INSATIABLE CRAVINGS
Insatiable Cravings – Episode 81
Subtitle; {Loving You Is A Loosing Game}
TAGS: Age-gap, Mafia, Forbidden Love, Drama, Tragedy and Betrayal.
Settings: United Kingdom, Russia and others.
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
~ Genevieve ~
Well, Dominic is coming to my house tonight because my mother invited him for dinner. Yes, and for some reason, he looked absolutely furious, really quite añgry with my father.
I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I suspect it has something to do with his father. It’s hard to be certain, though. Anyway, I was in a right state of pànic.
No, seriously, I think I’m on the verge of having a pànic attack as I drove towards home. Adrianna and her husband, Xavier, were following closely behind me, while my parents were ahead, with Dominic trailing behind them.
My hands were trembling, my breaths either escaping my lungs or becoming stuck; it was one or the other. My mind was a chaótic jumble, and I say chaótic because not a single coherent thought was managing to break through the noise, yet they were thoughts all the same.
The what-ifs swirled around me throughout the drive home. When I finally reached the gate, I waited for my mother and father to enter before I stepped out of the car—the very one Dominic gifted me in Russia.
It’s a BMW—definitely not my usual style, but I’ve grown rather fond of it. My stride towards Dominic was brief yet hurried as I grasped his arm just as he was about to follow my parents inside.
He turned to face me, a genuine smile illuminating his features, momentarily dispelling the tension. “Hey, Vixen.”
“Don’t ‘hey, Vixen’ me,” I snapped quietly. “You were supposed to say no.”
“How could I possibly turn down the offer from Mariah King? Do you have any idea who she is?”
“Yeah, she’s my mother.”
“Oh.”
I frowned, and he pressed his lips together, yet the smile lingered stubbornly on his face. “Dominic,” I gritted out.
The smile fell from his face, and his eyes dimmed, making me feel guilty and somewhat uneasy. He gently removed his arm from my grip to take my hand instead. “Why? Don’t you want me to meet your parents, Genevieve?”
Goodness, he used my name; he must be upset.
“It’s not like that. You just don’t understand…”
“Then make me understand,” Dominic interjected, his voice calm but noticeably irritated. “Your sister already knows, so what’s two more?”
“We can’t,” I muttered. “I can’t.” I raised my voice slightly. “You don’t know my mother. She will do everything in her power to break us apart—she will, I assure you. It’s her modus operandi to see her children miserable. So, Dominic, let’s not do this tonight.”
“When should we do it, then?”
“Dominic,” I whined. “We agreed to keep our relationship private. Just as you don’t want me posting about you on my Instagram, I absolutely do not want my mother discovering us. Please, just do this for me.”
“You did not just compare those two completely different matters! I’m protecting you from my enemies by not letting you post me on your Instagram…”
“And I’m protecting this relationship, Dominic,” I retorted, my voice rising more than I intended. He let my hands slip from his gentle hold, and I grasped his instead. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. It’s just that I love you so much, and I’m terrified. Terrified that it won’t last because of my family. I don’t want to lose this, what we have—I don’t want to lose you.”
“You won’t lose me,” he said, cupping my face in his hands. “I love you too. I love you more than words can express. This will certainly last because I’m not ready to let you go. I suppose I can’t kiss you right now, can I?”
“Nope.”
He groaned like a petulant child, and just like that, all the panic I had felt earlier dissipated into laughter. “Not even a peck?”
“No.” Adrianna’s voice rang out loud and clear, and when I turned to look at her, she glared at Dominic as if he had trodden on her cat.
She doesn’t even have a cat, by the way.
Dominic’s gaze flicked from me to Adrianna to Xavier and back to me, and then a smirk crept onto his lips. Oh no, he’s plotting something.
He has plotted… My thoughts were abruptly interrupted when his lips brushed against mine faster than I could blink.
“Bastàrd,” I heard my sister mutter under her breath as she yanked me away. “Let’s go.” She shot a venomoús look at my boyfriend. “Shall we?”
“After you.”
“After you,” Adrianna mimicked, striding towards the front door. “Gosh, I can’t stand him.”
“You’ll get over it,” was the retort that nearly slipped from my lips, but I held it back. I can’t afford to make her màd. Not when I desperately needed her to be in a good mood for tomorrow’s meeting, and perhaps even to get her “go ahead. I’m not mad about it anymore” approval.
Sometimes, she can be impossibly stubborn.
••
Dinner was elegantly laid out by the time we entered the dining room, the rich mahogany table adorned with fine china and glimmering crystal cutlery, set against a backdrop of opulent drapery that framed the tall windows. The warm glow of candlelight flickered softly, casting dancing shadows across the room, creating an atmosphere that was both inviting and slightly intimidating. We settled into our seats, eager to begin our meal before Mariah King could utter a word—tonight, we were in no mood for her incessant prattling.
Dominic took his place directly opposite me, the polished surface of the table acting as a chasm between us. Each time our eyes met, I felt a flutter of something—an unspoken tension—and promptly looked away, half-convinced that if my parents caught me exchanging glances with Dominic Morozov, there would be héll to pay.
“So, any significant other in your life?” my mother inquired, her voice dripping with curiosity as she directed her question squarely at Dominic, just moments after we had begun to eat.
I paused mid-bite, fork hovering before my lips, my gaze darting to Dominic, my heart racing as I awaited his response.
“No.” His answer was curt and, if I’m honest, infuriatingly decéptive. “No significant other in my life.”
“Yet, that’s it. Right?” She pressed on, as if sensing the hidden layers beneath his words.
“Hopefully.”
Pràt!
“But it strikes me as rather peculiar that a man of your stature doesn’t have a girlfriend or fiancée,” my father mused, casting a sideways glance at Dominic, who had just brushed aside my very existence. “I imagine young ladies must be clamouring for your attention in your—what do they call it? Ah, yes, your DMs. So, if you don’t mind me asking, why is that?”
Dominic’s gaze shifted to my father, a tight smile forming on his lips. I glanced around the table, noting that Adrianna’s brow was furrowed in confusion, her eyes flitting between my dad and Dominic. She had caught on; something was definitely amiss.
“I don’t use social media, but I suppose you’re right. I just haven’t found anyone worth my while yet.”
If he denies my existence once more, I swear I’ll use my fork to stàb his eye.
He caught the challenge in my eyes, smirking slyly, “Genevieve, isn’t it?” I narrowed my eyes, daring him to push it further. “Do you have a significant other?”
“No. I’m single, Mr Morozov.”
Two can play this game, mister.
His expression darkened, amusement mingling with a hint of rage swirling in those honeyed depths. Good, let him stew in his frustration, for I was equally incensed.
“Oh, come now, Genevieve. What about Liam? You fancy him, don’t you?” Mariah King fixed her gaze upon me, as if she expected an answer. Not responding would surely see me in hot water. “He is quite taken with you.”
From across the table, stifled laughter erupted from Adrianna and Xavier, earning them a sharp look from my ever-watchful mother.
✧✧✧✧
Dinner unfolded with surprising grace, even if I did spend a good portion of it being subtly glared at by my own boyfriend.
Can you believe that?
I might have played my part in this little drama, having flirted with the idea of Liam after Dominic’s earlier dismissal. After all, what better way to retaliate against an annoying boyfriend who should have flatly refused to dine with my parents, yet sat there denying my existence, than to hint at an interest in the very boy he loathed?
He was not pleased, that much was clear. So, being the perfect, loving girlfriend that I am, I resolved to make amends by bringing him a dish I had prepared myself as a peace offering.
TBC
