“You can carry my books,” she says, dumping them into my arms. “Walking five feet behind me.”
“No problem,” I say. “This is my favorite view.”
“And don’t talk,” Cat snaps, over her shoulder.
I follow Cat to her next class, silent and obedient.
It’s a good thing she can’t see me, because my cock is already rock hard, watching that cute little ass stomping away five steps ahead of me.
Over the next week, Cat dredges up every bit of humiliation I put her through and heaps it back on my head.
She makes me dash around running errands for her until my head is spinning. She orders me to feed her grapes in the dining hall like I once did to her, and even demands that I strip off my shirt and fan her with a folded pop quiz, like she’s Cleopatra and I’m an Egyptian concubine.
It’s not the ideal time for me to look like a fucking idiot, since Vanya Antonov was already trying to siphon off as many of my friends as possible, and Bodashka, Pasha, and Valon have joined him in openly mocking me.
Cat has forbidden me from fighting any of them.
She says I’m not supposed to lose my temper whatsoever.
You might as well ask a shark not to swim.
I’m fucking drowning in all the aggression I have to stuff back down inside of me, every time Vanya throws another jeer in my direction.
The only silver lining is that Bram is still sitting next to me at Cat’s table, seeming to find the whole thing amusing and even slightly admirable.
“Wish I had someone to do weird kinky shit with at lunch,” he says, stuffing half a bacon sandwich in his mouth.
He looks across the table at Rakel.
“You look like you know how to get nasty . . .” he says, mouth full of sandwich. “How about it?”
“What a tempting proposal,” Rakel says acerbically. “Unfortunately I’m already dating Joss Burmingham.”
“That spotty little Spy? I’m way hotter than him.”
“But he’s learned to chew, swallow, and then speak, so he’s got that going for him.”
Bram gulps down his bite. “How ‘bout now?” He grins.
“Still no.” Rakel sniffs.
Anna and Leo have maintained an admirable level of silence through all this, though I know Leo is dying to give me shit about the fact that I’m once again stripped down to my trousers, holding up Cat’s water glass so she can take a sip, while barred from speaking to her.
Leo can barely lift his eyes from his plate, and I think Anna has kicked him under the table at least three times.
I have the strangest sense that Anna is rooting for me. She meets my eye across the table, giving me an encouraging smile.
Chay is less restrained. She keeps coming up with new ideas for Cat to torment me.
“You should make Dean wear knee socks and a skirt!” she says cheerfully.
“Chay,” I say. “Please shut the hell up.”
She ignores me.
“Oooh, make him stand up in our Banking class and sing the Russian national anthem! I’ll tell you if he does it.”
“Professor Graves will expel me,” I say.
“Quiet!” Cat hisses at me, snapping her fingers for another sip of water.
I never realized she was such a little sadist.
It only makes me like her more.
I can’t be certain, but I think she’s thawing toward me, just a little. I don’t think she believed I’d last one day of this treatment. It’s going on seven, and I’m determined not to crack. I’ll show her that I’ve learned to control myself. That I’m really fucking sorry. And that I’ll do anything to make her happy.
That’s what I realized after talking to Snow.
I will do anything for Cat. Sacrifice anything. Pay any price.
I’ll grovel forever if that’s what it takes to get her back.
I don’t give a fuck if I look stupid in front of the whole school, or if Vanya spreads the news of this to all of Moscow, undermining my position in the Bratva.
I want Cat more than I want anything—even to become Pakhan.
I’ve never loved someone more than my own ambition.
It’s terrifying.
Because I’m not in control of Cat. I can’t make her love me.
All I can do is hope.
27
Cat
I can’t believe Dean hasn’t snapped yet.
I only started this whole thing because I thought it would be the easiest way to get him to leave me alone. I thought I’d give him one order and his pride would intervene. I expected him to tell me to fuck off, and everything would go back to the way it used to