“Aaliyah, you can sit there with your Mr. Volkov – I mean Mr. Volkov,” Samantha corrected with a wink, and Aaliyah found her face turning hot.
She knew Samantha was doing it deliberately, and she wouldn’t have minded that much if her sister wasn’t looking at her like a hawk.
“You are a vegetarian,” Volkov said out of the blue, and Aaliyah hummed.
“Make sure no one orders anything non-vegetarian. I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable,” Volkov said casually, making Samantha swoon at his thoughtfulness, and though his words were spoken calmly, everyone could feel the underlying threat in his words.
“You might already know her, but let me introduce you guys to my sister,” Aaliyah started awkwardly.
“Katherine Gold,” Aaliyah said, and everyone waited for her to say more, but when she didn’t say anything else, Katherine looked at her dumbfounded.
“Seriously? That’s all? Is this what you call an introduction? A model, designer, nothing?” Katherine couldn’t believe her sister, and Aaliyah shrugged casually.
“Your boyfriend is their friend. You must already know each other. What’s there to say more?” Aaliyah asked, and Bryce looked away, coughing to hide his awkwardness.
“Well, unfortunately, this jerk never introduced us to his girlfriend. Now that I think about it, though Dominic is cold to us, he cares enough to at least introduce his woman- *cough* *cough*” Dimitri controlled himself just in time when Volkov glared at him.
“Don’t mind him, Volkov. You know how he is,” Samantha said before leaning back, pulling her gun a little to get more comfortable, knowing all too well Aaliyah was watching her.
However, as she had expected Aaliyah to react, she didn’t even blink her eyes, and Samantha smirked inside her heart.
‘Not afraid of guns either? Could there be a match any more perfect than this?’ Samantha thought before pushing the gun back inside.
Honestly, though she knew that Volkov was obsessed with this girl, she still wanted to see if Aaliyah could bear the responsibilities that would come with being called his woman, and so far, Aaliyah didn’t disappoint her.
“I heard a lot about you from Aaliyah,” Volkov spoke after a dragging silence, making Aaliyah raise her brows in question.
Seriously? When was the time she even mentioned she had a sister? Was he trying to create some kind of impression? Aaliyah supported her face on her hand, watching with interest, and Katherine, who was least expecting him to talk to her, smiled enthusiastically.
“I hope for all the good things. We met earlier. I don’t know if you remember, but we met at the Paris fashion week and then at the Vegas show. You were there with Bryce,” Katherine tried to keep the conversation going.
“Of course, I don’t forget people that easily,” Volkov swirled the wine in his glass, and the smile on Katherine’s face stiffened a bit before she looked at her sister, who looked least fazed by his choice of words.
“You still haven’t answered what you were doing with my sister,” Katherine gained her composure.
“I fancy your sister. I am trying to woo her. Unfortunately, I am not your sister’s type, so it’s a bit hard,” Volkov said calmly as if that was the most normal thing, and Katherine spat the wine in her mouth, making Aaliyah sigh.
Fancy? Why don’t you just say that you are stalking? Aaliyah thought in her head, and as if Volkov knew what was going inside her mind, he placed his hand on her thighs, almost making her jump in her seat before she glared at him, the small interaction not going unnoticed by Samantha, who was observing everything.
“Should I say stalking? Would your sister like it?” Volkov whispered in Aaliyah’s ears, his lips touching her ears briefly, making a shudder run down her spine.
“I am sorry,” Katherine wiped her lips before gaining her composure.
“Aaliyah, can I have a minute with you?” Katherine asked, but it didn’t sound like a question as she stood and pulled Aaliyah out of her seat, making Volkov clench his fists as his hand missed the warmth of her thighs.
‘Just wait a little before she is all yours, Volkov,’ He told himself before looking at his friends, who were already watching him.
“Already missing her, Dominic?” Samantha teased Volkov with a smirk.
“I am sorry, guys. This isn’t how I planned this meeting,” Bryce massaged his forehead while Volkov’s gaze traveled to Aaliyah and Katherine, who were walking towards the lady’s washroom.
“Did you find anything about that man who had her worried so much? Was there anyone suspicious in the crowd? To her right side to be precise,” Volkov raised his brows, his right leg crossed over his left leg as he leaned back in the chair like a boss.
“No, Volkov. That’s what I find strange. The camera directly facing that direction wasn’t working properly, and all the other cameras didn’t show anything suspicious. Maybe she saw someone near the entrance?” Dimitri questioned, and Volkov shook his head.
“That can’t be the case. The entrance was closed. I was there keeping an eye on the security because Katherine was afraid someone might barge in there like most fashion shows. I am not sure, but it feels like they already know who this person is,” Bryce said.
“That makes sense. He is someone devious and influential to tamper with the camera in such a short time. He came prepared, to say the least.” Samantha sighed.
“Keep me updated if you find something, especially you, Bryce. Try to get information from your girl. Maybe she can enlighten us more in-depth about who this person tormenting my girl is,” Volkov said.
“Ooohhh, so it’s my girl, huh?” Samantha teased, and Volkov bit the inside of his cheeks arrogantly before standing.
“See, look at this guy not being able to stay away from her for a second. I don’t know how he spends his nights alone. Do you have a hidden ‘Aaliyah pillow’ at home?” Samantha teased again, and Volkov paused before buttoning his coat.
“That actually sounds like a good idea, but I would like to focus on the real girl. The real pillow would be much better, no?” Volkov smirked back, and Samantha raised her brows, embarrassed at his choice of words, while the others coughed before looking away.
“You know, don’t you dare let her hear your thoughts. You are going to scare her at this pace,” Samantha sighed, and Volkov threw a lopsided smile at them.
“Don’t worry about her running away from me. Tell your father we are coming to meet him. Also, we are going on that cruise holiday after the exams. Bryce, it’s your duty to get her sister on board and get her to talk to their mother. I don’t want any hindrance in my time with her,” Volkov ordered before turning in the direction where Aaliyah left.
“Wait. Did I really hear that?” Dimitri was confused, and Samantha looked at Volkov’s back thoughtfully.
“You heard it right. We all are going on holiday. A holiday that we have been planning for three years. All thanks to Aaliyah. I think she is a good influence on him in more ways than we can imagine,” Samantha clapped her hands, and they hummed.
“Katherine, leave my hand. Damn, when did you get so strong? You are hurting me,” Aliyah groaned before jerking her sister’s hand away, who turned to her with a scowl.
“Tell me what’s going on,” Katherine directly came to the point.
“What is there to tell you? You heard him right. He is -”
“I am talking about why you ran away when you came back from the stage like that, and why Mr. V, I mean, Mr. Volkov, found you near an alley. Tell me what’s going on,” Katherine crossed her hands around her chest, and Aaliyah looked away, not liking her hawk-like judgemental gaze.
“You already know why that happened,”
“He was there?” Katherine’s eyes widened.
Yes. That boss was here, and not only that, he even told her that he found her. Aaliyah thought before nodding, not going into details.
She knew it was alarming that one of his men found her so soon. She should’ve taken care of it. Maybe the boss met with his men who told him where she was, and he figured she would attend her sister’s big event.
There were ample possibilities, and Aaliyah hated how he was ruining her life even after all this time.
“Are you okay?” Katherine looked at her sister, who was all calm. She knew how much of an influence that person’s presence was. However, for the first time, her sister wasn’t freaking out. Could it be because of Mr. Volkov?
“I am. Anyway, is that the only thing you wanted to ask me?” Aaliyah raised her brows as she pulled out her key chain and played with it, and Katherine shook her head.
“Not really. Is it true that he is pursuing you, and you are not accepting?”
“Hmm,” Aaliyah answered, not wanting to elaborate.
“And can I know the reason? Is it because he is a couple of years older? You can fool others, but not me. I know you have never dated anyone before because you never found one, but he is exactly what you call ‘your type’. Handsome, sexy, dark sense of humor, is dominant and caring, and I don’t think he leaves anything behind. A full package, I must say,” Katherine smirked, and Aaliyah quirked her left brow.
“You can say that his age or persona doesn’t bother me,”
“So, is it because of Ashton? I know that guy likes you more than just a friend. I have pointed it out before too. Have you started to develop feelings for him?” Katherine asked, and Aaliyah widened her eyes slightly.
“What? Of course, not. What gave you this funny idea?” Aaliyah looked at her sister bewildered.
“Anyway, I won’t have this talk with you until I am sure about everything. Besides, who you are to talk to when you don’t even know your company,” Aaliyah scoffed before washing her hands and walking out of the restroom, leaving her sister confused.
Aaliyah had walked only a couple of steps when someone grabbed her, and before she could react, her back was pushed against the wall gently.
Katherine, who walked out of the restroom after a few seconds, looked at the scene in front of her with raised brows.
Mr. Volkov was grabbing her sister’s shoulders while pushing her onto the wall, and seeing the dark look in his eyes, it didn’t take a genius to guess he heard everything.
If it had been anyone else, Katherine would’ve gotten into the big-mama role to protect her sister, but knowing it was him, who, for some reason, she has started to trust, she smiled before walking around them.
“I will order for you. You can take your time,” Katherine said, and Aaliyah looked at her traitor sister before her gaze moved to Mr. Volkov, whose hand moved from her shoulder to her chin, grabbing it in a firm grip.
One thing she observed about Mr. Volkov is that he has a habit of grabbing her chin and forcing her to look at him, something which she finds extremely arousing.
“Is it true? Do you have feelings for that kid?” Volkov’s voice was cold, filled with a promise of underlying danger.
“Do you believe in fantasy creatures, Mr. Volkov?” Aaliyah asked instead.
“No, why?”
“Because if you did, you wouldn’t ask this question,” Aaliyah smirked before she placed her hand on his gently and brought them closer to her neck, forcing him to grab her neck.
“My pulse would’ve been enough,” She said slowly.
Aaliyah didn’t know if it was the aftermath of Katherine mentioning that boss’s name that she was feeling so bold. However, she knew for sure that if she continued her act, it would land her in trouble she might regret later, and thus, she scoffed before turning around to leave.
However, she didn’t expect Mr. Volkov’s eyes to darken more before he grabbed her neck tightly this time and forced her inside the lady’s restroom, placing his lips on her neck.
“Mr. Volkov!” Aaliyah raised her voice, shocked.
“What? Your pulse is not enough, Aaliyah. Though I don’t believe in fantasies, it’s never too late to try,” Volkov spoke, her toes curling when he bit her neck gently.
Feeling his tongue swirling on her shoulder, as he pulled down her shirt a bit, Aaliyah’s fists clenched on his chest as she grabbed his shirt tightly, her body reacting to the feeling of being caressed like this even when he wasn’t touching her inappropriately, apart from his lips on her neck.
‘Well, that’s not what I meant! I meant if you were a werewolf, you would’ve smelt my arousal and desire for you or just felt how fast my pulse was for you. You hooligan!’ Aaliyah cussed in her head, cursing her body even more when she started feeling heat building in her core before her hands moved on their own accord to his hair.
She wanted to pull his head away from her neck because pushing him was no use, but as soon as she placed her hand in his hair, he grabbed her waist, pulling her into him, raising her off her feet, making her release a moan that she didn’t know she was capable of.
“Aahhh,” Aaliyah hissed at his assault before he finally thought it was more than enough.
“Well, I tried what you meant, and I think I should start believing in fantasy creatures now,” Volkov said, putting her down gently, not before giving her a feather kiss on her throat, making her swoon and hate him at the same time.
‘Let’s go on separate time. I don’t want you to be awkward,’ Volkov evened his coat before walking away, leaving Aaliyah hot and bothered.
‘Jerk!! Jerk!! Jerk!!’ Aaliyah stomped her foot angrily.