Just a Bit Ruthless

Luke was kind of embarrassed to admit it, but he couldn’t help but stare at the photographs of the guy. Roman Demidov was a tall, dark-haired man with broad shoulders and the kind of muscle definition that most men could only dream of. He looked like a professional boxer rather than a successful businessman.
It was silly to form an opinion of a man he’d never met, but the more Luke looked at Roman Demidov’s pictures, the more disconcerted he felt. Even when the guy smiled, it never seemed to reach his eyes. That ice-blue stare completely dominated every picture he was in, drawing attention every single time. There was nothing attractive about those eyes. If anything, the cruelty lurking in them was downright ugly. The guy was handsome enough, Luke supposed, if one liked cold, assertive men who looked like they could snap your neck and be bored while doing it. Luke certainly didn’t. But, for some reason, he had trouble dragging his gaze away. It was silly. It was just a photograph. A photograph shouldn’t make him so unnerved.

⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Indifferent...*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱

What should one call attraction to a cold, manipulative man one didn’t even like? A case of stupid.

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

.·:·.☽✧ 4.8 stars ✧☾.·:·.

"Why do you care?” he said instead, lifting his eyelids with some effort.
“Why do you care if I fucked him yet or not? I was a toy to you. A pawn. But now the game is over. The king is taken down. What do you need a pawn for?”
Roman pulled back. “You’re right: I don’t. You’re of no use to me anymore.”

"Roman hummed. “Possible,” he said and watched Vlad breathe out.
“But unlikely. There’s a much likelier explanation, don’t you think?”
“I don’t understand,” Vlad said.
Grabbing his throat, Roman shoved him into the wall, Vlad’s head knocking against it with a thud. It looked painful. Roman didn’t care.
“Why?” he said, rage making him see red. “Why did you do it?”
All pretense left Vlad’s face, his body sagging as though he were a rag-doll.
“I...”
“Why?” Roman repeated, squeezing his throat tighter and watching him choke. Snapping a man’s neck wasn’t difficult. It had been years since he had been so tempted to do it.
“I did it for you,” Vlad managed to croak out."

"He wasn’t sure how much time passed. He couldn’t see more than two feet in front of him, his eyes blurred by hot tears, his senses on overdrive as Roman continued to snap his hips into him, his thick cock stretching him wide open, taking him higher and higher. He was basically clawing at Roman’s hipbones now, overwhelmed and desperate and just out of it.
“Come on, princess,” Roman said into his ear, voice so low it was barely recognizable. He thrust hard against Luke’s prostate. “Come for daddy.”

If Richard Whitford had taught his only son anything, it was that in any unfavorable situation, there was always room for negotiations. Any situation could be turned to his advantage—or at least could be swayed a little in his favor. But one didn’t negotiate with pawns. One negotiated with the king.






Luke moistened his lips with his tongue.
The painful grip in his hair tightened, yet Roman’s voice was very soft. “I want answers. Now.”
Luke took in a deep breath, trying to shake off his nerves. Roman Demidov was just a man. Just a man like him or James. All right, maybe not like him or James, but still. Every man, no matter how hardened and clever, was susceptible to a bit of manipulation and persuasion. He just had to find the right approach.






The tight grip in his hair loosened, turning into a gentle caress again. Luke wasn’t sure which was actually worse.









“Please,” Luke said quietly.
Some emotion flickered across Roman’s face. He stared at Luke some more, his expression inscrutable once again, before turning around and leaving.
Luke sagged back, disappointment nearly crushing him. He’d failed. Again.
Then, he heard Roman’s cold voice, muffled by the door but clear enough:
“Daite malchishke chto-nibud poyest suschestvennogo. Myortvym mne on ne nuzhen.” [Give the boy some decent food. He won’t be of use to me dead.]
A slow, little smile curled Luke’s lips.
It might be a small win, but he felt his optimism returning.
Baby steps.

“It’s endearing how you think you can disturb my sleep without a good enough reason,” Roman said, a hint of steel appearing in his voice. Luke froze, eyes flickering to Roman’s. He swallowed. Roman reached out, took the collar of Luke’s shirt, and tugged him closer. Luke’s heart thudded in his throat, his mouth dry. “Or did you just want my attention, love?”