of me. And still, here she is, begging me back.
“When are you going to give up this ruse?” she questions, leaning against my desk and entrapping me into the space.
“There is no ruse, Katya.” I pull the information I need from a file though it’s clear to me Anatoly had only one intention upon sending me up here.
“This girl is not good enough for you,” she tells me. “She is not family. Not bred for being a Vor’s wife.”
“She was not bred for that,” I answer her. “That is why I married her.”
The insult does not go unnoticed. Katya flinches, but quickly recovers.
“It is not too late,” she tells me. “You can send her away and choose me instead. Tell me what I have to do Alexei. To win your forgiveness. Anything, and I will do it.”
“I want nothing from you.”
Her eyes move over me as she inches closer. So close that her leg brushes up against mine as she leans into my space, her perfume soaking the air around us. All calculated moves to get my attention. Katya is an expert of manipulation.
I was manipulated by her beauty and her words. But now, I feel nothing when I look upon her.
“It is only the chase that thrills you,” I tell her. “You need to give up these fantasies of yours now and accept reality. Take up with Nikolai. You two should be very happy together.”
She scoffs in my face as though I have burned her. “You know I can do no such thing. He is only a soldier. I am bred to be the wife of a high ranking Vor.”
I meet her wrath with a shrug. “He was good enough for you to fuck. What is the difference?”
“It was a mistake,” she utters. “Please…”
The desperation in her voice grates on me. I just want her gone.
A shadow falls over the doorway, and when I glance up, I find Talia staring back at me. Her eyes flick between Katya and I, questioning the narrow distance between us.
I reach out my hand in a gesture for her to come to me, pleading with my eyes that she will not misunderstand the situation.
She does, without hesitation. And once she is close enough, I pull her directly onto my lap, kissing her fiercely and possessively in front of Katya.
When I come back up for air, Talia is studying me, and Katya is barely able to conceal her disdain.
“Have you met my wife?” I ask her.
“No.” Katya’s lips curl into a false smile conceived from years of training. “I don’t believe I have.”
My hands move over Talia’s body, pulling her closer to me. It isn’t a calculated move on my part, but an instinctive one. Right now, she is pliable. Doing as I ask and playing the role of my wife as though she were born for it.
I like her like this.
I want to soak up every second of this mood while it lasts. Before I inevitably ruin it.
Talia reaches up and touches my face, kissing me softly before pulling away.
“Sorry,” she murmurs to Katya. “We can’t keep our hands off each other. Honeymoon phase.”
“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Katya replies.
“I intend to.” Talia smiles up at her. “And on that note, would you mind?”
Katya remains in place, her jaw tense and her gaze burning into mine. Willing me to say otherwise.
“Shut the door when you go,” I add.
She swears at me in Russian, and then she does as I ask.
22
Talia
I don’t move from Alexei’s lap when Katya has gone. Instead, I pull my dress up lewdly around my hips and lean back against his desk, allowing his eyes to rake over me.
He’s watching me closely, waiting to see my next move. He doesn’t understand my motives. I don’t either. But seeing how much that woman wanted him makes me feel possessive. It makes me need him in a way that I shouldn’t admit.
My hand reaches out to trail over his jaw. Strong and freshly shaved. Smooth. He is beautiful.
I can see why she wants him so much.
But that isn’t what really bothers me.
“You wanted to make her jealous,” I say.
“Yes.”
“Because you loved her,” I add.
“No,” he answers.
“Liar.”
My lips come down on his, and I kiss him hard. Alexei’s hands roam the backs of my thighs all the way up to my ass. His hot palm slides into the back of my panties to cup my ass cheek, and then he pulls me down against his hardness.
“Do you want to fuck me and think