Bound by boardroom

the words blurring into nonsense. Her senses were on fire: the cool leather of the chair against her thighs, the faint musk of Damien's cologne, the heat of his presence pacing behin

the sudden absence left her cold. She heard the clink of glass-whiskey, maybe?-and the rustle of fabric as he settled into a chair across from her. "Next page." Elena turned the paper, her fingers shaking. "Addendum... Project Obsidian... funding allocations undisclosed..." She paused, frowning beneath the blindfold. "Wait. This doesn't sound like a standard contract." Silence. Too long. Her stomach tightened. "Keep reading," he said, but his tone had shifted-sharper, edged with something she couldn't place. "Disbursements to offshore accounts... operative codenames... Blackthorne signature required..." Her voice trailed off. "What is this?" The air thickened. Then, in one swift motion, the blindfold was yanked off. She blinked against the sudden light, her eyes locking onto Damien's. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his face unreadable but intense-storm-gray eyes boring into her. "You weren't supposed to see that," he said quietly, but there was no apology in it. Only calculation. "See what?" Her heart p