That was the original plan.
By the time I pulled the car up to the mansion, I had the entire conversation planned out in my head. I was sure that Naomi would have a great deal of questions, questions that I wasn’t ready to answer, but I didn’t have any concerns about her not going.
After all, she knew I held her life in my hands, and at any moment I could squash it. That hadn’t changed.
Had it?
I would treat her no differently than the plans I had with Sveta. If she couldn’t give me a kid by the end of the year, I would have to come up with something else, and the plan had always been to tuck her somewhere out of sight, claiming she was sick or some shit so I could move on.
I was married to my position first.
The woman was supposed to come second and be nothing but a part of a plan.
Vera was hovering near the door when I walked in. “Good evening, master,” she stated. “I hear that you will be leaving soon.”
“I am going home for a few weeks,” I told her. “I trust you will look after the house?”
She inclined her head. “Of course.” Her eyes flitted upward. “And Sveta will be joining you?”
I started up the stairs. “She will.” I didn’t wait to hear her response as I made my way to the second landing, finding Naomi already walking out of her suite.
“Gavril,” Naomi stammered haltingly. “I thought I heard your voice.”
My eyes traced her face, then moved down her luscious body, my cock swelling. Hell, I was starting to think it never went down these days. “Good evening, Sveta.”
A shadow crossed her eyes though her serene smile remained. It was a look I had seen many times, like she couldn’t stand for me to call her by another woman’s name.
Again, part of the fucking plan.
“I have news,” I rushed on, crossing my arms over my chest. “We are going to St. Petersburg.”
Naomi’s eyes widened. “Florida?”
I fought against the smile that twitched on my lips. “No. Russia.”
“Oh wow,” she breathed, understanding dawning on her face. “I’ve never been to Russia.”
“St. Petersburg is my birth home,” I explained. “I need to go for business, and I want you to come with me.”
“Um, okay, sure,” she replied, her Russian stuttering a bit, clearly surprised that I was even asking. “I don’t have a passport though.”
“Not an issue.” I could have her one in a matter of hours.
Naomi let out a little laugh. “Of course not. Maybe I should have asked for a million dollars instead.”
That was why I needed her to come with me. Not only was she safer by my side in Russia, but she was entertaining in more ways than one.
“Pack your things. Call Vera to help. She will know what sort of clothing is appropriate for a Pakhan’s wife in the old country.”
“Is it cold there?” she asked, biting her lower lip. I groaned inwardly at the sight, wondering what Naomi would do if I stepped forward, taking that lip between my teeth instead.
Fuck. Either she was good at teasing me, or she really didn’t know what she was doing.
“No,” I said, the word sharper than I had anticipated. “St. Petersburg is the most beautiful city in the world during the summer.”
“Oh,” she replied. “Then I will get some things together.”
I stepped closer, reaching out to brush her hair off her cheek. “You do understand that you will be going as Sveta. It is imperative that we continue the plan.”
Her eyes dimmed. “Of course,” she murmured. “The plan.”
My chest tightened suddenly, and I stepped back. “Good.”
She nodded and I walked out of her room, shoving my hands in my pockets as I made my way to my own suite. As much as I wanted to throw Naomi on the bed and fuck her until I couldn’t see straight, there were things that I needed to do to prepare for our trip. I had to ensure that the operations continued here in my absence because this wasn’t going to be a quick trip.
***
That evening, instead of working, I walked into Naomi’s suite, followed by Vera with some of the household staff carrying trays of food. Naomi looked up from the book she was reading, surprise on her face. “What is this?”
“Dinner,” I stated as Vera and her staff set the food up on the balcony. “I thought we could have dinner together tonight.”
She closed the book and stood, tugging on her shirt. “Of course. I mean, that’s very kind of you.”
Kind. I fucking hated the word, but I motioned with my hand for her to lead the way, passing Vera and the staff as we did so.
We stepped out into the balmy night and settled into the comfortable furniture, a table between us. “Your view will be a great deal different in a few days,” I remarked as I picked up my already full wineglass.
Naomi looked out over the night, her expression distant. “I can’t wait to see somewhere different. I always wanted to travel but never had the money for that.”
I leaned back in the chair. “You are my wife now. Whatever you wish for, Sveta, I will give it to you.”
“That’s very generous of you,” she murmured.
Another fucking word that didn’t describe me. “You are my wife, Sveta. The future mother of my child. You will be cared for, and when the time comes, have everything at your disposal.”
Naomi drew in a breath before she looked at me, her eyes holding emotion I didn’t want to experience. “Is that what you would have told her, Gavril?”
“Of course,” I said automatically, though the words didn’t feel the same coming out of my mouth as they had in my head. “You knew what you were getting into when you married me, Sveta.” Leaning forward, I smirked. “Do not forget what this is truly about.”
Naomi picked up her wineglass, shuttering her expression as she did so. “To us,” she announced, holding up her glass. “And the future that is awaiting us.”
I lifted my glass as well. “To our future.”
Whatever the fuck it was now.