The Rule of Luck, page 23
I felt all eyes on me. Wonderful. “Don’t stop the party on my account.” Gods, where had that come from? “I’m just glad to be invited.”
Oksana rushed to my side. She threw her arms around me in a dramatic hug, pulling me away from the chain-breakers. “I’m so glad you’re alright! I was so worried.”
“Thanks for the concern,” I answered, returning it. Then I pulled away to look at her. “Where is he?”
She nodded slightly, indicating behind me. Shit. I went rigid, not sure what to do next, then decided just to whirl and face him. Oksana’s grip held me in place, stopping me. “Tread lightly. I’ve never seen him this angry. Stop him from doing something reckless,” she whispered.
“How?” I whispered back.
“By being what he needs.”
“I’m not even sure I know what the hell that is.”
“You both need to stop lying to yourselves and denying the truth of what you want. You’re the only one who can fix him.” And before I could say another word, Oksana spun me around.
Petriv leaned against the doorframe to what I assumed was a bedroom. The room behind him was in partial shadow so I couldn’t be sure. Had he been resting? It seemed odd all things considered, but I let it go. He had a drink in his hand which he finished as soon as I turned, letting the empty glass dangle from his fingers. He wore a white shirt, hanging open to reveal the tattoos I’d seen days before. He had yet to shave and his dark hair was a tousled mess. My throat went dry just looking at him.
His blue eyes caught and pinned me. The weight of that gaze was too much. I wanted to sink into a chair, look away, close my eyes—anything to avoid it. He barked something in Russian. I didn’t know what it meant, but it was definitely an order. Someone spoke up, in protest I think. Without taking his eyes from me, he repeated himself. The room cleared. I heard chairs scraping, the sound of feet, and doors closing until only the two of us remained.
“What did you tell them?” I whispered.
“If they didn’t leave within two minutes, they would not live to see morning.”
“Oh.” Yup, I needed to sit and think about what I wanted to say next. I had the feeling if I said the wrong thing, something scary would happen. Unfortunately, there were no nearby chairs and I felt too rooted to the spot to move. Fix him, Oksana had said. How the hell did I do that? And what truth was I supposed to stop denying? “Do you want to know what I found out tonight?”
Silence. Instead, he went to the wet bar on the other side of the room, poured another drink, and downed it in one long swallow.
“Seems like a waste of a glass if that’s how you plan on taking care of business,” I observed, because I just couldn’t seem to hold back the smart-ass answers. Then I plowed on with, “Monique took me to TransWorld’s headquarters. Sorry I couldn’t wait for you but she called the shots. On the plus side, I found out how they’re using the luck gene.”
Petriv poured yet another drink and drained it as quickly as he had the previous two. Earlier he’d said it was nearly impossible for him to get drunk, but it looked like he was putting a solid effort into it now. I frowned, uncertain how to continue.
“Why don’t I come back later when you’re feeling more like yourself?” I tried.
“You will stay exactly where you are,” he said without turning.
Okay, then. I blew out a sigh, though I would have preferred to scream. “Gods, I am so sick of taking this bullshit from everyone! I’m not a slave for you to order around. I did what I thought you wanted, so give it a rest. I found out about Monique and TransWorld tonight. I also have an idea how to derail the bid, if you’re interested. Let me tell you what happened and you can decide how to handle it. Then…the Consortium will have what it wants, you can remove my blacklisted status, and it’ll be like none of this ever happened.”
“But it did happen, Ms. Sevigny.” He walked toward me as he spoke, empty glass in hand. Every move both terrified and aroused me whether I wanted to feel that way or not. “Isn’t that what you said earlier? That it’s already started?”
“And you were very clear that things weren’t going any further,” I replied, reasonably, I thought. My voice didn’t waver in the least.
“Which I assume is why you were in the hotel bar this evening, soliciting ‘revenge sex.’ ”
I’m not sure what my expression was. Horror, maybe. “I wasn’t…I mean…I might have said something like that…” Shit, this wasn’t coming out right. “How do you even know that?”
“Your last c-tex location was the hotel bar. I accessed the memory blocks of the hotel guests and found the data stored in the CN-net.”
I stared at him. Memory blocks on the CN-net had the best encryption in the tri-system and he’d cracked it? Not just for one person, but for everyone in the entire hotel. How was that even possible?
“That’s illegal!” I sputtered, trying to cover my surprise. Petriv merely shrugged a shoulder with disdain. “Some guy just wanted to buy me a drink.”
“Just?”
“Okay, maybe not ‘just,’ but it meant nothing.”
“But presumably it would have become something had you not been interrupted.”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I don’t have to defend myself to you.”
Petriv prowled around me. I stood in place, refusing to let him intimidate me. “What matters is, had it happened, I would have hated to have to kill him. He’s now on his way home and will be barred from all air travel for the rest of his life. You will not be seeing him again. Ever.”
“What? That’s crazy! You have no say in what I do with my personal life!”
He stood behind me, so close I could feel his body heat and smell alcohol on his breath. I fought to hold myself still; if I moved so much as an inch, we would be touching. I closed my eyes, trying not to let his nearness scatter my thoughts.
“I don’t share what’s mine, Ms. Sevigny,” he murmured in my ear, his voice a soft growl. “Not with anyone.”
“I’m not yours. We have a business arrangement. In a few days, we’ll go back to our regular lives and can forget we ever met.”
“Is that what you think will happen?”
His left hand brushed my shoulder and I could feel his lips move lightly over my hair. It took everything in me not to run from the room. I shivered instead. How could he talk so causally about killing a man just because I spoke to him? This was jealousy and possessiveness amped to a level I’d never experienced before. It felt like we’d gone so far beyond normal, I needed to get away from him just for my own sanity.
“That’s what you said you wanted this afternoon and after listening to Monique and seeing you like this, I think you were right. It’s obvious we’re not good together. It’s best if I leave for Nairobi and we get away from each other as soon as possible.”
With a violence that didn’t surprise me, he hurled his glass and it shattered against the far wall. He whirled me around, fingers digging hard into my shoulders, and drew me in until we were inches apart, his expression wild.
“What did that bitch say to you?”
“Does it matter? You’re the one who doesn’t want complicated, remember? You’re the one who thinks relationship is a dirty word. Did you ever think maybe I don’t want a relationship either? After all, look at how spectacularly my last one ended. Maybe…maybe I just want to know what you’re like in bed and then I’ll be on my way!”
That seemed to enrage him more. He shook me then, not hard, but enough to shut my mouth. “Do you truly believe it would only be one night together and we would both walk away? That it all stops because you want it to?”
“Yes. That’s exactly what’s going to happen. It’s just sex, after all. Uncomplicated sex!” I shouted, trying to get free of his hands. His fingers tightened, illustrating how impossible that was. “That’s what you want, isn’t it? So let’s just do it and get it over with. You want me one minute, you don’t the next, so fine! Let’s pick a time when you do and then be done with it, because right now, I don’t know what the hell you want from me!”
For a moment, it looked like he might do just that—throw me over a table and fuck me, putting us both out of our misery. I watched him visibly fight for calm until he asked, “Did your mother explain the luck gene to you?”
The question was so out of left field, it surprised me into silence. I ignored my aching shoulders and focused on my answer. “She said it warps everything so it always goes in my favor. She said it would warp…you.” Realization hit me. “You already knew.”
“I’ve always known. From the moment I learned you existed, I knew I would be drawn into the paradox surrounding you. It was inevitable. Luck would find a way to twist us both into whatever the other needed.”
I frowned. “And you’re trying to fight it, is that it? Is this some sick test of your willpower to see if you can resist me?” I started struggling again, more pissed than ever. “Do you have any idea how much this is messing with my head? I don’t want to be this…force that makes people afraid to be around me because they’re scared I’ll change how they really feel. If that’s what you believe about me, why bother coming into my shop at all? You could have walked away and never laid eyes on me.”
He smiled ruefully and something in it tugged at my heart. “Because I didn’t want to avoid it. You were the challenge I couldn’t help but accept and the prize I became obsessed with winning. Would I be ensnared in luck’s web, or would I survive unscathed? The more I considered the puzzle you represented, the more consumed I became with the answer. I wanted to know how I would feel once we met. Would things be any different?”
I looked at him incredulously. “And how did that work out for you?”
“What do you think? One minute I was idly wondering about the mechanics of luck. The next, I was leaving your shop, knowing I would go insane if I couldn’t have you.”
My heart suddenly took off at a gallop. “Have me how?” I asked, faintly.
“Have you in every way possible,” he murmured. “I knew I would never want to let you go, and nothing else would matter to me but this.”
I stopped fighting altogether and sagged in his arms. I felt an amazed sort of awe as he spoke, stunned he could feel something this overwhelming for me or that he would even admit it. “You make it sound like it’s a bad thing.”
“Because it is. I can’t be consumed by this and be what the Consortium needs. I wasn’t made to feel like this. I’m rational. Logical. Precise. That is who I am. Instead, since I met you, I have no control. No logic. I would destroy everything the Consortium has worked for, everything I am, just to have you. I would burn it all to the ground for this one moment, and that knowledge terrifies me.”
As he spoke, his hands swept over my shoulders, down my back, and to the base of my spine in a caress that left me breathless. I brought my hands between us, pushing against his bare chest if only to keep a semblance of distance. His intensity mesmerized me. I could feel his heart racing beneath my palms and his skin felt hot to the touch. I hadn’t realized I was so cold.
“You’re scaring me,” I whispered, eyes on his chest. I let my fingers trace the elaborate crucifix tattoo there. “I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want you and I’m afraid of that. These past few days with you—I feel like I’ve gone crazy because I can’t get you out of my head. Even when I thought it was wrong to be with you, I still couldn’t stop myself. But after what Monique said about the luck gene, I’m scared I’ll wake up one day and want someone else because luck has decided something better has come along. What if it makes what seems so real right now just disappear? I’m so afraid that this, and you, will mean nothing to me, and I don’t want that to happen. What would you do then?”
“That will never happen.”
“Monique said luck always seeks to preserve itself and find the best advantage. How can you be sure?”
“Because it won’t.” His tone was stubborn and resolute. “I will see to it.”
I finally looked up at him. “What are we supposed to do now? How can you prove this even matters?”
He leaned down and kissed me then, crushing me to him. I returned the kiss, my body straining against his, my arms reaching to pull his head down closer to mine, not caring that his stubble scratched my face. Even with my boots on, I still went up on tiptoe to press closer. My mouth opened under his and I could taste the alcohol he’d been drinking. His hands slid down the backs of my thighs and he simply lifted me and wrapped my legs around his waist, molding my body to fit against his. As he carried me, his fingers slipped between my legs and pushed aside the material in his way, which wasn’t much. He stroked me and I cried out and writhed against him.
We moved into the semi-darkened room. I had a sense of a bed behind me. He lowered me and I found myself on the edge of the mattress as he went to his knees on the floor. With swift movements, he removed my boots, then his hands drifted up my thighs, eyes on mine.
“Do you want this, Felicia?” he asked, his voice a hoarse whisper. His hands rested on my hips under my dress, thumbs moving in lazy circles on my lower abdomen. It seemed his body vibrated with both desire and restraint as he waited for my answer.
“Using my name, I see,” I said instead, suddenly nervous. This was the plunge I’d been hoping for, yet fearing. After this, everything between us would change.
“You wanted this arrangement kept strictly professional. However…” He leaned in closer, his hands more insistent, the pressure on my hips increasing and making my body ache for his. “I don’t believe it’s professional any longer.”
“I don’t think it was professional for more than five minutes.”
“Maybe not.” He offered a brief smile that faded quickly. The intensity returned. His eyes were on mine and refused to let go. “Are you certain you want this, because once this begins, I will not stop. No interruptions, no distractions. Even if the world falls down around us, nothing will stop this. I need to have you—all of you. You have no idea how much I want this.”
I nodded and swallowed, shivering at his words. “I want it too.”
“Good.”
He rocked me back until I lay stretched out on the bed with my legs dangling over the edge. He lay beside me, bracing himself on his forearm so that he hovered over me. Then he leaned in, his lips on mine again, opening my mouth with his tongue. Gods, the man knew how to kiss. Just his mouth on mine was enough to leave me senseless and oblivious to everything but him.
A hand strayed down my side, to my hip, then drifted between my legs. A finger slipped inside me, caressing gently. He made a pleased noise deep in his throat at finding me already soaked as I writhed against his hand, lifting my hips, desperate for more of his touch.
“Not yet,” he teased gruffly, sounding amused. “Do you know how long I’ve been thinking about what I’m going to do to you? We’re not in a restaurant now, Felicia. Do you really believe I’d let it end so quickly again?”
I pushed my hips insistently against his hand. I was ready to explode now. “How long do you think you’ll need?” I panted against his mouth.
“Difficult to say. Dawn is in a few hours. Check back with me then.”
He resumed the kiss, cutting me off in mid-thought. Not that I was really thinking anymore. Everything was focused on him and his body over mine. I ran my hands over his chest and shoulders, truly feeling those hard, formidable muscles for the first time. I tried to pull him closer, but he pulled back, his lips sliding to my throat and leaving a trail of hot kisses as he made his way lower. I felt his teeth on my shoulder, biting gently while he kneaded my breasts, first one than the other, with his hand. My fingers were in his hair, urging him on impatiently as I squirmed; wanting his touch everywhere he could reach. When he moved on, I protested with a moan and tried to bring him back up to my lips. He resisted. Instead, he got up from the mattress and moved between my legs.
“We are doing this my way,” he murmured, his voice a soft purr as he stood over me.
“Let me touch you,” I begged. “Please, I need to feel you.”
“You will,” he promised. “But right now….”
His voice trailed off as his hands skimmed the hem of the dress. A moment later, I heard material rip as he tore it away. My panties followed just as quickly—perhaps even quicker—leaving me naked. I’d barely had time to brace myself.
I looked up at him, wide-eyed. “You’re going to be hell on my wardrobe if you keep that up.”
His smile was wickedly sinful. “I’ll buy you a dozen like it when we get home. But right now I need to see you. Need to feel you in my hands.”
The last was said as his lips found my breasts—he sucked and licked until both nipples were taut peaks and my laughter turned to gasps. His fingers easily coaxed my legs open until they were splayed wide and he kneeled on the floor. He caught my wrists one-handed, holding them captive above me, and used his other hand to drag my hips closer to the edge of the mattress. Then he looked up the length of me, the wicked smile on his lips turning my bones to liquid.
“As I said before, I’ve been thinking about this for too long so you’ll have to indulge me.”
Before I could protest, his lips were gliding along my inner thigh. Then his mouth and tongue swept between my legs, moving with a skill no other man had ever managed. He placed my legs over his shoulders then held me firmly in place—one hand still holding my wrists, the other, my hip. His tongue teased me, licking deeply, and then circling my clit in rhythmic movements that would have driven my hips off the bed if not for his hand holding me still. And even that drove me with delicious need—my helplessness, his powerful control over my body, his skill as his mouth sucked greedily. I couldn’t get away, couldn’t touch him, and could only take what he allowed me to feel. It seemed I would explode or lose my mind from the assault of sensation, and a heartbeat later as his tongue speared into me with faster strokes, an orgasm tore through me. I shrieked with violent relief, bucking against him. The pressure between my legs continued, his tongue darting in again. I fought him, trying to get away. It was too much. I needed space. Instead, he let go of my wrists and lifted my hips in both hands to better position me. His tongue drove in again and sucked with tireless effort until I had a second, shattering orgasm that left me limp, panting, and unable to focus.
