Bad Russian Boss: A Billionaire Office Romance Read online

  Table of Contents

  Bad Russian Boss

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

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  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Bad Russian Boss:

  A Billionaire Office Romance

  By Bella Rose

  All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2017 Bella Rose.

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  Chapter One

  “This round is on me!” Morgan raised her hand to get the waiter’s attention. “We need to celebrate Landry finally getting her first big-girl job!”

  There was a round of excited cheering from the rest of Landry’s friends, but she could only blush and nod her head in thanks. These girls had been her biggest cheerleaders since they’d all started college together four years ago.

  Thayla gave Landry a gentle nudge with her shoulder before looking around at the other three girls. “And let’s not forget we’re celebrating the end of the David era too!”

  Now Landry was really embarrassed. “Thanks, guys,” she said, stumbling over her words. “I don’t think I could have gotten through that without all of you at my back.”

  “That guy was an ass,” Morgan told her. Then she looked at Thayla. “Remember when you and I had to get him out the door using a chair and a can of mace?”

  Landry covered her face with her hands. “Ugh! Can we stop talking about this? It’s embarrassing enough to know that I couldn’t even manage to break up with him all by myself. Don’t rehash it!”

  Thayla chuckled and tossed back a shot of tequila. “Come on, girl, we all have one of those ex-boyfriends in our life.” Then Thayla shot a sly glance at Morgan. “Or sometimes we have a dozen or more.”

  “I call foul!” Morgan shouted. Her natural exuberance was always an eye-catcher, and Landry could see three or four men in the general vicinity turning to look.

  The waiter set a tray of shots on the table. He gave them a quick nod. “Ladies, these are compliments of the gentleman.”

  The waiter had certainly gained their full attention. Morgan whipped around and started scanning the crowd at the club. “Which gentleman?”

  There were so many people there that it was difficult to even catch a glimpse of one person who might be watching them. The music was loud, the beat pounding on the old brick walls of the building. The atmosphere was hot and the lighting created a dull red effect that layered everything—including the patrons—with a strangely mysterious air of something that almost gave Landry the impression of wickedness.

  Then the waiter pointed at a specific table. “That gentleman there. He sends his compliments.”

  Landry turned to look and immediately felt as if her mouth had gone dry. Gentleman? The man looked like a straight-up predator. He was sitting by himself at a high-top table. His black pants were tailored, his shoes looked expensive, and he had rolled up the sleeves of his dark blue dress shirt to expose tattoos on his forearms. His hair was black and thick. The wavy strands fell over the tops of his ears and his forehead. The effect was almost boyish, and yet this was very much a man. He was broad shouldered, tall, and handsome as sin.

  “Oh. My. God!” Morgan muttered. “I want. I want. I want!”

  Landry couldn’t get past the feeling that the guy was staring at her. It made her vaguely uncomfortable. At least she thought it did, but not because of anything about him in particular. She just didn’t like being the sole focus of someone’s attention. It reminded her too much of David.

  “Okay!” Morgan handed out the shots. “We’re going to raise our glasses to my next one-night stand. Got it?”

  They were all nodding and laughing. Landry couldn’t help but wonder why Morgan always got the pick of every litter. She was certainly the unspoken alpha of their group, but that didn’t mean she should get dibs on every single handsome man they ran into, did it?

  There was a chorus of wild screams from her friends and then the four of them threw back their drinks. Four shot glasses were slammed down on top of the table and then Thayla jumped to her feet. She grabbed Landry’s arm and started dragging her away from the table.

  “I want to dance!” Thayla whined. “Come on. You know you want to go with me.”

  Their other friend—Casey—started laughing. Then she got up and headed toward the dance floor. “We might as well go with her, Landry. Morgan is about to ditch us for her next conquest, and there’s nothing else to do anyway.”

  Morgan was actually nodding. She couldn’t even look at them. She was too busy shooting her bedroom eyes at Tall, Dark, and Handsome across the room. Landry felt annoyed. Sometimes life was unfair. Yes, Morgan was extremely attractive with her raven-black curls and her rocking body. She was confident and so completely secure in her sexuality that there was never any doubt for her about what she wanted or what she was willing to do to get it.

  In contrast, Landry was blonde, short, round, and a bit of a mouse. She hadn’t had very much experience with men. And thanks to David, she hadn’t dated many of them either. David had entered her life four years ago during her freshman year of college, and she’d spent their entire relationship on a carnival ride of emotional ups and downs.

  “Come on,” Thayla said kindly. “Let’s dance. Leave Morgan to her hunting and we’ll have fun on our own.”

  Landry watched Morgan sashay toward the mysterious man. Every line of her body was an invitation, and there was no hesitation in her at all. Landry shrugged and followed her other friends. Maybe there would be some Prince Charming out on the dance floor who would sweep her away and turn her life into a dream and her sex life into a reality.

  With Thayla and Casey at her side, Landry let the beat of the music carry her away. The women found a place near the edge of the crowd and started writhing to the beat as they laughed.

  ***

  Maxim Sokolov could not help but label his strategy to get the attention of the curvy little blonde as a complete failure. In fact, Maxim had baited his hook with drinks and flattery, and then he had caught the wrong quarry altogether. Even worse, he had a feeling that this woman would be difficult to shake.

  Women we
re predictable creatures in Maxim’s experience. A few drinks, a few compliments, and they would fall at your feet as though you had validated their entire existence. They almost always had a hidden agenda. And frequently women had to be paid to go away after he was done with them. Perhaps this made him jaded. Or perhaps it made him a realist. Who could really say?

  “Hello, handsome,” the dark haired woman said in an exaggerated husky voice. “How about you buy me another drink?”

  Maxim sighed. Since this was what he had caught, he might as well amuse himself with her for a few moments before cutting his losses and going home early. He raised his hand and the waiter hustled over. The young man knew better than to let Maxim wait.

  “I’ll have a cosmopolitan,” the dark haired woman announced. “With a twist of lime.”

  “Vodka,” Maxim grunted.

  The waiter sped off and the woman turned back to him. “Vodka? Straight?”

  He shrugged.

  “My name is Morgan.” She sidled in close, far too close for comfort. “What’s yours?”

  “Maxim.”

  “Aw,” she simpered. “Maxim and Morgan sitting in a tree, F-U-C-K-I-N-G.”

  He frowned. “Are you always this bold?”

  “Would you want it any other way?” She straightened, giving him a sideways look he did not like. “At least you know exactly what you’re getting.”

  “And what am I getting?”

  She narrowed her gaze, looking almost irritated. “You’re getting a beautiful, experienced woman who knows how to have casual sex without blowing up your phone the next day. I’m going to make you beg for my pussy, and you’re going to make me come so hard I scream your name.”

  “Assuming you could remember it,” he said offhandedly. “With an introduction like that one, I would almost expect you to quote me a price.”

  Her sound of outrage made him smile—a smile quickly hidden as he realized that her ire was very real. “Are you calling me a whore?”

  “No. You haven’t quoted me a price.” Maxim couldn’t help it. He detested these games. That had been his purpose in seeking out the blonde. There was something artless in her manner that appealed to him. In his business, everyone wanted something. Everyone.

  “Oh my God!” she raged. “And I won’t! You’re the one who sent me a drink. You’re the one who invited me over here. Now you’re being insulting? What kind of ass are you?”

  He snorted. “I didn’t invite you over here. I sent the table a drink. I was more interested in your friend. The little blonde with the delicious curves?”

  “Oh my God,” Morgan fumed. “You sent drinks because of Landry?”

  Morgan threw her head back and laughed. Maxim found he didn’t appreciate the humor at what was obviously Landry’s expense. Maxim made a low noise of warning in the back of his throat. “Why would you be so cruel when talking about your friend?”

  “Because she’s a mouse!” Morgan shot back. “Landry is practically a virgin. She wouldn’t know how to please a man if he gave her a tutorial. She’s shy and reserved and so damn repressed that she’s probably got cobwebs growing in her pussy!” Morgan paused. “Don’t get me wrong. She’s sweet and all. I love her to death, right? But seriously, I’m the girl you need. Not Landry.”

  Maxim had never understood women. The idea that this Morgan person could so casually decimate the character of the sweet little blonde while professing to “love her to death” was an anathema to Maxim. What was wrong with these women? Was it that they were American and their culture was shallow and their values were warped?

  He had never found this verbally abusive behavior within his own Russian culture. Sure, the women were cutthroat when it came to resources and getting what they wanted or needed, but rarely did they come out and verbally bash a competitor in front of the prize. It was considered poor form. If a rival needed to be removed, it was done quietly and with much subtlety.

  “Hey!” Morgan snapped her fingers.

  The waiter had brought their drinks. Maxim reached for the bottle of vodka and poured himself a shot. He threw it back without waiting or caring what Morgan was going to do with her drink. She gave him a withering glare and then threw back her cosmopolitan and slammed the empty glass on the table.

  “So you think you’re interested in Landry?” Morgan’s words were now a bit slurred. She leaned in closer. “You’re barking up the wrong tree. Really. She’s scared of sex. There was this guy—David—who totally latched on to her freshman year.” Morgan waved her hand in a dramatic gesture. “Oh my God! He was such an ass. We could all see it, you know? But Landry just thought he needed a little TLC. Can you fucking imagine? And now he’s practically stalking her. It’s pathetic really.”

  “Stalking her?” Maxim felt his protective instincts begin to stir.

  So this young, innocent blonde had been ridiculed by her supposed friends for her sweet, helpful nature. She had been worked over by a man who was using her and probably manipulating her. And now her friends were continuing to judge her for her past decisions while not really trying at all to help her move on.

  Maxim stood up. He would find another way to make contact with the young woman called Landry. Morgan’s description—instead of turning him off—had piqued his interest in a very formidable way.

  “Hey!” Morgan said belligerently. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Home.” He gave her a derisive look from head to toe. “I have better things to do tonight.”

  Chapter Two

  Landry bumped her behind against Thayla’s as they laughed along with Casey and made up silly dance moves. The three of them were having a grand time. Landry had almost forgotten about Morgan, the mysterious man, and even David. Then Morgan stormed up with a huge chip on her shoulder and all of the fun stopped.

  “What an ass!” Morgan snarled.

  Thayla stopped dancing. “What happened?”

  “He fed me some bullshit line and then when I didn’t buy it, he told me he was just going to go home!” Morgan was flinging her hands everywhere and looking like she was about to have a full-on tantrum right there on the dance floor.

  “So get over it and dance!” Landry suggested. She wiggled a bit and then joined Casey in some of her silly moves.

  Morgan whirled on Landry, her eyes full of fury. “Oh thanks! What? You can have a crisis and we all have to drop everything and hold your damn hand, but I have a crisis and you just blow me off? You’re a shit, Landry!”

  Landry stopped dancing and drew back in surprise. “I’m sorry, Morgan. I’m not trying to minimize your situation or anything. He sounds awful. I was just thinking that he’s not worth the trouble of being angry at, you know?”

  “Well I think he is!” Morgan fumed. “So go fuck yourself, Landry!”

  “Hey!” Casey came to Landry’s defense. “What the hell, Morgan? That’s so not cool. Why would you say something like that to Landry? She hasn’t done anything to you.”

  Morgan made a noise that Landry couldn’t interpret. It felt as if her friend had turned on her. The fact that less than twenty minutes ago Morgan had been cheering for Landry’s new job and her final breakup with David was confusing. What had happened between then and now to make Morgan so bitter?

  “That’s okay,” Landry said firmly. “I need to go home anyway. I’ve got a real job that starts Monday morning. I need to get some stuff done at my apartment tomorrow so I’ll be ready.”

  “Landry, don’t go,” Thayla pleaded. “I’m sure Morgan didn’t mean it.”

  Morgan made a pfft noise. “I don’t know what you guys are talking about. She can go if she wants.” Morgan waggled her fingers sarcastically. “Good-bye, little mouse. Scurry back to your hole.”

  Landry turned and bolted from the dance floor. She was so embarrassed and angry that she didn’t really look where she was going. The red EXIT sign caught her eye and she veered in that direction. Her hands hit the breaker bar and the door clicked open. She stumbled for
ward into an alley and found herself outside in the cool fall air.

  She put her hands on top of her head and breathed in and out to try and calm down. It felt better to be outside where the air was fresh and there weren’t so many people pressing in on her. There was a niggling doubt in the back of her mind regarding her presence in a deserted alley behind a club in the dead of night, but she shoved that aside. No, it wasn’t the wisest course of action, but at least she seemed to be alone.

  A few seconds passed. She gazed at the neatly stacked pallets to her right and the dumpsters off to her left. Past the dumpsters she could see all the way to the mouth of the alley where there was traffic whizzing by on the main road. With a sigh, she began walking carefully in that direction. It looked like there was a car or something parked down there. She wondered what kind of person would get that sort of VIP treatment.

  “Hello, Landry.”

  She spun around, horrified to hear that voice. “Go away, David,” she said automatically. “You’re not supposed to be within a hundred feet of me.”

  “A hundred feet?” He emerged from the shadows at the opposite end of the alley. “You’re the one who came out here and put yourself within a hundred feet of me.”

  There it was, that same old song and dance where David never took responsibility for anything and it was all her fault all of the time. Damn, that got old! She gathered up her courage and refused to just stand there and let him bully her.

  “I’m going to walk away and you’re going to stay here,” she informed him. “Got it?”

  Not bothering to wait for his answer, she turned on her heel and started marching toward the car blocking the mouth of the alley. It was a limo. How strange. Maybe a celebrity had come to this club or something.

  “Not so fast!”

  David grabbed her around the waist and yanked her backward until she smashed right into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her body and put his mouth right next to her ear. She could smell his breath. He’d obviously been drinking. A wave of true fear left her panting with desperation as she cast about for something she could do to defend herself or at least get away from him. If she could only get around to the front of the club, surely she could find someone to help her.