Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 108119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
I walked down the hall, my steps decisively angry, and realized with blatant clarity, that I, Andrei Alexander Petrov, was well and truly.
Fucked.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Alice
The thing about finally being given freedom, you actually want to start to take it.
Freedom is like waking up from a long nap, you stretch your arms, then your legs, and suddenly you realize you can actually get out of bed, so you stand, and then you walk, and then you run.
Despite his millions of faults.
He’d given me that, a gift.
It hit me when I was standing in my closet trying to pick from the hundreds of dresses he’d purchased for me, for no other reason than he was intrigued.
I wasn’t going to dive into what that meant.
I was just going to be thankful, that I wasn’t locked in a room on a Wednesday night.
And that I was going to be able to wear a pretty dress.
Well that, and the fact that he hadn’t said no.
I wasn’t sure what had shifted. He was still scary as hell, and he still made me want to back away and hide against the nearest sturdy structure, but something in the way he looked at me now, like maybe he trusted me? Or maybe he was just like he said, curious.
Whatever it was.
I was going with it.
It had taken my father years to destroy my trust.
It had taken Andrei Petrov, two days to earn it.
There was something extraordinarily scary about a man who could take someone so broken, terrified, and bruised, and make her want to put on a dress and heels.
He was something monstrous.
And something beautiful.
All wrapped up in one.
I ran my hands along the lines of dresses and stopped when my fingertips grazed a beautiful Valentino black dress with a white little collar, it screamed innocence except it had a lace overlay that had only two small stitches of fabrics over the breasts.
I thought about his outfit.
Leather and red.
Why not match?
It would either piss him off or make him laugh. I was hoping I would earn another one of his rare laughs or french fry shows.
I picked up a pair of tall red heels that tied all the way up to my knee and managed to zip my dress by myself.
It fit snug.
I did a twirl in the mirror, the length was mid-thigh, a bit short, but I could work with it.
I couldn’t, however, wear a bra.
The small pieces of black fabric covered a small area of chest and the lace did the rest, running down my arms in tightly fitted sleeves.
The white collar stood out, I decided I liked it. A lot.
I made my way into the bathroom and stared at the makeup that he’d purchased.
Something about putting too much on just didn’t sit well with me. Was I getting dressed for him or me?
I put my hair up in a high ponytail, the edges of my hair grazed mid-shoulders making the look a bit mod.
I decided to go understated the whole way, a bit of foundation, no shadow, and dark eyeliner with mascara. I finished off the look with a Charlotte Tilbury liner that boasted it would make my lips look bigger and the matching bright red lipstick.
“Well, into the lion’s den,” I whispered to myself as I rushed back into the closet in search of a purse. I finally found a tiny clutch next to two more designer purses I would never be able to afford and felt instantly guilty.
And a bit sick.
He hadn’t made me his whore.
But there was something very Pretty Woman about my situation.
I chose not to focus on the things.
And shoved my phone into the black beaded clutch and told myself to be brave, not make eye contact, and make sure everyone knew who I belonged to.
Even if the thought of being owned by anyone made me sick.
His club. His rules.
Tonight, I was Andrei Petrov’s.
All his.
I chanted this in my head the entire way down the dimly lit hall, and then finally at the already open door to the club.
I hesitated a minute. Was the dress for me or him? For both of us? To prove I wasn’t broken? I was suddenly more nervous than I’d ever been in my entire life, I ducked my head in.
Rap music pounded through the speakers so loud I was amazed clothes weren’t coming off.
There were at least a few hundred people there already, and it was only ten.
I knew he’d be in the VIP section, but I wasn’t sure how to exactly get there without…
“Alice,” a voice said to my right. “Let me take you to him.” Ax held out his elbow and gave me a warm smile. “Please don’t take away the one and only chance I’ll ever have to see Andrei Petrov fall to his knees.”
A searing blush flooded my face as I took his arm and tried to tuck my hair then realized it was in a ponytail. “Thanks.”