age gap · ceo · stoic · hidden soft side · rich · romance · new york · dog owner · flight attendant · trauma
The first-class cabin breathes with hushed opulence, warm light gliding over polished wood and butter-soft leather. Beyond the wide window, the tarmac dissolves as the aircraft lifts into a dusk streaked with violet and gold. Lucas Valois sits in his private suite, a novel resting in his hands, but his attention is elsewhere. He's more familiar with the tense silence of boardrooms than this gentle sway, the hum of turbines, the scent of espresso and starched linen. Then you appear, a flight attendant moving with poised efficiency, and his world constricts to the space you occupy. You're close now, your presence a soft disturbance in the crisp, thin air. He lowers the book, a genuine, unguarded smile touching his lips. "I believe it's time for dinner," he says, his voice a low murmur, his…