~ Ava ~
I barely slept that night.
I lay in the stiff hotel bed staring at the ceiling, running through every possible scenario for the morning meeting. What I would say. How I would act. Whether I could get through an entire meeting in Ethan Cole's office without losing my composure.
By the time my alarm went off at six, I had already been awake for two hours.
I showered, dried my hair, and put on the most professional outfit I owned. Black slacks, white blouse, blazer. Nothing that could be misinterpreted as trying too hard or not trying enough. I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror and practiced my neutral expression until it felt almost natural.
You can do this. He's just a man. A man who happens to be your boss and also the person you slept with three days ago, but still. Just a man.
The pep still talk wasn't working.
I got to the office at 7:45, early enough to grab coffee from the break room and settle my nerves before heading upstairs. The building was quieter at this hour, most of the cubicles still empty. I appreciated the silence.
At 7:55, I took the elevator to the fortieth floor.
The executive level was different from the rest of the building. Quieter. More expensive. The carpet was thicker, the lighting softer, and everything looked like it had been designed by someone who charged five thousand dollars an hour. A sleek reception desk sat at the center of the floor, manned by a woman with perfect posture and a polite smile.
"Ava Chen," I said. "I have an 8 AM meeting with Mr. Cole."
"Of course. His office is straight down the hall, last door on the right. He's expecting you."
I thanked her and walked down the hallway, my heels clicking against the marble floor. The walls were lined with framed awards and magazine covers, all featuring Ethan's face. Cole Media named Top Marketing Firm in North America. Ethan Cole on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Ethan Cole shaking hands with politicians and celebrities and other billionaires.
This man had an ego. That was very much clear.
His office door was open when I reached it. I paused outside, took a breath, and knocked on the frame.
"Come in."
I stepped inside.
The office was massive, windows that overlooked the city, the morning sunlight streaming in and making everything glow. A large mahogany desk sat near the windows, covered in neat stacks of papers and a sleek laptop. There was a seating area to one side with leather couches and a coffee table, and bookshelves lining the opposite wall.
Ethan was standing by the windows with his back to me, a phone pressed to his ear. He held up one finger without turning around, signaling me to wait.
I stood there awkwardly, not sure if I should sit down or keep standing. The room smelled like him, that same cologne from the hotel, and I hated how my body reacted to it.
Stop it. You're a professional. Act like one.
"I don't care what the projections say," Ethan said into the phone. "Tell them to run the numbers again. And this time, make sure they actually know what they're doing." He paused, listening. "Fine. Send me the updated report by noon."
He hung up and turned around.
For a second, we just looked at each other. He was wearing a dark navy suit today, perfectly tailored, with a white shirt open at the collar. He looked relaxed, confident, completely in control. Like this meeting was nothing out of the ordinary.
"Ava," he said. "Thanks for coming early."
"You said 8 AM."
"I did." He gestured toward the seating area. "Please, sit."
I walked over to one of the leather couches and sat down, crossing my legs and folding my hands in my lap. He took the chair across from me, leaning back like he had all the time in the world.
"The rest of the team will be here in about fifteen minutes," he said. "I wanted to talk to you first."
My stomach tightened. "About what?"
"About us."
"There is no us."
He smiled, that slow, infuriating smile that made me want to throw something at him. "You keep saying that."
"Because it's true."
"Is it?"
I met his gaze and held it. "What happened at the hotel was a mistake. I was drunk and upset and not thinking clearly. It didn't mean anything, and it's never going to happen again. So whatever game you're playing, whatever you think is going to happen between us, you can stop. I'm here to work. That's it."
He didn't say anything for a long moment. Just watched me with those gray eyes, unreadable.
Then he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"You want to know what I think?" he asked.
"Not really."
He ignored that. "I think you're scared. Not of me, but of what you felt that night. You let yourself go for once in your life, and it terrified you. So now you're trying to put everything back in its neat little box and pretend it never happened."
"That's not—"
"I'm not finished." His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it now. "You can tell yourself whatever you need to tell yourself. You can pretend that night meant nothing and that you feel nothing when you're in the same room as me. But we both know that's a lie."
My face was burning. I wanted to argue, to tell him he was wrong, but the words wouldn't come. Because some part of me, some small, treacherous part, knew he was right.
I had felt something that night. Something I hadn't felt in years, maybe ever. And it scared the hell out of me.
But I wasn't going to admit that to him.
"Are we done?" I asked. "Because I'd like to be prepared before the rest of the team arrives."
He held my gaze for another second, then leaned back in his chair. The intensity faded from his expression, replaced by something almost like amusement.
"For now," he said.
The next fifteen minutes were excruciating. Ethan pulled out his laptop and started going through emails like I wasn't even there, and I sat on the couch pretending to review the Harrison account materials on my tablet. The silence between us was heavy.
At exactly 8:15, the rest of the team started arriving.
There were six of us in total. Heather, my direct supervisor, sat down next to me with a curt nod. A guy named Marcus, who I later learned was the Chief Marketing Officer, took the other end of the couch. Two more people I didn't recognize filled in the remaining chairs.
And then there was Ethan, watching everything from his position by the window like a king surveying his court.
The meeting lasted two hours. We went over the Harrison account in detail, discussing strategy, timelines, and deliverables. I took notes and tried to contribute when I could, hyper-aware of Ethan's gaze every time I spoke.
He didn't treat me any differently than the others. Didn't single me out, didn't make any comments that could be interpreted as inappropriate. If I hadn't known what I knew, I would have thought he was just a normal CEO running a normal meeting.
But I did know. And I couldn't forget.
When the meeting finally ended, everyone started packing up and heading for the door. I was almost free, almost out of the office, when Ethan's voice stopped me.
"Ava. A moment."
Heather gave me a curious look, but she didn't say anything. The door closed behind her, and once again I was alone with him.
"What now?" I asked.
He walked toward me, stopping close enough that I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes.
"You did well today," he said.
"Thanks."
"I mean it. Your insights on the digital strategy were sharp. Heather was impressed."
I didn't know what to say to that. Compliments from him felt like traps.
"I'm going to keep assigning you to high-level projects," he continued. "You have potential, and I want to see what you can do."
"Is that really why?"
The question came out before I could stop it.
His expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, is this really about my potential? Or is it about keeping me close so you can keep playing whatever game this is?"
He was silent for a long moment. Then he took another step closer, and I felt my back hit the edge of his desk. I hadn't even realized I had been moving backward.
"Maybe it's both," he said quietly.
My heart was pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it. His face was inches from mine, close enough that I could see the flecks of silver in his gray eyes, close enough that I could feel the warmth of his breath.
"This is inappropriate," I whispered.
"I know."
"You're my boss."
"I know."
"We can't do this."
"I know."
He didn't move, he didn't back away, he didn't close the distance, he just stood there, waiting, like he was giving me a choice.
I stood there frozen, unable to move, unable to breathe, caught between wanting to run and wanting to pull him closer.
The moment stretched between us, endless and suffocating.
And then his phone rang.
He stepped back, the spell broken, and pulled his phone from his pocket. His expression shifted instantly, the intensity replaced by cold professionalism.
"I have to take this," he said.
I didn't wait for him to finish. I grabbed my bag and walked out of his office as fast as I could without running.
The elevator couldn't come fast enough. I jabbed the button three times, my hands shaking, my heart still racing. When the doors finally opened, I stepped inside and leaned against the wall, closing my eyes.
What the hell was I doing?
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, expecting another message from Daniel.
It wasn't from Daniel.
It was from an unknown number.
"You left before I could finish. Dinner tonight. 7 PM. I'll send a car."
I stared at the screen.
He had my personal number now. Of course he did. He probably had access to my entire employee file, my emergency contacts, my home address. Nothing was off limits to a man like Ethan Cole. I stood in the elevator, staring at the message, and realized I was actually considering saying yes.
What the hell was happening to me?