Chapter 4
Lucia was evading him on purpose. Axe knew she was there; people confirmed they’d seen her, but he seemed to be one step behind her movements.
He finally gave up his search. He didn’t have time to dwell on her flakiness because he was inundated with people stopping him every minute to congratulate him.
The new direction his family’s business was taking with Deutsche Bank was an enormous undertaking.
The party was where he would make the official announcement.
Their guests consisted of industry people and the press.
They were all there to generate buzz about the once-revered but fallen-off-the-map Axel Parfums, which was back in the game.
As acting CEO, he was obligated to stop and speak with every well-wisher, though he thought the task was inane and a waste of time.
He wasn’t in the mood to talk shop. He wanted people to enjoy themselves on Halloween, and he’d cleverly (or so he thought) pushed the masquerade theme because he could be unrecognizable behind a disguise; left alone to brood and observe with his own thoughts.
But people recognized him, even in his getup and new facial hair growth (just for the occasion).
He was the face of the company at the moment, and it couldn’t be helped.
So, he did his best to cut short any conversation that swerved cunningly into strategy, because he didn’t want to think about any of that just yet.
He decided now would be a good time to give a short speech and to announce the winner of the costume contest, before people got too crazy that evening. As he headed toward the champagne tower, someone crashed into him again. It was her—the mystery woman in all purple—Violette.
Her face was smooshed into his chest as her shoulders shook.
“I’m starting to think you’re doing this on purpose, Danger,” she said, looking up at him bashfully, but giggling, her words slurring ever so slightly.
Her grin was lopsided and matched the skewness of her previously perfectly coiffed updo.
Lavender tendrils curled around her cheeks, and she was maskless again, the item crushed in her hands between them.
She swayed into him on her high heels, and he caught the hint of sweet spice on her breath, telling him she must have been indulging in the Stroke of Midnight Pumpkin-tinis at the bar. They were delicious but potent.
He pushed a few strands of her hair behind her ear as their eyes met. “You’re mistaken again, Violette. I’d completely forgotten about you since you ran into me last time.”
That wasn’t true. He kept expecting to see her again, but that hadn’t materialized, though her scent continued to linger at the forefront of his senses.
It was completely scientific—a lingering brain perception when the olfactory memory triggered was now at the top of mind.
But the memory activated for him wasn’t just that of his summers as a child in France.
Somehow, they morphed into this mystery woman, too.
She laughed and pulled him closer, her earlier displeasure with him forgotten. She whispered covertly, “I hope your mission was a success.” Her eyes shifted from side to side as if making sure no one watched them.
“It wasn’t.” He grumbled, not even sure why he was putting up with her silly behavior. Didn’t he have a few words to say to his guests and announce the costume winner? But he ended up putting an arm around her waist nonetheless, as again, she swayed into him, uneven on her feet.
“Oh, Danger, you look positively enraged about that.” Her puffy lips frowned as she fingered his mouth.
Was he angry? No. He was generally a serious person with a neutral countenance.
But he realized his mouth was tense as she tapped two soft finger pads on his bottom lip, tickling him, making him relax.
“Can I interest you in another mission? There’s no room for failure in this one. ”
He was irritated, but amused. “I’m not sure I can help you just this minute, Violette. I’m needed elsewhere.”
Now, she wrapped her lithe arms around his neck and fingered the hair at the nape of his neck.
She pouted as she looked up at him. “Please? I’m sorry I was such a beast back there. I’ve had a rough night.”
He gently placed his hands on her hips, intending to push her away, but something in him couldn’t, as he got lost in her wide eyes.
They had to be contacts, he thought. No one had eyes that color.
But he was lost nonetheless, and he didn’t think it was the color that did it.
It was the utter and genuine hopefulness in her gaze.
A plea that made him reconsider rebuffing her this time.
“This better be good, Violette. I have things to do.”
She squinted her eyes and cocked her head. “Another mission tonight? You sure are a busy man. I’m positive that this one won’t be a waste of your time.”
He nodded, squeezing her padded hips. “More like I’m a busy and important man. Everyone wants my time. So,” he leaned down into the soft shell of her ear and said gruffly, “the clock is ticking. What do you want?”
He felt her shiver, and desire rolled through his body in an unexpected response. The combination of holding this enchantingly sexy woman so close and inhaling her perfectly soft, powdery scent was doing things to him that he wasn’t so sure he was in the mood for.
She cleared her throat, looking away. Was she affected, too?
“Pretend we're dancing—no wait, pretend we’re into each other and dancing.”
“Pardon?”
“Act like you’re totally attracted to me.”
He wouldn’t need to act there. But he had to ask anyway because he’d be lying if he said her behavior hadn’t been screwball-like all night.
“Why?”
“Do you question every mission you’re sent on, Danger?” she asked, exasperated.
“No, because I’m usually the one who sets the mission.”
She rolled her eyes and scoffed, “Oh, la di dah. Fine. Just do this for a few minutes, and I’ll explain everything, then I’ll let you out of my crazy grasp.”
He nodded, charmed yet again by her and her weird behavior; he was in for the ruse. He slid his hands slowly up to her waist, the crushed velvet heated and soft, gliding under his palms. She felt good, and he squeezed her flesh, making her inhale sharply.
She nodded vigorously. “Yep, that’s good,” she choked out.
She tightened her arms around his neck and pulled his face closer to hers as they stepped side to side to Dracula by Tame Impala, which was currently on the DJ’s rotation.
Her head bopped up and down to the beat as she said, “Ok, let me level with you. My boyfriend—excuse me, I mean my ex-boyfriend—is here.”
It dawned on him immediately. “You’re trying to make him jealous?”
He was entertained further. He was just a decoy in whatever personal drama was forefront in her world, but truthfully, it was fun.
It took his mind off Axel Parfums and the successes they aimed for—ones he wasn’t so sure would take them back to the old glory days when only a few revered fragrance houses existed.
Times had changed, and competition was fierce.
The family and board members couldn’t seem to wrap their heads around that notion—
“Bullseye, Danger,” she whispered fervently, bringing his attention back to her and the utmost importance of her mission involving one of humanity’s most base instincts.
Violette glanced around shiftily again, her gaze combing partygoers.
“He told me, when he was still my boyfriend, that he wasn’t coming tonight because he got held up with work after I was already here—that’s when I ran into you the first time. ”
Ah. Her erratic behavior was starting to make some sense, now. She must have just found out she’d been stood up before crashing into him earlier. And the culprit was her boyfriend and his work. That was slightly shitty, actually, but really, was that a reason for her to fly off the handle with him?
“Here’s the thing, Danger, this has been his excuse for the past three weeks. I know work is a bitch for him, especially when he’s really looking for that promotion, but I don’t know, it feels off, and today is our anniversary, and—” She shook her head in frustration.
Their anniversary? Well, her ex was a complete shit, actually.
“So here I am, minding my own business,” she continued, “trying to enjoy myself on my own because I’m all dressed up and already here, you know?
I’m checking out the dark chocolate fountain—have you seen it?
The decadence of that chocolate alone had me swooning, but then the yummy French treats to dip into the chocolate?
Whatever, I’m sure I have type 2 diabetes now, I swear—”
“Violette,” he interrupted, trying to keep his annoyance, and admittedly his humor, at bay. “Your ex?”
“Right.” She closed her eyes tightly, clearly assembling her thoughts, before opening them.
“Ugh, my ex. So, I’m indulging; I have no shame about that, ok?
But then, who do I see but him with his stupid face on the other side of the room?
I get all excited, thinking the fucker has decided to surprise me.
But no, that’s not it at all. He’s with another woman! ”
Axe nodded his head but wanted to give all parties the benefit of the doubt. It was his nature to move cautiously and get all the information before taking action.
“Maybe they’re co-workers,” he suggested. “Acquaintances, or friends?”
It was quite possible that Violette might have been seeing things.
In her sensitive state, having been repeatedly rebuffed by her ex, perhaps she’d seen something she wanted to see, rather than what was actually happening.
“Some things aren’t what they appear to be,” he said as mildly as he could, not wanting her to think he wasn’t on her side.