The silence in Damien Strickland's office was thick enough to choke on.
I had never been in here before. Not like this. Not standing at the centre of his domain like a trespasser caught somewhere I didn't belong.
Everything about the room felt deliberate. Dark charcoal wood. Cold black marble. Sharp edges softened only by the sunlight slipping through tall vertical blinds. It didn't match the rest of the building. This space belonged to a man who didn't entertain company. Or maybe just one who didn't like to be seen.
And the scent. It was stronger in here than anywhere else. Cedarwood. Musk. Something darker beneath the surface. I didn't know if it was cologne or just him. Either way, it settled into my lungs and stayed there.
The door clicked behind me and I froze.
"What you did downstairs," he said, voice calm but taut, "was bold."
I forced myself to straighten. My heels barely made a sound on the polished floor.
"Someone had to say it," I answered.
He circled me slowly. Like a man appraising damage or inspecting a threat. I could feel him behind me. Close enough that his heat brushed against my back without a single touch. A shiver climbed my spine. He didn't miss it.
"You said you wanted to blend in," he murmured near my ear. "That's not how you do it."
I turned. Refused to shrink away.
"Maybe I'm not interested in blending in."
His eyes darkened. Lips twitched like he wanted to smile but thought better of it. It wasn't amusement I saw there. It was something heavier. Something restrained and dangerous.
"You're not," he said. "And that's the problem."
There was no desk between us now. No barrier at all. Just the crackling energy hanging in the air and the space he could close in a single step if he chose to.
He looked taller in here. Or maybe it was the lighting. Or the power shift. Either way, his presence was bigger than it had ever been. His black suit was tailored to him in a way that felt almost unfair. Every line is precise. Not a hair out of place. But it was his eyes that made it impossible to breathe. They burned through me like fire under ice.
"You think you can walk in here and disrupt what I've built?" he asked, voice low. "Challenge me in front of my board?"
"I didn't challenge you," I said, lifting my chin. "I told the truth."
He didn't respond right away. Just stared. And then, almost impossibly, he smiled.
Not the rehearsed, media-friendly version. This smile was sharp and private. Like I'd done something he hadn't expected. Like he wasn't sure whether to be impressed or furious.
"No one tells me the truth, Selene."
I blinked. My name in his mouth did something to me. Something I didn't want to think about.
"And that's exactly why I hired you," he added.
I didn't understand. "You… what?"
He stepped forward. Then again. Until my hip brushed against the edge of his desk.
"You're not afraid of me. You don't beg. You don't flatter. You don't pretend."
I swallowed. "Should I?"
"No," he said, and something flickered in his gaze. "But you will."
His hand hovered at my waist but didn't touch. The air between us pulsed like a live wire. I felt it in my bones.
"You scare people," I whispered.
"Good."
"I'm not scared of you."
"Not yet."
We were too close. Every nerve in my body was on edge. Every instinct screamed to move. But I didn't. I stayed exactly where I was.
"Why did you really hire me?" I asked, breath catching.
His eyes dropped to my mouth then lifted again.
"Because I wanted to see what would happen when someone like you got too close to someone like me."
He leaned in. Close enough to kiss me. Close enough to ruin both of us. But then he stopped. Just before contact.
"I needed to know if I could control it."
"And?" I breathed.
"I can't."
Then he stepped back. Clean and cold. Like nothing had happened. Like the moment hadn't just cracked open something dangerous between us.
My knees nearly gave out at the sudden absence of his heat.
"I want that report on my desk by morning," he said, already heading for the door. "And from now on, anything you hear in that boardroom stays there."
I swallowed hard. "And what happens when someone lies to you again?"
He paused with his hand on the doorknob. Looked over his shoulder.
"Then I'll expect you to do what you always do."
"What's that?"
"Tell me the truth. Even if it hurts."
And then he was gone. The door clicked shut behind him.
I stood frozen, heart pounding against my ribs. My palms were damp. My breath is uneven. It felt like something had shifted and I didn't know if it was in the room or inside me.
What the hell had just happened?
Later that night, my apartment felt too quiet.
I kicked off my heels. Dropped my purse. Let the stillness settle in for a second before regret and adrenaline caught up with me.
Damien Strickland was dangerous. I'd known that before. But now it felt different. More personal. Like I'd seen behind the curtain and touched something I wasn't supposed to.
My phone buzzed.
A new message.
Unknown Number: Nice work today. You're smarter than the last one.
I stared at it. No name. No signature. Just a gut punch waiting to land.
Then another.
Unknown Number: Watch your back. Not everyone wants you in that office.
My blood turned cold.
A third message came through. This time it was a photo.
It was me. In Damien's office. Backed up against his desk. His body inches from mine.
The angle was high. Grainy. Like it had been taken from a security camera. Or worse.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
Then one final message.
Unknown Number: One wrong move and you're done.