The Raving Love (Enemies To Lovers)

by Emma Vikes

  Second, Albert Finch apologized for rejecting our band even if it was an apology five years too late. They were one of the many record labels that I sent a label to and their rejection stung like everyone else’s. But more than that, I felt like he trusted me with his daughter even when his own daughter was hesitating to trust me with her heart.

  Third, the voice I had been looking for belonged to Audrey and I wasn’t sure how I was meant to grasp that fact. All I knew right now was that the document was signed and I was on my way to Audrey to deliver it.

  It took me more than thirty minutes to reach her place, and I wanted to barge in her house because I knew the code but I stopped myself and continuously rang the doorbell instead. My heart was still in my throat and if I didn’t get my shit together, I had a feeling that I might just spew out random words that might not make sense or might make a little too much sense that it scared me.

  When the door opened and Audrey stood there, shocked to see me. She had her robe on and I had to contain myself. There was a towel wrapped around her hair and the scent of cinnamon and strawberries told me that she must’ve been taking a bath to relax. The meeting she had must’ve been stressful.

  “Julian?” Her voice sounded like she had been crying and I could see the tear stains on her face if I looked closely. “Why are you here?”

  I couldn’t really speak because I didn’t really know what I was meant to say. My heart was racing and to be honest. I just wanted to wrap my arms around Audrey and not say anything but let my hug do the speaking. But I knew that I had to make it clear to her why so instead of hugging her, I raised my hand that had the document.

  She visibly swallowed. “Are you going to tear it in front of me?”

  I licked my lips and then slowly shook my head. “I signed it, Audrey.”

  Her eyes widened as she quickly snatched it from my hand and stared at the sign. We still needed the sign of the other members but since I was the one with the condition, their signatures were already a shoo-in. She looked at me. “I thought…I thought…”

  “Kiss me,” I whispered and looked at her brown eyes that always seemed to wrap me in a warm embrace, “kiss me and we’ll seal that deal.”

  20

  Audrey

  I woke up snuggled closely in Julian’s arms and he was snoring lightly beside me, my head buried in his chest while his was on top of mine and his arms cradled me close, as if he didn’t want to let go. I closed my eyes for a moment, allowing myself to marvel at the fact that nothing in the world seemed to be a better place than Julian Hudson’s arms.

  And how I never thought that I would ever think of anything like that about the person that I hated most in the world. When people said never speak of the conclusion of things when the universe hasn’t declared it over yet, they truly weren’t kidding. Who would’ve thought that one day I would wake up comfortably in the arms of the person I always thought I’d hate even up to my next lifetimes but here I was, wishing it would never occur to him to let go.

  Beside me, Julian stirred and he slowly opened his eyes. The sight of the two differently shaded eyes made my heart skip a beat. On mornings, his eyes seemed to promise me a bright and clear day ahead, filled with nothing but him. “Good morning.”

  I bit my lip to contain myself from smiling like a fool. I hated how Julian seemed to have this effect on me because I honestly felt so weak with his charm. “You better go home and get ready. We have the press conference at 9.”

  “That’s today?”

  “Yes, and you agreed to it.”

  He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Maybe you can remind me how we sealed the deal, Audrey.”

  “Julian, get up. I have to take a shower and you need to get ready.” I was glaring at him by this point but I was trying hard to keep a straight face on because Julian looked adorable with his messy curls and sleepy eyes.

  But Julian didn’t move an inch. Instead, he tightened his hold on me and buried his head on my shoulder. I could feel his hot breath on my bare shoulder and I squirmed from his hold. “Jules…”

  He opened one eye- Hudson gray- and I felt as if I was trapped in his one-eye gaze. “A quick one?”

  I couldn’t help but roll my eyes, the trance gone the moment the question left his lips and I placed a hand on his mouth and shoved his face away from mine as I pulled out of his hold. Julian laughed in the bed but the laughter immediately died down when I stood up- all in my naked glory- and his eyes darkened at the sight of me.

  “That’s not fair, Audrey.”

  Flashing him a tantalizing smirk, I made my way to the bathroom and swayed my hips purposely. “Make sure you lock the door when you leave, Julian.”

  I heard him hiss in annoyance. “You make it sound like I’m just a booty call.”

  Turning to face him, I watched in amusement as his eyes continued to darken. “I called you last night and you were here less than half an hour later. You fucked me before I could even say hello. If that’s not how you define a booty call, then I’m not sure what millennial dictionary you’ve been reading.”

  I opened the bathroom door and was about to close it shut when I saw a foot stopping me from doing so. Julian was right in front of me in an instant and he swiftly slid inside the bathroom and shut the door and pushed me against it. “I don’t really like the idea of just being your booty call, Audrey.”

  A moan left my lips when I felt Julian’s warm tongue on my neck and then on my collarbone, his lips gently sucking and I couldn’t help but hiss. “Don’t you dare leave a mark, Julian.”

  He pulled away from me for a moment, a smirk on his lips as his eyes fell on where his lips had been on my body. I could feel his hard dick between us. “Don’t you think it’s a little too late for that?”

  His mouth was on mine in a hot minute before I could even complain. He was kissing me feverishly, as if he had never kissed me before and his tongue slid into my mouth until it suddenly wasn’t and suddenly his lips were on some part of my body until he knelt in front of me and spread my legs wide. My legs felt like jelly and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold.

  But Julian seemed to already know what was going in my mind because he swung my legs on his shoulder so he was basically carrying me but the door still supported much of my weight. Then he delved his tongue in my pussy and I couldn’t help but scream, “Julian!”

  He was relentless as his mouth sucked on my clit and his fingers slid into my core and pleasured me to no end. I was mewling above him, my fingers laced in his hair until he suddenly stopped and slowly lowered me down. I slid on the bathroom floor and could feel my wetness seeping from me as I panted and looked up at Julian.

  His dick was rock hard and his eyes were so dark with lust in that moment. I crawled over to him and reached for his dick but he stepped aside, closing his eyes painfully and shook his head. “You said we have to get ready, right?”

  My mouth dropped as I stared at Julian as he reached for the door and casually walked out. “You’re kidding, right?”

  I was still on the floor when he turned to look at me as he reached for his pants that were thrown on my dresser. He cocked his head to the side and shrugged. “You’re the one who’s adamant that we get ready for the press conference when all I wanted was a quickie. Now we’re both going to suffer the consequences of your decision.”

  He put on his pants and shirt and even had the audacity to wave at me as he slipped out of my room and I stayed where I was, unable to process what the fuck just happened while my vagina still ached for the idiot’s dick

  Damn you, Julian Hudson.

  With my eyes closed, I finished off what Julian had started because it was so uncomfortable to get ready knowing that I was about to burst any second. I thought of Julian as I pleasured myself, imagined him trailing kisses all over my body, imagined his dick sliding between my breasts, his palms spread all over me, and the quiet whispers in between of how much he wanted me.

  It took me longer to get ready
than I thought I would.

  When I was finally done and was headed downstairs, I was surprised to hear the TV turned on and Korean language echoing in my living room. Amber sat on the sofa lazily, her eyes fixed on the screen intensely. “How long have you been home?”

  She didn’t even look up. “I bumped into Julian on his way out.”

  I paused on the last step, standing there awkwardly. Amber and I hadn’t really discussed what was going on between Julian and I because well, there wasn’t actually anything to discuss about the two of us. We weren’t officially dating and to be honest, it was all sex for the two of us and neither of us seemed keen to actually put a label to what we were.

  “Amber.”

  My best friend looked up at me, tearing her eyes away from the screen as she reached for the remote and paused the drama. She had been a little too into Korean dramas lately and I knew she didn’t want it playing in the background even if we weren’t going to have a full conversation. “Yea?”

  “We’re not dating.” I’m not sure why I even said that and why I felt like I had the need to do so. “We have a press conference today for publicity purposes and there were things that needed to be discussed…”

  Amber laughed and shook her head at me, looking at me with amusement. “You’ve always sucked at lying, Aud, and you know, I never really asked. Whether you’re dating him, seeing him, or just having fun with him, you’re all grown up to discern things on your own.”

  “Are you saying that because you’re mad…?”

  Amber sighed and then patted the spot next to her and I cautiously cross the distance between us and took a seat. “Babe, I’m not mad at you for being in any kind of relationship with him. To be honest, I’m thrilled that you are. I feel like Julian’s able to match your crazy and you’re able to tame his.”

  “But you and Julian…you…” I couldn’t even bring myself to finish the sentence. One of the main reasons why I didn’t want to discuss what was going on with Julian and put a label to it was because I couldn’t help but think of what Amber might feel if we became real.

  Amber placed a hand on my knee and gave me a gentle squeeze. “We dated during the dawn of the dinosaurs which meant it was eons ago, Audrey. Just because he’s your best friend’s ex doesn’t make him fully off-limits. They should’ve made a fine print about that when they made the girl code handbook.”

  “Amber, we both know he’s fully off-limits.”

  “Because I dated him?” Amber chirped and chuckled, shaking her head. “I was a naïve nineteen-year-old who thought that I could change Julian Hudson but I couldn’t. I was infatuated with the idea that I could. I love him but as a friend. At some point during rehab, I realized that I was never really in love with him.”

  “If you make me the reason why you’re not going to push through whatever you have with him, that’s the only time I’ll slap you for being stupid.” Amber looked at me dead in the eye when she said that. “This might just be your greatest love story, Audrey.”

  “You make it sound like I’ve never been in a relationship.”

  Amber grinned. “And he might also be your last. If I were you, I’ll dive in head first, without fear. It also helps that Julian’s insanely good-looking.”

  I let out a small laugh and shook my head at her, kissing her on the cheek as I reached for the remote and played her drama again for her. “I have to go to work. Please come and stay here with me. I thought you were mad that’s why you haven’t been here.”

  Amber looked at me sheepishly. “I’ve also been seeing someone but that’s a story for later. I’ll open a good bottle of wine and you can bring the cheese. Ciao, mi amor!”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at Amber and I let her be, grabbing my keys and heading out of the house. It took nearly an hour for me to get to work but as I was about fifteen minutes away, I got a text from Julian asking if I had breakfast since he didn’t get to cook me one before he left. One of the things that I really found endearing with Julian was how he always made sure that I ate, even during the times that we were pissed off at each other.

  It’s like he was fully versed that the way to a woman’s heart was to make sure she was fed.

  I parked the car at my designated parking space in the company but didn’t come straight into the building. Instead, I headed to the coffee shop near the building where Julian was waiting for me. He was already sitting in a table and he looked dashing.

  He was decked in a black pantsuits with a black turtleneck and paired it off with a dark olive-green plaid suit jacket. His hair still remained straight because of his keratin treatment and he brushed his hair up and I knew his blue and gray eyes would shine with the way he wore his hair but he covered his beautiful eyes with sunglasses, a vain attempt on hiding who he was.

  And when I was near him, I could smell up close and dear god, Julian Hudson was intoxicating.

  He was smirking at me and I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes, all trance of intoxication gone in an instant. There was always something about his smirk that made me want to slap it off his face…or maybe kiss it from his lips.

  Julian motioned at the food on the table that I surprisingly did not see. “I ordered you some coffee. You know it’s weird that I’ve spent so much time with you but I have no idea what your usual coffee order is.”

  I sipped the heavenly cup and closed my eyes in satisfaction. “Skinny vanilla latte with almond milk but I’m not really picky with my coffee. As long as it hits right, it hits.”

  He leaned close, his breath tickling my neck. “Like how I hit it right?”

  I almost choked on my coffee with what Julian just said and I hastily put down the cup, looking around the shop to spot any employee of Finch Records. Anthony already walked in on us at my house with Julian around and we weren’t even doing anything at that time. The last thing I wanted to happen was for any employee to think that something was going on between the chairwoman of the company and the recently signed band vocalist.

  Julian was smirking even more when he leaned away from me and I glared at him, hissing, “Don’t you ever do that again, Mr. Hudson.”

  He cocked his head to the side and reached for a cinnamon cookie. “Pity, I actually like doing so.”

  My eyes narrowed even more as I hastily pulled the plate of Belgian waffle that he hadn’t been touching which meant he intended for me to eat. I quickly ate the food on the plate until nearly nothing was left of the waffles and grabbed a napkin to wipe my mouth with, all the while ignoring the amused look Julian was wearing in front of me as he gaped at how quickly I finished the food.

  “Aren’t you going to get indigestion with how quickly you ate?”

  I downed the remaining coffee in my cup and wiped my mouth again with a napkin and looked at Julian pointedly. He hadn’t touched the remaining food on his plate since I arrived but at least he finished his coffee. “I’ve had to learn the art of eating my breakfast quickly enough so I wouldn’t be late for class in college.”

  Julian’s right eyebrow rose. “You could just skip.”

  “And then faint because of an empty stomach. I usually skip lunch though. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day…” My words trailed off as I pulled out my wallet to pay for my breakfast but Julian held up a hand to stop me and mouthed that he already paid for everything back at the counter. He stood up and then held out a hand for me to take.

  “Time to take the world by storm,” he said jokingly, wiggling his eyebrows but all I could do was stare at his hand and then I let out a nervous laugh as I took it only to lower it down to his side.

  Julian stared at me behind his glasses for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion, the light in his eyes slowly extinguishing and making way to a question forming inside them. I flashed him a small smile. “There’s a fine line between being your producer and being whatever I am to you, Julian. What we do during our private time, be it together or not, will remain private.”

  He chewed on his botto
m lip as he watched me stand up. “So are you trying to tell me that we’re meant to keep each other a secret?”

  I paused at the question, my heart racing slightly at the thought of what ‘we’ meant to Julian. “Do you really want to expose us to the public when technically, there isn’t really an ‘us’? Besides, how would it look like to everyone when they find out that I signed you up in my company and there’s something going on between us in closed doors?”

  Julian pursed his lips and let out a cold chuckle, crossing his arms across his chest and tilting his head to the side. “So what do you want me to do, Audrey? Because it seems to me like you want to make an announcement other than announcing that Born from Ashes is signed with Finch Records.”

  My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I began to shake my head. “Seriously, Julian. I’m not kidding nor am I pulling any reverse psychology on you. When I say that I want to keep things between us private, I mean every word of it.”

  I grabbed my purse and finally stood up, looking at him levelly. “I’ll head in first and you can follow after. That way, no one’s going to suspect anything or start any rumours.”

  Julian was laughing by this point. “You’re acting like we’re sixteen, Audrey. We’re not in high school anymore. To hell what people will think.”

  I pursed my lips and held a finger to his lips to stop him from speaking even more. “We’re in an industry where people can have a lot of opinion on us, especially you. The last thing we need is a controversy in our lap, Julian. So please, cooperate.”

  Julian raised his eyebrows and rolled his eyes but nodded. I finally released a sigh of relief and patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll see you in the building.”

  I was near the door when I heard Julian call my name. “Audrey!”