“Dimitri, you’re scaring me.”
He moved to her and knelt before her, gripping her hands in his and searching her face before he spoke. “My absence, and yours, has been noted. My brother, Alex, returned from Boston yesterday and one of our friends informed him that a man associated with a rival Bratva of ours was asking about you.”
“Oh, fuck,” she whispered.
“That was my brother, Alex that I was speaking to.” His grip on her hands tightened to the point of pain. “He has plan for taking suspicion from you, but I do not want to do it. Will hurt you too much.”
Confused and getting more scared by the second, she tried to still the trembling in her voice. “What does he want to do?”
Closing his eyes, Dimitri rested his head against their entwined hands. “I must show that I have no feelings for you, that you are nothing to me more than any of my nochnaja babochka, my whores. But that is not worst.”
Her heart beat thudded in her ears. “What else, Dimitri?”
“I need to fuck another woman in public, and you another man while I’m watching.”
“What?” The thought of Dimitri being with any woman, touching any woman the way he touched her, made Rya physically ill even though she knew he would have lovers after her. Then the second part of his statement registered and she shoved him away. “No way. That is totally fucked up.”
His voice came out hoarse as he said, “Rya, you are in danger. I cannot tell you how great it is. Please believe me, I do not want this. It will take everything I have not to kill man who touch you.”
“Can’t I just leave?”
“Nyet. You will still be under suspicion. If they think they have slightest leverage against me with you…you will be used as pawn.”
She jerked her hands away from him and covered her face, not wanting him to see how much his words hurt. “Please, Dimitri, don’t make me do this.”
“Zaika moya, if there was any way to not I would do it. I would kill for you.”
“So I’m just supposed to fuck some guy while you watch? Submit to him, let him do everything to me that I did with you while you fuck some bitch in front of me? How the fuck am I supposed to hide my tears?” The last words came out in a scream and she tried to shove him away but he wouldn’t move. “The thought of another woman touching you makes me want to fucking kill you and her!”
Agony cut deep lines in his face as he stared up at her. “I will not let stranger touch you. Is not stranger, is man I trust to pleasure you.”
“Will Luka be there?”
“No. Alex will be with you.”
“Your brother?” Her voice rose to an unpleasant screech on the last word. “Are you fucking kidding me? That is just so wrong on so many levels.”
“No, is not wrong. Is right.” His voice firmed and he gripped her hands again, ignoring her struggles. “He is only man I trust with you. The only one. He will do what needs done, but will not go further.”
“And who are you going to fuck? What whore do I have to watch kiss you, and touch you, and love you?”
“No. Never love. Rya, you are only woman who ever gave me love.” He brushed the tears from her face with a pained sound. “Ilyena, Alex’s submissive, will be with me.”
“I hate you,” she shouted and tried to smack his hands away. “Don’t touch me.”
“Rya, please…”
She kicked him away and stood, moving to the other side of the cabin. “No, I don’t want to hear a fucking word out of your mouth, Dimitri. Just stay the hell away from me. I can’t believe you’re asking me to do this.”
“Zaika moya, I would spare you this if I could. Please believe me. You knew dangers of being with me. I am trying to protect you only way I can.”
“By fucking someone else and making me watch? No, not just making me watch, making me watch while pretending we have nothing and screwing your brother.” She gave a bitter laugh and moved as far away from him in the cabin as possible. “Well, that will be easier than I thought, because right now I loathe you.”
His expression tensed and he stood. “Do not say that.”
“Fuck you, Dimitri. I can’t even look at you without picturing you fucking someone else and it makes me sick. I thought…well, it doesn’t matter what I thought. Leave me alone.” Her voice broke on the last words and she took a deep breath, trying to hide her tears.
He nodded and moved to the back of the plane, sitting in his chair and watching her with that cold mask of his in place. She stumbled to the chair as far away from him as possible and turned it around so she didn’t have to look at him. Covering her mouth, she tried to muffle her sobs. She knew leaving him would hurt, but she thought they would be able to do it on different terms than this. As foolish and illogical as it was, she was falling in love with Dimitri and the thought of watching the man she loved with another woman was torture.