tongues lazily circle the other, but in the end, Alek wins as he dominates my mouth, my kisses, compelling me to submit.
But I come willingly.
With a sigh, he kisses me one last time before pulling away.
“We must get ready. Tura is just an hour away.” He kisses the tip of my nose before letting me go.
I wish we had five more minutes, but it’s game time. I need to get in the right frame of mind.
“How should I dress?” I ask as we still are yet to discuss my role in this.
He doesn’t look impressed as he says, “Everyone on that island will assume you’re my—”
His pause has me filling in the blanks. “Concubine?”
“I rather hate that word,” he reveals stiffly. “Mistress doesn’t sound as…sordid.”
“Well, potato, potahto. They know Willow and Saint are your significant others. I’m just here for the ride, right?”
Alek shakes his head, snaring my waist and drawing me into his chest. “Even though this is all a charade, it still turns my stomach. I’m sorry.”
He kisses my forehead, expressing his regret.
“It’s just make-believe,” I say aloud for the both of us. “Will I be expected to behave like a prized pig?”
A winded wheeze gets caught in his throat, but there is no sugarcoating this. Aleksei Popov has had many mistresses in his time, and they all were at his beck and call. If I act any different, they will sense our deceit.
He’s already skating on very thin ice. We need to convince them for long enough so he can slaughter whoever is ruining the lives of countless children. No doubt, word will spread to Santo that Alek is here with a woman. But hopefully, the fact I’ve cut my hair may throw him off long enough that we have a decent head start on him.
We need Saint, Pavel, and whoever is on our side to get to Tura before Santo so we’re able to ambush him.
It’s all based on what-ifs. But it’s the best shot we’ve got.
“You’ll be expected to obey my command,” he replies, and by the tone of his voice, I know things are about to get serious. “These are not good people. They’ll smile and act like they’re your best friend, but they’re not.
“They are simply sniffing out a weakness in hopes they can use it against you for their gain. Do not trust anyone. No matter how nice they may appear, everyone is the enemy.”
With one final kiss to my brow, he says, “Go now, get ready. I wish we could clean up the children. But they must arrive in the state Rodrigo would deliver them.”
I hate how somber things have turned.
Nodding, I turn and head down the stairs to get ready.
When I pass the kids, I see they’re still sitting in the small space, frightened as they watch me with wide eyes. Holding back my tears, I quickly have another shower as I’m sure no mistress of Alek would be covered in sweat.
Once clean and my face is dolled up to cover the healing bruising and cuts, I hunt through my bag for something “appropriate” to wear. Everything I own is far too boring and conservative, which has me cringing when I look at the cupboard filled with Maria’s clothes. I won’t have that problem with her attire because nothing of hers is conservative.
Slipping into a tight black mini dress which is too short for my liking, I arrange it as it’s a little snug. She’s smaller than me, but thankfully, the material is stretchy, so it fits. I run some product through my hair and style it so it’s slicked back.
The turtleneck gives me some coverage, but the sleeves are cut off and the hemline practically rides my ass. Overall, I feel really uncomfortable, but we all have a role to play. Borrowing some of her jewelry, I finish off the outfit with pearl studs and a matching cuff bracelet.
Thankfully, I think I can get away with sandals as wearing heels on an island seems rather idiotic.
Once dressed, I stand back and look at my reflection. The face of a stranger stares back at me. I look the part, and when the yacht begins to turn, I realize soon, I will need to play the part.
Touching up my red lipstick, I wish my reflection luck and check on the kids. When they see me, they shift away.
But I drop to a squat and smile. “We’re going to stop soon. It’s only for a little while. Whatever happens, you stay with