Chapter 6 — Not Yours to Touch
685 Words
The moment she walked in—
Everything changed.
Adrian didn’t introduce her properly.
He didn’t need to.
Her presence alone said enough.
She belonged here.
In this world of polished floors, quiet power, and unspoken authority.
Luca didn’t.
“Adrian,” she said again, her voice smooth, familiar.
Too familiar.
Her eyes lingered on Luca.
Assessing.
Curious.
“And this is?” she asked.
“My assistant,” Adrian replied.
Calm. Simple.
Controlled.
A pause.
“Temporary.”
The word landed harder than it should have.
Luca felt it.
Didn’t show it.
But he felt it.
The woman smiled slightly, stepping closer to Adrian.
Her heels clicked softly against the floor, confident, measured—
Like she knew exactly where she stood.
“I wasn’t aware you were hiring,” she said.
“I don’t report my decisions,” Adrian replied.
She didn’t seem offended.
If anything—
Amused.
“Of course you don’t.”
Her hand brushed his arm again.
Light.
Intentional.
Luca’s jaw tightened.
There it was.
Jealousy.
He didn’t like it.
Didn’t want it.
Didn’t understand it.
But it was there.
Adrian noticed.
Of course he did.
His eyes flicked to Luca for a brief second.
Just enough to catch it.
Interesting.
“Luca,” Adrian said suddenly.
Luca looked at him.
“Get me the file from this morning.”
A simple order.
Normal.
Professional.
But the timing—
Wasn’t.
Luca didn’t move immediately.
“You mean the one I already sent to your desk?” he asked.
A beat.
Adrian’s gaze hardened slightly.
“Yes,” he said.
Luca held his gaze.
Then—
Slowly—
He turned.
Walking past them.
Close enough to feel it.
The tension.
The heat.
The shift in the air.
But as he reached the desk—
He stopped.
Because the file was already there.
Exactly where he left it.
He picked it up anyway.
Turned.
And that’s when he saw it.
The way she was looking at Adrian.
Not just professional.
Not just respectful.
Something else.
Something personal.
Something… claimed.
Luca’s grip tightened around the file.
He didn’t like that.
Not at all.
“Here,” he said, placing it down.
Adrian took it without looking away from him.
Their fingers brushed.
A small contact.
Barely noticeable.
But it lingered.
Too long.
The woman saw it.
Her expression didn’t change.
But something shifted in her eyes.
Recognition.
“Oh,” she said softly.
Both men looked at her.
“Now I understand.”
Silence.
“What do you understand?” Adrian asked.
She smiled faintly.
“Why you’re distracted.”
Luca’s eyes flickered.
Adrian’s expression hardened.
“I’m not distracted.”
“Of course not,” she replied lightly.
But she didn’t look convinced.
She stepped closer again.
Even closer this time.
“Dinner tonight?” she asked.
The question was simple.
But loaded.
Luca felt it immediately.
A test.
Adrian didn’t answer right away.
His gaze shifted—
To Luca.
Just for a second.
But it was enough.
“Fine,” Adrian said.
The word echoed louder than it should have.
Luca looked away.
That was enough for him.
“I’ll finish the reports,” he said.
His voice was steady.
Controlled.
But something underneath it—
Wasn’t.
He turned.
Heading for the door.
“Luca.”
Adrian’s voice stopped him.
He didn’t turn immediately.
“Don’t leave yet,” Adrian added.
A pause.
Then—
“Stay.”
Luca let out a quiet breath.
“I thought I was temporary,” he said.
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“You are.”
That—
Stung more than it should have.
“Then don’t give orders like I’m not,” Luca replied.
Silence.
Heavy.
Then—
He walked out.
The door closed behind him.
And just like that—
The room felt different.
Adrian didn’t like it.
Not the silence.
Not the distance.
Not the fact that—
For the first time—
Luca had walked away first.
The woman watched him carefully.
“You’re losing control,” she said quietly.
Adrian didn’t respond.
Because for once—
He didn’t have a way to deny it.
- Writer
