Presentation? No.Torture
1224 Words
Lena regretted everything.
Specifically—
her mouth.
“No promises.”
Why had she said that?
To him of all people?
Now here she was, standing outside Cole Industries at exactly 6:52 AM, staring up at the building like it had personally offended her.
“I could still run,” she muttered.
“You won’t.”
Lena froze.
That voice.
Low. Familiar. Annoyingly calm.
She turned slowly.
Ethan Cole stood a few steps behind her, car keys in hand, looking like he had just stepped out of a magazine cover.
Dark suit. Perfectly fitted.
Hair slightly messy in a way that had to be intentional.
Unfair.
“You’re early,” he added.
Her brain short-circuited for a second.
“You said seven,” she replied quickly. “I’m not late.”
A pause.
Then—
“That’s new.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“I can be punctual.”
“I’ll believe that when it becomes consistent.”
Lena exhaled sharply.
Why does everything he says sound like a challenge?
Without another word, he walked past her toward the entrance.
She followed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.
⸻
The office was quiet.
Too quiet.
No chatter. No ringing phones. Just the faint hum of air conditioning and the echo of their footsteps.
Lena hugged her arms slightly.
“This feels illegal,” she said. “Why is no one else here?”
“Because they’re not required to be.”
She blinked. “And I am?”
Ethan didn’t slow down.
“You wanted to prove yourself.”
“I didn’t say I wanted to suffer.”
He stopped suddenly.
Lena almost walked straight into him.
Almost.
“Then leave,” he said simply.
Her breath hitched.
The words weren’t loud.
But they carried weight.
Challenge.
Dismissal.
Lena straightened.
“I didn’t say I was leaving.”
“Then stop complaining.”
Their eyes locked.
And just like that—
The tension was back.
Sharp. Electric.
Unavoidable.
⸻
“Sit.”
Lena glanced at the chair in front of his desk, then back at him.
“You know,” she said, “you could say ‘please’ once in a while. It won’t kill you.”
Ethan didn’t react.
“Sit, Miss Scott.”
She sighed dramatically but obeyed, dropping into the chair.
“What now?”
Instead of answering, he placed a file in front of her.
“This is a client proposal. High priority.”
She flipped it open, scanning quickly.
“Okay…”
“You’ll present it.”
She froze.
“Sorry—what?”
“To the client. This afternoon.”
Her head snapped up. “That’s not funny.”
“I’m not joking.”
Her heart started racing.
“I just started yesterday.”
“And?”
“And I don’t even know how things work here yet!”
“You’ll figure it out.”
Lena stared at him in disbelief.
“You’re setting me up to fail.”
Ethan leaned back slightly, watching her.
“Am I?”
“Yes.”
“Then prove me wrong.”
Her jaw tightened.
He’s doing this on purpose. He wants me to break.
“I could assign it to someone else,” he added calmly.
Lena hesitated.
Something about the way he said it—
Like he expected her to give up.
To step back.
To admit she couldn’t handle it.
Her fingers curled into the file.
“No.”
Ethan’s brow lifted slightly.
“I’ll do it.”
A beat.
“Good.”
⸻
Hours later, Lena was drowning.
Slides. Data. Numbers.
Her brain felt like it was overheating.
She paced the small conference room, rehearsing under her breath.
“Good afternoon, thank you for meeting with—no, that sounds stupid…”
She groaned, dragging her hands through her hair.
“Why is he like this?”
“Like what?”
Lena yelped.
Spinning around—
And there he was.
Leaning casually against the doorframe like he hadn’t just scared ten years off her life.
“Do you enjoy sneaking up on people?” she snapped.
Ethan ignored that.
“Show me.”
She blinked. “What?”
“The presentation.”
Her stomach dropped.
“Now?”
“Yes.”
Lena hesitated.
Then sighed.
“Fine.”
She moved to the front, grabbing the remote.
Her hands trembled slightly as she started.
“Good afternoon, thank you for taking the time to—”
“Stop.”
She froze.
“What?”
“You’re nervous.”
“Well, obviously.”
“Why?”
Lena stared at him.
“Because you threw this at me last minute!”
“That’s not a reason. That’s an excuse.”
Her frustration spiked.
“You try doing this with no preparation—”
“I have.”
That shut her up.
Ethan pushed himself off the wall, walking toward her slowly.
“Again,” he said.
Lena swallowed.
Then started over.
“Good afternoon—”
“Look at me.”
Her voice faltered.
“What?”
“When you speak,” he said, now standing directly in front of her, “you don’t look at your slides. You look at the person you’re trying to convince.”
Her heart started pounding.
He was too close.
Way too close.
“Again,” he said softly.
Lena forced herself to focus.
“Good afternoon. Thank you for taking the time to meet with us today.”
Her eyes met his.
And this time—
She didn’t look away.
Something shifted.
Ethan’s gaze held hers, steady and intense.
“Better,” he murmured.
Her breath caught.
Why did that sound like more than just feedback?
“Continue.”
She nodded, trying to ignore the way her pulse had suddenly gone wild.
But it was hard.
Because he didn’t step back.
Didn’t create distance.
He stayed there.
Watching her.
Listening.
Too close.
Every word she spoke felt heavier under his gaze.
More important.
More real.
And when she finished—
Silence filled the room.
“Well?” she asked, trying to sound normal.
Ethan studied her for a moment.
Then—
“Not terrible.”
Lena blinked.
“Wow. High praise.”
“It means you might not embarrass me.”
She rolled her eyes.
“There he is.”
A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
Then—
Unexpectedly—
He reached out.
Lena froze.
His hand brushed lightly against her wrist, adjusting the way she held the remote.
The touch was brief.
Barely anything.
But it sent a jolt through her.
Electric.
Unsettling.
Dangerous.
“There,” he said quietly. “More control.”
Lena couldn’t breathe.
Why did that feel like that?
Ethan seemed to notice the shift too.
Because his gaze dropped slightly—
To her hand.
Then back to her face.
And for a split second—
Something unspoken passed between them.
Something neither of them acknowledged.
He stepped back.
Just like that.
The moment snapped.
“Be ready by two,” he said, voice back to normal.
Lena nodded quickly.
“Yeah. I will.”
He turned to leave.
Then paused at the door.
“Miss Scott.”
She looked up.
“Yes?”
A slight pause.
Then—
“Don’t disappoint me.”
And somehow—
That felt less like a warning…
And more like a challenge.
- Writer
