He isn’t wrong. I am positive I am a freak for loving how controlling he is. I also can’t sum up much angst for it. He’s giving in on me going home. He made me dinner. Then there were the clothes, the way he told me how he’s mine not just to fuck but to take care of me. From everything he has done so far, it wasn’t just talk.
“It’s annoying how well you know me. I just don’t think it’s the best idea for you to introduce yourself to Abuelo. What does it really matter in the end?”
“It matters. I told you the more real it seems from the outside, the easier it will be for you as well when this comes to an end.”
“And what is that going to look like? The end.” My throat tightens around the words.
“When the time comes, I will make it appear as though I cheated. It will be too large of a transgression for us to recover from. With those who matter sympathy will be for you. This will allow you to continue to work for me. Your coworkers will look down on me, not you.”
“Why the hell would you do something like that? You aren’t a cheater, Ivan. You are a better man than that. It’s absolutely absurd for you to ruin your reputation.” No, no fucking way will I let him do it.
“I do not care what anyone thinks about me. You do. My life will not change one way or another. Yours could. Do not concern yourself with the plan.”
“Don’t worry about you pissing away the respect people have for you in your company? No, if you’re so insistent I’ll work from home. We’ll communicate through email or phone if we need to. What I do and how I do it can be done as easily from home as in the office. Once you ever find a replacement for the PA you need, that is.”
We’re in the driveway. The porchlight is on and I wonder if Abuelo is asleep yet.
“This is not a discussion. I have made a plan. The negatives of it do not adversely affect you, therefore you do not have a say in this.”
I yank my hand out of his. “The hell I don’t. There are two of us in this, Ivan. You don’t get to order me—”
God damn him, his mouth slams into mine, rough, demanding. For the first time I try to fight what he’s doing to me but my fight goes up in flames as he sucks on my tongue. His hand goes around my throat. Freak, I’m a total freak for how wet it makes me.
“Behave, poppet, your grandfather is watching us from the window. This argument is for another day.”
Blushing, praying Abuelo didn’t see everything, I get out of the car on unsteady legs. When I round the car, Ivan takes my arm in his hand.
The front door opens before we make it up the stairs onto the wide porch. Abuelo is in his wheelchair frowning. His eyes narrow on Ivan through the screen door. I open the door and Ivan’s arm goes around my waist, holding me tightly to him.
I apologize. “Sorry it’s late. We were working and the time got away from us.”
Brenda snorts from behind Abuelo.
Abuelo’s eyebrows go up as he stares at my neck. “Working?”
Ivan offers his free hand to Abuelo, not letting me go. “Ivan Volkov, no, we were not working. I was asking your granddaughter to marry me. It took some convincing.”
Eyes wide, Abuelo takes Ivan’s hand. “You want to marry my Christina?”
“Very much so.” Their handshake is brief. “She is beautiful, brilliant, and I am well aware I am fortunate she said yes. Her standards are high, as they should be. I barely made the cut. I can be persuasive when I want something as badly as I want your granddaughter.”
“Wow, what a rock,” Brenda exclaims, her eyes on my hand.
Abuelo grabs my wrist. “My granddaughter is not for sale.”
Hurt at the condemnation in his voice, the painful grip on me, I pull away from Abuelo. “He didn’t buy me. It wasn’t like that.”
“What is it?”
Confusion and pain mingle as Ivan pulls me tighter. I don’t understand why he’s talking like this. After the last time he brought this up all of two weeks ago, I would have thought he’d be jumping for joy.
“Sir, the moment I met your granddaughter I wanted her by fair means or foul. She would not accept anything less than a lasting relationship, which is not what I wanted. I will freely admit that. Gradually, I realized she deserves everything she asks for. If she wants a lasting relationship, then I will give her what she needs to feel secure.”
“This is how you got your boss’s position. This is how you’re going to pay off our mortgage. You sell yourself to him. I don’t know you anymore.” Abuelo shakes his head, disgust clear on his face. He wheels around, slamming the door to his room.
“Um, I’m going to go now. I, uh, congratulations.” Brenda edges toward the door.
“Wait, you will be open to being with him late again?” Ivan halts her.