Page 3

Not having her in my office anymore is a blessing and a curse.

It was nearly impossible to focus with her right in front of me day after day, so that, at least, is easier. But now I just think about her all day and make excuses to ask her to come to my office, or for me to go to hers.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

The level of attraction I have towards her is astounding.

Again, I’m on my way to her office, under the guise of asking her about the paperwork I emailed to her an hour ago. Sure, I need to discuss it with her, but technically, I could just wait for her to respond. It’s nothing urgent.

I walk into her office to find her with her chair spun towards the window, her back to her desk.

She reaches her arms high in the air above her head and lets out a loud, tired yawn as she stretches and leans back slightly.

Then she tilts her head to the side and starts massaging her neck.

My eyes trace over the perfect curve of her long neck as she rubs her fingers into her skin.

I imagine taking over for her, wrapping my hands around her neck and rubbing the knotted muscles—the sounds she would make, soft moans of delight. I’d whisper in her ear what a good girl she’s been, how well she’s been doing.

My hands would wrap around the front of her throat and brush down her chest, over those gorgeous breasts of hers—

My body floods with lust and I close my eyes, trying to stop the fantasy from going any further. I open my eyes again and walk towards her desk.

Sera turns around, spinning in her chair, and catches me watching her. Straight away, her face turns red with embarrassment, which amuses me.

She practically chokes in fright.

“Nico,” she stammers. “I was just—I was—“ She’s tripping over her words.

“You were taking a breather?” I fill in for her.

She bites her bottom lip, a little habit of hers that causes my cock to stir every fucking time.

“Mmhmm,” she nods quickly with her brows knitted. Sera grabs a printout of something and stands up, shuffling the papers into a neater stack as she speaks, almost too fast to hear.

“The acquisition documents aren’t finished, but I thought I could color code the spreadsheet for you to make it easier when you’re in the meeting, and you should know that the board members of Chase and Chase, your Thursday meeting, are at each other’s throats over the stock that two of the members sold without informing anyone else.

The cohesion in that company is falling apart, and it might affect the pitch.

I can’t imagine them wanting to discuss investment opportunities while they’re worried about internal affairs.

Oh, and Juniper, is that her name? From HR?

She asked me for a copy of my passport. Why does she need my passport?

It doesn’t matter, I’ve already sent it.

I don’t know why I bothered you with that.

I’ll ask her what that’s about. Did you get the presentation?

I sent it back to you. There was an error on the third slide.

I fixed it. You might not even notice. Oh, and—"

She’s clearly talking to cover up her embarrassment at being caught in a vulnerable human position.

The longer she talks, the more difficult it becomes to hide my grin.

Does she know how endearing she is? How charming?

When I watch her, I get the distinct sensation that she has no idea she is the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.

She is oblivious to her own beauty, and that makes her a hundred times more attractive to me. So does her shyness. Like right now.

I told my arms across my chest as I listen, not saying a word because I’m curious how long she’ll go on.

She’s barely paused to take a breath.

“And the systems management team at Baker Street is sending over a report on the security setup so that you can approve it—"

I decide to save her from herself.

“Serafina,” I say her name gently, pulling her from her panic.

“Yes, sir. I mean, Nico.”

“You’ve been doing a brilliant job. I’m really impressed with your efficiency and the dedication you’ve shown so far; I know it hasn’t been easy, taking on so much so quickly. Don’t be worried about me catching you taking a minute for yourself.”

“It was only a minute. I promise,” she says tightly.

I chuckle, shaking my head.

“You’re allowed to be tired, Serafina. It’s human.”

She sighs in relief, closing her eyes for a moment. “It’s strange how being in such a corporate environment makes us forget we are all just people—tired, hungry, not perfect all the time.”

She’s perfect all the time.

“If you don’t give yourself space to relax, even for a moment, you’re going to turn into a rigid mess.”

We both glance out of the door towards Nicole’s desk at exactly the same time. When our eyes meet again, we start laughing, thinking the same thing, not needing to say anything.

Serafina sits down again, rubbing her hand over the back of her neck unconsciously.

“My tension also always builds in the same spot. If you'd like, I could massage your neck for you. I’ve got a strong grip, you’d be melting in my hands…“ My cock stirs with excitement.

What the fuck, that’s not appropriate, Nico.

Her cheeks turn crimson, and her lips part as she takes a sharp breath.

Her green eyes are wide with shock.

I’ve crossed a line. But that doesn’t stop me from crossing another. “I know a lot of ways to ease stress.” Fuck, I’d love to show her.

She giggles, and the delicate sound rushes through me like a summer breeze, igniting my desire tenfold.

How is it possible that everything she does turns me on? I can’t pinpoint something specific; it just appears to be everything about her that drives me crazy.

She sets the papers she’s straightened ten times now down on her desk and shrugs one shoulder up as she tilts her head to the side—another cute gesture. “I’ve never had a massage before,” she laughs.

“That’s terrible news. We should change that.”

Sera shakes her head. “Perhaps I’ll have time for some fun or relaxing things once we have Baker Street up and running.”

“You should make time to release your tension, Sera.” My voice drops and my eyes narrow as I watch her, thinking about how I’d love to bend her over this desk and fuck her so hard that little plant gets knocked right off the corner.

For a moment, neither of us says anything. She caught the change in the tone of my voice. I can see desire in her eyes. I have to ignore.

Change the subject, say something, don’t just stand here like an idiot.

“Can you move Friday’s three o'clock meeting? I can’t see them at that time.”

She frowns and pulls her diary open. “Friday?” she asks, confused for a moment. “Oh, Friday. Of course,” she nods, scribbling a note next to the time.

It’s not a meeting she’s attending.

At least twenty-five percent of my job is related to the bratva, and those meetings are not attended by anyone other than my most trusted staff, the ones who work in the back end of our company.

I wouldn’t want to expose her to that world, so I keep it separate. She doesn’t know about that darker side of the business—or the darker side of me—and I would like to keep it that way.

Except her innocence and my secrets make her even more of a forbidden fruit, even more tempting to me. She’s off limits in so many ways, and it makes my desire for her more dangerous—and, of course, more enticing.

The idea of protecting her from something, anything, the idea of being the one to keep her safe—it turns me on like crazy.

Why would I be so possessive of her?

She has a feminine delicacy about her that I want to hold. I want to reach out and touch it. If I kissed her, I would taste it on her lips.

“When would you like me to move that meeting to?” she asks, her eyes on me.

“What meeting?” I ask. Oh fuck. Focus, stop daydreaming about her. “Right—yes—anytime the following week,” I answer quickly.

She nods again, making notes.

“That’s it for the moment,” I say, taking a step away from her. It’s better if I get out of here. Being around her right now is dangerous.

I rush back to my office, closing the door behind me to give myself some privacy.

Shit, man. I need to pull myself together.

What the hell is wrong with me? She’s making me lose control in ways I did not think possible.

If I don’t stop heading down this path, I’m going to end up doing something dangerous, like kissing her—and once I kiss her, there is no telling what will happen.

Will I be able to stop myself from going further?

From tearing her apart? Fuck . She’s so fucking gorgeous.

I sink into my office chair, huffing out a loud, annoyed breath.

Ever since she started working here, I’ve been obsessing over her. It’s refreshing, though, which is why I’ve been enjoying it so much.

It’s amazing not to be so caught up thinking about the loss of my brother or his missing best friend. It’s like taking all of my worries and stress and setting them aside for a moment, just enjoying myself.

Allowing myself to think about her is a luxury.

Perhaps one I can’t afford to indulge in.

Leaning back in my office chair, I close my eyes for a moment, pressing my hands against them to massage away the images of her in that tight black dress.

The way is hugs her waist, curving out over her lower back, the dip just before it swells over her ass—what a perfect ass she has…

I want to bend her over the desk and slap her ass, watch it jiggle ever so slightly. My cock goes hard just thinking about it—

I walk into her office and pull the door closed behind me.

She is leaning over her desk with her back to the door, making notes on a piece of paper.

She hears me come in and stands straighter to look at me.

“Is there anything I can do for you, sir?” she asks in her sweet, innocent voice, her eyes glittering with hope, eager to please me in every single way.

“Yes, my angel. You can bend over that desk again,” I say, closing the gap between us.

“Oh,” she says in surprise. “Sir—“

I set my hands on her waist and move her to face the desk, pushing her forward at the same time. She gasps in surprise, turning to look at me over her shoulder.

“Be a good girl, don’t fight me on this,” I growl.

“But sir — " she squeals.

Her words are cut short as I run my hand between her thighs, up the inside of her leg. Her breathing gets heavier; my heart races as my cock throbs with the anticipation of thrusting into her.

I brush my hand over her ass, pushing her dress up, letting my eyes wander over her perfect form.

Then I pull her panties aside and slide my —

What the fuck am I doing? My hand is pressed against my cock, rubbing back and forth over my pants. It’s rock-hard, threatening to rip through the seams of my pants. I’m so fucking turned on right now.

I’m at my desk. Anyone could walk in.

This is not the time or place to be getting lost in fantasies about my new executive assistant.

I’m allowing myself to cross dangerous lines here.

Fuck's sake, Nico. Pull it together.

I huff, my jaw clenching tightly as I sit up straighter in my chair and pull my laptop towards myself. Work . Focus on work.

But it’s impossible.

She’s right next door, and I’m already thinking up another excuse to go and talk to her.

I can’t stay away from her.