Page 39 of Lord of Vice

And Penny didn’t hold back in her anger.

“What the fuck are you doing?” she bellowed. “Let him go. He did nothing wrong, you beast of a human being.”

“He was on duty. He had one job. To protect what belongs to me.”

“And I’ve told you I don’t belong to anyone. Get that through that blockhead of yours,” she spit out.

“You don’t understand what’s at stake.”

“Yeah, I do. You need to give orders to make yourself feel big, forcing this nice guy to fucking work the nightshift after working a long day yesterday. Did you even give him a break to eat? Did you allow him to have a bathroom time? My God, he’s loyal as hell to you yet you treat him like shit. Well, fuck you. Come on, Remington. We need to be around decent people.”

With that, she scampered out of the room but not before hissing as she glared at me.

I backed away from Misha, hating my reaction.

“I’m sorry, sir. It won’t happen again. I was just caught off guard and she was very pleasant to me.”

Sadly, she’d crossed another line and she’d eventually need another taste of punishment. No one talked to me that way, especially in front of my men.

“Go get some rest, Misha. We’ll talk later.” I stood where I was, wondering what the fuck was wrong with me.

Yet there was a clear and easy answer.

The woman who’d saved my life had just rocked my world.

CHAPTER 14

Penny

How fucking dare the man.

Who did he think he was?

I was so angry, so incensed that I slammed and locked the bedroom door, shaking my head as Remington whined, even pawing at the door.

“You need to learn, little buddy, that Kraven is an asshole. All controlling. He thinks he’s all that and a bag of chips. Well, he’s nothing but an arrogant jerk!” I heard the elevation in my voice when I called him a name. What did I care?

Of course my pup looked at me as if I’d lost my mind. Maybe I had but Misha was a nice guy, more so than Kraven obviously. I jerked out the first thing from my clothes I’d yet to unpack, not that I would do it now, not bothering to look as what I’d snagged. Who cared? I was going to demand my car be brought to me so I could continue my job search. I couldn’t care less about what the Russian dude wanted or if I was in danger.

Which was likely not true.

I was so angry, I was ready to chew nails, heading into the bathroom while still cursing under my breath. Remington dutifully followed, although the wary look on his face was close to the one I’d given Kraven more than once. As soon as I closed the door, I took a deep breath. There was something about the sultry Russian that had gotten under my skin from the moment I’d laid eyes on him.

Maybe it was the instant attraction.

Certainly it was the fact someone had tried to kill him.

Then there was his odd generosity.

Whatever the case, I wasn’t certain how to feel about the man. The shower had no door, only a single pane of glass covering one third of the eight-foot luxury. The huge space was covered in the coolest shade of jade marble, something straight out of anArchitectural Digestmagazine. It took me a couple of minutes to figure out how to turn on the water. I still couldn’t get over the fact that he lived here part time, owning a house somewhere else.

The lifestyles of the rich and famous came to mind. I jerked off my shirt, glaring at myself in the mirror. Angering the man wasn’t a good idea. Obviously, I’d seen that in action. But I’d never met anyone so authoritative, demanding full obedience from the entire world around him. I certainly couldn’t understand the hierarchy or whatever protocols and rules his employees were required to follow, but I did understand basic decency.

The way he’d treated Misha had been ridiculous.

I yanked off my shorts and panties, tossing them aside and immediately grabbing one of the huge fluffy white towels. After holding it in front of me, I took another deep breath. I hated being out of sorts, scared of what might happen next. I also didn’t like being on edge around the man.

Some would call it sexual tension.