Aurora
Two more weeks, and I had enough of being trapped in a car, or in an office, waiting for him.
Slavik still refused to provide a bodyguard for me, so I went wherever he went. I couldn’t do anything. He didn’t even allow me to bring a book.
Boredom had become my new best friend.
Until one morning, I had enough. Rather than wait for him to drag me out, I’d made my escape. There hadn’t been a guard on the door, and I’d noticed this a few times when Slavik marched me out of his apartment.
Rather than take the elevator, I took the stairs, making my way out of a fire escape.
Alone in the big city, I’d had a taste of freedom.
It was wonderful.
No guards.
No Slavik.
No commitments.
I had his credit card, and so I did something I never did, I went shopping.
It was early, so a lot of the shops weren’t open, but I walked around, watching people while I waited for stores to open.
The moment they did, I went in and shopped.
Maybe what I did was so childish, but I didn’t care. The moment some of the women who were helping me enjoy my husband’s money saw the name on the card, they had a mini freak-out.
Of course, by the time they made the necessary calls, I was out of the shop. The clothes and shoes were all being sent back to the apartment.
Still not calling it home.
Childish or not, that place was not my home.
I didn’t know what had gotten into me. Slavik still hadn’t touched me since that night where I’d pushed him too far. When he’d pushed me over the sofa and cupped me between the thighs, I truly thought he was going to rape me.
He hadn’t.
The way he held me in bed that night, though. I loved that so much. Since then, he hadn’t touched me.
The space on the bed mocked me.
One night of feeling afraid one second, and then comforted the next. I wanted it again. Not the fear, but certainly the comfort. I liked it when he held me. The simple things, especially when he held my hand. Damn it. I sounded like a sulky teenager. I was going to be twenty soon. I shouldn’t be having these feelings, wanting my husband to hold my hand.
I left the tenth shop I’d spent a fortune in and came to a stop.
Slavik stood, sunglasses on, arms at his sides.
I folded my arms. “Yes?”
“Are you done?” he asked.
“No. You told me I could shop any time.”
“Get the car,” he said to his driver.
I stayed perfectly still, refusing to make a scene out in public. People kept looking toward us. Where I blended in, Slavik stood out like a sore thumb. A very handsome and dangerous sore thumb, but still sore.
“Do you have any idea how many of my enemies would have loved to have captured you?” he asked.
He gripped the back of my neck, pulling me in close. His lips brushed across my forehead. To any onlooker, we were enjoying an intimate moment. They didn’t know the threat he was warning me about.
This morning, I didn’t go out thinking about his enemies. I just wanted freedom and the harsh reality was that, for me, there would never be any freedom.
I was Slavik Ivanov’s wife. I would be worth so much to his enemies.
“Slavik?”
“They would’ve raped you, torn you apart, and delivered me each piece of you. I’d have failed you, Aurora.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead.
“I only went shopping.”
“And you were a fucking fool to not have a guard with you.”
“Nothing happened.”
“Today.”
“Next time, I won’t-”
“There won’t be a next time.” He grabbed my hand, ending our conversation.
He led me to the car, and like that, my rebellious shopping trip was over. I hadn’t even made it to lunch. He must have run a trace on his credit card. I didn’t know how he could have found me so fast. It wasn’t like I held a neon sign.
Sitting back, I stared out the window.
We came to a stop at a fast-food place. He handed me a brown paper bag and ordered me to eat. I hated how he treated me like a child. Still, I ate my food without a single complaint. The milkshake was nice. I wasn’t a big fan of the chocolate as I preferred strawberry, but I didn’t tell him that.
He didn’t eat.
With the food finished, he took the bag, and the next thing I knew, we were entering a private gate, driving down toward a private residence.
The house was huge. Reminded me of my parents’ house. They had a huge country estate and often had many soldiers patrolling the grounds.
Slavik got out of the car and held out his hand.
I took it, again being the good girl I was, without complaint.
We walked into the house, and I knew it wasn’t any ordinary house.
This was … different.
No words were spoken as Slavik put me at the bar. “Sit and stay.”
With my hands pressed to the counter, I had the childish urge to get up, but I stayed seated.
He left me alone.
There wasn’t a guard left to wait with me.
I just sat here.
Bored.
Again.
He would rather kill me with boredom than hire another bodyguard. What the hell was wrong with that?