Scarred Seductress

Matteo's Woman

Selene swallowed the glass of vodka before her empty and picked up another, about to pour it down her throat when Ava’s hand caught her wrist, stopping her.

“What do you think you’re doing, Selene… about to drink yourself to death?” she cooed, seizing the glass from her.

Selene let her face crumble into her palms as she drew in deep breaths to calm her aching heart, flashbacks of the humiliation she had suffered earlier trooping back to her all at once.

“I think it’s high time you let it all go, Selene… these people are too powerful. You’ll only end up ruining your life if this continues…”

Selene scoffed and peeled her hands away, tucking the messy strands scattered across her face behind her ear.

“Ruin my life?” she chuckled, shaking her head.

“I have no life, Ava…”

“But you have Leo,” Ava insisted, reaching out to hold Selene’s hand. Selene peeled her hand away and lifted it to signal the bartender for another glass of alcohol.

“Don’t listen to my mom anymore, Selene, and leave it all behind.”

Selene scoffed, rolling her eyes and turning her face away, a frown tightening her features.

Ava sighed and shook her head. She could tell it was no use trying to talk Selene out of it—her mind was long made up, a determination rooted deep in her blood.

“So what do you plan to do?” she asked.

Selene looked at her, for the first time since she entered their lives, utterly confused and nervous.

“Would you rather work for her and let her humiliate you just to prove who knows what to herself, or… do you plan to expose her?”

Selene scoffed, growled, and crumbled into her palms again.

Ava leaned closer, tore her eyes around quickly, and lowered her voice. “Don’t tell me you intend to let yourself get humiliated over and over just for—”

“It’s not that simple,” Selene grumbled.

Ava chuckled dryly. “You have proof, Selene… just tell the world about the murders she committed some days ago and watch her crumble.”

“Oh please, Ava… I can’t do that now. Not when she’s still a Moretti, not when the only thing it’ll do is have Matteo tracing it all back to me.”

Ava swallowed into nothing, her gaze lowering to the ground as it dawned on her that Selene was making sense.

“The second I do that, Matteo will come for me… he’ll kill me, definitely, and of course wipe her slate clean with his power while their lives continue,” Selene hissed.

Ava pressed a slow nod.

“So you need something big… something beyond just murders, something that’ll have the Morettis totally desert her.”

“Exactly.”

“And what could that be? I don’t think such a thing exists, Selene.”

Selene sighed.

“That’s why I can’t say no to her, Ava… besides, if I’m going to go at a powerful family like the Morettis, I need to know stuff about them—on a very personal level.”

Ava sighed too, shook her head, and emptied the glass of vodka herself.

“I’m just scared that witch, Marina, would kill you even before you find anything.”

Selene chuckled, taking the bottle of alcohol from the bartender as he approached to serve them.

“Thank you.”

She poured her glass full and poured one for Ava too.

“I’ll try not to die, Ava… trust me.”

Ava shrugged and swallowed the glass empty. Selene’s eyes trailed across the club and landed on a powerful-looking unfamiliar figure, his eyes strictly on her.

She tore her gaze away and hissed madly. Of course she understood what this meant.

“Let’s leave,” she said to Ava and rose, picking her purse off the table. Ava glanced around, confused.

“What’s happening, Selene—”

Selene ignored her and led the way out of the club, about to slip toward her car when a figure blocked her path—obviously the man’s bodyguard—signalling for Selene to turn back inside.

“Get out of my way!” Selene snarled, anger building inside her as the man laughed, closing in on her from behind, his eyes roaming her body with lust.

“What is going on, Selene?” Ava asked in a shaky whisper, tucking behind her.

“Where are you going, beautiful… there’s no need to be in such a hurry,” he sneered, his eyes lingering over Selene’s body.

Selene bit down on her lip, disgust curling in her stomach.

“I want you and you know it… there’s absolutely no reason to just walk away,” he continued, his hand about to seize Selene’s waist when she yanked it away and stepped back.

He frowned and signalled his guard. The man nodded and seized Selene’s wrist, yanking her along as he led the way back into the club, this time toward a secluded area—into a private lounge—leaving Selene choking on the ooze of weed. The dim light caused her to swallow hard as her gaze dragged around to meet even more predatory eyes trailing over her, no doubt even more powerful men.

“And what do you have for us, man… who in the name of sexiness is she?” one of them asked.

The guard freed Selene and shoved her hard. She crumbled to the ground.

“My new plaything,” he disclosed, and laughter rippled across the lounge.

Selene shot him a hard glare, her fist clenching against the floor.

“Oh, she’s feisty,” another joked.

“I know, right,” the man laughed, walking toward Selene and crouching to her level, his hand reaching to touch her face.

“Want to watch me humble her?” he asked, and Selene’s eyes snapped wide, her throat locking tight.

The men cheered, even the girls draped over them chuckling.

Selene’s heart sank, her mind going utterly blank as she struggled to process her next move. There was no way she was letting herself get humiliated this way.

“Well, enjoy the show, everyone!” he announced loudly, snagging even more eyes in the lounge.

Selene shook her head quickly.

“If you weren’t so rude, it wouldn’t have gotten to this, b***h… I would have maybe f****d in a room with just you and me, but you dared to play hard to get.”

“Don’t touch me!” Selene snarled, her already tear-streaked eyes shooting him bitter daggers.

He scoffed.

“Just stay quiet and it’ll be over soon,” he fired, about to seize her wrist and yank her closer when Selene blurted, striking the room into sudden silence.

“You dare to touch Matteo Moretti’s woman?”

The men exchanged glances quickly, fear spreading across the man’s face—relieving Selene and fueling her confidence.

“What… what did you just say?”

Selene pushed herself up, tucked her messy hair back into place, and ran her glare across each and every one of their faces.

“I said, do you dare lay a hand on Matteo’s woman?” she asked again.

The man swallowed into nothing and stepped back slowly. Selene exhaled.

One of them scoffed loudly. “Matteo claims no woman… she must be just a delusional w***e who thinks she means anything more than a tool for s*x to Matteo.”

The men concurred, sending Selene’s heart crashing into her stomach.

“You dare lie with Matteo’s name—”

“Would you rather lay a hand on me and have him kill you the instant he hears about it, or confirm my claims in case I’m speaking the truth so you don’t die for nothing?” Selene retorted, her composure defiant and steady. She wasn’t going to let them see a crack. And as for lying with a name like Matteo’s, of course the words would spread—but she would deal with that later.

“So what do you choose… remember, Matteo would never let you off for laying a finger on what belongs to him.”

The man looked away, utterly defeated. Silence stretched even farther across the room.

Selene scoffed proudly.

“I thought as much,” she spat, rolling her eyes and turning for the door—when it flew open and a breathless figure scurried into the room.

Confusion spread across the men’s faces.

“He’s here… he’s f*****g here!” he announced, panic tearing through the lounge.

“Who’s here?” someone asked.

“Matteo’s here.”

Selene froze.