Page 15 of Mine To Possess
She nods then turns and walks back into the bar; her head held high. I can’t help but watch the way her ass sways in the tight little skirt Larry has her wearing.
As the door closes, I turn away, frowning.
Deliberately, I put her out of my head and turn to the very real problem I have to solve: Alexei’s ‘business’ that I have unwillingly inherited is basically a loan shark enterprise enforced by brute criminals. I came to this bar to observe first-hand the operation he ran, and I’m not impressed at all. At the very least, I should get rid of Ivan and his goons. And I will, when Marcus, my operations manager comes back from vacation.
Right now, I’m a man down, but I’m not going to put up with this psychopathic bullshit for another week. I’ll have to get Larry to go up to my offices to work out something reasonable with one of my guys and put a very tight leash on Ivan until Marcus’s return.
9
AMELIA
One month later
So much has changed over the last month that I have to keep pinching myself to make sure all this is real. I’ve gone from living in hell in Dan’s trailer, to being homeless, to having my very own place. Of course, my apartment is small, a one-bedroom affair, but it’s clean with freshly painted walls and cozy with warm rugs on the wooden floor. I’m so happy here. In fact, right now, I’m happy with every aspect of my life, something I’ve never been able to say before and something I was beginning to fear I might never get to say.
Who would have known? Dan showing the full extent of his true colors turned out to be a good thing for me. If he hadn’t pushed me over the edge that day, no doubt I’d still be living at the trailer park working in another dead-end job I hated, and totally stuck in a life I didn’t want.
I think back to that first night I met Viktor Leshchenko. My first thought was:God, he is beautiful!Wild with wolfish silvery eyes and midnight-black hair. Dressed from head to toe in black, he also radiated danger. When he spoke to the two goons quietly in a language I did not understand, I could only stare at him in open-mouthed shock.
Then he turned those silvery eyes to me, and it was like a punch to the gut.
At first, I was wary of accepting help from a man like him. I mean, he was just so out of my league, in every way possible. I could tell by the cut of his suit and the supreme confidence with which he addressed Larry that he was probably on Forbes richest list or something.
Okay, that night, in my naivety, I’ll admit, I did think he’d be back to extract some form of payment in kind for his help, but as the days turn into weeks, I realize he didn’t help me because he fancied me or anything of the sort. In fact, I’m starting to think he was sent to me for a reason.
He’s my knight in shining armor.
Until the day he walked into the Pink Flamingo, I knew next to nothing about Russians. My knowledge, gleaned mostly from Tik Tok videos, had led me to believe they were vodka chugging Communists who kept massive bears as pets, and were ruled by a dictator called Putin, who was also a dangerous madman with access to a nuclear button that could incinerate the whole world at a moment’s notice.
Instinctively, I knew what I believed could not possibly be true. Especially, if Viktor is any indication. So, I began to stay up late into the night, reading everything I could lay my hands on about Russia, its culture, history, literature, art, and even its politics.
What I learned fascinates and intrigues me.
But since that day I haven’t seen him again. Apparently, he is away in Russia on business. I heard Mrs. Brent, the housekeeper, telling one of the gardeners she is worried what will happen now that there is talk of war with Russia. Will Mr. Leshchenko be targeted with sanctions?
None of the other staff suspects that I’m waiting impatiently for Viktor to return. The wait is almost unbearable. Sometimes the other maids will talk about him, and I’ll listen intently without appearing too interested. I believe Katya might have a crush on him, but they all speak very highly of him. It even seems they are in awe of him, as if he’s not quite real. A sort of foreign fantasy hero.
Like me, each one has her own rescue story to tell.
There’s Lacey who ended up working here because her ex-husband, who used to work for Viktor, was beating her up. Viktor once saw her with a black eye and offered her a way out. Then there’s Justine, a friend of Lacey’s. who had been working since she was sixteen as a prostitute to feed her two babies. She jumped at the chance to come and work here.
From what they’ve said, it appears he is hardly ever around. The staff are governed by a management team that treats us well.
It is unanimously agreed that the Christmas bonuses are huge.
Not that I’m worried about a bonus. My wages are more than generous and I’m living comfortably for the first time ever. Plus, I actually enjoy the work. It’s the sort of honest work that leaves you aching at the end of the day, but feeling good because you didn’t have to do anything that made you feel dirty inside.
For the first time I’m not accountable or beholden to anyone.
It’s pitch dark when I arrive at the office building. I pass the mirrors at the entrance and smile at myself. Yeah, life is good at the moment. I walk up the stairs to the second floor. It’s my job to clean this entire floor. Fifteen small offices in a large open plan space with cubicles in the middle. There are also two sets of bathrooms and a long corridor to do.
The place is never filthy, and even the bathrooms are left in a reasonable state, but I quite enjoy cleaning everything to the highest standard possible. I always get a sense of accomplishment when my floors are all sparkly. Two and a half hours later I’m finished to my satisfaction.
I fill the kettle in the kitchen and open my packet of pot noodles while I wait. When the water has boiled, I pour it into the plastic pot, cover it, and carry it to the table facing the window. The sun is just rising, and sky is red, purple, and yellow. It’s as beautiful as a Monet painting. I cut a thick slice of ham, chop it up and sprinkle it on top of my noodles, Then I sit down.
Alone and in perfect silence, I eat my breakfast.
The instant noodles are hot and delicious. It feels like a meal fit for a Queen. I feel lucky, so damn lucky. My mind drifts slowly. I think of Viktor, where he might be, what he might be doing. I remember that night sitting in the back of his black Rolls Royce and staring out of the window. I was scared and excited. What if I had jumped from the frying pan straight into the fire? Was I on an adventure to rival all adventures, or was I going to be the victim of a sick serial killer?