The door clicked shut behind the guard, and the room seemed to shrink as the woman crossed the carpet toward Mark. Lilly stepped back instinctively, pulse hammering in her ears, the taste of fear and something darker still clinging to her tongue.
"Am I interrupting something?" the woman asked. Her voice was steady, elegant, carrying the faintest trace of authority that made Lilly's stomach twist.
Mark didn't flinch. His composure slid back into place with unnerving ease, as though nothing had happened at all, "No, not at all..." he said smoothly, his gaze cutting briefly toward Lilly, "This is from the finance team. I needed her to explain a few details about the report."
The woman's eyes flicked over Lilly, calm but searching, like she was memorizing her face. Whatever she thought, she didn't show it. Instead, she leaned in toward Mark, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek, her lips lingering for a beat too long, "Since I'm already here," she said lightly, almost teasing, "do you mind if I come home with you, babe?"
Mark's lips curved faintly, though his eyes betrayed nothing, "Of course," he replied, his tone warm towards the woman next to him.
Then he turned back to her, his expression flat, unreadable, "You can continue tomorrow, Miss Levine."
Lilly nodded quickly, picking up random folder from Mark's table like it was an anchor, though it did nothing to steady her. She could still feel his touch on her skin, the ghost of his hands between her thighs. Yet in this moment, standing invisible between the man she was bound to and the woman who seemed to belong to him, she felt like a trespasser.
She gathered her things with trembling hands, not daring to meet either of their eyes, and slipped out of the office, the click of the door shutting behind her sounding far too final.