Chapter 2
1106 Words
⸻
Maya tried to forget the kiss.
She told herself it didn’t matter. It had just been a moment. Late at night. In a storm. He was her boss. She had to be smart.
But her lips still tingled when she thought about it. His hands, his mouth, the way he looked at her like he wanted her.
And worse—how much she had wanted him back.
She didn’t sleep much that weekend. By Monday, she had made up her mind: It couldn’t happen again.
At work, everything felt normal. No one looked at her strangely. No one talked about Mr. Valerio. It was like the kiss never happened.
Until noon.
She received a letter.
From: Executive Office
To: Maya Elridge
Come to Conference Room 11 at 12:15. Bring your China proposal.
No “hello.” No explanation.
Just one sentence. From him.
⸻
She arrived at Conference Room 11 right on time. The hallway was quiet, lined with soft lights and glass walls. This part of the office was reserved for top executives, cleaner, quieter, and more private than the rest of the building.
She walked in. The room was huge and cold. A long black table. Tall windows with a view of the city. It smelled like leather and espresso.
She sat down and waited.
At 12:17, the door opened.
Dante Valerio walked in. No jacket. Just a dark shirt with rolled-up sleeves. The top button was open. He looked casual—but powerful. Like he didn’t need to try.
He sat across from her and held out his hand. “The proposal?”
She gave it to him, trying to stay calm.
He flipped through it. Said nothing at first.
Then: “You added a risk clause.”
“It was missing,” she said.
“You speak Mandarin?”
“And some Cantonese.”
He looked at her, surprised. “Of course you do.”
She looked away. His gaze was too much.
“You’re not easy to ignore, Miss Elridge.”
“I try to be.”
“No,” he said. “You’re trying not to want this. That’s different.”
She looked up. “We kissed. That’s all.”
“It meant something to me.”
She felt her heartbeat speed up. She stood, needing space.
“Why me?” she asked. “You could be with anyone.”
He looked at her for a long second.
“Because you don’t flinch,” he said. “You’re smart. Strong. You challenge me without even trying—and because I don’t already have you, which makes wanting you feel dangerous, real, and impossible to ignore.”
“That’s not a compliment.”
“No,” he said softly. “It’s a warning.”
She turned to leave.
“I’m not sleeping my way to a promotion,” she said firmly.
He smiled—cold, amused. “Good. I don’t reward attention. I reward results.”
She walked out without looking back.
⸻
But that wasn’t the end.
After that, he was everywhere.
He showed up in meetings he usually skipped. He stopped by her floor. Walked by her desk. Always calm. Always watching.
And always with that look—dark and unreadable.
“You’re sharp,” he said once.
“You work well under pressure.”
“Good instincts.”
No one else seemed to notice. But Maya did.
Her body noticed too. Every time he was near, her skin got hot. Her stomach twisted. Her chest got tight. She craved. She burned. She wanted.
She hated it. And she craved it.
⸻
On Thursday, it all exploded.
She stepped into the elevator on her way to Human Resources. Alone.
The elevator stopped on the 30th floor.
Dante stepped in.
She wanted to leave, but the doors closed before she could.
He didn’t say a word.
Neither did she.
The silence was loud.
Then the elevator stopped suddenly. Lights flickered. The floor number froze.
Maya blinked. “What the hell?”
Dante pressed buttons. “Stuck.”
“Of course,” she muttered.
“No signal,” he said, checking his phone.
They were trapped.
He leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Calm.
She tried to stay still.
“Does being stuck with me scare you?” he asked.
“A little,” she said.
“I told you—I won’t touch you unless you want me to.”
“I don’t want that.”
“You sure?” he asked. “You’ve been avoiding me. But you look at me when you think I won’t notice.”
She crossed her arms tighter. “You’re imagining things.”
“No,” he said, stepping closer. “You want me to be a fantasy. But part of you is scared I’m real.”
She swallowed hard. “You’re my boss.”
“That’s what makes it wrong.”
“It also makes it dangerous.”
“I like danger,” he said softly.
He was close now. Too close.
He reached out and lightly touched her waist.
She froze.
“Say no,” he whispered. “Say stop.”
She didn’t.
And then he kissed her.
⸻
The kiss was rougher this time.
His mouth was hot, hungry. He kissed her like he needed her. Her hands grabbed his shirt. She pulled him closer. He pushed her gently against the wall.
She moaned—quiet but real.
He kissed her harder.
She felt his hand on her hip. His thigh between hers. Heat spread through her body.
She didn’t stop him.
She didn’t want to.
But just as suddenly as it started, he pulled away.
Both of them were breathing hard. Sweating.
The elevator lights blinked.
It started moving again.
Neither of them spoke.
The silence was deafening.
When the doors opened, Dante stepped out first.
He didn’t look back.
⸻
Maya stayed inside for a moment, heart pounding, with endless thoughts flooding her mind.
What the hell was happening?
Was this just attraction?
Was it power?
Was she falling into something dangerous again—like she had with Ethan?
She touched her lips. They still burned.
⸻
She made it through the rest of the day. Barely.
At night, she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The city lights flickered on her wall.
She wasn’t stupid. She knew what was happening.
She was being pulled into something that couldn’t end well.
A man like Dante Valerio didn’t fall in love. He conquered. He claimed. He possessed. He destroyed. He won.
He didn’t want a partner. He wanted to possess.
And part of her wanted to let him.
- Writer
