Chapter 2 - Chapter Two: His Rules, My Weakness

The next morning, I woke up aching in places I didn't know could ache.My thighs. My throat. My pride.The sheets twisted around my legs were damp with sweat, and the scent of him still clung to my skin cologne, desire, and the ache of everything we didn't say.I stretched, but my body protested. Every movement reminded me of where his hands had been. His mouth. His voice, low and feral, whispering things I swore I'd forget.But hadn't.My hand drifted to my inner thigh. There. That faint soreness. That heat. That was him.God help me.I rolled over, expecting the room to be dark, still.Buzz.My phone lit up on the nightstand. Damian: You forgot your panties. Damian:Don't worry. I'll keep them safe.I groaned.And then, I smiled.No. I shouldn't be smiling. This was a disaster. A scandal. A man like Damian Cain didn't fall in love. He conquered.And last night? He conquered me. Work was hell.I walked into Cain Industries looking like nothing had happened. Hair sleek. Lipstick bold. Skirt just short enough to remind him I wasn't scared.But I was.Because the moment I stepped out of the elevator, I felt him.Damian.Standing by the windows of the 36th floor, sunlight catching the sharp lines of his jaw, suit cut to perfection. He looked like he'd stepped off the cover of a magazine and straight into my fantasies.Our eyes met.And just like that, the room faded."Morning," I said, breezing past him.His fingers brushed my wrist as I passed."Pantyless today?" he murmured.My breath caught. "Go to hell."He leaned in. "Already there, sweetheart. You coming?" By noon, I was drowning in spreadsheets, legal contracts, and the phantom sensation of his hands on my waist.I hated how he made me feel.Worse, I hated how much I loved it.He was dangerous. Obsessive. A man who knew exactly what to say to make me wet, and exactly when to say nothing and just look.Because his look said it all.Especially when it was on me. The boardroom was packed.Investors. Executives. People who thought they ran the world.I presented the quarterly report, voice steady, even as my hands trembled.Then the glass door opened.Damian walked in like he owned the oxygen. Like we all worked for him.And we did.He didn't sit. He leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, eyes on me.My skin burned.The memory of his tongue between my thighs echoed through my head like a scream."Continue," he said lazily, like he hadn't made me beg for more just hours ago.I cleared my throat. Continued.But every breath was torture.When the meeting ended, I gathered my files."Leigh," he said. Just my name.Everyone left. Except him.He stepped closer.I backed up."Don't," I warned."I haven't done anything.""You will."He smiled. The kind that could melt diamond.Then he walked around the table and sat in the chair at the head, legs wide, hands folded."Lock the door.""No."His brow lifted."Leigh."My stomach clenched. I moved on instinct.The door clicked shut."I hate you," I said.He stood."Then let me give you another reason."His hands were on me pulling, tugging, lifting me onto the polished mahogany."Someone will hear ""Then be quiet."He flipped my skirt up.No panties.His growl was pure male satisfaction."You really came to work like this?"I blushed.He knelt.His tongue found me. And I shattered. Afterward, he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief like he'd just had wine.I sat there, ruined.He stood, adjusted his tie."You're sick," I whispered.He nodded. "For you? Absolutely."I wanted to scream.I wanted him to touch me again.Both were true.He turned to leave.I called after him. "This can't keep happening."He didn't turn around."It will." That night, I tried to forget.I poured wine. Blasted music. Scrolled through dating apps I had no intention of using.Then I opened Instagram.There he was.Tagged in a photo.With a woman.Tall. Blond. Perfect.His hand rested on her lower back, right where it had been on me.Rage filled my chest. I slammed my laptop shut.And when I went to bed, I dreamed of punishing him.Of tying him down.Of making him beg.Instead, I woke up to a knock on my door.2:13 a.m.I opened it.He was there.Wet from rain. Tie loosened. Eyes wild."You're mine," he said.And he didn't wait for permission.He kissed me like he wanted to destroy me.And maybe… he already had.