I did so but then shook my head. “Maddie, I’m not going to Alessio. No way,” I said.
“Why? You are supposed to see him anyway. You need to give him his jacket back, right?”
I was about to refuse again, but she folded her hands together and pressed them underneath her chin, looking at me with big, hopeful eyes. “Please?”
I couldn’t say no. Not when she was making that face. “Fine.”
Maddie jumped up with excitement and quickly blew me a kiss before running out of the kitchen. I sighed and looked down at the tray. God, I really didn’t want to do this.
Balancing the tray in one hand, I took the suit jacket in the other and made my way out of the kitchen. Alessio’s office was in the left wing and it looked the same as the rest of the house.
I walked down the long corridor toward his office and admired the large landscape paintings on the wall. They were beautiful. So serene. A big contrast to the people living in this house. As I neared the wooden double door, I saw Nikolay standing outside. His hands were behind his back, his feet shoulder apart with his back stiff as he stared straight ahead. His eyes were on me, watching my every step.
“I’m here to give Aless…I mean, Mr. Ivanshov his drink.”
Without answering, he reached beside him and opened the door. Swallowing hard against the lump in my throat, I gave him a tight smile and walked in on shaky legs. Inside the office, huge windows overlooked the back garden.
The room was bright. The big desk sat in front of the windows, and Alessio sat behind the table, his chair pushed back as he faced the door. But then I saw a head of blonde hair on his lap.
Wait—what?
Oh my God.
My heart stuttered when I saw her head moving up and down. Alessio’s hand was fisted in her hair, controlling her movements while he pushed his head against the back of his chair as he groaned.
And then I heard a loud moan.
I froze, and he glanced in my direction, his eyes making direct contact with mine. They flared with surprise but he didn’t move. I saw his mouth tilted upward in a small smirk. I hated it.
He was by no means embarrassed. Instead, he held my gaze until he orgasmed. I was rendered completely speechless, and when I felt the tray shaking in my hands, I realized my entire body was shaking too.
“We’re done here.” His hard voice made me jump. He didn’t sound or look affected by what had just happened.
Releasing the grip he had on the woman’s hair, he pushed her upward. “Leave,” he ordered as he zipped his pants and tucked his shirt back in.
She stepped away from him and grabbed her handbag, then sauntered past me, her steps confident. She didn’t appear like she cared that someone else had seen her in such a position. The evil glare she gave me told me everything I needed to know. She was pissed they’d been interrupted.
The door closed behind me, but I stayed still. “What are you doing here?” Alessio asked.
My heart thumped in my chest and I was suddenly feeling light-headed. He was completely calm as his eyes raked over my body, while I was practically hyperventilating.
“Well?”
My body shivered at his voice and I licked my lips nervously. When I saw his eyes following the movement, I quickly sucked my tongue back in and pressed my lips tight together. “Maddie…I…” I stumbled over my words, then took a step forward and placed the tray on the coffee table. “Your protein.” I kept my focus on the tray. I couldn’t look at him, not after what I just saw.
I heard his chair squeak and from the corner of my eye, I saw him standing up. After fixing his suit, he walked around his desk and made his way toward me.
Panic filled my body and I scrambled backward.
Dropping his jacket on the couch, I kept my head down and mumbled in a rush, “And here’s your jacket. I forgot to return it yesterday.”
“It’s—”
He’d started to speak, but without giving him a chance to reply, I sprinted out of his office.
Closing the door behind me, I leaned against it. Blood was roaring in my ears and my heart pounded.
“Sorry about that. I didn’t know the boss had her inside,” a deep voice said.
Letting out a squeak, I moved away in fright.
“Woah. It’s just me,” the man said.
I turned around to find Nikolay standing there with his hands up in mock surrender. There was no way he hadn’t known what Alessio was doing in there.
“Look, I’m sorry. I seriously didn’t know,” he said, with a hint of sympathy.
I opened my mouth to tell him what I thought of him, but thought better of it. I didn’t want to mess with the viper. Shaking my head, I walked away without sparing him or the door another glace.
I was done with infuriating men.
He’s an absolute pig.
But a hot pig. The annoying voice had returned.
A disgusting pig.
I wanted to smack my head into a wall.
Chapter 18
I shouldn’t have expected anything else. Alessio was a mob boss, a king. Ruthless. Cold. Heartless. Unlovable. He didn’t care what people thought of him.
Men like him behaved exactly like that. I had the experience firsthand, and I should have known, but for stupid reasons I thought maybe he was different.
Clearly, he wasn’t.
When I got downstairs, Maddie emerged from a closet beside the kitchen. Her hair was ruffled, her dress crooked, and she had a well-satisfied look on her face.
When she saw me, she winked and then walked into the kitchen. Artur came out after her, and stared at her ass as she walked away.
“Men,” I muttered to myself.
I looked down as I walked past him, not wanting to see his lustful eyes.
“Hey, Ayla,” he said.
I nodded but didn’t turn around. “Good morning.”
In the kitchen, Maddie leaned against the counter, a glass of orange juice in her hand. She sipped it, a small smirk playing across her lips.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked.
“You look flushed. Out of breath.” Maddie set her glass down.
I crossed my arms across my chest and shook my head. “I’m fine. What are you talking about?”
She laughed. Entwining our arms together, she led me out of the kitchen. “You aren’t going to tell me, hmm?”
“I don’t understand, Maddie.”
“Stop playing with me! Did he kiss you? Did he do more than kiss you?”
My eyes widened in shock when I realized what she was talking about. Letting out a gasp, I pulled my arm away. “Why would you think that?”
She didn’t answer but laughed instead at my expression. Maddie brought her hand up and pinched me on the cheek. “You’re so cute.”
I glared at her, but wasn’t sure it came across the way I intended. I had been living separately from emotion. As the thought ran through my mind, I felt myself shutting down.
I felt happy here, but I was scared, because I had learned the hard way that happiness can be taken from you in a second.
I was waiting for whatever happiness I’d found here to be taken from me.
The moment when I would return to my cold room, chained to my bed, waiting for Alberto.