“Nicolai!” Yana screams. “I didn’t do anything. You have to believe me.”

Nicolai stares at the girl he’s been favoring since the moment I started here at this club. But for once, he’s not defending her. For once he’s staring at her like she’s utterly disappointed him. “I have it on good authority that you did, Yana.”

“Who? Who is good authority? Her?” she spits, jabbing a finger in my direction.

“No, not her. I know what you’ve done, you can deny it all you like but it doesn’t change the fact that you’ve been trying your damndest to get Shania out of this club. It isn’t going to work, I’m sorry, but you know how I feel about breaking the rules.”

Her face drops, that pretty set of lips trembling. “Are you going to fire me?”

“No, because you bring in too much money. But you’re going to go back to getting watched, followed, checking in with me. Your freedom is gone, Yana. You’ll do as I say, when I say, without argument. If you so much as put a foot wrong, you’re out. On your ass. You know I’ll do it.”

Her eyes widen, and she opens her mouth and stammers, “Nicolai, she’s lying.”

“She’s not lying. You know it. I know it. It makes me wonder how many other things you’ve had your hand in. Makes me sick, actually. Now, I’ve spoken. Eddie will be with you at all times.”

“Nicolai ...” she begs. “What about us?”

“There is no us. There has never been an us. Just let it go, Yana. Go. I can’t look at you.”

Her face falls and, for a second—for a split second—I actually feel a little sorry for her. But it doesn’t last long. She purposefully got me into all this trouble, enjoying every second of it. I didn’t deserve any of it. It’s about time she suffered the consequences of her actions. She turns after giving me a look that promises she’s not done and walks out. I sit quietly on the couch still, not game to say a damned thing.

Nicolai turns and looks down at me. “Are you happy?”

I blink. “Pardon me?”

“You wanted her in trouble, just as much as she wanted you out. Because you have your eye on me.”

I open my mouth, and then close it, horrified. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

He’s wrong. I mean, sure, I do have something toward him, but not enough that I’d want Yana in trouble just to get my way. I might be a lot of things, young, inexperienced, but I’m not manipulative. The fact that he thinks I am makes me so angry, my heart starts racing and my hands shake. I stand, very calmly, and say, “You know what, Nicolai? You know nothing about me. I’m a good deal of things, but I would not and have not ever tried or wanted Yana in trouble. I don’t like her, no. She’s done what she can to get rid of me, yes. All those things are the truth, but I would never bring another woman down over a man.”

I give him a disgusted look.

“Quite honestly, I’m tired of being your little innocent virgin that gets treated like a fucking child. I’m done with it. I’m done with this job. I’m done with you. I’m going to go out there, find a man who’ll do the job, and then I’m going to find another job. Because I won’t be accused of doing shit I’ve never even dreamed of doing.”

I turn on my heel and go to stride out, impressed with my speech when his hand curls around my wrist, and he jerks me backward until I slam into his chest. His hand goes around my belly, holding me there, and his body presses up against mine. He leans down, his mouth near my ear, and he murmurs, “If anyone is taking that, it’ll be me. Do you understand me?”

“I thought you didn’t want to do that,” I whisper, my whole body alive, alert, and on edge.

“You’re so determined to throw it away, then I’ll be the one who takes it.”

Oh, boy.

Yes.

Yes.

Finally.

Keep cool, Shania.

“What if I don’t want to give it to you?”

He reaches down, cupping my pussy in his hand and rubbing just slightly with his palm. I gasp, and pleasure shoots through my body, a warning of what’s to come. I’m so on edge, so ready, that my body just hums, needing more. I’m aching already, and he’s done nothing.

“You want to give it to me,” he growls, releasing me.

I turn and face him. Holding those incredible eyes. He’s so fucking gorgeous. I want him so bad.

“Well are you going to make me wait, or are you going to take it?”

He grins, the first time I’ve seen it, and god, it makes him so breathtakingly gorgeous that I want to fall to my knees in front of him and stare at him forever.

“Oh, I’m going to take it. Right fucking now.”

Oh god.

Now.

Right here.

I watch with wide eyes as he goes over, closing the blinds to his office and locking the door, then he looks back to me and orders, “Lay on the sofa, take your clothes off.”

I walk over, undoing my clothes as I move. Taking my clothes off is nothing special to me anymore, he’s seen all I have to offer. When I’m naked, I lie down on the sofa and look up at him with pleading eyes.

He kneels beside me, taking hold of my knee with one hand and pushing it so my legs fall open. “How many men have laid their hands on this beautiful body?”

“Only o-o-one,” I stammer.

“And what did he do, hmmm?” he husks, leaning down so his breath is puffing out against my pussy, making it ache. “Did he kiss you here?”

Oh, god.

His tongue glides down the outside of my sex, not quite touching it, but making me jerk in need. “N-n-n-no,” I gasp.

He presses a kiss to my clit and moves up my body, dragging his mouth up my skin. “Did he kiss you here?”

I shake my head, desperate for more.

He reaches my nipples and sucks one into his mouth, making me arch and gasp. “Did he suck these?”

“Yes,” I admit.

“Did it feel good?” he questions, pinning me with those intense eyes.

“No. Not like this.”

“Don’t flatter me, sweetheart. I prefer the truth.”

“I’m not lying,” I breathe.

He grins, pleased.

His mouth kisses a path to my neck, and once there, he bites down on the flesh, making me gasp in surprise. “Did he mark your lovely skin?”

“No,” I whisper.

“Do you want me to mark you?”

“Yes. Yes please.”

He bites down and sucks at the same time, creating an intense burning feeling that feels surprisingly good. I arch up into him. Wanting more. Needing more. God. I want everything he’s offering me. I whimper when his tongue snakes out and he licks the spot he just bit, and then he moves up to my lips and kisses me without warning. So deep. So intense. I can’t think about anything else but how incredible it feels.

“I’m going to fuck you now,” he growls. “But first ...”

He moves down my body, hooking my legs over his shoulders, and then his face is in between them, licking, sucking, and I’ve never felt anything so incredible in my life. I gasp, clutching his thick hair, and whimper as he sucks on my clit, pulling it into his mouth, making it pulse. It feels so damned good. I squirm and writhe, and my body gets hotter and hotter, pleasure building further and further, until I explode, screaming his name.

He licks until the pulsing is gone, and then he stands before me, slowly removing his clothes. His eyes intense. I’m lying there on the sofa, staring up at him, dazed, not sure exactly what I’m thinking right now but knowing that I’m so ready for this. God, I’m so ready. I need him. When he’s fully naked before me, I can’t help but stare, mouth slightly agape, blinking at his utter beauty.

Perfect. Muscled. Man.

His body is lean and ripped, his skin olive, there is a tattoo running across his chest and down his side. He has nipple rings, which are absolutely awesome. As I move down his body and my eyes zone in on his cock, I gasp. Huge, red, and pulsing. And he’s got not one, not two, but three rings coming out the end. I’ve never seen anything like that before. Hell, I haven’t even heard of anything like that.

My inexperience is showing.

Slowly, he pulls out a condom—where he got it, I do not know. And he rolls it on. And then he strides over and orders, “Stand up.”

I do as he asks immediately, standing up, chest still rising and falling from the intense orgasm he gave me only minutes earlier.

He steps closer to me, grabbing my hips and squeezing softly, before turning me around and pressing me over the couch. For a moment, I’m a little confused as to what I’m supposed to do. My knees are where people would usually sit, and the front of me is bent over the backrest. Then I feel him climb on too, his knees also hitting the soft cushions, and then his big body is touching mine, he’s curling over me, and oh god, it feels amazing.

“Are you ready?” he growls into my ear.

“Yes.”

“This is goin’ to hurt, nothin’ I can do to stop that.”

“I know.”

He makes a pleased sound, pressing his mouth to my neck and kisses softly. Just as my eyes flutter shut at the tingly feeling that brings, he presses his cock to my entrance and pushes in. One hard, deep thrust. I scream, completely shocked at the awful pain radiating through my body at the invasion. For a moment, I can’t focus on anything but the pain. The burning pain tearing through my body.

Oh, god.

It’s awful.

“Sorry, baby,” he murmurs into my ear, over and over, keeping his body still, letting me stretch around him.

Baby.

He called me baby.

After a few minutes, the burning dies down just a little, and he tells me he’s going to move, real slow. And that’s exactly what he does. He pulls out slowly, dragging his cock through my heat, and then gently pushes it back in. The first few times hurts, I feel raw and very, very sore. But after a few moments, it starts to feel better. Much better. And as his body begins to move that little bit faster, that little bit deeper, the sensations finally start filling my body.

It feels great.

I’m not about to orgasm again, but the warm, pleasurable feeling deep inside me is enough to make my skin prickle. It makes me feel good. Especially when he moans in my ear how tight I am, how good I feel. I’m making him feel good, which in turn makes me feel good. I whimper his name, and turn my head to accept a kiss he’s been nuzzling into my cheek for a few minutes.

He kisses me deep and hard, tongues dancing, breaths colliding. It feels so damned good, I never want this moment to end. I never want to be anywhere else, doing anything else but this.

“I can’t hold on,” he growls, one hand cupping my breast, gently rolling my nipple. “You feel too fuckin’ good.”

I moan at his words. “Yes, please, cum for me.”

At this command, he makes a throaty, rasping sound, and then his body goes still and I can feel the explosion of warm breath against my mouth and the small gruff noise he makes as he lets his release come. He moves slowly, just enough to get it all out, and that feels even better. I can feel him pulsing. I can feel every bit of his release flow out. And it feels incredible. When he finally comes to a stop, he nips at my jaw, and then carefully pulls out.

When he’s upright, he helps me up, glancing down and murmuring, “You’re bleeding, Shania.”

I stare down, and I can see a small smear of blood on my inner thighs. I gasp, and my cheeks immediately go red. I’m bleeding. How humiliating. I press my hands over it immediately, searching for my clothes, feeling so stupid. He must be absolutely disgusted.

“Hey,” he says at my sudden frantic behavior. “It’s okay. I’ll get something to clean you up.”

I stare at him, cheeks still burning red. “I’m so sorry.”

He walks over, cupping my jaw and tipping my head back. “It’s okay. It’s normal. I’ll clean you up. Are you okay? Are you sore?”

Pleasantly sore, yes.

“I’m okay,” I tell him.

And dammit, my heart is all warm and fuzzy. Because he cares about me. He’s taking care of me. And in doing that, I don’t feel bad at all about what we just did, because I know it wasn’t just some goal for him, that he actually has my best interests at heart.

“Okay, I’ll be back.”

He disappears into the bathroom that he has inside his office, and I stand, finding my top and putting it on. I’m sore, deliciously so. I keep thinking about it. Keep reliving it over and over. And it makes me warm inside. It makes me feel like I actually matter to someone, to something. Like I’m actually worth something.

Knowing that it was him who took that ... It brings me comfort.

“Here,” Nicolai says, coming back out fully dressed with a washcloth. “Sit back and I’ll wipe you clean.”

He’s going to wipe me clean?

My heart flutters, and I do as he asks, watching intently as he cleans me up. Neither of us says anything, and once he’s done, he helps me get dressed and says, “You should go home. Rest. It has been somewhat of a tiring few days.”

I nod. “Thank you ... for believing me.”

He looks at me. “Should have done so sooner.”

I smile.

He smiles back.

God.

Yes.

Perfect.