Dark Desire

Chapter Seventeen

MARIANA

I have ever seen two people so tense. Despite the music, the delicious deserts, the endless serving of champagne, Axel and Wolff wouldn't touch anything. They wouldn't even relax in their seats, let alone talk to anyone. All they've ever done from the moment we sat on this table was adjust their ties.

It seemed they wouldn't appreciate my attempt for conversation either so I just kept quiet and ate the appealing tiramisu on my plate. It was after my third bite that a dashing woman strode for our table. Her hair was golden blonde and chin-length and her sapphire eyes were striking. She was beautiful in a way, despite the obvious nose job and excessive botox.

She went straight for Wolff. "Darling, you look well." When Wolff did nothing to address her, her gaze went to Axel, those bright blue eyes scanning him from head-to-toe and her red-painted lips curled just slightly before schooling a serious expression. "Well, boys, surely you'd make yourselves useful than sitting here like wood planks."

My eyes narrowed and a sense of protectiveness for the two men beside me rose heavily on my chest, welling up to my throat until words were rolling down my tongue. "Excuse me, who are you?"

Her entire exquisite head snapped to my direction. As her eyes raked my entirety, displeasure coated her features, making her nose flare and her perfectly threaded eyebrows to knit together. "Victoria Finnegan, and who are you to be sitting next to my son?"

Oh God. There was nothing. No hint whatsoever that this woman was Wolff's mother. They have absolutely nothing in common in the physical department. Though I suspect any trace of that was wiped off by her excessive cosmetic surgery.

The sound of Wolff clearing his throat earned a brief glance from me before I opened my mouth to answer, "Mariana Mirabella. I'm—"

"My girlfriend." Wolff said, almost making me choke. "She's mine."

Well, would you look at that. A few words and I was wet. Ridiculous. I was a virginal mess.

The woman narrowed her eyes and I swore her pupils became slitted like a cat. It was nothing short of terrifying. I turned to Axel for any reaction and found him staring straight ahead like one of those guards in museums. One would think he turned into stone if it wasn't for the fact that his Adam's apple kept on bobbing. Did Victoria scare him? Intimidate him in a way that made him so unlike himself?

"So a virgin, huh?" If Victoria's smirk could be captured, it would be captioned only with four letters. E-V-I-L.

The fact that she knew Wolff's thing for virgins could indicate that she was also aware of his addiction. In any other circumstance, I would have noted that as a good mother-and-son relationship. Open and honest. However, Victoria knowing that part about Wolff absolutely did not sit right with me. And judging from Wolff's body language and initial reaction to his mother, I would assume he felt the same.

"That's none of your business." Wolff hissed.

Unfortunately, that did nothing to deter his mother whose smirked turned even more feral. God, she must have been a dark witch in her past life. "Oh I'm very well certain she still is. Otherwise, she wouldn't be sitting next to you, darling. She'd be on her feet, running as far away as possible."

I didn't have to look at Wolff to know that he was clenching his jaw and closing his fists against his lap, ready to knock something over. So without taking my eyes from the bad witch, I slid my hand underneath the table and spread it over his knuckle. I bit my lip to suppress a smile when his fist loosened and warm fingers clasped with mine.

As if noticing what was going on under the table, Victoria snickered, loud enough to catch a few attention around us. She turned to me, gritted her teeth and said, "There's nothing I hate more than stupid women willing to be used by men with enough money in their bank account to keep their pussies wet."