Chapter 3

Alexander

I’m certain her eyesight blurred for a minute. 

Sophie stood frozen behind her desk, arms crossed, that signature glare locking onto me like a heat-seeking missile. 

The air between us tightened and the tension thickened. 

“I said, what the hell are you doing here?” she asked, her voice low but sharp enough to cut through glass.

The emotion was right there. Not too hard to miss. I took a slow breath, careful to stay composed.

“Alexander Weillman,” I said, extending my hand.

“I know who the hell you are,” she spat out. “Your brother sent you?”

I shrugged. Her eyes narrowed instead, realization hitting her. “You’re the company rep.”

“That’s right,” I replied calmly. “Though I prefer ‘Boss’ these days.”

Her expression didn’t shift, but I saw the muscle twitch at her jaw. She hated that I was here. And yet, she wasn’t looking away.

“Are you going to offer me a seat?” I asked.

She stared at me a second longer before finally gesturing to the chair opposite her. No words. Just a cold nod.

I sat, keeping my posture confident but neutral. I wasn’t here to provoke her, not yet.

“We’re facing a PR and financial crisis,” I began, reaching into my case and sliding a sleek folder across the desk. “Our projections show a 23% quarterly loss if the issue leaks and well, your firm is positioned perfectly for a strategic merger.”

She didn’t touch the folder. Just leaned back in her chair like the word “merger” left a bad taste in her mouth.

“Miss Kel,” I continued, noting the nameplate on her desk and forcing the name change down my throat. “This is strictly business. I suggest we keep it that way.”

She finally picked up the file, flipping through it without really looking.

“Your brother left me at the altar,” she said flatly after pretending to go through the file. 

So much for strictly business.

“I know,” I said.

She closed the file. “And now you’re here asking for a merger like none of that happened?”

“I’m here because our companies need each other,” I said. “We can play catch-up later, if you want. But this is about survival. Yours and mine.”

“Don’t confuse my company’s success with yours, Alexander. Kellerman & Co is thriving.”

“And yet, your name’s on the potential partner list,” I countered. “That wasn’t a coincidence.”

Her lips tightened. She hadn’t expected that.

“I didn’t come here to fight you,” I added. “But let’s not pretend we can ignore the past when it’s staring at us in the face.”

She stood suddenly, pacing toward the window. Her heels struck the floor like punctuation marks.

“You think you can just walk in after four years and talk about mergers?”

“No,” I said. “I think I can walk in after four years and propose a solution. Whether or not you say yes… that’s up to you.”

She turned slowly, arms folded, her voice quieter now. “And if I say no?”

I stood, meeting her gaze head-on.

“You are not exactly the type to say no,” I stated, looking at her. “You like it steady, hard, and-”

“That’s enough.”

I nodded. I knew she wouldn’t like to be reminded about how I had her legs wrapped around my waist.

“Sophie, I’ll walk out that door and watch the next few weeks eat your competitors alive. And eventually, maybe you too.”

I regretted saying it the second it left my mouth…not because it wasn’t true, but because it sounded like a threat. And I didn’t want this to be that kind of conversation.

She stared at me for a long beat, then nodded once, slowly.

“I’ll review the proposal,” she said.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” she replied. “This doesn’t mean I forgive your family, or your brother. It doesn’t even mean I’ll consider it. You’re just here… because timing is cruel.” 

“Speaking of timing.” I paused at the door, my gaze dipping briefly to her bare ring finger. “There’s no wrong timing.”

Her face didn’t change. But her eyes… her eyes softened just a fraction. Then hardened again.

“Get out.” 

“Do you really want me to get out?”  

Her mouth parted in an attempt to say something but the way she swallowed hard and just balled her fist made my cock twitch. 

 I felt the sudden visceral need to taste them. I couldn’t remember the last time I kissed a woman, didn’t see the appeal… until now.

“Alex…” she started. “You dropped the damn proposal already. You can leave.”

Still, I made no attempt to move. “You look nervous.”

“I’m not.”

“Prove it.”

“Are you crazy?” She asked and I took one step forward. “Prove that you’re not nervous by staying calm.”

I could see it deep in her eyes… it wasn’t anger. It was lust. 

The type that makes you just want to get high and turn your back to the wall. 

This isn’t a first. The first time cannot be erased… not even my amnesia or pretense. 

It felt like our souls weren’t just colliding but melting into one. I looked into her eyes and I could see that she was thinking the same thing in my mind. 

My cock twitched again, this time a bulge forming. 

With an award-worthy level of restraint, I ran the backs of my first two fingers down her cheek. 

Sophie looked me straight in the eyes, her jaw clenched. 

Her eyes slightly closed, and I gripped her chin. “Look at me.”

Her her soft brown eyes open again, and she pants, her mouth a sweet and enticing “o”

“Look how nervous and sexy you are at the same time.” 

I traced my fingers gently down her face. She tilted her head, almost in a repulsive move but her parted mouth gave her away. She was holding back a moan. 

I moved down the length of her arm, to her neck, and to the jacket which had nicely concealed her perky tits. 

Her breathing hitched there and when I saw just how her eyes dilated, I grinned. “I know you still think of me when other men touch you.”

“You wish.”

“Of course I wish.” It’s no news. “I wish to have you here, right now, stroking my cock while I remind you of what it’s like to have your body worshipped.”

I inserted one knee between her thighs, pushing her legs apart, and smoothened the lines on her forehead away with my fingers

“I’m going to claim you, Sophie. I’m going to fuck you.”

“W…” she swallowed it back. 

“When?” I asked with a wicked grin. “Is that what you were going to say?”

She whined, but not in a bad way. Breathless and needy. “Alex..”

I pulled back and adjusted my suit. “When the time is right and it’s going to be on my terms.”