Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 76915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
He was wonderful. More than that, he was being wonderful. Anton said lovely things to me all the time. He had started hinting at a future together. A long future.
But it was his actions that showed me how much he cared. How much he valued me. It was powerful.
I could trust his actions. My father had always told me to trust 100% of what a man did, and only 20% of what he said. I knew that with an honorable man, such as my father, the percentage was much higher. But I knew what he meant. For the first time, I was seeing a man behave as if he was madly in love with me.
And Anton, I was learning, was very honorable.
‘Madness, Mishka! How could it be true? He is a killer. A criminal! One of the most feared men in the world!’ the little voice of reason said inside me, being overly practical, overly protective. But it was true, he was honorable. He was good. I knew it.
I pushed that little voice down, forever.
It was time to let go of doubts. Life was a glorious adventure. Without risk, there was no reward. If this phase of my life wasn’t the perfect example of that, I did not know what was.
My father taking a chance on a new treatment. My audition for the Imperial Symphony. Falling in love with the notorious gangster and multi-billionaire, Anton Aslanov.
Fate had me in its grips and I had no choice but to go for the ride. I prayed it would be a happy journey. One thing for sure, it would be exciting.
Not unlike a rollercoaster, I imagined, though I had never been on one.
“What are you thinking, little one?”
I glanced up at the mirror, startled to see him watching me intently. I swallowed and shrugged, then decided to be honest.
“I was thinking that my life had been boring before you. That it was a roller coaster now. And that I had never actually been on a roller coaster.”
He smiled at me tenderly.
“Would you like to go on a roller coaster?”
“I think so,” I thought, suddenly afraid. But then I shook it off. “Yes, I would.”
“Then you will. And soon,” he added, pressing more kisses into my neck. I started giggling as he tickled, nipped, and squeezed me, until I was wiggling to get away. He turned me instead and stared down at me, tracing my jaw with one hand while the other held me firmly against him.
“I love you, little one. More than I can say.”
I stared up at him for a moment, then decided to be brave. I opened my lips to tell him that I loved him, too. But I did not get far.
“I…” I started but the door slammed open. Russian voices called out, singing a bawdy tavern song that made me blush.
“She had ripe melons that made my mouth water,” one surprisingly pretty male voice sang.
“And that was before I saw her daughter,” another voice called out, with less talent.
Anton looked grim as he kicked shut the bathroom door. I giggled at the stern annoyance on his face. He gave me a quick smile before pecking my lips and heading out to face the interlopers.
I listened at the bathroom door, but he spoke in hushed tones, dragging his brothers out to the hallway, from what I could tell.
A moment later I heard the bedroom door shut as well.
I smiled at myself in the mirror. It might be ridiculous, but everything seemed wonderful today. I felt a part of something. And I found to my surprise, that I looked forward to seeing the other Aslanov brothers. And meeting the rowdy Americans downstairs.
I hurried to finish dressing and brushed my teeth, giving my appearance a last glance. I swiped lipgloss on and smiled. It might not be a roller coaster, but I was about to walk into a new world.
I found that I could not wait.
I hurried down the stairs to find… no one. Where had they all gone.
“Miss Barlov?”
I turned to find a servant waiting behind me in the grand entry room.
“They are in the barn.”
“The party barn?”
The man did his best not to crack a smile. He failed.
“Yes miss. The party barn.”
I grinned and hurried off to find them.
It was a beautiful day. Much warmer than New York, of course, but still not overly warm, as I had imagined sunny California might be. Not that I knew much about it, but it was a popular setting for films and television. I was not completely immune to the influence of pop culture, despite my focus on music, schoolwork, and helping papa with the shop.
Blue skies stretched endlessly in every direction, and the scent of the ocean floated over me, moving my hair this way and that in the breeze. I felt relaxed, happy, and excited. It was the perfect day.