Unlike her last visit to the Iron Dog Pub, where she’d shown up in the middle of the day unannounced and with a green haired goblin to terrorize the patrons inside, or the visit prior where things had been sanitized for her and her human guest, this time Juliette gave Augustus Steele fair warning that she intended to visit him in the evening for a chat. That no special accommodations were necessary. Juliette was coming for a chat and only a chat, no trouble, threats, or menacing was to be involved!
At least not on her end. She couldn’t be certain on whether or not Jordan contacted Augustus himself to make his own feelings known, nor did she make any attempts to ask Jordan not to. While her fears and frustrations with what happened had been taken out on the wedding, Jordan’s had come out in the form of being incredibly antsy about her leaving the manor. Of which she knew had to be an inner struggle against his equally as strong desire to not be a controlling maniac like the former king! Thus, she’d accepted with no argument to be dropped off by Myra, despite the fact she had to deal with the girl sulking because she couldn’t come in and harass the patrons again. She wasn’t about to punish the man for caring enough to worry about her.
As usual, Juliette selected her attire with the upmost of care, with reasons two fold. First, despite her conversation with Jordan, she wasn’t quite ready to start flashing toothy scars to the world. The fact that she was walking into the Iron Dog on her own, without escort, without fear, was more than enough of a statement that she didn’t need to be flaunting neck and shoulders. Secondly, Juliette had every intention of ending her evening with Jordan himself. So the deep green dress was chosen specifically with him in mind. That perfect combination of sleek cut, dipping neckline, and a hem that rode up so far that she’d have to take great care not to be bending over else she’d be giving the nightclub a free show.
Once inside, she did take a moment to admire the atmosphere of the place. Though she long grew out of clubbing, there was still an atmosphere here that was a tinge above the messy venues with loud electronica and drunken guests. Juliette suspected the curated clientele and strict rules made sure no fangy hungry bastards got out of hand, nor some sloppily drunk mortal got themselves into more than they could handle. The idea to have a space like this was ingenious, really.
With her perusing around (certainly taking mental note of whose eyes decided to follow), she found her way to Augustus’ bar and slide gracefully into a seat. A larger than what seemed necessary for a night out leather satchel was set down gently in the chair next to her, before she folded her hands on the bar top and offered the man a wide, genuine smile.
“Good evening, Mr. Steele. I hope there are still drinks behind that bar safe for a mortal queen.”
A visit from the eventual queen, was warrant enough to have him doing a triple check of various things! Wanting nothing to go awry when already the network of the Steel Coven found out in quick haste that Emery had been invited out with the matriarch and companions. Only for things to seem sour. It would be in his best interest to have things in an arrangement that wasn’t reminiscent of a verbal hissing dispute.
Although he would consider it impressively frightening not to have any word coming from of the human council members that there were strict rules issued from ruling mouth. Leaving him to feel all the more fearful in new ways. There hadn’t yet come a time that the king didn’t have dire expectations given beforehand to any sort of meeting with himself or now the mortal woman. Perhaps leaving it to silence was a stronger suggestion that things were to go a certain way. Or they had been trained so well that expectation was already bound into their very lives.
It made him somewhat nervous not to have Dominic well enough to be present, but this may have been a boon for his right hand. To be absent as not to bare witness to his own flitting nervousness to it all!
With the club obviously active with both mortal and vampiric beast alike, the arrival of the queen was hardly missed. Moving like a flash fire game of telephone, her entrance to the place had arrived to him in spades. Reaching his ears quickly and promptly shooing away some of those lingering barflies that had no business lurking. Either from their newer existence to the underworld or mortal’s being pulled away to be the next little personal feast.
Leaving a selected few to be present that were thankfully older vampires that were meant to be watchful. For his own safety, for theirs and for the queen’s. After her disappearance, he was in no mood to risk anyone he didn’t know to be near. Less he wanted a reason to incur a vampire beast’s rage.
Smoothing back tendrils of black as another bartender served at the counter to his left, the sunny blond gave him a slight nudge as if to insist things would be well. Leaving him to shortly follow the woman coming to perch upon stool. Producing something less than decorative to her attire, watching as hands folded and lips pulled. “Augustus is more than fitting for myself, madam.” He glimpsed around to those lingering eyes but offered a nod rather than a smile to her query of digestible’s. “No matter what sort of establishment I run, the drink menu remains consumable for both mortal and other.” Augustus tapped fingers across the lower portion of the bar.
“What would you enjoy this fair evening, your majesty?” He spoke with earnest rather than a false sort of snide pretense. Meaning the word majesty as something proper. “And should we have an open conversation or would you like to claim a private booth?”
“Let me try Jordan’s favorite bourbon. Well see if he has good tastes,” she answered first. Although it was less of checking his good tastes and more that he apparently didn’t care for tequila. And Juliette had every intention of enamoring her husband-to-be this evening.
At his second question she curiously glanced around at lingering nearby patrons, deciding quickly that scurrying off somewhere private wasn’t going to be necessary. If anything did get to the wrong ears, it would be a useful discovery for Augustus to deal with.
“This is fine. It won’t take but a few moments,” she answered then. Not meaning to sound so mysterious about her intentions, she was simply taking her time to put it all into a proper order in her head.
As he moved to make her drink, she started with the part he most deserved!
“When I asked if you could be relied upon, I never thought it would be for my sake. You and Emery Hart aided Jordan in tracking me down, and for that I am incredibly grateful. I wanted to come and thank you in person.”
There came a temporary pause at the drop that she wanted to try the bourbon of her affianced. Leaving Augustus to rub his chin with thought. A depth of contemplation as he went through the styles of whiskey and whisky to try and determine over the question. “Technically,” he started gingerly, “Bourbon whiskey is not the preferred of your husband to be. It would be Irish whiskey.” Yes, there was a difference. It was depending on what was used to make the substance. With bourbon favouring corn and Irish Whiskey preferring that of barley, malt and a few other things. Not that he was about to get into that lengthy discussion.
Yet he tapped his fingers on the bar again. Side eyeing, Lina, as the blond looked ready to leap at a snap of fingers. Making a gesture that indicated that she ought to comply with the request, no one quite gathering that Juliette had invited the king to make his presence known sooner than later.
Still the other tender turned to search the bar for a bottle of the spirit.
Allowing him to question whether or not the queen wanted privacy to speak to him, or if she preferred to be a glittering gem before those ever so curious eyes. Shortly a glass was tended too with a selected longneck that would allow him to tend to the drink she asked for.
Nearly dropping it when Juliette went about thanking him for helping track her down. “I… you are welcome.” He fumbled, giving her a bit of a look. Not sure if she was being genuine or not. He didn’t know her that well to say which it was. “It was… nice to be asked to help, I will admit.” Augustus handed the bottle back to Lina, and put the spherical cube into the glass to make a standard old fashioned. Raising it to be left on the bar for her to reach. “Though, I hope it isn’t too bold of me, I find it interesting that the king hasn’t sorted you with various guards.”
By no means did he think Jordan would have left Juliette unattended. He also hadn’t ever seen Jordan so passionate about finding someone either! That night had been hell and watching the king unravel his cord to reveal a panicked infatuation with the queen, well… it had been very unexpected.
“I’ll admit, I couldn’t tell the difference between whiskeys. My expertise tends to lean towards wine,” she confessed, curiously placing this new bit of knowledge away in her mind where it might be of use later.
There was some curious amusement at the way he responded to her gratitude – as if no one had ever told the man thank you in his entire life! Though, perhaps it wasn’t so far fetched by the way Jordan had been directing and avoiding his own coven. He had openly admitted his way of keeping control was through fear and intimidation.
Juliette didn’t believe that was the only way.
She laughed then, at his statement of Jordan surrounded her with guards.
“Honestly, I’m surprised myself. He seems to be putting a great deal of trust in you and this establishment. …Or else he believes I’m more frightening than anyone here.” That smile of hers twisted into the puckish, cheeky little grin as she reached for the glass and took a testing swallow. She nodded a soft approval before setting it down on the bar top and wrapping her hands around it.
“Encouraging, since I have a new favor to ask you.”
He didn’t expect anyone to know the vast difference between each drink and spirit. Not unless they were collectors or bartenders of higher degree. To be able to taste the notes, dissecting the flavours by tongue alone. To hear she was more towards the wine category, didn’t seem strange. Merely nodding and going about the means of attending to the request within reason.
So he might nearly fumble the entire bottle down to the floor! Managing to stop such a struggle from happening as she gave her gratitude at all. Surely not expecting such things. She was to be the reigning queen after all. He and his coven, subjects. It was odd to think that she was lending any sort of gratefulness. Add on that she appeared to be rather alone, he couldn’t resist saying something.
Almost regretting it when it came to the way she grinned. Feeling a uncomfortable prickle at the back of his neck. Making a due effort to say nothing. If he would say anything, it would likely to suggest the latter. After all, who was crazy enough to willingly stand by that of the king of the split coven.
Using the time while she took a testing swig, one of the wandering waiters approached. Speaking low to that of Lina and another. Taking stock of the green clad queen before rounding away with a refresh of drinks upon the tray carried. Leaving him to watch and grow interrupted as the queen spoke once more. “As you wish, your majesty. What is it you have request of?”
Someone else might’ve felt awkward with the titles of majesty and queen and the way he so formally spoke to her. She certainly never would ask or demand for someone to refer to her as such. Yet, she did have to admit to herself that it pandered to her in a delightful way. Maybe she was marrying into this title, but she had the intention of living up to it in every possible way. Juliette wouldn’t be a queen because she married Jordan, she would build and conquer empires in her own right.
Which also meant she needed to handle the danger she was responsible for and brought into Jordan’s life.
“I made an offer to Emery Hart to be Hand of the Queen, so to speak,” she started tapping her fingers lightly on her glass. It was the only visual hint that things didn’t go as planned and that Juliette was still pissed off about it. “She decided to decline and I have no patience for trying to appeal to her ego.”
Emery Hart could absolutely fuck off right into the night as far as Juliette was concerned. A sentiment she kept to herself.
“Which is a shame on her part, as what I need done would’ve been relevant to her interests and skills. Not to say that you are a second choice, as my intent was to have you supporting Jordan. Since she’s being difficult… well. Best laid plans, I suppose.”
Juliette turned to lean, reaching over to the odd leather satchel of hers to dip fingers into one of the side pockets and producing a small usb drive. This she held and tapped gently on the bar before laying her palm flat over it.
“David Gates is a problem I brought to this coven. When I thought it was just me alone he intended to target, it didn’t much matter. But now that he’s weaseled himself into vampire allies, he’s a threat to everything Jordan is working for.”
She slid the usb across the bar, offering it to Augustus with a grim sort of frown.
“I know Jordan has already had his investigations done on David and is searching for him now. I intend to aide with that in my own way. The drive has everything about the man, his family, his business, his friends. Everywhere he has ever lived, everything he owns. I’m going to take it all from him, until there is no where left he can safely scurry. I can make a lot of moves legally and financially, but the additional things I need done are…”
There was a long pause there while she tried to search for the right words. Eventually, she just gave a heavy sigh.
“Frankly, villainous. What I can’t buy, I want it burned down. His cars, his houses, his office buildings. Any friends that try to help him should suddenly find themselves under a curse. Mind you, I don’t want anyone killed. But if there’s collateral damage, so be it. All he’ll have left are these mysterious unknown vampires, and I am confident Jordan will handle it from there.”
If she was looking to rise him at the mention of Emery being well… Emery; it wasn’t a response to be had. Merely looking at the tiptapping of fingers while heeding every bit of word and watching every bit of body language. Holding himself present in the state of loyal follower, whilst the ears of easily those present in his coven were rapt with intrigue. They all knew how the Hart and Steel coven didn’t necessarily get along.
They had strikingly different values after all. Though he had to wonder if Juliette was a mad woman, after all. To offer a deal to Emery seemed like trying to offer pearls before swine. Emery was good at what she did but that didn’t mean she was good at much else. Yet he found a slight frown to lips at the suggestion that he was originally meant to support the king. Side glancing in such a way that might have been thoughtful. “Best to leave Emery to the king.” He decided to say with a means of construction. They had history and knew how to battle another.
For now he returned to watching. Baring witness to the jumpdrive being pulled and covered. Listening to the woman detail that her former lover was a problem brought into this coven. Which wasn’t incorrect, but he didn’t suspect it was correct either. Knowing that Lucas had been there while using the name of the former attendant to the late king. There was a lot of background searching happening right now, so maybe he shouldn’t be too shocked that Juliette was here implying that she had more of a want to drive the human man out and away.
Once the USB stick was released, he took it. Turning it over in fingers like a single look would elaborate what was all upon it, only that he was shortly holding it over to the other woman. Readily she replied and let it fall into her hands. Needing nothing said to know he wanted the bits off of the stick so they could compile a list of items in which had to be attacked first. Sorted and such. “Are you not concerned that doing anything to him might backlash its way upon your family? Your business? You were the last known person that had anything to do with the man. He’s evaded you previously, what makes you so certain that he’ll be easy to move against now?” He had to ask after all. Paired with, “If you want me and my coven to follow you, your majesty. I will need time to arrange a reasonable exchange. What we will obtain by alliancing our side of the coven to you, of course.”
As loyal as he could be, there had to be some reason they sought to work perfectly amicably with that of the queen. “After all, even the human council receives benefits for their prolonged allegiance.”
“The man has not been evading me, as I’ve not been seeking him out.” she clarified simply. “I’ve ignored him and defended myself when necessary, previously deeming him unimportant to waste my energy on. That was, of course, before Jordan. Now… he has fucked around and he’s about to find out, so to speak.”
Juliette could admit it was an error on her part not to have done something about David before. She even found it difficult to understand and explain it to herself on why she’d never made moves to strike back beyond those moments she was backed into a corner. Deep down, maybe she was afraid he’d been right about her all along. That she was just as insidious and vicious as he. That she drew far more pleasure in bringing down a reign of fire and ripping things apart than she ever did in building things up.
She supposed it was why it was so easy for her to understand this dark world Jordan lived in. His fears of becoming just like that long dead king, and what might happen if he loosened his grip of chains on these vampire covens. There had to be something better for them both, surely!
“There was backlash from my inaction, there will be backlash whatever course I take.” she muttered, raising her glass for a hefty swallow to hopefully simmer down any burning fury that was sure to rise up in just talking about the man. “I’ll deal with the consequences as they come.”
Of course, it gave her paused when he oh-so-blatantly asked what was in it for him! Juliette should’ve expected as much, for that’s how the covens had been managed so far. Loyalty in exchange for compensation. She didn’t much care for that sort of self serving attitude, not when there was a bigger picture involved. But it also wasn’t an unreasonable thing to ask. Why should he help her? Only because she was Jordan’s wife?
That wasn’t good enough.
“This business,” she started, instead of answering the question, “and your coven. How long did it take you to put it all together? To grow it into what it is now? Are you proud of it?”
There came the look. A slow lending of neck bending somewhat as she attempted to suggest she hadn’t evaded David. From his point of view, it was exactly that. She could have dealt with the man surely through other means prior to all this. But if she wasn’t going to call it that, it was no skin off his nose. She could believe what she wanted and him in turn, the same.
Offering the ear all the more as she took the glass and made it drown down some. “You’ll deal with the consequences.” Augustus repeated with a squint, then a point. “So how does that make sense. You want to barter a deal and agreement with me but you sound as if you are still handling this all single handedly.” It didn’t make any sense to him.
Actually, she sounded like a martyr. Which was just as stupid.
Unsaid of course. He had other things to cross first while Lina ventured out from behind the bar. Trailing around to slid towards the back with the item in hand, as to likely go to that of the single office in the back. Leaving Juliette a moment to think and of course reply.
“I asked you a question first, your majesty. Negating around it, isn’t going to help.” He could be honest, but if she was going flake around, then he wasn’t going to play that game. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t answer my question with a question.” He didn’t smile but tilted his head some, “I doubt you’d appreciate it if I did the same to you. I merely ask for respect here. Please answer my question before I open any personal details to you. We are not yours yet.”
Vampires were so very quick to twist her words and make assumptions! Jordan, Emery, and now Augustus too! Assuming there were layers and layers onto everything she said. Juliette supposed it came with their long-lived age, that they kept thinking forwards several steps ahead… Useful and ideal in some respects to be able to think about multiple angles, but it was incredibly frustrating when they’d decided they “knew” what she was all about based on misconstrued statements.
“If you want my respect, Augustus, perhaps don’t make assumptions about me,” she shot back first. Stopping then to take a breath and try to reign in her temper, because that surely would only somehow confirm things in the wrong direction. “Saying I’ll deal with the consequences is a simplified statement. I didn’t say I would do it alone. You’re putting that on me. Your assumption.”
“My question is also relevant to answering yours,” she continued, tapping her thumb and forefingers together as it was the best way to keep her focused and away from raising her voice. “It’s not evasion or trying to dodge it. You don’t have need of money or favors, nor am I going to be used to manipulate Jordan.”
“I ask because it’s an example of what I can offer. You’ve built this space as a safe haven. Yet it’s existence is being threatened not just by the split coven, but an unknown outside of it too. I cannot give you things or power, but I can give you my ambition. A promise that I will use everything within my reach to protect what you’ve built and better, to help it flourish and grow. Whether it is just the business or the very coven itself. Your goals, as long as they are to the benefit of Jordan’s coven, will be my goals.”
He simply continued to look at her. Not replying on the end that it was his assumption. If there was one thing he was figuring out about Juliette, it was she had to have the last word with everything. She was a bit full of herself and if he was honest, high maintenance. It didn’t seem worth it on his end to even continue the means of saying more when it was likely there would be another retort, another twist, another comment. So he left it alone.
And pressed to point out that he wasn’t a fan of her needing to answer him with her own question. Still, she went on in that stuffy full of herself way. Almost like she was speaking down to a toddler rather than someone who merely wanted to have his question replied too. Allowing him time to wait till she was fully finished and hummed. “Do you know you ramble off lengthy replies.” He stated and shook his head at her. “I don’t need your power here, your highness. This is as you said, a safe haven. And it’s mine to look after. I built this myself. Outside of the king’s influence. All I ask for my coven is that you are a good queen. Surprisingly, I don’t much care about what ambitions you have. Or promises you want to make. What matters to me, is you treat people well. That is it. Simple.”
He shrugged and turned a bit. “Now it’s your turn to have the last remark once more, your majesty.”
Oh she had a retort to that for certain. An instantaneous need to bare her teeth in a wide vicious smile and say, she’ll treat people as they deserve. Like Emery, he seemed to have this desire to tell her who she was and while in the same breath state she should be the very opposite. Claiming all he cared about was for her to treat people well, when wasn’t that already exactly what she was trying to offer?
It was no wonder this coven was broken! They made demands of what they wanted, and when you were willing to give exactly what they are asking for, it wasn’t enough. Nothing she said or did was ever going to be enough. They were so old, and so set in their opinions that any outside perspective was met with immediate dismissal! What was she even trying to prove. Why did she even care about any of this!
Her perfectly manicured nails tapped gently on the bar top before she picked up her glass and slid out of her seat, claiming her satchel in the process.
“Goodnight, Mr. Steele. I’ll be waiting for Jordan in one of the booths, should he stumble into you first.”
Not the scathing last remark she wanted to give, but Juliette was finding herself quite out of fucks to give about the opinions of vampires! Not even daring to give a glance back, she left the bar to seek out a nice private space where she could seethe in quiet silence until Jordan made his appearance.
There was a subtle exchange from the eyes that were lurking obviously around. Himself sort of blinking at her motions. Unsure if he was seeing her clench together or if that was in his imagination. Granted he wasn’t about to go chasing after her or pleading for any sort of mercy. Simply arranging thoughts into his skull to be hummed and hawed about at his privacy. Only that he would raise his stare to widen obviously when she mentioned the king would be coming here at all.
It wasn’t difficult to see the uneasy sort of tension at the mention. “Of course, your highness.” Acquiescing the very means of acceptance, there was little they could do if the king was truly coming! Idly picking up a rag to wipe at the bar from where she had been sitting. Removing any dripping vapour from glass, or smudges of prints on the top of the polished wood. Mutely following the woman that seemed like she wanted in sense total subservience from them all when they didn’t know who she was. Only able to make assumptions of her by how she came together each time she approach. So far, if he was to asked to tell, the few interactions with her would come down to the three simple words.
Egoistical. Frigid and of course, high maintenance once more. Prone to being extremely sensitive and temperamental.
For a bit of time, it seemed as though nothing more would occur. Save for the truth of the very absent king making an appearance. Appearing to have come recently from his daytime job. Freshly off the business avenue with the full ensemble of black on black on black. Though he might as well have been baring that of a flaming stick for his approach into the venue was like Moses parting the Red Sea. Vampires stepping back in muted awe and worry! Finding feet hastily stepping around to catch the sire from approaching queen too quickly.
Finding the man’s cool gaze shortly falling upon him. “Augustus.” Greeted surprisingly pleasantly, lips curled into a almost frighteningly pleasant smile.
“Sire. Had I known you were coming… I would have—”
Immediately words were flitted to nonexistence. “Juliette is… where?” Evidently he was not about to get a word in with the commanding monarch. Deciding to step back with a tip of chin towards the way the broody woman had gone. “Excellent. I do hope, things went well.” The comment was barbed. Sounding pleasant but it had a dangerous ting to them that made an uncomfortable coolness run his spine. Merely folding hands at his back to leave it unsaid. Feeling the azure stare narrow somewhat but didn’t seem to linger. Likely unnecessary seeing as the look itself seemed to express they would speak privately later.
“Please let me know how we can serve you.” Another look before body was turning easily away.
“Feeling peckish. I’d like to see the stock you’ve procured recently.” Little else needed to be said as the presiding soul migrated his way without passing a look to any other through the bumping joint. That his gaze was pegged upon dame in green, to slow his approach to the booth. “Peristéri, my apologies for being a little late. Things ran over at the office.”
It didn’t escape her notice when the atmosphere of the club changed to buzzing anxiety. Easy enough to see from her cozy little vantage point just whom in the place was of the vampiric persuasion when all stares and whispers were suddenly being exchanged. As if a monarch with an actual crown and cape had walked in demanding the fanfare! Somehow filling her with a sense of relief, easing the tension that had settled into her shoulders. At least enough for her to let out a slow breath to compose herself before she caught first sight of him.
Jordan’s love of black on black was such a ridiculous thing for a real and true vampire, but he looked so fetching in it that Juliette would never complain. To his apology she scoffed, immediately capturing his hand to gently tug him down to the seat with her. Having to resist full on climbing onto his lap for the comfort of it and merely holding on to his hand for now as good enough.
“It’s not inconvenienced me,” she waylaid his concern with a warm smile. She’d not downed her entire drink yet, even if it had been tempting. Though, there was evidence she’d been there at least a few minutes by way of a straw she’d twisted up and mangled while she brooded.
“I could’ve sworn I heard the entire building gasp the moment you stepped inside,” she teased breezily. Maybe too breezily, but she was just so honestly glad to see him that it didn’t much matter.
“Mayhaps not you, but I would dare say I might have inconvenienced myself.” Well so far it didn’t seem too bad here. Although the note of the drink was a bit interesting but not worth commentary. Yet. Following her insistence to tug him down to be present in their company of another. Feeling plenty of eyes ever watchful now. Practically like a grouping of vultures with how the club seemed to teem in both awe at the sight and disbelief that it was in fact real.
Honestly, he couldn’t even remember the last time he had come here! Likely to count on one hand the length of time it had been.
This wasn’t truly a place of his interest for various obvious reasons. But the asking had come from the fair maid, and he was hardly one to say no. Smirking no sooner at her astute observation, raising brows somewhat at the effort she teased, “It could still happen. I am sure someone might drop a drink at this rate.” If not damn near fall over with the unexpected event of him being present at all!
Never mind that. The means of stealing close enough to peck across the apple of cheek took precedent! “All is well then? Or,” hand outreached to tink the back of fingers to her glass making an notable mention of the state of straw, “Should I be ready to get particularly fiery?”
Her eyes followed his hand’s gesture to her drink and the mangled remains of the murdered straw, and she found herself chewing into her bottom lip with a conflict of decisions. A desperate need to throw her arms around his neck and use his body as some sort of physical shield – as if he could even save her from her own tumultuous thoughts! Or to completely deny that she was so shaken up inside over a conversation that didn’t go the way she’d hope. Like some sort of spoiled tantrum tossing child.
“Hm,” the soft sound wasn’t a useful reply, nor did it help her sort out her thoughts any faster or come to a satisfying decision. At least Juliette supposed, in their efforts to be up front with one another, that so far it hadn’t steered her wrong.
Not caring in the slightest that they were now akin to a pair of fish in a glass bowl, being spied at from a distance by many, she leaned as comfortably close as she could get without actually climbing onto his lap. Dropping her voice low enough for just him alone.
“It didn’t go as I anticipated and I… find myself beholden to old habits,” she admitted softly. “I don’t know why I care so much what they think of me. You’ve given me something challenging and exciting to work with, and I can see so much potential with it. Who gave me the gall to think I could accomplish any of this.”
“…then I find myself so frustrated that I very much want to lean into the fiery violence. So you really oughtn’t tempt me with such offers, lover.”
Draping arm across the tabletop as she seemed to be doing her own mental arrangement with a bare hum that could have indicated she needed more time to come up with something in reply. It was enough to bare silently that what happened likely wasn’t what she wanted. Although there were no vampires being thrown about like some paper bag in the wind and no one was snarling. At least that he could see.
So this had to have gone better than it did with Emery.
Daring with thumb to raise in hopes to stop her from making her lip into a chew toy. Waiting and humming too when she expressed softly that things really didn’t go the way she wanted. With a mention of old habits. “You care, because you want to fix things. Though this challenge isn’t something to be mended in days, Juliette. It will take weeks. Months. Years even.” Time. And no amount of frustration was going to make that easier, even if the frustration was valid. “Maybe don’t think of this as a challenge that needs to be overcome and you might find things less stressful.” He wasn’t sure if that was helpful.
Which he shortly nodded when she expressed when her irritation rose, so did a want to bring about the flametongue wielding madam that would curse each one of them personally to their own oblivion. Made by her own choice and being sure that suffering would be sure to leave them with a stern reminder that Juliette Bryon had been here.
He intended to say something but paused. Tilting chin slightly at the approach of telling footsteps that produced a deeply red drink. One hand using a rag to wipe at the table and coaster to act as the buffer of glass bottom from making a ring on the surface. A smoky tinted glass that didn’t do well to entirely conceal the personal glass of red, “Sire.”
“Augustus,” Jordan barely raised his gaze upwards, rather reaching for the glass to consider it closer to nose. Pausing for effect without drinking to eventually arch vision upon the familiar fellow. “I do hope you weren’t irritating my wife to be, now.”
The man shuffled a little awkwardly. “This is why Dominic is the verbal communicator for the coven, sire.” It seemed like an excuse and a bad one at that.
“Are you saying that I ought to make Dominic the head then?” Lids squinted as if testing the other to find a way out of that one. Just that in Augustus known behaviours, he would hush before speaking against. Just that he took a moment to look at Juliette then back, “Sit. You might as well make yourself at least look presentable to your gawking lurkers. You want things to be repaired, then be a good boy and take a seat.”
Upturning a palm that wasn’t occupied to the spitfire beside him, he offered it easily to her to take. Watching as Augustus hesitated to even complete the action of sitting down. “What are you waiting for?”
“I don’t believe her majesty would appreciate the additional company at this moment, sire.”
“Anáthema, kátse!” he smiled but was nearly ready to force the one down. Watching once more as the younger vampire grew anxious yet moved this time to occupy the other side of the booth. Woodenly but at least he was sitting down. “This will take but a moment. Trust me, I don’t to spend my time any more with you, Augustus.” Jordan sighed while maintaining a pleasant façade. “You ought to be thanking Juliette for the efforts she has put in. It’s due to her that I am even here at all. Let alone willing to make changes for the benefit of a complete coven. So let’s do better by accommodating that of the queen to be, hmm?”
Of course she knew it would take time to accomplish, yet knowing didn’t make the truth easier to accept or manage. Not when you were someone who tended to put the whole effort of your being into every task, always expecting results, always wanting to be better. It was exhausting even for herself as now she’d replaced trying to one up her family, with attempting to win over an entire coven worth of vampires. Trying to do what was better left to some sweet, friendly charmer when she herself was nothing more than a snapping viper!
Augustus’ sudden appearance with a glass of vermillion red that most certainly wasn’t watered down with alcohol, was not a welcomed intrusion. Worse yet, Jordan had decided this was the moment to needle at Augustus on her behalf – something she might’ve enjoyed had it been Emery, but there was quite a different dynamic when it came to this particular vampire! Leaving her face tinged a bit pink and her internal monologue screaming.
Somehow, she’d still accepted his hand automatically. Keeping her mouth wisely shut, as she witnessed this exchange with a morbid curiosity. Until Augustus was stiffly seated and Jordan had chided the man like he was some unruly child that’d disrespected his mother.
“Is this what I sound like when I come in here to speak to you?” she blurted out, in earnest candor with a gesture of her free hand towards Jordan. Dropping that neat and tidy little mask of professionalism and cool demeaner, now that she was seeing it mirrored so perfectly in Jordan’s pleasant words. Ones that were dripping with an undercurrent of something very much the opposite. “Do I sound like I’m going to break your necks the second you even twitch out of place?”
Personally? Well he just wanted this out of his way. To deal quickly with Augustus and to hopefully avoid Juliette spiraling down into another foul mood because things with vampires weren’t nearly as black and white. Not even gray!
Thankfully she hadn’t avoided his grasp when it was offered, but he wasn’t so short as to simply dismiss the head of one half of the coven. Instead insisting that his rump find placement upon cushion. Never mind the stiff motion, rather he just wanted to make sure that this also included a show that the leader and the monarchs themselves were seen interacting. A feat that hadn’t been done in well… he couldn’t say how long.
Just as he intended to properly sip at his bloodied drink, it seemed Juliette had pegged something that could no longer be withheld. Spoken up in such a way that it surprisingly had her visage droop into something –he dare say- childlike. Although he felt like he was suddenly the one being prodded at, he avoided growing prickly by taking that sample to tongue.
Leaving Augustus to look the part of easily caught off guard. Thankfully avoiding reply back in a dull awe but took a moment to think it over. Easing shoulders to lessen their terse state. “It isn’t anything we are unfamiliar with, your majesty.” Augustus stated honestly but avoided making a look towards him.
Even if he was slightly glaring at this fact. “If… If I was to be blunt. Neither of you are very approachable.”
“Nothing new noted there for myself.” Jordan admitted and he didn’t overly care either.
Juliette let out a heavy resigned sigh, almost deflating to this fate of apparently being impossible to deal with. It wasn’t a new discovery to know she was inapproachable. She was in every social circle she’d ever been involved in known as the Queen of Ice. Of course she had her walls and barriers, they were necessary in dealing with her family and a world of business that thought she was nothing more than an air-headed heiress! Really, it was no surprise that the only true friend she had was Hannah, and that was solely because Hannah had forced her way into Juliette’s life like a pink sparkling hurricane.
She squeezed Jordan’s hand, pulling it over to her lap to sandwich it with her other in a tight grasp and tapping fingers. As if she’d replaced mangling her straw with his person instead. Admittedly, it did a better job to waylay any morose feelings that were threatening to pop up. She was genuinely trying to be a softer person and failing so spectacularly! At least she’d thought she was quite a bit more approachable than Jordan, but apparently not!
“Well, I am sorry for that,” she admitted with another sigh. “I’m not a particularly sunny and warm person. I honestly thought I was doing well in making my intentions and goals clear. Trying to placate everyone with false flatteries and a sweet persona would’ve been disingenuous and you’re all quite suspicious of everything already.”
Tugging Jordan’s arm gently, she turned to him then.
“He didn’t refuse me my requests,” she murmured. “I’m just irritated that no one seems to take me at my word, and I am expected to do a song and dance with every request I make.”
One could only guess what sort of whirlwind was moving itself through her mind at that very moment. He was only somewhat suspicious of it due to the way she moved his hand to rest between her own. Nestled and used as a sort of substitute stressball. Just without the violent squeeze and near want to pop the damn thing.
Just she had asked a question and in turn –after a moment or so- Augustus sought to give a reply. Pointing out that neither of them were the sort that welcomed everyone and anyone to them. Which he knew personally. It had worked for him for so long to be aloof and generally considered barbarous. Akin to a pissed off porcupine badger combo. However, perhaps he hadn’t considered that Juliette may not have wanted to be seen that way. It hadn’t been a topic that came up between them after all and she wore her iron maiden persona, well. Strong willed, independent and willing to do whatever necessary to achieve what she deemed important. It worked very well for the business world after all.
Especially with the ones that wanted to bite at your ankles every given second.
Still he looked over at Augustus when Juliette voiced her woes. Watching the distant relative consider what was being said. Letting his hands open to rest on the tabletop. “You did make your intentions and goals clear. I appreciate the lack of false flatteries and such. But if we were to consider the few times we have met, your majesty. Neither of us know anything of the other and you are to be the queen. That is known to be well…” Jordan gave him a warning look to choose his words carefully. Which seemed to draw him to a pause to think about that.
Allowing him in turn a chance to face Juliette properly as she stated it wasn’t Augustus refusal of anything but rather that she was having a hard time with people not seeing her truth at face value.
A moment of silence fell then. Interrupted by the other fellow rather than himself. “I wasn’t expecting a song and dance, your majesty. I apologize if that is how it seems but in all fairness, would you expect us to trust another just after three meetings? And all three meetings have been vastly different from another. I don’t intend to assume either. Once more I apologize if it seems that way but, if feels as though whatever was said, you are sensitive to anything less than an blind agreement.”
“Augustus,” He was warning then.
Which the man nodded softly, “Would you take me directly at my word? When I said, I simply want you to be good to my people… what did you think I meant, your highness?” He dared to ask gingerly, “Because I am sure I was not the only one assuming things.”
“It isn’t that I’m expecting blind agreement,” she tried to explain. “It’s the specific issue that I’m offering what everyone wants and needs, only to immediately get bitten– figuratively.” she added on quickly, less a table of vampires assumed she meant the literal variety!
Juliette didn’t appreciate the revelation that she was perceived as sensitive. She wasn’t. …or rather, she hadn’t thought she was, but it seemed maybe that wasn’t untrue after all. Her temper she’d always been aware of, yet now she was having to come to terms with the fact she also hadn’t let go of that foolish childhood need to have people accept her. What a stupid and useless emotion to still be plaguing her even now!
“I do apologize for being so defensive, it’s a difficult habit to break. I’ve been told more than once recently that I try to force things too quickly and need to slow down,” she admitted with some reluctance. Expected her relationship with Jordan to just fall into place because they were on the same page and didn’t give them the chance to grow together. Attempted to steamroll the wedding ahead as previously planned to get it over and done because she was afraid something would snatch it away. Now seemingly trying to force cooperation and loyalty from his coven as it was the best course for them, but before they were ready to commit.
“I assumed you weren’t listening to me,” she did answer the question then, sliding her hand up Jordan’s forearm to give another squeeze. A light tap of her thumb while she sorted those thoughts out. “That honestly wasn’t the part that set me off. It was before when you accused me of dodging your question by asking my own… and then afterwards stating my replies are lengthy. It gave me the impression that you’d already made up your mind and that anything I say or do doesn’t matter. It felt dismissive.”
She gave a small grimace and a wrinkling of her nose, “We’ve had this same conversation,” she muttered to Jordan. “Is it a vampiric thing to make a person feel as if they’re trying to speak to a wall? Or is it just reserved for me because I have the countenance of a wicked witch?”
It was a very rare occurrence that might as well have been considered as fleeting as a blue moon! As Juliette made the attempt to clear the air on her behalf, Augustus smiled. A slow arch that ventured into eyes to prove it was genuine. Even if he was a little concerned the motion might break the vampire’s face.
“Your highness, what I said were observations I am taking note of. I noticed that you over explain things that you give lengthy explanations when you want no one to misconstrue or have a chance to even content a reply of your own. These are my observations, which are able to be changed as more progression of time is given. And I don’t particularly like when I ask a question and another is asked in reply to mine. It’s a peeve. I am not sure if you known, but I am very straight forward. And will say what I need too. I apologize if that upset you but I find it is better to be honest rather than not.”
Setting the glass down to shift and move her hand to come into his own once more. Lightly squeezing them. Allowing Augustus to continue. “You’ve also just assumed that it’s a vampiric thing too. You are very assertory. You came in tonight which first your appreciation caught me off guard. That I reckoned as authentic. The rest? I understand what you wanted I am not sure if your realize that you spoke at me, rather than to me. It may not seem that way and perhaps that is true but on my side of the bar, I didn’t have to be present for you telling me what was what.” The man sighed a little then gestured at him. Earning a look up and down. “I am willing to help you of course. I will do my best with my coven to help you with what you requested, just that was a business transaction. It wasn’t asking favours from a friend or an acquaintance. You expect us to help because it will smooth over the ripples of the coven. Which is not particularly true.”
Once more Augustus shifted and took a look around the room. Likely pegging down watchful eyes. Unfurling palms once and closing them again. “I want you to succeed in your position, your highness. And I mean this when I say,” Eyes glanced up at him, “I have not seen the king in this high of spirits for a long time.”
“Don’t get mushy.” Jordan replied swiftly, shaking his head. Causing a airy scoff to fall from the other.
“I want you to succeed and I asked for you to take care of the people. Not by monetary value. Or promises, just… as a person. We might be immortal but many of us are aligned with the king because contrary to his rough handling of things… this split coven is safe. We are still allowed to live as close to our once humanoid selves. Not everyone gets along. But it is better than it had been in the past, or so I’ve heard. You are a vital cog in this new creation of a coven, just if you are so quick to be offended when one of your citizens speaks in a way that you don’t approve of, how can we make any headway.” He leaned forward some, “Do you know why most of the vampires feel inferior to the human council?”
Now it was his turn to be curious, tilting head some. Finding the look upon him all the more. “Our king treats them as friends and family. More so than his own blood. Even his own relatives.”
Lips pressed into a purse then, “I’ve had no reason to treat anyone so close, Augustus. Not even you. Blood related or not.” Jordan shook his head but did understand what was being said. “Though… it is due to Juliette that I am seeing what I have avoided for so long as well.”
“Hmm. It’s strange to see you in better moods, sire. Just of course, to build a new foundation, it is going to take more than a few astranged meetings. If the queen wants me to work alongside her then… we must understand that we will not always agree. And that words may be hard to hear but they are not said with malice as some would.” Referencing Emery, “If there was such things well…” Slinking back to rest against the booth cushion, Augustus gestured emptily around the bar. “You’d never be allowed to walk into this club. Queen or not.”
Listening with curious silence, Juliette found nothing to disagree with or to be mad about – and then in an instant caught that she was indeed looking for something to get angry over. Instead of accepting this open conversation for what it was. The first steps of a dialogue that could continue at their leisure and into the future if she allowed it. She’d wanted to know what she was doing wrong in her approach… well. Augustus had laid it all out for her.
And for Jordan too it seemed. Her thought that Jordan didn’t connect with his coven on a personal basis and that it was a problem for his vampires was correct. Somehow in this quite awkward conversation, they’d managed to accomplish something together that was a huge step forward. Instead of the doomed failure she thought this would be.
Juliette let out a soft sound, releasing that tension she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying in her back and shoulders. Leaning briefly to press forehead to Jordan’s shoulder, as if the affectionate press was all she needed to regain her steam to keep going.
Offering then a soft smile in Augustus’ direction, something that was actually unpracticed and genuine instead of the cheeky spread she so oft used.
“Alright,” she acquiesced. “You’ve made your point well. We,” very specifically meaning both her and Jordan as this was encouraging, “will try a little harder in making connections with others beyond being unapproachable tyrants. Perhaps I can even ask my Hannah on how to best make friends without, hm. Storming in and forcing everyone to hold hands, so to speak.”
Juliette could only dream of the nightmares and suggestions that Hannah would cook up, but she was suspecting she and Jordan would need outside assistance for such things. As a pair of library hermits with surly temperaments clearly did not understand the art of socializing.
Of course, there was that one last curious detail that left her tilting head to spy at Jordan with those brown eyes of hers.
“You didn’t tell me of blood relatives, Jordan.”
By no means could he accurately recall having a half decent conversation with anyone in the broken up covens. Well, maybe that was a lie. He did converse well enough with Dominic, but that was more due to the younger vampires insistence that they got along. Plaguing him like a bloody hound that eventually stopped being annoying and was nearly missed when it wasn’t yapping constantly. Although he’d never vocally say that!
Still, right not it seemed there was some breakthrough of understanding. Even if he gave his bride to be a look that seemed to question the we portion. Yet it broke at the mention of Hannah, “I don’t think you need to torture anyone, my love.” Sure that he’d be the king of nothing if that little love-sick romance writer got involved with everyone!
Hands folded with Augustus chuckling softly. “Let’s just take it slow and understand at the end of the day, we are all very different people. With very different thoughts. That we will not always agree but we all can work still together. Just because something doesn’t align at first, doesn’t mean it won’t.”
“Commendable, Augustus.” Jordan offered earnestly till he found his line of sight coming down to look at the big chocolate ones looking up. Rolling eyes of his own no sooner. Before gesturing over the table at Augustus. “It’s a very distant relationship.”
“My family aligns with the king’s mother’s side. Many generations later. It’s not entirely worth mentioning, though we do have relatives very much alive still. Just still,” Now Augustus made a open motion of hand, “Very distant. I believe they came from my son’s family.”
“Your son,” she remarked with unmasked surprise. Her interest had immediately been piqued, so too was the reminder that these vampires weren’t just dealing in decades of experiences. Some had multiple centuries worth of history behind them. Juliette being from a long winded bloodline that managed to keep records of family trees, found this sort of information incredibly interesting. ..even if she did still harbored resentment towards them.
Funnily enough she herself was the last of her bloodline. There were no more stray cousins or illegitimate branches out there! By marrying a vampire, she’d effectively made sure there’d never be another.
“I’d very much enjoy hearing more, if you’re willing. …On another day,” she added. Tempting as it was to continue this conversation now that there was opportunity and momentum, she’d meant her evening to be spent actually curating her relationship with Jordan. A priority above everyone else, much to her pleasure.
“Unless you’d like to remain and give advice on weddings,” came a rejoining tease. Juliette released her grip on Jordan momentary to finally tug close that leather satchel of hers and open up the main flap. She drew out a few bridal magazines to place neatly on the table. Ones that were brand new with no crease or fold, which meant she must’ve done her best not to peruse them and already start plotting or planning on her own.
Shoulders shrugged at her surprise. Which was not uncommon when others found out that Augustus did in fact have an entirely different life prior his vampirism. But as Juliette said, that was for potentially another day. “Perhaps in the future, your majesty.”
Sliding his rump to temporarily perch upon the seat end, the man’s eyes rose in surprise. Then a sense of horror while shaking a hand through the air. “I dare not linger a moment further, for my own sanity. Weddings were harrowing in my past, I’d hate to think of them now.” Augustus hummed, “Your majesties, please let me know if you need anything else.”
Head was shaken and a general sort of dismissing motion offered to assure the lesser vampire was pardoned from lingering any further. Or made to jump through hoops as the means of glossy covered magazines were arranged on table. Leaving him to look across them then to her, “Should I start fearing what sort of wicked ideas you have pertaining to outlandish thoughts you want to challenge me with, my love. After my comments from prior?” Jordan asked even while reaching out to drag over one of the shiny paged items closer, not yet picking it up or opening it. Merely staring at the cover page with an innocuous stare.
With a great deal of amusement, Juliette watched Augustus flee as fast as his feet could carry him without full on running away from the table. The antiquated way these men reacted to wedding involvement was always an entertaining sight. Not without good reason as well. Ignoring Juliette’s own poor recent behavior over such, modern women did take weddings oh so seriously in a way that was astounding!
She turned her eyes to Jordan, not revealing which way she was going to respond, if only because she wasn’t quite sure yet herself if she were mad about how Jordan got involved or if she were impressed how it all came together.
In the end, she shifted back to her cozy position of sitting close enough to be thigh to thigh, and reach a hand up to gentle cup cheek and guide him into a linger kiss. A ghost of a smile remained even as she tapped his mouth with her thumb.
“I would never tell you not to support or defend me. …just be a tiny, tiny bit less threatening.” she confessed. As really, there was no better feeling than to have someone actually in her corner. Juliette wasn’t about to punish him for doing the one thing she so desperately needed.
Her head tilted to gesture towards the magazines on the table, that smile only growing wider.
“Those are just for inspiration. Now that unexpected additional business is over, tonight is a date and nothing more. We might decide on one simple wedding thing and talk. Or if you wish to get adventurous, we could always check something filthy off that mental list you seem to be keeping. See if Augustus regrets letting us in the building.”
The press was certainly pleasant but it was almost as if it was a silent statement that it was intending to have more to it. Not that he was complaining, even as she drew back with a beam gingerly resting there. Pressing lips of his own together, “Me. Threatening…” Jordan stole a slow glimpse around their current proxy. Lingering to scrunch nose momentarily, “I was being less than normal.” Which was true. Not that this was anything to tote about but still, he could have been far worse. “But yes. I understand.” Relenting to her at her want for him to keep it on a down-low for how much he disliked when things went poorly.
Pulling the magazine closer with the query and a short raise of brow once more. “Do we know how to do these date things? Seems like last time, we had quite the impromptu interruption. And who is to say that Augustus isn’t already regretting such things. I am here after all.” Chuckling at himself, he wasn’t about to get all handsy on her here. “Are we intending on making a spectacle here for show or is this intending to be a legit date. Because I am sure there are better places than the Iron Dog for such things.”
She tilted her head back and laughed then, a toss of dark chocolate hair and relieved mirth. Tempted to throw her arms around his neck, just that this time isn’t a need to hide away from frustrations, but just a genuine gladness he was there. If she thought to keep a list of reasons she loved him, tonight would be one. In that all it took was him sitting beside her, and suddenly difficult frustrating things no longer felt so hard.
“A drink here was for convenience, seeing as I was already here and you cannot get the red anywhere else. I also only meant for us to stay here as long as it took to have these drinks and maybe browse a magazine or two as a means to be seen. I hadn’t accounted for an entire discussion with Augustus, that is spectacle enough.”
In fact, she hadn’t thought until now to actually glance around the club to see how many were truly spying on them. Eager eyes hoping to see something interesting to gossip about. Or hoping to see some sort of brawl or bloodshed maybe. Vampires were so much more dramatic than they wanted to admit.
“We could go anywhere else. I wouldn’t mind. Though if something else attempts to interrupt this date I might commit a murder.”
“Well,” he hummed after she drew back –never mind the way his chest felt fuzzy with absolutely delight to see her full of mirth once more – “I can get the red anywhere just… it’s rather frowned upon. By myself.” Seeing as he was the one who made the iron clad rule that no vampire in his coven ought to be attacking innocent people on the streets. It wasn’t perfect because there were of course those that did, but he had yet to catch them. Still if he broke his own rule, he’d be a massive hypocrite, now wouldn’t he. “But I suppose your infinite wisdom here, this is a good place to be seen. Rather than merely talking about one thing and doing another.”
Referencing that the means of being seen here was good. Of course plenty of gawking eyeballs were present. Likely trying to determine how truthful they were at all. While playing various what if mental games as their coven leader had slipped away. Leaving ruling bodies momentarily to their physical selves.
Deciding then and there to once more nurse the aforementioned red while gaze busied itself with prying glimpses across glossy cover. “We’ll assure no interruptions this time, dove.” Jordan hummed softly assuring mouth was not sporting any colour that didn’t belong there. “Show me your inspirational bits first while we nurse the beverages then… I may have an idea of a place I wish to take you.”
“Do you,” she responded with a smile, not expecting him to reveal the where, just content to have a casual moment of doing nothing in particular. No goals or agendas, only leisurely time spent. Something Juliette was very much not used to and likely was actually going to have to practice at. As even now she was trying not to go over a mental checklist of wedding items and how to efficiently check them off the to-do.
Shifting her glass to a new spot on the table so it’d be within easy reach while still browsing, she then leaned her elbows on the table as she flipped open the first of her assortment of bridal magazines. She’d picked up a selection that weren’t focused solely on fashion, but rather had a variety of photoshoots to give any plotting couple plenty of ideas for eventful nuptials.
The amount of pristine white gowns and pink was nauseating.
“It is safe to say neither of us will endure pastels,” she started with a flip of the page. “But I’d like to find a place that’s beautiful at night, and a feel that is… intimate? We cannot help the size of the guest list, but at least we could set a tone that’s subtle. Not this,” she paused, tapping her finger at what she believed was a true nightmare!
Lips curled and he merely let that be his reply to the do you. Not about to go revealing much of anything seeing as one, he would like to have the edge of surprise and two, well… he didn’t want her thinking that he was trying to bait a hook. To see whether it would be someplace she wanted to go or not!
Preferring the chance to merely reference they could finish their respective drinks while the means of over the top material was brought closer. Flipped open to where he could see the glittering pages fluttering by. Dressing, flowers, dresses again! Themes and various colours that he could only guess were styles of things. Till she settled and pointed out the obvious. “You’ve seen my wardrobe.” Jordan dryly smirked, “And I don’t think either of us are as marshmellowy as that of your maid of honour.” Guessing that Hannah would be more likely to have a cotton candy parade of a wedding than anyone else. Looking more like Easter vomit than anything elegant.
And if he needed to show a grimace, the picture she tapped at was shortly offered that. “What the hell is that hanging from the roof?” Asked in rhetoric as he leaned closer like that was going to help him identify it!
Just that the wheels of thought were working. “Well,” Fingers smoothed across the page still, “Depending on how soon you would like to do this… we could always set up the manor to be the place to wed. Obviously the yard itself needs much for the means of manicuring but you are already renovating the house to suit your comfort. You could hire someone to do the same outside to whatever you want and it could be the venue itself. Made entirely by your hands, desires and designs.” It was a blank canvas after all. Open and ready to be created to however she wanted.
“Hannah is begging for a pink theme, likely so she can wander around looking very much the princess maid of honor,” agreed Juliette. She loved Hannah, but not that much. Even if it would be a delightful way to torment Myra, who inevitably would have to dress to match. Juliette couldn’t even think of a single item in her closet that came close to the baby’s breath and bubble gum pinks that Hannah liked to sport.
Tapping the page again as she reached for a sip of her drink, she gave another laugh.
“It looks like a hellscape of sea anemone tendrils. Perhaps if we done them in red it’d feel like we were plotting to hang and strangle people from them.”
It’d be fitting of a vampire wedding for something garish and frightening.
As for his suggestion it left her propping her chin up in her hand and grinning.
“That was my suggestion when you were still reluctant to let me leave the house. I remember distinctly you quickly asking if I dared want to let my parents in our home to attend the ceremony.” she leaned, gently bumping her shoulder against his. “To which I very much do not.”
“Besides,” she continued suddenly brightening up with that wicked fox smile. “It’s easier to escape everyone at a different venue. Not as easy to scare them off our property, no matter how much joy it’d bring me to watch you snarl and bare your teeth and start tossing people out by the scruff of their necks.”
“How on earth did the two of you become friends.” He quizzed with a playful squint, “That little demonic pink cotton candy writer, is quite literally the opposite of you. And I would appreciate you not having a pink theme. She’ll just have to wait for her own wedding in Paris and bubbles.” Shaking his head even while still staring at the ugly ass design that was in the magazine.
No matter which way he tilted his head, it didn’t look any better. “Hmm, maybe if we really needed to scare some people.”
Jordan gave another shake before narrowing sights to her. “I said outside, not inside the house. We could even install a comical ejection button if you have it contracted. Then whomever you want shot out of the yard, easily done.” Honestly he still felt that the two parents had no business entering Juliette’s house, “Just put some shiny bits on the ground and maybe they’d be distracted for a good hour.”
Her lips pulled into the devious grin, listening as she detailed a different venue. Not where but different no less. “I would behave. No one needs to know of any intimidation value I might have. I’d be docile as a lamb.”
With a soft bit of giggling, she resumed her turning of pages. Finding it far too easy to imagine the installation of trap doors, catapults and dungeons into the manor house, and honestly surprised he hadn’t already. Supposing it was simply because if he needed tossing done, he could easily do it himself by means of a little vampiric magic.
“I don’t want to share our home or yard. Nor do I ever want you to be a docile lamb! Absolutely never.” To which she laughed again, because he could say he’d behave all he wanted but Juliette was certain after a few hours he’d be ready to explode into some sort of feral beast. She much preferred her fangy fiancé who had enough meddle to deal with her and the ice or fire she came with.
Much like the friend he seemed to thinking was a pink demon.
“Hannah was… persistent. She decided she liked me, for whatever bizarre reasons she had and didn’t seem to give two shits about the hissing I’d throw at her. Eventually, I found we really do have quite a lot in common. And she’s honest. The romantic scheming is pesky, but she’s never had ulterior motives so what she says is what she means.”
That smile of her softened quick a bit, drawing her to a brief tap of her finger to his chin.
“It’s what I liked about you. Blunt as you are, you’ve only ever been honest with me. It’s a safe feeling to know where I stand with the people closest to me.”
Brow lifted at her then made a slight sort of point with thumb to gesture around their current placement particularly at the mention that she didn’t want him to be docile. Slightly pinching fingers next as if to indicate he was still being less aggressive than usual but knew it was for good reasons. Settling quietly to accept the idea of setting up boobytraps for unruly guests as a later idea for wicked fun. Or persistent religious peddlers.
Although he wouldn’t be able to think of anything off the top of his head that would constitute as a different moonlit venue. Taking a chance instead to reach out and turn the page to another arrangement of a gown particularly accenting the back beadwork.
Whilst the suggestion that her and Hannah had only come together because the little redhead was akin to a yappy little ankle biter that refused to let go. Needing to hound till they understood there were similarities between them. Encouraging a slight side eye as if he wasn’t so convinced of such commonalities.
“I don’t know if I can believe that. You do recall I was present in our first meetings with another and someone made it obvious she wanted to try to torture her not yet known old as time, fiancé.”
“First impressions aren’t always the right impressions,” she reminded him easily. Juliette was fairly certain he didn’t think much of herself either at that first meeting! Remembering quite a few choice insulting words of his that definitely helped aid her own poor conclusions.
Tempted to ask him what he thought now, but deciding it was safer not to. She’d had heard enough ‘observations’ from Augustus this evening, she wasn’t sure she could take them from Jordan. Proving at least one fact, that she was indeed sensitive.
“I am liking the idea of a garden space, though,” bringing it back to that suggestion now that it had ruminated a bit. Taking a few quick flips of pages, she searched for something at least similar enough for an example. Most everything in this particular magazine was daytime public gardens and so wildly extravagant, but she did find at least one with the vibe that appealed to her.
“Something close to this, with space for all of our dastardly guests. Fresh air and a starry sky. Dimly lit, not so much as broody lightning, but… romantic? Soft fairy lights would do. I would like candles, but we might also be tempted to set fire to people…”
With a pleasant twist at the gentle nudge that not all first impressions were the ones to last, he didn’t find any reason to counter that. Rather they were lucky both of their own said impressions weren’t set in stone that they were still at another’s throat. Knowing mentally at the time neither one of them were entirely wanting to do any of this besides business related reasons. Well him, and eventually Juliette.
Now, it was a whole other ball game.
“A garden space.” Repeating it once more even as she opened to a page that had a mystical air about it. Less looking like some space invasion from mars on the roof! This one looked like it was overlooking something impressive, though he couldn’t venture a guess to its location. Perhaps somewhere tropical but it was still hard to tell. “I also think candles are rather frowned upon in wooded areas outside of trying to set people up like candle wicks.” Jordan chuckled, “If you wanted something of a garden space, there is a place that came to mind. Though it would be within my birthland…” He daringly took a sip of his red at that precise moment to drag on the length of pause.
That soft statement seemed to have piqued her interest enough to make her pause, vision landing nowhere in particular as she considered both the implications of returning to his homeland as well as pondering if she’d even like the idea of hosting a wedding there.
“A Mediterranean wedding,” she responded with a slow upturn of a lips. Juliette, even with her anxiety of being in the sea, very much loved the sights and smells of seaside places. She didn’t care much for tropical style or sandy beach events, but the Mediterranean coast? It was easy to imagine the beautiful Cycladic architeture, with accents of rich blues of the Mediterranean sea and the deep olive greens from the land. The aesthetics alone were pleasing, yet she was even more charmed by the idea of Jordan taking her back to his beginning at his ancestral home.
“I like this idea,” she continued with a widening of smile. “We could extend our trip a few days for an initial visit? A small tour for the sake of planning?”
“Hmm, well consider me flattered I offered an idea that wasn’t too terrible.” Playfully teasing that he had expected her to veto the idea at all. Although when was the last time he had crossed the grand pond to the place that his original roots had once been. Far too long for him to press that much consideration into, that’s what!
“Actually, if the idea is enticing enough, perhaps before we return from Milan, we could take a detour to the place of my homeland. To see if it is what in fact you want, I know there is a particular place now that is both seaside and has a forest side present as to offer shade. This way you get a chance to see and decide rather than merely following my word.”
“I find that I am liking this idea of a vacation more and more every day,” she responded, finding that through these little things she was growing more and more excited about the endeavor now that there were a few very appealing things planned. Enough structure that she could still feel like she was accomplishing things, while leaving plenty of room for the spontaneity and leisure of the relaxing everyone was so desperate to get her to do.
The magazines and conversation had done their job well for inspiration, leaving Juliette practically preening as if she were an overly content cat. Abandoning the flipping of magazine pages in favor of plucking up her drink to finish off and comfortably leaning against Jordan. Setting the glass aside once it was empty, to turn the full brunt of her attention to her fiancé, finding it impossible not to look at him like he’d hung the stars up on the sky, even if he was dressed like some dark specter more likely to steal them than to light them!
With gentle fingers she reached to loosen his tie and top buttons just enough for a more casual flair, simply for the excuse of touching. Tempted to steal the tie altogether, but deciding with a soft grin that there was still the rest of the evening to do so.
“Now where do you wish to take me? I fear the longer we sit here, the closer our fanged interlopers are curiously inching closer. Not that I mind them eavesdropping on wedding plans, but I might like to have you to myself.”
Lightly he chuckled at her slow growing approval that she was coming around to the idea of a vacation something proper. Leaving him to mimic her actions of polishing off the remains of drink. Save he wasn’t about to go forward to start plucking at her attire in such a space.
Leaving a slight curious look as the motion of tie being slackened and buttons to be separated from their looped perch, it seemed she was potentially up to something mischievous once more. Directing line of sight away at her query with both a want to finally leave this establishment of vampires, while not imploring those gawking seagulls of blood lusting value, to draw closer. “I’d be hard pressed to deny your wants on a good day, let alone now.” Jordan hummed assuring the means of features weren’t hindered by any red.
Rather making the motion to slip and slide out to stand with hand offered to aid fair dame to feet. Stealing a chance now to properly assess her attire with a notable linger on the shortness of skirt.
Arching brow only, “You’ll just have to follow along to where we might go. I may have to choose a different location depending on how long I can handle you wearing such attire.”
Juliette accepted his hand to slide out of the booth seat with all of the elegance of an actual queen, not giving away a single ounce of her delight on her features to find his blue-eyed stare giving her very carefully selected attire a subtle up and down gaze. Only to release his hand and turn to bend — quite deliberately — to fetch her satchel from the seat. Knowing that the edge of her dress would ride up dangerously high to expose length of leg, yet having the skill to know it’s limits.
“You have me wondering if green is your favorite color too, Jordan,” she answered, perfectly innocently. As if she hadn’t selected the dress specifically to dazzle her fiancé.
With leather satchel resting on shoulder, she took his hand again, beaming with nothing but sweet smiles. The wedding magazines she left on the table – another deliberate move. As soon as thy were out of sight, she knew their curious spectators were going to converge and scuffle over who got there first to snoop and see what their reigning king and queen were so casually browsing. Likely first they’d be disappointed it wasn’t something juicy. Then, perhaps confused that their dark and brooding king had the patience to actually sit and look over something so frivolous.
The idea entertained her, at least.
“It’s starting to grow on me.” Not that he was about to start adopting green into his wardrobe any time soon, but it was alluring. Or it was the one it was currently draped upon that was alluring. Which was likely the very thing. Especially when said being was being obviously daringly sensous.
Leaving him to eventually put his stare back into a proper placement as the means of leaving something for gossipy vampires to snatch at, hadn’t really been taken into account. Likely because he was more or less making a vague head bob to that of the coven leader behind the bar. Expressing soundlessly their departure.
To leave the bumping sound of music and drink behind glass doors, only for one to play the shirking of coat game. Shrugging it off, “It’s a bit cooler this night,” As to play perhaps a cliché gentlemanly card but draping its hold over shoulders, smoothing palms over the yolks to ensure their placement rested on dainty bends. Leaving him a moment or more to gather one’s bearings before turning more to their left. Lightly offering back the hand yet again, “What I have randomly thought of doing may not be suitable for something so daringly eye catching, but I am sure you will still enjoy it. It’s just a little bit of a walk. Care to follow, latreméno mou?“
The gesture of his jacket was met with a wrinkle of her nose and the soft stifle of a laugh. Quite sweet and antique as it was, Juliette suspected it was less for her weathered comfort and more to block anyone’s view should they have a peep in their direction. Or perhaps to hide her from himself, which was so delightfully amusing that it left it with a pleasant floating fleeting and a lightness to her step.
“Latreméno mou,” she mimicked, trying to catch the diction right even as she accepted his hand again and tilted her head to spy at him with that amused squint. “Are we going to test how much Greek I can learn in a few short days? I’m going to guess this one is to call me a vixen instead of a dove.”
It was as good of a guess as any when words didn’t always line with their Latin roots!
Falling into step with him, letting Jordan lead the way while she grasped his hand between hers she granted him a teasing smile.
“Maybe I should be going home to change. Something more demure that won’t be so distracting for you?”
“I mean, you do like a challenge.” He wasn’t about to say whether or not he was hiding her away at all. Trying to keep up some effort of being less of a fangy broody badger that hated the outside world, and perhaps a little more genteel! “But it is certainly not vixen. I’ll let you stew on it rather than tell you.” Deciding it was going to be far more entertaining to see what she might guess the phrase was that had been uttered.
Leaving him the means of leading them along the sidewalk amongst the various storefronts and nightlife folks.
Bringing gaze once more around and down to glimpse upon fair maid. “May I am enjoying the distraction. Why deprive yourself of such a fun little torture.”
Oh, that was wicked. Making her have to try and figure it out on her own. Of course, she could always pull out her phone and look it up, but what would be the fun in that? If she could tease him with bare skin and vixen looks, who was she to stop the man from getting his revenged via mysterious endearments!
That wide cheshire smile was her first response. Admitting only with the flash of teeth and soft giggle, that torture was indeed the objective. Delicious torture that it was.
“Who knew a single dress could be so riveting. Imagine how distracted you’d be to catch a glimpse of what may or may not be underneath,” she leaned to whisper the loaded statement, not about to lose the opportunity to take that teasing further. It may have been a childish thing to flirt so blatantly, and she was going to enjoy every moment of it. Augustus had said, he hadn’t seen Jordan in high spirits like this in a very long time, if ever, so what an exhilarating thing to know she could shift his moods.
“A dragon then,” she gave her second guess once she’d straightened. “Instead of dove, you’d call me a dragon. More appropriate to my temperament, surely.”
Torture it was.
Which spurred her little faeish behaviours all the more. As if he ought to be surprised by such things! It might be the one thing he knew she loved to entertain more than anything else! While proving she was very good at such efforts. Making him behave almost like an ill behaved heathen. Stirring sights to pick between the lapel of coat, considering the whispered words as if they were lethal dripping honey. “I may never make it to the destination I had planned but rather becoming as terrible as teenagers in the backseat of a car.”
He considered the very idea. Weighing it. If he wanted to take her to the place he thought of as they walked, or turn right around. Back towards the steel machine to turn it into a new scratch off a strange list he had only joked about.
The idea was tempting.
Interrupted too, “No.” Head shook at the suggestion he called her that of a dragon. “But what I said could be aligned with a dragon itself. Or what it might do. Or thought.”
Her puckish spell was broken in the instant that she laughed, light and airy, oh so amused with the thought of being dragged back to his expensive car to paw at each other as if they were highschool sweethearts. She found it hard to believe Jordan would even dare, yet the thought was equally as enticing to her. Almost prompting an immediate few steps backwards to be the one doing the dragging.
Luckily for him, her curiosity far out weighed her libido in this moment, so as alluring as a seduction could be, Juliette wanted to know where there mysterious destination as far more. Leaving her affectionately squeezing his hand instead of drawing out his means of torment. For now.
“What a dragon might do or think, hm?” she pondered out loud. “Burn villages, steal princesses, hoard treasures. That might all be accurate as well.” None of which were serious guesses at all.
Less he truly be tempted to right this little duo around to mess about in the vehicle like some pawing teenagers, the thought of how to give Juliette enough clues to what he had said took over. Leaving him to think whilst absently noting their location of walking. Doing well not to miss any potential turns that they may have to wander down in search of the place that he had in mind.
Growing a easy smirk at the suggestion of what dragons may do or think. Falling into the fairytale category that certainly detailed the great lizard beasts as ones of chaos! “I don’t recall you stealing any princesses or burning villages.” He left out the jesting yet. Merely implied it with the curve of impish mouth.
“Would it help you if I spoke it in French? Or do you want to keep guessing.”
“I haven’t burned anything yet,” she said for him, knowing full well she quite literally had just asked Augustus Steele to go do the burning for her. A technicality at best. “I already have a princess,” she continued in reference to Hannah, who was as princessy as one could possibly get.
At his suggestion of speaking it in French, she tilted her head and pretended to give it some deep consideration. Inevitably scoffing and moving to affectionately squeeze his arm in the process.
“Non, en français, ce serait trop facile,” she answered with a soft laugh and a wrinkle of her nose. “But I am done with the guessing, you may tell me now.” Juliette didn’t mind the guessing game, but there were plenty enough of curious mysteries to be unveiled and she was going to have to catch up to Greek sooner rather than later and she could only be patient for so long!
“Let’s keep any potential fires under wraps for a bit yet. We wouldn’t want you to have too much fun so immediately that nothing in the future seems as thrilling.” As if that were the case, before he was laughing at the statement of already having a princess. Barely needing additional seconds to put two and two together. There would be no finer princess that Hannah, though he doubted she would need any dragon to hoard her in a castle. Likely because the beast would be part of a rapt audience that had to listen to the dirty details of an romantic smut writer’s thoughts.
Either the great lizard would be enthralled or horrified.
They took a turn to the right to momentarily pause at a streetlight. Walking for the sign to flash to allowance of pedestrian crossing, where she suggested being told in French would have been far too easy. Watching the way nose wrinkled and he found a enjoyment in the softer laugh. Bidding him to bend to decorate a chaste kiss across cheek, “While it isn’t as notorious as the French saying it, latreméno mou,” Making sure he repeated it, “Means, my cherished. Mon chéri.”
The simple kiss to her cheek was enough to have her smiling wide, but it was the reveal of the word’s meaning that had her pausing with a soft intake of breath and a bewildered expression. All too quickly followed with a bloom of pink to her cheeks and that swishy fluttering in her stomach.
“I see,” she mumbled, quickly trying to reign that ridiculous dizzying feeling back in to something more realistic. Had he said it in French then she would’ve written it off as nothing more than a play of words and platitudes. It was still just words no matter what language, and Juliette wasn’t the sort to get dazzled by simple endearments, anyway!
Cherished. It almost made her heart stop for a second. It did render her speechless, forcing Juliette to take a breath and try to deviate them back to their evening adventure.
“That makes you the dragon, then. And since you are not whisking me away back to your den, I assume this mysterious destination will be just as interesting?” she found the words to say, though maybe a little more breathless than she would have liked.
The traffic light turned red and they were given the go-ahead. To cross over to the next street whilst it seemed that he –of all people- had managed to catch Juliette off balance. At least verbally. Gaining just a small I see while it appeared at least from his point of view, that she was thinking his reply over.
Not in a poor light, rather with intrigue. Till they were level footed on the sidewalk once more and they were completing that motion of forward momentum. Lightly squeezing a hand in-between his own. “I believe I’ve called myself a dragon once or twice before. And I’ll whisk you away later. It would be too on the spot if I did it now.” As if that was the reason.
Never mind him smirking before shrugging at her wonder if the destination was interesting. “Maybe not to most but I wouldn’t bring most here.”
It wasn’t particularly long before they were upon a cute and tiny storefront that had a wooden dangle of a sign before it. Declaring it the ‘The Next Page.’
“But, I thought maybe you might enjoy something we both initially bonded over?” Indicating the bookstore and coffee shop. “If it isn’t too terrible of an idea.”
“Oh, you have made such a terrible mistake,” the words were chiding, but the tone of her voice and the expression on her face were very much the opposite. Already tugging him by the hand to enter the small store with enthusiam akin to a child in a candy shop. Juliette’s eagle-eyed examination was brief, ending with a soft delighted little sound to find it wasn’t just new books lining the shelves but used ones too. Between that an a potentially endless supply of coffee, she could easily spend hours there.
“Cappuccino!” she instructed her poor fiance, already releasing his hand to slip her arms inside his coat proper, where it was going to be far easier to do her hunting. Juliette was already eyeing a few shelves seeking the most dusty, wretched looking bound volume she could spy and nearly abandoned him then and there.
She caught herself just quick enough to return, tugging him down to her height gently by that black tie of his until she could plant a quick smiling kiss upon lips.
So terrible.
Less he lose his footing by being pulled inside the familiar shop, he had to move quickly. Avoiding tripping over her or his own feet, the door jangled and clacked shut expectantly behind. Leaving the very few other patron’s inside only temporarily looking. Growing bored and fleeting their stares back to their own business.
With a gentle ambient sound of music floating from hidden speakers in the ceiling, her movements were swift. Putting arm through coat and declaring easily enough that she wanted something to drink as well. Surprising him that he wasn’t met with an after image of Juliette standing before him. About to ask what size she was looking for, he was tugged downwards to be met with a grinning press. Turning him to lightly air a chuckle out, “Go on before you turn into a roadrunner.” Indicating she was welcomed to go hastening about to her heart’s content, leaving him to wander to the counter for said beverage.
Spying the familiar face of an slightly older lady, blinking noticeably at the company brought. “So she does exist.” Heather, the owner of the place, gawked. Slowly training dark eyes back towards him, “I thought you made her up, Jordan.”
“Or I may have hired someone to pose as my affianced, you cannot be too sure.” The woman’s features twisted into a disbelieving smirk, “No?”
“Not with a kiss like that. If that was the case, that would be one hell of an actress.” Lids painted in neutral browns, smiled. “Usual for you annnd?”
“Cappuccino for the excited lady. If you don’t mind.”
There was nothing better than discovering a new store that she hadn’t yet scoured from floor to ceiling, examining every book on the shelves until she’d confiscated the best of them. For a little girl who had struggled to connect with people, old books were a wonderful way to step into another person’s life and thoughts. Juliette was particularly fond of the ones that had notes written in the margins, passages highlighted or underlined phrases.
It was a far easier way to hear thoughts on her favorite books compared to talking to actual people. She’d certainly tried that in form of a book club, and it was such a nauseating and frustrating bore. The only good that came from the attempt was Hannah.
Finding a particularly neglected shelf, Juliette crouched down to scavenged through the very bottom shelf searching for something interesting. A feat of dexterity for sure to be doing so in heels and not flashing a store full of people. If she’d been wearing pants, she might’ve been crawling across the floor like a black-clad goblin instead of the way she was delicately balancing on toes. When a volume with frayed edges caught her eye she’d pluck it out to give it a few gentle turns of pages to spy for something interesting, only to replace it and find another.
Once she discovered an old copy of Gatsby and got distracted with reading, her fiancé was totally forgotten!
“Well,” There was a soft uniformed understanding shared between himself and the owner of the tucked away bookstore. Eyes seemingly venturing from two drinks prepared on the pickup bar to that of the woman that was impressively able to keep her bottom from peeking out to the store to see. “Seems another person has been ensnared into your bookish webs, Heather.” Decidedly he took the ear of the cup of black coffee at least, turning to lean other elbow upon the counter.
“It has that effect.” Not that she seemed bothered by the entrapment. Rather her painted lips pulled into a comfortable puckish twist. Eyes narrowing, merely missing the steepling of fingers with softened cackles to have the villain charm. “People come mostly for the coffee but end up staying for the books.”
“I’m more than aware.” He had stumbled upon the place entirely by accident. Particularly after one of his meetings at the Iron Dog back however long ago it was. And came to it ever since. Proving it was a place hard to forget about when one was practically a humansized bookworm.
“You might as well get comfortable. We can talk your more recent book, if you have finished it.” His head snapped to look at the deviant with a scoff, “Would you like to bring your dear fiancée that of her drink, or shall we assume you are forever forgotten because my store has the right allure?” Smiling easily at the ploy she was presenting.
Urging him to set down his drink for favour of picking up the cappuccino. Baring under the gaze of the owner to see whether or not he would succeed in breaching Juliette’s awareness once more.
For a moment it did seem like she was so fully engrossed in her chosen volume that he could’ve been dancing a jig beside her and she wouldn’t have noticed. Yet after a beat she reached out a hand to gently squeeze his calf, not looking up from page until she’d reached the end of a paragraph then finally rose gently on stilted feet to stand proper.
“It’s a copy from the forties, possibly a student’s, but they certainly have no love for Daisy with all of the scathing comments they’ve scribbled in the margins.”
Once she finally glanced upwards from the worn pages to actually look at him and the procured mug of steaming cappuccino, she gave the book and then a cup a debating glance before she reluctantly passed him the hardcover and accepted the drink in turn.
“The bottom shelves always have something interesting forgotten about – no one ever bothers to bend down to the ground for searching! They’ll waste their time with whatever is within eye level or an arm’s reach. That’s such a good find as well, stores like this rarely have copies of anything that old! We’d have to go thrifting or antiquing to find things older than the sixties, generally.”
He was about to consider a way to migrate a table up to Juliette’s position so he could put the coffee within reach and not to potentially disturb her means of fascinated concentration. Just how he was going to do so was still not yet coming together. Leaving him to ponder and ponder. Till hand came and she rose up holding the item with a statement about it was from the forties and potentially a student’s. With commentary given in margin lines about one of the characters.
Causing him to smirk with a slight head tilt. Saying nothing right now. Merely trading with her at her leisure.
Listening acutely to the statement about how the treasures seemed to be housed on the lower shelves. How most wouldn’t bother, which he couldn’t disagree with. “Well I won’t trouble your treasure finding then, just be careful with the cup. You’re more than welcomed to shirk the jacket to fold up and put on the floor. That way you can sit without having to bend awkwardly.” Jordan offered, giving the book a bit of a once over. “I’ll be waiting with Heather then until you are ready to purchase whatever you’d like.”
Holding her mug with both hands and taking a long sip, she considered this offer and her fiancé with a long thoughtful look and a giddy sort of smile. Juliette was not one to callously abandon and ignore her dates… Yet no date had ever taken her somewhere she could actually freely get lost in either! Always fine dinners, live shows, special events… all things she did enjoy, but rarely involved anything she was personally invested in. Dropping in on a used bookstore was not something the golden elite ever thought of doing to connect!
Telling her she could freely abandon him and use his jacket like it wasn’t part of an expensively tailored suit was exactly why she wouldn’t.
“I love you,” she murmured between another sip of warm drink. Only to very curiously shoot her gaze over to a mentioned Heather. He was on a first name basis with the proprietor here? A special place indeed to have Jordan willingly interacting with people instead of lurking silently on his own.
“Maybe instead of me crawling across the floor like some sort of book hoarding demon, you can introduce me to your Heather. We may be here often.”
Colour him surprised that she even muttered the three words at him. Earning a further tilt of crown as if trying to decipher just what had brought on such affection. Adding in a blink or two before listening to what was to be said. Peeking over his shoulder towards that of Heather meandering her being behind the clerk counter. Serving up another patron at the moment. “I’m surprised you even want to considering you have a plethora of used books to oogle to your heart’s content. I brought you here because I figured you’d like it for that reason.” Not so much getting to meet the owner.
Unless it was because she intended to come here often, seeing as she know knew the location. Which then made more sense. “But if that’s what you’d like, I suppose.”
He seemed to be bewildered why she’d even make a statement of love, which just drew out that soft wide smile, and prompted her to reach out and grasp his hand to tug behind her back. The best she could do in means of closeness while she still had a hot cup of coffee in one hand.
“I do like it, very much,” she agreed with a nod. “But I need both hands for hunting, however,” she explained, alluding to the need to at least finish her cup before she resumed slinking across the floor in search of treasures. The least she could do was meet a new person he’d had a familiar relationship with.
Especially since she had every intention of returning often, the moment she knew when the shelves were restocked with new volumes.
“Hm, but first,” she pulled away, stepping over to one of the tallest of book shelves and reached up to point with a tap of her finger against wood to the shelf that was juuuust out of her reach. The extra foot of height Jordan had on her would come in handy.
“The red one, please! There’s a ribbon in it an I need to see it.”
This was truly not that expected. As he was sure there was no one around them right now that would need to see any sort of public display of affection for a manner of power. Almost tempted to check around them to determine if Juliette was putting on a theatrical show, or if this was actually done for the benefit of fondness. Not that he was about to complain about the motions. Never mind the moronic flits that heart did within his chest at being tugged by hand.
Temporarily looking at the aforementioned drink that needed a hand at least for sipping. “I could find a way to bring you a table, if you so wish.” Which he had thought about. Still unsuccessful of course but it seemed he had a task soon to attend too.
Eye lifting to where she pointed and tapped. “Hmm?” Drawing closer to line steps to the shelving with little thought, he wasn’t particularly considering their height difference either. Merely scrolling gaze over the books to the red one with its ribbon sticking out. Plucking it up with a curious turn in palm before offering it over without actually thinking about what it might be. Or its title, “Here.”
“We can’t rearrange the entire shop just for me, Jordan,” she murmured with a laugh. As particular as she was, and maybe even that spoiled and High Maintenance she appeared to be, Juliette wasn’t going to terrorize a shop to arrange things just for her convenience. Still, she found it very sweet that he pondered the idea, unless it was simply for him to avoid being used as a living table himself.
On opening up the book with one hand to get a quick glance of where the ribbon bookmark had been nestled, she was delighted to find this particular tome to be an old German cookbook translated into English, complete with ink illustrations. The one bookmarked was some sort of schnitzel, and though Juliette didn’t cook herself she decided it might be nice to create a collection of interesting books for the kitchen if Elisa wanted to try something new. …or old in this case!
“This will be enough- Hm.” she passed him the cookbook to add with the Gatsby, and truly intended to leave it at the two, but couldn’t help one last quick look upwards at the shelves. The second she spied the gold embossing of Spencer’s Faerie Queene, it was impossible to resist. She pointed at that one too with a quick hop and an enthusiastic pointed tap.
“And that! I need that one!”
“Really?” Arching a brow at her for the suggestion that she didn’t think that he could or they should arrange the inside of the shop for her benefit. Let alone that she was the one telling him not to do so. A little surprised really, having almost expected Juliette to be delighted and wasting not a thought to make it happen.
But she was promptly distracted by some book that had been plucked down. Offered over as he made a generalized passing consideration around the area. Considering books without really stopping to read. Sure that he might know most of these anyways from looking at them in some previous visit. Likely having spent time speaking to the owner or one of the clerks that herald the control of the very space.
Lips parted to acquiesce to her statement of it being enough. Save for the fact that something clearly caught her eye.
Looking up to the item with the obvious writing spelling its name out. Not to mention her excitement. Earning a bit of a longer glimpse as he was sure he had never seen her hop around like a child awaiting candy! Still it wasn’t in his business to avoid her request. Making use of height to pluck up the book to once more consider it. This time with length, “The Faerie Queene.” He remarked and furrowed his brows a little. Debating a thought or two but silencing them, to hand over once more. “Any others?”
“No, this is good. This is perfect.” she responded with barely restrained giddy excitement. Forced to be contained, as first she had that cup of coffee in one hand and if she were to do any joyful bouncing it was likely to get sloshed all over the place. And secondly, heaven forbid she make a fool of herself out in public for the world to see over something as simple as an old book. The book she now held to her chest like it was her most special of prizes.
“Edmund Spenser was the forefront of Elizabethan poetry, and this one in particular had a heavy influence with Greek mythology, likely influenced itself by Queen Elizabeth’s classical revival of romanticism, chivalry, and new learning.”
All of this he surely knew, she came to realize… not just know, but was potentially even alive during that age, give or take a few decades! Likewise, he didn’t need an evening of her prattling on about Elizabethan works and Arthurian legends. Leaving her to gesture her head slightly, that she was indeed ready to leave these book shelves before she ended up pulling down more volumes than he could fit in his arms.
“I doubt that.” Chuckling at her attempt to cool her jets about her enthusiasm, it seemed that she had quite the fun little time within the shop. God’s help Heather when Juliette came back of her own accord. The entire place may turn to barren with all books taken away. Good, bad or in-between.
Offering to take her cup in case she did feel the need to bounce about, it seemed her mouth rambled swiftly. Expressing further the intrigue and thrill that was showing her excitement at such finds. Yet, stopped so suddenly. “And? Don’t leave me wondering, Juliette.” Giving her a bit of encouragement to continue her giddy verbal rampage of joy that came from the finds. “We’ll have a moment or more seeing as Heather is helping another customer.” Indicating they’d have to wait their turn anyways. “What else, about your finds.”
Juliette gave him the most dubious of expressions, following his line of sight back to Heather at the counter and then returned to him. With a doubtful twist of her mouth, she at least led the way to one of the small tables to slide into a seat for the timing being, so that she might at the very least finish her drink and be able to page through her current finds without hinderance.
“You do not need to listen to me give a full on lecture about the romanticizing of feudalistic England,” she did finally respond. Not sure herself where this sudden need to reign her bookish interests in, when it was one of the few things she actually enjoyed talking about for hours. Maybe now that she actually cared about his opinion, it was now somehow so much more vulnerable to share this part of herself.
Juliette took a moment to shrug off his suit jacket to drape over the back of her chair, along with sliding her leather satchel to hang on it as well. A good thing after all that she brought it, for now she had several books to stash inside. Then, fighting the agony of suddenly feeling shy about sharing information, that wasn’t even a secret or too personal, she did take the plunge to continue at his beckoning.
“You know, before I diverted entirely to a business major, I was studying literature and linguistic anthropology. Following the evolution of languages and culture through literary works. This one,” she tapped the book gently with her fingers. “is a beautiful example of reflecting the current social-political state of England at the time through allegory and fantasy. It’s well after the hot mess of the War of Roses, during the time where everyone idolized Queen Elizabeth, who I feel was the biggest influence and inspiration during the English Renaissance…”
“Life would have been so different if I hadn’t switched majors,” she confessed. “I do love what I do now, at least in the sense of building something long lasting, but it isn’t quite the same?”
Never mind the way she looked at him while they finally found a portion of open space to sit. Adding on the mention of how he didn’t need to hear her lecture on such things. “I didn’t ask you to lecture. I asked you to continue.” Jordan remarked only temporarily pardoning so he could go and finally retrieve his own cup that had been supplied from the counter. So one might sit with the young miss as she eventually began to divulge the information that had been hushed by her own lips.
Coming to sit and listen to her express how in college she originally had been studying the means of literature and linguistic items. Earning a curious look over the rim of mug, and wondering somewhere in his mind why she hadn’t perused it. Even though he knew why.
“You are self sufficient, you could if you wished too, return and complete that very same course, love. There is no saying that you have to be defined only into a business major.”
Juliette rest her elbow on the table and her chin in her palm, regarding softly with a faint amused style. He always made it sound so simple. Make the choice and do it. Sure for him, a vampire that was older than this city, he could do as he pleased whenever he wished to! Her life had never been so simple, where she could follow her deepest wishes and not have to worry about the consequences.
Well. Until now. A few months as Jordan Harrow’s fiancé and she’d been offered the world and more. Problems on top of it for sure, but… things were quite different now, weren’t they?
“Where would I even find the time,” she excused. “You know I can’t do it halfway, it’d turn into my entire life. I managed to get my business bachelor in two and a half years. I’d want a full PhD for linguistics, maybe even double major with language as they are two very different things.”
Of course now the wheels were turning. Juliette wasn’t actually seriously considering it, yet thinking about it was tempting all the same.
“I’d need to appoint a CFO and new CEO for Byron, though I would hate to leave it right now just when it’s gaining traction again. Your split covens need attention, even if it’s just me being visible and around to make relationships.”
“And you,” she smiled then with a shrug of her shoulders. “I’m spoiled now, Jordan, I don’t want less time with you, I’d rather have so much more.”
“I know you wouldn’t do anything half way. I wouldn’t even bother saying anything about it if you were the sort that would, dove.” Leaning into the back of the chair, the mug was set down to the table. Held by the ear still. Merely to observe the cogs in their figurative sense turning on her features. “You know I wouldn’t find fault for you to go after the things you want, Juliette. If this was or is something that you enjoy the idea of, perhaps you ought to entertain it more so. After all, once your business is standing straight again, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for you to have those appointed anyways. So you can continue on whatever you want.”
Suppose that mentality came from the idea that he had done similar things. Granted he had eons of life to do so. “Though I do find the sentiment that you’d want more time with me, sweet and hard to resist.”
“You would make a very good study partner… if I can keep my hands off you,” she agreed. Who better to go over ancient works with than someone who was ancient themselves and seemed to share the same dragon hoarding instinct of collecting tomes like they were bars of gold.
This was an alluring prospect, one that was already sending the whirling wheels turning in the back of her mind at just what would be necessary to move around to make motions and start it all immediately. Which really did contradict and make moot these attempts of slowing herself down and not taking on so much at once. At this rate they’d truly have to lock her away in the house to keep her settled down!
The conversation did make her curious, however, about her far too generous fiancé and this habit of his to give her everything in the universe but never seeming to want or ask for anything himself. Bringing her to tilt her head slightly as she reached across the table to tap a finger gently to his hand.
“What do you want, Jordan?” she asked genuinely. “Outside of uniting the covens and the business of vampires. What do you want for your life?”
“Now, you can’t flirt your way with the prospective teacher to get help.” Wickedly he smirked at her, “Though I’d be just as guilty. Perhaps a reason why I didn’t become one.” There was a momentary lengthy thought put into that before he shook his head.
He didn’t mind the idea of teaching but having a lot of potential kids or young adults around him, that made him practically cringe at it. Deciding that if he was to start a new life again, he might follow the idea of a bookstore owner. Or a librarian.
It was still an very interesting idea that could be done readily enough.
“Hmm?” He heard her say his name firstly before realizing there was some context prior it. Leaving him to pause a second, rethink, re-listen and then droop his brows into a line to debate what on earth she was talking about. Outside? Crossing gaze to fall upon the hand that had been tapped. “I don’t think I have an answer for that, Juliette. I don’t particularly want anything.”
“If you were my professor I doubt I’d be getting an education in linguistics,” she mused, almost with a laugh. Nor was it an easy feat imagining him with the patience to teach a class full of all too eager students. He’d likely attract the adoration of every girl on campus and the jealousy of every boy. Occasionally toss frustrating students straight out a window. Although she could imagine him as a bookish researcher holed up in the archives doing nothing but reading and taking notes, somehow he seemed so perfectly suited to being a fanged vampire king that to imagine him as something else seemed silly.
Despite these amusing thoughts, Juliette was still surprised to hear that he wanted nothing.
“Truly nothing?” she asked with interest. “Have you really lived so many years and reached that point where there is nothing left to want? I find that hard to believe.”
Sly eyes considered her. Lips turned at their corners to suggest subtle amusement at how they’d likely not be studying any linguistics. Knowing in his mind that she was hardly incorrect. Rather the two of them would be prone to other studies that were far more physical. At least that’s what he thought even if he could be dedicated to teach if the mood strike correctly.
Yet, she asked him a question that was so unusual. So worth a deeper thought that when he went looking for it, emptiness resounded. Tapping fingers over the handle of the mug as if that was about to unlock mountains of interests all the sudden.
“I don’t know. Perhaps.” Jordan frowned then. “I have many things I have learnt and done many things too. That now to sit and think on it, absolutely nothing is coming to mind. Or I’ve been so deeply focused on what I have to do now that I haven’t allowed even a frivolous thought to entertain.” Lips pressed before releasing so shoulders could shrug. “It shouldn’t be surprising that there might be nothing else for me to want. And even if I did, things that I could are likely things that cannot be done. At least that’s my theory.”
Juliette listened with the faintest furrow of concern over her brow, to find that he indeed had nothing in mind outside of things he presently needed to do. No daydreams or desires for himself. They both shared that drive and laser focus on current problems and an ambitious for something more in those projects. But that wasn’t really the making of a fulfilling life, was it? As they’ve all been trying to drill into her, there was more to life than the work you had to do, even if you loved doing it.
Yet, no lecture came from her about such things. Instead she tapped his hand gently again, that furrowed look of hers fading away into a soft fae smile.
“It seems I am going to make your life suddenly quite interesting,” she promised easily. “And should it be you find my chaos too much, and my ambitions exhausting, you’ll finally have a want of your own again, to return to living in peace and quiet somewhere without me.”
Observing the way her brows separated from their bunched knot into something far more familiar, he found her reply certainly fitting. Gently mischievous without it being meant to be cruel. Inviting a private smirk to cross upon his own visage till he could lightly give his head a shake at her antics. “Now that is doubtful.” Blue rings rested upon her, turning hand over so fingers could rest into palm.
And to be presently forward by capturing and lifting to graze lips across that of knuckles. “There would be no peace without you. Just whatever chaos comes that I find exhausting, I will merely be in the basement hiding. But I have no desire to leave you. I’ve told you, I’m territorial. And precisely growing rather greedy every day with you, Juliette. There is little to be done now that could successfully separate you from me now. Unless asked for.”
Kissing her hand was enough to bring about a giddy smile. Something that was so archaic and from anyone else it would’ve been so sleazy and insincere, but coming from Jordan never failed to make her stomach flutter like flitting butterflies. Yet his words were better, giving that pleasing warmth in her chest and odd sort of desires that were so different from the usual sort of wish drag him off to some place she could tear all his clothes off. Soft feelings. Marshmallowy sentiments that were better left in Hannah’s silly novels than to be thoughts floating around in her head, and yet there they were.
“Lucky, then, that the last thing I want is to drive you to hide down alone in your library cave.” she murmured, leaning forward on the table. “Better yet, I would forgo chaos altogether to spend my evenings with you, curled up somewhere cozy with a book or ten. A warm fire and a good drink. I’ll read you one of my books and perhaps you can play that violin of yours for me. Who needs the world, when you are enough.”
Merely brushing thumb to chase after where lips had laid, his own turned subtly upwards further. Chuckling no sooner at the suggestion that she would relent any means of chaos if it meant their evenings could be spent together. All cozied up with that of a plethora of books nearby. A drink accompanying and he could only imagine the idea of a roaring flame sheltered behind a iron spark catcher.
Raising a brow at her when she suggested not only would she read to him but that he might delight her with a strike of bow across strings. “Careful, my love. You will make me melt into a puddle with such genuine words.”
“Well that sounds tempting. I might like to try that,” she replied at the idea of making him melt with words alone. By means of her smile she might’ve already been thinking of ways to do so, but for the moment she merely pulled his hand towards her to twine her fingers with his and rest the back of it warm against her cheek. The means of touch being enough for now, so she wasn’t apt to crawl onto his lap there in the middle of a public cafe.
“You made today easier,” she admitted softly. A rare candid moment of softness, without the need muddle it with anything else. “I didn’t know I needed it so much. Though I think I’m ready to get home now. Unless you’ve plans to extend our evening adventure?” Juliette wouldn’t mind either way, finding she was quite content with the way her night had turned out so far.
He might have attempted to purr at the idea of her trying her ability by words alone to see whether or not he might melt into a pool at her feet. Just such things would have to be privy for the privacy of their own abode rather than a public space. Not even he was willing to go so far as to expend a view for any other.
Just as she moved her grasp and his alongside to play gentle pet to cheekside, he found new gentle intrigue with a few words. Waiting patiently for clarity before shrugging less in the means of nonchalance but gentle acceptance. “I’m merely glad I could make it easier, that alone is but a badge of honour for myself.” Eyes slipped away to consider the very proxy of the store. The patrons, the books, the ambience in its entirety. Lightly allowing smirk to turn into honest bend, “I best not play all my ideas in one night. I will save more of my ideas for other nights. To assure you will want to come along. I think heading home with your newest additions would be best. Are you finished your cup then, love?”
“Then you are not so much without wants after all,” she mused with a charming smile.
As for her waiting cup, Juliette was forced to release his hand in favor of picking it up and taking a few last swallows to polish it off. Not one to leave a treat abandoned or unfinished. Then taking the lead of sliding out of her chair. First reclaiming his jacket to slide her arms back into sleeves, then following with claiming her leather satchel into hands.
Her last acquired treasure she handed over to Jordan as guardian of the trio of tomes and to make checkout that much easier.
“We truly are going to need an entire separate building for books, you do know that don’t you?” she laughed softly.
“Mhmm perhaps not. Though my said wants seem to revolve around you. But that shouldn’t be surprising either, you are something I never thought to have.” Suggesting with her being someone he finally committed too and openly expressed to love, there might be many wants yet undiscovered because of her.
But they could figure those out as they went along. Making the work of his own cup disappear before rising to push chair in and collect the cups together as if that would make the effort of grabbing them for Heather, easier. Taking books when offered so the huff of a airy sound could be given. “I don’t see a downside to this. Perhaps it’s the ploy all along. Find a woman that not only will I share my life with but shares my outrageous love for the written word.” Jordan shrugged noncommittally, “It doesn’t sound like a terrible idea at all.”
Of course he wouldn’t. Smirking all the way up to the counter to find the brunette woman idly fixing her wire frame glasses with a pleasant grin on her features. Growing with the producing of books that were intended to be leaving after purchase from the venue. “Ah, some curious finds. Doubtful they would be yours,” As if that needed to be said, Heather chuckled smoothly. “I’m surprised to find you had restraint, Jordan. Leaving the little miss to find the books and you to play possum instead of searching for some rogue gem as per usual.”
Shoulders shrugged once more, “There’s always another day, Heather. And I am sure I will have to content now anyways, Juliette is the avid collector herself. Perhaps more so than I.”
“Is such a thing possible?”
“Perhaps he wished on a star for an equally bookish wife and the gods deemed him worthy to grant it,” suggested Juliette with the most pleased of smiles as she leaned on the checkout counter. Draped in Jordan’s too large for her suit jacket, she appeared more like an impish young creature than the elegantly dressed heiress she truly was. Though the lightness in her mood certainly helped bury away the usual stiff and standoffish manner she tended to present people with.
“I do wonder when you restock the shelves with new books? I’ll be in this part of the city more often now.” she asked, it being the most important thing to know when it came to the stock of a used book store. One didn’t need to keep browsing the same books over and over, after all.
To Jordan she glanced, that same softer smile appearing again.
“Next time we might see who can find the most interesting thing. No prizes need be necessary with the company.”
He huffed at the very vague suggestion of him being deemed worthy from artificial gods. Of course him and religion had a no love pact between them. Even in jesting, he found the idea of it all so laughable. Though would he be willing to partially entertain the idea that perhaps Juliette was something deemed appropriate for the likes of himself?
Actually that was too much thought to put in and he surely didn’t want too.
Not when they were at the counter with Heather proving to be both puckish and polite all at once. Teasing of course but shortly chuckling as she began to preen over the selected books to take them out of the arrangement of a catalogue system. Purchased and not to be returned. “We restock usually once every two weeks. Depending.” Heather replied easily, “Sometimes it’s later. I have to do a lot of the physical efforts to determine if a book can be resold or not.” The woman declared making it known that the effort to checking the items weren’t just half assed. “Though if you are looking for something particular, you can always leave me a note. I will see if I can find it.”
He hummed lightly in agreement. Having used Heather’s abilities before to find some of the more obscure things.
“I don’t know if that’s a fair contest, I doubt I would find anything on the same level as yourself.”
“Win or lose, I think you’d be content with the finds after. Fireplaces and violins coming to mind again,” she reminded him with that winsome fae smile.
Encouraged and excited at the idea of Heather potentially being a curator of books, and not just a convenient seller, Juliette reached for the notepad set on the counter and very quickly scrawled out in elegant script a few things she was looking for. First edition Agatha Christie novels, anything featuring an unusual occult or supernatural flair. Books with interesting notes inside. She made sure to give her name and phone number as well, despite the girl now knowing her as Jordan’s fiancé.
“If you ever need a filthy romance novelistic for a book signing and some extra attention, I have one in my pocket. She’d enjoy the fuss about her, I’m sure.”
Volunteering Hannah without asking first probably wasn’t the nicest of things, but Juliette knew her friend well enough to know, she truly would enjoy the chance to meet more readers. It seemed to be the girl’s favorite part about publishing her novels.
Pointedly he ignored the rising arched brow appearing to be coaxed upwards on Heather’s face. Likely to the mention of fireplaces and violin’s. Concerning himself more so with observing the fair woman at his side that was producing that fairy like smile once more. Knowing then and there that she was seeking to tease in front of company. Knowing they would be on the move once more within mere moments.
Rather than leaning further into suggestions that other’s would and shouldn’t be privy too, a notepad was scrawled with information. Heather’s eyes watchful and head bobbing at the written details that seemed to be tucking themselves away into the recesses of her thoughts. All the while writing up an old fashion bill rather than plucking away at a new tablet register system.
Just to pause at the mention of filthy romance novelistic. Raising head, curling a stray lock behind an ear and visibly questioning whether Juliette was serious or not. “I’ll keep that in mind.” She offered before glancing at him as if that was about to gauge its legitimacy. Leaving him to be purposefully fishing in wallet instead of allowing visual or verbal reply.
Putting bills to counter without needing to hear the total, “Do you want a little bag for the books then?”
“Oh no, it appears I made an auspicious choice today in carrying my satchel instead of a vampy little handbag.” The choice of words hadn’t been on purpose, but Juliette caught it quick and that wicked smile was back again. While she had no idea whether or not Heather was one in on Jordan’s secret circle, the slip of words still amused her nonetheless.
Once presented back to her, Juliette took the books with due care to tucked neatly and safely into her leather bag. Truly lucky indeed that she’d brought it, as Jordan’s surprise detour had been fruitful. Not just in books alone, but in conversation of things that could be. A headspace she certainly had never been in before. Not just a focus on ambitious goals to check off her list, but a warm contentment with simple pleasures.
Books, warm fires, and Jordan. Who knew something so simple could be so satisfying.
A slight turn and a lifted brow at her particular choice of wording about a handbag, was all that he needed for this moment. Seeing as someone else certainly found herself properly amused by such a statement anyways, an inside joke surely. Never mind that Heather was giving a slow sort of look that was trying to process just what part of that had warranted amusement. Evidently coming up with nothing. “Well then, I won’t worry about that then.” Heather commented with a slow chuckle bubbling up before indicating with a pointed finger towards that of Juliette whilst holding his eye contact. “Come around more often hmm? I was starting to worry you’ve lost interest in books. Rather than finding a perfect companion to highlight your hobby.”
Jordan echoed the breathy sound, “I don’t think I would have a choice at this point. I’ve bared fruit of the bookstore to that of a woman of refined taste.” Making it sound more poetic in its own way. Warranting a easy grin from the owner before she was making a slight swooshing motion of hand that bid a farewell sort of indication.
Leaving him to once more lay gaze upon the impish heiress, “Well now, are you satisfied with our little spontaneity, peristéri? I would think this was far better than some club.“
Once they’d stepped outside into the fresh evening air of the city, Juliette laughed. Taking the moment to capture his hand as they started their stroll down the sidewalk again.
“A book club has it’s merits… or at least I assume it would with the proper company,” she stated easily, inferring that she’d not mind another one if said club involved Jordan. Likely, though, just Jordan and no one else. Which wouldn’t make it much of a club, would it!
“But yes, I am pleased with this unexpected expedition,” Juliette affirmed with the broadness of a genuine smile and a gentle squeeze of his hand. “I am easy to please when there are books involved.”
Juliette was still irked by being called high maintenance by Augustus – even if the statement had been accurate! Regardless of truth or not, it wasn’t something one wanted to hear, especially when she was certain that his version of high maintenance actually meant temperamental monster.
“I’m ready to be back home, though.” she admitted. “I’ve had enough of other people for the time being, that I am not sure I can even show face for Elisa and dinner. I may take a page from the Jordan Harrow Book of Hiding, and sequester away unfound.”
“Well,” A grin pulled rather smoothly across features as she suggested such a book club might have its uses, though he was starting to suspect the type of book club she was talking about and implying were entirely two different things. “I don’t know about any sort of proper book club you would want, my love, but I can at least offer this.” Jordan gave her hand a playful compression as they began their efforts of walking back and in turn returning home.
Allowing him moments to stretch out his reply whilst she gave him more details about being pleased and enjoying this far better than any sort of conversation they had prior at the Iron Dog. Even suggesting taking said page from his mannerism, “Now with that I can properly suggest to you that while I might not be inclined to a book club, a book duo may be offered. With some wine of your preference, a ambient room and perhaps we might even read a book. Though that last one may be difficult if I’m present.” Laying it on heavily what his intentions were clearly.
“I am liking the sound of this so far…” Juliette pretended to muse over these suggestions, perhaps even deliberately ignoring the salacious undercurrent at first if only because it actually did sound like a wonderful way to spend the remainder of their evening. They had a ridiculously large manor house with any number of cozy rooms they could tuck away into. A good red wine, literally any book in her hand, and a quiet evening with Jordan alone was enough.
Of course, she hadn’t chosen her current attire with the intent to be innocent either.
“Seems a good opportunity to pluck up one of Hannah’s novels and read you a few excerpts. So we might discuss and compare notes on… interesting scenes!”
If he was about to prim and fluff at the idea that he had verbalized was earning approval, he resisted it for now. Steadying gaze to be swivelling from walk back and to Juliette proper. Waiting for a moment till he was sure she wasn’t about to just tug his chain in a figurative sense, before growing almost into a state of horror with the newest addition to the plot.
“At least let me take you proper before you subject me to such torture, Juliette. I don’t know if I would be able to even barely scratch the surface of intimacy if you read me a few excerpts prior. And if we are to compare notes, then I’d at least require the means of creating our own scenes to in fact evaluate too.” He was sure Hannah’s writing wasn’t nearly as terrible as he was thinking it was, but there was something so unholy about knowing that his fiancée’s best friend was a smut writer, that she in fact wanted to read him some of her writing.
It almost sounded like a mood killer for him, or as formerly suggested, torture.
Juliette knew that Jordan had quite a few assumptions when it came to the works of one Hannah Lucas, nor did the way she and her zesty friend help matters in how they talked about Hannah’s books. Truthfully they were indeed more akin to having a very decadent chocolate cake. Satisfying and delicious for certain, but absolutely not a proper meal! Worse yet, no matter how Jordan insisted otherwise, she was still certain such excerpts would have the man blushing.
That thought and the pure look of potential terror on his face was enough to prompt Juliette to erupt in a delighted laugh. Not at all from joy in torturing her fiance, but over his dramatics towards something so harmless. At least a little gentle teasing was good for him!
With that faeish grin she took to hanging onto his arm and attempting to temper her amusement.
“Forgive me, lover. Does this mean you intend to regale me with your own long list of imaginative seductions that’d put the works of Ms. Lucas to shame? As I would be very, very interested in finding out what scenes you could do oh so better.”
“If you would let me, I might be able to offer a few things that would be likely unlisted in any books you’ve read thus far. From Hannah or any other.” Seemingly confident in his ability to whisk the young woman away on the ferry of something rather licentious. Surely his many years of being alive ought to have some things that could still curl toes and not be easily found written between book pages for fluttering housewives to fan themselves with.
Of course he might have to slide further into the means of gentle adoring affections rather than feisty bouts between sheets. “Though I suppose if I want to accomplish such a feat, then I would need to know what sort of devious desires a lovesick virgin writer, writes about. So perhaps you may have to loop me into being read too. I might even decide to pamper you in the meantime with some TLC while you make my ears bleed.”
Juliette laughed again, finding this line they walked between filthy flirting and genuine conversation such a pleasing space to be in. Somewhere they always seemed to naturally fit in, even from the start… and yet, that was exactly what made it so comfortable. There was no work involved in being charming or being charmed, and while they still had a long way to go in learning how to properly communicate when one or the other had a problem, they had a chemistry that was practically palpable.
She was happy, genuinely happy. And for once there wasn’t some little niggling shadow of doubt whispering fearful things in the back of her mind.
“That’s quite a bold statement,” she mused aloud with that cheshire grin. “I have read so many, many books that I suspect are not ones you’d typically thumb through.” Even thinking about Jordan hoarding away shelves full of smutty novels on the league of Hannah’s was going to make her cackle out loud!
Once they’d reached where he’d park his expensive, sporty little car Juliette stopped to turn to him and take both his hands. Beaming up at him with a smile that was both softly affectionate and oh so amused.
“I get the feeling you’re not going to hear anything I read…” she murmured, rising up on her toes along with that gentle tug to his hands to get him to lean down closer to place the gentle brush of kiss to hiss cheek. “You won’t know the different between sultry fiction or a list of math equations.”
A chuckle was offered to her suggestion that he gave a bold statement. As if the laugh was enough to suggest that it was all he knew to do. Was to be bold. Especially when it came to the moment. Not something that was forced or demanded behind the sharp grit of teeth paired with a thudding fist. Something a little more breezy and enjoyable that they both could find amusement with. Even whilst she dared to tell him that the books she read through of plenty, were likely not the one’s he would.
Which was probably very likely.
Granted as they came to the vehicle and his hands were stolen easily into that of her own, she bore a grin that he found properly alluring. Like a fish to a dangling shiny hook.
“Hmm,” Jordan paused barely for effect to her likely very on point observation to whether he would hear a single word read out loud. Leaning do her beckon even as lips were being particularly cheap by gracing cheek over lips. “And you say that like it’s a bad thing? I may not listen but I will be enthralled,” Deciding her damnable little minx like behaviour was unsuitable. Turning and stealing that of kissers proper. Lingering with purpose, “Just in ways that no words can accomplish. At least ones read from a book. And truly, I don’t think you’d want me to pay that close attention.” Eyes flickered downwards, “Otherwise would you have dressed in such a way if you wanted me to hang on your every word, love?”
That lingering stolen kiss was met with a soft sigh, the continued cheshire grin, and her own brief flicker of warm brown eyes at his attire. All clad in expensive black like some sort of assassin of the night. Certainly worth the time taken to give appreciation of in itself by means of her releasing his hands to lift her own and reach up to gently loosen his tie and do away with that first button or two. Dutifully setting the man free from being all buttoned up and simultaneously being a tease all at once.
“Now what makes you think I dressed just for you,” she questioned. Though, by the quirk at the corner of her mouth and the tone of her voice it was plainly obviously that is exactly what she’d done. Juliette appeared to be quite proud of the results too!
“To the contrary, I want all of your attention. To have you hanging on every murmured word, twist of movement, and each and every long languorous touch.”
There was certainly something absolutely enticing with a mere stolen kiss and the tracing placement of fingers making use to pluck away any order of suitlike fashion. Making it less put together with a few pulled buttons and loosened tie. Feeling like a present that was being painstakingly unwrapped.
Lowering brows no sooner as she gave him a jest of a question that he hardly had to reply too. Especially as the corners of mouth were already favouring the lie she was trying to tell him.
Having to remind himself they were still in a very public place even if the tempting flutter of intention spoken on golden words was making one’s mind float into less appropriate placements. “Keep going like that and I will be. And we’ll make it home late.”
“No need to threaten me with a good time, lover,” she mused out loud. Almost seeming to be visibly considering whether or not she intended to make good on it! Even daring to curl a finger underneath the waistband of his trousers to give him a little tug closer, oh so tempted to see just how far she could get Jordan unraveled and forgetting all about the place and time!
Only, Juliette hadn’t been kidding about wanting his full devoted attention. Something she couldn’t get if they were pawing at each other in the backseat of his car on a public street.
Even if it did give her all sorts of cheeky ideas!
“But as you wish. Home it is,” she finally did respond, those cheeky thoughts having made their way into her expression regardless. Even if she did step back and pull away. Giving his form a quick up and down glance over her shoulder along with a wicked smile as she rounded the vehicle to the passenger’s side.
“I may need too to make sure you want that good time.” Doubling down on the suggestion in case she decided that cheek was the only thing that was going to be offered at this particular moment, she was certainly giving it the tenfold. Tugging and pulling to locate perhaps where the yarn just might unravel. Where the line of common sense broke apart to mere carnal wants. A dangerous play in general but potentially doubly so when it came to someone who existed on the function of the eternal night.
And she was certainly making sure she kept the means of tease ever present. Lengthening this process till finally suitable accepting agreement was made. To return to that of their abode to potentially see if she would channel her own Jordan mentality to just slide away from Elisa and Hannah.
Although the way she was going, they weren’t going to be reading that was for damn sure. Wondering just how was he supposed to get her to start weakening at the knees rather than him. Hardly complaining himself, it would be quite the feat he suspected to have her break down those walls that intended to want to be the one so unbothered, so unfretted by anything.
He would have to think of something and he was sure that ignoring her would not be the answer for this. Sliding away to give the drive home the chance to mull over if there was any way to get Juliette Byron to crack. Even just a little.