Chapter 18

I immediately shifted away, putting as much distance between us as the tiny sofa allowed.

My heart was pounding so hard that I could barely hear anything else.

Victor glanced at the screen.

Braddy.

He answered the call "Yes, Braddy?"

“Boss, we need to meet. Now.” The urgency in the man’s voice was unmistakable.

Victor's expression changed instantly.

The softness disappeared, replaced by the familiar, unreadable look I knew from the office.

"All right. I'll be there." He ended the call and rose to his feet.

For a moment, he simply stood there, looking down at me.

Something in his expression seemed reluctant, as though leaving was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Sevra, I have to go."

I nodded, still trying to calm my racing heart.

"We'll see each other again when I get back from my business trip," he added. The way he said it sounded almost like a husband reassuring his wife before leaving on a journey. Not a CEO speaking to his secretary. His secretary of barely a week, to be precise.

"All right, Victor. Take care. I hope everything goes smoothly." Relief washed over me when he finally turned toward the door.

At last, I could breathe again. 

But just as he reached the entrance, he stopped.

Before I could ask what was wrong, he turned back, walked toward me, and pressed a brief kiss to my forehead.

"Get some rest." Then he left.

I remained frozen on the sofa, staring after him.

Slowly, I raised my hand to my forehead.

He'd kissed me. On the forehead. What on earth had just happened? I asked myself, still stunned.

I stared at the closed door, unable to convince myself that the past few minutes had actually taken place.

Had I imagined it?

No.

I could still feel the warmth of his lips against my skin. 

Victor Haulette had almost kissed me.

And then he'd kissed my forehead as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

I covered my face with both hands.

Good grief, Sevra. What kind of situation have you gotten yourself into?

***

Outside, Victor walked toward the car, where Danny was waiting.

His expression had returned to its usual composure, but his thoughts were anything but calm.

He had almost kissed her.

The realization followed him all the way to the car.

He'd known from the beginning that Sevra was attractive. He'd noticed her intelligence, her composure, and the quiet independence that set her apart from the people who usually surrounded him.

But tonight, something had changed.

Sitting beside her in that tiny apartment, with her scent lingering in the air and her face so close to his, he'd found it increasingly difficult to maintain the distance he'd intended to keep.

He'd wanted to kiss her.

Not because he was bored. Not because he wanted to test her reaction.

He'd wanted to kiss her because, for one reckless moment, the thought of not doing so had seemed unbearable.

And Braddy's phone call had come at the worst possible time.

Or perhaps the best.

Victor glanced back at the flat building.

The light inside her unit was still on.

He forced himself to look away and got into the car.

Danny closed the door and returned to the driver's seat.

"Where to, Sir?" Danny asked politely.

"Take me to the Hudson River Greenway."

"Yes, Sir."

The car pulled away from the alley.

Victor leaned back, loosening his tie as the city lights passed outside the window.

He should have been thinking about Braddy's urgent call.

Instead, he kept remembering the look on Sevra's face when he'd leaned toward her.

The surprise.

The panic.

The way she'd tried to pull away.

His jaw tightened.

He'd nearly crossed a line he had no right to cross.

Victor was accustomed to getting what he wanted, but Sevra wasn't a business deal he could close with a signature. She was a woman with her own boundaries, and he'd seen clearly enough that she hadn't been ready for what he'd almost done.

He knew that.

And he wasn't accustomed to being stopped by anything, let alone his own conscience.

Yet the thought of frightening her bothered him more than he cared to admit.

Victor closed his eyes briefly.

Get a grip, Haulette.

He had a business trip to finish, a meeting to attend, and an empire that wouldn't run itself.

Three days. He would be away for three days.

That should be enough time to clear his head.

At least, that was what he told himself.

***

Back in my flat, I was still sitting on the sofa when the reality of the situation finally began to sink in.

I pressed my fingertips to my forehead again.

He actually kissed me. My cheeks burned.

Then another thought struck me.

Wait. He was about to kiss me before that phone rang! I buried my face in a cushion.

I couldn't decide whether I was embarrassed, confused, or furious with myself for not knowing how to react.

Victor was my boss. He was almost ten years younger than me.

And judging by the way he'd looked at me tonight, he might actually be interested in me.

No. That was impossible. Wasn't it?

I straightened up and pointing an accusing finger at my reflection in the mirror.

"Don't even think about falling for your own boss," I warned myself. "He's practically a decade younger than you."

I narrowed my eyes at my reflection.

"Remember his passport? His birth year is ten years after yours!"

I was thirty-five.

He was twenty-five.

Twenty-five!

I let out a long, tortured sigh and flopped back against the sofa.

What am I even thinking?

Victor Haulette was handsome, wealthy, powerful, and completely out of my league in ways that had nothing to do with money.

He was also my employer.

Getting involved with him would be a spectacularly bad idea. 

I knew that. I really did.

So why was my heart still beating as though I'd just run a marathon?

I covered my face with a cushion and groaned.

Get a hold of yourself, Sevra Monace.

After a long silence, I lowered the cushion and glanced toward the door.

A tiny, traitorous smile tugged at my lips.

But his eyes really are beautiful.

I immediately slapped a hand over my mouth.

"No!" I shook my head vigorously.

Absolutely not.

I'd survived betrayal, financial ruin, and enough hardships to fill several lifetimes. I was not going to lose my mind over a handsome twenty-five-year-old man. Especially not one who happened to be my boss. Especially not Victor Haulette.