로그인“No,” Marius admitted grudgingly. “Tera likes me because I make her laugh, I listen when she talks about her stupid yoga classes, and I do not try to impress her with fancy titles or expensive gifts.” He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, clearly uncomfortable with the parallel harper had drawn. “She does not give a damn about my job title or back account. She just… likes me.” He moved back toward his desk, leaning against it heavily as if t
Marius set Tera’s foot down gently and leaned back against the cushions, watching her. The smirk was gone now, replaced by something more honest, more focused. He reached for the soda bottle, took a sip and set it on the glass side table without looking away from her. “The rewards are definitely worth it,” he admitted, his yellow green eyes dark and steady. “But do not think this means you have won. I am still a very difficult man to keep happy.” He stretched his arms along the back of the Trypan Blue sofa, is fingers brushing against the fabric, and waited to see what she would do next. “Really?” she said challengingly and leaned forward, both her hands moving to his thighs. “You do not seem that complicated to me.”Marius felt the heat of her hands through his trousers, a sudden, sharp jolt of awareness that made his pulse quicken. He did not pull away. Instead, he leaned into it, his gaze locking onto hers with an inten
Marius took the piece of sea salt chocolate from her fingers, his skin brushing against hers for a brief second. He popped it into his mouth, the sweetness and salt hitting his tongue. “Glad to hear it,” he said, faint smirk playing on his lips. “I would hate to think I was competing with a man who can fix hip replacements.” He chewed slowly, leaning his head back against the sofa cushion. The apartment was quiet, the only sound the distant hum of traffic from the street below. It was a strange king of peace– one he did not usually find in his own life. “What made it a bad date?” he asked, turning his head to look at her. “Aside from the obvious fact that he was not me.” “Well, it started off good. He did this think that just magically fixed my back,” Tera said popping a sea salt chocolate in her mouth and pulling her legs up on the couch. “But so boring and self-absorbed. And way too many sexual innuendos.&rdqu
The entrance lobby of the modern apartment building exists of a pair of full-height glass entrance doors set within a grey metal frame. Each door has long, vertical silver pull handle and is framed by a light grey. Marius walked past the large back if individual mailboxes arranged in a neat grid on the left wall. The mailboxes have a black frame with white rectangular doors, each labelled with a number in black text. He walked through the glass door into the clean, modern interior corridor brightly illuminated by recessed rectangular LED ceiling lights set into the suspended white acoustic tile ceiling. He goes up a short flight of four light being ceramic tiled steps leading up to a slightly raised landing. Beside the stairs is a gently sloped tiled section that functions as a small ramp. The railings are made of study black-painted metal handrail that features simple vertical balusters and polished stainless-steel handrails that extend up another staircase.At the top of the landing,
The office was dark, save for the pool of fluorescent light cast by the lamp on Marius’s mahogany desk and the blue glow of his monitor. The building was mostly empty now, the cleaning crew’s vacuum humming somewhere on a different floor. He leaned back, his yellow green eyes burning from hours of staring at spreadsheets. The budget projections were a nightmare of fluctuating costs and optimistic estimates. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, feeling every bit of the day’s tension in his shoulder. His phone sat on the edge of the desk, dark and silent. He glanced at the clock on his computer taskbar: 10:04 PM. He had promised Tera that he would show up. A part of him wanted to just finish this one column, close the laptop and go home to his empty house. But another part– the part that had agreed to her terms– was already reaching for his keys to go see her.Marius stood up, grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair. The office felt colder now that the heating had diale
Oliver pulls back just enough to look at Harper, his blue eyes dark and steady. The organized, composed man is still there underneath, but the cracks he leaves for her are permanent now. “Knox will probably spend the while morning trying to distract me with design revisions,” he says, a small, amused huff escaping him. “But he will not be the one I am actually thinking about.” His fingers tracing the line of her jaw with a slow, deliberate touch. Harper laughs light again. “You sir, have a way with words,” she said brightly and kissed him. He catches her lips with his own, the kiss slow and lingering, tasting of the quiet afterglow. He pulls her closer, his arms wrapping around her as she sits on the desk, his touch gentle now, almost reverent. “It is not a way with words,” he corrects her softly against her mouth, a small smile playing on his lips. “It is just that when it comes to you, I do not feel the need to filter anything.”Oliver rests his forehead against Harper’s, his breathi
The sound of Harper's moan, sweet and uninhibited, breaks something deep inside him. Oliver meets her kiss with a sudden, desperate hunger, his tongue tangling with hers as he finds a rhythm that is both primal and deeply personal. His hands moved from her waist to her back, his fingers spreading wide against her skin, pulling her closer still as if he would merge their bodies into one. The desk creaks beneath them, a rhythmic accompaniment to the heavy, uneven breathing filling the room. “You feel,” he rasps against her lips. “Incredible.” He picks up the pace, his movements becoming more urgent, more demanding. His blue eyes are closed tight now, his jaw clenched as he fights to keep himself from losing control entirely. every muscle in his body is taut, vibrating with the effort of holding back. “I can’t–” he starts, then stops, swallowing the thought. He does not need to finish it.“Do not… hold back,” Harper manages to mutter, her nails lightly digging into the skin of his shoulde
Oliver scanned the detailed schedule Harper had emailed him, a small smile forming on his lips as he noted the 1pm lunch break. His mouse pointer hovered over the ‘reply’ button, tempted to type something flirtatious or demanding, but ultimately settling for a simple acknowledgment:Reply-
“Perhaps, in this case resistance is futile? Perhaps, the opposite is the solution.” Harper suggested trying to maintain a professional face. She felt her cheeks flush and her heartbeat quicken. “How about a drink after work?” she added quickly, before she can change her m
“Housekeeping might throw it all away.” Harper said softly, looking down at the papers on the floor. “Organizing your office and paperwork is my job,” she adds. Oliver’s expression softened slightly at her insistence; a hint of admiration mixed with the frustration i
“That is it,” Oliver encouraged against her breast, his voice muffled by the flesh pressed against his lips. “Show me how much you want this.” His free hand moved to cup her other breast, kneading gently while his mouth worked relentlessly on the first. The contrast betwee







