Jin Starck stood on the balcony of the mezzanine floor of the elegant ballroom of White Rock Mansion, one of the estates owned by Starck Corp. in Illinois. He was dressed in a black tuxedo and a black leather mask over his eyes. His dark copper brown hair was combed back neatly, without a strand of out of place. Like everything he does… nothing must be out of place.
The Morgan-Murphies, a prominent political family in Chicago, held an exclusive masquerade party in honor of its matriarch’s sixtieth birthday and the privacy of their hotel property was most suitable for the event. It was outside the city, large enough to house its two hundred guests privately, but not too big to have to share it with other people.
Some of the guests who could not travel back to the city opted to stay in one of the hotel rooms.
The family hosting the event was too important, with their patriarch aiming for the presidency, Jin could not leave anything to chance. He had to make sure everything was handled properly with strict adherence to Starck quality. The guests in attendance all belonged to big corporations, the elite, and other prominent families in the country. He, himself, received a personal invitation.
The party was in full swing and everything was going well. He watched from the balcony like a hawk, ensuring that nothing would go out of proportion. He did not always micro manage but there are events like this, small in size but huge in impact, that required his full attention. And he wanted to make sure no one could say anything negative about his property. Especially White Rock, which was one of his personal favorites.
His phone rang and he recognized it as the number from their reception.
“Yes?”
“Sir, there’s a guest here, who’s asking for a room,” the receptionist said. “And we’ve already booked all our available rooms beforehand.”
“Tell them we’re having an exclusive event.”
“Yes, sir. She’s one of the guests. Unfortunately, her car broke down on the way here, that’s why she was late. She doesn’t have a car to take her back to the city. She needed a room for the night.”
Sometimes, situations like this happen, when they have a hundred percent occupancy. That’s why he had made arrangements with a nearby inn. He can send them guests he could no longer accommodate in his property.
“You know what to do,” he said in an irritated tone. “You didn’t have to call me. We’ve made arrangements with Brooklyn Inn for the guests we could no longer accommodate.”
“Um, yes, sir, I know. But I thought you might want to make an exception,” the reception said nervously.
“Why would I do that?”
“Because she’s a delegate from Adams Industries. And I know… Mister Adams is your brother-in-law. I wanted to ask if… anyway, I’ll call Brooklyn Inn right away, Sir.”
“Who is this guest?”
“Julianne Sanders, Sir.”
Jin’s breath got caught in his throat. His pulse suddenly hammered for a reason he could not identify. No woman had ever made him feel nervous before. Well… except one. But that was a long time ago. Jin refused to admit that she still has the same effect on him now.
He fell silent for a while.
“Sir?”
He took a deep breath. He didn’t know what he was saying until he actually heard himself say it.
“Give her the Founders’ suite.”
“Sir? But that’s reserved for… you.”
“Yeah, so I guess I’ll be sleeping in my office tonight!” he muttered humorlessly. “Tell the guys to get my stuff out of there. Clean the room. I want it to be impeccable.”
“Sir, yes, sir.”
Jin heaved a sigh and tried to calm down his nerves. He motioned for the waiter to give him a whiskey. He needed alcohol. He wasn’t thinking straight! He hadn’t rested, monitoring this event and he just gave up his access to a nice California king-sized bed, his refuge after the long hours of non-stop work.
He couldn’t remember why all of a sudden he had given up his suite just so she could have a place to stay in for the night. He didn’t know why the thought of sending her away to Brooklyn Inn in the middle of the night seemed unacceptable for him.
His eyes suddenly went to the entrance of the ballroom, as if something suddenly magnetized them to take a peek there.
He saw her enter the room in a simple black, silk, strapless gown. Her blonde hair was tied in a ponytail behind her head. She was wearing a lace mask on half of her face. He immediately recognized her. Damn! He would recognize her everywhere even if she wore a full eye-mask.
Suddenly, it made sense why he gave up his luxurious accommodations for the night for her.
He couldn’t bear to have her travel a few miles to Brooklyn Inn in the hotel car. He couldn’t bear for her not to have the best accommodations money could buy. For him, she still seemed like the fragile crystal ball, that looked too beautiful not to protect and shelter.
She’s no longer your crystal ball! She’s not yours to protect! She’s not yours to shelter!
The moment she entered the ballroom, eyes followed her. Men looked up from their drinks, even away their own dates just to get a glimpse of the sultry siren that just entered the room.
Her skin was a flawless, creamy white against the black silk. She didn’t wear any sparkling jewelry. No earring, no necklace. No sparkling diamond or gold. That night of his supposed engagement party, she wore a dazzling diamond necklace. It was a very expensive piece that belonged to Adrienne. He knew because he helped Justin pick it out one day when the man just felt like giving his wife a present.
Doesn’t she have her own jewelry? Or wasn’t she contented with her own stuff, she had to borrow someone else’s?
She approached the Morgans and the Murphies. Immediately, Missis Morgan, the birthday celebrant, hugged her as if she’s known her for a long time. Of course. Julianne Sanders belonged to a prominent family herself. She must have been well-acquainted with many of the people present here tonight.
Jin watched her every move. He took note of who she was approaching, who she was talking to. He noticed that she was mostly speaking to the elderlies. She was subtly avoiding the male guests, even though many of them attempted to approach her.
Is she dating someone? She doesn’t seem interested in any of the men making a move on her.
Julianne Sanders didn’t look fancy or luxurious in the way she dressed tonight. She was simple but elegant. She was intriguing and captivating. Jin didn’t realize it, but he had spent the last thirty minutes just watching her like a hawk. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was enchanted by her—like he had been seven years ago.
She still looked the same beautiful woman he’d fallen in love with. But something about her seemed different. She looked more serious now, and she laughed less often than she used to when she was younger. There was a deep hunger in her, like she had a mission and she would do anything to accomplish it.
I wonder what else she would want in life. She was an heiress, she had everything she needed, she could have everything she wanted.
She was now talking to a tall, handsome gentleman. He was holding her for more than five minutes. Something inside Jin stirred. It was an emotion he could not pinpoint. All he knew was that he wanted to go down there and sweep the ballroom floor using the guy’s face.
Finally, she excused herself from the guy who seemed reluctant to let her go. Of course. She didn’t even cover her full face, it would be difficult not to notice how beautiful she was. The guy was trying to get lucky.
She went to the ladies’ room. Jin counted the minutes. She was there for exactly five. On her way to the middle of the floor, a man stood in front of her, stopping her short on her tracks. Jin saw the expression on her face. She looked shocked and then she looked furious.
The guy was talking to her and Julianne was just looking up at him with a haughty expression on her face, as if she could not wait for him to finish his monologue. Then finally she spoke to him with an eyebrow shot up. The guy talked back with a hand gesture. It seemed that they were arguing. Finally, Julianne turned away but he was quick to pull her by the elbow. Julianne raised an angry brow at him and snatched her elbow away. The guy was persistent.
Jin felt uncomfortable from where he was standing. It was already past midnight and maybe the guy already had too much to drink. Julianne looked like she wanted to get away but he was not letting her. Somehow, he felt she needed rescuing.
He didn’t think for second. He almost ran towards the ballroom, hoping he would not be too late to help her.
When he reached closer to them, he could hear that they were arguing.
“You could have anything you wanted in life, you never even had to work for a day!” Jin heard the guy saying.
“I’m okay, I don’t need you!” Julianne’s voice was low but firm. “Or your money!”
“You don’t know that! Look at you now! Struggling. Getting paid peanuts and at the mercy of your rich cousin!”
“Please! Do not throw insult on the goodness of my cousin and his wife! They are gracious and kind. Unlike you. And I can tell you, my fate now is a lot better than what it could have been if our wedding pushed through.”
Jin stopped on his tracks.
Wedding?
Suddenly, it occurred to him, that this man was Julianne’s ex-fiancé. The man she cheated on—with him!
“You don’t know that, sweetheart. I could have given you the moon and the stars. But instead, you chose to let yourself be corrupted by whoever you fucked in your illicit adventures in Europe!”
Jin stole a sideward glance towards them. She didn’t notice him as she had all her attention focused on the man who was so bent up in ruining her evening. He saw her take a deep breath, as if she was trying her best not to lose her calm. It was evident that the guy already had too much to drink. Jin stood behind him, with his back on them, pretending to just drink his whiskey.
“With all due respect, Mister McAllister, I didn’t need you to take me to the moon and the stars. My feet were doing just fine planted firmly on the ground. And for your information, anybody is a lot better than you are! Now, please excuse me!”
“Go on. I know you’re here to work, not to socialize. It’s way past your son’s bedtime and you should have been with him. But instead, you’re here, still trying to make ends meet. Poor kid. I guess he won’t have the same bright future like the rest of his cousins, huh. All because of your stupid mistakes!”
Jin couldn’t help turning around. It took all his will to stop himself from dragging the man outside by his throat.
How dare him talk about Jared like that? In fact, how dare him talk about Jared at all?!
Jin saw Julianne bite her lips. She looked down on the floor and refused to talk back at him.
Why does she let this asshole talk down on her like that?
He decided he’s had enough.
He placed a heavy arm on the guy’s shoulder, which startled the latter. The guy looked up at him. He was a few inches shorter than him. But Jin immediately recognized him.
She was engaged to Patrick McAllister? Well, I can’t say that wasn’t a good match.
Patrick McAllister was one of the most eligible bachelors in the country. He belonged to a powerful, political clan. His family had been in politics for decades and he was eyeing a seat in the senate himself. He was rich. He was powerful. He was a good-looking guy.
And yet she still chose to cheat on him with a small-time painter in Paris, struggling to sell his arts for a living? What was she thinking?
“Excuse me?” Patrick McAllister raised an irritated brow at him.
“I think you’ve already had too much to drink, Mister McAllister,” Jin said. “And it’s my turn to ask the lady to dance.”
Patrick McAllister simply laughed. “Sure! Knock yourself out. Anyway, I think Miss Sanders is on the lookout for another rich man to restore her status in the crème de la crème.”
Another man and woman went to their side, and Jin recognized them to be part of the McAllister family. They looked at Julianne once and they whispered something to each other, obviously talking about her.
Of course! The shame of breaking an engagement!
In his mind, Jin could not blame Patrick McAllister and his family to be so vindictive towards Julianne. She deserved it for cheating on him. But a bigger part of him wanted to punch all of Patrick McAllister’s teeth down his throat for belittling her and talking down on her so publicly. The least he could have done was avoid her.
“I believe I asked her to dance. Excuse us,” Jin said firmly and without giving her a chance to argue, he took Julianne’s hand and pulled her towards the dancefloor.
She didn’t resist him this time. She swayed in his arms, while she looked down, refusing to look him in the eye.
Looking down at her, he felt like all the wounds in his heart had been opened raw. He felt what it was like seven years ago, when she left him without a trace of her real identity.
He was still so angry at her. A part of him wanted to punish her so she would feel the same pain that she had caused him. Maybe it was nothing different from the way Patrick McAllister felt now when he saw her again. The pain she left when she cheated on McAllister and broke the engagement resurfaced, like it only happened yesterday.
What is it with this woman? Does she plan to leave a trail of broken hearts wherever she went? Does that give her a kick?
Finally, she looked up at him. Her beautiful eyes were unmasked. They were crystal blue, the most beautiful he’s ever seen. And right now, they looked like they were shining with tears that Jin felt his non-existent heart almost breaking for her. He felt the urge to pull her into his arms, whisper into her ears and assure her that everything was going to be okay.
Be careful, Starck! She’s an enchantress! And she’s already broken your heart and your spirit once.
“Your ex-fiancé doesn’t look like he’s already moved on,” he said in a low voice.
She bit her lip but she didn’t say a word.
Is that guilt?
“You, on the other hand, looked completely unaffected by him,” he continued. “Obviously, he felt stronger emotions for you during the relationship.”
Again, she bit her lip but kept quiet.
Damn! When will I ever get this woman to tell me the truth?
“Why did he say that you’re looking to restore your status as a socialite? Does he think that your family has a lower status than his?”
She heaved a sigh and looked away, but still she didn’t speak. She just swayed along with him, looking relieved that he had saved her from her awkward encounter with her ex-fiancé.
Damn! When will I get her to say… anything at all?
“Fine, if you don’t want to talk, let’s just dance.” His voice was low and sober. He did not disguise the irritation he felt. It was obvious, she was using him to get away from Patrick McAllister. Perhaps, making him a little bit jealous as well, because Patrick McAllister was still standing on the side of the dance floor, watching them with murder in his eyes.
I would be jealous too if I saw her in the arms of another man!
Then he heard his thoughts.
Whoa! Hold up there! Why would I be jealous if this enchantress was in the arms of another man?
I’m over her! I’ve spent years mourning because she broke my heart. And that heart does not exist anymore!
Jin slightly pulled her closer towards him. She did not offer resistance. He closed his eyes and savored her scent for a moment. He could almost feel her heart beating wildly against his chest.
She still feels and smells the same… like everything happened only yesterday!
But he remembered, she still broke his heart—made him the beast he is now. And for that, she deserved to be punished.
Julianne started to pull away from him.
“Thank you,” she said in a weak voice. She lacked the feistiness she showed towards Patrick McAllister a while ago. She even refused to look him in the eye. And Jin didn’t know whether to feel good or bad about that.
While she bit back at McAllister, she seemed calm, almost deadpan towards him.
Don’t I stir any feeling within her? Don’t I deserve even a hint of strong emotions from this woman?
Was she a total fraud? Was our past a total lie?
Jin tried to keep ahold of his feelings. While Julianne remained unaffected by him, she was stirring unwanted emotions within him, driving him crazy like no woman has ever done in the past seven years.
Many women had tried to catch his attention, did all sorts of tricks to get his affection. They had all failed. And yet, Julianne Sanders was slowly pushing him towards the edge of his sanity by doing absolutely nothing, not even uttering a word!
“It’s getting late. I need to go back to my room now,” she said looking at his shoulder, then over it… anywhere other than his eyes.
Jin looked around and realized that more than half of the guests have left the ballroom. Patrick McAllister though, was still standing in the table near the exit. He was with two other men, but Jin knew he was only half-listening to their conversation. He kept glancing over at their direction, watching Julianne’s every move.
“I’ll walk you to your room,” Jin said.
She shook her head. “No, no. That’s not necessary. I’ll…”
“I’ll walk you to your room,” Jin repeated firmly. “That’s not negotiable.”
She opened her mouth for a moment, as if she was going to argue. Jin waited with a raised brow. Finally, he was going to see a show of emotion from her.
But she bit her lip and looked down on the floor again. Then she nodded slightly. Although he was glad that she agreed to him escorting her out of the ballroom, he was frustrated because he knew that she only agreed because she didn’t want an argument—or further conversation with him.
She just wanted to do it and get it over with!
Jin took her elbow gently and led her away from the ballroom. He deliberately went the way opposite to where McAllister was. He did not like the way McAllister was looking at her. The man looked like he wanted to hurt her. Like he wasn’t done with her yet.
He couldn’t understand why, but Jin suddenly felt like he should be protecting her.
He told himself that no matter what happened between them in the past, she’s now a part of his family. She was Justin’s flesh and blood.
Adrienne would be devastated if something happened to her.
They walked out of the ballroom and into the elevators in silence. Jin wondered what she was thinking about. He wanted to hear her thoughts, decipher her emotions.
Funny because with most women he’d been with, he didn’t want them to talk at all. He couldn’t wait for them to shut up. But with Julianne, he wanted to pick her brain, know her thoughts. He wanted to know everything she was thinking about, hear her utter a word—any word!
They reached the top floor and Jin led her to the last room on the end of the hall. A bellman was waiting for them. He greeted them cheerfully and handed Jin two key cards before leaving.
Jin looked down at Julianne’s beautiful face, waiting for her to look up and look him in the eye. He waited for what felt like forever for her to slowly glance up at him. Finally, their eyes met.
Damn! Why did she have to be so darned beautiful?
And why does she have to be Justin’s cousin?
“May I have the key cards please?” she asked.
He handed it to her, still watching her expression.
“Thank you,” she said in a low voice, devoid of emotions.
Why does she have to be cold all of a sudden?
This woman was warmth and sunshine when I met her.
“That’s all you’re going to say?” he asked in a voice that matched her arctic demeanor.
“I have nothing else to say,” she replied, looking away from him.
“You have a lot of things to say to me,” he said. “You owe me a lot of explanation.”
“I owe you nothing,” she countered. Even when she was provoked, there was no fire in her voice. At most, she sounded bored and Jin couldn’t help feeling even more frustrated.
“That was Patrick McAllister. Your ex-fiancé. The guy you cheated on with me,” he said, hoping to get her mad enough so she would blow her top and show a little bit more feelings.
But she fell silent again.
“He looked like he’s still not over you. How long had you been together? Why did you cheat on him?” Jin continued provoking her.
She took a deep breath but instead of answering back, she said, “It’s late Mister Starck. Thank you for your kindness in walking me up my room. But I need to retire for the night.”
“Jin,” he said.
“What?” She looked up at him. Her beautiful crystal blue eyes may be clear, but they still shaded any emotion she might be feeling.
Or maybe she just feels nothing for me!
“Call me Jin,” he said in a low, serious voice. He was slowly losing control of his own emotions. “Or maybe you should call me Jas, so you would remember what we used have.”
She didn’t say anything, but her flawless creamy skin instantly turned red.
Jin couldn’t hold it anymore. He was angry that she seemed so unaffected by him, while he suddenly realized that she was able to shatter every control he had on his emotions by simply doing nothing. He was angry at himself because he thought he taught himself to get over her and completely forget about her.
But here he was again, feeling like she only left him yesterday.
“Or perhaps I should just remind you,” he said to her.
And without warning, he held her on either side of her neck, gently pulled her towards him and crushed his lips down on hers. The first shot of her lips against his stopped time. He stood there frozen, breathing in the sweet scent of her, feeling the velvet softness of her skin.
It was one kiss but it felt like it lasted for an eternity. And maybe he was imagining it, but he felt her lips move against his. She was kissing him back. He let go of all control, all inhibitions. He deepened the kiss, like it was his sole mission to invade her soul, ignite her senses. He pulled her closer to him, afraid to break their connection, afraid that this temporary lack of judgment, this lapse of sanity won’t last for long.
His hands went to her hair and he gently tugged at the black ribbon of her ponytail, releasing her soft blonde waves. He had always liked her hair down.
No other woman could ignite his passion like this. No one could make him feel scared that this wasn’t real… that this wasn’t meant to last.
Then suddenly, he felt her hands against his chest, and she gave him a strong push away from her.
He reluctantly let her go. He stared at her beautiful face. Her eyes were a darker shade of blue and her cheeks were a shade of crimson red. She tried to catch her breath.
“Please stop!” she said to him.
“Stop what? Kissing you? Ravaging your lips?” he asked. “May I remind you that you were ardently kissing me back?”
He saw her eyes flare. He was so distracted by it, that he didn’t see her right hand flying. It landed on his left cheek with a force that sent his face sideways.
Jin didn’t mind the sting on his cheek. In his mind, he finally saw that fire that she was trying so hard to hide from him. He was finally able to stir strong emotions from her. And moreover, he could still feel the warmth that her lips left on his when she kissed him back.
She wasn’t entirely unaffected by me like she wanted me to believe!
“Please go!” she said, trying to control her voice. “It would be a shame for me to call the hotel security on you… here in your own hotel property!”
Call the security on me? Seriously?
But the look on her face told him she was dead serious.
The nerve of this woman!
Jin took a step back and composed himself. He took ahold of his emotions before he dragged her inside the room and finished what he started.
“Alright, Arabella. As you wish,” he breathed. “I will leave. But first, you must enter your room safely. And never open it for anyone. No matter who knocks or tries to break it down, you do not open it for anyone. Do you understand?”
“How dare you tell me…” she started protesting.
“Do you understand?” he repeated more firmly. “While you’re here in my property, I am duty-bound to protect you.”
“No one will visit me at this hour,” she said.
“Your ex-fiancé looked like he wasn’t done with you yet,” he muttered under his breath. “I will not let him on this floor. I will be watching through the cameras. Unless you want him to…”
“Finish that sentence, Mister Starck. And you will find my left hand imprinted on your right cheek this time!”
“Jin,” he said. “I told you to call me Jin. Unless you want me to finish what I started barely five minutes ago.”
She was livid, he could see it in her eyes. But she composed herself quickly. Then she turned around, swiped the key card and opened the door. She closed it behind her without another word.
Jin stood outside her door, recalling the kiss they just shared.
One kiss… was enough to make him remember the wounds of the past. It was enough for him to remember how he became a selfish, ruthless asshole. It was enough to bring back emotions he had long forgotten. It was enough for him to remember the heart he thought he no longer has.
For the first time in years, he felt a twist in his stomach, and a pounding inside his ribcage.
One kiss. It was not enough.
In this head, he made a promise.
I’m older and wiser this time! She won’t be able to twist my head with her stupid lies and false stories anymore.
But damn!
One kiss will never be enough!