My CEO and ME

The Dangerous Game "I know exactly what you are thinking." Although Carter Holt's voice was low, like a whisper, it cut across the air between us like a razor. My pulse beating in my ears, the tension buzzed in the elegant, glass-walled office where I stood motionless. "But you're incorrect." Blinking, I was shocked by the charge. Though my heart was beating and my mind was whirling with a thousand thoughts, I said, "I'm not thinking anything." His dark green eyes fixed on me with a force that shivered my spine. His look never changed, never softened. "You're thinking that this—this bogus relationship—has gone too far." He moved toward me, predatory, every motion deliberate. But as Sophie says, it hasn't. Not even near. I gulped and tried to keep my cool. "I never inquired about this." Though they came out in a frantic whisper, the words carried the weight of all I had been thinking since this convoluted charade started. The front-stage performance he had dragged me into. Carter's lips curved into a faint knowing smile. "No, you didn't. But today you are in it. And through is the only path out. His presence seemed to be heating me, as if he were a storm on the horizon just waiting to strike. Every instant straying between us, imbued with an intensity I could neither deny nor flee, the strain was stifling. When I started working for Holt Enterprises as his personal assistant, this was not what I expected. I had been happy to remain in the background, running his calendar and doing as directed. But that had all changed the instant the affair surfaced. For the sake of his company's reputation, the strong, emotionless CEO I admired from a distance requested me to pose as his lover. I assumed it was a joke the first time he had asked. The second time I almost turned from his office. But here I was, standing face-to--face with him, performing a part too genuine for comfort. "You think this is easy for me?” My voice quivering, I asked, even though I wanted to sound firm. Trying to get some distance, I stepped back. Trying to inhale. "It is you that shows no concern. For you, this represents just another commercial transaction. His expression clouded, a flicker of something unreadable across his features, then he fast covered it. "You mistook me, Sophie." His voice softened for barely a brief second. About one point, though, you are right. We are in a transaction here. But that's not business. Personal." I knew nothing about how to react to that. In what ways could I use his cold, analytical intellect, Carter Holt had spent the past five years creating an empire, a legacy. Emotion had nowhere to occupy space. There is no place for frailty. Still, here we were in his office engaged in a game neither of us really understood. Trying to protect myself from his direct intensity, I crossed my arms. The words I had been holding in for days at last leaked out uncontrolled. You do not understand, do you? You cannot use some pawn here to tidy your mess. For Carter, I am a person. He moved still another step in front of me, his huge frame hovering over. "Exactly who you are, Sophie, I know. Only you have never fallen in love with my charm. The one person who resists my will. This works thus. His remarks felt to me like a gut punch. It was impossible for me. My breath tightening in my throat, I sensed my pulse surge. "What's that supposed to mean?" I challenged, staring at him with every last bit of defiance. Leaning closer, his breath warmed my ear. "It means, Sophie, you are more than simply a diversion. You present a difficulty. And I never waver in facing a problem. I loathed myself for feeling the bolt of fire that tore across me. For allowing him to touch me emotionally. My voice quivering, I said, "I'm not some toy for you to play with," so betraying me even as I fought to ground myself. Carter's lips curved into a tiny, virtually invisible smile. You are more than that, Sophie. substantially more. Remember, though, you signed an agreement to this. And today we are both in it, whether or not we enjoy it. Unspoken words thickened the air between us and became weighty. Even if anything about this situation shouted at me to keep my distance, it was impossible to deny the draw, the unquestionable chemistry between us. I said, scarcely able to glance him in the eye, "I hate you." He hardly blinked, nor flinched either. Rather, his hand advanced gently, thoughtfully, till it rested on the little of my behind. Though the contact was gentle, it shocked me. "No, you don't," he said, his voice low and nearly a purr. "You cannot." His fingers followed a path down my spine that shivered my body uncontrollably. My breath accelerated, and I chastised myself for responding. I detested his presence, hated that it felt too damn nice. I muttered, the words flowing out before I could stop them, "I don't know why I agreed to this." But I won the fall for you, Carter. All this is a job. His head c****d to the side, darkening eyes reflecting both amusement and something far more threatening. "You say that now," he said, his voice perfectly smooth, "but things have a way of changing when you're this close." The door to his office startled both of us and swung open before I could reply. Victoria Kane, her golden blonde hair falling over her shoulders, stood in the doorway staring at us with a knowing smile. Her voice oozing with contempt, she remarked, "You two are quite the sight." "I had no knowledge Holt Enterprises had evolved into a matchmaking service." Her shoes tapping sharply on the marble floor, she entered the room. "I ought to know. Sophie, you have always seemed drawn to power. Carter stiffened next to me, his whole body going hard at her voice. The mood in the room changed right away. The conflict now was a struggle for dominance, not only between us. One fight I wasn't sure I was ready for. Victoria's eyes flicked to mine, her lips twisting into a smile she saw. "But Carter, sweetheart," she said, "don't you think it's time we discussed the true reason Sophie is here?” Her presence stifled its familiarity, I felt a cold chill pass through me as she approached. Carter's jaw tightened but he did not flinch; I could see the storm building behind his eyes. "Victoria," he whispered, a voice colder than I have ever heard. "This is not of concern to you." But I no longer knew either. Who I could trust, what was real, what was fake—all of which I know. And then I heard it, just as the quiet hung between us waiting for Carter to begin. One phone vibrating on the desk. But that was not just an ordinary alert. It was intended for me and came from an unidentified number. I looked down, my heart skipping a beat. The brief, straightforward, terrible message was: "I know what you are doing. You will not get away with it. As I sensed every nerve in my body go on high alert, the world around me seemed to slant. Who was this? And why did it feel as though the game was only getting started? Not sure I could completely understand the words, I glanced at the message for a few seconds. In the stillness of the room, the buzz of the phone seemed loud, and my pulse throbbed through my temples. Carter's eyes were on me, and the weight of his stare just made the uncomfortable sensation slinking up my spine more noticeable. "What goes wrong?" Carter's voice was low and under control, but right now it had an edge, something sharp and menacing. I did not respond immediately. My fingers shook as I went for the phone, but before I could say anything Victoria's voice cut through the quiet once more like a razor. "Carter," she said, her tone tinged with humor. "I had no idea that between you and Sophie things had gotten so intimate. Should I worry?" She moved closer, her heels tapping in a cadence like a countdown. I tried to remain calm by swallowing hard. Still staring back at me on the phone, its enigmatic message mocked me. "Sophie?", asked Carter repeatedly, his voice rising in pitch, a mix of mistrust and alarm. He turned to face me and stepped forward, but his focus now was more directed. "What's going on?." Sensing the pressure of the moment closing in on me, I quickly locked the phone screen. Nothing at all. I said, just a spam message, but the words seemed empty and I knew Carter could feel it. Victoria turned from me to Carter and bent her lips into a nasty smile. Is it rather like that? Carter, you are really going to let her escape under the guise of nothing happening? She glanced at me and made my blood stop cold; the room seemed smaller and the air thinner. "What is she talking about?" Though my voice shook just enough to expose me, I insisted. Carter stiffened his jaw. " Stay out of this, Victoria." She laughed lightly, but it carried an underlying menace. "Oh, dear, I'm not here. Not yet. She turned her head to narrow her eyes at me. Still, I believe we both know exactly what is happening here. Carter's phone buzzed loudly on his desk, momentarily releasing the tension in the room before I could reply. Carter stopped looking at the screen. As his fingertips floated over the alert, the color washed from his face. "Sophie," Carter said, his voice abruptly tight. "You ought to come check this." My breath hitching, I stepped toward him. But before I could approach, the chamber echoed with a frigid voice, like the distant striking of a bell upsetting the unsettling silence. "You are well above your head, Sophie. And Carter's no dazzling armor knight. The lesson was rather apparent. Moreover, it was designed for me not for Carter. My eyes expanded. The room seemed choked right away, the walls closing in. I back off, my breath accelerating. Carter looked at me perplexingly. Who is this? What the devil is happening here? He insisted, his voice cutting now, every inch the CEO once more. Still, I couldn't get rid of the impression that something considerably more lethal lurked behind the shadows. Once more Victoria grinned, her eyes shining with something darker, something knowing. "This game is not nearly finished, Carter. And I believe Sophie here is about to come to see that." I felt like talking. To clarify. But my ideas knotted themselves up. Victoria's presence, the odd conflict between Carter and me—all of which was gathering into something more sinister—was the message. And I knew not how to stop it.