Fixing Broken Hearts Read online

  Viktor reached over, lowered the magazine, and asked curiously, “Specifically what kind of bad things?”

  Cassandra looked up at him. Bad idea. His intense ice blue eyes snared her and wouldn’t let go. She swallowed hard. “Once when I was thirteen years old, he had to have surgery. Tony was only sixteen, so he was not much help. Once word got out that he was out of commission, every petty criminal in four counties decided they finally had aspirations. There was a gigantic increase in shaking down local business, and mini gang wars as people were trying to lay claim to his turf. Let’s just say the police couldn’t really kept up. It was getting to the point that most parents in our neighborhood wouldn’t allow their children out to play in the evenings. Once my father forced himself up and back to work, the problem disintegrated in a matter of days.”

  “Fascinating,” Viktor whispered.

  “Anyway, that taught me a very important lesson about respecting the men responsible for holding back the darkness. The police and local politicians manage the light, but people like you and my father are tasked with controlling the darkness. Which job do think is more difficult and dangerous? It was the day I learned to love my father for who he truly was. Although people think he is a ruthless criminal, I know better. In my opinion, he, and others like him, are the one and only thing that stands between honest, law-abiding citizens and the chaos of the night.”

  Cassandra looked at him. The small space was deathly quiet. She wondered if he understood her analogy. Geez, she probably should have just kept that to herself. Now he was going to think her family was totally screwed up from top to bottom. Her mouth always did have a tendency to get her into trouble. Why should today be any different?

  Chapter 11

  Stop Pretending You’re Leaving Me

  ~ Viktor ~

  Viktor realized he was getting a gigantic hard-on. After careful consideration, he decided it was because the woman he was growing a genuine liking for saw him differently than anyone else ever had. She had just insinuated perhaps he was not a total villain, but rather a dark prince, responsible for keeping the real monsters at bay. He had never thought of that before, but had to admit it was kind of true.

  He and his father had built a criminal empire out of exploiting corporations and international banking conglomerates. They tended to shy away from crimes against people such as drug trafficking and prostitution. However, over the years they had gotten pulled into reacting when fellow entrepreneurs crossed certain lines. The end result was even the worst criminals operated within certain boundaries. If he objectively assessed his business practices from the outside looking in, he would have to admit her perception had merit.

  He immediately crossed his legs, tilted his head slightly, and asked, “Do you realize you say the most insightful and profound things just like you are ordering coffee? You are a very impressive woman, Miss Cassandra.”

  Viktor attempted to steal a kiss from her. One small hand on his chest gently pressed him back.

  He could not smother another smile. “I am used to women being a little more accommodating to me. Do you not wish to please me?”

  He watched her eyes get large as if the thought had never occurred to her.

  She answered honestly. “I haven’t given any real thought to pleasing you, Viktor. It has taken most of my effort just to keep you alive. I was worried about my family sniping you there for a bit. Then I was concerned about your injury, but thank goodness that turned out to be minimal. Now, I’m growing a little concerned about you getting yourself hurt wrangling your underworld mess to the ground when we get to Moscow.”

  The corners of his mouth tilted up ever so slightly as he looked at her. He cleared his throat, obviously still waiting for an answer to his question.

  She continued thoughtfully. “Well, just give me a moment. Do I want to please you…I don’t think I understand the question. Can you rephrase it?”

  He looked at her incredulously. “I have more money than God. By your own admission, I am attractive. Do you not want to please me as a woman pleases a man? Your brother thinks you do.”

  Cassandra thought that over for a good ten minutes or so as she continued to read through the magazine. “I just might like pleasing you in that way, once I get to know you a little better. However, it won’t be for the reasons you specified.”

  Viktor realized at some point that although the others were all congregated in the back part of the plane, they probably had the attention of every man in the room. Cassandra’s attention was focused squarely on him, so she didn’t seem to notice. It made him wonder why she was apt to speak so freely within earshot of others. If she was used to having hired men about, being raised as she was, perhaps she had been taught that life didn’t stop because you had security around. That sounded likely.

  He tilted his head. “I am not sure I understand. If you don’t want to please me because of who I am, then why?”

  She shook her head.

  “Did I say that right?” He glanced around and several heads nodded that he had communicated properly.

  She looked at him a bit incredulously and then teased him. “How about I teach you like the Great Buddha did by asking you questions?”

  He could feel a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He liked riddles and puzzling things together, especially things that fascinated him. This woman definitely intrigued him.

  “Exactly how impressed with your wealth do you think someone like me would be? Do you have any idea how wealthy my family is? How wealthy I am personally?”

  “Your father is most likely extremely wealthy, and you are likely personally wealthy enough not to want for anything your whole life. What you are saying is that you are not drawn to me because I have money.”

  She nodded.

  “Doesn’t being attractive help me into your heart at all?”

  “Have you seen my brother and the rest of my family?”

  He sighed as he was forced to acknowledge the obvious. “I suppose women throw themselves at your brother because he is dark and handsome. Everyone in your family is very attractive, including yourself.”

  “My twin sister and I don’t look much like our other siblings.”

  “This I have noticed. Your brother is very typically Italian, but you are much different, no? You have the beautiful dark skin that shimmers in the sunlight, long, smooth hair like a model, and sassy arched eyebrows. I enjoy looking at your nostrils. Do you know they are nearly heart shaped?”

  Cassandra couldn’t help but laugh at his silly antics. This big mobster was a hoot.

  He stated emphatically, “I think you do not have the same mother.”

  She shook her head. “Definitely not. Believe it or not, it’s quite rare for a white woman to pop out a dark-skinned baby. My mother looks very much like me.”

  “Then she must be very attractive.”

  “I’ve learned a couple of really important things about being attractive. First, being pretty and having a five dollar bill will get me a coffee at Starbucks.”

  She noticed the corners of his mouth barely turn up again.

  “Also, being attractive brings a whole bunch of other problems most people never even have to think about. Do you know that every single member of my graduating class ended up flirting with me?” He didn’t look surprised until she added, “And that was interesting considering I went to an all-girls school.”

  He burst out laughing, as did several of his men. Viktor thought it was probably because she was so outgoing, approachable, and non-judgmental that most people just edged into a little light flirting with her.

  She even giggled a little herself as she continued. “Mix wealthy with attractive and you have a recipe for disaster when it comes to falling in love. I finally just gave up trying to sort through it all, knuckled down, and stuck my nose into a set of medical books. When I looked up the first time, I saw you.”

  “That’s how you ended up to be a twenty-seven-year-old vir—”

&nbs
p; She cut him off at the pass by saying, “That’s not information for mixed company. Plus, I never admitted to that.”

  Raising an eyebrow, he stated smugly. “It’s true, though, is it not?”

  Her eyes narrowed and her voice turned prim. “Americans have the right to refuse to answer on the grounds that it might incriminate them.”

  “You never did answer the question of why would you consider pleasing me.”

  She bit her lip for a bit. Leaning forward, she stated quietly, “When we talked on the phone the first few times before I even knew what you looked like, I liked you. You were a little mean but…God, you are mob boss, after all, so I guess you have the right to be a little scary. It’s probably in your genes or something.” She rolled her eyes when she said the last part of the sentence. “Anyway, I really liked talking to you…a lot. I mean, I really tried not to like you but it didn’t work.”

  He replied quietly, “I liked you against my better judgment as well. You were nice, warm, and seemed very concerned, and a little frightened, for me and my child. You gave me information to help me keep her safe. Information your family would have objected to you sharing.”

  She held up both hands. “Don’t get me wrong. I would never say things to put my family in jeopardy, but I did feel like I should warn you not to underestimate them and to bring protection with…well, guns.”

  He smiled and teased her gently. “You are probably the only person in the world who thinks they need to actually warn a Russian mobster to come with lots of men and guns. Most people would just assume that I would.”

  He heard her giggle a little and he leaned over to hold her hand. She agreed. “I guess in your world that feels a little like someone who knows nothing telling you how to conduct your business, which you are probably an expert at managing. Sorry about that. I guess I was just so frightened that I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

  He sighed and asked, “So you think you’ll stay a week or two at my home, just to make sure my daughter recovers from her operation?”

  She nodded and replied, “If you’re interested, I might like to get to know you better.”

  His voice was smooth and sexy, even to his own ears. “Ah, Cassandra, you do not understand. I am tired of loose women. I am ready for a woman of substance to give my heart to. You are mine. I will not allow you to leave in a two weeks or two years. You will be with me always. I now own you.”

  She smiled and replied lightly, “We will see, my sweet, we’ll see.”

  Viktor felt a tiny bit of anxiety crawling up his spine. “You don’t seem very upset that I have told you I own you. Most women would be in a panic if they were told a Russian mobster had laid claim to them.”

  The beautiful woman had the audacity to laugh. It sounded like beautiful music to his ears.

  “I typically don’t worry when men say things like that. I was raised in a home with a bunch of extremely dominate males. When they say things like ‘you are mine,’ ‘you will be with me always,’ and ‘I own you,’ I hear, ‘I am very attracted to you,’ ‘you have nice boobs,’ and ‘I want to have sex with you.’”

  There were several grunts and small laughs around the room.

  Wrapping his arm around her, he tugged her closer. It was merely miscommunication. “Maybe that is what it means for Italians. For Russians…well…I mean exactly what I say.”

  She cuddled on his chest, saying, “Too late, my gorgeous friend. You shouldn’t have spoken to me on the phone and opened up to me. I found out that you are actually a nice person. I don’t think you’ll hold me hostage for very long against my will. Hell, as irritating as I am, you may not keep me even if I beg you.”

  He smiled down at her and asked, “How do you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “You can just about totally unman me, in front of my whole family, with your womanly charm.”

  She bolted upright. “You’re whole what? I thought they were your hired men…your security detail.”

  Viktor could not imagine what on earth would make her think such a thing. “We came for my daughter. That makes it family business. I would never trust hired men with my child, only family.”

  She looked around in total shock. “Sorry, I would not have been so forthcoming with intimate information if I had known. In my family, we don’t talk about private stuff in front of family because it can lead to…complications. We talk in front of hired men. Discretion is considered part of the job description.”

  He looked down at her, frowning. “In Russia, it is just the opposite. We trust no person we pay money to because you cannot purchase loyalty. Family on the other hand, will be discrete because they have love in their hearts for us.”

  She teased, “For you maybe, but they don’t even know me.”

  His lips sealed over hers in an intimate moment that was meant to be.

  Viktor could tell the moment she was his, because she kind of melted into him. It was a relief to know she felt the same about him that he did about her.

  She eventually whispered, “That can top the list of reasons why I might want to please you like woman pleases a man. You are a fantastic kisser.”

  He quietly asked, “Any other reasons you can think of?”

  She looked into his eyes. “Because you’re strong, sexy, and smart. I kind of like that you sidestepped all the drama with my family by just taking what you wanted. It drove home to me just how dominant you are. I also think, in spite of all that you must do in your professional life, you’re a kind and decent person. I don’t know how I know that. It’s like I can hear it in your voice when I talk to you, and feel it when I am near you. Does that make sense? It makes sense in my head, but not so much when I say it out loud.”

  He kissed her again. “It makes sense because you see with your heart, and not so much with your eyes. It is the true sign of a woman with a loving heart.”

  He kissed her again for what seemed like forever.

  Viktor finally drew back, and looked down into her brown eyes. Her lips were swollen from his rough kissing, giving her a dreamy look he quite enjoyed.

  “I am very glad you have the arrangement with your father about choosing your own love mate. If not for that, I would have had to fight for you. Trust me, killing a few members of your family would do nothing to endear me to you.”

  She burst out laughing and replied, “Don’t think you are going to get away without a little bloodshed at some point. In my family, that is understood. They have that kind of conflict with each other all the time. If you could try not to actually kill my immediate family members, I would be forever in your debt.”

  He could tell by the light and playful tone of her voice she was joking.

  He was curious about her, how she had survived in her family and somehow managed to hang on to her goodness. “How do you feel about the family business?”

  “The men do what they feel they must, and they never talk about it to us. To be quite honest, I really don’t care to hear all about it. My job is to fix broken hearts, and take care of the people I love. That would probably be easy with a man like you.”

  He asked, “How about the children in your family? How does your family determine whether they are in the business or not? Is it the first born male or whoever wants to get involved?”

  Cassandra looked a bit bored by the conversation, yawning. “Overall, boys generally get raised in the business. Girls are problematic, as you can see from the way my family managed things with me. Some of my female relatives are more ruthless than the men. My mother made my dad promise to make sure my sister and I weren’t involved in the family business. Unlike our cousins, we were locked out from the very beginning.”

  “And what of marriage?”

  “We are to be allowed to make our own decisions regarding dating and marriage.”

  He kissed her some more and decided not to talk about how that was never going to happen. He had determined long ago he would have a hand in choosing his daughter’s husband.
He murmured, “I feel like this is a contract negotiation.”

  “You are a smart man. I am guessing that your IQ is at least a standard deviation above the national average, am I right?”

  How could she possibly know that? He swallowed his embarrassment. “Two standard deviations is what my parents were told.”

  She looked amused. “That makes you Mensa material. I am a couple deviations above average as well. I suspect lots of normal conversations between you and me are going to seem like contract negotiations.”

  He smiled down at her and pointed out, “I’m having a really hard time imagining a more suitable mate. You understand my profession, and you even like my daughter.”

  She quipped, “I haven’t decided about you yet. I absolutely adore your little daughter though. Maybe I would marry you just to get to be her mom.”

  He found himself enjoying this particular negotiation. “Perhaps I could throw in some fringe benefits, to make it worth your time.”

  “So what is the single most valuable benefit you could offer a person like me?”

  He immediately stated, “How about sharing my bed, for starters?”

  “I think that would just about do it for me, Mr. Balakovich. I am, apparently, easy to please in the benefits category. Perhaps, I might eventually work my way into your heart.”

  His eyes flashed up to her. He noted that was the second reference she made to them falling in love. It warmed his heart, and made him think that perhaps he had a chance at a real relationship with the beautiful doctor.

  He asked, “If I were your fairy god mother, what is the one wish you would want?”

  “You’re really good at playing love games. Let see…oh…I know exactly what I would wish for. The little ones I operate on often feel isolated and lonely, like no one can understand what they have been through, because they don’t usually know other kids who have had open heart surgery. I know this is absolutely impossible, but I have always wanted a large party, a children’s party for all the Russian children I have operated on. I would love for them all to meet each other so they would know they’re not alone. Wouldn’t that be amazing?”