Close Up: Exposure Book Three (18 page)

He drummed his hands on the desk, seemingly contemplating what I had just told him. The minutes ticked by, although it seemed like hours. I didn’t say anything more, for I knew that if I did, I might jinx it. He obviously was swayed by my arguments, although he didn’t say as much. But the fact that he was swayed was written on his face.

Finally, he spoke. “I will meet this CJ, on one condition. That condition is that you continue to support Sophie’s child. That you continue to assume paternity for that child. If I meet this CJ, and I approve of her, than I will handle Sophie.” Then he sighed and looked towards the heavens. “What am I doing?” he said in Russian. Then he looked at Natalia and me. “Go. Go and find this CJ and bring her here. Bring her here, and I will see if I like her well enough to approve.” Then he shook his head. “Then again, you leave me no choice, Alexei. If this woman is to be a mother to your child, then I suppose I must approve of her if I want a true grandchild.”

“Thank you father,” I said to him as I stood up. I shook his hand, and Natalia gave him a hug, and we both left.

O
nce Natalia
and I got to my car, she laid into me. “You just told our father a lie. What do you suppose you’re going to do about that? It is obvious that he only agreed to meet CJ if CJ is to be a mother to your child. Otherwise, he still would be pressuring you about Sophie.”

“I know this.” Then I also knew that I was going to have to re-double my efforts to impregnate CJ. “We’ll make this work out somehow. Even if we have to do in-vitro, we’ll make this work out.”

“In-vitro is not fool-proof. How long have you and she been trying to get pregnant?”

“Only for a matter of months. So, there’s still time. I just had to tell him right then that CJ is pregnant, because, otherwise, he was going to try to force me to marry Sophie right now.”

Natalia shook her head. “This will come back to chew you on the leg, Alexei. I hope that you know that.”

“The term is ‘bite me on the ass,’ and I know what you’re saying.” I was going to have to think of something soon. It wouldn’t be enough for CJ to get pregnant in a few months. My father would be wise to that. And, once he found out that he prematurely let go of Natalia, he wasn’t going to be in the best of moods. I imagined the blow-back that would happen when he found out that I lied, and it wasn’t going to be pretty.

CJ was going to have to get pregnant soon. Otherwise, there was going to be hell to pay.

A
sher came back
to the hotel room, and he looked…defeated, yet happy. I surmised that he had a mixed bag to tell me.

I soon found out how right that was.

“How did it go?”

“It went well. His health scare has caused him to re-evaluate his life. So, he’s willing to let Natalia come with me to America. And he’s willing to meet you.”

My heart soared. “He’s willing to meet me? That’s a good thing, right?”

Asher didn’t meet my eyes, and I knew that there was something else that he wasn’t telling me. “Actually, yes, he’s willing to meet you. He told me that he wanted a grandchild before he dies. Of course, he’s not dying, nor anywhere close to dying, but he doesn’t know this. So….”

It all made sense. “You told him that I was already pregnant with your child, didn’t you?”

“Yes. You have to understand, at the start of the meeting, he was adamant that I was going to marry Sophie. I only got him off of that idea when I told him that, since you’re carrying my child, your life and the life of his grandchild would be in danger if he didn’t approve of my marriage to you. If he didn’t believe that you were already pregnant, he wouldn’t have approved of meeting you and he would have continued to insist that I marry Sophie.”

“Oh boy. Now what? I can’t just snap my fingers and become pregnant. And your father isn’t stupid. If there’s not a baby in about 8 months, he’s going to know that you lied. I wouldn’t imagine he would be happy about that at all. This puts an awful lot of pressure on us.”

“I understand. We’re going to have to resort to fertility treatments.”

“I agree. But I’m not pregnant right now. If I don’t get pregnant within the next month, then there’s going to be a huge problem. In fact, even if I could pregnant right now, today, there’s going to be a mathematical problem.”

“Not necessarily. I just told my father that we got the test results for your pregnancy today. I can plausibly tell him that you took a test that detects a pregnancy after seven days post-conception. If we get pregnant within the next few weeks, then I believe that we should be in the clear. We’ll just tell my father that you had the child past your due date. Happens all the time.”

“And what if the fertility treatment doesn’t work? What if I cannot get pregnant? What then? Your father will know that you lied.”

Asher shook his head. “We’ll tell him that we lost the baby.”

“Why don’t we do that anyhow? We get married, we get his protection, and then we say that we lost the baby. That sounds like a safer idea than what we’re about to try.”

“That’s too much of a risk. He might ask for some kind of proof that you were ever pregnant, because he’ll be suspicious. I’m not saying that he will ask for that, but there’s a good chance that he will. So, we really need to go with Plan A, which would be to get you to take fertility drugs and hope for the best.”

“Okay. Well, let’s just say for the sake of argument that the fertility drugs work, and I’m able to get pregnant. I lose the baby. What then? Your father is going to investigate and he’ll find out that we were doing fertility treatments
after
you lied to him. He’s going to be pissed.”

Asher took a deep breath. “I know. Listen, I never said that this particular ruse is without risk. I’ve only said that it’s our only chance.”

I suddenly felt like puking. It was getting complicated again, and I didn’t like that one bit.

I finally just sighed. There wasn’t anything more that I could do at that point. “Okay, let’s go see Sergei. I’ll kiss the ring, and hopefully he’ll agree to the two of us getting married. And then we have to keep trying to get pregnant. If I can’t, then…” I shook my head. “I don’t want to even contemplate it. Sophie isn’t even going to have to kill me. Your father will probably want to do that himself. And you too.”

“Okay. Let’s meet with him tomorrow.” Then he raised his eyebrows. “But, right now, we have to try to get you pregnant.”

I nodded my head, feeling the familiar tingling in my nether regions when he said that. “We’re going to have to try really hard,” I said with a smile. “Really, really hard.”

At that, he kissed me passionately on the lips. I sighed as he removed my blouse and jeans. He laid me down on the couch, and unsnapped my bra. “I know that this is a very stressful time for both of us, but, mother of god, I want you.” I felt his cock, which was hardening underneath his pants, and I knew just how much he wanted me.

He kissed and lightly bit each of my breasts while his hands roamed my stomach. He unbuckled his pants, and freed his enormous manhood. I kissed his rock-hard chest and abs down to his beautiful cock, and put it in my mouth. He groaned as I sucked and nibbled, harder and harder. He wrapped his legs around my neck while I sucked and licked his manhood and his jewels, which were firm in my mouth. I then kissed his chest and abs again as I made my way to his mouth. Our mouths enveloped each other while his cock slowly made its way inside of me. I felt the usual sensation of fullness and completeness as he slowly thrust in and out.

I sighed as I felt him rhythmically thrusting. “You want this, I know you want this,” he was saying. Then he whispered into my ear. “You’re going to be my wife soon, and the mother of my child. I find that incredibly sexy.”

“I do too,” I whispered. “I love you and I love that we’re hopefully going to be a family soon.” I prayed that the whole nightmare of Sophie and her threats were finally coming to an end.

I felt Asher coming inside of me, and I put my legs together, my feet up in the air. I had to get serious about this. There was no time for anything else. A pregnancy had to happen, and it had to happen quickly.

So, we made love for the rest of the night. And, every time I felt Asher come inside of me, I said a little prayer that this would be it. That I would end up pregnant, and all would be well.

It had to happen. I just had to.

T
he next day
, Asher and I went to see his father at his home. When we arrived at his gated mansion, I was astounded at how huge it was. It was one of those mansions that seemed to be as large as the White House and probably had just as much security. For good reason, of course. I would imagine that this man probably was constantly under threat. It was Tudor style and set behind a gate on acres of land.

My heart was pounding more than it ever was before. As Asher rang the doorbell, I looked at my hand and saw that it was shaking wildly, like a leaf in a strong wind. I tried to calm my mind, but all I could think was how important this meeting was. Asher had assured me that, as long as I could keep the ruse up that I was pregnant, things would go well, and his father would approve of me.

But that wasn’t what I was worried about. I was worried about how I would react in the presence of such a man. Would I want to reach over and strangle him with my bare hands? Call him out on his despicable business? Puke on his shoes? Slap his face? None of the above? I shook my head, trying not to fantasize about cursing him out when I saw him.

Then a tall man who looked like an older version of Asher answered the door. He smiled broadly when he saw me. He was dressed casually in brown slacks and a white button-down and he was tanned and trim and had the same blue eyes and dark hair as Asher. He was extremely handsome. I shook my head. I always imagined that the face of evil would look like this man, for some reason. I never believed that an evil person was going to have an ugly exterior, but, rather, would be outwardly beautiful like this Sergei Pushkin person.

He spoke with a thick accent. “Come in, come in,” he said as he opened the door. He gestured towards the rest of the enormous home. “Make yourself at home.” Then he chuckled lightly and put his arm around me. “You must be CJ.”

I nodded my head. “Very glad to meet you,” I said politely. I looked over at Asher and he nodded and smiled. I hoped that was a good sign.

We followed him into the den, which I understood was the place where Sergei conducted his business. “What can I get you to drink?” he asked.

“Um, I’ll have a water.” I really, really, really wanted a drink, but I had to remember that I was supposed to be pregnant, so I had to stick with water.

He smiled and poured me a water and Asher a glass of scotch. He sat down in a large easy chair with a high back and Asher and I sat on a love seat close by. “So,” Sergei said. “I wanted to meet with you. I understand that you’re carrying my grandchild, no?”

I took a huge breath and hoped that Sergei couldn’t tell that I was lying. That was a problem, really, because I would have imagined that he was trained to spot a lie. He didn’t pick up the fact that Asher was lying, though, so maybe I had a chance.

“Yes, we just found out yesterday. We couldn’t be happier about it, too.”

His face didn’t show that he disbelieved me, so I relaxed just a little bit.

“I am glad that you are drinking water,” he said. “Stay away from alcohol and the raw fish.” Then he smiled. “I have been doing my research. Of course, I do believe that Alexei’s mother drank vodka when she was pregnant with him and Natalia, but we did not know the same things that we know now.”

I smiled and nodded. “Thank you for your concern.” I felt stiff and unnatural talking to him, and I really wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. I was surprised that I could even be in the same room with such a man, and it further bothered me that he was so charming.

Evil takes all forms.

“Alexei tells me that he intends to marry you. I am concerned that you are not Russian, but he made a good point. He said that you understand that your child may only be protected by my benevolence. So, I may assume that you can be trusted. You cannot know too much about my operation, of course, so you cannot meet anybody who works for me. You cannot even know who works for me. I am sure that you know generally what my organization does, but you cannot go further than that. What is the saying in America – ‘don’t ask don’t tell?’ That is the policy that you must adopt. I have ears in America, and I will know if you have been telling people things that you should not.”

I nodded and said nothing. I was too terrified to say a word. There was another part of me, though, that was very happy, because it sounded as if he was going to accept me and my union with Asher. He was merely going over what was expected of me, as opposed to grilling me. That seemed to be a good sign.

I looked over at Asher, who looked viery happy. I knew then that the way that Sergei was treating me was a good thing.

He sat back in his chair. “I do not know how much Alexei has told you about how he is protected in America. Let me just say that there is an understanding that if anybody touches him, there will be war. Any child of a
Pakhan
is specifically off-limits. Considering how powerful my syndicate is, Alexei is particularly insulated from threats. Nobody would dare even threaten Alexei, because they know that, if they do, they will pay the price and so will everyone they know and love. Alexei wants you to have the same degree of protection.”

“Yes, sir,” I said to him. “I would like that same degree of protection. For myself and my child.”

“Okay, then, I will give you that protection. On one condition.”

My blood ran cold. I had no idea what that condition was going to be, and I was terrified to find out.

“What is the condition?” Asher asked his father.

“Now, Alexei, I do not want you to get the wrong impression. I do not want you to think that I do not trust you and what you say. But I do need to take a precaution, of course. I am only entertaining the idea of protecting CJ because you tell me that she is carrying my only grandchild. I merely have to ensure that this is true – that CJ is carrying your child.”

Asher looked calm. I had no idea why he seemed so calm, but his equanimity was undeniable.

On the other hand, I felt the panic rise in my throat. What would happen if he asked me to pee on a stick right then and there? What if he brought in a doctor to examine me? What then? He would know that we lied, and would be none-too-happy about that fact. Yet, Asher’s face was completely calm. I hoped that my face was the same, as I didn’t want Sergei getting suspicious.

“I understand. CJ and I will be happy to see a doctor to confirm her pregnancy.”

I wondered if he had something up his sleeve. Perhaps more money was going to change hands? Was there another doctor that he knew who would be open to a bribe?

Sergei nodded. “As soon as you see a doctor, and I get that confirmation, then you will have my blessing to be married. CJ will enjoy the same degree of protection that you do, Alexei.”

“Thank you,” Asher said to his father. “That means the world to me.”

Sergei smiled. “And do not worry about Sophie. I will handle her. Remember, however, what else I said – you must agree not to renege on your promise to take responsibility for Sophie’s child.”

Huh. Something else Asher never told me.
I bristled, knowing that if Asher was forced to keep taking responsibility for Sophie’s child, we would never be rid of that witch. Yet, that seemed like a small price to pay for what I really needed – to be with Asher, and to be safe.

Especially to be with Asher. That was all that I was craving.

At that, Asher took my hand. “Okay, CJ, I think that we got what we needed here.” He then turned to Sergei. “Father, thank you again for giving us your blessing. CJ and I will be leaving, and we’ll get the proof that you need to ensure that CJ is pregnant with my child.”

We all stood, and Sergei shook both of our hands. “It is very good to meet you, CJ,” he said. “I hope that you and my son will be very happy.”

I nodded but said nothing. I still didn’t quite trust myself not to totally go ballistic on this man. He seemed to be a classic sociopath – charming, affable and handsome on the outside, but on the inside, he was cold as ice. He had to be.

When we got inside Asher’s car, I laid into him. “Asher, what was that? How can you deliver on a promise that we might not be able to keep?”

“Optimism,” he said. “I can’t give you any one reason for believing that we can get pregnant soon, except that I have a gut feeling that we can get pregnant soon.”

“It would have to be very soon. It sounded like Sergei wanted this so-called ‘proof’ of my pregnancy this week. Why do I think that you might have a fall-back position?”

“Everybody has a price,” he said. “I’ll just have to find a doctor and then find his price. That’s all.”

I rolled my eyes. Bribery again. I wondered if Asher had any other way of getting things done.

Then I had another thought – it was better that he gets his way through bribery than through violence. Bribery really didn’t hurt anyone, but using blackmail and violence would. Granted, Asher’s father thought that he was really sick, perhaps even dying, because of a bribe, so one could argue that Sergei was a true victim of a bribe. Yet the doctor himself wasn’t hurt by the bribe – in fact, he was saved by it. That would hopefully be the case again, although I knew that Asher had to tread lightly. If he got ahold of the wrong doctor, Asher could end up behind bars for attempting the bribe.

I guessed that I had to count my blessings. Yes, Asher was risking a lot by offering a bribe, but he would be risking much more if he wanted to blackmail the guy.

“So, I guess that we should go and see Dr. Wyatt for this,” Asher said. “We already know that he’s open to a bribe.”

“Dr. Wyatt is a cardiologist.”

“He might be a specialty doctor, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t know how to conduct a simple pregnancy examination.”

“That’s true.” I started to relax a little bit. Dr. Wyatt obviously had a price, and, really, with the amount of money that Asher was paying that guy, he probably should do this simple act as a freebie. I had no idea how this man would provide fake medical records regarding my heretofore phantom pregnancy, but I was quite sure that he could manage it. Hell, he managed to provide a completely bogus diagnosis to Sergei, and was able to do that with enough conviction that Sergei bought it without question. If he could do that, he probably could do just about anything at all.

We drove back to the hotel, and I laid down on the bed face-down. I didn’t realize it until right at that moment, but I was completely drained of energy. Just seeing that man took a lot out of me.
You have to buck up, CJ. This man will be in your life for a long, long time. So will Sophie.

Asher came up to me and laid down next to me on the bed. He stroked my hair lightly and I sighed. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to figure this out. Trust me on this.”

I spoke into my pillow. “I wish that I could believe you. I really do. But I’m so afraid that we’re getting off to a terrible start. Bribing that doctor to lie to Sergei twice. Lying to him about me being pregnant. Agreeing to assume paternity for Sophie’s child. I just don’t know, Asher. I never imagined that lies and deception would be the way forward.”

Asher kept stroking my hair, and I looked up at him. Then I sighed. “Then again, what do I expect? I’m marrying into the mob. I can’t exactly hope for a simple, normal life.”

“Please have patience with this. I know that this has all been unconventional, and I apologize for that.” Then he kissed me, and I almost forgot about all the stress that I went through that day with Sergei. That was the thing with Asher – he had the ability to make me forget the bad things in my life. When I was with him alone, there was nothing else in the world.

I sighed and undressed completely. He was behind me and stroking my breasts. His finger found my clit. It throbbed while he lightly tickled it with his fingers. He had such a deft and gentle touch. He brought his cock out and he entered me with some force. As he moved in and out of me, going faster and faster, he was kissing the back of my neck. I groaned as I felt him come inside of me while he kissed me gently on the lips. “It’s going to be okay, CJ. We’re almost home free.”

“I know,” I said, although I really didn’t.

As we made love that night again and again, I got lost in his touch. It just felt right that I almost believed him that it was all going to turn out just fine.

Almost.