that matter.”

So, I sit back with my glass of wine and start the tale that is the story of me and Natasha and how fate is against us. Eyes go wide and some have to wipe away tears but in the end, I see compassion on every face.

“I tell you what, Nicholai,” Nic’s mother says. “You and she should stay in this town. We are a close-knit bunch of people. No one will be able to do a thing to either of you.”

Nic’s eyes go big as he adds, “You could buy the enormous home that is on the hill just on the outskirts of town. My momma could be your cook then.”

“We can keep the house for you and your beloved,” one of his sisters says.

I can see them all so happy to help. It fills me with energy and I wonder if Natasha would like a life here in Greece. I have no doubts I could get a business going with their wine and food.

“I will speak with my princess about it.” Then I think about her being held captive here and wonder if that would sour the place for her. “But her reasons for being here may have her wanting to leave this beautiful place. Her happiness is all that matters to me.”

I receive awws from all and find that endearing. “You are a prize, Nicholai,” another one of his sisters tells me as she wipes away a tear.

“I am not. But my Natasha is. And maybe you all could help me go get her from that castle I told you about,” I say.

Cheers ring out and everyone jumps up and runs to the house. Nic grabs my arm. “Come on, Nicholai. We are going to storm the castle to rescue your princess!”

My heart is pounding as it seems his whole family is with me. We walk down the street in a horde of people and I find others asking what we are doing and when they’re told of the rescue mission, they join in. Before I know it, there is the equivalent of a small army and we are all on our way to the end of the road where the castle awaits us in complete darkness.

Nic is at my side as I say, “There are no lights on.”

“They have none,” he says as we continue to walk.

I’m furious she’s been kept in such a state yet her father sees me as unfit to be with her. The man takes the cake and I will not allow Natasha to stop me from lashing out at him.

He will end his tyranny over her. I will see to that. My princess will never be hidden away again. Or her father will have more to deal with than he ever saw coming!

NATASHA

The young woman doctor my father found is with us as we get onto the FBI’s jet. It’s early evening and he says we’ll be home in a matter of about ten hours.

I’m lying on the bed in the back of the cabin, the IV is being started up again after they had to stop the fluids as they transported me to the airport. I’m holding my cards close to my chest as my mind has been a whirlwind of how I will get back to my Nic. My plan is to call him as soon as I get near a phone.

Dad did say Nic hadn’t moved on and hadn’t been messing around so I have a ton of hope he’ll want to talk to me. We can figure out how to be together if we can talk. I just know we can.

Dad opens the door to the tiny bedroom. “How’s she doing?”

“Fine,” the doctor says as she pulls the blanket up to my neck. “You can tell the pilot to take off. I’ll be right here with her.” She pulls the straps to make sure they’re tight. She uses them to strap me to the bed for the takeoff.

There’s a chair in the room too with a seat belt I suppose she’ll take while we take off. My father comes to me and kisses my forehead. “You and I will have a talk once we’re up in the air and can move around freely.”

I look at him as he turns to leave and feel compelled to say something, “Dad?” He stops and turns back to look at me. “I forgive you.”

With a nod, he turns back around and leaves the room. I watch the doctor wipe one of her eyes then she takes the seat and puts on the seat belt as the captain comes onto the speaker, telling us to put on our seat belts and get ready for takeoff.

“He’s not so bad,” she says.

I suppose the fluids are helping me regain brain activity as I suddenly realize she’s not from Greece. She’s American!

“How do you know my father?” I ask and watch her head fall to her chest.

Her mouth stays closed, though. The slight shake of her head tells me there is more between them. “You should rest.”

“You should tell me,” I say as the plane begins to move.

We wobble back and forth as it taxis to the runway. She won’t look at me and I have a feeling I know exactly why. I watch her bite at her lower lip. Then she looks at me. “It’s not for me to say.”

“He’s asked you to keep a secret?” I ask as I feel the plane moving faster as it gets on the runway.

She merely nods and I know my father is having an affair with the woman. She’s young, maybe thirty. She’s pretty too. Dark hair falls to her shoulders in a straight, glossy sheet. Her brown eyes look kind and nurturing.

Mom has blue eyes and blonde hair, like myself. Mom is a distant type of woman with little going on in her life. She’s never worked a day in her life. She tends to her flower beds she has all around the house. The house she and my father have lived in since I was four years old.

My father’s job was often the excuse for him barely being around. I understood he was a very busy man. It was also a thing that was ingrained in me that my father’s job was extremely dangerous and he didn’t like to talk about his work, so I was not to ask where he’d been at all. Neither did Mom.

And as I watch the woman who sits in front of me, not looking at me, instead she’s staring at the floor, I get the reality into my brain. My father uses women. He has high expectations for any man who is to be in my life but he, himself, treats women poorly.

Perhaps he has no idea what real love feels like. Maybe that’s why he acted like I was a little idiot when I cried and begged him not to take me away from Nic. He must think there is no such thing as love. Just like Nic used to think.

I move my eyes off the poor woman who must be feeling shame. “I’ll never judge you,” I say as we level off and the pilot comes on, telling us we’re free to move about the plane.

She takes her seat belt off and my father walks through the door. “I need a drink,” she tells him as she leaves the room.

His eyes stay focused on me. He’s very good at pretending nothing is going on between them. Moving to the edge of the bed, he takes a seat on it and rests his hand on my blanket-covered leg. “I want to talk to you about when we get back home.”

“What?” I ask as I think he might be about to tell me he and Mom are separated or something like that.

“I want you to know, I will have the house phone bugged. If you call that man’s cell or office, the FBI will know immediately and I will take action against the man. I don’t want to cause him harm but I will, to protect you.”

“I lied,” I say, suddenly.

“About what?” he says as he looks confused.

“About Paul,” I tell him, coming clean for the first time about what happened when I was a teenager.

“Don’t utter that piece of shit’s name, Tasha,” he says between gritted teeth.

“He was not a piece of shit. I was,” I tell him and watch the color leave his face.

“Don’t say that,” he says with a frown. His forehead creases and he looks as if he’s devastated.

I have to get the truth out. I can’t allow it to fester inside of me any longer. “Here’s the truth, Dad. I watched Paul and Sandy’s kids for them. That part you know. What you don’t know is that I saw Sandy treat her husband, Paul, like dog shit on a daily basis. I saw her taking off with other men while her husband was at work. I saw it all and I saw a man who was in the lowest spot in his life.”

“Don’t,” my father says as he looks at the blanket and nervously picks at a loose thread on it.

“It was me who seduced him. It was me who made all the first moves on the man. I put his hand on my breast. I pulled his dick out of his pants and I put my mouth on it. I did that all on my own.”

My father stands up as he shakes his head. “No! He made you do that! He made you, Tasha! You’re looking back and you’re blaming yourself, but it was him who did that! You were only sixteen. He deserved what I did to him! He did!”

“He was a broken man and I took advantage of him and what’s worse is I knew exactly what I was doing. And then you came to pick me up and caught the first time I put my mouth on him and you nearly beat him to death,” I level my eyes on him as he seems to be coming undone.

“No!” he shouts. “Tasha, no! He made you do that to him. And that fucker Grimm made you do those awful things with him. You didn’t want to and you know it!”

I shake my head. “I did want it. I watched an awesome show with a woman and a man and it was beyond amazing. I want it. I want that man and I want that excitement in my life. I want to feel it all, Dad. Understand it or don’t. I don’t care.”

“Natasha Greenwell, I did not raise you to be this way. I did not raise a sexual deviant,” he shouts at me.

“Am I deviant, Dad?” I ask as I watch his color come and go. He may throw up and I wouldn’t blame him. He’s the one who’s insinuated himself into my sex life and I can’t feel sorry for how he’s taking the reality that is me.

He gets off my bed and sits in the chair as he breathes hard. “You’ve really been down a hard road. You need help, baby girl.”

“Dad, all I need is Nic. He is really all I need. It’s been thirteen months and he’s still all I can think about. That has to be because we have something real. I don’t expect you to understand but I do expect you to back the fuck off us. Actually, I demand you do that.”

His face is pale as he looks at me. “You are demanding me to let that son of a bitch do to you anything he wants?”

“He does nothing to me I don’t want.”

With a nod, he gets up. “No,” he simply says.

So, I pull out my big gun. “You sure about that? Because I’m pretty positive that woman who you are calling a doctor is your lover.”

Quickly, his eyes go narrow as he finally looks at me. “Did she tell you that? She’s a liar!”

“No, she didn’t tell me that. I just found it odd that you found an American woman in Greece to treat my drug addiction, an addiction you caused. Two and two came together. It’s much easier now that my mind is clearing,” I tell him and by the way his body is shaking, I know I’m right.

“You know nothing, Tasha,” he says as spit drips off his frothing mouth.

“I know this. Your reign over me is over. Better to accept it, Dad. Fighting me will be a losing battle.”

The door slams against the wall as he throws it open and leaves me alone. My steady heartbeat is confirmation to my brain. His rule is over and my conscience is finally clear about Paul.

The truth feels good!

NICHOLAI

As we get to the dark castle, the first man to get to the door throws it open and shines his flashlight into the darkness. “We're here for the princess!” he calls out.

There is no answer and Nic and I exchange a look. “Where are the people you said guard this place?” I ask him.

“I have no idea. I swear to you there are always three men who guard this door,” he says as we move forward with the large group of people, armed with flashlights.

We go inside the castle to find it empty. Not a thing in the whole place tells me anyone was ever there. There is no bed in the room he said she was in. There isn’t even a lock on the door as he said there was.

“Nic, how could you do this?” I ask him as his relatives and townspeople look on.

“I swear, Nicholai. She was here before I left to come get you.” He falls to his knees. “I swear it to you!”

“Well, where is she now?” I ask as my hand twitches to knock the shit out of the liar.

“I do not know,” is his stupid reply.

“What am I to do with you, Nic?” I ask as my mind goes into a fevered state with being fooled by the man.

This will not end well for him, I expect.

The Beast: Part Six

NICHOLAI

The steady sound of the plane’s engine soothes me as I ride back to America on the first commercial flight I could get out of Greece. I managed to rein in my rage at the young man I thought at first had duped me into believing I would find my Natasha.

One of his brothers got between us before I could lay a hand on the man and we went to get a drink at the nearest bar. I settled down quickly and knew I should get back home to New York.

With the knowledge Natasha is no longer in Greece, my hopes for finding her are falling away, a bit at a time. I think her father will make sure to keep her on the move so I will never be able to catch up to her.

I also think the shrink I saw might be right. How long am I to wait? Forever?

I shake my head and sip on the Scotch I had the stewardess bring me. She’s been eyeing me and I know I could take her in the bathroom and have my way with her. But every time I look her way, I see my Natasha, standing behind her.

Her ghost seems to follow me wherever I go. She’s a part of me and even as I think about how I should move on, I simply can’t. The hope I felt about finally finding her has fallen inside of me. Like a vacuum, it sucks up my emotions. I feel as if I’m perpetually falling and there is no end in sight.

Pulling out my phone, I look at a picture she took of us that morning, the morning after our first night together. After we’d gotten ready to go to work. She labeled it, the first day of our new life together. “Who’s she?” a woman’s voice comes from behind me.

I turn to find an older woman leaning up in her seat. “She’s a woman I’m searching for. She was taken from me about thirteen months ago.”

“She’s gorgeous. You two look great together. Was she kidnapped?” she asks as she looks a little harder at the picture.

I nod. “By her father. He’s an FBI agent. He’s managed to keep her just out of my reach.”

“An FBI agent?” she asks then seems to be thinking.

“Yes, he was investigating my company. My family owns a weapons company. He didn’t want her involved with me.” I put my phone away.

“A weapons company?” she asks then her eyes go narrow. “His name doesn’t happen to be Norman Greenwell, does it?”

“Norman Greenwell is his name,” I answer her with more than a bit of surprise. “You know him?”

“I know of him. Personally, we’ve never met. I’d love to meet the man, though. I have an earful I’d like to give him. He’s stringing my daughter along. He has been for the last couple of years. He keeps telling her he’s on the verge of leaving his wife for her. My brother is also in the FBI, that’s how Greenwell met my daughter,” she tells me, making the wheels spin in my head.

“The man cheats on his wife and has the nerve to judge me?” I ask myself out loud.

“He’s a piece of work, that man,” she says. “I came all the way to Greece to finally confront him as my brother told me he was going there to deal with something and he had my daughter with him when he left New York. I hopped on the first flight out but he and she were gone when I got there.”

“I came for his daughter. And now I suppose what the young man who came for me told me, was true. Only I got there just a little too late to get to her. Did your brother tell you where they were going to go after Greece?” I ask and find myself crossing my fingers as I wait for her answer.

“As a matter of fact, I do know right where they’re going. Nantucket,” she tells me, sending sparks of hope shooting all through me again.

“To where his wife lives?” I ask.

“My brother told me, he’d talked to Norman and that he had some personal business to see to in Nantucket then he’d be back in New York. I have to find my daughter and open her eyes to the man. You see, I’ve found two more women he’s been messing with. My daughter thinks she’s the only one. She’s blocked my calls as she wants me to leave them alone. But I’m not about to do that.”

“Tenacious, aren’t you?” I ask as I think about going right up to their house and knocking on their door once I get back.

“I am. You see, my daughter stands to inherit quite a chunk of money when her paternal grandfather passes away. I think that man is using her for the money she will have one day. Loretta is a doctor and has put that aside to be at that man’s beck and call. A thing I never saw coming from her. She’s too smart to be dealing with a man like that. Once I show her the pictures of him with other women, I hope she’ll see reason and come back home with me.”

“Where does she live now?” I ask as I can surely find the man there if I don’t find Natasha at his home with his wife.

“He keeps her in various hotels. She has no real place to live. Her life is completely uprooted by the man. I have to say, I’ve never hated anyone but I hate that man,” she says.

“Maybe you and I could work together. Your name is?” I ask as I take a pen and paper from the back of the seat in front of me.

“I’m Stacy Holland. And I’d love to help you if you could help me,” she says. “And you are?”

“I am Nicholai Grimm.” I watch her face go pale and wonder why that is.

“Grimm?” she looks at me and reaches out to touch my face. “Are you related to Nicholas Grimm?”

“I’m his son,” I say as I find it even more surprising that she knows my father.

“I went to school with your father. He and I were high school sweethearts. My father was in the military and when he was sent to Germany, we all had to move with him. I lost touch with Nicholas as my letters to him started getting returned to me. I had no idea why that was. It broke my heart as he and I had planned on me coming back to New York when I turned eighteen. It was merely three years from the time I left. Only he must’ve moved on. We were just kids but that felt like real love. To me at least. I suppose he’s doing well now.”

“Not really. He is married to my mother. It’s a shell of a marriage, though. He’s not what you’d expect, I’m afraid. But it’s interesting that you say you two were sweethearts. Did the man ever tell you that he loved you?” I ask.

She nods. “We’d say it all the time to one another. That’s why it hurt so much when my letters were returned, unopened.”

“He’s never uttered those words to me. My father is harsh and cruel at times. And he doesn’t believe in love. He too is against me and Natasha. If I ever do find her, we have a battle with both of our fathers that is sure to erupt.”

“He’s never told you, his own son, that he loves you?” she asks and shakes her head. “He is most definitely not the same person he was all those years ago.”

“Not at all, it seems. I’d bring you to see him, only I wouldn’t want you to deal with the man he’s become, Stacy,” I tell her and watch as she nods, sadly.

“No, I’d rather have my memory of him when we were young and in love. So, let’s put that little discussion away and make a plan of how the hell we can help each other accomplish these goals we have. Seems we’re both chasing after the same man.”

It seems we are and it seems this woman has knowledge, I desperately need!

NATASHA

The fluids and vitamins have helped me tremendously and I can walk on my own up to my parents’ home in Nantucket. I’ve yet to get anywhere near a phone so I can call Nic but I think it’s about to happen for me.

My father is eerily quiet as we approach his home. Another car came and took the doctor, who came back from Greece with us, away. I asked him several questions about her that he never bothered answering.

His hand touches my arm just before we get to the door. “Promise me you won’t hurt your mother with your stupid notion about that woman, Tasha.”

And just like that, I see I have more leverage than I realized I had. “Sure, Dad. And you butt out of my personal life too.”

He shakes his head and I shake mine. Then his eyes go narrow as he says, “Tasha, I can make shit happen. Don’t fuck with me.”

And just like that, I realize my father has more reach than I do. So, I give in but only a bit as I say, “I’ll keep my mouth shut. No reason to hurt Mom.”

“No, there’s not. Your perceptions are unfounded, anyway. I love your mother,” he says as he unlocks the door.

It’s early in the morning and by how quiet the house is, I think Mom’s still asleep. Dad pushes a code into the alarm system then closes the door and reactivates it. “You seem to be locking us in, Dad.”

“I am. I need rest and I need to know you’re going nowhere. I’ve changed the code to the alarm. The one you knew is no longer. If the wrong code is entered, the alarm will go off. If any window is opened, the alarm will go off. So, don’t even try it, Tasha.” He smiles as he walks away from me. “Go to your old room and get some rest.”

I don’t need to go anywhere, anyway. I just need to get to the phone. He told me he bugged the phone and would intercept any call to Nic’s office and cell phone. But he doesn’t know the home phone at Nic’s house. Technically, neither do I. But I do know how to call information and get that number. All I have to do is let someone in Nic’s staff know where I am and he will come for me.

Making my way to my old bedroom, I go inside and find it neat and tidy. Mom’s been keeping it clean for me, it seems. When I open the closet, I find my clothes that were in the dorm room. Dad must’ve gotten all my things. At least they weren’t thrown away.

I search through the things in the room and find the naughty negligees and masks Nic sent to me are not here. That’s an expected move on my father’s part.

My ears prick at the sound of my mother and father talking as they come down the hallway. “Is she okay?” I hear her ask.

My door opens and Mom pulls me into a big hug. “Hi, Mom.”

“Oh, baby,” she says as she squeezes me. “You’ve lost weight.” She holds me back and looks me over then frowns at my father.

He looks a little sheepish then his cell phone rings and he leaves my bedroom to answer it. I look at my mother and want to cry and beg her to help me. “Mom, I need your help.”

One finger goes to her lips and she gives me a wink. “I’m already on it, baby girl.”

My heart pounds as I’ve finally found the one person who can help me. Mom hasn’t always been proactive in my raising. She’s always maintained that my father is head of the household and his word is the final one. But this time things seem different.

Maybe she’s had some concerns about his faithfulness and is now looking at leaving him. I’d never blame her for doing that.

We hear Dad go into his office as that door slams on the other side of the house. “Wonder what has him so mad,” I say as Mom closes my door.

“Don’t know and don’t care. You see, I’ve been called by a man who wants to give you a job as an intern. It’s in the publishing industry. You’re minoring in publications so it’s a perfect fit for you. I’ve called the college and you can start your classes back up. You and I are going to New York, courtesy of a man by the name of James Hawthorn. He’s a bigwig with Hawthorn Publications.”

I bite my lip as I don’t know how to tell my mother that man is the one man I was told to stay away from by Nic. “Mom, why did he say he was interested in me becoming an intern there?”

“He said one of your professors recommended you and when he saw your excellent grades, he knew you were the one he wanted for the internship. To sweeten the deal, he added in a two bedroom New York apartment for you.”

“Dad will never allow it,” I say as I sit on the end of my old bed.

“I’m not going to take no for an answer. When I found out you were coming home, I called James and told him the good news. He’s in town. He wants to meet with you,” she says as she smiles widely at me.

“Mom, that’s too soon. I’m weak and look like hell,” I say as some kind of excuse not to see the man Nic said I should be polite to but get the hell away from as quickly as I could.

My door flies open and my father looks agitated as he says, “I fucking have to get my ass to New York. There’s been a break in the case against the Grimms. I’m entrusting our daughter to you, Natalie.”

“Good. She’s fine with me, Norman.” She gives me a look that frightens me a little. “You go take care of your business and leave her to me.”

“What kind of thing did you find on their company, Dad?” I ask as I find myself growing worried about Nic.

“Never mind that. Get your head off that fucking man. He’s going to end up in prison anyway.” His words stun me and I find myself feeling more afraid than I’ve ever been.

“Dad, no!” I shout as he turns to leave the room.

I jump up and Mom grabs me, pulling me back to her. “There’s nothing you can do about the things Nicholai Grimm has gotten himself into. You have a new path now with this other company. That company wasn’t a thing you’d learn a damn thing you’ve been to school for anyway. Now take a shower and get yourself cleaned up. James wants to meet with you as soon as possible.”

She leaves me and I find my body shaking. Nic might go to prison!

NICHOLAI

Turning my phone back on as I walk through the airport in New York, I start to call my driver and find I’ve missed not one but fifteen calls from my father. I call my driver first to get him on his way to me and go to sit in a small café to wait for him and call my father back.

“Nicholai!” he answers. “Where the hell are you?”

“I’m in New York. I just got off a plane. What’s the matter?” I ask as he sounds more stressed than usual.

“Have you seen the news?” he asks me.

There’s a small television above the counter and I see CNN is on and my fucking picture is in the left-hand corner of it. My heart freezes as I read the caption running underneath it. ‘FBI seeks Nicholai Grimm for questioning in weapons deal after informant comes forward with damning information about the man.’

“Father, what’s going on?” I ask as I suddenly feel cold.

“Get to our home, Nicholai. I have our attorneys on their way. This information just came out a few hours ago. I need to know this, were you actually in Greece?”

“How did you know that?” I ask as I see a couple of security officers looking my way.

“Because that’s where the informant said you went to deliver some of our technology to another man who was taking it to some very undesirable people. Tell me that’s not true,” he begs me.

“It’s not true. I was there to get Natasha. That’s all I went there for. Someone is lying to the FBI, Father.”

“I hope so. I hope we can discount what the informant has said. If not, I see you spending time in prison. You are officially discharged from your position as CEO of our company. I had no choice. We cannot afford to be shut down by the government for what you’re accused of.”

My heart is pounding as I see five men in black suits and dark sunglasses coming toward me. “They’re here for me, Father. I have to go now. Bring the lawyers to wherever it is they’re going to take me.”

“Surrender to them but say nothing,” he orders me and I end the call.

Putting my hands behind my head, I tell the men who are approaching me, “I am Nicholai Grimm, the man you are seeking. I am innocent of those accusations and I will come peacefully with you but I will say no more until my attorneys are present.”

“Great,” I hear a familiar voice say and watch as Norman Greenwell pulls his dark shades off and looks at me. “Come on, Nicholai. The jig is up.”

It’s hard as hell to keep my mouth shut but I manage as I’m taken by the men to a waiting black Tahoe and placed in the back of it. No handcuffs are used on me and no one has read me my rights so I know I’m not under arrest. That has me breathing a bit easier but not much.

Natasha’s father is in another car. And my mind is on where she is right now. I suppose in Nantucket but I really don’t know that for certain. Neither the driver nor the passenger is looking at me so I take my phone out and look up the Greenwell’s home phone number and find it easily on the internet. “May I make a phone call?” I ask them.

“Sure,” the passenger says.

I press the button to make the call and pray someone is at their home. The phone rings and rings but no one answers. It occurs to me her father may have my number blocked somehow. I need to actually go to the house to see if Natasha was taken there.

It seems my time will be taken up somewhat today by the damn FBI and their questions. But I do have a witness in Nic, back in Greece, to attest to what I was really doing in Greece. I was never without him at my side.

Then I recall that I did go back to the airport alone and that would be enough time to meet someone and deliver information to them. I am in the tightest jam I’ve ever been in and can only pray my attorneys know how to fix this shit storm.

NATASHA

Right in my parents’ living room, I sit on the sofa across from the man who came into the bathroom after me that night after that initiation ceremony in New York. He’s acting as if he’s never seen me before which I find fascinating.

When my mother excuses herself to give us some privacy, I find myself speaking more freely to the man than I was with her in the room. “I know who you are,” I tell him and watch a smile move over his handsome face.

“Good, so I don’t need to pretend about what it is I want,” he says with an even tone. “I despise games, anyway.”

Mom made me wear a blue dress to bring out my eyes and she straightened my hair for me and helped with my makeup so I’d look pretty for the interview. I watch his dark eyes which closely resemble Nic’s as he looks at my exposed legs.

“Nic told me you are a dangerous man and I should stay away from you, Mr. Hawthorn.” I catch his eyes as they dance back up to meet mine.

“Call me James, I insist. And that’s the pot calling the kettle black, isn’t it?” he asks with a grin. “I am no more dangerous than he is. Did you catch the news, Natasha?”

I shake my head. “I’ve been indisposed until recently. Why do you ask that?”

“Your Nicholai Grimm is headed to prison it seems. He’s dabbled a bit too deeply into illegal activities and he’s been picked up by the FBI. I’m surprised your father didn’t tell you anything about it,” he says as he looks at my breasts.

I move a bit as I’m uncomfortable with his constant observation of my body. “He told me something about it. I doubt it’s true.”

“He just returned from Greece,” he says then looks into my eyes again. “Were you aware of that?”

“I’ve been aware of nothing as my father had me tucked away in an abandoned castle to keep me away from Nic. You should know my father, if not aware of your membership in the BBC, will quickly become aware of it when he does a background check on you, which he will do. So, if you’re thinking about you and me being anything more than employer and employee, then you’re in for some major disappointment.”

“Is that what you think I want, Natasha?” he asks with yet another grin on his handsome face.

I nod and cross my legs at the ankles. “Am I wrong? And remember, you don’t like to play games and neither do I.”

“Come to lunch with me,” he says, purposely not answering my question. “I have a proposition for you.”

“It’s a waste of your time, I’m afraid. You see, my heart belongs to Nic. You should understand that. And to be frank, I won’t be taking the internship with your company either.” I watch amusement spread throughout his face.

“Come to lunch with me. I think you might just change your mind when I explain things to you. You see, I get what I want and I want you,” he tells me, sending chills through me.

The man is handsome in the same way Nic is. Dark, brooding good looks, are accentuated by his muscular build. He is built better than Nic and he’s a good two inches taller as well. He’s a magnificent male specimen for sure. But another man holds my heart in his hands and I have no physical want for the hot as hell man who sits across from me, looking at me as if he’d love nothing more than to devour me.

I stare at him as I shake my head. “I don’t care what you want. I am taken.”

“You are not. I’ve checked at the BBC to see if you two have a bond. You don’t. That makes you available. Nicholai is in deep shit and it is you and you alone who can get him out of it. So, come with me and I will explain how you can stop what will surely happen to the man you claim to love if you don’t do as I tell you to.”

My skin is beginning to prickle with nerves as I watch the look on James’ face turn sinister. “Look, James. I know I was in the club and I know you saw me at the museum at that event but I’m not into that lifestyle. Not really. You see, Nic and I were about to make great changes. He was quitting the club. Our plans were normal ones. You’d really hate me. I’m not one to conform, you can ask Nic if you want to about that. I’m not a woman who can be treated the way you want to treat me.”

His eyes go to look over my shoulder and he smiles. “Mrs. Greenwell, I need to get something to eat and your daughter’s company at one of your local cafés. It would be wonderful if you’d allow me to take her with me.”

“Oh! Well, go right ahead. The interview must be going well then,” she says.

I don’t know what the hell to do. Being alone with the man is a definite no-no. “Mom, I’m not sure.”

She stops me as she says, “I meant to tell you, that Nic man has been taken in. He’s in some deep trouble, Tasha. It’s a good thing your father got you away from that man. It looks like he’s about to go down the drain, and in a hurry.”

“Pity,” James says then stands up. “Shall we, Natasha?”

I have no idea what I’m getting myself into but I have to find out what he can do to get Nic out of the mess he’s in. So, I get up and go with the man I was told to stay away from.

I hope I’m making the right decision!

NICHOLAI

Hours upon hours of interrogations about things I know nothing about have my head pounding. All I can think about is getting to Natasha but I’m stuck here, listening to my lawyers argue with the FBI agents who say some person has told them things about me.

Things that could have my ass locked away for treason!

One of my lawyers leans over and whispers, “This is not going well.”

I nod in agreement and listen as someone walks into the room. A note is given to one of the agents and a frown fills his face. “Bullshit!” He gets up and leaves the room.

The other agents, including Natasha’s father, leave the room, one by one, until only one is left. My lawyers are as confused as I am. “What’s going on?” I finally ask the only agent left.

He shrugs and gets up to go find out. Just as he gets to the door, it opens and it’s Greenwell who walks in and walks right up to me. “I’d love to know what angel is watching over you, Grimm. The man who made the accusations made a phone call to tell us he’d lied. Seems his morals came back around and he saw fit, to tell the truth. He’s not a U.S. citizen so he can’t be punished by our government for his lies. You are free to go.”

“I told you it was a lie,” I say. “I want to see Natasha.”

“That’s up to her,” her father says then walks away.

I find it amazing he said that and hurry out of the room to get to Nantucket as fast as I can. I pass her father in the hallway as my attorneys and I leave. The look he gives me has me wondering what in the hell has him smiling.

“Have you taken her somewhere, else, Greenwell?” I ask him as I stop and stand in front of him.

“Nope,” he says and looks me in the eye. “I have not done a thing with her. But I did get a great phone call a couple of minutes ago. She’s found a new job and has promised me she will not be seeing you anymore. So, I’m happy.”

I’m filled with anger but let it go as I think she has to be misleading him on purpose. With a nod, I turn around. “I see.”

“You will respect her wishes, won’t you, Grimm?” he asks me as I walk away.

“Of course. But I will hear it from her lips that she no longer wants me before I let her go completely,” I let him know before I go.

“Fine,” he calls out after me. “That’s all a man can ask for.”

I hear him whistling as he goes off in another direction. His lightheartedness agitates me. She can’t really mean she’s not going to see me anymore. She can’t!

One of my lawyers drops me at my home and I go inside and use the house phone to call her parents’ home phone again. “Hello,” I hear a woman answer after only one ring.

“Hello, is Natasha home?” I ask.

“Hmm,” the woman says. “Is this Nic?”

“Yes, it is,” I say and wait as I tap my foot on the hardwood floor.

“Well, this is Tasha’s mother. You see, she’s gotten a new job and her employer has set up her college courses to be finished with online classes. He’s also set her up in her own apartment in New York,” she says, making my insides turn to jelly.

“Is she there?” I ask and find my voice quivering. “I really need to talk to her.”

“I’m afraid she left with the man who she now works for. You know, since her father has it in for you, you should do yourself a favor and let our daughter go. She will only cause you more trouble, I’m afraid,” she says with a sympathetic tone.

“I love her,” I tell her. “Does she have a cell phone with her? I really have to talk to her.”

“Not that I know of, she doesn’t. You really should move on. I overheard her talking to her father just before she left. She told him she would not be seeing you again. She promised him,” she tells me.

“Who is this man who she left with?” I ask as my hand balls into a fist.

“I can’t tell you. He said not to,” she says. “Tasha told him about you two, I guess. He wants no trouble with you, is what he said. So, I can’t tell you his name or where she’ll be working either. Sorry about that. You have to understand the man.”

“Who would come all the way to Nantucket to offer her a job? That makes no sense,” I say as I look up at the ceiling, battling tears. “Something isn’t right. Can’t you see that?”

“The man said one of her professors recommended her to him. He’d called a long time ago to set up an interview with her. But she only got back home this morning. I called him last night when I found out she was on the way back from Greece. He was here early to meet with her and he was impressed by her. I’m so happy for her. The place she’s going to be working makes so much more sense for her career than your company ever did. That made no sense at all, really,” she says.

“Please ask her to call me, when you talk to her again,” I say as I try to wrap my head around what is happening to my life.

“I will give her the message, Nicholai. Bye.”

I put my phone in my jacket pocket and fall on the sofa. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do now. None!

My cell rings and I pull it out, praying it’s her but I see it’s my father. “What the hell happened? You should’ve called me!”

“Whoever said those things about me lied,” I tell him. “Do I have my job back or not?”

“Of course you do,” he says. “What kind of enemies are you making that would do such a thing to you, Nicholai?”

“I have no fucking idea. All I know is is that it’s over. Thank God whoever it was decided to call the FBI and tell them they were lying.”

“An angel is watching over you, that is for certain,” my father says. “Come to the club, son. Relax for a while. You need to get rid of your stress. Come back to the man you were.”

“Speaking of that. Do you remember a woman named Stacy Holland?”

He goes silent then whispers, “Why do you ask that?”

“I met her on the plane on my way back from Greece. She said you two were sweethearts in high school,” I tell him to try to get him off the track of me going to the damn club I have no desire to go to at all.

“Yes, she is telling you the truth. Did she tell you why she never wrote me like she promised me she would?” he asks and I hear a tremble in his voice.

“Actually, she told me she wrote to you only her letters were all returned and you never wrote to her,” I tell him.

“I did write to her and I never got anything in return. I thought she’d lied about loving me.”

“She thought the same thing,” I say. “You don’t suppose your father or mother had anything to do with the letters not being sent and sending hers back, do you?”

“My father might have. He wanted my head in business, not that girl. She was my one love.”

“So love does exist, huh, Father?” I ask as I get up off the sofa and make my way to my office with an idea.

“I didn’t say that. Tell me, did you happen to get her phone number?”

“I did,” I say as I stop and pour myself a drink from the bar. I need something to knock the edge off my headache.

“Text it to me, will you?” he asks with a soft voice.

“Okay,” I say. “Talk to you later. I’m calling it a night. I’m beat.”

“Okay, bye.”

I put the phone back in my pocket and think about what Natasha’s mother said about the place she’d be working being a better place for her career. She was majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in publications.

Taking my drink and making my way to my laptop in my office, I decide I will look up companies in New York where those degrees would be of importance. That should help me figure out where to start looking for her.

I have to find her!

NATASHA

James keeps his hands to himself as he sits right next to me in the back of the town car his driver is taking us to New York in. My mother was overjoyed when he told her he was very well off and had furnished the apartment he rented for me with everything I’d need. Including clothing. I didn’t need to bring a thing.

It reminded me of what Nic had told me. Bring my body and nothing else.

Only this bond is not a thing I can negotiate. I gave James everything to gain Nic’s freedom. I had to sign the bond in the back of his car then he made one phone call and a short time later I talked to my father on the phone. He told me someone had called in and confessed to telling lies about Nic. He was set free and then James prompted me to tell my father I wouldn’t be seeing Nic anymore.

After that call was made, James put a leather slave collar on me along with a leash he attached to it. “Just in case you think about jumping out of the car, Natasha,” he’d said.

The bond is brutal. He will be my master in all ways. I will have no free will at all. Even now, I cannot ask him a thing. I am to speak only when he tells me I can.

I don’t dare disobey him or he will make sure Nic is charged with something else. I’m racking my brain with what the hell I can do. At the very least I’ll be in New York. Closer to Nic and maybe, just maybe, he’ll find me.

In the bond agreement, I am not to have access to a phone or any other means of communication. James will oversee me when I use the computer to access my classes online. I have to wear an ankle monitor that will let him know if I try to leave the apartment.

I will have no job at his company. I will be a secret he has. If he requires my services, he will come to me. I will be a captive. No pretending. No acting. This is all very real!

He wants it that way. Craves it that way. And I already hate him.

“You and I will have your initiation on Christmas Eve, Natasha. Won’t that be something?” he says as he turns his head to look at me.

I quickly look up and meet his eyes as rule number seventeen states. I nod and he nods back. I avert my eyes again, looking at the floor.

“I have the whole thing planned out already.” I snap my head up to look at him again. His lips part a bit as our faces are close. The back of his hand grazes my cheek. “I will not touch you until we are on that stage, Natasha. For the next three days and nights, you will be completely alone in the apartment. Then, on Christmas Eve I will come for you and take you to where our ceremony will be. Only then will you feel my whips upon your luscious flesh. Only then will you feel my cock buried inside of you.”

“May I tell you something, Master?” I ask him with a reverent tone to my voice as rule number thirty-five states.

“You may,” he allows.

“I am not on any type of birth control. I know that is rule number five,” I tell him, bringing a frown to his face that I once thought of as handsome but now think of as devilish.

“I will give you a female condom to wear for the night of the ceremony. I will send my doctor to the apartment to administer the depo shot to you in the morning. I will not take you again after the ceremony until the doctor assures me you are safe to take.”

I nod and move my eyes to the floor again. The leather collar is tight as hell. It’s already chafing my neck and the weight of it is making my neck hurt. But I dare not speak a word about that to him.

The man sitting next to me is the real fucking deal. Not a man who knows what the lifestyle is really about. This man is evil to his core. I can feel it oozing off him. There’s an energy around him I didn’t notice before I got into the car alone with him.

Alone, he is anything but charming. He is demanding and in complete control. I find it nothing like the way I felt with Nic. Nic had an entirely different demeanor and effect on me. I am terrified of what this man will do to me. And he is well aware of that and seems to thrive on my fear.

He’s tapping away on his phone then stops and sits back, putting his arm along the back of the red leather seat. “I just sent the invitations out to all of the BBC members to attend our ceremony.”

My heart stops as I look at him and my eyes go wide. He laughs at my reaction. “But Nic...” I say then stop as he’s not asked me a thing and I’m not to speak unless he does.

A quick slap to my right cheek has my head turned to one side as tears spring to my eyes. I look down and hold back my cries of pain. “I tolerate no breaking of any rules. Swift punishment will always be given for infractions of any kind.”

I nod as I look at him to show him I am listening. He smiles then runs his hand over the place he slapped. “I like that shade of red on you, Slave.” He pinches the place he slapped, making it hurt even worse. “There, a purple bruise so you can remember this lesson.”

I swallow hard to stop myself from crying. He doesn’t mind of I cry, a thing stated in the notes section of the bond. He actually encourages it. So, I am going to deny him that every fucking chance I get!

As he holds my chin in his hand, inspecting the bruise he’s left on my face, I see a light in his eyes then I notice his pants popping up as he seems to be aroused by what he’s looking at. “Yes,” he hisses then takes my hand as he looks into my eyes and rubs his erection with my hand. “See what that does for me, Slave?”

“Yes, Master,” I say as I look back into his eyes, scared to death he’s about to change his mind and take me now.

“Were you on birth control or I had any condoms, I’d have you now. But I do believe it will be much sweeter if we wait until the ceremony. You will be fresh to my type of torture. You’re sure to taste sweeter with the tenderizing I will do to your pristine skin. I will eat you out as my fellow members watch us. I am not like the others. I like to hear screams when I damage your flesh and muscle. I want you to scream when I make you mine. I want it to hurt like hell. Tell me you want that too, Slave.”

I can hardly bring myself to say such a thing then I think about Nic and do it, “I want that too, Master.”

“Your blood will drip all over that stage. Only everyone will think it’s only an act. Only you and I will know it’s real. Every time I take you, I will make your blood run. Then I will leave you alone for a week and you will consume great amounts of iron to replenish your blood and let your wounds heal. Then I will come to torture you some more. Tell me that sounds wonderful, Slave.”

I look him dead in the eyes and tell him, “That sounds wonderful, Master.”

“See, you do know how to mind. That idiot, Nicholai, just didn’t know how to be a master. He is soft, that man. Perhaps you should’ve hurried to sign his bond. It would’ve saved you from me. But you dallied with the man. You let your father take you away from him, a thing that will never happen with me. If you allow anyone to attempt to take you away, it will mean even more pain for you. Tell me you understand me, Slave.”

“I understand you, Master.” I hold his dark stare until he puts his hand on top of my head and makes me lower it.

“I see the defiance in your eyes, Slave. It won’t last, though. I will not be taking you to the club to torture you the way I did with one of my slaves. She was taken from me by your sweet Nicholai. He tried to have me thrown out of the club but failed miserably like he does at most things. Once our ceremony is over, I will reveal your face to the members and all will know you are mine. It should devastate your sweet Nicholai. Even if he doesn’t come, which he has been invited to, the others will tell him about it. I cannot wait. Anticipation fills my groin.” He stops rubbing my hand over his pant-covered dick and lets it go.

I try not to gag with his words then raise my hand up so he knows I want to speak. I wait for him to nod at me then say, “The invitation doesn’t have my name on it?”

“No,” he says as he runs one finger over the bruise on my cheek. “It merely has my club name, Pete. It states that I am making a new slave to add to my harem. Would you like to know how many slaves I have?”

“Yes, Master,” I say.

“Twelve,” he tells me. “You will be thirteen.”

I nod and look down as he pushes the top of my head again. “I am tired. I must rest. Get on the floor, Slave.”

I do as he says and get on the floor. He puts the leash that’s attached to the collar around my neck, he has a tiny padlock on, around his wrist and holds it as I get on the floor and lie in the fetal position as he closes his eyes and rests his head on the back of the seat.

My head hurts as I try to think how the hell I’m going to get myself out of this. I have no phone. I have no way of communicating with anyone. I know the apartment will be full of security features because this man is a total freak.

Hope is fading fast that Nic or anyone can save me from the man who holds my leash and snores, softly. My father has taught me how to defend myself, but James has way too many muscles for anything I could do to him to work.

The only way I could stop him is a fatal blow. The heel of my hand to the brim of his nose, sending bone straight up into his brain. That would be the only way to stop him.

But can I really kill a person?

NICHOLAI

My phone dings with a message from none other than James Hawthorn, inviting me to his ceremony where he’s gaining, yet another, slave. The man is insatiable. How sorry I feel for his latest victim.

It has an RSVP request and I ponder going. It’s on Christmas Eve which is odd. But then again it might be a much-needed attention taker. God knows I need something to help me relieve some of the stress I’m feeling.

I don’t know how in the hell Natasha is free and not calling me. It makes no sense. She knows my cell number. She gave it to Nic, so I know she does. She knows where I live and work.

But perhaps she’s been told not to come to me or contact me, by her father. That may have been a thing he made her promise. Not a thing she did on her own.

She is coming to New York now and should be in the city soon. I wonder if she might be thinking about seeking me out at the BBC. Where we all wear masks and she could hide in plain sight.

The idea has me excited and I leave my office as I have a list of companies she might have been asked to intern at in a file on my desk. As I walk to my bedroom, pulling off my clothes so I can shower and change, it occurs to me that Hawthorn Publications was on that list.

I look at his invitation again and read every single word. No name is mentioned as to who his new slave will be. Shaking off my odd feeling, I head to the room and go to the shower.

I will wait in the club for my Natasha. Surely, she will come to me. Even if it is against her father’s will as well as my father’s, we can leave this place so we can be together in peace. I have more than enough money to last a lifetime even if I never work again.

If her father could spirit her away, so can I!

NATASHA

Blood drips from my lip where James bit me instead of kissing me right before he left the apartment which will be my new prison. At least for the next three days as I know Nic will end this once James takes me out in the open for our ceremony.

I pray he does, anyway!

The brand James will place on the back of my neck will be real. A real, flesh burning, branding iron will be used to make sure all know I am his. He will do that at the ceremony and to say I’m terrified that will happen before Nic or somebody can save me is an understatement.

James showed me the second bedroom he’s turned into a torture chamber. Whips line the walls. And odd contraptions fill the larger of the two bedrooms.

The apartment is nicely furnished. The kitchen is filled with food and drinks. There are strict guidelines as to what I can consume and when. He assured me he will be checking the inventory, as he called it, to make sure I am following his rules. Punishments will result in anything he finds off in the inventory of the entire household.

As I go to the restroom, I notice small cameras near the ceiling and find myself looking around. I find one in every single room, including the one bathroom in the apartment. Seems he’ll be watching my every move, if he so desires to.

The urge to crumple myself into a ball and cry my eyes out is overridden by the knowledge James Hawthorn would love to see that. I have to remind myself I am doing this for Nic. With any luck at all, I’ll be rescued before any real harm comes to me and people will then know what James Hawthorn is doing to young women.

He has more women he’s doing the same thing to. I doubt any one of them really wanted to go to this extreme of the lifestyle James’ method is loosely based on. James is in another category of BDSM, entirely. One where evil reigns and acting isn’t allowed.

I have no idea at all what the man plans to do to me on some stage somewhere while other members of the BBC look on and think it’s all just a show. He’s told me only a few things. And those things both disgusted and terrified me to my very core.

Closing my eyes and kneeling on the floor next to the large bed in the bedroom, I pray for someone to rescue me sooner rather than later. I need all the help I can get!

NICHOLAI

It’s been over a year since I’ve stepped foot in the warehouse that houses the Billionaire Bad Boy Club. The smell is dank and musty. Cigar smoke and alcohol mix with various brands of cologne and perfume to make a scent that’s not nearly as enticing as I once found it to be.

I recall taking in a big breath when I used to walk into the dark place. Now I’m trying not to breath too deeply at all as I scan the room for her blonde hair.

I have no idea if her father made her dye it or cut it off into some short hairstyle. I have no idea if she’s gained a ton of weight since she was stuck in a castle for over a year. I have no idea of anything. I just know she’d act nervously as this isn’t a scene she feels comfortable in.

But all I see are women hanging onto men and their every word. No one is looking lost or seemly seeking someone out. Then Hawthorn catches my eye as he is looking right at me from behind his simple mask.

One thin length of black leather covers his eyes. He’s easily recognizable which I find odd. He gives me a nod then leans over and nibbles on the redhead’s neck he has his arm around.

Looking away, I wonder if that’s his newest addition to his harem of slaves. Someone should warn the poor girl that he isn’t what he seems to be. From what the woman I rescued from him said, he took the BDSM thing to a level of hell she never knew existed.

I suppose his looks are what reels the unsuspecting females into his lair of evil. He should’ve been kicked out of the club for his actions. The thing that’s really odd about James Hawthorn is that once he makes a woman his slave, since I took that one away from him, he never brings her back into the club again.

I know of three that no one has seen at any function or at the club again. It’s scary once you really think about it. I mean, where are they at?

Making my way to the poker table, I pick up a drink from a passing waitress and she gives me a look of surprise. “Bill, you’re back!”

“I am. I don’t suppose anyone has been here tonight, asking for me?” I sip my drink as my eyes can’t stop searching for Natasha.

“No,” she says. “I’m glad to have you back. If you need anything at all you will let me know, won’t you?”

“I will, thank you,” I tell her, then continue towards the poker table.

A hand on my shoulder stops me and when I turn I am looking at James Hawthorn, face to face. “Yes?” I ask him as he moves his hand off my shoulder.

“I sent you an invitation to which you’ve yet to respond,” he says with a certain amount of agitation I didn’t see coming.

“That’s Christmas Eve. Though I doubt my family is doing anything, I must check with them first before I can send the message back to you,” I tell him and see a grin move over his lips.

“I hope you come. I think it’s time you and I buried the hatchet between us. I want to move forward without you as my enemy. Don’t you want that too?” he asks as he offers me his hand.

As I look into his eyes that are dancing with a certain amount of amusement for some reason, I reach out and shake his hand. “The past is the past. We can move on from here, James.”

“Good,” he says then we stop shaking hands and he looks at me with a half-smile as he takes a sip of his clear drink. “It’s been over a year since I’ve seen you here. What’s so special about tonight, might I ask?”

“I’ve had one hell of a terrible day. I need to let off some steam,” I say then take a sip of my own drink and wonder why the man suddenly wants to be friends.

“I saw the news. But I also saw the jackass who told those lies about you had confessed, getting you off the hook. That should’ve been a huge relief to you.” He looks at me intensely then says, “But you don’t seem to have any relief showing in your tense expression. You should grab a female and beat her until you feel better.”

“I don’t beat women,” I say then take a long drink to help rid me of the irritation the man is making rise inside of me.

“Of course you don’t, Grimm. I meant no harm in the remark. It was a joke,” he says then looks past me. “But I am here to enjoy the women so I will see you later. I do hope you decide to attend my ceremony. It’s going to be at the Central Park Zoo. There should be fresh snow on the ground and her blood will look amazing as it drips all over it.”

My insides quake with his disgusting portrayal of what he has in store for our members to watch. “Did you manage to save a bunch of fake blood from Halloween?” I ask him.

“Fake?” he asks then turns to follow a woman who’s just walked by. “Sure.”

I watch him move in behind the woman like a lion stalking his prey then his hand goes around her throat and he turns her to face him. His mouth is on hers and he’s taking her away to a private room before she knows what’s happened to her.

I shudder as I watch him and wonder why he’s still in this club. He is not a thing we are about. He is evil and he reeks of it. I pity the foolish woman who has agreed to be his slave. She is in for hell.

NATASHA

As I lie in bed and wonder what will happen to me, I have to think my parents will surely come looking for me when I never call them. They will go to James and ask where I am and he will have to tell them something logical. Or even set up a meeting, maybe a lunch or something. If my parents see me harmed in any way, my father will have James’ balls in a vice in no time.

And I have to wonder if Nic knows I’m in New York and if he is wondering why I haven’t tried to contact him or see him. I know he wants to see me. He did go to Greece to try to get me. He must still want me.

But here I lie in a strange apartment, placed here by an even stranger man who I fear like I’ve never feared anyone or thing before. All I can do is hope and pray things will end well for me.

A piercing sound fills the air and then I see a green light come on a small black box beside the bed. “Natasha?”

It’s James. I guess that thing’s an intercom. “Yes, Master,” I say as I roll my eyes, knowing it’s too dark in the room for him to see that move.”

“I saw that. I have infrared cameras all over the apartment. I’ll make sure to add in a little something for that when I see you on Christmas Eve. I wanted to tell you I saw your beloved, Nicholai tonight at the club.”

I sit up and look at the box. “You did?”

“Oh, so much excitement! That will cost you as well. But the answer is yes, I saw him. I thought you’d like to know he took not one but three women to a private room tonight. It seems he’s back in the game and in a more devious way than I’ve ever seen him before. I took the opportunity to peek in on him and his bevy of sluts. It was one fantastic show of manhood in there. He was fucking the life out of them and once I overheard him cursing your name. Just thought you’d like to know that, Slave.” The piercing sound rings out again as he ends his little call and my head hurts.

Lying back on the pillow, I try not to think about what he’s said. He’s most likely lying to hurt me even further. My torture by him is one of completeness, physical and mental.

But as I close my eyes, I see my Nic whipping a woman while taking another from behind and kissing another. Then I see him say he hates me and the tears flow like a river.

Please let James be lying to me. Please!

The Battle Part Seven

NICHOLAI

The white flakes of falling snow outside my office window have me mesmerized. Or it might be that my mind is numb as I can’t understand why Natasha has yet to contact me.

I shouldn’t even be at the office. It’s Christmas Eve and no one else is even here. But I have this small hope she’ll come here to see me. I know she loves me or she’d never have sent that man to come all the way from Greece to get me.

I just don’t understand!

Turning away from the window, I go to my desk and pick up the phone and call her parents’ home. I’ve been patient and not bothered them again since the day I got back to New York but my patience is running out fast.

“Hello,” her mother answers.

“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Greenwell, this is Nicholai Grimm.”

The way she’s hesitating to say anything has me wondering if Natasha is there. Near her. And maybe near her father as well.

“Have you heard from my daughter, Nicholai?” she finally asks.

“No, that’s the reason I’m calling you. I expected to hear something from her. Even if it was simply to tell me she and I were through. Have you heard from her?” I pick up a pen and chew on the end, nervously.

“I have not and I thought she’d call and tell me all about her new job and apartment. I know she had no cell phone and I suppose the man who hired her didn’t set up a home phone in the apartment he gave her. But I have to say that I’m thinking like you, I thought she’d try to get hold of you to personally let you know she’s over you.”

“Well, she’s not over me. I don’t know if you’re aware of this but she sent a young man from Greece to get me. I missed her by a small amount of time. She wouldn’t have done that if she was done with me. Now would she?” I ask as I throw the pen across the room.

Anger is flowing through me as it seems the woman I love is into something she can’t manage to get out of and I’m growing angrier with each passing moment.

“I was not aware of that. I suppose her father wasn’t either,” she says, then I hear a door close. “He’s home. Can I call you back, Nic?”

“Please do,” I tell her then she hangs up the phone. I suppose she doesn’t want her husband to know she’s talking to me.

I need to know the name of the man who hired her and took her with him. All of that is unbelievable and I don’t see how her father approved of that at all.

My cell rings and I see it’s my father. “Hello, Father.”

“Hello. I wanted you to be the first to know. Your mother and I talked and we are separating. We came to an agreement that she’s very happy with. She’s keeping the house and the cars she likes. I’m going to pay her a tidy sum in alimony each month too. She seems happy. For the first time in a long time, she had a smile on her face.”

I stand perfectly still, more than a bit stunned. “She’s happy?”

“She is. She told me to tell you she’s going to take a trip to start her new life. She wants you to call her so you two can talk a bit about her plans,” he says then clears his throat. “I talked to Stacy.”

“I can see that. Are you two going to be a thing now?” I ask as I take a seat in my chair.

“No,” he says, surprising me. “We’re going to talk now and then, she said. I just wanted to let your mother out of this loveless marriage we’re in. I wanted to let us both out of it. I recalled feeling love, once upon a time, and it gave me the idea that if it happened once, it could happen again. Maybe not with Stacy. But it could happen again.”

“Wow!” I say. I am rendered speechless.

“Yes, wow,” he says then clears his throat again. “About your woman, Nicholai. What have you heard on her?”

“It’s still the same as what I told you three days ago. She’s here, in New York. She has some internship and an apartment. But she has no cell phone that her mother is aware of. I still can’t believe she wouldn’t take a cab to my home or office, though.” I turn my chair to look out the window again and find the city looking gorgeous with the fresh dusting of snow.

“I know I’ve been against you and that woman. But I am beginning to realize I’ve shut myself off for far too long. I’m butting out, son. And there’s something else I want to tell you. Stacy brought to my attention that I have never told you that I love you. I do. I do love all of my sons. And I’m going to make some changes. Get ready for a new father, Nicholai.”

Tears sting my eyes as he finally says the words to me I had come to think I’d never hear come out of his mouth. “I love you too, Father.”

“Good! We can start moving forward. Change is in the air, Nicholai. And I feel it’s all for the good. I will not be attending the ceremony for Hawthorne tonight. It’s at midnight and I plan on being in bed by that time. You understand, don’t you?” he asks.

He’s never cared if I understood a thing before. I guess things are going to change. “I do. I’m not sure if I’ll be attending or not, myself. If by some miracle, Natasha comes to me, then I certainly won’t.”

“You know, Nicholai, I think it’s time I left that life behind me. I will never find a nice woman to love and who can love me if I am into that life. I won’t judge you if you stay with the club, though.”

“Good to know. I really have no idea what I’ll do. It all depends on Natasha. If she comes back to me, I think I’m going to scoop her ass up and marry the woman. If she leaves me high and dry without so much as a single word from her, it will cut me to the quick. And I have no idea how I will handle myself if that happens. I suppose I’ll go back to not believing love exists. For myself, anyway.”