I probably should keep quiet, but that doesn’t guarantee he’ll stop this.
No matter what I do, if Kirill has something in mind, then he’ll get to it. So I might as well get these chaotic emotions off my chest.
“I don’t need your permission for everything I do.” I try to wiggle my wrists free, but it’s impossible to loosen his iron-like hold. “Unlike what you like to believe, you’re not my keeper, Kirill.”
A cruel smirk lifts the side of his lips. “If you find solace in these delusions, then, by all means, keep believing them, but the reality is the following: you are mine to do with whatever I please. You’re my fucking property, Sasha. Is that clear?”
Hot moisture stings the corners of my eyes, but I refuse to show him the damage his words inflict on me. While I’ve always known Kirill to be a methodical, cold-hearted monster, this is the first time I’ve witnessed it firsthand.
Everything that happened in the past and the semblance of safety I felt in his arms was nothing more than my wishful thinking. He’s only ever thought of me as something he can own. An addition to his collection. I’m not, by any means, part of his ambition. Hell, I might as well be the toy he wastes time with until he takes over the position he’s working to obtain.
“I’m not youranything,” I say with a calm I don’t feel. “And I’m certainly not yours.”
A muscle clenches in his jaw and his eyes darken behind the glasses. “Is that because you already belong to someone else?”
“Someone else?”
A long pause drifts between us as the dim nightstand light creates shadows over his sharp features. “I’m picking up where I left off earlier. I need a name.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. I need the name of the man you were talking to on the phone earlier.”
My heart pounds, and I think Kirill might have the ability to pry my skin open to get his answers. I have to constantly remind myself that no matter how godly he is, that’s not something he can actually do.
“That part of my life doesn’t concern you,” I say simply, softly enough for the words to come out as a plea.
“A name, Sasha. I won’t repeat myself another time.”
I purse my lips.
Tension drifts off Kirill in waves, accentuated by his tightening grip on my wrists. For a moment, I think he’ll break them or something, but then he lifts me up by them.
I’m stunned into silence when he releases my hands, removes my jacket, and rips open my shirt. The buttons scatter on the bed and roll onto the floor.
My breasts tingle beneath my chest bandages, and my nipples harden to painful buds.
There must be something wrong with me, because even though I know he’s mad, I still like his rough side. A part of me yearns for it while another part is scared of it.
The fact remains, if this will keep his mind off the current topic, then all I can do is let it happen.
Soon after, my bandages are gone with a fast maneuver of his strong, veiny hands. My breasts bounce free, and my nipples pulse with need.
He then unbuckles my belt and pushes away my pants and boxer briefs so that I’m sitting completely naked on the bed.
This isn’t the first time I’ve been naked in front of him, but I still get that pang of doubt around him. I’ve always wanted someone,anyone, to see me as a woman. Sure, I didn’t sign up for it to be this unfeeling monster, but he happens to be the only one who discovered my identity.
And for some reason, I want to be beautiful to him. I want him to kiss me like he can’t get enough of me, like he did in his office the other day.
I love when Kirill kisses me. That’s the only time he feels more like a man than a monster.
My thoughts scatter when he grabs me by the wrist and hauls me off the bed. I stumble and nearly fall, but his grip keeps me upright. I have to jog to keep up with his wide strides as he leads me to the en-suite bathroom.
The strong white light blinds me as the sparkling marble counter and giant mirror come into view.
He pushes me against the sink and stands behind me with the eeriness of the Grim Reaper.
His eyes flash to a scary darkening blue that resembles an angry ocean. I don’t even focus on the fact that I’m stark naked while he’s fully clothed. All I see in the mirror is an entity of violence.