Possession Ch. 01

Beth felt sick. "Is there any other way?"

"That depends. How much do you love your stepfather? What are you willing to do?"

A shiver of apprehension ran down Beth's spine. His eyes drilled into her. She swallowed. She was doing this for her mother, she reassured herself. "Anything. I'll do anything."

"Anything? Do you mean that?"

"Within reason," she hastened. "I mean, I wouldn't kill anyone but --"

"I'm not going to tell you to kill someone," Dmitri interrupted with a roll of his eyes. "There is no need to be melodramatic."

"You're not?"

"Whatever arrangement we make will only have a direct effect on you and me."

Beth's shoulders sagged with relief. She had no desire to get a criminal record or see anyone else tangled up in the mess her stepfather had created. How he had managed to owe anyone seventy thousand pounds was ridiculous.

"So what will this arrangement be?" she asked curiously.

"I will pay you the money. You will earn it from me."

All sorts of dreadful things had been rushing through Beth's mind. But all he wanted was for her to work for him -- she could handle that. She had enough experience as a waitress or behind the bar, she was certain he'd be able to find a suitable vacancy for her.

"Thank you, Mr Voronov," she said gratefully.

"What for?"

"For giving me a job."

"I didn't say it would be a job. I said you would earn the money from me." His face was like a marble sculpture -- cold, beautiful and hard.

"But how --"

"Your father owes me seventy thousand. With the interest he has accrued, the sum is closer to eighty. The deadline for full payment is in two months' time. Tell me, Miss Noble, how do you think a woman would be able to earn ten thousand pounds a week?"

He stared at her openly, his dark eyes assessing her freely, daring her to answer.

"I don't know what you're suggesting," she replied, folding her arms across her body protectively.

"No?" his mouth quirked in some cruel form of amusement. "I think you know exactly what I am suggesting."

"I don't know who you take me for, but there are certain things I will not do."

"I thought you said you would do anything."

"What sort of woman do you think I am?" Beth demanded, trembling again, this time not from fear or nervousness but from outrage.

"I think you are a desperate woman. An attractive woman, yes, but desperate nonetheless."

"Not that desperate," she said with venom, ignoring the almost imperceptible tingle she had when he called her attractive. "Thank you for your considerate offer. But I will have to decline."

Dmitri bowed his head. "As you wish. But this is my only offer."

"You can keep your offer -- I want nothing to do with it!"

"In that case, perhaps it is time that you leave," Dmitri caught Vladmir's eye through the transparent walls of his office.

Realising that she had been dismissed, and not at all sorry to have been so, Beth stood and turned to leave.

"Miss Noble," Dmitri halted her exit.

"What?" she whirled around to confront him, bristling.

"Your father was a wealthy man, was he not?"

Beth frowned. "How do you know?"

Dmitri shrugged. "I always research the people I lend money to. Your father had a good job, he took care of you, did he not? Financially?"

"That is none of your business."

"You are right. It is not my concern. But it must have been good, da?"

"What do you mean?" The words tumbled from her mouth before she could swallow them.

"Before he left your mother. When you did not have to worry about money."

"You bastard," Beth swore at him.

If looks could kill, Dmitri would have died on the spot. Beth stormed out, wishing the glass door would slam behind her. Unfortunately it had been fitted with some sort of mechanism that made it impossible to close quickly enough to shatter.

Conscious of the burly bodyguard escorting her off the premises, Beth waited until she was outside before she released a sob. She had completely failed in her mission. She had promised her stepfather that she would persuade Mr Voronov to give them more time, and the one option he had presented her with, she had flung back in his face.

But what was she supposed to do? She could not comprehend what he has asked of her. As if she would debase herself so thoroughly? As if she had no integrity whatsoever!

Unknown to Beth, Dmitri was in a similar state of disbelief. He had never had any trouble convincing a woman into his bed. It was more difficult getting rid of them afterwards. But he had just attempted to blackmail a woman into sleeping with him.

What had possessed him? Yes, she had been pretty. Not in the same pampered, groomed sort of way like the majority of his conquests. His attraction to her had been entirely different. And that was the reason why Dmitri could barely understand it.

For the rest of the day and into the evening, he tried to concentrate on work, but with little success. There were drinks to be ordered, files to be checked. A business associate of his was flying in from China in a few weeks. Dmitri had to be sure that he only revealed what he wanted his acquaintance to know.

When the club opened, he abandoned his office and toured the VIP rooms, shaking hands with some of his regular guests. One of the bar staff had called in sick. Dmitri had to ensure the replacement was suitable. He instructed Ivan, his right-hand man to do the necessary checks. His mind was too distracted by the memory of a pretty girl with big brown eyes.

Only after he tuned out in the middle of an important conversation did he realise he had a problem. And for that problem, he needed a solution.

"Vladmir," he motioned to his bodyguard. "Find Ivan. Tell him I have a job that needs to be done tonight."