All Chapters of The Seduction Clause: Chapter 11 - Chapter 17

Celeste slipped away after the breakout session, heels clicking against the polished concrete as she made her way down a quiet corridor reserved for panelists. A small prep room had been sectioned off for speakers—low lighting, bottled water, and a single orchid on a glass table that looked expensive enough to be fake. She settled into the high-backed chair, sliding her folder in front of her and flipping through the session agenda again. Her topic was behavioral triggers in executive leadership—technically outside her typical sandbox, but close enough to speak with authority. She had pulled from a decade of adjacent experience, layered the presentation with data, trends, a few sharp takeaways she knew would land well. Still, the butterflies were there. Not because she feared public speaking—she’d talked judges into reconsidering prenups with less than five minutes’ notice. No, her nerves were less about the material and more about who might be sitting in. The attendee list fo

The door clicked shut behind her, muffling the soft hum of the hallway as Sloane March—Celeste—leaned momentarily against the wall. Her bag landed on the corner chair, jacket draped across the arm with intentional carelessness. She crossed to the bed, peeled off the crisp navy blouse from the panel, and stood quietly for a moment, letting her skin adjust to the cool air of the room. The city was painted across the window: dusk-shrouded towers, traffic threading its way down the grid like electric veins. Dinner was in an hour. Most attendees were locals, yes—but nearly everyone had booked rooms, including Julian, and she already knew his suite number from the hotel registrar Dom had nudged three days ago. The proximity wasn't accidental. It was chess. Quiet, slow, and deliberate. She changed with that same intention. Less professional. More powerful. A deep wine-toned dress—backless, fitted, tastefully cut to emphasize what she usually concealed. Not overt. Not obvious. But unm

"Oh! Julian, I'm so sorry!" Celeste gasped, her hands instinctively splayed against his chest to brace herself. She could feel the rapid thrum of his heart beneath her palms, a beat as elevated as her own. The expensive fabric of his dress shirt, two buttons casually undone, offered a tantalizing glimpse of bare skin and dark, fine chest hair. The muscles beneath her fingers were taut, tense from the unexpected collision. Julian's grip remained firm, his eyes, dark and intense, holding hers. "No harm done, Sloane," he murmured, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through her. A slow smile, a truly devastating one, spread across his face. "Though I can't say I mind the sudden embrace." Celeste’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly at his admission. She gingerly stepped back, creating a sliver of space between them, her hands dropping from his chest. "I was just going to get some air," she explained, her voice a touch cooler than before, though her pulse still raced. "Funny, I was doi