BEHIND THE DESK

CHAPTER TWO (2) "unwritten rules"

Ava had survived eighteen months at Hale & Co. by following rules no one had written down.

Rule one: anticipate, never ask.

Rule two: never let her voice tremble when Dominic Hale spoke.

Rule three: keep emotions out of it. Always.

By mid-afternoon, she was beginning to doubt herself.

The office buzzed around her with the quiet hum of phones and the rhythmic clatter of keyboards. She was buried in spreadsheets when Dominic’s voice cut through the silence.

“Ms. Reynolds.”

She looked up instantly. He stood beside her desk—not behind his, where he usually stayed like a king at his throne. He rarely left that fortress. The proximity made her chest tighten.

“Yes?”

His eyes were unreadable, dark as storm clouds. “Walk with me.”

Ava hesitated only long enough to grab her notepad and pen before following him down the hallway. His stride was quick, purposeful. People noticed. Heads turned, whispers buzzed. Ava kept her expression calm, though she was hyperaware of every pair of eyes tracking them.

Dominic pushed through the glass doors to the rooftop terrace—a space employees rarely used. The city stretched around them, skyscrapers glittering against the late afternoon sky.

He leaned on the railing, scanning the horizon. For a moment, he looked less like the man who ruled the twenty-seventh floor and more like someone carrying something heavy.

Ava stayed a respectful step behind. “Is something wrong?”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he said, “You’re precise. Efficient. Smarter than most people in this building.”

She blinked, startled. Compliments weren’t his language. Orders were. Corrections were.

“Thank you,” she managed carefully.

“I need someone I can rely on tonight,” he continued. “Someone who won’t waste my time.” Finally, he turned to her. His gaze locked on hers with unnerving intensity. “Stay after hours. I’ll require your assistance.”

Stay after hours. The words hummed with implication, though his tone was professional. Still, Ava’s mind betrayed her, spinning images she had no business entertaining—empty offices, silence, closeness.

She steadied her voice. “Of course. I’ll rearrange my evening.”

“Good.” He pushed off the railing, already moving back toward the doors. As quickly as the moment had cracked open, it closed.

Back at her desk, Ava tried to refocus, but her thoughts betrayed her. Dominic Hale didn’t compliment. He didn’t ask for help unless he had no choice. Tonight wasn’t routine—it was something more.

By six o’clock, the office thinned out. Colleagues filed out with tired smiles, murmured goodbyes, and sidelong glances at Ava still typing away. She stayed, every click of the clock amplifying the strange anticipation curling in her chest.

At seven, Dominic’s voice broke the silence. “Conference room. Bring the quarterly reports.”

Ava gathered the files and followed him, the echo of their footsteps magnified in the empty halls. Inside, the vast table was scattered with papers, financial charts, and Dominic’s laptop. He gestured for her to sit beside him—not across, not opposite, but beside.

Her pulse skipped. She obeyed, setting the reports between them.

For the next hour, they worked through numbers, strategies, projections. Ava’s focus sharpened, matching his pace, answering before he finished asking. Their rhythm was seamless, efficient… until their hands brushed as they reached for the same page.

The contact was brief, accidental. Yet Ava felt it like a spark, her breath catching before she forced herself to look away. Dominic, however, didn’t move his hand right away. His gaze flicked to her, holding her there, unblinking.

The silence stretched. Heavy. Dangerous.

Finally, he withdrew, clearing his throat. “You’re good at this,” he said quietly.

Her heart stuttered again. Two compliments in one day—unheard of.

“Thank you,” she replied, her voice softer than intended.

Dominic leaned back in his chair, studying her like a puzzle. “You don’t flinch. Most people do around me.”

Ava forced a small smile. “Maybe I’m just stubborn.”

A hint of amusement ghosted his lips. “Maybe.”

For a fleeting moment, the mask he always wore slipped. He looked tired, human, almost vulnerable. Ava felt the dangerous urge to reach across the table, to close the distance. But she didn’t. Couldn’t.

Rule three: keep emotions out of it.

The spell broke when Dominic’s phone buzzed sharply on the table. He glanced at the screen, jaw tightening. “We’ll pick this up tomorrow,” he said, gathering his papers. His tone was clipped again, professional armor back in place.

Ava nodded, forcing her hands to stay steady as she packed up.

But as she turned to leave, his voice stopped her.

“Ms. Reynolds.”

She looked back.

For half a second, his expression softened, like he might say something else. Something that crossed the invisible line between them. But then it was gone, replaced with the cool authority she knew too well.

“Good night.”

Ava’s chest tightened. “Good night, Mr. Hale.”

She walked out of the conference room with her heels clicking on marble, rules echoing in her mind. Rules that suddenly felt shakier than ever.