Chapter TWO

SOFIA

I don’t know why I even went to that party. My boss had assured me she needed me with her. Working as a personal assistant to one of Manhattan’s buzzing socialites was exhausting, but I finally had enough information to finish the novel I’d been working on since I’d graduated from college.

Missy Castle told me I would be by her side all evening, but after half an hour rubbing elbows with the elite, the hairbrained woman disappeared behind closed doors, leaving me to fend for myself. I didn’t mind at first. The book I was writing was a romantic suspense and my characters were based on tabloid darlings just like the people attending that shindig.

The borrowed dress I wore fit me like a second skin. I never wore clothes that tight. Not with my ass, which I unfortunately inherited from my Grandma Rose.

Thanks a lot, Nonna.

But the slinky silver material felt like silk against my skin, and it was the only chance I would likely ever get to attend a party where I’d be sure to see politicians, athletes, moguls, and movie stars in the same room. My poor little Jersey girl heart could hardly stand it. But I managed not to drool on anyone, so there was that.

Of course, I also managed to get myself cornered by some white-haired creep. You would think with age came scruples, but apparently that meant jack shit to this fella. He was so slimy, pressing up against me and backing me into a corner, which was admittedly my own fault. I should have paid attention to where I was going.

I was about sixty seconds from smacking the man upside the head, also thanks to Grandma Rose who taught me a long time ago how to defend myself from unwanted advances. I usually kept a roll of nickels in my bag when I went out for such occasions as this. Only, well, the coat check girl had offered to keep my purse safe, and I didn’t think I would need it in such a place.

Just goes to show you, there were dogs everywhere. I tried to get out of the situation with some tact, not wanting to offend whoever the creepy little man was, and good thing too. Turned out he was a politician, likely with resources I could not even begin to imagine.

Anyway, Councilman Creep, as I’d dubbed him, sort of had his ass handed to him by the sexiest, and most dangerous looking man I had ever seen in my entire life. I almost lost balance looking up into the face of the man who’d come to my rescue. Holy crap. He was tall. Like Khal Drogo tall.

I never knew real people came in that size. And his shoulders. Christ. He had to turn his body into mine so we could fit through the balcony door, even though he’d already pushed me to walk in front of him. I was stunned by his masculine beauty. Features like his belonged on statues guarding citadels. Fierce, proud, lethal, and when he looked at me—hot.

I was no blushing virgin, and I knew when a man wanted me. Moisture pooled between my legs as my interest stirred for the sexy stranger. He smelled like cologne. It was something spicy, exotic, and expensive, I could not tell what brand or name.

He paused a moment by two men and said a few words in what I thought was Russian or some kind of Eastern European. I was terrible at languages. Both strangers were tall and imposing. One was ridiculously handsome, and he seemed surprised, but seemed to approve if the way he winked at me meant anything. The other merely nodded, like an employee would. Neither did a thing for me.

How could they? Neither man was him. My tall, powerful, sexy rescuer. He’d said his name was Adrik Volkov. I racked my brain for more. I did not have a photographic memory, but it was close enough that I could recall things if I really tried.

Volkov. Volkov?

Could it be? I recalled the name Volkov Industries. I’d seen it before likely when reading a newspaper or magazine while I searched for fodder for my novel. The company had a silver wolf as their logo with bright red eyes, which was why I remembered it oh so vividly. It reminded me of something supernatural. I was a sucker for shows like Game of Thrones, True Blood, Bitten, and countless others.

I had no idea what they did, and I did not know enough about Russian names to know if it was a common one. Volkov could be like Smith for all I knew. I supposed Adrik Volkov could be a relative to whoever ran Volkov Industries.

But that was unlikely. Besides, it didn’t really matter to me. Whatever this was, it was one night only. My entire focus was on keeping myself upright in the stupid heels I was wearing and walking straight. God knew, my knees were knocking just from the way his thumb rubbed the inside of my elbow.

Was I really going to do this?

Casual sex was not part of my daily vocabulary, but I had to admit no one had ever tempted me like this before. His heavy-lidded gaze stayed on me as we got in the elevator. I watched as he swiped his keycard then hit a secret button behind a silver plate.

“We’re going up? I thought this was the penthouse.”

“This is a penthouse, Zaika. I own the penthouse.”

There was a difference. And I learned what it was the second the elevator opened the opposite from where we’d entered. Gleaming wood floors, expensive, sleek furniture. But nothing compared to the dazzling view of New York City through the floor to ceiling windows that made up the entire front wall.

“Oh my,” I whispered, stunned into silence.

Central Park, Columbus Circle, everything looked so close yet so small. I could even see clear to the Hudson River. Nerves assailed me for the first time since I was in his presence, and it was all because of one body of water. My entire life I tried to get away from my humble beginnings, but there it was, staring me right in the face.

It wasn’t that I was ashamed of where I came from. I had a great family. One of those huge Italian clans where the grandparents came over after the war and bought a building or two back in the 50s in North Bergen. They still owned it, though Grandpa Paolo died when I was in high school.

Most of my family still lived there, my father included. Mama passed just two years ago, and he was still buried in a bottle with Nonna looking after him. No, I wasn’t ashamed, but it was a long way from Kennedy Boulevard to Billionaire’s Row.

“You want a drink?” he asked, and I noticed his accent was a little more pronounced than it had been earlier.

In fact, I hadn’t noticed a trace of it until he’d asked me if I wanted him to hurt that creep. I knew it shouldn’t have turned me on, but it did. I was used to fighting my own battles, but it was nice to know chivalry was not dead.

“Um, sure,” I replied, accepting the glass of wine he held out.

“Should we toast to something?”

“How about knights in, well, I was going to say shining armor, but tailored tuxes has a nice ring, doesn’t it?” I replied.

“This is a suit, not a tuxedo.”

He took a sip of what I thought might be whiskey before placing it on a very chic glass table. He took my wine glass from my hand after I’d sipped the rich, sweet liquid, and placed it beside his glass. Then he stepped closer, invading my space.

“I know. Um, are you always so literal?” I asked, trying not to wince at how breathless I sounded.

“Understanding things is very important to me. I do not like for there to be miscommunications. This dress, is it yours?” he asked.

“That’s a strange question,” I said, frowning.

“I ask because the straps are too big. If it were yours, I’d suggest you find a new seamstress or tailor,” he whispered.

He ran his fingers across my neck, tracing my clavicle, and up over my shoulder, lifting the strap I’d been toying with half the night. One tug and the thing fell down. He treated the other side to more of the same, and by that time my eyes were half closed as I swayed towards him.

“Your skin is like silk, Zaika. I would like to see more of it.”

I don’t know when he started kissing me, but honestly, once our mouths met it was like fireworks went off, planets collided, and maybe whole universes were created with that simple joining of lips. I’d had quite an enthusiastic Physics teacher in high school. The woman sure loved to lecture about atoms.

“So soft,” he growled into my mouth, and every brain cell I had just incinerated.

Next, we were moving against each other. Hands roamed, clothing came off, mouths crashed together, teeth nipped, and I moaned, leaning into every caress and pet he offered. The room was heated, but goosebumps broke out across my skin as he bent down and removed my dress.

“So beautiful,” he groaned, stepping back, and staring at me as I stood before him in nothing but my heels.

I trembled, awareness spiking. It didn’t seem to matter to him that I carried an extra thirty pounds or so, especially in my breasts, hips, and ass. In fact, the big, sexy Russian seemed to like those parts of me best. My soft belly and thick thighs didn’t put him off, and when he reached for me, I felt his desire like it was a living thing.

He walked backwards till he was sitting on the edge of the sofa, keeping me standing before him like some sort of pagan sacrifice. I grabbed onto his head as his lips explored my sensitive body. He sucked my nipples into his hot mouth, biting the tips. I moaned louder, arching my back in an effort to get closer to him.

The heat between us increased another ten degrees, and my sex throbbed and clenched, needing something more. As if he knew exactly what I wanted, my sexy soon to be lover growled out some words in Russian and bit my skin, trailing his tongue down my belly and towards the apex of my thighs.

Even standing in front of him in high heels, with him sitting down on the couch, he was so tall Adrik had to lean over to get to my goodies. Fucking hell, it felt so good when his big tongue lapped at my seam. He put his hands on my thighs, spreading my legs so he could access my now dripping core and I almost lost it right then and there.

It was crazy, foolish, reckless of me to let him continue. Completely wild, and unusual behavior. But maybe that was why I didn’t stop him. How many times in my life was a man like him going to treat me like I was some kind of sex goddess?

Once. Exactly once. And that was why when he picked me up, his big body leaning back as he draped my legs over his shoulders so I could ride his face, I did not hesitate. I was completely on board with Adrik Volkov’s plans to make every carnal fantasy I’ve ever had come true that night.

Still, I was reticent at first. Shy because of my weight and the fact I was pretty damn new to this. But he offered no reprieve as his mouth latched onto my clit with merciless intent. A second later, he speared my entrance with two thick fingers, stretching my channel and stroking me deeper than any man’s hands ever had.

“Fuucck,” I groaned, my entire system going into hyper drive.

“Not yet,” he growled against my clit.

By that time, my hips were thrusting by themselves as I chased my orgasm. But bastard that he was, he wouldn’t let me come. He brought me to the edge, only to deny me completion. For that, I pulled his hair harder. I grabbed at his shoulders too, my nails scratching at him to get better leverage, but his firm hand stopped me.

“Not yet, Zaika. You come when I say, not before,” he grunted against my thigh.

“Please,” I begged, needing to finish what he started.

He pulled me off his shoulders, sitting me astride his lap but putting some inches of space between us. I was so close. Frustration made me whimper. It was all I could do not to reach down with my fingers and get myself off, but something told me Adrik wouldn’t like that, so I bit my lip and moaned while he undid his fly. Not his button, just his fly. Strange, I thought as I watched him take a condom from his pocket and unwrap it from my position on his lap.

Next, he reached inside his pants and took out his cock. My mouth dropped open. I’d seen naked men before, but not in his class. He was thick and long, heavily veined, and I watched with rapt attention as he gave himself a long hard stroke before rolling the condom on.

“Like what you see, Zaika?”

Oh, my freaking God. Yes. I liked. I liked it a lot, but I was speechless.

“Climb on,” he instructed, and I did.

Raising myself to my knees, I moved, closing the space between us. I was so hungry for him, I couldn’t get enough. The idea of fucking him in nothing but my heels while he was still dressed was so damn erotic, I felt even more of my arousal gathering at my sex, readying me for his sweet invasion.

“Oh God,” I moaned when he lifted me by the hips, just enough to position his dick at my entrance.

“Now, Zaika,” he commanded, and I pushed down, taking him in one hard thrust.

We both moaned, and I gasped, unable to catch my breath. He was so big and thick. It burned where he stretched me even though I was already so hot and wet, needy for him. I didn’t think I could take it, but then he was whispering to me in Russian, kissing my neck and running his hands all over my body.

“Let me in, Zaika. Ride my cock. Use my body to make you feel good,” he whispered seductively.

His honeyed words had me moaning, and soon I was moving, taking from him everything he told me to. I wanted to come. I wanted to use his body to make mine sing. His fingers bit into the flesh over my hips and ass, and it felt so good I could not stop my moaning if I tried. The rustle of fabric as we worked together was erotic in the otherwise silence of the room. It felt good against my sensitive skin. Just something else to add to my already overstimulated senses.

“That’s it, faster, Zaika. Come for me, now,” he grunted.

His voice was so deep, it was like the vibrations struck a nerve within me. He slapped my ass, squeezing the cheeks and pressing me down harder. Fuck. He was so deep. So deep.

My entire body began to tremble and shake, and then I was coming harder than I ever came before. Adrik roared, his face buried in my neck as he thrust jerkily from beneath me, and I knew he was coming too.

I tried to catch my breath, uncertain of the protocol for after you finished fucking a man like that. I had no idea what came next. But I didn’t have to worry yet because apparently, we were not done.

Adrik picked me up, his cock still buried deep inside my well-used pussy, and he walked with me in his arms to the bedroom. He kissed me hard, shrugging off his jacket and shirt without breaking contact. His kisses wrecked me. They were so thorough and intense. He made me feel like I was the only woman in the world, and I wondered briefly how many women he had to kiss to learn how to do that.

No, I was not going there. I shook the thoughts from my brain and concentrated on the now. His tongue tangled with mine, chasing doubts away as he cupped my cheeks and held onto my face like he was starving, and I was a fount of nourishment. Only when he wanted to remove his pants did he slide out of my sex, still hard and ready.

He exchanged the used condom for a new one, taking off his shoes and pants and gracing me with a delectable view of his incredible ass. His entire back was covered in tattoos, the most prominent of which was a lone black wolf with red eyes howling at the moon.

My body went haywire just looking at him. Covered in rippling muscles, he was the most devastatingly gorgeous man I had ever seen. He was not some pretty boy. And something told me he’d worked hard to get where he was. Maybe that was why I was so attracted to him. I felt a sort of connection to him, and not just because of what we were doing together.

“Eyes on me, Zaika. I want you here when I fuck you, not somewhere else in your mind.”

I smiled before pulling him down to meet my eager mouth. He caged me in, making me feel safe and tiny, which was a really hard fucking thing to do, but he managed. His body dwarfed mine, and when he moved his hips, finding my sex with his with unerring accuracy, I knew I was going to save tonight in my memories for a long time. Possibly forever.

“Greedy little thing, aren’t you? So hungry for my cock.”

“You feel so good inside me, Adrik. You have me wild for you.”

“Is that so?” he asked, grinning wickedly as he stopped moving his body and pulled his head out of reach, denying me his lips. “Tell me what you want.”

“What?” I asked, unsure of how to play that little game.

“Tell me what you want me to do, Zaika, or I will stay just like this,” he said, and I groaned in frustration.

“I want you to move.”

“Move how? For what purpose?”

“I want you to fuck me, Adrik. I want you to make me come again.”

“I see,” he growled, moving his hips slowly at first. “Like this?” he asked.

“No. I want you deeper, harder. Stop messing around and fuck me like before,” I said, the demand in my voice surprising even myself.

“You have teeth, don’t you, little Zaika?”

Adrik grunted. His black eyes glittered in the darkness like obsidian. He tugged on my lower lip with his thumb and pointer finger. Then he lowered his hand to wrap around my neck, withdrawing almost all the way before slamming his hips to mine and filling me in one hard, pounding thrust. It felt so damn good, I almost came right then.

Good sex was not something I was used to getting on a regular basis. In fact, it had been over a year since I had sex of any kind, and this was better than that. Better than any regular old sex.

This was wild, unadulterated, multi-orgasmic, off the rails, slay me now sex. I didn’t know how I was ever going to look at another man after what Adrik was doing to me tonight. But I’d find a way because I was not stopping either. I was in it for the duration.

I would deal with the consequences tomorrow.