Stingray Billionaire: The Complete Series (An Alpha Billionaire Romance) (74 page)

CHAPTER
FORTY-SIX

Lexi

Two
hours into my
shopping trip with Viv, Peter called and told me to stop by the office because
he had some news. I begged him to tell me what it was, but he said it was
something that needed to be delivered in person, so I'd have to drop by to find
out. I muttered a few choice curse words under my breath and told Viv that the
trip needed to be cut short.

"What's up,
Wally?" she asked.

"Peter has
some kind of news for me, but he won't tell me over the phone," I replied
as I shed the last dress Viv had brought into the fitting room. It was another
of the big ugly dresses, and I had rolled my eyes and refused until she'd
promised it would be the last one. It was truly hideous, and I was grateful to
have a reason to take it off.

"Alright,
well, I've got a makeover appointment scheduled for four, so this is perfect
timing," she said as she changed out of the dove gray number I'd chosen as
one of the possible bridesmaid dresses. I hadn't made her try on any ugly
dresses and now I had a good idea of what I wanted her to wear. She held it up
and said, "I kind of like this one, Lex."

"Yeah, me,
too," I agreed as I pulled on my clothes and checked my hair. We put the
bridesmaid dress and the one wedding dress that we'd loved on hold and said
we'd be back over the weekend to make a final choice. The sales associate
smiled, wrote the style numbers on my bridal card, and told me to let her know
if I had any questions in the meantime.

Viv and I split on
the sidewalk in front of the store. She'd refused a ride, saying she preferred
to walk after being inside all day. I wanted to walk, too, but I was too
impatient, so I hopped into a cab and directed the driver to Upper Wacker Drive
and Peter's office. Once I arrived, I took the elevator up and told Peter's
receptionist that I was there to see him.

"Oh, he's
been waiting for you, Ms. Wallace!" she exclaimed as she led me back and
announced, "Mr. Baxter, Ms. Wallace is here to see you!"

"Hey,
kiddo!" he called from behind his desk. "Come on in and have a
seat!"

"Hey,
Peter," I said. I walked over and settled on one of the chairs across from
his desk. "Tell me the news, would you, please?"

"Kid, the
director of Hedda Gabler wants you in the role of Hedda," he blurted out.
"You're going to be the lead role!"

"Who?
Me?" I said stunned by the news. I had been hoping I'd get the part, but I
hadn't allowed myself to completely believe it was possible because I didn't
want to be disappointed.

"Yes,
you," he said with a big smile. "You are the lead in the Ibsen
play!"

"This is
unbelievable!" I cried as I shot up out of the chair and danced in front
of Peter's desk. "I did it!"

"Yep, and
they want you to start next week," he said. "They're sending the
script to your place and rehearsals begin on Monday and run through the next
two months. And, they're paying you fifteen hundred a week plus benefits!"

"Wait, next
week?" I said as a sick feeling swelled in the pit of my stomach.
"What about my job with Max? I've still got a month to go."

"Aw, don't
worry, kid. I'll find a replacement and have her in there on Monday
morning," he waved me off trying to allay my worries.

"But, Peter,
I've got responsibilities over there," I said, suddenly realizing that
Peter had no idea how far I'd gone in helping Max out. He had no idea I was
living at Max's apartment, nor did he know about the faux wedding we were
planning.

"Look, kid,
this is your chance to break into the Chicago acting scene," he scolded.
He was frustrated with me – and rightfully so. "Why do you care what that
Russian mafia prince does with a jewelry store?"

"Wait,
what?" I said. I was confused. "What did you just call him?"

"Russian
mafia prince? He's the son of Vladimir Malinchenko, the Wicker Park mafia boss.
Didn't you know that?"

"No, how
would I know that, Peter?" I shouted. "What the hell are you telling
me? That I've been working for the Russian mafia? Jesus, Peter!"

"Calm down,
Lexi," he said with a worried look on his face. "It's not a crisis.
Nothing bad happened, did it? I'll get another girl to fill in and it'll all be
over. Don't get your panties in a twist, kid."

"You are such
an asshole," I said. I was beyond mad at him for putting me in such a
situation and even angrier with myself for having dug in deeper. How in the
world was I going to get out of this mess?

"Hey, hey,
hey, let's not get personal here," he said as he looked at me with genuine
concern. "What's going on, Lexi?"

"Nothing!"
I yelled as I marched toward the door. "Absolutely nothing!"

I stormed out of
Peter's office and headed to the lobby. As I crossed the marble floor toward
the door, I caught a glimpse of a man following me at just enough of a distance
that it became obvious he was my security detail. I marched over to him and
hissed, "Stop following me! You are fired!"

"You can't
fire me, ma'am," he said not even pretending that he wasn't what I was
accusing him of. "Mr. Malin hired me and he's the only one who can fire
me."

"Don't you
mean, Mr. Malinchenko?" I spit out in a venomous tone. "I don't care
if he's the Leader of the Free World, you're fired! Do not follow me anymore or
I'll call the police and have you arrested for stalking!"

He considered me
for a moment before nodding, turning, and walking away. I turned and marched
out the front door and headed back to Max's penthouse where I threw a few
things in a bag for me and Anna before calling a cab and heading over to Viv's
for the night.

If Max Malinchenko
wasn't going to tell me the truth about who he was and what he was doing, then
I sure as hell wasn't going to stick around to hear what new lies he'd come up
with to make me help him rule his West side gang of thugs.

CHAPTER
FORTY-SEVEN

Max

On
my way back from
my meeting with Dementyev, I stopped at the store to pick up the special piece
of jewelry I'd ordered for Lexi to wear. It was a three-carat platinum art deco
ring that retailed for well over twenty thousand dollars, but I'd gotten a deal
on it through Mr. Petrov's people. I wanted Lexi to start wearing it so that Petrov's
people would see that we were serious about the wedding plans and would
continue to funnel money into my business. I'd used up a good portion of the
initial investment and I was hoping that Petrov's second infusion of cash would
come soon so that I could buy more of the rare pieces that were out on the
market. I knew the Chicago crowd would love them because they were vintage
pieces that would remind them of the good old days back in Moscow.

I pulled the ring
out of the safe and looked at it from all sides. It was exquisite, much like
Lexi, and I knew she would love wearing it. I polished it and set it in one of
our black boxes where it sparkled in the light. Satisfied that I'd done well, I
called and ordered dinner to be delivered and then went out to the car.

When I stepped out
of the elevator I was surprised to find the penthouse completely dark.
"Lexi?" I called as I turned on lights and walked through the empty
place. "Are you home? Anna?"

There was no
response and I wondered if I'd missed a message from Lexi telling me that she'd
gone out with Viv or something. I checked my phone and saw nothing and then
began to worry. I quickly dialed Lexi's phone, but it went to voicemail, so I
left a message asking her to call me and then called Viv. Her phone went to
voicemail, as well.

I called the guard
I'd put on Lexi to find out where she was. When he answered, he told me she'd
fired him that afternoon after he'd tailed her to her agent's office on Upper
Wacker.

"She
what?" I yelled.

"She fired
me."

"She didn't
have the authority to do that!" I was pissed off and not holding back.
"Your one job was to follow her and ensure her safety!"

"She
threatened to call the police and report me for stalking her," he said
simply. "And that's not in my contract."

"You
idiot!" I shouted before disconnecting.

Lexi was out there
on her own and when I tried calling her again, I got no response.

CHAPTER
FORTY-EIGHT

Lexi

I
showed up at Viv's
towing a suitcase and Anna's carrier. She didn't ask me a single question; she
simply sat me down, mixed me a martini, and told me to drink. I finished one
martini and she had a second in my hand before I could even ask for it.

"Talk,
Wally," she said as she set a tray full of snacks down on the coffee
table. "And, eat, otherwise you're going to spend the night on the floor
in the bathroom."

"He lied to
me, Viv," I said as I picked up a stuffed grape leaf and popped it in my
mouth. After I'd swallowed, I continued, "He lied about who he was by
omitting the fact that he is the son of Russian mafia boss Vladimir
Malinchenko!"

"Holy shit!
Are you kidding me?" she gasped, spilling her drink on the sofa. She
quickly ran into the kitchen and grabbed a towel to wipe it up with before
sitting down again. "You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not
kidding, Viv!" I said. "Why do you think I'm here and not at the
penthouse tonight?"

"How did you
find out?"

I spent the next
hour telling her all about what Peter had told me, and then I told her how I'd
fired the security guard who'd been following me all day. While I was telling
her about Max's secret, I remembered that I hadn't told her about my own
secret.

"Viv, I got
the part," I said quietly.

"You
what?" she replied, looking up from playing with Anna, who was curled up
in her lap on her back and batting at Viv's fingers.

"I got the
part," I repeated. "I'm going to play Hedda Gabler. I got the
part."

"Holy fuck,
Wally!" Her shout scared Anna, who ran and hid under the dining room
table. "You got the part! You're a star!"

"Hardly,"
I laughed. "I'm a mediocre actor in Chicago who is going to headline an
Ibsen play. That's a little more accurate."

"Bullshit!"
she exclaimed. "This calls for a celebration!"

"Viv, my life
is ruined right now," I interjected as she ran into the kitchen and returned
carrying a bottle of champagne and two glasses. She popped the cork, poured the
bubbly liquid, and handed me a glass.

"Let's
celebrate," she said.

"My ruined
life?"

"No, silly,
let's celebrate your role on stage and the fact that you are now a working
actor!" she clinked her glass against mine and sipped. I followed her lead
and thought about what she'd said.

"Viv, what am
I going to do?"

"Well, it
seems to me that you have the perfect out, now," she observed. "You
got the role and Peter is going to find a replacement for you, so there's
really nothing to worry about, right?"

I sat silently,
sipping my champagne as I thought about it.

"Wally,
there's nothing to worry about, right?" she asked again.

"Well…"
I said slowly, drawing my response out.

"Oh no, no,
no, no, no!" she cried. "You've fallen for him!"

"Viv…" I
shrugged.

"Yes, you've
fallen for the billionaire Russian mafia guy!" she exclaimed. "You
actually think he's going to fall for you and secretly hope that the fake
wedding is real by the time it happens, don't you?"

"That sounds
so cliché," I protested.

"That's
because it is!" she yelled. "Jesus, Lexi, you can't fall for a guy
who kills people who get in his way for a living!"

"Max isn't a
killer!" I yelled back. "If he was, I'd know it by now."

"Right, and
all those people who were taken in by con artists and fakes and lost their life
savings knew, too," she said as she raised an eyebrow and looked at me.
"Sex clouds everything, Lexi, and you've definitely been clouded when it
comes to Mr. Malinchenko."

"That's not
fair, Viv," I protested. "He's been nothing but good to me and he's
never once done anything that put me in harm’s way."

"Hello? Where
the hell have you been, sister?" She was getting exasperated. "You
were attacked in the store by the Russian junior mafia, and Max assigned a
security guard to you!"

"That was
different."

"Oh, you've
got it bad, girlfriend," Viv shook her head in disbelief. "Look, I'm
not going to try and talk you out of your schoolgirl crush on Malinchenko, but
I am going to tell you that it's not healthy to hang on to a man who is a
criminal! No good will come of it!"

"But,
Viv!" I yelled. "I love him!"

She gasped and
then fell back on the sofa holding her glass in one hand and draping her free
arm over her forehead. She sat there in silence for a minute before she sat up
and looked at me.

"Lexi, if you
are, in fact, in love with this man, then you need to sort out the mess that
this whole thing has become," she said seriously. "You need to go
back and have a real conversation with him and find out what his intentions are
because until you know that, all of this is just speculation and fantasy."

"What am I
going to say to him?"

"I don't
know, how about starting with the truth?" she replied with a smile.
"Tell him how you feel and see what he says."

"And, if he
says it's just a business deal gone awry, then what?" I asked.

"Then, you'll
have your answer and know that you're taking things a little too
seriously," she said with a shrug. She turned to look at me and asked,
"But what if he says he feels the same way?"

"Huh?"

"What if he
says he feels the same way and that all of this is real for him, too?" she
repeated.

"I don't… I
don't know," I stammered. It hadn't occurred to me that maybe Max did feel
the same way I did and that maybe he'd respond in a positive way, rather than
blowing me off. Then, I felt anxious. I turned to Viv and said, "What if
he does like me?"

"What if he
does?" She smiled as she sipped from her glass.

"Oh no, this
can't happen!" I cried. "Not now! Not after Josh! It's too soon,
Viv!"

"Hey, hey,
hey, slow it down, Wally," she said as she leaned over and rested her hand
on my arm. "What's so bad about having a rich, handsome guy fall for
you?"

"Because I
didn't plan for it!" I said. "It's not logical, and it makes no
sense!"

"I think
you're nuts," she said shaking her head. "Listen to yourself, of
course there's never a good time for falling in love. Please. That's how this
stuff works! It's life, Lexi! You don't get to control it all, you just have to
roll with the punches and decide which ones to absorb and which ones to
deflect. Sometimes you are so hard headed."

I sat thinking
about what she had said until Anna hopped up into my lap. She sat staring at me
as she raised a paw and patted my arm. When I didn't respond, she chirped and
patted harder.

"What? What
do you want?" I asked as I looked down at her fuzzy, gray face. She mewed
loudly and head butted my arm before sitting back down and staring up at me.
"Okay, fine. We'll go home and see what's on Max's mind. Fine."

Viv smiled as Anna
purred loudly. This was going to be a difficult conversation, but maybe some
good would come out of it.