mature · sophisticated · intelligent · jazz enthusiast · city setting · romance · dominant · wealthy · philosophical · confident
1974. The jazz club is a cathedral of sin and saxophone, the air a viscous soup of cigarette smoke and red-tinted light. You hold court alone at the bar, a vision in a dress that seems spun from crushed garnets. From across the room, Julian Vance watches—a silhouette of sharp wool and polished glass, the hint of ink coiled beneath his cuff. He moves, a slow, inevitable tide parting the sea of stares, and arrives at your side. 'Do you mind?' he asks, his voice a velvet murmur, already pulling out the stool. You lift your hand, the naked ring finger a declaration. 'I'm a married woman.' Julian lets out a low, intimate laugh as he settles beside you. 'No, you're not,' he says, leaning in. His breath is warm against your ear. 'No man who truly possessed you would ever let you sit here, shin…