Park and Violet (12 page)

      Violet laughed. “Actually, if you ask him, I don’t think he counts it as a privilege. It’s more like a curse for him, you know.”

      “Then let me do it for him!” Hiroshi blurted out.

      That, Park decided, was his cue to enter. He rounded the next corner but what he saw made him stop mid-stride. Apparently, Hiroshi wasn’t just the only one trying to get lucky with Violet. She was literally surrounded by boys from her class, and they stared at Violet and hung on to her every word like she was a goddess.

      “How about I carry your bags until outside school?” one guy bargained.

      “I could maybe treat you out sometime?” another one asked.

      He shook his head. They were all idiots, the lot of them. Even though he was sexually attracted to Violet, he wasn’t blind. Didn’t they know that Violet’s sweetly attractive exterior hid a spoiled brat at heart?

      He turned around and started walking away. At this rate, she didn’t need him to walk her to work.

      “Park!”

      Park debated with himself whether or not to pretend deafness.

      “Paaaaaaaaark!”

      Violet grinned when it took Park several seconds to turn around and face her. She was pretty sure that he was reluctant to do so and the exasperation in his eyes confirmed it. Violet laughed. “Hello there, beautiful!”

      He scowled at her.

      She ignored that, skipping to his side like a kid so she could curl her arm around his.

      Park tried to shrug her off but she held firm. He glanced at Violet’s suitors and saw that half of them were looking at him with undisguised envy while the others were glaring at him.

      Violet blew them a kiss. “Sorry, guys. I have to go to work now.”

      They groaned simultaneously but walked away, used now to Violet’s ability to ignore them whenever Park was around. All of them were silently wondering the same thing. How could Park be so stupid as not to date Violet? However, none of them voiced their thoughts out loud. After all, Park’s loss was their gain.

      As they sped down the stairs—or at least Violet had to, just to catch up with Park’s relentlessly long-legged strides–she asked him a little breathlessly, “How was your day?” The breathlessness was strictly because she was practically running and not because she was next to Park and all she could think of was having sex with him.

      It was getting really ridiculous, the way she couldn’t stop thinking about the next time she could get Park naked. She was never like this even with…him.

      “Fine.”

      Violet made a face at Park’s usual monosyllabic reply. They had been friends–frenemies or dorm mates with benefits or whatever they were, for over a month, and for the life of her, she still couldn’t get rid of Park’s Nordic ogre ways. “That’s really the best you can do?” she complained.

      “That’s because I’m no Energizer bunny like you,” he retorted and mimicked Violet’s chirpy voice. “Hi Park! Hey Park! What’s up, Park?”

      Violet pinched him on his side, making Park yelp. “Asian Yeti!”

      “Don’t do that again,” he snapped, rubbing his side gingerly.

      Violet lifted her chin. “I’ll do it whenever I want.”

      “Is that so?” And he promptly pulled her ear.

      It was Violet’s turn to yelp. She glared up at him. “You’re the only guy who does that to me!”

      “You’re the only girl who dares do things to me as well!”

      Violet’s glare switched to a smile, making Park blink several times at the lightning-quick transformation. “Really?” Somehow, those words–coming from Park–were extremely flattering.

      Unbelievable. Violet was truly one of a kind. Her mood swings were just impossibly erratic. “Are you honestly sane?” he asked her very seriously.

      Violet rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Is it true, huh, Park? Is it?” she nagged, pulling his sleeve.

      He flicked her hand away. “Do you think I’m fucking anyone else?” he half-snarled. “Of course it’s true. now will you stop pulling on my sleeve?”

      Without a word, Violet dropped her hold on him and flew into the empty classroom they had just passed by. What the—was she throwing a tantrum just for that? What was she, six? Or maybe this was the fucking PMS shit he heard about?

      “Violet, come out.” If she thought he was going to go and woo her out like a kid, she was going to wait forever for nothing.

      “Violet, seriously, come out.”

      But she still didn’t answer.

      He raked a hand through his hair. What the hell did the little banshee want? He had already said she was…different.

      “Violet…” Unable to help it, he stalked inside but was only able to take one step into the room before freezing.

      Violet was naked except for her heels.

      A sultry smile curved on her lips. “It took you long enough to come here.” Her glance strayed towards the door. “Maybe you can lock it so I could, umm, do one of those things only I could do?” Park moved like lightning speed after that, and she laughed, having never seen Park move so quickly—or so clumsily—before.

      But her laughter died when Park was suddenly in front of her, carrying her in his arms until he could lay her on the teacher’s table, her legs dangling above ground. She was instantly wet, just watching him unzip himself.

      “This is as far as I can fucking go,” he told her in rough apology as he pulled her close to the edge of the table.

      She moaned when the head of his dick brushed against her folds. “It’s good enough,” she managed to gasp and then there wasn’t anything to say anymore, with Violet biting down hard on her lips to keep the cries inside as Park pounded into her, again and again and again.

* * * *

      Park and Violet maintained a proper distance from each other as they arrived at their workplace, both of them still intent in keeping their “harmless flirtations” a secret between the two of them.

      He rolled his eyes when Violet kept fussing with her clothes. “You’re just making it more obvious something happened,” he told her.

      She paled.

      “I was just joking,” he said quickly.

      Violet beamed. “I know. I was just joking, too.”

      His blood boiled. “You little—”

      She laughingly ran out of his reach, going through the revolving doors of the hotel first and saying gaily, “Park’s angry at me again!”

      Everyone in the hotel was still laughing by the time he came in as well. Violet was again surrounded by boys, both employees and customers alike. Park shook his head in exasperation. Didn’t these idiots know by now that the surest way not to get close to Violet was to make her feel crowded?

      Their manager came out of his office then, an odd look on his face. “Violet?”

      Park’s head jerked up at that.

      “Someone is here to see you,” their manager said in Japanese. “Your guest’s been waiting here for a few hours. This visit is supposed to be a surprise.”

      But the way the manager said it, even he wasn’t sure it was a surprise Violet would be happy about.

      Violet didn’t seem to catch on, though. She was beaming, excitement written all over her face. “It’s my sister, isn’t it?”

      “Not quite,” a voice answered just as a tall blond guy stepped out of the manager’s office. He was impeccably dressed, quite formally for someone their age actually, in a cream blazer and matching pants. He had the look of someone who was born rich–and someone who never hesitated to use his money to get his way.

      The smile on the guy’s face was more of a sneer, and Park instantly loathed him on sight.

      “Hello, love.”

      Park bristled at the possessive tone of the other man’s voice. His head snapped to Violet, whose face was now entirely white, her body stiff with tension.

      “Maybe we can talk somewhere privately for a moment?”

      Violet nodded jerkily at the other man’s oily-sounding request, her eyes turning to the manager. Park inhaled sharply, not liking the look in those eyes. It was as if she was pleading them not to interfere but at the same time she was pleading for help.

      “Please take your time,” their manager said, making a small bow as he did. Park had always appreciated how traditionally courteous their manager was, but right now he wished the older man could be rude and stricter, maybe even get mad and prevent Violet from leaving.

      “You’re not going to stop them?” Akito asked as all their gazes followed Violet and the other man as they walked through the hotel’s back exit.

      Did he have a right to stop her? And should he stop her even if he did? Park didn’t know if there were any right answers to those questions, but what he did know was that he hated seeing Violet let the other man take her hand.

* * * *

      It was stupid of Violet to think Park would come after her, that he would shout “stop” and take her away from the man standing next to her now.

      Stupid, Violet told herself firmly even though she had the strongest urge to cry. Stupid, stupid, stupid! She had to be strong and not depend on Park or anyone else.

      “This is really where you want to talk?” Andrew asked in disgust. “In some abandoned alley?”

      Just his voice alone made Violet want to take a shower, several times. He made her feel so unclean. He made her feel so fake, too, like the Violet that everyone here knew wasn’t the real her.

      But it was. It had been. The fake Violet was the one who had been with Andrew. She had to remember that.

      Violet had been fifteen when she fell in love with Andrew. He had been the hottest guy in school and since most people considered her the hottest girl in school, it felt like serendipity for them to be together.

      Her lips twisted at the memories, at the way she had been so happy with the way everyone thought they were the perfect couple. It only showed how stupid she had been back then.

      When Andrew had asked her out, she had been over the moon. She had really thought he was the one–the only guy who didn’t think she was a slut just because she liked to flirt. But she had been so wrong.

      “Reminiscing about the past, love?” Andrew sneered, seeing the look on Violet’s face.

      She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of showing him how much he bothered her. Violet asked tonelessly, “What do you want?”

      Andrew hated how composed Violet was now, a far cry from the broken mess she had been when she turned up for her first day in college, her eyes bright with hope in thinking she could start again—only to realize that Andrew had gotten to everyone already.

      Everyone in their high school had thought Violet was a slut. It had been easy to make everyone believe him, the way Violet looked, dressed, and acted with the guys. And when they graduated, Andrew made sure they had gotten into the same college. He had spent a fortune entertaining the college crowd, just to make sure he was able to spread the same rumors about her, hoping it would force Violet to turn to him.

      Andrew had wanted Violet to realize that she needed him to make things right. He thought isolating her would do the trick, but what he hadn’t fucking counted on was for Violet to run away and put an ocean between them, hiding in this strange country that Andrew always thought was for freaks. Worse, he didn’t count on everyone doubting his word with Violet gone, as if everyone felt guilty for playing a part in pushing her away.

      “You look beautiful, Vi.”

      Once, hearing such words from Andrew would have made Violet smile. Now, it only made her feel even more revolted, remembering how easily she had fallen for his fake charm.

      “I don’t want you coming here again.” She could see that her words irritated him. She had spent enough time with Andrew to know when he was close to losing his temper, which he often did. His eyes would narrow into slits, like a venomous snake, and his mouth would have a petulant look to it, like a child who was used to getting his way. Those things described exactly how Andrew looked now, and it chilled her.

      How in the world had she ever fallen in love with Andrew?

      “Why is that, Vi? Is it because you’ve found a new boy to fool around with?” he taunted. “Made him think you’re game to do anything when all along you’re a frigid virgin who doesn’t know what to do with her body?” He caught her wrist as she attempted to slap him, laughing almost maniacally as he savored the look of fear on Violet’s face. “Nobody here knows about your past.” The look in her eyes was answer enough and Andrew’s own gaze gleamed. “My poor love,” he said mockingly. “Are you afraid they’re not going to like you when they learn what a whore you are?”

      “You’re hurting me.” She gritted the words out, telling herself she had nothing to fear. Although they were standing at the empty alley behind her workplace, it was still a public street. Surely if she screamed someone would come running to help her.

      But if she screamed, Park would know and…she didn’t want that.