Page 17 of Caught By the Bratva Boss

Daniil wasn’t here. That was a good thing because what would I have done if he had ordered me back on his lap? My pussy gave a throb like it had a little heartbeat of its own.

Oh I knew what would happen, and it couldn’t. Not again. Last night had just been a blip. A mistake. It didn’t mean anything. Going out for drinks with my colleagues was exactly what I needed to do. It’s what I would always do.

“So,” Claire drawled from her place across the packed table from me. “What is going on with you, Lil?”

“It’s different working on the top floor,” I said quickly. “Lonelier, but the pressure isn’t as bad as it is with you guys. I miss the—”

Laughter bubbled up around the table. Every single person here was someone I had worked with over the last few months. They weren’t exactly friends, but we weren’t just colleagues either.

“Oh, I bet it’s different.” A man called Clive said with a laugh. “Being so close to the big, bad boss.” His eyes lingered on my chest. “What’s that like?”

“Daniil is—” I struggled to find the right words. “Intense. He likes things to be done a certain way.”

More laughter. “Oh, we just bet he does.”

“What’s that meant to mean?” I snapped.

Silence fell.

It was Clare who spoke finally. “No one’s judging you, Lily.” She said quickly. “Everyone is just jealous. Don’t let it get to you.”

I drank the last of my white wine spritzer in one swallow. “Jealous of what, that I got this position?” My voice was argumentative, but I couldn’t help it. “I’d happily swap and go back to my real job.”

“No one cares about your job or promotion,” Clive said again. “I think we can all agree about that. His PAs have a habit of getting hurt. But then again, I guess you aren’t just his PA now, are you? So maybe he will take better care of you than he did the others.”

I opened my mouth to speak, and not a sound came out.

“You can tell us, you know. How did it happen?” Claire leaned forward, her voice a whisper. She leaned forward like an eager child. “How did it happen?”

“Nothing is happening between Daniil and me,” I snapped back.

Well, nothing but orgasms on his lap and sending his dirty videos by mistake, I added silently.

“So you didn’t arrive in the office with him this morning?”

“We rode up on the elevator together, yes, but there’s nothing going on between us.” I lied smoothly. “He’s just my boss, our boss.”

Claire sat back, her eyes widening. “That’s good because,” she plastered her face with a wide smile. “Good evening, Mr. Popov. How are you today?”

I stiffened. He was behind me. Right behind me so closely that I could smell his expensive aftershave. Had he also heard what I had just said?

“Hey.” Daniil’s fingers brushed against my shoulder blades as he curled them around the back of my chair. “So this is where you all hang out, yes?”

I didn’t need to turn around to know he was looking around and sneering. Of course, this wasn’t the kind of place he was used to frequenting. It was little more than a sports bar, but the atmosphere was usually good, and the drinks were cheap.

No one answered him.

“Let me grab a round of drinks for your table, if I can join you, that is?”

Again, no one spoke. But Daniil wasn’t the kind of man who waited for permission anyway. Within seconds, trays of drinks were placed in the center of the table, and he had pulled up a chair and wedged himself between one of the other marketing girls and me.

“So, who is playing today?” he asked softly, but his eyes were hard. He kept glancing down at my leg, which was pressed against Clive’s. And every time he did, he scowled.

“We don’t really know, sir.”Claire kept looking at me as well, her eyebrows lifting higher and higher. “That would be a question for the boys. Us girls usually just chat and—”

“Is that right?” Again Daniil stared down at my leg before lifting his eyes and spearing Clive to the spot. “And what is the gossip in the office today, I wonder?”

No one spoke. Even the crowded bar seemed to go silent. It was an illusion, but that’s how it felt.