Bitten (Book 1 - Book 4) novel Chapter 11

“Such light reading,” Natalia said with heavy sarcasm over dinner on Sunday night. “Foundations of Financial Management. Financial Management Introduction. Here, I thought I had a week of leisure to feel better.”

“You don’t like the Accounting for Dimwits book?” Uri said with a chuckle.

“Puts me to sleep,” she said, but she was kidding.

Despite, she complained every night when he came home, she was pouring over the books.

“Any knowledge in finance will help tremendously at the bank,” he said. “In the end, a degree will be crucial.”

“I thought my other assets were enough,” she said with a tease, thrusting out her breasts.

“Sorry, those won’t get you far as an intern,” he said with a chuckle.

“Early rise tomorrow?”

“Yes,” he said. “We have more boxes for you to work on. Then I think the HR Department is going to borrow you.”

“Nice to be wanted.”

“Bring a book or two for your breaks and lunch. Tomorrow is a sack lunch. It will be delivered to you. I have meetings.”

“I’ll need a bag to carry them in. I don’t really have any handbag big enough.”

“We’ll find you a satchel and make you more professional looking. You’re dressing professional enough. There are rumors that you’re really an auditor.”

“Disguised as a lowly intern. How nice,” she said.

“You need a few more suits, though.”

“One size bigger. I seem to be expanding,” she said with a slight frown.

He nodded, but she almost felt he was ogling her.

“There’s a specialty shop in town that caters to dressing the professional woman through her pregnancies. We’ll give them a visit. Or I can send you with Tia. Tia has used them through her pregnancies.”

“How many children does she have?”

“Two.”

“Who’s her husband?”

Uri shrugged. Natalia deciding that this was a Tia question.

“How far are you in the latest book I’ve given you?”

“Just through the first couple of chapters.”

“Most of these books are what the high schoolers go through.”

“High schoolers? I never took any classes in finance. Nor did I hear of any that were available.”

“Not in your high school. We do in ours. Viperians are good with numbers. We capitalize on that skill, literally.”

He smiled as if boasting.

“All our college bound children are way ahead in that arena. We have lots of scholarships available for finance degrees. However, we’re encouraging diversification, so there’s now a growing number of scholarships for law and medical degrees.”

“I suddenly feel inadequate,” she said.

“You have a month or so to catch up,” he said. “You’ll be going through a college program, but it’s one of ours. Our grading is a lot more stringent. We produce graduates who can do the job.”

“I think I have some reading to do after dinner,” she said, feeling a little overwhelmed.

Uri nodded in agreement.

After dinner, he rose.

“I’ll leave you to your reading.”

Natalia watched him head toward the garage before she retired to a room upstairs. The room was one of the spare bedrooms, but she was starting to make it into her own office. Or as she liked to refer to it, as her own space.

“I just need to get a nice overstuffed chaise lounge,” she muttered to herself when she settled on a loveseat that she had moved into the room. There had been a queen-sized bed, but she had asked Mag to remove it.

“I need to go shopping. Probably another Tia thing.”

Natalia increased her focus on the financial management book. She reviewed the chapters she had read and looked at the review questions. Time went fast, and it was well after eleven when Uri tapped on the door, which was only partially shut.

“Bedtime,” he said.

He seemed tired and looked a little warm.

“Working out?” she said, guessing.

“Yeah,” he said, but she found she didn’t believe him.

He was quick to fall asleep, but so was she. It seemed hardly any time had passed, and Uri was pulling her out of bed.

In the shower, she noticed bruises on his arms and chest.

“Where did you get those?”

He shrugged.

Natalia knew she wasn’t going to get an answer.

She dressed, feeling the snugness of the skirt.

“I usually swell up before my period, but this time it didn’t go away,” she said.

Uri was straightening his tie.

“You put the knife on? I didn’t see,” he said, sliding his knife up his sleeve.

“Yes. It’s there.”

“You’re going to feel swollen for some time now,” he said. “I’ll call Tia to go shopping with you.”

“Make it soon otherwise I don’t think these clothes will fit by the end of the week.”

“You’re not swelling that fast. But, I’ll see if she can do it tomorrow. Wednesday I know she’s busy, and we’re at the club on Thursday and Friday.”

He took her hand and led her downstairs. He no longer dragged her around, but when he did take her hand, he would do a gentle tug to get her going in his direction.

“Breakfast on the go this morning?”

Mag stood at the foot of the stairs with mugs of tea, a thermos, and a bag.

“I need to be in a little earlier,” Uri said.

Natalia took a mug and the thermos.

“Sanguine tea, I take it?”

Mag nodded.

“Here’s a satchel. An old one I used to use,” Uri said, taking the bag from Mag and his own mug of tea.

“Your books are already in there,” Mag said.

Natalia fit the thermos into the satchel. Since her hands were now full, Uri gently put a hand on her arm to guide her toward the limo.

“I’m starting to crave this stuff,” she said, indicating the thermos.

“Your body must need something that’s in there.”

He pulled out a breakfast sandwich from the bag and handed it to her once she was seated in the limo. They ate in silence. As usual he sat close to her and after a short time he brushed his cheek against hers.

“You smell nice today,” he said.

“Must be baby or breakfast. I don’t wear perfume.”

He grinned.

The limo slowed and stopped. The door locks sounded.

“Morning, Uri. Nice to see you Natalia. How are you feeling?” Sophie said when she got in.

“Morning,” Uri said.

“Morning, Sophie. Much better, thank you,” Natalia said.

They fell silent, but Natalia knew immediately that Uri and Sophie were talking since she could feel the vibration through her hand. She wondered if Viperian was a language she could learn. Another Tia question, she thought.

The number of boxes in the conference room were double the ones before. Natalia didn’t need any instructions. She set aside her satchel and proceeded to work. There was still a guard outside the door. No one bothered her. However, that didn’t keep her from looking up whenever someone passed.

Rarely did anyone come from the direction of the President’s office. Even more rare was seeing Mr. Paroli. Usually the only people who passed were his administrative assistant, the Viperian woman she had seen in his office, and Uri.

Uri walked past, heading in that direction. He didn’t look in at her.

Natalia paused to sip tea from her thermos. Her bladder reminded her she needed to take a longer break. She headed to the restroom. The guard ignored her as did everyone else she met. She noted that most people stayed in their offices.

Back in the conference room, she took a few minutes to read one of her books.

“Almost got the art of speed reading down pat,” she muttered to herself.

She finished ten pages before putting the book away.

“How are things going?”

Natalia started at the voice.

“Oh, hi, Tia. Good. All good.”

She noted it was almost eleven thirty.

“Uri told me you needed some clothes. I’ll pick you up after work tomorrow,” Tia said.

“Yes, I’ve expanded some.”

“The hazard of being a woman,” Tia said with a smile. “Block your calendar for both Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. We’ll do shopping and dinner on Tuesday. On Wednesday… every Wednesday, there is a meeting.”

“A meeting for what?”

“Women.”

“What do I tell Uri?”

“You just tell him you’ll be out with me. That’s all you need to say.”

“It’s booked. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Natalia said.

Tia nodded and left.

Natalia put a scheduled reminder on her phone. Just as she finished, Bailey stepped into the conference room long enough to put down a sack. She didn’t linger or say anything.

“I hope that’s lunch. I’m hungry.”

Natalia pulled out a large deli sandwich with chips.

“Nice.”

She felt like a pig as she stuffed her face, and her suit felt even tighter. There was little left of the sanguine tea as well when she finished.

“I wonder if it’s this tea that’s making me so hungry.”

She felt addicted to it.

The afternoon passed quickly, but she was ready to go when Uri appeared at the door. He was quick to guide her to the elevator and down to the limo.

“Sophie working late? Or get another ride home,” Natalia said, noting her absence.

“Yes,” Uri said.

Natalia was getting to know his tone of voice when she shouldn’t ask questions.

Once home, she was relieved to get out of her suit, but not sure she was happy about being hungry again when they sat down to dinner.

Uri dug eagerly into the meal.

“I notice there is less raw meat when we don’t have guests,” Natalia said.

She was relishing the pasta dish set in front of her.

“It is customary to serve raw meat when you have guests,” Uri said.

“At my mother’s house, a cake was usually baked, or some sort of fancy dessert.”

Uri grimaced.

“Not exactly a fan of cake,” he said.

“I’ve never seen a dessert,” she said, realizing that no meal since being with Uri included a dessert option.

“We’re not dessert people,” he said. “Meat pastries are the closest you’ll get.”

“What about the cookies before bed?”

“That’s not dessert.”

That caused Natalia to pause and stare at him.

“What exactly is in the cookies?” she said deadpan.

He grinned and didn’t answer.

“Mag?” she said.

Mag stepped in.

“Yes, miss?”

“Tell me what’s in the cookies we have before bed.”