Chapter Text
-Violet-
Violet carefully placed her foot on the side step that automatically descended for her as she slid out of the shiny black Escalade. Her Uber driver extended his hand in support while holding the door for her, allowing her to land on the curb with a surprising amount of grace, given the height of the SUV relative to her small stature and slight frame. She wasn’t private car wealthy, but she could treat herself to an Uber Black for the ride from her Manhattan apartment to Newark airport. Once she was settled, the driver moved to the rear of the vehicle, and began removing her luggage, placing it on the curb beside her.
“Safe travels, Violet. It was nice to meet you.” He handed over her personal item, a classic black leather Valentino tote - her favorite, rimmed in the signature rockstud spikes. Classy, but with a little bit of edge. Just like her.
Violet opened up the Uber app on her phone, making sure to appropriately tip and rate the driver - five stars and twenty percent - before she forgot.
Done. She smiled to herself, feeling on top of her game as she tucked her cell phone back into the open pocket sewn into the inside of her luxury tote, and repositioned it on her shoulder. Her fingers curled around the handle of her roller bag - sleek and black - as she prepared to make her way towards the terminal. But she stopped suddenly, the hairs rising on the back of her neck when an approaching vehicle inexplicably caught her eye. A large black SUV, similar to the one she’d just arrived in, grabbed her attention as it glided to a stop in the exact spot hers just departed. It slid into place with an effortless grace that seemed incongruous for its size, like it wasn't meant to be driven for just anyone, like it said something about whoever sat inside - control, affluence, power, taste.
Curious that perhaps the car might be concealing a celebrity, she threw on her designer sunglasses, watching through tinted lenses as the back door opened, and, seconds later, the most exquisite and impeccably-dressed man she had ever laid eyes on exited the vehicle.
He may not be famous, at least he wasn’t anyone she recognized, but fuck, someone who looked like that ? Yeah, he probably should be.
Holy shit.
Violet sucked in a breath. Now that was a passenger she wouldn’t mind being stuck next to on her seven hour flight to London. She caught herself fantasizing about being stuck in the middle seat next to him for seven straight hours, his thigh brushing hers as his long legs stretched out into her footwell and – the sound of a car’s horn abruptly whipped her attention back to the present moment.
The present moment in which she was practically drooling over this man standing mere feet from her. Shit. She felt the distinct sensation of eyes on her and flushed as she looked up to see that he definitely just caught her staring, no, scratch that, gawking, at him.
But really, it was impossible not to stare when he looked like that. He was tall and completely devastating, with tawny skin and the softest looking loose curls that just barely kissed the nape of his neck. And his face, it was the kind of face that could make an artist quit mid-portrait out of pure intimidation. Sharp jaw, undone collar, and some impossible combination of power and grace that made her immediately suspicious of his existence. Like he was engineered in a lab with the express purpose of ruining someone, but in the best possible way.
Fuck that fantasy, there was no way a man like this would be traveling in economy. And, for the first time in her life, Violet reminded herself, neither was she.
She blinked once, slowly, deciding, in an effort to play it cool, to hold his gaze despite the fact that she was certain her cheeks were now so flushed that they would feel hot to the touch. She slid her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose just enough for her to look over them with purpose.
He clocked her, right away. Of course he did. How could he not? She was the type of visual contradiction that would stick in your head - soft, but with an edge. She wore a designer dragon-print cropped tee paired with a mulberry satin black skirt that hit just below the knee, hugging her slim frame in all the right places. She accessorized the outfit with her favorite sneakers, and a vegan leather blazer draped over her shoulders like an afterthought. The breeze picked up just enough to ruffle her hem and lifted the silver-dyed tips of her long, wavy hair. It was almost cinematic.
For a beat, they just stared at one another. It was not flirtation. It was the kind of attention that lingers just a second too long. It was curiosity, appraisal.
Mr. Exquisite tilted his head, the hint of a smirk pulling at one corner of his mouth as he nodded in an embarrassing acknowledgement, she realized, of her open appraisal of him. She felt the pink flush of her cheeks deepen, but continued to hold his gaze despite her internal mortification.
Game on.
And just as quickly, he turned back towards his car to speak with his driver. As if they hadn’t just shared a, whatever the hell that was, a moment? Violet took this as her opportunity to make a graceful exit, pulling her bag behind her with a lazy flick of her wrist, ready to disappear into the airport and leave that intensely gorgeous man and wholly embarrassing situation behind her as she made her way towards check-in.
It was honestly infuriating how good-looking he was, with that knowing smirk he gave her. There was a zero percent chance that he wasn’t a complete asshole, she decided in an effort to forget about the way her entire body heated when he stared back at her. But still, she couldn’t get him out of her mind, and that’s probably what pissed her off more than anything.
Violet tried to shrug the thought off as she made her way to the check-in counter, and after a rather unpleasant experience with an insufferable agent named Luca, who claimed Violet was ‘cheating’ by wearing her crossbody bag instead of stuffing it inside her personal item, she swiftly made it through security, taking full advantage of the Fast Track lane afforded to premium class passengers in the international terminal.
She smiled to herself, she might be less than enthusiastic about attending the wedding of her lifelong family friend Dain Aetos, but at least she was able to cash in all those credit card points she had earned over the years to book herself in business class. A luxury she really could not afford otherwise, and something she was really looking forward to, a small consolation for having to travel all the way to fucking London to see her childhood crush get married.
Her lack of enthusiasm was not so much because she had anything against Dain, or his bride to be. She had never even met the woman, who was probably actually perfectly lovely. It was not even because she spent most of her high school years pining for him, something she could laugh about now. No, it was because her ex-fiance would be there, Halden fucking Tauri. Yes, the Halden Tauri. Notorious socialite with a five star name and eyes that cut like emeralds, the tabloid-worthy heir to the Tauri Hotel fortune. The very same man she walked in on in a rather compromising position with another woman, in their hotel suite, three months before their wedding.
Almost a year ago now, Violet had tagged along on one of his business trips, per his suggestion. She used up five days of her PTO to accompany him on a week-long tour of the Caribbean, “trying out” various luxury resorts in the Tauri portfolio as potential honeymoon locales. And honestly, the first four days had been a dream, having stayed in two of the nicest resorts she had ever seen. And not just in person, but literally, probably nicer than any resorts she’d even seen in luxury travel magazines. She’d been on cloud nine, pinching herself, because there’d been no denying they were undoubtedly the nicest two resorts she’d ever visited, and they hadn’t even been to the third property on their itinerary yet.
On the fifth day, however, Violet had learned the unfortunate truth that apparently, her fiance was interested in exploring a hell of a lot more than just just the resort's properties. On her way back from the best massage of her life, Violet walked into their suite to find Halden splayed out on the couch, head thrown back, moaning as one of the women in his employ had her face between the legs of Violet’s husband-to-be.
And that very same woman was, according to the latest issue of The Calldyr Chronicle, now his new fiance.
And they’d both be at Dain’s wedding. Dain’s father and her mother having attended Basgiath University’s School of Hotel Management together, securing jobs with Tauri Hotels, a place they’d both worked for the entirety of their careers.
Fuck me, Violet inhaled sharply as she grabbed her bag off the conveyor belt and made her way to the business class lounge in search of a strong drink. It was late, and it had already been a long day, but she had managed to get her proposal finalized and submitted to her best friend and work wife, Andi, before their grumpy boss got his eyes on it, and inevitably decided to tear it apart like he always did. She had booked the 11:30PM, the last flight of the evening, in the hopes of getting something that moderately resembled a decent night of sleep on the plane.
Well, here we are .
The sleek glass doors to the airline’s lounge automatically parted for her and she made her way to the registration desk where she was swiftly checked in with a simple scan of her boarding pass.
Holy shit.
Violet had to make a conscious effort not to gape as she walked into the space. It was gorgeous, and she had no idea that spaces like this even existed in airports. The tranquil, polished space unfolded in front of her, anchored by a glowing marble bar that stretched beneath sleek pendant lights. Floor to ceiling windows lined the entire space, washing it in the soft glow of the setting sun’s light. It felt less like an airport and more like a peaceful retreat - an indulgent pause before Violet’s journey abroad.
She made a beeline for the bar, ordering a manhattan, up and in a coupe, before settling into one of the plush lounge chairs that overlooked the runway. It was now two hours until boarding. Being a nervous flier, she always liked to arrive at the airport early. But today, she arrived even earlier than usual, wanting to take full advantage of the amenities afforded to long haul business and first class passengers. This was her first time traveling in this level of luxury. Sure, she’d flown first class domestically before - sparingly - but that didn’t come with perks like this lounge, in-flight seats that would convert into beds, and unlimited free top-shelf drinks.
I could get used to this, Violet thought to herself, slowly sipping her manhattan as she sank deeper into the chair, preparing to read her latest book club book.
Two hours later, Violet was thoroughly relaxed, and halfway through a generous pour of pinot noir. She was pleasantly buzzed and deeply engrossed in her book club’s latest pick, a surprisingly smutty novel with some very suggestive cover art that her friend Nadine selected this month. Not what she’d normally go for, but she had to admit, she was deeply invested in the tense enemies-to-lovers plot.
It wasn’t until Violet once again felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise - that uneasy feeling that someone was watching her, that she looked up from her book, suddenly and very keenly aware of not just someone’s eyes on her, but a very specific someone’s presence.
“Sorry to interrupt what I am sure is a thoroughly engrossing piece of classic literature,” Mr Exquisite raised an eyebrow at the cover of Violet’s book, which, of course, was openly visible.
Shit.
Once again Violet’s traitorous cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson in his presence, revealing just how mortified she truly was.
“It’s for my book club,” Violet said like she was defending her novel, not that she owed him any explanation.
Mr. Exquisite gave her a knowing smirk. “I’m sure it is. But they’ve now made two announcements that flight 626 is about to board. It’s the last scheduled flight on the airline tonight, so unless you’re just here for the buffet...” he gestured to the picked-over offerings still available at the lounge’s buffet. “Looks like we are both on the same flight and it's time to board.”
Violet stared at him, momentarily forgetting how to form a sentence, when his mouth turned up in a condescending semi-smirk. “You’re welcome, by the way.” Yep, that confirmed for her that he was, indeed, an asshole.
“Thanks, um, I owe you one.” She managed to mumble as she got to her feet, gathering her belongings in preparation for boarding, and desperately avoiding eye contact with the delicious man who once again caught her in a moment.
“I’ll remember that.”
“Remember what?” She asked, mentally kicking herself as soon as the words were out of her mouth.
“That you owe me,” he responded with a wink that caused her knees to buckle as she fumbled with her belongings, trying, rather unsuccessfully, to gracefully slip her book inside her bag.
Before she could even process everything he had just said, his back was to her and he was walking towards his own bag, picking it up in one swift motion before he exited the lounge, leaving her flustered and flushed. What the fuck was wrong with her tonight? It was the second drink, she told herself, or maybe it was that anti-anxiety pill she was pretty sure she was not supposed to mix with alcohol. Whatever it was, it was obviously dulling her wit and her common fucking sense. She took a minute to collect herself, chugging a cold glass of ice water on her way out the door before making her way to the gate.
So she was going to be spending seven hours on a flight with the exquisite man from the airport after all - and she wasn’t sure whether it was the lingering scent of his leathery cologne, or the way he’d held her gaze just a second too long that had her feeling slightly off balance.