Chapter One: Newark
The sun blazed through the windows of the Étoile Saphir Express. Elian went from room to room cleaning and and straightening up the beds and double checking each one to make sure they were all up to pare. Walking down the narrow hall of the train before getting to the dinning room she ran her fingers through her curls and smoothed down her uniform in time for the glass doors to open. Looking up her green eyes met with light blue ones that barely registered her existence. “Goodmorning, Shane are we close to Newark yet?” She asked, hoping he would respond. “Don’t you have better things to do then wonder about when we get there?” He asked, looking down at the scheduled stops on his manifest. The board tone was evedent as he walked past her brushing his arm on her small shoulder sent a shiver down her spine.
As the trains horn sounded above, she new they were getting close to the stop of awaiting passenger's. Looking over her shoulder her dark curls fell to her back as she watched the man walk down the quite hall. Sighing she turned away stealing through the open doors as she reached behind herself closing them; “Well I know that look from all the way over here darlin, so let me guess Mr. Ice Cold didn’t acknowledge you at all again?” A sweet southern accent asked, from across the room of the dining car. “Oh Sarah, I’ve tried to get the man to notice me but no luck. Hell I even tried asking him about the scheduled time we would get to Newark. But of course he barely saw me.” She said, with a slight pout to her lips with her folded arms and naturally arched brows furrowed. Chuckling to her self she said, “Elle com’on now the man is so wrapped up in that darn schedule it’ll be a miracle if he notices a beautiful gal like yourself prancing in front of him like a brown stallion runnin through the brush.”
A small laugh escaped her as that comparison plaid out in her mind with the older woman smiling down at her short petite frame. “See there it is, that gorgeous smile of yours. Now we are nearing the station and you and the other Couch cleaners need to be at the rooms standing there with your arms out. So get along now, I’ll see you later in the kitchen.” Sarah said, in her bossy tone which would have you thinking that she ran the elegant Étoile Saphir Express. With the wills screeching to a halt at the platform. Elian hurried back through the same double doors and saw her other coworkers already standing at their post. She made it to her spot just in time to see the passengers boarding with the baggage claim coming on first to drop each of their luggage in their rooms. “You were almost late you know.” A voice came from her right as the passengers started up the steps an heading to the dining car for brunch.
“I wasn’t late or almost, I was just doing a double check of the couches that’s all.” She whispered back, glancing out of the corner of her eye, to see a short stocky man standing next to her with his gut and chest puffed out. His navy blue and black trim jacket with the button down cotton shirt looked two sizes too small for him. As he eyed her slender legs up to the pincle navy blue skirt and black cotton blouse with the black trim bow tie at the collar. His beady eyes staid fixed on her noticeable chest. “Well if you want to double check my room I’m assigned too girly you can with my help.” He said, suggestevly with his eyebrows when he finally looked at her face. The feeling of her stomach turning and noting up from the disgust she felt from the man. Ignoring his suggestion she pretended he didn’t exist at that moment as Shane walked past them speaking in a low voice with another man who wore gold cuff links and walked with a personalized red ruby cane for the hilt.
Her eyes tracked the man she wanted sense the day she started working on the train. But as always he didn’t even know she was there. Breathing out the breath she didn’t notice she was holding she refocused back in her job waiting for anyone to come to the room she was standing next too. But as her other coworkers noticed too, it wasn’t that many passengers like it usually is. About twenty of them didn’t have a passenger in their rooms. So indeed that meant less work for them. As the horn sounded signaling for departure with the wills starting to turn; the train jerked forward and back rocking everyone. Sarah stombled back spilling the coffee on her white blouse. Opening her eyes she wondered why she handle yet hit the marble floor. “Aham, are you alright?” The baritone voice asked, behind her while she looked down seeing that she was being held up under her arm pits. “Y-yes thank you sir, I really appreciate you catchin me.” Sarah said, standing up right and grabbing a napkin from the counter top to dab at the stain.
She turned around to see the man who had stopped her fall, when she paused staring into the ocean blue’s. “Your welcome Ms. Doran, um please feel free to take your time with your buttons erm I mean blouse.” Shane stammered, trying to not notice the now visible bra through her wet thin blouse. “Uh right, well thank you sir I will get changed then.” She said, trying to not be nervous at the strikenly handsome man before her. “Right then, well I’ll go check on the passengers, excuse me.” He said, making it very noticeable when he glanced at her lips before looking into her chocolate eyes then down at her off white bra an stomach. Shaking his head he stepped to the side watching her walk past him with his hand balling up into a fist he breathed in slowly. Taking in her perfume as he made himself snap out of the trance she unknowingly put him under.
As the afternoon railed on well into the afternoon. Elain sat in the kitchen eating her lunch and chatting with one of the cooks as she waited for Sarah. While down the quite corridor’s Sarah walked past the open door of one of the unoccupied rooms. “Ms. Doran?” Shane asked, almost missing the glance of her. “Yes, sire? Is there anything I can get for you?” She asked, still feeling slightly nervous as she stepped inside of the room. Looking down at her I closed wide heel black shoes. “You can look at me for starters. And quite calling me sir.” He said, cocking his head to one side as he took her in once again. She looked at him fully seeing him sitting behind a desk with the schedule of each stop laid out on his desk. That looked to have other scattered papers all around. “Is there something I can get for you?” She asked again, also seeing his uniform jacket draped over the chair and buttons on his blouse halway undone. “I see you’ve changed, I hope the coffee wasn’t too hot that it burned you. Have you thought about what I’ve asked you?” He asked, keeping his electric gaze on her.
“I have thought about it and you an I both know it can’t happen. Why not just go for someone else that your family approve of.” She mumbled, breaking eye contact to stare at the oak wood walls behind him instead. “Mhmm, I suppose that would be better for them. They wouldn’t have to wonder about me wanting the help right? Especially one that they think is beneath them.” He said, coming from around his desk to stand in front of her. Looking down at her shoes once again as she bit her bottom lip with her head down.
Her sandy blonde locks falling around her face. Like a curtain to hide the hurt his words had cased. “I told you already what I want; and if you can’t get that already then I’ll show you another way Sarah.” He said, gently lifting her chin with the crook of his fingers till her chocolate eyes met his. “What other way Shane? Your parents wouldn’t approve of me and they made it specifically clear that they don’t want me anywhere near you. An if they found out you were here working as a simple commoner-” her words were cut short as he crashed his lips with hers…
