Stretching and groaning, I opened my eyes. Sunlight streamed onto my face from the large floor-to-ceiling window. I looked around, more aware than last night. The room had that modern, luxurious look: everything black, gray, or white.

I sat up, the blanket falling from my chest, but I paid no attention to it. I was still trying to wrap my head around what exactly happened last night. I looked around, trying to get every little bit of information. I could hear the shower running, and I saw some fog in the mirror with the door slightly cracked open. I squinted to see, and then heard a deep groan from inside.

SHIT! I mentally cursed at myself. That sound from that stranger brought the memories of last night rushing rapidly into my head, from how his dick had been buried deep inside me to my cries for release. Damn, I don't think I'd ever experienced that amount of pleasure with anyone. I'd had like five orgasms in minutes.

I shook my head to distract my thoughts from reminiscing about everything before I made another mistake. Getting up from the bed, I searched around for my dress, finding it under a chair sitting in the corner of the room. Rushing over, I quickly pulled it over my body, grabbed my shoes, and hurried to put them on. I grabbed my phone, almost forgetting it along with my entire clutch, before rushing out of the room, speed walking towards the elevator, trying to hurry before the stranger got out of the shower.

The elevator opened, and I got in, repeatedly pressing the 'L' button, then hammering the door-close button, but it didn't help. Just as the doors closed, I caught a glimpse of the guy from last night. He was walking towards the kitchen, a towel wrapped around his waist, an empty plate in his hand. He stopped in his tracks, looking at the elevator, but just in time, the doors closed, shielding me from those dark blue eyes I distinctly remembered.

I walked out of the hotel, getting the same looks people give girls whenever they leave a building in a skimpy dress, messed up hair, heels, and smudged makeup.

But I left with a smile.

Despite their looks, filled with either disgust, disrespect, or lust, some people held neutral faces.

But those were only the people who knew how to mind their business, and nowadays, not a lot of people know how not to.

I ignored it. I walked outside, hailed a taxi, and headed home, where I hoped to find out what happened with Caro and Sophia and tell her about my experience with that sexy, blue-eyed man who could make my panties wet with just a glance.

The taxi ride home was a blur of morning traffic and the insistent throbbing behind my eyes. I leaned my head against the cool window, the smile still plastered on my face, defying the disapproving glares from passersby. Let them stare. They didn't know what it felt like to break free, even for a few stolen hours, from a mountain of work and a best friend's perpetual melodrama.

Pulling up to my building, I paid the driver, feeling a strange mix of exhaustion and exhilaration.

My apartment key felt heavy in my hand as I approached the door. I half-expected to find Caro still cocooned in a blanket fort, surrounded by chocolate wrappers and tear-stained tissues. Instead, the apartment was quiet. Too quiet.

"Caro?" I called out, pushing the door open, my voice raspy. The scent of coffee, not stale heartbreak, filled the air. My brow furrowed. Had she listened?

I walked into the kitchen to find her perched on a stool, nursing a mug, looking surprisingly... put together. Her usually puffy eyes were still a little red, but her hair was brushed, and she was wearing actual clothes, not sweatpants. On the counter lay a half-eaten croissant and her phone, open to a messaging app.

"You look like you wrestled a bear," Caro said, a slight smile playing on her lips as she took in my disheveled dress and tangled hair.

"You look like you're not planning your funeral," I shot back, dropping my clutch on the island.

My eyes narrowed at the phone. "Did you, for once, not double down on the crazy?"

She sighed, but it was a softer sound than her usual self-pitying groans. "I called her."

"Sophia?" I leaned against the counter, suddenly intrigued despite myself.

Caro nodded slowly. "Yeah. I was still mad, still scared, but... I don't know. After you dragged me out and forced me to drink whiskey and told me to twerk, something just clicked. It's like my brain cells finally started working again." She paused, then looked at me. "So, what about you? You were practically glowing when I left. Did the dance floor treat you well, or did someone else?"

A smirk tugged at my lips. "Oh, the dance floor was just the warm-up, honey." I walked over to the fridge, pulling out a bottle of water. "Remember that hot guy I saw watching me from the VIP section?"

Caro's eyes widened. "The one with the 'stare that could melt steel'?"

"That's him," I said, taking a long swig of water. "Turns out, his stare can do more than melt steel. It can make you forget your name, your job, and apparently, all your plans for a chaste, single life." I recounted the bathroom encounter, leaving out none of the deliciously explicit details. Her jaw dropped further with each word.

"You... you seriously went there?" Caro finally managed, her voice a mix of shock and admiration. "Without even knowing his name?"

I shrugged, a fresh wave of adrenaline hitting me. "He didn't ask for mine, and I didn't care to ask for his. It was... intense. And damn, Caro, the man knows what he's doing." I grinned, the memory sending a shiver down my spine. "I had like five orgasms in minutes, bitch. Five."

Caro let out a delighted, albeit scandalized, laugh. "Only you. Seriously, I question our friendship sometimes."

"Says the woman who just had her ninth breakup," I retorted, but there was no real venom. I loved Caro, despite her self-sabotage, and in that moment, seeing her trying felt like a small victory. Besides, she was the only one I could ever tell this kind of crazy to.

The afterglow was still strong, but the looming shadow of my project and the stacks of files quickly began to creep back into my thoughts. I groaned internally. I had to shower, find some clean clothes that didn't scream "one-night stand," and tackle that mountain of work. But now, at least, I had a hell of a story to tell, and a new, intriguing distraction to ponder. That man with the dark blue eyes... he was going to be a problem. A very, very good problem.

I left Caro and went to have that shower that I so badly needed. As I removed my clothes, the memories just came, hitting me.

"Please," I begged.

"Please, what?" he teased my entrance with his cock, pushing it slightly and then pulling out.

"Tell me what you want."

"Please," I gasped as he did it again.

"I want you to fuck me."

He wasted no time after that, one hard thrust to get inside of me, pulling out and pushing back in at a hard and fast speed. I moaned at the top of my lungs, his hands on the side of my body, tightly gripping the sheets, making his veins more noticeable than they already were. His face was just above mine, keeping a close eye on my facial expressions while he pounded into me.

My loud moans seemed to encourage him more. Pulling my legs to wrap around his waist, he sat up, no longer hovering over me. One of his hands gripped the sheets near my neck, firm but still gentle.

My eyes rolled back at the sight in front of me. He looked so hot, his face hard, releasing small, barely noticeable grunts. His hard abs were dimly lit, and his eyes kept glancing down, watching his dick disappear into me and reappear with each thrust.

I could feel myself tightening at that moment on him, and he somehow went incredibly harder, pushing me closer to yet another orgasm and pulling out before I could.

I groaned in frustration, but he flipped me over onto my stomach, grabbing my hips and pulling them right back into him.

Fucking me from behind with the same hard plunge as before, the sound of our raw skin clapping together made everything seem so erotic. One of his hands pushed down on my lower back, and the other pulled my hair, wrapping it up in his fist, causing my back to arch down, my ass sticking far out.

"Fuck!" I groaned deeply, "Harder!" I moaned.

His hands let go of my hair and roughly slapped my ass, a grunt and groan coming from his lips as I spasmed around his length.

"Красавица," he rasped. "I want you to ask for permission before you come." I felt myself tighten, his voice turning me on more. I was so close again, and he moved his hips faster, the sounds of my juices squishing around my ass, and I could only imagine it reddening.

He gave my ass a few slaps, not even slowing down his inhumane speed. His moans and grunts filled my ears.

"Beg me, Красавица."

"Let me hear your cries of pleas before I let you come like the slut you are, only for me," his words added more pleasure to me.

With no shame left in me, "Please, let me cum," my voice barely above a whisper as it was knocked out of me immediately by the angle he was hitting, harder than before.

"Cum, baby," I let loose immediately, my eyes rolling back as we both rode our high together.

"ISABELLA!" The sound of my name brought me back, as I noticed I was foolishly staring at the mirror with my naked body. I turned and heard knocking coming from the door. Guess Caro wanted to break down my door, or I just got lost in my head.

"Isabella, I'm heading to the grocery store. Do you need anything?" I thought for a second, and I guess I just needed a shower and sleep after all.

"I'm good, girl, just do what you need to do."

"Okay." With that, I heard her retreating steps fading from the door. Now I needed to stop thinking about a night I had with someone I will never see again. I needed that shower to clear my thoughts, damnit!

Two weeks later

I stood in front of my mirror, checking out my outfit and making sure no hairs were sticking out from my slicked-back sock bun.

I placed my wallet, phone, and keys in my pocket before walking out of the room. Stopping in the middle of the kitchen and living room, I noted the dining room was full of takeout boxes. I'd told Caroline countless times to clean up after herself, but she never listened. That girl was tempting me, but I didn't have time for that now; I had a doctor's appointment in the next hour.

The ringing of my phone stopped me from walking out the door of my apartment. I looked and saw the caller ID: Mr. Mason. Oh, that's my boss.

"Hello, Isabella, how are you doing?" I heard his gruff voice as I instantly picked up the call.

"I'm fine, boss. Is there a problem at the office? Because I requested this day off," I said, a hint of steel in my voice. I'd be damned if he made me come all the way there.

"No, that's not it. I just want to let you know that you will be reporting for the meeting with the Davison brothers in LA."

"Okay," I replied, forcing a tight-lipped smile he definitely couldn't see.

"Have a nice day."

As the call ended, I let out a deep sigh. I liked my boss; he was kind and a good family man, but a trip to LA was not what I was up for now.

I locked the door of my apartment, walking to the elevator to head downstairs to my packed car, my regular bitch face already set. I needed to get this whole thing done and fast so that I could just come back home and do nothing.

                ************

"So, Miss Romano, I'm going to need a urine sample." My doctor walked in with a cup.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, grabbing the cup from her hand and finishing the rest of my bottle of water.

"Oh, I just want you to do that before I say anything else, just in case it's a false alarm." She shook her head.

Nodding, I walked over to the bathroom, not wanting to question the woman, just doing as told.

But I couldn't help but ask myself what type of false alarm she could raise.

Finishing up, I washed my hands and flushed the toilet before walking out and passing the cup to her. She nodded and smiled at me as she walked away towards another room, while I just sat down.

Just give me my damn fucking shot, it doesn't take this long, I thought, a flicker of irritation rising in me.

After a good twenty minutes of waiting, the doctor came back in, writing on her clipboard.

"So, it looks like you won't be getting your birth control shot today, Isabella." She clicked her pen and smiled up at me.

"And why not?" I asked, tilting my head at her, my anger starting to simmer.

What the hell is happening? I just want my goddamn shot!

"Well, instead, you will be getting these. It seems that you missed your last shot, and these are your options to deal with your pregnancy." She passed me a pamphlet, all of them holding babies on the cover.

"Pregnant? I'm pregnant?" I looked up at her, hoping that she was reading someone else's file by accident and not mine.

"Yes, Miss Romano, congratulations. There are other options if you don't want to keep the baby-abortion or adoption-but I think it's important you take the time to think about it before you make a decision," she said, leaning against a table and looking at me.

"No, I'm going to keep the baby," I said, rubbing my face, feeling a wave of stress wash over me.

I didn't have the heart to abort a child. Even if it wasn't technically alive yet, it was still a growing human being. It was my human being, and I wasn't about to put him or her up for adoption. If you're going to do dirty, then you've got to take responsibility for the aftermath. That's something I always told myself, and I don't give a damn what everyone else does, but this is what I'm doing.

Damn me and my heart.

I collected my things and got the prenatal pills from the doctor, talking more before I left, heading out front to schedule my next appointment.

After all the baby talk with the doctor and making the appointment, I was feeling kind of excited now. I'd always wanted a kid, and even though it wasn't planned and I would be a single mom, it didn't matter to me how it happened.

Before heading home, I stopped at the pharmacy and grabbed a pregnancy test. I would need to show my mom this, but the problem was how I would tell her about all this. The worst would be my father and brothers; it would be a hell of a drama.

Walking out of the pharmacy, I had the same feeling of being watched. I didn't know why, but for the past few weeks, I'd been feeling eyes on me too much. I brushed it off and hurried to get some ice cream and go to a park to digest this whole information, because it was a lot.

After my whole wandering about, I arrived at my apartment at night. Walking in, I saw that the whole mess Caroline had left had been cleared. Damn right! Because she wouldn't want an angry pregnant woman on her ass.

I walked down to the kitchen, going to grab something to eat. I opened the fridge and saw the salad and spicy tuna that I'd left. Walking to my room, I opened the door and placed the food on my nightstand, pulling my bra off and throwing it in the laundry basket in the corner.

Before I could get comfortable in my bed, start eating my food, and watch some Friends, I heard a knock.

Groaning and standing up, I pushed myself to the door, thoroughly annoyed. I didn't know many people, and I sure as hell knew that wasn't Caro. Who the hell could be at my door at this time?

Opening the door, I froze. This was not what I expected.

"Hello, Bella," he spoke, his Russian accent thick and, in my personal opinion, totally hot.

"How do you know my name? How do you know where I live? And what are you doing here?" I asked calmly, hoping he wouldn't see my foot moving to go towards the back of the door so it couldn't open any further than it already was. Just my luck, he did.

This had happened before a few times, where one of my random one-night stands came back to my apartment, and sometimes a stalker. But I guess you could say it was something normalized for me. At least with the family I grew up with, creepy was not so weird.

"I know people, Krasotka,( beautiful)" he stated instead.

" I believe you have something to tell me lybuov (love)"

Pretending to think, I shook my head. Honestly, the whole pregnancy thing hadn't even fully sunk in, and he expected me to look for him and tell him, a person I had no idea who he was.

He had me pinned against the wall within seconds, the door closed and locked.

"I don't like liars, Krasotka (beautiful). I'll ask again: Do you have something to tell me?" His hand was on my neck, and his body was pressed up against mine.

He looked scary, but I felt like that was why I was attracted to him in the first place. He was super hot. If I weren't into guys who looked like him and owned an accent, then I would be terrified of him. But right now, I was more turned on than anything.

I opened my mouth to talk, but I just whispered when a shiver ran up my spine.

With a smirk and a shake of his head, he let go of my neck and caged me in, a hand on both sides of my head.

"So you're not going to tell me that you're pregnant, or that it's my child?" He shook his head in disappointment.

"I just found out I was pregnant a few hours ago, and do you have any idea that I'm not even sure if the baby is yours? It could be someone else's for all you know," I raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, how the hell do you even know about the baby?" I asked.

"I have men watching where you go and who you are with for a while now. Then I heard you went to get a pregnancy test after going to the doctor. I made my way to the hospital. The doctor gave your information more easily than I thought she would. I thought you would have gone home, but I hear you were roaming from one place to another, then my men couldn't find you again."

 His expression was hard, his face didn't show any emotion.

"I don't like not knowing where you are, lyubov," he stated, a growl in his voice.

I felt his English wasn't perfect, but it was better than most. I mean, he didn't make full sentences, but he made sense.

"Of course you had people spy on me," I scoffed.

"What is your name? The least you can do is tell me who you are, since you know all about me."

"Vladimir," he answered, but I didn't need his help to know that his last name was Volkov.

My father and brothers had made me look at pictures and memorize the names of those I should never get near, and I could remember that he was one of them.

Russian mob boss. The one time I get knocked up, it couldn't be with a normal guy, with a normal job and a normal family.

I sighed and shook my head, a mix of feelings churning inside me, unsure how I should react right now. But I knew I'd messed up so much.

I don't know what Vladimir expects from me, all this is still foreign to me and him coming here and demanding for answers on something that i just found out about is foolish and to top it up him being a mob boss is not what i expected, i'm fucked i can already imagine how bad all this will go.

I sigh and shake my head in a mix of feelings, and not sure how I should react right now.

 "What do you want?" I look back up at him.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, why are you here? Usually, men like you agree or disagree with paying for a child, yes? Or tell me to get an abortion, it's up to you." I roll my eyes.

"One, roll pretty little eyes at me, very disrespectful. I do not like it when people are disrespectful.

Two, I am here because I plan to be in both your and your baby's lives." He said all of this with the same stone facial expression, it wasn't in a heartless way, but more of a blank look.

His eyes narrowed at me as I raised an eyebrow at him, "Who says I want you in my life? You can be part of baby life, but what makes you think I want you in mine?"

"You may not agree right now, but you are mine, Lyubov. Like it or not, you are mine," he declares.

Something about that sentence got me wet and horny, hearing him be all possessive and demanding, but that was the toxic person in me; she was rising, and I needed her to go back down.

Scoffing, I turned on my heel and walked back to my room, deliberately ignoring him. A soft thud

of footsteps behind me confirmed he was following. I try showing that I didn't give a fuck about

him right now, even though I secretly wanted him to fuck me right here and then. But I need to not think with my head because this person here, the father of my child, is a threat to my family, and it will be a bigger problem if he finds out who my father is.

Looking at my food, I dropped it carelessly after Vladimir's unwanted visit, and I picked it up. If I need strength to get the fuck out of this situation, then I need to eat.

"Why are you still here?" I ask to take a bite of my salad.

"I will be staying here for the time being. Start packing your belongings tomorrow. You come home with me next week." I glanced at him, then deliberately averted my gaze back to the TVs.

"Tomorrow I have work, meaning I'm doing shit you are telling me. I also have a business trip to prepare myself for with my boss, and I will be damned if you think I'm some puppy you can just tell what you want and it does it, the fuck not!" Audacity must be cheap these days, I would like to know where he purchases his, because what the actual hell!

Vladimir watched her defiance with an unreadable expression. His silence was more unsettling than any shout could have been. He walked over to the TV, and with a swift, almost casual movement, he unplugged it. The screen went black, plunging the room into a stark quiet.

"You will not go to work tomorrow," Vladimir stated, his voice low but resonant. "Your business trip has been canceled. Your only business now is with me and our child. You will pack your belongings, and you will come home with me next week. This is not a request, Lyubov. It is a

declaration. You understand?"

He stepped closer, his imposing presence filling the space between them. "I am not asking for your permission. I am informing you of what will happen. You carry my child. You are now under my protection, whether you believe you need it or not. And my protection comes with certain...

expectations. Disobeying me will have consequences you do not wish to face, for yourself or for those you care about."

He paused, letting his words sink in. "As for where I purchase my 'audacity,' it comes from a place where consequences are fast and absolute. You may think you are free to make your own choices, but that illusion ends now. You and the baby are in a dangerous position. The world I

live in is not for the faint of heart, and now, you are part of it. Your safety and the safety of our child depend on your cooperation."

He continued, his gaze unwavering. "I will be staying here until we return to Russia. Consider it a necessary measure to make sure you understand and you comply. I have business to attend to tomorrow, but I will return. You will be ready to begin packing."

With that, he turned and walked towards the door. The quiet click of the lock as he opened it seemed to echo in the room. He paused in the doorway, his silhouette framed against the hallway light. "I expect you to be ready. Do not test my patience."

He left, and the sound of the door closing behind him was a final, heavy punctuation mark. The sudden silence in the apartment was deafening, amplified by the black screen of the unplugged television. My salad sat forgotten, a single bite still on the fork. I stared at the empty doorway,

the weight of his words pressing down on me. A mob boss. My baby's father was a mob boss.

 And he was demanding that I uproot my entire life to go to Russia with him.

Tears pricked at her eyes, hot and insistent. I fought them, trying to swallow the sudden lump in my throat. This couldn't be happening. My life, my carefully constructed independence, was

crumbling around me. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to push back the fear, the anger, the overwhelming sense of being trapped. I couldn't cry. I wouldn't. I had to be strong.

Just as I was battling the rising tide of emotion, the front door burst open. Caroline rushed in, her face pale, her eyes wide with alarm. "Oh my God! What's wrong? I just saw a really scary man leaving our Apartment! Are you okay? What happened?"

The dam broke. The carefully contained tears spilled over, tracing hot paths down her cheeks. I choked back a sob, unable to form words, and collapsed onto the couch, the full force of the terror and despair finally overwhelming me.

The world spun around as a wave of nausea hit. I scrambled to my feet, hand clapped over my mouth, and bolted for the bathroom. I barely made it to the toilet before I was violently ill, the retching mingling with the ragged sobs that tore from my throat.

Caroline was right behind her, a steady hand immediately gathering my hair away from her face. She rubbed soothing circles on my back, murmuring comforting words until the dry heaves subsided and only the shaky tremors remained.

When I finally pushed myself back, wiping my mouth with a tissue Caroline handed me, Caroline looked at her with a mix of concern and bewilderment. "Isa, what the hell is going on? You're never like this. You're always the strong one. What is it?"

My voice was a raw whisper. "I'm... I'm pregnant, Caro."

Caroline froze. Her usually animated face went blank, her eyes wide and unseeing for several long seconds. The silence in the small bathroom was heavy, broken only by my shaky breaths.

"Caro? Please, say something," I pleaded, my voice cracking.

Caroline blinked, shaking her head as if to clear it. "I'm just... shocked. That's all. Shocked." She paused, then her eyes sharpened. "Wait. Do you remember that family I told you my family hates? The ones I got pregnant for the head of the family."

"You got pregnant for the head of that family?!" Caroline exclaimed, her voice rising in disbelief.

"Isa, this is... this is a lot to digest. I need a drink."

Caroline walked briskly to the kitchen, her movements a little stiff with shock, and Isabella followed her, tears welling up again. As Caroline reached for a bottle, I started to cry properly, big, silent tears rolling down my face. Caroline turned, her expression softening, and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"He was the man you saw leaving," I mumbled into Caroline's shoulder. "He wants me to move to Russia, so that my life and our baby's life are in danger the longer we are away from him and his safety. There's nothing I can do."

Caroline held her for a moment longer, then pulled back, her hands on my shoulders. Her gaze was firm, a spark of her usual fire returning. "Wipe your fucking eyes, Isabella! My Isabella is not some crybaby. And that man... seriously, how did you fall for a face like that? He looks like he could strangle everyone in a five-mile radius!" Caroline tried, awkwardly, to lighten the mood.

A watery laugh escaped my lips, a small, fragile sound.

"Listen," Caroline continued, her voice now serious. "If what he told you is true, if he is who you say he is, then you go along with him for now. But first, you tell him exactly who you are. Let him know your true identity. See if he still cares about you and the baby then. And for God's sake, give him hell for being such a pushy man!"

I smiled, a genuine, albeit faint, smile. She hugged Caroline tightly. "Thank you, Caro."

Caroline hugged her back, then pulled away, a playful smirk on her face. "And by the way, with all this drama... was the sex that good, jeez? Why didn't you guys use protection? Not that I'm blaming you, but seriously!" A crazy laughter bubbled out from me, I love this girl, who always knows how to lighten my mood

I pulled her in for a hug, soaking in the warmth from her. I wonder how tomorrow with Vladimir will go.

.