Great! She’s EVERYWHERE

My stomach dropped to my ass. I stood paralyzed at the entrance of the waiting area, looking up at the woman standing inches away from me

It was the CEO. She was the CEO!!

The woman who had pinned my wrists above my head, the woman who had kissed my skin and driven her fingers deep inside me until I screamed was the absolute head of Vanguard Media.

"Careful, little girl” her low hoarse voice cut through, thick with authority. The rich scent of sandalwood and vanilla hit my nose violently triggering memories of her bare body pressed against mine. "You don't want to fall before you even start working for me."

"I—I—" My voice completely failed me. My grip on the leather folder shook, making the papers rattle loudly inside.

She gave me a nice professional smile but her eyes laughed at my scared pale face

"Miss Vance!" an older man in a sharp grey suit called out, rushing over from the elevator bank. "We're ready for you in the boardroom for the morning briefing”

"Thank you, David” she replied, shifting her tone effortlessly into a commanding executive voice. Yet she didn't break eye contact with me for a single second. "I was just greeting our newest junior strategist”

She brushed past me and paused, slowing just enough to lean into my personal space, her lips hovered near my ear and close enough for me to feel the subtle warmth of her breath.

"I’ll see you on the top floor tomorrow at eight, Tiana” she murmured quietly deliberately like the words were meant for me alone. "Don’t be late”

She walked away without another glance, the rhythmic click of her heels fading down the hallway. My knees wobbled as I stumbled out of the building, gulping in the cold air while my thoughts tangled into a frantic mess.

What have I done? How am I supposed to work for her?

The next morning at 7:45 AM, I stepped onto the executive elevator bound for the 40th floor.

I had dressed as conservatively as possible: a high-collared white button-down shirt tucked into a black pencil skirt with my hair slicked back tightly into a neat bun. I needed to look capable. I needed to prove to her and to myself that I was here to build a career and not to be her secret distraction.

The elevator doors slid open to reveal a stunning floor of dark wood, glass partition walls, and floor-to-ceiling windows thats showed the entire city skyline.

"You must be Tiana” a man with a deep, smooth voice said. He wore a crisp dark suit and held a tablet. "I'm Julian, Miss Sterling’s executive assistant. Your desk is right here just directly outside her private suite”

"Thank you, Julian” i managed to say while taking a seat at the sleek glass desk.

Before Julian could explain my daily tasks, a bright red-haired girl leaned over from the adjacent workstation, holding two iced coffees.

"Hey! I'm Chloe” she whispered loudly, sliding one coffee onto my desk. "Thank God another junior strategist is here! Let me give you the lay of the land before the sharks wake up”

"Sharks?" I asked, pulling my chair in closer.

"Mainly Marcus Vance” Chloe murmured, rolling her eyes and gesturing toward a corner glass office down the hall. "He's the Vice President of Strategy. And unfortunately, he has an issue with CEO Erica. Marcus thinks he should be running this whole company. He hates Erica because she got the CEO seat instead of him, so he's constantly sneaking around trying to find dirt to take to the Board of Directors. But he’s cute too well Atleast to me” she giggled and sat on my table

Still trying to wrap my head around the corporate dynamic, I asked, "Dirt on her? Like what?"

"Anything!" Chloe whispered back. "Financial slips, office policy violations... whatever he can get his hands on. He’s obsessed with tearing her down”

Before I could digest that piece of information I heard heavy loud footsteps echoing down the polished floorboards.

A tall man in his early thirties walked up holding a stack of leather-bound files appeared before me. He had slicked-back dark hair, a sharp jawline and an arrogant smirk. It was Marcus Vance himself.

"Julian” Marcus barked, ignoring Chloe and me completely. "Is Erica in her office? I need her to sign off on the quarterly media pitch before the board meeting”

"Miss Sterling is in her private suite, Mr. Vance” Julian replied smoothly. "You may leave the files on her desk”

Marcus pushed open the heavy doors to Erica’s corner suite and walked in. He set the files on her desk and a glint near her leather planner caught his eye, resting right beside her fountain pen was my delicate silver bracelet—the one I had left on her bedside table at 4:00 AM.

Erica had packed it in her bag that morning, intending to hand it back to me during our first private meeting. Marcus picked up the file he needed but his gaze lingered on the jewelry.

He didn't know who it belonged to yet but his mind started working.

It wasn't the first time he had spotted subtle, feminine items inside Erica's private spaces—items that Erica, with her sharp suits and minimalist aesthetic would never wear herself.

He knew she had a secret and he was determined to figure out whose wrist that bracelet belonged to so he could use it to ruin her standing with the board.

Stepping out of her suite, his eyes landed on me sitting at my new workstation. He scanned my small frame from head to toe, walking over slowly and leaning his hands against my desk partition.

"Fresh-faced college girl on the executive desk?" Marcus sneered softly, looking down at my hands folded neatly over my notepad. "Make sure you stay out of my way, little girl. Things get dangerous up here on the 40th floor”

"I'm here to do my job, Mr. Vance” I said, keeping my voice as steady as possible.

He scoffed and turned away just as the private elevator doors chimed open.

Just then , Erica stepped out of the elevator, wearing a tailored burgundy blazer over a low-cut white silk blouse that radiated effortless authority. Her eyes swept over the floor before locking onto me instantly.

"Tiana” Erica called out, her voice cutting through the quiet office. "Bring the quarterly reports into my office. Now”

I grabbed the thick folder from my desk and followed her inside her grand suite.

The moment I stepped through the heavy doors, Erica reached out, caught the handle and shut the door behind us with a firm resounding click. She pressed a button on her desk console making the glass walls turned completely opaque, frosting over and blocking any view from the hallway outside.

My heart skipped “Miss Sterling—please—"my voice cracked just when I needed the words

Erica didn't say a word. She moved with fluid speed, stepping into my personal space and trapping me back against the heavy mahogany door. The rich scent of her sandalwood perfume flooded my senses, making my knees weak

"Miss Sterling?" Erica repeated imitating me in a low vibration tone as her eyes traced the shape of my lips. She brought her hand up, her fingers slowly tracing the high collar of my white shirt. "That's very formal for a girl who was screaming my name while wrapped around my waist thirty-six hours ago. Dont you think ?”

"Please” I finally breathed, my hands pressing flat against her firm chest, feeling the steady heat of her body through her blouse. "That night was a mistake. I'm straight. I don't do this... I worked so hard for this job. Please don't ruin this for me”

Erica reached into her blazer pocket, pulled out my silver bracelet and let it dangle right in front of my face.

"You left this in my bed, Tiana” Erica whispered, leaning down until her breath brushed my cheek. "You think you can run away from me? You think you can pretend I didn't make you shatter in my arms?"

"Erica—"

"I don't ruin things, sweet girl” she drawled, her mouth trailing down my neck, finding the soft spot where my shoulder met my collarbone and leaving a warm burning wet kiss against my skin. "I possess them. And from the moment you let me inside you, you became — mine”

She took my trembling left hand slowly but deliberately amd clasped the silver bracelet back around my wrist. Her warm fingers lingered over my pulse point and I could tell she felt the rapid chaotic thud beneath my skin.

"Now” Erica said smoothly, stepping back and straightening her blazer as if nothing had transpired. "Put the files on my desk. We have a meeting in ten minutes”

I stood there against the door, gasping for air, my wrist burning where her fingers had touched me, completely unaware that outside the frosted glass, Marcus was watching my empty desk, waiting for me to step out so he could see if my wrist matched the mystery jewelry he had just spotted on Erica's desk.