《Loving Violet》 Chapter 1

Cole¡¯s P.O.V

¡°Mr. Wentworth, your mail has arrived,¡± Nancy called out as I strode past her desk. Nancy, my long-suffering secretary was used to my constant running between meetings and knew I was there to pick up a file for my next meeting that just so happened to be starting in the few minutes¡­ I own and run a chain of exclusive nightclubs and I was planning on opening up a new, luxurious, highly exclusive club in the next few days, called The LimeLight Nightclub. It had been built with two sections to it and four floors. One part of the club (the first two floors) was to be available to the public and another part ( the top two floors), that was to be accessible to members only. The Members Area (The VIP section) would have some of our girls performing and we were planning to have a fashion show on opening night to showcase a new line of lingerie I''d just designed. I¡¯m the head designer for Lingerie at my sisters¡¯ fashion company, ¡®You¡¯re Worth It¡¯ by Mia Wentworth. "Nancy, I told you I don''t care. If it''s important enough you can email it to me." "Yes Sir," she nodded and as she half bowed her head in reply, a strand of her short, salon-dyed blonde hair fell over her shoulder, ¡°I think I might have something here you might just want to look at..." her voice trailed off nervously. "For crying out loud, what now? I''m late for my meeting with the product team for the new lingerie line that is being released next season and for going over the final details for the line being released at the opening of LimeLight. This better be important!" I replied in a raised voice, frustrated as hell that she was delaying me when I didn''t have time to be wasted. I hate being late and Nancy knew it. She''s worked for me for the last 5 years. Hell, we were even sort of friends and half the time I would honestly be lost without her. She knows that I am insanely busy and she shouldn¡¯t interrupt me unless it was extremely important. Plus, I knew that she could handle the majority of my busy schedule and if she had an issue she was to take it to my sister, Mia, who handled all the other fashion lines. My sister handled pretty much everything, especially since this was her company but any issues regarding the lingerie line and my clubs were supposed to be bought to me directly. However, Mia always helped me create a vision when I was having a creative block. I honestly don¡¯t know what I would do if I didn¡¯t have her to bounce ideas off of. Mia worked for a bit through high school and college as a model and then decided that she wanted to open her own fashion line. Now five years later at 24, she was the CEO of an international fashion company while doing the occasional side modeling job. I have a talent for understanding the markets of both the exclusivity of the nightclub world as well as the fashion world. During my time at Wharton Business School, I was always top of my class. Numbers, people, marketing and business operations have always come easy for me; however, I have also always had a knack for fashion, more particularly, lingerie. One would I hope I do, especially after the number of times I have undressed models from their luxury lingerie. I find it calming to put some of my energy into being creative, hence the creation of my lingerie lines, in which I headline. My sister, Mia and I decided about five years ago, that because we ended up helping the other occasionally with work, we would have our headquarters in the same building. The club business was mine and hers was primarily the fashion lines, but I am the designer for the majority of the lingerie lines and she occasionally ran events out of my night clubs. Mia came walking up to Nancy¡¯s desk, "Has he seen it yet?" "Seen what? I''m already late so can someone just tell me what is going on please?" huffing, I turned around and marched into my office, my sister and Nancy''s footsteps echoing behind me. Collecting my files that I realized I had forgotten, I turned around to them, my eyebrow twitching as my frustration levels raised, "For God''s sake, someone tell me right now!" The window rattled at how loud I was. Mia pulled out her phone and opened up her news app, there the top story screamed out at me: Billionaire Cole Wentworth and his Ex-girlfriend, ex-supermodel Sophia Stutterheim rumored to be engaged? A source close to Sophia tells us that, despite their massive break up earlier this year, the couple has rekindled their romance and there is talk of an engagement on the horizon. Is our favorite couple about to tie the knot and make it official? I threw the mug that had been sitting on my desk against the wall and watched in joy as it shattered apart. I never liked that mug anyway. "That bitch, she knows I''m opening up my new club tomorrow and with fashion week approaching and my line coming out she''s trying to use my press to make herself relevant again. Mia, please make sure that all the staff knows that she is not allowed at any of our upcoming events and make sure all the bouncers have a photo of her, make them understand that if I find out someone has let her onto any of my premises they will be fired on the spot!"The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "I know, I was on the phone to PR in the elevator, talking over strategies of how you want to handle this," Mia typed furiously on her phone before looking up at me, "In the meantime, I believe you''re late for that meeting about your new line, yeah?" "Dammit! Okay, I¡¯ll be done in about forty-five minutes and then we can strategize how to handle this until then Nancy postpone any other meetings I have for today and organize a car to pick up Sapphire from school, please. Last time I forgot to fetch her she didn''t talk to me for a month and then got all my locks changed and locked me out of my apartment until I promised to buy her a horse. Don''t let anyone tell you that 13-year-old girls can''t be vicious." I rolled my eyes and shoved my files into my bags as I hurried out of the office.
"There was a crisis, but I''m here now so we can start," I said, striding into the conference room. Everyone was too scared of me to say anything about me being late, but from the few side glances I was receiving, I suspected they''d all seen the article about Sophia and myself.
As the meeting was coming to a close, Mia burst through the doors, "Sorry to interrupt but I have to speak to Cole." "It''s fine Mia, we were just finishing up anyway," I calmly stood up and started gathering up my documents and the boards from my presentation. "Just to finish up, I want the mock-ups of the basic garments ready by next week. I want to approve them before making any final changes and then we can work on sewing the garments for fashion week. We can get the stand in¡¯s to wear them for us." The team around me nodded, grins starting to spread across their faces. It was going to be a lot of work but it seemed as if everyone was excited about the launch of the upcoming line. "Nancy!" "Yes, sir?" Nancy''s head popped around the doorway. "Call the stand-in models we use for fittings of the mock-ups and ask them to be in on Saturday morning. I want to make sure we''re finished the fittings by the end of tomorrow so that we have time to start on the adjustments for the final pieces." "Will do. Mia, there is someone in the waiting room saying they desperately need to speak to you, something about issues with the girls performing tonight at the opening? Apparently Cameron won¡¯t stop screaming about a Sharron?¡± "Can they not wait, I need to talk to Cole?" Mia sighed, her shoulders rigid. Apparently, the models and dancers for my clubs¡¯ opening tonight kept fighting. This whole week I¡¯d been down finalizing all the small details about my new lingerie line. Mia, being the workaholic/angel that she is, had been handling all the HR issues and bigger problems that had come up at the last minute. Even though we have clubs already open and booming, this was to be our first club which offered memberships and major exclusivity, and we needed it to go off without a hitch. Especially with A-listers and a lot of the incredibly wealthy attending. Mia had been keeping me updated on what had been happening during the week, but with fashion week right around the corner, I was slammed with the finishing touches on the designs. Managing my clubs had to be handed off to Mia, who was, thankfully, more than qualified to handle it. "Apparently not, they said it''s very urgent," Nancy sheepishly said, worried about triggering my ever-present temper. Mia glanced over at me and opened her mouth to start saying something, "Honestly, it''s fine Mia, go deal with whatever is going on with those girls now. I have about three whole trees worth of paperwork waiting on my desk I need to catch up on. When you¡¯re finished, come find me in my office.¡± "Okay that''s fine, I''ll be in soon Cole," Mia threw over her shoulder as she ran out of the conference room, still typing furiously on her phone. That''s my sister, the workaholic. Although I suppose I''m not much better, today has been a rather slow day for me and I''ve been in a rather good mood which could be related to me having that threesome I had last night. I huff and run my hand through my relatively long dark brown hair, stupid girls thought they were special and that I wasn''t going to kick them out. ***Flashback to early that morning *** I woke up with heavy eyes and the feeling of long legs draped across me. I look to either side of me to find the two girls I brought home ¡°fast asleep¡±. Just taking one look at them gave away the fact that they probably woke up early to reapply their makeup and give them a ¡°natural¡± look. I could see right through that bullshit. I threw their legs off of me and easily climbed over the needy redhead and made my way to the bathroom. Magically they both woke up the moment I left the bed. ¡°Where are you going handsome? Stay in bed for the day¡­¡± the blonde tried to say seductively. Instead of feeling turned on, I start to feel my annoyance boil inside of me. I allowed my eyes to fall on their desperate and eager faces, ¡°I told you two before we had sex that you couldn¡¯t stay here and that you needed to be gone before I woke up.¡± The redhead started to say something, but I cut her off because my annoyance was growing by the second. I was not in the mood to deal with her crap, especially not that early in the day. ¡°But I guess it is quite difficult for you to understand, so allow me to spell it out for you. You better be right the fuck out of my house by the time I get out of the shower. I would like to think you have some sort of dignity and don¡¯t need to be escorted out by my security detail.¡± I got my fill of these girls last night, or rather they got filled by me, I didn¡¯t want to have to see them or talk to them any longer or ever again really. I crossed my arms over my chiseled chest and raised my eyebrows in question. That seemed to do the trick because thirty seconds later they had their clothes off the floor, in a bundle in their arms and were running out of my door before my security was called to escort them out. ***Flashback over*** Before I knew what was going on, my sister dragged a crying girl into my office. "Explain to him what you just told me," She growled out. Mia looked as if she was about to rip this girl¡¯s head off. Honestly, I don''t blame her. I was sure I was going to feel the same way in the next few seconds. The girl¡¯s tears could have challenged Niagara Falls with the amount of water coming out of her eyes. When she was able to get some kind of grip on her incessant sobs, she croaked out, "So everyone was at practice this morning, except Marlene but she¡¯s always late, something about morning sickness...." I half tuned out as I listened to her tell me about the latest issue between the models and the dancers. It was beginning to look as if I wouldn''t be getting much paperwork done today after all. Chapter 2

Cole¡¯s P.O.V

I groaned and ran my hands through my long dark brown hair as I packed away the last of the day¡¯s paperwork. I had finally finished the paperwork that I had to get done today, could I have stayed longer? Absolutely, but all the words on the paper started to blur and mesh together. That¡¯s when I decided that it would be a good time to call it a day and headed home. As I reached to check the time my phone lit up with a reminder going off from my calendar that Nancy updates constantly. 5 AM video call with Singapore QA executive for confirmation on the CMT of the new line.
(QA = Quality Assurance) (CMT = Cut, Make and Trim)
Fuck. I frustratedly dragged my hand down my face, feeling my five o¡¯clock shadow roughly scratch across my hand. It was already after midnight and by the time I got home and having to come in early tomorrow morning, I¡¯d be lucky if I could get even three hours of sleep. I allowed my eyes to wander around my office, considering for a moment just sleeping on the plush leather couch for the night. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time I¡¯d done so and definitely, wouldn''t be the last. I shook my head, I had to get home. I hurriedly locked up the office and made my way to the elevator, ignoring the greeting from the security guard. Honestly, I was too tired to move a muscle and I was still supposed to drive home, although I think it might be safer if I just called my driver. Getting home took longer than I thought it would, because, of course, New York is a city that never sleeps and so I somehow managed to get stuck in traffic just after midnight. By the time I finally managed to get home it was well after 1 AM. ¡°Alexa! Set an alarm for 4 AM,¡± I yelled at my Alexa device as I stripped off my hand-tailored, black Armani suit with its lining of Royal Red silk. ¡°Alarm set for 4 am,¡± Alexa called back. I draped the jacket over my forearm as I dragged myself to the master bedroom. My apartment had a modern minimalistic feel, with a color theme that stayed in the white, grey and black color scheme. I threw my jacket over the black leather ottoman that was placed in the center of my walk-in closet. The rest of my clothes closely followed behind and before I knew it, I was under my 30,000 thread count black Egyptian-cotton sheets, and I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow. ¡°BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEEEEP!¡± ¡°Alexa, I¡¯m up.¡± I groggily mumbled from the comfort of my pillow. ¡°BEEP! BEEP! BEEEEEEP!¡± ¡°Oh, shut up would you?¡± I half screamed, half groaned out as I stumbled out of my bed and straight into my walk-in glass shower. Sighing in relief when the irritating noise of my alarm finally stopped as Alexa got the hint. I fumbled around for the tap to turn on the shower and crank the temperature of the shower to high. Hoping that the steaming hot shower would ease the tension in my shoulders and my back. I couldn¡¯t help but try to roll my shoulders back and forth, feeling the tightness of my body easing with the application of heat and stretching of my muscles. Recovery after being at the gym for back and shoulder¡¯s day was never a fun one. It didn¡¯t help always being hunched over my desk.
I stepped out of the shower finally and strolled through to my bedroom and into my closet. All my suits are arranged on the left-hand side of the closet. The plush white carpets contrasted perfectly with the dark oak drawers and complimented the shelving. I shoved them aside to grab my favorite dark-gray Burberry suit and a black trench coat. Changing quickly, I ran some light gel through my hair and hoped it would keep my hair at least vaguely in place. I did not feel like flicking my hair out of my eyes all day. I grabbed a tub of fruit salad out of the fridge as I started up my phone to check any emails that may have come in during the 3 hours I was asleep. I decided that the fruit salad was going to have to be good enough for breakfast. I didn''t have the time for my housekeep Martha to make me breakfast or to stop and buy some. I had emails I needed to complete, my driver, Jackson, wasn''t working today, something about his daughter being sick and it is his week with her. I swiftly typed an email to Nancy.
To: Nancy (PA) Morning, please organize me a driver today, Jackson''s kid is sick. Also, what is my schedule for today? -C
To: Cole Will do. Your schedule today is as follows: -Nancy
Thankfully the replacement driver arrived swiftly. ¡°Good Morning Sir,¡± my driver greeted me with a nodded head as he opened my door for me. ¡°Morning,¡± I greeted back curtly, my nose already buried in my phone. Traffic was light so it didn''t take long to get to the office. I honestly did not have time to waste this morning. Once I got into the office I glanced over my schedule for the day again. It wasn''t too bad I decided. I just hoped everything would run smoothly, or that I would at least be able to deal with random Gremlins and that Mr. Murphy was on vacation. Not that I¡¯d ever admitted it out loud, and it didn''t seem to matter how many times I opened up a new nightclub, I was still rather nervous. This was something completely different from anything I¡¯d tackled before and I''d spent months of my time trying to organize everything to make sure that it was perfect. I could only hope that everything would flow smoothly.
Hours and multiple stressful conversations later, it was nearing 5 pm and I knew that the traffic was always unpredictable in New York. I messaged the driver Nancy had hired letting him know that I was ready to head over to the club. I had a habit of rather being early than late, and besides, I was rather eager to see how everything was going and what it looked like with all the final changes that I had approved about a week ago.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Walking over to Mia¡¯s office, I knocked and popped my head in, "Mia, I''m going over to LimeLight now. I was wondering if you want to come?" Mia nodded her head, "Yeah, okay sure. Just let me pack up my stuff quickly. I''ll get ready there. I''m sure one of the girl''s makeup artists can fit me in. She waltzed over to the oversized cupboard and threw it open ¡°I¡¯ve got my dress here anyway."
Mia grabbed the garment bag and a few other necessities, so of course, it took us another 20 minutes to leave the office. We slid into the back of the car and raced off towards the club. ¡°Take us to the back entrance, Anthony,¡± I called out to the driver as I was scrolling through the final invite list. As we drove into the back entrance of the club I could see the mob of paparazzi waiting around to get a photo of any of the celebrities that will be attending the fashion show tonight. Backstage was crazy. The air was polluted with some awful sticky chemicals. So much so I could barely breathe. I''m pretty sure I started to get high on the fumes. Turns out that it was hairspray. How girls use and breathe around it I do not understand. The air around me tasted like chemicals. Girls were running around in all variations of undress, some were already in the underwear for the show tonight, others still in dressing robes or changing. It looked like a makeup store exploded in there, makeup cases were lying everywhere and tubes of whatever that gunk is that girls put on their faces lying scattered all around them. There were at least twenty hair straighteners, in use, with the associated smell of burning hair, and some more just lying around. The usual girly pop songs blared from a Bluetooth speaker that belonged to one of the models or makeup artists. Everyone was yelling and trying to be heard in all the chaos. Suddenly a bra was flung across my face. Right, so that was my cue to leave. I snatched the bra off my face and let it fall to the floor. I normally wouldn¡¯t be complaining about girls throwing underwear in my face but generally, that was followed by sex with some rather attractive model or models. That was not the case here, unfortunately. There was way too much estrogen in one room. I thought I''d go check on how things were going elsewhere. I''d let Mia handle the crazy girl hell that was going on backstage, she was more equipped to handle this than I was. How girls handle that I don''t know, I barely spent five minutes in there and I almost choked to death on hairspray, had a hair straightener almost burn me twice and someone''s high heel and bra almost hit me in the face and another bra that actually did... I had spent more time than I needed to in the craziness of the backstage. Walking out of the dressing room I walked straight into the main VIP dance floor, on the third floor of the club. Except we had transformed it just for the night. A large portion of the middle of the room was taken up by a slightly raised long white platform. This was the catwalk for the evening and it looked pretty impressive, lit up as it was with bright lights. The event planner I had been working with had co-opted Mia and I and we had draped these little white lights, called fairy lights apparently, as well as long pieces of white fabric from the ceiling and down the walls. Surrounding the catwalk were large circular tables for our guests to sit as they had dinner and watched the show unfold before them. The whole point of all the white was to make sure the black lingerie stood out, as tonight''s line was entirely black. All the models would be dressed in the black lingerie as well as black lace masks, all slightly different and unique. The dancers of tonight would be dancing in black ensembles I had especially designed while dangling from long white fabric. It seemed fitting considering tonight''s opening had a black and white theme. A blur of bright platinum blonde hair came hurtling my way, sending people flying as if the blur was a hurricane. Turns out it was just my one club manager, Cameron, who also happened to be my younger brother. He was just finishing up business school and needed some decent work experience, considering he had spent his summers since he was fifteen waitressing and bartending, I decided to let him work for me as my club manager. The general area was only officially opening the second night as tonight was only for the exclusive guests to see the fashion show and then to be the first ones to experience LimeLight. Knowing this crowd, I expected all of them to would want to party after the show and considering we had used the main dance-floor of the VIP area for the fashion show, we were using the general area dance-floor for tonight''s quests. ¡°Woah, Woah! Slow down there Cam,¡± I called out as I reached out and grabbed his arm. I dragged his body in front of mine, ¡°What''s got you running all over the place?¡± I raised my eyebrow in question. ¡°I was looking for you actually, the smoke machines aren''t working. I''ve been trying to get the repair guy on the phone for an hour now and he¡¯s not answering and I know you had that friend in high school whose dad owned a smoke machine company. I remember that the two of you used to play around with them and even fixed up a few so I was hoping you could take a look, please. I know you¡¯re super busy but I can''t get ahold of the guy, and you¡¯re the only other person I can think of that can fix them.¡± It took me a few seconds to parse the long breathless speech for meaning. ¡°Ahh, sure yeah I''ll take a look at them. I¡¯ll make sure to get the guy down here tomorrow or at least find someone else. I can¡¯t have them failing on my opening night¡± I growled out as I felt my fists started to clench. Of course on the night of my biggest club opening to date, the smoke machines had to stop working and we weren''t able to get a hold of the guy to fix them. I mean seriously, I''m pretty sure I was paying him to be on standby in case something like this happened. I just hoped everything else would run smoothly. ¡®Mr. Murphy, why couldn''t you just be on holiday..¡¯ I thought quietly to myself. Cameron thanked me and then ran off to make sure the waitresses and bartenders were ready for tonight, while I started to take apart the first smoke machine, trying to figure out what on earth was going on with it that it wasn''t working. I mean they were brand new. I had only bought them a few weeks ago and they''d been used a few times since then and that was for dress rehearsal and once when the DJ was going through his set to make sure that everything worked for tonight. They were working earlier but then they stopped. Before I knew where the time had gone, and I had finished making my rounds around, checking if everything else was running smoothly, which thank goodness everything was, the guests started to arrive. ¡®Showtime it is then,¡¯ I thought silently as I made my way up my private elevator to the top floor where I would make my entrance down the giant staircase onto the stage at the beginning of the catwalk. That¡¯s where it was planned for me to give an opening speech about my line and the opening of the club. The guests slowly filled into the room, and started to fill up the tables. Once we could see that everyone had arrived and was seated, Mia stood up and made her way onto the stage to introduce me, ¡°Good evening everyone. Thank you all for coming. I know it means a lot to my brother and I look forward to your reaction to seeing the new line by ¡®You¡¯re Worth it¡¯, ¡®The Ebony Collection¡¯ designed by the man himself, Cole Wentworth, so let''s give him a hand.¡± As Mia finished up her short introductory speech I made my way down the grand staircase, ¡°Thank you for that introduction, Mia.¡± I said as I hugged her. She walked off as I turned to the crowd with the mic in my hand, ¡°As Mia said, thank you all for coming. Tonight is going to be something a bit different from normal. You see we are presenting the new lingerie line from ¡®You¡¯re Worth It¡¯ called ¡®The Ebony Collection¡¯, which I am quite proud of if I do say so myself. You will notice the dancers, who will be performing all over the club, will be wearing some of my favorite pieces as well as our wait-staff are all dressed in elements from the collection. Not only is tonight special because of the new line but we are proud to announce that this is the opening for my new adventure, The LimeLight Nightclub, which, unlike any of my previous clubs, will have two floors of exclusive access only and another two floors that will be available to the general public. Everyone here has been granted premium membership access so to celebrate we thought we¡¯d give you all a sneak peek before we open properly tomorrow night. I hope you all enjoy tonight and without further adieu let the fashion show commence!¡± I finished my speech with a slightly raised voice so I would be heard above the applause and then ran off to the side of the stage. The white curtains that had been hanging behind me floated up towards the ceiling, the lights lowered and the beginning notes of ¡®Or Nah¡¯ by Ty Dolla $ign filled the air and the first girl started her walk. The audience gasped as she walked down the catwalk, legs that went on for miles made taller by six-inch midnight black stilettos, meeting together to be encased in very delicate lace g-string, with a thin strip of lace used to hold it all together carefully placed just above her hips, framing her perfectly toned stomach. A line of stuck-on little diamonds led the eye up to the completely organza bra'', her nipples only covered by carefully embroidered flowers that started in a concentrated pattern in the middle and then appeared scattered out toward the edges. Covering the top half of her face was a black masque made from a similar lace as the bra she was wearing. Her blonde hair was woven into a very complicated large bun at the back of her head, with a few loose curls hanging out to frame her face. She reached the end of the catwalk, paused just long enough for everyone to take in her ensemble, then did a slow turn and started to make her way back up the other side of the stage. The next girl appeared posing at the opening of the runway as the first girl was walking back. Chapter 3

Cole¡¯s P.O.V

There was silence as the music came to an end and the last model walked behind the sheer white curtains. I could feel a nervousness prick at the back of my neck, but my thoughts were soon interrupted by the thunderous applause. People rose to a standing ovation as they applauded enthusiastically. The breath that I hadn¡¯t realized I was holding in, was released in one long, drawn-out, exhale. I looked around and I could see the men nodding their heads in approval and the women excitedly talking to their friends about their favorite pieces. A sense of relief washed over me, everything had gone smoothly, everyone seemed to love my new line. Thankfully, the smoke machines worked the entire time. I just hoped the rest of the night went off without a hitch because I honestly didn¡¯t know if I had the energy to deal with any more issues. Running on very little sleep does not help my mood, so if someone came to me with a problem, I might just shoot the messenger. I stood up to walk with my models for the last view of all the designs and take my final bow, as was the custom at the end of a fashion show. I was secretly kind of glad the show was over as it wouldn''t be long now ¡®till I could go home. To be honest all I felt like doing was going home, collapsing in my bed and sleeping for the next hundred years, unfortunately, that wasn''t going to happen for another few hours still. Even if I could go home and sleep I still had to be up rather early in the morning, despite it being a Saturday, because with the opening happening I still had a lot of work to do and I needed to be there in case there were any issues with the set-ups. I was lucky enough that I had Cameron to be my floor manager and I didn¡¯t have to be there all day and night on the actual floor. I would be there for the first few nights just to make sure everything went smoothly but I trusted Cameron to run everything, plus I had more than one club that I had to look after so I kind of had to have managers for the different clubs. Luckily there wasn''t much work for me to get done the next day, as most of the work had been for the fashion show and even though today was the official opening, Cameron was handling the majority of the physical things down at the club for tomorrow night. I only needed to come in later in the afternoon to make sure that everything was running smoothly before the club opened. I walked back up the few stairs to the side of the runway, ¡°Thank you, everyone, for coming, I hope you all enjoyed the show!¡± I had to pause to wait for the applause to die down, ¡°Now for the real party to begin. If you all follow the two beautiful ladies standing at the back doors, they will lead you downstairs to the after-party and what will be the main dance-floor of our general access area.¡± Everyone made their way downstairs bubbling with excitement. The DJ had already started with his set so the music was pumping. Slowly the dance floor started to fill up, everyone getting into the swing of things. Cameron seemed to have a handle on things so I figured I¡¯d stay another hour or so, greet a few people that I hadn''t spoken to yet, and then head home. Tomorrow I would have to be here all night anyway and I needed to get to sleep if I was going to do some work the next day and stay up all night. Everyone that I spoke to complimented me on my line, some of the men even asking about buying some of the pieces and eagerly anticipating seeing their girlfriends or wives in them. Some other people commented on how amazing the actual club looked and that they loved the live dancers that were dancing, twisting and turning themselves in fabric all around the club. All in all, it seemed like it had been a good night and I had left a long-lasting impression on all my guests... I was trying to discreetly check my watch to see the amount of time this couple had been talking to me. I internally groaned, 30 minutes had gone by and I could tell a stranger everything about them. Finally, I was able to escape by pulling some poor sap into our conversation, the couple¡¯s attention luckily diverted to the newcomer. Deciding that it was now or never to slip out undetected, I said goodbye to Cameron and made my way out my door. Cameron was staying behind to make sure that everything ran smoothly until everyone was all partied out and had left. I had to bribe him with a day-and-a-halves pay to stay behind and manage the clean-up as well. My driver was already outside waiting for me so I could go straight home. The flashes of the cameras would be blinding to someone who wasn¡¯t used to it, but I had become accustomed to the cameras, so I didn¡¯t miss a beat as I made the brief trip to the car. Arriving home, I stumbled through and barely managing to strip out of my suit. Leaving it strewn out on the floor as I made my way to my bed, I collapsed and before I even knew it I had passed out. The past few weeks of stress all just catching up to me at once.
My eyes opened slowly, and it wasn¡¯t because an alarm was going off. No¡­ It was because I woke up on my own accord and it was pure and utter bliss. I could feel my body fueled with energy, my mind was as clear as day and my thoughts no longer groggy as it had been the night before. I climbed out of bed and pulled on some joggers that were lying on the chair near my bed. I padded across the floor into my kitchen and grabbed some breakfast before starting my work for the day. I opened the fridge only to discover that it was bare. Martha hadn''t yet done the grocery shopping for the week. I stood in the kitchen weighing my options. I could either just grab a sandwich from the deli near the office, where I had to pick up some paperwork, or I could head to a little coffee shop down the street. In the end, the coffee shop won because I was too lazy to make myself a cup of coffee and a croissant sounded damn good right about then. I pulled on a pair of sneakers and my favorite Under Armor shirt. I patted my joggers¡¯ pockets to double-check for my phone and wallet before I headed out the door. "You''ve got to be kidding me," I grumbled out loud as I reached the coffee shop. There was a line going all the way out the door. ¡°They are never this busy,¡± I thought to myself. ¡°What on earth is going on this morning that every bloody person in the city wants to come to my tiny hole in the wall to have coffee or breakfast? I mean it''s a Saturday morning for heaven''s sake! There should not be this many people awake this early. I mean had none of them ever heard of going out on a Friday night and spending Saturday morning curled up in bed, with the blinds drawn, groaning as your whole body ached and you wanted to die from a hangover?¡± Not that I was one to talk, but these people were inconveniencing me and it was ruining my relaxing start to my day. I decided to just bite the bullet and wait in line begrudgingly. What can I say? I might have a slight addiction to caffeine and I honestly don¡¯t think I could get through a day of work without it, at least not when I was so sleep-deprived. Even though I got some sleep last night, I was still exhausted. Plus, I wanted to have that croissant and from the way, my stomach was growling, it was agreeing with enthusiasm¡­ As I was walking towards the counter, I felt the slightest little bump against me. I looked down and saw the prettiest girl I had ever seen, had run into my chest and bounced off me and was falling backward. I quickly wrapped my arms around her to stop her from hitting the floor. "Careful there pet, wouldn''t want you getting hurt now would we?" I asked as I pulled her into an upright position and slightly against my chest. ¡®Pet? Since when do I call girls pet? It might have been from all the time I spent with my grandparents in Ireland while I was setting up the new offices there. But even so, I wasn''t one to call girls terms of endearment¡­ I usually didn¡¯t even know their names...¡¯ "Oh my word I''m so sorry, I wasn''t looking where I was going and I''m so sorry," she started mumbling as a blush spread across her cheeks and reached as far as her ears. "Please don¡¯t worry about it... You''re so tiny I barely felt anything," I smiled slightly as I felt her relax into me.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "Cole Wentworth and you are?" I asked as I let her go and slowly brushed a strand of hair from her face that must have fallen free from her neat little bun on top of her head when she ran into me. "Violet Harrison. Thanks again for saving me from falling. I¡¯m sorry I ran into you. Can I maybe buy you a coffee to make it up to you?" She rambled. She was so tiny she had to strain her neck up to see me. The light caught her blue eyes and made them sparkle like the Caribbean sea. Okay, what the hell is going on with me? I have never been like this with some random stranger... I¡¯m never this nice.. there''s something about this girl though. I can''t quite put my finger on it but I feel drawn to her. Like two magnets gravitating towards each other. I''ve never been one to believe in fate, love at first sight or any of that made up rubbish. It¡¯s ridiculous, I know but I have most likely watched too many romantic movies with my little sister. She''d been sick and I had to look after her. All she wanted to do was lie with her big brother on his couch and watch some stupid girly movies. With her knowing how to guilt trip me like a pro, that is exactly what I ended up doing all day. "I wouldn''t be much of a gentleman if I let you pay, now would I?" What the hell is wrong with me? I''m never this chivalrous... who kidnapped me and replaced me with this idiot? "No honestly, I insist, it''s the least I can do," she argued as she pulled me up to the counter to order. While I¡¯d been having this strange interaction with Violet, I¡¯d been oblivious to the entire line disappearing and they were free to take our order. "I''ll have a large black coffee with Ethiopian coffee beans and whatever the lady would like," I told the cashier. Violet gave them her order and just as she was pulling out her card to pay, I was already smoothly sliding my card over to the cashier. She raised her one eyebrow and huffed with annoyance. "What was that?" I asked as I raised my eyebrows in question and smirked at the irritated look she was supporting. Something told me she wasn''t the quiet, submissive girl I had thought her to be when I first met her. "I told you I was going to pay," she growled with the cutest little frown dancing across her face. "You¡¯re cute when you''re annoyed, you know that?" I smirked down at her while we walked over to the collection area to wait for our coffees. "I¡¯m not cute when I¡¯m annoyed! I was trying to do something nice," she grumbled with a pout. Before she could respond the waitress behind the counter yelled out our names, "Mr. and Mrs. Wentworth." Violet blushed deeply when the waitress called her my wife. She hurried over and stumbled over her words when she tried to correct them. "I''m n-not his, uh, wife, I''ve just met him,¡± she tried to explain while I just smiled. Violet Wentworth has a nice ring to it, doesn''t it? Where the hell did that thought come from?? What am I thinking I''ve just met this girl! Marriage has never even crossed my mind in all my life. I have always thought that I would be a bachelor and then someday have a consistent girlfriend but nothing ever that serious. I have always found that I get bored with a girl in less than a month and move on to the next one. A girl has never been able to keep my attention and yet I can¡¯t help but be infatuated with her. "Oh I¡¯m sorry I just assumed that you two were together, you look so cute and in love," the waitress apologized as she started to blush. I decided to step in, "It''s no problem, an innocent mistake. No harm, no foul." I waved my hand to brush off her concerns and let my hand fall on Violet¡¯s lower back. I saw the goosebumps spike on the back of her neck when she felt my hand on her skin. "Let''s go sit somewhere, yeah? Or would you rather walk around?" I could tell that she was affected by my touch. I couldn¡¯t wait to see how her body reacted to skin-on-skin contact. It was an effort to stop my spiraling thoughts and focus on the moment. I had to wrench myself back to reality before I embarrassed myself in front of not only the beautiful woman in my arms but the entire coffee shop with my obvious excitement. "Do you mind if we just go sit down?" She breathed out. Her cheeks and neck were still glowing a light rose pink. "Sure thing babe, just let me make a call to tell my assistant that I will be in a bit later. I need to pick up some documents and then I¡¯m all yours." I smiled down at her, a proper smile. The thought of sitting and getting to know her and spend time with her intrigued me. Had someone told me I would be willingly sitting with some random girl in a coffee shop and not planning on taking her home for sex as soon as we finished our coffee, I would have laughed in their face. Those who knew my reputation wouldn¡¯t believe that I was trying to spend time with some random girl. "Oh my gosh, you¡¯re busy. I didn''t even think to ask if you had somewhere to be!" She gasped out. "You can go, please don''t just sit here just for me, you have somewhere you need to be, I don''t want to keep you!" She started shaking her head and trying to push me away. "Hey, hey, it''s perfectly fine. I honestly don''t have anything too important to do today, I finished most of it yesterday actually but if you''re really worried you can walk with me to the office? I''ve never really had an outsider come to my office," I confessed as I felt a slight blush start to cross my cheeks. "Are you sure? I don''t want to impose..," she blushed and tried to hide behind her hair, "but, um, I¡¯d like to if you¡¯re okay with that." She looked up slightly and flashed me a smile before hiding behind her hair again. "You¡¯re gorgeous when you blush, please don''t hide from me. You never have to hide from me, okay?" I reached down and caressed her cheek. The sassy girl was gone and in her place was that shy, and innocent girl who had run into me. I was experiencing all of these different sides to her and I found myself wondering what type of person she would be next. "Okay, " Violet whispered and started to raise her head. "Let me just make a quick phone call to my assistant. Then why don''t we sit and drink our coffees before they get cold, then I can take you over to my office if you want?" "Yeah, I think I''d like that a lot," she shrugged as a smile graced her face. I led Violet over to a booth in the back corner of the coffee shop. It was at least somewhere quiet and away from all the noise and chaos. The booth had classic red leather seats that were slightly worn from years of people constantly sitting on them, but yet still charming in the small town diner kind of way. Something rare to find in a big city like this, where everything was new, modern and generally lifeless. It was one of the reasons I loved this place, it had character and charmed me from the day that I found it. I excused myself from the table and quickly phoned Nancy to explain that I¡¯d be even later than I thought, and I''d be bringing a friend to the office. I just needed to pick up the vital paperwork and have Nancy email the rest of the files later. As I walked up to the table I¡¯d left her at, some guy was talking to my girl. Wait, my girl? I barely know her, seriously what is going on with me? The closer I got I could hear Violet telling him to back off and leave her alone. That she didn''t want to see him anymore and to stop trying to talk to her. Did she know this guy? I finally reached the table, and pulled the guy back, "Can I help you?" I growled at this idiot who was bothering my girl. Who again, is not my girl. What the fuck? Not the right time for this. Back to the douchebag at hand, "I''m pretty sure she told you to leave her alone and that she didn''t want to talk to you." I stated rather aggressively. "Who the fuck are you?" He tried to shove my hand off of him, not that it made much difference to me, he was about three or four inches shorter than my 6¡¯4¡± frame. I am sure that this guy could hold his own but with my extensive training in boxing and hours spent in the gym, he didn¡¯t hold a flame to me... "I¡¯m her boyfriend," I glared at him as if daring him to try to even act on the murderous look in his eyes. I knew I wasn¡¯t her actual boyfriend, well at least not yet, but he didn¡¯t need to know that. "Bullshit!" he screamed at me and threw the first punch. I easily moved my head to the side, just enough to be out of the path of the punch, not phased in the slightest. I continued to glare at the guy who was now ruining our perfectly good coffee date. "Jake stop this! I don''t want to see you. We¡¯re over and we have been for almost a year, you need to accept this." She then turned to me with a worried look in her eyes, ¡°Please Cole, let''s just leave. I don¡¯t want anyone getting hurt.¡± "No one is going to get hurt, don''t worry princess," I smiled down at her and then turned back to the douchebag, "I suggest you leave her alone from now on,¡± I snarled at him. We left him in the coffee shop and the now very curious, eavesdropping crowd that started to form. My hand dropped to her lower back again, in comfort, and I could feel that she was shaking slightly. Once we got far enough from the coffee shop, I turned to her, "You okay pet?" I asked as I pulled her in to hug her and try to stop her shaking. "Yeah, I''m fine, thank you. You don''t even know me and you''ve been so kind to me, I don''t know what I can do to repay you." The words she whispered into my chest, I almost didn''t hear them but for a moment because her face was pressed into my chest. "It''s my pleasure babe, and you don''t have to repay me.¡± "I''m sorry I ruined our coffee plans." There she was back to hiding behind her hair again. "What have I said about hiding from me, doll? And you haven''t ruined our coffee plans, we can just pick up some more once we''ve fetched the paperwork I need to get from my office." I lifted her head and gazed into those beautiful big blue eyes, slowly unwrapping my arms from around her waist and just resting my hand on the arch of her back as I lead her to the car where my driver was waiting for me. I didn''t feel like driving after everything that had happened this morning and I wanted to be able to have my full attention on Violet. I could see she was still kinda shaky and I wanted to be able to comfort her. Trying to comfort her and drive would not be the best combination because of the traffic and reckless drivers gracing our roads. Chapter 4

Violet¡¯s P.O.V.

I couldn¡¯t help but stare out the car window in child-like wonder as we pulled up to the front of the office. He had his very own parking spot at the front of the building. "Why don''t we get out and you can see the whole building without having to have your face shoved against the glass huh?" Cole leaned over and whispered in my ear, causing my neck to erupt in goosebumps and I could feel the heat creep across my cheeks. Seriously? I just have to have a ticklish neck and him breathing on it does not help! "Yes please," I gulped trying to keep my focus. The building had a mix of elegance and modernization. I have never really been to the upper east side because I have never had an excuse to visit until now. I was too wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn¡¯t realize that the car was parked and that Cole was powerfully striding around the car to my door. Before I knew it, there he was pulling open my door and bowing for me, in a weird accent he announced, " After you madam." I just giggled, climbing out of the car and placed a soft kiss on his cheek and then walked towards the building with a skip in my step. Deciding to be rather cheeky I turned around and called out to his frozen form, "You coming slowpoke, Mhmm?" A smirk graced my lips as he shook himself out of the daze he seemed to be in and jogged to catch up with me. Never in my life have I ever gotten this type of treatment from a man and the look in his eyes, I can see that he surprised himself with this behavior. I couldn¡¯t help but notice that he had this look a lot today. He would say something or do something, realize what he did and then furrow his eyebrows deep in thought. We walked into the building and I was very tempted to ask him to slow down because his legs were two times the length of mine and it¡¯s not like he was taking small steps. The ride in the elevator brought us to the top floor, Cole grinned at my child-like excitement as I squealed when I took in the incredible view of the city. ¡°So, I take that you are loving this tour so far,¡± he teasingly asked me. I waved my hand in a way that was dismissing him, ¡°You go do what you need to do. I have to take a look around the office and take this all in.¡± My eyes were wide as saucers and filled to the brim with amazement. He shook his head in amusement and chuckled to himself. I also could have sworn that I heard him say something under his breath but I was too entrenched in my own world that I just dismissed it. I wandered around the office and eventually came to big doors with a silver plaque reading CEO - Wentworth Office. I figured that this is where Cole would be so I pushed open the enormous frosted glass doors. I was greeted with a tastefully done waiting area and a front desk with a woman that mid 30¡¯s with a kind face but professional aura. ¡°You must be the young lady that Mr. Wentworth said would be wandering in at some time.¡± I shrugged and smiled sheepishly at the kind lady. ¡°What can I say, I have always been a city girl and loved everything about it.¡± I tried to explain my actions but I was met with a knowing smile, so I knew that she was just like me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t think I ever caught your name. I¡¯m Violet Harrison¡± ¡°Nancy Carter, nice to meet you.¡± She smiled brightly at me. I wandered over to her massive desk with top of the line Mac desktop and notes neatly organized across the desk. The desk was the typical front office desk, where the first part was higher up and then where the receptionist worked was at a lower level. I placed my elbow on the surface and rest my chin in my hand, making myself comfortable. ¡°So, Nancy, how long have you worked for Cole?¡± I knew that she could tell I was just making small talk and most likely distracting her from her work but she was nice enough to entertain me with answering all my questions. ¡°Well in November I will be coming up on my 5th year working for Mr. Wentworth.¡± ¡°Wow. So, you would say that you know him pretty well?¡± I pressed. I am a very good judge of character but with Cole, there was so much more than meets the eye. I just can¡¯t figure him out, he is like this abstract puzzle that I have looked at from so many angles but still can¡¯t fit the pieces together. ¡°In very little words, yes, I would say that I know him very well.¡± Before I would blurt out another question, she beat me to it. ¡°How exactly did you meet Cole?¡± ¡°Oh, well I was in my favorite little coffee shop when this solid moving mass got in my way, and me being the clutz that I am, of course, ran into him.¡± I could tell that Nancy was trying to hide a laugh, but she couldn¡¯t help herself. She threw her head back at my outrageous description of Cole and laughed. ¡°I mean seriously, what in the world does that man eat? He fills up the door frame!¡± We were giggling like a bunch of naughty schoolgirls and our heads snapped up in surprise when a deep baritone voice cut through our laughter. ¡°What exactly do you ladies find so funny?¡± A smile was teasing his lips as he watched us with caution. We glanced at each other and started laughing all over again because we just got caught laughing at Cole¡¯s expense. ¡°If a man talks shit, then I owe him nothing, I don''t regret it one bit, ''cause he had it coming¡± The wise words of Taylor Swift¡¯s song blared through the room as my phone rang. Recognizing the ringtone I immediately knew that it was my best friend Georgie. She never called unless it was something important. ¡°Uh I¡¯m sorry Cole but I have to take this,¡± I said hurriedly as I dug through my bag. He just nodded his head as if to say okay. ¡°Hey Georgie, everything okay?¡± ¡°Hi babes, I um...¡± She broke down sobbing. I knew it was bad. In all the years that I had known Georgie, I had seen her cry all of about five times. Two being when a boyfriend she thought she loved cheated on her, once when her dog died, when I moved overseas for a while and once when I saw her again a few years later. Something had happened to make my Georgie cry. I softly spoke to Georgie, ¡°Hey. Hey. Hey, it''s gonna be okay. I can be over at your house in half an hour. I''ll bring lots of ice cream and you can tell me who made you cry.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you. I love you... I¡¯ll see you just now.¡±I could still hear the soft sniffles through the phone. ¡°Love you too,¡± I said as I ended the call. Looking up at Cole he just smiled at me as if he already knew what I was going to say. ¡°I''m so sorry Cole but I have to go, something is wrong with my best friend and she needs me. Maybe we can have a raincheck for that coffee?¡± ¡°It''s completely fine. Go be there for your friend,¡± he smiled at me as his thumb caressed my lower back from where his hand had fallen since he found Nancy and I laughing. ¡°How about we catch a late lunch and if your friend is up for it why don''t you bring her to the club opening. Maybe that will cheer her up,¡± he suggested. I hugged him in a thank you, promised to meet him for lunch and then rushed out to the elevator, yelling goodbye to Nancy over my shoulder before the elevator doors opened and I started my descent. I texted Georgie that I''d be there soon, as I hailed a taxi. I hopped in telling the driver Georgie¡¯s address and asked him to stop at the convenience store on her block. Surprisingly there wasn''t any traffic and I arrived much sooner than I thought I would. Armed with enough Cookies and Cream and Chocolate ice cream to feed an entire army. I took the elevator up to the thirtieth floor and knocked on Georgie''s door, only for her to open it in her favorite Victoria Secret pajamas and mascara streaming down her normally perfect cheeks. ¡°George...¡± I trailed off, wrapping my arms around her tiny frame, my heartbreaking at my best friend falling apart. Georgie was someone who never looked anything less than perfect, well at least not to the outside world. I had seen all the not so perfect moments. The type of I''m bloated, covered in the food I''ve spilled everywhere, unwashed hair and still in pajamas moments. I''ve been there through everything with her as she has been for me. We¡¯ve known each other since we were fourteen. To see her like this broke my heart, it killed me to see my best friend look so broken. Eventually, I got all the extra ice cream in the freezer and sat cuddled up on Georgie¡¯s bed, running my fingers through her hair, one of her favorite things when she was upset. As we ate our ice cream in silence, I waited for her to start telling me what had happened to make her so upset¡­ ¡°I um... so I think I told you about that guy that I met at my conference about a month ago. Well, what I didn''t tell you was that we might have had a one night stand. I didn''t think anything of it, I mean neither of us ever expected to see each other again but I¡¯m late Vi, I¡¯m never late. I can''t be pregnant, I''m not even nearly ready for a kid I just broke up with Everlyn like two months ago. Nevermind the fact that I don''t want to have some strangers kid, and I don''t have any way of telling him it is his or anything.¡± She managed to choke out before she broke down sobbing again. I tried to hide my surprise at the news, I had to be there for my bestie. ¡°It''s going to be okay, alright?¡± I said as I stroked her hair and leaned down to kiss her forehead, ¡°I¡¯m going to go down to the store and buy a test, which you¡¯re going to take and then when everything is fine your going to get some sleep because you''re coming out with me tonight.¡± ¡°Yeah okay... but please hurry because I¡¯m kind of freaking out,¡± She sniffed and grabbed a tissue from her bedside table, trying to wipe the mascara from her cheeks. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go hope in the shower while I go to the store, it might make you feel better?¡± Georgie nodded her head in agreement and got up making her way to the shower. The store was rather empty when I got there and I was grateful that I didn''t have to wait for a queue. I bought every kind of pregnancy test the store had, deciding to rather be safe than sorry and rushed back to Georgie¡¯s apartment. As I opened the front door I heard the shower stopped and Georgie called out, ¡°Hey, Vi is that you? Did you get them?¡± ¡°Hey, yeah I did,¡± I walked into her bedroom and handed her the packet full of the tests. ¡°Guess it''s time to face the music huh?¡± She looked up at me and despite the brave face she was trying to put on I could see the nervousness rolling around like a storm in her eyes. While Georgie peed on the sticks, she suddenly remembered that I¡¯d been somewhere else rather than my apartment, which was a quick metro ride away. ¡°So where were you this morning?¡± She questioned raising her one eyebrow slightly, ¡°You certainly weren''t at home.¡± A knowing smirk crossed her face when she saw my cheeks start to heat up. ¡°Was the little good girl Violet with a boy?¡± She teased as she laid out the final test stick on the basin. ¡°Maybe,¡± I blushed and then sighed. There was no point in hiding anything from her, I mean she''s my best friend and tells me everything even when sometimes it''s way too much detail. I¡¯m still scared of the stories from what happened in the bathroom with her last fling. So I proceeded to tell her all the details while we waited the required five minutes to check the tests. Five minutes never seemed to last so long, I can only imagine what an eternity they must have felt like to her.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Finally, her alarm on her phone beeped, letting us know that it was time to check the tests. George just looked at me, a look of pure panic strained across her face. ¡°Do you want me to check them?¡± She just nodded slightly. I reached over and turned the tests over one by one. Negative Negative Negative Negative Negative I sighed in relief, ¡°They''re all negative!¡± Georgie just sighed. But she still didn''t look as if she was happy. ¡°Is it bad that I''m a little disappointed that they are negative? I mean don''t get me wrong, I''m not ready for a baby but some little part of me kind of hoped they were positive.¡± ¡°No babes, that''s a perfectly normal response.¡± I said as I embraced her in a massive hug, ¡°Let''s get rid of these, wash our hands and then you¡¯re going to bed and I¡¯ll see you later because we''re going clubbing.¡± My phone suddenly beeped.
To: Violet Hope things are okay with your friend. I''ll have my driver fetch you for our lunch, just send me the address. I''ve been delayed at work so I''m just going to meet you at the restaurant. -C
Oh my word, I almost forgot about my lunch with Cole. I turned to Georgie but she was reading the message over my shoulder. As I opened my mouth to say something she interrupted me, ¡°You''re going to that lunch, with Mr. Tall, handsome and I own a nightclub that you''re invited to the opening off.¡± She said while almost pushing me into the shower while still fully clothed. ¡°Hurry up and strip girl, you''re meeting him soon and we need to get you more presentable. Hand me your phone so I can text him my address.¡± Before I knew what was going on, my friend who had just been breaking down, somehow turned the tables, and she was shoving me into an outfit she hauled out of her cupboard. She sat me down at her vanity to do some light makeup and blow dry my hair so it had that effortless wave to it. A knock at the door interrupted her as she was putting on the final coat of mascara. ¡°Coming,¡± She yelled out. She turned me around to face the mirror so I could see all of her hard work while she rushed over to open the door. ¡°Good day, I¡¯m looking for a Ms. Harrison?¡± the man at the stated. ¡°That would be me,¡± I said coming through from Georgie¡¯s bedroom. I hugged her goodbye, ¡° Call me if you need anything okay? Don''t forget tonight, I''ll meet you at either back here or at The LimeLight Nightclub.¡± Georgie agreed, told me to have fun and hastily pushed me out the door. Cole''s driver lead me to the car, where he opened the backseat door and gently shut it once I was settled into the car. During the 15 minute ride to the restaurant, I learned that the driver''s name was Jackson and that he sweet 6-year-old girl. He was polite and straight to the point type of guy, the type of person I typically get on with really well. I don¡¯t try to beat around the bush, so when I have an opinion people will know exactly where I stand, which is probably why I am studying law. When there was a lull in the conversation I messaged Georgie just to check up on her before all my attention was focused on Cole. I can typically multitask like a pro but when you are in the presence of Cole¡­ it¡¯s like you can¡¯t help but have your sole focus on him.
To: Georgie Hope you start feeling better. I''ll see you later! I love you! -Violet
The car came to a smooth stop in front of an old classical building and there standing in front of it was Cole. He was heartbreakingly handsome and the air got trapped in my throat when my eyes met his intense gaze as Jackson opened the door. I tried to steady my wobbly legs as I walked up to Cole who had his hand behind his back. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at him with curiosity. ¡°Are you going to show me what¡¯s behind your back or am I going to have to wrestle it from you?¡± I teased him¡­ kind of. Any girl would be insane if they see how attractive he was. The shy smile that stretched across his face is what interested me. He took his hand out from behind him, and there in the palm of his hand was the most beautiful intricate snow globe of the city of London. He took my silence to mean that I didn¡¯t like the present so he hurriedly blurted out, ¡°Well I know you like the city and everything about it so I thought you would like to start collecting snow globes of cities around the world.¡± I swear I almost fainted. This was the cutest gift anyone had ever gotten and the fact that he looked so unsure, that he didn''t know if I would like the gift or not¡­ it was priceless. I was speechless but somehow I was able to squeak out, ¡°You got this for me?¡± I took the snow globe in my hand and studied it. I couldn¡¯t help the wide smile that danced across my face as I studied the snow globe. It was magical, there was a beauty in the way they had captured London and displaced it in the snow globe. ¡°You look stunning!¡± his eyes scanned over my body as he rested his hand on my lower back and kissed my cheek. He guided me to the front doors of the restaurant and we didn¡¯t even need to tell them the name of our reservation, just one look at Cole and they lead us to a private cozy corner in the restaurant. As we were about to be seated Cole¡¯s phone rang rather loudly. He glanced over at me apologetically, ¡°I''m so sorry Violet I have to take this call, it¡¯s work.¡± He kissed my cheek and quickly accepted the call.

Cole¡¯s P.O.V.

My phone rang loudly interrupting the comfortable silence as Violet and I were walking to our table. ¡°I''m so sorry Violet, I have to take this call, its work.¡± I kissed her cheek and quickly accepted the call. ¡°Cameron, what''s going on?¡± I rushed out, I was stressed enough about tonight and he was interrupting my date with Violet. I would have been down there today but I had a ton of work that I needed to do, granted I did get most of it done this morning when Violet was with her friend, but still. Since Cameron was trying to gain experience, I didn¡¯t want to micromanage him, so I allow him to iron out most of the wrinkles that showed up. ¡°There¡¯s a problem with the stock. Apparently, the order didn''t go through and even if I could get the order through, they said they wouldn''t be able to get that amount of stock to us on time.¡± ¡°Fuck¡± I hissed. Violet slightly jumped as I swore. ¡°Sorry¡± I mouthed over at her. ¡°Yeah I had the same response, I have an idea though, not too sure how you¡¯re going to like it but it might be our only option,¡± he trailed off. I knew it wasn¡¯t his fault so I tried to keep my anger at bay. ¡°Well have at it, let me hear this idea.¡± I already had a few ideas in mind, but as I said, I want him to learn how to manage a club. I want to be his safety net but not a crutch... ¡°I thought you could get some people together, go around and see if you could buy up the stock we need and then deliver it. I would go myself but I''m running around like crazy. I¡¯m sure you are as well but I thought you''d know who to ask to get someone to go buy it.¡± ¡°That''s not a bad idea. I''ve finished up the paperwork I needed to get done so I can go and buy up some stock as well... I''ll get Nancy and Mia to help. Give me five minutes and I''ll head out.¡± I turned to Violet, ¡°There''s been an issue down at the club and I need to go out and buy a whole bunch of alcohol. For some reason, the stock hasn¡¯t been delivered and I need to go pick up enough stock for tonight. But I was wondering would you want to come with me? You can get dressed at the club and I am sure the girls wouldn¡¯t mind lending you an outfit,¡± I offered. I didn¡¯t want to give her a reason to not spend the rest of the day with me. ¡°Or on our way to the club I can drop you off at your place quickly and you can grab something to wear?¡± ¡°Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t mind at all. If we have time, can we swing by my place to grab an outfit, if not I¡¯ll ask Georgie to grab me something? Plus, I have enjoyed your company...¡± She said quietly almost like she wasn''t quite sure if she wanted me to hear her. I left some cash on the table in an apology of rushing out quickly and hurriedly made my way with Violet outside. I phoned Mia and Nancy on my way to my car, explaining the situation to them and that they should just charge all the stock to their company cards. I met with my driver, explained the situation to him. Mia said she¡¯d organized a delivery truck to accompany Violet and I to all the different stores we bought liquor from. Jackson was going to drive to one of the warehouses to grab a truck, follow us around and store all the alcohol we bought in the truck. I gave him the address to the first shop and told him to meet us there. I grabbed Violet¡¯s hand and lead her to my car. I wish I could have taken a photo of her reaction because it was hilarious. Her mouth was opening and closing like a fish as she took in my midnight black Ferrari 458 Italia. The car sat extremely low so I had to help her into the car. Once I was in the car, the engine started with a throaty growl Violet fiddled with the radio trying to find a station that she liked but couldn¡¯t seem to settle on anything. I watched her struggle a little bit before I said, ¡°You know this car has Bluetooth so you can just connect your phone¡­¡± ¡°Oh my gosh! I forgot that you can do that! I have really only used the metro to get around.¡± I looked at her quizzically, ¡°You really didn¡¯t know you could do that?¡± She started to blush a shade of scarlet and stuttered out, ¡°Well¡­ I mean- yes I did know you can connect to a Bluetooth and play music and stuff¡­ but I just forgot I guess¡­¡± She could see my body start to shake with silent laughter, ¡°Oh shut up.¡± She rolled her eyes in mock annoyance. I changed the sound system to Bluetooth so that she could connect her phone. Once she connected her phone the song ¡®Where Would We Be¡¯ by Rozes softly played through the speakers. She sang quietly along, I could see that she felt self-conscious about it though so I cranked the music up and started half yelling and half-singing incredibly off tune to the song. Her eyes shot to me with shock at just how awful my singing was. We made quick eye contact and grinned at each other and started yelling and singing together.
¡°WHERE WOULD WE BE IF WE WERE STILL PASSED OUT ON YOUR SOFA, WATCHIN'' TV? AND IT WAS STILL MY HEAD ON YOUR SHOULDER WHERE WOULD WE BE IF IN ANOTHER LIFETIME I DIDN''T MOVE TO CALIFORNIA FOR THE LIMELIGHT? I WOULDN''T HAVE TO WONDER WHAT IT WOULD''VE BEEN LIKE IF WE''DA ONLY FUCKING GOT IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME WHERE WOULD WE BE? WHERE WOULD WE BE?¡±
After we sang a few songs very out of tune, we came to the first liquor store. I slid out of my black Italian leather seats, ran around to the other side of my car to open Violet''s door before she could herself. We walked up to the dark green door of the best liquor stores in New York. I casually slung my arm around her shoulders as if I had been doing it for forever and I felt her lean into me slightly. Look who is getting comfortable with me already, I thought quietly to myself. The lady behind the counter looked at me very weirdly when I asked for all their vodka, brandy, rum, gin and liqueur that they had available in the store. Luckily I had thought ahead to get a truck so that we could store all of the alcohol because it would never fit in my baby. As we drove around the city trying to acquiring the needed amount of alcohol for the opening weekend, Violet and I were trying to find the song that we could butcher the most with our god awful singing. There was a lull in the song and it was at that time that Violet¡¯s stomach let out a hungry rumble. She did this adorable giggle and shrugged her shoulders. My eyes widened in realization, ¡°Oh shit, I totally forgot that we didn¡¯t even have lunch.¡± I couldn¡¯t believe that I have forgotten to feed her when I asked her out on a lunch date. "No stre- OH MY GOD!¡± She screamed out of nowhere. I swear to God I almost swerved into oncoming traffic, she gave me such a fright! She clapped her hands with excitement, ¡°I have the perfect place to grab something to eat quickly. Just pull over wherever you can.¡± I gave her a quizzical look but didn¡¯t ask questions. I didn¡¯t even have time to open the door for her because she threw herself out of the car and excitedly skipped off to this old run down sandwich shop. She threw the door open and animatedly greeted the guy behind the counters. ¡°Charlie!¡± I couldn¡¯t help myself but feel jealous of the guy because they obviously knew each other well. I mean he was 40 years older than her but still¡­ ¡°Vi! I hope you have been staying out of trouble,¡± he wagged his finger in a parently fashion. She rolled her eyes and replied sassily, ¡°Course I am Charlie.¡± He squinted his eyes in suspicion before he cracked a friendly smile and asked, ¡°The usual?¡± ¡°Com¡¯ on Charlie, I never get anything but the special sandwich we created. Which only you can make by the way. Emily tried to make one when you were off sick and she didn¡¯t make it the same!¡± I thought it was time to make my presence known, so I fondly threw my arm around her slim shoulder and asked, ¡°So what is this special sandwich we are talking about?¡± ¡°Oh no no no. This is a top-secret recipe that only Charlie and I know exactly how to make. If we tell you, we will have to kill you,¡± she sing-songed. I didn¡¯t want to squish her dreams by telling her I would love to see her try so I just decided to let it slide. I tried to peek at what Charlie was doing in the back to see what may be on the sandwi- shit! She pinched me! ¡°No peeking mister! You must trust the process,¡± she tried to say in the most zen voice possible. This girl, I swear. She was going to be the never-ending mystery that just kept on getting more and more entertaining. I threw my hands up in surrender, ¡°As you say, ma¡¯am.¡± As Charlie handed the wrapped sandwiches over the counter, I reached for my wallet in my back pocket and out of the corner of my eye I saw Violet making small pinching movements with her fingers. Was she seriously trying to threaten me? Deciding that it was too adorable that she thought that it was a threat, I stopped reaching for my wallet. ¡°Thaaaaank you,¡± she stubbornly said, rolling her eyes, she handed over the correct amount of cash, tip included, over to Charlie. ¡°Thank you, Charlie!¡± She yelled out as we walked out of the store. ¡°Don¡¯t be such a stranger missy!¡± Charlie shouted after us. We sat outside on a bench because I almost had a heart attack when Violet suggested that we eat these sandwiches in my baby. I slowly unwrapped the sandwich and studied it, trying to figure out what exactly was on this special sandwich. I am not sure how long Violet was watching me look at this sandwich because suddenly the sandwich came flying towards my face and I had no choice but to open up my mouth and take a bite. It was crunchy at first but then there was a bit of sweetness and freshness to it. There was so much flavor exploding in my mouth. I started to nod my head in approval of the sandwich, mouth disgustingly full of the sandwich. I could see that Violet¡¯s mouth was stuffed to the brim with the sandwich as well, happily munching away. She turned to me and tried to say, ¡° ¡®ts sur gerd ¡®ight!¡± This girl managed to keep surprising me at every turn¡­ She''s unlike anyone I¡¯ve ever met before...I couldn¡¯t help but shake my head and laugh. As I calmed down enough to speak I asked: ¡° Sorry didn¡¯t quite catch that love?¡± She blushed shyly and looked down at the floor, swallowed and said: ¡° It¡¯s so good right?¡±
We quickly finished the rest of our sandwiches before we hopped back into the car and stopped by the final two liquor stores ¡°That''s the last of the stock that I think we need. We are at about 100 bottles for the vodka, rum, brandy, and the different types of liqueur we have about fifty each.¡± I said to Violet as I helped the workers load the last crate of Vodka and Gin into the delivery truck. ¡°We should probably head over to the club. I have to check on things, but I thought you can wander around and explore everything before it gets crazy if you''d like?¡± She nodded her head and climbed back into my Ferrari. Chapter 5

Cole¡¯s P.O.V.

I hurriedly walked to the other side of the car, getting in quickly so as not to let the cool air from the air conditioner out. Today seemed to be one of the hottest days in a long time. It was supposed to be spring and yet the temperature was reaching up into the 100 degrees. ¡°Thank you for coming with me today, I had a lot of fun. What was supposed to be a long day of work ended up being a lot more exciting and a lot less stressful than I thought it would be.¡± I smiled over at Violet as I started the car. ¡°Thank you for having me. I had fun today too and I''m glad you enjoyed yourself.¡± She smiled shyly back at me. I reached over and grabbed at her hand kissing it gently, ¡°Of course babe, I''m glad you had fun too.¡± Violet blushed, before reaching for the radio to connect her phone again, a beautiful melody started to play. Something completely different from what she played before.
¡°Why''s it so hard to look me in the eye? Playing with that cross that''s on your chain I know you only ever bite your lip When it''s something you''re afraid to say¡±
Violet hummed along quietly, her whole body swaying ever so slightly. ¡°This is one of my favorite songs,¡± she said in between bursts of her humming.
¡°Is this the last time that I lay my eyes upon you? Is this the last time that I ever watch you leave? This is the last thing I would ever have done to you This is the last thing that I thought you''d do to me¡±
¡°It''s beautiful, I really like it. Who¡¯s it by ?¡± I asked softly not quite wanting to break her from the little world she seemed to have gone to while listening to it. I had a feeling the song meant a lot more to her than just being a favorite of hers.
¡°We said that it would last, but how come it''s the last time? I''m tryna hold your hand but feeling like my hand''s tied You said we''d be forever, now you''ll never ever be mine (Oh-oh-oh) You said that it would last, but how come it''s the last time?¡±
¡°Its this band called The Script, the songs called The Last Time.¡±
¡°You''ve practiced leaving many times before But I guess you''ll get it right today Leaving that ring I gave you in the drawer But you''re taking every single part of me¡±
We sat in a peaceful silence, taking in all the lyrics as the song came to an end. ¡°That was beautiful thank you for playing that for me Violet.¡± We were stuck in traffic for over an hour, but pulling up at the club I was met with a surprise I would have never expected. The street was lined with cars and people were already queuing up at the doors despite us not opening for another two hours. It was amazing, I mean normally the first two hours of opening are pretty dead, people tend to arrive in dribs and drabs but it only really starts to get going id say at about 10 PM, and yet here were people queuing up for the opening. On the other side of the street was a flock of paparazzi, all seeming to be waiting for something. ¡°Just keep your head down and don''t respond to anything they say okay?¡± Violet and I hurriedly got out to the car and made our way to the front of the ever-growing queue. The paparazzi caught sight of us and surrounded us in an ever-growing frenzy. I gently took her hand in mine as I led her past everything and trying to make my way inside with as little drama as possible.
¡°Cole are you and Sophia broken up?¡± ¡°Homewrecker!¡± ¡°Cole are you cheating on Sophia¡± ¡°Is this your new girlfriend?¡± ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡± ¡°Cole! Cole! Look here!¡± ¡°Cole are you and Sophia engaged?¡±
I felt Violet stiffen beside me with all the questions being thrown at us. I don''t blame her she had only met me and was already dealing with all this drama. Most girls would normally have run for the hills by now, a few would-be gold-diggers but they''d probably be loving the attention from the paparazzi. Violet seemed to want the floor to open up and swallow her whole. I squeezed her hand, trying to offer a small amount of comfort as I pushed passed everyone and tried to make my way inside, luckily the bouncers had seen my issue and were trying to clear a path for us. Violet and I both let out a large sigh when we finally got inside. Inside seemed to be just as crazy as outside. People were running all over the place. Cameron was in the middle of it all, standing with a headset and a clipboard, yelling orders out as people rushed past.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. I was impressed, though he seemed to be handling everything well and reminded me a lot of myself when I opened my first ever nightclub. I was so scared of it all not going well and the afternoon before we opened was crazy, there was so much to do on the floor and organizing it all was so stressful. Violet twirled around looking over it all with this look of awe all over her face. ¡°Its beautiful, Cole! I''ve never seen a club that actually looked really beautiful, especially in the day time when you can see the club and it''s not hidden in the darkness.¡± Cameron spotted us and made his way over, not without yelling a few things at some people first. Along with telling the bartenders, ¡°The bar better be so spotless you would willingly lick it, Jimmy! I better be able to see my reflection in the bottles!¡± Before turning to the dancers, ¡°If I see you guys stumble you choreography again, I will be seeing you here every day of the week all day until you can do it in your sleep! That means you, Sharron!¡± Cameron rolled his eyes before greeting me in a brotherly hug. Before turning to Violet, ¡°And who''s this gorgeous girl?¡± He winked at her... I couldn''t quite figure it out, but there was something there. Some deeper issue that was affecting this girl. She had this smile that could light up the universe but there were minute micro-cracks... The more time I spent with her today, the more I saw them. Something had happened to Violet and it had made her become this shy little girl who was too afraid to say anything and occasionally there were small snippets of the girl that was hiding there underneath, the girl who was sassy and confident and wasn''t afraid of the world around her. I was going to figure out what had happened to this girl that made her feel like she has to hide her true self from the world, which destroyed her confidence in herself. I don''t quite understand why exactly I was so invested in this stranger but I was and I was going to figure out why no matter what. ¡°Wouldn''t you like to know?¡± Violet scoffed before rolling her eyes. I felt her hesitantly leaning back into me as if seeking comfort. What had happened to this girl that her confidence was so shattered? I laughed at Cameron''s expression, a look of complete and utter surprise sprawled his face. ¡°This is Violet,¡± turning and smiling at Violet, ¡° And this Violet is my annoying younger brother.¡± I lent down and half-whispered in her ear, not caring of Cameron heard, ¡°He''s actually proving to be a rather good club manager so far, but we''ll see how tonight goes. Don''t tell him I said that though.¡± ¡°Ayy! I heard that!¡± Cameron loudly called out causing Violet to break out in a fit of giggles. God, she was beautiful. Get it in check man you''re becoming whipped and you haven''t known this girl for a full day yet. Slow the hell down. I shook my head trying to clear it of the thoughts of how Violet managed to light up the whole room with her smile and laughter... Okay, seriously, I''ve been spending way too much time with Sapphire and her sappy romance movies... ¡°...Cole?¡± ¡°Yeah, sorry I zoned out for a second there.¡± I sheepishly shrugged my shoulders, ¡°What were you saying?¡± Violet quietly giggled again, ¡°I was saying I''m going to go explore a bit if that''s okay? Before this place gets too crowded, I''d like to know where I''m going.¡± ¡°You don''t have to check with me, Vi. Go have fun exploring I''ll be here when you are finished.¡± I kissed her cheek before continuing, ¡°Besides I''ve got to chat with Cameron about one or two things and then I''m going to make sure that there are no more problems with stock. If you can''t find me just come and find Cameron, he¡¯ll help you find me.¡± ¡°Okay well have fun with that I guess..¡± She said before kissing my cheek and running off. ¡°She is something else though Cole,¡± Cameron patted my back, ¡°Don''t do anything stupid though... Please tell me you''re not going to break her heart.¡± Cameron glared at me, turning around and almost shattering my eardrum, ¡° Sharron!! Can you not get anything right? I swear I''ve shown you how to line the bottles up more than I''ve shown Jimmy. Speaking of, for the love of all things good why on earth are you putting the wines next to the shooters Jimmy?¡± Cameron grumbled something under his breath about how he didn''t even know how I employed them and if he didn''t need the staff for tonight he would fire them. ¡°Trust me, Cam, she''s special I don''t know why but there''s this feeling with her. There is something that''s drawing me to her and I can''t quite place it. Someone hurt her, though I can see it, I know I don''t really know her all that well yet, but I plan too and I plan to figure out what''s hurt her.¡± ¡°Careful dude you already sound whipped,¡± Cameron chuckled at my expense, ¡° If I didn''t know any better I''d say someone kidnapped you and replaced you with this sap.¡± ¡°Trust me I''ve been thinking the same thing.¡± I chuckled along with him. ¡°So what is it you needed to talk to me about?¡± he asked suddenly going back into the business. ¡°I just wanted to check how everything is going... I know this is something that''s a bit out of your comfort zone and you''ve been doing great so far but it''s also the opening of one of my most exclusive and largest clubs so I need to make sure everything is going to be perfect tonight.¡± ¡°Everything is going great. Now stop stressing I''ve got this.¡± Cameron smiled up at me with that same toothy grin he used to give me when he was a kid.

Violet¡¯s P.O.V

The LimeLight was exquisite. I was on the first floor and I was in awe of everything. ¡°If this was general entry, what was the VIP area going to look like?¡± I mumbled quietly to myself. The first floor was where I left Cole talking to Cameron. It was (Another word for amazing). The whole floor was this huge open space with bars lining the sides and a large raised bar in the center of the floor. Surrounding the center bar was these laser lights and smoke machines that made the most amazing effects. I walked around the first floor a bit before pushing through the large black curtains at the back end of the room and climbing the narrow staircase. When I finally made it up the staircase I gasped in amazement at what I saw. The second floor was incredible. The main dance floor was in the middle of the room and sunken down slightly so the surrounding floor made a mini wall around it. There were different bars in the corners of the raised floor around the dance floor and the one corner, raised slightly higher was the DJ booth along with all the lighting. The walls were decorated with thousands of led lights all flickering in different patterns giving the room this feeling of it swirling around. After a while, I decided to go check out the third floor, so I climbed up the stairs that were leading away from the dance floor and entered this dark tunnel. As I stepped foot inside however the entire thing lit up with millions of little lights, all forming patterns much like the walls of the second floor. Only this time instead of just being on the sides it was all around me, I was walking on the lights, it was on the side of me, above my head everywhere. I felt like I was walking through a tube of fireflies. It was honestly magical although admittedly rather a challenge. The third floor reminded me of something you''d possibly see in Wonderland, except I had no white rabbits to guide me. Instead of one normal floor, there were multiple dance stages. All of them raised at different heights with staircases allowing you to climb onto each one. There were a few bars all scattered around the room on different parts of the different dance stages. Above me however was something spectacular, there was a wooden deck that made a balcony all around the entire room, allowing people to walk around the whole room without having to climb up and down the different stages. After spending some time exploring and trying to climb onto all the different stages I decided to go to the final floor. The most exclusive VIP top floor. Honestly, It was the one I was most excited about. Expecting to have to climb another staircase as I walked through the doors, I was greatly surprised when I instead found a beautiful glass elevator. Inside there was a large button that just said, ¡°The Glass Room¡±. Figuring that that meant the final floor I pressed the button and waited. The view from the elevator was stunning. Looking out I could see the most amazing view of New York City, Since I was getting dark you could see all the lights started to flicker on and It quickly becoming the skyline that it is so famous for. A rather loud ¡®Ding¡¯ sound filled the air announcing that I had arrived. slid open and I just gasped. By far this was the most spectacular room that I had seen. The entire floor was glass, lit up by hundreds of sparkling fairy lights underneath the glass. The walls were floor to ceiling windows that perfectly showcased a 360-degree view of the city... and then there was the ceiling, also completely glass but it had large white pieces of fabric draped across and some coming down to the floor. I could only presume that those were the pieces of fabric that the dancers were going to perform with. In amongst the fabric was fairy lights that just made everything so elegant. The room honestly felt magical to me, you would never expect this to be a nightclub it was so stunning and yet at the same time all you wanted to do was dance. Chapter 6

Violet¡¯s P.O.V

¡°You must be Violet.¡± I nearly jumped out of my skin. This beautiful voice broke me out of a trance of staring at the skyline. I''d always been in love with it and the view from here was spectacular. ¡°Uhh yes, that''s me...¡± I trailed off not too sure what else to say without being rude. ¡°Sorry I didn''t mean to scare you. I''m Mia, Cole¡¯s sister. He hasn''t shut up about you since this morning.¡± Mia babbled on sticking her hand out. ¡°He mentioned you''d be here and I just thought id introduce myself. If you need anything just let me know, I''ll be around all night.¡± I shook her hand, surprised by the semi formalness, ¡°That''s...um..really sweet, I hope it was all good things.¡± I cursed myself at stuttering in front of his drop-dead gorgeous sister. She seemed familiar to me and I couldn''t quite place how I knew her. ¡°Thank you, I should be fine but I appreciate it.¡± ¡®Nonsense, it''s no problem. If you need anything just shout,¡± She giggled, ¡°Of course and all good things. Well, I¡¯ll leave to explore, I have to go check in with the dancers to make sure that they haven¡¯t damaged their costumes and there are no issues...¡± Mia rolled her eyes before walking off. I gathered that there was an underlying ¡®Again¡¯ despite this being the official opening night. ¡°Bye was lovely meeting you,¡± I called out. ¡°You too! I¡¯ll see you around.¡± She called back over her shoulder. ¡®What to do now''..... I thought silently. I, despite wanting to stay up here and stare at the view for forever, knew I should probably go find Cole soon before he started to wonder if I ran off. Taking one last glance at the skyline. I was about to turn around when I felt two large arms wrap themselves around my tiny waist. I squealed out in surprise. ¡°It''s just me babe,¡± I felt Cole leaned down and whispered in my ear. ¡°The view is beautiful from here, isn''t it?¡± ¡°I love it so much. It''s stunning. I''ve always loved the skyline here. It was my dream as a little girl to live here and see it.¡± ¡°I thought so too, which is why I made this whole floor all glass so that you can always see the view even though you¡¯re inside.¡± I craned my neck back to look at him, he has this look in his eyes as he was staring out at the skyline. Something told me it meant more to him then he was telling me. ¡°We''re about to open the doors so we should probably go downstairs. The VIP guests should be arriving soon as well.¡± I just nodded, encaptured by the view still. I could vaguely see the reflection of Cole and I in the glass, I''d be lying if I said I didn''t feel any butterflies. I just couldn''t afford to feel this way about someone, not yet not after everything that happened. But there was something about Cole that made me feel safe, I guess that''s why I''ve stuck around today. My phone suddenly buzzed.
To: Vi I¡¯m outside of Limelight, there''s a massive queue though. I have your outfit, I figured you''d probably want to put it on before all these people enter. So meet me outside? -Georgie
I had somehow forgotten in all my excitement of exploring and just being with Cole that I hadn¡¯t changed from what Georgie had leant me earlier for our lunch. ¡°Cole! I completely forgot, Georgie''s here and she has my outfit and stuff. She said to just go meet her outside because there''s a really massive queue.¡± ¡°Nonsense, send me a photo of Georgie and I''ll have one of the bodyguards fetch her and bring her up here, then you can get ready and show her the beautiful view.¡± ¡°Really, thank you! That would be fantastic.¡± Cole walked off to the side and phoned someone, I assume the bouncer he had sent to fetch Georgie. I really didn''t feel like dealing with the crowds outside again or having the chance of the paparazzi remembering I was the girl who came inside with Cole and trying to take my photo or something again. I sent a quick text to George so she wouldn''t freak out when a massive guy came up to her to try to escort her somewhere.
To: Georgie Cole said he''s going to send a bodyguard to come fetch you and take you up to VIP to meet me. I''ll see you now now. So don''t freak out when a big dude comes to lead you somewhere. Love ya x -Vi
To: Violet Okay perfect thank you! I¡¯ll see you now xx -G
I got lost in the view again and before I knew it, I saw the elevator doors open and Georgie walked out. She looked like a supermodel. Honestly, I wasn''t really surprised I mean she normally gorgeous but she looked especially stunning tonight. Georgie was an up and coming model, shed worked on a few big projects, just recently shed done a shoot for Calvin Klein and I know she was booked to walk fashion week. She kept bugging me to come to some of her casting calls but I just wasn''t too sure if that was me anymore. I did model for a while but that was a long time ago and I haven''t worked since everything happened. Georgie looked around, a look of awe crossing her face although she managed to mask it pretty well. She spotted me and hurried over. ¡° Oh my word, Vi! This place is amazing!¡± she exclaimed before pulling me into a massive hug.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°I said the same thing, the view is stunning isn''t it?¡± I hugged her back just as hard. ¡°It really is, now let''s get you into this outfit that I bought you. You''re going to look absolutely stunning for this guy Cole, that I''ve yet to actually meet.¡± she raised her eyebrows with a slight smirk on her face. ¡°Yes, yes I know and you''ll meet him just now. He was just here he must have disappeared off somewhere.¡± I said while looking around for Cole, ¡°But let''s go get changed, I''m dying to get out of these clothes.¡± I pulled Georgie off to the bathroom. Itching to start looking like I fit in here and that I wasn''t some underdressed random girl. Georgie was wearing a white lace intricate bra that led into a bodysuit, with black skinny jeans, a Gucci belt, and her brand new black, red-soled Louis Vuitton heels. Her hair was down in her natural curls. She had flawlessly done her makeup, it had been a passion of hers since she was a child and before her modeling career took off she was studying to be a high-end makeup artist and was wanting to create her own line. She had kept it mostly simple for her makeup tonight, with a beautiful blend of peach shimmer and a slightly darker brown causing a slight natural smokey-eyed look, her lips covered in a natural pink, and some contour. Georgie had brought a completely black outfit. I put on a slightly flowy black shirt, with three-quarter sleeves, a deep v in the front and a strip of fabric across my neck. I tucked it into cross-over shorts and matched it with a pair of nude heels that had laces that wound elegantly up my ankles before tying in a neat little bow. I pinned my hair up into a low bun, having gotten frustrated with it getting in my way all day and not wanted to become hot when I was dancing. Georgie touched up my makeup adding to my eyes by making a slightly darker smokey eye then what id been wearing, she brushed my face with contact powder, and touched up my blush and contour. I looked in the mirror and I was super happy with how I looked. We both looked amazing. Honestly, I couldn''t wait to see what Cole thought. I looked down at my phone and realized we¡¯d been gone for at least half an hour now. Cole was probably wondering where we were and after all his kindness to me today I didn''t want him to think I had just bailed. We walked out of the bathroom and I suddenly felt like everyone was staring. I know I looked pretty but Georgie looked drop-dead-gorgeous. ¡°Come on, let''s go get a drink, I''m way too sober right about now,¡± Georgie said before grabbing my hand and dragging me to the closest bar. Which just so happened to be a few feet from us. The entire bar was also glass but it was lit up with a blue light that made it look like it was ice. As Georgie was pulled me to the bar I spotted Cole and it seemed like at the same moment he spotted me. He was walking our way but stopped dead in his tracks for a few seconds before shaking his head and making his way over.

Cole¡¯s P.O.V

I stepped away from Violet to call Cameron and tell him to get one of the bouncers and send her up here. While on the phone I got a text from Mia. One that once I read it I wished it wasn''t true.
To: Cole SOPHIA IS HERE... TRYING TO FIND OUT HOW SHE GOT IN NOW. -Mia
¡°Fuck.¡± I cursed rather loudly but due to the music that was already playing no one heard me. I didn''t want to leave Violet especially with that bitch here but I had to go sort it out and find out who I was going to fire for letting her in, especially when I had told them she wasn''t allowed in under any circumstances. Violet was entranced by the view again, I didn''t want to disturb her and I knew that her friend would be up any minute so I hurriedly made my way to my owner elevator, that I had specially installed to go between floors so that Cameron, Mia and I, plus other important staff wouldn''t have to constantly be trying to climb through the different floors and walking through hoards of people if we needed to get to a certain floor quickly. While texting Mia back.
To: Mia Fuck! What floor is she on, I''m coming now. -C
Mia quickly sent a reply back.
To: Cole She''s on 2nd. Giving the bouncers hell. Won''t let her into VIP. Heading there now. -Mia
¡®I need to give the VIP bouncers a raise¡¯, I thought quietly to myself. I pressed the second-floor button, it seemed like time slowed down for the elevator to finally get there, it felt like years when it was only a matter of seconds. I frantically made my way to the entrance of the third floor, where the bouncers were holding back a pissed-off looking Sophia. ¡°I''m his Fianc¨¦, I have access to the VIP area. Do you even know who I am?¡± Her screechy voice pierced my ears before I even got there. ¡®I definitely need to give those bouncers a bonus for dealing with her¡¯. ¡°Were under strict orders from the Wentworths not to let you in. You shouldn''t have been allowed in the club.¡± I heard one of them grumbled angrily at her. ¡°Did you not hear me, I AM HIS FIANC¨¦! Oh look there''s Cole now, he¡¯ll fire you for not letting me in just you watch!¡± Sophia then turned to me and in a voice that made my ears bleed she whined out, ¡°Cole! Babe, they won''t let me in. Please tell them that I''m allowed in.¡± ¡°Actually Sophia, they''re right. You should not have been allowed in here and I''m planning on firing whoever made the dreadful mistake for doing so, while these fine gentlemen here definitely need a bonus for dealing with your annoying ass. We are over. Get that through your skull, or do you not understand and want me to get someone to bring you a dictionary. You know that book people look up the meaning-of-words in.¡± I growled, annoyed that she was really trying this shit tonight.
I mean did she have to cause trouble on my opening night? She could have done this any other time but no she had to do it now. I''m just grateful she didn''t show up last night when I had all my VIP guests here and try to ruin the fashion show. ¡°Cole, baby I love you. We¡¯re engaged. Why are you being so horrible.¡± She said her eyes welling up with tears. As if these petty little games were going to work on me. I was sick of her, her attempts of trying to manipulate people, her constant whining and forever wanting of attention and wanting to be in the media. ¡°We are not engaged! I never proposed to you, why would I ever want to get married to someone like you.¡± Okay so made I was being kind of harsh but she was trying to ruin my opening night and was lying by saying we¡¯re engaged. As I finished yelling at Sophia, Mia showed up along with two massive security guards, which were on hand for situations just like this. ¡°You can take her now.¡± The guards picked Sophia up and started pulling her away despite her kicking and screaming. ¡°Cole, baby I love you! Put me down, I''m his Fianc¨¦!¡± Along with a whole list of other really, rude words that one would say were not acceptable in polite society. I turned to Mia, ¡°Thank you, but I need to get back to Violet I''m sure she''s wondering where I am.¡± Mia just smiled, ¡°you go get your girl.¡± She laughed and patted me on my back before I jogged off to the elevator hurriedly pressing the button for the top floor. I hope Violet doesn''t think I ditched her or that she''s upset with me. The Elevator doors opened and I made my way to where I had last seen Violet, only to catch the eyes of her nearing to the bar on the other side of the room. I froze, my eyes glanced over her whole outfit. She looked insanely beautiful. In fact, beautiful doesn''t even describe how amazing she looked. The only thought going through my head was ¡®Wow!¡¯. Before a few inappropriate thoughts started forming in my head, I shook my head trying to clear my mind, she wasn''t that type of girl. She was something special and I wasn''t going to blow that on a one night stand. I finally seemed to gain control of my body again and made my way over to her. Chapter 7

Cole¡¯s P.O.V

There are those scenes in movies when the world just stops when everything goes in slow motion and you feel like the person who you''ve caught eyes with is the only other person in the world. I always thought that that was just something exaggerated, something to make a point in the story. That it was just movie magic, an author''s creative license. Yet here I was unable to take my eyes off of her. The music seemed to fade out, the people all around us faded into the background as if they weren''t even there. As cliche as it is, it felt like she and I were the only ones in the room. Violet looked stunning. Gone was the shy-looking, nerdy girl I had run into this morning instead there was the beautiful, confident, petite woman. She stood out from the crowd of all the endless girls, all dressed up and trying to catch the attention of some or other people. Violet didn''t even have to try. There was this light about her, that even without the stunning clothes and makeup she just stood out from the crowd. Someone ran past me accidentally knocking my shoulder and simultaneously knocking me from my haze. The noise of everything suddenly rushing back at me, breaking the second of complete and utter silence I had just felt. It felt like minutes when in reality it had only been a few seconds. She captivated me. Somehow in a day she had made me feel things that I never would have ever thought about, that I would have laughed at anyone if they ever told me I was this whipped for a girl and, in a day no less¡­ and then there came Violet¡­. I was falling fast and hard for her and I don''t know how to stop myself, I¡¯m not sure if I want to though. Figuring I had kept Violet waiting too long as it was, I hurriedly made my way over to her, having to push my way past some people who just didn''t seem to move out of the way on their own. There she was standing at the bar with another girl who looked rather familiar, I just couldn''t quite place from where. I¡¯m assuming that that was her best friend Georgie. Georgie looked stunning as well, they both did and it seemed like I wasn''t the only person to think so. Men and women all over the club were staring at the two girls, not that I could blame them, they both looked stunning. I couldn''t help but feel angry that guys were staring at my Violet though. Well, she''s not ¡®my¡¯ Violet, well at least not yet. I know Violet had mentioned that Georgie was an up and coming Model. I mean I could see why she was beautiful. An Idea struck me as I was approving the girls, Georgie models and I wonder if Violet would¡­. They would both be perfect for this line that Mia and I were working on as a joint project. I don''t want to scare them away, though, so I decided to wait on telling them my idea. I hadn''t even met Georgie yet and I barely new Violet. I was looking forward to getting to know Violet and hopefully, after tonight I will get to spend more time with her and learn all about her. ¡°Good evening baby,¡± I said as I leaned down and kissed Violet''s cheek while wrapping my one arm around her waist. ¡°You must be Georgie,¡± I stuck my hand out to greet Georgie, ¡° It''s lovely to meet you.¡± ¡°You must be Cole, It¡¯s lovely to meet you too,¡± Georgie said returning my handshake. ¡°Your club looks amazing, I''ve been to a lot but this one is really beautiful and I love the different designs on different levels.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Thank you. It was months of hard work and lots of planning as well as lots of people, that eventually got us here.¡± ¡°Well, it definitely paid off,¡± Violet chimed in. ¡°Thank you, love, how about we get you girls some drinks?¡± ¡°Fuck yes please,¡± Georgie said, ¡°After the day¡¯s drama I¡¯m in desperate need of alcohol.¡± She spun around, grabbing Violet''s hand and raced off to the bar. Violet reached out and grabbed my hair as she was pulled out of my hand as if she was used to Georgie''s behavior. I guess she was though considering Violet said that they have been friends for years. I waved the bartender over to us, ¡°Please put these two girls drinks on my tab and don''t tell them.¡± I told him quietly. He just nodded his head in agreement. I didn''t feel like fighting with the girls over who was paying for their drinks, I knew they could pay for them themselves but I''d invited them out and it wasn''t anything for me to just charge their drinks to my account. ¡°I¡¯ll have a Jack and Coke,¡± I said before the bartender turned to the girls to take their drinks. ¡°I''ll have a Vodka and Sprite, please,¡± Violet said. ¡°And I''ll have a Malibu with Cream Soda please,¡± Georgie asked. Maybe add a few lines of him catching her staring? We all made polite conversation until our drinks were finished being poured. Suddenly ¡®Where would we be¡¯ by Roses came on, I looked at Violet and she just laughed. ¡°Do you want to go dance?¡± I asked as we all took our drinks from the bar. Violet just shook her head, yes, still giggling. With that, I offered my arms to both girls and we all made our way to the dance floor, to dance to what was quickly becoming my new favorite song. Not that I¡¯d tell anyone that. I wasn''t one who would normally dance much but dancing with Georgie and Violet was worth it. As soon as we stepped onto the dance floor Violet¡¯s hips started swaying with the beat, and I watched before my eyes as the shy girl I had spent the day with just melted away, with every second she was dancing she just grew more and more confident. It was the most beautiful slight. I mean don''t get me wrong she was hot as hell just from the way she was dancing but watching her grow this confidence that she had been lacking all day was way hotter. Then there was the way she and Georgie were dancing together¡­ Oh my fuck. It was every man''s wet dream. Two drop-dead gorgeous girls grinding all over each other¡­ If I didn''t know any better I would assume the two girls were in a relationship. They would dance all over each other and honestly it was the sexiest thing ever. After dancing for a while Georgie had found some guy she wanted to dance with and so Violets gaze turned to me. The way her eyes looked at me, it was as if that streak of fire that I had seen hiding all day was released. She seemed like a different person. Her gaze was filled with this fire and boy was I glad it was directed at me. Dancing with Violet was insane until she started to grind and dance right on me. It became more and more difficult for me to keep my thoughts of pure intentions and not of all of the things that I wanted to do with her. Soon enough all of us had finished our drinks and decided to take a break from dancing to get more drinks. Somewhere on our walk from the dance floor to the bar Violet and Georgie had the great idea to do shots so here we where at the bar all standing with a line of shots before us and people all around us chanting. ¡°Shots! Shots! Shots!¡± Violet, Georgie and I raised our first shot and clinked them together, ¡°First to finish all five wins!¡± Georgie promptly told both of us. ¡°On the count of three, One¡­. Two¡­. Three!¡± With that, we all started downing our shots. What surprised me the most was that Violet won. I had honestly thought that it would have been Georgie or I who had won. Georgie seemed like she went out a lot and could handle herself and I certainly did, especially with all of my clubs. But it seems that I underestimated apparently-not-so-innocent Violet. She dragged me back to the dance floor along with Georgie and we danced for another few songs before deciding that she wanted more shots and something else to drink. Somewhere in between the many rounds of shots we had and all the dancing, everything became super blurry.... Chapter 8

Violet¡¯s P.O.V.

I groaned as tried to I roll over, the light streaming into the room and shining right into my eyes, only to fall flat on the floor. My curtains looked like someone was trying to close them but got distracted halfway through the process. In our drunken haze, Georgie and I had probably tried to close them but got distracted with the wine, as two bottles were sitting guiltily on the table. The wine bottles had labels on them, telling us that the main ingredient was the morning after regret with a hint of never making it to your bed and one helluva stiff neck. Round one goes to the wine bottle. ¡°That¡¯s one way to wake up,¡± I grumbled just under my breath as laid uselessly on the floor, trying to convince the evil Oompa Loompas to stop throwing a party in my head. Taking a look around, well trying to, the sunlight was making that rather difficult with the hangover I was supporting. I blinked rapidly to get my vision to start clearing up and I recognized my surroundings slowly but surely. I was lying on the floor in my living room. How I got here I have no idea... The last thing I remember from last night is being thirsty and wanting to get something to drink, which then somehow became Georgie, Cole and myself doing shots, and after that, it is mostly all blank except for random blurry memories¡­ Sometime after that, we must have found our way back to my apartment. I don''t know what happened to Cole though or where Georgie is in my apartment for that matter. My head was spinning, how much did I have to drink last night? I don''t normally¡­ I haven¡¯t¡­ Oh gosh¡­ last time I felt like this was when my drink had been spiked and I woke up that morning¡­ But I was with Georgie and Cole all night wasn¡¯t I? Before I could let my mind wonder about it anymore, I heard another groan coming from the other side of the couch. Ahh, that''s where Georgie was then. I answered the groan with my own grumpy groan, letting the other person know that I am in as much pain as they are. A raspy voice called out my name, ¡°Vi?¡± I didn¡¯t have the energy or it in me to answer with anything but a grunt. ¡°What the hell happened last night¡­¡± I could tell from the raspy voice that it was Georgie that was on the other side of that couch, making me wonder if Cole was here somewhere as well. I don''t remember him coming home with us, although everything was such a blur he honestly could have and I probably wouldn''t remember. I immediately started to regret trying to think so hard because it felt like those stupid Oompa Loompas were dancing to the beat of Gasolina by Daddy Yankee. ¡°Screw you Daddy Yankee,¡± I mumbled out aggressively. ¡°What was that?¡± George grumbled from the couch. I decided to ignore her and tried to convince my limbs to haul my ass off the floor and go get a glass of cool glass of water. My throat felt like I had swallowed the entire Sahara desert. I begrudgingly stood up and slowly walked, well more like stumbled over to my small kitchen, slapping haphazardly at the light switch to try to get it to turn off. The bright lights burning my eyes and making my head throb even more if that was possible. The sunlight was already bright enough that I could see perfectly without needing the kitchen light trying to blind me. ¡°If you¡¯re getting tea, please make me a cup,¡± Georgie mumbled while trying to shade her eyes from the sunlight streaming into my apartment. ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± I called out, ¡°Do you have any idea what happened last night? I¡¯m drawing a blank. There are the slightest flashes but other than that I can remember nothing.¡± I put the kettle on to boil while I pulled out two mugs from my massive mug collection. I didn''t have all that much in my apartment. Ever since I was little, I started buying mugs with all my friends; which then turned into me just buying mugs that I like and before I knew it, I had built up an entire collection. ¡°Thanks,¡± she moaned out before stumbling into the kitchen and hauling herself up onto the kitchen counter, swinging her feet like a little child. She stared off into space deep in thought, ¡°I¡¯ve only got bits and pieces as well¡­ what do you remember?¡± I hauled myself up onto the counter to face George, ¡°I know we started by taking shots and I vaguely remember having some kind of competition¡­¡± Jumping off the counter when I heard the Kettle start to scream, I was hit by a wave of dizziness. I reached my hand out to try stead myself before I walked over to the kettle to pour the boiling hot water into the two mugs I set aside for tea. ¡° Here you go,¡± I said passing her mug to her. Georgie jumped in, ¡°Thanks. Yeah I remember that as well, although from there it''s kind of blurry¡­¡± she trailed off trying to take a sip of her tea. I settled back, leaning against the counter, cradling the hot tea in my cold hands. I chewed on my bottom lip in thought about last night. Struggling to clear my thoughts, I knew just what we needed to cure a hangover. ¡°I don''t know about you but I could really do with Charlie''s famous hangover smoothie right about now.¡± ¡°Oh my gosh, yes!¡± Georgie perked up a little when she mentioned, We have to get croissants from that bakery and coffee cafe place you like so much.¡± Georgie rubbed her temples trying to help the pressure in her head, ¡°Some food should hopefully help with this hangover.¡± Deciding that was the best plan of action, Georgie and I both finished our tea before going to try and shower last night of us. Our make up was smudged all over our faces since neither of us had been able to make it to the bathroom and wash it off. We stank of alcohol and our hair rivaled Hermione Granger¡¯s and a bird¡¯s nest combined. I have known Charlie since I was sixteen. I first met him at this Bar and Grill a friend of mine, Darcy, had been working at. Charlie and I had instantly become best friends and I quickly introduced him to Georgie. One night, after a particularly long night out, Georgie and I had dropped Darcy off at work even though all of us were supporting really bad hangovers. Georgie and I plopped ourselves on the bar stools, feeling sorry for ourselves. Charlie saw that we were intensely suffering, and after torturing us for a while and laughing at our misery he told us to give him a few minutes so he could whip us up what was soon to be known as the Hangover Miracle Smoothie. I typically wasn''t one for smoothies but this one tasted absolutely amazing. I swear that within half an hour it felt like we hadn''t even gone out at all. Thank goodness for the magic of Charlie''s smoothies.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I wasn''t joking when I said his smoothie was soon to become famous. Charlie left the Bar and Grill he was working at and had opened up his own sandwich shop. It quickly became very popular with the college crowd, and once they found out about the miracle of his Hangover Smoothie, it was a done deal. His place was always packed with every college student and drunk teenager that was within driving distance. His little shop was small and didn''t look like much but he seemed to be doing very well and I know he is happy. He made the most amazing sandwiches which is why I took Cole there yesterday. Georgie and I were finally ready, looking somewhat more presentable than we had been just half an hour before. I, myself was in black tights with a slightly baggy gray jersey, white scarf, and my favorite ankle boots. Georgie was in sweats and a cropped hoodie that she had bought on her recent trip to London, as well as her black vans. Both of us rocking massive sunglasses. We stepped outside of my apartment, allowing the bright warm sun to wash over us. As we started to stroll down the street, I got a weird feeling that we were being watched. More specifically, I was being watched. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I felt very paranoid all of a sudden. I tried to keep cool facade as I looked around the busy streets, and the scary part, that feeling was not wrong. I could see a camera trained on me. Someone was definitely watching me and not being as subtle as they thought they were being. I grabbed Georgie¡¯s arm in panic, ¡°George, I think we are being watched. That guy across the street in that grey t-shirt just took a photo of us, I swear.¡± Georgie discreetly looked around, trying to find the man I spoke of and I knew she spotted him when a look of slight fear crept across her face, mirroring my own. Georgie was used to the occasional pap following her but this guy just seemed like a creepy dude. She suggested that we order an uber as neither of us got a good feeling from this man watching us. Nor were we in any place to drive, nevermind walking, despite it only being a few blocks. Hopefully, if we get an uber however then we would lose the creepy man that was following us. Surprisingly, there seemed to be almost no traffic during our ride over to Charlie¡¯s which was strange because that pretty much never happens here in New York. Not that I was complaining I was more than happy to get there in ten minutes instead of having to spend half an hour in the car. The Uber driver looked at us almost knowingly when he dropped us off at Charlie¡¯s shop. It¡¯s not like Georgie and I were being discreet about our hangovers due to us supporting massive sunglasses that covered almost half of our faces... Walking into the store, the bell chimed as the door opened and I just saw Georgie flinch as the noise went straight to her head. Honestly, it was not that much better for me either. ¡°Violet! Georgie!¡± Charlie yelled out as he saw us enter. ¡°Not so loud,¡± Georgie whispered out while clutching her head. I just groaned and pathetically leaned my head against the freezer, the cold helping slightly with my headache and nausea. ¡°Two Hangover Smoothies coming right up then,¡± Charlie called out, laughing while we groaned at how loud he was being. ¡°I hate you,¡± I half yelled half-whispered. ¡°I love you too Vi,¡± Charlie singsonged back. While walking into the back to make us our smoothies. See Charlie only made the smoothies in the back of his shop because he was paranoid that someone was going to steal his super secret recipe on how to make them. Wed asked Charlie multiple times what was actually in the smoothie but he always refused to give us a straight answer. A few minutes later Charlie bought back our smoothies in his signature takeaway cups, ¡°I assumed you girls are going to go and get croissants from that bakery Vi loves.¡± ¡°Thank you, Charlie!¡± Georgie and I chorused together. I had already called another Uber which was waiting for us outside as I did not want to hail a taxi. The wind had picked up considerably since we had been inside the shop and it felt like it was going to start snowing in the next few days. The wind had that icey feel that blew right through you, the kind where no matter what you can feel it in your bones. I did not feel like walking in that and I was still a bit put off from the guys from earlier. ¡°Bye girls,¡± Charlie yelled out. Waving wildly as we walked out back through the door. The bell jingling slightly as we opened the door. ¡°Goodbye Charlie,¡± George and I sang out before hopping in our uber. ¡°Good morning,¡± the Uber driver greeted us as we were settling into the car. Georgie and I greeted him back, ¡°Excuse me for saying this but you look very familiar..¡± the driver said looking at me curiously. ¡°I guess I just have one of those faces,¡± I said slightly weirded out. Georgie looked over at me, I could tell she was also slightly weirded out by it all as well. This was so strange, this whole morning had been strange... We arrived at the cafe shortly, already feeling better from our smoothies. As we walked inside but I could have sworn that I saw another person following us and what looked like a bright light flashed. I have to be imagining things. Maybe people were trying to get photos of Georgie? It happens occasionally when someone recognizes her. ¡®It¡¯s nothing,¡¯ I said to myself trying to shake it off, something didn''t quite feel right though. Especially with adding the weird guy from this morning into the equation and what the uber driver had said about me seeming familiar. Before I could freak myself out anymore Georgie had pulled us both into the line to place our orders. Seeing all the tables start to fill up, she turned to me, ¡°Maybe you should go save us a table? Unless you want to just go sit in the park and eat our croissants, or we could go back to your house and have a pajama day?¡± ¡°Can you just order for me, I¡¯m going to run to the restroom quickly and then let''s take them back to my place, we can have a chill day, order takeout later and have a proper sleepover.¡± ¡°I was planning on sleeping over anyway but yeah sure, you want your usual then?¡± Georgie said with a distracted look on her face. I hummed in agreement before rushing off to the bathroom. Hopefully, despite how busy this place is, there won¡¯t be a queue for the bathroom a mile long, but then it is a girls'' bathroom and there''s always a queue.
Coming out of the bathroom and I caught some more people staring at me and I could have sworn I saw someone trying, to not so discreetly take a photo of me¡­ What on earth is going on? What is with people and trying to take photos of me today? I saw Georgie standing off to the side near the door and made my way over to her. She handed me back my smoothie, which she had been holding for me, as well as a brown paper bag which had my favorite chicken and mushroom croissants. I heard a chair creaked loudly as someone hurriedly stood up as we were walking out the door. All of this not helping my paranoia, I leavened over and whispered to Georgie, ¡°I think there are people who are following us, try to walk a little faster I don''t want to be bombarded by paparazzi trying to take photos of us or something stupid.¡± I half giggled at that, as paparazzi would really wanna take photos of me, I was no one special. I mean sure I had done the odd modeling job but nothing like the campaigns Georgie had done. No one really knew my name and after everything, I prefer it that way. Sure at one point, I had wanted something different but not anymore. We started to walk down the street when two guys with cameras came right at us shoving them in my face. I had been joking about paparazzi I didn''t think they would actually try to take photos of us. Then two became four then eight and before I knew what was happening Georgie and I were surrounded by camera flashes and being yelled at. Questions being hurled left and right as the crowd around us just continued to grow larger and larger with every second.
¡°Violet is it true your dating Cole Wentworth?¡± ¡°How does it feel being the other woman?¡± ¡°Violet! Violet! Did you know he was engaged?¡± ¡°Come on give us a smile!¡± ¡°Are the engagement rumors about Cole and Sophia true?¡± ¡°Homewrecker!¡±
Cole was engaged?I was hanging out with a guy who was already in love with someone else? Why did he lie to me?I do not want to get involved with someone who is supposed to be with someone else¡­. What had I gotten myself into? My thoughts kept racing around my head, trying to process everything that was being thrown my way. Georgie ever the protective best friend, realized I was frozen and somehow managed to hail a taxi. She tugged on my arm, elbowing all the paparazzi out of the way as she leads me through the crowd trying to get me to the taxi. Just as she was opening the door a black Range Rover came screeching to a halt. It took my eyes a moment to focus on the blurred person as they leaped out of the car. It.was.Cole He threw himself out of the car without a care for the paparazzi that soon swarmed him and came running towards me. Georgie was having none of it and shoved me in the taxi. My eyes, filled with mortification locked with Coles, just as I was being shoved into the back of the cab and soon after, we sped away. I refused to allow myself to look at Cole¡¯s frozen body, staring after the cab that was quickly fading into the distance. Chapter 9

Violet¡¯s P.O.V.

At that moment the sky broke open, rain pelted down from the sky. A million, tiny little bullets of icy water ricocheting off the cab. It could not have been any more clich¨¦ even if I tried. A girl running away from a guy, in New York, in the typical cab when they sky breaks open and he''s left standing in the pouring rain while she drives off¡­ almost on cue, the radio in the cab starts playing, ¡®Falling¡¯ by Harry Styles. The first bars of the very sad melody drifting through the car barely heard over the sound of the rain. Georgie clutched my hand tighter, squeezing it before opening and closing her mouth. Finally managing to find the words, ¡°What the hell was that? I thought he was really into you, but the bastard is engaged?¡± her voice escalating as she processed everything that had just happened and I could see her become angrier and angrier. ¡°I- I just don''t know¡­¡± I trailed off, the words drying in my throat. What was that?? What the hell was I thinking, going out and spending all day with a guy I had only just met. I knew better than that. I knew better than to get involved with guys until I was positive there were no girlfriends, wives, fiances or crazy exes who were still in love and possessive as fudge. You learn your lesson the hard way. I had one friend who used me as revenge against his girlfriend, but in the end, to have everything blamed on me. It wasn¡¯t a mess, it was a catastrophic mess, with the only person who ended up getting hurt was me. The innocent bystander somehow getting in the middle of an immature relationship, where they purposely went out of their way to teach the other one a ¡°lesson¡±. Since then, I have stayed far far away from any guy that is in a relationship. The first time, shame on you. The second time, shame on me. I bit my lip trying to keep the tears at bay. Shame on me, shame on me. I should have known better. He was always too good to be true. ¡°How did the paparazzi even know who you were, never mind where you were? Like what is going on!¡± Georgie exclaimed her obvious frustration clearly growing, snapping me out of my major downward spiraling. ¡°I¡¯m taking you away from all this craziness until we know what the hell is going on. Were going away to my house just outside the city for a while¡± With that, Georgie leaned over and told the cab driver the address of her apartment. I felt like I was in a fishbowl... Everything was garbled. Buildings all blurred together, the rain mixing with whatever song was now quietly playing from the radio. My entire world was just one big blur. The paparazzi encouraging random strangers to stare into my life. Having them poking at the glass, trying to scare me and trying to get a reaction... My life is now on display for the world to see and to criticize and I am more than sure that people that I don¡¯t even know will have their two cents about the situation. This wasn''t supposed to happen. I didn''t mean for any of this to happen, How do I always manage to get myself into these situations. I am a whirlwind of emotions and I can feel the frustration bubbling up inside of me. I felt like there was a world war between my heart and my head. I just tried to ignore them both, because that is the only way I can cope with all of this right now¡­ Maybe if I just lean my head against the window, I can just rest my eyes for a few minutes¡­
I woke up to someone shaking my shoulder. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around trying to figure out where I was. My mind was still super groggy but I started to recognize my surroundings and figured out I was at Georgie''s house outside of the city.

Cole¡¯s P.O.V

I woke up with a pounding headache, tangled in my grey sheets and the curtains wide open, the light streaming in from the floor to ceiling windows right into my eyes. I ran my hands roughly across my face, trying to clear the fog that had built up in my head. My head pounded as I sat up, thinking about last night. I swear, I really shouldn¡¯t make it a habit going out with Violet and Georgie¡­ Put those two together and they fuel my irresponsible side. The side that I typically don¡¯t get to show, especially since I have taken on so many responsibilities at a young age. Those two. Together. Now that is what trouble looks like. I am a pretty big, well-muscled guy and those two girls almost drank me under my table and they are half my size. I couldn¡¯t help but shake my head and laugh. My laugh was soon cut off as it made my head pound even more. I slowly got to my feet, steadying myself when I swayed a little. I need black charcoal in the system since 8 hours ago, so now would be a good time to pop 3 of those tablets and a tall glass of water. I shielded my eyes as I walked through my apartment, cursing myself that I thought getting a place with a 360 view of New York was a good idea. I grabbed a cold bottle of Voss water from the fridge to help me down the tablets and to quench my thirst. I grabbed the small remote that was lying on my kitchen island, and pressed the button for my automated blinds, hoping that with the sun not blaring at me constantly would help. I then turned to the other remote on the kitchen island to turn on the tv to the morning stocks. I leaned against the kitchen counter and as weird as it sounds, just hearing them talk about the morning stocks calmed me. I went through my typical morning routine, listening to the morning stocks while I made an omelet and ate some fresh fruit that had been cut up and left in my fridge by Martha, the caretaker of my apartment. I shoveled the omelet in my mouth, allowing it to soothe my upset stomach. Once I had mustered up the energy to return to my bathroom to wash off the stench of cigarettes and alcohol that seemed to linger in my pores. I stepped into my shower and allowed the steaming hot water to stream down my washboard abs. Getting this ceiling rain shower head was the best decision I made while designing the bathroom. I would say that I am pretty laid back buy but when it comes to showers, I have a thing about decent pressure and not having the water barely trickles out, hence the massive high powered rain shower head. I stood under the water, allowing it to relax my stiff neck. Typically, but this point I would be feeling somewhat refreshed and my stomach settled, but there was something in the back of my mind that was nagging at me. I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on it. It was right there, just on the tip of my tongue, I just couldn''t place it.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. I turned the handle for the shower, turning it off and wrapping the large white fluffy towel around my hips so it hung low, just where I liked it. I grabbed another towel and ruffled my hair with it so that it dried ever so slightly. I sauntered over to my walk-in closet to pull on a long pair of loose gray sweatpants, that made many women stare at my body with hunger. Not that I was complaining when we went for round 4 and then me asking them to leave shortly after. I padded over to my office that had a large dark oak desk in the center of the room that was surrounded by bookshelves, packed with books about economics, business, wars, politics, and the stock market. Two plush, black leather seats faced my desk. It wasn¡¯t common for me to hold meetings here, but I typically did like to hold interviews for those that would be deeply involved in my personal life here. I could tell when someone would fit into the high tempo of my life and it was a decent place to be able to interview them away from my massive office block. It just so happened to also be rather useful when I had to work at home, which was almost always. I took a seat and pulled out a stack of files I had Nancy send over yesterday, that I was supposed to finish last night before the whole issue with the alcohol stock hit. Switching on the TV in my office and turning to peaceful background noise so I could hear the news as I worked. I flipped through the channel, finally landing on the local New York daily news. I settled down in my chair with a soft cush. Oh yeah, I could sit in this chair for days and never get uncomfortable, it felt like I was sitting in the most comfortable cloud. I opened the first file and reviewed the paperwork, inputting all the new information and changes I was making into my computer. I couldn¡¯t tell you how long I was working for but the blare of my phone snapped me out of my focus. I looked at the name flashing across the screen. Nancy. I slid the answer button over, ¡°Nancy, good morning. I hope you have a good reason to be calling me on a Sunday morning. You know this is my time to knuckle down and tackle some big projects.¡± I didn¡¯t mean to be short with her, I really didn¡¯t, but I was tired and annoyed and now all the energy I was using to focus was gone. I leaned back again the swivel chair, kicking my bare feet up on the desk. ¡°Sir, you told me to call if it was an emergency¡­¡± I waited for her to continue but she didn¡¯t. ¡°Okay¡­ and what type of emergency are you calling me about¡± I inquired? There was a brief silence on the other end before her voice came out in a whisper, ¡°Sir, I think you need to turn to channel 9.¡± My curiosity got the best of me as I picked up the remote, that was lying in the corner of my desk and turned to channel 9. My heart skipped. There she was, videos and photos of Violet walking into the club with me, us dancing around, one that looked like we were kissing when in fact I was just leaning in closer so I could hear what she was telling me, leaving the club with Georgie and I. There even looked to be photos of her and Georgie this morning leaving, to what looked like a very beaten up and old apartment building. Please tell me that''s not where she lived? That place definitely did not look safe. My precious girl did not deserve to live there. My precious girl? Really? Still? I mean apparently, I spend one night with this girl and her best friend and she has me wrapped around her pinky finger. Then, another face flashed across the screen. The face of a psycho that is the bane of my existence. I turned the volume up. There she was with a perfectly put together outfit and what used to look like flawless makeup. Crying on the steps of her luxurious townhome steps on the upper east side. ¡°I just know that Cole is not the type of man to cheat on me. He adores me and would do anything for me. I mean, for heaven sakes, he proposed to me a couple of days ago. A man that doesn¡¯t love you wouldn¡¯t buy you a ring like this¡­¡± and she used that moment to shove her perfectly manicured fingers into the cameras of the reporters, flaunting the 10-carat heart-shaped cut diamond ring. It truly was an ugly ring. I hated the heart-shaped cut and I would never get Violet something so gaudy. What the hell? Since when did I start thinking about settling down with someone. She carried on with her blubbering swearing that the girl, Violet, had spiked my drink last night to try and get me drunk enough to cheat on her and so that Violet could get her 10 minutes of fame. She carried on to say that Violet would fade out because she is a trashy girl that doesn¡¯t know how to respect relationships. I turned off the TV, my veins boiling with anger. I could faintly in the background of Nancy calling out ¡°Sir!¡± before I ended the call. I growled into the phone as I called my head of security, barking out for him to find out where Violet and Georgie were at this exact moment. I didn¡¯t wait for any type of confirmation from him before I hung up and stormed to my closet, to change once more. I aggressively shoved my legs into my dark wash jeans and a classic skin-tight white t-shirt, as well as my favorite black leather jacket. Throwing on some boots I ran out the door, having yelled for Martha to tell my driver to be ready. As I stepped into the elevator, my head of security called. My phone didn¡¯t even have a chance to fully ring because I had that phone to my ear in a flash. There were no pleasantries exchanged, ¡°Where are they?¡± I bark into the phone. ¡°The security cameras on the streets have been tracking them and from what I gather, they are most likely headed to the cafe you met Violet yesterday. I closed my phone and slipped it into my front pocket. I slipped my sunglasses on and strode past the flashing cameras that were waiting for me at the front of my building. I didn¡¯t skip a beat as I opened the back door of my Rolls Royce, casually slipped in and not a moment later, we were roaring down the streets of New York. My leg bounced as I impatiently waited in the back of the car to get to our final destination. I felt the car slowing down as Jackson started muttering, ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa.¡± My eyes snapped up from my phone screen, as I was trying to track this story as it unfolded. My ex was already trying to set up interviews with me with the tabloids so that we could prove that we were still going strong. The only reason I knew this is because my publicist and legal team were working around the clock to tame this psycho. We were planning on charging her with defamation of character. I could see the crowd of paparazzi, surrounding Georgie and my Violet. The car didn¡¯t even come to a full stop as I leaped out of the car, ready to go save my girl. It was at that moment that Violet turned around and saw me standing there with wild eyes. Her eyes were full of fright, her nose, and cheeks a slight pink from the freezing rain that began to fall heavily from the sky. I couldn¡¯t tell if it was a raindrop that was sliding her cheek or a tear. Georgie saw me at that exact moment as well but instead of freezing like my girl she just gave me this ice-cold death glare. It sent a shiver down my spine and that''s saying something considering the people I deal with every day, nothing frightens me. Her glare hardened even more if that was possible. She shoved all of the paparazzi out of the way before pushing Violet inside a car I''m assuming she must have called when she saw the chaos. My eyes locked with Violet as the cab sped away and my heart just dropped, I felt like throwing up everything I''ve ever eaten. For whatever reason watching her drive away just broke something inside of me. Chapter 10

Cole¡¯s P.O.V

I couldn¡¯t help but scream out her name. Only to have the rain and the incessant yelling of the paparazzi drown me out. If only they could drown out my thoughts, of which were yelling at me how much I''d fucked up this time. It wasn''t even my fault but I had a feeling she wasn''t going to feel that way. There was something about her, I could just tell that someone had done a number on her, and honestly, I was surprised that she had trusted me as quickly as she had. All of which has probably gone down the drain with everything that has happened. There was a stiffness to my walk as I had to push my way back to the car; however, I wasn¡¯t stiffly walking because I had to fight my way through, it was because it felt like my tail was between my legs like a dog. Embarrassed, confused and hurt. I could feel my insides screaming at me, a lump starting to form in my throat that made it hard to breathe. Jackson, who was also my personal bodyguard, quickly encased me and I felt him ripping the hold a paparazzi had on my jacket. Shoving me into the back of my Rolls Royce. I heard Jackson on the phone, telling the security team that they better be looking for possible places as to where Violet could be. Thank God they know me well enough to know what I''m thinking. Hearing her name though snapped me out of my trance. Speed dialing Nancy, she efficiently picked up on the first ring. ¡°I need you to have my lawyers, PR team and entire security unit all in the conference room waiting for me when I get into the office in 20 minutes. Tell the lawyers they need to have drawn up the paperwork to sue Sophia for defamation of character and anything else they can think of. I want to know that we''ve got a vague idea of where Georgie and Violet are heading, so make sure that security has the best hackers and trackers on that. I need the PR team to tell me what the actual FUCK just happened and how it''s possible that that bitch is still out there spreading all this shit.¡± I honestly had no time for pleasantries, I heard her say, ¡°Yes, Sir¡± before I hung up the phone. I had an amazing assistant who knew that I respected her and I''d be lost without her. Occasionally she would get a rather rude phone call if I was very stressed, but that didn''t seem to bother her, especially when she got weekend spa retreats. She was truly the Donna to my Harvey, except I wasn''t madly in love with her and she was happily married to my cousin but that''s a whole other story. We arrived at the office and there was Nancy waiting for me right at the door, her iPad in hand. I figured it was to brief me on whatever I needed to know before this meeting. Jackson, Nancy and I strode towards the elevator, the briefing starting as the doors to the elevator closes, shooting us upwards. ¡°The legal team is working on the 3rd draft of the legal documentation for suing Ms. Stutterheim for Prima Facie Defamation. They are combing through the documents to make sure there are no places that they can poke holes in our claims. The two main angles that they are pursuing are the publication of communication of Violet to all the tabloids.¡± As the doors opened to my floor, Nancy did not miss a beat as she continued to brief me while we headed to the main conference room. ¡°The other main reason they are looking at is damage or some sort of harm caused to the person¡¯s entity who is subject to the statement. They are primarily using what Ms. Stutterhiem said that she is a malicious person, saying that she looks like the person to slip a date rape drug into your drink so she can get her 10 minutes of fame.¡± I nodded my head as I listened to all the angles the legal team was using in their approach. I rattled off some of my thoughts on where they can find hardcore evidence and proof of what Sophia has done to Violet. There were videos of Sophia giving interviews, as well as giving written statements of Sophia¡¯s defamation of Violet''s character. We have proof from security cameras showing the paparazzi harassing Violet, yelling obscenities at her because of what Sophia has told the press. The legal team can also prove that before Sophia went public about you two being photographed at the club, she lived a normal life that would typically not put her in this situation. By the time Nancy was done debriefing me and taking notes, we had arrived at the main conference room, where, despite it being a Sunday afternoon, was bustling. Teams were working collaboratively together, helping each other to look at information in a different light. Drafting and redrafting solutions and game plans. I made my way to the head of the table and the room fell silent. All eyes falling on me, waiting to give the next command. My eyes fell on Richard, who was head of the PR department for this company. ¡°What do you have?¡± ¡°Sir, we need to make sure that we communicate to the press very clearly that you and Sophia broke it off a couple months ago. The best spin that we can put on this story is that Violet is just a friend and that you guys met just earlier that day or we can go the route that all the piranhas would love and say that it was an immediate connection. You guys met in a coffee shop and just hit it off, so you invited her to your club to see how well she fit into your world. We can say that she blew you away, so your guard was completely down and this is how it got all out of hand with Sophia. She was still upset about your break up and wanted you back so this is why she has fabricated this whole story.¡± I ran my hands thoughtfully through my hair, trying to figure out how I was going to get Violet out of the mess she is in because of me. I didn¡¯t want to bring her into this more than she has already has been. ¡°Let¡¯s just get my statement out, claiming that she has been lying. That we have been broken up for a couple weeks and that she is having issues dealing with the break-up. We will see how the press takes this, and if everything calms down, then we are all set. The only thing I am hesitant about is adding fuel to the fire and making my feelings for Violet apparently before I even know if she will ever talk to me again.¡± With a nod in acknowledgement I turned to my legal team telling them that I expressed some thoughts and ideas to Nancy, and that they need to ask her for her notes. I was breezing through all these strategizing and debriefing with the teams because I wanted to know where Violet. She was all that was on my mind and I needed to find her. I needed to explain what was going on and that I never meant to get her involved in this mess.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. I turned my attention to Greg, one of the members of my security team w ho had been working closely with the IT guys barged into my office, ¡°I think you''re going to want to hear this¡± He stated, before connecting to the main screen in the conference room, displaying his findings for all of us to see. ¡°We think we¡¯ve tracked them to Canada. From what we¡¯ve gathered they didn''t go on their own and they had a friend who helped them cover all of their tracks.¡± He glanced at me to make sure I was following, I nodded my head for him to continue, ¡° They seemed to have ditched the car they were using, rented a car under an alias and used fake IDs to cross the border. There''s no record of them anywhere from there, luckily I had a friend at border control who gave me the names of their alias and we managed to track those although that wasn''t an easy feat either. Whoever was helping these girls really knows what they''re doing. They appear to be traveling with another female hence why nothing popped in the APB that was put out as it was only for two females.¡± ¡°Do we have an exact location for them as of right now?¡± I asked as I anxiously tapped my fingers against the desk. ¡°Ahh no sir they are currently driving but once they stop-¡± He was interrupted by one of the IT guys, ¡° We have that location sir they just pulled up to a cabin which appears to be registered to Georgie who was using her mother''s maiden name. Georgie Collins, Sir.¡± ¡°Send that address to my cell right now and can we fly a helicopter up there.¡± ¡°Yes sir there is one warming up on the roof as we speak and the address is already on your phone and the pilots. You should be able to take off in 5 minutes Sir.¡± ¡°Perfect, thank you all I really do appreciate it,¡± I said to everyone in the room, they all nodded and I could see they understood, it''s not very often that I call them all on with such urgency. I turned to Nancy, ¡°Please cancel everything for the next two days or until I am back with Violet, don''t phone me unless it''s absolutely utterly urgent, I trust you to take care of whatever needs to be done otherwise Mia should be able to handle everything.¡± With that, I ran out the door and up to the roof, not willing to waste any more time. I had to find Violet and make things right she deserved to know the truth, that I hadn''t slept with Sophia the other night, we were not engaged, never had been actually and had in fact broken up months ago. By the time I was on the roof we were ready for taking off, I jumped in and up we went. An hour later we were nearing the location that my security team had given me. I just hoped that Violet was here. All of this wasn''t fair to her. We had only met yesterday morning and she''s been dragged into all this drama. She didn''t deserve all of this, I had to explain to her what was going on and try to fix everything with her. I really liked her and I didn''t want to damage whatever chances I even vaguely had by some false rumors. The pilot eventually landed the chopper in the large snowy front yard of this beautiful wooden double-story ¡°cabin.¡± I really wouldn''t say it is a cabin it''s more of a wooden mansion that''s placed in a real-life winter wonderland. As soon as we touched down and it was vaguely safe to disembark I was out of my seat and running up to the gate that surrounded the cabin. I hadn''t wanted to land right in their front garden and risk damaging anything or upsetting Violet anymore. I don¡¯t think that the girls could have missed the sound of us landing, especially with how quiet it was out here but I still knocked loudly on the door. Georgie eventually opened the door, boy did she not look impressed. Before I could even open my mouth to say anything, she held up her finger to silence me, ¡°You do not get to come flying here in your ¡®im a rich boy helicopter¡¯ and think that that''s going to make everything okay. You have no idea what she''s been through and you have the nerve to lie to her and cheat on your Fiance! Does that word not mean anything to you? How could you do something like that to someone as sweet and precious as Violet? YOU do not get to hurt my best friend, you don''t get to come barging in here like some shining knight and that think it''s going to make everything okay, because I assure you that it is not! And if you think some measly little apology is going to solve anything then I''ve got news for you, mister. YOu can just go and get back in your helicopter and go back to wherever it is that you came from. Violet does not want to see you and if it were up to me I would have just let you freeze out here and not even open the door. Speaking of, how the hell did you even find where we are? This place is not easy to find and we were careful to cover our tracks.¡± I opened my mouth to respond but just as I opened my mouth she interrupted me again, ¡°I''m not finished with you yet! You can speak when I say you can!¡± She rolled her eyes before continuing, ¡°Do you have no pride, no moral code? I mean who even asks someone to marry them and then goes out with another woman? Are you that much of a douchebag. You know I did some research on you, I know all about all the one nightstands and the drunken escapades¡­. Oh my god is that what you wanted Violet for, some slutty drunken one night stand, you pig! I despise men like you, the ones who have no dignity for women.¡± That''s when I decided that it was enough, I understood she was defending her best friend but she had no right to tell me I had no regard for women. I did, yeah I had my fair share of one night stands and maybe I might be rather rude to them afterward, but I found if you aren''t they never leave. But I was never disrespectful to them. ¡°Okay enough,¡± I growled out, trying to keep my emotions in check and not get mad at her if it was anyone else, the other side of Canada would hear me yelling at them for disrespecting me like that. ¡°All of the things Sophia said were untrue. We were never engaged, hell we barely even dated, but that girl is psycho and developed an unhealthy attachment to me. Please really need to speak to Violet. I need to explain everything to her and apologize. I know that won''t fix everything but I really need to speak to her.¡± ¡°It''s not happening, not now at least. You really upset her and there is no way I''m letting you inside. She¡¯s going to be heading back to the city in a week''s time, maybe if she feels up for it and decides she wants to hear you out then you can speak to her otherwise why don''t you go home?¡± Georgie glared at me, crossing her arms and blocking the door. For such a small person she sure was rather intimidating. ¡°I can''t do that sorry I have to speak to Violet now, I need to explain everything. I''m not leaving until I speak to her.¡± I squared up to Georgie myself. I towered over her and was at least two of her wide and yet she never wavered in her treacherous glare. I admired how fiercely protective she was over Violet and I was so happy that Violet had someone who was so protective over her but I wasn''t trying to hurt her. I really just wanted to love her, hold her and tell her how much I care about her and that there is nothing going on with anyone else. ¡° Well, I guess you¡¯re just going to wait outside because you are not coming inside. I suggest you leave soon, it appears a snowstorm is coming and I wouldn''t want to be trapped outside during that and you won''t be able to fly your precious helicopter back when the weather picks up.¡± ¡°Guess I''m waiting. I''ll be fine outside, a little snowstorm doesn''t scare me.¡± I stubbornly said standing my ground. If I was thinking clearly I would realize that she was right and I probably should find cover or head home, but there was no way I was leaving without talking to Violet. ¡°Your funeral buddy,¡± Georgie said raising her eyebrows, rolling her eyes before turning around and walking back inside, shutting the door in my face.
The blinds in the corner window of the house would occasionally open ever so slightly before snapping shut. I expected it was one of the girls checking to see if I had actually left. They had done this every ten minutes for the last two hours. I knocked on the door for the fifth time in the last hour, ¡°Violet, please baby I just want to speak to you. I understand if you hate me and never want to speak to me again but please let me talk to you.¡± The door creaked and suddenly started to open¡­ Chapter 11

Cole¡¯s P.O.V

There standing in the doorway, with a massive oversized hoodie, that looked suspiciously like the one I had lent her when we were leaving the club the other night, she had been really cold and having had just gone out clubbing she hadn''t thought to bring a jacket. It was my little Violet. She stepped out onto the front porch her nose already red with the cold and her cheeks flushed. I could see the remnants of smudged mascara under her eyes and it broke my heart to think I had made her cry. ¡°Cole, um- what um are you doing here?¡± She shivered slightly and wrapped her arms tightly around herself, before turning half away from me. I''m assumed that she thought I couldn''t see, so she tried to subtly reach up and wipe away a tear. My heart clenched with sorrow, I couldn¡¯t help myself when my hand reached out to her, ¡°Baby, no please don¡¯t cry. It breaks my heart to see you cry.¡± I tried to softly touch her face, to wipe away the stray tear that escaped the corner of her eye, she flinched at my touch and stepped back out of my reach. I took a deep breath of the bitter cold air, willing it to give me strength. My head hung in shame as I ran my hand through my hair in frustration, ¡°Please just let me explain my side of the story¡­¡± I could see the internal debate she was having with herself. Hurt, curiosity, anger, sadness all flitted across her face, trying to figure out what she wanted. She shuffled around, rubbing her hands up and down her arms, trying to keep herself warm. I could see she made her decision when she turned to me and raised her eyebrows as if she was saying, continue. When my eyes met her eyes, I faltered. Gone was the softness she used to hold in her eyes for me. I could feel my resolution crumble a little bit. I have to explain to her, I want to look into her eyes again and see the softness, the genuine kindness shines through. I took a deep breath, ¡°I promise you I¡¯m not engaged and that the media has it all wrong. Sophia is my psycho ex-girlfriend who is just jealous, I''m not dating her anymore, she''s trying to use me.¡± She scoffed at what I had to say, ¡°Yeah, Cole. I may be younger than you, but that doesn¡¯t mean I daft. I have dealt with liars in my life, I just didn¡¯t pin you as a liar.¡± I would be lying if I said her harsh words didn¡¯t hurt. I tried to keep my emotions in check, trying to remind myself of what has happened over the past 24 hours. She was very shaken up about what has happened. Having her life go from private one day and then the next day having her face splashed across the tabloids. She was forced into a corner, forced to run off to this cabin in Canada for no good reason, except for the fact of my psycho ex. ¡°Violet, I swear to you that I am not lying. I¡¯ve got a whole bunch of people all working on this to try to figure it out. I have my legal team working on creating a case against Sophia for defamation of you. Once everything is drafted, I will give it to you, and it is everything you need to sue her. You can even go as far as getting a restraining order against her. My PR team is working on getting a story out, the true story.¡± I could see that she was about to say something else, but I cut her off, ¡°Look into my eyes if you don¡¯t believe me. Look into my eyes as I tell you that I broke it off with her a good few weeks ago. Look into my eyes and see the truth ring through them as I tell you, that I..¡± I took a deep breath, stressed, because she was one hard ass cookie to crack, ¡°I really, really like you, Violet. I have never come across someone like you in my whole life. Why would I want to put what we have at risk?¡± I could see that the tough exterior she was trying to show the world, trying to show me, started to fade and crack. Her lower lip trembled as she tore her eyes away from me. She looked out at the snow swirling viciously around the cabin, thinking about everything I have said so far. I had to continue with telling her my side of the story, I was finally getting through to her and I didn¡¯t want to give her time to build her guard back up again. I softly reached for her again and this time she didn¡¯t pull away. Okay¡­ That¡¯s progress. ¡°Please, baby. Let me explain¡± I pleaded. Violet nodded her head. ¡° You have five minutes but were sitting out here. You''re not coming inside¡± she said while wagging her finger in my face disapprovingly. ¡°Yes, baby. Of course.¡± I agreed with her as I went and sat down on the bench. I gently grabbed her arm and pulled her down to sit right next to me so I could wrap my arms around her. I knew she wouldn¡¯t say it, but she was freezing. I would have sat her on my lap but I figured that was too much considering she was still upset with me. The spark in the back of her eye told me she was pissed off as well, there was just something there keeping her from acting on that anger.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Your five minutes are ticking,¡± Violet huffed out. There she was my sassy girl. God, I loved it when that part of her came out. Something was keeping it from coming out more often, and I was determined to figure out what it was exactly. Before I get too ahead of myself, my main focus was to explain everything to VIolet and hope she forgives me. With a sigh I started, ¡°It all started a few years ago. Sophia was one of the models I selected to walk in one of my very first shows, there kept being issues with her outfits and we ended up spending a lot of time together. One night I asked her out for dinner and from there we continued having little dates until the show was over and I eventually asked her out. We had been dating for a yea-¡± ¡°A year? You were seriously dating that crazy narcissistic girl for a year.¡± Violet didn¡¯t try to sugarcoat the sarcasm laced in her voice. I huffed out a laugh, ¡°Yeah, yeah. I know. When I noticed that things weren''t the same anymore. She was rather secretive about what she was doing but then would be very territorial if I was ever seen with another girl, which happened a lot due to my job. The paparazzi would photograph me coming out with meetings with models or even just at my club talking to valued customers and make it seem like I was cheating. I¡¯m not going to paint myself as a saint either. I have had my fair share of women.¡± I looked at Violet to make sure she was following. I didn¡¯t miss the face she made, indicating that she wasn¡¯t surprised I had my fair share of women. I chose not to say anything because she was different and I didn¡¯t want to just give her pretty words. I wanted to show her how much she meant to me. ¡°No matter how many times that I told her it had just been work and nothing was going on she still didn''t believe me. The final straw was when some of my models quit right before a massive show because she had threatened them. She pulled stuff like this from time to time, but it was never for something this big or to this extent. It was then that I officially broke things off with her. Only she didn''t seem to get the message and continued to hang around. There was a lull in my explanation as I allowed everything to sink in with her. She subconsciously shivered, I couldn¡¯t help myself but to wrap my arm around her to try and keep her warm in the angry storm that blew around us. I can¡¯t tell you how relieved I was when she didn¡¯t pull away and leaned into my arms instead. ¡°Okay so she continued to hang around, why is that such a big deal? Surely she wasn¡¯t able to get too involved in your life,¡± Violet probed. Hanging on to every word that I have said so far. ¡°Well you would think so, but she stalked me and continued to threaten the people in my life, even my sister! It¡¯s one thing if she is doing it to me, I don¡¯t have an issue handling it. The issue was that she was threatening those around me and it started to affect their health. After having enough of her crap I filed a restraining order and that was over a year ago.¡± I could feel Violet relax even more into me, finding comfort in the words I spoke as the story unfolded. ¡°Unfortunately, she just didn¡¯t seem to get the message, so she decided to tell the press that we''ve gotten back together and are apparently engaged. Baby none of that is true, I promise you, please believe me...¡± I pleaded. I really like this girl and I''m hoping that all of this didn''t scare her off too much. We sat in silence together. Comfortable in each others presence. After some time Violet sniffed quietly; I wasn''t sure if it was the cold or if she had started to cry. I didn¡¯t dare to move, I wanted her to come to me for comfort. There was a long beat before she looked up at me, coughing lightly to clear her throat. Her words were covered in steel and heeding a very heavy warning, ¡°I don''t want to be made a fool of in front of the media like that ever again. I am going to give you another chance, but if a story like this ever comes out again, that is it. I will not be with you to be the world¡¯s morning entertainment at the cost of my dignity..¡± I tried not to fumble over my words like some sort of excited schoolboy talking to their crush, ¡°Of course baby, I''ve got people working on suing Sophia as we speak and then from there I will see what my lawyers say about suing the actual media companies for going along with her slander. I''m going to make this right, please just let me prove that and myself to you.¡± She nodded her head, accepting the plea in my case. There was a shimmer of mischief in her eyes as she turned her attention back to me, ¡°You''re going to have to explain all of this to Georgie, she''s really pissed off at you, you know.¡± Violet giggled just at the thought of Georgie ripping into me. I''ll never admit it out loud but that giggle lit up my whole world. I noticed that Violet''s lips were turning blue and purple and her small shivers were starting to get a lot worse. ¡°Pet, you''re freezing you should probably go inside and warm up. I don''t want you getting sick.¡± ¡°I- I - I''m fine.¡± she stuttered out as her teeth started to chatter. ¡°Violet,¡± She looked at me, not used to me calling her by her actual name, ¡°Please just go inside, we can''t do any of the things I''ve had planned, for when we get back to the city if you''re sick.¡± ¡°Fine I''ll go inside but you''re coming with me and tell your pilot he''s coming too, we don''t need either of you getting hypothermia. Okay?¡± We both started to stand up from the stiff frozen bench. I rubbed my hands together, gesturing back to where the helicopter was, ¡°Yeah baby we¡¯ll come inside, let''s get you warm but please don''t let Georgie murder me. People don''t normally scare me but she is frightening. I¡¯m glad shes protective over you.¡± I quickly jogged back to the helicopter, the footsteps I originally made were long gone. Steve, my pilot, looked almost as rough as Violet but has managed to keep warm from the emergency heating packs. Steve, Violet and I all hurried inside after we had grabbed out bags out the helicopter. Violet had insisted on helping to carry our bags but I refused.
Walking inside was like hitting a wall of hot air. The cabin despite its size felt like home. It didn''t just feel like some barely used holiday house, it felt like someone loved living her and took care of the place. It had this special atmosphere to it that felt like hot chocolate on a Christmas morning. The fireplace was roaring and seemed to be the main source of heat. Any source of heat at this point is welcome, it was freezing outside. I turned around trying to take in my surroundings, but taking in my surroundings was cut very short when I saw a flying shoe headed directly towards my head. Chapter 12

Cole¡¯s P.O.V

I ducked just in time before the shoe hit my head. There standing on the stairs looking like she was about to murder me was Georgie. She was armed with another Stiletto, ¡°You better have a good explanation of why you are in this house before I make you lose an eye, Cole!¡± Violet jumped in front of me, ¡°Just hear him out George, I promise I had a good reason to let him in. Plus it''s storming outside we really can''t let them freeze.¡± Georgie raised her eyebrow, ¡°I don''t know about you but imperfectly happy letting him freeze after what he''s put you through, but I suppose I will be willing to hear him out if you think I must.¡± ¡°Just hear him out George, it''s all been a rather big misunderstanding.¡± ¡°I swear I never meant to hurt Violet, none of this should have even happened, I¡¯m not engaged and haven''t ever been,¡± I said as I stood behind Violet and wrapped my arms around her. ¡°Let''s all sit down and Cole can explain everything, okay George?¡± Violet, grabbed my hand and led me over to the lounge area. ¡°I''ll go make hot chocolate,¡± a voice popped up from behind us. There standing behind the couch Violet and I were sitting on was another really beautiful girl, she couldn''t be all that much older than Violet and Georgie. I assumed that this was the other girl that they had been traveling with. She didn''t look like she could harm a fly. Standing a couple of inches short then Violet, she was tiny; she had long golden honey brown hair that fell just below her shoulders. Big doe eyes stared deeply at me for a second before she ran off to the kitchen. There was something unusual about this girl, despite her seeming looking like she wouldn''t even harm a fly there was a presents to her that convinced me otherwise, something behind those eyes that told me she was a lot more dangerous than she could ever look. My suspicions were partly confirmed by the fact that she seemed to be the one who got my girl and her spitfire of a best friend across the border all but the slightest trace. ¡°I''ll come help,¡± Steve offered before running out of the living room. I don''t blame him, the atmosphere was tense. If looks could kill I''d be dead a hundred times over with the looks Georgie was giving me. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I suggest you start explaining before I kick you out into the cold,¡± Georgie stated before elegantly sitting down in a chair across from myself and Violet. You¡¯d never think someone like her would have so many threats. ¡°Let''s start at the beginning then shall we,¡± I said as I grabbed Violet''s hand and started to explain everything to Georgie. Just then Steve came through with the mystery girl who I still don''t know the name of. There was dead silence after I finished explaining everything to Georgie. ¡°You are sure that your team of lawyers is going to stop this? And you promise that you aren''t engaged?¡± Georgie questioned me although she looked a lot calmer than she had just now. ¡°Yes I promise, I am doing my absolute best to stop- the [ress and Sophia and yes I''m sure I''ve never been engaged.¡± ¡°Okay if you say so but what abou-¡± Violet hastily interrupted Georgie¡¯s interrogation of me, ¡°It''s getting late I think we all need to head to bed, we''ve all had a long day and are in desperate need of some sleep. We can continue all this in the morning.¡± Everyone started gathering up their used coffee mugs, now empty of hot chocolate and left them in the sink in the kitchen before making their way upstairs to their different rooms.

Violets P.O.V.

Everyone started to make their way to their rooms when I suddenly remembered that I hadn''t shown Cole and Steve where they would be sleeping. ¡°Come let me show you guys to your room. They''re right upstairs.¡± Cole and Steve followed along behind me as I led them to their rooms dragging their bags with them. ¡°Steve this is your room,¡± I said pointing to the door at the end of the corridor on my right, ¡° And Cole this is your room. I''m right next door if you need anything and Georgie is on the other end of the corridor. I''m rather tired after everything from today, I think I''m going to head to bed. Good night, I''ll see you all in the morning.¡± With that, I left the boys in the hallway and entered my room. With a sigh, I closed the door and that''s when the tears started. I slid down the door trying to keep in my sobs, afraid that Cole would hear them out in the hallway. I was so overwhelmed with everything that had happened today and it seemed my body was finally catching up with all of it. After about half an hour of silently crying on the floor, I dragged myself up off the floor and into the shower, wanting to rinse off the day and all the dust I had picked up from lying on the floor. With the water on as hot as I could physically take it, I stepped into the shower and almost moaned out loud. The water was perfect against the chill of the wind from the snow outside and it just relaxed my muscles. I could feel the tension in my body melt away. Showering felt like a cleansing ritual. I loved to shower especially after a long day, in fact, after a day like today I don''t know if I would be able to cope with all the stress and the questions I had that were brewing up inside of me. Showering was something that was very calming for me: Open the shampoo bottle. Pour into your hand. Shampoo your hair, lean back with your eyes closed and as the soap rinses away let your stress and worries melt away. Open the conditioner. Pour into your hand. Condition your hair. Breathe. Feel your body start to calm down. Was the rest of your body with soap and body scrub. Exfoliate, wash off all the dead skin. Rinse out the conditioner. By the time I stepped out of the shower I felt much better. I wrapped a large white fluffy towel around my body before walking back into my room and picking out some of the comfy pajamas Georgie had packed for me. The duvet and blacks all heavy on top of me were comforting in a way before I knew I was fast asleep. Chapter 13 Violets P.O.V The sunlight streamed in through the cabin windows despite the curtains being drawn. I woke up feeling much more relaxed than I had the night before. I slowly stretched my arms above my head and flexed my legs out. I rolled over and stretched my back before reaching for my phone from my bedside table. After about half an hour of going through my social media and answering a couple of messages, I checked the time and quickly decided it was time for breakfast. My stomach decided at that exact moment to agree and grumble loudly. I showered quickly before changing into a comfy pair of tights, a cute long sleeve purple knitted jersey, some matching fluffy socks, and boots. As I made my way downstairs I could hear a slight mumbling coming from the kitchen. From the last step of the stairwell, I peeked my head around the corner and there I saw Cole, Georgie, Steve, and Alice all loudly arguing over something. Alice was Georgie¡¯s and my friend who helped us get to Canada without anyone finding us, well... no one was supposed to be able to find us. I am going, to be honest, Alice scared me a little because of what she can do. What she can do and get away with. Alice was connected in ways that you could never imagine. She had people all around the world and who had ways to do anything. If she wanted to disappear she could do it without a trace and no one would ever be able to find her. Georgie and I, unfortunately, have lives we have to get back to and just needed to escape for a while which is probably why Cole was able to find us, Alice couldn¡¯t make us disappear completely. I decided to make myself known and moved over to the kitchen. It took me a while to process what happened because, oh my word. The kitchen¡­ it was a mess. Georgie was standing at the stove flipping pancakes, Cole was cutting up fruit and preparing the cinnamon sugar, lemon juice, and syrup for the pancakes. One would think that these tasks would keep them focused and quiet but you would be dead wrong. Georgie, in between flipping the pancakes, waived the spatula at Cole warning him of trying to cook again. Alice and Steve were arguing quietly at the kitchen bar, who would win this argument. They both hand their money on Georgie. They weren¡¯t wrong to choose her, I will tell you that much... There was flour everywhere, a burnt pan in the sink and ingredients scattered everywhere. I tried to hide my laughter as I brought Georgie and Cole out of their intensive argument, ¡°Ahh what exactly happened here?¡± Georgie rolled her eyes before responding, ¡°Cole here was trying to make breakfast before I came in and found the kitchen half-destroyed and so now I¡¯m making breakfast.¡± ¡°I was doing just fine but someone,¡± Cole said before glaring at Georgie, ¡°decided it would be a good idea to throw flour at me and somehow we ended up in a food fight. It¡¯s fine though I won.¡± He said smugly, crossing his arms. He looked like a little boy, it was adorable. ¡°Oh, you did not!¡± Georgie exclaimed. I just laughed quietly, happy that my best friend was finally getting along with someone who I cared so deeply about. ¡°Where can I help?¡± Before long breakfast was finished and we all sat around the table laughing with the fire crackling softly in the background. I looked around the table and just smiled, I was sitting there with my two best friends in the world and a man that I think would become someone very special to me. A man who has completely turned my life upside down in the past few days and for the better. Alice turned around and glanced out of the window before gasping and running outside. The rest of us looked at each other quizzly and hurriedly followed her outside. There she was spinning around in circles, her tongue stuck out trying to catch snowflakes. Her footprints making weird patterns in the fresh blanket of snow that must have fallen early this morning. The scenery was something magical. It all looked like a holiday Christmas card. The perfect white blanket of snow delicately sprinkled on the tops of the massive Christmas trees that surround the property. The undisturbed white fluffy freshly fallen snow being disturbed by the girl spinning around catching snowflakes. The perfect holiday card. THWACK! Something cold hit my neck and slowly dribbled down my back. I flipped around so fast only to see Cole looking at me sheepishly. ¡°Snowball fight?¡± he asked with that signature smirk of his and this mischievous twinkle in his eye. ¡°Oh, it is so on!¡± Georgie and I exclaimed together, not even having to look at each other to know what the other was thinking. We were going to get him and Steve. ¡°How about Boys vs Girls?¡± Georgie asked all innocently. I just tried to hide my smile. ¡°That¡¯s not fair, there¡¯s three of you girls and only two of us girls.¡± Steve tried to argue. ¡°Alice isn¡¯t going to play. She¡¯s too busy having fun catching snowflakes and before long I¡¯m sure she will be busy making snow angels or something. She loves playing in the snow.¡± I said quietly. ¡°Well, in that case, it¡¯s on, but I¡¯ve got a better idea, instead of girls vs boys how about Georgie and Steve vs Violet and myself.¡± That way it¡¯s fair, and we all get to know each other better.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°I¡¯m okay with that if you are?¡± I asked, turning to Georgie, who just nodded her head. ¡°Okay, so rules.¡± Georgie started, ¡°Each team has 15 minutes to make as many snowballs as they can before we start. Thereafter may the best person win.¡± Honestly, I was a bit nervous to go up against Georgie in a snowball fight. We have always been in a team together; we always won. Playing without her would be bizarre but I¡¯m also excited to have Cole on my team. It will be fun playing with someone that isn¡¯t my best friend for a change. Fifteen minutes passed quickly, Cole and I had built a massive tower of snowballs but then so had Georgie and Steve. Georgie¡¯s phone alarm went off signifying fifteen minutes and within a few seconds, it was an all-out war. Snowballs were flying left, right and center. It was like a snowy game of dodgeball except no one went out and we were being pelted with freezing cold balls of essentially solid ice. * * * ¡°That was fun,¡± I collapsed onto the snow, too tired to stand anymore. We had been playing in the snow for hours. The snowball fight had quickly turned into a game of tag but instead of Tag, we were shoveling snow down each other¡¯s jackets. We lost track of who was winning and rather focused on throwing snow instead. After we were all huffing and puffing from running around so much we went and made snowmen and snow angels. I was exhausted, we had been out here for hours. I looked down at my watch only to gasp when I saw the time. It was already 6 pm. We had been outside since easily 10 this morning. No wonder I was so tired. ¡°I think it¡¯s time we all head inside,¡± Cole called out after trying to help me to my feet and only managing to drag me on the snow. I had no energy to move. Everyone made noises of agreement and started heading inside, all of us too tired to protest. Cole leaned down and picked me up bridal style and carried me inside. My cheeks flushed bright red but luckily it was covered by them already being rather red from playing in the snow all day. Instead of stopping in the living room to put me down like I expected him to, Cole kept walking, ¡°Where are you going you can put me down here, I¡¯m rather heavy and I can walk, I think.¡± I mumbled the last part very quietly under my breath. ¡°I heard that I¡¯m taking you straight up to your bedroom so you can shower and change out of these sopping wet clothes. You¡¯re going to get sick if we don¡¯t get you warmed up quickly. You are not heavy in the slightest,I lift easy three times what you weigh in the gym so no baby you¡¯re not heavy. ¡± He said, making my heart explode at how sweet and caring he was being. Once we reached my room Cole finally put me down although it almost felt like he didn¡¯t want to. ¡°Thank you for carrying me, I¡¯ll be fine from here.¡± I smiled up at him. He stared at me for a moment longer before shaking his head and laughing to himself, ¡°Okay well, I¡¯m going to shower and get changed then as well, I¡¯ll see you downstairs then, yeah?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be there in 20 minutes, I¡¯m sure everyone is going to want something to warm them up. We can have hot chocolate and watch movies while we wait for the pizza to cook. I think there¡¯s a couple of frozen pizzas in the freezer.¡± ¡°Sounds perfect, I¡¯ll see you in a few then.¡± He said before hugging me and walking off to go shower. I shivered and followed his example by heading off to my ensuite bathroom. * * * After I finished washing my body, I reluctantly dragged myself out of the hot water and went to get changed into some warm comfy tights paired with my favorite massive hoodie. Knowing I would be the first one finished getting changed, I headed downstairs to get a head start on the pizza and hot chocolate. Cole¡¯s P.O.V. Nancy once again proved why she was the greatest assistant in the world, I thought as I pulled out some warm joggers and a matching hoodie. Grateful that she had thought ahead and had organized a bag of clothes for me before I left. I made my way downstairs where the smell of pizza and hot chocolate filled my nose made my stomach grumble. Standing there dancing quietly to some soft music coming from her phone was my Violet. She looked stunning, all wrapped up in a massive hoodie and tights. Her nose still red from being outside all day and her cheeks flushed. I leaned against the doorway and just silently watched her dance around until she was twirling and noticed me. Her cheeks flushed even redder if possible. ¡°How long have you been standing there?¡± She ducked her head, trying to hide behind those long blonde curls of hers. ¡°Long enough,¡± I smirked. I love how I can make her blush. ¡° I can¡¯t wait to see you make yourself at home in my kitchen. I can watch you flutter around adorably.¡± I walked over and hugged her from behind, resting against the counter and kissing her cheek down to her neck, resting my chin on her shoulder, ¡°How¡¯s the pizza coming along baby?¡± Violet snuggled into my arms before responding, ¡°It¡¯s getting there, I¡¯ve got three pizzas in the oven, two more pizzas waiting to be cooked and the water is boiling for hot chocolate as we speak.¡± ¡°Sounds perfect baby.¡± I kissed her cheek again before we heard footsteps running down the staircases. Violets P.O.V. ¡°Are you making pizza?¡± Georgie and Alice asked as they came running into the kitchen. ¡°Yep, it¡¯s almost done, and should be finished in about five minutes. So if you guys want to go set up the lounge for movies then Cole and I can finish making hot chocolate and get the pizzas out for all of us.¡± Once the pizzas were all finished Cole and I walked through to the lounge with a tray of mugs filled to the brim with hot chocolate and the pizza cut up that made sharing them a whole lot easier. While we had been finishing up cooking all the pizza and hot chocolate the girls and Steve set up blankets and pillows all over the couches and the love seat. Cole quickly claimed the love seat once he had set down the pizza on the coffee table which I quickly followed through with the chocolate. As soon as I had set it down though he pulled me right into his lap and laid me between his legs while he hugged me from behind. He kissed my cheek and then acted as if nothing was amiss. ¡°So what are we watching?¡± I asked as I snuggled into Cole¡¯s warm embrace, hoping he didn¡¯t notice. I guess he did notice because he hugged closer and kissed the top of my head. I hope they weren¡¯t going to put on a horror movie. I hated them so much. ¡°It¡¯s a surprise,¡± Alice said as she winked at me. With that she pressed play and the movie started. The screen went black and this screaming girl popped up on the screen. I jumped in fright but Cole just hugged me to him, ¡°It¡¯s okay baby girl I¡¯ve got you. It¡¯s just a movie but I won¡¯t let anyone hurt you. I take it you don¡¯t like scary movies?¡± I just shook my head and sunk further into his arms. ¡°If it gets too much just tell me and we can go watch a movie or something upstairs okay?¡± I nodded my head again not really feeling up for talking. I was silently cursing Alice and Georgie out, they knew how I felt about scary movies and they still put one on. Chapter 14 Violet P.O.V 20 minutes into the movie, I figured out that trying to cover my eyes and my ears was not realistic, so I covered my ears and buried my face deep into Cole¡¯s chest. I wanted to give Cole a dead leg for laughing at me every time I jumped at something, and I can promise you that I would have it that didn¡¯t mean that I had to uncover my ears. I am not the typical girl that uses a scary movie to jump into a guy¡¯s arms. If we watched a scary movie a few years ago I could have gotten through it without too much of an issue¡­ but ever since¡­ I just can¡¯t do scary movies anymore. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go to the kitchen and get something else to drink. Vi, baby come help me grab the drinks?¡± Cole asked as he lifted me off his lap and stood up. ¡°Um,¡± I cleared my throat and tried to stop my knees from shaking and knocking together. ¡°Yeah sure, we¡¯ll be back just now,¡± I said to the others, I just heard mumbles in agreement before Cole grabbed my hand and dragged me to the kitchen. Once we got to the kitchen Cole flicked me around, grabbed my hips and lifted me onto the counter. He tapped my knees asking me to open them, so he could stand between them. ¡°Want to tell me what has got you so scared? You don¡¯t strike me as the girl that gets scared during those types of movies.¡± It was at that moment that I knew that Cole could see through a lot of the walls that I had put up to protect myself. I am not the type of person to overshare about my life story. I averted my eyes, trying to hide the tears that started to well up. I did a very unglamorous and unladylike sniff to try and keep the tears at bay, but one fat stubborn crocodile tear escaped my eye. I felt a warm rough hand swipe under my eye, capturing the little traitor, and cupping my cheek with his big hand. I fought to not look into his eyes that I knew were studying every emotion flicker onto my face. Flip, I am such a baby sometimes. I have worked so hard trying to deal with my past demons, to be able to tell the difference between reality and fantasy. I was just a little wimp who couldn¡¯t seem to get through a scary movie. Who couldn¡¯t get through a scary movie? And why in the world did I think it would be a brilliant idea to wear my hair in a messy bun? I do not look cute, which I was aiming for. Instead, my eyes were a little swollen, my bun was lopsided and those ¡°messy tendrils¡±, yeah it looked like someone just rubbed my head with a balloon. Cole just pulled me closer than I thought possible, considering how close he already was. He leaned down and allowed his lips to hover, before he kissed my forehead and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s you and me, Vi. I will keep you safe.¡± Cole lingered there for a while, allowing us to enjoy our little moment where nothing in the world existed but us. Too soon he pulled back slightly, before his eyes flicked down to my lips, silently asking permission to kiss me. My heart was pounding like a jack-hammer as I started to lean towards him, looking into his eyes, giving him all the approval he needed. I felt myself lean into his hand that was cupping my cheek, while his overhand moved to the nape of my neck. The gentle way he was holding me alone brought tears of happiness to my eyes, but nothing could have prepared me for what it would feel like when my lips met his. His soft lips caressed mine, sparks flew like an electric current between us as Cole¡¯s lips molded against mine. Who knew that kissing someone could make you feel this way¡­ That they could take over your whole mind, and the kiss would capture your mind and make you forget everything else in the world but him. I can¡¯t remember the last time that I have ever wanted to kiss someone this much. Now I can say with confidence that I have never been kissed by anyone like that in my entire life. I never wanted to stop kissing Cole, but he seemed to have consumed my being so much that I forgot I needed to breathe. I drew back, breathless and wide-eyed. I let my head fall against his chest as I tried to gather my thoughts and my breath, both of us having been whisked away with a single kiss. ¡°Baby I swear if you keep trying to hide from me..¡± He said in a warning tone. I felt my face flush at the tone of his words and a giggle bubble up in my throat. He gently pulled my face from his chest and turned me to face him. ¡°Let¡¯s go sit upstairs, we can watch a nice regular movie on my laptop and cuddle.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like that,¡± I whispered. He was so close to me I didn¡¯t have to talk any louder. ¡°Oh shoot. How are we going to tell the others? I don¡¯t want them to assume things. I mean, we all know how Georgie can be...¡± I felt my blush come back at full force although I¡¯m not sure it had ever really left my face. Cole just chuckled, ¡°I¡¯ll talk to them don¡¯t worry, and even if they do think things. Our business stays between us and doesn¡¯t have anything else to do with them.¡± ¡°Okay deal,¡± I agreed as he helped me down from the counter. I was so short next to him, I barely came up to his chest, but he was a freaking giant I swear. I mean I was 5 ¡®5 so I wasn¡¯t that short, he was just massive. Cole turned to walk out of the kitchen. I¡¯m presuming to go tell the others we weren¡¯t going to be joining them but I didn¡¯t want to be left alone. It was now really dark, the sun having set relatively early and after that movie, I didn¡¯t want to be on my own. I followed behind him closely and slammed into the back of him when he suddenly stopped. ¡°Baby, what are you doing?¡± He asked half laughing and confused as to why I was following so closely behind him. ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t want to be alone,¡± I whispered. ¡°What was that I didn¡¯t hear you?¡± he asked as he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me to him. That smug bastard did hear me. He just wanted me to say it again. ¡°You heard me,¡± I grumbled, not amused at him at all. He laughed, ¡°Yeah, but where¡¯s the fun in that? I¡¯m not gonna leave you, babe. Come with me,¡± he said while grabbing my hand, leading me to the living room. I nodded and allowed him to pull me along. * * * When we rounded the corner, he stuck his head in, ¡°my girl and I are going to head upstairs and watch something else, before heading to bed. We¡¯ll see you all tomorrow night,¡± he called out without giving them time to say anything before whisking me away upstairs. We reached the guest room Cole was staying in, and he was somehow able, to set up what looked like, to be a mini-office. There were folders spread across the desk with an apple desktop monitor and the new MacBook Pro. Where in the hell did he get a bloody desktop monitor? An iPad was sitting haphazardly on the edge of the desk with an empty coffee cup sitting next to it. He must have seen me looking weirdly at all of it, ¡°Oh yeah sorry I didn¡¯t know how long I¡¯d be gone so I bought the basics so I could get some work done while I was here. Everything has been super crazy at the moment so there are some things that I just couldn¡¯t leave until I got back.¡± He embarrassingly laughed and scratched the back of his head, ¡°I know it¡¯s a bit of an overkill.¡± I felt really bad, he obviously was really busy and now he had come running after me. To be fair I didn¡¯t expect him to come after me but still, I didn¡¯t want to interrupt his work. ¡°I just feel really bad that you had to make do in the middle of nowhere.¡± His hand cupped my face, ¡°I wanted to come after you, hell I shouldn¡¯t have even let it get this far that you thought you had to leave.¡± He intertwined his fingers in mine, ¡°Now that we¡¯re here I¡¯ve got everything I need to be out of the office for a month, so a couple of days won¡¯t kill anyone. Let¡¯s just watch a movie okay.¡± Cole unplugged his laptop, and went and sat down against the headboard, ¡°You coming?¡± He asked. I nodded before awkwardly clamoring onto the bed and sitting off to the side. Cole rolled his eyes at my ridiculousness and reached for me, pulling me into his side. ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but I do believe that I mentioned cuddling when I made this suggestion,¡± he pouted like a little kid. As I settled into his side and rested my head on his chest, Cole wrapped his arms around my waist and placed a delicate kiss on my forehead. He rested the laptop on his legs and pulled up Netflix. ¡°What are you wanting to watch, Vi?¡± We scrolled through before I chose a new comedy that I have heard good things about. We settled into each other, snuggling as close as possible. Cole¡¯s P.O.VUnauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I was the type of guy that sometimes used scary movies to get a girl to snuggle in close. I found them funny because they were so ridiculous. It was about twenty minutes into the movie, that I started to notice that not only was Violet being dead quiet, but she was also making herself as small as humanly possible. I didn¡¯t want to say anything in case she may feel embarrassed. After another minute or so of her shrinking into me, that was enough, my girl wasn¡¯t going to tormented over some stupid movie. I picked Violet up off my lap and stood up, making an excuse to go to the kitchen and taking her with me. I saw her hands shaking as she tried to gather herself. When we got to the kitchen I wasted no time picking my baby girl up and placing her on the counter; so I could face her as well as be able to hold her. I tapped her knee calmly so she could part her legs and I could stand closer to her. I hated that this movie made her so scared and that she felt the need to hide it from me. We haven¡¯t known each other for a long time but our relationship was built on trust and vulnerability. I couldn¡¯t have her hiding from me. She was already so special to me and it broke my heart to see her battling with such a huge inner turmoil. My curiosity got the best of me and I probed her why she was trying to hide. I pulled my precious girl into my arms and held her tight, her pain seeped into me as I took it on as my own. I could smell her soft scent and how amazing she felt up against me. I couldn¡¯t help but think about kissing her. When I pulled away, she had to lick those amazing lips, making them even more inviting. She had no idea how naturally beautiful she was. Violet didn¡¯t even need to try to look gorgeous. My eyes darted down to her lips before looking into her eyes, asking for her permission to kiss her. It was like there was a magnetic pull between us, but she automatically leaned forward, staring at my lips. Kissing her felt different. A good difference. The connection that I have with Violet is something that I have never had with anyone else. It was electric and I just couldn¡¯t get enough of her. Every time I was with her, I could feel myself getting wrapped around her finger even more. I knew that what Violet and I had was special but when I felt her luscious lips against mine, it took all of my will power to keep going slow. The feel of her small body against mine was enough to drive me mad and make me sweep her up in my arms, take her upstairs and have my way with her. Typically that would work, but not with Violet. She was slow to trust and every time you were able to peel back a layer, she was even more beautiful and pure. She pulled away panting slightly and hid her face in my chest. What was with her and hiding from me? I couldn¡¯t understand how a woman that was as beautiful as she was, wanted to be so invisible. She was obviously made to stand out and she needed to be confident in herself. The sassy side that I sometimes see with Violet hints that she wasn¡¯t always so shy. I was going to kill whoever destroyed the confidence she had in herself, and I was going to make sure that she was going to get it back. She needed to hear from me how desirable she was to me, ¡°Baby, I swear if you keep trying to hide from me¡­¡± A cute little nervous laugh escaped her lips when she picked up the double meanings. I gently cupped her face and lifted her head so that she could look me in the eyes. There was a small gasp that escaped her lips as her eyes met mine. My eyes were full of desire and heat for her. Then her adorable blush flashed across her cheeks. I grinned knowing the type of effect that I have on her. ¡°Let¡¯s go sit upstairs, we can watch a nice regular movie on my laptop and cuddle,¡± I suggested half out of worry for her and half because I was selfish and wanted her all to myself. ¡± Violet stared at my makeshift office on the desk in the spare room that had since become ¡®mine¡¯. I guess she already knew this spare room well since it was her friend¡¯s house. I had to set up a mini-office because I couldn¡¯t actually afford to be taking these days off. I wasn¡¯t going to tell her that, or that I was up most of the night working on stuff for the office. So instead I just tried to play it off, ¡°Oh yeah sorry I didn¡¯t know how long I¡¯d be gone so I bought the basics so I could get some work done while I was here. Everything has been super crazy at the moment so there are some things that I just couldn¡¯t leave until I got back.¡± She still didn¡¯t say anything so I nervously rubbed the back of my neck and admitted, ¡°I know it¡¯s a bit of an overkill.¡± What the hell is this girl doing to me? First, I chased after her and now I feel like a nervous high school boy trying to impress his crush. She still looked unsure, I could just see her blaming herself. She started to try and apologize but I was quick to refuse the apology and assure her that there was nothing else in this world that I would have rather done. She studied me with curiosity before dropping the subject. I unplugged my laptop and went and sat on the bed, ¡°You coming?¡± I asked her, patting the spot next to me. My invitation to sit next to me seemed to have gone right over her head because she couldn¡¯t choose a spot on the bed that was further away from me. Deciding to throw subtle out the window I pulled her over and sat her right next to me so we could lie next to each other. She blushed madly, ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but I do believe that I mentioned cuddling when I made this suggestion,¡± I promptly told her while wrapping my arm around her small waist. I couldn¡¯t help but notice just how small she was. I loved the feel of her body and I wouldn¡¯t change it for anything in this world but I couldn¡¯t help but notice that she felt just a little too thin. I pulled up Netflix and let her choose whatever she wanted to watch, she chose some comedy that didn¡¯t look half bad before crawling closer to me. I pressed play and pulled her closer. * * * The credits of the movie started playing and Violet could barely keep her eyes open. ¡°I think it¡¯s time for bed,¡± I suggested while putting my laptop on the bedside table and switching on the lamp. Violet nuzzled her head into my shoulder, nodding in agreement as she tried to hide from the sudden light. As much as I wanted her to stay here with me, but I knew she was too sleepy to move to her own bed. Although the past two days with her have been amazing, I knew having her spend the night in my bed might be moving a little too quickly for her. The last thing I wanted was her to wake up in my bed the next morning and have any sort of thought of me taking advantage of her. With that, I carefully picked her up and carried her to her room. She mumbled something about where we were going, but I just shushed her pushing her head back into my neck and carried on walking to her bedroom. I tucked her into bed, and I couldn¡¯t help but kiss her forehead as she had fully passed out by then. I was worried about her after that movie earlier. I was rather annoyed at her friends for putting on a movie that would scare her so much. Surely they knew that she didn¡¯t like them? I understand they were probably wanting to make her cuddle with me, but I would have cuddled her to whatever movie we were watching. I couldn¡¯t help but admire her as she slept peacefully, with her beautiful blonde hair fanned across the pillow... She was so stunning. Her eyelashes cast shadows on her cheeks, which were still flushed slightly from the day. I ran my thumb gently over her jaw before I kissed her forehead one last time, walked out of her room, and closed the door as I left. I sighed as I felt my phone vibrate on the walk back to my room. There was a text from Mia. To Cole: Sorry to bother you but there¡¯s some file I desperately need you to look at regarding fashion week. I¡¯ve just emailed them over to you now. Please get them back to me as soon as possible. I need to Facetime with you tomorrow as well so you can see the final designs as the deadline is tomorrow afternoon and I need them for the show this weekend. Mia Shit! I had completely forgotten that I was meant to go over the final product of my designs tomorrow. I¡¯ll facetime Mia tomorrow morning, and hopefully, if the weather is clear, I can convince Violet to fly back out to New York with me. There was more than enough space in the helicopter for all of the girls, myself and Steve. I sat down at my desk to begin working on the files, hoping I could get through them as quickly as possible so I could go to bed. I was exhausted, spending the whole day battling outside in the snow with four other grown adults, had me spent. * * * I don¡¯t know how much time had passed, but when I heard a slight knock at the door it startled me out of the work grind I was in. Standing up, I walked over to go see who was at my door at this ungodly hour and what they could possibly want. There standing in the doorway was Violet with dried tear tracks running down her cheeks. She was wearing my hoodie again, except it looked like she wasn¡¯t wearing anything else, I tried not to gulp at the thought. I couldn¡¯t tell because it hung down well past her thighs, and the sleeves were so long but she had bundled them up into what I believe is called ¡®Sweater Paws¡¯. She looked adorable, but I was worried why she was crying, ¡°What¡¯s wrong pet? Why are you crying?¡± I asked worriedly, opening the door wider and gathered her into my arms. She sniffled almost as if she was trying to swallow her tears; I felt my heartbreak slightly. We stayed in prolonged silence before she managed to speak, ¡° I, um, had a nightmare.¡± she hiccuped. I hugged her harder and stroked her hair before she pulled back slightly, and continued, ¡°I um, couldn¡¯t get back to sleep because of my nightmare. It really freaked me out¡­¡± she trailed off before looking me in the eyes. They were filled with fear and I could just see her vulnerability. It seeped into my soul and tugged on my heartstrings. She stuttered out nervously, ¡°I¡­ I was hoping I could come sit here with you for a bit.¡± ¡°Yeah pet, of course. Do you want to just stay here with me instead?¡± I asked her? I¡¯d honestly feel better if I could hold her all night, and I had a feeling she would too. ¡°Can I please?¡± She whispered. She looked adorable and I loved how shy she was. I wish she was comfortable enough with me to know she never has to ask, but that doesn¡¯t mean that I didn¡¯t think she looked adorable while she was asking me with such uncertainty... ¡°Course you can baby, you don¡¯t have to ask. I¡¯m not going to turn down having you in my bed.¡± I said, trying to lighten the mood and get her out of the dark headspace she was obviously in. With that, I pulled her into my chest and walked us over to my bed. I picked her up and carefully tucked her into the one side before walking around to the other and getting in myself. I cuddled up to her, carefully spooning her. I enjoyed holding her little boy in my arms. I waited for her to drift off before drifting off myself.