Glazov (Born Bratva Book 1) (3 page)

Kathleen

I felt my heart start to race as I watched him rise from behind his desk. I had to strain my neck to look up at him.

What are they feeding these guys? He’s massive.

He reminded me of an actor in a movie I once saw about a Russian boxer. He had the same enormous build, and he definitely had that aura about him, like he was always ready for a fight. This guy was huge, and he more than filled out the tailored black suit he donned.

He was now standing directly in front of me. He looked deceptively casual leaning against his desk with his arms crossed over his chest. I found myself fighting the temptation to scoot my chair back. He looked quite comfortable with the fact that he invaded my personal space. In fact, he looked like he was intentionally trying to intimidate me. His lip curled slightly, probably in response to my discomfort, and he made a clicking noise before he spoke.

“You think that a hundred thousand dollars of my money is just a misunderstanding?”

I felt indignation rise within me at the knowledge that he was preying on my assistant.

“You and I both know that you loaned her fifty grand. I’m willing to pay you that amount back and not a penny more!”

Suddenly, I wasn’t scared anymore; I was pissed. At least, I was until I witnessed his temple start to twitch. Who did this thug think he was, taking advantage of poor little housewives with gambling addictions?

Despite my growing fear, or perhaps because of it, I could sense I was about to lose control of my mouth. My blood pressure was on the rise, and I was starting to feel lightheaded. Right now, though, I didn’t give a shit.

“Who do you think you are, preying on innocent housewives with children? If it wasn’t for gangsters like you, there wouldn’t be people gambling.”

His laughter filled the room and only pissed me off even more as I listened to him speak.

“Am I supposed to believe I’m the reason people gamble?” he asked incredulously. He continued without giving me a chance to answer. “You’re very naïve for a businesswoman. I don’t think I preyed on your poor little assistant.” He leaned down and hissed in my face, “I do believe she’s trying to prey on me.”

“You have got to be kidding! Fifty thousand dollars, Mr. Glazov, and not a dime more.”

I forced myself to face him fully and make eye contact. His temple was still twitching which did nothing to put my mind at ease, even if he did appear to be humored by my so-called naivety.

Glazov

This woman was having an odd effect on me. She was pissing me off, turning me on, and amusing me all at once. Yes, this was a definite first for me.

I circled around to the back of her chair and leaned down to cup her chin in my hand, tilting her head back so I could whisper in her ear. “I kill people for less than that, Kathleen. Since you are so willing to help your friend out, I’m going to hold you liable for her
insignificant
debt of one hundred thousand to me.”

I wound a fist into her hair as I caught the light scent of her perfume wafting up to me. “I own you now, Kathleen. You owe me a lot of money.”

“Please, Mr. Glazov, we can work something out.”

“Shh, I already want to fuck you, and if you start to beg me, it’s going to be very hard for me to resist doing just that. I want you to listen very carefully; let’s just say it is a matter of life and death. I’m going to kill your friend if you do not agree to my terms. Now, are you willing to take over your friend’s debt?”

“I don’t have that kind of money. I was going to mortgage my home just to get you the fifty grand.”

I tugged at the roots of her hair and felt my cock stiffen even more when she whimpered. “I want to fuck you. Are you willing to be my whore to pay off your friend’s debt? I will warn you that I’m a sadistic man. I enjoy a woman’s fear. I enjoy a woman’s suffering. To me, there is nothing more erotic than a woman’s face contorted in pain. Her grimace is evidence of her primal need and will to survive. I see that in you—the will to survive. I enjoy taking a woman and doing dirty, nasty things to her that will stain her soul. Can I stain you, Kathleen? Can I hurt you so fucking good that you beg me for more? How about this? You sleep on it, but I will warn you; I’m not a patient man. Now, go home.”

I held her there by the handful of hair I had twisted in my grip just long enough to make it clear who was in control before I finally let go. As soon as she was free, she bolted from my office.

Seeing her in person had a much greater impact on me than I ever could have anticipated. When I saw her on the surveillance tapes, it was her physical beauty that intrigued me. After seeing her in person, though, it was the fire within her that captivated me.

I have been immersed in criminal activity from the day I was born. I was bred for the sole purpose of carrying on my father’s reign of terror. I was born into the Bratva, and I would die in the Bratva. It was my destiny.

I learned how to spot a fighter from a very early age, and Kathleen had that fighting spirit inside her. I wasn’t sure what her story was, but she piqued my curiosity. In my gut, I also knew I’d left my mark on her. She’ll never be the same, never recover from unwittingly drawing my attention. She inadvertently sealed her fate when she walked through my office door.

Kathleen

I don’t think my heels could take me away from Alexander Glazov’s office any faster than I moved them. The click clacking was a rapid staccato sound on the pavement and synchronized with my panicked heartbeat. I could hear the laughter of his goons as I hurried past them. They continued to laugh at my expense even as I got in my car and drove away. I’m sure they knew their boss well enough to know he’d scared the shit out of me. For all I knew, that’s how he got his jollies. He sure as hell looked entertained every time I looked at him.
Bastard!

He hadn’t just scared me; he pissed me off. I couldn’t believe he had the audacity to charge my assistant a hundred percent lender’s fee; that was crazy! I wonder if she knew when she borrowed fifty thousand dollars that she would have to pay back double that amount? The way he talked in his office, it was like he believed she borrowed a hundred thousand dollars outright, but I guess that’s the way he saw things.

I hurried into my home so I could put on something comfortable, pour myself a glass of wine, and try to think through what the hell just happened to me. I could only hope I hadn’t spoken too soon by telling my assistant I would help her. I couldn’t just leave her at the mercy of a madman, not with a clear conscience anyway. I just hoped I wasn’t getting more than I bargained for.

I grabbed my laptop and sat on the bed to wait for it to boot up. It was time to find out what the Internet had to say about Mr. Glazov. I’d heard all of the horror stories; now, I wanted to know what kind of connections this guy had. I wasn’t so worried about his street connections. I wanted to know if he had connections in the world I lived in, not the world of Bratva.

By the time I finished at two a.m., I didn’t feel any better. The Internet was full of pictures of him rubbing elbows with government officials at ballets, balls, and fundraisers. Though most of his connections seemed to be Russian dignitaries, I wasn’t so naïve as to think they wouldn’t have American contacts. No, despite their foreign status, I knew those Russian dignitaries would have access to domestic connections, and they would be willing to use them for a man with Glazov’s power. I’d seen enough. I made my way to bed and settled in for a night of restless sleep.

Kathleen

I stumbled into my office the next morning after a long night of tossing and turning. Huge sunglasses framed my face in an effort to hide my eyes I was certain were puffy and red from lack of sleep. I fumbled with my briefcase and the huge cup of coffee I hoped would energize me. Sighing, I sat at my desk and tried to convince myself that, surely, this man could not be serious about the extent he was willing to go to collect on Robin’s debt. It was settled; I would ignore his absurd request. I hadn’t even known the goon twenty-four hours yet, and he had already completely disrupted my life. I actually felt sorry for anyone who fell prey to him. Falling under the radar of his attentions obviously meant immediate drama, and it was drama I didn’t need or want.

I pushed the memory of how I felt as he stood behind my chair and whispered threats into my ear out of my mind. What in the world was wrong with me? How was it possible my body could react to this monster? Though I’m sure his intent was to scare me, the words he whispered in my ear had, instead, excited me. I couldn’t help but wonder if that was the way he spoke to all women. Was he just some playboy who knew how to manipulate women with his words? I convinced myself that was the case. It was a much easier truth to accept than allowing my mind to believe there was any sexual chemistry brewing between us.

I hadn’t expected for him to be as handsome as he was. He truly was gorgeous. The man looked like he just walked off a magazine cover. He was massive in size, and every bit of it was muscle. Even through the tailored suit he wore, it was evident he subjected his body to rigorous workouts.

He wore his shoulder length blond hair pulled back in a ponytail and had a diamond stud earring in one ear. His face was chiseled perfection as if carved from stone, and his expression had been unwavering, adding to the statuesque quality of his features.

His lips were full and looked like they were made for kissing a woman. It was his eyes, though, that were his most compelling feature. They were a startling blue, not just plain blue but a slate, bluish-grey. They pulled you in, tempting you to stare into their depths. As soon as you succumbed, though, the ice-cold temperature they held within forced you to look away in fear.

That is exactly the way I felt in his office—like he was simultaneously drawing me in and pushing me away. I instinctively knew that he could have his pick of women. A man like Glazov had the top three things that attracted women: money, power, and a bad boy persona. Of course, this was not the typical bad boy façade some men made a pretense of possessing. No, this was a full-grown man who was a literal danger to anyone who made the mistake of crossing him.

I pushed through the day ignoring Robin’s frequent apologies that were now, honestly, starting to get on my nerves. She had no idea of the danger her gambling addiction put me in.

I was relieved to see her go home at five o’clock. I planned on staying late to get some extra work done. I had a penchant for burying myself in work when I’m stressed. For some reason, it always seemed to soothe me rather than stress me out more. I would just stay busy with paperwork, and hopefully, it would keep me from wringing my hands and agonizing over all the rumors I’d heard about this man. I wasn’t the type to allow my thoughts to get away from me. It just wasn’t my style to roll over and say, “Oh, woe is me.”

I didn’t know of anyone who hadn’t heard of Glazov. It didn’t matter if you were a white-collar businessman, a garbage collector, or a woman like me who’d built her business from the ground up; you knew who Alexander Glazov was. His name was synonymous with the mafia—the Russian Bratva.

I was angry with my assistant for putting me in a situation like this. I have always been one who believed if I followed the rules and did things the right way, then everything would be okay as far as my business was concerned.

I started from the ground up, building my business as a copywriter and writing commercials. I worked my ass off to get to the point where I could be independent, and now I was looking at losing that freedom to a thug.

There had to be a way to reason with the man, a way for my assistant to pay off her debt. What really infuriated me was I knew the amount she owed was nothing to a man like Alexander Glazov. Hell, he could let the debt go and never even notice the money was missing.

I’m positive it came down to principle. The issue with a man in his line of work was he couldn’t be seen as soft. Part of me was tempted to just back off and let Robin deal with the mess she created. She made her bed; let her lie in it. The threat Glazov issued, though, was that he would kill her. Knowing the consequences, even if I wanted to back off, I couldn’t now.

Why did I go and try to reason with him?

Never in a million years would I have imagined he would want me as collateral. Collateral and collateral damage—things had spiraled completely out of control.

I was shocked when I looked up at the clock and realized it was nine already. I grabbed my laptop, placed it in my briefcase, and made my way to the door.

I fumbled with my keys and dropped them. I never heard him approach and didn’t know he was there until I felt his breath on the back of my neck and heard his growl in my ear. “Get in the fucking car.”

I could feel the heat of his body against my back, and I couldn’t help but wonder how a man his size could move so stealthily. The horrifying thought went through my mind what it must be like for Glazov’s enemies. No doubt, it’s terrifying for them to realize he’s snuck up behind them while they’re unaware.

I dropped the keys again, but this time, it was because my hands were shaking so badly. He yelled out something in Russian and grabbed my upper arm, forcing me into the back of his limo.

He immediately raised the divider and began his assault on me. His hand wrapped around my throat as he spoke.

“I told you that I was not a patient man. I’m no longer asking you; now, I’m telling you. Your place is with me!”

His hand tightened around my throat right before his mouth clamped over mine. His full lips were soft as his tongue darted into my mouth. He explored, slowly tasting every part of my mouth, while he intermittently nibbled on my bottom lip.

“Please, Glazov. Please, you can’t just insist that I belong to you now; it’s ludicrous.” With his mouth covering my own and my resistance to kissing him back, my protests were muffled.

“I want you, and I’m not taking no for an answer. You are not going home. Your place is with me, or your friend dies.”

My throat constricted. He’d said it. He had come right out and said that if I didn’t agree to his terms, he would kill my assistant. This was crazy! People didn’t act like this, did they? This was uncivilized behavior. He couldn’t be serious.

Suddenly, as if a light went off, I understood I was being blackmailed. I was being offered my friend’s life in exchange for agreeing to sleep with Alexander Glazov, the Russian mobster.

He tugged at my blouse and lifted my breast from where it was tucked away in my bra. I watched as he carefully placed my silk blouse back over it. He licked and sucked at my nipple through the material until it became saturated with his saliva. He then gently ran a finger around my areola until my nipple peaked and pebbled for him, begging for attention.

I tried to lean back against the door. I was horrified, yet at the same time, I was transfixed and compelled to watch him as he continued to lap and suck at my nipple through the silk.

Even through his dress shirt, I could see the sinewy muscles of his back ripple with his movement, and they tempted me to dig my fingertips in to feel the bumps and ridges. His blond hair looked like a thick mane, and I wanted to reach down to comb my hands through it.

The lights and shadows of the city night appeared and disappeared in the car’s backseat window as the limo drove us smoothly through the streets to an unknown destination.

What he was doing to me felt so good, and my body was responding to him. It was evident this man knew the art of seduction, and he was unloading his arsenal of knowledge, using it in a way that would completely overwhelm me.

My thoughts short-circuited somewhere between reason and the pleasure he was subjecting me to. After going through a break-up from my last long-term relationship, my only form of sexual pleasure had been by my own hand. It had been four years since I felt the touch of a man.

“I have thought about doing this to you since last night. I want to fuck you, Kathleen. I want to bury myself so deeply inside you that you’re writhing in pleasure. I want to taste your essence, bring you right to the point of release, and then I want to make you wait until you’re crying out for mercy. I want to hear you begging and pleading for me to let you come. I want your sexy mouth screaming out my name as you explode in ecstasy. I. Want. You.”

As soon as we stopped at our destination, he jerked me from the car and pulled me into his mansion. He quickly dragged me down a long corridor and pushed me into his bedroom. He pinned me to the wall and commanded me not to move.

His eyes glared at me as he raised my arms above my head and held them securely by my wrists with one hand. I couldn’t move even if I wanted to. He was an impenetrable mountain of flesh, and he not only held me captive with his strength, but I was paralyzed in my state of pleasure and angst as well.

Once again, he was pulling me into his world of polar opposites. He was a contradiction in terms when it came to me, and I instinctively knew that was not the case for others. He was the type of man who would always be in control. His mandated rules were unyielding, and he was intolerant of change. It looked like I was affecting Glazov as much as he was affecting me.