But then I roll over and see the time: six thirty in the morning. In a little bit, I’ll have to come face-to-face with Konstantin all over again.
This is gonna be a fun fucking day. I can feel it…
Groaning, I swing my legs over the side of the bed and pad toward the shower. The pipes in my tiny two-bedroom home creak to life as steam fills the bathroom. My muscles ache, not from sleep, but from everything else. From what Konstantin did to me. WhatIlet him do.
I step into the hot spray, letting it scald my skin, hoping it will wash away the memories still clinging to my body. It doesn’t. I stay under the water until the steam clouds the mirror and the heat seeps into my bones.
Eventually, I force myself out, toweling off quickly, then dry myhair before stepping into the hallway. That’s when my phone pings and a message lights up the screen.
Konstantin
My driver’s waiting for you outside. Don’t rush.
Tessa
He might be waiting a while.
Konstantin
We both know you’re worth waiting for.
I fight the smile as I toss the phone on the bed and take my time getting ready. His charm won’t work on me. Not in this life, and not in the next. And I sure as hell am not about to let him think I’m scrambling for him. He may be my boss, but I’m in charge.
Grabbing my black pencil skirt and pale blue silk blouse, I slip into them before sliding into a pair of black pumps. The outfit’s modest, but sharp, the kind of thing I wore working bureau cases.
Adding a touch of makeup, I dry my hair and curl the ends just a little before flipping my head over and running my fingers through the strands. With my purse in hand and my peacoat on, I finally step outside, the morning air slightly chilly.
The black sedan parked at the curb is definitely expensive. I think it’s a Bentley of some kind, with windows tinted so dark I can’t see a thing.
I lock my front door, slipping my keys back into my bag. Just as I turn to head down the steps for the car, the front door next to mine opens.
“Morning, Tessa,” says Caleb, my sweet, kind-of-flirty neighbor.
He’s probably in his early thirties, and if I was into the whole “bring him to meet your mom” vibes, I’d have already fucked him. But I don’t have a mom who’d give a shit, and the kind of guys I’mnormally into are definitely not what people would call sweet.
“Hey.” God, I despise small talk, especially with people I’m deceiving.
He jogs across his lawn toward me.
Great…
“You’re all dressed up.” He grins. “Got a big day or something?”
I shrug, trying to stay casual. “New job.”
His brows lift. “Congrats. You celebrating tonight? Maybe I can take you out. I know this really low-key place?—”
The back door of the Bentley swings open so fast, it makes both of us jump.
Konstantin steps out, to my utter shock. Black suit. No tie. Shirt open at the throat. But it’s his gaze I’m more concerned about. That lethal brutality in it, aimed at poor Caleb, like he might put a bullet between his eyes for simply existing.
This day is getting better by the second.
He stalks toward me, slow and sure. When he gets close, he leans in and presses a kiss to my cheek, but I can feel his anger coming out of him in waves.
Well, this is bad. Psycho Bratva kingpin is about to get real crazy.
“I didn’t know you were here,” I tell him, while his glare remains on my poor, innocent neighbor. I start to turn to Caleb, fumbling for something to say. “This is my b?—”
