THUD! Summer Lancaster stumbled back into a bookshelf. Her heart began to pound. He had never been like this. Usually, he wouldn't even spare her a glance, but now he was just inches away. Summer had never been this close to him. He smelled faintly of cologne and tobacco. She didn't dare to look him in the eye, her face flushing slightly. 'After all, she did have feelings for him. Anyone would get flustered being this close to the person they liked.'
Kenneth Yates had intended to humiliate her by talking about his relationship with Audrey. Yet, now that he was standing next to her, he couldn't get a single word out. She carried the faint scent of roses—the scent of champagne roses, his favorite. He felt a little dazed and, as if guided by some unseen force, leaned in even closer.
"President Yates..." Summer began, looking up to ask what he wanted, but Kenneth Yates cut her off with a dominant kiss. Her eyes flew wide open before fluttering shut. It was her first kiss. Compared to him, her technique was clumsy and uncertain.
Kenneth Yates was a seasoned lover. He skillfully parted her lips, greedily savoring her sweetness. He had never imagined his little wife could be so exquisite. Unconsciously, his arms tightened around her waist. She was so slender; he could hold her entire frame with just one arm. 'He remembered she used to be chubby and cute as a child.' Trembling, Summer wrapped her arms around him. She felt dazed. She didn't want to push him away. 'Just this once,' she thought, 'I'll let myself go.'
KNOCK, KNOCK. Someone was at the door, but they didn't come in.
"President Yates, you have an executive meeting at four." Kenneth Yates's eyes snapped open. He shoved Summer away and straightened his suit.
"Yes, Fletcher. Go prepare the meeting materials." The person outside departed. Summer's hands were still frozen in the position they were in when she had been holding him. Snapping back to reality, she quickly lowered them. The coldness in her eyes from when she first entered the office was gone, replaced by a tender warmth. Kenneth Yates snorted coldly. 'Doesn't she know how many men would fall for that look?' he thought. 'What came over me? Why did I kiss her? I must be sick.' He pressed a hand to his head, a headache blooming. Seeing him, Summer rushed to his side.
"Kenneth, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?" she asked, her face etched with worry. Kenneth Yates pushed her away.
"What? Did one kiss make you forget your place? Are you that desperate?" Kenneth Yates stood up, looking down on her condescendingly.
"If you're fine, President Yates, then I'll be leaving." Summer fled as if escaping a disaster. Kenneth Yates watched her go, then propped his head in his hand again. His head was really starting to hurt. He picked up a photo frame from the desk. Inside was a picture of two young people. The girl's smile was as bright as a flower in bloom, while the boy looked gentle and refined.
"Thea, what are you so angry about? I won't fall in love with her. I won't. Please, just come back..."
He hated this part of himself, the part that couldn't resist temptation. In his mind, Thea was the only one who mattered. No one could ever take her place. But now, Kenneth Yates was starting to waver.
The last rays of the setting sun filled the sky. Kenneth Yates stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows and lit a cigarette. Ever since Thea had left, he'd grown fond of the hazy sensation of being enveloped in smoke. Down below, Summer reached the entrance of the building. But unlike usual, today she was chatting happily with a man. Kenneth Yates narrowed his eyes and stubbed out his cigarette.
At six o'clock, it was time to clock out. Summer Lancaster glanced at her watch, stood up, and straightened her clothes. Just as she stepped out of the Yates Group building, she saw her college senior, Caleb Bell. Back then, Caleb had been incredibly popular. Handsome and wealthy, he was the object of many girls' affections, yet he hadn't dated a single person in all four years of college—a fact that everyone found baffling.