Ace's POV.
I stared at my watch, annoyed at how much time my impromptu breakfast meeting had taken. A fellow CEO had rang my assistant this morning and she quickly set up a meeting after giving my approval.
Unfortunately, it had been a waste of time. A proposal based on greed alone. I didn't make such deals.
I hissed, frustrated at how long this elevator ride was taking. It was my private elevator and moved much smoother and faster than the regular, but I was on edge; for reasons unknown to me.
I had woken up with a brood far more obvious than usual. I couldn't wait to get to work and get my mind off whatever this feeling was.
Ding.
Finally, the golden doors of the elevator slid open. I released a satisfied breath, taking a step forward only to hit pause.
Were my eyes playing tricks on me?
It couldn't be, right?
My heart was pounding like a wild animal against my ribcage, hard and unrelenting. I probably looked like a deer caught in headlights.
It couldn't be her. I was seeing things again. I thought I was over this.
Flashbacks of the night I'd had with a certain red head over a week ago filled my head, her soft moans and giggles igniting sparks of fire within me that I could barely contain.
Even after I was done ravaging her body, I didn't want to leave. If I gave in to every urge I felt that night I would've taken her into my arms and carried her home with me.
Never in my life have I cared about a girl after having my way with her, they became useless after but it was different with her.
The way my breathing hitched, the way my heart raced, the way goosebumps consumed my skin…I couldn't explain it but she did things to me, things I couldn't understand. And I never even got to know her name.
I was tempted to ask Jason, who ran a cyber security company, to run a background check and tell me everything there is to know about her but I held myself back.
Unfortunately the incessant thoughts never ceased, not for a day.
Every night, when I didn't have work to distract me, I thought of her. It had become a ritual, almost an obsession.
'Now, I'm going crazy thinking about a girl. Who would've thought it possible?' I thought to myself, running my hands over my eyes but there she stood.
Her long sensual legs were mostly hidden by the tight long skirt she'd worn, hugging her shape like a second skin.
Her tiny waist was held firmly by the skirt band, where her blue long sleeved shirt was also tucked. I couldn't see her face, but the red hair was the unmistakable shade I could never forget.
Something was different though. The girl from the club had curly hair, and this person's hair was straight. I looked back up, trying to get a second look but she was gone, left there was Joshua Jung, one of my top advisors, who she'd been speaking with.
I couldn't stand there forever. I resumed my steps once again, straightening my suit jacket and doing my best to appear unaffected.
"Oh, good morning, CEO. Hope you slept well?" Joshua greeted, his professional smile in place. On other days I responded to his greeting with the same professional smile, but today all I could muster was a rigid nod.
I couldn't help it, for some reason I felt angry with the man. A voice at the back of my mind whispered the answer but I blocked it out. I couldn't be caught dead thinking something so retarded.
"Mr. Knight. Good morning. How was the meeting?" Mrs Kay, my secretary greeted on seeing me approach.
"Unproductive. What are my plans for the day?" I asked, desperately in need of a distraction of any sort. Maybe after consuming myself with long hours of work, I'll be healed of my mental illness, or develop one strong enough to overpower this one.
"You have four online meetings from now till 2pm. Tiffany…" Her words faded into the distance,the corridor suddenly filled with the sound of skin against skin, grunt against moan.
My cock hardened as thoughts of sweaty bodies intertwined overcame my mind till I could think of nothing else.
"Sir? Did you hear me?" Mrs. Kay's voice dragged me out of my sinful thoughts. I turned to her, placing a hand over the front of my trousers as casually as I could.
"Just send them to me." I managed to say, my voice husky and heavy with want. I pushed the door of my grand office open, slamming it behind me and sucking in a deep breath, my chest rising and falling as if I'd just run a marathon.
"What is happening to me?" I whispered to myself, my blood running hot in my veins till I couldn't bear it anymore.
I rushed to the bathroom, every surface smoothed and wiped clean. With quivering fingers I drove down my trousers, fisted my cock in one swift movement, and pumped as hard as I could. Only the memory of her pleasure filled gaze had me on the brink of orgasm before I knew it.
My breathing was heavy now, laboured like a bull's.
My nightly ritual had spread to the office, just because I believed I saw her.
I felt like I'd entered another person's body, but as I turned to the sink, my confused reflection staring back at me, I knew all too well that this was me.
This was foreign waters. I needed help but I didn't know who I could tell. Jason, one of my only friends wouldn't let me live it down. Maybe he'd offer some advice after years of mockery.
"You're a man. You can handle this." I whispered to myself, the words feeling weightless on my lips, fading into thin air as I stepped into my office.
I quickly dived into work, reading through paperwork over and over again, yet nothing seemed to make sense. I had to read each line at least five times to grasp what I was seeing. By the time I'd turned the fifth page I was sweating even though the air conditioner was on full blast and I had a pounding headache.
Then, two knocks sounded on my door.
"Come in."
Mrs. Kay walked in, her ever present smile planted firmly on her aging face.
"You have Tiffany Cortez on the line. I told you she'd been calling earlier."
My eyebrows quirked.
"Did you?" I asked, failing to recall anything of the sort.
She paused, pressed her lips together and sighed.
"What is it?" My brows arched as she grimaced.
"Come on, Mrs. Kay. Spit it out."
She released a breath in defeat.
"It's just that you've been quite distracted today. It's unlike you. Is something wrong?" She inquired, a motherly care hinging on her voice.
Mrs. Kay was incredibly observant, and I'm sure she'd noticed from the moment she greeted me that I was out of it today. But for her to mention it, I must really be out of my wits.
I cleared my throat.
"I'm just having a little trouble keeping my focus."
She gasped dramatically, causing an upturn on my lips for a brief second.
"Really though, if you're feeling unwell go home, rest. You work too hard." She complained, brows furrowed as her eyes analyzed every crevice on mine.
"Thank you for your concern. But a cup of black coffee will do." I turned back to my computer.
She stood there for a moment longer, then with an exasperated breath she stomped out of the office.
My rigid shoulders finally relaxed. I didn't have to pretend I understood anything I was looking at. If I continued on working in this state I'd run the company to the ground.
The object of my distraction was probably somewhere, satisfied with herself whilst I spiraled out of control.
I couldn't stay still, my knees jerked up and down, my heart wouldn't stay in its rightful position. I was on overdrive, the thoughts even more savage than before.
"Get out of my head." I whispered harshly, ripping myself off my seat and pacing back and forth.
I reached for my phone, doing what I told myself I wouldn't do after my encounter with that red-headed temptress. After carefully placing my givenchy long sleeve shirt around her, I'd begrudgingly left. But it was custom made, with my initials at the wrist.
I didn't understand what I'd done then, but now as my blood ran through my veins like wildfire, I realized that I had branded her. Almost like a premonition, like I knew, somewhere at the back of my mind that I wouldn't be able to let go.
One night couldn't be enough. I needed more.
I clicked on the one number that could help me now.
Jason picked on the first ring.
"Am I dreaming? You're calling me during working hours. What sort of emergency is this?" Jason's chirpy voice greeted me.
"I need you to do something for me."
"No greeting? Am I a hook-" I cut him off before he could continue, my blood rushing to my ears like the ocean waves.
"Find her."