Page 9 of The Tsar's Obsession
I longed to get to know her and find out what she liked. I wanted to please her, not just take what I wanted. Yes, I wanted to serve her; I wanted to make her feel good both in bed and in life.
My head spun with all my conflicting emotions. Perhaps this game that I’d started…wouldn’t be as straightforward as I’d planned.
4
Not Nonsense
Mia
Myair-conditionedofficedidabsolutely nothing to cool down my overheated body and mind. Kirill’s presence threw me for a serious loop. Who exactly was this man, how did he always get what he wanted, andwhywas I going along with it all?
He blatantly disregarded social protocol—which client waits inside a broker’s office an hour before the scheduled meeting time? And yet, I acted as if it was normal. And Icontinuedto accept whatever he threw my way, even after he delivered the news that I had no more clients! In what world was this acceptable?!
Just before I was about to launch into a monologue disagreeing with his terms, we were interrupted by none other than Ari. “Good morning, New York, New York!" He turned into Frank Sinatra every morning and, like usual, waltzed in without knocking, right in the middle of my meeting with the man who threw all rules out the window.
“Oh! My apologi– oh, hello!” Ari recognized Kirill and changed his tone. “Kirill, right? Great to see you again!”
“Hello.” The difference in their demeanor was comical. Ari radiated positivity and goofiness, while Kirill was pure stealth. Cold but polite, he rose from his chair to shake Ari’s hand,towering over my already tall colleague, who was no match for Kirill’s height and size.
“I guess you liked the unit, huh? It’s a beautiful property, really one of a kind. The finishes, the building, the terrace, and the view! Worth every penny!” Ugh, Ari was relentless, unable to stop the sales pitch pouring out of his mouth.
“Hmm.” Kirill’s response shut down Ari’s enthusiasm in one second. Sitting down once more, he turned all his attention to me, trapping all the air inside my lungs from the way he looked at me. “I don’t know, Ari. I’d like Mia to show me something else.” That little smirk was meant just for me—like he owned me now, a toy he could play with after singlehandedly taking away all my clients.
“Polina seemed to love it, even though she thought it would be too small for you two.” Ari finished his sentence, and my heart sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. For themtwo? He was planning to live there withher?How could I have assumed they weren’t together? He said he wasn’t married and the apartment was for him, but that didn’t mean they weren’t an item! Why did I even care?! I didn’t!
“It’s just for me; Polina won’t live there.” Kirill spoke directly to me, turning his head slightly in Ari’s direction. “Anyway. Mia will take great care of me. I’m sure of it. Nice seeing you, Ari.”
The tension was palpable, but Ari didn’t argue, not wanting to compromise the sale. He shut his mouth and walked out.
Wow. I was both irritated and grateful. Maybe I should have been treating Ari this way all along too. I had no idea where to go from here, so I began forming a lame excuse. “I apologize. My colleague can be quite–"
“Is he bothering you?” The words flew out of his mouth rather forcefully, startling me. Kirill looked unhappy, pissed off even. Like all men, Kirill didn’t understand the delicate little dance women had to engage in daily. Never make a man angry, keep your boundaries, avoid outright rejection—you can never know their reaction.
Ari wasn’t bothering me; he was exhausting me. Nonetheless,I had known him for years. He was part of my friend group, and he was a good man, if not a little too infatuated with a woman who didn’t return his feelings. I felt bad for him.
All my neutral feelings aside, Ari was a funny guy, and he made me laugh. He saw humor and positivity where others didn’t, and while I didn’t appreciate his advances, I genuinely enjoyed his sense of humor.
“No.”
“But he wants you.” This man didn’t give me a chance to collect my thoughts before delivering another wild statement. I stared at him, not sure how to confirm or deny this. Why did he care? “It’s obvious. Do you want him?” What the fuck was going on today?! How was I in freefall with this client?
“You can read him so easily, but not me?” For an unknown reason, I threw all caution to the wind and decided to indulge him in his silly conversation. If he wasn’t playing by the rules, neither would I. I wasn’t flirting with him. I wasn’t, I reassured myself.
“I can read you better than you think.” His confidence was just blasting through every uncomfortable pause between us.
I couldn’t suppress my little laugh. “Please. Enlighten me.”
“A man like Ari…can’t offer you the life you want. You’re more adventurous than that. And…it seems like you’re waiting for something, Mia. Or someone. Someone who can play with that fire in your eyes.”
Stunned, my whole body ignited at his words, and my face blazed. Who on earth was this man?! Barging into my office first thing in the morning and pressing on all the painful pressure points?
“I’m pretty sure you can say that about anyone, Kirill. No one wants a boring life. Everyone wants someone who lights their fire. Just like you.” I threw it back at him with a little more disdain than I had anticipated.
“Oh? You go then. You tell me what you see.” He challenged me, and I wasn’t about to back down. After a few seconds’ pause, where I looked him over with pleasure, I let him have it.
“You’relookingfor someone, Kirill, not waiting. You’re looking for that one person who can tame that fire in your eyes. Someone who’s not afraid of it. Someone who will accept it.” I sat back in my chair with a satisfied sigh. “See? I can spit out pure nonsense, too.”
But he didn’t see my words as nonsense, and the little game he started seemed to plunge him into worry.
