Bought by the Russian Mobster (3 page)

Suddenly the clerk’s words penetrated Lily’s consciousness. “Wait. Did you say you’re sending the rest of this stuff to Nicolai’s home?” Lily asked incredulously.

“Of course.” The clerk was smiling from ear to ear. “If it fit you and looked good, your handsome young man bought it for you.”

***

It was obvious that Lily had been struck speechless by the salesclerk’s announcement. Nicolai tried not to laugh. He supposed for someone used to making do without much of anything, such an extravagant shopping spree seemed ridiculous.

Nicolai was of another mind. Whatever it took to get Lily to trust him was barely enough. He wanted her to know that he was nothing like his brother. She didn’t need to fear him. Now he held out his hand and waited patiently for her to take it. Her expression was mixed, but soon enough she put her fingers lightly in his. The feel of her skin was intoxicating. He would be lying to himself if he didn’t acknowledge how much he wanted her. But there would be time enough for that later.

“Come on, Lily,” he coaxed. “Let’s go get a bite to eat. I don’t know about you, but I’m famished.”

They left the clerk and the store behind, heading back to where he’d left the car on the curb. He could tell she was gearing up to ask him something. “There is no harm in asking a question, you know,” he told her gently. “Is there something you would like to say?”

“It isn’t a question.” Her voice was a whisper. In the fading evening light, her eyes were enormous and bright blue. “I simply wanted to say thank you.”

“There will be ample ways and ample time for you to express your gratitude,” he told her. In fact, his cock was getting hard just thinking about it.

Two tiny lines creased her brow as she considered his words for a moment. He didn’t give her any more time to think it over. Instead, he put her in the car and ran around to his side. It was time to show her a little taste of the life he was accustomed to living.

The dining room at Kalinka was packed. It didn’t matter. Nicolai strode in with Lily on his arm and the hostess immediately gave them the best table. Servers brought wine and crusty bread to the table. He could see that she wanted the bread, but she would never take it without invitation. He respected this.

“Please.” He picked up the breadbasket and put it practically beneath her nose. “Help yourself.”

Looking almost shy, Lily began to nibble at her piece of bread. He almost expected to see her licking the tiny plate to ensure she hadn’t missed a single morsel. He offered again, and she accepted. The ritual made him wonder how long it had been since she’d eaten a real meal.

Tatiyana sashayed up to their table. “Shall I bring your usual, sir?”

“Of course.” Nicolai eyed Lily. “And double it.”

If Tatiyana were surprised, she had the sense not to show it. Neither did she show any outward reaction to the fact that Nicolai Pasternak had brought a woman into the restaurant. Normally it was Vladimir parading his string of women through the place. In fact, at one time Tatiyana had been in Vlad’s bed. Once Vlad was bored with her, he had found her a position here at the restaurant. Tatiyana had been one of the lucky ones. Vlad’s usual method of disposing of a lover was to place her in one of their brothels. Nicolai could only hope that his plan for Lily to get work in one of their restaurants would be successful.

Lily was looking around with wide eyes, taking it all in. He could see the blatant interest on her face. “This place belongs to my father,” he told her, surprising himself with his candidness. “It’s my favorite of all our restaurants.”

“I’ve never been here.”

That did not surprise him in the least. “Do you know how to speak Russian?”

“
Da
.” She nodded her head and answered him in flawless Russian. “We spoke Russian when my mother was alive.”

“That’s good.” He was pleased that he wouldn’t have to train her in that, at least.

“Why?”

“Because I am a Russian man and I prefer to speak in Russian.” He maintained the exchange in his native tongue.

“What are my duties going to be?” she asked. “Why did you really want me as payment? Or do many men pay off their gambling debts this way?”

He considered this question. “It does happen on occasion. More often than you might think. But no. We do not have rooms full of women who have been sold to us.”

“That’s a relief.”

Her wry tone surprised him. “It’s good to see that you have a sense of humor in there somewhere.”

“Shall I tell you jokes?” she asked. “Is that to be my purpose in your household?”

He raised his brows. “And if I tell you that I have a far more boring use for you in mind?” Her expression showed only confusion. There was no fear. It was a relief to discover she was capable of trust. It would make his task that much easier. Besides, she was rather charming when she was being funny

“Boring?” Her eyes sparkled. “Filing? That has always sounded boring. Or maybe I would be answering your phone. I don’t have any skills like that, you know.” She started to look a bit worried.

“Perhaps I consider it my duty to teach you.” He could hardly hold back a ridiculously goofy smile. Lily was beautiful, but Nicolai was discovering that under the layers of mistrust and dirt, he really
liked
her. “But for now”—he gestured to the feast that Tatiyana was bringing them—“we eat.”

Chapter Four

Lily pulled Nicolai’s dinner from the oven and set it carefully on the stove. If she had ever puzzled over the fact that a Russian mobster had a secret affinity for Italian food, she would never have mentioned it. As far as she was concerned, she would cook whatever Nicolai wanted to eat.

In the last three weeks she had lived an almost blissful existence of safety and tranquility. There were certainly some oddities in the household. Nicolai was always asking about her day and whether or not she needed anything. For Lily, the only thing that mattered was that Nicolai did not hit her. In fact, in three weeks she had learned to accept his tender touches with eagerness. He would stroke her shoulder or touch her neck. The result was that Lily was growing almost desperate for the feel of his warm affection.

Lily had been assigned a list of household chores and she completed them every single day without fail. She no longer felt lonely and deprived. Even her ribs were beginning to disappear beneath a layer of curves that Nicolai had declared to be “sexy as hell.”

The sound of an engine in the driveway drew her attention. Excitement sent a thrill of anticipation down her spine. She ran to the door and peered out the window with eagerness. She knew in the back of her mind that she was living in a little fantasy where Nicolai was the husband and she was the wife. Kind of like some black-and-white fifties television show where every problem could be solved in thirty minutes, and nothing was better than a talk with Dad. It was just so different from the life she had lived with her father. Lily didn’t want to let go of the dream.

The door opened and Nicolai entered the house. Pausing before her, he gently brushed his fingers over the line of her collarbone, drawing a shiver. “Hello, sweetheart. How was your day?”

“It was wonderful!” she said eagerly. “And you?”

He sighed. “It was stressful. In fact, we need to talk. Go into the kitchen and wait for me for just a moment please.”

Eager anticipation thrummed in Lily’s veins and she ran to do his bidding. Perhaps he wanted to eat and talk. Sometimes he told her of the things he did in the course of fulfilling his duty to his mafia family. Other times he spoke to her of the things he would like to do with his life.

She waited only a moment before he returned. He had changed from his suit and dress shirt to a black T-shirt and jeans. He looked incredibly handsome in this casual wear.

“You’re very good looking,” she blurted.

A smile played at the corners of his mouth. “That’s pretty brave of you to say so.”

“Thank you.” She ducked her head, feeling shy.

“Sometimes I can hardly keep my hands off you,” he murmured. “Do you understand what I mean?”

She felt her heartbeat going faster and faster. Excitement thrummed through her veins and she felt an ache begin to grow below her belly. “You’re talking about sex,” she whispered.

His low laugh made her womb tighten. “Not exactly, but yes. I want to have sex with you.”

“I—I would like that, I think.”

“I want to touch you tonight, Lily.” There was something almost rough in his voice. “I’m going to stroke that softness between your legs and I’m going to show you how great a pleasure I can bring you when I do.”

“You are?” She was almost breathless. She didn’t quite know exactly what he meant, but she suspected this was something to do with sex and she was eager to learn.

He settled himself on a kitchen chair. “Come bend over my lap,” he coaxed.

A slight brush of fear reared its ugly head, but Lily shook that off. Nicolai was not her papa. He had already proven he had no desire to cause her pain.

She bent obediently over his lap. The position exposed the backs of her legs, which had only just finished healing from her previous abuse. The new skin was tender. Nicolai laid his palms flat against this surface and she quivered with heat and arousal. The flesh between her legs began to grow plump and swollen with the blood rushing to her groin.

Nicolai pulled the short skirt she was wearing above her buttocks and then carefully slid her panties down her legs until they were sitting at her ankles. “You have such a pretty body.” He caressed her cheeks. “I love to touch you. Did you know that?”

“You do?” she asked, breathless from her position over his lap.

He delved between her nether cheeks and his fingers probed her most secret place. A moan caught Lily completely unprepared. She gasped and panted as everything below her waist went up in flames. Nicolai was touching and playing in a way she had never known. His fingers slid around and around the tiny nub at the top of her vagina and she nearly wept with the beauty of that sensation.

“Do you feel how good this is?” he asked.

“Yes!”

She was nearly dying from the tightness building at her core. It was almost a pleasure so intense as to be pain. Then he slid a finger inside her body. The foreign sensation was only painful for a brief second before the most incredible pleasure overtook everything else.

Her hips began moving against him. The finger inside her pussy curled over her pubic bone and pressed against the soft pad of muscle inside her opening. The intensity sent her to the stars. She shuddered as the most terrifying wave of sensation washed over her entire body. Her nerves began singing and she thought she might die of the beauty of it all.

***

Nicolai’s cock pushed against the fabric of his jeans. He had never wanted a woman this badly in his entire life. Her climax caused her inner muscles to clench tightly around his finger. His mind immediately reminded him that when he finally pushed his cock inside her body, he was going to be richly rewarded with pleasure. Lily was the sort of woman any man would want, and somehow she belonged to him.

He slipped his finger from her channel and smoothed his hand over her buttocks. She was panting and gasping with each breath. He soothed her. It was important for her to see this experience in a positive light.

“Did that feel good?” he murmured.

“Oh yes!” She turned her head, obviously trying to look at him. “Did I please you?”

“Very much.”

“What was that?” she asked. “It was like climbing to the top of a cliff and then leaping off.”

“It’s called an orgasm.” He marveled at her inexperience. What woman her age didn’t know what an orgasm was? “Sometimes we refer to it as a peak or a climax.”

“It was certainly that.” She gave a little sigh of enjoyment. “Is there…something I can do for you?” She seemed to be uncertain of what words to use. “I don’t want to be greedy or selfish.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her to kneel and take his cock in her mouth, but it was too soon just now for that. So he opted for the practical instead. “Don’t worry about that now, sweetheart. That was for your enjoyment. And now, I’m starving. How about you?”

“Of course!” She hopped up and pulled her panties back up over her butt and lowered her skirt. Then she bustled about the kitchen, retrieving his dinner as though nothing had happened.

She set a steaming bowl of pasta on the table along with his favorite wine. Nicolai watched her work. She was efficient and pleasant to be around. Truly she would have made a wonderful wife for some man had her father not sold her to the Pasternaks, making it necessary for her earn back the money he owed. It seemed unfair that people who cared nothing for her welfare should determine her fate.

“Do you need anything else?” she asked.

“That depends.” He passed her a sly look. “How brave are you feeling right now?”

“Brave?” Two lines appeared between her eyebrows. “I just had an orgasm in the kitchen. That seems pretty brave to me.”

Nicolai laughed. Sometimes her sense of humor popped up and surprised him. “Then I have a challenge for you.”

“O-kay,” she said slowly. “Do I have to say yes or no before I hear it?”

“Nope”

“All right.” She gave an eager nod.

“Sit.” He gestured to the chair next to him at the table. “Remove your panties, put your legs up, and show me your pussy.”

She looked surprised, but she obeyed. Locking the heel of one shoe on the bottom rung of her chair, she propped the other on the corner of the table to expose herself to his view.

“Excellent.” Nicolai reached over and gently stroked her face. “It pleases me to know that you’re not afraid to show me your body.”

It was obvious that she wanted to ask something, but needed to gather the courage. Moments later she finally spoke. “Why do you want to look at me like this?”

“You’re so very innocent,” he reminded her. “You do not understand the joy that a man finds in looking at a woman in such a way. Whether she is just sitting or she is touching herself, he enjoys the sight.”

“Oh. It feels kind of naughty.”