“I am not someone you can control. I am your wife. You promised,” I sob. Before I even realize it, tears stream down my face. The memory of that night – the theater, the men in seats looking at me like I wasn’t even human – it still haunts me and I think it always will. And the cold cruel expression on my father’s face. How he could sell me off for his own selfish needs. That’s going to sting for the rest of my life.
“Irina,” Nikolai says in a softer voice. To my surprise, he pulls me into his arms and holds me tight. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“So don’t.”
“A spanking won’t seriously hurt you. No broken bones. Maybe just a bruise.”
“That’s not ok,” I cry. “You promised not to hurt me.”
“And you promised you wouldn’t let your father bother you. Look how long that lasted.” He sighs and pulls back to look me in the eye. “I care for you, Irina. I will never break your bones. I will never rape you. But you had to get control of yourself. You were embarrassing me. I told you to leave your father to me.”
“I am not your trophy. I am a human being. And I have feelings and fears and –,”desires. I stop myself from saying the last word. Nikolai doesn’t need to know about that. “I don’t deserve this.”
His eyes soften. “I know you don’t. You never did. But I am not a man to be messed with. You made a promise and you broke it.”
“And so did you.”
He opens and closes his mouth, clearly not knowing what to say, until he nods. “You’re right. I did. And I am sorry. Now, let’s put this behind us. We’re going to enjoy this evening. You are going to stand at my side and be a wife I can be proud of. Don’t let your father get under your skin. I’ll deal with him later. Now, let’s go.” He offers me his hand.
The last thing I want to do is take it but I have no choice so with a heavy sigh, I place my hand in his and he wraps his fingers around mine.
An hour later, Nikolai is lost in conversation with a business associate. My backside is still stinging from how hard Nikolai spanked me. That just proves it: I can’t stay with him. I’m not safe. He might say he’ll never hurt me more than a spanking but that could be a lie. He could kill me if he wanted to.
I have to escape.
“I have to use the restroom,” I murmur. Nikolai gives me a long look before he nods. He’s wondering if he can trust me or not. The answer is: he can’t. All because I can’t trust him.
I can feel his eyes on me as I go to the bathroom. The moment I’m inside, I take a deep breath. After splashing water on my face, the cold of it knocks some sense into me. I have to be smart about this. The charity event is filled with people. I can just sneak outside the moment I get.
That is… if Nikolai doesn’t spot me first.
After a few minutes, I poke my head out of the bathroom and see Nikolai still talking to his friend. His eyes are not on me.
The front doors feel like they’re miles away when they’re so close. I can do this. I just have to blend in.
A group of people walk past the bathroom and I take my chance. I walk with the group towards the front doors. They don’t even seem to notice me.
My heart is pounding faster and faster the closer I get…
And then I feel the cool air of the night breeze on my face when I step outside. But I’m not out of the woods yet. I have to get somewhere safe, without Nikolai finding me.
I brought a purse with me so I have some money on me but it won’t last forever. I can’t use any credit cards. Nikolai was kind enough to give me one but he’ll be able to track it. I’ll just have to rely on the couple of twenty dollar bills I have to get away.
I raise my arm to get the attention of a taxi… when I sense someone behind me. With a gasp, I turn around, expecting to see Nikolai.
But it’s not Nikolai.
It’s a man, also in his thirties like my husband is. But instead of being handsome, he’s plain in looks. His lips are too thin and his nose is too crooked. He could be handsome if he tried but there’s an ugly scowl to his face that isn’t helping matters.
“You’re Nikolai’s wife, yes?”
I don’t say a word. Nikolai told me he has enemies. Is this man like Maksim – someone who will tell Nikolai about me – or is he an enemy and will try to hurt me? Either way, I don’t want to find out.
I ignore him and raise my arm again. There are other people on the street, going about their night. I am not alone. If I were to scream, I’d get help.
That’s when I feel something cold press against my low back.
“I will stab you in the spine,” the man says into my ear, shocking me to my core. “If you scream, I will kill you. So don’t scream.”