“Did you want to go somewhere?”
I looked at him before looking away. How would I go about answering him?
“Right. Sorry. Give me one second,” he said, pulling out his phone. I watched him dial a number and bring the phone to his ear.
Someone obviously picked up because he started talking. “Yes, sir. She’s up. I think she wants to go somewhere. Of course.”
He moved over to me slowly and held out the phone, still keeping his distance as if he was scared of startling me. I grabbed it and turned from him, holding it to my ear.
“Princess,” Nikolay’s smooth voice cooed in my ear.
I smiled a little and turned away from Leo, walking away from him a bit. I paused halfway and looked back at him. He stayed where he was.
When I was at a distance at which I was sure he couldn’t hear me, I said softly, “Hi.”
I could hear a smile in his voice when he responded. “Hi, princess. What are you doing out of the room?”
I frowned. “Am I not allowed out?”
“You are,” he said with no hesitation. “But I don’t want you roaming outside the house without protection.”
“You mean Leo?”
“Don’t say another man’s name with your lips, sweetheart.”
I rolled my eyes. “Nikolay.”
“That’s right,” he said softly. “I fucking love the sound of my name coming from your lips.”
I didn’t know if I should laugh or be annoyed. “Nikolay,” I said again, letting my exasperation bleed from my voice.
He let out a small sigh. “Fine. Yes, I mean Leo. Where are you planning on going?”
I didn’t exactly have a clear plan, but now that he asked, I said the first thing that came to my mind. “Shopping.”
“What kind of shopping? Lingerie?”
I blew out raspberries with my lips. “Nikolay.”
He laughed, and I could help the small smile that formed on my face. “Okay, fine. Go shopping. Leo has my card to give to you. Buy whatever you want. Hell, buy the whole store for all I care. But when you’re done, you are going to come straight back to me, aren’t you, princess?”
It wasn’t really a question but more of a demand. My breath caught.
“I’m going to come right back to you when I’m done,” I said.
“Good girl. Have fun.”
He hung up the phone before I could even say goodbye.
“Bye,” I whispered to the air.
I stayed where I was for a moment before I turned back around and walked over to Leo. I handed the phone back to him just as it vibrated. He looked down at the incoming text he’d just received before bringing his eyes back to me once more, a curious look on his face.
“You want to go shopping?”
I nodded, smiling a little. My smile felt underused and awkward. Leo nodded. “Of course. Right this way.”
I followed Leo out of the house. Thankfully, we didn’t run into anyone, and before I knew it, I was in the backseat of a spacious black car with Leo in the driver’s seat. Our eyes connected in the rearview mirror, and I quickly looked away, pretending to become fascinated with the landscape outside.