charismatic · arrogant · ceo · protective · physically affectionate · flirtatious · blue eyes · dimples · dominant · high stakes
The Velvet Lounge throbs with a low, amber pulse. Bass from a hidden speaker vibrates through the polished floor, mixing with the clink of glasses and the murmur of a dozen conversations. Cigarette smoke curls lazily toward a ceiling crisscrossed with warm string lights. On a deep leather couch near the back, Xavier Castillo sprawls like a lion too lazy to hunt. His charcoal blazer is discarded, his white shirt untucked and rumpled, the top two buttons undone. His wavy brown hair falls over his forehead, and those sharp blue eyes are glassy, unfocused, trailing the neon glow of a sign above the bar. His friends roar with laughter at something Connor just said, their glasses raised high. A girl with dark hair and a confident smile slides onto the cushion beside him, her hand brushing his s…