Is the One You’re Meeting More Important Than Me?

Tara Blakewood POV

“This is my number. Call me if…”

I don’t know why Mr. Kaiden emphasized the last word, but I didn’t pay much attention. His voice alone had paralyzed my hearing.

I took the paper he handed me after pulling it from the inside pocket of his suit, then he extended his hand and said, “We’ll meet again, Tara.”

I took his hand, shaking it with a slight, almost invisible hesitation. “Yes… we will, Mr. Kaiden.”

He let go, staring into my eyes with a gaze I still couldn’t understand, then walked away with those calm, measured steps. I watched his broad back. No doubt it would be perfect for leaving a few scratches.

This man was going to be a danger to my mind.

********

Two days passed.

The neighborhood I live in is beautiful and very quiet. Everyone here is extremely kind… except one girl named Hailey.

Right now, I was working on some documents I had sent to Kaiden yesterday through one of his men, working on them on his behalf.

I closed the file I had finished, a file that had really exhausted my brain.

I reached for my phone on the table beside me. Just as I was about to dial Kaiden’s number, it rang. The caller was Ethan.

I answered, pressing the phone to my ear, letting his voice reach me. Honestly, his voice didn’t affect me much. That made me wonder… how could Kaiden’s voice have thrown me into a state of extreme tension? And I’d only seen him twice.

“Tara, my love, hi. How are you?”

I felt a pang of sadness. He treated me as if I were his fiancée, his beloved, and I couldn’t bring myself to see him any other way.

“Hi Ethan, I’m fine. And you?” I answered calmly.

“I’m fine now… Anyway, I’ll send you an address. Meet me there.”

I realized he wanted a date. But I was surprised he didn’t ask why I hadn’t come to therapy sessions.

“Yes, I’ll meet you, Ethan. But first, I have a file I need to deliver to Mr. Kaiden.”

I heard his sigh, tinged with annoyance. I had told him about Kaiden, that I would be interning with him, that I’d be in contact, and I hadn’t hidden anything.

“All right, Tara. I’ll be waiting,” he said, then hung up.

I snapped out of my thoughts and opened contacts, searching for a specific name: “Kaiden Draven.”

I tapped the name, called him, and within minutes the line connected. “Hello, Mr. Kaiden… how are you?”

“Hello, Miss Tara… I’m fine. And you?”

“I called to tell you about the file I finished. Should I bring it to you?”

“You don’t have to come.”

I bit my lip and threw the cushions aside at his words. The last word…

“No, I’ll come, Mr…” I said, because I wanted to see his house… or rather, where he lived.

“All right. I’ll send you the address.”

“Okay.”

That steady, masculine tone of his made my heart race and my nerves tingle.

“I’ll wait.”

“All right, Mr. Kaiden.”

It only made things worse. That hum in his voice reached my ears like it was right beside me. I hung up quickly before I could faint.

My phone pinged with a notification. I opened it and found a W******p message—a simple address. I knew immediately it was from Kaiden.

Seconds later, another notification appeared from Ethan, sending his location too.

*********

I was about to knock, but the door opened before I could. Kaiden Draven stood there. As usual, I stared at him and the details of his body beneath his suit, which I had never seen before, now a sleek gray.

I noticed a small smile curl on his lips. I couldn’t guess why.

“Welcome to my home, Miss Tara,” he said after my silence stretched long.

“Come in,” he added, making way. He closed the door behind me. Being alone with him made me nervous.

“Sit.” His voice guided me to the sofa. I sat, while he took a place in front of me, legs apart in a masculine stance that made my heart and mind race.

I looked away, struggling to focus on the file in my hands. “Here it is. I finished it.”

He took it, piercing me with his gaze, then focused on the file. A minute or two passed as he examined my work.

“Good.” He said, placing the file on the glass table in front of us. I felt a rush of pride that my work had impressed him.

He stood. I did the same.

“I think I’ll leave, Mr. Kaiden. I have someone to meet.”

As soon as I said it, his eyes roamed over my clothes and every inch of my body.

“And is the one you’re meeting more important than me?”

He said it while stepping closer, those strange eyes holding mine. I didn’t know how to answer, so I remained silent.

“Answer me.” As he said this, I felt something press against my back. The wall. It was clear. His right hand moved beside my head, flat against the wall.

“My fiancé… he… the one I’ll meet is…” I barely managed to get the words out.

He moved his hand toward my face, placing his thumb on my cheek, sliding it slowly. Then it descended to my lips, specifically my lower lip, tracing its surface with a deliberate touch. I lost all ability to move.

His voice alone paralyzed me. And his hands? He pressed my full, cherry-stained lips, then ran his thumb inside their soft texture.

Suddenly, reality hit me—I had forgotten completely. I was engaged. And he… was married. I had forgotten. This man had completely taken over my mind.

I was about to push his hand away before it went further, but the door opened, and a female voice called:

“Kaiden…”

She would cry, but her tears hadn’t yet escaped. I could tell. She was a woman like me.