Submit (The Underground Book 4) (13 page)

“That’s going to be difficult. The FBI is doing everything in their power to negotiate with Belinda and her boss at
Chicago Multimedia
. But reporters can be squirrelly. They don’t follow the rules, especially when there’s a story to tell.”

“At least the FBI has enough good sense to gag them for now.”

“They’re only doing so to keep you from thinking they’re getting too close. Though I’m beginning to wonder what they’re getting too close to. All this talk of a youth drug has me intrigued.”

“You want to volunteer to test it out?”

Dayton chuckled. “Fuck no. Not if it’s going to land me in the morgue. Keep it to yourself.”

“And you keep your theories to yourself. Got it?”

“Always.”

“I saw a picture of Gallo taken by one of my men last night before the explosion. She’s a looker, isn’t she?” Anton knew she was. He’d stared at the pictures of her thick dark hair and gorgeous facial features for a while last night. Italian beauty. Made his cock hard. So much better than Haley Sullivan, a pale redhead.

“If you like that sort of woman, I suppose.”

“What are you, blind? Who doesn’t like that sort of woman?” Anton rubbed his palm on his thigh as he remembered her.

Dayton laughed again. “Trust me, I see fine, but I like mine blonde and blue-eyed.”

“Whatever. Bet her pussy is just as tight as any of them. Get a bead on them and find a way to snatch them. Sullivan at the least, but if you add Gallo to the capture, there’ll be a bonus in it for you. Find out where she hangs out. Who she sees. Every move.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Anton ended the call and set the phone in his lap. He needed to pull his shit together and get to New York. He would meet with Jorge in the morning and get a sample of the drug in its latest form. Giving his father a dose of the experimental drug was the longest long shot in the history of long shots.

But if Grigory insisted, Anton wasn’t going to stop him. The man still had his mind, even though his body was failing him rapidly. If the old bastard’s dying wish was to try the drug, Anton would do it for him.

He didn’t relish the idea of watching his father die a painful death from an unproven drug that had only been successfully administered in two subjects so far, but the alternative was watching him die of suffocation as a result of his rapid deterioration.

Sure, the man was an asshole. Just like Anton. In fact, Anton had learned everything he knew from his father. They’d had no one else in the world for over twenty years. Perhaps they were both dicks, but they could count on each other. And Grigory was the single person alive Anton knew would never let him down. It would be hard to see him go.

Anton hauled himself to his feet and made his way to the bedroom of his downtown Chicago apartment. He tugged his small suitcase from the closet and filled it with several days’ worth of clothes. He hoped to keep his trip short and simple, but there was every chance in the world he would have to stay for a funeral when all was said and done.

Belinda bolted upright as her alarm clock went off the next morning. She’d slept like the dead. And she’d needed it.

It was six o’clock.

She flipped the covers back and made her way to the bathroom. Seconds later, the shower was running and she was standing at the sink brushing her teeth while the water heated up.

She wasn’t looking forward to another face to face with Nikolav, but there was no doubt the brooding man was still in her apartment waiting to torment her with his good looks and his cryptic comments about taking advantage of her and how he shouldn’t have kissed her.

As if that was all that happened. That man could kiss. She’d never forget it in her lifetime. But it was so much more. And she’d be kidding herself to deny it.

Half an hour later, she stepped out of her bedroom and made her way toward the kitchen wearing another skirt and blouse.

Nikolav was already standing at the counter—leaning, really. He wore nothing but low-hanging jeans, and he held out a mug of coffee. “Cream and sugar. Light.” He smiled.

She took it from him. “Thanks.” Since when did a man remember how she liked her coffee and provided her with a cup of it before the sun was fully up?

Never.

Damn infuriating man. She couldn’t keep from scowling.

“What’s on the agenda for today?” he asked as if they were in a long-term relationship and had this conversation every morning over breakfast.

“Work. Same as every day.” She intended to sit down at her computer and spend hours digging around in every available site that might give her insight into the dealings in Russia in the late eighties.

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“Let what go?” she asked as she headed for the kitchen table to gather a few papers scattered on one end. She needed to get her computer bag organized. Anything to avoid looking Nikolav in the eye.

She had no idea where this line of questioning was going, but she shuddered to ponder the possibilities. Was he talking about her job investigating the Russian Mafia? Or was he referring to the strange sexual tension between them?

Either way, she didn’t want to discuss it with him. If he thought his little chat last night made things less awkward between them, he was sadly mistaken. If anything, she felt more foolish.

“This need to dig into the dealings of a member of the Bratva who obviously has no conscience when it comes to extinguishing human lives.”

Okay. So this morning’s discussion would center around her job. Probably better than her sexual attraction. Though she still didn’t want to turn around and face him. Every time she looked at him, he got sexier—if that were possible. Even when he was frowning, he looked fucking hot. Probably more so.

He sighed loudly at her back. “Okay. Look. If you aren’t going to listen to reason, at least let me help you.”

She straightened her back, still holding several papers and staring at the wall. “What do you have in mind?”

“You’re not going to get far on your own. You need to speak to Mikhail, for one. And Leo and Katie too. They’ve been in Chicago longer than me. And they know stuff. Lots of stuff.”

She spun around. “What’s the catch?”

He’d inched closer. Now he stood just feet away from her. And he smiled. “I’ll help you gather information if you promise not to go anywhere or do anything without checking with me first.”

She tipped her head to one side and glared at him. “What are you? My keeper?”

He lifted one eyebrow. “Seems you need one. You’re in over your head on this one, Belinda. I know how badly you want this story, but it’s not worth getting yourself killed. And contrary to whatever weird notion you have in your mind that I’m not attracted to you, I am. Very much so.

“I don’t want Yenin’s men to get their hands on you. It will not end well. I’m sure Yenin already knows you’re the reporter on this case. He’ll do anything and everything he can to stop you. And your innocence on this matter stresses me out.”

Belinda cocked one hip out and set her hands on both of them. “I’m super clear on the danger involved, Nikolav. There are plenty of dead people to confirm that, but I’m a journalist. And I won’t be bullied into dropping this story. It could be career changing.”

“Fine. Then we do this my way.”

She stared at him. On the one hand, he had contacts she needed access to. On the other hand, what would the price be? And more importantly, how would she survive even more hours a day in his presence?

He continued speaking, taking her silence for compliance. “I need to go to the gym this morning first. You’ll have to go with me. I’m sure Mikhail will be there. And probably Leo. You can speak to both of them. Later, we’ll go to the clinic Katie owns, and you can pump her brain for more information.”

“Who’s Katie?” Nikolav hadn’t mentioned her before.

“Leo’s girlfriend. They met six months ago when Dmitry got injured at a fight. She’s a doctor. Owns a clinic. She’s the one who first realized something was wonky about all of our blood.”

Jackpot. No way could Belinda turn that offer down. “You drive a hard bargain.”

He nodded, stepping closer. And then let his gaze roam up and down her frame slowly. He lifted one hand and fingered the corner of her blouse. His knuckles brushed her collarbone, sending a shiver down her body. “You’re way overdressed for today, however.”

∙
•
∙

Nikolav’s cock stiffened when Belinda licked her lips. He could practically feel the nervous energy flowing off her. She shivered, but she also leaned toward him a fraction. This standoff between them had to end.

Now.

It broke every rule in his book to approach her like this, but he couldn’t take another minute of dancing around her kitchen as if he didn’t want to fuck her brains out.

Belinda swallowed. “I’ll change.” Her voice came out as a squeak.

“Yeah. You will.” He stepped closer, tugging the front of her white blouse toward him so she had to lean in his direction. “But first, I’m going to do my best to erase this notion you have that I’m not attracted to you.”

Her eyes widened. “Don’t need you to do that.”

He smiled. “I know you don’t, but it will make the rest of the day much less stressful if I do.”

Just a taste. He would give her a nibble of what sex was like with him. He wouldn’t take her all the way to the finish line, but he would make her wish he had. It would put her off balance and give her something to think about other than his lack of interest.

In about half an hour, she would no longer have that doubt warring in her mind.

Was this his greatest idea to-date? Not a chance in hell. It went against everything he believed to lure a woman into his life without explaining the details of how he was wired first.

But Belinda Gallo wasn’t like other women, and he suspected a demonstration would go much further than a chat.

If he was right about her, she wouldn’t need the talk to submit to him. He could get her naked and make her hum without explanation. If he was wrong about her, he would back off the second alarm bells went off.

She didn’t know she had a submissive tendency. But he was about to show her with actions instead of words.

“Close your eyes,” he suggested in a soft voice.

She bit her lower lip, hesitating for a moment before complying.

He almost groaned.

When he lifted his other hand to join the first at her blouse, she grabbed both his wrists, her eyes darting open wide. “Nikolav, I don’t think—”

He eased one hand up to her mouth and set his pointer over her lips. “Don’t think. Just feel.”

She nodded subtly.

“You don’t seem willing to listen to me when I tell you how attracted I am to you. So I’m going to prove it. And you’re going to enjoy it.”

A slow smile curved the corners of her lips, and then she spoke against his finger. “Cocky?”

“Very.”

She blew out a breath. “I should probably run from the apartment and demand someone else babysit me, you know.”

“You should. Especially if you want to guard your heart. Because after I’m done with you, you won’t ever look at another man in the same way.”

“Very cocky.”

“I’ll earn it. I promise.”

Her fingers tightened on his wrists. “Somehow I know you will.”

“You willing to take that risk?”

“You make me so horny, I don’t see how I have a choice.”

He smiled wide. “Perfect. Now, close your eyes and put your hands at your sides.”

She let her lids flutter shut, and her hands dropped as she leaned her butt against the table and wrapped her fingers around the edge. A flush spread across her skin, starting with her cheeks and running down her chest.

He wanted to see it. And he would.

With slow, meticulous motions, he slipped the top button of her blouse through the hole to expose her cleavage. The bra she wore was white and lacy. Did she dress like this every day? Or just when she wanted to drive a man insane with wanting her?

He glanced down at her pencil skirt and held his breath. So fucking sexy. His gaze lowered. Those damn black pumps pushed sexy to a whole new level.

Nikolav continued to unbutton her blouse until he had to tug it out of her skirt to finish. His fingers brushed across her belly, and she shivered again. Lord, she was amazing.

Her mouth opened, but he stopped her from speaking. “Relax. Let me look at you. You’re a gorgeous woman. You’ve been teasing me for days with your full tits and erect nipples. I want to see them.”

She licked her lips and dipped her head downward as if to hide her expression. So sexy. Perfect. She had no idea how submissive her actions were.

Nikolav eased the blouse over her shoulders and let it fall at her back to her wrists.

When she lifted her hands, he stopped her. “Leave your palms on the table.” The blouse at her wrists would give her a small taste of bondage. A subtle feeling of being restrained while he explored her breasts.

His gaze went to her chest. Damn she was gorgeous. Her full breasts stood high and pert. He traced his finger along the lacy edge between the globes, dying to see her nipples but wanting to take his time.

He took a mental picture of this moment to savor forever. The first time he would unveil her body to his gaze. Sure, he’d fondled her the other night. And yes, he’d seen her wandering around without a bra on, but naked was an entirely different level.

Glad to see the clasp in the front between her tits, he flicked a finger at the spot, making it snap lightly while teasing her into wishing he’d unhooked it.

It worked. She moaned and thrust her chest out farther.

Jesus mercy.

Nikolav adjusted his cock inside his jeans with one hand and then set both palms on her belly, spreading his fingers wide to cover as much skin as possible. “You like my hands on you.”

“Yes…”

“Good. Keep your eyes closed, and I’ll continue.”

Another shiver. Excellent.

He stroked the undersides of her breasts with his thumbs through the lace, making her breath catch in her throat and her mouth fall open.

So sensitive. He couldn’t wait to make her scream. If she made even twice the amount of noise she’d made last night masturbating, he would know he’d done his job well when she came.