The next morning, sun light shone in through the window and landed on Violette, bathing her in the orange-yellow hue. She crinkled her face in discomfort and curled up into a ball as she burrowed further into her blanket.
But her solace was soon broken by a familiar ringtone which stirred her awake. She tried to ignore it, but the incessant ringing made it difficult and she finally sat up with a low growl. She still had her eyes closed, indulging in the last wisps of lethargy while her hands moved about, sweeping her surroundings in search of something.
As her search turned up nothing, she was forced to open her eyes and look around. She followed the sound and found her bag by the foot of the bed and proceeded to pick it up.
But she paused suddenly and let out a whimper as she felt a sharp pain coming from her knee. She scrunched up her face in discomfort as her hand began rubbing the length of her thigh.
However, the persistent ringing forced her to swallow her pain and find her mobile first. She bore with the pain and reached for her bag and quickly opened it. Then she pulled out her mobile and accepted the call without even checking the Caller ID.
"Hello, am I speaking to Ms. Violette McKnight?" A lady's voice was heard from the other side.
Violette took a short breath and answered. "Yes, who..."
But before she could speak further, she heard a door slide open behind her and turned around, only to freeze in her spot.
The door to the wash area was opened and a freshly bathed Lucian stepped out, hair dripping wet and steam still rising from his body. He was wearing a white shirt and navy blue pants, while casually drying his hair with a towel in hand.
"My name is Monica Lang. I'm an executive assistant from Talent Relations at NewEra Equity Firm. I'm calling to inform you…"
The lady on the other side began speaking but Violette was too stunned to register any of her words.
She was caught off guard and her half-awake brain was shorted after witnessing the stimulating scene in front of her.
Lucian stood just a few feet away from her, the scent of his body wash assaulting her senses. His shirt was only halfway buttoned up, exposing the thin hairs on his chest and abdominal muscles. The sleeves were roughly pulled up to the elbows revealing his strong forearms and his pants were hanging dangerously low on his hips.
Her cheeks warmed up as her eyes lingered on the man. He wasn't in any way muscular or sculpted; on the contrary, he was somewhat thin for his tall build. But his whole body was oozing with confidence, charisma and a strong mature charm enough to stun Violette into a daze.
Lucian had his head lowered as he was tending to his hair so he didn't notice Violette staring at him but after he dried his hair, he looked up and stopped still in his tracks.
Storm grey met icy blue and the surrounding air froze and time stilled to a pause. His eyes were affixed on Violette, who sat still on the bed – looking at him with her eyes wide in surprise and shock.
She was sporting a crazy bed head with some stray hairs springing up on top of her head like antennas. Her clothes were messy and crumpled, while her eyes were glazed over with a watery sheen – like a leaf covered in morning dew. Her mouth was slightly parted open and he could still see the dry patches of drool trailing down from the corner of her lips.
She looked completely ridiculous! And yet, he was unable to tear his eyes away from her. Her icy blue eyes were staring at him without blinking as if she was a lost child who unexpectedly stumbled upon a wondrous sight.
This adorable side of her made him feel an inexplicable bout of happiness and he had a strong urge to pat her head and ruffle her hair.
"Hello? Ms. McKnight, are you there?" The lady's voice broke through the magnetic trance and pulled Violette out of her daze.
Violette quickly shifted her gaze away from the 'indecently' dressed man in front of her and cleared her throat before replying. "Yes, I'm here."
Violette;s voice immediately woke up Lucian and he realized that she was on a call so he gave her a smile and walked away to allow her some privacy.
"You are expected to come down to our headquarters in South Ocean City in the next fifteen days to discuss few things and finalize the contract." The lady spoke again, relaying the necessary information.
However, Violette's mind was somewhere else as her eyes discretely followed the man's figure until he was away from her line of sight.
Just last night, he was so clumsy and tumbling off the couch like a clueless kid, and now he was calm and composed like he's a different guy altogether. The contrast was truly remarkable.
She shook her head and breathed out a heavy sigh.
"Is that going to be a problem?" the lady on the other end asked after hearing Violette's depressed sigh.
"No. I will be there by next week." Violette answered calmly, as she continued massaging her leg.
"Alright, you can call me at this number when you arrive and I will confirm your appointment."
"Sure."
"Good day, Ms. McKnight."
Violette ended the call and threw her phone on the bed as she sat there, with numerous thoughts running through her mind. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to clear her head, and when she opened them again, her gaze was chillingly sharp.
'Just one more step and I can finally execute my plans.'
"Hey." Lucian's voice came from behind and Violette turned around to see him standing by the fridge. "Did you sleep well?"
Violette looked away to conceal the cold glint in her eyes and answered with a curt nod. Lucian noticed her unusually fierce gaze but chose to ignore it and gave her a small smile.
"About last night, I'm really sorry..." he began and Violette looked up at him with a curious and confused gaze.
Last night? Was he apologizing for falling off the couch?
That's not something he need to apologize for though. Did he realize she was awake at that time and thought he disturbed her sleep?
"Jake called me from some bar and I was forced to talk to him until Gina got to him." Lucian continued and explained himself for his actions "I didn't think it would take so long and I'm sorry for leaving you waiting like that."
Violette realized what he was talking about and nodded her head in understanding. Lucian found her behavior cute and couldn't help but chuckle as he walked towards her.
He stood right in front of her and put his hands forward as though he wanted her to hold them. And when she raised a brow at him, he gave a sweet smile and gestured towards his open palms.
Violette felt her lips twitching into a smile but she kept them in a thin line and slowly raised her hands.
How annoyingly observant.
Lucian took her palms into his and carefully pulled her up onto her feet. She stood up but immediately stumbled forward when she put weight on her right leg.
Lucian dropped one of her hand and wrapped it around her waist as he pulled her closer to keep her steady. "It's okay. I got you, take it slow."
Violette placed her hand on his arm and leaned into his embrace as she shifted all her weight onto her left leg. She took a deep breath to muffle her whimper but ended up going into a daze as she breathed in the strong scent of his body wash mixed with his natural musky odor.
And with his hand around her waist and her body flush against his, she could feel his body heat invading her despite the cloth fabric between them. His calm, reliable voice whispering in her ear made her feel as if all her senses were being overwhelmed by his presence.
But she kept herself composed and focused on getting herself back on two feet. The pain was still there but it wasn't as severe and she was already getting used to it with every second.
She took a deep breath and pulled herself back while trying to ignore the effects of his scent. She stood back on one leg, and with her hands on his forearms as support, she slowly divided her weight between both legs.
She let out a sigh of relief and realized that she was still holding onto Lucian's arms. She quietly removed her hands from him and raised her head to thank him but was mesmeriz ed by his gentle gaze and the warm smile on his face.
He raised his hand and grabbed the lock of stray hair that fell over her face and smoothly tucked it behind her ear.
"Go freshen up. We'll have breakfast and then I'll drive you to your place." He stepped aside and grabbed a blue plastic cup from the kitchen counter before handing it to her.
Violette looked down at the cup in her hand and found a toothbrush and toothpaste in it. When she looked up again, Lucian was back at the kitchen counter, sorting through the contents of the fridge.
"How about some Pancakes and Waffles?" He asked, turning to Violette with two plastic containers in hand.
Violette gave him a nonchalant shrug and looked away as he let out a chuckle.
"Alright, I'll heat them while you wash up." Lucian put the containers on the kitchen counter and turned to her. "Go on."