Obeying the Russian Mafia Boss: A Mob Romance by Bella Rose, Leona Lee Page A

shoulders back and all emotion drained from her face. “You’re my boss. I have absolutely no reason to be jealous. We have a professional relationship.”
    “Right,” he muttered. “So do you want me to really tell you if she’s my fiancée?”
    “It’s none of my business.” She reached over and grabbed the tray from the table.
    He watched, amused, as she jerked his untouched breakfast from the table. “I’m not finished yet.”
    “You’re finished now,” she snapped. Without another word, she whirled around and stormed from the dining room.
    “Seems like none of my women are happy this morning,” he muttered as he picked up his coffee once again.
    “Boss?” The door opened and Matvei stuck his head in. “I heard about what happened yesterday. Was it Dina?”
    It was all Erik could do not to roll his eyes. Matvei had been in love with Dina for years, but the man would never actually speak to the young woman. “It was Ella. Dina is fine.”
    “Then where is she? The new girl served us breakfast.”
    “Dina is just fine,” Erik said calmly. “She’s just meddling in things she should not be meddling in. What’s on the agenda for today?”
    Matvei didn’t look completely satisfied with the answer, but he didn’t push the issue. “All the lunch girls are booked. It looks like your clients are trying to get a last roll in the hay before the weekend hits. Leonid is spreading the word about the new product that will be available tonight. There was a request for the VIP room, but we denied it.”
    Erik looked up sharply. “Why?”
    Matvei looked uneasily at the floor. “The girls might have heard that there was a new player in town. Another Russian. I think Yashin might be showing his face in the city. There’s a good chance that he’s the one who wanted the room tonight, and I didn’t think you’d want to give him a bird’s eye view of the club.”
    “You thought right,” Erik said angrily. “How much do you trust this information?”
    “It came from more than one source. I think we should pay attention to it.”
    Tapping his finger on the mug, Erik tried to think about Yashin’s motive. If he was caught in the city before Erik decided about the marriage proposal, he ran the risk that Erik would reject the proposal out of anger. So why would Yashin risk it?
    Only one answer made sense, and it was one that Erik didn’t like very much. “Tell the girls to pry information at lunch. Subtly, of course. I want this verified before I take action. I also want extra eyes on the club tonight. Not only are Valeria and her father not welcome, but I don’t want any independent dealers there. It might take a few weeks to weed them all out, but I want to set the example tonight. Be polite but firm and clear. If they set foot in my club again, I’ll break all ten of their fingers.”
    “Yes, sir. Anything else?”
    “Get Zoya to make me a new breakfast and have it delivered to my office. And please don’t let the new girl get her hands on it. She’s not exactly pleased with me today.”
    Matvei frowned. “I could fire her for you.”
    “No,” Erik said with a shake of his head. “I find her rather entertaining.” He dismissed Matvei and rose from the table. Moving to his office, he closed the door and picked up the phone.
    “Father,” he said quietly. It would be just around dinner time in Russia, and his father was a punctual man. “I turned down the Yashin deal.”
    “I had a feeling,” his father said with a sigh. “Are you worried about repercussions?”
    “I’m not worried about repercussions as much as I’m worried about his intentions all along. I rejected Valeria just this morning, but it looks like Yashin has been sniffing around my territory for a few days now. Do you trust him?”
    “Erik, what have I taught you? Never trust anyone. If you think Yashin is dirty, he probably is. In Russia, making a move on you is an affront on me, but he feels safe with an ocean separating