CHAPTER I: OFFICE
It was Friday, which meant the entire office was in a state of absolute chaos. The floor was packed, and people were practically running into each other, desperately trying to clear their desks so they could finally start the weekend."Here, take these," Ian said, abruptly dropping a massive, overflowing box of files right onto Kayla's desk.Kayla looked up at him, raw annoyance written all over her face. "I'm drowning in my own work, Ian.
I don't have time for this."Ian rolled his eyes with an attitude. "Look, I missed three days this week, and the boss is breathing down my neck," he said, slouching his shoulders with a completely exhausted expression. "Please, just do me a favor and take them up.""But I— I—"Before she could even finish her sentence, Ian flashed a quick, unapologetic smile and bolted before she could say no. Kayla let out a heavy sigh, aggressively pushing her hair—damp with sweat from the afternoon rush—back from her forehead. She gripped the heavy cardboard box, lifted it with a strain, and began heading upstairs toward the executive offices.
Kayla hauled the heavy box up the stairs, irritation building with every step. When she finally reached the executive office, she realized she was stuck—both of her hands were tightly gripping the cardboard, making it impossible to knock. Hearing the muffled chaos from the rest of the building, she figured the boss would understand the rush.Using her foot, she nudged the heavy door open, stumbled inside, and backward-kicked the door shut behind her."I'm so sorry, sir," Kayla said immediately, breathless from the heavy lifting. "My hands were full, so I couldn't knock."She carefully set the massive box down on the desk, quickly smoothing out her clothes and forcing a polite, professional smile to cover up her frustration
The professional smile she tried to summon died instantly, turning into a sharp, paralyzed gasp.
The CEO didn't even flinch; he remained sprawled on the leather couch, his eyes hooded and dark with a heavy, lingering heat. His shirt was a ruin of half-unbuttoned fabric, exposing the hard planes of his chest, but Kayla’s gaze was dragged lower, trapped by the sight of his hand.
His fingers were wrapped tight around the thick, pulsing length of his c*ck, sliding up and down the vein-riven shaft in a slow, rhythmic friction. He looked completely unbothered by her intrusion, biting his lip as he continued to stroke himself right in front of her.
"Close the door, Kayla," he commanded, his voice a low, gravelly rasp that sent a shiver straight down her spine.
He didn't stop his rhythm, his grip tightening around his aching length as he watched her with predatory intensity. The silence in the office was deafening, broken only by the wet, rhythmic sound of his hand sliding over his skin.
"Close it... and lock it," he added, his eyes darkening as they raked over her body, "before I decide to make you part of this."
Kayla froze, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. Every instinct screamed at her to run, to turn and flee back into the hallway, but her feet felt rooted to the plush carpet.
"The door, Kayla," he repeated, more a growl than a request. He increased the speed of his hand, his knuckles brushing against the underside of his heavy, swollen c*ck as he watched her reaction. "I won't ask a third time."
Every instinct inside Kayla screamed that this was completely wrong. She couldn't bring herself to do anything intimate with a man she barely knew—and secretly detested because of his rigid, suffocating corporate rules.Even though her hands were shaking violently, she forced herself to take a deep, stabilizing breath to steady her voice."S-sir, these are the documents from Mr. Smith," she stammered, trying to hold her professional ground. "He said you need to review them immediately."Without waiting for his response, she turned on her heel and bolted out of the office, desperate to escape the heavy, suffocating tension in the room.
"Mr. Smith can wait," he called after her, his voice rough and entirely unbothered by her sudden retreat.
The heavy office door swung shut with a firm *thud*, cutting off the sight of him, but the sound of his heavy, rhythmic breathing seemed to echo through the wood. Kayla’s heart was a frantic drum in her chest as she stumbled back into the hallway, her face burning with a mix of fury and sheer, unadulterated terror.
She gripped the edge of a nearby filing cabinet just to stay upright, her knuckles white.
The audacity of the man—to sit there, exposed and blatant, acting as if his pleasure was more important than the very professional boundary she lived by.
"You absolute bastard," she hissed under her breath, her eyes darting around to ensure no one had witnessed her frantic escape.
Kayla aggressively ran a hand through her hair, trying to process what she had just witnessed. Her mind was racing, but the absolute worst part was the realization hitting her like a truck: she had an official presentation with the CEO later that evening. There was absolutely no way out of it."Damn it," Kayla muttered under her breath, staring blankly at the wall as panic started to set in.
"You look like you've seen a ghost, Kayla," a voice chirped from the nearby cubicle, making her nearly jump out of her skin.
It was Sarah, a fellow junior analyst, leaning over the partition with a curious, knowing grin. "Or did the big boss finally give you a piece of his mind? You're white as a sheet."
Kayla could barely find her voice, her throat feeling like it had been coated in sandpaper. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw that image—the sheer, unashamed power in his gaze while he worked himself.
"I'm fine," Kayla managed to choke out, though her hands were still trembling as she grabbed her clipboard. "Just... a lot on my mind. Too much work."
"Well, don't let me keep you from your 'work' then," Sarah teased, though her smile faltered slightly at the sheer tension radiating off Kayla. "See you at the meeting later? Everyone's saying the CEO is in a particularly... intense mood today."
The reminder of the presentation hit Kayla like a physical blow to the stomach. She couldn't hide in her cubicle forever, and the thought of sitting across from him in a formal conference room made her skin crawl with a mixture of indignation and fear.
The afternoon dragged on in a blur of meaningless spreadsheets and ringing phones. Every time the heavy oak door to the executive suite creaked, Kayla's breath hitched, her mind flashing back to the sight of his hand on himself.
Kayla walked back to her desk and aggressively ran a hand through her hair. She glared at Ian, rolling her eyes with pure exhaustion. Seeing her return, Ian quickly hurried over to her desk."Did he take them?" Ian asked, looking anxious.Instead of answering right away, Kayla grabbed a water bottle from her desk, cracked it open, and drank the entire thing in a few heavy gulps. She slammed the empty bottle down."Yes, he did," Kayla said, her voice sharp. "And you owe me big time for this."Ian’s face softened into a guilty, apologetic look. "Come on, girl. If you were in my shoes, I’d do the exact same thing for you. I—"Before he could finish his sentence, the office intercom buzzed, announcing that the evening meeting was about to start. Ian snapped his attention back to Kayla, his eyes widening."Wait, I heard you're the one presenting tonight," he said, shifting from guilty to giving her a genuinely supportive smile.Kayla nodded sadly, her shoulders slumping. "Don’t give me that look. I’m already hating every second of this.""Don’t hate it," Ian shrugged, leaning in closer. "It’s literally a dream to present to CEO Abdul. Even if the guy is way too cold for life, girl
.He’s not just cold, Ian, he’s a goddamn iceberg," Kayla snapped, grabbing her presentation folder with trembling fingers.Ian let out a low whistle, his eyes darting toward the executive elevator. "Just keep your eyes on the charts and your mind on the numbers, okay? Don't let him get in your head."The heavy silence that followed was broken by the rhythmic click-clack of expensive dress shoes approaching the cubicle area. Kayla’s stomach dropped; the air in the room suddenly felt heavy, charged with a dark, magnetic energy she recognized instantly."Ms. Kayla," a deep, resonant voice vibrated through the air, sounding far more composed than it had an hour ago.She looked up to see Abdul standing there, his shirt now perfectly buttoned to the chin, looking every bit the untouchable, ruthless CEO—except for the slight, predatory glint in his dark eyes as they pinned her to her seat."The boardroom is ready," Abdul continued, his voice smooth but carrying an underlying command. "I expect your presentation to be as thorough as the documents you brought to my office earlier."He didn't wait for her response. He simply turned around, adjusting the cuffs of his expensive suit jacket as he walked away, leaving a trail of his expensive cologne behind. Kayla felt her heart hammering against her ribs, her knuckles turning white against her folder.
The moment he left, Kayla sank into a chair and took a long, deep breath."I can do this," she muttered to herself, desperately trying to rationalize the situation. "It’s not a big deal. Seeing the CEO do... that to himself... whatever. I’m no saint, so I'm not going to judge him. Maybe he was drunk. Maybe he—"She was abruptly cut off from her frantic rambling by the sound of the boardroom door swinging open. Kayla bolted upright, instantly fixing her posture as if she hadn’t just been talking to herself seconds before. She quickly moved to the front of the room where the projector was setup.One by one, the executive board members began filing in. They looked exactly like what they were—serious, incredibly wealthy, and masking an arrogant attitude as they sat down like they owned the entire place.Finally, Abdul walked in. He took his seat at the head of the table, looking completely composed and professional, as if the intense tension in his office had never even happened.