Page 11 of Bossed Around By the Bratva

I turned and left before she could get in another word. Wow, she nearly bit my head off in there. She surely had some extra strong fire in her bones.

The man behind the front desk was busy with another client, and I had to wait. Once he was done, he looked at me. I was sure he could see the confusion on my face. “Is something the matter?” he asked.

“Yes,” I replied. “I want to know why we are booked into a room that looks like the honeymoon suite. I booked two rooms, and we are here on business, so this won’t do!”

“Oh,” he replied, his eyes widening. “I am terribly sorry about that. Please give me a moment to check the system again.”

He typed on his keyboard, looked at me, and typed again. I could hear him swallow before speaking again. “Sir, I’m terribly sorry, but the booking was made for one romantic evening.”

“That can’t be. My receptionist made the booking,” I huffed, slamming my fist on the counter.

The man jumped a little before he started rambling. “I am sorry, but that is the booking.”

“Is there any way I can get an extra room?” I asked, stepping closer. “Sorry, but one room will not do.”

The man typed and typed. After what felt like forever, he glanced at me. “I’m sorry, sir. We’re fully booked. There is no other room available.” His voice was shaky, and he took a step back.

Looking at him, I realized I might have been a bit too much. “Okay then,” I said, trying to sound calm. “Thank you.” I turned and headed back up. Stopping outside the room, I took a deep breath as I mentally prepared myself for the monster inside, about to devour me alive.

Entering, I found Zhen on the bed with her laptop open before her. She looked up at me as she spoke. “So, you got another room or one with two beds at least?”

Walking to the bottom of the bed, I smiled at her. “The man said that they are fully booked, so unfortunately not, sorry.” I waited for her to freak out again, but she didn’t.

She nodded, looked at the laptop screen, and started typing again. As I started turning away, she cleared her throat. Here it comes, I thought, turning back. “Okay, it’s fine, but you will sleep on the couch,” she said.

I nodded, picked up my bag, and carried it over to the couch. Sitting down, I took out my phone. There was still plenty of time before the meeting. I didn’t feel like staying cooped up, but I didn’t want to leave her alone.

Walking to the end of the bed, I waited a moment before speaking. “We have a lot of spare time. Would you like to do something, grab something to eat, or stay here and work?” I knew she had basically already answered it in the car, but I felt asking again couldn’t hurt.

Zhen looked at me, turned her head to the side, and smiled. Seeing her this calm suddenly made me nervous. “No thanks,” she replied calmly. “I must ensure this proposal is perfect before the meeting.”

Nodding, I walked back to my couch and called room service. I ordered a meat platter for two. Collecting my papers, I went to sit down next to her. She looked at me, and I could see she was a little confused. “Well, you said this must be perfect,” I whispered. “So, let’s go through it and make sure.”

She smiled, moving her laptop between us. We went over the papers, files, and graphs, ensuring everything lined up. We were about halfway through when room service arrived.

We ate while we continued working. It was a strange breakfast for normal people, but we were far from normal. The grilled cheese salad included a couple of fruits and vegetables. It had a sweet and savory taste. It was nice working with her outside of the company. She was more relaxed, and before we knew it, we were done. Looking at my watch, I realized we had to get moving.

“It’s almost time,” I said, getting up.

“Okay,” she replied, sounding cheery. As she headed to the bathroom with her bag, she spoke. “I think we’ve nailed this one.”

“I’ll be glad if we do,” I replied, grabbing my jacket. I quickly called to confirm the car was ready while I waited for her.

Heading down, I collected the keys at reception before we could leave. Entering the basement parking, I pressed the alarm to see where the car was. I held the door open for her before getting in on my side.

The meeting was about ten blocks away, so the drive was short. Glancing at her as I stopped at the traffic light, I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so comfortable and good around another person.

We arrived at our destination with some time to spare. Inside, I spoke to the man at the desk. “Good day, Morozov Estate, Akim Dubow here for the meeting.”

“Yes, sir,” he said, stepping out behind the desk. “They are waiting, please follow me.” We followed him down a short hallway. He stopped before the second-to-last room. Turning to us, he spoke, holding out his hand. “The meeting room, sir.”

I nodded my thanks, and he left. Looking at Zhen, I spoke again. “Are you ready?”

“As I’ll even be,” she replied, smiling.

I opened the door and held it for her to enter. She walked in with her head held high. I followed her as she walked to the middle of the room. Everyone fell silent and looked at us. “Good morning,” Zhen said. “It’s a lovely day today.”

Everyone nodded and greeted her in return. Just like that, in one smooth move, she had grabbed the attention of the room.

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