The Russian Billionaire: A Romantic Suspense Novel Read online

  All the fake friendliness in her eyes disappear and they glitter with resentment. I knew from the moment I set eyes on her that we would not get on and I’m right.

  At that moment, a waiter arrives with a tray of flutes filled with golden bubbles.

  “It’s my birthday, Konstantin. Please have just one drink with me,” she pleads looking flirtatiously up at him.

  He frowns.

  “Please. For old times sake?” she pleads.

  “How is Bella?” he asks.

  The question infuriates her so much her eyes flash and her jaw clenches, as she fights to control herself.

  “Well, you always were more interested in her than me,” she states bitterly. “Maybe that is what is wrong in our relationship.”

  Konstantin freezes, and his face fills with disgust. “You’ve become ridiculous, Chloe.”

  “Ridiculous? What is ridiculous is the way you are lusting after my six-year old daughter.”

  “I’m not lusting after your daughter,” he grates tightly. “The only reason I ask about your daughter is because you fucking neglect her, and she is a lost little soul.”

  “Are you trying to imply I’m not a good mother to my daughter?” she huffs incredulously.

  “Good mother? You wouldn’t know how to be a good mother if your beautician slapped it onto your face and left it there for an hour. You’re a lousy mother, Chloe. Absolutely the worst I’ve seen.”

  “How dare you? You arrogant, rude, conceited Russian dog,” she snarls.

  He shakes his head as if he is bored and turns to me. “Let’s go.”

  “You think she’s better than me?” she shrieks, throwing a furious look in my direction.

  I’m aware that people around us are starting to stare at us.

  “I know you get off on making scenes, but you’re now wasting my time.”

  “Damn you, Konstantin. I give you everything. Everything,” she cries dramatically.

  “Whatever. Enjoy the party.” He takes my hand in his, but as we start to walk away, a shrill female voice from the edges of the party screams, “Konstantin.”

  Both Konstantin and I turn towards the voice. To my shock, I see a young woman in a long white dress has climbed onto the wall at the edge of the rooftop, and is standing very still on it. The night sky is full of stars and she cuts a dramatic figure. The wind blows her flaming red hair across her face. When she lifts her hand to sweep it away from her eyes, her body sways dangerously. A collective gasp of shock rises from the crowd around us. Konstantin’s grip around my arm tightens and I feel his whole body tensing next to me.

  “Konstantin,” she calls again, looking directly at him. Her face is very white and there is a strange, deadened quality to her voice. As if she is high on drugs or something. I’ve seen video montages of people on fentanyl who seem oblivious to danger or pain.

  “For fuck’s sake,” I hear Konstantin mutter under his breath. “Wait here,” he says to me.

  I stand rooted to the spot as he starts to walk towards the woman. The crowd parts to let him through. As he gets a few feet away from her, she calmly lifts her hand in a halting gesture. “Don’t come any closer,” she warns in that dead voice. Then she reveals her other hand. There is a small knife in it.

  Konstantin immediately stops and asks, “What are you doing, Alicia?”

  “Why did you leave me?” she asks.

  “Come down and we can talk about it,” he suggests gently.

  “No. Once I come down you’ll just walk away. Just like you always do.”

  “No, I won’t. We’ll talk. I promise.”

  She shakes her head, making her red hair tumble around her shoulders. “No,” she sobs pitifully. “I don’t want to talk. I want you to want me again. Like how it was at the beginning. You said I’m beautiful. Am I not beautiful anymore?”

  “Of course, you’re beautiful.”

  “You’re lying,” she mewls.

  “I’m not lying. You are beautiful, very beautiful.” His voice rings out with sincerity.

  Tears begin to pour down her face. “Then why don’t you want me anymore, Konstantin?”

  “Come down and we’ll talk. We can go and get a drink together and talk.”

  “Can we go back to your place?”

  “Sure.”

  She starts shaking her head. “You’re lying. I can see you’re lying. You came in with a woman. You’re going back with her, aren’t you? She’s getting the Princess treatment tonight, isn’t she?”

  “Get off that ledge, Alicia. I’m not worth taking your life for. You’re young and beautiful. You have your whole life in front of you.”

  “No,” she screams suddenly, and slashes her forearm with the knife, the metal is like a hot knife through butter, her flesh rips open and blood squirts out of her arm like a fountain. Some of the women in the crowd scream at the gory sight. I stare in shock at what happens next.

  Raine

  Quick as a flash, in the chaos that ensues, Konstantin lunges forward, grabs Alicia’s hand and pulls her off the ledge. She wraps her arms tightly around him and begins to emit a strange high-pitched wail. Quickly, he unwraps her arms from around him and lays her limp body on the ground. He pulls his necktie from around his neck and ties it securely around the gaping wound.

  * * *

  “I love you, Konstantin,” she mumbles, but it is clear that the shock and the loss of blood are starting to have an effect on her. She looks pale and lost. Konstantin turns and looks as if he is looking for someone in the crowd. When he locates the person or persons he nods.

  Two men rush towards him.

  “Take her to the hospital,” he says.

  The woman is so slight one of the men scoops her into his arms and carries her away.

  Suddenly, the music starts up again, and a woman makes an announcement hoping the girl would be fine and urging everyone to continue partying. Konstantin walks up to me. He is covered in blood.

  “Excuse me, while I go wash my hands,” he says, with a frown.

  “Of course, I’ll wait here for you.”

  “Stupid bitch,” Chloe says spitefully from behind me.

  I turn slowly towards her.

  Her eyes glitter with malice. “What?” she challenges. “You trying to take the moral high ground with me. You think you know him. You think you’ve got him. Ha, ha, let me tell you, that’s what they all think at the beginning. Here’s a piece of free advice for you, he will chew you up and discard you like a piece of gum so don’t let him chew too long, or you’ll become tasteless for all other men.”

  Then she turns around and flounces away.

  I stare at the stars in the sky. All around me the party-goers are talking about what has just happened. I hear snippets.

  “Did you know her?”

  “Some model.”

  “Silly girl.”

  “Well, Konstantin Tsarnov is sex on a stick, after all.”

  I turn to look at the woman who makes the comment. It is impossible to tell her age. She is a walking advertisement for her plastic surgeon. She meets my eyes, hers are filled with wry amusement, and I turn away quickly. Even though the night air is balmy, a shiver runs through me.

  Don’t get involved. You have only one goal and that is to switch the painting and save Madison. Nothing else is more important.

  “Raine,” Konstantin calls.

  I turn.

  He has washed the blood off his hands and taken off his soiled jacket. There is a wet patch on his shirt. Otherwise you could never tell that moments ago he was covered in blood.

  “Are you ready to go?”

  I nod, and we walk towards the escalator. Neither of us speaks. Not even while we zoom downwards. I feel as if there is a stone in my throat. I steal a glance at him and find him watching me. His face is expressionless.

  “No wonder you prefer your relationships to end before they start,” I say. I had intended my voice to be light, but it comes out all high and squeaky. I try to
laugh and that comes out all wrong too.

  The doors swish open. I don’t quite know how his driver is alerted, but the Rolls Royce glides to the front of the building just as we step out of the entrance. Konstantin opens the door for me and I quickly climb in.

  I take some deep breaths as I wait for him to arrive on the other side. My heart is beating very fast. I feel like a thief. I clutch my bag tightly and tell myself everything will be fine. It’s not like I’ll be stealing his last meal or anything like that. He probably won’t even notice the painting has been switched.

  He slides in and closes the door.

  “I’ll drop you off at your place,” he says.

  “My place?” I croak. “I thought we were going to your place.”

  His eyes widen, then narrow with suspicion. “You want to have sex after what you’ve just heard and seen?”

  I swallow hard. “Yes.”

  A strange expression crosses his eyes.

  “What’s your address?”

  Automatically, I give it to him.

  He moves forward, depresses a button, relays my address to the driver, then takes his long finger off the button again. Then he switches on the light and turns to me.

  His eyes glitter like a dangerous wolf, but his voice is a lazy drawl. “I don’t want to have sex, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have some fun.”

  He puts a hand on my knee. I can’t move. I can’t even breathe. Jesus, the man is about to have sex with me. This is not part of the plan. I should be jumping out of the car. I should be telling him to stop. I should be pushing his hand away. I shouldn’t allow him to do this.

  But I don’t push his hand away,

  I don’t tell him to stop.

  I don’t jump out of the car.

  I can’t do those things because my nipples have hardened. Because I want to feel his hand move higher up my thigh to my hot, wet pussy.

  Konstantin

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfSS1e3kYeo

  Highest In The Room

  * * *

  She stiffens at the contact, but doesn’t move away or resist. Neither of us has uttered a word. But her eyes speak louder than any words she could utter. She wants this! I look down at her plump lips and the image of Alicia’s blood pumping out of her veins goes. All I see is Raine’s generous mouth wrapped around my cock. My eyes glide across her face, her sparkling eyes, and her fair hair.

  I know something is not right about her, about this situation we are in, but I’ll figure it out later.

  Without taking my eyes off her enormous sapphire eyes, I yank her knees apart roughly. She inhales sharply, but again she doesn’t object. Little goosebumps appear on her skin as my fingers move higher and higher up her thigh. Then I slide my hands upwards while pulling her dress along until it ends up bunched around her waist.

  She is wearing a sexy black thong.

  I slip my fingers under the scrap of lace and she sinks her teeth into her bottom lip to stop herself from making any sound. Carelessly, I rip the delicate lace, pull it off her, and toss it away.

  Her eyes fill with surprise and excitement, but she says nothing, does nothing. Just looks at me from those beautiful, beautiful blue jewels. I look down at her pussy. Spread open. Blonde curls. Pink. Swollen. Dripping. Delicious. Her smell fills my nostrils, and the desire to lick that sweet slit is shockingly strong, but I bring my eyes back to her face and lean closer to hers. I don’t want to miss any change of expression from her.

  My fingers dance along the soft skin of her inner thigh as I watch her pupils widen, and her mouth parts as her breath comes faster.

  My hand brushes against the neat, soft triangle of fair hair. She squeezes her eyes when I touch her clitoris. It is engorged with blood. I’m not sure what’s really going on in the background, but one thing is for sure, she is just as aroused as I fucking am.

  I let my fingers wander lower to the slickness. My thumb remains on her clit, until without warning I plunge two fingers into her slit. She gasps, her eyes snapping open with shock. Her eyes stay glued to me as she tries to control her breathing. She doesn’t expect my fingers to move so deeply inside her.

  I’m not gentle. It’s not what she wants. I’m the guy she detests. The guy that’s perfect for a one-night stand. She’s loving this rough.

  I thrust my fingers in and out of her, hearing the loud sucking sounds of her wet juices on my fingers. Every few thrusts, she grunts or takes in a gasping breath.

  With one hand I hold her steady while my other fucks her harder and faster. The walls of her pussy begin to tighten. She is so close now. I stare at her. I want to see the look on her face when I bring her to orgasm.

  Finally, a low moan escapes her lips.

  My thumb rubs against her hardened clit while two fingers search for her G spot. The way her eyes widen and become glassy tells me that I’ve found it.

  She grabs my shoulder and squeezes. I know that she can’t contain herself much longer. She clenches her jaw and looks away momentarily, only she can no longer control herself. Her eyes roll back. Her body becomes limp for a moment, but that doesn’t make me stop, because I know that she’s ready for something bigger.

  Soon she will… come again.

  And she doesn’t disappoint. She lets out a loud scream and her body buckles and then shakes uncontrollably. Her thighs crush my hand, and her toes curl. She gushes onto my hand as the waves come and come, but I don’t cease the hard thrusting of my fingers, not even for a moment. She groans and begs me to stop, moans that she can’t take it anymore, but I don’t stop.

  I know she can take more.

  Her body is still shaking as her pleading drops to soft whimpers. Her body becomes limp and her breathing is heavy and ragged, but now I notice that as much as she is trying to avoid staring at me, she can’t. Our eyes lock. There is a strange expression in her eyes. I extract my fingers from her pink pussy.

  I want to taste her orgasm from my fingers, but doing so would make me want to fuck her. I am fully erect, but I choose, I force myself not to do anything about that. Not now. Not yet. Not until I know what her game is. I remove a few tissues from the holder and calmly wipe between her legs.

  This is called self-control.

  She does not move. She just stares at me with half-closed eyes. Her legs are still spread wide open and I can see her pussy and how beautifully swollen it is. It takes all of my self-control to not fuck her right there. Instead I pull down her dress.

  “We’ve arrived at your place,” I murmur.

  She turns her head in surprise, then turns bright red.

  “I’ll send someone to pick you up tomorrow at 8.00am.”

  “What?”

  “You’re spending the weekend in London with me.”

  “I… er… I can’t. I have to work.”

  “Call in sick,” I say carelessly. Something tells me she will be coming to London. I have something she wants and it’s not my dick.

  I rap on the partition, and my chauffeur immediately gets out and opens the door on her side. She looks confused and embarrassed.

  “Goodnight, Konstantin,” she mumbles, as she turns to get out of the car.

  “You forgot your purse,” I say holding out her bag.

  She whirls around suddenly, her face anxious. “Oh! Er… thanks.” Then she scrambles out.

  “Goodnight, Raine,” I call as the door closes.

  As my chauffeur accompanies her to her door, I dip my finger into a drop of juice that glistens on the leather seat. I bring my finger to my mouth and lick it.

  Raine Fillander tastes like heaven.

  Raine

  My face is flaming with embarrassment as the expressionless chauffeur escorts me to the entrance of my apartment block. It is very possible that the back of such an expensive and luxurious car is soundproofed, but what if it isn’t? What if he heard my moans and screams?

  “Goodnight,” I say, as I quickly open the door and slip into the building without ac
tually meeting his eyes.

  I hear his footsteps die away as I stand in the middle of the foyer. I know my mother will be waiting to speak to me and I don’t want her to see me like this. My hands are clutching the bag with the painting so hard my knuckles show white. I unclench my hands, take a few deep breaths and try to calm myself.

  He wants me to go to London with him.

  I want to go. God, how I want to go with him. It would be a dream come true to travel to London. I’ve never done anything like that before. The years are passing me by and all I ever do is work. I’d love to have a dirty weekend in a foreign land with a man like that. My passport has no stamps on it at all. It stares at me balefully.

  What harm can it do to go with him? I’ve never called in sick before. It would be okay to do it just this once. And then I think of the money I need for Madison. And a thought occurs to me. Konstantin is so insanely wealthy. $120,000 will be nothing to him. Hell, he thought nothing of paying a million for a publicity stunt. What if I give the $50,000 back to Catherine’s client, and ask Konstantin for a loan of $120,000? I can explain to him about my sister’s medical situation.

  He is a self-made billionaire so he almost certainly either stepped on or swindled a lot of people to acquire his billions, but I don’t know why, maybe the way he seemed to care about Chloe’s daughter being left alone too often makes me feel sure he will lend me the money if it is genuinely for a good cause. I don’t want him to give me the money. It will just be a loan. I’ll pay every cent of it back.

  I hear the sound of the elevator arriving at the ground floor and I walk towards it. Two women get out and I walk in. I feel calm and sure of my course of action. I put the key in our door and walk into our tiny one-and-a-half room apartment. I call it that because Mom and Maddy share the normal sized bedroom and mine is barely bigger than a cupboard. My mother is sitting in front of the TV. As soon as she sees me she mutes it and stands, her hands tightly clasped in front of her.