The moment the glass door clicked shut behind Liam, my knees threatened to give out.
I stood frozen in the middle of his office, gripping the edge of his desk like it was the only thing tethering me to reality. My chest rose and fell in shallow bursts, my skin flushed, and my lips… God, my lips still tingled from the way his breath had grazed them when he'd whispered those words.
I hated myself for replaying them already.
You want to know what happens if you disobey me? Keep tempting me and find out.
The echo of his warning coiled low in my stomach, spreading warmth and confusion. I didn't know whether I was more terrified of his threats… or of how much a dark, traitorous part of me wanted to find out.
The hum of the city below filtered through the massive windows, but in here, it still felt like his presence lingered thick, heavy, inescapable. His cologne clung to the leather of his chair, his energy woven into the very air. My hands were trembling, whether from adrenaline, arousal, or the sheer panic of knowing what I'd just let happen, I couldn't tell.
It was wrong.
It was intoxicating.
And it was the most alive I'd felt in years.
I forced my legs to move, gathering the folders he'd left scattered across the desk, the ones I wasn't supposed to see, the ones that hinted at KnightCorp's hidden skeletons. My fingers hesitated over the embossed lettering on the top file.
Confidential.
The word stared back at me, taunting me.
If I opened it, I could know more about the man who toyed with me like I was his private amusement. But if I was caught… God knows what Liam Knight would do. And after his whispered promise in my ear, I wasn't sure I'd survive the consequences.
Before I could give in, my phone buzzed against the desk, startling me so much the folder nearly slipped from my grasp.
I glanced down. One message lit up the screen.
Liam: Conference room. Now.
No "please." No explanation. Just a command.
I swallowed hard, shoved the folders back into a neat pile, and smoothed my skirt. My pulse spiked, not because of the meeting, but because I knew this was another test. With Liam Knight, everything was a game of control.
The corridors felt longer than usual, every click of my heels echoing louder than it should have. By the time I reached the conference room, I'd plastered a mask of composure over my features, but inside, my nerves tangled into a knot of anticipation and dread.
The moment I stepped inside, the air shifted.
Board members in tailored suits sat around the gleaming glass table, their expressions a blend of boredom and calculation. Their eyes cut to me as if I didn't belong here which, technically, I didn't. I was an assistant, not an executive. Yet here I was, stepping into the lion's den.
And then there was Liam.
Seated at the head of the table, he exuded power in a way that was effortless, terrifying, and magnetic all at once. His dark suit fit him like armor, his jaw sharp, his expression carved from steel. His gaze locked onto me the second I entered, burning hot and cold at the same time.
"Miss Blake," he said smoothly, his voice carrying over the quiet murmur of the room. "You'll be taking minutes for this meeting… and delivering the closing summary."
My throat tightened. "Sir, I...."
"You'll manage," he interrupted, one brow lifting in silent challenge. "You're quick. I want to see how quick."
It wasn't just a test, it was a show. A performance meant for his board, but also for me. I was acutely aware of every pair of eyes on me, but it was his gaze, steady and unreadable, that pinned me in place.
I slid into the seat near the corner, clutching a notepad like a lifeline. The meeting began, a whirl of financial terms, mergers, contracts, and numbers that blurred together. Liam's voice dominated the room sharp, decisive, smooth as dark velvet. Every word that left his mouth carried weight, bending the atmosphere to his will.
And still, even while speaking to billion-dollar investors, he found ways to remind me I wasn't safe from his attention.
A hand drumming against the table in a rhythm I recognized.
A glance held one heartbeat too long.
The ghost of a smirk when I dared look up from my notes.
I scribbled furiously, terrified of missing anything, terrified of failing him in front of everyone. But beneath my focused façade, my thoughts kept betraying me. His voice wasn't just commanding, it was intimate, crawling under my skin like it belonged there.
Every so often, my mind betrayed me further, replaying the way those lips had hovered over mine earlier. My thighs pressed together under the table in secret shame, my pen threatening to shake in my grip.
By the end of the hour, my nerves were stretched so thin I thought they'd snap.
"Miss Blake," Liam said finally, leaning back in his chair, his gaze never leaving me. "The summary."
My heart stuttered. I rose slowly, clutching my notes, forcing air into my lungs.
"KnightCorp is finalizing the merger with Harbor Investments," I began, my voice steadier than I expected. "Projected revenue for Q3 surpasses initial forecasts. The adjustments to international partnerships are pending legal review. And…."
I flicked my eyes down, then up again only to meet his stare. Intense, Assessing. Almost daring me to falter.
"….and KnightCorp is positioned to dominate the market within the next fiscal year."
A silence stretched across the table. Then, one of the board members gave a curt nod. Another jotted something down. Liam's lips curved into the faintest smirk, the kind that wasn't approval so much as acknowledgment.
I'd passed. For now.
"Efficient," he said simply. "My office. Five minutes."
The dismissal was final. The meeting dissolved into chatter, chairs scraping back. But all I could hear was the pounding of my pulse.
His office. Again.
The walk back felt like a death march or maybe a march toward something even more dangerous. My body was betraying me, every nerve alive, every step an echo of the way he'd made me feel earlier.
When I reached his door, my hand hesitated on the handle. A voice in my head screamed to run, to leave before it was too late. But another voice darker, hungrier whispered that it was already too late.
I pushed the door open.
He was there, leaning casually against the edge of his desk, jacket undone, tie loosened. The controlled CEO was gone. What stood before me was something far more dangerous.
His eyes raked over me slowly, deliberately, until I felt stripped bare.
"Close the door, Miss Blake," he said, voice low, smooth as sin.