He leaned over me and pinched the leather collar of my jacket between his pudgy fingers. “I think you’ll have to come to my office today so we can discuss this privately.”
I swallowed as bile rose in my throat. His class was a requirement for me to graduate. I had heard stories of his infamous chats with female students. He usually cornered them for some minor offense and then threatened to flunk them if they didn’t submit to his pawing.
Before I could respond, someone violently yanked the professor backwards.
Vaska towered over him. His feet planted wide, he had the professor by the collar. Vaska’s eyes narrowed as he breathed heavily through his nose. It was like watching a raging bull, and Professor Hadley was the red flag.
“Who the hell are you? Unhand me!” cried an outraged Hadley as he swung his arms about, trying to dislodge Vaska’s grip and looking like a hapless puppet hanging by the strings controlled by its master.
“I’m the man who’s going to rip out your heart and show it to you before I force it down your miserable throat,” growled Vaska.
Oh, my God.
Vaska reached into the man’s blazer and snatched his wallet. He tossed it to me. “Krasotka, pull out this miserable piece of shit’s ID.”
My stunned gaze flashed between my professor and Vaska. Not knowing what else to do, I obeyed and handed it to Vaska. He looked at it then turned his attention back to Professor Hadley. “Here is what is going to happen. For the rest of the semester, Mary will attend your class only if she feels like it. You will not dare speak to or look at her when she does. And she will get a top grade. Or I will destroy everything and everyone you love.” Vaska patted him on the cheek in that menacing way mafia guys do in the movies. “Do we understand one another?”
Spittle formed at the corners of Professor Hadley’s mouth as he choked on his reply. “Yes… yes… sir. Yes, sir.”
Vaska patted his cheek again. “Good. Now run along. Mary will be in when she is ready.”
Professor Hadley’s beady eyes shifted to me, then back to Vaska. “Of course. Of course. Whenever you’re ready, Mary… I mean Miss Fraser… or not. Whatever you like,” he stammered before scrambling through the building’s door.
Stunned, I asked, “Why did you do that?”
Vaska put a hand against the brick wall, high over my head, caging me in. “No man touches what’s mine.”
“Yours? You act like we’re dating or something.”
His brow furrowed. He picked up one of my braids and tugged on it slightly. “And just what do you think this is, krasotka?”
Exasperated, I threw my arms up into the air and blurted out, “I don’t know! The one-night stand that won’t end?”
Vaska tilted his head back as he laughed. I could see the swirls of tattoo ink peeking through the collar of his shirt as they circled the strong column of his neck. He then stroked my cheek. I could feel the cold metal of his signet ring as it grazed my jaw. His dark blue gaze captured mine. “Trust me, this is no one-night stand, beautiful girl. I have captured myself a pretty butterfly, and I have no intention of letting you go.”
He then kissed me on the forehead as if he hadn’t just said something earth-shattering and held the door open as I walked into my classroom building in a daze.
What the hell just happened?
Was I somehow now the girlfriend of a Russian mafia badass?
Chapter 15
Mary
Vaska was waiting for me when I got out of class. Leaning against his fancy sports car with his arms crossed, looking like a villain version of Jake from Sixteen Candles.
For half a second, I thought about trying to blend into the crowd of students and escaping over the quad. Images of him driving over the curb and chasing me down over the lawn popped into my head and instantly squashed that idea. Walking up to him, I tilted my head to the side and surveyed him from head to toe. His black hair was still a little wet, so he must have gone home and showered and then returned for me. “I have another class.”
He grinned. “That’s fine. Is it within walking distance or should I drive you?”
I let out an exaggerated sigh as I narrowed my gaze. “Don’t you have a job you need to get to?”
He smirked. “One of the many perks of being an arms dealer is you get to make your own hours.” He then stepped away from the car and opened the passenger door. Making a sweeping gesture with his arm, he said, “Your chariot awaits.”
Arms dealer.
He said it so casually, as if he had just said accountant or business owner.
I tapped my foot. “Do I have a choice?”
He shook his head. “Not really.” Then he leaned in to whisper against my lips, “But you would make my day if you tried to resist.” He then kissed the corner of my mouth and leaned back, staring at me with one eyebrow raised.
My thighs clenched as a delicious ripple of pleasure coursed over my body from his sensual threat.
Damn him.
In an effort to wipe the arrogant look off his face, I asked, “What are the tattooed words over your cock?”
He blinked at my abrupt change of subject. His jaw twisted to the right as he looked away briefly. I knew it. Very few men got tattooed there and didn’t live to regret it. And it wasn’t like he trimmed to make it more visible, which meant it must be something embarrassing.
He inhaled, then slowly exhaled. “It is something I got a long time ago.”
I shrugged. “I remember the Cyrillic letters. I can always look it up myself.”
“If I tell you, will you get in the car like a good girl?”
I nodded. I figured this would be good, but his answer exceeded my wildest dreams.
He sighed. “It says Mr. Big.”
I covered my mouth to stifle a bark of laughter. “What?”
He rubbed his eyes. “I was drunk. Sex and the City was new to Russia… and there was this girl.”
I bent over laughing. “Oh, my God, I can’t breathe!”
He twisted his fist into my hair and raised me upright. Pulling my head back, he playfully growled, “That is precisely what you’ll be pleading the next time I drive my hard cock deep into your throat.” He then claimed my mouth for a scorching kiss. Several passing students whistled and catcalled, but he refused to relent till he had made his point.
Shaken and out of breath, I got into the car. Visions from earlier of Mr. Big being forced down my throat as I was on my knees in the shower distracted me for the rest of the day.
It was the longest, most nerve-racking day of my entire life. Vaska escorted me to each and every class. If the professor was a female, he would disappear for an hour. If the professor was a male, he would sit in the back of the classroom and stare daggers at him. It got so bad that none of my friends would even approach me, although I got plenty of text messages. If I received one more text from a girlfriend asking if my hot AF bodyguard was up for grabs, I’d scream.
Vaska was there holding the door open for me when I finished with my last class. He checked his watch. “Perfect timing.”
“For what?” I asked.
He guided me to his car with a possessive hand at my lower back. After I was seated inside, I waited till he took his place behind the wheel. “For what?” I asked again.