JAY'S POV —
If someone had told me a week ago that I would be sitting inside a billion-dollar boardroom trying not to lose my mind because my ex-boyfriend was secretly flirting with me under a conference table while executives discussed acquisition strategies—
I would have called the police.
Yet here I am.
Suffering professionally.
The conference room looks painfully corporate.
Cold lighting. Giant glass windows overlooking London. A twelve-foot marble table surrounded by executives who all look like they haven't experienced joy since 2009.
And at the head of the table?
Mark Keifer Watson.
Of course.
Because apparently Satan gets custom tailoring now.
He sits there looking criminally composed in a charcoal suit with his sleeves rolled just enough to expose his forearms and expensive watch.
Meanwhile I can't even remember what slide we're on because this man has been staring at me for the last twenty minutes like I'm the only thing in the room worth listening to.
Which is INSANE behavior considering there are literally six people presenting financial projections right now.
"Attorney Mariano?"
I blink.
Oh no.
One of the executives pauses politely, clearly waiting for my input.
My brain immediately blue screens.
"…sorry?"
Jeremy slowly lowers his pen beside me.
The disappointment radiating off him is spiritual.
"They asked," he whispers through clenched teeth, "about the shareholder liability clause."
Oh my God.
OH MY GOD.
I missed an ENTIRE QUESTION.
I NEVER miss questions.
Not once in my professional life.Not even during sleep deprivation.Not even during law school.
And now suddenly one emotionally manipulative billionaire kisses me once and I forget how words work.Pathetic.
Absolutely pathetic.
I straighten instantly, forcing professionalism back into my body.
"The revised clause lacks international protection coverage," I say smoothly. "If litigation occurs overseas, Watson Enterprises becomes unnecessarily exposed."
The executive nods immediately.
"Exactly our concern."
Good.
Beside me, Jeremy narrows his eyes suspiciously.
"You are deeply off your game today," he mutters quietly.
"I am perfectly fine."
"You just cited the wrong subsection."
Silence.
"…I did?"
"You cited section four."
I slowly look down at the file.
Fuck.
It was section seven.
Jeremy stares at me in complete disbelief.
"Who ARE you?"
"I'm going through something."
"Clearly."
Across the table, Keifer's mouth twitches slightly.
ASSHOLE.
I glare at him instantly.
Big mistake.
Because the second our eyes meet, that smug bastard leans back in his chair looking way too calm for someone actively ruining my nervous system.
And the worst part?
He looks pleased.
Not normal pleased either.
No.
The deeply male, emotionally dangerous kind of pleased that should honestly require government regulation.
One of the senior executives continues talking about projected market losses while I aggressively avoid looking at Keifer again.
Focus, Jay.
You are an attorney.A professional.A respected woman in corporate law.
You are NOT some hormonal teenager spiraling because your ex kissed you against a desk.
Then suddenly—Something brushes against my ankle.
I freeze.
The contact is light.
My entire spine locks instantly.
Oh no.
No no no—
I glance downward carefully beneath the table.
And there it is.
A polished black dress shoe.Touching my leg.
Moving slowly against my ankle.
OH MY GOD.
OH MY GOD THIS MAN IS INSANE.
I jerk slightly in my chair.
Jeremy notices immediately.
"…why did you just flinch like you saw a ghost?"
"Nothing."
"You said that too fast."
"I am listening to the meeting."
"You look like you're fighting for your life."
BECAUSE I AM.
Across the table, Keifer casually flips through a document like he's not currently foot-seducing me in front of an entire executive board.
My eyes snap toward him murderously.
He finally looks up.
And smiles.
Very faintly.
Very slowly.
Pure evil.
I mouth at him silently:
What the fuck is wrong with you?
His eyebrow lifts innocently.
Then his shoe drags higher against my calf.
My soul exits my body.
I inhale so sharply that two executives glance toward me in concern.
"Attorney Mariano?" one asks carefully. "Are you alright?"
"Yes," I say instantly.
At the exact same time Jeremy says:
"No."
I kick him under the table.
Unfortunately—Wrong leg because I accidentally kick Keifer instead.
The bastard actually looks delighted.
Jeremy's eyes narrow suspiciously now.
Oh no.
NO.
Do not investigate.
Please.
For once in your chaotic little life, Jeremy, mind your business.
But of course—
The universe hates me.
Jeremy drops his pen.
"Oops," he says casually. "My bad."
Traitor.
Absolute fucking traitor.He bends beneath the table to pick it up and freezes.
Silence.
Dead silence.
Then very slowly—Jeremy lifts his head again.
His glasses slide down slightly.
His mouth opens and the smirk that spreads across his face is genuinely demonic.
Oh my God.
He saw.
HE SAW THE FEET FLIRTING.
Jeremy looks at me.
Then at Keifer.
Then back at me again like he just uncovered classified government secrets.
"Well," he murmurs softly, leaning back into his chair, "this explains why Attorney Mariano forgot basic literacy skills today."
I stare at him in horror.
"Jeremy."
"No no," he whispers dramatically. "Continue the meeting. Pretend your FEET are not having unresolved sexual tension beneath a merger discussion."
I want to pass away peacefully.
Immediately.
Across the table, Keifer lowers his head slightly, hiding a smile behind his hand.
Coward.
Absolute coward.
I grabbed my phone and from underneath the table texted this absolute menace,
~Mr. Watson,perhaps you should focus on the presentation.
His eyes meet mine instantly he picked up his phone and started to type
~I am focused Attorney.
His shoe brushes my ankle again.
MURDER.
I choose murder.
One executive clears his throat awkwardly while pretending none of this is happening.
Another suddenly becomes deeply invested in his spreadsheet.
Meanwhile Jeremy is visibly vibrating beside me trying not to laugh out loud.
~This is workplace harassment
I typed aggressively
Keifer tilts his head slightly.
~And yet you're blushing.
~I am overheating.
~Mhm.
~Because this room is suffocating.
~You were cold five minutes ago.
~Keifer."
~Jay."
I hate this man.
I hate him so much.
Then suddenly one of the executives starts wrapping up the presentation.
"Alright," he says carefully, clearly sensing the absolutely psychotic tension in this room. "If there are no further concerns, we can conclude today's meeting."
THANK GOD.
I stand up so fast my chair nearly falls backward.
"I agree," I say immediately. "We're done here."
Jeremy grabs his files while grinning like the devil himself.
"Oh this was incredible," he says happily. "Truly. Cinema."
I shoot him a glare sharp enough to kill.
Then I turn toward the door instantly because if I stay in this room another thirty seconds, I might either kiss Keifer again or stab him with a fountain pen.
Possibly both.
"Attorney Mariano."
My spine stiffens immediately.
Damn him.
Damn that voice.
I turn slowly.
Keifer is still seated at the head of the table, one arm resting lazily against the chair while he watches me with that same impossible expression.
Like he already knows I'm losing this fight and somehow—That's the most terrifying part of all.
KEIFER'S POV —
Watching Jay Mariano lose her mind in a boardroom full of executives might actually become my favorite hobby.
Because there she is—sitting across from me in a grey suit sharp enough to start wars, pretending to review merger files while very obviously avoiding eye contact with me like her life depends on it.
And honestly?
That alone is entertaining.
But then she misses an entire legal point.
Jay.
Jay Mariano.
The woman who once corrected a judge mid-sentence without blinking.
Missed. A. Point.
Because of me.
I almost smile right there.
Almost.
Then Jeremy starts noticing she's acting weird, and suddenly the entire meeting becomes significantly more interesting.
Especially when I slide my shoe against her ankle beneath the table.
The reaction is immediate.
Her spine locks.
Her breathing changes.
And the murderous look she sends me afterward?
Absolutely worth it.
I spend the next ten minutes pretending to listen to financial projections while secretly tormenting the woman I've been in love with for seven years.
Productivity? Low.
Personal satisfaction? Immaculate.
Then Jeremy drops his pen.
And the second that man bends down and sees what's happening under the table—
Oh, I know instantly we're never hearing the end of this.
His soul practically leaves his body.
Meanwhile Jay looks one inconvenience away from committing felony assault in front of six executives and a quarterly revenue report.
Beautiful.
Truly beautiful.
Then her phone lights up.
Attorney Mariano:
~Mr. Watson, perhaps you should focus on the presentation.
I look at her over the rim of my coffee cup before replying calmly.
~I am focused, Attorney.
And just to make her life harder—
I drag my shoe higher against her calf.
She nearly inhales her own soul.
God.
I missed her.
By the time the meeting finally ends, every executive in the room looks emotionally exhausted, Jeremy looks spiritually reborn, and Jay looks like she's reconsidering every life decision that led her back into my orbit.
She stands immediately.
Too quickly.
Like escaping me is still possible.
Cute.
"I agree," she says crisply. "We're done here."
Jeremy grabs his files with the grin of a man who has witnessed history.
Jay glares at him with enough force to collapse economies.
Then she turns toward the door.Running again.Of course.
"Attorney Mariano."
She stops instantly.Slowly turns toward me.
And there it is again—That look.Half anger.Half panic.
Half something else she still refuses to name.
I lean back lazily in my chair, watching her for one long second before speaking calmly.
"You forgot your pen."
She aggressively rips it off my hands and walks away.....
Oh my sweet little Jay Jay..it's gonna be fun messing with you hahaha