More than a PA
Eva entered into the hotel room nervously, while Victor followed closely behind her
"You should put something on," Ana muttered, looking away.
But he didn't move.
Instead, he leaned against the doorframe, his gaze roving over her like she was his next meal.
"I don't mind being like this," he said smoothly. "After all, it's just you and me."
She stepped away from him cautiously, feeling like she had just walked into a trap.
The couch felt like needles as she sat, tension crackling in her spine.
Victor came to sit beside her, far too close, his knee brushing against hers.
"So... you finally called me Ana," he said, his voice low, velvety, dangerous. "What do you want?"
Eva swallowed hard.
"I need a loan," she admitted quietly. "For my mom's surgery. I'll pay you back, I promise,"
But before she could finish, his hand slipped to her thigh.
"What are you doing, Victor?" she snapped, shifting away.
He leaned in closer, ignoring her flinch.
"Come on, Ana. What does it seems like. Relax will-you, after all, we are both adults, it is no big deal. So loosen up a bit okay."
His fingers brushed higher.
"I don't understand"
"Ana, what's there not to understand, huh, I know about your situation okay. I know you need money urgently for your mom's surgery. I'll give it to you Ana. Right here and right now, just agree to be mine okay. Be mine Ana. Give your self to me and I would lay the world at your feet"
His breath was warm against her cheek, his voice thick with desire.
"I've always wanted you, Ana. You're so damn beautiful. That mouth... those eyes... that body."
She stiffened.
But he kept coming, his eyes burning, his lips inches from hers.
"You have no idea what you do to me. Let me give you the world Ana, be mine. Please be mine my firecracker."
"Ana, I want you," Victor breathed, his voice thick with desire.
And then, without warning, he grabbed her waist and pulled her in, crashing his mouth against hers.
Ana froze in place.
But not for two long, only for a second
Her, eyes wide in shock. The heat of his lips on hers jolted her to the core. But then, snap, her instincts kicked in.
SMACK!
Her hand flew across his face with a ferocity that echoed in the air. His head whipped to the side.
She shot to her feet, chest heaving, as she gave him a disbelievingly look.
Victor blinked, stunned by the slap. Then, realizing his mistake, he sprang up and reached for her hand.
"Ana, wait! I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me, "
But Ana wasn't listening. She yanked her hand free with disgust and grabbed her purse.
"I said I'm sorry!" he called after her. "Come on Ana, you can't be serious about leaving like this... what about your mother, huh? Are you really going to let her die just to prove a point?"
The words stopped her in her tracks.
Slowly, she turned her head to look at him.
His mouth twisted into a cruel smirk.
"Yeah, that got your attention, didn't it?"
Ana's fury doubled. She stormed toward the door without saying another word.
"If you walk out of that door, Ana, you'll see a whole different side of me!" he growled, the mask of charm completely gone now.
"I've been patient. I've done everything I can to make you mine, to make you accept me but you have showed me that no matter what I do, you will continue to be adamant. Because clearly, nice guys get nothing."
His voice deepened, venomous.
"No more pretending. You will be mine, Ana. Either by hook or by crook"
Ana paused at the door. Then slowly, she turned back and shot him a glare so sharp it could cut through steel.
Then she scoffed, and walked out without a second glance.
"You're going to regret this, Ana! Get back here! Ana!!" he roared after her, his voice echoing through the hall.
She was gone.
Victor stood alone, fists clenched, teeth grinding. He raked a hand through his damp hair, cursing under his breath.
He had fucked up big time, and he knew it.
But his body was still burning, his mind clouded, twisted with arousal and rage.
"Damn it," he muttered. "Damn it all."
The Following Day
Damian sat behind his sleek desk, eyes fixed on his screen as he scrolled through lines of code, his fingers tapping steadily. Eric stood nearby, discussing the latest project reports when the office door creaked open.
"Good morning, sir," Ana said politely as she walked in, holding a neat file in her hands.
Eric turned to her with a nod. "Good morning, Miss Eva."
"Apologies for the interruption," Eva said in her composed, professional tone. "I came to brief you about your tightly packed schedule for the day, "
But Eric cut in before she could finish.
"Oh, Miss Eva, the boss won't be attending to any schedule today," he said, flashing a knowing smile. "He'll be leaving for Mexico in about an hour and won't be back until the weekend. So technically, he'll be away the entire week."
Eva blinked. "Oh, I wasn't aware."
"I passed the update yesterday," Eric replied, surprised. "I assumed you already knew."
"That explains it," she murmured. "I wasn't present yesterday. I had taken formal leave, my mom wasn't feeling too well, so I had to stay with her at the hospital."
At that, Damian's fingers stopped moving. He slowly turned away from his screen, locking eyes with her, a faint scoff slipping past his lips.
"Hospital, huh?" He repeated, his voice laced with ice. "Really?" He said coldly
Eva blinked, startled. Her throat tightened. His tone wasn't just skeptical, it was condemning.
Damian leaned back in his chair, his eyes scanning her like he was reading through a page of lies. "Really?"
Damian tore his gaze away, muttering under his breath as he returned to his screen. "Hospital, my foot." His voice thick with sarcasm as he scoffed again.
Eva blinked, as her mouth parted slightly in confusion, and then, like a punch to the gut, it hit her, the hotel. Of course. He had seen her.
Her heart sank. After spending the morning by her mother's bedside, she'd gone to Victor out of desperation, hoping, begging for help with the surgery bills. But that had turned into a humiliating disaster. And now... Damian had witnessed it. Or worse, he'd drawn his own conclusions.
How do I even begin to explain that? She thought, her throat tightening. There's no way he won't misunderstand.
Of course, Damian wasn't just throwing shade, he was referring to what he'd seen with his own eyes. That hunk of a man, shirtless, a towel lazily wrapped around his waist, steam rising from his skin like some damn romance novel cliché. The image still clawed at his nerves.
She had walked into that hotel room, looking flushed and nervous, and entered willingly. In his mind, she had spent her day indulging in pleasure with her type of man, while feeding the office a fabricated story about her sick mother.
He scoffed again, more bitterly this time.
Liar, he thought.
She felt the weight of it, the accusation, the mistrust, the fury. But she couldn't speak. She didn't know how to explain, or if it would even matter.
Damien scoffed again. If looks could kill, Eva Myles would be nothing but ashes under his gaze.
Yet there she stood, calm, collected, blinking innocently at him like she had no clue what he was talking about. The audacity.
Eric, meanwhile, was caught in the crossfire of silent tension, darting his eyes between the two of them, utterly lost. Just then, a soft chime sounded from his iPad. He glanced at the screen, then cleared his throat sharply.
"Sir, we have a new development," he said. "The CEO of the FFT Project, he's actually one of the clients Miss Eva scheduled for a one-on-one interview today. And as we speak... he's already on his way here."
Damien narrowed his eyes. "Cancel it."
"I'm afraid we can't do that, sir," Eric said quickly. "Remember, FFT is one of the top companies we intended to poach for a contract. And now, they're bringing the deal to us, without us lifting a finger. This contract is worth billions, sir. It's on the same level as the Mexico deal."
Damien leaned back slightly, his expression unreadable. "So, what are you suggesting, Eric? That we forfeit the Mexico project?"
"Not necessarily," Eric replied. "I believe we can have both. You should go ahead with the trip while I stay back as your PA and handle the FFT meeting. I'll give them a plausible reason for your absence."
Damien shook his head. "I can't go alone, Eric. I'll need my PA."
"That's where Miss Eva comes in," Eric said smoothly. "She's your assistant PA. She can accompany you to Mexico while I remain here and oversee the situation."
There was a brief, charged silence.
Damien turned to Eva, his eyes piercing through her like lasers. She quickly lowered her gaze, avoiding his stare like it burned.
He let out a low exhale and turned back to his screen.
Eric, trying to ease the tension, turned to Eva. "Miss Eva, I apologize for the abruptness. This was completely unplanned. But you'll be accompanying the boss to Mexico."
"Oh… Okay, sir. Um, is it possible I stop by home first? Just to pack my travel things?"
Eric shook his head gently. "Unfortunately, there's no time. You have less than an hour to prepare, and I still need to brief you on the essentials for the trip. There won't be an opportunity to go back."
He pulled out a sleek, matte-black card from his folder, the kind that never got declined.
"In case you need anything for the trip," he said, handing it to her. "Use this. Anything at all. Clothes, essentials, whatever you need, you can get it on the way."
Eva stared at the card, her heart thumping. A trip to Mexico. Alone with Damien.
She took the card slowly, her fingers trembling just slightly.