Xavier’s POV

I woke up with the scent of her still on my skin.

My sheets were tangled, my cock sore, and the couch was still warm from where her body had curled against mine. But she was gone. No note. No name. Just a faint bite mark near the back of my neck and the unmistakable sting of being used—and liking it.

I stared at the ceiling for a long time, trying to piece her together. The dress. The tattoo. The way she moved was like sex itself. She had fucked me like a woman on a mission. Rough. Unapologetic. She wanted to be claimed—then vanished like a ghost.

I should’ve been irritated.

Instead, I was hard again. Rock hard.

I hadn’t had sex that intense in years. Not even close. And I had no fucking clue who she was.

I dragged myself out of bed and into the shower, still thinking about the way she bent over for me, the way she moaned when I yanked her hair, the taste of her on my tongue.

Fuck. I needed her name.

Later that morning, I stepped into the 47th floor of Argent Holdings, still distracted. The office was buzzing, as usual. My executive assistant, Marla, was already pacing outside my door with her tablet.

“There’s a candidate waiting in the boardroom,” she said without looking up. “For the PR assistant position you mentioned you wanted filled. HR shortlisted her last night.”

“I didn’t sign off on that yet.”

“You said ‘make it disappear,’” she said. “I took that to mean ‘fix it.’”

She wasn’t wrong.

I adjusted my tie and glanced toward the boardroom, only half-interested—until I saw her.

My mystery woman.

Sitting at the head of the table like she owned it. Legs crossed. Hair pulled back, sleek and professional. But it was her. I’d know that mouth anywhere.

Something twisted in my gut. A flare of lust. A flicker of suspicion.

Her eyes flicked to mine the moment I walked in. No shock. No hesitation. Just a slow, knowing smile like we were in on the same filthy secret.

She stood and held out her hand. “Eva Monroe.”

Eva. So she did have a name.

Her handshake was firm, controlled. Her eyes held mine like a challenge. I wanted to grab her and bend her over the fucking boardroom table.

“Mr. Cole,” she said smoothly. “It’s an honor to finally meet you.”

Finally? What the hell did she mean by that? Didn’t we just have the night of our lives fucking like we were soul mates divided by our age gap? And you left without a trace. You’re joking with me,right? I thought within myself.

I studied her carefully. Her résumé was clean—almost too clean. No digital trace beyond what HR printed out. Columbia grad. PR work overseas. Fluent in French. Blah blah blah. But none of that mattered. My mind was still stuck on the sound she made when I’d bit her. How wet she’d been before I even touched her.

I forced myself to sit down and gesture for her to begin.

She launched into a pitch about her previous work—media strategy, crisis control, social analytics. But all I could think about was the curve of her ass under that tight pencil skirt. I imagined her bent over my desk instead of the couch. I heard her voice in my head whispering, “Use me.”

I wasn’t listening. I was remembering.

And getting hard all over again.

Still, something didn’t add up. She was too confident. Too calm. And that tattoo… it wasn’t new. Which meant she’d wanted me to recognize it. She’d baited me.

Was she testing me?

When she finished, I leaned back and steepled my fingers. “Tell me, Eva… have we met before?”

Her lips parted in a small, polite laugh. “Not formally.”

I smirked. “So informally, then.”

She tilted her head, unbothered. “Shouldn’t we keep things professional now?”

No smile, no smirk, nothing.

My cock twitched. Sending tiny jolts to my brain.

The woman was dangerous. But so goddamn irresistible. I liked that about her.

And now she was applying to work under me?

I tapped my pen against the table. “The position’s yours.”

Her smile barely faltered. “That was fast.”

“I know what I want when I see it.”

And I wanted her back in my bed—soon as possible.

But I also wanted to know what the hell she was playing at.

Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned in this business, it’s this:

Nobody walks into your life out of nowhere without a reason.

And no woman fucks me like that and shows up at my office by coincidence.

I dismissed her with a nod, watching the way she walked out—hips swaying just enough to keep my attention locked. She didn’t look back once.

Good. I liked a challenge.

But I’d made enemies the moment I took over this company. Fired board members. Replaced executives. Crushed competitors. So when a nameless woman with a flawless résumé shows up and gives me the best sex of my life, only to waltz into my company the next morning?

Yeah, my gut says it’s no accident.

I turned to the glass behind my desk, looking down at the city I owned.

If Eva Monroe thought she could play me, she’d learn quickly—I don’t lose. Not in business. Not in bed. Not in power. Not anywhere else.

Still… there was something about her. Something that didn’t feel like a threat.

Not yet.

Something that made me crave her all over again, even if my instincts screamed not to trust her.

I reached for my phone and buzzed Marla.

“Send Eva Monroe’s file to my private server. And keep this one off the books.”

Because I didn’t just want to fuck her again.

I needed to know why she was really here. My enemies are numerous to just let it slide without enough consideration.

And if I had to burn for her secrets… I’d make sure she burned first.