Chapter 7

Alina

As I followed Nikolay down the stairs, I was finally able to look at the house. Mansion, I corrected myself.

It had the tallest ceiling I had ever seen, decorated by the most gorgeous crown molding. As we walked down the spiral staircase, I noticed another one to my right. They both led up to the second floor and met in the middle in an imperial staircase style. I held onto the wooden banister and felt how smooth it was under my hand. The mansion was immaculate, with white sparkling marble.

I looked up and noticed a big Venetian-style crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, decorated with hundreds of teardrop crystals. It evoked a very vintage, elegant feel.

I was still staring at it when I suddenly crashed into a wall of hard muscles. Stiffening, I stepped away. Nikolay turned around and glared at me aggressively.

"Are you blind?" he barked. I shook my head.

"Then fucking watch where you are going." This time I nodded. He scared me beyond words.

Nikolay gave me a final glare before turning around. We stepped off the stairs and he started walking toward the left corridor.

As I began to relax again, I continued to inspect the mansion. I lived in a mansion too. My father was wealthy, but our estate was not as big and beautiful as this one. My house was plain, cold, and uninviting.

Whoever decorated this place had good taste and it was obvious they did it with love. Details had been refined and blended. As I followed Nikolay, I was in awe of my surroundings.

When he came to a stop, I quickly halted in my tracks, stopping an inch away from him. My eyes widened and I took a few steps back. I stuck my tongue out to his back and twisted my lips ruefully. I didn't want to get snapped at again. He was a moody man.

"Lena, I have another maid for you," he said, his voice soft. I felt my mouth drop as I stared at his enormous back in shock. Did he just talk softly? Was my mouth on the floor? I hoped not.

"Ohh, dear. How lovely. Where is she, sweetie?" I heard a voice ask.

Sweetie? Had I just been transported to an alternate universe?

Nikolay's back was blocking my sight, so I stepped to the side and my eyes widened. A woman, probably in her early fifties, was standing in front of him, wearing a similar black dress, even though hers was below the knees. She smiled sweetly at Nikolay as she wiped her hands on her white apron.

When she saw me, her smile widened. "Ah, there you are," she said as she walked toward me. "Look at you. Such a beautiful young girl."

Before I could do anything, I was swept away from Nikolay. Taking me by the hands, Lena led me into the kitchen through a brown, modern-looking wooden door.

The kitchen was very similar to ours at home, except larger. The big cabinets were beige and there was a big island in the middle. The shiny counter-tops were made with a mixture of different shades of brown.

There were four high chairs placed in front of the bar and I saw two women standing there, wearing the same dress as mine.

They were definitely younger than Lena but older than me. Both appeared to be in their mid-thirties. They looked up when they heard us coming in. As I got closer, they looked me up and down as if they were inspecting an object.

I felt my palm started to sweat in Lena's hand and I grasped the bottom of my dress with my other hand.

"We have a new maid," Lena announced excitedly.

"We don't need a new maid," the blonde woman said.

I saw Lena opening her mouth to answer but before she could say anything, a voice cut her off.

"Actually, you do."

My back straightened at the sound of his voice and my body tensed. I swallowed hard when I saw the women's eyes widened. They suddenly appeared skittish and quickly looked down.

Lena let go of my hand and swiveled around, hands on her hips as she stared at the intruder.

Not intruder. This was his house, anyway.

Licking my lips, I slowly turned around and made contact with Alex's blue eyes.

Blue and green, clashing together as we stared at each other silently. I felt my heartbeat accelerate as he kept his unflinching gaze on mine.

My stomach twisted in knots as I squirmed restlessly on the spot. I felt weightless, and a weird feeling encompassed my body.

My stomach twisted again when I saw him taking a step forward, his big body moving smoothly. I sucked in a surprised breath when I realized that it was butterflies I felt.

His presence made me nervous. Scared. And giddy.

"Alina is going to work here with you. Lena, you can assign her work schedule," Alex stated evenly. I swallowed several times when I heard his voice again.

His eyes moved away from mine but only because he was looking at my body. I saw his gaze travel down to my waist, hips, and then my legs. My body started to warm up under his scrutinizing stare. His eyes stayed there for a few seconds before he moved back to my face.

The look that he gave me made me stagger back a step. At my reaction, his lips tilted upward slightly into a small smirk that was hard to see. But it was there. That devilish smirk. Sexy devilish smirk.

I shook my head and closed my eyes quickly as I tried to get myself under control.

It was impossible. Without even trying, Alex Ivanshov had successful taken over my mind.

Opening my eyes, I stared into his. He gave me the same look as before, clearly not trying to hide what he wanted.

Pure unadulterated lust. His eyes were filled with desire and hunger.

Alex

As I saw Nikolay walk out of the kitchen, I knew where the little kitten was. He gave me a sharp nod as I walked past him.

When I got to the kitchen, I was instantly transfixed by the sight in front of me. Alina's back was facing me and she stood beside Lena. The back of her dress was stretched perfectly over her round ass. What a view, I thought with a smirk.

Shaking my head after a few seconds, I took in a deep breath. Get yourself together.

Looking up, I saw the other two maids staring at Alina with bored expressions, clearly not happy with another maid joining them.

"We have a new maid," Lena announced excitedly, bouncing lightly on her toes. I couldn't help but smile at her cheerfulness.

Lena had been working for the estate for about thirty years, since before I was even born. She had been one of the first maids my father hired. Lena had shown loyalty over the years and she quickly became our favorite maid—our mother.

"We don't need a new maid," Moira said, her tone snarky.

Walking into the light so they could see me, I said, "Actually, you do."

No, they didn't. But that didn't matter. If I said they needed one, then none of them would question me. Questioning me meant losing their job. I wouldn't even think twice before kicking them out.

I had zero tolerance for people demanding answers from me. My words were law.

I walked forward, sending the two maids a glare. They instantly cowered and bowed their heads, avoiding my gaze.

Now, that was better.

Lena swiveled around, hand on her hips as she stared at me. But I wasn't looking at her. I couldn't because the little broken girl standing beside her had my full attention. Her body had tensed at my voice and she moved nervously on her feet.

Alina slowly turned around and we instantly made eye contact, her wide green eyes staring at me with surprise and shock. I noticed that her body trembled under my unflinching gaze.

She was definitely affected by my presence.

"Alina is going to work here with you. Lena, you can assign her work schedule," I continued as I kept my eyes on Alina. She swallowed hard and squirmed nervously on the spot.

My gaze slowly made its way down her body. Her dress fit her perfectly, showcasing her curves at the right places. And her legs. Damn, those legs.

As I stared at her legs, all I could think about was having them wrapped around my waist as I pounded relentlessly into her.

When I felt myself growing hard, I quickly snapped out of my thoughts, moving my eyes away.

I looked back up and saw her suck in a deep breath. She stared at me, her eyes fearful as she took a step back.

My desire for her was written all over my face. I didn't hide it. I let her see what I wanted and then shut down my expression again.

It was all part of the game. Let them see but not too much. Let them feel and then take it away.

I gave them a sharp nod and then started to back out of the kitchen. I saw Lena giving me a suspicious look before turning toward Alina.

I walked out.

I would give her a week to settle. A week to get herself together.

And then I would pounce.