6: He's Flirting. And You're Letting Him
1168 Words
Lilian ~
I'm walking down the hallway, when Daniel turns the corner and almost bumps into me. He stops short, laughs that easy laugh again. "Whoa, sorry. You okay?"
"Yeah, just rushing." I smile because it's hard not to with him. He's got this calm thing going on - like nothing here can really touch him.
"Break room," he says, jerking his thumb back. "Need coffee bad if I'm gonna survive these models. Come with? I still owe you that real talk about the pilot anyway."
I should say no. Edwin's already snapping at people today like everything's personal. But Daniel's looking at me like a normal person, not like I'm a problem to solve or a body to f**k. So I nod. "Sure. Quick one."
We walk together. He keeps it light, asks about the bonus rollout like he actually gives a s**t what I think. I answer. He listens. Really listens. When I b***h about the coffee here tasting like someone burned motor oil, he cracks up and says it's a crime in every office he's ever been in. I laugh too. Real laugh. No screaming, no threats, no heavy tension making my thighs press together every time he moves closer. Just... easy.
Then I feel it.
That stare. Heavy. Burning holes in my back.
I glance sideways without turning my head. Edwin's standing in the conference room doorway, arms crossed so tight the muscles in his forearms stand out. Watching us. Not moving. Face blank - but his eyes are pure black. Jaw locked. I swear I can hear his teeth grinding from here. He doesn't blink. Doesn't look away even when our eyes meet for half a second.
He's jealous. Really f*****g jealous. The kind of jealous where he probably wants to storm over, grab Daniel by the collar, and smash him into the nearest wall just for making me laugh like that.
Daniel doesn't notice. He's still talking, gesturing with his hands. "So if we start with sales team only, we can track..."
"Yeah," I cut in, voice a little too high. "Sounds good." I glance back at Edwin. He's still there. Still staring. Now his fists are clenched at his sides.
We reach the break room. Daniel pours coffee, hands me a mug. "You sure you're okay? You look... tense."
I force a laugh. "Just a long day." But inside I'm buzzing. Edwin saw us. Saw me laugh. Saw me relaxed. And he hated it.
Later, in the big meeting, it's worse.
Edwin's running the session, but he's off. Voice sharp. Cuts people off. Snaps at Katie for asking a basic question. Everyone's walking on eggshells. Daniel speaks up - calm, reasonable - suggesting we test my bonus idea in one department first.
Edwin's pen freezes. "You and Lilian already discussed this?"
Daniel nods. "In the hall earlier. Good back-and-forth."
Edwin's eyes flick to me. Hard. "Hallway meetings now?"
I meet his stare straight on. "It's called talking, Edwin. Try it sometime."
The room sucks in a breath. He leans forward slow. "Careful."
"Or what?" My heart's hammering. "You'll glare me to death?"
His nostrils flare. I see the flash - embarrassment, anger, something raw. He hates me pushing back in front of people. Especially now. Especially with Daniel here acting like a normal human. He closes the meeting fast. "That's all."
But his eyes stay on me. Then, quiet, dangerous: "You. Stay."
Everyone leaves quick. Door clicks shut. Just us.
He stands, walks around the table until he's right in front of me. Too close. His heat hits me like a punch.
"You think this is a game?" Voice low, rough. "Laughing with him. Drinking his coffee. Planning little projects. Trying to make me look small in front of him?"
"He's nice to me." I cross my arms. "Praises my work. Doesn't treat me like I'm a nuisance who also happens to have a hole he can fuck."
His hand slams the table beside me. I jump. "He's flirting. And you're letting him."
"Jealous?" The word drops heavy. I lift my chin. "Can't stand another guy being decent without wanting to break his face?"
He grabs my wrist, yanks me up so we're chest to chest. His heart's pounding as hard as mine. "You want decent? Go f**k him then. See if his nice compliments make your legs shake. See if you scream his name when he finally gets his d**k in you."
Breath catches. Heat floods between my legs even as anger burns. "Maybe I will." I wrench free, shove past him, head for the door.
"Liar," he says behind me, low and certain.
I don't turn back. I keep walking, thighs slick, heart slamming. I miss him so bad it hurts - the way he takes me, the way he makes me forget everything. But I can't. I'm here to make him pay. For Dad. For Mom leaving after Edwin gutted our company.
I shove it down. Focus on work.
Later that afternoon everything explodes.
Alerts start blowing up my screen. Security breach. Unauthorized access. Files being pulled from Edwin's private server - the one with all the subsidiary s**t, contracts, numbers, everything that can hurt us if it leaks.
I sprint to IT. Chaos. Someone's inside right now, downloading fast. Clean job. Professional. Rivals.
Edwin storms in minutes later, face like murder. "What the f**k is this?"
"They're in," the lead tech says, voice shaking. "Can't lock them out fast enough. Grabbing everything."
Edwin's eyes find me. He looks almost... scared. Then it's gone. "Lilian. You know those files better than anyone. Help them. Now."
I drop into a chair, fingers flying. I know the folder structure, the naming quirks. I start blocking sections they haven't touched yet, forcing reroutes. IT follows. We choke the connection port by port. It's frantic, sweaty, desperate.
Forty minutes later we kick them out. Firewall patched. Access dead. But they got some. Not all - but enough to f**k us if they want.
Edwin stands behind me the whole time. Silent. Watching every keystroke. When it's over he lets out a long breath. "Good work."
That's it. Two words. But from him it's huge.
I spin the chair, look up. He's still pissed, still wired - but there's something else. Reluctant respect. Maybe thanks.
"Don't thank me yet," I mutter. "They took pieces. We need to know what."
He nods once. "We'll handle it." Then quieter, so only I hear: "You saved our ass today."
I don't know what to say. So I just nod.
He walks away, shoulders tight.
That night I can't sleep right.
Mind keeps looping. Daniel's laugh. Edwin's black eyes. The hack. The way Edwin looked at me when we stopped it - like maybe I'm not just the revenge girl to him anymore.
But tomorrow, Daniel opens the door right as Edwin stops fighting me and starts kissing me deeply, his hand squeezing my breast.
Daniel stands frozen in the doorway.
Fuck.
What happens next? Keep reading.
- Writer
