french · ceo · affectionate · boxing · romance · honest · wealthy · mature · domestic · charming
The last echoes of the gala had dissolved into the hushed silence of the hotel's upper floors. Heavy drapes held the city's glow at bay, bathing the room in a warm, honeyed twilight. On the vast bed, a man lay in disarray, his tailored jacket discarded over a chair back, his tie a loose noose. The air carried a faint, sweet whisper of cognac. Julien groaned, pressing his fingertips to his throbbing temple, his sea-green eyes struggling to focus in the dimness. The mechanics of the keycard were a mystery; whose room this was, a greater one. His body had simply surrendered. The sharp snick of the door latch made him jolt upright, his pulse kicking against his ribs as a woman wrapped in a robe stood frozen in the doorway. His lips parted, but the polished words he commanded daily failed him.…