The first light of dawn had barely broken through the city skyline when Elena stumbled into her apartment. Her hair was tangled, heels clutched in one hand, and every nerve in her body buzzed with residual heat. Last night's hotel room, the stolen kisses, the weight of him pressing against her, the whispered words, played on repeat in her mind. She had fled at first light, but the memory lingered like fire under her skin.
Before she could even set her bag down, she froze. Nia and Tessa were sitting on her couch, arms crossed, eyes sharp, a mixture of accusation and amusement gleaming in their gaze.
"Elena," Nia said sharply. "Where have you been? And why do you look like… that?"
Elena's cheeks flamed. She tried to step past them, but Tessa blocked her way. "Sit down. Now. We need the whole story," she said, voice teasing yet insistent.
Her stomach churned. "I… I don't know what you mean," Elena muttered, though her pulse betrayed her.
Nia's eyes narrowed. "The club. The dare. The stranger. Who was he? Tell us!"
Elena groaned, burying her face in her hands. "It was just a dare! That's all! I didn't… I mean, we… it… nothing else," she stammered, heat climbing her cheeks again. The memory of his lips, the intensity of his touch, and the way he had made her tremble at every whisper surged through her.
Tessa leaned forward, eyes gleaming. "A dare, huh? So you kissed him, and that's it?"
Elena shook her head frantically. "No! I left! I had to get out before it went… too far! It was a mistake! A stupid dare!"
Nia chuckled. "A mistake that had you running out at dawn? Come on, Elena. You enjoyed it, didn't you?"
She wanted to deny it. She had enjoyed it, more than she wanted to admit, but she refused to give them that satisfaction. "No! I barely remember it," she lied, even as every inch of her body remembered him vividly.
Tessa rolled her eyes. "Stop lying. You're blushing, shaking, and fidgeting. You want to tell us, don't you?"
Elena sank into the couch cushions, covering her face. "I… I can't. I need to focus. Work today. I have to pull myself together."
Nia smirked. "Focus, huh? You're walking straight into the lion's den today. And the lion? He's very aware of you."
Elena's pulse spiked. "What do you mean?"
Tessa grinned. "You'll see. Just survive today."
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Elena locked herself in the bathroom, needing privacy. The shower was her sanctuary. Hot water poured over her, washing away the sweat and traces of last night, but not the memory. Every nerve still throbbed with him.
Her fingers itched, imagining his hands, the heat of his body, the way he had pressed against her, kissed her, whispered her name. Her breath caught, body quivering with longing.
She let herself drift into that memory fully, slipping her hand beneath the fabric of her skirt. Her fingers traced her heated skin, eliciting soft moans, the name Damien trembling from her lips like a prayer and a plea. Every brush of her fingers against herself made her shiver. Her body arched under the water, soaked in longing, until a shuddering release left her trembling and flushed.
Dressed in crisp professional attire, she examined herself in the mirror: flushed cheeks, hair slightly mussed, eyes wide and alert. The blouse and pencil skirt felt like armor, though it did nothing to cool the lingering heat in her chest and belly. Focus. Professional. Keep it together.
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Steel & Cross Enterprises loomed before her, the lobby vast, gleaming marble and glass walls cold and imposing. Elena's heels clicked against the floor, each step sending a tremor of anticipation through her. A young man approached, smooth and polite.
"Good morning," he said. "I'm Julian. I'll take you through the office, get your contract signed, and show you to your desk. Your boss will see you afterward."
Elena nodded, gripping her bag tightly. Her pulse fluttered, heat from last night coiling in her belly. She tried to focus on the office: conference rooms, sleek hallways, the quiet murmur of early employees. But her thoughts betrayed her, drifting to the hotel, the dare, the feel of him.
Julian led her to a massive desk where neatly stacked contracts waited. "Sign here, initial there," he said. "Once done, your boss will see you."
Her hands trembled slightly as she scrawled her name. Every brush of the pen against paper reminded her of his hand, the way he had touched her so expertly, so deliberately.
Flashes of last night made her shiver uncontrollably.
Julian handed her the final page to initial. "Almost done," he said politely. Yet there was a subtle attentiveness in his eyes that made her pulse flutter. He didn't notice her distraction, or he didn't comment.
Once she signed the final page, Julian gestured toward a spacious private office. "Your boss will see you now. Please take a seat; he'll be here shortly."
Elena entered the office, heels clicking softly, heart hammering. She sat stiffly in a chair, smoothing the fabric of her skirt over her thighs. Her fingers clutched her bag. She had no idea that the man who had consumed her thoughts, the man whose name she had whispered in the shower, was the very CEO of the company she had just signed a contract with.
Minutes dragged. Each sound, the hum of the air conditioning, the faint clatter of papers, her own shallow breaths, seemed magnified. Heat pooled low in her belly as anticipation built. She straightened again, trying to focus on mundane thoughts, trying to breathe evenly.
The office door clicked open, and Elena's chest constricted. She glanced up and froze.
Damien.
Every memory, every heated brush of skin, whispered word, and command of that night, swept through her in a rush. Her breath hitched. She wasn't ready for this.
"Good morning," he said, his voice low, controlled, dripping with amusement. "I hope you've settled in comfortably."
Elena straightened immediately, heels clicking sharply against the polished floor. "Good morning," she said, forcing a polite smile. "I… I'm Elena. I don't believe we've met before."
His storm-gray eyes swept her like a predator assessing prey. Then he smirked, a slow, deliberate curl of the lips that made her pulse stutter. "Really? Not at all? You don't seem to remember… me?"
Elena's heart raced. She pressed her palms to her thighs, forcing composure. "I… I don't," she said softly, keeping her voice even.
Damien took a deliberate step closer, each movement slow, measured, designed to unsettle her. "Interesting," he murmured, letting his gaze linger on her lips, then her eyes, and then back again. "Because your body seems to tell a very different story."
Her pulse spiked. "I… I'm sorry? What do you mean?"
He reached out, brushing a lock of hair from her cheek, his fingers lingering. The contact was electric, and she felt her knees weaken ever so slightly. "I mean," he whispered, his lips just a hair's breadth from hers, "that your hands, your lips, your breath… I can feel that you remember last night."
Elena's stomach fluttered. She took a small step back, forcing distance. "I… I don't know what you're talking about," she said, trying to sound casual, professional even, though every nerve screamed in rebellion.
Damien's smirk deepened. "You're very convincing," he said, circling her slowly, predatorily. "Very… determined to pretend."
"Pretend?" Elena echoed, shifting uneasily.
"Yes," he murmured, leaning in closer so that the warmth of his body brushed hers.
"Pretend that you don't remember the way my lips moved across yours, the way your body trembled, the way you whispered my name when no one was watching."
Her breath caught sharply. She pressed her hands against his chest, trying to maintain composure. "That… that never happened."
Damien chuckled softly, low and intimate, letting the sound vibrate against her. "Oh, Elena… your body is lying, isn't it?" He traced a finger lightly along the edge of her jaw, teasing her skin. "Every nerve, every inch… remembers exactly how last night felt. And yet your lips… you say nothing. Such restraint."
Elena swallowed hard, pulse racing, mind scrambling for escape. "I… it was a mistake. A dare. Nothing more," she whispered, her voice shaky but resolute.
He leaned in, letting his lips hover just over hers, teasing, brushing softly, never fully claiming but always reminding. "A mistake?" he murmured against her lips. "A dare? That seems… inadequate. You were trembling. Shivering. Begging quietly, Elena. Begging. And yet… you tell me it was nothing?"
Her eyes widened. She pressed a hand to his chest, trying to push him away gently, heart hammering. "I… I was drunk. It was… nothing. A dare. Just… please."
Damien smirked, letting his lips brush her ear as he whispered, "Just try to resist me now, Elena. See if you can keep pretending. Because you're not fooling anyone. Not your body. Not me."
Her stomach clenched. She trembled, the weight of desire pressing against reason. Her pulse roared in her ears as she realized just how impossible it would be to maintain her act while he teased her so deliberately, so intimately.
She finally drew back, stepping toward the door. "I… I need to… go," she stammered, heels clicking against the floor.
He let her step away but didn't remove his piercing gaze. "Run if you must," he murmured softly, voice dark and teasing. "But remember… I'll always find you, Elena. And next time… I won't be so gentle."
Her heart pounded, cheeks aflame, body humming with unresolved desire as she fled. The office smelled faintly of him, cologne, heat, and dominance, and it lingered like a promise she couldn't ignore.