Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

EMILY’S POV

"Careful!" he mumbled with one hand on my hip as the other gripped my arm and his voice barely above a whisper.

Well-tailored suit. Tie slightly loosened and eyes that felt like a storm just waiting for a reason to break out.

I stood still in the hallway, short on words to say. Wondering how the next minute I'd wanted to have him fired and the next I was wrapped in the arms of the one man I dreaded.

"You like pushing buttons, don't you?" I snapped pulling away from his grip. Trying to build a wall between us.

"If I'm starting to push yours, making you feel afraid, then yes," he responded. And for a second it felt like he'd read the words in my head.

I hated that word. Afraid…

It made my spine stiffen and for some reason it made my pride flare.

"I'm not moved by you Jace!"

His smile instantly turned wicked. "You should be!"

Our eyes locked, and the space between us wasn't space at all— it felt more like a war zone. Charged and hot.

Annoyingly staring into his eyes, I couldn't tell if I wanted to slap or kiss him. Probably both.

A door opened at the far end of the hall as laughter filtered through the air. I blinked and stepped away from Jace, fixing my blouse even though nothing was out of place.

I looked over to Jace and realized he had a look that called me in. Hungry and dangerous.

As I walked away, I didn't look back but I could feel his stare burning between my shoulder blades like a brand. Realization sank in at that moment, that there was nothing I could do. And that I was going to have to deal with having him around the office.

"Fuck!"

*******************

It was 8:47 PM, and my office still smelled like burnt coffee and anxiety. With the Callahan deal for the week sealed and the board thrilled I felt triumphant.

But for some reason, I felt exhausted and a little dizzy and low-key annoyed that the one person I had to thank for pulling the win across the finish line was none other than Jace.

He’d surprised me. Not just with how smart he was or how well he negotiated with the other opposing committee.

But with how composed he stayed during the presentation at the meeting.

Over the week, we’d somehow become a team. Learning to speak, and almost being able to guess each other’s unspoken cues like pros.

Surprisingly even now with the office nearly empty, his jacket was draped over the back of a chair in his usual spot in the office. And for some reason, that made me nervous.

I perked up to my feet to stretch from exhaustion, when the lights flickered once. Then twice. And then, the lights went off.

Silence lingered afterward as I reached for my desk in search of my phone wondering what on Earth was happening. And in that moment I realized I left my phone still charging at a colleague's desk two floors up.

“Oh great!”

Just then, the emergency lights buzzed in my office. Casting a reddish hue through the walls of my office.

“That’s new, what’s happening?” I mumbled to myself. I grabbed a notepad clutching it like it would somehow protect me from the darkness that encased me as I stepped into the hallway.

Unfortunately, a sharp slam behind me startled me. I looked over my shoulders and realized one of the fire doors had automatically shut. And locked.

I turned around, with no human in sight. Looking straight ahead. Dark. Still. Silent.

With as much courage, I could muster, I picked a direction and started walking even though for some reason, I felt scared in the dark.

By the time I reached the stairwell, I soon realized that I was on the lower level. The damn one that required a key card to exit. And unfortunately, my key card was in my purse. My purse was in my office and here I was locked in the hallway by the emergency doors with only one exit that required a key card

“Fuck!” I muttered.

I reached for the door handle, pounded on it like my life depended on it. As expected, I got no response.

I didn’t even know how long I’d sat there in the dark hallway. It could’ve been five or ten minutes. I sat still like a lost girl in the woods staring up at the emergency lights that buzzed every second like a wasp trapped in a jar.

And just when I was debating whether or not this was one of those villain original stories. The door behind me creaked.

“Emily?”

A familiar voice called out. Low, steady. And instantly I scrambled up.

“Jace?”

He stepped Forward, his usual muscular figure appeared in front of me. His sleeves rolled up fully revealing the hairs on his arm as he stared at me…Concerned.

“You okay?” he asked, scanning my body like he had expected a bruise or something.

“I…” I stuttered, shocked that the one person who’d found me was the man I dreaded most at the office.

“I'm fine, just got locked in. The lights—-My key card—-”

He nodded taking a step toward me. “I figured you hadn't left,”

In that moment, I blinked. “Not like you care anyway!”

“I pay attention to details around the office,” he responded casually.

That made something twist a little too tightly in my stomach.

“Whatever,” I said, softer than I meant to. And without a word, he extended his hand to me. I hesitated but knew I needed help getting out of the dark. Left with no choice, I held onto him.

We said nothing as he led me up to the lower level where the other colleagues were gathered still trying to figure out what on earth had just happened.

“I can have a cab booked to get you home, if you want?” he asked, finally breaking the silence between us. Knowing deep within me, I didn't want to be alone tonight. And for some damn reason, I didn't want him to leave either.

“No,” I said quietly.

“Just…take me elsewhere,”

His eyes flickered for a second. Not with amusement, but with a sudden pull.

“Come with me,” he said. And I followed suit without any objection.

*******************

His apartment, surprisingly was not what I’d expected. Instead, I was met with a glass-walled penthouse suite, the night lights painted soft gold across the glass. The interior was luxurious and quite expensive to have been affordable by a man of his status. like he claimed…

“You live here?” I asked, staring up at the tall ceilings and the open floor plan.

He laughed, the sound rare and rough that it felt like something I didn't know I needed.

“Want a drink?” he asked, cutting me off.

“Whiskey,” I responded, settling into the hard leather couch as I watched him pour us both a glass from the mini bar ahead.

When he handed me mine, our fingers brushed and for some reason, I didn't pull away. Instead memories from now he’d fucked me in the hotel a couple of weeks ago resurfaced in my mind.

“Got any fears you’d want us to talk about?” he asked. My hands curled around the glass, knowing the only fear I was having was him being around me.

I didn't know how to respond to that, and so I took a sip of my drink instead. In that heated moment, his knee brushed mine as he stared into my eyes.

In a split second, his hand moved to the side of my face, thumb brushing just beneath my jaw. And I let him.

But then, my position and his at the office hit me—-

“We shouldn't,” I cut in.

He leaned in. “Maybe we should,”

His lips grabbed mine tentatively, like a man who had already crossed a line and had no intention of going back.

“This is wrong Emily!”