One of his hands slides under my shirt and grips my breast, and I whimper, a bit embarrassed by how much he's turning me on. His mouth moves to my neck, and I tip my head back while my fingers tangle in his hair.
"Dimitri—" I don't know if I'm trying to stop him or encourage him, but it doesn't matter because he spins me around and lifts me onto the counter, stepping between my legs.
His hands spread my knees as he nestles his hips between them and his mouth finds mine again. This kiss is deeper, more demanding, and I wrap my legs around his waist and pull him closer while my hands work at the buttons of his shirt.
He groans against my mouth and his hand slides higher up my thigh, and I'm about to lose whatever's left of my mind when I hear the door open.
"Dimitri, we need to?—"
A man's voice stops abruptly as reality crashes into me, and I shove Dimitri away so hard he actually stumbles. I slide off the counter and my legs nearly give out, but I manage to stay upright long enough to grab my purse from the chair where I left it.
My heart is hammering, lips kiss-swollen and raw, and I keep my head ducked as I move swiftly toward the door. I can't even look at them, but when the man speaks again, he sounds amused.
"I'll come back."
I can't even respond. I just head for the elevator as fast as my unsteady legs will carry me while trying to make my boob stay in my bra cup and fix my hair.
"Tatiana, wait?—"
Dimitri's voice follows me, but I'm already in the elevator jabbing the button for the ground floor five times in rapid succession. The doors open to accept me, and I lean against the wall while my heart pounds and my face burns with embarrassment.
I would've had sex with him, right there on his kitchen counter with his buddy about to walk in. And the worst part is that I wanted it. Even knowing what he is and what he's capable of, I wanted him.
What the actual fuck is wrong with me? Don't my hormones know what sort of shit I'm already dealing with? I can't sleep with my boss and complicate things more.
The elevator opens, and I walk through the casino on autopilot. Someone calls my name, but I don't stop. I continue walking and push through the employee exit into the cold night air, then keep walking until I'm two blocks away.
Only then do I stop and lean against a building and try to catch my breath.
What the hell did I just do?
9
DIMITRI
"Entertaining?" Yuri's voice cuts through my thoughts as I watch Tatiana disappear into the elevator, feeling frustrated by the interruption when I had what I want right in the palm of my hands. I turn to find my brother leaning against the side table with his arms crossed and an amused expression on his face. His eyebrows are high and he's smirking at me.
"She's an employee." I straighten my shirt where Tatiana's hands pulled it loose. "That's all."
"Right." Yuri walks into the living room and closes the door as he loosens his tie a little. "That's why you had her on your kitchen counter with your hand up her shirt? Very professional." I hate the dark chuckle that comes out of his mouth. The only reason he has a key to this place is because it's family property and he's part owner. A small price I pay for being estranged from the family for so long.
"What do you want, Yuri?" I ask, turning to pour myself a drink from the bar, and I don't bother offering him one. Annoying fucker can get his own if he's going to mock me in my own home.
"I wanted to discuss the Volodin situation but clearly, you're occupied with other matters." He drops into one of the chairs facing my desk. "Though I have to question your judgment when it comes to getting involved with staff who work directly under you."
"She's not just staff." I down the whiskey and set the glass on the bar as I glower at him. "She witnessed Volodin's execution." She hasn't said the words yet, but I know it's true. I'm a good read, and there's no other reason Tatiana would go from angrily annoyed with me to terrified every second of the day.
That gets Yuri's attention. He sits up straighter and narrows his eyes as he asks, "She saw it happen?"
"I think so. When the boys were over a few nights ago and we talked about it, she clammed up and got white as a ghost. She's been shaking in her boots ever since." I walk over to my desk and pull out the file I've been keeping on the incident to thumb through it. No cameras out back means no proof she was there but the pull on my gut.
"And you didn't think to mention this before now?" Yuri's upset now, and rightly so. I should've let him in on my suspicions, but I have no proof, and he can't go off half-cocked on her when he doesn't know for sure.
"I haven't confirmed it yet." I open the file and pull out the crime scene photos. "She's been terrified since she started working up here, but I wasn't sure why until I pushed her on it. Her reactionsays it all. I just can't get her to tell me outright, and if I ask her?—"
"And if you ask her, she'll lie or vanish…" he finishes for me, then stands and walks over to look at the photos spread across my desk. His jaw tightens and he sighs hard. "The Kozlovs are gonna figure out there was a witness eventually, if they haven't already."
"That's why I'm keeping her close." I gather the photos back into the file. "If she's up here working for me directly, she's safer than she would be down on the casino floor where anyone could get to her." There's no point in telling him this plan was in motion weeks ago when I decided I want her. But it makes sense keeping her closer.
