Chapter 42. Florian
The fitting suite at Klein he was checking his property.
"Shoulders back," he murmured, a private correction. "You're slouching, little one. Princes don't slouch."
"My back hurts from standing this straight," I complained, though I leaned back into his touch, correcting my posture immediately. "Are you sure I can't just wear jeans? I have really nice black jeans." I joked. Not that I actually would. I'd die before wearing jeans to a formal event.
Knox’s lips twitched against my temple. "If you wear jeans to my foundation’s charity ball, I will tan your hide in the coat check room."
"Promises, promises," I whispered.
Mr. Henderson cleared his throat, pretending to adjust a cufflink display, giving us a polite illusion of privacy. I giggled. It was silly.
I knew how much the Knox Foundation meant to him. It wasn't just a tax write-off; it was how he fixed parts of the world he couldn't control otherwise. "I'll be good. I promise. I won't eat with my hands or ask the mayor if he dyes his hair."
"The mayor does dye his hair," Knox noted, smoothing the lapels one last time. "But yes, refrain from mentioning it." I laughed. He stepped back, admiring his handiwork. "You look breathtaking."
I looked at myself in the mirror again. The suit fit like a second skin, accentuating the lean lines of my body, making me look taller, broader. I didn't look like the kid who slept in a shelter. I looked like I belonged to Knox.
"Hey, Daddy?" I asked, testing the waters while he was in a good mood.
"Yes?"
I fidgeted with the cuff of the pristine white shirt. "I was wondering... since it's a big party, and there's going to be a lot of people... and you’ll probably be busy shaking the hands of the president or something…"
Knox raised an eyebrow, waiting.
"Can I invite Luna?" I blurted out. "As my plus-one? I mean, I know I'm your plus-one, technically, but I thought... maybe she could come? She’s never been to anything like this. And she could be next to me when you can’t."
I braced myself for a gentle refusal. It was an elite event. Tickets cost thousands of dollars. Luna had blue hair and wore combat boots to brunch.
Knox didn't even blink. "Of course."
My jaw dropped slightly. "Really? Just like that?"
"Why not?" He checked his watch, then looked back at me. "She’s your best friend. If having her there makes you happy, she is welcome." He paused, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "Though, the dress code is strictly black tie. Does she have appropriate attire?"
"Um, probably not," I admitted. "She has a debate blazer."
Knox pulled his phone from his pocket. "I'll have Sarah arrange a styling appointment for her. Gown, shoes, hair, makeup. Whatever she needs. I’ll have a car sent to pick her up on the evening of the event."
I stared at him. "You’d do that? Buy her a gown and everything?"
He looked up from his screen, confusion knitting his brow. "Florian, she is important to you. That makes her my responsibility by extension.”
I laughed. I stepped down and threw my arms around his neck, disregarding Mr. Henderson entirely. "You are the best. The absolute best."
Knox caught me, his arms winding around my waist to steady me. He gave me a champagne glass, and we touched glasses. I drank mine in one gulp. It was so good.
"Pace yourself. It’s vintage Dom Pérignon, and it goes down like soda. I don’t want to carry you out over my shoulder."
"Unless I'm being bratty," I teased.
"If you are bratty at the ball," Knox said, "I will take you to the executive office on the top floor, bend you over my desk, and ensure you can't sit through the keynote speeches."
I paused, halfway through unbuttoning the jacket, a huge smile on my lips. My reflection in the dressing room mirror showed flushed cheeks and dilated pupils.
"Is that a threat or an offer?" I asked. God, I’d love that.
Knox leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms. “Consider it a promise with consequences either way. Now, get changed. I want to take you to lunch."
I stripped off the jacket, feeling the cool air of the shop hit my skin. "Yes, Daddy."
I watched him through the gap in the curtain as I changed. He was checking his phone, probably ordering a five-thousand-dollar dress for Luna without a second thought, just because I asked.
***
We stepped out of the elevator and into a room that smelled overwhelmingly of white roses.
There were thousands of them, cascading from the ceiling, climbing the pillars, bursting from crystal vases on every surface.
Enormous chandeliers cast a warm, golden light that refracted through the life-sized ice sculptures guarding the entrance to the ballroom.
I tugged at my cuff, feeling the familiar itch of insecurity crawling up my throat. Knox didn't say a word. He simply placed his hand on my back, his palm warm and broad through the fabric of my tuxedo. I have you, it said. You are mine.
"Just breathe," he murmured, guiding me forward. "It’s just a room. With better flowers than usual."
We moved through the crowd, and I did my best to remember the briefing. Stand tall. Eye contact. Smile.
"Robert!" a voice boomed.
We were swallowed by the inner circle before we even reached the bar. Lucas and his partner, Sophia with David, all of them looking glamorous.
Then, the elevator doors slid open again, and I nearly dropped my glass.
Luna stepped out. She looked like a queen from a dark fairytale.
The gown Knox had arranged was a deep midnight blue, flaring out at the waist in waves of satin.
Her blue hair was styled, and she wore diamond drop earrings.
She spotted us and marched over. She was still wearing boots, though more elegant than usual.
"Okay," she said, stopping in front of me. "I’m terrified to move. This dress costs more than my entire college education. If I spill salsa on it, I have to fake my own death. And there’s no way in hell I’d wear heels. Those things hurt and I’m not into pain like you."
I laughed. "You look incredible, Blue. Seriously."
She punched my arm, hard. "Shut up. You look like a tiny James Bond."
"Ow," I rubbed my arm, grinning. "Security!"
Knox stepped forward, offering Luna his hand. "Luna. You look radiant. The color suits you perfectly."
Luna eyed him, then offered a genuine smile, shaking his hand. "Thanks, Knox. Really. This is... insane."
"Enjoy it," he said and winked. "The night is yours."
As the evening wore on, the ballroom filled with the city's elite.
I watched Knox transform. It was fascinating, like watching a master craftsman at work.
He moved through the crowd with an easy grace, shaking hands, clapping shoulders, leaning in to listen to concerns about funding or policy.
He was the center of gravity in the room.
People drifted toward him, seeking his approval, his attention.
And yet, every few minutes, no matter who he was talking to, a senator, a tech mogul, a philanthropist, his eyes would find me.
He’d check on me across the room, offering a small, private smile that was for me alone.
That smile said I see you. You’re doing well.
It made my heart race faster than the caffeine or the anxiety ever could.
Sometimes, he winked at me and made my heart stop.
We sat for dinner at the head table. The linens were crisp, the silverware heavy and endless.
I sat between Knox and Luna, with Sophia and David across from us, Lucas and James in a table next to ours.
Knox didn’t have a lot of time to eat, he had to talk with too many people, leaving me mostly alone with Luna and Knox’s friends.
"So," Luna whispered to me as the first course, some kind of delicate scallop dish, was served. "I’ve been watching him."
"And?" I whispered back, slicing into a scallop.
"He’s obsessed with you," she stated, her voice low. "He’s currently listening to that guy talk about renewable energy, but his leg is pressed against yours, and he’s refilled your water glass twice without looking."
I looked down. My water glass was indeed full. Knox’s thigh was a solid wall of heat against mine under the table.
"He takes care of me," I said, a flush rising on my cheeks.
Luna leaned closer, her expression turning serious. "I’ve never seen you this happy, Flo. You look... settled. Like you’re not waiting for the other shoe to drop."
"I'm not," I realized. "I think the shoes are staying on."
"Good," she said, squeezing my hand under the table. "Though I'm still watching him. Eternal vigilance."
"I wouldn't expect anything less."
I looked up at Knox then. He was laughing at something David said, his head thrown back, his throat exposed. He looked powerful and untouchable, but I knew what he looked like when he was sleepy and soft, I knew the sound he made when he came, I knew the way he worried about his mother.
He turned, feeling my gaze. The laughter softened in his eyes. He reached under the table, his hand finding my knee, giving it a firm, possessive squeeze.
"You okay?" he mouthed.
I nodded, feeling a swell of pride so big it almost hurt. This was my life. This powerful, incredible man was mine, and I was his.
"I'm perfect," I mouthed back.
After dinner, I was laughing at a joke Sophia had made about her husband’s golf game when I felt Knox’s hand slide into mine. His grip was firm.
"Come with me," he whispered near my ear.
I didn't ask where. I stood up, excusing myself from the table, and let him lead me away. He navigated us through the crush of bodies, away from the golden light of the ballroom, down a quiet corridor lined with abstract art, until we reached a heavy glass door.
He pushed it open, and the cold winter air hit us.
We stepped onto a private balcony that overlooked the entire city. The wind was biting, but I barely felt it. Knox pulled me into the corner, sheltered from the wind by the stone architecture of the building.
The music from inside drifted out to us, muffled and dreamlike, a slow, swaying jazz melody. Knox turned to me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me against his body. He was a furnace in the cold.
"I wanted you to myself," he murmured. "Just for a minute. Before the madness of the countdown."
I rested my hands on his chest. "Selfish Daddy," I teased softly.
"Always," he agreed, smirking.
He began to sway, moving us in a slow, barely-there dance. My feet followed his instinctively. We moved in a tiny circle in the dark.
"This past year," Knox said, his voice rumbling through his chest and into my palms. "You’ve brought light into my life I didn't know was missing. Before you... everything was gray.”
I looked up at him. The ambient light from the city cast shadows across his face, highlighting the sharp angles of his cheekbones, the silver in his hair.
"And you saved me, literally," I said. "I was so scared, all the time. I never knew what home felt like until you."
The wind ruffled his hair. He tightened his hold on me, as if he could physically shield me from my past memories.
"You're my home," he said, his voice rough. He lifted my hand, pressing a kiss to the center of my palm, then to my wrist, right over my pulse.
"Ten!" The crowd inside roared, the sound muffled but audible through the glass.
"Nine!"
Knox lifted my chin gently, his thumb tracing my lower lip.
"Eight!"
"I love you," I whispered.
"I love you," he answered.
“Three! Two! One!"
As the city exploded, we kissed. It wasn't a gentle kiss.
It was deep and desperate, a claiming. Somewhere above us, fireworks shattered the darkness, blooms of red, gold, and green.
The booms echoed in my chest, mixing with the pounding of my heart.
I saw the flashes of light against my closed eyelids, felt the vibrations in the railing, but my entire world was narrowed down to the taste of him, the heat of his mouth, the strength of his arms holding me up.
"Happy New Year, my boy," he said.
"Happy New Year, Daddy."
We stood there for a long time, watching the smoke drift across the skyline, until the cold finally began to seep through our jackets.
"We should go back," Knox said reluctantly. "People will wonder where the host has gone."
"Let them wonder," I said, but I let him lead me back inside.
The warmth of the ballroom hit us instantly. The party was in full swing now, wilder than before. We made our way back to the table.
Luna was waiting for us. She held a glass of champagne in one hand and a half-eaten skewer of fruit in the other.
She looked from Knox, whose tie was slightly askew, to me, with my flushed face and swollen lips.
She didn't make a sarcastic comment. She didn't roll her eyes.
She just looked at me and saw the difference.
The fear was gone. The desperation that used to live in the corners of my eyes was gone.
I was standing next to Knox, not because I needed his money to survive; I had always survived before, but because I chose him.
She nodded, a small, decisive movement of her chin. A seal of approval.
"Happy New Year, you gross romantics," she said, lifting her glass.
I grinned, leaning into Knox’s side, feeling his arm come around me automatically, a permanent anchor.
"Happy New Year, Blue," I said.
I looked out at the room, at the glittering lights and the smiling faces, and then up at Knox. The year ahead was wide open, unknown. But for the first time, the future didn't look like a threat. And I was ready for it with him.