The buzzing in my head hadn’t stopped by the time I stepped off the bus and onto the marble steps of Lancaster Enterprises.

My new beginning. My clean slate. My chance to prove I’m not just the girl who makes stupid decisions after too many tequila shots.

I smooth down my skirt, check my reflection on the glass doors one last time, and paste on the brightest, most professional smile I can muster.

“You’ve got this, Chloe,” I whispered to myself. “Fresh start. Zero disasters.”

The lobby is sleek and intimidating, all glass walls and polished chrome. My heels click against the floor like gunshots. Behind the reception desk, a woman with perfect curls greets me with a smile so sharp it could cut.

“Name?”

“Chloe Alvarez. I’m starting today as executive assistant to...”

Before I can finish, she waves me through. “HR will brief you. Take the elevator, twentieth floor.”

I thank her and clutch my bag like a shield as I ride up. My stomach churns with a cocktail of nerves and last night’s regrets.

The twentieth floor is a hive of energy, assistants hustling with files, phones ringing, doors opening and closing. I barely have time to register any of it before a woman in a red blazer materializes in front of me.

“Chloe? I’m Megan from HR. Welcome aboard.”

She sweeps me into a quick tour, rattling off names, departments, acronyms I’ll never remember. My brain scrambles to keep up.

“And, of course,” she says, pausing in front of a corner office with frosted glass, “You’ll be supporting Mr. Lancaster directly.”

She pushes open the door.

And my world tilts.

Because sitting inside, leaning casually against the desk with a folder in hand, is him.

Danny.

His stormy eyes flick up, locking onto mine with bone-melting recognition.

My breath catches. My heart slams against my ribs so hard I think everyone can hear it.

He looks exactly as he did last night, broad shoulders, sculpted jaw, that dangerous aura wrapped around him like a second skin. Only now, instead of a leather jacket and shadows, he’s in a tailored suit that fits him like sin.

No. No, no, no. This isn’t happening.

“Mr. Lancaster,” Megan chirps, oblivious to my internal meltdown, “This is your new assistant, Chloe Alvarez.”

Danny’s lips curve into a slow, knowing smile. The kind that says he remembers everything.

“Well, well,” he drawls, his voice smooth as smoke. “We meet again.”

My stomach plummets. My palms sweat. My entire carefully constructed façade of professionalism shatters into dust.

Megan beams between us. “Oh, so you two already know each other?”

I choked on air. “N-no!”

Danny tilts his head, eyes glinting with amusement. “Not exactly. But we’ve… crossed paths.”

The way he says it makes my skin burn.

Megan, mercifully, doesn’t push. She hands me a folder and excuses herself, leaving me alone in the office. With him.

The door clicks shut. Silence stretches.

Danny straightens, taking his time, like a predator circling prey. “Chloe,” he says, my name rolling off his tongue like a secret. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

I swallowed hard. “Neither did I.”

His smile widens. “Last night, you ran off before I could ask for your number.”

“I.” My voice cracks. I clear my throat. “I don’t think that would’ve been a good idea.”

“Oh?” He steps closer, every inch of his presence filling the room. “And yet here you are. In my office. Working for me.”

My knees wobble. I grip the folder tighter. “This is strictly professional.”

He chuckles, low and dark. “Sure. Professional.” His eyes sweep over me, lingering just long enough to make my pulse race. “We’ll see how long that lasts.”

I want to snap at him, to tell him he’s out of line, that last night was a mistake. But the words die in my throat because my body remembers too much, his hands, his mouth, the way he made me forget myself.

And from the smug glint in his eyes, he knows it.

This is a nightmare. A beautiful, terrible, heart-stopping nightmare.

One, I can’t walk away from this time.

I freeze. My lungs stopped working. My heart slams so hard against my ribs I’m sure everyone in the room can hear it.

Danny.

Standing there like he owns the world, dark jeans, a fitted white shirt rolled at the sleeves, his hair slightly messy like he just ran a hand through it. And that smirk. That goddamn smirk that says he remembers every second I’m trying to forget.

“Chloe,” Mr. Jones says smoothly, oblivious to the way my legs are about to give out. “This is my son, Daniel. He’ll be shadowing me more often as he takes on responsibilities here.”

Son. His son.

I feel my stomach drop straight along the floor. The stranger from the club. The stranger from whose bed I ran to this morning. The stranger whose lips are still burned into mine, is my boss’s son.

Danny’s eyes lock onto mine, lazy but sharp, like a predator toying with its prey. “We’ve met,” he says simply.

I nearly choked on my own spit.

Mr. Jones glances between us. “Oh?”

Danny’s lips curve into something wicked. “Briefly.”

I want the floor to open up and swallow me whole. Briefly? That’s how he’s going to play it? Briefly my ass, I was naked in his bed less than twelve hours ago.

“Yes,” I blurt out too quickly. My voice is high-pitched, fake cheerful. “We, uh, bumped into each other. Nothing major.”

Danny’s eyes glint like he knows exactly what he’s doing, and he’s enjoying every second of my discomfort.

“Good,” Mr. Jones says, completely unaware he’s just lit my entire life on fire. “Chloe, why don’t you show Daniel around while I prepare for my meeting? It’ll be good for him to see how things run from your perspective.”

My perspective? I can barely see straight. My hands are shaking as I clutch the clipboard Betha gave me.

“Of course,” Danny says before I can protest, his voice smooth, rich, dangerous. He steps closer, towering over me. “Lead the way… Miss Chloe.”

The way he says my name makes my skin prickle. He’s toying with me, and worse, he knows I can’t do a damn thing about it.

I turn sharply, heels clicking against the polished floor as I start walking down the hall. My mouth is dry, and my brain is screaming at me to get it together. He’s just a guy. Pretend you don’t remember. Pretend last night never happened.

But then he leaned down, his breath hot against my ear. “Running out on me was rude.”

My pulse spikes. I nearly trip but catch myself, forcing my face into something neutral as two employees walk past. I give them a bright fake smile like nothing’s wrong.

“Don’t talk to me like that,” I whisper harshly once they’re gone.

“Like what?” His tone is mocking. “Like I know what you taste like?”

I suck in a sharp breath, cheeks burning. I whirl around, ready to snap, but his face is maddeningly calm, lips twitching like he’s enjoying every second of my torture.

“Stop it,” I hiss. “Whatever happened last night, it was a mistake. Forget it. I already have.”

His smile widens, infuriatingly confident. “Funny. I don’t forget that easily.”

I spin back around, storming down the hall, desperate to put distance between us. My whole body feels like it’s on fire. I can’t do this. I can’t survive working here if he’s going to dangle last night over my head like some dirty secret.

We stop in front of a glass-walled conference room. I point inside stiffly. “That’s the main meeting space. State-of-the-art technology, video conferencing.”

“Chloe,” he cuts me off smoothly. My name rolls off his tongue in a way that makes me want to throw something at him.

I glare at him. “What?”

His eyes darken, a flicker of something more serious slipping through his playful mask. “You can run from me all you want. But you can’t avoid me. Not here. Not now.”

The air between us tightens. I open my mouth to argue, but before I can, the glass door swings open and Mr. Jones steps out.

“There you two are,” he says warmly. “Perfect timing. Daniel, sit in on this meeting. Chloe, take notes.”

Just like that, the moment shatters. I plaster on a professional smile, pretending I’m not seconds away from combusting. Danny strolls into the conference room beside me like he’s completely in control, because he is.

And me? I sit down across from him, pen in hand, praying no one can hear how loud my heart is pounding.

Because one thing is clear: Danny isn’t going to let me forget.