Thirty Seconds
by Apple-chan

Disclaimer: I own Hao, but Takei-san created him, so technically he owns Hao, too.*frowns* Whatever. Hao's MINE.

AU/Romance/Smut/Semi-PWP/Semi-fiction

Warnings: Rated R for innuendos and sex scenes.

Note: If it weren't for Hao, this would be practically fiction, but since he's here, it's fanfiction.

This is dedicated to Hao on his birthday (my Hao, ok?), and since it's also my birthday like, next week...I guess I'm dedicating this to myself too.^^;;; Whatever. I'm such a ditz.>_<



Thirty seconds.

There he was, at the bar, sitting casually, and lazily sipping his fifth glass of wine...and looking over at the distance where she was standing.

Thirty seconds.

It was a perfect night...and the place was perfect for all the celebration that was taking place. It was the night of a perfectly momentous, celebrated occasion. The night of her birthday party.

And she was happy...very happy as she stood there, laughing her beautiful, tinkling laugh, and tossing her glorious head gracefully as she conversed with all her friends. All those rich, rich executives...heirs to their family fortune. All the sophisticated young women...just like her.

But among all of them, she was the one who stood out most astoundingly. And as he continued to watch her, he felt the pull, the magnetism...and he could no longer stop himself from staring. Every single inch of her was beyond perfection.

Thirty seconds.

Her long, dazzling mane of raven hair was swept up in an elegant knot, piled up on top of her head. The strands shimmered delicately against the expensive chandeliers of the ballroom. A few tendrils strayed haphazardly out of the style, brushing softly, tenderly against her smooth, fair cheeks. Her skin was lightly tinted with pink, from all the wine she had been drinking every since the party started. Her eyes--a captivating hazel green--shone brightly every single time she smiled, exuding incomparable beauty, unwavering innocence, unabashed grace, scorching sensuality...and hot, melding desire.

And her lips...those soft, soft lips...red as blood, pure as silk, as alluring as a perfect rose, as captivating as sunlight...and as tempting and tantalizingly luscious as a sweetly sinful dessert--they drew him so deliciously, beckoning him, like a flickering flame draws a moth, and like a fresh oasis draws a thirsty desert wanderer.

Thirty seconds.

He had her for a mere thirty seconds. Thirty precious seconds. Half a minute of heavenly bliss in that little room known as the spacious executive elevator. Thirty seconds of uncontrollable lust, hunger...and desire.

No one knows how it happened, nor of how it all started...and certainly not the two of them.

They had entered that room without even knowing who the other one was. They had never met each other before, nor had they ever been introduced...even though they've already crossed paths and seen each other face to face many, many times. Obviously the time was never right...until now. The elevator...and thirty seconds.

Upon entering, they had merely glanced at each other, and nodded civilly. Then they had both stood, like two proud, firm statues, waiting.

The elevator doors closed. Then, the box ascended...slowly. It didn't stop at floor one, and neither did it stop at floor 2, nor on any other floor after. Its main goal was the topmost floor--the penthouse, where the party was to take place.

Executive elevators were exclusive to only the important guests of the party...and in the party, there were only three important guests: the birthday girl, her father...and her father's favorite business associate, and colleague. Him.

Her father had gone up several hours before, which means...it was only the two of them. Her, and him.

And the elevator ascended further.

Time passed. The clock ticked...and they tried so very hard to ignore each other's presence. To ignore the pull of hormones. To ignore the crazy, uncontrollable stirrings of desire in each of their bodies. To ignore the heat emanating from every corner of the elevator...heat that had nothing to do with their current location, and everything to do with the two of them. To ignore the inconceivable, undeniable attraction they've had for each other ever since the first time they'd cross paths.

In the midst of a battle using wills and emotion, neither one of them could ever win. They will both lose...and it was easy to see why.

A stolen gaze, and a hungry glance was all it took...and then they fell into each other, lips touching, tongues melding, fusing, tangling. Bodies pressing against each other, skins touching...flaming, blazing wildly. Her arms wove about his neck, her fingers tangling in his long mane of dark brown hair...just as his hands encircled her waist, his arms cradling her soft, warm, and incredibly willing body and savoring the way she felt against him.

Thirty seconds.

They had kissed like there was no tomorrow, and caressed each other like they could never get enough. His mouth devoured hers ferociously as his hands greedily possessed every single inch of her. She clung to him, gasping, moaning against his mouth as she reached beneath his clothing, furiously seeking what she wanted...and lavishing him with the most pleasurable of caresses as soon as her hands reached their intended destination.

Just before the elevator drove to the top, he had swiftly managed to hike up the hem of her gown, raising it up above her waist just as she promptly released his aching desire from its haven...and subsequently lowered herself into it.

Neither one of them was a stranger to passion and hard, demanding desire...but as they sought and found each other that time, in that little room, something inside of them awoke--something that they've never felt before in their whole lives.

A stronger, deeper, a different kind of passion...the kind of passion you can never get tired of, nor ever get enough of.

The kind you can only find from that one special being.

...And just as their passion ended, so did the thirty seconds.

They had entered that little room not knowing each other...yet they left it knowing each other fully in the most essential, most fundamental--most intimate sense.

Only thirty seconds.

As he continued to sip his drink, he resumed his watching. His observations.

It was her birthday party...and he was one of the guests.

And yet...he never really knew her, until tonight. He was the youngest of all her father's associates and colleagues; one of the heirs to a very hefty fortune that his dear parents and grandparents have invested on before they all decided to completely retire and resume a peaceful life, free from the madness of the city...the madness of the world of business, of politics. The madness that came with having money, and power.

He and his younger twin brother had been left in charge of everything...but his brother had a wife and a three-year-old son to take care of now. His brother believed in leading a simple life and had long decided that he was not interested in any inheritance nor the family business. His brother had pleaded with him to take care of everything, for their family's sake--and he had agreed.

And that was what he has been doing for the past two years.

Him, the youngest and most successful business tycoon in the country, at nineteen...and one of the most sought-after bachelors in the world. Not only because he was rich, but also because...he was devastatingly handsome, as well. Recently, he had been voted number two in the top 100 sexiest men in the world...although that was to be expected. People usually see him donned in a formal tie and a blazer, and dark slacks, with his long hair tied back. Even in his business attire, women swooned at the mere sight of him...and now, tonight...he had dressed exceptionally well for this occasion. His formal, stiff attire had been replaced by an expensive white dress shirt, waistcoat, dark brown slacks and boots. Deciding that looking rugged was the best option, he had opted to keep the neck of his shirt unbuttoned, just to keep the ladies dazzled...in particular, one perfectly fine lady. The birthday girl.

And her...she has got to be the smartest, most beautiful girl to have ever lived. She was her father's business consultant, his lawyer, and his spokesperson. She was, above all, his daughter, and occasionally...his trophy. A prize he showed off to his friends, his colleagues--him included. But they were never formally introduced...until tonight.

She was sophisticated, rich, beautiful, and intelligent. From a distance, he used to wonder if there was more to her than just those things...if she really was as perfect as everyone says she is.

Now, he didn't have to wonder. Now, he knew--there was more to her--a LOT more.

And he wanted more.

Tonight is the night of her twenty-second birthday. Tonight...is her night.

Thirty seconds wasn't enough for him; he realized. He needed more. And he was going to get more, even if it kills him.

...She was never going to forget this night for as long as she lived.

He would make sure of that.


***


At the center of the ballroom, near the buffet table, was her--laughing, and talking heartily with her father's colleagues and her girl friends. As she took a sip from her fourth glass of wine, she tried very hard to ignore those intense, heated gazes that someone was giving her.

He was sitting in a very relaxed position at the bar, a short distance from where she was currently. Even amidst the throng of people surrounding the both of them, she could almost feel the way his eyes roved all over her, from head to toe.

Her breath caught in her throat. He wasn't making it easy for her...his gazes were flaming, and so very obvious. So thick...and so full of lust, desire, and passion that it was practically tangible.

She was clad in a long strapless dark red form-fitting silk gown...and as his dark, smoldering brown eyes roved all over her whole form, she could feel her whole body trembling, throbbing with great anticipation...and hunger.

Their eyes met.

Thirty seconds definitely wasn't enough--for either one of them.

Holding his gaze, she took a deep breath. Then, settling her empty wine glass on the tray of a passing waiter, she gave him a brief nod.

He stood up immediately, practically throwing his wineglass in midair. Catching himself in the nick of time before he lost his composure, he stepped away from the bar, all the while not taking his eyes off of hers.

Excusing herself from her friends and her father's colleagues, she cocked her head slightly to one side and gestured for him to follow her.


***


He was toying with her.

This was the thought that was racing through her mind as she walked across the hallway, searching for any sign of him. He had disappeared when he realized she wasn't looking...and it was driving her insane.

The moment they had both gotten into the hallway outside of the grand ballroom, her father had cornered her, and demanded to speak with her and introduce her to a couple of people before she did anything else.

She had obliged very reluctantly, and entered the ballroom once again. As she shook the hands and smiled at each of the faces of her father's newest business associates, she furtively ran her gaze across the immense gathering, fervently looking for a single sign of him...but he was nowhere to be found.

She had excused herself from her father's associates then. Whoever they were, however important they happened to be--all of that could wait. She needed him. She wanted him--all of him--and she wanted him now.

And this time, she wasn't going to settle for just thirty seconds.

She intended to explore this attraction, this intense pull, this desire...this raging passion that existed between them. She wanted to know exactly what it was.

Most of all, she wanted to feel it for as long as she could.

She needed more than thirty seconds to do all that. She needed...a lifetime.

Not thirty seconds.

As she passed by the door of a room, a shadow fell over her...loomed over her. Behind her. Someone.

Him.

She stifled a gasp when he suddenly turned her around, backing her against the wall as he captured her mouth hungrily with his. Her eyes widened slightly and she froze for a second...but as soon as she realized that it was really, definitely him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and began to respond to his kisses with equal fervor.

He let out a rush of breath; and then, tearing his mouth from hers, he began to press hot, worshipful kisses down her throat. His hands, meanwhile, traveled at her back and began to busy themselves with the fasteners of her dress.

She tangled her hands in his long, long hair, tilting her neck to give him better access to her body even as she fought to form a strand of coherent thought. They were making out in a hallway. He had a reputation to protect. She had a reputation to protect, as well.

Not to mention the fact that her birthday party was still in full swing at the grand hall, just a little further from where they were...

"Hao," she breathed in a startled gasp as he tugged down the front of her dress, "...we can't do this here."

He raised his head up, glanced around them, and gave a brief nod. And then, as he gazed into her eyes, a dazzling grin broke out of his handsome face. "Elevator?"

She shook her head vehemently, trying her best not to laugh. "No."

A glint of amusement flickered in his dark brown eyes. "Why not?" He began to kiss her again, his lips tracing the curve of her chin, then the corners of her mouth, and finally...her lips. "...I had you for thirty seconds in there, Apple..."

"Yes," she breathed against his mouth. Her arms tightened around him as she looked at him seriously. "But I want more than just thirty seconds."

He chuckled against her lips. "I see," his hands moved from her back to her front, roving all over her body even through the confines of her clothing. "How about..." he paused, thoughtfully, "...one hour?"

A moan of pleasure escaped her lips as his fingers hungrily traced each and every curve of her body. "...No."

"Two hours?" His hands rested gently on top of her bare shoulders.

She shook her head.

He gazed at her intently. "...One week?"

She shook her head again, then gave him a smile. "...For as long as I can have you."

He was quiet for a minute, caressing her shoulders and staring at her thoughtfully. She ran her hands gently all over his face, her fingers drifting downwards, to his shirt, tracing the half-open buttons of his white formal polo.

His hand caught both of hers then, stopping her from doing anything more. "How about...one year?" He asked. "We can extend it further, if we want..." He clasped her hands tightly, pressing a soft, fleeting kiss to her knuckles.

She chuckled softly. "Sounds good." Then, she leaned over and kissed his lips.

He kissed her back hungrily, practically flattening her against the wall. "...Room?" He breathed out huskily. glancing briefly at the swinging door of what looked like an empty suite right beside them. Very convenient.

"Yes," she answered breathlessly, managing a startled gasp as he swept her into his arms. As if he didn't have any time left, he rushed inside the room and subsequently slammed the door shut with his foot.

"Not thirty seconds," he whispered as he placed her at the center of the bed.

"More than thirty seconds," she whispered back as she pulled him down on top of her.

...In the grand ballroom, the party went on in full swing, without anyone becoming remotely aware that the guest of honor was nowhere in sight.



FIN.



Notes:

Hell yeah, that was pointless.XD

And yepyep, the sex scene up there was a quickie.:P I think it can be done in thirty seconds...I'm not saying I counted, though, because I didn't. I swear, I DIDN'T!

If anyone wants to kill me for this, you may do so. I never intended on posting this anywhere...but hey.

Like I said, this can actually stand as an independent fiction one-shot...especially since the names were only uttered near the very end. So if you're a Hao fan, don't take this too seriously.^^;;; This is me being perverted (as always) and obsessed (with Hao).

Heh. You would be, too...if you were RPing him.^^