Velvet Hours

VELVET HOURS CHAPTER 1: CRIMSON VELVET “Not every hunger is for food. Not every kiss is for love.” --- Dubai – The Rooftop Gala ReTaaj Bint Hashim entered the rooftop event like a storm cloaked in satin. Her crimson velvet dress clung to her body like it had secrets to keep. Low-cut, backless, with a slit that whispered sin down her thigh — she was every inch a woman who didn’t wait to be noticed. She commanded it. The crowd parted. A dozen men looked. Three tried to approach. None mattered. Only him. Jibraan Bin Razan. He stood across the terrace, a flute of champagne in hand, dressed in a black-on-black suit that made his shoulders look criminal and his profile God-made. His eyes, dark and watchful, flicked toward her the moment she stepped near the bar. She tilted her head and smiled — just slightly. It wasn’t invitation. It was challenge. --- The First Conversation “You’re not from this world,” he said. ReTaaj raised a brow. “Which one am I from?” He looked at her like he already knew. “The one men dream about but never deserve.” She laughed — low and deliberate. “Flattery makes liars of men.” “And truth makes monsters of women?” “I don’t mind monsters,” she replied, stepping closer. “They tend to tell the truth when they’re hungry.” He didn’t smile. Didn’t blink. He simply handed her his champagne glass and said, “Come with me.” --- Private Suite – The Velvet Hours Begin The skyline blurred behind glass as they reached the penthouse. Music from the gala faded. Silence fell. But it wasn’t peaceful. It was pulsing. ReTaaj stepped out of her heels, her bare feet soundless on the marble floor. Jibraan loosened his tie and tossed it onto the sofa. His jacket hit the ground next. She turned to him — barebacked, breathless. “I know what this is,” she said. “Do you?” His voice was low, tight. “Yes.” Her eyes darkened. “You think it’s love.” “And for you?” he asked. “An audition.” She kissed him before he could ask more. --- The s*x Scene – Raw, Emotional, Manipulative It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t slow. It was possession masked as passion — ReTaaj’s moans timed like music, Jibraan’s touch firm as if anchoring himself to something he didn’t want to lose. Their bodies met with urgency. Skin against skin. Sweat against velvet. He whispered her name like a promise. She whispered his like a lie. And when he collapsed beside her, breath ragged, he touched her cheek and said the thing she’d hoped he would. “I think I’m falling for you.” ReTaaj stared at the ceiling, her expression unreadable. Good, she thought. Fall. Fall hard. I’ll be gone by winter. But she didn’t say that. Instead, she curled into his side and traced invisible circles on his chest. “I’m not easy to love, Jibraan.” He held her tighter. “That’s what makes you worth it.” She smiled in the dark. Not because she was touched. But because the game had begun. --- Closing Scene Later, as Jibraan slept, ReTaaj slipped out of bed and pulled her phone from her purse. One message. One contact. Zarar Bin Saleh. She typed: “He’s obsessed. Just like you said.” Then deleted it before she could change her mind. The night outside stretched on — a velvet curtain hiding the price of every lie she was about to tell. --- END OF CHAPTER 1