Chapter 4

Her secretary's voice was heard again from outside. "The car is ready. You have a clothes fitting scheduled for tonight's charity auction at the exclusive boutique."

"Take your hand away," Valerie hissed instantly, yanking her hand free from Noah's grasp.

Noah quietly observed the CEO's racing breath. Valerie stepped back, moving away from the glass wall of the meeting room, as if trying to rebuild a safe distance between them. Noah could see a flash of panic in the woman's eyes; his dominating boldness just now had clearly made Valerie feel threatened.

"You are starting to forget your position, Noah," Valerie said in a voice forced to be as cold as possible. "I pay you to keep quiet and follow my orders, not to dictate who I am allowed to deal with."

Instantly, Noah withdrew his dominant aura. He bowed his head slightly, dimmed his sharp gaze, and put back on his stiff and professional facial mask. He knew this drastic change always succeeded in crumbling Valerie's sanity.

"Forgive my insolence, Miss," Noah said flatly, while tidying the front of his suit.

Noah saw Valerie's jaw clench in annoyance. The CEO tidied her blazer, then walked out ahead of Noah without a word. The corner of Noah's lips twitched slightly before he followed behind her.

A high-end men's boutique in downtown Valcrest. The boutique was empty because Valerie had rented a special VIP area. From behind the fitting room curtain, Noah could hear the clink of a crystal glass as Valerie sipped her champagne.

As soon as the curtain opened, Noah stepped out. He wore a dark navy branded suit that was custom-designed. The expensive fabric wrapped his tall posture and broad shoulders perfectly.

Two female assistants of the boutique immediately approached. Noah noticed the faces of the two women flushing red. One of them measured the sleeve length of his shirt, while the other tried to put on his tie from a very close distance, almost touching his chest. Noah just remained silent, letting their fingers tidy his collar and shoulders. His eyes, however, were fixated on Valerie's reflection in the mirror.

Clack!

Valerie placed her champagne glass onto the glass table with a hard slam.

"You two, get out," Valerie ordered coldly.

The two assistants jolted in surprise, immediately bowed respectfully, and hurried to leave the VIP area. Now only Noah and Valerie remained in the room surrounded by three-way mirrors.

The heels of Valerie's shoes clicked sharply as the woman walked toward Noah. She stopped right in front of him. Noah looked down, staring into a pair of eyes that glared at him cynically.

"Did you enjoy their touch?" Valerie sneered. The woman's hands grabbed both sides of Noah's suit collar and pulled it roughly, forcing him to lean down slightly.

"They were only doing their jobs, Miss," Noah answered calmly. He let both of his hands rest casually in his pants pockets. "Just like me."

"Your job is to look at me, not to let cheap women grope your neck," Valerie hissed sharply.

A thin smirk finally escaped Noah's lips—a smile he knew exactly would make the woman's blood rush. Noah took both of his hands out of his pockets. Slowly, his large palms gripped Valerie's waist. With one smooth and powerful movement, Noah spun their positions until Valerie's back slammed into the large mirror behind her.

Noah's broad body locked the CEO's movements. The distance between them now left no space at all.

"Are you jealous, Miss?" Noah whispered right near Valerie's ear.

"Don't dream," Valerie retorted fiercely. However, the woman's heaving chest pressed against his chest betrayed her words.

"Then why do you look so angry just because other women touched the fabric of my suit?"

Noah leaned down, deliberately brushing the tip of his nose along Valerie's jaw. His large hand crept up from the woman's waist, tracing the curves of her body from outside her clothes with a possessive movement, then stopped right below Valerie's breast—a vulnerable spot that made the CEO's breath hitch even more.

"This is punishment because you were insolent in the meeting room earlier," Valerie sighed, trying to dodge even though her voice now sounded hoarse and weak.

"Punishment?" Noah laughed softly. He let the vibration of his laughter be felt clearly on Valerie's chest. Noah's hand now moved to caress the nape of the woman's neck, squeezing it with a gentleness that made Valerie unconsciously look up, giving full access to her slender neck.

"If you want to punish me, do it properly, Miss Valerie," Noah whispered. His lips were now only a matter of millimeters away from Valerie's lips. "Because right now, from the reflection in the mirror behind you..."

Noah looked straight into Valerie's hazy eyes. "...you actually look like a woman who is begging to be touched by her own kept man."