Page 47 of Venomous Desires

The other danger sitting beside me cocked his head. “Careful what you hear next. It might not be as entertaining as you think.”

Dontello looked offended as his chest raised up and down with an irritated expression on his face as he pressed his lips together. “Still,” he mocked. “You realise if you leave Russia you won’t be able to find him.”

“If you don’t stop talking, it’ll cost you your head.” Judas dragged his words, and Dontello’s face paled. The former casually leaned back and threw the used bud of the cigar over his shoulder. “What’s the problem now?”

“Veronica Castro,” The man with blonde head, who appeared to be no less than thirty with wavy hair and black eyes, a light stubble on his chin and a cut that ran deep and rested on eyebrow, muttered.

“And?”

“She’s refusing to provide any information about Lucius Morozov unless you meet her privately.”

Dontello snickered. “She seems to like you.”

“Hmm, arrange a meeting with her.” Judas hummed, and one of the women crawled to Judas. Her eyes hooded and a grin on my face. When she reached him, she let her hands run along his muscular thighs.“Not today, beautiful.”

“You’ll meet her?”Dontello’s eyes widened.

“Why not? She is offering herself like a whore, I’m no saint.”Judas slightly turned his head towards me for the first time we entered this room, and something in me stilled for a whole second as his hand ran along the woman’s long hair. I didn’tknow if he meant to regard me, or if it was just a tilt of his head, but I felt something glacial running along my bones.

“That slut is loose as fuck, but she can be useful when she wants to be as long as there’s a dick in her pussy.” Everyone laughed at something he said.

“And about Morozov? That bitch better—” A loud voice resonated as Dontello’s hand met the woman’s face as she swayed and landed on her fours. I quickly jumped on instincts but someone pressed a hand on my shoulder, and I looked back to find Kyle hovering over me, shaking his head.

“Fuck! You damn slut!” Dontello growled, slamming his foot on her face as she wailed. The wine had spilled all over the table, and the few droplets managed to land on Judas’s shoes.

“I’m-I’m sorry,” her trembling voice responded.

“Get the waiter—”

“No need,” Judas cruel voice interrupted. And then he tilted his head in my direction. “She’ll clean it. Won’t you, little bird?”

My heart skipped a beat as I looked at him wide-eyed.

“What—” My voice faltered as I felt all eyes turn towards me.

His sunglasses still concealed his eyes, but I could feel his focus on me all the same. My stomach tightened. The contrast was almost mocking. He absentmindedly stroked the woman’s cheek while she rested against his lap. Meanwhile, his other arm remained draped behind me, his fingers idly threaded through my hair.

“Get on your knees,” He leaned closer, that dangerous smirk never leaving his face. His fingers disappeared into my hair, settled around my neck, and tightened in silent warning before he whispered. “Clean the mess, Ptichka.”

His warning in the elevator echoed in my head, and my stomach sank. Suddenly, the surrounding men didn’t seem nearly as frightening. Judas did. My body begged me to knock his hand away and run. But I stayed still. We both knew how thatwould end. Tomorrow, he’d make sure I regretted it.

My throat tightened, and I blinked furiously against the sting in my eyes. I couldn’t cry. Forcing my unsteady legs to cooperate, I pushed myself to my feet. My pulse pounded as I reached for a tissue with shaking hands.

I knelt and stared at the floor. My face burned as I wiped up the spilled wine, pretending not to hear the surrounding laughter. It was impossible to ignore.

“What a lovely slut,” someone else chimed in, their tone dripping with vile. “Share her with us.”

“That’s some obedient thing you got here,”a different man remarked. However, I couldn’t understand, but I knew whatever intentions they had, they were not good.

“Obedient...” Judas mumbled to himself. And I could feel his amused smile.

“Good girl.” A hand patted my head. I went completely still. My face burned as I stared at the floor, willing myself not to cry.

“What’s her name?”Dontello said something. “I’m already hard for her.”

“Stay away from her,” Judas said, his hand still in my hair. “She’s mine.”

My legs gave out beneath me. I knelt on the cold floor, forcing myself to look at the spilled wine instead of the surrounding faces. My vision blurred, but I kept wiping, pretending the tears weren’t there. Wine soaked through the tissue and dampened my fingertips. Then a polished shoe came to rest on my hand.