“I’ve never touched her,” I say, wanting her to know that before we step off and she sees the way the woman eyes me.
“Well, we’ll just have to make it painfully obvious that you never will.”
I smile and turn my head so I can kiss her before the doors open with a soft ding. Bridget sits behind the counter like she does every time I have an appointment, and her wide smile quickly turns into a pout when she sees me walk in carrying someone. I’m Vadim’s only client, so I know the tight, low-cut dresses she wears are just for me. I’ve made it very clear I have no desire to fuck her, but she never stops trying. I can tell for her it’s more about my lack of interest than anything else. Some women really hate to be told no. Charlie wraps an arm around my upper chest and kisses my cheek.
“She looks like she wants to rip my head off,” she whispers in my ear.
I turn to her and say loud enough for Bridget to hear, “No one would dare hurt you, baby. To hurt you is to hurt me, and no one is that fucking stupid.”
When I turn back to Bridget, I notice she’s visibly paled. I walk over to the counter and say, “Good afternoon, Bridget. This is my fiancée, Charlotte.”
“Hi,” Charlie says, her face close to mine.
“I didn’t know you were engaged, Mr. Fedorov,” Bridget says, and she’s polite, but I can tell she’s not thrilled at the news.
I give her a pointed look that has her turning just a bit paler. “Now you do.”
She nods because the girl’s not stupid and gives Charlie a smile. “It’s very nice to meet you, and congratulations on your engagement.”
“Thank you,” Charlie says to her. Her fingers lightly brush the back of my hair. She’s nervous and fidgeting, and it’s so fucking adorable. I’m used to women like Bridget—cold as ice and the second you turn your back on them, they’re digging their long, blood-red nails into it. Charlie is a breath of fresh air, so innocent it constantly surprises me, and I find myself falling in love with her a little more with each passing minute.
“You can go in and see Mr. Sidorov when you’re ready,” Bridget says, cutting into my thoughts.
I thank her and carry Charlie down to his office.
“I feel so out of place,” she whispers. “Did you see her dress?”
“You look a thousand times better than her just swamped in my pajamas. You think she looks good. I think she looks like it took three hours and a team of specialists to get her looking like that. Your natural beauty trumps that shit any day of the week,zaichik, and it’s my job now to make sure you never forget it.”
She kisses my cheek and rests her palm against my other one, smiling against me. “Who would ever believe what an absolute softie you are,” she says with a laugh.
“Only to you, sweetheart. To everyone else, I’m a cold-hearted Bratva boss.”
She smiles even bigger at that before I carry her into Vadim’s office. He’s sitting at his desk, looking over some paperwork, and ever the professional, he barely bats an eye at Charlie on my back. He just smiles and says, “Good to see you again, Mikhail.”
Standing, he walks over and holds out his hand to Charlie. “I’m Vadim. I don’t believe we’ve met.”
“Hi, I’m Charlie,” she says, shaking his hand.
He notices her wrapped ankle. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” she says, giving a soft, embarrassed laugh. “I sprained it the other day. It’s fine, though,” she quickly adds, her fingers playing at the collar of my shirt.
I twist her around and then sit in one of the leather chairs, pulling her into my lap. She gives me a look but doesn’t argue. My stubborn fiancée is learning. I rest my hand on her hip and tell Vadim, “Charlie’s my fiancée.”
He smiles and sits back down behind his desk. “Congratulations. Nadia will be thrilled to hear the news.”
“How are the kids?
His face lights up at the mention of his family, and it suddenly hits me how badly I want what he has. I want the desk filled with family photos and to have people ask me how my kids are doing. My hand tightens on Charlie’s hip, and every part of me is demanding I take her back home and fuck her until my fantasy family becomes a reality.
Vadim’s voice pulls me back to the present. “Anya is doing great. She’s chattering nonstop, and her Russian is better than her English at this point. Roman is doing great, too. Just starting to walk and keeping all of us on our toes.”
“Your family is beautiful,” Charlie says, pointing at one of the many photos on his desk, showing the four of them smiling and looking ridiculously happy. Hell, even the Great Dane looks like she’s wearing a big, loopy grin.
“Thank you,” Vadim says, “I got incredibly lucky.”
He picks up the stack of papers in front of him and holds it out to me. “All you need to do is sign, and the building is all yours.”