1
Vanessa
The first time I met Adrian Cole, I didn’t expect him to look at me the way he did, like I was already undressed.
It wasn’t overt. He didn’t leer or smile. He just looked. Eyes sliding from my face to the dip of my collarbone, down to the edge of my pencil skirt, then back to my eyes like nothing had happened.
I’d worn the black blouse for confidence, not attention. But when his gaze lingered, my skin flushed beneath the silk.
He introduced himself with a nod, hands in his pockets. “Adrian Cole.”
“I know,” I said, and immediately regretted it.
He arched a brow. “Should I be flattered or concerned?”
“Depends,” I replied, smoothing the folder in my hands. “Do you prefer being feared or admired?”
A pause, then the ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
God, he
