Russian's Intense Love (Drobilka Family Series #2)

Chapter 1

Bethany Michaels paced outside her handler’s office repeatedly, kicking herself for not connecting the
dots sooner. When Vadim confessed to her his real name, she panicked. She had been barely able to
allay his accusations that she didn’t work for the FBI, even though she did. Well, sort of. Not that
there’s any physical record of it anywhere. When they put you undercover and treat you like Casper, a
ghost you become. Bethany fought to clear her head as random thoughts flew through faster than she
could contain them. Digging her nails into her palms, she tried to focus her thoughts.

How could I have been so clueless?

Well, that’s easy; you were too busy getting off on orgasms to realize that the one man who saw you as
a woman instead of a freak is also the leader of one of the largest Russian cartels around. And the
Drobilka cartel has their hands in more than drug trafficking. Rumored also to be involved in human
trafficking and other smuggling activities, the organization has long been on every government watch
list out there – and she was sleeping with the man in charge.

Fuck! How could I have missed it?

As she turned to continue her pacing, she spied Marci Chase walking casually down the hall. “Why
Bethany,” she said with a smile. “What brings you to my office so early? Were you able to get the
books I suggested from the library?”

Taking her cue, “Sorry to disturb you so early, Professor Chase, but I was having some difficulty with
one of the translations and hoped to catch you before your first class.”

“Of course, come inside. I brought pastries,” she said and nodded with a grin as she unlocked her
office door and ushered Bethany inside.

Walking  inside,  Bethany  sat  down  with  a  sigh  as  her  handler  joined  her.  “So,  how  did  dinner  go?”
Marci  asked  as  she  handed  her  a  cup  of  coffee.  Taking  a  sip,  Bethany  frowned  at  the  overly  sweet
concoction. Grabbing the cup from her, Marci quickly swapped it with the other one. Bethany sniffed
at  the  second  cup  suspiciously  and  took  a  smaller  sip.  When  she  realized  that  this  one  had  no
sweetener, she gratefully sipped the hot brew.

“Vadim’s full name is Victor Vadimar Markman,” she stated flatly, as she watched her handler’s face
for a response. At her surprised look, she continued.

“The other night, one of the other girls who works at the Rubicon warned me that Vadim was the man
in charge, but I assumed that she meant the club. I had no idea that she meant the cartel, and maybe
even she didn’t know. So much has happened; I don’t know where to begin.” Bethany’s voice trailed
off as she watched her handler sit back in her chair and drink her coffee.

“Start at the beginning, and tell me everything.” Taking a deep breath, Bethany filled her in on
everything that transpired the night before, including her early morning phone call to Director
Williams where he picked up on her ruse that she had taken a language translation course through the

Academy, but because of her past, was not accepted by the Bureau. “And did Vadim believe you?”

Nodding her head, “Yes, I’m sure of it. It really couldn’t have gone any better, but then he…then he
told me who he was, and I freaked out. I pretended to be angry with him about the accusations, and
I’m sure that’s what he thinks, but I had to get out of there. I was so shocked, I was afraid that I would
give myself away.”

“Have you been home yet?”

Bethany shook her head. “I was too afraid to go home. As soon as I could, I made my way here, and
I’ve been waiting for you for the past forty-five minutes. What should I do?”

Marci sipped her coffee thoughtfully before replying, “I’m going to need to bring Jake in on this.”

Groaning, Bethany set her coffee down as she rubbed her temples. “Sanderson already thinks that I
can’t do my job, he’ll pull me off this case for sure.”

“Is that what you want?”

“No, of course not. Well. It’s just that I never expected to return to Texas, let alone Dallas, and I’ve
had so much thrown at me so fast, my head is spinning. Marci, I simply don’t know if I can keep up
this charade. I just don’t want to fuck anything up more than it already is.”

“Bethany, admittedly, we took a chance bringing you in fresh out of the Academy, but until now, we
couldn’t get anyone close enough because they were too easy to identify. We had hoped that with your
language skills and your family history, you might be the right person, and we were right. You’ve
made more inroads into identifying different members of the cartel along with their activities than
anyone else has. Yes, Jake is an asshole, but he’s a damn good administrator even if I want to throttle
him at times.

Before I call him, tell me what you want to do, and I will back you up. If you want to pull out, I’ll
send someone over to your apartment right now to clear it out and we’ll get you out of here.”

“Can I think about it?”

Standing up, Marci headed for the door. “Let me get my class started. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.
You have until then.”

After she shut the door behind her, Bethany got up and paced the room, noting that it wasn’t nearly as
satisfying as the hallway, but she didn’t want to draw any more attention to herself than she already
had. As she walked around Marci’s office, she contemplated what she should do. To be chosen fresh
out of the FBI Academy and placed into a covert position was a major coup that would be the envy of
all her classmates, if she were allowed to talk to them. And the Drobilka cartel represented
everything wrong with the world. To bring them down would make her career before she even started.
This was exactly why she joined the Academy.

But then there’s Vadim. Sexy, magnetic, yummy. From the moment they met, he saw her as a woman

and not the freak that she always felt like. She had spent years trying to overcome her insecurities
from the damage her stepfather did to her body, and with one touch of his hand, he had ignited fires
deep inside her that she had no idea existed. And selfishly, she wanted more. Much more. The thought
of being wrapped in his arms as he licked and touched her scars had her rubbing her legs together in
need.

How was she going to do her job and stay out of his bed? Maybe she did need to be removed from the
case, but Marci had said that she had managed to get farther than anyone else had. How could she
simply leave in the middle?

Pausing, Bethany dropped her empty coffee cup in the trashcan before rubbing her temples. She
needed sleep. She needed to focus. Marci interrupted her thoughts when she knocked briefly before
walking back into her office.

“So what did you decide?”

Squaring her shoulders, “I’ll stay, but I need advice.”

The  two  women  sat  together  for  the  next  hour  going  over  various  contingencies.  Marci  didn’t  think
that  she  should  break  off  the  relationship  with  Vadim,  but  she  needed  to  be  more  cautious.  Bethany
adamantly refused any cameras or listening devices before reminding her handler that she still had the
sunglasses  in  her  car.  If  she  had  an  opportunity  to  wear  them,  she  would,  but  she  was  not  risking
exposure in the event she was searched, and she agreed to carry a panic button that she could trigger
in the event her life was in danger.

As Bethany was gearing up to leave, Marci told her that she would apprise Sanderson of what was
going on and that they were proceeding cautiously. When she left, rather than going out the main
entrance, she took the stairs, which opened out near the library, and then circled around to catch the
Metro line that would drop her off a couple blocks from her apartment.

As she sat inside the air-conditioned bus, she contemplated what she would say to Vadim when she
saw him at work on Wednesday.

Chapter 2

As Bethany rounded the corner onto her street, she saw Vadim’s Town Car parked in front of her
apartment building. She sighed and thought about turning around and waiting him out, but the driver
saw her. Trudging down the street, she waved to him before walking into her building.

When she got to her apartment, she wasn’t surprised to see her door open as she stepped inside.
Looking around, she didn’t see anyone, but there were noises coming from her bedroom. She stopped
in the doorway and watched as Vadim carefully searched through her suitcases and scant belongings.

“Are you looking for something in particular?” she asked as she crossed her arms.

“I think you know the answer to that,” came his surly reply.

“No, Vadim, I really don’t. And if you don’t mind, I’m tired and I’d like to get some rest.” Ignoring
her, he continued to search her belongings as she watched him. “So, how did you get into my
apartment this time? It’s a bit too early for the landlord to be drunk.”

“I bought the building.”

“What? When?”

“Last week.”

“Why?”

Looking up at her, Bethany was taken aback by his red eyes. It was all she could do to keep from
wrapping her arms around him to comfort him. In that moment, he looked so hurt.

“The building was for sale, along with a few others. It wasn’t until I came here that I saw its
potential. It’s purely for investment,” he replied as he went back to searching her apartment.

“So, you’re adding slumlord to your list of real estate holdings?”

“Malyutka…”

“I am NOT your little one,” Bethany shot back, interrupting him.

Rising to his full height and turning toward her, Bethany could see the cold fury in his eyes as she
fought the urge to take a step back. At five foot, nine inches, she wasn’t particularly short, but at more
than six feet tall, Vadim easily towered over her.

“Dammit, Malyutka, you ARE whatever the hell I say you are,” he ground out as he stalked toward
her.

She tried to keep her voice under control while she looked at him warily. “I think that you should
leave,” she told him quietly.

“No,” he replied simply as he stood in front of her. Unable to look at him, she stared at his chest.
Dressed in his typical dress pants and white button down shirt, he had it open at the collar and her
eyes rested on what she could see of his chest. She held her arms tighter against her chest to keep
from reaching out to touch him. “Look at me, Malyutka.”

Raising her head, she looked at him and was unsure what he saw, but his expression instantly
softened. His hand cupped the side of her face, and he rubbed his thumb over her lips as she licked
them in surprise. With a groan, he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her hard against him.
Dropping her hands, she braced herself against his chest as heat began to unfurl around her.

“Tell me again to leave and I will,” he told her, as she began to rub her hands on his chest. Staring up
into his face, she couldn’t do the right thing as she went up on her toes and kissed him.

Growling against her, Vadim held her tightly as he parted her lips. Whatever he had thought was going
to happen was quickly replaced with the desire to consume her as Bethany melted against him. He
held her head and kissed her, pouring out all his angst and anger at her walking out on him as she
hungrily kissed him back.

Her hands reached for the buttons on his shirt, and she tugged his shirt open, eagerly reaching for the
hard muscles of his chest. He nipped at her lips while he plundered her mouth, possessively taking
what she offered as she made small mewling noises. They both were panting heavily when the kiss
broke as he grabbed her arms and swung her around to the bed. Reaching for the hem of her dress, he
pulled it over her head before pushing her down onto the mattress. Bethany’s eyes darkened as she
looked up at him in surprise. She watched him pull his shirt from his waistband before unfastening his
pants and dropping them in a pool around his feet. As he stepped out of them, his shirt found its way
to the floor before he joined her on the bed.

No longer a virgin, Bethany’s fears at being less than were dispelled when she looked up into the
hungry eyes of Vadim as he leaned over her. Pushing away all thoughts of feeling like prey, she
wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer to her. His erection bounced against her leg
before settling against her mound as she lifted her hips and impatiently rubbed against him.

Rising to his knees, Vadim lifted her legs and placed them against his shoulders before burying his
shaft deep inside her. They both groaned with lust as her body eagerly welcomed him. Any thoughts of
pretense evaporated as he set a punishing pace, rapidly pounding in and out as she dug her nails into
his arms. Lifting her hips, she tried to match his pace as she met him thrust for thrust, eager to take
whatever he offered. Her body wanted what he had to give, and she could think of nothing else as a
series of orgasms rolled through her, causing her to spasm and clutch greedily at his cock with each
thrust.

Vadim fought to keep his own orgasm from coming as he enjoyed the power he had over her while she
quivered with need. Lifting her head, she kissed him deeply before sucking hard at his tongue. The
combination of her actions was the final straw as his balls gripped him, briefly paralyzing him before
releasing his orgasm with a roar. Speeding up, he continued to pound into her before gradually
slowing down. When he was spent, he collapsed on top of her before shifting to his back and pulling
her against him, as she lay sprawled against his chest, one leg lazily draped across him.

Chapter 3

Tuesday morning, Bethany sat in Marci Chase’s office while she was busy teaching one of her
favorite classes. As a handler for the FBI, she had long maintained her standing as a graduate
professor in the languages department at the University of Texas. It often afforded her the opportunity
to travel without raising suspicion and her years at UT gave her a certain amount of autonomy in her
activities. Sanderson had come through and provided them with all the background information they
had on Victor Vadimar Markman aka Vadim Sannikoff.

Born and raised in Belaya Lisitsa, near the Siberian border, in 1976, Vadim was the middle son of
Victor Markman, a high-ranking officer in the then Soviet military. Known for his cruelty, Colonel
Markman was rumored to have beaten to death two different wives before eventually being killed
under suspicious circumstances by friendly fire. Vadim’s younger brother was listed as deceased, and
his older sister appeared to be alive and living in the family home.

As  Bethany  sifted  through  the  file,  she  reviewed  Vadim’s  military  record  as  she  paused  to  look  at
what  photos  the  research  team  could  pull  together.  His  military  career  was  short-lived  as  he  didn’t
seem able to control his anger and several members in his unit were injured or died as a result of his
actions.  He  quickly  excelled  when  he  shifted  over  to  work  as  a  mercenary,  where  he  eventually
worked his way up, or through, several different organizations, slowly amassing a small fortune as a
gun for hire and a smuggler.

Based on the information provided, Vadim had immigrated to the United States and had briefly
worked for a man by the name of Dmitri Nardov, who according to the file, was recently indicted on
several counts of smuggling, kidnapping, and attempted murder. When Vadim took over the Drobilka
cartel, the once loosely organized organization was suddenly being run with military precision and
had expanded outside the drug trade into more profitable ventures.

Bethany  shut  the  file  with  a  sigh.  This  was  much  more  than  she  had  anticipated,  and  the  thought  of
going into work at the Rubicon filled her with dread. She needed to hold it together if they had any
chance of shutting them down. Placing the file back in the cabinet, she locked it before grabbing her
backpack.  She  was  expected  to  attend  school  at  least  on  a  part-time  basis  in  order  to  maintain  her
cover,  and  she  had  a  language  class  in  fifteen  minutes,  which  was  just  enough  time  to  grab  some
caffeine.

As she headed over to what had become her favorite coffee cart, she rubbed the back of her neck. She
looked around and tried to figure out what was out of place, but the campus was alive with students
and she didn’t see anything amiss. Shaking her head, she ordered a triple-shot latte and a scone before
returning to the languages building. With two classes, back-to-back, she would be done by eleven and
wouldn’t have to be back on campus until Thursday, assuming nothing was going on. As she walked
past a group of students, lost in thought, she failed to notice the young man standing with the other
students but not engaging with them. He watched as she entered the building before trailing in after
her.

When Wednesday evening rolled around, Bethany was nervous about going in to work. The picture of

Vadim painted by the file they had on him had her wondering about the two very different men. The
original, hard as nails, quick to anger and react versus the one who rescued her from drunks and
managed to turn her insides upside down with only one look. She had a hard time reconciling the two
and worried that the killer for hire was simmering just below the surface of the man whose arms she
felt comfortable falling asleep in.

Parking in the employee parking lot at the Rubicon, Bethany walked inside. Four of the members of
the Drobilka cartel were sitting at their usual table, and she nodded to them as she walked past. She
didn’t see Vadim anywhere and assumed that he was in his office. Debating about sticking her head in,
she headed to the employee locker room to change into her uniform.

Slipping into the short shift, she adjusted the belt to hide the scars that riddled her body before lacing
up her gladiator sandals. She fiddled with her hair as she looked at herself in the full-length mirror.
Not yet twenty-five, her slender, boyish figure didn’t look like any of the other women who worked at
the Rubicon, who sported curvaceous, well-endowed figures.

Well, it wasn’t as if I planned to make a career out of working at a strip club, she thought to herself
as she looked in the mirror one last time. Walking out onto the floor, she picked up her tablet and
turned to her station to see who needed help. A small party of what looked to be frat boys from the UT
was already pounding back drinks as they watched the dancers on stage. Making her way around, she
cleared empty glasses and took more orders while avoiding the obligatory groping of her ass.

Remembering Sasha’s advice on her first day, she did her best to avoid the drunken partygoers as she
waved to one of the dancers to run interference for her while she waited on the tables. As she turned,
she bumped into a young male sitting in her area. She bumped into another when she stepped back to
apologize. Bethany quickly maneuvered out from between them by stepping sideways as she gave
them her best fake smile.

Staggering in front of her, the first guy leered at her, “Thisssssss is my baaa-ch-lor party,” he slurred.

“Well, congratulations on your lucky day, how about if I buy you a drink to celebrate?”

“Only if you drink with me,” he answered.

She frowned slightly and pointed vaguely over her shoulder. “Well, the bosses don’t like it when the
servers drink as it might lead to dropped drinks. How about if I…” Bethany paused when she realized
that her tablet was no longer secured to her belt. Looking around, she saw that the second guy had
lifted it from her and was now back in his seat with a cheesy grin on his face.

“Well, now,” she began as she motioned to the bachelor’s friend. “How can I possibly buy you
another drink if I don’t have my tablet to take your order?” she asked, hoping that he was drunk
enough not to argue.

“You will just have to to to figure it out, but you won’t get it back until you have a drink with me.”

Pasting a smile back on her face, she replied, “Why don’t you enjoy the show while I see to our

drinks.” As Bethany turned to walk to the bar, she scanned the room for the bouncers that patrolled the
club, but the Rubicon was packed for a Wednesday night and all the bouncers were otherwise
engaged. Walking up to the bar, she ordered a round of Rubicon Specials, fruit juice with soda water,
in the hopes that the bachelor party would be too drunk to notice that there was no alcohol, as she
grimaced at Sasha who was tending bar.

“Problem?”

“You could say that,” Bethany replied. “Bachelor boy and his friends lifted my tablet and won’t give
it back until I have a drink with him.”

“That’s something for the bouncers.”

“I know, but they’re all busy.” Grabbing the drinks Sasha gave her, she continued, “If you catch one,
would you please send him over?”

Sasha nodded. “Will do.”

As Bethany walked back over to her station, she looked around hoping to catch the eye of any of the
males who worked there, but everyone was busy. Remembering to smile, she headed toward the
tables as she passed out the shot glasses.

“This, gentlemen,” she began as she walked around the table, “is a Rubicon Special. You won’t find it
on any menu. In fact,” she leaned in conspiratorially, “you have to be in the know to get one. But since
it is…I’m sorry, what’s your name?” Adam! someone shouted out. “But since Adam is going to tie the
knot soon, I would like to propose a toast that my Irish granddad would often use. Are you ready?” At
their nods, she held up her shot glass, “May you die in bed at 95, shot by a jealous spouse.” At the
hoots of laughter, everyone downed the shot and slammed it down on the table. Smiling at the guy who
lifted her tablet, she held out her hand and he reluctantly handed it back to her. She turned on her heel
and headed back to the bar to tell Sasha that she was taking a quick break.

Leaving her tray at the bar, she popped her tablet into a docking station and walked into the locker
room. She sagged against the door, then walked over to the nearest bench and crumpled onto it as she
buried her head in her hands.

“That was well done,” came a deep voice. “But you should have waited for a bouncer.”

Looking up, Bethany smiled thinly, “I tried to find one, but it’s busy tonight.”

Vadim nodded as he sat down next to her, “Next time, get help. It’s not your job to entertain the
customers. Leave that for the dancers.” Pursing her lips, Bethany was about to complain, but simply
nodded her head. He stood again and looked down at her, “I’ve switched your station for the rest of
the night. You’ll be upstairs. It’s quieter, and you won’t be hassled.” Before she could reply, he
walked out.

Bethany sighed and went into the bathroom to pull herself together before heading back out. Walking

around the perimeter of the club to avoid the bachelor party, she grabbed her tablet and climbed the
stairs up to the mezzanine level. She was surprised to see that this was a higher-level VIP section
with its own private bar. Walking up to the bar, she dropped her tablet into the docking station to pull
up the current customer orders. She went to introduce herself while seeing to any needs.

The remainder of the evening was uneventful, and Bethany tiredly changed out of her uniform and into
her street clothes. As she was walking toward the exit, she paused in front of Vadim as he handed out
the night’s pay. When she received her envelope, she was surprised that it felt thicker. Looking up at
Vadim in question, “The bachelor party enjoyed your toast and included an extra tip for you.” As
Bethany nodded her head in thanks and started to leave, he grabbed her arm to stop her. “There’s a
private party tomorrow, I need you here at three.”

As Bethany drove home, she contemplated who would be at the club early tomorrow. Wondering if it
was going to be members of the Chinese Triad again, she decided to go through what files the FBI had
while she was on campus.

Chapter 4

Bethany pulled into the Rubicon’s employee parking lot and looked around at the few cars. When she
had gotten home last night, she had fallen into an exhausted sleep and had almost slept through her
alarm that morning. When she arrived at her handler’s office, Marci was already headed to class, so
Bethany went to her favorite coffee cart for a high-powered caffeine dose and a blueberry scone. As
she stood with her eyes closed, enjoying her espresso, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise
again. Looking around, she still couldn’t see anything amiss. Shrugging it off to being overly tired, she
tossed her empties into the trash before heading to class. She would speak with Marci later.

Before getting out of the car, she reached into her glove box for the sunglasses that Marci had given
her. Walking inside, she went straight to the locker room to change into her uniform. Vadim met her
inside to place a pendant around her neck. While he had told her it was required of all girls who
worked the private parties, Bethany knew it housed a recording device, which would allow him to
spy on his guests. As she turned around to look at him, she bit her lip.

Grasping her chin, he lifted her head to look at him. “What is it?”

Bethany shook her head. “It’s nothing, really,” she answered as she fingered the pendant.

“Nyet. It’s something. Tell me,” he demanded.

Bethany wasn’t entirely sure why she was helping him, but she felt the need to ask, “Well, given what
happened last time, did you want me to spend time around any particular guests?”

Leaning down to kiss her forehead, “All of them,” he told her before exiting the locker room.

She walked out into the club and blinked her eyes a few times while they adjusted to the darkened
room. Retrieving her tablet, she waved to Sasha who was behind the bar and looked as tired as she
felt. Bethany made her way over to the private party to introduce herself and take their orders.

She  recognized  many  of  the  men  from  the  previous  party  she  worked  as  she  told  everyone  hello  in
halting  Chinese.  Smiling  at  her,  some  of  the  older  men  spent  a  few  moments  correcting  her
pronunciation  as  she  smiled.  Since  the  majority  of  the  guests  were  already  familiar  with  her  and
didn’t  know  that  she  understood  Chinese,  they  were  speaking  much  more  freely  as  she  made  her
rounds seeing to their needs. The Rubicon had arranged for a small Dim Sum buffet and rather than
making  them  get  up,  she  ferried  food  to  them,  which  allowed  her  to  spend  more  time  at  the  tables
without appearing obtrusive.

The private party wrapped up after a couple hours, and Bethany was heading back to the locker room
to change into her street clothes. Vadim met her at the door to take the pendant from her. “Come to my
office after you change,” he told her.

As she changed into her street clothes, she pulled the sunglasses out and turned on the audio
recording. Setting the glasses on her head, she walked into Vadim’s office. He had all three pendants
on his desk and had downloaded the recordings to his computer. Motioning to a chair next to him, she

joined him at the computer.

“I will play the recordings, and I want you to translate,” he told her. For the next two hours, she
listened to the various conversations in Chinese as she translated them into English while he
occasionally stopped to have her clarify what was said. When they were done, Bethany sat back and
stretched. Feeling Vadim’s eyes on her, she turned to look at him.

Sliding his hand along her neck, he leaned in close to her as he brushed his lips across hers. “Thank
you,” he said simply before capturing her lips in a kiss that made her pulse race. She melted into him
and didn’t resist when he had her straddle his legs. Sitting on his lap, she cupped his face as her
sunglasses tipped off the back of her head and landed with a clatter on the floor. She ignored them and
continued to kiss him back, enjoying the sensations he was creating inside her. The sound of a throat
clearing forced them to separate as Vadim’s second in command said something to him in Russian.
Barking out an answer, he smiled at her apologetically as she reluctantly got off his lap and reached
for her backpack.

As she was heading toward the exit, Vadim caught up with her. “Bethany, wait,” he called out as she
turned. She was surprised to see that he had her sunglasses in his hand. He handed her an envelope
with her day’s pay along with her glasses. “I’m afraid that these got scratched when they fell to the
floor. I will buy you another pair,” he told her.

Hoping that he didn’t see the look of surprise on her face, she smiled at him. “No worries. This is my
back up pair that I keep in the car. I’m sure that they were already scratched to begin with.” Nodding
his head, he turned to go back into his office as she made her escape.

When  she  got  to  her  car,  she  sighed  heavily.  What  a  thing  to  forget,  she  thought  as  she  chastised
herself for getting wrapped up in the sensations he created. Rubbing her legs together in agitation, she
headed  back  to  her  apartment  for  a  cold  shower.  There  was  a  cocktail  party  for  the  languages
department  that  evening  and  since  she  now  had  the  evening  off,  she  planned  to  drop  the  glasses  off
with her handler.

Living out of suitcases did have its advantages. For one thing, when tall, blond, and sexy decided to
search  your  apartment,  there  really  wasn’t  much  to  clean  up  after.  And  for  another,  well,  it  made
finding something appropriate to wear to a cocktail party that much simpler as Bethany only had the
one  little  black  dress.  Slipping  it  on,  she  brushed  out  her  hair  and  tied  it  in  a  loose  ponytail.  She
slipped on her wedges and grabbed her bag on her way out the door. This would be the first time she
participated  in  any  department  activities,  and  she  hoped  that  she  wasn’t  making  a  huge  mistake  by
going,  but  she  really  wanted  to  get  the  sunglasses  to  her  handler  as  quickly  as  possible  so  that  the
recording could be transcribed.

Stopping  at  the  security  booth,  she  was  pointed  to  the  parking  lot  closest  to  the  Dean’s  house  and
made  the  short  trek  over  to  the  back  gardens.  She  was  taken  by  surprise  at  the  number  of  people
already  there  as  she  hadn’t  considered  how  large  the  department  was,  particularly  since  she  only
showed up to class because it was part of her cover and not because she was seeking another degree.
Squaring  her  shoulders,  she  decided  to  consider  this  practice  as  she  walked  up  to  the  information
table to check in and smiled brightly at the young woman sitting there. She put her name badge on and

stopped by the open bar to pick up a nonalcoholic drink. Given that the last few times she drank
ended in her almost losing her virginity…twice…she wasn’t about to make a fool out of herself in
front of her handler who needed this cover more than she did.

As she walked around the garden, she smiled at everyone she passed and nodded to some of the
students she knew from class. Sitting down on one of the benches, she didn’t realize how tired she
still was until she felt herself sag.

“You have terrible posture,” came a droll comment, as Bethany looked up in surprise.

“Excuse me?”

“The way you just sagged like that, you looked like a rag doll. I’m Peter,; by the way, we share a ten
a.m. class together.”

“Bethany. And I didn’t realize how tired I was until I sat down.”

“May I join you?” As Bethany slid over for Peter to join her, she looked him over. Dressed in jeans
and  a  polo  shirt,  he  appeared  to  be  a  few  years  older  than  she  was.  His  sandy  brown  hair  was
overgrown in places and looked as though he cut it himself. He was slender to the point of boyish,
and  his  glasses  were  continually  sliding  down  his  nose  as  he  constantly  adjusted  them.  He  seemed
harmless  enough.  As  they  chatted,  Bethany  spotted  her  handler  talking  to  the  Dean.  “Is  Professor
Chase your supervisor?”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I saw you looking at Professor Chase, is she your supervisor?” Nodding her head, Bethany cautioned
herself to be more careful as she hadn’t realized she had been that obvious.

“She is. Would you excuse me, please?” she asked as she stood up and walked toward her handler
who smiled as she introduced her to the Dean. Exchanging introductions, Bethany talked about her
class project and listened attentively as the Dean offered his advice. Excusing himself, he wandered
off as the two women engaged in a quick discussion.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Marci told her as she looked around the garden.

“I wasn’t going to come, but I was called into work early and found myself with an evening free.”

“You look like you could use some time off, but since you are here, did you want to come to my office
to pick up that book you were waiting for?”

“Very much so.” As the two women walked off, they didn’t notice Peter put his drink down and
follow them. Walking up the stairs to the second floor, Marci ushered her into her office and locked it
behind her. Bethany raised her eyebrow, and her handler informed her that it looked like she had a
break-in, but nothing had been taken.

Bethany briefly filled her in on the contents of the recording and the latest intel from the Chinese

Chapter 5

The remainder of the week was uneventful as Bethany went through the motions at work. Vadim had
been absent the last two days and while she swore that she would not be that woman who obsesses
over  her  first  sexual  interest,  she  did  find  herself  puzzling  over  it.  Part  of  her  was  relieved,  as  the
space  he  may  inadvertently  be  giving  her  was  helping  her  to  concentrate  on  her  job  rather  than  her
growing  interest  in  him.  When  her  handler  had  repeatedly  asked  if  she  could  handle  having  a
relationship  with  a  person  of  interest,  she  adamantly  said  yes,  but  she  feared  her  heart  might  say
otherwise.

Since her first attempts with boyfriends, Bethany had long felt that a romantic relationship was not in
the cards for her, given the reactions she got when her dates saw the many scars that covered her torso
from her abusive stepfather. But from the moment Vadim had touched her all those weeks ago, she had
allowed herself to believe it was possible. That is, until she found out that not only was Vadim an
integral member of the Drobilka cartel, he was the man in charge. Known as the Belaya Lisitsa, or
white fox, Vadim was linked to multiple smuggling operations that spanned much of the globe.

Well, I guess if you’re going to fall for someone, you might as well aim high, Bethany told herself as
she headed toward the exit. As she stood in line to receive her night’s pay, Markov pointed toward
Vadim’s office.

“He wants to see you.” Without asking whom, Bethany turned and walked in to find Vadim sitting in
his office.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Shut the door and lock it.” Bethany nodded and did as she was told, swallowing hard. As she turned
to face him, he got up from his chair and walked toward her. Dropping her backpack, she met him
halfway as he swept her up in his arms.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been around, Malyutka, but that translation you did was incredibly helpful.”

“Oh? Anything you care to share?”

“Nyet, the less you know, the better,” he told her before capturing her lips.

Parting her lips, she wrapped her arms around his neck as she matched his passion. Their tongues
danced together as he swung her around and set her on the edge of his desk.

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you,” he declared as he rained kisses upon her face.

“Me, either,” she confessed as he reached for the hem of her shirt. Dragging it over her head, he
tossed it to the side before cupping her breasts. The heat from his hands had Bethany arching her back
as her nipples quickly grew to stiff peaks. Vadim rubbed his thumbs over them while she moaned.

“Does that feel good, Malyutka?”

“Oh, fuck yes,” Bethany answered as she closed her eyes in pleasure.

When he snapped the clasp on the front of her bra free, her breasts seemed to tumble into his waiting
hands as he dipped his head down to lick first one and then the other nipple. Pushing her back onto the
desk, he tugged at the waistband of her shorts as she lifted her hips to help him take them off her. Her
legs once again settled on his shoulders, he kissed the inside of her legs as she flexed her feet in
response. His lips felt so good against her rapidly-fevered skin.

As he slowly trailed kisses up her legs, Bethany broke out in goosebumps as tendrils of pleasure
worked their way around her body. When he reached her mound, she was quivering in anticipation.
Tangling his fingers in her dark curls, he tugged on them lightly before, breathing deeply, inhaling the
scent of her arousal. She cupped the back of his head, sliding her fingers into his hair, as she arched
up toward him, hoping he might...

He  rubbed  his  chin  against  her  mound,  nibbling  lightly  on  her  flesh  before  his  tongue  darted  out,
tracing  the  outline  of  her  lips.  She  gasped  and  groaned  his  name  as  she  pushed  impatiently  against
him,  pressing  her  mound  into  him.  His  tongue  darted  in  and  out  like  a  snake  as  she  ground  her  butt
against the desk, panting as she fought to breathe. Sliding his thumbs up and down the sides of her slit,
he  parted  her  lips  as  he  pressed  his  tongue  inside,  stroking  her  with  each  swipe  of  the  tongue.  Not
expecting to come so soon, she pressed against his back with her heels as she lifted her hips, greedily
wanting more. Clutching her hips, he held her tightly to his mouth as he drank up her juices.

Not giving her time to calm down, he easily slid two fingers between her folds and began to pump in
and out. Her clit was standing painfully at attention and a few swipes of his tongue had her moaning
as another orgasm rolled through her. Chuckling at how quickly she was coming, Bethany jerked on
the desk at the shift in sensation.

“Is that what they call a hummer?” she panted out.

“A what?”

“Never mind, just keep doing it.” His responding chuckle created a vibration against her clit that
quickly flooded his hand with her juices as she moved from one orgasm to the next.

Pulling  her  up,  he  turned  her  around  and  had  her  lean  over  his  desk.  The  sound  of  his  zipper  had
Bethany  rubbing  her  legs  together  in  anticipation  as  her  juices  freely  streamed  down  her  leg.  They
both groaned in delight, as he entered her from behind and buried himself deep inside her. He kissed
her  back  and  neck,  while  his  slow,  rhythmic  thrusts  grew  faster  and  more  chaotic  as  his  pleasure
grew. Bethany cried out as she came, her body clenching tight to his cock as her body spasmed and
jerked against him.

With a growl, Vadim’s own orgasm struck as he shortened his thrusts, embracing her body as her
muscles milked him dry. Leaning up to kiss him, he held her until her spasms stopped before helping
her to a standing position.

Reaching across his desk, he grabbed a bottle of water, twisted the cap, and handed it to her. After

taking several sips, she handed the bottle back to him, and he drained it quickly. As they dressed,
Bethany was unsure what to say to him. His actions were unexpected, and while she would eagerly go
for another run, she wasn’t sure how to ask.

“I’m sorry,” he said, as he pulled her into an embrace.

Well, that wasn’t what she expected to hear.

“For what?”

“This. You deserve better than a fuck on my desk, but I could think of nothing else all evening.”

Tilting her head up to kiss him, she said, “Oh, I am so not complaining. Nope. Not even a little. In
fact, I really wouldn’t mind a repeat, but maybe on a softer surface.”

He kissed her forehead and chuckled before stepping back from her. “Unfortunately, I have to go out
of town for a few days.”

“Oh? Where to?”

Looking at her as if he were debating how to answer, he replied, “New York. I have a meeting.”

Crossing her arms and giving him a side look, “You know, they have these things called phones and
oh, this not so newfangled thing called video conferencing.”

“I wish those were options, but I have to go.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“A few days.” Bethany hugged him and sighed.

“Would I be overstepping things if I said that I would miss you?”

Looking down at her with a surprised expression, he swallowed hard. “Nyet.”

Chapter 6

Bethany arrived at her handler’s office early Tuesday morning and was surprised to see her pacing
the floor. Stopping in the doorway, she waited for Marci to look up.

“Is everything okay?”

Marci shook her head. “Not by a long shot. Someone has been in my office after hours.”

Startled, Bethany said, “Again? Is there anything…was there anything found?”

“Of course not, I’m too careful for that, but the fact that someone was here is troubling. But come in. I
have the files you asked for, but they’re encrypted and on a timed server so you will only be able to
review them once.” Nodding her head, Bethany sat down as Marci typed in the current password.

While she went through the files regarding the recent Chinese translation, she couldn’t help but smile.
Her spy work at the Rubicon was clearly paying off during the private parties, as the guests were far
more likely to talk freely when they thought that no one understood Chinese. When she finished, she
brought Marci up to date on the club and her interactions with Vadim, leaving out the juicy bits.

“So, he’s in New York this week?”

“That’s what he told me. Something about a meeting that required face time.”

“Well that could mean one of two things. Either he’s meeting with someone higher up than he is in the
organization or he’s looking to bring in new business.”

“I thought that he was the man in charge?” Bethany questioned.

“Of the cartel, yes. But he still reports to someone in Moscow.” As they wrapped up, Bethany agreed
to see if she could insinuate herself further into the Rubicon while Vadim was gone.

With the realization that she was going to be late for class, Bethany rushed off making it with three
minutes to spare. Finding a seat on the far side of the room, she was surprised to see Peter walk in.
He appeared to be looking around for someone and once he spied her, he quickly ducked his head and
chose a seat close to the exit.

Certain now that he was the one watching her, she knew that she couldn’t take a picture without him
knowing, but wondered if she could get one from a campus security camera.

After class, she made her way down the steps and joined the throng of students exiting the classroom.
When she spied Peter over her left shoulder, she waited until he had left the class before ducking back
inside. Waiting until the students were mostly gone, she approached the instructor.

“Pardon me, Professor, but I was hoping you could answer a question for me.”

“Yes, Miss Michaels? What can I do for you?”

“When I was at the cocktail party the other night, I accidentally left one of my books with a student,
and I was hoping to find out his last name so that I can track him down to get it back.”

Reaching for the class roster, “What’s his name?”

“Peter.”

“Well, I’m afraid that you’re out of luck because there’s no one in this class by the name of Peter.
Here, see for yourself.”

Bethany took the roster from his hand and quickly scanned the class list. She hoped that he didn’t see
the slight tremor in her hand as she set the roster back down on the table. “Thank you, sir; I must have
gotten the name wrong.”

As she walked out of class, she spotted her handler walking across campus and sprinted to catch up
with her. Looking at her in surprise, she waited for Bethany to speak.

“I think I know who broke into your office.”

When they parted, Marci promised to track down any security footage of males answering Peter’s
description and would run them through the FBI’s facial recognition software. Bethany agreed to meet
back at her office early Thursday morning to review what she found.

The  next  two  nights  were  difficult  for  Bethany,  as  she  felt  as  though  she  were  being  followed
everywhere  she  went.  She  found  herself  taking  circuitous  routes  places  without  trying  to  give  the
appearance  that  she  was  trying  to  lose  a  tail.  Vadim  had  not  returned  from  New  York  yet,  and  she
wished that he would hurry as she felt safer knowing that he was around, even if she didn’t know the
status of their relationship.

Was this nothing more than a tryst for him? As Bethany contemplated her feelings for him, she had to
acknowledge it was far more complicated than she would like. It wasn’t merely the fact that it was
her job to gather as much intel about the Drobilka cartel as she could. She had grown attached to him
and feared that her feelings might soon cloud her judgment when it came down to him or her career.

Both her handler and Sanderson had warned her about getting too close, but it had happened so
quickly, she wasn’t sure that she would have done anything differently. Not even if I had known who
he really was? she asked herself as she contemplated her answer.

Was my past clouding my judgment? Bethany wondered. Spending her formative years in a house
with an abusive stepfather who was now doing time for the death of her twin made growing up both
quick and difficult. Her torso was covered in scars from when he would go on his drunken rampages,
although as drunk as he was, he was always careful not to leave marks where others could see.

Shaking her head, she tried to pull her head out of the past. What was done was done and she needed
to move on, but how could she be expected to do so when every time she looked in the mirror, she
was reminded of what she went through.

Vadim was the first man ever to see her as desirable, and Bethany had to admit that the allure was
intoxicating. To see that look in his eyes and know that it was because of her made her squirm thinking
about it.

Would she be able to give it up? Would any other man ever look at her that way?

Her alarm went off as she tiredly sat up. She tried to wash her fears away in the shower, but found
that the more she scrubbed, the stronger they felt. Dressing quickly, she grabbed her backpack and
headed to campus, eager to fill up on caffeine before meeting with her handler.

As she walked toward the languages building, she thought that she spied Peter and hastened her step.
She arrived at Marci’s office to check in with her handler before she had to leave for class. With the
door locked behind her, she sat down and flipped through the photos. Finding Peter, she checked the
background file, but could not find his name. He appeared to be a ghost. Now more concerned than
ever, she suddenly became aware of the lock quietly turning. Bethany knew it couldn’t possibly be
Marci, she quickly spilled the contents of her backpack onto the desk and took the lid off her coffee.
Laying her head down, she waited to see who would come in.

When she felt someone standing in front of the desk, she startled up, sending the contents of her coffee
onto her backpack and the person standing in front of the desk.

“Ouch. That’s hot,” Peter said as he jumped back.

Bethany jumped up and looked around for napkins or tissue, and finding a box, grabbed a handful as
she began dabbing at the library books she had soaked. Peter reached for the box to clean himself off
as her handler walked in with Sanderson. Maintaining a look of chagrin on her face, Bethany looked
apologetically toward Marci.

“Professor Chase, I am so sorry. I guess I fell asleep, and well, Peter startled me and I got coffee
everywhere and here you have a guest and…I am just so very sorry.” Bethany’s voice trailed off as
she looked at her handler.

“Well, from the looks of it, you got the majority of the coffee on your backpack, and hopefully none of
those books were from the library’s special collections.”

“Yes, ma’am. I mean, no ma’am,” Bethany answered as she attempted to sound flustered.

Turning to Sanderson, Marci introduced him. “This is Jake Sanderson with the FBI. He uses some of
my students when he has a need for a translator. I was just telling him about your mastery of the
Russian language.” She looked toward Peter, “And you would be?”

“Just leaving,” came Peter’s quick reply as he backed out of the room.

After he left, Marci looked at her. “What was that all about?”

Scooping her backpack off the desk and onto the floor, Bethany tossed her coffee cup before handing
her the files back. “It appears that Peter is a ghost,” she stated as Marci looked at the file. “And I’m

sure that I locked that door.” Marci raised an eyebrow at her across the top of the file before turning
to Sanderson.

“Is he one of yours?”

Shaking his head, Sanderson moved to the window to see if he could see the man leaving. “Nope. Not
one of ours. I’ll run it up to the next level to see what we can find out. But in the meantime, do be
careful.”

“Why, Jake, is that you showing concern?” Marci asked.

“Can it, Marci. I know everyone thinks I’m an asshole. We are so close on this; we can’t have your
charge here screwing things up because she isn’t paying attention to her surroundings. This is too
important.”

“And he’s back,” Marci replied drolly. “But, he’s not wrong,” she continued with a sigh. “Until we
find out how he fits in, be very careful.” Nodding in agreement, Bethany gathered up her things and
prepared to leave.

“I want to see you in my office on Monday,” Sanderson told her as she shouldered her backpack.

Looking questioningly at her handler, Bethany questioned, “But I thought that I wasn’t supposed to go
anywhere near the office?”

“Our office does use student translators, so we should have no problems maintaining that story, and
since it looks like your handler might be compromised, I want you to start viewing any files in my
office. Is that understood?”

Nodding her head, Bethany reluctantly agreed. She did not relish the idea of meeting with Sanderson;
she much preferred Marci’s calm demeanor and lack of antagonizing attitude.

As she was walking to her car after class, her phone beeped with a text message. It was from Vadim’s
second in command, telling her to come in at three for a private party. Letting him know that she
would be there, she quickened her step, anxious to see who would be there.

Chapter 7

When Bethany arrived at the Rubicon Gentleman’s Club, she didn’t see Vadim’s car. Wondering if he
was back yet, she walked inside. She hastened to the locker room to change into her uniform,
expecting someone to bring her a pendant to wear. When no one came to give her one, she exited out
into the main room.

Several tables had been pushed together, and there were at least twenty men sitting around chatting. A
large buffet had been set up to the side. Walking to the bar, she checked in with Sasha, who looked as
tired as she felt. “Long night?” she asked the bartender as she retrieved her tablet from the docking
station.

“Long several nights,” Sasha answered with a sigh. “When Vadim isn’t here, they work us harder.”

Nodding her head in agreement, Bethany turned and approached the table. The conversation paused as
she hesitantly began taking drink orders in English. When she got to Vadim’s second, he began
speaking to her in Russian, and soon the atmosphere at the table lightened up as she quickly filled the
orders and brought plates with appetizers to pass around.

The party continued for the next four hours as Bethany did her best to keep tabs on the different
discussions. As things wound down, she helped bus the tables, and she and Sasha put the section back
together before heading to the locker room to change into their street clothes.

As she was about to push the door open, Vadim’s second stopped her. “Don’t bother changing into
your street clothes,” he called out from the office.

Turning to look at him, “But Vadim never expects us to work a second shift.”

“Vadim is not here, and you will either work or you are fired. Your choice,” he barked out before
returning to the office.

Sighing heavily, she walked into the locker room and sat down on the bench. Sasha was sprawled out
on another bench with her feet propped against the lockers.

“Is it always like this when Vadim isn’t here?” Bethany asked her.

“Oh yeah,” Sasha replied.

“Does Vadim know?”

“What can he do?”

“Doesn’t he own this club?”

“Part owner. Yes. But when he isn’t here, Boris likes to pull power trips that he would never do in
front of him.”

Shaking her head, Bethany stretched out on the bench and put her feet up, hoping to get some rest
before her next shift. She had almost fallen asleep when the activity in the locker room increased as
the other girls came in to change into their uniforms. Bethany sat up slowly before walking into the
bathroom to find Sasha snorting something into her nose.

Sasha looked at her as she wiped her nose. “Don’t look so shocked. How do you think I manage to put
in so many hours? If you need something to get you through the night, let me know,” she told her as she
left.

Shaking her head, Bethany splashed cold water on her face before reapplying her makeup and
brushing out her hair. Satisfied that she looked as good as possible, she went back out onto the floor.
Heading to her station, she could see she had two large parties already in full swing. This was going
to be a long night.

The next two nights were equally as busy and completely unhelpful to her case, as she hustled around
to her different tables. She could have sworn that Boris was giving her a heavier workload, as it
didn’t seem as if some of the other servers were working as hard. And what was worse was that she
was earning twice what she was bringing in as a newbie agent.

Ever since she was a child and her mother had married her stepfather, she had learned to conserve
and save wherever possible. Whether it was hiding extra food in the event she or her brother were
sent to bed without supper or saving any money she earned, living a minimalist lifestyle that bordered
on the pathological kept things simple and her expenses low. While she could have afforded rent in a
better neighborhood, the majority of her neighbors turned a blind eye to anything that was going on
and it allowed her the luxury to squirrel away almost two-thirds of her income in the event that she
had to disappear for a while.

Dressing in her street clothes, she didn’t bother putting on her shoes as she padded out of the locker
room. To her surprise, Vadim was in his usual spot handing out envelopes with the night’s pay.
Shifting to the end of the line, she waited until everyone had left before stepping up to receive her
pay. She looked up at him and tried to determine how he was, but all she could see was a matched set
of dark shadows under his eyes, from lack of sleep.

“I’m glad that you’re back,” she stated simply as she gave him a small smile.

“Did Boris overwork you?”

“Very.”

“Come to my office, I will meet you there.”

Walking into his office, she dropped her backpack, plopped down on his sofa and stretched out.
Within minutes, Vadim had joined her, shutting and locking the door behind him. Joining her, he
picked up her feet and placed them on his lap. When his thumbs began to press into the balls of her
feet, Bethany felt as though her eyes had rolled back into her head.

“Oh, that feels so good,” she told him as she felt the last two days start to drain away.

As he began to work his way up her calves, Bethany couldn’t believe that she was feeling aroused.
Opening heavy eyes, she blushed when she saw the intensity of his stare. Suddenly feeling
uncomfortable, she started to pull her legs away, but he had tightened his grip. Working his way up her
legs, he kneaded the larger muscles as her energy drained away. While he massaged the inside of her
thighs, she felt that all too powerful sensation start to unfurl from deep inside her.

As he massaged away all her tension to make room for other sensations, he smiled when he caught a
whiff of her arousal.

“Do I turn you on, Malyutka?”

“Do you even have to ask,” Bethany questioned as she tried to rub her legs together.

He chuckled. “Sometimes a man wants to hear it from his Malyutka.”

“I am not your…” Before Bethany could answer, Vadim slid his fingers under the leg band on her
panties and dipped them between her folds.

“You are whatever I say you are,” he told her as he plunged his fingers deep inside her.

Lifting one of her legs over the back of the sofa, he nestled between her legs as he continued to pump
his fingers in and out. Bethany began to moan as she gave in to her body’s demand and enjoyed the
pleasure he was giving her. As she felt her muscles begin to clench, he pulled his fingers out.

When she opened her eyes to protest, she watched as he dropped the zipper on his pants. She shifted
onto his lap and straddled his legs as he pushed her panties aside. Sliding down on his cock, she
groaned lustily as he arched up into her. He held her hips as he guided her up and down while they
both moaned. Adjusting her hips, Bethany began making figure-eight movements while he rocked up
into her.

The friction from their clothes was creating additional sensations that enhanced her arousal as she
moved her hips faster.

A series of orgasms rocked through her as she cried out his name. Splaying his hand flat against her
lower back, he held her tightly to him as his own orgasm squeezed his balls painfully before
releasing. With a roar, he came hard as he bit down on her neck.

Yelping in surprise, Bethany tilted her head to give him better access as he nipped along her
collarbone. When they both started to come down, her fingers found their way to the buttons of his
shirt as she ran her hands along his chest. Unable to resist, she bent her head and licked at his scars
that marred his upper torso.

Hissing in response, he held her head tightly against his chest as she sucked and licked on his scars.
Unable to handle any more, he grabbed her head, capturing her lips in a possessive kiss that had
Bethany moaning into his mouth in response.

Before she knew it, Vadim was hard again as he stroked her insides with his cock. Closing her eyes,
she tilted her head back as she dug her fingers into his shoulders. Where before, their actions were
fueled by lust, this felt different. Stroking his hands up and down her back, the pleasure tendrils were
slower to come as they permeated every part of her body.

When her orgasm hit, she opened her eyes in surprise at the depth of emotion that almost bent her in
two. The look on Vadim’s face was similar to how she felt as she rained feather-light kisses across
his face. When she reached his lips, she kissed him before exploring his lips with her tongue. As he
opened his mouth, she continued her explorations, giving as much of herself as she went. With a
groan, Vadim tightened his hold on her as he began to pump his juices inside her.

As their pulses started to return to normal, Vadim held her close as he continued to rock back and
forth. Unsure what to say, she merely looked at him. She had not anticipated falling for him.

Chapter 8

Bethany woke late Sunday morning to the insistent ringing of her phone. Reaching for it, she didn’t
bother to see who it was from before answering with a mumble.

“Malyutka.”

“Vadim, it’s Sunday. I’ve barely been asleep for a few hours.”

“I know, Malyutka, and I am sorry, but Boris has scheduled another one of his private parties, and one
of the servers has food poisoning. I need you to be here at two.”

“What time is it now?”

“Ten.”

“Okay, see you then,” she answered before sliding the phone under her pillow and going back to
sleep.

When her regular alarm went off at noon, she sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Another
party? She tried to remember what Vadim had said…so, Boris was the one who scheduled these
parties. She would have to tell Sanderson about that when she saw him tomorrow.

Walking into the Rubicon, she waved to the security guard who was perched in his normal spot before
working her way through the club. Many of the guests had already arrived and both Vadim and Boris
were making the rounds. As she walked by, Vadim paused in his conversation to watch her as she
nodded to him. She didn’t know how much anyone knew about their relationship, other than the noises
coming from his locked office, but she didn’t want to make things worse for him by calling undue
attention to their activities.

Once she was dressed in her uniform, she came out to retrieve her tablet and was surprised to see
Sasha wasn’t tending bar. Smiling at the woman that she thought went by Tiffany, she asked about
Sasha, but the girl shrugged her shoulders.

“All I know is that both Sasha and her roommate didn’t come in. Boris said something about food
poisoning.”

Nodding her head, Bethany told her that she had heard the same thing before she grabbed her tablet
and headed upstairs to see who needed drinks. It was much the same crowd as last time, and she
smiled in recognition. As she was serving the drinks, she heard a loud noise from down below.
Setting her tray down, she walked to the balcony and looked down to see a swarm of law enforcement
make their way into the club and spread out amongst the occupants.

Armed officers dressed in combat gear with shields flanked the outer perimeter. Looking for Vadim,
she found him and Boris on their knees with their hands behind their heads. He mouthed an apology at
her before Sanderson kicked him between the shoulders sending him flat to the floor.

Stepping back, she turned to the guests who were looking anxious and spoke calmly in Russian,
“Gentlemen, it appears that the Rubicon has been raided. I would suggest that everyone remain calm
while everything gets sorted out.” Several men grumbled and fidgeted in their seats, but for the most
part, everyone upstairs remained quiet and waited for the officers to tell them what to do.

For the next several hours, Bethany remained calm, following whatever commands any particular
officer gave her. Not willing to give herself away, she stayed with the other servers and dancers as
the officers took down everyone’s name and contact information. Several of the guests were
handcuffed, along with both Vadim and Boris, and hustled out to the parking lot into what she assumed
was a bus or a van for transport.

She watched Sanderson with interest as he worked his way around the room. She really couldn’t
believe his intentionally antagonistic behavior as he goaded many of the men. As he worked his way
around to the staff, he looked the women up and down disdainfully.

“Have them go into the employee area one at a time with an officer to gather their things. We’ll finish
up their statements at the office.”

After gathering their personal belongings, Bethany and the other five women were placed in a van and
driven to the FBI office in downtown Dallas. They were placed in separate offices, and Bethany
presumed the others were questioned while she waited to hear from Sanderson. She was left there for
more than two hours before he finally came in. Dropping her stuff down on the desk, he stared at her.

“What do you know about Elizabeth Cunningham?”

“Who?”

Pulling a picture out of a file, he slid it across the desk. Bethany looked down to see a very dead
Sasha. Swallowing hard, “What happened?”

“Both her and her roommate had their skulls caved in.”

“I was told that she had food poisoning. Who?”

“ICE is very eager to find out. Turns out that you weren’t the only operative working there.”

“She was an agent?”

“According to her supervisor, she’d been undercover for more than two years. When she stopped
checking in, they thought that she might have switched sides.”

Shaking her head, Bethany said, “I did see her doing cocaine.”

“Would you swear to that?”

“Well, since I didn’t try it, no, I can’t be certain, but she had been complaining about being overtired
and needing a pick me up. Boris had us working back to back shifts and it was exhausting.”

“Boris Banovich?”

“Is that his last name?”

“Is he the one who told you about the food poisoning?”

“No, Vadim did.”

Sanderson pointed at her stuff and instructed, “Get changed, I’ll be back.”

As he shut the door, Bethany quickly changed into her street clothes and checked her backpack to
make sure everything was there. Her cell phone was missing. Checking again to make sure that she
didn’t miss it, she was interrupted by a brief knock at the door. A female officer that had been at the
club handed her a visitor badge and told her to meet Sanderson in Interrogation room 3.

Chapter 9

Leaving her backpack, she headed over to the interrogation room. This was her first time in this
particular building, and it didn’t occur to her to check to see who was in there before she pushed the
door open and walked in.

She was shocked to see Vadim handcuffed to the table as Sanderson leaned against the wall with a
malicious look on his face. Spying her visitor badge, Vadim began to swear in Russian, as he jerked
hard against his restraints.

Covering her mouth with her hand, she glared at Sanderson before backing hastily out of the room.
She walked halfway down the corridor before she spied a smoker’s balcony and pushed the door
open, stepping out into the Dallas night. Her legs could no longer hold her as she collapsed in a heap.
She clutched her sides, rocking back and forth, willing herself not to cry.

She didn’t know how long she was out there when she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. Looking up
into Marci’s concerned face, her resolve crumbled as tears trickled down her cheeks.

“He knows I betrayed him,” Bethany said as she hugged herself.

“What did you think would happen?”

“Not this. Not like that. Ah, fuck, Marci, why did Sanderson do that?”

Sighing, Marci sat down on the bench. “Because, he’s an asshole. But other than that, I really don’t
know what he was thinking because now there’s absolutely no chance that we’ll get any cooperation
out of him and all this may have been for nothing.”

“Don’t say that. Two women that we know of are dead. How many others have to die?”

“Well, what do you intend to do about it?”

“Me? What can I possibly do? If I had known what Sanderson had intended, I might have been able to
suggest something different. It was stupid of me not to check to see who was in the room before
walking in there. Just stupid.”

“I would have made the same mistake,” Marci replied, as she leaned back and closed her eyes. “But
that still doesn’t answer my question.”

Lifting her head up, Bethany stared out across the Dallas downtown skyline. “Can we turn him?”

“What?”

“Make him an asset. Boris is the one responsible for these daytime private parties, not Vadim. And,
as you said, he reports to someone in Moscow. Why can’t we shoot for a bigger fish?” Bethany asked.

Looking at her with approval, Marci asked, “Can you do it?”

“Do I have any choice?”

Standing up, Bethany walked inside with her handler and headed back toward the interrogation room.
They could still hear Vadim shouting in Russian as they came upon Miles Turner, Director of the
Southwest region, berating Sanderson for his actions.

“This is the last straw, Sanderson. If we can’t save this case, you won’t be around long enough to see
us clean up this mess you made,” Turner told him. Turning to the two women, he looked
apologetically at Bethany. “I’m so sorry that you were thrust into this. The request for the raid on the
Rubicon had been denied until we had more information in place, and now, I’ve got two other
agencies out for blood after this debacle.”

“I might have a solution, sir,” Bethany stated. As she talked, Turner looked at her in surprise.

“Turn him?”

“Why not? He’s not the decision maker, and it’s clear that Boris is acting under different rules, why
not see how many we can reel in?” Bethany asked.

“Absolutely not,” Sanderson interjected.

“You don’t have a say in this,” Turner cut in. Turning back to Bethany, “Can you do it?”

“Vadim is an honorable man, and he cares…cared about me. I think that I can.”

Nodding his head in approval, he looked at her, “What do you need?”

Bethany held her hand out to Sanderson. “For starters, the file with the pictures of Sasha in them, the
handcuff key, and some time.”

Sanderson looked at her as if she were insane, then looked to Turner and Marci for help. Seeing none
was coming, he scowled before handing her the file and digging in his pocket for a handcuff key.
“You’ll regret this,” he declared before he turned and stalked away from the three of them.

Bethany clutched the file and pocketed the key before turning to the interrogation room. Before she
opened the door, she looked to her right and saw a break room. Poking her head in, she grabbed two
bottles of water before pushing the door open and stepping inside.

Vadim looked like a caged animal as she took in the ravaged look on his face and his raw wrists.
Knocking on the door, she called for a first aid kit, which was quickly handed to her. She set it down
with everything else and stared at him as he gradually settled down.

“So, you were FBI, all along,” he stated in Russian.

“Dah,” she answered simply.

“So, everything that happened between us was what, your job?”

Shaking her head, she replied, “I was sent to gather intel on the Drobilka cartel, what happened
between us wasn’t meant to happen, but I fell…”

“Fell for me?” he interrupted as he snorted. “Do not insult me, Ms. Michaels, with any more lies.”

Bethany clutched at her sides as she was wracked with emotion at the level of hatred dripping off his
tongue. She closed her eyes and attempted to clear her head before walking around to the control
panel on the wall and turning off the recording devices. Digging the key out of her pocket, she slid it
across the table toward him along with a bottle of water.

Looking at her suspiciously, he looked up to see that the cameras were off before reaching for the key.
Bethany had sagged against the wall with her eyes closed as she waited for his next move. She didn’t
have long to wait as he slid across the table and landed in front of her.

Opening startled eyes to look at him, she swallowed hard at the look of hatred on his face as he
wrapped his right hand around her throat.

“I could kill you with the flick of my wrist,” he told her as he tightened his grip. Tilting her head back,
she took small breaths as she watched him. “Was it worth it?”

“Was what worth it?”

“Was it a boost to your career to lose your virginity to me?”

Without even thinking, Bethany’s hand swept up and connected hard with his cheek as he looked at her
in surprise. Rubbing his cheek, he stumbled backwards into the table as she shoved hard at his chest.

“Why, you arrogant, self-centered asshole. Do you have any idea what it was like for me growing up?
I dreamed about going to the Academy, and suddenly, I’m thrust into this case, but no one can know
about  it,  so  I’m  treated  like  some  sort  of  ghost,  having  to  sneak  around  with  no  backup.  And  then  I
meet you and all your muscles and tattoos, and when you touched me that first time in the locker room,
fuck, Vadim, I started feeling things that I had no right to feel.” Brushing at the tears to keep them from
falling  down  her  cheeks,  she  stood  in  front  of  him  with  her  hands  on  her  hips.  “Don’t  you  for  one
minute think that what went on between us had anything to do with the case. I didn’t even know who
you  were  until  you  told  me  your  birth  name,  which  by  the  way,  I  would  have  been  happy  not
knowing.”

As Bethany took a breath to continue her tirade, Vadim stood up suddenly, grabbed her shoulders, and
yanked her against him. She attempted to push him away with a strangled yelp, but he was much
stronger than she was and she had foolishly turned off the cameras and let him take his handcuffs off.
Wrapping one hand around the back of her head and the other around her waist, his lips crashed
bruisingly down on hers as he kissed her.

Bethany gasped in surprise, then moaned as she kissed him back, their lips and tongues smashing
against each other in an attempt to vent the last several hours’ frustration out on each other. Clutching
tightly, she dug her fingers into his arms as she held onto him. When they separated, both were panting

as much from the exertion as the passion.

Looking down at her in surprise, he saw the remainder of her tears in the corners of her eyes as he
rubbed them away with his thumb. That tender touch was too much for Bethany as she tried to back
away, but he held onto her as he searched her face.

“Malyutka.” Before Bethany could protest, he kissed her tenderly as he murmured, “You are whatever
I say you are.”

Bethany hugged him before reluctantly stepped back. Sitting down, he watched as she reached for the
first aid kit before dragging the other chair around. As she sat down next to him, she opened the kit
and began to clean his wrists.

Looking at her curiously, he closed his eyes briefly at her soft touch. “So, how much do they know?”
he asked her.

As Bethany talked, he closed his eyes and swallowed. They knew far more than he had anticipated
and much more than Bethany could have found out on her own. When she finished, she shut the first
aid kit and tossed it on the table by the door. Reaching for the file she had brought in, she handed it to
him. Curious, he opened it and quickly sifted through the contents. Closing it, he set it back down
before looked at her.

“I was told she had food poisoning,” he said in English.

“I believe you. My guess is that Boris found out she was ICE and did something about it. I suspect her
roommate either got in the way or he wasn’t taking chances.”

“What do you want from me?” he asked, switching back to Russian.

“To make you an asset.”

“You are joking.”

Shaking her head, Bethany spoke to him in low tones as she outlined her idea. He argued with her as
she continued to explain.

“And what do I get in return?”

“You mean besides avoiding prison and potentially the death penalty?”

Pacing the room, Vadim avoided her gaze as he contemplated her proposal. “And who exactly would
we be going after?”

“Boris, to start. We don’t have enough on him to arrest him for Elizabeth’s murder.”

“Who?”

“Sasha,” Bethany corrected. “We aren’t the only agency interested in your boss. This would be a
multi-division taskforce. Ideally, we’d like to take down whoever is calling the shots in Moscow, but
for now, we’d settle for closing down all their enterprises here in the US.”

“That is a tall order, Malyutka.”

Standing up and stepping in front of him, Bethany took his hands as she looked him in the eye, “Vadim,
when I look at you, I see an honorable man. Help me stop these people.”

“And who would I be reporting to?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Bethany pondered his question. “Me, I suppose. As far as I know, my cover
hasn’t been blown, I can return to the Rubicon.”

“Nyet!” Vadim declared as he slapped his hand down on the file. “I won’t have what happened to
Sasha happen to you.”

“It won’t,” Bethany declared. “Not if we’re careful.”

After additional discussion, Vadim agreed to Bethany’s idea. Walking back over to the control panel,
she clicked on both the audio and cameras before talking into the mic, “We are ready for Director
Turner,” she stated before reaching for one of the bottles of water. After she downed half of it, she
offered the bottle to Vadim, who finished it off. Within minutes, the door opened and an armed officer
stood outside waiting for them.

“This way, please,” he stated as they followed him down the hall to a conference room.

Walking inside, Bethany was not surprised to see the Director or her handler. There was a man in a
suit who looked like a lawyer; two other people that she presumed were from one of the other
divisions. Sitting on a credenza near the window, she was surprised to see Peter. Raising her
eyebrow, she waited for any introductions, but none was made.

She sat down next to Vadim as the lawyer outlined their proposal in writing and Vadim signed off
acknowledging his agreement that in exchange for no charges being pressed against him, he agreed to
provide information to the taskforce. In addition, Bethany would remain in her role as a server at the
Rubicon and they would continue their relationship.

He argued over any agreement to wear a wire or allow recording devices in his office, but grudgingly
agreed that there might come a need for it at a later date.

When Bethany and Vadim finally left the FBI building, the sun was already high in the sky. Blinking in
the sunlight, Bethany’s stomach growled loudly as she realized that it had been close to twenty-four
hours since she had eaten anything. Before they could hail a cab, a Town Car pulled up with Boris in
the passenger seat. They looked at each other tiredly, having not had the chance to rehearse what they
planned to say to him, but climbed into the backseat. Sagging, Bethany let out a yawn as she leaned
back against the seats.

As the car pulled away, Boris questioned both of them. While there were still three others who had
yet to be released, he was concerned at how long they were there.

Deciding for as much of the truth as possible, Vadim filled him in on the murder of Sasha and that she
was  an  agent  with  ICE,  as  he  searched  his  face  for  any  tell.  As  he  talked,  Bethany  found  her  eyes
drooping  as  she  fought  to  follow  the  conversation,  which  was  taking  place  in  rapid  Russian.  She
vaguely remembered hearing her name as she sat up. Taking her hand, Vadim kissed the back of it as
he  told  Boris  that  he  had  made  a  mistake  in  asking  about  her,  which  keyed  the  FBI  in  to  their
relationship.

“And what did Miss Michaels have to say about the relationship?” Boris questioned.

Mumbling, Bethany was having difficulty speaking as Vadim leaned in to hear what she was saying.
He choked back a laugh as he repeated what she said, “Nice apartment, great sex.”

Chapter 10

The Town Car dropped the couple off at Vadim’s apartment as Bethany dragged herself inside. She
felt as though her feet were cased in concrete as she fought to walk. Wrapping his arm around her
waist, Vadim held her to him as they took the elevator up to his penthouse apartment.

Once he opened the door, he scooped her up and carried her to the bed. Laying her down, he removed
her shoes before throwing a blanket over her. Bethany vaguely felt the mattress shift next to her as he
joined her, and they both tumbled into uninterrupted sleep.

Bethany woke to a heavy weight wrapped around her. Opening her eyes slowly, she looked around at
the darkened room before realizing that she was in Vadim’s apartment. She saw Vadim’s arm wrapped
protectively around her when she looked down. Rolling over, she looked at his face as he slumbered.

Even  in  his  sleep,  he  didn’t  seem  to  relax,  as  his  brow  was  furrowed.  Reaching  her  hand  up,  she
smoothed  the  frown  lines  as  he  slowly  opened  his  eyes.  He  captured  her  hand  and  kissed  her
fingertips  one  by  one  before  sucking  one  into  his  mouth.  Bethany’s  eyes  darkened  immediately  in
response as she could feel the now familiar pleasure sensation start to unfurl inside her.

Pushing him onto his back, she straddled him as he continued to suck on her fingers. She closed her
eyes as she felt her toes begin to curl with desire.

She pulled her hand free and gave him a mischievous look as she pulled her shirt over her head and
tossed it aside, followed quickly by her bra. She playfully slapped Vadim’s hand as he reached for
her, and his eyes darkened in warning. Leaning down, her hair tickled his chest as she began to kiss
him, her fingers dancing lightly over his tattoos as she worked her way around his chest.

Her lips brushed over his nipples as he groaned. Holding his hands at his sides, he fisted them to
avoid taking over, as her light touches were making it difficult to focus. He tucked another pillow
under his head as he watched her lick and nip at his chest.

Bethany gave herself over to the overwhelming need to please and pleasure him as she felt him gasp
in response before taking slow, measured breaths. She had never pleasured a man this way before, but
his body was leading her down a heady path that was easy to follow as she became intoxicated by his
smell and taste. Wanting more, she continued to work her way down his body as her knee brushed
against his erection, straining for release.

She reached for the clasp on his trousers and pulled the zipper down as he lifted his hips to help her
pull them off. His erection sprang free as she looked at it in wonder. While this wasn’t her first time
looking  at  his  cock,  she  was  about  to  try  something  she  had  never  done  before.  Rubbing  her  hands
along  his  hips,  she  slowly  worked  her  way  toward  the  center  as  her  hands  brushed  up  against  him.
His  cock  bounced  in  anticipation  as  he  moaned.  With  one  hand,  she  wrapped  her  hand  around  his
shaft, surprised at how smooth the skin was. Moving her hand up and down, she began to stroke him,
mimicking what she had seen in porn.

Vadim whispered her name as she looked up at him. He was struggling with the desire to take over as

pleasure was close to turning to pain. Tightening her grip slightly, she continued to look at him as she
dipped her head and tentatively licked his cock. His hips bounced in response as he growled.

Inexperience gave way to curiosity, as she opened her mouth to take him in. While her body screamed
at her to ask him to take her, she knew that this was the right thing to do. Her body ached, aroused by
his groans as she sucked him into her mouth. Holding the base of his cock, she continued to stroke up
and down, tightening her grip with each upward pull. Matching her rhythm with her mouth, she
bobbed her head, and with each downward bob, she would take more of him into her mouth.

She rubbed her legs together as he muttered endearments in Russian. She loved the sensations she was
creating for him and the power that it brought as she swiped her tongue around the head before
sucking his cock back into her mouth. She felt a tightening deep down his shaft and suspected that he
was close to coming as he tapped her head in warning to lift off. Desire and curiosity overwhelmed
her as she sped up, sucking harder as she continued to stroke his shaft.

Sweat trickled down his body as he fought the urge to come. He didn’t want her to be put off her first
time. He clenched his stomach as the sensations began to overwhelm him. Looking down at her, he
was surprised to see her watching him and the look of intensity of her face was too much as he arched
his hips up against her mouth, forcing her to take more of him in as he came. She instinctively began to
swallow as he came, the muscles in her throat milking his cock as he groaned. His body shook with
the intensity of his orgasm as she continued to suck and stroke his cock.

When he was spent, he reached for her arms and dragged her up onto his chest where she tumbled
against him. Lifting her head, he kissed her deeply as he tasted the results of his passion on her
tongue. He groaned and held her tightly to him as he stroked her back. His skin was slick with sweat
as her nipples rubbed against the roughness of his scars along his torso.

As he contemplated returning the favor, Bethany’s stomach let out an angry rumble, and he felt her
face flush against his chest. He rose to a sitting position, letting out a bark of laughter and taking her
with him. Reaching behind him, he retrieved her shirt handing it to her as he hugged her to him. She
bumped her head against his chest as she wrapped one hand around his neck. As she nuzzled his
collarbone, Vadim closed his eyes at the innocent expression of affection.

Another angry growl of her stomach had him setting her on her feet as he reached for his pants.
Slipping them on, he walked barefoot into the kitchen. He began pulling ingredients out of the fridge
as Bethany joined him. He paused when he realized that she was naked. Lifting an eyebrow, he
reached for an apron, placed the strap around her head, and pulled her against his chest as he tied it
behind her. Stepping back, he smiled down at her.

“There’s a bottle of white wine in the fridge, why don’t you open it and pour a couple glasses while I
make some omelets.”

Leaning up to kiss him, she turned to the fridge and he couldn’t resist swatting at her bare butt as she
yelped in response. When she looked over her shoulder at him, any hint of innocence was replaced
with a look of promise.

Vadim made quick work of the omelets while Bethany sat quietly and sipped her wine. They had
agreed not to discuss his new commitment to the FBI until he had a chance to sweep his apartment for
bugs, and the fact that she was sitting in his kitchen naked was making it difficult for him to focus.
Flipping the omelets onto a single plate, he set it down on the breakfast bar as she looked at him with
a raised eyebrow. He walked around to the other side and kissed her before scooping her up into his
arms and settling her on his lap.

Taking a sip of his wine, he wet his lips as he leaned in to kiss her. Bethany kissed him back, licking
the wine off his lips. With a groan, Vadim wondered whether this game was a good idea as he could
already feel a growing discomfort where she sat. Reaching for the fork, he speared some omelet and
held the fork in front of her mouth. Never taking her eyes off him, she opened her mouth and delicately
removed the egg, closing her eyes in obvious enjoyment.

“Oh, that’s yummy,” she told him as he speared more egg and fed it to her.

“You’re just saying that because you haven’t eaten in more than twenty-four hours.”

Shaking her head, she adjusted her position as she obediently waited for him to feed her. As she took
each bite from his fork, her enjoyment of the simple meal pleased him far more than anything else had.

He didn’t know what to think about his knew involvement with the FBI or whether it was a good idea,
but if it meant keeping Bethany close, it was worth risking the wrath of his partners. He’d been
through far worse at the hands of his father and the military, he could handle them. At least, he hoped
so. In the meantime, he was going to take advantage of her current inhibition.

As they finished their meal, Bethany went to stand up to take the plate, but he stopped her. Tilting her
head toward him, he kissed her as he slid his hand under the apron. He rubbed his hand up and down
her legs and pushed her legs apart before cupping her mound. The heat from his hand coupled with
her arousal had Bethany squirming as he worked his fingers inside to rub along her slit.

Moaning into his mouth, he deepened the kiss, sucking on her tongue as he explored everything she
had to offer. His other hand brushed against her nipples as they strained against the rough fabric of the
apron. He rubbed it along her breasts as she began to mewl and squirm on his lap. Her hip pressed up
against his erection as he moved her over to keep her from causing any damage.

Putting his hands back where they were, he continued to stroke her until her body began to shake with
need. He increased the pressure and sped up his strokes as he flicked casually at her nipples, causing
the varying sensations to make it difficult for her to focus on one particular thing.

Bethany broke the kiss and pressed her forehead against his as she fought to control her breathing.
Pulling his hands free, he handed her the wine before lifting her into his arms and carrying her into the
living room. After setting her down on the rug in front of the windows, he grabbed a couple pillows
and a blanket off the couch before reaching for the clasp on his pants. He stepped out of them as
Bethany reached for the tie on the apron. Pulling it over her head, she tossed it aside as he joined her
on the floor.

Before she could say anything, he captured her lips in a possessive kiss, growling as he nipped at her
lower lip. Bethany was moaning as she wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her to straddle
his lap. Facing him, she sat on his lap with her legs around his waist. He caressed her back as he
lazily stroked her up and down. His hands were doing things to her as she squirmed on his lap. He
soon found her breasts, and he held them in his hands and kissed her now rosy globes. Shifting back
and forth, he licked and sucked at her nipples as she dug her fingers into his shoulders, kneading the
muscles. As he lifted his head to kiss her lips, his thumbs continued to rub her nipples while she
dropped her head back in pleasure.

Moving her feet so they were flat on the floor, he lifted her hips and he positioned himself. He
bottomed out as he brought her down while she thrust forward, groaning lustily in response. Holding
on to her hips, he began to lift her up and down as she rocked in his arms. He groaned at the sight
before him, and he nuzzled her breasts, sucking her nipples as they bounced in front of him.

As her pleasure increased, Bethany pressed into the rug with her heels, forcing herself to land harder
with each downward thrust. Moaning, she kneaded the muscles in his shoulders and back, digging in
as her body began to tremble in anticipation. She picked up the pace as Vadim grunted and groaned in
response. As he felt her orgasm near, he tightened his hold on her hips and shortened his thrusts,
tilting upwards to bump against her g-spot. Bethany tilted her head back and cried out his name as his
mouth once again found her nipples. Sucking hard, she shrieked as her orgasm rolled through her. He
continued to thrust into her as she bounced and shook on top of him.

Growling, he flipped her onto her back and increased his speed. With a cry, his balls clenched tightly
before releasing, and he jerked and twitched above her as her muscles greedily clutched him milking
him dry. When he was spent, he slowly pulled out of her. Grabbing the pillows, he placed one under
her head and took the other before cuddling up against her.

He placed gentle kisses on her as he stroked her skin. She turned on her side and looked up at him
with a shy smile before she kissed him. Opening his mouth, she twined her tongue around his in a
slow, lazy dance.

Chapter 11

Bethany spent the next day with Vadim, deciding to blow off class for one day. While she felt guilty
not checking in with her handler, she knew that she would see her on Wednesday.

After he had swept his apartment for bugs, they talked quietly. Still not quite sure they were safe to
speak aloud. After much discussion, Bethany had agreed to move in with him. The shift in the
relationship would send a message to Boris and any others, and it would give them the opportunity to
spend more time together.

Later that afternoon, he took her over to her apartment to pick up her things. Given that her rent was so
cheap, they decided to drop that apartment and take one at the other end of the building with a better
exit strategy in the event they needed a place to go. When he placed her two suitcases into the trunk of
his car, he looked at her to see if she had any misgivings, but she was all smiles as he closed the
trunk. Wrapping his hands around her waist, he pulled her to him as he kissed her.

“Can we really do this?” she asked him.

“We won’t know until we try,” he answered.

“Look at you being the positive one,” she teased as he opened the car door for her to get in.

* * * *

Wednesday morning, Bethany reported to her handler who was pissed that she hadn’t checked in.

“Where the hell have you been?” Marci demanded as Bethany set a sweetened coffee down in front of
her and a cinnamon roll. Snatching the coffee, she took a long drink before opening the bag to see the
roll inside. “And don’t think you can bribe me with breakfast,” she told her as she licked the sugar
glaze off her fingers.

Sitting down in the chair opposite her, Bethany sipped at her coffee. “So, who is this Peter,” she
began.

“Sasha’s handler. When she stopped reporting in, he decided to launch his own investigation to find
out what was going on, and we simply got caught in the middle. He didn’t know we were FBI until
Sunday, but he has grudgingly agreed to back off while we take the lead on this case.”

“Should we be concerned about him?”

Marci shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve no idea.”

Nodding her head, Bethany filled Marci in on her recent move, leaving out that they kept the
apartment. There were too many changes taking place, and she decided that in the event the shit hit the
fan, she needed a safe house to hide out in and regroup.

Before she left, she agreed not to miss any more meetings, and she assured Marci that she still had the
panic button.

That evening, she pulled into the parking lot at the Rubicon. It was back to work for her. She hadn’t
been back since the raid, and she was curious to see if anything had changed.

The first thing she noticed was the additional new cameras surrounding the parking lot. When she
walked inside, it looked as though they had added several more bouncers. As she made her way into
the main area, the same group of men was sitting in their usual spot. On her way past to the changing
rooms, she was surprised when Boris waved her over. As she walked up, she nodded to the men.

“A little bird tells me that you might have a job with the FBI,” Boris commented.

“I’m sorry, what?” Bethany wasn’t sure what he was talking about as she worried that he already
knew everything but if that were the case, Vadim would not be sitting so calmly next to him.

“A man named Sanderson is interested in your translation skills?”

“Oh, that.” Bethany had already forgotten about it as she wondered how he knew. “I’m not actually
sure,” she ventured. “I only met with him once and after the raid, I figured he would have written me
off.” There, that sounded reasonable, she thought.

“We have been talking, and we want you to contact him to see if the job is still available.”

“Um, why?”

“Because we think that you would be the perfect candidate to do some spying for us.”

“Wait, what?” Bethany stopped speaking when Boris held his hand up.

“Vadim will explain it to you later. You do not want to be late for your shift, now do you?”

Shaking her head, she looked at Vadim who shrugged his shoulders, before heading to the locker
room. As she dressed in her uniform, she wondered at the sudden turn of events.

Could this even work? she wondered, as she adjusted her belt. This might be an interesting
opportunity to gain more information, but the key question is how did he know about that offer?
The only other person who knew was Peter, unless there’s another mole.

Straightening her shoulders, she walked out onto the floor and headed to the bar to pick up her tablet.
Waving at Tiffany, she scrolled through the drink orders before turning to greet her guests.

The night was uneventful, of which Bethany was grateful, as she was anxious to speak with Vadim.
When they were finally able to talk, he admitted that he had been as surprised as she was when Boris
brought it up. Nodding her head uncertainly, Vadim dropped his head to kiss her.

Bethany looked up in surprise. “I thought that we weren’t broadcasting our relationship,” she stated.

Chapter 12

As Vadim rode the elevator up to their penthouse apartment, he smiled at the thought of a “we.” He
knew that he didn’t lead the kind of life that would welcome a stable relationship and having one with
a woman who was sent to spy on him didn’t bode well for any sort of long-term success. But for the
first time in his life, he was hopeful at the prospects for a future.

When the elevator opened onto the top floor, he was surprised to see the living room cast in a glow as
candlelight danced along the walls and reflected back in the floor-to-ceiling windows that banked
two walls. Walking into the room, he spotted a trail of rose petals as he followed it around to the
fireplace.

His smile grew wide when he found Bethany naked and reclining on the rug. Smiling up at him, she
held out her hand as he joined her.

“A man could get used to coming home to such a feast for the eyes, Malyutka,” he told her as he
kicked off his shoes before joining her on the rug.

With one hand to her lower back and the other around the back of her neck, he arched her back to kiss
her as her hands reached for the buttons on his shirt. Sliding her hands under his shirt, she wondered
if she would ever get tired of touching him as trailed kisses down her collarbone, nipping at her neck
as he went.

Bethany rested on her elbows as she watched him pull his shirt off. When he went to kiss her again,
she waggled a finger at him, “Uh uh. Pants, too, Mr. Sannikoff.”

Giving her his best seductive smile, he rose gracefully as he released the clasp on his pants and drew
the zipper down. Stepping out of his pants, he bent to pull his socks off as he felt her soft hand rubbing
up the back of his legs. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard at the emotions brewing inside him.

As he opened his eyes to look at her, he caught her rubbing her legs together as her body began to take
on a rosy hue. Dropping down on top of her, he looked at her as he towered above her. The innocence
and insecurity that he remembered when he first met her was slowly being replaced by the
assuredness of a woman becoming comfortable in her own skin. She cupped his face as she arched up
to kiss him. Opening his mouth, they continued to kiss as she began to moan.

Leaning on one hand, he touched her in wonderment. He couldn’t believe that someone as desirable
as she was lying beneath him as he stroked her silky skin. He kissed her forehead before beginning to
trail kisses down her body, following his hand wherever it went. Working his way down her body, he
inhaled deeply taking in the scent of her arousal. He was surprised when she stopped him from
kissing her mound. She smiled at him when he looked up at her questioningly.

“Make love to me, Vadim,” she said simply.

Moving to position himself over her, he swallowed back the emotion threatening to overwhelm him.
“Whatever my Malyutka wishes,” he told her as he positioned himself.

She wrapped her legs around his waist as she lifted her hips in anticipation. Entering her slowly, he
groaned at how wet she was as he buried his shaft deeply inside her. Not quite ready to move, he
enjoyed the feel of her wrapped so tightly around him as thoughts of home once again touched his
heart.

Lifting his hips, he began to thrust in and out with long strokes as Bethany arched up to meet him.
Slowly they moved, looking each other in the eyes as each thrust seemed to bring them closer and
closer together.

As  Bethany  watched  him,  pleasure  tendrils  wound  their  way  through  her  body,  and  she  resisted  the
urge to close her eyes, wanting to share every moment with him. As her pleasure continued to spiral
upwards,  she  watched,  waiting  for  Vadim’s  own  orgasm  to  draw  near.  When  she  began  to  feel  a
familiar  clenching,  she  leaned  up  to  kiss  him,  but  he  arched  her  back  and  captured  a  nipple  in  his
mouth  as  he  sucked  greedily  at  them.  Unable  to  hold  back  any  longer,  she  cried  out  his  name  as  he
switched nipples.

Bethany’s body shook as pleasure overwhelmed her, and she clutched at his back, raking her nails
down it as he pressed into her. Digging her heels into his butt, she held tightly to him as his body,
overcome with need, released itself, and he emptied himself inside her.

She didn’t realize that she had cried until she felt Vadim licking her tears away as he stroked her
cooling skin. Lying beside her, he smiled down at her as he cupped the side of her face.

“Whatever we have. Whatever happens. We can get through it, together. Understand?”

Nodding her head, Bethany blinked away the fresh tears threatening to fall.

“Dah, moya lyubov,” she told him as her lips brushed his.

Vadim had to clear his throat, momentarily too moved to respond. Hugging her tightly to him, he said,
“My love? I do like the sound of that.”

“Well, I certainly hope so, because I plan to use it. A lot.”

“I can’t wait.”

To Be Continued…

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