Alexandr's Cherished Submissive (5 page)

This was Jessica’s third week on the job, and she’d finally gotten a handle on how to work as quickly as possible to keep up with high demand and keep her head above water. Unfortunately, she kept screwing up tonight because of a certain irritating man who’d thrown a wrench in her ability to focus on the task at hand. He distracted her to the point that she forgot where she was, and instead of making drinks, she thought about how she longed to touch his lips surrounded by his goatee and see if the rough hair made the skin feel softer by contrast. With his deep gray eyes and classic good looks, he’d robbed her of her sanity with a glance. Usually, she could ignore guys hitting on her or trying to pick her up, but this man’s intense gaze affected her like a physical touch. And his accented voice… Her nipples tightened at the memory of the way he said her name. It wasn’t the traditional Jessica. No, he turned her name into something exotic that sounded like Jez-E-kah. Now her pussy tingled as well, and she cursed her body, which obviously didn’t know lusting after Alex was a bad idea.

Yep, despite the fact that he was older and in an entirely different league, they had serious chemistry between them.

Unfortunately, he was the kind of guy Jessica would never date.

When she’d asked about the sexy-as-sin man with the thick black hair and piercing gray eyes, the women she worked with had gone right the fuck off about how big a player he was— all of them, not just the bitchy ones. Evidently, he viewed the servers at the pub as his personal harem, and he had the charm of the devil. Rumor had it that no woman had more than two dates with him before they were ready to fuck his kinky brains out and have his babies.

She’d thought it was all exaggerated bullshit. Then she saw him, and every hair on her body stood up as if a mild electrical shock radiated through her nervous system. Add to that his penetrating, hooded gaze when he stared at her, and she’d been unable to stop her body from responding. This was a man who oozed sex appeal, and he’d been directing all that lust straight at her, making her panties damp without even touching her. She regretted wearing the camisole instead of a bra beneath her shirt. As small as her breasts were, that wasn’t usually an issue, but tonight, her nipples had been rock-hard and had drawn leering stares from more than one drunk.

Until she reminded them that Peter was her uncle, and suddenly, they became as polite as could be.

Her body still buzzed hours later as she recalled the change in Alex after she accidentally spilled beer on him. She wanted to say she was angry because she was morally outraged by Alex’s heart-breaker behavior. The truth was she felt a pull to him so strong she felt like she should be able to see glowing strands connecting them together. His hands were big and rough, and she wondered what they would feel like sliding over her body.

The sight of his long, almost artistic fingers brought to mind breathy moans in the dark as he slowly sank them into her aching pussy.

“’Night, Jessica,” one of the bartenders she worked with said with a smile and a wave.

Startled from her erotic daydreams, she sat up on her barstool and hoped she wasn’t blushing. “’Night, Beth.”

Since her apartment was in the building around the corner, Jessica liked to linger for a little while after closing and just absorb the silence. She’d never been in a city as old as Dublin, and sometimes it felt like the age of the city pressed down on her. From what Aunt Mary had said, this building used to be part of a nobleman’s estate, but it had been sold to her great-great-great grandfather to pay off his gambling debts. Rumor had it that the pub had also been an upscale brothel back in the day, with the bar masquerading as a gentleman’s club for cover, hiding the real reason the men of Dublin entered this building.

A man shifted across the room, one of the stone faced bouncers, and drew her wandering attention before she inwardly sighed. Uncle Peter had insanely good security because he was a politician, and he always had at least one of his men near Jessica. Not enough to be invasive, but everywhere she went, she knew someone was watching over her. Even if she was just grocery shopping with Aunt Mary, a man or two would discreetly follow them. She had to admit it was kind of nice to have that protection as she explored a city ten times the size of the small town where she’d grown up. Then again, their constant, watchful presence also hampered her ability to freely explore places on a whim. And it certainly screwed up any plans she had to buy a new vibrator at the elegant lingerie and adult toy store she always passed on the way to her favorite bakery.

Right now, her oversized babysitter for the evening lurked in the far corner, the same area where Alex had sat earlier, and was talking with one of the bartenders. Both of them were flirting with each other heavily enough that Jessica was sure someone was going to get laid tonight. Too bad it wouldn’t be her. She’d been going through a dating dry spell since moving here to spend some time in Ireland getting to know her roots. While there were plenty of cute guys around, and she had flirted with a few, nothing ever happened beyond the initial encounter.

She was also looking into going to a college in Dublin instead of returning to the University of Iowa. There was just something about Ireland and the people that called to her, and she wasn’t ready to leave yet. Hopefully, she’d find a nice Irish guy who would treat her the way her father treated her mother, with kindness, respect, and endless love. Her biological father, on the other hand, was a dick who’d left his pregnant woman stranded in a foreign country while he ran off with a neighbor. If her biological dad was the perfect example of being a world-class asshole, her adoptive father was the polar opposite. He was like a living, breathing John Wayne, country-tough and about as masculine as a man could get with a no-drama, no-bullshit attitude. He’d taken care of Jessica and her mother, spoiling and protecting them in his own quiet way, giving his love freely with both deeds and words. She was totally her Daddy’s little girl, and his death had rocked her to the core, making her realize how much she’d depended on him and her mom for everything. Then, when her mother died later, she’d thought for sure she’d slipped into such a deep depression that she’d never get out.

It was during the darkest time that a bit of light came into her life in the form of a phone call from a man who’d identified himself as Peter Cleary, her uncle. After the revelation that she did indeed have living blood relatives, she’d cried until she passed out, relieved that she would get a chance to know who she was and what kind of history she had flowing in her veins, who she looked like. That she wasn’t alone. She later learned that her birth mother, Katie fled to The United States with a boy her family did not approve of. Jessica’s biological father had also died, and she wondered how she had the bad luck to end up with two sets of dead parents. Her biological father had been an only child, and there were no other living relatives left on her father’s side.

Her uncle’s voice came from the stairway, and someone laughed in a deep rumbling tone. She watched the stairs, interested to see if the man’s face matched his sexy chuckle. Maybe she just needed some good, old-fashioned down-and-dirty sex to get her out of her rut. It would be nice to have a man at her side as she wandered around and explored the city. Someone who was smart and could entertain her with tales of the different historic buildings. A man with big hands and an even bigger cock was just what the doctor ordered.

Sheesh, she needed to get laid.

At the sight of Alex smiling at her uncle, she inwardly groaned and wanted to bang her head on the bar. When he was out of sight, it was easy to dismiss just how mesmerizing he was, how tempting. Why hadn’t she gone home when she had the chance? The more she thought about Alex, the more she wanted him, and that could not happen. She loathed womanizers. Her first serious boyfriend had cheated on her, and the fact that her birth father had abandoned her mother for another woman only deepened her disgust with men who treated women like objects to use and discard at whim.

Casual sex was all good and fun as long as both parties knew not to involve their hearts. Heck, she’d had her fair share of casual hookups in school and on spring break. She’d heard Alex had no heart, and he loved to make women fall in love with him then leave them high and dry, breaking up with them for no reason other than he was done playing his games.

What a sick asshole.

A shiver of revulsion chased back the desire that had flared at the sight of Alex, and she turned back to the bar, wondering if she should just chug her beer and make a run for it before he noticed her.

“Jessica,” her uncle called out in a loud voice, “I’d like you to meet an old friend of mine, Alexandr Gorev.”

She tried to assume a polite, bored expression then turned around. At the sight of Alex’s smirking lips—lips she wanted to suck and nibble on—her determination not to like him flared to life. No, she would not be turned on by the mere sight of Alex. Unacceptable. Her hormones would just have to go back to sleep until she found a suitable man. She’d finally come to a place in her life where she’d found a peaceful port in the storm after her parents’ deaths. She wasn’t going to sacrifice it for anyone, especially a man who was sure to break her heart. Better that she let Alex know right now that she’d never spread her legs for him and he should move on to easier prey.

Inclining her head to Alex, she said in a smooth voice, “Well, you got the old part right. We’ve already met.”

Oh, how she loved the annoyance that filled Alex’s handsome face. She had no idea why he was so uptight about his age. He was, unfairly, one of those men who would only get better looking with time. Before she could help it, a giggle escaped at the sight of Alex’s offended expression. Then Peter began to laugh.

“Ouch. Alex, you’re slipping.”

Alex muttered something to Peter in a language she didn’t recognize then returned his attention to her. “I will have plenty of time to change her mind in the next six months, yes?”

She turned to her uncle, praying she didn’t just hear that. “What?”

Giving Alex a warning look, Peter nodded. “Alex and his men are your new bodyguards.”

“Pardon me?”

Alex had an irritating smirk twitching his lips that made her want to smack him. “We will be seeing much of each other, Jessica.”

The way he said her name with a slight purr made her pussy clench, and she hated herself for reacting so easily to him.

“Uh-uh. No way. You are both out of your damn minds if you think he’s going anywhere near my body. I don’t need to see a constant stream of women parading into his apartment. Gah, I hope the walls are thick.” Alex arched a brow, having the gall to look offended, and she glared at him. “You’re a manwhore, plain and simple.”

Peter tsked. “Jessica, mind yer manners. You know nothin’ about Alex, only rumors, and you’re bein’ impolite to my guest.”

She flushed and dropped her eyes to the ground before muttering, “Yes, sir.”

There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that Uncle Peter loved her, but he was a stickler for manners. He’d tried to explain to her that Dublin wasn’t like the States, that women conducted themselves differently, that the men had pride, sometimes in excessive amounts. He’d gone on and on about a man’s reputation being important, and if she was blatantly disrespectful, it could get her in a world of trouble, but she hadn’t really understood what he was talking about. Their conversation had been odd, and he kept hesitating, like he wanted to say something but couldn’t. Finally, to ease the worried look on his face, she’d agreed to watch her normally sarcastic mouth and not make any problems for him.

Alex’s gray eyes sparkled with suppressed mirth as he arched a brow in Jessica’s direction. “Do not worry. You will hardly know we are here.”

Before she could respond, Peter returned and shook Alex’s hand. “I’ll see you next week. Give my regards to your father, and tell Dimitri that it’s been too long since he’s come to visit us.”

“I will.” Alex gave Jessica that almost-smile of his that was beginning to drive her crazy and walked out the bar without a backward glance.

After Alex left, her uncle sat next to her and stole a sip of her beer, ignoring her glare. “Don’t be angry, lass. Alex is a trustworthy man, and more importantly, he is very good at his job. I know he can be a bit of a prick, but I just want you to be safe. I thought long and hard about who to assign to you, and he’s the best man for the job. Let me have this, Jessica. I need to know yer being taken care of when I’m not around.”

She was all set to argue with Peter, but his obvious need to protect her pricked the balloon of her anger. Shit, she was acting like a brat and not considering his feelings, only hers. Jessica’s father had been overprotective like Uncle Peter, and she had to admit that, in an odd way, her uncle’s overbearing manner made her feel loved. It reminded her of home, and she found herself giving Peter a quick, one-armed hug before returning to her stool. “It’s okay. I understand. I don’t like it, but I understand.”

Her uncle didn’t say anything for a moment then smiled at her, the familiar light of his love returning to his eyes. “How was work tonight?”

“Good. How was yours?”

“Busy, lass,” he said with a deep sigh. “Always busy.”

She smiled at him and he winked. She liked the fact that her uncle seemed to go out of his way to spend time with her. He was always dealing with his business and political crud, but he made sure he had downtime with her whenever he could. With a thud, the entrance door shut and snicked as the lock was turned. Then they were alone.

Leaning against the bar, she studied his tired expression while he absently examined the racks holding the various glasses behind the bar. “You work too hard.”

“Better to be busy than bored.”

“Good point.” She cracked her neck, the strain of the long night pressing down on her and making her eager for her bed. “Having a not-working bathroom for a half-hour sucked. Glad they were able to repair it quickly. I was afraid I was going to have guys asking me for a pitcher to piss in.”