Get Dirty

ALEKSANDR

I rolled over in bed, reaching out for the warmth that wasn’t there.

The sheets beside me were cold and empty.

I flicked on the bedside lamp, squinting against the sudden brightness.

My palm, which had been searching for Kaia, was smeared with streaks of blood.

Pulling back the blanket, I saw the dark stain on the sheets.

The bathroom light was on, casting a soft glow into the room.

I got out of bed, my bare feet padding softly on the floor as I made my way to the bathroom.

Kaia was in the shower, her naked body under the hot spray, her head bowed.

“Kaia.”

She looked up at the sound of my voice, her arms instinctively wrapping around her body.

I frowned, reaching for the glass door of the shower.

She stepped back as I opened it.

“Are you okay?”

She cleared her throat, her eyes red and swollen.

“I’ll be out in a minute,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

I looked her over, searching for any signs of injury.

The water was pink as it slid down her legs and disappeared down the drain.

“Did you get your period, kotik?”

Her face crumbled, and she nodded.

“I’m not pregnant,” she said, wiping her nose. “I don’t know why I’m so upset.”

I stepped into the shower, not caring that my boxer briefs were getting soaked.

I pulled her into my arms.

“Did you want to be pregnant?” I asked, my voice soft in her ear.

She shrugged, a small, almost imperceptible movement.

But it was enough.

She might fight me at every turn, but Kaia ~wanted~ to belong to me.

She just didn’t want to admit it.

“We can keep trying,” I said, rubbing her back in slow circles. “If you really want a baby, I’ll give it to you.”

She shook her head, her hands pushing against my chest.

“I don’t. Not yet. I’m not ready.”

I let her go, stepping back.

She hadn’t meant to admit that to me, I realized.

But I’d caught her off guard, and now she was trying to backtrack.

I knew exactly what to do.

I gripped her throat, pulling her into me.

Our lips met, her gasp swallowed by my kiss.

She stiffened for a moment, then melted into me, her arms wrapping around my neck.

When I pulled back, dropping to my knees, she tried to stop me.

“I’m not afraid of a little blood, kotik,” I said, winking at her.

Before she could protest, I leaned forward, my lips finding her swollen clit.

Kaia moaned, her back hitting the marble wall.

I lifted her leg over my shoulder, opening her up to me.

Her body was vibrating, her sensitivity heightened.

In less than a minute, she was coming, her hips jerking into my mouth.

I stood up, pushing my boxers down my thighs.

I lifted her by her hips.

“Wrap your legs around my waist,” I commanded.

She obeyed instantly, her legs wrapping around me.

I didn’t tease her, just pressed my leaking tip to her tight opening and pushed.

I held her weight in my arms, lifting her and dropping her onto me.

“You’re too big like this,” she gasped as I thrust harder.

“And yet you take me so well,” I murmured, my lips brushing against her cheek.

I kissed her again, silencing any further protests.

With each thrust, her back hit the wall, but I kept my hand behind her head to protect her.

My thrusts became faster, deeper.

I grunted as I came, filling her.

KAIA

I woke up the next morning alone.

Aleksandr was gone, but he’d left a glass of water and some painkillers on the bedside table.

A groan escaped my lips as I rolled onto my back, my muscles screaming in protest.

Aleksandr had swapped out the sheets while I was in the shower, and even managed to get me into my pajamas.

The man was a jack of all trades.

I covered my eyes with my arm, the memory of my confession to Aleksandr making me cringe.

I had told him how upset I was that I wasn’t pregnant.

It wasn’t that I wanted to carry Aleksandr’s child. Not at this moment, at least.

It was more about what he said pregnancy would symbolize.

It would mean I was his.

And to me, that meant being safeguarded.

I know it sounds childish, but I never had any form of protection growing up.

I was always the one looking out for others, making sure they were okay.

Now, being with Aleksandr, living with him, it made me feel ~safe~.

It made me feel ~free~.

Like a heavy burden had been lifted from my shoulders.

Was it so wrong to want that?

Especially now that I knew Irina was alive?

Was it so wrong to yearn for a happily ever after?

Something I never thought I’d have.

Sure, Aleksandr was far from a prince charming.

And I was no fairytale princess.

But we couldn’t deny the connection between us.

No matter how hard I tried to resist my feelings for him, I couldn’t help but admire him.

His strength. His protective nature.

His ability to take control of any situation, so I didn’t have to worry.

I threw off the covers, reaching for the glass of water and the pills.

I popped the pill into my mouth and washed it down with a gulp of water.

This was why I was so emotional last night.

Because I was finally coming to terms with being with Aleksandr and accepting that my feelings for him were… evolving into something more.

But then Ilya’s words, suggesting Aleksandr had something to do with the attack on Lipeshin, had thrown me off balance.

It didn’t seem like something Aleksandr would do.

But did I really know him?

I got up and headed to the bathroom to get dressed.

Fifteen minutes later, I was in the kitchen having breakfast with Feliks.

Aleksandr had already left for a meeting.

“I think I’m going to watch a movie,” I told Feliks, trying to avoid arousing any suspicion about why I was really there.

I knew Aleksandr was watching me, and Feliks was his eyes.

But Feliks just dismissed me.

He mentioned he’d left a cold salad in the fridge for lunch as he had some work to do.

I strolled as nonchalantly as I could down the hallway toward Aleksandr’s office, which was now always locked.

I stopped at the door to the movie room and slowly turned the knob.

The door creaked open and I quickly slipped inside, closing the door behind me.

I switched on the lights and moved to the paneled wall, running my fingers over the molding, searching for the thumb pad.

I heard a click as the panel popped open and I pushed it aside to slip through the door.

The room was spacious, larger than I’d imagined. There was a cozy sitting area with a loveseat and armchair, and a wet bar stocked with water and various types of liquor.

A barn door led to a small bathroom with a toilet and standing shower. But it was the desk with three monitors that caught my eye.

I slid into the rolling chair and powered on the monitors. With each click of my mouse, different views of the mansion appeared.

A laptop was also on the desk, but it was completely dead. I had to plug it in to charge.

When it finally booted up, a password box appeared. I connected my phone to the laptop and started the process of decrypting it.

In less than five minutes, I was in. I scrolled through the folders and found the same files I’d already discovered on Aleksandr’s computer.

This laptop seemed to be a backup of sorts. I typed “The White Lotus” into the search bar, but the search came up empty.

There was no trace of it on the laptop or Aleksandr’s network. My shoulders slumped. A mix of disappointment and relief washed over me.

Maybe Ilya didn’t know what he was talking about after all. Then a thought struck me.

I keyed in ‘Lipeshin’ into the search bar, and just like before, the same folders popped up, each one bearing Viktor’s name. I recalled spotting a few zipped files tucked away in the folder, nestled among my father’s ledgers.

At the time, I’d dismissed them, assuming they were just more account details. But now, curiosity piqued, I clicked on one.

A box popped up, asking for a password. I drew in a sharp breath, my fingers hovering over the keyboard.

I typed in ‘the white lotus’, all in lowercase, but nothing happened. I tried again, this time capitalizing the first letter of each word—‘The White Lotus’.

The screen flickered, then opened, revealing the hidden documents inside. I clicked on the first file, which seemed to be a collection of pictures.

My eyes widened in shock, and before I knew it, I heard myself scream.