Kenzo stared at the locked boardroom door long after Sharon had slipped out, her perfume lingering in the air like a taunt. The almost kiss replayed in his mind on a loop and her fist in his tie, the soft brush of her lips. Why do I even care? Her challenge echoed, but he knew the answer. Nakamura's flirting was a minor irritation; the thought of actually losing her was a gut punch.
His phone buzzed again. Aunt Miko: "She is perfect! I can't wait for the wedding!" He pocketed it without replying, striding to his office. "Sharon," he called out, his voice cutting through the open space. "The Q3 report. Now." In a professional way. But when she entered, tablet in hand, their eyes locked. The heat between them was instantaneous.
"Right away, boss," she said, her voice laced with that familiar, teasing smirk. "Or should I say... fiancé?"
3:17 p.m., Hayashi Tech Server Room
The database patent demo was flawless, until it wasn't. Midway through the final test, the entire system shuddered. Screens flickered violently, error codes exploding across them like a corrupted firework display. "Critical breach!" an IT manager screamed. "It's a rival hack, we're tracing the signature. It's Nakamura's!"
Kenzo's blood ran cold. Nakamura. First the flirtation, now corporate sabotage? "All hands on deck!" he commanded, his voice a whip crack. "Sharon, you're lead coordinator. We don't leave until this is fixed."
She was already rolling up her sleeves, barking orders into her headset. "Initiate emergency reboot on clusters one through three! I want a full IP trace, now!" The office transformed into a war room; coffee flowed like an IV, whiteboards were scribbled into incoherence, and executives were glued to their laptops. By 7 p.m., the lights still blazed.
By 9 p.m., only Kenzo and Sharon remained, surrounded by a spaghetti tangle of cables on the server room floor.
"Got it," she finally murmured, her fingers making one final, decisive click. "Firewall patch is deployed. We're secure." She leaned back against a server rack, exhausted but glowing with triumph, her hair messy and blouse untucked. She was beautiful.
Kenzo let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, handing her a bottle of water. "You're a genius. You saved my ass. Again." Their fingers brushed during the exchange. The spark between them was undeniable.
Outside, thunder rumbled, a low growl that promised a storm. A moment later, rain lashed against the windows a sudden, biblical rainstorm. Sharon checked her phone; 10:42 p.m. "The last train's gone. I'll just walk—"
"No." He was on his feet, keys already in hand. "I'm driving you. End of discussion."
The Audi purred through Tokyo's neon lit streets, the wipers fighting against the sheets of rain. The silence inside the car was thick, charged. Sharon fidgeted, stealing glances at his profile, his jaw was set, his hands white knuckled on the wheel. She looked eager and hungry. But neither of them moved.
"So," she began, breaking the silence with a grin in the dark cabin. "That little growl in the boardroom today... was that your Hot CEO energy, or were you just scared I'd take Nakamura up on his dinner offer?"
Kenzo's lips twitched. "Scared? Please. But you blushing at his wink? Now that was interesting." A lie, he'd die before admitting the jealousy that had burned through him.
"I did not blush!" She swatted his arm, laughing. "Unlike a certain someone who completely melted when I tugged his tie. Admit it, your fake fiancée got you hooked."
He shot her a sidelong look, his voice dropping. "Maybe. Or maybe I just want to finish what we started." The air in the car crackled. Her thighs pressed together unconsciously; his grip on the wheel tightened. The teasing had edged into dangerous, undeniable truth.
He pulled up to her modest apartment, the building lights dim behind the curtain of rain. She unbuckled her seatbelt. "Thanks for the ride, boss. Don't get any ideas."
"Stay," he blurted out, the word half a tease, half a desperate plea. "The rain's a monster. My penthouse has guest rooms... and better coffee than this dump."
She rolled her eyes, pushing the door open. "Dream on, Hayashi. I'd rather wrestle with an umbrella." But inside, her heart fluttered, a soft wanting beat. She lingered, the rain instantly soaking her blouse, feeling no real rush to escape.
Sharon stepped out, her heels splashing in the growing puddles. "Goodnight, CEO!" She turned to dash away—
His hand shot out, catching her wrist. His grip was firm but gentle. "Sharon."
She spun back. The rain plastered her hair to her cheeks in seconds. Kenzo was there out of the car, his shirt instantly soaked, pulling her close until they were chest to chest, their eyes locked. "Don't," he whispered, his voice raw, stripped bare of all its CEO polish.
Then he kissed her lips.
It was soft at first, a repeat of their boardroom tease, their lips tasting of rain and her jasmine perfume. Her heart raced, slamming against her ribs like thunder. She melted into him, her hands fisting in his drenched shirt.
He deepened the kiss, desperation taking over. "Stay," he begged against her mouth, the words spilling out like the storm around them. "Sharon, I need you. Not as my secretary, as mine. Nakamura and the resignation letter, screw it all. Don't leave me."
Her response was pure, unadulterated hunger. She kissed him back fiercely, her tongue teasing his, her body arching into his, her nails digging into his back. The rain poured down; the world vanished. Years of professional tension, of fake dates and real feelings, unleashed in a torrent of fire.
"Kenzo..." she gasped, pulling him closer, wanting to erase every inch of space between them.
"Sharon?!"
They broke apart, breathless. Standing in the building's doorway was Sasha, Sharon's neighbor and best friend, a leggy brunette wrapped in silk pajamas, her umbrella hanging forgotten at her side. Her eyes were wide, flicking from Sharon's swollen lips to Kenzo's drenched, expensive suit.
"Uh... hot date?" Sasha asked, a slow, predatory smirk spreading across her face.
Sharon flushed crimson. "S-Sasha! It's not- he just gave me a ride home!"
Sasha's gaze slid back to Kenzo, lingering a moment too long, with a little too much interest. "Clearly. Hi there, tall dark and CEO."
Kenzo forced a curt nod. "Goodnight, Sharon." He squeezed her hand, a silent promise that this isn't over, then jogged back to his car, the engine roaring to life before Sasha could pry any further.
Midnight: Kenzo's Penthouse
The elevator opened directly into his world: 40th-floor luxury. The entire space was a study in minimalist perfection, black marble floors, a sprawling white leather sectional, stark Warhol prints on the walls, and a grand piano that gathered dust in the corner. The kitchen island gleamed with untouched, state of the art gadgets. It was a CEO's sanctuary. A beautiful, lonely cage.
Kenzo stripped off his soaked jacket and tossed it aside. The hallway mirror showed him the truth; hair wild, lips slightly bruised and eyes haunted. He poured a finger of whiskey and sank onto the couch, the glittering Tokyo skyline spread out before him like a taunt.
That kiss. Her hunger had matched his own. "I need you." He had meant every word. The resignation letter on his desk was now meaningless.
He scrolled through their text history. Her last message, sent before the hack, it says: Good save today. The clock ticked past 1:17 a.m. Sleep was impossible.
Kenzo downed the last of his drink, staring out at the rain lashed glass. He was a king in his penthouse, but the throne felt empty.
Without her, it was all worthless.
Tomorrow, he would fight for her properly. No more games, no more professional pretenses. Because one rain soaked kiss had rewritten all the rules. And he was desperate to make it real.