»»————- ♥ ————-««
COQUETTE
Satine was shaking with excitement as the clock read ten to five. In less than an hour she would be on her way to the airport, ready to board a private jet to Paris.
Jimin had a business meeting in the morning and wasn't coming into the office, which meant Satine was in charge of his emails. It was a busy day, but the trip was worth the extra stress. She was a stern believer that sometimes you just need to get away from the trials of everyday life.
Yes, the company wouldn't have been her first choice, but wouldn't have been her last by a long shot. Travelling to Paris with your rich boss? Sounds amazing. Besides, Satine had worked her ass off just to get Jimin to change his mind and let her come, she was almost about to get on her knees and beg... which he didn't seem to like.
But of course, like most things in Satine's life, it was too good to be true. Just as she was packing up her things, and putting on her brand-new coat, an email notification popped up on her screen.
Mr Park,
Due to weather conditions, your private flight scheduled for today won't be operating. This cancellation was made on the 28th March 1997.
As a valued customer, we'd like to apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.
Thank you,
JFK Int. Customer Service Team
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me!" Satine slumped down in a huff.
So now she had to call Jimin to let him know his important business trip was cancelled, great. Her day was about to get ten times worse with no silver lining.
Holding the phone to her ear and getting increasingly agitated by the dialling sound, he finally picked up. "Coquette? It seems you can't live without me for even a day," his voice was smooth, and flirty like always. "If this is a reminder for the flight, I'm just getting ready to leave!"
"Might want to rethink," she sighed, "there will be no trip, the flights been cancelled due to some storm."
There was silence on the other end of the line.
"Well that's an inconvenience, I had dinner and drinks prepared for us at the hotel," he muttered as if she couldn't hear. "What am I supposed to do with my night now?"
"I don't know about you but I'm going home. It's been a long day."
"I've got a great idea. Why don't I take you out for dinner?"
She hung up before he even dared utter another line. No doubt he'd planned it all and had a limousine waiting outside to take her to the fanciest restaurant in Manhattan. It wasn't going to happen; she was going home to Taehyung and she would stick to her original plan and treat him with her first paycheque.
***
Unlocking the front door, Satine covered her ears at the sound of music bursting through the loft. Taehyung often did this, turning the volume up so he could hear every single note, strum, bass, synth or whatever.
Normally, Satine wouldn't have a problem with it, she never had a problem with Taehyung and his love for music. To her, there was nothing sexier than a man with passion. However, this time he must have left it on and gone out because he was nowhere to be seen.
Dropping her hold-all onto the kitchen counter, she cocked her head at the half-empty bottle of Jack Daniel's that had previously been sitting in the cupboard untouched for months. Satine knew that Taehyung was only a few glasses short of becoming an alcoholic, but he had the restraint to always keep at least one bottle spare in case Dynaco was closed for a night... which it never was.
Walking further in, Satine glanced over at the coffee table where two glasses of whiskey sat.
Scenario one, he opened the bottle for him and JK before going downstairs. It wasn't farfetched, but he would always wait for Satine to come home before spending the rest of the evening in Dynaco. Then again, she was supposed to be on a business trip so who knows what his routine was when she was away because she never was.
Of course, all of these thoughts lasted a matter of seconds before her heel got caught on a small string of material that would alter her entire future.
That was the moment the worst-case scenario came to mind.
Her heart began to beat rapidly, she broke out into a cold sweat, and the music became muffled as her eyes dropped down to the lace thong hooked around her heel. It's what began the trail of destruction to the bedroom. Taehyung's white T-shirt hung over the lampshade in the corner, a women's vest and bra on the floor not far behind, and pair of grey joggers and shorts right by the industrial sliding door that was left ajar.
Satine didn't want to move, too scared of what she might find behind it.
Taking a wobbly step forward, making sure her heels didn't clink along the wooden flooring, she held her breath as she approached the crack in the door.
Her sore lips brushed against the metal frame to somewhat steady herself, blinking to adjust her eyes to the dimly lit room. A part of her wished she never even came home. A part of her wished she had stayed in the office for another few hours, catching up on the work she was unable to complete due to Jimin's daily lunch requests. A part of her wished she could have been blissfully unaware of the affair unravelling before her.
One single tear fell from her eye as she watched them heavily panting as he slowly rolled his hips into her, holding her arms above her head and pressing them into the mattress.
She wanted to look away, she'd already seen enough, but she wanted to be sure. She wanted to be sure that the woman being fucked so slowly and so passionately by her crow, wasn't her best friend.
His lips kissed hers tenderly as if she was a rare jewel in his possession. He had never kissed Satine like that, she didn't even think a man like him could kiss so affectionately.
Her's and Taehyung's sex was incredible, they both knew it and Satine didn't think it could get any better. That was until she saw the way he was looking at her so fondly as she bit down on her blood-stained lips and closed her eyes to relish in the pleasure.
Taehyung never looked at Satine like that and up until that moment, she didn't realise she wanted to be looked at like that.
Clasping her hand over her mouth as his lips devoured her neck and chest before clasping onto her breast, Satine let out a small, muffled cry after he finally spoke.
"Diana," he breathed out. "Di, look at me."
Satine knew who it was pinned down under his panting body before he said it, but sometimes you just need proof to come to terms with your worst nightmare.
Her best friends' eyes flickered open and met with his.
"You're so beautiful." As his thumb pulled at her lip, she could have sworn she saw the light reflect off of his glassy eyes.
It was more than just sex.
Diana didn't say anything, she just pulled him back down into her, reconnecting their lips.
That was enough.
Satine backed away, crouching for a second as her heart shattered into a million tiny pieces. She thought she knew heartbreak, but she didn't, there wasn't another pain like it. Pure and utter debilitating agony; cold and raw.
Looking around with blurred vision, she had to get out of there. Her body was numb, but she just about managed to drag herself back over to the door, grabbing her bag before closing it quietly behind her.
She was distraught, not knowing what to do. She could have stayed and intervened; she knew she would have felt better for it. She would have loved seeing the way their eyes burst out of her sockets as she stood there watching, but the way he looked at her changed everything. He wasn't just fucking her; he was falling in love with her.
And it tore Satine's heart out.
Standing in the desolate street, her entire body was violently convulsing. Not from the rain, no, she had already turned to ice, it was the adrenalin gearing her up for her next move. She didn't know where to go though, all of her friends were Taehyung's and for once she felt insignificant. There was only one person who would take her in, and he was back in the middle of New York.
-
The taxi pulled up outside a large building, almost as large as the one she worked in. She'd written his address a hundred times but had never seen it for herself.
With golden lights gleaming from the hundreds of windows, the skyscraper looked magnificent. It held the types of apartments Satine could have only dreamed of owning when arriving in New York.
Turning towards the busy street, the ones with cars speeding past far too quickly to be within the speed limit, she considered her two options. One, she could toss herself in front of one of the trucks coming her way. Or two, she could carry on with her master plan.
With a sniffly scoff, she shook her head, bursting into tears again. She knew she was in love but didn't realise how deeply until she came face to face with the idea of losing him to someone else. In that moment she truly understood that love drives people crazy. It made someone like her reckless enough to consider suicide.
Pushing through one of the many double doors into the reception area, Satine dragged her feet up to the desk. She wasn't in the mood for these women looking her up and down today but didn't have the energy to finish them with a savage comment.
"I'm here to see Mr Park," she mumbled, wiping her tear-stained cheeks.
The sculpted woman shook her head, not a hair on her basic head moving. "I'll need to see some form of ID. Mr Park hasn't listed any... female visitors such as...yourself."
The cow hadn't even checked.
She was seriously trying to hold back her tears now.
Pulling out her lanyard, Satine slammed it on the counter. "I'm Mr Park's personal fucking assistant, not a freakin' prostitute you contemptuous bitch."
The woman gulped at Satine's sudden ferocity. She could understand judging a book by its cover, it was human nature, but it's also human decency to ask a clearly distressed woman if she's okay.
"Mmmm, let me see," she snapped, taking the lanyard with a snicker and typing something into her computer. After a second or so, the woman's lips pursed and she drew her eyes back to Satine. "I apologise, Miss Fontaine, I was unaware that Mr Park had already listed you as an approved visitor. Sorry for the misunderstanding," with that, she slid a visitor's card across the desk.
Satine hadn't known either.
"Go to hell," Satine deadpanned, pushing herself off the counter and towards the elevator.
Scanning the card, she requested the penthouse suite to the attendant. He too looked her up and down before nodding. She knew what she looked like, she knew her white shirt was soaked and see-through as it clung to her body. She knew her red hair had dulled into a deep burgundy and cascaded in a stringy, tangled mess down her back.
She looked broken, but at least it replicated how she felt on the inside.
It was a long ride of self-deprecating and dark thoughts. She wondered if she would ever be good enough for anyone and if they would ever look at her the way Taehyung looked at Diana. Satine was in love with him, and he was in love with her. It may have been the worst day of her life.
The elevator opened to a hallway leading to a somewhat foreboding set of double doors. Nodding to the operator, she took a step out and weakly dragged her legs towards them, her black heels toying with what was left of her sanity as they clinked along the grey marbled floor.
"Please don't send me away," she whispered before knocking.
After a lengthy wait, Satine was just about to change her mind before the door opened and Jimin stood there, laughing at someone behind him. He hadn't even checked to see who it was at first, but as his head turned to take in his guest, his smile dropped.
"Satine?"
Her lips just moved as she tried to utter at least one word. He opened the door wider, stumbling over his own as he inadvertently clued her into the fact that he already had company.
A woman sat draped over his black L-shaped couch, holding a glass of wine with her patent heels rested together for modesty in her pencil skirt. Her eyebrows raised once she saw Satine, stifling a laugh that had her wanting to crawl up into a ball and die. She wasn't ever this pathetic, she'd never let anyone treat her with such disrespect. Satine was everything and she knew it, but after watching that gruesome event, her confidence had faltered just a little.
No one said a word at first, Jimin just stood there with his eyes soft and concerned as he took in the redhead that was never caught with a red hair out of place, looking like she had thrown herself off a bridge.
"I didn't know where else to go."
As soon as Jimin heard her wavering voice, that was it. Keeping his gentle eyes set on Satine, not even turning around as he addressed his female friend occupying the couch, his tone was uncharacteristically harsh. "Get out."
The woman hadn't even noticed his words were directed at her at first. It wasn't until Satine started to get impatient that he was forced to snap his head around.
"Wait, what? Are you talking to me?" The woman questioned with a level of disgust to her hoarse voice.
"You heard me. Get out."
There was no disobeying his orders, not when his voice sounded more terrifying than hell itself. Jimin didn't even flinch as she stormed past him, letting out a heavy huff in Satine's direction.
Moving out of the way so she could enter, Satine rubbed her arm whilst taking in his apartment.
"You have a beautiful home," she croaked out.
It was truly stunning. Similarly to his office, Jimin enjoyed minimalism with modern accents. His entire apartment was black. Black walls, black furniture, dark wood detailing - it was nothing like Satine had seen before.
"It's like you're already living in the coming millennium."
"What happened?" His voice was lethally quiet. Jimin had no interest in making small talk. He wanted to know why she was in such a state, turning up on his doorstep looking so fucking broken.
"Our trip was cancelled which resulted in me coming home earlier than expected, that's what happened." She was smiling, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. She ran her manicured fingers through her hair, forgetting how tangled the rain had made it.
"I'm afraid I don't follow?"
"You know, my boyfriend who isn't my boyfriend." She couldn't even bring herself to use his name.
"Struggling musician guy?"
Satine nodded, lifting her chin to stop herself from crying again. "I found him... I found him in bed-" She couldn't get her words out without the lump in her throat causing pure agony.
Jimin sighed, understanding immediately. "He was in bed with another woman."
"Not any woman, my best friend," she choked.
The space between them was far enough apart that Jimin felt the ache of not being able to take her in his arms. He couldn't explain his feelings for Satine, he just knew that whoever this guy was that had her breaking down in front of him, he was picturing his adulterous body massacred.
"I told you already, didn't I?" He whispered, taking a few steps forward. "Men like him don't deserve a woman like you."
He made a purposeful effort to use the word woman instead of women because, unlike this Taehyung, Jimin knew there was only one Satine.
Wrapping her arms around herself, she scoffed. "Maybe I don't deserve him."
Jimin's thumb and forefinger met her chin, squeezing it fondly. He always thought she was exquisite, a rare jewel. A girl like Satine doesn't come around every day, she was a once in a lifetime treasure.
"Now now, where's that girl I met for the first time, huh? Where's the identity stealing, attitude serving, guns blazing, Satine Fontaine?"
He was working on getting that smile out, the honest one that he always dreamed about.
What was left of her heart warmed as Jimin's hand rested on her cheek. The man opposite was so powerful and so ruthlessly cutthroat yet became the softest human being imaginable around her.
"She's having an off day," she admitted, choking on a little cry.
"I know, darling, I was just teasing you," he laughed, wiping her tear away with his thumb. "Strong women can also be vulnerable, there's no rule about that."
Satine rested into his hand, enjoying the warmth he emitted.
Jimin always did glow, even from the beginning, even before Taehyung betrayed her. There was a golden hue contradicting his blackened aura, and it made him way more mysterious than her crow.
She'd never seen her boss in this light before, relaxed and oddly homely. His open buttoned shirt tucked loosely into his thinly belted slacks, highlighting his admirable physique. He was everything Satine had ever wanted.
"Let's get you cleaned up, Coquette."
His once teasing nickname held a softness now. It was less playful and more intimate like a habit. She knew Jimin enjoyed having his own particular tie to her so she didn't discourage the title, not after realising he may be the only person she could trust anymore.
Taking her hand, he led her to a room. It didn't look lived in, it looked unused like it had only just been decorated.
"Washrooms though there," he pointed to the door in the far corner. "There's fresh towels, toiletries, anything you'll need."
"Thank you," Satine replied, bringing her damp hair around one side of her neck.
Trying to restrain himself from looking, Jimin couldn't help but bite his lip at the view of her smooth, tanned complexion and the way her long neck glided into her stunning collar.
Just one look wouldn't hurt.
Following the line of her body down, he felt himself stiffen at the view of her see-through blouse soaking wet and clinging to her glorious curves. There was no ignoring the lace trim of her black bra or the way it pushed her perky breasts together in the middle of her dainty chest.
She was the male gaze and Jimin hated it. He hated the thought of anyone taking advantage of her mind or body. He hated that another man had her on his arm when he was the one that deserved her. He cherished her, he showered her with the appreciation she deserved. He would have done anything for her.
"I won't be long," she whispered, backing away into the bathroom. "Don't go anywhere."
"I wouldn't dream of it," he muttered almost inaudibly, frozen in awe.
-
Stripping from her wet clothes and leaving them in a pile in the corner, Satine stood under the shower, letting the scorching hot water burn her skin.
She didn't know why she craved the feeling so badly, but as her skin began to glow a deep red, she finally radiated the way she felt on the inside. After washing away the remnants of the day, Satine slid down the wall and sat with her knees up at her chest and her chin pointing up at the ceiling.
"So you only just decide to throw me some karma, huh?" She didn't know who she was talking to, she never believed in God per se, but she was sure there was an almighty being up there playing with her fate. It was probably her mother come to think of it, getting back at her for the whole death by childbirth situation. "I don't think I deserve this."
She laughed at herself, wondering why she was waiting for a reply. She never got one before.
Stepping out of the shower, she wiped what was left of her makeup away, leaving a rosy hue to her skin from the heat of the water. Satine never understood the fascination with staring into a mirror for too long, she was convinced those classed as narcissists were actually insecure and letting their eyes distort their vision until they saw what they wanted to. A mirror never reflects who you truly are.
Satine used mirrors for one thing, and one thing only and that was to have sex in front of. She liked to watch her partner when they fucked her from behind, it was the only way she would let them have that much dominance over her to have her mimicking a fucking dog.
Wrapping a towel around herself, she composed herself before pushing open the door. She was met with a relaxed Jimin resting on the spare bed with his arm behind his head.
"Do you like to boil yourself?" He teased, watching the steam fill the room.
"I like to burn the dirt away," she muttered, perching on the edge of the bed.
Holding back a smile as he saw a glimmer of amusement dance in her brown eyes, Jimin sat up, ready to send her back to the pits of hell.
"So, do you want to talk about it?"
Satine played with the hem of the small towel that was barely covering her slender body. She was trying to regulate her breathing as she replayed the way Taehyung fucked her best friend so slowly and lovingly.
"If I speak about it, it just makes it more real."
"You've never struck me as the type of woman to render into fairy tales."
"Oh, on the contrary, I'm actually rather enthralled by the likes of Hans Christian Andersen and The Brother's Grim."
God, was he left amazed by this woman and her blatancy time and time again.
"All I have to say is, there will come a time in the near future where they admit their indecencies. My best friend may be a peach, but she hates a liar. I doubt she'll even be able to look me in the eye."
"You sure?"
"I've known her since I was fifteen years old. I've been with her through every smile, laugh and tear. Every heartache, every heartbreak and every fucking stupid decision. The guilt will eat her alive."
Jimin scoffed. "Well, this was a very fucking stupid decision of hers. To go behind her best friends back and sleep with her... sort of boyfriend... It's a betrayal like no other."
"Precisely," Satine nodded, pressing her lips together. "But there's a reason she did it, besides the obvious of course. I just have to find out why. I knew as soon as she saw him she'd fall because the same happened to me."
"I'm sure there are many people close to him that feel the same about you, but still wouldn't betray him?" It's important to understand that there are perks to being rich and powerful in a city like New York. With the click of a finger, men like Jimin could have eyes everywhere.
"Mmm, friendship is a fickle thing, isn't it?"
Jimin didn't understand. He didn't have any friends, let alone a best friend. He preferred his company... expendable.
Well, that was until Satine.
"Sounds toxic."
"Oh, it is. Mine and Dotty's relationship is practically unholy, but at the end of the day I can take it and she ignores it. There will be a reckoning, I'm sure, but as for now I'm just going to go forward like everything's fine."
Taehyung wasn't her boyfriend, but she knew that even though they weren't together-together, they were only a drink away from saying I love you.
Which still made her a subject of betrayal.
Jimin made an effort to pretend like he was fine with her decision, but the thought of having to continue living as a secondary character in her story and coming in second place to him, no, it wasn't going to happen.
But he was fine at playing the long game.
"Me and him... we're supposed to be together, I just know it. I just need to find a way of getting his attention back and keeping it this time."
Her lips curled into a knowing smile and Jimin thought she was completely insane. He nodded nonetheless as she blinked prettily. One look and he was on board with whatever she asked of him.
"There's a dressing gown in that top cupboard over there. It might be warmer?" Jimin's eyes traced the goosebumps rising to her skin.
"Oh, yes, thank you," Satine nodded, getting up. She reached to open the wall-mounted cupboard but wasn't quite tall enough to pull the fluffy gown down.
"Sorry, I should have offered to help," he jumped up and made his way over to her struggling.
Before Jimin got there, however, Satine had stupidly put too much faith in her towel and let go of the material to use both hands. Jimin stopped in his tracks as he watched it drop to the floor at his feet, leaving Satine's toned body nude and stretched as she continued to reach.
He was left with a conscious smile clinging to his moistened lips. The slender curvature of her waist travelled into the most mouth-wateringly pert ass. He was trying his best to be respectful. He was trying his best to clear his mind of his indecent thoughts, but how was that possible when the most devastatingly beautiful woman was naked inside his dimly lit bedroom? The overhead lights were even cunning enough to reflect off of the round of her ass.
From the moment he saw her, he was enthralled by the idea of what lied beneath her professional attire.
"Satine," he croaked, bending down to pick up the towel.
Unaware at the time of what his call would do, he went to stand back up, not realising that she had turned her body around to meet his.
Slowly straightening out his legs, it was like he was on an elevator of dreams.
Floor one, her toned calf's flexed as she transferred her weight onto each foot.
Floor two, her slim thighs rubbed against each other, creating a small triangle at the very top where a line of hair sat. That was Jimin's favourite part about women like Satine - their beauty was to the finest detail.
Floor three, her rounded hips twisted with her thighs, creating the loveliest of pockets in the narrow of her waist. Jimin wanted to grip at the skin, graze it, hold it so tenderly.
Floor four, her breasts sat pert and full with her erect nipples begging him to take them in his mouth. They were the same warm pink as her ever so pouty lips.
Once he reached the final floor, staring her straight in the eyes, she wrapped her arms around her body.
"Sorry..."
"You don't have to cover yourself up," he whispered, gently pulling at her wrist, "art deserves to be shared." She couldn't work out if he was being serious or just his usual flirty self.
Satine had always been comfortable in her body. It was a temple and her greatest weapon.
Resting her back against the cabinet, making sure the rest of her body protruded outwards, she found herself sighing at his comment. "You say that, yet he's at home sleeping with her? I bet he fell for her innocence. She's always been more likeable than me. Now here I am, just Satine."
"Just Satine?" Jimin could have cut her throat for being so ridiculous. "You're not just Satine though, are you?"
She glanced up at him as he took a step towards her, lightly brushing the small of her waist. There was no disguising her irregular breathing patterns as her heart rate quickened.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"There's no one else like you, Coquette, and you know it."
His ability to look right through her was what drew him in in the first place.
"A temptress isn't a temptress without subtlety, Miss Fontaine," he teased, raising his brow at her protrusive hips. She smiled weakly as he preyed on her, keeping her locked against his glass cabinet.
"I'm not trying to seduce you, sir." Okay, so that was a bit of a lie.
A little snort came out of him in response. "Are you sure? I mean, you could have taken this towel already, but you've resorted to using your hands like they're concealing anything."
"Does my naked body distract you?"
"Not in the slightest."
"Are you sure?"
"Mmhm," he hummed, looking down at her with his eyes narrowed. Her body was immaculate down to the very tee, but distracting? No, he couldn't allow himself to be. He had to stay alert around her.
Satine was offended, nonetheless. You see, life had carved out two paths for her and it was either wallow in the misery of the past or promise never to be mistreated again. Usually, men would have dropped to their knees at the sight of her clothe-less body, and the power she felt was unmatched.
Jimin's reaction was different, however.
She had only let two other men have her like this - her naked body pressed against the cool glass, more than likely leaving a nice ass print for him to enjoy later. It was a privilege that men had to earn. But his hands didn't hold her once, they only grazed her skin like she was a bundle of flames, and he was being careful not to get burnt.
Satine's chest heaved as she struggled to find her breath - he had stolen all of the oxygen out of the room, leaving her a gasping mess. His warm breath travelled against the soft skin of her neck, knowing that she could push him away anytime. But she let him drag his bottom lip lightly along her clavicle as he took a breath of her smoky scent.
"Please," she hadn't expected it to come out in such a moan but judging by the way her thighs were glued together, she wasn't so surprised. Still, they were both pretty sure that her plea wasn't as nearly suggestive as it sounded.
She needed help with something else first. And once his lips met her ear, all she could hear were his soft breaths as he smiled against her.
"I would never take advantage of a vulnerable woman, Coquette - only assist."
Believe it or not, though in many ways Mr Park was selfish, conceited and irritably egotistical, he was also human and all human beings have their weakness. It just turns out that his was a temptress bound to the colour red.
And like he told her merely a few days prior, he could give her the world.
All she needed to do was ask and ask she did.
»»————- ♥ ————-««
A/N
Oof, what a great chapter. Poor Satine was the one that found Tae and Diana. I know a lot of you thought it would be JK.
Let's see how Satine responds to seeing them :D
I used art breeder to create a portrait of Satine! Her hairs supposed to be a little more red. If you envision her differently, that's completely fine, it's just the way I imagine her!