Alexandr's Cherished Submissive (11 page)

“Who he is?”

His gaze darted away. “You know, a politician and a wealthy businessman.”

She stiffened and lifted her chin. “Well, for future reference, I’m an adult who is capable of making her own decisions on who I do and don’t go out with.”

“Ahhh, lass, don’t be mad. Lovely as you are, you know Peter’s just looking out for you. God save me if I have daughters as beautiful as you. Turn my hair gray with worry before they’re out of the cradle.” He winked with a rakish grin, and she swore one of the nearby servers sighed.

That mollified her somewhat, but she still shot a glare in the direction of the stairs leading to her uncle’s home, only to find Oleg sitting at a table nearby and watching them with a decidedly unhappy expression. She blinked, wondering what had her friend upset, but before she could give it any further thought, John drew her attention back to him by gently tugging at her hand.

“Jessica.”

His expression was unexpectedly grave, and she frowned at him. “Yes?”

“Are you involved with Alex Gorev?”

“What? No, no. He’s my bodyguard.”

He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head in Oleg’s direction. “Then why does one of his men look like he’s thinkin’ about cuttin’ my throat?”

Oleg had indeed been looking at John like he was thinking about violent things. She shrugged, used to the men’s overprotective nature with her. “That’s just Oleg. He’s a friend of mine, and my bodyguard, but he’s also kinda overprotective. Says I remind him of his daughters. But don’t worry, he’s not mad at you. He always looks like that.”

“He’s your bodyguard and your friend?”

“Well, yeah. Why wouldn’t we be friends? Alex lives across the hall from me, and they come over and hang out a lot. They’re really nice guys once you get to know them and get past the language barrier.”

John’s expression became serious. “Jessica, you don’t need to be around the likes of them. Let them guard you, but do not get personally involved with any of them. I know your uncle has his reasons for them being here, but I don’t want you getting hurt by Alexandr…Gorev.”

“He’s been nothing but nice to me.”

His lips twitched like he wanted to say something, but he finally shook his head. “Just trust me when I say Alex isn’t the kind of man that’s nice to a woman without wantin’ something.”

She tried to pull her hand away, but he held tight. “What are you trying to say?”

“I just worry about you is all. I like you. You’re sweet, the sweetest girl I’ve ever met, and I don’t want anyone to take advantage of your good nature. No offense, but you aren’t used to men like Alex.”

Irritated now, she jerked her hand. “Look, I’m not stupid, okay? I know how to take care of myself, and Alex and his men have been nothing but polite with me. Is it so hard to believe that someone would want to be my friend?”

“No, that’s not hard to believe at all. Any man would consider himself lucky to have you smile at him, but he’d want you as more than a friend.”

“Well, I can assure you that Alex and his buddies don’t think of me that way.”

“Yes, they do.”

She snorted, and his expression softened. That little thrill of warmth stirred in her belly again.

“Ahhh, I see it now. You have no idea how lovely you are, do you? A man can’t help but look at you and wonder what it would feel like to have your soft lips pressed to his, your cheeks pink from his kiss.”

Heat suffused her face with her blush. She knew she was pretty, though she wouldn’t go so far as beautiful, and totally did not see herself as the kind of woman guys would fantasize about. They sure as shit hadn’t in high school. For one thing, her body type wasn’t the curvy kind men seemed to go gaga for, and for another, she certainly didn’t draw attention like Gwen, the stunning bartender who had slept with Alex. Whatever that woman had, Jessica obviously didn’t. If she did, Alex would be in her bed instead of Gwen’s.

“Thanks for the kind words, but you don’t have to blow smoke up my ass.”

He laughed, then reached across the bar, and cupped her chin in his hand. With desire darkening his gaze, he leaned in close enough that she could feel the warmth of his breath on her face as he whispered, “In case you haven’t noticed, lass, I think you’re gorgeous.”

The pleasant flutter in her stomach was stronger this time, but before she could respond, Uncle Peter’s voice rang out over the pub in a teasing shout, “John, get your filthy hands off my niece.”

Startled, she jerked away and blushed furiously while the other patrons laughed. John merely smiled at her then turned to face her uncle with an arrogant tilt to his chin. When John did, he tensed, and all the humor disappeared from his face, replaced with a challenging look. Startled by his reaction, she turned to look at her uncle and gripped the edge of the bar when she saw a very pissed off Alex standing next to Peter and glaring at John. Oleg was now at Alex’s side, and his glower was equally fierce.

Puzzled by their reaction, she kept quiet as John replied, “Hey, Peter. I’m takin’ Jessica to the tree lighting tomorrow. Gonna meet mam and da’ there.”

Uncle Peter gave John a small smile then turned his gaze on her. “You sure you want to go with this
bogger
?”

She wasn’t sure what
bogger
meant, but by the way John grinned, it was obvious he didn’t find the term offensive. Aware of the blistering cold fury Alex now directed at her, she ignored him and spoke to Peter. “Yes.”

A pleased look suffused her uncle’s reddened face, but he shook his finger in warning at John. “Have her back by midnight, and keep yer hands to yerself, or I’ll have them cut off and shoved up yer arse.”

The men in the pub laughed again, and she knew her face must be bright red with embarrassment. “Nice, Uncle Peter. Very subtle. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a job to do.”

Before she could move, John caught her wrist lightly. “I’ll see you tomorrow night at seven, yeah?”

“Yeah,” she whispered back, trying to summon a smile and ignore the fact that Alex now appeared to be pissed off at her.

The weight of his gaze stung, and she walked away without looking at him. She was all too aware of Alex’s anger burning into her as she moved to the other end of the bar and began filling a couple orders that had come in while she was talking with John. Fuck Alex. He had no right to be pissy with her.

The afternoon seemed to drag on into the evening as the day blended into night. The pub was busy enough that she didn’t have a chance to take much of a break at all. By the time she was done for the night, her feet and back hurt, and she really regretted taking a double shift, but one of the other bartenders’ kids was having a birthday so Jessica picked it up for her.

Once she was done for the night, as usual, Oleg followed her out the door. The roar of the pub was quickly muffled by the thick oak door and replaced by the hum of the busy street. The air was cold enough that she shoved her hands into the pockets of her thick wool coat and tucked her chin down into the green cashmere scarf her uncle had given her. They naturally fell in step with each other as they walked the familiar route back to her place. Oleg was a tall, big man so she found herself taking two strides for his every one just to keep up with him as he constantly scanned the crowd. Unable to stop her mouth, she tried to get some information out of him about Alex’s earlier angry mood.

“So, uh, what crawled up his majesty’s ass and died?”

Oleg grunted, his version of a chuckle. “You would do well to be careful with Alex tonight,
prinsessa
.”

“Why? What happened? Is he okay?”

All too aware that she’d once again betrayed her excessive interest in Alex, she stared ahead as they navigated the busy street, the damp pavement scenting the air and mixing with the delicious aromas of various foods. Laughter rang out here and there, adding to the energy filling the sidewalk. She tried to ignore Oleg’s all-too-knowing gaze on her face and concentrate on people-watching as they walked.

When he finally spoke, it was in a soft, chiding voice that Oleg seemed to use only with her or when he was talking to his daughters on the phone. Gentle, but firm. “Jessica, you think he would react well to you going on date with other man?”

She chewed her lower lip then frowned. “Did he really think I was going to react well when he continues to have sex with the other bartenders? He’s made it abundantly clear that he sees me as nothing more than a friend. And trust me, the fact that he’s regularly screwing one of my co-workers grinds that point home.”

Oleg stopped abruptly, and a couple people stumbled around them, but no one bumped into him or her. The big man was not the kind of guy someone wanted to accidentally touch. People were always aware and wary of her friend. “Who told you these things?”

Little prickles ran over her skin as Oleg’s gaze turned murky…cold. It was totally creepy, and even though she knew he would never hurt her, he was really angry. Torn between the need to confess everything he wanted to know just so he’d stop looking at her like that and shutting the fuck up, she froze, the indecision leaving her paralyzed. Her heart raced, and she wondered for the first time what she had gotten herself into by becoming friends with these dark men. She was definitely out of her depth, but up until this point, they’d been nothing but kind, understanding, and funny, Oleg in particular. The memory of her time spent with him talking about his oldest daughter and a dog he’d gotten her for Christmas had made Jessica laugh so hard she was reduced to tears, and her apprehension eased. Concentrating on that mental image, her fear drained away, replaced by irritation.

Before she could stop herself, she blurted out in a torrent of angry words, “He flirts with women right in front of me, Oleg. In. My. Face. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. That’s fine. He does his thing, whatever. But that does not mean he has some kind of claim on me! I am my own damn woman, living my life,
alone
, and I don’t need anyone. Especially not a pompous asshole who likes to play mind games with women and seems determined to fuck his way through Dublin!”

There was a moment of silence, and a couple people walking past chuckled. A guy up the street yelled something about how he wanted to fuck his way through her or some dumb, drunk stuff. That broke her staring contest with Oleg as he turned his glare on the loud man who was stumbling away with a group of his friends urging him on. Humiliation filled her when she realized she’d just screeched like a harpy in the middle of a crowded street.

Awesome.

Eager to end this embarrassing freak show, she quickly pushed her way through the crowd and reached the double front doors of her apartment building in record time despite wearing brown leather boots with two-inch heels. Those inches didn’t seem like a lot, until she’d worked a double in them and her calves ached. Oleg trailed her the whole way, and she wanted to yell at him to give her some damn space, but she was done entertaining the drunks for the night. After going through the outer safety doors, past a guard, and through another set of doors to a guarded lobby, Jessica let out a low sigh as the muffled silence of the building soothed her.

She knew the security of this building was crazy high because Uncle Peter wanted to keep her as safe as he could. She understood his paranoia, even if it made her uncomfortable. He’d lost his sister, and Jessica knew she looked like a delicate version of her mother. It didn’t take a psychiatrist to figure out why he worried so much about her.

Most nights, she took the stairs, but the thought of climbing three flights made her feet throb in protest. So instead, she stood there with Oleg, waiting in uncomfortable silence for the elevator. She hated it when people were mad at her so, as usual, she found herself apologizing. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

“Is all right. At least you did not throw things. My wife would have heaved knife at me by now.”

Unsure if he was kidding or not—it would take a hell of a woman to be married to Oleg—she gave him a weak smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

The elevator finally arrived, and they both stepped inside. She leaned against the wall and yawned, tired yet oddly keyed up. Tense. It must have been apparent because Oleg rested a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Jessica, be calm.”

“I am calm,” she snapped. “Is he home?”

Oleg frowned. “Alex?”

“Yes, Alex.”

They reached her floor, and Oleg followed her out. “Why?”

“Because we need to sort some shit out.”

“He is, but he has company.”

A horrible thought occurred to her. “Female company? Does he have some skank in there right now?”

Wrong thing to say.

Oleg stepped closer until he was almost within touching distance, his displeasure obvious. “If he was entertaining a woman, as his friend it would be none of your business, Jessica, and you would have no right to question him.”

That stung and she stumbled back a step. “Right.”

“However, that is not what he is doing. Is anniversary of his stepmother and half-sister’s death. His brother, Dimitri, is here with him. Is not good time for them.”

The blow of his words struck her so deeply, the air in her lungs escaped with a hard rush. She was a terrible, self-absorbed person and felt like such a bitch. An ache filled her throat as she said, “Oh, no, oh, God. I feel horrible. Is there anything I can do for them?”

He studied her for a long moment, his dark gaze unreadable. “Can you cook?”

“Well, yes. My mother taught me. It’s nothing fancy, but they’re farm recipes that have been handed down over the generations through my family.” She swallowed hard, her selfish mind turning to the loss of her mother before she forced herself to focus. “I think I have the stuff I need in my kitchen for biscuits and gravy. It’s good, belly-filling comfort food.”

Oleg’s gaze had warmed by this point, and he tilted his head to her door. “Go. Change into something nice. It is important in my country that a woman looks good for the first meeting with people.”

“Uh...what?”

He sighed. “Give the men something beautiful to look at, yes? You be surprised how much lovely girl can lift man’s spirits. My wife will put extra effort into her appearance when I come home from work. It makes time away from her worth it. She is smart woman. You do same for Alex, and it will make him proud for Dimitri to meet you.”