Page 9 of Merciless Promise
Soon, she’d need someone to protect her, and her current date could do nothing more for Ekaterina than get her out of a few speeding or parking tickets. Grigoryan would kill him in plain daylight, then drag her kicking and screaming back to Armenia. Only, she deserved to suffer more, and at the hands of someone who could make sure that she did. Not just for a night, week, month, or a year, but a fucking lifetime, however short it might be. She needed the kind of protection only I could offer her.
The two got their drinks, and she looked back at me as they walked away. I hated to see her coming toward me, but walking away...that was a different story because her ass drew my attention, and kept it with every seductive sway. After what she’d done to Princeton, I shouldn’t even want her, but I could makeher suffer in ways she never imagined once I got her naked.And I would.
“Do you need anything?” the bartender asked me, and I shook my head.
On my way over here, I’d downed two more shots, and I needed to keep my head clear the rest of the night. I moved away from the bar and in the same direction the other two had gone, but I didn’t follow them all the way. I found a spot in the corner where I could keep my eye on her, and I stayed there for several minutes until she gave her date a quick peck on the cheek, then headed toward the lobby.
She’d never kiss me that way. I’d make sure of it. I’d keep those luscious lips of hers swollen because I’d fuck them often. Hate was a type of passion, and it was the only thing that could fuel me because I despised her. Everything about her. I wanted to break her, and that I would, but not before she took my name and gave me a damn child that I had no desire to raise. I’d get control of my birthright just after that, then she would meet her demise.
Deciding to cut her off before she could return to the event, I quickly moved in the same direction she had. When I reached the hotel lobby, I saw her on her cell phone talking animatedly to someone on the other end. She then smiled, and I knew it had been a good conversation.
That smile faded the moment she saw me. I closed the distance between us just in time. “...so I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“An important call,” I asked as soon as she ended it.
She eyed me with a look of indifference, and perhaps even irritation. “That’s none of your business.”
“On the contrary, everything you do could be my business,” I answered.
She shrugged. “It’s not. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She tried to move past me, but I stepped in front of her. “I need to get back to Stephen.”
“Ahh, yes. Your date. Unless you want to spend the worst twenty minutes of your life in bed, I’d suggest you send him home alone.”
“What?” she asked, and the anger in her dark eyes set them aflame. “You’re so out of line.”
“But not off base, huh?” I asked her, and smirked at her still angry expression.
“You’re a fucking asshole. Stephen’s a?—”
“There’s no chemistry between you two.”
“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking ab?—”
I quickly grabbed her by the throat, but I didn’t squeeze. She took two steps back, and I kept in step with her. Those lush lips of hers parted as a slight tremor shook her frame. I leaned in and when just a hairsbreadth from her, I blew softly in her direction, eliciting a small moan, then moved to her ear.
“I know because you wantmeto kissyouright now. Admit it, and maybe I’ll?—”
“You’re right. I do want you to try to kiss me so I can kick you in the balls. Now, unless you want to have to wait for the swelling to go down in them before you see the teeny tiny pair again, I suggest you take your hands off me this instant.”
I released her from my grip rather than calling her bluff, then threw my hands up in surrender. “You’re going to be a fun one.”
I stepped back and started to leave. When I got a few feet away, I heard her voice once more. “Hey, what do you mean by that?”
I stopped, turned, then blew her a kiss before heading back into the ballroom. Once I found Nolan, I could put the next phase of my plan into action. Ekaterina Kotov would soon be Ekaterina Brannington, and I’d be able to stick it to three Mafialeaders all at the same time. No one dictated my life, and for those who thought they did, they would learn soon how wrong they were.
Ihad to admit to being unnerved several days after the encounter with Kingston Brannington. His last name still invoked fear in me, but I wouldn’t be intimidated. There was no real reason to worry because until the other night, I hadn’t run into him before, and I hadn’t since, so I’d likely worked myself up over nothing. I needed to just keep my cool and stay the path. Aram was my bigger concern because he’d find me one of these days, and when he did, I’d be on the run again. Until then, I’d bank as much money as I could.
And tonight, I had a date with a new client. His name was Graham Benson. I knew nothing about him, but he’d been vetted through the agency. First date jitters always set in, and while he’d be picking me up at the Four Seasons, he’d never see the inside of my room. No one ever did.
Like most clients, this one had a simple request. Wear red! It happened to be one of my favorite colors, so fulfilling his wish wouldn’t be a problem at all. The mini dress was crimson and had a large slit down the center, which displayed my breasts.
It was also skin-tight, and the length was so short that it barely came mid-thigh. While this was a new client, I briefly worried if something this revealing would give off the wrong impression, but ultimately decided to keep it on. My profile clearly listed my limits, and he’d hired me, so he’d been okay with them.
I quickly applied my lipstick and perfume as the room phone rang. Snatching it up, I answered. “Hello.”
“This is Frederick with the front desk. You have a caller downstairs. Should I send him up?”
“No, I’m on my way downstairs,” I told him before hanging up the phone.
