“This,” he says, “is power. You fill space exactly in the way you deserve. And not every man has what it takes to handle that.”
Warmth floods my cheeks. I don’t look away from the mirror.
He leans in, his lips near my ear. “Your breasts are perfect. Your waist is soft yet beautiful.” He moves his hand, brushing the undersides of my breasts. His touch comes to a rest on the swell of my belly. “All of it. It’s real. It is undeniable.” He leans forward, placing a kiss on my shoulder, causing my skin to break out in goosebumps.
“Thank you, Roman.”
He shakes his head. “I am not doing you a favor. I’m simply explaining what you seem to be blind to.”
When Roman kisses me again, I press my backside into him. He’s hard, and a hot warmth begins to bloom between my thighs. He trails his lips along my neck. I turn, ready to press my mouth to his, when footsteps echo in the dressing area hallway.
I pull away like a guilty teenager. But Roman, a knowing smirk on his lips, is slower to take his hand from my body.
“One more gown,” he says. “I have a good feeling about this one.”
He slips out of the dressing room. Moments later, the shop woman enters with another to try on. She helps me into it, and I gasp when I look in the mirror.
“This one suits you, I think,” she says, stepping back and nodding as she speaks.
The gown is soft ivory silk that shimmers at every curve, neckline framing my bust perfectly. I look glamorous in a way I never have before. And it’s not in spite of my body. It’sbecauseof it.
The shop woman circles around me. “A few adjustments would be in order for the perfect fit, but not much work is needed at all. Almost seems like the designer had your body in mind when she made it.” She smiles warmly.
I can’t help but beam. My heart races at the idea of showing Roman. I step out. As soon as he spots me, he leans forward a bit.
“That’s it. That’s the one.”
The next thirty minutes is a whirlwind of measurements being taken and alterations scheduled. Max’s voice feels distant now, unimportant.
Roman’s, on the other hand, is close and meaningful.
And one thing is for damn sure. Wearing that gorgeous gown, I don’t feel like an imposter. I feel like I belong, exactly as I am.
CHAPTER 24
ROMAN
The place still smells like smoke when I arrive.
It’s not a theatrical sort of destruction—no flames pouring out of windows, no falling concrete, no roof caving in. This attack was quick, coordinated, and clean. The small office is blackened and ruined, the chemical bite of extinguishers lingering in the air.
The placewasVolkov Ledger Services, an intentionally boring name for a very illegal operation. Payroll processing, compliance audits, and small-to-mid cap financial consulting. And, of course, a fair share of money laundering.
The message is clear. Whoever blew this place up wanted me to know that even my most innocuous operations were both known and targeted.
Thankfully, the attack happened after business hours, after all employees were gone. My men make sure no civilians get close enough. The neighborhood knows better than to snoop around my operations.
Two patrol cars sit down the block with their lights off. A uniformed officer stands near the yellow line of police tape. He’s young with a muscular build, practically shaking with nervous energy. As he should be. After all, he’s onmypayroll, paid more than he is with the CPD. And I’m about to find out whether or not he’s earning his keep.
I step under the awning and assess the place from the front. The sign is hanging crooked. The glass door is ruined with spiderweb cracks but remains on its hinges. It could’ve been worse, but the surgical nature of the attack makes it clear this hit wasn’t an amateur operation.
Andrei appears at my shoulder, silent and lethal. His gaze sweeps the street, the roof lines, the reflections in the ruined glass.
“Two cameras were cut clean,” he says in Russian. “Someone knew where to look.”
I don’t answer. My eyes are on my payroll cop. I’m waiting for him to come over, to tell me what I want to know. I can sense he’s nervous, as if he’s about to walk to his execution.
Finally, he says something to his partner, then starts toward me. His gaze is down, his posture hunched. Good. He knows his place. Now let’s see if he has anything useful for me.
