Page 49 of The Bratva's Bounty
At times, I wish Nikolai was more like his younger, unhinged self. I mean, he didn't get labeled the Devil Volk for being a pacifist. Everyone likes to think that I was the violent one, which wasn't a lie, but compared to Nikolai, I paled in comparison. Back in his prime, he really was a bloody demon in the streets and behind a desk. He still was a bloodthirsty asshole, but he kept a better lid on it now. But no matter how hard he tried to hide and deny that side of him, I could clearly see it whenever we went out on the field together.
No matter, Nikolai wasn't my problem—he was Angel's now.
Taking a deep breath, I let myself daze off while staring at the ceiling.
I wasn't too worried about the other people I had to terrify; it was Igor. I only had one shot at him, and I didn't want to fuck it up. If I did, then he'd get away from us for good this time. The solution seemed simple to me: figure out where he stowed himself away and attack him in his sleep. The only problem was that he was a slimy rat, and following him back to his hole proved harder than expected. Also, we had no idea about his forces or if he had any.
Going in blind was never a good idea, and as much as I craved some violence, I wasn'tthatmuch of an idiot. Additionally, I had to be cautious because of how closely involved Nicole was. The last thing I wanted was to have her caught in the crossfire or, worse, lose her altogether.
Looking down, I let my eyes wander about her features to distract myself. The thought of… No… I couldn't think about things like that. No point in planting seeds that I had no intention of growing.
Everything is going to be fine.
I repeated it in my mind in so many different ways until I lulled myself into a false sense of calm and security.
"Besides the meeting just now, did you enjoy tonight?" Nicole's voice broke the silence in the room. "Anything in particular you enjoyed or not?"
Forcing a smile onto my lips, I tightened my arms around her before replying. "A lot more food and festivities than I imagined, but it was nice andsweet. Seeing all the paper lanterns was nice, too." That was the part that surprised me the most, if I was being honest. Some of those were so intricate, like the dragons and phoenixes. Then, to hear they were all handmade really made them even more special to my eyes.
Chuckling, I lightly pinched her sides to tickle her. "I don't know how you ate all that food." Seriously, she ate as much as I did, and I atea lot.
Her hands swatted at mine while her laughing body squirmed in my arms. "What can I say, high metabolism? I gotta get the energy to use my brain from somewhere," she stammered out between her laughter. "Ã?i ca, stop tickling me! It's not fair!"
Satisfied with getting my dose of laughter from her, I released. "Do you want to head to bed? Or are you going to tinker around a little with your stuff?" I nodded toward the spare room she had turned into her temporary office and workspace.
Nicole's body perked up from the couch, and her head darted between me and the room for a good minute. I don't know what ran through her mind, but whatever she decided on couldn't have been good with how she looked down at me with a rather devious smile and playful eyes. Leaning down, she slinked her way up my chest, hovering her snake-like face inches from mine. "You up for some fun tonight?"
My nervousness bubbled up and clogged my throat, forcing me to swallow hard. "I don't like how you asked that…" Fun for who? Her or me?
"Weeeell…" Her finger lightly danced around on my taut chest. "Depends on how you take it." Her lips curled to where she could pass for the Cheshire Cat.
I'm going to regret this, but fuck it.
Giving in with a sigh, I slipped away from her and stood, ready to walk to our bedroom, before my knees gave out from under me. The breath I'd been letting out knocked out of me with a grunt when I fell to the ground on my knees. Irritated and confused, I threw my head back at Nicole, who stood there smirking down at me. "Did I say you could walk?" The authority in her voice made me shiver with excitement and a need to bow my head to her.
Her pointed eyes remained on me as she strutted ahead. "Wait until I say, then I want you to crawl to the bedroom and wait by the foot of the bed." Her soft voice became firm and dominant when she gave me instructions.
Instinctively, I bowed my head slightly as I sat back on my legs. "Yes, empress."
All I could hear, besides her soft footfalls, were the sounds of drawers sliding and slamming. I couldn't tell if she had removed something from the drawers she opened. There was no telltale clink of chains, nor did I pick up the sound of fabric shuffling around.
What is she doing?
Anticipation crept up my body like cold, bony hands, making my skin crawl with goosebumps. Eager fear squeezed at my throat, causing my breaths to come out jagged and fast. An invisible fist slammed into my chest at the sound of Nicole's voice, making my heart explode and my ears ring.
Gulping, I lowered myself onto my hands and made the mile-long crawl from the living room to our bedroom. Okay, call me dramatic because it wasn't a mile, but it sure as hell felt like it. Seeing Nicole leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed proudly made me feel smaller the more I crawled toward my destination.
"That's my good boy," she cooed her praise with an excited smile. "You remember your safe-word and gesture?" The excitement in her voice dialed down to press her seriousness across.
Letting out a trembling exhale, I stopped by her feet. "Yes, empress. Safe-word is bomb, and if I can't verbally communicate, then tap your shoulder three times."
Nodding her head and humming in approval, she pushed off the doorframe to walk back inside the room. I went to follow, but the sight of her luscious ass swaying back and forth with every accentuated step had me frozen and drooling. If it weren't for her prompting, I would have been more than happy to waste away in my spot as long as I could watch her strut around.
Fucking hell, we haven't even really started yet I could feel myself ache with a burning need in my pants. Every little movement I made to crawl toward her caused my rock-hard cock to rub against the thick center of my pants,sending pulses of pleasure through my body. With my desire for her ramping up until I was nearly mad with lust, I completely forgot about why I was here in the first place.
It would have stayed that way if it weren't for the slap in the face.
Stunned, all I could do was stare wide-eyed at the toy she dangled before me. "Did you just slap me with a dildo?" I scoffed offendedly.