CALDERON'S DESIRE

WEAKNESS IS A LUXURY

ADRAIN

In life, there are a few things i would let myself by rattled about. Been the CEO of a thriving tech company has taught me a lesson that and showing weakness was a luxury i couldn’t afford. But yet, here i am, sitting in my office at Calderon’s Corp, staring at the blank screen of my laptop with my mind tangled up.

I should be focusing on looking over mergers and financial reports in front but i can’t even pay attention. I have tried to kill the obsession but at the back of my mind she still lingers. It’s been a year already but the memory of Mira Vale still haunts me like it was yesterday. I recall everything, her beautiful green eyes, her long lushious hair, the way she curled herself up in a ball on the bed, her small defiant stature. I try not to think about her. She is just a girl i f****d once and that was all. Yet anytime i close my eyes she was there. I tried to look for her when i got back from Spain but i was told she no longer worked there. I didn’t have a picture of her, i only knew of her name so the search was a dead end. I have tried f*****g other girls so they could wash her memories away but it never worked.

Leaning back on my chair, i ran my fingers through my dark, tousled hair. Her scent still plastered on my jacket, a jacket i haven’t brought myself to wash. It was hard to forget her. Her perfumed mixed with the club smell, intoxicating the warmth she carries.

I turn to the files on my desk, my fingers tracing the graph patterns on the financial reports, my eyes now drifted to the city skyline outside the windows. New York sparkled, indifferent, while I sat here obsessing over a girl who didn’t even know my name.

I grip the edge of my desk as i exhale slowly. God, she is different, different from other girls i have encountered, She is vulnerable no doubt but not in a way she wants to be coddled. She has a fiery spirit, the unwillingness to let you walk over her and i had been reckless taking her that night but she still managed to leave a mark on me, a mark that is deeper than i expected.

I pushed myself upright, trying to shove the thoughts away, focusing on the files in front of me. My assistant’s footsteps echoed down the hall, snapping me back to reality. Leo had already prepped the schedule for the day: meetings, calls, client visits. Calderon’s Corp didn’t pause for longing glances or late-night fantasies.

I still couldn’t forget her face. The was she looked at me, the way her fingers ran through my hair, her moans like music to my ears. Her eyes had a curious look. I’d seen that in a few people, yes, but never mixed with such raw innocence and courage. It was maddening. Infuriating. And entirely unfair.

I open the files again as i force myself to focus on the numbers, contracts and deals through gritted teeth. Business first, Adrian. Mira Vale is nothing more than a memory, I try to tell myself.

The spreadsheet brought her back to mind. As i stare at the graph, i reminded me of the shape of her body, her curved hips, her soft hands, beautiful eyes, thinking of her made my c**k hard as my pulse quickened even though i try to remain calm.

I slam the files shut, my hands running through my face as i try to shake the thoughts away. Does she even remember me? It’s been a year, i try to remind myself. A year without her, and yet… I was sitting here, unable to move on.

I needed to find her. One way or another, I would. But for now, business came first. Calderon’s Corp waited for no man, and I would not falter—not even for Mira Vale.

Still... her face still haunts me. And i know it would haunt me forever until i claim her again.

Sinking back into my chair, i watch the city lights spill across my polished desk. I reach for my phone, dailing Danny’s number again. Danny is my best friend and my right hand man but right now my patience is fraying.

“C’mon,” I mutter under my breath, tapping the screen to redial. The line rings. Rings again. And then… voicemail.

I run my hand through my hair and let out a groan. This was supposed to be simple. One quick favor, one quick check, and I’d be back to focusing on contracts, schedules, and the endless grind of Calderon’s Corp. But no. Danny has vanished again, leaving me to stew in my own thoughts.

Pacing across the office, I drag my fingers along the edge of the desk. The view outside doesn’t help. New York is dazzling tonight, but the lights blur past like everything else, except her. Mira Vale. I’ve tried to forget her; I really have. But that night—that reckless, brilliant night keeps haunting me. I can still feel the way she looked into my eyes when I was deep inside her, the way her fingers grazed my arm, the sound of her breath catching.

“Damn it,” I mutter, slamming the phone back onto the desk. My assistant knocks lightly at the doorframe, and I force myself to straighten up and act professional.

“Sir?” Alia’s voice is calm, as always, her hand resting on the door. “Everything alright?”

“Danny isn’t answering.” I glare at her like I might melt lesser men. “Again. He’s supposed to have the meeting details ready by morning, and he’s nowhere to be found. I don’t know if he’s asleep, lost, or doing who knows what. I swear, sometimes I wonder why I even trust him with anything.”

Alia nods, understanding, but her eyes flicker to the faint tension in my jaw. She knows I’m thinking about more than just the meeting. She always knows.

I rub my temple, my thoughts drifting again. Mira. Her name feels like fire in my mouth, like something forbidden that I can’t quite grasp. I shake my head, trying to focus. There will be time for that later. I will find her, and when I do…

But for now, Danny.

I pick up the phone again, pressing the last number dialed, watching the seconds tick by. Ring… ring…

“Hello?”

Finally, Danny’s groggy voice comes through, mixing irritation and relief. I straighten in my chair, letting some tension leave my shoulders.

“Where are you?” I snap, though not too harshly. “You were supposed to have the East Coast investor files ready. The board needs me to review them.”

“Adrian…” Danny yawns, “I fell asleep. My phone died. Sorry, man.”

I let out a frustrated breath. I feel my usual control slipping. “You always have an excuse. Fix it. I don’t want to hear another word about why you couldn’t call me back. Now, get me the files. I’m heading to Spain in a few hours, and Calderon’s Corp doesn’t wait for my friends to catch up.”

“Got it,” Danny mutters, suddenly alert. “I’ll send everything your way right now.”

I hang up and lean back in my chair. I stare out over the skyline again. The night hums around me, the city pulsing and indifferent. But I don’t see it. All I see is her—her face, her hands, that fiery defiance that refuses to leave me alone.

I press my palm to my forehead, trying to push her from my thoughts. Business first, Adrian. She’s just a complication. One I will handle later. For now, it’s Spain. For now, it’s Calderon’s Corp. But I know that the moment I land back in New York, Mira Vale will be waiting in the corners of my mind—vivid, dangerous, and irresistible.

The Barcelona air is dry, warm, and too bright for the mood I’ve been in since I boarded the jet. I step off the plane with my jacket slung over my shoulder. My phone vibrates with emails before my shoes hit the tarmac. Investors, prototypes, board updates—everything demanding my attention at once.

This is starting off well. I do need a distraction to force her out of my mind, but nothing works. I hope this trip will help. I get into the backseat of the car waiting for me. As we pull away from the airport toward the Calderon Tech campus, I glance out the window. The streets are busy as people walk over the sun-blasted sidewalks.

I press two fingers to my eyebrow, trying to chase away the memory of her sleeping face—the softness of her mouth, the way the sunrise touched her skin when I slipped out of her apartment like a coward. Although i regret leaving, i still couldn’t stay. Not when she already started feeling like a choice… something dangerous, seductive, important. And I don’t do important. Not with women. My phone dings.

Alia:

Spain briefing uploaded to your drive. First meeting at 2 PM. Reminder that you’re expected back in NYC for the Harrington Foundation Gala this Friday. Your presence is mandatory.

I almost scoff. Mandatory. As if I wouldn’t show up and play the role I always play—Adrian Calderon, polished CEO, generous sponsor, untouchable bachelor.

I type back:

Adrian:

Fine. Block the night. Prepare the jet.

Alia:

And sir… you still need a plus-one for optics.

Right. Optics.

Because showing up alone will start rumours again.

Adrian:

Find Danny. I want him there. Wake him up,, because ain’t no way am walking into this circus alone.

Danny keeps things… tolerable. His cynical humor distracts me enough to keep me from thinking about the wrong things.

The driver pulls into the Calderon Tech compound. I shove the entire Mira problem deep down as I step into the marble lobby. Meetings start right away. Innovation labs, microchip prototypes, hologram interfaces. I talk numbers, projections, expansions.

I catch myself glancing at paintings in the boardrooms. I notice the brushstrokes, the colors, anything that reminds me of her hands. I hate myself for it. By the time the meeting ends, I’m exhausted from pretending she wasn’t haunting my periphery like a ghost. When the jet lifts off from Barcelona and crosses the Atlantic back to New York, I stare out at the clouds and silently curse myself. One night. One night, and she’s in my blood like a stain.