CHAPTER TWO
1288 Words
Isabelle wandered through the crowd, sipping a glass of champagne that did little to calm her nerves. Every few minutes, her gaze drifted to where Julian had disappeared, like her eyes had a magnetic pull toward him. He’d dropped a bombshell of an offer and vanished, just like that, leaving her spinning with questions, doubts—and something dangerously close to anticipation.
“Careful,” a deep voice murmured from behind her. “You’re looking at me like I’m dessert.”
She whirled around, startled, only to find Julian standing far too close, his smirk lazy and unapologetic.
“You wish,” she shot back, lifting her chin.
His smile widened. “I don’t have to wish, Isabelle. That’s the thing.”
She raised a brow, deflecting the heat climbing her neck. “Is this your idea of wooing business partners? Compliments dipped in arrogance?”
“No,” Julian said smoothly, “this is me being honest. Something tells me you don’t get nearly enough of that.”
Her lips parted, a retort on the tip of her tongue, but she stopped herself. He wasn’t wrong, and that annoyed her more than anything.
She narrowed her eyes. “You think flattery is going to make me say yes to your… proposition?”
“I think curiosity already has you halfway there,” he replied. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
“Fine. You’re wrong.” She took a slow sip of champagne. “Dead wrong.”
“Mm. And yet, here you are. Still talking to me. Still watching.”
“I’m trying to figure you out.”
Julian leaned in slightly, his breath warm against her ear. “Be careful, Isabelle. People who try to figure me out often end up tangled in places they can’t escape.”
She stiffened—but didn’t step away.
“I’m not afraid of getting tangled,” she whispered back. “But I don’t like being underestimated.”
Julian’s gaze dropped briefly to her lips before rising to meet her eyes again. “Then I won’t. Consider me… intrigued.”
A slow flush worked its way down her neck. She hated how effortlessly he got under her skin.
Before she could reply, a man in a tuxedo interrupted, clearly angling for Julian’s attention. The moment shattered, but Julian didn’t look away from her as the man spoke—his attention fixed, his expression unreadable.
“I’ll see you later,” he said once the man stepped aside. “Don’t wander too far.”
“I wasn’t planning to,” she murmured, surprising even herself.
---
Later in the evening, Isabelle found herself alone on the balcony, staring out over the city skyline. The cool breeze tugged at her hair, bringing a sense of stillness she hadn’t realized she needed. High society was exhausting, and she was starting to feel like a pawn on someone else’s chessboard.
“You hate it in there, don’t you?” came Julian’s voice behind her.
She didn’t turn around. “Is it that obvious?”
“Only to someone who watches people closely.”
“So now you’re a people watcher?”
He stepped beside her, resting a hand on the stone railing. “Only when they interest me.”
She rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lips.
“I thought you were busy entertaining other important guests,” she said.
“I was. Then I got bored.”
“Of them?” she asked, glancing at him. “Or of pretending you care?”
Julian chuckled. “Both. Most of them want something. You don’t.”
“How do you know what I want?”
“Because you haven’t asked me for anything.” He paused, then added in a low voice, “Not yet.”
Her skin prickled. “You’re very sure of yourself.”
“No,” he said, turning to face her fully. “I’m very sure of you.”
For a long second, neither of them spoke. The air between them thickened, heavy with the tension neither could ignore.
“Is this normal for you?” she finally asked. “This whole... seduction-through-business-arrangement thing?”
He tilted his head, amused. “You think I’m trying to seduce you?”
“You’re not exactly subtle.”
Julian leaned in again, and this time, his voice dropped lower. “If I were trying to seduce you, Isabelle, you’d already know. And I wouldn’t be using business to do it.”
Her breath caught.
She hated how much that thrilled her.
“Then what are you using?” she asked, meeting his gaze.
Julian smiled. “My instincts. And the fact that you’re not running away.”
She stared at him for a beat. “Maybe I’m just not easily intimidated.”
“Good,” he said, stepping closer, so close their arms nearly touched. “Because I’m not easily impressed.”
“I’m not here to impress you.”
“You already have.”
The words hung between them like smoke—hot, heavy, and impossible to ignore.
Isabelle let out a slow breath. “This is crazy.”
“It’s interesting,” Julian corrected. “There’s a difference.”
“What do you really want from me?”
He leaned one elbow on the balcony, now almost whispering. “I want someone who won’t just nod and smile. Someone who challenges me. Someone who knows how to walk into a room and turn heads without even trying. That’s you.”
Her heart pounded. “You want a business partner, or a distraction?”
“Why can’t I have both?”
She scoffed. “Because one will ruin the other.”
Julian tilted his head. “Maybe. Or maybe one will sharpen the other.”
There was something disarming about how calm he was. Like he already knew the ending, and he was simply waiting for her to catch up.
She stepped back. “I should go.”
“Then go,” he said, not moving. “But if you do, you’ll spend the entire night wondering what would’ve happened if you stayed.”
Isabelle turned halfway toward the doors, her mind warring with her body. She wanted to walk away. She also wanted to stay just a minute longer.
“Tell me something true,” she said over her shoulder.
Julian’s voice followed. “You’re the most interesting thing that’s walked into my life in months. Maybe years.”
Her lips parted. “That’s too easy. Tell me something you don’t say to everyone else.”
There was a beat of silence. Then he said, softly, “I don’t like crowds. I throw parties so I can control the room.”
She looked at him then—really looked. Something shifted in her chest.
A flaw in the armor.
A c***k in the cool billionaire.
“I don’t like crowds either,” she admitted. “I always feel like I’m pretending to belong.”
He walked to her slowly, his expression gentler now. “You don’t have to pretend with me.”
When he reached her, their bodies aligned but didn’t touch. The restraint between them was maddening. It would take one move—one breath—to break it.
“Why me, Julian?” she asked again. “Of all people, why pick me?”
His fingers grazed the bare skin of her shoulder, featherlight. “Because you don’t know how rare you are. And that makes you dangerous.”
Her skin tingled at his touch. “And what happens if I say yes?”
Julian smiled slowly. “Then I show you what happens when you stop surviving… and start living.”
- Writer
