Ava sat stiffly in the leather chair opposite Ethan’s desk, her palms damp against her skirt. Her brain screamed at her to say something, anything, but words had abandoned her the moment she walked into this office.

Ethan, on the other hand, looked perfectly at ease. He leaned back, fingers steepled, gray eyes fixed on her with the same unnerving calm he’d had that night. Only now, there was no dim hotel room, no game of strip poker. There was only the sharp lines of his suit, the authority in his posture, and the silent reminder that he was her boss.

“Is there a problem, Miss Avery?” His voice was smooth, almost bored, as though he wasn’t staring directly at the woman he’d had in his bed days ago.

Her cheeks burned. “N-no. No problem at all, sir.”

The word sir tasted strange on her tongue, but it seemed safer than calling him Ethan.

“Good.” He tapped a file on the desk, sliding it toward her. “Your orientation packet. HR will walk you through most of it, but you’ll be working closely with me.”

Her stomach plummeted. “With…with you?”

One brow arched, a flicker of amusement tugging at his lips. “Is that going to be a problem?”

Images flashed in her mind—his mouth on hers, his body pressed against hers, the way he’d whispered things that made her toes curl. She swallowed hard. “No, sir. Of course not.”

“Excellent.” He stood smoothly, signaling the meeting was over. “Follow me. Time to introduce you to the team.”

The open floor buzzed with activity. Phones rang, keyboards clattered, voices overlapped in the symphony of corporate chaos. Ava trailed behind Ethan, acutely aware of the eyes on them.

“This is Miss Ava Avery,” Ethan announced to a cluster of employees. “She’ll be joining us as an associate.”

Murmurs rippled through the group. Some smiled politely. Others sized her up with thinly veiled curiosity. Ava pasted on a professional smile, forcing her nerves into submission.

One woman, sleek in a pencil skirt and sharper heels, gave her a glance that could cut glass. “Welcome,” she said coolly, though the warmth never reached her eyes.

“Thank you,” Ava replied, her voice steady despite the unease prickling her skin.

Ethan moved on, oblivious—or maybe indifferent—to the silent evaluations trailing Ava. He led her back toward his office, dismissing her with a nod. “Get settled. I’ll have an assignment for you this afternoon.”

She exhaled shakily once the door closed behind him.

By lunch, Ava had nearly convinced herself she could handle this. If Ethan could pretend nothing had happened, then so could she.

But fate had other plans.

She was gathering her things when a shadow fell across her desk. She looked up—and froze.

Ethan stood there, one hand braced casually on the edge of her cubicle, his gaze fixed squarely on her. To anyone else, he probably looked like a boss checking in. But Ava knew better. His eyes held that spark—the one from the hotel, the one that stripped her bare.

“Settling in?” he asked, voice pitched low enough that no one else could hear.

“Yes,” she said quickly, too quickly. “Everything’s fine.”

His lips curved, not quite a smile. “Good. I’d hate for you to feel…uncomfortable.”

Her throat went dry. “I don’t.”

“Don’t you?” His gaze flicked down, lingering for a fraction of a second before returning to her face. Her pulse stumbled.

“Mr. Blackwell,” she said firmly, clinging to professionalism like a lifeline, “if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

He leaned in, close enough that his cologne curled around her, making her head spin. “Careful, Miss Avery. You wouldn’t want anyone to think you’re playing favorites.”

Her breath caught. “I’m not—”

“Good.” He straightened, the moment gone as quickly as it came. “My office. Two o’clock. We’ll discuss your first assignment.”

And just like that, he walked away, leaving Ava trembling in his wake.

She gripped her desk, her heart pounding. This wasn’t just going to be a job. This was going to be a battle.

Ava smoothed her skirt for the third time before knocking lightly on Ethan’s office door. Her pulse thundered in her ears. Two o’clock. He’d said it so casually, but she’d spent the last three hours replaying it in her head, wondering if she could handle being trapped alone with him.

“Come in,” his deep voice called.

She pushed the door open, stepping into the polished expanse of his office. Floor-to-ceiling windows bathed the room in late afternoon sunlight, glinting off the sleek surfaces. He sat behind his desk, jacket off, sleeves rolled to his forearms. The sight made her throat tighten.

“Miss Avery,” he greeted, his tone neutral. “Sit.”

She obeyed, clutching her notebook like a shield.

He slid a folder across the desk. “This is your first assignment. A client pitch. We’re refining their branding strategy before next week’s meeting. You’ll be assisting me directly.”

“Assisting… you?” she repeated, cursing the way her voice wobbled.

“Yes.” His gaze held hers, steady and unreadable. “That won’t be an issue, will it?”

Her cheeks flamed. “No, sir.”

“Good. Then let’s begin.”

For the next hour, Ethan walked her through charts, documents, and digital slides. His voice was smooth, measured, but every so often, he leaned in to point at her notes, his shoulder brushing hers, his cologne curling around her.

Ava’s concentration fractured. Every time his hand brushed the paper near hers, she remembered that same hand against her skin. Every time his voice dipped lower, she remembered it whispering things that had set her body on fire.

“Are you listening, Miss Avery?” he asked suddenly, snapping her back to the present.

“Yes,” she blurted, though her cheeks betrayed her.

His lips curved, the faintest smirk. “Then repeat what I just said.”

Her mind went blank. “I—”

“I thought so.” He leaned back, satisfaction glinting in his eyes. “Focus, or you’ll fall behind.”

She clenched her pen, mortified. “It won’t happen again.”

“See that it doesn’t.”

By late afternoon, her head ached from the effort of staying professional. She gathered her notes, relieved to be dismissed.

But when she rose, Ethan stopped her. “Leave the file.”

Her brows knitted. “Why?”

“I’ll review your annotations tonight.”

Her stomach twisted. That meant he’d be reading every note, every thought she’d scrawled in the margins. She nodded stiffly, setting the folder down.

As she turned to leave, his voice stopped her again. “Ava.”

Her heart stuttered at the sound of her name in his mouth. Slowly, she turned back.

He stood now, hands in his pockets, his gaze burning into hers. “You’ve done well for your first day. But remember…” He stepped closer, the space shrinking until the air vibrated with tension. “…in this office, you answer to me.”

Her breath caught. She wanted to argue, to remind him she was capable. But all she could think of was the way he was looking at her, as though he still saw her in that hotel room, flushed and bare.

“Understood?” he murmured, his voice a velvet blade.

“Yes, sir,” she whispered.

For a heartbeat, his eyes lingered on her mouth. Then he straightened, mask sliding back into place. “Good. That’s all. You may go.”

She fled the office, pulse racing, her body betraying her with the heat coiling low in her stomach.

And deep down, she knew this was only the beginning.