Velvet Shadows

boardroom, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor,

utes early. She

coded, annotated, every number triple-checked. She

t heads, analysts, two people from legal, and

flicked up.

nk

. "Heaven. As alway

t

ssigning leads for the Daniels-Mavros merger portfolio. It's going to be f

en said, already mentally

eared her throat. "And Heave

or swu

dn't have

lread

look deliberate, a faint smirk already playing on his

taking the seat directly across

react, didn'

ng inside h

"Jace brings in insight from the Daniels Holdings side.

her hands calm

after this. We need the fir

ing at him. Jace, however,

room emptied in waves chatte

ing her materials wi

k with each other," Ja

plies unwillingness. You're f

ost competent person in the building. A

now. Calm. Cont

some truth stay out of my wa

t's going to be

e smile - the kind that sai

to leave, his vo

e asked. "Or is today just

ay, just long enough to

ides blo

n she w

of her words settling into a sil

a what he was

t time in years,

d, slow enough to think too much, fast enough to leave her breathless. Her heels echoed down the corridor as

fore a voice slid behind her l

open. That's a cyberse

o see him again

ms crossed, that same maddening grin on his face -

harassment," she said coolly, slip

, that smirk widening. "I ju

you think you are," she mut

ll me I'm more charmi

up, slow an

the women you attract

uckled low in his throat. "

hen pro

ice. "Tell me something. Why do you look at m

l into rooms like they're lucky to have you, you talk like women a

ly entertained. "So you

ore. Like a pimple

ing past sti

witched, but

n't sca

her feet and standing toe-to-toe with hi

ppropriately, but enough

, stepping back. "St

d and wa

still for a s

n h

*

, going through notes and avoiding the thoughts that came when the world got quiet. H

gs, stepped out into the corridor

id, annoyed. "D

casually. "Didn't know

know you

rised you're the la

d pressed the e

ted. "You

dn't a

more certain now. "Le

Wow. You never

mb toward the glass windows behind them. "And I'

er eyes but

wai

the eleva

d, stepping in. "No talking. No

in mock surrende

licked the clouds as thunder rolled like distant drums. Jace's

er seatbelt like

e only sound was the soft jazz playing thr

e?" she asked before s

at her. "

ou as more of a trap-bea

only on

ence. Softe

" he asked, ey

k. I'll di

nod

he turned to him, unimpressed. "Do you want to take

ow... I've never met someon

t make i

voice like velvet over ice. "Wh

move. Did

eone who fights back with precision," she sa

e to the window - lightning refle

say anot

ver been mo