I almost lost my fucking mind right there—almost broke every rule I’ve ever made about control. Almost crossed the room in three strides and showed her exactly what happens when you tease a man like me. Almost pinned her to those sheets and replaced that toy with something far more satisfying. Almost let the beast off its leash.
Ialmostdid.
And when she sprawled there, mouth parted, skin flushed, her body a work of art beneath the golden glow of my bedroom lights, somethingdarkunfurled inside me. Something possessive. Something raw.
I let her see what she did to me. Let her hear the hunger in my voice when I spoke.
And when that ridiculous, absurd vibratorhit my chest—when she sat there, watching me with wide, horrified eyes, lips trembling—I’d never been so fucking close to snapping in my life.
I should have fucked her last night.
Claimed her. Marked her.
Maybe then I wouldn’t be sitting here, dick aching, with the taste of her pleasure still haunting my senses like a ghost.
Pizda.
I push the thought aside as the office door opens.
Arseny Karpov strolls in, all six-foot-four of him, moving with that casual, unhurried arrogance that says he’s already ten steps ahead of the conversation. He’s in his usual uniform—dark slacks, sleeves rolled up just enough to show the edges of old scars, his wavy rusty hair barely tamed. He looks like he should be in a penthouse poker game, not sitting across from me with a ledger in one hand and a freshly brewed espresso in the other.
“Morning, boss.” He smirks. “Or should I sayafternoon, given that you apparently decided to play vampire last night. Late meetings?”
“Something like that.” I close the file in front of me, exhaling through my nose.
He slides into the chair across from me. “I’m guessing it wasn’t book club.”
I give him a look. “What do you have?”
Arseny sighs like I just asked him to dig a trench with a spoon. “Oh, you know. The usual.” He flips open his ledger. “Financialprojections are stable. Our newest project in Malibu is still tied up in zoning approvals, but the right people are getting their incentives, so it should clear soon.”
I nod. “And the warehouse?”
“No problems there. The product is moving clean, and I tweaked the route to avoid the new surveillance checkpoints on the 405.” He raises an eyebrow. “You’re welcome.”
“Consider it part of your job.”
He huffs a laugh. “And here I was, expecting a fruit basket.”
I don’t humor him with a response. “Security reports?”
“Ah.” Arseny tosses a small black folder onto my desk. “That’s where things get fun. Two things of interest.”
I open the folder and scan the reports.
“First,” he continues, stretching like a cat, “your dear stepmother’s been making moves. Tatiana met with a few of our more…loyalty-flexibleallies. She’s looking to fortify her position before the old man finally kicks the bucket.”
My jaw tightens. “Who?”
Arseny clicks his tongue. “Couple of the old guard. Names are in the report. Nothing official yet, but she’s laying the groundwork.Testingpeople.” He leans forward, his voice cooling. “She’s betting on Filipp. Betting on your father being too weak to stop her.”
She’s not wrong. The old man isn’t long for this world. And Tatiana? She never makes a move unless she’s already calculated the outcome.
She thinks she’s already won.
Arseny watches me carefully, waiting for a response.
I keep my voice even. “Let her play.”
