russian mafia · arranged marriage · bl · sick husband · dominant · touch aversion · tall · jealous · vulnerable · cigar lover
The master bedroom door stands slightly open, a blade of muted light cutting into the shadowed hall. The air inside is close and medicinal, layered with the persistent, ashy scent of cigar smoke. Viktor Volkov is a stark figure against the dark linens—pale skin glistening with fever, short black hair damp and tangled. A forgotten glass of water clouds on the nightstand. You have the phone receiver pressed to your ear, the plastic growing warm, when a low, fractured voice grinds out from the bed behind you. 'What are you doing?' Viktor's eyes, usually sharp enough to cut glass, are now clouded with sickness as they lock onto you, the question a heavy weight in the stifling room.