I watched Ariana Lane walk out of my office, her back straight, her shoulders stiff, her jaw clenched like she was holding herself together with sheer force and nothing else.
She was so fierce, so beautiful so sexy! The fire in her voice and her dignity in everything.
Most people crumble when they stand in front of me.
She didn't.
the night she slapped me in public, and not today when she signed that contract with trembling hands but unbroken spirit.
And I hated that I noticed.
The elevator doors closed behind her and the silence left in her wake pressed against my chest like a weight. I exhaled and crossed the room to the massive glass window overlooking the city.
This was supposed to feel satisfying.
I should have enjoyed watching her surrender watching her pride fold under pressure I created. I should have felt victorious.
Instead… irritation burned beneath my skin.
Confusion.
Interest.
Something I do not have time for.
My phone buzzed on the desk. A message from my head of HR:
Contract signed. Miss Lane begins tomorrow.
I replied only:
Prepare security clearance.
I set the phone down and found myself replaying her words and her face
Gosh I'll love to touch that face, kiss that face, bring her face down to my cock and..,
Whoa whoa hold up there! She's a beautiful lady no doubt but why do I feel so strongly towards her.
I moved to my desk, opening a file with her background, education, employment history, references. Everything I already knew.
Top of her class.
Promoted twice in her first year.
Excellent performance reviews.
Zero disciplinary records.
Responsible for supporting her family.
A woman who works twice as hard as everyone around her.
A woman who doesn't quit.
And I destroyed her life in one day.
Most people I crush stay crushed.
But she was already trying again. Already applying again. Already climbing back up with blood on her hands and fire in her lungs.
I leaned back in my chair, pressing my fingers against my forehead as irritation twisted in me
Again, why do I care about her?
I don't get distracted.
I don't get emotional.
I don't get curious.
Yet here I am thinking about a woman who should mean nothing.
A knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts.
My Chief operating officer stepping inside
"Is it true?" He said walking inside my office
What"? I asked flatly
"You hired the same girl you blacklisted"
Yes and everything about her employment remains confidential"
"Why though? I could have sworn you hated her so much"
Taking a pen and signing off a paperwork he brought to my desk "people change don't they" I replied giving him the paperwork
"Well you're not people Liam " he replied and smirked and walked off
But I was changing and this strange feeling in my chest has me in lock.
Tomorrow she'll walk into this building with that defiant glare and stubborn chin, ready to fight the entire world if she has to.
She thinks she hates me now.
She has no idea what real hate feels like.
And yet…
Why do I have the uneasy feeling that she's about to change everything?
I whispered her name into the empty office, tasting it like a challenge:
"Ariana Lane."
This wasn't supposed to be personal.
But it already is.