Seduce Me, My Dear Secretary

Forbidden Lips

Ellie was quieter than usual, something Daniel didn’t fail to notice.

“What’s wrong? You seem really out of it,” he said, concern written all over his face.

Ellie forced a smile and shook her head, trying to hide the weight of her thoughts.

“Nah, everything’s fine. I’m just tired,” she replied, falling back on the usual excuse people used when they didn’t want to get into details.

Daniel frowned but decided to play along.

“Of course you’re tired. Mr. Castellano has you running around all day. By the way, how come you always end up working overtime?” he pressed, genuinely curious.

“Honestly, I have no idea,” Ellie admitted.

A sigh of relief escaped her when she noticed the food was ready. At least she could take a breather from the storm raging inside her.

Dinner conversation soon grew lighter, filled with laughter and stories from the past. It didn’t take long for Daniel to launch into one of those tales that always ended with everyone laughing uncontrollably.

“I swear, my parents ended up comforting the babysitter because she couldn’t stand me anymore,” Daniel concluded, laughing as though he still found the whole thing hilarious.

Ellie burst out laughing, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

“So you were a little terror, huh? A walking natural disaster,” she teased.

“Me? No way. I was just... interesting,” Daniel replied, puffing out his chest with mock seriousness before breaking into laughter himself.

But the mood suddenly shifted when Daniel casually asked a question.

“Hey, what happened in the office earlier? You came out of there looking like you’d seen a monster.”

Ellie felt the tension creeping back into her body. She swallowed hard, trying to sound nonchalant.

“What are you talking about? Everything’s fine, Daniel,” she replied, brushing off his concern.

Daniel wasn’t entirely convinced. He nodded toward the light that was still shining from the office downstairs.

“I’m just saying, that light’s still on. Even if you’re on the twentieth floor, someone was in there, right?”

Ellie glanced at him from the corner of her eye and offered a half-truth.

“Well, of course there were people in there. Employees from other floors are always coming and going. Someone always leaves a light on,” she explained, doing her best to remain calm.

Daniel seemed doubtful, but eventually, he let it go. Ellie breathed a sigh of relief and quickly changed the subject. The last thing she wanted was to talk about that scream.

Later, as the night wore on, Daniel made a suggestion.

“Hey, how about we go dancing? I’m not in the mood for a movie. Let’s do something more exciting. There are some great clubs around here.”

Ellie considered it for a moment before finally agreeing with a laugh.

“Sure. It’s been ages since I last went dancing. Let’s see if I still remember how.”

When they arrived at the club, Ellie eyed the long line of people waiting to get inside with skepticism.

“Daniel, there’s no way we’re getting in. Look at this crowd,” she remarked, uncertainty creeping into her voice.

“Relax, Ellie. We’ll sneak in with a group of drunk people. That’s how it works,” he replied so casually that he sounded like he did it every day.

Against all odds, they managed to get inside, and Ellie couldn’t help laughing as they clinked their glasses together.

“I can’t believe we actually pulled it off,” she said, still amazed.

“Told you. You just have to know how to work the system,” Daniel replied with a mischievous grin.

The night was in full swing. The club was packed, lights flashed in time with the music, and the dance floor was crowded with people moving to the DJ’s beat. Ellie took a sip of her drink and glanced around, trying to lose herself in the crowd for a while.

“So? Seen anyone interesting yet?” Daniel asked curiously, taking a drink from his glass.

“Nope. Not a single person,” Ellie replied with a shrug. “What about you?”

“Yeah, I spotted a lovely lady a little while ago,” he joked, winking at her.

Ellie burst out laughing.

“Then what are you still doing here? Go find her and hit the dance floor!” she encouraged him playfully.

Daniel’s smile faded a little. Suddenly, he looked more melancholy.

“It’s just... you know how I feel about Madison. I’m crazy about her. But I don’t know... Every time I look at someone else, it feels like I’m betraying her. Even though we’re not even together.”

Ellie gave him a comforting hug.

“Daniel, don’t shut yourself off. Sometimes life has something else in store for you, something even better. Keep an open mind and give other possibilities a chance, okay?”

Daniel sighed but smiled gratefully.

“Thanks, Ellie. I needed to hear that.”

Suddenly, he stood up dramatically and winked at her.

“Well, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to challenge fate,” he declared before heading straight for the dance floor.

Ellie watched him with a smile and took another sip of her drink. The music kept pounding, and the lights flashed as she watched the crowd lose themselves in the rhythm.

“Hey, gorgeous. I’m Derek,” a deep voice said beside her.

Ellie turned her head and found herself facing a tall, blond man with a confident smile and eyes that gleamed as though he was used to never hearing the word no.

“Hi, I’m Ellie,” she replied, trying to sound friendly, though her smile felt forced.

“Want to dance?” Derek asked bluntly.

Ellie hesitated for a second.

What did she have to lose?

*

The music vibrated through every corner of the club, and Derek wasted no time pulling her onto the dance floor.

“Come on, Ellie! Let yourself go!” he shouted, moving to the pounding bass.

Ellie’s body quickly fell into sync with the music. The deep bass made the floor tremble, and for the first time in a long while, she felt as though she could shut out all the thoughts tormenting her. It was just her and the music. Nothing else mattered.

Between spins and dance moves, an hour flew by. Suddenly, Derek pulled her a little closer and shouted into her ear.

“How about we grab a drink?”

Ellie nodded, grateful for the break. As they made their way to the bar, the heat from dancing began to catch up with her. Her feet ached, and a wave of exhaustion started creeping into her muscles.

“Cheers!” Derek said with a broad smile, raising his glass to hers.

Ellie lifted her glass with a fleeting smile and took a sip. The cool drink offered a welcome relief amid the chaos of flashing lights and sweaty bodies. Although exhaustion was beginning to set in, part of her knew the night had been exactly what she needed to clear her head.

“Ready for another round on the dance floor?” Derek suggested, quickly finishing his drink.

“Nah, I’m taking a break,” Ellie replied with a tired smile.

Derek shrugged as though he wasn’t surprised.

“Fair enough, Ellie. It was nice meeting you. See you around!” he said casually before disappearing back into the crowd.

Ellie watched him for a moment, then let her gaze wander around the club. Her feet carried her aimlessly through the venue until she spotted a staircase leading to the VIP area on the second floor. Curiosity got the better of her, and she took a quick look, just about to turn around and look for Daniel when she felt it.

A pair of intensely focused eyes watching her from above made her heart stop.

Her chest tightened, her breathing grew erratic, and a shiver ran down her spine.

There he was.

Standing above her in an immaculate, perfectly tailored suit that looked as though it had been made just for him, Marco, her boss, stared down at her with a hard, unreadable expression. He seemed to be studying her every move that night, every step she’d taken on the dance floor. Had he been watching her all this time?

His gaze briefly wandered across the dance floor before immediately returning to her, intense and full of unspoken meaning.

A knot formed in Ellie’s stomach when she saw a woman approaching Marco. She was tall and slender, with tanned skin and dark hair, strikingly beautiful. The woman wrapped her arms around him with the ease of someone who knew him well, leaning in to whisper something in his ear.

But he didn’t react. He didn’t even look away from Ellie, as though the woman beside him were completely invisible.

Ellie could feel her pulse pounding in her temples. Her body remained rigid, trapped in that frozen moment, until a familiar voice shattered the spell.

“Ready to go?” Daniel asked, appearing out of nowhere beside her.

Ellie flinched and blinked rapidly, struggling to return to reality. She nodded, unable to speak, and let Daniel drape an arm around her shoulders.

As he guided her toward the exit, Ellie couldn’t resist one last glance upstairs.

Marco was still there, his jaw clenched and his shoulders rigid, watching her as she walked away.

But then she saw him move.

Slowly, Marco straightened and, without taking his eyes off her, turned toward the woman beside him. He gripped her firmly by the waist and, with deliberate intent, pressed his lips against hers.

The sight hit Ellie straight in the gut.

Her chest ached as though someone had punched her, and no matter how hard she tried to ignore it, the image burned itself into her mind.