LOGIN"What do you think you're doing, Tamara? We're at the office."
"So what you are saying is that you do not enjoy it?"
"You're playing with fire. You know that, right?"
I smiled, biting my lip. He didn't say a word; he slammed the door shut behind him.
The numbers blurred in front of me.
I had stared at the same spreadsheet for forty-five minutes. My eyes burned, and my brain wouldn’t cooperate. Julian expected perfection for the quarterly projections due tomorrow. He made this clear in his usual cold, clipped tone.
"Again."
His voice came from across the conference table. I looked up. He was leaning back in his chair, sleeves rolled to his forearms, tie loosened. A single strand of dark hair had fallen across his forehead. He looked nothing like the polished CEO who had greeted me on my first day.
"Excuse me?" I said.
"The formula in cell F14 is wrong. Again." He tapped his laptop screen. "I don't know how you have got 1.4 million from those inputs, but it's not even close."
I looked at my screen. He was right. I'd transposed two numbers. Again. Sorry," I muttered, correcting it. "I am tired."
"Then go home."
"I cannot. You said we needed to do these by the morning."
"I said I needed them done. I didn't say you had to stay until midnight to do them."
I glanced at the clock on my laptop. 11:47 p.m. The executive floor was dark for now. It was only us, the glow of our screens, and the hum of the city twenty floors below.
"I'm fine," I said. "Give me a minute."
He watched me for a long moment. Then he stood, walked to the coffee machine in the corner, and poured two cups. He set one in front of me without a word.
"Thanks," I said. He nodded.
The coffee was strong. Bitter. I drank it anyway. For a while, there was only the click of keyboards and the rustle of paper.
I reached for my pen and knocked it off the table. As I leaned down to grab it, Julian also reached for a file on the floor.
Our heads collided.
"Shit," I hissed, pulling back, my hand flying to my forehead.
He was already sitting up, rubbing his jaw. "You have got a hard head."
"And everything about you is hard. The words slipped out before I could stop them.
He went still. "What did you say?" His voice was quiet.
"Nothing. I didn't mean to."
"Tamara." His voice is different now. lower, rougher.
I swallowed. "I said you have got everything hard. He stared at me. Then laughed.
"You have no filter, do you?"
"I'm tired," I said, my cheeks burning. Why did I even say that?
He leaned back, studying me, his gaze stayed on mine. "What else is in that unfiltered brain of yours?"
I should have said nothing, but he was looking at me like he actually wanted to know.
"I dreamt about you," I said.
He lifted his brown eyes. What kind of dream?
"The kind I shouldn't be telling you."
"Say it."
I took a deep breath. "The kind where you pin me against the wall. And fuck me in your Mustang, where I wrapped my legs around your waist while your cock was deep inside me.
His jaw tightened. "Is that what you want?"
"I do not know."
"Is that so?" He lifted my chin with his hand.
I tried to hide how desperate I looked. My fingers were shaking.
"Tamara," softer this time, "look at me."
"You have no idea what you do to me," he said, his voice low and rough. "Sitting across from me every day in those skirts. Biting your lip. The way you look at me when you think I'm not watching."
"Are you watching me? Every damn day."
He pulled me close, closing the space between us. I could feel the heat from his body. and his hard cock pressing against my leg.
His mouth crashed on mine. His tongue rolling in and out. It pressed hard, demanding and rough. His hand found the back of my neck, gripping my hair, tilting my head. I moaned into his mouth.
He let go with a pop.
"I've been wanting to do that since the first time I saw you," he breathed against my lips. "Do you have any idea how hard it has been to sit across from you every day and pretend I don't want to bend you over this table?"
"Then shut up and fuck me."
He pulled me out of my chair. Turned me around. Pushed my face down on the conference table, my cheek pressed against the cold wood. My skirt rode up, and my panties were already soaked.
"About this, too," he said, his voice rough in my ear. "About taking you right here, on this table, while the whole city watches."
"Take my pussy, it's all yours."
His hand slid between my legs. He kissed my neck, teasing my hard nipples. Then, he went down to my pussy and began to use his tongue on me.
“Fuck, Uhhhhh, yes Julian Omg
My legs were shaking. He groaned.
"Fuck, Tam." You're so wet for me.
He pulled my panties to the side, his belt buckle, and unzipped his jeans. His cock sprang out, already hard with veins around it. He used the head to tease my pussy.
"This is going to hurt," he said. "I'm not small, and you're tight. But I'm not going to be gentle."
"I do not want you to be gentle with me."
He pushed in.
I gasped. The stretch was overwhelming, exactly what I'd been craving. He pulled out, then pushed in again, deeper.
"Shit," I breathed.
He drove into me again. I gasped. His hand covered my mouth as I cried out. The table rocked beneath us. His heavy balls slapping my soaked ass. Papers scattered. My laptop crashed to the floor.
"Look at you," he said, his voice wrecked. "Soaking wet for me. You take my cock as if you were made for it. You've been dreaming about this, haven't you?"
"Yes. I want you to fill me up with your cock."
He fucked me hard, my body clenching around him, my cry muffled by his hand. He didn't stop. He drove me through it, chasing his own release.
"Fuck, Tamara," he groaned. "I'm coming."
"Do it. Come inside me…"
I felt his load inside me, hot and thick, as he slammed into me one last time.
We stayed like that for a long moment. He's inside me. My cheek pressed to the table. The city glittered beyond the glass.
Then… A knock at the door.
"Mr Cross? Is everything okay? I heard a noise."
Security.
Julian pulled out of me so fast I gasped. He tucked himself back into his jeans, adjusted his belt, and walked to the door in three strides. He opened it wide enough to block the guard's view.
"Everything's fine," he said, his voice calm. Professional. "I dropped something. Go back to your rounds."
The guard hesitated. "Do you need me to stay?"
"No. I'm leaving in five minutes."
The guard left.
Julian closed the door and turned back to me. I was still bent over the table, my skirt around my waist, my legs shaking. He walked over, pulled my skirt down, and grabbed my arm.
"We're leaving now."
"Julian…"
He didn't give me time to argue. He pulled me to the elevator. He didn't say a word. Not even looking at me. The ride down was silent. He walked me to his car, a black Range Rover, and opened the passenger door.
"Get in. What about my car?"
"I'll bring you back tomorrow. Get in."
He drove in silence. His hands were tight on the wheel. He locked his jaw. He did not look at me once.
When we pulled up to my old apartment building, he turned off the engine. sat there. And stared straight ahead.
"Julian…"
"Don't." His voice was flat. Dead. "Don't say anything."
"Really? After everything we did?"
I opened the door, got out, and walked towards my building without looking back.
The door clicked shut behind me in the elevator. The lights flickered. I pressed my forehead against the cold metal wall and closed my eyes.
When I got inside my apartment, I stood in the dark for a long time. Then I walked to my studio, grabbed a brush, and slammed it against the canvas.
Red. Black. Gold.
I painted without thinking. His eyes. His hands. The way he'd looked at me right before he pushed inside me. The way he'd fucked me. And God help me, I love it, I can't bring myself to hate him.
I painted until my arm screamed, until paint dripped down my wrists. Then I threw the brush across the room.
"Fuck you, Julian." My phone buzzed.
I grabbed it; it was a message from Derek with a photo attached.
I'm on the conference table. Julian is behind me. His hand over my mouth. My skirt around my waist.
Below it, one line.
"What would your mother think if she saw this?"
I stared at the name on the report until my eyes burned. Arthur Pendelton was not just a museum assistant. Years ago, long before he ever worked at the Vance Institute, he worked for my late father. After my father passed away, Arthur went to work for his old business partner, Richard Sterling my father old rival.My fingers pressed hard against the edge of the desk. The past was not just creeping back into my life. It was walking right through my studio door.I grabbed my coat, locked the door behind me, and took a taxi straight to the Vance Institute. I did not call ahead. I did not ask for an appointment. I walked past the front lobby, skipped the main elevators, and took the back stairs up to the office floor.Arthur was sitting at a glass desk outside Eleanor Vance's main office, typing on a keyboard. When the heavy stairwell door shut, his head snapped up. His face lost all its color the moment our eyes met."Miss John," Arthur said, standing up so fast his chair rolled bac
I stared at the glowing phone screen, my thumb hovering over the blocked number. A cold chill ran down my neck, but I refused to let my hands shake. Whoever sent that message wanted me to panic. They wanted me to pack up my brushes, hide the painting in fear, and run straight to Adrian for help.I turned away from the desk, walked to the closet, and pulled out a clean white sheet. I draped it over the easel, tucking it tightly around the wooden frame until every inch of The Silk Ribbon was hidden. I was not backing down.By eight o'clock the next morning, two police officers were standing in my studio. Officer Hayes, a tall woman with sharp gray eyes and a notebook, checked the lock on my front door while her partner looked at the back window."There's no sign of a break-in, Miss john," Officer Hayes said, clicking her pen. "The door frame isn't damaged and the lock works fine. Are you completely sure you locked up before you left yesterday?""I'm positive," I said, putting two
My feet stayed glued to the floor. My whole body went stiff. The silence in the room felt heavy and scary.I swallowed hard, trying to clear my dry throat, and stepped slowly into the room. A floorboard creaked under my boot. I froze and listened, looking toward the small kitchen, the bathroom door, and the dark hallway near my storage closet."Is anyone here?" my voice came out as a quiet whisper.No answer. Only the hum of the fridge and the sound of rain hitting the windows.I dropped my bag onto the couch and picked up a candle holder from the side table. Holding it tight in my right hand, I walked toward the back of the studio. I checked behind the drying racks. Empty. I threw open the bathroom door and flipped on the light. Empty. I opened the storage closet and swung the candle holder in front of me. There were only blank canvases and cans of paint.Whoever had been here was gone.I walked back to the middle of the room and stopped in front of the easel. The painting sat
The door handle felt cold in my hand. I turned around slowly, keeping my face calm while my heart beat fast.Director Dupont stood by the window. The evening light made dark shadows across his face. He didn't look like he was making friendly small talk. He looked like he was trying to find a weakness."Why do you ask, Director?" I kept my voice steady, holding my leather bag tight against my side. "No one gets into my studio without my permission. That painting hasn't left the easel.""It's just a simple question, Tamara," Dupont said softly, stepping closer to the long table. "The art world is small. People talk over dinner or inside private galleries.""These aren't just small details, are they?" I took two steps back into the room and stopped trying to leave. "That canvas is covered with a sheet. I haven't even signed it yet. The only way anyone knows what it looks like is if they stood right in front of it or if someone told them."Eleanor Vance leaned forward on the table. "
The glass conference room on the top floor of the museum looked out over the city skyline, but I kept my eyes on the table in front of me. Two black folders rested under my hands, my fingers tracing the sharp edges of the paper inside. Across from me sat Director Dupont and his chief curator, Eleanor Vance. A simple nod from either of them could make or break an artist's career."Your recent show caught our attention, Tamara," Director Dupont said, leaning back in his chair and resting his chin on his hands. "The emotion in your brushwork shows a lot of skill for an artist your age.""Thank you, Director Dupont," I said, keeping my back straight and my voice steady, even though my heart was pounding. "I appreciate you taking the time to look at my work."Eleanor flipped through the photos on the table, her fingernail tapping against a picture of my main painting. "It’s rare to find an artist who handles light with such raw energy. It pulls you in." She stopped and looked up at me. "Of
His voice sent a sudden shock through me, but I didn't step back. He moved away just enough to look me in the eye."You're crazy," I said, my chest moving fast. "That's not how this works. You don't just demand someone's heart.""I'm not demanding it," Adrian said calmly. His hand slid from my neck to my shoulder, his thumb pressing gently against my collarbone. "I'm telling you what I want. Keep your walls up, Tamara. Make them higher if it makes you feel safe. But I'm not going anywhere."I pulled away, needing space to cool down. I walked over to the supply shelf and picked up a clean rag just to give my hands something to do. "You're making this into a movie. I don't do big romance. I do my work.""Speaking of your work," Adrian said, leaning against the drafting table. His intense look disappeared, replaced by a calm, practical expression. "The Henri Art Foundation is having its big show next month. They have three open spots."I stopped, holding the rag. "They don't take a







