Arranged Bratva Love

Ive

Halloween

Benjamin and Hank were found by different police. Benjamin was found floating in the river, his eyes gouged out as well as his tongue. Hank was discovered overdosed, badly beaten, in a stinky hotel room.

Before Ivan left to do whatever he had to do, he told me not to approach either the Irish or the cartel. I was to continue as if Benjamin and Hank were my problem. I wanted to ask questions but knowing Ivan, he already had plans in place, so I continued to deal with business and solving problems. Victor had returned to his territory, as had Slavik and Andrei.

I had ears and eyes everywhere. Even though I wasn’t going to approach either organization, that didn’t mean I didn’t have people giving me daily information about what they are doing.

According to my sources, they hadwithdrawn, even questioning their involvement with my two thugs, but I knew they were working together on this.

“Sir, Cassie is here to see you,” Vlad said, stepping into my office. Seconds later, the annoying sister that wouldn’t return home, was here.

Rage had triedto get her to leave with him on multiple occasions but it would seem I was the one to take care of both sisters. I knew Charlotte loved having Cassie around. At least, Cassie wasn’t a pain in the ass. She had insisted on going out and getting a job. A job I had to acquire for her, but so far, she’d been perfect at it. It was the clothing store where I’d gotten Sophie fired from.

I’d not heard from Sophie, so I made a note to ask Vlad, to make sure she wasn’t going to cause me a headache.

“You wanted to see me,” Cassie said.

She was dressed in a black skirt, white shirt, and jacket, looking every part the businesswoman.

“Yes, does Charlotte enjoy Halloween?” I asked.

It was a stupid question, but one Ivan had asked me yesterday after our call with the latest updates.

Cassiestopped and frowned. “Halloween?”

“Yes, does she like dressing up, going to parties?” I asked.

She turned a bright red and nibbled her lip.

Folding my arms across my chest, I glared at her. “You have no idea, do you?”

“Back home, Charlotte wasn’t allowed to … participate in Halloween.”

I saw the shame as she lowered her head.

Anger consumed me. I was so pissed off, but instead of being angry, Itook a deep breath, and then nodded my head.

“So, you don’t know.”

“No.”

Moving back behind my desk, I stared down at the calendar and then made the decision. One of my nightclubs always celebrated Halloween with a fancy dress-up. Charlotte would find out one way or the other exactly if she enjoyed it or not.

“You can leave,” I said.

Cassie made no move to leave and this annoyed me. Lifting my glare to her, I waited.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“What exactly are you sorry for? For not fighting for her? For letting your father do the shit he did to her? Have you seen the scars on her back?” I asked.

“Yes, I’ve seen them. I was the one who cleaned them up. You can judge me all you want. You don’t think I do the same to myself? You don’t think I regret not standing up for her? My father was scary.”

“And what am I?”

I stared at Cassie, but Ididn’t allow her to see anything other than the pain and suffering I’m capable of.

She took a step back and placed a hand on her stomach. Tears sprang to her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“You can go.”

“You care about her, don’t you?”

“This is not your place toask. Leave, Cassie.”

“I know she likes you. I’ve … Rage and I were never able to make her smile, or to look forward to something. I don’t know if she cares about Halloween, but I do know she would love to enjoy a Thanksgiving. Charlotte had to be on her own during that time. Dad … Demon, wouldn’t allow her to join in. Thanksgiving always took place at the club, and he made sure she stayed at home.”

This made my anger spike.

“And Christmas,” Cassie said. “I would try to get her presents, as would Rage. If he knew how much she loved something, he’d take it from her.”

“Get out of my office, Cassie, and right now, be glad that I know my wife loves you, and wishes you to be well.”

Cassie didn’t argue with me. She had gone pale.

I could kill her and Rage easily, but that would upset Ivan, and I wasn’t in the habit of getting on his bad side. Sitting down behind my desk, my thoughts drifted to my wife. Charlotte truly was a beautiful soul. I didn’t have a freaking clue how she’d been able to stay that way, with men like her dad constantly trying to take away from who she was. I wanted to kill him. This wasn’t the first time, nor would it be the last time that I wanted to kill him. In fact, I do think I’d enjoy it very much.

“Sir, are you okay?” Vlad asked, stepping intomy office.

“I’m fine. Any news?”

“No. Everything is clear. There have been no overdoses, no missing women. No street crime. It’s clean.”

I shake my head. And that was a problem. It was never silent and I didn’t like this shit, because it meant they were plotting something else, but until Ivan said otherwise, all I had to do was run the business and stay ahead of them.

****

Lottie

“You want me to pick one?” Charlotte asked.

“Yes.”

I look at the five different costumes and then turn to Ive. It’s Halloweennight, and even though I’d been excited about it as a kid growing up, and I was forced to stay at home, I did love it. There were many times I wanted to dress up, go trick-or-treating. Cassie and Rage always made sure I had candy to give out to the kids, which I did. I always pretended that dressing up wasn’t something I was into. It helped me not to feel like too much of a loser when my dad wouldn’t allow me to participate. My first Halloween with Ive, he’d brought me not one, but five costumes. There was a bloodied nurse’s outfit. Sexy witch, complete with a hat and broom. He had even pointed out a prostitute’s outfit, at least that was what he called it. There was a fairy, complete with wings. There might also be a vampire and then there was an historical costume, which I’m not going to lie, looked uncomfortable.

Glancing over at Ive, I looked back down at the costumes. “What are you going as?”

“Myself? I think I’m scary enough.”

This made me laugh. “Then how about I go as your fairy?” I picked up the pale-blue dress.

Ive laughed. “Try it on.”

I didn’t know exactly what he had planned, but I was intrigued soI didn’t argue with him.

Ive didn’t leave the bedroom and I had no choice but to wriggle out of the jeans while he watched. I only hoped the costumes fit.

The fairy costume was not quiteas modest as I originally thought. The top was a corset, and it really did push my boobs up, and made them look even bigger, if that was possible. The shorts were small, but at least I got to wear tights, and then, Ive placed the wings on my back.

“What doyou think?” he asked.

I turned toward the mirror, and Ithere I stood, dressed up.

My hair fell around me in waves.

“I look … okay.”

“You’re not finished,” Ive said. He crooked his finger, calling me to him, and I went willingly.

Stepping toward him, I waited and smiled up at him.

I hadn’t noticed him holding some kind of makeup kit, which he did. “What are you doing?”

“The whole point of dressing up is to enjoy every single part, and that means completing the costume.”

“You know how to put makeup on women?” I asked.

“No, I don’t, but I know how to make a fairy.” He painted something onto my eyes, and then onto my cheeks, and neck, followed by my lips. “Go and look.”

I returned to the mirror, and he’d givenabove my eyes a blue glittery sparkle. There was also glitter on my cheeks and neck. Not too much, but enough to give me the look of a fairy. My lips were painted red and I turned toward Ive.

“What do you think?” I asked, giving him a bow. “Would I make agood fairy for you?”

“You’re perfect.”

My heart began to pound. I don’t know if he even realized he said some of the sweetest things to me.

“So, where are we going?” I asked.

“We’re going to a party.” He held out his hand for me, and I took it. He locked our fingers together, and we left the bedroom to find Hubert waiting by the main door. We traveled toward the elevator and stepped inside. I watched it descend, taking us down to the main floor.

We stepped off and were close to the main doors when my sister’s voice stopped us. I noticed Hubert and Ive tensed up. Did they see her as a potential threat?

“I wanted to get a picture,” she said.

Hubert stepped away and Ive wrapped his arm around me, pulling me in close. I didn’t even need to be asked to smile. It just came naturally as she looked through her camera and took the shot.

“Got it.”

I smiled at her.

“Go and have fun.” She rushed toward me and kissed my cheek. She came away looking all glittery, which made us both laugh.

Ive turned me back to thedoor, and Hubert was once again there, as we headed to the car. I don’t know why it wasn’t parked in the underground parking lot, but I wasn’t going to argue about the car being parked in a completely different place.

It was an unnecessary waste of breath. Ive helped me into the back of the car, and Hubert took the wheel.

I had no idea where we were going, but I looked around the city. There were some groups of people dressed up, wandering up and down the street, but most of them were not.

Was it silly to want to dress up? To have some fun? I wasn’t a child.

I didn’t geta chance to ask Ive to turn us around as we arrived at his nightclub. We’d never gone to one before and I heard the noise the moment we stepped out of the car. There was a long queue and I expected us to join it, but Ive took my hand, and once again we were heading inside.

My heart raced as we stepped into the nightclub. The music was loud, almost too much, but then, I looked around and saw everyone was in fancy dress. Vampires, police officers, some people were dressed up as celebrities. I loved it. Ive said something to Hubert and my guard left. As for Ive, he took me through tothe VIP section.

“How about a drink?” he asked.

“Would you like to dance with me?”

“After a drink.”

I pouted but it didn’t exactly last long since I was distracted by the dance floor. So many people were dancing. Some were couples, others were single people, and I watched as men and women came together.

There was a lot of happiness on the dancefloor.

Our drinks were delivered by a female pirate and I was pretty sure she had one breast hanging out, but I didn’t say anything. Ive didn’t show her any attention at all.

He took the whiskey from her and handed me a drink. It looked fruity and refreshing.

“Be careful,” he said. “It’s a lot more alcoholic than it looks.”

Taking the drink, I had a sip, and it was so nice and fruity. I was pretty sure I could taste oranges, mangoes, pineapple, and a lot of other fruits. It made my mouth zing. I went in for another drink and Ive took the drink from me.”It tastes good,” I said.

Ive’s cell phone went off and I used his distraction to pick my drink up and have a few more sips.

I didn’t see what the problem was. He’d given me a fruit drink.

I wanted to go and dance.

“Come on,” Ive said.

I didn’t arguewith him as he moved us toward the dance floor. People moved out of his way. I didn’t know if they knew he was one of the brigadiers in the Volkov Bratva, but I wasn’t about to tell them.

There was a space for us, andIve pulled me into his arms, pressing his knee between my thighs as he banded a hand around my waist. That felt good.

The music for me faded away. I wasn’t paying attention to it. My one and only focus was on Ive. He took the lead and I loved how closely he danced with me. I didn’t want it to stop. His hands on my body felt so good.

When the song changed, he did too. He spun me away and then drew me back. I honestly didn’t have a clue who this man was, but he knew how to dance. After several dances, he pulled me back against him, twirled me, and then allowed me to tilt backward at the end.

I was so thirsty.

We arrived back at our VIP section. The waitress with the one boob brought us out a drink. I had a sip and just as Ive was about to take the glass from me, Hubert came to our table. He whispered something to Ive, and he had no choice but to tell me to stay as he left. Hubert was ordered to stay with me.

Sipping at my drink, I was surprised to find that I finished it very quickly. “Can I have a second?”

Hubert nodded, but he was distracted. The waitress brought me a second drink. She looked mightily disappointedas I was the only one available to see. I wanted to tell her that she could keep her hands off my husband, but I wasn’t the confrontational type, and the truth was, I didn’t know if she had a shot with my husband.

By the time Ive came back, I’d had threeof the fruity drinks and as he pulled me to my feet, the world had begun to spin.

“What the fuck has she had?” Ive asked.

He wrapped his arms around me but I giggled.

“Three fruity drinks.” I think that’s what I said, at least that’s what I thought I said.”You’re drunk,” Ive growled and then turned to Hubert.

I don’t know what was said between them, but I closed my eyes.

“Can I have anotherdrink? I can’t get drunk on a fruity drink.”

I saw the confusion in Ive’s eyes, and I had to wonder if my words were coming outthe way I said them.

“I’m taking her home before I have to take her to the goddamn hospital to get her stomach pumped.”

ThisI found hilarious. I had never been drunk in my life, but the world was spinning so well. Ive had no choice because for some odd reason, my legs were refusing to work. He lifted me off my feet, and I was flying away.

Hubert brought thecar around and Ive helped me into the back. I don’t know what happened between the nightclub and getting into the back of the car, but that happy floating feeling turned, instantly.

“Stop the car,” Ive said.

My hair was pulled back as Ive opened the car, but he moved me into position, and some of the fruity drink spilled out onto the sidewalk as I vomited. This wasn’t good. The fruity drink was indeed deadly. I felt sick to my stomach.

Hubert had no choice but to stop a couple of times. By the time we got to Ive’s building, I didn’t think it would be possible to be sick again. However, on the elevator ride, I tried to keep it in, but in the corner was some more sick. This was horrible. This was worse than getting a stomachache from eating too much candy. I felt so cold.

Ive got us into the penthouse suite, and he had me naked and in the shower. I hoped Hubert wasn’t around as he did this. When Ive wasn’t there, I collapsed to the bottom of the shower, and I knew nothing more was coming. I felt sick and rotten, and I hated it.

“I’m never drinking again,” I said as Ive stepped into the shower.

He held me up against his body and stripped down naked.

“We all say that.”

“I’ve never drank,”I said.

“I shouldn’t have given you a fruity cocktail,” he said.

“It tasted really nice, but not now.” I wrinkled my nose.

Ive managed to keep me uprightas he washed my body. My legs were so weak. I did help as best as I could.

I didn’t see the appealof drink. It was so gross.

He took care of my hair as well, washing the strands. I had a horrible feeling I might have gotten sick in my hair, but Ive took care of it. He washed me, and after the shower, he dried me and even got me changed into a negligee to put me to bed.”This was not how I imagined your first Halloween, but I think forthe next one, you and I can stay home and get hung over on candy.”

“I’d love that,” I said.

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my lips.

“Stay with me?” I asked.

I didn’t want him to leave. Ive had no idea but he made plans for a second Halloween, andthat to me meant more, so much more, than anything else. He had plans for the future … for us.

Ive nodded. He unwrapped the towel from around his waist and climbed into bed behind me. His large arms, wrapped around my stomach, pulled me against him, and I loved his touches. Snuggling against him, I breathed a happy sigh of relief.