Where Alphas Dominate, page 20
She took a seat across from him, conscious of the fact that she suddenly felt much calmer than she should. She needed to act more nervous. Twisted.
She played with her hands unnecessarily in her lap. “I’m in kind of a bind.”
“Oh?” He sat up straighter, lifted a brow. “What sort of bind?”
Oh yeah. The fucker knew.
“I’ve lost my job. I’m short this month. I’m trying to catch up. You know how it is.” She gave a fake shrug. “I was hoping you would be able to give me a few extra weeks to come up with this month’s payment. Hopefully I’ll find another job and get it back together quickly.” She rambled. Intentionally. That had been the plan.
“Oh darn.” Kenneth slouched with great exaggeration. “That’s awful. I’m so sorry.” He shook his head slowly, a sad puppy expression on his face.
“Yeah. Snuck up on me. I’m searching everywhere, but I wasn’t able to finish my degree. It’s hard to find something.”
He continued to shake his head as though commiserating with her.
She fought the bile rising in her throat, threatening a revolt of the delicious breakfast she’d eaten.
Kenneth leaned forward, setting his elbows on the desk. “That stinks, Ms. Leskov, but I’m afraid we have a strict policy here. If you don’t have the funds, you’ll have to move your mother to another facility by the end of the month.” He glanced at his calendar. “This Friday.”
For a moment she froze, thinking this had gone completely wrong.
And then he leaned back as though pondering, tapping his lips with one finger. He smiled, cocking his head to one side. “You know, Sofia, you’re an attractive woman.”
Jackpot. He had switched from Ms. Leskov to Sofia.
She sat up straighter. Thank God Roman schooled her on how to react. Otherwise she might have fainted. She wasn’t the sort of person who was generally strong enough to handle this sort of thing. No one in all her thirty-five years had ever suggested she prostitute herself in lieu of payment for anything.
“Perhaps we could come to some sort of arrangement. After all, you’ve had an exemplary record with us for years.”
“Oh, thank you, sir. I was hoping you would see it that way. I’ll do anything.” Vomit.
He tapped his pencil on the desk, eyeing her speculatively. “Did you know I’ve always admired you?”
She shook her head. “No. Really?”
“Yes. Amazing, intelligent woman like yourself trapped in a messed-up situation having to care for aging parents.” He sighed as though seriously sorry for her.
Again she thanked God Roman had shown up in her diner two nights ago. If he hadn’t, she would still be sitting here at this moment but with far less armor. “Thank you, sir. I can see you understand.”
“It will probably take you a while to get back on your feet, and I don’t want you to have to worry about your mother. I know it’s hard.”
She forced herself to pretend to relax into the chair.
He also pretended to ponder further. And then his eyes lit up. He stood, came around to her side of the desk, and leaned his ass against the edge. His legs were inches from hers, making her uncomfortable. “Are you in a relationship, Sofia?”
“What? No. I don’t have time for that sort of thing.” She waved a hand through the air, dismissing the idea.
He reached out and stroked her cheek and then grasped her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. Not at all like Roman. Not suggestively. Not as though she had a choice in the matter. He literally forced her.
She swallowed, her stress genuine.
“If you’re unattached, and I am too, maybe we could strike a bargain.”
She smiled, trying to seem eager. Trying not to freak out over his hand on her skin. His smarmy hand that made her cringe inside. “Anything.”
He leaned forward.
For a moment she thought he might mean now. That he might kiss her and expect her to suck him off right this second or something. She nearly peed herself.
“I work long hours,” he whispered. “I get bored. It’s lonely here.”
“I’m sure.”
“Maybe you could agree to visit me a few times a week.”
“Visit?” She feigned ignorance.
“Yeah.” He leaned closer, his rank breath making her stop inhaling. “An exchange. I’d ignore the payments you owe for a few months, and you’d…” he shrugged, “…you know, return the favor.”
She forced her eyes wider. “Sex? You want me to sleep with you?”
He licked his lips. “I’m an attractive guy.”
“Yes. Of course. I mean, I can see that.” She leaned back, trying to dislodge him and put some distance between them. “But, let me get this straight. You’re saying if I sleep with you, you’ll let my mother stay here?”
He smiled. “Now she’s catching on. What do you say?”
She paused, forcing herself to look shocked. Frankly, it wasn’t difficult. She was shocked. Even though she’d been prepped for this exact conversation, it still stunned her to hear it out loud from this piece of shit.
He spoke again. “I mean, not necessarily sex. There are plenty of things you could do that wouldn’t involve penetration if you’d prefer.” He moved his thumb from her chin to her lips and dragged it across the bottom one, tugging it down.
She thought she might throw up. “I see.” She needed to get him to suggest more. Himself. Out loud. Verbally. So that she wasn’t the one speaking. Roman had made that part abundantly clear. “What other things?”
He chuckled, releasing her and sitting back. Thank God. “Oh, Sofia. You’re a smart girl. Surely you’ve given a blow job before, yeah? A hand job? Anal? Whatever you need. I’m accommodating.”
Yep. The bile seeped into her mouth. She nodded. “I understand. Can I think about it?”
He nodded. “Sure. Of course. Take the day. Come by tomorrow. I’ll be here.” He rounded back to his side of the desk.
She exhaled in relief. Her greatest fear had been worrying that he might expect her to start immediately.
“But Sofia, on Friday you need to have other arrangements for your mother if you choose to turn me down. I’d hate to see you in a bind.” He straightened several papers on his desk. “I’m sure you understand my position. This isn’t a charity institution. It’s a nursing home. I don’t make concessions like this for just anyone. I’ve known you for a long time. You’re a cute girl. I just thought you might find me attractive too. We could strike a bargain, come up with something that was a win-win for both of us.” He winked, his grin huge.
She stood, nodding slowly. “Okay. I’ll call you tomorrow. Or come by.”
“You do that.”
She turned around, walked calmly out of his office, sped her pace down the hall, and then bolted through the front door.
She ran around the side of the building where Roman had parked the car and sat waiting for her in the driver’s seat. Before she reached the vehicle though, she turned away from him, leaned over the bushes, and vomited.
In seconds, he was behind her, his hand holding her hair at her neck. “Sofia? Oh God.”
She shook her head rapidly. “I’m okay. Give me a second.” Another wave of bile surfaced, and she hurled again.
Her legs shook. She didn’t want to lower herself to the ground next to the building. As it was she would be lucky if no one saw her.
“Baby… I’m so sorry. Did he…?” Roman’s fingers dug into her neck with more pressure.
“No. Seriously. It went exactly as planned.” She took a deep breath, righted herself, and lifted the bracelet still attached to her wrist. “Hope this thing worked.”
Roman rubbed his face with his free hand and led her back to the car. He helped her inside, rounded the front to his side, and then started the engine. He grabbed her thigh, but said nothing else. When he pulled out of the spot, she panicked.
“What are you doing? I thought you were going to go in after me?”
“I am, baby. But first I’m going to take you home. Regroup. Listen to the conversation. Return with my ducks in a row.”
She jerked her gaze to him. “You weren’t listening?”
He cocked his head to one side. “No. Madox was. He was afraid if I listened, I would get hotheaded and stomp inside and ruin the entire plan. And he was right. If I had known how distressed you were, I would have rushed in there and punched that fucker in the face.”
She smiled. “My hero,” she teased.
He chuckled, but not with enough humor. “Don’t judge me that kindly yet.”
Chapter 11
Three hours later, Sofia paced the living room of Madox’s oceanfront home, waiting for Roman to return. When they’d gotten home, he’d sent her outside to dig her toes into the sand with strict instructions that she stay where he could see her while he listened to the taped conversation and spoke to Madox.
By the time he came outside to get her, he seemed tense but relatively calm. She knew he’d probably broken a few things in Madox’s house, but he didn’t mention specifics.
He led her back inside, told her not to open any doors or windows, set the alarm, and left in his rental car.
And then she’d paced. His precautions seemed over the top. It wasn’t as though anyone was chasing her or stalking her. Kenneth Viking didn’t have plans to kidnap her or anything. His intensions were clear—either she fucked him twice a week or her mother would be put out on the street.
He was even kind enough to permit her to use her mouth, her hand, or her ass if she wasn’t interested in actual vaginal intercourse. She shuddered again thinking about his words.
It would be a long time before she recovered from this afternoon’s meeting and got his voice out of her head. She hoped whatever Roman planned was successful because she never wanted to set her eyes on Kenneth Viking again.
The door suddenly opened, and Sofia whipped around to face whoever entered, her hand on her heart as if she was expecting an intruder.
Roman looked calm. He smiled, came across the room, pulled her into his arms, and then lifted something in the air.
“What’s that?”
“A check.”
“A check? For what?”
“For the total amount of money you overpaid Kenneth Viking for six years.”
She gasped, glancing at the dollar amount. It was astronomical. She grabbed it. “Are you serious? How did you get this?”
He smiled. “I might have suggested it was in his best interest to return the stolen money to you unless he wanted to find himself in jail by the end of the day.”
“But, my mother. Oh God.”
Roman squeezed her tighter, pressing his hard body against hers. “Relax. I’m a smart guy. I had an ambulance there to move her to another facility while I was meeting with Mr. Viking. She was already safely out of harm’s way before he made the intelligent decision to return your money.”
She couldn’t believe it. “But what about all those other women? We can’t leave them high and dry, prostituting themselves to that asshole while I save myself.” Her voice rose. She was seriously concerned about Roman’s decisions.
He smiled broader. “Sofia. Come on. Do you think so little of me?”
“No.” She didn’t, but…
“Just because I forced his hand and took that check and moved your mother doesn’t mean I didn’t call the police and report him the moment I left the building. The place is swarming already. And the check has already been electronically deposited to your account.”
“What? How could you do that? That’s not possible. I didn’t sign it. You don’t have my account number.” She stopped talking. He’d done it. Somehow he’d managed. “Forgot who you are.”
“Yeah. It wasn’t me this time. Moving money around and spying on people through a bracelet isn’t in my line of work.”
“Madox.”
“Yep.”
She blew out a long breath. “I’m gonna name my first child after him.”
“Not a bad idea.” Roman hugged her tighter, kissing her softly. “If he’s a boy I mean. If not, we might not want to name our daughter Madox.” He released her, turned around, and headed for the kitchen as if he hadn’t just dropped a bomb in her lap and fled.
“Wait. What? What did you just say?”
He reached into the fridge, grabbed a beer, and twisted the top off. He lifted it toward her. “You want one? I’m on vacation. I’ve been on vacation for two days so far, and I haven’t had a chance to enjoy it.”
She shook her head rapidly. “No. I don’t like beer. Roman?”
He opened the sliding door, still acting nonchalant as though he hadn’t flipped her world upside down. “Let’s go for a walk.”
She couldn’t get her feet to move. We’ll name our first son Madox?
“Roman,” she shouted.
“What?” He stood in the doorway, a brow lifted in fake confusion.
“You just said we would name our first son Madox.”
“Yeah. It has a nice ring.” He took a long swig of his beer and licked his lips. “I like it. Are we going for that walk now?”
“Walk? Are you crazy? You can’t just say something like that and then casually go on with life. You’re confusing me. You have a job. You’ve made it perfectly clear that when your boss calls, you have to go do the next assignment. You’re leaving me. There will be no first-born son. No Madox. No daughter. Just me. Here. Alone. Picking up the pieces after you leave. Do not joke about something like this.”
He gave her a crooked smile and padded back toward her, setting the beer on the table until he reached her and hauled her against him. “Changed my mind.”
“Changed your mind? About what?”
“Us. Kids. Leaving.”
She couldn’t breathe. “And?”
“And I decided I’m not letting you go.”
“What… What does that mean?”
“It means I called my boss, told him I had a woman in my life now, and he needed to either assign me somewhere that would make it possible for you to go with me or fire my ass.” He shrugged. As if it were no big deal, he shrugged. “I don’t think he’ll fire me. Have you ever been to France?”
Her eyes widened. Breathing wasn’t her only problem. She also had no heartbeat and her blood had stopped pumping. “You’re serious?”
“Yep.” He kissed her. “I’m in love with you. Have been for fifteen years. You’re perfect for me. Not letting you go this time.”
“You’ve been here like forty-eight hours.”
“Didn’t need more time than that.”
He was right. She had known she was in love with him the second he stepped into the diner two nights ago and told her boss to essentially fuck himself. He had reinforced her opinion time and time again since then. “You’re in love with me?” She wanted to hear it again.
“Yes.”
“Say it again,” she teased, imitating the demands he tended to make of her in bed.
“I love you, Sofia Leskov. Go with me. Wherever I go, go with me.”
“Say it again.”
“I love you.” He smirked.
“You’re sure?”
“I love you.” His voice lowered, he set his forehead against hers, and he kissed her nose. “Please say yes.”
“I don’t know what I’m saying yes to, but I’d say yes to anything you asked me.”
He lifted her off the floor, spun her around, and whooped like a teenager who just got a date to the prom.
When he finally set her feet back on the ground, he kneeled in front of her, removed her sandals, and then stood once more and took her hand. He led her to the edge of the water without another word and held her against his side. “It’s so beautiful out here. I told my boss we were staying here for at least a month.”
She was still in shock. Her heart raced. She planted her hand flat on his chest to remind herself he was real.
They stood there for a long time in silence.
Finally, she spoke. “I love you too, Roman.”
“I know, baby.” He kissed the top of her head.
She sighed, leaned her cheek against him, and watched the waves come in. It didn’t matter if her jeans got wet. It didn’t matter that these were the only jeans she owned—the ones he bought her yesterday.
She didn’t figure she needed much clothing for the next month anyway.
Roman wasn’t likely to let her leave the house again. And he didn’t care for clothing. All she needed was a bikini so she could relax on the beach a few hours a day, and she would be set.
“Do you really think the money is in my checking account?”
“Yes. I checked it myself. It’s there.”
“Good. Because I need a new bikini.”
He smiled. “I think we can arrange that.”
“And maybe some lingerie.”
“Mmmm. Highly overrated. It looks nice, but then it ends up on the floor. And in your case, there’s a good chance I might tear it trying to get it off you. Also, let me point out that I’m not getting any younger. If you want to have a few kids, we need to get started on those—like yesterday.” He kept his gaze toward the ocean.
She smiled against him. Yep, this man was hers. Or she was his.
What did it matter?
As long as they had each other, clothing optional, they had the world.
Saving Sofia is a novella that follows my Underground series. If you want to learn more about The Underground, the first book in the series is Force.
Three’s A Cruise
Copyright © 2013 by Becca Jameson
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. And resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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