The Russian's Assertive Lover (The Tonov Triplets Series Book 2) (2 page)

Instead of going back to his office, Nickolay made rounds with the customers, chatting with them, pretending he was enjoying the show as much as they were, and giving them free drinks to encourage them to stay longer.

The truth was he hated the whole charade. He had seen the damage that can occur from American strip clubs by watching scared and beaten girls come to Valov. Normally because the strip club owner had allowed or even forced her to go home with one of the customers and he had beaten her. He would make sure nothing like that happened at Suds.
Money is money until it crosses a line.

Even though he was talking and laughing with some men who had just come in, Nikolay was always watching Courtney out of the corner of his eye. There was no denying that she looked fantastic in the skimpy uniform. With her petite frame, flat stomach and wide blue eyes, she looked sweet, innocent and sexy all at the same time.

Other men noticed it too and reached out to cup her small, round ass, or tried to put a dollar bill down her shirt. She always smiled politely as she removed the hand, or grabbed the money while leaning down to show her cleavage without the men touching her, but her lips pressed into a thin line as soon as the customers couldn't see her.

When going to get some shots for a table, she rolled up her tip and tucked it into her shirt, exactly where one of the men had wanted to put it. Nikolay felt himself growing hard at the sight. He took a deep breath and counted to ten to calm himself down. It was unusual for him to get hard when he was watching his girls. He chose them for their sex appeal and dressed them in ways to emphasize that, but he always kept things professional.

Something about the way Courtney interacted with the customers made him take notice. He couldn't help but stare at her as she walked around, feeling flashes of anger when men tried to cop a feel or undressed her with their eyes. It was different and it was dangerous.

The man he was talking to, a regular named Steve, followed Nik's gaze. “I bet you can have your pick,” he said. “What with you controlling their jobs and everything.”

Nik gave him a cool smile. “It may have crossed my mind,” he lied. “But if I started asking for favors, then they might want a raise.”

Steve laughed. “You're too nice, Nik. You just have to put them in their place. They'll comply soon enough.” He leered at the dancer closest to them.

Bastard.
“Excuse me for a minute,” Nik muttered. “I have something I need to take care of.”

“Of course,” Steve replied, his attention already on the dancer.

Nikolay left him and went to find Scarlett who was in the break room, wrapped in a black silk robe and drinking hot tea. She smiled when she saw him. “I've got to hand it to you, Nikolay,” she said. “You chose well. I gave her ten minutes of training and now she's acting as if she's been working here for years. Cute, too.”

“She's working well, then?”

She nodded. “Want some tea?” she asked. “No alcohol in it.”

“That's okay,” he said. Normally, he would have a cup of tea and talk with his employees when they were on break, but he wanted to get back out and observe his newest employee. “How have we been doing tonight?” Scarlett was his second in command, as well as his head bartender. She knew more details about their financial business than he did until he read her reports.

“Busy so far,” she said. “We've been moving a lot of drinks and some food. And the girls have been making a lot of tips, Courtney included. The ten percent we get from them will definitely come in handy.”

“Good,” he said. “Any complaints at all tonight?”

“Not that I've heard.” She set her teacup in the sink nearby before taking off her robe, revealing her slim, curvy body. “Nik,” she said, “Relax. You'll be out of the hole and making money before you know it.”

“Of course it will be before
I
know it. You know everything about this place five minutes before it happens,” he said with a wink.

She smiled. “Only five?” she replied before going to relieve Cindy who was tending the bar.

Nikolay followed her and sat down in a seat near the back of the room where he could watch everything. He didn't realize it was close to Courtney's section until he heard a completely fake giggle. “I'll be right back with your change,” she said, giving the man a nice view of her cleavage as she set the two drinks down in front of him. He leered back in return.

Nik watched as the man drank one of the drinks, never taking his eyes off her as she came back. “Here, darling,” the man said, sliding one of the drinks toward her. “Why don't you take this one for yourself.”

Fear flickered over Courtney's face for a split second before she spoke. “I'm afraid I don't drink, sir. Besides, you paid for it. You should enjoy it.” She smiled back at him, a bit too eagerly.

“It's money well spent if I can see you loosen up a little,” he said, his eyes falling on her chest. “Come on, what's the harm?”

“I don't drink,” she snapped, backing away.

He stood up quickly. “What, you think you're too good for me?”

Nikolay got up and was there in a second. “What seems to be the problem here?” he asked, flashing the man a good-natured grin.

“This bitch won't take the drink I bought her,” he said. “You need to get some better staff, Tonov. Ones who know their place.”

“Actually, that's a policy I put in myself,” Nik lied. “Since she is new and on probation, so to speak, she isn’t allowed to drink while working. I can’t risk having her drop food and drinks on my customers’ laps, now, can I?”

“Well, considering that she is new, I guess that I can let it go. I wouldn’t want her to get into trouble.”

“Indeed,” Nik bit out. Courtney's face was flaming, as he turned to her. “Cinnamon should be getting off her break now,” he said. “Why don't you get her for a private dance for this man. On the house.”

“Right away, Mr. Tonov,” she said, walking away as quickly as possible.

“Now that's more like it,” the man said, grinning. He picked up his second drink and drank it in one gulp.

Nikolay went back to his seat.
She doesn't drink?
Who is this girl?

Courtney found Jane, who went by Cinnamon in Suds, standing in the breakroom, getting ready to get back out on stage.

“Mr. Tonov wants you to do a private dance for the man at table six,” she said.

“Coming right up,” Cinnamon said, jumping up from her seat, “He better tip well!”

After she left, Courtney allowed herself a few seconds to get herself back. She covered her face with her hands. Why was this happening again? It probably happened all the time in establishments like this one. She'd have to get better at gracefully refusing those drinks or figure out a code with the bartender for something without alcohol.
I'm not falling for that again
. She wouldn't give Nikolay any reason to fire her. This job was her last hope.

Before she could get back on the floor, Nikolay walked into the break room. “What was that all about?”

“I… I have a drinking problem,” she said. “If I take even one drink, then it won't be pretty.” It wasn't really a lie. She didn't have an addiction, but she definitely had a problem with alcohol.

Nikolay paused, giving her a hard stare. “That's fine, but drink tips are pretty common here. If you don't want to take the drink, fine. But you had better make up for it some other way.”

“Don't worry,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Next time, I'll do the lap dance myself.”

Nikolay muttered a few curse words in Russian before scowling at her. “I don't care how you do it,” he said. “Just make sure the men stay happy.”

“Of course,” she said. “That's the whole point of my existence. To make men happy.” She gave him a mock salute before going back to work, leaving Nikolay muttering more curses in Russian.

She knew she shouldn't provoke him but he was pissing her off. Admittedly, working here was creating a certain level of anxiety and when that happened, she was at risk of opening her mouth and saying something that she would regret. Did he have to be so insensitive? Her smart mouth wasn't about to get her fired so long as she didn't turn it on the customers.
Keep the men happy. Wow, sexist much?
But what was she to expect in a place like this? The whole point was to objectify women. What was she thinking coming to work here? Oh yeah, desperation.

The night went by slowly, only made better by the growing amount of tips she was earning. Ten percent of them went to the house after she was done but Scarlett had told her that was a temporary policy. After the mortgage to this place was paid off, the employees would be allowed to keep all of their tips. Even though it wasn't much, Courtney hoped it got paid off sooner than later. She needed all the money she could get.

As much as she tried to fight it off, the exhaustion and fatigue slowly set in. Spending a six-hour shift completely on her feet was making her feet feel pinched and swollen. Her arms were sore from the drink and food trays, and her eyelids were growing heavy, but she didn't dare take a break. Instead, she just kept thinking about her left hand, and how it would look unblemished by ink. She felt Nikolay's gaze on her the rest of the night. He wasn't socializing with his customers any longer, he was watching her. She tried to shake that feeling off as best as she could, trying extra hard to be nice to the customers to make up for the incident earlier.

About an hour before her shift ended, Courtney started to feel dizzy. She stumbled slightly on her way to the bar and she swallowed to wet her parched throat. Scarlett stopped her before she could carry out another tray of shots. “Nik said to take a break,” she said. “You've been working all night and you don't look so hot anymore, hun.”

The customers still thought she did, though, if her tips were any indication. “I'm fine,” she said. “I'll rest after my shift is up.” She brushed past Scarlett and went back out on the floor
I need this job. More than you could ever understand.

As the rest of her shift went by, the customers moved out as the place closed down. Nikolay was at the door, first wishing them a good night and then collecting his ten percent of the tips from the dancers as they left until it was only Courtney, Scarlett, and a couple other servers who were cleaning up.

She heard Nikolay quietly tell Scarlett and the others to call it a night, and then they were the only ones left. All Courtney had to do was wipe down the last three tables and then she was done. She walked in a daze to the table, stumbling.

“I can take care of those,” Nik said, approaching her slowly.

“I've got it,” she said. “This isn't your job.”

“I'm the owner. My job is whatever I wish it to be.”

Her vision blurred for a second and she blinked rapidly to clear it. “I'm fine, okay?”

“You're not fine. Not at all.” He was right beside her. How had he gotten there so fast? Suddenly her vision blurred and the damp cleaning cloth fell from her hand as everything went black.

Nikolay caught Courtney before she hit the floor in a dead faint. Picking her up, he carried her to the couch in the break room. She was only slightly heavier than air and with her pale skin, dark circles under her eyes, and the dull sheen of sweat on her face; she looked and felt incredibly fragile.

He felt a surge of protectiveness rise before he could stop it and he gritted his teeth as he set her down.
She's only an employee. Remember that.
The last time he let himself feel anything more for someone other than professional friendliness, he got stabbed in the back, and it was about time that he remembered that.

Nik found a blanket lying across one of the chairs and draped it over her before going to the mini-fridge and pulling out a bottle of water just as Courtney started to stir. She sat up, still in a daze. Before she could speak, Nikolay thrust the bottle into her hands. “Drink,” he said.

She uncapped the bottle and took a long drink. “What happened?”

“You fainted.” He grabbed a protein bar from the cupboard, glad he had made the break room for his staff as comfortable as possible.
If only she took advantage of it before this.
He handed the bar to her. “Eat this,” he said. “I'm going to make you some dinner.”

“No, that's okay,” she said. “I should really be getting home.”

“You're not going anywhere until you can actually stand on your own two feet.” He left her in the break room to go to the kitchen. Most of the food they served would be considered junk food for its high fat, fried consistency, but there was some food that was slightly healthier. He turned on the grill and pulled out some chicken breast and sweet potato fries as he did his best to curb his frustration toward Courtney.

Aside from her smart mouth, she really hadn't done anything wrong. It wasn't her fault that he was feeling something he shouldn't be about her, and he really couldn't blame her for being disdainful of strip clubs. The only thing he was frustrated about was his own fault: his strange attraction to her.

He came in to find her curled up in a ball on the couch with the blanket wrapped tightly around her. There was some color in her cheeks now, and she was looking more alert, but she still looked frail and vulnerable. He handed her the food, which she accepted silently with a weak smile. “What were you thinking?” he said. “Is the extra money really worth hurting yourself over?”

She rubbed her left hand, right where the tattoo was under her glove. “I need it,” she said. “And it is worth it.” She practically whispered the last part.

He knew she wasn't telling the full truth, and he had a feeling there was something he really needed to know but when she fixed a glare at him he decided not to ask.

“Look, I'll keep hydrated and it won't happen again but I'm not going to take breaks. Why is that a problem? I'm good with the customers, I'll work hard--”

“I don't want you killing yourself, not here,” Nikolay barked. “You might think I'm a monster and that this place is evil, but I will not have my wait staff working themselves unconscious. I don't care how many tips they bring in. So if you want to keep working here, you need to take a minimum of one break a shift.”

Courtney opened her mouth to argue but Nikolay cut her off. “You're not in a position to negotiate. I know you wouldn't be here if you had any other option and like you said, you need the money. One fifteen-minute break at least. Understood?”

She glared at him and reluctantly nodded. “Fine,” she said.

He nodded. “Good. Now finish your meal and rest. I'll go clean up.”

“I can--”

“No!”

She snuggled down deeper into the blanket. “I knew that charming front was just for show,” she muttered.

Of course, it was for show. It was the easiest way to interact with people and the most effective way to get what you wanted from them. He didn't give a damn about any of the customers, but he did care about Courtney.

He shook his head as he went out to clean the last few dirty tables. He thought about her obsession with money. Even though he had known her for less than a day, it was obvious that she was desperate for it. Maybe he could give her the pay for the week in advance...

No. If he did that then more of his employees would want that and he simply didn't have the funds to pay all of them before they worked. Besides, what if she didn't work out, or called in sick? Then he would be short money that he really needed. However, he could perhaps give her a loan, or ask Val or Dimitri to.

He shook his head, cursing under his breath as he thought about it. That was also a bad idea. Val wasn't in the business anymore, so he wasn't really an option and Dimitri... well, Dimitri followed in their father's footsteps and philosophies much more than he or Valov ever did. It ended up giving him a different moral set or lack thereof.

When he was done, Courtney came out. She was in her regular clothes again and was hugging her coat tightly around her. Nikolay noticed that most of the buttons were missing on it.
That won't keep her warm at all,
he thought. She looked at him cautiously. “Did I completely blow it today?” she asked, tugging at her coat sleeve.

“No,” he said, looking down at the table he was cleaning as if it required his full attention. “I have a feeling you will work out as long as you take breaks and stay hydrated.”

She nodded. “Thank you,” she said, stepping closer. “You're not so bad, you know.”

“So, I am not the evil man you thought I was?” he asked, rolling his eyes. “I'm sorry to disappoint.”

“You know, it won’t hurt you to accept a compliment.”

“Look, having employees faint from exhaustion is bad for business. That's it.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Yet against my better judgment I'm beginning to think there's more to you than what you want everyone to believe.” She stepped closer and went on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek but Nikolay turned his head at the last second and their lips met.

His entire body went hard and Courtney's eyes flew open in shock. The touch was like fire to Nikolay and he pressed his lips harder to hers. She relaxed and groaned as her arms went around his waist. It wasn't until they heard a voice clearing that they suddenly broke apart.

Nik jerked back so violently he backed into a table and nearly knocked it over. Courtney's face was beet red as she looked down at the floor, her arms crossed protectively in front of her. Nikolay looked up to see his brother, Dimitri, standing in the doorway of the club. “Dimitri,” he said. “What a surprise.”

“Likewise,” he said with a smirk on his lips.

“I'm so sorry,” Courtney said. “I'll go now.” Before he could stop her she all but ran out the door past Dimitri who looked stonily at Nikolay.

“First, Valov and now you,” he said. “Why have both of you forgotten the risks that come with intimate relationships? They will only stab you in the back after you were a fool to give them your trust.”

“That was nothing,” Nikolay said, going to sit in one of the booths. He gestured for Dimitri to join him. “She works for me that is all.”

“I saw the way you looked at her. I know when it's nothing and that is not it.”

Nikolay sighed. He was not in the mood to argue with his brother about this, especially when he was right about his lapse in judgment. He definitely should not have kissed Courtney. Especially for so long.
I'm her god-damn boss! She could sue me for sexual harassment at the very least.
“Why are you here?” he asked. “Do you need help in the drugs and whores business?”

“For someone who looks down on my line of work so much, you don't seem to be living the high life. You make what, half as much as I do? A quarter?”

“At least my work is legal.”

“For now, brother, but the Tonovs have never stayed on the side of legal for very long.”

Nikolay swallowed his irritation. He knew Dimitri was trying to get a rise out of him. “What do you want?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“I merely wanted to tell you that Valov wants us to join him and Rae for dinner at Paddy Murphy's this weekend.”

He was barely able to keep the disdain out of his voice as he said Rae's name. It wasn't that he disliked Rae; in fact he had confided to Nikolay that she was almost likable and had a good amount of sense in her head. But Nikolay knew he was wary of her because of how attached Valov was to her. Nikolay understood. He definitely wouldn't want to get that close to someone else himself, but it seemed to work for Valov and Rae. Besides, now that he was out of the illegal business there at least wouldn’t be any legal repercussions for him.
But that is the least of the damage she could have done to him.

“Thanks,” Nikolay said. “Is that all?”

“And the strip club. How’s it doing?” Dimitri asked. “Is it earning a profit yet? I have checked the bank accounts but it doesn't seem as if you are contributing much.”

“Running a
legitimate
business means groundwork,” Nikolay said, “You wouldn’t know that.”

He nodded. “Of course,” he said. “But it's been almost two months and you are still paying it off? At least run some prostitutes and drugs on the side to expedite the process. This is getting absurd.”

“The legal ramifications are too much to risk,” Nikolay said. “Not to mention what it could do to the reputation.”

“It's a strip club! What reputation? If anything, drugs and whores would improve it.”

“This conversation is over,” Nikolay said, as he stood up. “We decided I would take over the strip club, so it's now mine and I will run it any way I see fit. Do you understand?” He walked over and held the door open for Dimitri who stiffly got up and walked toward the exit.

“Good luck,” he said before leaving. Nikolay slammed the door behind him and closed his eyes. He had to make this club work. If he wasn't able to make it profitable, then Dimitri would step in and turn it into the same sort of toxic environments they had grown up with. This had to work.