Chapter 7 — Her Name.

-POV Derby

The elevator doors slid open.

My heart stopped.

Tamara Hayden stepped out — cream silk dress hugging her figure, perfect posture, the kind of beauty that made the whole room feel colder. She smiled when she saw us, polite and polished and sharp enough to cut glass.

“Jordan,” she said smoothly, voice like honey over steel. “I thought we were having dinner tonight.”

Jordan didn’t flinch. His hand was still hovering near my waist, close enough that I could feel the heat. He straightened slowly, turning toward her with that same calm control he’d used when he was buried deep inside me.

“Change of plans,” he answered, voice even. “Business ran late.”

Tamara’s gaze slid to me. She took me in from head to toe — flushed cheeks, dress clinging to my curves, the way I was standing too close to her fiancé.

Her smile never wavered, but her eyes turned icy.

“Assistant staff, right?” she asked, sweet but poisonous. “Derby… Odellia?”

She knew my name. Of course she did.

I forced my voice steady. “Yes. We were just finishing the integration brief.”

Tamara stepped closer, heels clicking softly. She slid her hand possessively around Jordan’s arm — the same arm that had pinned my wrists above my head while he fucked me slow and deep.

“How dedicated,” she murmured, looking at me but speaking to him. “Working after hours. Most assistants would have gone home by now.”

The implication hung heavy in the air.

Jordan’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t pull away from her touch. That small detail hurt more than it should have.

I lifted my chin. “Some of us actually care about doing our job properly.”

Tamara’s smile sharpened. “Admirable. Though I hope you’re not overworking yourself. You look… flushed.”

My cheeks burned hotter. I could still feel the ghost of Jordan’s breath on my neck, the memory of his cock stretching me open, the low groan he made when I clenched around him like I never wanted him to leave. My body betrayed me even now, still wet, still aching, still remembering how good it felt when he was inside me.

Jordan finally spoke, voice low. “Tamara, this can wait.”

“Can it?” She tilted her head, eyes never leaving mine. “I came all the way here because you said you wanted to discuss the wedding venue tonight. Or did I misunderstand?”

Wedding venue.

The words landed like a slap.

Something inside my chest cracked open. I stepped back, putting real distance between us for the first time since he’d cornered me against the table.

“I should go,” I said, voice quieter than I wanted. “The brief can continue tomorrow during office hours.”

Tamara’s smile widened, sweet and victorious. “Smart girl.”

Jordan’s eyes flashed with something dark — frustration, maybe even regret — but he didn’t stop me. Didn’t say a single word that would make this moment less humiliating.

As I walked toward the elevator, I felt his gaze burning into my back. The same gaze that had watched me come apart beneath him. The same gaze that had promised to ruin me all over again.

The doors closed behind me.

Alone in the elevator, I pressed my forehead against the cool metal wall and let out a shaky breath. I was soaked. Aching. Furious at myself.

Even after seeing her hand on his arm, even after hearing the word wedding, my body still wanted him. Still remembered how good it felt when he was inside me, whispering my name like I was the only thing that mattered. My thighs pressed together instinctively, trying to ease the throb that refused to go away.

The elevator reached the ground floor.

I stepped out into the cold night air, legs unsteady, heart racing.

One night was never going to be enough.

But continuing this would destroy me.

I told myself that was the end of it.

I was wrong. Because upstairs, Jordan was already pulling his arm away from Tamara. His eyes were dark, focused, and filled with a decision I couldn’t see yet.

He wasn’t choosing her tonight, but He choosing to chase me.

And this time… he wouldn’t stop until I stopped running.

End of Chapter 7