The next morning, the office felt different. Every glance I exchanged with Shawn carried a weight I hadn’t expected. Small gestures—his hand brushing mine across the table, show signs he wanted more—the way he looked at me during a meeting—felt electric.
It wasn’t obvious.
Not to anyone else.
But to me—it was unmistakable.
The air between us had changed overnight. What had once been controlled, measured, and carefully contained now carried something sharper. Something harder to ignore.
Awareness.
Desire.
Consequence.
I kept my posture composed, my tone steady, my focus locked on the discussions unfolding in the boardroom. Numbers. Reports. Projections. Everything was as it should be.
Except us.
Every time Shawn spoke, I felt it—the subtle shift in his voice when addressing me, th
