The woman exuding understated luxury glided past the podium, her presence so commanding that no one thought to stop her. She moved toward the center of the dining room with an effortless, leggy stride. Beautiful and poised, Vivian seemed to fit perfectly into this world of quiet excess, where the lighting was dim and the service was impeccable.
"Brennan!" she called out, smiling jovially as she reached his side. She leaned in, pulling him into a tight, comforting hug.
"See? I told you it was him," a woman at a nearby table whispered, tugging insistently at her husband's sleeve. Her eyes were fixed on Brennan's, dirty-blonde hair. They had just watched his interview on the news that afternoon.
The husband pulled out his phone, angling it to capture a selfie of himself and his wife. He made sure to frame the shot so Brennan was clearly visible in the background.
"Got it!" he cheered, indulging his wife's excitement. He couldn't quite remember the man's name, but he was clearly someone famous.
"I can't—I can't wait to post this on PikFlip!" she squealed.
Across the room, at a table tucked away in a shadowed corner, a man in a sharp navy suit maintained a cold countenance. He didn't look at the fans; instead, his phone was positioned subtly to record Brennan and Vivian. He had been hired to keep tabs on his target for the foreseeable future, and tonight was providing excellent footage.
"Hey! Good to see you," Brennan said, breaking the embrace. He stepped toward her chair, waving away a waiter who hurried over to assist. Brennan took the back of the chair himself, guiding it forward with practiced grace as Vivian sat, before returning to his own seat.
He couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips as he stared at her. She was just as beautiful as the day they met years ago. Her chocolate-brown hair was swept up into a sophisticated bun, though a few rebellious tendrils had escaped to frame her face. When she smiled, her eyes curved into delicate crescents, momentarily hiding her dark orbs. Brennan felt a surge of quiet confidence; he was finally going to make his move. The timing was right, his career had peaked, and he was ready.
As they settled in, a waiter appeared silently at their side carrying a silver tray. With heavy metallic tongs, he offered each of them a steaming, lemon-scented hot towel. Vivian took hers with a nod, pressing the warmth against her palms, while Brennan did the same. The waiter vanished as quickly as he had appeared, leaving them to the quiet hum of the restaurant.
Vivian looked around the room, her eyes bouncing across the polished floors and the minimalist, dark-wood decor. It was a simply decorated establishment, yet it hummed with an unmistakable opulence. Resting her gold-plated clutch on the white linen, she focused on the man across from her—taking in his warm green eyes and the wayward curl that poked up from behind his ear. He really was handsome.
"So... how long are you in town?" she asked. "I heard your new show is filming in Greenwood for the next month."
Before he could answer, a member of the staff arrived to explain the evening's progression. They agreed on the chef's recommendation: a ten-course tasting menu, curated entirely by the kitchen.
Once the staff left them alone, Brennan leaned forward. "Yeah, we're shooting on location. There's a lot of beautiful architecture in Greenwood." He paused, not wanting to get stuck talking about himself or the industry. He wanted to focus on her.
Though she lived in Greenwood, she seemed to treat the city like a departure lounge. "Are you going to be sticking around?"
Vivian laughed, shaking her head. "No, I'm—"
Her words were cut off by the sharp buzz of her phone. The screen lit up with a cascade of notifications from her 'Platinum Spoon' group chat. She ignored the device, flipping it face down on the table, though it continued to vibrate against the wood every few seconds.
"You can answer," Brennan said with a small smile, nodding toward the phone. "It could be important."
"It's not important," she waved him off. "I am flying out to Luvia tomorrow morning." She had already made plans with Sara at a little cafe they'd frequented back when she was auditing art history classes.
Brennan felt a sharp pang of deflation. Now that he was finally here, in her city, she was already halfway across the Atlantic. It was frustrating.
"Do you think you'll ever stay put in one place?" he asked, his voice taking on a more serious edge. He was thinking of roots—of a home, a marriage, a family. He was twenty-eight, his career was established, and he was ready to trade the intensity of the set for a real life. "Have a family?"
Vivian winced, her posture stiffening as she physically pulled away from the table. This wasn't the light, "catch-up" dinner she had anticipated.
"Umm... I don't—"
"Just hear me out," he pleaded, reaching slightly across the table. "I'm willing to take a break. My contract is about to be up with my management company, and we're about to wrap on *Heartbreak Falls*. I have the time to be serious. With you."
Vivian was saved from responding as the waiter returned with their first course, setting two crisp white plates before them with mathematical precision.
"To awaken your palate," the waiter murmured. "Oeuf en Meurette. Poached egg, onion, bacon, parsnip, and brioche. Enjoy."
The urge to run began to pulse in Vivian's chest. Her phone buzzed again, a frantic rhythm on the table.
"Why do I have a feeling the world's working against me?" Brennan joked, though his eyes remained searching. "Obviously someone wants your attention."
She felt a flicker of guilt, but she seized the distraction. "I'm so sorry, let me just..."
She flipped the phone over.
Platinum Spoon Group Chat
Fuhad: just arrived.
Darla:coming through the door.
Gigi: me and Mimi are 6 minutes away tops.
Mimi:are you going to be able to come Carrie?
Darla: you should come. We don't get to meet like this often.
Ming:don't bring the geezer.
Fuhad: lol
Nala: don't be rude. That geezer is her husband.
Carrie:I hate you all LMFAO. I'm at a company dinner. I'll try to make it.
Himari: I'm waiting on Ji-ho.
Fuhad: V???
Koda:she's too busy being famous!
Ming: jealous.
Fuhad: Nat???
Vivian stopped reading as the messages spiraled. When she looked up, she met Brennan's expectant gaze and felt like she might fold in on herself.
"It's my friends," she said, shrugging as she set the phone back down. "There is a game night happening."
Brennan looked at her, a silent realization dawning on him. She never introduced him to her world—not to friends, not to family. The only person he'd ever met was her silent driver. "We could go. To game night."
"I mean... my friends are not very friendly," she laughed nervously, thinking of the group's collective eccentricities. "They're kind of snobs."
Brennan brushed a speck of invisible dust from his navy lapel. He gave her a pointed look. "I'm a rich movie star. I, too, am a snob. I will fit in great."
She laughed at his beaming, confident smile. "I can bring you. But as a friend only." She didn't want him thinking this was a step toward the "family" talk he wanted.
He shrugged, waving the waiter over to signal for the bill, cutting the ten-course meal short without a second thought. "Are you worried your friends will think I'm good for you?" On the outside he was calm, but his ego withered slightly at her insistence on the 'friend' label.
There was the truth, and then there was what you told a friend. Vivian chose the latter. "I don't think they would mind you. Not them. But my parents... they plan to choose exactly how my life goes. And I don't want to fight them. It's not worth it." She sighed.
"Not even for me?" His smile was infectious and dazzling. But **it wasn't** enough to sway her mind.
Vivian looked at him, her expression unreadable. "Not even for myself."
Author's Note:
Hello to my loyal readers. If you've been wondering all this time where I've been and what I've been working on, this is the fruit of my labor. Another book! 😂 I just wanted to try and write another kind of story. This one has no magic, and I wouldn't say it's as BDSM-heavy as my other books can be, but it has spice. So don't fret. I hope you'll give it a chance.