All In

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Alexei walks us down the street to a little private mall. Only only one hallway about four stores long. All stores only Alexei could afford. 

I know the one we need to go into when I see all of the evening gowns on mannequins in the window. When we walk in, a woman greets us at the door. 

"How can I help you two today?"

"She needs a dress for tonight, so something we don't need fitted."

"Wonderful", she smiles, then looks right at me. "Let's have some fun."

The girl shows me along a rack of dresses she thinks would fit me, and we pick out a few. Alexei sits on a couch near the dressing room, after he told me he had to approve of the dress, since this was my first event with him. 

I decide to try on four different dresses, and Alexei seems eager to either get out of here, or see the dresses. 

The first two don't fit, so I just take them off. The third is a simple green dress, but it fits me perfectly. 

When I walk out, Alexei looks up from his phone, gives it a scan, then looks back down at his phone. "You look like a Christmas tree."

"Hey", I retort. "That's not very nice. I think this is pretty."

"If we go to one for Christmas, I'll bring you back for that dress."

I huff, then go back in for the employee to help me into the last dress. It's a black dress with a slit up the skirt to my hip. "I think he'll like this one", I whisper to her. She nods excitedly. 

I step back out into Alexei's view, and he actually looks this time. His only reaction is shifting himself in his seat, shifting himself in his trousers.

"Oh, keep it in your pants", I joke. 

He gives me a look. "I don't want to, and I don't know if I will."

What the fuck. But, I keep my cool. I can't show this man how much of an effect he has on me, but the kiss last night left me with so many thoughts, it's insane what this man has already done to me. 

"So it's okay?"

"More than okay." He looks over to the girl. "I'll have my assistant come pick it up."

I give an awkward thumbs up, then go back and take the dress off. "How long have you two been together?" She asks me. 

I sort of chuckle. "We're not together, it's too complicated, and I don't know what this is." 

Alexei goes to pay for the dress with her while I dress myself again. I meet him back out at the front door. 

We leave the store, but before we leave the entrance to the mall, Alexei suddenly pushes me against the wall, just as he did last night at the restaurant. 

"The things you do to me, Жизнь моя", he looks down at me like he wants to rip my clothes off. "You are going to be mine."

"At least take me on a date first." I play.

Alexei smirks. "I'll take you on as many dates as you want, Жизнь моя."

I unconsciously grab his arm gently, and he takes it as a moment to, instead of caging me in, puts his hand on my cheek. 

"I will never let anyone hurt you again."

"You can't promise that", I tell him.

His eyes go very dark. "I do promise you that." But then he pushes away from me, and I feel that same emptiness as last night. He questions me: "You still need lingerie?"

"The only bra and panties I have are the ones I'm wearing", I notify him. "I unfortunately don't carry extra with me when I'm kidnapped."

He rolls his eyes. "The drama."

We leave the mall, and he brings me a little bit further down the street. In the back of my mind sits the fact I could see Carson anywhere, just knowing he's in the city. 

My subconscious must really love Alexei, because I unknowingly wrap my arm around his, and he pulls me a little closer. 

The shop he brings me to is small, and as any man would, he's slightly stand offish and awkward as I look through everything. He decides enough is enough, and goes to stand by the door while I shop. 

I fill one of their little shopping baskets with panties, bras, a swimsuit, tights, and leggings. I also buy a few things I know I could use in the future, looking at the track Alexei and I are going. One set is black, with laces triangles to cover my girls, and the same material to skimpily cover below. The other is a maroon baby doll outfit with matching panties. 

"I'm finished", I go back to him a few minutes later. He thinks for a moment, then just hands me his card, so he doesn't have to walk through the store. 

I spend way too much money on his card, but if I hadn't I'd be afraid of the repercussions; he told me to buy what I need, as he was right, I might be there awhile. 

When I go back to Alexei, one of the men from his table is with him chatting. He then hands Alexei what I'm guessing is my new phone, then leaves again. 

"I'm ready".

"All right. We can set up your phone when we get to the apartment. I had Dom take all of your clothes back there already."

Alexei and I head back to the parking garage.

"So what do you do on a daily basis?" I ask him as he drives us back to the apartment. 

"I'm Volkov's assistant, you could say", he starts. "But Volkov does not do much, so I run everything."

"But what does everything entail?"

"A bit of everything. I'll tell you about it at some point."

"You could tell me now", I egg him on. "I can't tell anyone, the only person I know in the city is May."

"We're not in the business of just telling people what we do", Alexei argues. "But I'm sure you'll hear about all of it tonight."

"What is tonight for? And why do I need to go?"

"I just invited you to a fancy event and bought you a six hundred dollar dress for you to question it?" When I look over at him to apologize for being rude, he has a sarcastic smirk on his face, and I know he's kidding. "Volkov's wife just throws these things to get the family together, invite allies over to get their help, things like that. As for you, Volkov told her about you last week, and she personally invited you."

I think for a second. "Wait, I have nothing with me to make myself look presentable."

"My sister will be over later to help you. She has everything in her room."

"Oooo", I giggle. "I get to meet the family already. What's her name?"

"Dina."

my mother had always told me about a girl I played with when I was a baby, but I was too young to remember anything about her. But her mother and mine were friends, and we were only born two weeks apart, so while we still lived in Russia, she had been my "friend". But Dina is such a common name, it is so unlikely that it would be her. Right?