I scrub a hand over my face and say, “This is that one other thing I told you I need you to trust me about.” Putting my hand lightly on her back, I lead her further into the room. “This is Nikolai. He does all our tattoos.”
“Hi,” she says and then looks back up at me. “Why is he here?” Her eyes run over the tattoos that are peeking out from my suit on my hands and neck. “Are you getting another tattoo?”
“No,” I tell her as gently as I can. “You are.”
She shakes her head and takes a step back. “No, I don’t want one.”
“I’m afraid it’s nonnegotiable. Every member of my Bratva has a special tattoo, and as my wife, you’re required to have one as well.”
“What kind of tattoo?”
“Show her,” I tell Nikolai. He rolls up his sleeve and shows her the angry bear face on the inside of his forearm with my last name tattooed beneath it in Cyrillic.
“Why a bear?”
“Medvedev comes from the Russian word for bear. Anyone who sees that will know that you belong to me and that you’re protected by my Bratva. To hurt someone with this tattoo is an act of war, and there aren’t many people who are willing to go up against us. This will protect you, Nina.”
She hesitates, but when I sit on the couch and motion for her to take a seat next to me, she slowly comes over and sits down. Nikolai gives her a friendly smile but keeps preparing his equipment before finally pulling on a pair of latex gloves.
“Have you ever had a tattoo before?” he asks her.
“No.” Pointing to her inner forearm, she asks, “Is this where it will be?”
“Yes,” I tell her. Everyone has it in the same place. I take off my suit jacket and roll up the sleeve of my white dress shirt, letting her see my own inked left arm with the bear prominently displayed on it. I don’t mention that I have the same thing tattooed across my chest along with countless other tattoos that I’ve slowly acquired over the years.
She points to the Cyrillic writing beneath the bear. “What does that say?”
“It’s my name in Russian. The same will be tattooed on yours since you’re my wife. The others just get my last name.” I nod to Nikolai, letting him know it’s okay to start.
She watches him get the needle ready. “How bad does it hurt?” she whispers.
“It will sting, but I’ll be as quick as I can,” Nikolai says. “It’s important you remain still, though. We don’t want a lopsided bear.” He gives a small laugh. “That’ll get me a bad reputation.”
He holds his hand out for her arm, and she holds it out for him so he can disinfect her skin. The sight of her deeply bruised wrist has me clenching my jaw in anger, and I can tell by Nikolai’s tense face that he’s just as pissed at seeing it as I am. She’s being brave, even though it’s obvious she’d much rather get up and run away, and I almost think this is going to go way better than I envisioned, but then he turns the tattoo machine on and grips her arm to make the first mark. She loses it, pulling her arm back and shaking her head.
“I’m sorry. I can’t do it.” She clutches her arm against her chest, pleading with her eyes to get me to change my mind, but there’s no way I can do that.
In Russian I ask Nikolai, “Did Ilya tell you to bring a sedative?”
“He did. It’s in my bag.”
“Get it,” I tell him as I reach over and grab Nina before putting her on my lap.
“Hey, what are you doing?” She struggles against me, but it doesn’t take much to restrain her.
“I’m sorry,” I tell her, “but this has to be done.”
When I nod to Nikolai, he grabs her arm. She freaks out when she sees the syringe and turns her wild eyes to mine.
“Please don’t drug me,” she begs.
“It’s just a sedative, Nina. I promise you’re safe. It’ll make you fall asleep, and when you wake up, all this will be over.”
I tighten my grip on her when Nikolai gives her the shot. She turns her head, and I can feel the heat of her breath on my neck when she whispers my name before the sedative takes effect and her body slumps against mine. Instead of letting her go, I keep holding her on my lap while Nikolai works. I don’t know why I don’t just set her down, but some part of me doesn’t want to let her go. She’s curled up against me, her small, steady breaths hitting my neck, her dark, silky hair brushing against my jaw. I keep my arms wrapped around her and watch the bear take shape on her skin. There’s no denying the possessive streak that awakens inside me or the way my cock immediately stiffens when I see my name being slowly tattooed onto her skin, permanently marking her as mine.
It’s fake, I remind myself, the whole marriage is fake, but the reminder doesn’t change how I feel. It doesn’t change the giant protective and possessive part of myself that’s suddenly decided to show itself and stake claim on the small woman in my arms. Right as Nikolai is putting the finishing touches on her arm, my phone vibrates against my thigh. Checking the screen, I read the text from Ilya.
Got him. Need anything else tonight?
