being out here.”
Natalya stiffened, but as she opened her mouth to tell him what he could do with his security, she caught the playful twinkle in his darkeyes. Tension fled from her shoulders. She shook his hand. “Natalya Trubachev.”
An amicable grin spanned across his face as he leaned his rangy body against the rail. “So I saw the boss come storming out of the back room. Before I could count to thirty, I heard the buzz on the back door go off. I’m guessing you two didn’t see eye to eye?”
Oh, they’d seen eye to eye well enough. His had been dark and stormy. His body had been hot.…
She banished the memory with a silent oath. “We had words.”
Aaron gave a quiet chuckle. “Don’t take it personally. It’s all part of the Brandon Moretti hiring strategy.”
Despite the restlessness in her veins, Natalya couldn’t keep from grinning. “Beat us into submission?”
Seduce us into submission?
If he were Iskatel´, Brandon’s tactics fit right in line with the methods she employed against the dancers.
“Something like that.” Aaron pushed away from the railing and stuffed his hands into his pockets. His gaze drifted to the horizon. “All kidding aside, he lost a friend today. He’s in a bit of a funk.”
Rachel.
Natalya closed her eyes and swallowed a damnable lump of remorse. She’d tried to convince Dmitri that murdering that woman wasn’t necessary. But in the end, Dmitri had his way—as always. He’d ordered Iskatel´ to inject Rachel with a fatal dose of barbiturates.
“Yeah.” A strange roughness infiltrated her voice. She cleared her throat. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Aaron’s gaze shifted to her, full of friendly openness. Hard not to like a face like Aaron’s. Thankfully, unlike Brandon’s, his good looks didn’t tease her mind with thoughts of all the things she’d like to do to the handsome lieutenant. Or let him do to her.
Her smile broke free as the encounter in her office took a backseat to the more pressing demands of why she’d flown across the world. This was the man she’d need to sway into hiring Sergei. At the very least, she needed him in her court so he could sway his partner. Shetucked her robe around her body more tightly and folded her arms across her chest. “So tell me, what’s a girl gotta do to get on that stage?”
The light in Aaron’s eyes glittered, his amusement increasing. “You could always try walking into his office and dropping your clothes.”
“Right.” She rolled her eyes. “I was thinking something more subtle.”
Aaron passed a hand over his chin, drawing her attention to the bare skin that had sported a wiry goatee earlier. “Brandon’s not much for subtle. He’s not going to take a risk unless you give him good reason.”
Good reason meaning flash a little skin. Make it worth his while. The bottom line in stripping was a body, and if she wanted Brandon to put her on the stage, she’d need to prove herself first. He’d said he wouldn’t sacrifice the money on a girl he didn’t know could dance.
Damn it. To obtain what she most needed, she’d have to dance for him.
Stripping onstage in front of a crowd was one thing. A private showing for Brandon could be deadly in a way that went far beyond the risk of betraying Dmitri. The man had power over her. The kind of power that could destroy her on levels she couldn’t begin to name.
“You better come inside.” Aaron slipped an arm around her shoulders and steered her to the door. “He’s already pissed off. Let’s not give him reason to make all our lives hell by standing outside where it’s not safe.”
Natalya quizzed him with a narrowed gaze. What was that supposed to mean? The fire escape’s ladder couldn’t be manipulated by anyone below. “Not safe?”
He gave her an indifferent shrug. “You’ve seen the papers. Girls have been disappearing. Better not tempt the fates.”
It took an amazing amount of self-control to stop the laugh that brimmed
Natalya stiffened, but as she opened her mouth to tell him what he could do with his security, she caught the playful twinkle in his darkeyes. Tension fled from her shoulders. She shook his hand. “Natalya Trubachev.”
An amicable grin spanned across his face as he leaned his rangy body against the rail. “So I saw the boss come storming out of the back room. Before I could count to thirty, I heard the buzz on the back door go off. I’m guessing you two didn’t see eye to eye?”
Oh, they’d seen eye to eye well enough. His had been dark and stormy. His body had been hot.…
She banished the memory with a silent oath. “We had words.”
Aaron gave a quiet chuckle. “Don’t take it personally. It’s all part of the Brandon Moretti hiring strategy.”
Despite the restlessness in her veins, Natalya couldn’t keep from grinning. “Beat us into submission?”
Seduce us into submission?
If he were Iskatel´, Brandon’s tactics fit right in line with the methods she employed against the dancers.
“Something like that.” Aaron pushed away from the railing and stuffed his hands into his pockets. His gaze drifted to the horizon. “All kidding aside, he lost a friend today. He’s in a bit of a funk.”
Rachel.
Natalya closed her eyes and swallowed a damnable lump of remorse. She’d tried to convince Dmitri that murdering that woman wasn’t necessary. But in the end, Dmitri had his way—as always. He’d ordered Iskatel´ to inject Rachel with a fatal dose of barbiturates.
“Yeah.” A strange roughness infiltrated her voice. She cleared her throat. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Aaron’s gaze shifted to her, full of friendly openness. Hard not to like a face like Aaron’s. Thankfully, unlike Brandon’s, his good looks didn’t tease her mind with thoughts of all the things she’d like to do to the handsome lieutenant. Or let him do to her.
Her smile broke free as the encounter in her office took a backseat to the more pressing demands of why she’d flown across the world. This was the man she’d need to sway into hiring Sergei. At the very least, she needed him in her court so he could sway his partner. Shetucked her robe around her body more tightly and folded her arms across her chest. “So tell me, what’s a girl gotta do to get on that stage?”
The light in Aaron’s eyes glittered, his amusement increasing. “You could always try walking into his office and dropping your clothes.”
“Right.” She rolled her eyes. “I was thinking something more subtle.”
Aaron passed a hand over his chin, drawing her attention to the bare skin that had sported a wiry goatee earlier. “Brandon’s not much for subtle. He’s not going to take a risk unless you give him good reason.”
Good reason meaning flash a little skin. Make it worth his while. The bottom line in stripping was a body, and if she wanted Brandon to put her on the stage, she’d need to prove herself first. He’d said he wouldn’t sacrifice the money on a girl he didn’t know could dance.
Damn it. To obtain what she most needed, she’d have to dance for him.
Stripping onstage in front of a crowd was one thing. A private showing for Brandon could be deadly in a way that went far beyond the risk of betraying Dmitri. The man had power over her. The kind of power that could destroy her on levels she couldn’t begin to name.
“You better come inside.” Aaron slipped an arm around her shoulders and steered her to the door. “He’s already pissed off. Let’s not give him reason to make all our lives hell by standing outside where it’s not safe.”
Natalya quizzed him with a narrowed gaze. What was that supposed to mean? The fire escape’s ladder couldn’t be manipulated by anyone below. “Not safe?”
He gave her an indifferent shrug. “You’ve seen the papers. Girls have been disappearing. Better not tempt the fates.”
It took an amazing amount of self-control to stop the laugh that brimmed
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