His eyes darken. “Why?”
“To pay for Selina’s art camp in Paris.” My voice cracks when I say her name. “She’s not even serious about art. She just wanted to go because her friends are going.”
He stays silent, letting me talk. It’s the most wonderful thing he does; he gives me space. He’s the man who makes me feel calm, makes me feel taken care of in my worst moments.
“I have financial aid, so he doesn’t even pay my tuition. But now he says I need to learn responsibility, that I’ve been ‘coasting on appearances.’ I can’t get a part-time job right now, not when I’m running the sorority. If I quit, I’ll lose everything I worked for. I love organizing events, Dmitry. It’s the one thing I’m good at.”
“Stop worrying,” he says. “I’ll take care of it.”
My eyes widen. “You can’t just?—”
He pulls out his phone and taps the screen a few times. He’s silent, secretive, and mysterious as always. I sip on my coffee, letting the caffeine jerk me awake and pull me back into reality.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Fixing it.”
A moment later, my phone buzzes. I pull it out and stare at the notification.
Deposit: $10,000.
My mouth falls open. No fucking way. Did he just give me ten grand because I couldn’t buy coffee? Who does that? That’s beyond generous. That’s…real boyfriend territory. Not that I can say that out loud, not when my heart is bursting with emotions.I’m afraid I’m falling in love wit Dmitry Antonov. And he will never want me back.
I wipe my eyes, trying to prevent tears from forming. “Dmitry. That’s… too much. I can’t take that from you.”
“I’m not giving it to you for free,” he says easily. “You’ll keep pretending to be my girlfriend. You’ll introduce me to the people I need to meet. It’s a fair exchange.”
I know he’s lying. He doesn’t need to pay me for that. I’d do it anyway. He has that photo to blackmail me with. And a lot of footage of me masturbating. I’d do it for that alone.
He’s giving me financial support because he wants to. Because he doesn’t want me to be worried about my bills. That means he cares, even if he won’t admit it to himself or me.
The realization makes my chest ache.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
Dmitry squeezes my hand. “You don’t have to thank me.”
The thumping of my heart is getting louder, so loud I can feel it in my brain, throbbing like the world’s most obvious alarm. I haven’t felt this way before. With every gesture, every touch, ever word, Dmitry is making me fall harder for him. I can’t afford to develop feelings for someone like him. I’m just a pawn in his game to recruit people into the bratva. When I’m no longer useful, will he still want me?
I glance at the clock on the wall. My throat stings as I push down my burgeoning feelings for my bully. “I should go. I have class in fifteen minutes.”
“Then I’ll walk you.”
I smile, shaking my head. “No, it’s fine. But maybe we can meet tonight? After my classes. Grab a drink, maybe make a plan to expand your social circle?”
He grins, leaning back. “I’d like that.”
We both know he isn’t talking about the circle.
He’s talking about me.
The late afternoonsun glints off the glass walls of the finance building, scattering light across the courtyard. I check my phone again.
Dmitry:Class is running late. Meet me out front.
That was twenty minutes ago.
I’ve been waiting ever since, tapping my foot, pretending not to care while my chest tightens every time the doors open.
