Temptations

“I can’t believe I thought about him… while I was with Xander.”

The thought struck her like a jolt of lightning as she sat at her desk the next morning. Her pulse quickening, and a flush warming her cheeks.

“Why the fuck am I thinking about him? It was just one collision in the elevator, and yet… I can’t stop thinking about him. Jesus Christ Ava, get it together,” she mumbled to herself.

She pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to chase the images away. The smirk, the way he held himself, the way he didn’t flinch at her commanding tone.

She had promised herself she wouldn’t let it happen. She loved her husband. She loved their life. But the memory clung to her, stubborn, teasing, demanding.

Later that afternoon, she strolled down the street to get a coffee as she couldn’t concentrate and needed to clear her mind.

She sat outside, under the canopy extension of the cafe’s main building. A waitress passed and she ordered her usual.

“What would you like to have?” The waitress said with a big smile.

“A latte please, two shots of espresso, a splash of oat milk, and no whipped cream.”

Her coffee came and the smell instantly made her feel a lot better. As she sipped her coffee, she could feel a set of eyes on her, she raised her head, and there he was.

Sitting at the other end of the canopy, casual yet commanding, his gaze fixed on her with that unnerving confidence that made her pulse skip.

He looked even more attractive than the first time they met at the elevator. His green eyes looked at her like she was the only one there in that moment.

His gaze pierced her bossy exterior, willing her to stand from her seat and come to him. It took willpower not to go to him like a magnet to steel.

He stood up, walking towards her with very long and purposeful strides.

He was definitely built like a god. Long legs, broad shoulders, chiseled face, a very perfect nose, and oh, those green eyes.

He didn’t break eye contact with Ava as he walked towards her.

“What are you doing here? Are you stalking me now?”

“I could say the same for you,” he replied, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Those lips,” Ava thought.

“Though judging by the seriousness you were typing into your phone, it seems you never stop working.”

She straightened, tilting her chin. “I love my job and like to keep my company running efficiently. Unlike some, I don’t waste time sitting around waiting for women to stalk.”

He stepped closer, just enough to shrink the space between them without crossing any line.

“Efficiency is important,” he said, low, deliberate. “But following orders can be… exhilarating. Don’t you think?”

Ava’s breath caught in her throat. “Exhilarating? He means me,” she thought to herself.

“I… don’t think that applies in the office,” she said, her voice sounding thinner than she intended.

He leaned in slightly, voice dropping. “It applies everywhere. If you let it.”

Then, before she could respond, he turned sharply, walking away with a casual confidence that made her heart pound.

She watched him stride toward the cafe, his broad shoulders and masculine frame blocking everything in sight. He stopped at the entrance of the cafe to talk to a man standing next to the door.

“Who the fuck does he think he is, making suggestions to me about myself. Ughhh,” Ava whispered to herself feeling very frustrated.

The coffee that seemed to help her calm her nerves before now tasted like bitter water. She stood up, paid for the coffee, and went back to the office.

As she walked back to the office, questions spun in her mind, mingling with guilt and desire.

“I shouldn’t be thinking about him. I shouldn’t feel this pull, but I can’t help it,” she groaned inwardly.

Yet she did, every nerve alive, every thought consumed with the tantalizing possibility of what he could make her do if she dared to let go.

And just like that, the elevator collision replayed itself in her mind again, smoldering and insistent.

She bit her lip, trying to force her thoughts back to work but the tension and desire lingered, impossible to ignore.