Chapter Six
Julian could not remember being more furious. For two days now, he had been unable to fully concentrate on work, bothered as he had been by Fleur's refusal to explain her reasons for coming up with her twelve-day contract.
Pride alone had kept him from asking why, but he hadn't been too proud to ask Paradijs' manager to let him know the moment Fleur came to visit. He had wanted to make it look like their meeting would be an accidental surprise for both of them, but instead he was the one left feeling like he had been sucker-punched, having been forced to witness Fleur flirt with another man.
Damn her.
Fleur didn't even pause to think or what anyone else would think the moment she saw Julian turn away to leave. On one hand, it felt as if her body suddenly had a mind of its own, but on the other, it also felt like her mind and body, heart and soul, were entirely in harmony for once.
Either way, she only knew one thing.
She could not let Julian leave when he clearly thought the worst.
Julian knew the exact moment Fleur decided to go after him. It wasn't hard to tell, with the way the people around him, both members and staff, were suddenly looking at him like he was their newest and juiciest piece of gossip.
And he probably was, Julian thought with self-contempt. He had no fucking doubt that people had seen the same thing he had seen a while ago, and he had even fewer doubts about the conclusions people would inevitably draw if he were to spare even a mere glance at Fleur.
If he was smart, he would ignore her and move on, but...who the hell was he kidding?
He was walking at a pace that even a nonagenarian on crutches would have no trouble overtaking him, and so it was no surprise when Fleur finally managed to catch up and suddenly block his way.
Fuck!
Julian yanked his sports hoodie off his head with a furious tug, and when he turned to Fleur, it was to see her already waiting for him to put his hoodie on her, arms raised. It was too fucking adorable, but since the sight of her heaving breasts behind her too-skimpy sports bra also had him gritting his teeth...
"You will never wear something like this again in public if I'm not around."
Fleur could only answer in a muffled tone, with half of her body drowning inside the dark interior of Julian's overly large hoodie. It took a while before her head could finally emerge, and the first thing she saw was Julian's completely bare chest, and oh my gosh, even his abs were devilishly hot!
"Your answer?"
Fleur hastily got her mind off the gutter at the snap in Julian's tone. "Yes, uh, I promise." She then looked at him hopefully, but before she could speak, Julian sent her a hard look, and she shut her mouth instead.
"We'll talk somewhere private."
Fleur could only follow meekly behind Julian as he walked out of the fitness center. He still looked unbelievably grim, and she started worrying about why that was. Did he have something against Philippe DeRose? Or maybe...he was the kind of guy who immediately thought a woman was a flirt just because he had seen her talk to another man? They obviously needed to talk things out, and somewhere private was certainly ideal, but—a bar?
This was Julian's idea of private?
Paradijs' wine bar?
"Uh..."
Julian shot her another look, and Fleur snapped her mouth shut. Maybe he was thirsty, and—-oh.
She barely had time to appreciate the row of narrow, obviously-just-for-two dining rooms (but they were more like cubicles, really) at the back of the bar before Julian had both of them inside and he was already locking the door shut.
Fleur's last glimpse of the outside world was of one of the bar's servers gaping at them just before Julian pressed a button that had the blinds folding closed, and the next thing she knew, he had her up against the wall, his golden eyes filled with rage as he demanded, "Is he my replacement?"
Fleur knew she should answer him right away, but with him so, so close, and her body pressed against his oh-so-bare chest...
She just couldn't help but think...
Couldn't help but compare...
Why was it that Philippe's proximity always made her feel so self-conscious while Julian's nearness only made her want to rake her nails down the hard wall of his chest?
"Fleur, dammit!"
She nearly jumped at his furious tone, and she said hurriedly, "No, not at all, I swear!" She probably should've realized that was the first thing Julian would think of, but it truly hadn't occurred to her, and when Julian expression's remained brooding, she said more insistently, "I'm not lying—-"
"Were you about to make him my replacement then?"
She shook her head and told herself that this strictly wasn't a lie.