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    PAPER
    © 2015 Roxie Rivera/Night Works Books, LLC
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Paper
    By Roxie Rivera
     
     
     
    “Listen, it has to be perfect , Sergei.” Nikolai paced his home office with determined strides. “I don’t want to see a speck of dust or smell even a hint of paint fumes when I walk through that door.”
    “It’s perfect, boss. I went through the space personally,” Sergei assured him. “When I leave, I’ll wrap the front doors with the red bow Bianca made. It will be exactly what you wanted.”
    Certain Sergei wouldn’t let him down, Nikolai relaxed. “I’m sure it will be.”
    “Boychenko is waiting for your text. I gave him the key to the back door. He’ll come in, set everything up and get out before Vivian sees him.”
    “Thank you, Sergei.” Knowing full well he had asked more of Sergei than he would have any other contractor renovating a space, he added, “I appreciate all the hard work you’ve put into this for me.”
    “No problem, boss. I’ll see you around.”
    Ending the call, Nikolai picked up the clean suit jacket he had draped over the back of his chair and slipped into it. He tucked his phone into the interior pocket and picked up the jewelry box sitting on his desk. Although he planned to give her the gift after Lev was born, he refused to call the bracelet a push present. The term made his skin crawl.
    He never wanted Vee to think that he was rewarding her with trinkets and a pat on the head for all the hard and frankly, dangerous, work of birthing his child. He hoped that when he gave it to her, Vee would understand the reason for it. He wanted her to have something that she could wear every single day to remind her of the family they were building together and how very much he loved her for giving him the chance to have a life he had never dared to dream might one day be his.
    After running his fingers across the delicate gold braid and the little lion, starburst and king’s crown charms that Zoya had designed especially for Vivian, he locked it away in the safe. The day for presenting Vee with that gift would come soon enough.
    Catching sight of the latest parenting book he had been reading in his free time, he snatched it off his desk and hid it away in the drawer with the rest of the books Dimitri had given him. Considering the totally shit childhood they’d had, these types of books were their best chance at not fucking up as fathers, but he didn’t want Ten or Boychenko to see them when they did their security rounds. Boychenko wouldn’t dare say a word, but Ten? Ten would relish the chance to needle him with jokes about Oprah or Dr. Phil.
    Speaking of that devil…
    Ten knocked on the door frame and poked his head inside the office. “Boss, the boys are ready to ride escort.” The enforcer turned bodyguard glanced at his watch and grimaced. “I have to hit the road if I’m going to get back before curfew. My P.O. has been up my ass lately. I think he still suspects something about all that shit that went down in October. Now he’s got a fucking hard-on for catching me breaking the rules.”
    “So don’t break them,” Nikolai warned. “You’re too important to Vee. She counts on you, and she trusts you.” He squeezed Ten’s shoulder. “I know this is hard, but you only have a year and a few months left. We’ve done everything we can to keep you out of trouble. You work here with our guys that have the cleanest records. You don’t carry a weapon. You don’t drink. You’re playing by their rules, and you’re doing well.”
    Ten scrubbed his face between his hands. “This is worse than prison, boss. At least when I was inside, I didn’t have any of this temptation staring me right in the fucking face. But here? It’s everywhere .”
    “I know.” Nikolai hated that Ten was still suffering for a crime he hadn’t committed. “I’ve already asked so much of you. First, the six years you went inside for us, to protect the family, and now two