Author's Note:
Disclaimer: Mature scenes below.
Rose.
I moaned softly as I arched my body closer to him. The hand that had wrapped around my waist pulled me closer as its partner began running over the fabric of my dress.
I knew that with Lissa and Christian leaving, we were the only ones left in the club.
No interruptions this time. None.
Dimitri took my hint immediately, backing me up so that I was leant up against the wooden bar. Soon after, gripping the backs of my thighs he hoisted me up so that I was half sitting on the edge of the bar. I let my legs wrap around his waist, and the heels of my feet dig into him, pulling him closer to me.
He released my lips and whispered to himself in Russian as his eyes followed the path of his hands had made.
He brought his hands up to the top of my dress and began unbuttoning the clasps that ran all the way down. He took his time in the task, letting the buttons slowly unveil me like it was the first time he had seen me naked.
He peeled the open dress over my shoulder and off my body and groaned in appreciation of the sight before him.
There was something different about the way he was looking at me. His eyes weren't just filled with lust; I could see the underlying love in them.
I didn't feel uncomfortable under his gaze. If anything, I felt empowered. He looked at me like I was the only woman he had ever looked upon. Like I was a goddess in his eyes.
I had preempted the events of tonight and purposely avoided dressing in underwear. So, when he removed my dress, he left me sitting on the bar in front of him naked except for my heels. After his eyes had done a longing sweep over me, he returned his hands to my flesh and ran them over my ribs and stomach, breasts and neck. Touching as much skin as he could and as if his life depended on it.
I slowly undid each button of his dress shirt. I was well aware that I could have made the task faster, but after him torturing me with removing my own clothing, I was more than willing to return the favor. Plus, after I had seen his face during the performance, I had to drag it out a little longer.
"Roza" he growled impatiently as I ran my hands over the skin of his chest before dipping my hands under the collar and removing the shirt completely.
I wanted to be able to appreciate the impressive dips and curves that his chest and stomach possessed, but Dimitri was more interested in having his mouth on me. He wrapped an arm around my waist and brought his mouth down to my right nipple.
I involuntarily threw my head back in the sheer pleasure the act caused, releasing a low moan that had been gathering in my throat for a while now. The feeling of his lips and teeth was intoxicating against my skin. Dimitri's touch was like an addictive drug, I didn't just want him to touch me, I needed him to.
The bar was at a perfect height for us and as he was occupied with my breasts, I began to tug at the belt around his hips while still using the heels of my feet to pull him closer to me. Once the belt was out of the way I began fumbling impatiently with the button and zipper of his slacks.
"Relax, milaya," Dimitri purred as he lifted his head from my breasts and crushed his lips back to mine.
The kiss took all my breath away and made my mind go blank, the only thing that coursed through my thoughts was his name. I felt him trace my bottom lip with his tongue, asking for entrance and I gladly opened my mouth to him. He brought his hand up to cup the nape of my neck and pulled me tighter against him to deepen the kiss. With his slacks forgotten, I brought my hands up to tangle in his loose locks and participated willingly as our mouths fought in a battle of dominance, one that neither of us was willing to lose in.
Not breaking the breathtaking kiss, Dimitri laid my back on the bar below me and began running a teasing finger along my inner thigh. I bucked my hips into him, wanting him to stop teasing and start touching me. I don't know how long I had until I burst.
He smiled against my lips and dragged them away so he could see me clearly. I was about to question his stillness until I felt the pressure against my core. He had only placed a single finger on me and already I was writhing in pleasure. He took my soft whimper and turned it into a low moan. His single finger turning into two as he pushed into me.
He knew as well as I did that I was wet and waiting for him, there was no foreplay needed in this situation. But he seemed to enjoy dragging it out for me.
He curled his fingers to reach my most sensitive area, which he immediately found and chuckled huskily as I felt my eyes roll back into my head. He was milking me for every last drop I had in me.
Almost within seconds, I could sense the familiar coil in my stomach and feel my toes curling in my heels. My low moans were shortly becoming cries as he not only pleasured me with his fingers but also left bruising kisses on my breasts.
I suspected as much that I would have several love bites after Dimitri was through with me.
As I felt my climax come crashing into me, my moans picked up but before I could let the warm feeling wash over me completely, I felt him being ripped away from me.
I picked myself up onto my elbows to see what had caused the interruption. However, I didn't make it all the way up though before I felt Dimitri grip behind my knees, pushing my legs further apart while also pulling me closer to him.
He came crashing into me and I let out a scream that was halfway between pleasure and pain. He filled me with an almost uncomfortable fullness but within seconds, the line that separated the two feelings blurred and he began thrusting into me.
He snaked an arm around my waist, giving him the ability to pull me up from my lounging position and come face to face with him.
"You are mine," he growled as he thrust into me with such force that was almost brutal.
"Yours" I moaned without a second thought as I took the abuse. I brought my lips to him and he returned the kiss with as much force as other parts of him were.
I threaded my fingers through his hair, gripping the strands tightly to steady myself.
His hands gripped my hips tightly as he rocked against me and urged me to release my pent up orgasm. As the waves of pleasure began pulsing through my body, I was unable to kiss him back. I moaned low and parted my lips as he trailed his mouth to devour my neck as I came.
My body shivered with pleasure as he continued to ride out my orgasm. Once he was content that I had been satisfied, Dimitri softly pushed me downwards so I was lying on my back again. He hadn't stopped his pace, simply slowed it while I came down from my high. But as his hands moved upwards to get a better grip on me, I knew I had a wild ride coming.
With a single powerful stroke, I felt ready to come all over again. He didn't relent though, if anything, he was encouraged by my louder moans. I slid easily back and forth due to my dress underneath me and I could see the outrageous movements of my breasts in my peripheral vision. I couldn't be distracted though, it didn't matter how much pleasure he was bringing me, I wanted to see him.
I looked up just in time. Just in time to see his body shudder and his fingers dig in tightly where he gripped my waist. I smirked as I watched this smug, confident gangster lose control between my thighs.
It was a sight I would not forget any time soon, nor one I wanted to.
THREE WEEKS LATER.
The next few weeks went on without issue.
Dimitri and I easily slipped into the normalcy of our new schedules. We spent the majority of our time at the club if not at our apartments, and while on my nights off we did the kinds of things that couples would do.
It was the happiest I had been since moving to America, and mornings like this were quickly becoming my favourite experience.
I lay with my head resting on his bare chest, feeling the steady rise and fall as he breathed. My hands were folded on top of each other under my head, the steady beating of his heart flowed through my fingers and reverberated in my ears. It was like heaven.
The unusual brightness of the winter morning filled the space of my bedroom, leaving a warming and golden glow that was both comfortable and beautiful.
I never felt that absence of his hands drawing patterns on my naked back. His fingers would dance across my skin, never pausing or losing track. I turned my head so that I looked up at him and found him already watching me.
His right arm was tucked underneath his head as he smiled down at me and I couldn't stop my gaze from flicking quickly to the bulging bicep that was adorned with a passage written in Cyrillic.
The intricate design didn't look like it was had been done in a prison, and the detail put into the scripture was borderline breathtaking.
I lifted a hand out from underneath my head and began to trace the paragraph, Dimitri's gaze followed my fingers and let out a shaky breath as I touched it. I could see the skin begin to pucker and the hairs on his arm stand on end. The fact that a single touch from me elicited such a reaction made me smile. I had as much control over him as he did with me.
"What does this say?" I breathed as I continued to glide my fingers over the tattooed skin.
"It's a prayer. It reads, O God, cleanse me, a sinner, for I have never done anything good in Thy sight; deliver me from the evil one, and may Thy will be in me, that I may open my unworthy mouth without condemnation, and praise Thy holy Name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen."
I was too stunned to speak at his reading. The words sounded beautiful coming out of his mouth and I would never have thought of Dimitri being a man of God.
"I wasn't aware that you were religious," I said cautiously.
Dimitri smiled softly before continuing, "I'm not in the strictest sense, but there are certain prayers that I hold close to me. Like this one." He grazed his fingers over the scripture much like I had, and I noticed a pained expression flash across his eyes, but as soon as I had seen it, it was gone again.
"I got this prayer tattooed because of my involvement in the Bratva. I've done some bad things in my life, but in the end, I don't like to think that I'm a bad person. I hope that if there is a God watching over us, that he will understand my reasoning and have mercy on me."
I stayed silent while he spoke, listening to his words and letting my mind process them. I knew already that he would have a dark past that would most likely come with some traumatic memories, but I didn't care, because even though I didn't know what he had done, he was still gentle and kind. He cared more than he wanted to show he did because that just the kind of person he was.
He wasn't evil.
I didn't know if I wanted to tell him that I knew what some of the more recognizable tattoos were about. I knew that he received a rose on his breastbone for turning eighteen in prison as well as a few others, but the one that caught my interest, was the executioner on his side.
I had never seen that one before and over the years, I had seen countless Bratva tattoos. The more open men that had been in Dimitri's position and in his command would talk endlessly about the tattoos and the stories behind them, not all of them happy stories.
But I had never seen this one before and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in it. I wanted to know the story behind this one, even though my gut was screaming that I wouldn't like it. It was an executioner for gods-sake.
"What does this one mean?" I whispered, trailing my fingers over the design, and feeling the curve of his ribcage under my touch.
With my head on his chest, I could feel the sudden rise in his heartbeat and I wanted to yell at myself for bringing up something he may not even want to talk about.
"Y-you don't have to tell me if you don't want to" I quickly recovered, trying to make him feel more at ease.
I lifted my head from his chest so that I hovered slightly above him, "I'll love you either way."
I brought my lips down to his for a soft kiss, and as I pulled away I could feel his own lips chase mine while the arm that had been tracing invisible shapes on my back kept me against him.
After several seconds, he released me from the breathless kiss and I returned my head to its place on his chest.
"If you really want to know…I'll tell you" he breathed.
I tried to hide the rush of excitement that pulsed through me. I wanted to know more about who he was and what his life was like before coming to Chicago, but I didn't want him thinking I was prying.
I nodded quickly, and a ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. I placed my hands on his chest and under my chin, gazing up at him while he began his story. He took a deep breath and then delved straight in.
"My father wasn't a good man…" Uh oh, "he would regularly beat my mother and sisters during a drunken rage or even just because he felt like it, and when they weren't able to handle it anymore, he would take a shot at me."
"I could take the hits better than my family, and when I realized this, I would go out of my way to have his attention during these moments. Rather me than them."
I nodded while searching his eyes, there was a pain in them but there was also something missing. I felt as if there should be a waiver in his voice as he talked about the violence, but he was right to the point and his voice didn't quiver once.
"When I was thirteen…he attempted to kill my mother."
I heard a gasp in the room, quickly realizing that it came from my own mouth. I placed a hand over my lips to silence any other sounds that would come up, I didn't want to interrupt his story.
"I still remember hearing his disturbed laughing beneath the floorboards. My sisters and I were upstairs and could hear it as if he was directly in front of us. When I ran downstairs I found mama is a puddle of her own blood. I thought she was dead and I went into a hazed rage"
I tensed slightly as he paused before reaching the climax of his story, this was what my gut had been warning me about.
"At thirteen I was already taller than my father and stronger even."
"Please tell me you hit him" I whispered while completely immersed in the story.
"I did…but I didn't stop."
There was no remorse, that's what had been missing. He didn't feel guilty for what he had done, and I didn't blame him. He grew up in a household of violence, it would have only been a matter of time before he snapped.
"The hooded executioner is a symbol for one who had murdered a family member. I beat my father to death that night and I spent eleven years in prison for it. Even in death, he was able to take more of my life from me."
He turned his head towards the window and sighed deeply. None of what he had told me had scared me off nor changed my opinion on him. He didn't want to admit it to me, but I could see he saw this tattoo as a badge of honor. One that he earned for protecting his family from the fox in his home.
I shifted so that I straddled his waist and let the sheet drop from around me. It left me completely exposed to him, but I didn't care. He turned to gaze at me, the look of love in his eyes making me feel bold.
"You are one of a kind Dimitri Belikov," I breathed as I combed my fingers through his hair. He relaxed into my touch and gripped my hips with his large hands, a sigh of content fell from his lips as he brushed his thumbs over the slightly protruding hip bones.
He pulled himself into a sitting position and I couldn't help but marvel at the way his abdominal muscles contracted and tensed with the action. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close to him, I hovered slightly higher than him and he reached up to kiss the corner of my mouth, before beginning to trail them down my jaw and to my neck.
"I hope that I haven't scared you off, Roza" he mumbled into the kisses.
"Never" I breathed. He pulled back for a second and searched my eyes for hesitancy, but when he found that I was telling the truth he brought our lips together.
The fact that we were both still naked hadn't eluded me, and I was beginning to feel the urge in me that hadn't seemed to be sated since I gave myself to him that night in the club. I always wanted more, and he continued doing so. I could feel him up against my thigh, ready for whatever I had in store for him.
I ground my hips into him and reached between us so that I could position him at my entrance. The throaty growl that escaped him only seemed to urge me on further and I found myself restless at the current lull. I shifted and slowly lowered myself onto him, moaning erotically as I felt him stretch and fill me.
I pushed his chest back so that he fell into the mattress below and braced my hands against him. He grinned up at me like he was the Cheshire cat and ran his palms over the tops of my thighs roughly.
Dimitri had quickly found the balance between my love for slightly rougher sex while also making it meaningful and passionate. It was a balance that the few other men I had shared myself with, hadn't found.
I lifted my hips and brought them back down onto him slowly, the pace torturing both of us but I loved to see him lose control under me. I grinned as he pushed his head back into the pillow and squeezed my thighs tightly.
I continued the torturous pace as I watched his control be chipped away. The moment he would finally give in is what drove me crazy.
I lowered myself so that my chest brushed against his as I moved, the new positioning helping him reach more pleasurable places and I could stop myself from moaning softly in his ear.
I could feel the rumbling in his chest as he fought his final string of control, and then it snapped.
The hands that had been gripping my thighs moved to my rear. He held onto me with almost bruising strength and brought me harder and faster down onto him. He bucked his hips, matching the new pace he had created, and I soon fell into a pool of newfound pleasure.
I kept moaning in his ear as he breathed raggedly in my own, groans escaping him every so often as he brought our bodies together.
I cried out his name as I came undone, and he joined me soon after. His body shivering and pulsing as he climaxed with me. It was a powerful feeling seeing him lose control.
I collapsed onto his chest, both of us covered in a thin film of sweat as we panted, trying to catch our breaths.
"Wow" I breathed, unable to formulate any other words.
"Yeah," he said between pants.
We lay like that for a few minutes until we could bring ourselves to part with one another. I slid off him and laid on my side, tracing his tattoos with my finger while in my own little world.
"I reckon we were cursed" I muttered looking up at Dimitri.
I was pleasantly surprised by the loud and raw laugh that erupted from him. He didn't laugh so naturally often and when he did it filled me with warmth.
"What makes you say that Roza?" he eventually managed to say.
"Think about it, Comrade" I propped myself up onto my elbows and smiled winningly at him, "Since that night in the club we haven't had any interruptions. Not one! But before that, we couldn't catch a break. We were cursed and doing the deed broke the curse."
He shook his head and continued to laugh, "I guess you're right, milaya."
I rolled off my elbows and off the bed, landing on the floorboards and reached for my robe. I couldn't stop smiling to myself and when I heard the bedsprings creak with movement, my smile broadened.
"Where do you think you're going?" Dimitri growled playfully as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me onto his lap.
I laughed and untangled myself from his grasp so I could turn around, "I'm going to have a shower," I took a tiny step back from him sitting on the edge of my bed, "care to join me?" I added seductively.
His eyes darkened with lust and I'll have to admit, the thought of us both under the warm water at the same time was doing things to my own inhibitions.
"I'd love to," he said breathlessly as he reached out and pulled on the tie that kept my robe closed, causing the material to fan out and create a very appealing viewing window.
I smiled warmly upon watching him scramble to find his underwear and began walking out of the room, I had only gone a few steps before I could hear him hot on my heels.
Walking out of my apartment building at lunchtime, we spotted Isaiah, as usual, trying to blend in but failing miserably. If anything, the way he leant up against the building on the opposite side of the street just looked idiotic. As if he thought we wouldn't notice him every time we left a building.
We ducked into the nearest bakery on route to Dimitri's place, picking up some lunch for the Russians that would be waiting eagerly for us.
Grasping the paper bag full of bread and assorted pastries tightly, we began the ten-minute walk to Dimitri's place. His apartment wasn't in the bad part of town, but at the same time, it was in the ritzy area like mine was.
That was probably exactly why Isaiah didn't blend in while in my area, he just didn't look like he belonged there. Whereas we had a harder time finding him when we left Dimitri's, he was able to become part of the scenery there.
Dimitri walked up to the door of his apartment and rummaged through his duster's pockets for his key. While waiting, I balanced the paper bag on one side and smoothed out my dress' hemline.
Looking back up though, I spotted something I hadn't seen before.
"What the fuck is that?" I gasped as I looked behind Dimitri.
Something was carved into the door to his apartment. A symbol or something. I took a few steps towards the door, my feet moving before my mind knew what to do. I reached out and let my fingers trace the pattern. It had been carved roughly, most likely with a shiv.
The design looked familiar. I had seen it somewhere before, I just couldn't place where. It looked like some sort of demonic cross. The vertical groove was crossed with two level lines and based on the figure eight.
"It's a satanic symbol" I heard Dimitri mutter under his breath. I ripped my hand away from the door as if it had burnt me.
Satanic symbol?!
I heard the floorboards creak behind me and soon enough, Dimitri was close enough to me that I could feel the heat radiating from his chest as well as his increasing heartbeat. He was worried.
"Why would someone carve this into your door?" I asked, turning my head slightly around and up to look up at him.
His lips parted slightly, but no words came out. His hand rose slowly and traced the lines as I had moments before. "I have no clue. Isaiah, maybe?"
"Isaiah is a goon…not a Satanist, Dimitri. If it is him, he's just trying to scare us into making a mistake."
Dimitri didn't answer, he only continued to caress the carvings as if they held answers.
Someone was coming after us. Whether it was Isaiah or someone else, I wasn't sure. But they were starting small and it was only self-evident that it would get worse.
Dimitri unlocked the door with a bit more grunt this time, swinging it open and quickly herding me inside.
"Dimka!" Ivan yelled happily, "Thank god you're back, I thought we were gonna starve here."
"Your welcome" I grunted while placing the bag on their kitchen table and swiping the only doughnut we bought. No way was I going to let the boys get that.
"Good to see you, sestra." Ivan laughed before placing a kiss on my cheek and then turning to rummage through the bag.
Ivan had picked the nickname for me a couple of weeks ago. It's him literally calling me his sister because of my relationship with his best friend. He saw me as a sister now. Any confusion I had for the nickname quickly faded when I found out the translation, and I found that I quite liked the name.
"Any reason why our door had been defiled, Ivan?" Dimitri commented from the kitchen.
"No clue," he huffed while relaxing into the couch, "Was like that when we woke up. Someone must have done it last night."
I grimaced at the thought. Someone had been hanging around their apartment while they were all sleeping, what was stopping them from doing the same in my building? Absolutely nothing.
"Although, some well dressed blonde fucker has been hanging around" Anton added once he joined us, "Saw him this morning when Tasha was leaving."
I ignored the fact that Tasha had been here for another time but delved into the blonde stranger. I took a seat on the couch slowly before speaking.
"What do you mean 'hanging around'?" I asked Anton nervously.
He shrugged while taking a bite out of his pastry, "Similar to that Isaac kid I guess. Just looking."
"His name is Isaiah" Dimitri grunted, joining us in the loungeroom.
He handed me a mug and I almost moaned at the smell of the freshly brewed coffee. He took the seat next to me with his own mug and relaxed into the soft cushions.
"Is it possible that they would be working together?"
I thought back to every blonde male that I had seen around Isaiah. Concentrating as my mind sifted through the different men until I clicked on an important detail. Where I had seen that symbol before.
"His name is Nathan," I thought aloud. The conversation around me ceased and all three of the men turned to face me.
"Who?" Ivan asked.
"Nathan. He's one of Stan's guys"
"Are you sure it's him, Roza? We can't be making identity mistakes?"
"I'm sure. He has that tattooed on his neck" I spat while pointing at the door.
The fear hit me like a ton of bricks. It was like being locked in a cage and having all viable exits cut off from you. If Nathan was terrorizing us now, it was an entirely different game than before.
