Cruel Enforcer by Maggie Cole

24

Sergey

"Willyou come to the rehearsal dinner and wedding with me," I ask.

Kora smiles. "Like a real date in front of our friends?"

I trace her jaw. Her hazel eyes locked on mine. "Yeah."

She takes a deep breath. Her expression changes. It's a mix of worry and nerves.

"What's on your mind, my lapa?"

"Are you dating anyone else?" She bites her lip.

My pulse beats harder. "No. What makes you ask me this?"

No other man better be touching her. I'll kill him.

Stay calm. Don't be an ass.

"Are you seeing other guys?"

She shakes her head. "No. I don't want to."

I release a breath I didn't realize I was holding. I drag my fingers up her arm then hold her chin. "Kora, I don't want anyone else. I want you."

Her lips twitch. She softly says, "Good. I want to be exclusive."

I already thought she knew about my obsession with her.

My cheeks hurt from smiling.

She wants to only be with me.

"Me, too." I lean over her and roll her on her back. I cage my body around hers. "Does this mean you'll bring some of your things over and leave them here?"

She softly laughs. "You seem to be very interested in me having my things here."

I peck her on the lips then refocus on her face again. "I want you to be comfortable here...with me."

"I am." She reaches down and strokes my shaft. "I'm very comfortable."

"I'm not joking."

Her face falls. She moves her hand to my ass. "I know. I'll bring things here, and you do the same for my place."

The happiest I've ever felt might be right now, at this moment. "Done." I dip my head to her breasts and begin kissing them when my phone rings. I sink my face between her cleavage and groan. "It's Obrecht. I have to take it."

She reaches for my phone on the nightstand and hands it to me. "It's okay."

I trail my fingers on her inner thighs. "Obrecht."

She playfully tousles my hair.

"Meet me at the garage," he says in Russian.

My fingers freeze, then I sit up. I reply in Russian. "Give me fifteen." I hang up and sigh. All I want to do is hang out with Kora tonight.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

"I have to meet Obrecht."

"Right now?"

"Yes. I'm sorry."

Anxiety fills her face. "Should I be worried?"

I stroke her cheek. "No. But I'm not sure how long I'll be gone." I'm not sure why Obrecht needs to see me, but if it's the garage, it won't be only an hour.

This is one of those things she needs to accept. I'm always going to get these calls.

Unless we bury all the Petrovs in the ground.

"So I shouldn't wait up?" she asks, but her face tells me she already knows the answer.

"It might be a few days, my lapa."

She turns her head.

Great. We just took a huge step forward, only for my shit to take us back several.

I turn her chin toward me. "I only want to be here with you right now."

"I wish you would tell me things. It would make this easier for me."

"I'm sorry. I can't." The look on her face almost destroys me. "Kora, I wish I could tell you everything, but I'm not going to ever do anything to put you at risk. If you were serious about wanting me, this isn't something I can make disappear. I'm always going to have these types of situations pop up."

Her silence and worried expression send my anxiety into overdrive.

I swallow hard and ask the question I'm scared to know the answer to. "Can you not handle this? Are you regretting our earlier conversation?"

She closes her eyes and slowly exhales. When she opens them, she gets on her knees and straddles me. She pushes her fingers through my hair. "No. I want to be together."

"Good. Me, too," I reassure her.

"Should I stay here or go home?"

"Here. Come and go as you please. Have your friends over if you want, but stay here."

Her lips twitch. "Okay. I will."

I kiss her, putting everything into it, trying to show her how much she means to me. Somehow, I need to figure out how to make her okay with the fucked-up shit I'll never escape. She's the light in my life. I don't plan on it, but I blurt out, "I love you."

My chest tightens and blood pounds between my ears. The only woman I've ever said it to before was Eloise, and she didn't return my affection. If anything, it made her run farther from me.

I realize how mistaken I was to say it to Eloise. Not because she ran but because it doesn't compare to how I feel about Kora.

Her eyes soften, and she kisses me. "I love you, too."

I blink hard, choked up from hearing the words I hadn't heard since my mother last said them to me before Zamir abducted her. I fist Kora's hair and kiss her as deeply as I can until I get a hold of my emotions.

"I have to go, and now I have a hard-on," I murmur.

She grinds on my erection and kisses me some more. "Stay."

I pull away from her. "I'm sorry, my lapa. I can't. Let me go take care of this so I can come home to you sooner."

"Will you text me while you're gone? So I'm not worried?"

"I can't, but please don't worry. Everything is in our control. Honestly."

The garage is the one place nothing can go wrong for an Ivanov. Every aspect is our choice. In the end, any evidence anything occurred, we destroy. It's even in the name of one of our relatives who lives in Russia. It's on my mother's side of the family, so the name Ivanov isn't even associated with it.

She puts on a brave smile. "I'll try not to worry then."

I kiss her again, lift her off me, then get changed. When I get to the garage, Obrecht is waiting for me, sitting behind the desk with his feet on it. He pushes the pads of his fingers together. His suit jacket is off, and he unfastened his top three buttons, displaying his chest and neck tattoos.

"Anyone else here?"

"Nope. Just you and me."

"And why did I get chosen for all the fun?"

"Two reasons."

I sit across from him. "What would those be?"

"The Polish fucks you thought were behind the steel are back there."

I briefly close my eyes, and my jaw begins to tic. "Over six years, they've worked for my brothers and me."

"They're on Bruno Zielinski's payroll."

The blood drains from my face. I already knew it, but hearing the Polish mob is officially coming after us doesn't bring me any comfort. "This happened before the O'Malleys planted the evidence on the bones. He had infiltrated us before then?"

"Yes. Are you ready to hear the second reason only you are here?"

My gut drops. "What?"

Obrecht's piercing blue eyes darken. "I finally got it out of Eloise. I thought you might want to get rid of all your wrath instead of sharing the guys back there with your brothers."

Nausea hits me. I lean on the desk to steady myself. "What did she say?"

Obrecht's face hardens. "She was your toy. Wes was paying her to fuck with your head."

My stomach twists, and I turn away from Obrecht.

How could I have not seen it?

"Sergey."

I slowly face him with my insides shaking.

"I'm sorry."

"How long?"

He swallows hard. "Everything was a setup, including how you met."

I grip the edge of the desk. Guilt, shame, and self-hatred sear through me. I don't love Eloise. I love Kora. But it doesn't stop the humiliation.

"It could have happened to any of us," Obrecht says.

"No. Only I would be a big enough idiot to stay with Eloise through all her abuse and continue to want her," I mutter then realize I said it out loud.

Heat flares through my cheeks.

"Fuck. I'm—"

"Just like any Ivanov. In love with pussy and fucked by the Petrovs," Obrecht says in an attempt to make me feel better.

"Don't."

"It's true."

I snort. "No other Ivanov would be set up like this."

"Not true."

"Bullshit," I mumble.

"I was."

I freeze, wondering if he's lying to me.

How does Obrecht get set up? He's the epitome of a GQ pretty boy in an expensive suit with bad-boy flair. He's also one of the smartest people I know.

"Remember Annika?"

"Your girlfriend when you were in your twenties?"

"Yeah."

"No way." He was going to marry her. We never knew why he called it off. Shortly after, he learned how to track and became the best one in our family.

He rises. "Get up and get changed. I spent seven years. You only spent three." He pulls clothes off the shelf, and we both put new attire on.

We spend hours with the Polish men whom I've considered family. When it's clear they were just Zielinski's pawns but don't know anything, we kill them. As much as torturing them makes me feel somewhat better for what Eloise did, my mind is messing with me.

I never think about anyone, except the thug in front of me. Tonight, I can't get Kora out of my head.

What if she's a setup?

She's not.

I have a new need. It's to get home and unravel every part of Kora and torture her with my body until she admits to me she's with me of her own free will. The obsession to know she wants me, and I'm not another pawn in a Petrov or anyone else's game, consumes me.

She said she loved me.

She does.

Does she?

Obrecht thought dealing with the thugs who stole our steel would help me deal with the truth of Eloise. It didn't. I spiral with doubt about Kora and me.

I remove my gloves and throw them in the bin. "Obrecht, I need to get out of here. Can you clean up?"

He pulls a joint out of his pocket, lights it up, and hands it to me. "Yeah. Shower though. Don't skip important steps."

I nod and inhale, but it doesn't calm the thoughts in my head.

When I get home, it's four in the morning. Kora's asleep in my bed.

This can't be fake.

What if it is?

I go into my dungeon room and pace. I look at the wall of tools. I focus on the ones I used to use on Eloise. I told Kora they weren't for her.

I hold the sharpest one in my hand. It's one Eloise used to get off on the most. I hated using it on her. It made me feel like I was on the brink of killing her.

Maybe that's what Kora needs.

What the fuck am I thinking?

Jesus.

I go into the attached bathroom and put water on my face. The man in the mirror's reflection has evil in his eyes. I take another shower. This time it's ice cold. When I get out, I see part of the man I want to be instead of the one I loathe.

I grab the bag out of the trash can and go to the wall with all the impact play toys.

These aren't fucking toys. They are torture devices.

I pick up every one I don't ever want to use with Kora and throw it in the bag.

They all need to go.

I go to the kitchen and get a black garbage bag. I toss every item in the room not bolted to the wall, including the plug I used on Kora, even though it was new and came straight out of the box.

She doesn't need black. She needs pink.

I take the sheets and pillows and toss them down the shoot with the bag.

I go online and order all new items but only ones I know Kora will enjoy and nothing that would cause severe physical pain. I get everything in different colored pinks and rhinestones. I even order new sheets in a shade of hot pink.

No more Eloise.

Why did I not do this sooner?

I shower again, trying to remove any remaining pieces of Eloise on me. It's stupid. All I did was touch things I used on her, but I feel dirty and used.

When I finally scrub my skin so much I need to stop, I go back into the bedroom and lower all the shades so it's pitch black. I turn on the fireplace and watch Kora breathing. I study every inch of her gorgeous face. Her tongue slides a hair out of her mouth and licks her pouty lips. I resist running my finger over her high, sculpted cheekbones. I gently press my lips to her smooth forehead.

She's mine.

I need to make sure.

Don't put your mental shit on her.

I need to tie her up so she can't touch my back.

No. I want her pulling my hair when she comes.

I'll restrain her hands later.

Naked, I crawl under the sheets with my face between Kora's soft, silky thighs. I slide my hands under the sides of her light-pink panties and groan. It's as if she knew how much it turns me on to see her in pink and wore them just for me. They're delicate and soft, and as much as I love them, I'm in the mood to destroy every part of her so she can't think about anything, except how good we are together.

There's a tight pull in my chest. I thought I needed Eloise. It was a lie and wrong on so many levels. I need Kora. She's the light in my darkness. And I need to know she needs me just as much.

I slowly inhale her scent, stroking her hips, and then press my mouth over her panties.

A soft whimper escapes her lips, and her eyes flutter. Her hand moves toward my shoulders and caresses my biceps.

I tug my hands away from her hips, ripping the delicate material, then tracing the curve of her inner thigh.

"Oh," she murmurs, not fully awake.

I snake through her wet folds, utilizing the tip and flat of my tongue at times, lapping her juices, as if it's water and I'm dehydrated in the Sahara.

"Oh God!" she whispers, moving her hands over my shoulders.

I move her hands to my head, and she grips my hair.

That's my girl.

I reach up and manipulate her nipple, circling the outer edge. "Please be real and love me," I mumble in Russian then begin fucking her with my tongue.

Her skin turns warmer and dewy. She pulls at my hair. An emotion-filled groan builds in my chest, and I fight letting her come, continuing to edge her.

"Sergey! Oh God! Please!" she begs. Her body quivers, and her walls clutch my tongue.

I glide up to her clit, refocusing on her bundle of swollen nerves. She shudders hard the moment I make contact.

I wrap my arm under her thigh and splay my hand on her stomach, holding her down. I tease her nipple with my middle finger.

"I missed you," she pants. It's so low, I think my mind might be playing tricks on me.

Did she miss me or only my body?

She isn't Eloise.

"Please don't be like her. Tell me I'm not your toy," I growl in Russian then circle my tongue against her inner walls.

"Sergey!" she cries out and readjusts her hands on my head.

I slow down my tongue. At the same pace, I press my thumb on her marbled clit, make a figure eight over it, and pinch her nipple.

Her back tries to arch, but my palm continues to hold her down.

"Submit to me," I grunt out.

"I already have. I'm yours," she whimpers.

She hasn't.

She has.

My cock leaks with pre-cum. I'm desperate for her in ways I've never thought were possible. It's dangerous. I feel myself spiraling, as if I might break down and lose it. If she's playing me in any way, I'm not sure what I'll do.

She's friends with Aspen.

I met her in a Petrov VIP room.

She's not one of them.

"Please," she begs.

"You're coming with me," I growl and lunge up her body, placing my legs and forearms on the mattress, caging her in.

She strokes my cheek. Her eyes bore into mine. "Thank God you're okay. I couldn't stop worrying about you."

I blink hard. An uncomfortable feeling crawls through my chest.

"I love you," she whispers, softly kissing me, then pulling back and meeting my eyes. "Tell me you're okay?"

I can't. I'm not sure if I am. I answer her by slipping my tongue back in her mouth and fucking it like I just fucked her pussy.

Every moan and caress she gives me is heaven and hell. I want it and her. If I'm her pawn and she's with the Petrovs, she'll destroy me.

I reach for the underside of her knee, push it toward the headboard, and then sink into her tight channel of warmth.

She cries out in my mouth and trembles beneath me.

I don't inch into her, giving her all of me at once. I'm in a trance of cruel emotions and thoughts I've not let myself ever fall into, and I'm not sure how to pull myself out.

I bury my face in the curve of her neck, inhaling her floral scent, licking the bead of sweat rolling down her neck.

Her hands slip to my back, and I freeze mid-thrust.

I reach to grab them, and she moves them in the middle, out of my grasp. She murmurs in my ear, "I love you, and I need all of you, Sergey. Don't hide from me."

I bury my eyes in the pillow, keeping my mouth on her neck. I'm crumbling and can't stop it.

She circles her hips toward me.

I resume my thrusts as her fingers slowly trace over my scars. The pain of that night mixes with her gentleness, destroying me further.

I am the devil. So are you. There is no escaping it. I own you, and when I call you, do not disobey.Zamir's ruthless voice fills my head.

I thrust harder and fist her hair, pulling her neck toward the ceiling. "You're mine," I growl, over and over, while she keeps crying out, "Yes! And you're mine."

"Look at me," I bark when her body shatters around mine and she closes her eyes.

She opens them, and I fixate on those hazel orbs, searching for something to show me she's capable of all that Eloise did to me. All I see is her love for me and goodness.

A violent rush of adrenaline erupts like a broken dam, seeping through every cell of my body in the most intense release I've ever had. I collapse on her, drained, and trying to pull my shit together.

My heart beats so hard, it takes several minutes for me to realize she's still stroking my back and whispering things in my ear. "I love you. You're mine. Don't hide from me."

She can't be working for a Petrov. Beauty and light don't exist among them. It's why Eloise was the perfect pawn to toy with me.

I roll off her and pull her into me, trying to take care of her instead of her taking care of me. I kiss her head. "I love you, too. Don't ever leave me."

"I won't," she promises, lifts her head, and kisses me, as if I'm her world.

I return all her affection. There isn't an ounce of me confused or unsure. She's the good part of my soul.

She's my future. Now, I need to figure out how to get rid of the past.