INSATIABLE CRAVINGS
Insatiable Cravings - Episode 67
Subtitle; {Loving You Is A Loosing Game}
TAGS: Age-gap, Mafia, Forbidden Love, Drama, Tragedy and Betrayal.
Settings: United Kingdom, Russia and others.
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
~ Dominic ~
"Where are you going?" Aurora asked as she entered my room, her eyes landing on me while I was wrapped up in a phone call with the pilot.
I turned to her, keeping my tone neutral. "Hawaii."
"Hmm, that's interesting. Genevieve happens to be in Hawaii right now too."
"Is she?" I feigned ignorance, fully aware of my Vixen's whereabouts. "I didn’t know."
"Sure you didn’t." Rory nodded, skepticism etched across her face.
Her sarcasm was sharp, and I could feel the weight of her knowing gaze. I was powerless against her scrutiny; my baby sister had a way of piercing through my defenses.
A breath escaped my lips, and I noticed a glimmer of amusement in her eyes, as if my turmoil was an amusing spectacle.
"You're going to see her, aren't you?" My throat tightened, so I simply nodded. "You love her?"
My gaze dropped, focusing on the floor beneath us. "I think I do." The confession barely rose above a whisper, but the truth was undeniable. "Actually, I do. A lot. I feel like I'm losing my will to live without her."
Tears threatened to spill, a testament to the vulnerability love had instilled in me. I should have recognized my feelings sooner, especially after the first tear I shed in years because of her. Or perhaps, the countless other moments she made me weep.
How could I have been so blind to my own heart's desires? I longed to give myself to her, yet I had pushed her away. How could I look into her stunning blue eyes and deny her love when she had offered it so freely, even when I felt unworthy?
She deserved everything, and I vowed to be the world that would cherish her.
"Aww," Aurora's voice rose a pitch, and I glanced up to see tears shimmering in her eyes. "I've never seen you cry before. I always thought you were part robot and part man, but now... this is adorable."
"I am not crying," I retorted sharply.
"Do you want a hug?"
Her tone was infuriatingly high-pitched, reminiscent of how one might speak to a pet. I grimaced, taking a step back.
"No."
"Why not?" she whined. "You finally admitted your feelings for Genny! That deserves a hug."
"No."
My sister rolled her eyes and, despite my protest, wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace. I couldn’t help but smile as I returned her hug.
"Only because you're my sister," I said, pulling away. Her grin was radiant as I placed a quick kiss on her forehead. "And I wasn't crying."
"Sure about that?"
"Yeah, something got in my eye."
"Cliché, Dominic."
I rolled my eyes at her accurate observation but refused to concede. She looked smug, confident in her assumption.
"Do you know where she is?"
"No. But I have a number."
"I don’t understand; isn’t she ignoring your calls and messages?"
"Rub it in, will you?" I shot back, glaring at my occasionally infuriating sister, who simply winked at me. "As I was saying before I was interrupted, I have Julianna's number."
"Oh. Julianna Nelsons, her best friend?"
"No, Julianna Michaels, her sister."
"Ugh, you're cranky today," she muttered. "What will you do when you find her?"
"Confess my feelings."
"That's so cute."
There it was again.
"Stop talking to me like that," I snapped.
"Like what?"
"Like I’m a pet."
"But you’re so adorable right now, I can’t help it."
"Good night, Rory."
"It’s morning."
✧✧✧✧
That fateful day I pilfered Julianna's number from Genevieve's phone, knowing she wouldn’t hand it over without a fight, had finally come in handy. For some reason, I hadn’t been able to find her number during my background check.
As the plane touched down in Hawaii, I called Julianna. She didn’t pick up at first, but after a few tries, she finally answered.
"Hello, Julianna speaking." Her voice came through, slightly shaky. "Who is this?"
"Dominic," I replied smoothly. "Dominic Morozov."
My lips curled into a self-satisfied smirk at the sound of her startled gasp upon hearing my name.
"I understand Genevieve is with you."
"Y-yes." Her once steady voice quivered now, laced with a palpable fear that sent a thrill through me.
I relished the power I held over her.
"Where?"
"I... I... I c-can't..." Her stammering was infuriating, and I could sense her irritation mirroring my own. After a heavy breath, she attempted to regain composure. "Sorry, I can't tell you that."
A dark, menacing chuckle escaped my lips at her audacity to defy me. The annoyance simmered within, tightening my grip on the steering wheel. "You might want to reconsider your decision, Julianna."
"How d-do y-you know my n-na-name?"
I sighed, growing weary of this exchange. All I wanted was Genevieve, and I wanted her now. Silence loomed on the other end, and for a moment, I thought she had hung up, but the faint sound of her breathing confirmed she was still there.
My patience was fraying, teetering on the edge of oblivion as she continued to remain silent. "Julianna, I am waiting. I don't appreciate delays."
"Why do you want to know Genevieve's whereabouts? It’s not like you can get here in the next hour or so." Julianna seemed to have shed her stuttering, her voice steadier but still trembling.
"Let me handle the logistics, Julianna. Now, I will ask again, and I don’t like to repeat myself—where is she?"
"Ummm..."
Her hesitation was infuriating.
"Speak, Julianna. I know you can articulate a response. You're not unintelligent, so make the right choice."
"Else what?"
Hmm, a daring retort. She was bold, but this was a grave mistake on her part—daring me, Dominic Morozov.
"We'll have to find out."
"Are you... are you threateñing me?"
"Perhaps I am, perhaps I am not; it's hard to say."
Julianna sighed in resignation. "I'll send you the address."
"Good choice, Jules." I let the nickname slip, knowing it was what Genevieve called her, relishing the reaction it provoked—a heavy sigh. "If you could expedite that, I’d appreciate it. And for the love of all that’s holy, don’t mention this to Genevieve."
••
The torrential downpour that began shortly after my call with Julianna showed no signs of abating. I had expected it to lessen, but it only intensified, a relentless assault of rain on this already tumultuous night.
As if the dreary British rain wasn't enough of a nuisance, it had to unleash its fury tonight of all nights. And of course, I was without an umbrella.
Dàmn it!
I killéd the engine of the rented car in front of the cabin I suspected was the one from the address she had sent. Stepping out into the deluge, I curséd the weather that taunted me.
You might think that, as Dominic Morozov, I would have meticulously crafted my words for when I faced her. But the truth was, I had no idea what I would say.
And even if I did, I would likely forget it all the moment I locked eyes with her. Those mesmerizing blues had a way of ensnaring my thoughts, rendering me utterly defenseless. All she had to do was look up at me, and I was lost.
But I hadn’t arrived unprepared. My Vixen had once mentioned, while reading, “Oh, how I’d adore it when a man confesses to me with a letter.” So that’s precisely what I had done, a perfect solution for a man who struggled to find the right words.
As I approached the cabin, I caught sight of them in the window. Genevieve curled up on the sofa, Julianna beside her, both engrossed in the television. Retrieving the folded letter from my pocket, I slid it beneath the door and waited.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Six long minutes passed as I stood beneath the relentless downpour, my body trembling from the cold. My clothes clung to me, soaked through, and my vision blurred from the rain cascading down my face.
A few seconds later, the door swung open, and my gaze fell upon Genevieve's tear-filled eyes. She wore my hoodie, and in her shaky hand, she clutched my letter, staring at me as her breath quickened.
Genevieve held the letter delicately between her index finger and thumb, her expression a mix of disbelief and intrigue. "You wrote this?"
Seeing her stand there, a stark contrast to our heated exchange just two days prior, set off a whirlwind of emotions within me. Clad in my hoodie and exuding an undeniable charm, she looked utterly adorable.
That spark in her eyes hadn’t dimmed, even after I’d been an absolute fool on what should have been an important night. How was it possible for her to still look at me with such warmth?
I couldn’t even muster that kind of regard for myself!
My chest tightened under the intensity of her gaze as I nodded, unable to find my voice.
"Oh. You sure you didn't just copy it from Google?" she teased, a playful skepticism dancing in her eyes. I shook my head, and she feigned suspicion with a soft hum. "Do you want to come in?"
"No, not while you’re still upset with me."
She blinked, clearing her throat as if to regain her composure. "Then, I guess I should come out and meet you." My Vixen briefly turned her gaze away to signal Julianna, who was still in the cabin, to take the letter. When she faced me again, the faintest of smiles graced her lips.
In that letter, which I had agonized over, rewriting it countless times to ensure perfection, I had poured my heart into every word.
𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒖𝒔. 𝑬𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒕𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒄 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝑽𝒊𝒙𝒆𝒏. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝑰 𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒚. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍, 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆’𝒔 𝒔𝒚𝒎𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒚, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒎 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆.
𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒇𝒂ç𝒂𝒅𝒆—𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍. 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒎𝒃𝒖𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒆. 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆, 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏. 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓, 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖.
𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒚, 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅, 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒔𝒕, 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑰 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒂 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆.
𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔, 𝑫𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒄 ♡♡
Genevieve stepped out of the cabin, her movements deliberate and slow. By the time she reached me, her hair clung to her face, dampened by the rain, and my hoodie bore the same evidence of the downpour.
Talk.
Talk.
Dominic, for heaven's sake, just say something.
Anything, at least!
"Hi," I blurted, snapping my eyes shut in mortification, cursiñg myself for that pitiful greeting.
Well, it’s something, isn’t it?
The enchanting woman before me, who had captured my heart in ways I never thought possible, let out that infectious laugh of hers, sending my pulse racing. Then she echoed, "Hi."
Now, for the love of all that is good, say something to her.
Dominic, speak! She’s looking at you; talk to her.
It was no secret that Genevieve King could read me like an open book. She noticed my hesitation—or was it speechlessness?—she filled the silence instead. "Is it true? The letter, is it true?"
"Yes," she replied, her voice steady.
"So, are you saying that you love me?"
"No, I don’t love you. Perhaps it’s because I’ve never encountered feelings like this before. It’s utterly overwhelming. I can’t close my eyes without seeing you, and I can’t even think without your voice echoing in my mind. Whenever I convince myself that I can manage without you in my life, my thoughts become muddled, consumed by everything that is you."
Genevieve's cheeks flushed that delightful shade of red that I adore as she brushed away the wet strands of hair clinging to the corner of her eye.
Can she be any more mesmerizing?
Yes. The answer is undoubtedly yes.
"Genevieve, whether I want to or not, you occupy my thoughts endlessly. My entire being has become so accustomed to your presence that I struggle to function without you. I have no idea what you’ve done to me, and even if I did, I wouldn’t dare to change it because I relish this feeling. Your mere existence has become an addiction—intoxicating, much like a drúg that I know is hàrmful, yet I can’t resist or quit wanting it to survive."
"I need you as much as I want you, if not more. And yes, I know I can be an àrse arse sometimes, perhaps a bit foólish for the things I’ve said to you." She laughed. "As perplexing as this turmoil in my heart is when I think of you, it’s also exhilarating in a way that makes me reluctant to put an end to it."
"I miss you profoundly. I miss your eyes, your smiles. I long for your quick comebacks and remarks, your face. I miss those moments when I’d watch you, absorbed in a book on your Kindle. I miss your laughter and the way you indulge in sweets. I miss your scent, your calming touch. God, I miss every little thing about you, and it feels like an eternity since I last gazed into your eyes."
"All I’m trying to convey is that being with you is a blend of every good and bàd sensation. It’s akin to drowniñg, with no desire to save myself. A siñful yet strangely peaceful feeling. It’s sweet, yet undeniably dangeroús. But do I wish for it any other way? No. Absolutely not."
"You do know that ‘I love you’ is just three words, right?"
"Love?" I scoffed. "What I feel for you transcends mere love. It’s like walking through fíre and relishing every moment of it. Not wanting to escape the tóxic, choking, and dangeroús smóke because somehow it resembles my favorite scent—you."
Genevieve exhaled softly, her gaze flickering anywhere but at me. "I don’t know what to say."
"Just say you will be my girlfriend."
"But you didn’t ask."
Oh, I will.
I will do everything within my power to ensure that she is mine forever.
"Very well, Vixen." Thunder rumbled in the sky, intensifying the rain. I blinked away the droplets as I stepped closer, taking her hands in mine. "Will you be my girlfriend?" My voice was low yet resolute, shaky yet sincere.
She pursed her lips, feigning thoughtfulness as she hummed softly. "Let me think about it."
"Genevieve."
"Jeez, okay, jeez."
Is that a yes?
"Say it." I urged, my heart racing.
"I am your girlfriend," Genevieve said, a shy smile lighting up her face.
"Good, because I am your boyfriend, Baby."
TBC
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