Russian Billionaire's Fiancée (Chekov Billionaire Series Book 3), page 1
Russian Billionaire’s Fiancée
(Chekov Billionaire Series #3)
By: Leona Lee
All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2014 Leona Lee, J. Starr
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Note: This book is part 3 of 3 in the Chekov Billionaire Series!
Part 1: Russian Billionaire’s Virgin Secretary
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Authors Note
Chapter 1
Sarah woke to the sound of alarms going off, as she sat up startled. She would never get used to that sound, as she immediately looked at the bed to make sure Vitaly was okay.
“Sorry, hon, didn’t catch it in time,” an overly cheerful nurse told her as she took some readings and then bustled out of the room.
Sarah rose from the chair she was sitting in and stretched. She had fallen asleep again. In fact, it had become so common that the nurses didn’t bother to wake her when visiting hours were over. Since Vitaly’s car accident, she had been spending most nights at the hospital while he remained in a coma.
Has it really been two months since his car accident? Sarah thought to herself as she looked out the window at the sun just starting to light up the horizon. She couldn’t believe how much had happened over the past several months. Since coming to work for Vitaly Chekov at VIC Enterprises, her life has been one long rollercoaster ride.
When she had accepted the internship, she knew that she would be working with one of the best in the logistics business, but she never anticipated falling for him. Twice she walked away from him and both times, she came back. Shaking her head, she looked down at his still figure, as he laid there in the bed. She still couldn’t believe the power this man had over her. But, as she told him, night after night, as she sat vigil by his sleeping form, she loved him. She only hoped that she would be able to tell him how much once he woke up.
Since releasing him from his medically induced coma, he had not awakened and with each passing day, the doctors were less optimistic, but Sarah refused to accept that he would never wake up. Vitaly was a fighter. A very passionate, obstinate fighter who needed to wake up soon, as he was needed. Desperately so.
At twenty-four, Sarah’s life experiences didn’t measure up to the ten plus years difference between them in age, much less her more conservative upbringing, but that didn’t stop her from embracing everything Vitaly had to offer and even with her limited experience, the sex was fabulous. In a matter of weeks, she had gone from being a virgin to indulging in voyeuristic activities that might have caused an accident had the limo driver been paying too much attention to her instead of the road.
And each night, Sarah relived their sexual escapades, often with new and better scenarios that left her panting when she woke. She really hoped that she didn’t talk in her sleep, as she didn’t want the nurses to know what she was dreaming about.
Yet it wasn’t all sexcapades. Vitaly’s passion and drive was unrivaled in the industry as he rapidly grew his businesses and net worth from almost nothing to one of San Jose’s richest and most eligible bachelors. And she had excelled under his tutelage, rapidly assimilating everything he taught her, as she did her part to grow his business and keep his clients and vendors pleased with their growing profit margins.
At the same time, so much seemed to go wrong. She didn’t think anyone could go through allegations of espionage and walk away unscathed. Yet, despite the accusations laid upon her, if it wasn’t for Sarah being in the right place at the right time, they never would have found out that Marcus, one of Vitaly’s trusted employees, was behind the leaked information.
Angry at the betrayal and with a strong desire to destroy his competitor, Vitaly had managed to orchestrate a scheme that brought down Dmitri Nardiv, once a good friend, and much to his surprise, all of the members of VIC Enterprise’s east coast procurement team. The New Jersey Attorney General’s office was very interested in many of Nardiv’s import contracts, which ultimately led to his arrest, as his remaining clients jumped ship over to VIC.
As Ivan, VIC Enterprises’ chief of security, was able to determine, the car accident that put Vitaly into a coma wasn’t an accident as brake tampering was found. And while Dmitri was in jail at the time of the accident, it was still possible that he had ordered it or possibly a host of other potential suspects since the take down affected many people who suddenly found themselves without such easy extra income.
Born and raised in central California, to Sarah, the idea of mobsters and hit men was something invented by Hollywood and not a potential occurrence. She still couldn’t wrap her head around the lengthy list of candidates eager to see Vitaly dead, or at the very least, out of business.
The vibration of her phone caught her attention as she reached into her pocket. Sighing, she gathered her things, gave Vitaly a kiss and headed out to her car. She had taken to keeping additional changes of clothing at the office and between the company gym, where she could shower, and the cafeteria both at work and the hospital to keep her from going hungry, days could go by without the need to return home.
Exiting out on the tenth floor, Sarah gratefully accepted coffee from Laurel, the receptionist, as she sat down at her desk. The three-hour time difference between San Jose and their New York clients meant that her mornings kept her hopping.
She smiled when she saw her clothes hanging in dry cleaner bags. Vitaly’s support staff had rallied around Sarah when she came back to work, and had taken care of everything for her.
As Sarah scrolled through her emails, a video conference request popped up. Opening it up, she smiled at Simon, as she sipped at her coffee. As one of the only remaining employees in the New York office, Simon had stepped up and between his small team and Sarah, they had managed to get all the new contracts signed.
They were still having some trouble with the Unions at both the New Jersey and New York Port Authorities, as many Union members didn’t take the attention from law enforcement too well. But the more law-abiding workers were eager for the potential for promotion and they were moving forward with minimal setbacks. Except for one very important one. Vitaly Chekov still remained in a coma despite the fact that his physical injuries were healing.
“Morning, Simon. Where are we with Customs’ approval on the latest freight in from Russia?”
“All products were released this morning and are being loaded onto trucks as we speak. We should be on the road by mid-day.”
“Oh, that’s fantastic. Were there any problems?”
“None. Although, while it is cheaper to come in to New Jersey, clearance and approval seems to be smoother through New York.”
“Do whatever you think is best. Although I would like to smooth things over with the dock workers in New Jersey.”
“Yea, they’re still pissed. That might take some time.”
As Sarah and Simon went through the current list of clients and any potential issues, Ivan walked in with an older man who was carrying a briefcase. Motioning for them to sit, Sarah wrapped up her video call before turning to them. Rising, she walked around her desk, as Ivan introduced her to Joseph Williams, the lead investigator in Vitaly’s car accident.
“Would you like some coffee?” Sarah offered as she walked toward her door.
“No, that won’t be necessary,” came Ivan’s quick reply, “But you will want to shut the door.” Raising her eyebrow at him, she did as she was told before returning to her desk.
“What do you have?”
“Well, evidently Nardiv’s reach extended much farther than we originally thought,” Joseph began. As Sarah listened, Joseph detailed his investigation into Dmitri Nardiv, which spanned more than a decade.
From what he was able to learn, Nardiv was involved with the import of illegal cargo ranging from alcohol and drugs to human trafficking. Based on files he had found in Marcus’ possession, the plan was to link VIC Enterprises with the intent of destroying not only Vitaly’s reputation, but also everything he had built.
Sarah kept having to tell herself to shut her mouth as she stared at all the evidence he laid before her. As Joseph concluded, she reached for her coffee to wet her now dry mouth.
“Is there any additional information on the car accident?” she finally managed to ask.
“Yes and no,” Ivan replied. “From what we could tell, the brakes weren’t tampered with by anyone local, and we haven’t been able to trace it to anyone in particular. We have feelers out in New York and New Jersey, but so far, no luck. I’ve increased security for Vitaly, as well as all pertinent members of the organization, including you, and I’ve re-run background checks on everyone at VIC as well as all the help staff. If there’s another mole, he or she is well hidden.”
Sarah swallowed hard. While she recognized the need for tightened security, she briefly wondered, again, at her decision to return and help keep things running. If her family knew what potential trouble might exist, they would have insisted that she return home immediately. She’d even kept her best friends in the dark, as Ivan had requested that everything be kept confidential until they had a better understanding of all those involved.
This was the first time that she’d ever kept anything from them and during a time like this, she really needed the support of her friends. While ultimately, she knew that she was doing the right thing, it wouldn’t hurt to have some moral support.
Standing, Sarah walked both men to her door. “Please keep me apprised as you get new information.”
“Will do.” Ivan squeezed Sarah’s arm briefly before the two men headed to the elevator. She continued to surprise him with the level of responsibility she shouldered and without complaint. It couldn’t have been easy for her to return to work after the accusations that were leveled at her. It took some kind of woman to step up and keep things moving forward.
While VIC Enterprises would have been fine without her, her assistance meant that there were minimal problems during the day. Vitaly would be pleased to see how well everything is proceeding.
If he ever wakes up..
Chapter 2
Moaning, Sarah flexed her hands as she slept. It had been another long week and she had felt completely overwhelmed as she dragged herself into the hospital. Once again, the doctors were decreasingly optimistic, but the nurses continued to bolster her waning resolve with stories of other patients who had woken from comas.
The nurses continued to suggest that she talk to him and she often ran out of things to say so had taken to reading to him aloud. Tonight, she had brought a copy of one of her favorite stories to read to him, but was so tired that she had laid her head down on his bed and fallen asleep. She was dreaming of being chased by Dmitri, as she ran through the streets of Manhattan looking for Vitaly, but everywhere she turned, Dmitri was there.
As she panicked, she shifted in her sleep. Suddenly, Vitaly was there. Before she knew it, he had attacked Dmitri before sweeping Sarah up in his arms and swinging her around. Hugging him tightly, she cried as she told him how she had been searching for him.
Sarah sighed as she felt his hand stroke her hair. Waking slowly, she realized that the hand on her hair was real. Looking up, she was surprised to see Vitaly looking down at her, as he stroked her head. Taking a shuddering breath, she threw her arms around him as she kissed his face.
“You’re awake! I can’t believe it,” Sarah cried, as she reached for the call button. Sitting back, she smiled at him, as she stroked the side of his face. When the nurse popped her head in, Sarah leaned back so she could see that he was awake.
“Well, I’ll page the on-call doc. He should be here shortly,” the nurse told them, smiling as Sarah turned back to him.
“I have so much to tell you. Everyone has been so worried. I can’t believe that you’re awake. This is fantastic.” Sarah forced herself to stop talking as the on-call doctor walked in.
“Well, Mr. Chekov, it’s good to see that you are finally awake,” he told him as he walked toward the bed. As the nurse took his vitals, the doctor ran him through a series of tests to make sure that there wasn’t any nerve damage. Giving him some crushed ice, the nurse set the cup down by the bed. “Now, it’s going to be a bit difficult to talk, but can you tell me where you are and your name?”
“Vi-Vitaly ChCh-Chekov. Hosp…hospital,” came his raspy reply.
“Do you know what happened to you?”
“Car. Brakes.”
Nodding his head, “And this lovely woman? Who is she?”
“Sarah. Mmm…my Sarah.”
Sarah covered her mouth, as she fought back tears. She couldn’t believe that he was awake AND talking. Reaching for her phone, she texted Ivan that he was awake, as the doctor turned to speak with her.
“We won’t know until all the tests are run, but this is promising,” the doctor told her with a smile. “But he has a long road ahead of him.”
“Couldn’t you have stopped with the good news?” Sarah asked as she reached to shake his hand.
“Nope. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have rounds.” Turning back to Vitaly, “Mr. Chekov, you’re going to have a busy few days while we check you out to make sure everything is working properly.”
After both the doctor and nurse left, Sarah sat on the edge of the bed. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she couldn’t believe that he was finally awake.
“I feel as though I’m dreaming. That any minute now, I’m going to wake up in that chair and you will still be in a coma.”
Vitaly squeezed her hand as he looked at her. He still felt incredibly drowsy and while he felt as though he should be doing something, his body and mind were in complete disagreement. Tilting his head back, he closed his eyes. This was one time that he was going to have to take things slowly.
Chapter 3
Three days had passed since Vitaly woke from his coma and he was rapidly losing patience. All of his tests had come back negative, his MRI was clear and he had been able to stand and walk ten steps with assistance. He was certain that if he were released, he could hire the necessary help to speed up his recovery process, but his doctors were still insistent that he remain in the hospital.
Since waking, he’d had a steady stream of visitors all eager to see him, but all he wanted was his Sarah. His room had rapidly filled with flowers and other get well gifts, none of which he cared about. Ivan walked in carrying a large gift basket.
“Oh no, not you too,” he said as Ivan set the basket down.
“Me? Not a chance. I intercepted it from the cute Candy Stripper as I was getting off the elevator,” Ivan answered as he looked through the basket. “Mmmm, and this one has food in it,” he added as he pulled out a bag of mixed nuts and settled down in the chair.
“You know, I might have wanted that. And don’t you mean striper?”
“Not the way she was wearing it,” he said with a smirk. “As to this,” he said as he waved the nuts at him, “Not a chance, boss, they still have you on baby food. I figure I’m doing you a favor by getting rid of any temptations,” he replied as he tossed cashews into his mouth.
Glaring at him, Vitaly chuckled. “Bring me up to date on everything.”
As Ivan talked, Vitaly closed his eyes. He was overwhelmed at everything that had happened since his accident. Not only had Sarah and Simon managed to keep all the east coast contracts, but Simon had brought in several new clients and between the two of them, they had succeeded in streamlining the process through Customs, which pleased the Russian clients who were anxious to gain a foothold in the US.
He simply could not believe how smoothly everything was running.
His last memory of Sarah was the hurt look on her face when he had accused her of selling secrets. He had been a complete and utter fool and while she could have easily walked away, she had managed to stumble upon the real betrayer. And after the accident, she had put her own feelings aside and rushed to his side.
Even the nurse had shared with him how she spent most nights at the hospital reading or simply talking to him. After everything he had done to her, she stayed by his side. He cursed himself for the lost time he could have had with her, and swore that it wouldn’t happen again.
“Earth to Vitaly.” Opening his eyes, Vitaly looked at the bemused expression on Ivan’s face. “If you’re tired, I can come back later.”
“No, it isn’t that. It’s just…”
“Sarah,” Ivan finished for him.
“Yes.”
“The way I, and well, the entire tenth floor, as well as the New York office, sees it; you have some serious making up to do. Starting, now,” Ivan finished as Sarah walked in. Looking at the basket filled with food items, Sarah sighed.
“Finally, someone thinks to send food,” she said as she reached for a package of crackers. “I can’t tell you how many times this would have come in handy.”
“Yes, well, he was in a coma,” Ivan responded as he reached for a cracker.
“Fair point,” Sarah replied as she munched on a cracker and continued to sift through the basket. “But it would have been nice if someone took his visitors into consideration. I mean, it’s not as if he could have appreciated all the flowers either.”
