"Julian."
She mentally tested his name in her thoughts. Julian. It did sound like a name that was angelic and devilish at the same time. Julian, Julian, Julian. Fleur repeated his name like a chant, but it didn't make her blush at all. Did this mean...she had to be in a life-and-death situation to make her prudishness go away? And if so, how long would such effects last?
Julian saw Fleur bite her lip all of a sudden, and he had to stifle the immediate and instinctive urge to offer to bite it for her. He was rarely ever the helpful type, but there was something about this woman that made him want to help her...in the most perverted way possible.
Fleur finally remembered she had yet to give Julian her name and turned to him with a sheepish smile. "I'm Fleur, by the way."
"I know."
Blue eyes widened at him, and Julian could not stop imagining if this was also how she'd look if he asked her to suck his cock.
"Do you, really?"
"I first saw you at a party two years ago."
Fleur mentally translated his words: I saw, didn't like what I saw, so I didn't bother to introduce myself.
"I thought you were the usual stuck-up, brainless heiress."
"Okaaaaaaay." Fleur was too shocked to feel insulted.
"But now I know—-"
"I'm still a stuck-up, brainless heiress because I wanted to force the doors open?"
Julian's lips curved, and Fleur was mesmerized.
"I was going to add charming."
Fleur's pulse leapt at hearing Julian's last word. Charming. He thought she was charming!
"And that I was wrong about the stuck-up part."
Fleur almost felt...flattered?
"The brainless bit, however..."
Fleur couldn't help blinking even when she knew this would only make her appear, well...brainless.
"I think I can overlook that."
Fleur choked. And choked. But in the end, she could no longer keep it inside of her, and peals of laughter spilled past her lips.
The sound was enchanting, and Julian was not the only one enchanted. His cock was, too, and it was so fucking enchanted it was begging for the chance to thank her personally.
"It worked then..."
Julian's soft voice made her laughter fade.
"Are you still anxious, milaya?"
Fleur bit her lip hard. She had not realized he was trying to comfort her all this time, and while his methods were not exactly ideal, well...the ends justified the means in this case at least.
And besides...
Julian didn't look the type to give a damn about stuck-up, brainless heiresses in distress. But for some reason, he had still made the effort to comfort her. Was that because—-
"So you are not without brains, after all, milaya."
Fleur choked.
"In truth, I was beginning to second-guess myself. I was starting to think that it would be better if you were brainless—-"
She knew she was being baited, but...she couldn't help it. "Why?"
Wickedness flashed in Julian's eyes of gold, and her heart started to race.
"So that when I tell you I have another way of getting rid of anxiety..."
Oh.
"You'll believe me."
Oh my.
"Would you like to give it a try?"
Oh my gosh.
Julian's purring tone had effectively turned her brains into mush, and she wondered if she should tell him he need not worry about whether she was brainless or not. Her brain had clearly shut down where he was concerned.
Julian slowly took a step towards her, and Fleur caught her breath. Should I say no? Should I say—-oh my gosh—-
"Wait!"
The panic in her voice sounded genuine enough, and Julian stilled.
"I ate onion rings—-"
A sound escaped him, but Fleur wasn't quite sure if it was a groan or a laugh...until she saw his shoulders start to shake. It was then she knew. He was totally laughing at her, the a—-
"You could've eaten shit for all I care, milaya, but I am still kissing you."
The angel. That was what she had meant to think of him. Not an ass, but an angel, for saying something so grossly...sweet.
"Anything else you want to say before I kiss you?"
Fleur shook her head, and when he took another step, she only inhaled very deeply...and then told herself to just go with the flow. Operation Yuletide, she reminded herself. I can justifiably say yes because this will contribute to Operation Yuletide, and oh my gosh, oh my gosh, OH MY GOSH—-
Fleur could only watch helplessly as he gently took her phone out of her hold. She saw him drop it in one of his trouser pockets, and the elevator was instantly consumed in near-total darkness, with the phone's backlight reduced to a faint glow under the fabric of his pants.
Big, strong hands clasped the sides of her waist, and Fleur forgot how to breathe.
Oh God.
She could feel his head lowering bit by bit by bit—-
Until it was too much—-
And her hands suddenly rose on their own, her fingers impatiently driving through his hair—-
A B&A classic, Fleur thought dizzily even as she continued to draw his head down, firmly...and swiftly.