Page 2 of Bossed Around By the Bratva

One could see it was a building of stature, excellence, and wealth. Its sheer design was surely one of the attributes that attracted the higher-class clients.

There was a gathering of guards at the front. I assumed the Chernykh men were getting read in on their new duties as I saw Avgust, the second eldest brother, speaking to them. This was something I would take on in the morning, I thought as I pulled out. Now I had to relax.

I hit the clubs looking for a pliant, flirty companion as usual. It was one of the many methods I used to rid myself of a hard day's tension. Arriving home, I noticed it was well past midnight. It was actually a good thing that I didn’t find a suitable companion tonight. My sleep would be little to none, I thought as I took a quick shower. It would surely have been even less if I had brought a companion home. This wasn’t generally an issue as I mostly worked after hours. But venturing into the paper trail world, I knew things would be different.

After two hours of sleep, I went for my early morning run, showered, and headed to the office. I was in the office by five. No one else had arrived yet; the place was deserted. I met two of the main guards as I entered. They seemed friendly enough, but I knew they weren’t my men. Adjusting to trusting others with the safety of our business ventures would take some time.

My office on the top floor, nestled in the corner, had an amazing view of the park and waterfront. There was a small coffee bar in the front section where I made myself a cup before going to stand by the window.

I stood watching as the sun lit up the world below me. People scurrying to the left and right. It was going to be a hotday. Taking a couple of deep breaths, I headed to meet the staff as they started arriving. At half past seven, everyone was there. I gathered the staff from the top floor in the boardroom and held a morning briefing.

After everyone told me their positions and what projects we had going on, I excused them and called in the managers of each floor. After brief introductions, we discussed the finances, ongoing building projects, and clients.

I headed back to my office with a ton of files, logs, and briefing notes. This was going to be harder than I initially anticipated. There was so much information to consume. I spent the rest of the day behind my desk, reading file after file. Getting caught up was frying my brain. By the day's end, I was too tired to go home. I slept on the double couch in my office. I woke at three and went home for my morning jog and shower.

Day two was the same as day one, but by the end of day three, I had absorbed most of the information. I could start functioning and sorting business as needed.

After a week of chaos, meetings, and paperwork piling up, I felt like I was going insane. After our Friday morning briefing, I grabbed my coffee and stood by the window looking out. I wasn’t made for this. The paperwork was getting me down. I now knew the client's expectations and what had to be done.

Yet, there was so much to get around to; one of us wasn’t enough. I heard my office door open. Swirling around, I was ready to send whoever it was straight to hell. I needed time alone. But to my amazement, my three brothers all stood there staring at me.

“Guys,” I huffed, walking toward them. Relief flooded me as I smiled. It was good to see them. “Am I glad to see you!” Iadded, fighting the urge to hug them and beg to be relieved of this awful place.

Alexandr smiled at me as he held out his hand. “We had to come see for ourselves if you were still alive,” he said jokingly.

Anton and Abram walked past us to the wall-to-wall window. “Stunning view,” Anton said, glancing back at me.

“It’s the only benefit to being in hell,” I huffed as Alexandr and I joined them.

Abram bumped into me lightly as he spoke. “It can’t be all that bad, man. There are many pretty ladies on the lower floors. Have you even ventured down yet?”

“I have a briefing with them every morning,” I huffed as my three brothers laughed. I was the only one who was still not hitched. I have told them a million times, I didn’t intend to get serious. My work was my wife.

“What’s up, Akim?” Alexandr asked. “You look down. I’ve never seen you like this. It can’t really be all that bad, can it?”

Turning away from them, I walked to my desk and flopped down in the chair. “Look at this. It’s mountains I can’t climb,” I spat, waving at the paperwork on my desk. I felt like a pressure cooker about to explode.

“If that’s your biggest hurdle,” Anton added, coming closer. “Then simply get a PA.”

Looking at him, I wondered when he became the man with ideas. “Maybe,” I replied hesitantly. “But remember the rules of the alliance. I’ll have to use one of the Chernykh staff.”

“They can’t all be bad,” Abram chipped in. “They seem friendly and harmless enough. Take one of the women from the lower levels, you already know.”

“It’s not that,” I responded, lowering my head and breathing in slowly.

It’s that none of these women will be able to do what is required. It took me a day or two to get into it. I need someone who knows their way around the industry. A woman who can handle long hours. One who loves being around stubborn clients, and has a flair.”

Alexandr walked to the door. “So, advertise, and I will get the permissions needed. Maybe they know someone like that at another one of their operations,” he said confidently.

Nodding, I replied softly. “I’ll think about it. You guys want some coffee?”

“Unfortunately, we have to head out. We just wanted to come to see how you are doing. You will be fine, little brother. Stay strong.” Alexandr said, opening the door.

I said goodbye and watched as they left. Turning my chair to face the window, I decided to give it a go. I started by sending an internal memo stating that if any current staff felt they could do the job, they could come and see me. I also sent out a memo to the corporate offices asking for a PA.

Iosif or his brothers may see it this way. They might be uncomfortable, but I knew Alexandr would always have my back. Besides, I couldn’t do this by myself. I was drowning. Heading out, I stopped on the third floor. I didn’t know any of the employees by name yet. But I did know their job descriptions.

Entering the manager's office, I stopped just inside the door as I spoke. “Have you received the memo?”

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