The CEO's secret smile

Elena We were in the office, only… it wasn’t the same. The lights were dimmer, softer. The hum of the printer was gone. No one else was around. It was just him,Mr. Edward and me. He wasn’t wearing a suit. Just a white shirt, sleeves rolled up, top buttons undone. I’d never seen him like that before. So casual. So close. I should’ve stepped back. I should’ve said something. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. Instead, I stood there, frozen with nerves, heat crawling up my neck as he looked at me. Not the way he usually did across the boardroom table or during staff meetings. This time it was different. There was something softer in his eyes,something that made my stomach tighten. He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from my face. My breath caught. His fingers lingered longer than they should have. I should’ve said his name. Stopped it. Reminded myself I was just an intern. He was my boss. But my body didn’t listen. I leaned into his hand like I’d been waiting for that touch all my life. He leaned in slowly, almost cautiously, giving me a chance to move. I didn’t. When his lips finally met mine, I felt something strange and beautiful unravel inside me. Like something forbidden had just been set free. It wasn’t rushed. His lips moved over mine with such care, as though he was afraid I might break. My hands reached for his shirt instinctively, gripping the fabric near his chest as he deepened the kiss. Every part of me tingled. His mouth, his touch, the way he whispered my name like a secret,soft, deliberate, sinful. I felt like I was floating, melting, losing myself in a version of him I knew I’d never see in real life. He pushed me gently against the wall, his body flush against mine, and kissed down the side of my neck, slow and warm. I gasped,his name slipping out of my mouth in a whisper I didn’t even recognize. “I shouldn’t want you,” he murmured against my skin, his voice rough, breath shaky. “But I do.” I didn’t say anything. I just kissed him again. His hands slid inside my skirt, gently rubbing my thighs. I lost my balance. I was craving for him. My legs were shaky, I was gasping for breath. I felt his fingers inside me and immediately I let out a soft moan. I reached out for his trousers, he was hard. I felt chills run down my spine the moment I touched it . He pulled down my skirt before I knew it and immediately bent down burying his face and mouth in between my legs. For once, I wasn’t the shy intern. I wasn’t worried about office gossip or ethics or contracts. At that moment, I was just a girl,craving someone I couldn’t have, and finally, finally getting a taste. It felt too good to be real. And then… I felt a tap. Gentle but firm. Like someone trying to wake me without causing a scene. My eyelids fluttered, and I blinked into the overhead lights, confused for a second about where I was. Then I heard the voice. "Elena. You alright?" It was Mark from Strategic Partnerships, standing right by my desk with a slightly amused look on his face. I straightened up so quickly I almost knocked over the company-issued laptop. "Yes. Yes, sorry. I just... I must've nodded off for a second. Late night," I mumbled, wiping my eyes and glancing at the screen as if I’d been deeply engrossed in an Excel sheet. He chuckled. "It’s alright. Happens to the best of us. Listen, can you run downstairs to reception? We’ve got a client drop-off. Just sign for it and bring it up to Edward’s office. Clara’s out grabbing coffee." Just hearing his name made my heart skip. "Sure. I’ll be right down." He nodded and walked away, and I took a second to breathe. My pulse was doing a weird, erratic thing. Probably from the rush of embarrassment. Or maybe it was just... him. I grabbed my ID card and headed toward the lift. The moment the doors closed, I let out a sigh and leaned back against the mirrored wall. I really had dozed off. During work hours. At Skylight Innovations. On the sixteenth bloody floor. Honestly, if they fired me today, I wouldn’t even be shocked. But they wouldn’t. Not yet. Not when I’d worked this hard to get here. I started my internship at Skylight Innovations six weeks ago, and every single day still felt like a test. Like I had to prove I belonged in this place where everyone wore tailored jackets and used words like synergy and pipeline with a straight face. I was twenty-two. Fresh out of King’s College. No fancy connections. No uncle who owned shares in the company. Just my CV, a too-tight blazer from Zara, and a string of interviews that felt more like interrogations. I didn’t even know how I got this placement. I’d applied to over thirty companies. Some didn’t respond at all. Some ghosted after the first stage. A few sent those generic rejections that start with "We regret to inform you" and end with you screaming into your pillow. But then one Friday afternoon, I got the email from HR at Skylight Innovations. Internship. Marketing Department. Three months. Starting Monday. I screamed. Then I cried. Then I panicked. Because I’d heard about the company. The culture. The standards. The CEO. Edward Thorne. The first time I saw him, it was my second day. I’d been assigned a seat in the Marketing open space, three rows from the glass corridor that led to the executive offices. I was replying to an internal message when everything around me sort of... paused. He walked past. Tall. Calm. In a dark navy suit. No tie. Just that clean, expensive shirt with the top two buttons undone. He didn’t even look in my direction. He never did. But I stared like a child seeing a star in real life. I’d never understood the whole boss-crush fantasy until that moment. I thought it was childish. Silly. Something girls wrote in their stories when they were bored. But there he was. Real. Breathtaking. And completely out of reach. I went home that evening and told myself to behave. But the next day, I found myself glancing at the corridor. And the day after that, I timed my breaks to match his. Just to catch a glimpse. And then the dreams started. By the time I got to reception, the courier was already waiting. I signed the sheet with a half-apologetic smile and accepted the black envelope addressed to Edward Thorne. Of course it was black. The man didn’t even open things in brown. The lift ride back up was awkward. I kept glancing at the envelope, like it might burn a hole through my hand. When the doors opened, I headed straight toward the glass corridor, heart pounding like a schoolgirl who got picked to sit next to her crush. Clara wasn’t back yet. Her desk was empty, but the door to Edward’s office was half open. I knocked softly, but there was no answer. Maybe he was in one of his meetings. Maybe he’d left. I stepped closer. There he was. Inside. Alone. By the window. He was on the phone, facing away, one hand in his pocket. His voice was low, controlled. British accent crisp as ever. I didn’t move. I didn’t speak. I just watched him. For maybe two seconds. Then he turned. And looked straight at me. My heart flipped. He didn’t smile. He didn’t scowl. Just nodded, slightly. Acknowledging me. Like I was a piece of office furniture that had briefly caught his eye. "Package for you, sir," I said quickly, stepping inside. I placed it on his desk, resisting the urge to look at the photos on the shelf behind him. I’d seen them before. Black-and-white shots of skylines. Abstract frames. Nothing personal. Nothing that told you who he really was. He gave a polite "Thank you," and turned back to the window. I walked out. And almost collided with Clara. "Oh," she said, lifting her eyebrows. "Didn’t know you were promoted." I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. "Relax," she added, brushing past me and entering the office. "Just try not to make a habit of it." I nodded and scurried back to my desk, cheeks burning. I knew she didn’t like me. Not in a mean-girl way. Clara was too professional for that. But there was something cold in her tone whenever she addressed me. Like I was a minor inconvenience. Or a bug on the glass wall she didn’t want to touch. It made sense though. She’d been working with Edward Thorne for years. Knew his schedule better than his calendar did. I’d seen them walk out together after work, never touching, never laughing, just... aligned. Like two pieces of a puzzle I’d never fit into. Still, I couldn’t help it. I worked harder than I ever had. Stayed late. Double-checked reports. Volunteered for errands. I didn’t just want to get noticed. I wanted to earn it. Earn him. No, not like that. I meant... the chance. To prove I could be more than an intern. Maybe one day, his assistant. Like Clara. Or better. That’s what kept me going. Not the coffee. Not the miserable lunch breaks I spent alone by the window. Not even the late night Excel sheets. It was the idea. The stupid, impossible idea that maybe,if I just did everything right he’d see me. Really see me. And that day, when he looked at me through that glass wall... for just a second... It almost felt like he did.