Hello everyone! I'm so happy to be back with another chapter! I've been very hard on myself with this chapter trying to get it to what I want it to be, and I think it's finally there. I hope you all like this new character focus. Barnabas is here to stay. I think I like it more now. It's easier to write now that I'm more comfortable with it. I had an alternate ending to this chap, but decided to change it for dramatic effect. And, storyline, of course. But I hope you enjoy this altered version and please make sure to favorite, follow and review!

** WARNING **

VICIOUS AFFAIRS IS NOW RATED M FOR SEXUAL AND VOILENT CONTENT.

"Love me cancerously, like a salt-sore soaked in the sea.
"High maintenance" means your a gluttonous queen,
narcissistic and mean.
Kill me romantically, fill my soul with vomit
then ask me for a piece of gum.
Bitter and dumb, you're my sugarplum
you're awful, I love you...

She moves through moonbeams slowly
She knows just how to hold me
and when her edges soften, her body is my coffin.
I know she drains me slowly
She wears me down to bones in bed...
must be the sign on my head, it says,
Oh love me dead!"

- Ludo

Angelique's Estate, 2:56 A.M.

"Well, I never knew you were so passionate about the Salvation Army." Angelique said slyly, taking another drink from her glass. Barnabas furrowed his brows.

"What on Earth is that?" he asked, completely confused at her statement. Angelique chuckled at him and inclined her head.

"The charity organization you donated ten thousand dollars to tonight." She raised an eyebrow at him and he returned his gaze to the drink in his hand.

"Mmm. Of course." He mumbled, placing the glass to his lips as Angelique let out a laugh. His gaze shifted from bottle of red wine that they had almost entirely emptied, to Angelique's deep grin, to the clock on the wall. It was nearly three in the morning. Barnabas took a deep breath and set the glass back on the table. Their conversation had really gotten off track, and for some reason unknown to him he actually was enjoying it. Maybe he was just drunk.

But he was sure, he had intended on doing... something. What had they been talking about before? He didn't quite remember. The wine was fuzzing his concentration and he knew at that point it would be best to simply return home. Angelique, who had been watching him the entire time, licked her lips and looked him over.

"Do you need to leave?" They locked eyes and Barnabas looked at her as if he was taking her in for the first time. She was sitting comfortably on the settee, with her pale feet upon the glass coffee table. Her sitting room reminded him very much of her office, with it's modern furniture and perfect cleanliness. Most all of the house was white, and he could swear there was not a speck of dust anywhere. Maybe she used her witchcraft for that. Barnabas quickly came to his senses as he realized that he hadn't been saying a word.

"I suppose I should, yes." Angelique's smirked and set her glass on the coffee table just as Barnabas stood up.

"You're a bit distracted lately, aren't you?" She commented a bit mischievously, part of her french accent slipping out. He faced her again with a glare.

"Why do you say that?" He knew that he was, but for once he wanted a concrete answer from her. She was so evasive with him. He hated it. He would start out with so many things to say to her, the things he had planned all those years in that wretched box, but he never got to say them. She maneuvered and slinked her way around him like a snake. Except - she was so much more than that. She owned the company that was putting his out of business.

"Why do you think?" He groaned inwardly at her, but didn't say a word. His thoughts were firing much slower than usual. She continued steadily, though.

"Too many lies to keep up with at once? Too many charades?" Her words were playful but he knew that she would be serious if she wasn't drunk. Or half-drunk, at least. He couldn't quite tell.

"I have no idea what you're trying to get out of me, Angelique, but it is not going to work." She laughed deeply, her head tipped back in amusement. He watched her intently, his expression not amused in the least. But it was less because she was making fun of him, and more because he hated the fact that he was attracted to it. Attracted to her. Barnabas exhaled through his nose, and forced himself to take his eyes off her. But it didn't help much because she spoke again.

"I'm just playing with you, Barney. Calm down." He turned to her with an irritated expression, but went blank when he saw the way she was looking at him. She was leaning over the arm of the couch with her long legs draped beside her. The silky black robe she was wearing was exposing more of her than allowed him rational thought, and she knew it. Her eyes were lidded and sultry as they ran over his body and a faint smirk still lay on her reddened lips.

At first, he told himself to stop the lustful thoughts that began to crowd his mind. He reminded himself that she was a temptation he shouldn't give in to. But suddenly his eyes lit up as he remembered why he was even there. He had wanted this, anticipated this. That she would try to tempt him and he would give in. He would do exactly what she wanted.

In a rational way, of course. He needed to still seem hesitant. Barnabas mentally praised himself for remembering despite his clouded mind. He was so used to hating her it seemed strange to not want to attack her every remark.

"What are you thinking about?" The witch tilted herself and slid slightly closer to him, tilting her head to look at him.

"You're so quiet."

"Nothing," he replied monotonously. Angelique pursed her lips together.

"That's not an answer." She chided him as he challenged her with his dark gaze.

"It is no less than what you choose to confide." Enjoyment flickered over her face as she saw his gaze on her cleavage. She picked her glass back up from the table and twirled it in her fingers.

"Is that some aristocratic way of saying that you were thinking about me?" Their gazes clashed and Barnabas almost agreed inwardly.

"Of course not." He scowled and briefly returned his gaze to her breasts. Without any warning, Angelique reached out, grabbing his hand and pulling him down onto the couch. She turned around to sit on his lap, still holding her wine glass and her face still retaining a small smirk. A look of surprise took over his face as he ran his eyes down her body. The robe she was wearing was sliding up dangerously high on her porcelain thighs and his breath faltered. She took a drink from the glass in her hand and then reached over to set it down on the end table, all the while giving Barnabas more time to lust over her exposed flesh. When she turned back to look at him she grabbed hold of his hands and placed them firmly on her silk clad hips. Her ice blue gaze was penetrating and enticing at the same time, causing Barnabas to draw in a deep breath. She started unbuttoning the front of his shirt calmly and leaned in to whisper against his ear, her hot breath fanning his skin,

"You're a talented liar Barnabas, but you've forgotten that I've already figured you out." Barnabas couldn't help but scowl at that. She peeled his shirt off his shoulders, a bit haphazardly and he was just starting to notice that she was as drunk as he was. After she removed his shirt she cupped his face with her hands and stared at him lovingly.

"You're a heartless, pompous, pampered brat." Maybe it was the way she said it, or the look on her face, but something in those words sparked a fire inside him. Suddenly he lashed out at her, his hand connecting loudly with her cheek. She reeled back, obviously not expecting his harsh smack. He instantly regretted it but was surprised at her next actions. Angelique's eyes lit up with equal fire and grabbed hold of his neck with inhuman strength, choking him and slamming him against the back of the couch. He snarled but before he could do anything she straddled him again and kissed him furiously. He grunted as her teeth scraped against his and she slid her hand to the back of his neck.

Barnabas grabbed her harshly by the waist but gave in to her as she kissed him deeply. The kiss was still passionate and not harsh like before. She threaded her fingers through his hair and he simply took a moment to relish in the sheer warmth of her body. She seemed to radiate heat, so unlike himself. He stopped trying to compete for dominance with her swirling tongue and instead chose to take hold of her hips and pull her even closer to him so that their bodies grinded up against one another. He undid the tie of her robe and slid it off her shoulders, exposing more of her creamy white flesh.

Angelique aided him in removing the robe and as soon as it was on the floor he explored the skin of her bare back and she leaned backwards into his touch, allowing him to see her entirely. Barnabas groaned inwardly at the sight of her. She was so beautiful it was intoxicating. At that moment he completely forgot his anger and all his passions turned to lust. While holding her in place, Barnabas leaned down and kissed her neck and collarbone, his freezing touch causing Angelique's warm skin to prickle. She inhaled sharply as he laid a kiss to her breast, and she tightly gripped his short hair. When he led his free hand upwards to palm her other breast she let out a groan,

"Barnabas..." At that his lips curled into a smirk, something that didn't happen often, and before she could kiss him he pushed her down onto the seat of the couch and climbed in between her open legs. For a moment, he felt dizzy but ignored it as he grinded up against her and pressed his lips to hers. Angelique didn't hesitate in wrapping her legs around his hips and pressing herself fully against his arousal, swiveling her hips and drawing a hoarse moan from Barnabas.

He met her rhythm and grinded up against her. Without even giving it a second thought, Barnabas reached down between their bodies and found her bare, tender flesh. His fingers explored her unabashedly and she gasped ever so slightly. He liked that. His lips found their way to her slender neck and laid wet kisses down her jugular vein. His fingers quickly circled around her nub, drawing whimpers from her. When he finally slipped his fingers inside of her those faint whimpers turned into cries of pleasure. Barnabas smiled against her pale skin, but she couldn't see him. He sucked on the skin of her neck, his teeth trailing across her skin. He sped up his movements as she ran her fingers through his hair and gasped. He lowered his head to her chest and licked the tip of her breast before he bit down on it slightly.

"Mon Dieu!" Angelique moaned as she arched her back into him and turned her head to the side. She was completely submerged in pleasure now, her eyes closed as she moaned beneath him.

"Merde," she panted and finally opened her eyes to look at him. Her gaze was piercing, penetrating, and excited him terribly. Barnabas loved seeing her like this: her body convulsing beneath him, at the mercy of his touch, aching for him. It made him feel better somehow.

As she started to even her breath and calm down, he removed his hand from her center and took his forefinger into his mouth, tasting her arousal. She bit her lip and propped herself up on her elbows to look at him. He sat upright between her open legs, his hair dark hair wild and his hands now grasping her pale thighs. She looked so delicious from his angle. Her hair was disheveled as well and her ice blue eyes were glimmering with excitement. His eyes traveled lower to her neck, reddened where his mouth had been, and down her chest. Her supple breasts glistened from a thin layer of sweat.

For a moment Barnabas felt out of himself and realized that he really was going to have sex with Angelique. Angelique. The woman who locked him in a coffin for two hundred years. The woman who killed his fiancee, his parents. The woman who turned him into a cannibalistic monster.

Angelique sat up fully and grasped the back of his neck to kiss him. Her plump lips grazed his lazily while her hand traveled down his bare chest to his belt, and removed it as his hands explored her smooth skin. He tensed up for a second, repulsed with himself for doing this again, even if it was for his family. It made him sick to think about it. But as she unbuttoned his pants to slip her hand inside and touch his aching flesh he lost concentration once again. As she wrapped her hand fully around him he let out a sound somewhere between a sigh and a whimper. God, he forgot how good this felt. He forgot how good it felt to be this alive.

She chuckled in response as she stroked him firmly. He kissed her roughly, pushing her backwards in the process. Hastily he removed his shoes and the rest of his clothing and when he looked back to her she was smiling at him.

"Are you in a hurry?" She laughed, her head tilted to the side playfully. His mouth slightly curled upwards in amusement, or embarrassment, he wasn't sure.

"Shut up," he said huskily, kissing her once more. His body pressed against her and it took him a bit by surprise that she moaned in response. She ran her hands over his back and torso while he laid kisses across her collarbone and shoulder. His arousal brushed up against her thigh as he kissed her and a groan caught in his throat. He wanted her so badly. As much as she repulsed him, she entranced him. Born of a jackal, but beautiful.

Barnabas dipped his fingers between her thighs once again to find her moist and incredibly warm. Deliciously warm. They shared a quick glance of agreement and lust before he started to slide inside her perfect body. Barnabas' eyes immediately closed as he relished the sensation, knowing full well he wouldn't hurt her. Once he was fully inside her he opened his eyes to find her looking down to where they were joined, and then she was reaching up to caress his face, wide eyed and excited.

Without warning, the front door opened.

Ha, ha! How was that? Too short? Too long? Let me know. This chapter was hard to split up but I had to otherwise it would be way too long. Next chap should be a split events chap like the ones before. Did you guys like those or do you prefer continuous scenes like these? I'm only a humble fanfiction writer, please tell me. I'm trying, I swear.

Anyways, hope you all had a good summer and good luck with school for those of you who attend!

Mon Dieu! : My god!

Merde. : Fuck.