The truth was it would never happen. Anyone who offered that kind of freedom was a fucking idiot who didn’t know what they were dealing with.
Aurora was tense on my arm, but I didn’t let her go.
A passing waiter offered us some champagne, but I sent him off before she could reach for one.
Ever since our confrontation about my possible mistress, it had been even more tense between us, which pissed me off. I had a feeling I knew who was responsible for filling her head with lies. The moment I caught him, Sergei would learn to keep his mouth shut. The very fact he’d tried to turn my wife against me made me want to kill him.
My thirst for blood and violence was always close to the surface. All it took was a small switch to make it happen.
“It’s a busy night,” Aurora said.
We were in the watchful eye now. With the game constantly being played and the power at work, I had to make sure people saw only strength, no weakness. I was a man in control of his wife, the daughter of a Capo.
Leaning down, I whispered against her ear. “Tonight is about business. It’s a show of force but also a little reminder to our good friends in charge.”
Aurora gasped and tilted her head to look at me. Her long hair had been curled once again. Some of the strands were pulled back and tied at the base of her neck. I wanted to touch it, to run my fingers through the long locks. More than anything, I wanted to hold her hair as I fucked her hard, to finally show her what it truly meant to be my wife.
I pushed all these thoughts down and instead focused on my surroundings. I’d already spotted Ivan, surrounded by his men, charming the fucking asses off of everyone here.
Kissing her cheek, I kept my lips close to her ear. “Mr. Hampton seems to think it is okay to take money from us to help him win his political career, but when it comes to keeping his end of the deal, he seems to have forgotten.”
“What was his end of the deal?”
“To look the other fucking way,” I said.
We never asked for much from people like Roger, but what we did expect was for them to honor it.
“Now, we’re going to dance and play the part of a doting couple.”
“Wait,” Aurora said, her hand on my arm. “Why are we here? I mean, you’re … you know, and I’m well, no one.”
“Sweetheart, didn’t you know you married a very powerful entrepreneur? My expertise is expansion. I have casinos, real estate, and an entire investment portfolio.” I winked at her.
“Of course you do.”
We covered our tracks well. I was known as a member of the Volkov Bratva, but no one would have any evidence. It was what made us so powerful and also untouchable. We were businessmen, nothing more.
Taking Aurora’s hand, I led her onto the dance floor. After placing a hand at the base of her back, I pulled her in close. The feel of her soft body against mine was close to driving me insane.
Years of control kept me sharp and my dick soft in my pants.
I checked around the room, noticing the additional guards on the doors. Roger also had a man by his side constantly.
Looking back over at Ivan, I saw he kept his distance. This was always the case with parties like these.
“What do you need to do?” Aurora asked.
“Pardon?”
“You’re here to talk to him, right?” She glanced behind her. “I guess you can’t get too close to him, can you? He knows who you are. What you’re capable of.”
“Most people do.”
She licked her lips and dropped her hands. “Excuse me.”
I frowned as I watched her leave. She’d abandoned me on the dance floor. Running my hands down my jacket, I checked out her ass. The gown she wore covered her body and yet left nothing to the imagination.
I didn’t know how it happened, but each time I looked at her, she got sexier. The curves of her ass and hips called to me. I wanted them in my hands as I took her. Maybe it was time for me to get a woman on the side because right now, all I could think about was sex and fucking my woman.
She moved through the throngs of people, and I finally got my feet moving, following behind her. She broke through the group surrounding Roger Hampton, and I was close enough to hear her speak.
“Mr. Hampton, it is an honor to finally get to meet you in person,” Aurora said. “I watched the last talk you did, and it was inspiring. In fact, I was wondering if it would be at all possible to have a quiet word with you. I’d like to consider investing myself in your future.”
The smile she gave him was … breathtaking.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ivan closing in.
“Well, thank you,” Roger said, excusing himself from the guests. He put a hand on the base of Aurora’s back, and I wanted to snap it off. No one touched my wife. “It is always a pleasure doing business with beautiful women, Miss…”
“Oh, I’m sorry, it’s Mrs. Ivanov, and you know, my husband would love to have a word with you as well.” She grabbed Roger’s arm and held her other out to me. “Hello, darling. I told Mr. Hampton you wanted to speak to him about investment. If you will excuse me, I see someone I must talk to.”
Like that, Aurora left just as Ivan joined us, along with Andrei, Ive, Victor, Peter, and Oleg. The six main district brigadiers, all present and all joined forces with Ivan Volkov.
The look on Roger’s face was priceless.
He turned to run, but Ivan had him, and together, we marched him out of the room, heading toward a private office where no one was around.
I checked the room, Ive and Victor covered the door, and Peter and Oleg took the windows while Ivan and Andrei dragged a struggling Roger into the room.
We wouldn’t hurt him too bad.
He hadn’t won yet, so all the power he had was nothing.
With my hand on my gun, I stood waiting.
“Mr. Volkov, I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” he said.
“Really, because for the past two weeks, you’ve been able to avoid my calls and every single chance to talk to me.” Ivan shoved him into a chair. With the doors closed, there wasn’t much we could do.
“Well, if you phone my secretary, we can arrange a meeting, and I know I’m fully scheduled.”
Ivan clucked his tongue. “Actually, I think right here and now. You see, the speeches you’re giving, they’re a little trying on my nerves. I wonder how the general public would feel to know the very man they’re putting all their faith in has a … gambling problem. The people that feed you, you want to rub into the dirt.”
I was bored as Ivan pulled out a blade. The security in this place was easily bought. It was how we got our guns through. Everyone here was on our payroll, which was why no security footage was being recorded.
After the standard five minutes of my presence, I made my excuses and headed in the direction of the security office.
As per my instructions, the guard on the door had taken a stroll.
I sat, glancing over the footage as Ivan made his threat. Within ten minutes, Ivan was leading Roger out of the room as if he’d not just threatened him. I extracted the data, wiped the system, and was heading back to the dance floor when I noticed my wife walking into the bathroom.
Following her inside, I stopped her from locking me out of a stall. The door closed, and I pressed up against her.