Ever.
As Irina comes, Mikhail looks up at me and catches my eyes. He doesn’t look away once. I’m caught by his invisible grip.
It’s only when Irina’s moans stop that Mikhail looks at her. “You can leave,” he tells me.
I jerk upright. “What?”
“I said you can leave, Sofiya. I need to make sure Irina is cared for. You don’t need to be here to see that.”
His words punch my heart. He’s going to make sure she’s ok, and he doesn’t want me there to see it. How can he hurt me like this?
Mikhail looks back up at me with a frown as I remain glued to the chair. “Sofiya,” he warns darkly.
I stand up, tears filling my eyes, before I run from the room. I can feel his gaze on me as I leave, which gives me some satisfaction.
But that just makes it hurt more when he shuts the door, locking me out of whatever he and Irina will do together, alone.
Chapter
Six
SOFIYA
Iremain awake the rest of the night, waiting for Mikhail to come to me. I shouldn’t want that. I should be happy he has Irina to take his darker desires out on. But I can’t stop thinking about them in that room together. What are they doing? Why wouldn’t Mikhail allow me to stay?
And why do I care so much?
After about an hour, Mikhail finally shows up in our room. He stops when he sees me sitting up in bed.
“You’re still awake,” he says.
“I couldn’t sleep. Not after everything.”
He nods once and begins to undo the buttons on his shirt. It amazes me how cool, calm, and collected he is. He’s acting like he didn’t just whip Irina in front of me and make her orgasm.
“What did you and Irina do that I couldn’t see?” I blurt out.
“I had to comfort her. Make sure she was ok. I do that after every session.” He keeps his eyes on me as he says this—not hiding anything.
“What does comfort mean exactly?”
“I hold her and make sure she’s all right. Then she gets dressed and goes home. Nothing else.” He slides his shirt off, and I have to look away. His body is too much right now. For a man in his forties, he’s kept himself in really good shape. It’s overwhelming. All of this would be so much easier if he were ugly. If he were Boris. I could hate Boris.
I’m not sure I can hate Mikhail.
Even though I have every reason to. He took me from my home. He made me leave my sisters. He made me marry him when I didn’t want to. I should absolutely despise Mikhail.
“Why do you comfort her? She liked what you were doing to her. Why comfort her?”
“Because that’s how those things go,” he says, sliding into bed with me. I can feel the heat radiating from his body. Intoxicating. “Yes, Irina enjoys pain, but I have to make sure I didn’t hurt her too much. That’s never my desire. I like to push my subs to their limit, but I never go over.”
“Have you had a lot of … subs?” The word feels foreign on my tongue.
“I have. Irina is the one who has stuck, though. But I don’t just entertain women as subs. Some women I just like to fuck and call it a night.”
I flinch. “You’re so crass about it.”
“No. I’m honest about it. Wouldn’t you prefer me to be honest?”
“I guess.” I just wish he wasn’t so honest about it. Some things I think I’m better off not knowing.
He sighs as he lies down, resting his arm behind his head. It makes his bicep flex and look even bigger. I gulp. Mikhail’s body does things to me, confusing me. “Now, it’s your turn to be honest. How did it make you feel seeing me do that to Irina?”
“I hated it,” I say on instinct.
“I asked for honesty, Sofiya. You will be mine in every way. I need to know your limits so I can push them.”
“I was honest. I hated seeing you with her.” I feel his eyes boring into the side of my face, but I don’t dare look at him. “I don’t want you to be with another woman like that.”
“Fair enough. But I am a man of needs, and I’ll expect things from you. Are you willing to give me what I need?”
I don’t think I’ll ever be willing. “I’m not sure,” I admit.
He’s silent for a moment. “What else did you feel? Other than jealousy.”
“I’m not jealous,” I say quickly, glancing at him.
He raises an eyebrow, which only makes him look more handsome. I can feel it all the way between my legs. “You’re not?”
