Chapter 13
Belle's POV
Silence fills the air as Nikolai and Alexei await my response. Somehow there's this little part of me thinking that Nikolai felt pressured to push for the wedding because of our argument about other people thinking that they are still single since they did not even wear wedding bands and our other past arguments regarding the matter--most of which resulted out of my frustration about how Nikolai literally dragged me to the altar and forced me to marry him.
I just look down to my ring finger and brush my beautiful ruby engagement ring and the new 18 Carat diamond ring as wide as my own chubby finger.
"Don't you like it baby? I just thought you can wear this tonight for the Ball. I have already arranged for a bigger one--a 40 Carat for our wedding. What do you think?" He says while kissing the back of my hand I moved up his chin so we can see each other eye to eye. "Nikolai, this is too much. How do you suppose I can walk around comfortably wearing this? And besides, have you seen my jewelry shelves back at the mansion?"
"Yes. We had the shelves shipped from Italy and then I ordered our people to fill them with pieces of jewelry for you. Did you like your closet by the way?" He answers, completely oblivious of my point.
My god this man. I am so close to friggin erupting really. "Nikolai, you cannot call it a closet if you have two escalators, an elevator, revolving shelves, voice-activated glass doors, and two floors of designer stuf in it. It's already a friggin mall! We have a mall inside or home Nikolai! A mall!"
"So, you don't like it?" He asked.
I sighed and just all the way gave up. Belle please, men's brains are wired to see either black or white. No rainbows or glitters. Do yourself a favor and be straightforward to him. "It's not that I don't like it. It's amazing really Nikolai and I appreciate all the things that you are giving me. But maybe perhaps next time, just modest and simple things. I can just imagine the price of this diamond ring and the 40 Carat diamond ring that you're planning to get for our wedding."
"You are my Queen. You are to wear what I want you to wear. You will have what I want you to have. You will not stop me from doing what I want. End of."
There he goes again. Arrogance level one hundred thousand! Nikolai Vacheslav Volkov.
"You marry yourself then Nikolai. End of." I retorted.
"Well..." He lets out this evil smile. "Technically, you are married to me in perpetuity no matter what you say or do. I have papers to prove it and witnesses. So go ahead. Rebel against me all you want A-- REBEL--A. Your last name is still VOLKOV and -- oh god this is my favorite part -- you, my beautiful thing, are carrying little Volkovs. My own flesh and blood. You're stuck with me and my brother. FOREVER." "Ah-- what he means---" Alexei inserted as he tries to salvage the situation and obviously trying to cover his brother's ass. He then shoots a piercing look towards the cocky bastard whom I call my husband but the latter remained unfazed.
I instantly stood up from Nikolai and attempted to walk away but Alexei caught my hand and pulls me right onto his lap. "I want to go now! Obviously, I don't have a say in this relationship. I might as well just shut up."
"Princess, listen to me. Look me in the eye please?" He says as I try so hard to roll my eyes back. Alexei wasn't able to suppress his chuckles perhaps because of how ridiculous I look right now. I instantly smack him on his shoulder. He then wraps his arms around my body to stop me from moving. "What my brother means is that me and him have no one else to spend our money on except you. We were both single before we met you yah?"
"Yah, so?" I answered, a little bitchy.
"So, we have a lot of money. More than we could ever need in this lifetime. This fucker alone is a Billionaire. And the Mafia earns millions of dollars a day. We work hard and we play harder. And our only play is spending on you. You are the only apple of our eyes. Showering you with our love plus many more makes us happy. Please don't take this happiness from us?!"
"But--" I want to reason out but Alexei's lips smacked on my lips before I could even continue. I can taste cigar and scotch from his soft and sexy mouth. I almost ran out of breath.
"No buts." He says, his hazel eyes are looking up at me intensely I feel like I'm going to melt. "This doesn't mean that you don't have a say in this relationship. It's the exact opposite of that. We are at your mercy, my love. We will do anything for you. It's just that, you don't ask us for any material things at all. So we have to get creative all the time. We don't ask permission because we know that you're going to talk us out of it."
My goodness, why is this man so gorgeous and talks a lot of sense at the same time? It's one hell of a deadly combination. "Fine. If this will make you and Nikolai happy I'm not going to complain anymore." "Good girl." Nikolai inserts sporting a playful smirk on his face.
"Whatever Nikolai." I said, rolling my eyes at him.
To my utter surprise, he stood facing his side on us and slowly pushed me down squishing me in between him and Alexei. Next thing I know, the three of us are already on the couch, wrestling. I'm trying so hard to breathe because I'm slowly suffocating in between my giggles and plead for Nikolai to stop but the man is too playful to care.
"Nikolai, your wound! Stop it! And I'm squished! Your little Volkovs remember?" I squealed.
He did not stop, instead, he raises my left arm and buried his nose on my underarm. I instantly panicked because I'm not sure if I shaved. Shit.
Nikolai inhaled deep and slowly breathed out as if enjoying a drug or something. "Uhmmm smells so fucking good brother. Divine armpit and smooth black armpit hair. Decorative."
At this point, I feel like all my blood rushed to my face in complete and utter embarrassment. I want to scream and run to a corner and just cry.
Adding salt to my wounded ego, Alexei did the same thing as his brother rains kiss on my armpit. He then acts like he got high or is about to sneeze I'm not really sure. The two then laughed teasingly. All the more I felt terribly embarrassed. Oh Lord, just friggin hit me with your lightning and just kill me now.
"Hmmp! You two have underarm hair. How come it's such an issue if I have it as well? Such a double standard!"
"Who says it's an issue? I like it, baby! Is it an issue to you brother?" Nikolai asked Alexei while a lunatic kind of grin is plastered on his face.
"I don't mind the lady hair, especially the ones down there you know." Alexei answers naughtily referring to my hair down there.
"You two are weird!" I exclaimed.
"No babe. Real men appreciate a woman's natural attributes." Nikolai responded without hesitation.
I'm still all flushed and running out of breath when I heard a very familiar and feminine voice.
"Nikolai your wife is pregnant. Stop being a rascal and get off of her and your brother."
I feel like I have seen Jesus when the image came out of the blinding sunlight. "Matushka! Matushka you're here!"
Nikolai finally got off of me and kisses me all over my face while sporting this permanent evil smile. His dark green eyes are glittering as if he's genuinely happy. My heart instantly fluttered with warmth even though I'm still drowning in embarrassment.
Alexei wasn't still able to get up so it was Matushka who bent over to kiss him on his forehead. The other love of my life is also sporting a wide and genuine smile. I never thought wrestling and embarrassing me in the process would make these two very happy.
Matushka wipes my face and brushes my hair before embracing me very tightly. "Don't worry princess, Matushka is here. I am here to help you prepare for the wives' meeting."
"Matushka, you really don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself. And besides, Amy's here as well, she can help me prepare for tonight."
"I know princess, I know you can perfectly manage without me." She answers with the warmest smile of a mother.
Somehow, I feel like I know the reason why Matushka is here at the last minute. It's Nikolai and Alexei being overprotective and paranoid again. "Is it because of the two? Did they ask you to come here for me?"
"They are just being extra careful with your own safety and of course for the babies. They want to make sure you don't get too stressed. Now go get some beauty rest because I know these two have been stressing you out. I have a reservation for you at the Coco Hotel's Spa. My baby boy Yuri will accompany you there."
"But Matushka, I want to help you. What do you need? What do you want me to do?" I insisted because I really want to be of help to the Mafia at least in my own little way but Nikolai would not even let me lift a finger. Sometimes it gets a little boring especially when I'm being left alone with the help and our bodyguards.
"I have people who will handle things. Just let Matushka do her thing okay?"