Chapter 5: The Line We Shouldn’t Cross
622 Words
Leticia walked into the office the next morning with her heart still rattling from the night before.
Paul had nearly kissed her.
He had looked at her like she was the only thing keeping him human, like touching her might set him free or set him on fire. Yet, he’d stopped himself.
Now, she had to face him.
Like nothing had happened.
The elevator chimed open to the 31st floor. She stepped out, took a deep breath, and walked toward her desk just outside his office.
Her heart dropped when she saw the woman already sitting in her chair.
Blonde, polished, legs crossed like a billboard. She was talking to Paul through his half-open door with the ease of someone familiar.
“Miss Sam,” came Paul’s voice suddenly, clipped and distant, “we need to talk.”
Leticia clenched her jaw, walked past the mystery woman and stepped into his office.
He didn’t even look up from his laptop. “Meet your temporary replacement. You’re being moved to Marketing department for the week.”
Leticia blinked. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“No warning? No explanation?”
He finally looked at her but his eyes were shuttered again. Cold and Impenetrable just like on day one.
“I make decisions based on what’s best for the company,” he said. “This isn’t personal.”
Her heart twisted. “but it feels personal.”
“It shouldn’t.”
“Right,” she muttered, biting down the ache in her throat. “Let me guess, Miss Leggy Blonde is just another last-minute decision?”
Paul said nothing.
That silence said everything.
Leticia turned on her heel and stormed out, heart pounding.
The Marketing department was a chaotic whirlwind of color, chatter, and mood boards. It wasn’t her world, but at least it was a place to breathe.
Still, all she could think about was him. The way he looked at her yesterday like she was his undoing and now, he’d replaced her without a word….Coward.
Later that evening, as she packed her things to leave, her phone buzzed.
Paul: We need to talk, Boardroom 2…Five minutes.
She almost didn’t go.
Her feet moved before her pride could catch up.
She found him standing by the window, city lights painting his features in soft gold. He looked exhausted and torn.
“I made a mistake,” he said without turning.
Leticia crossed her arms. “Firing me or almost kissing me?”
He turned slowly, “Both.”
She let out a bitter laugh. “So what now, You avoid me forever?”
“No,” he said, stepping forward. “I pushed you away because I want you too much. You make me lose control, and I don’t like not being in control.”
“I never asked you to lose anything,” she said softly. “I just wanted to be enough.”
Paul stopped in front of her, close enough for her to feel the heat of his regret.
“You are,” he whispered. “You always were.”
Leticia swallowed the lump rising in her throat.
“Then stop running from me.”
His hand lifted, hesitated, and then gently rested on her waist. His other hand found her cheek.
No words, just a look.
Then this time, he didn’t stop.
His lips met hers in a kiss that shattered the wall he’d built around himself.
Hot, slow and desperate.
When they pulled apart breathless, he rested his forehead against hers.
“I don’t know what this means,” he whispered.
“It means you feel something,” she replied. “That’s a start.”
Outside, thunder rolled.
Inside, the storm had already begun.
- Writer
