I crossed and then uncrossed my legs as I sat at my desk, trying my best to calm myself down and focus on work. I was all hot and nervous after seeing Grant earlier, and I couldn’t keep him out of my head. My core became warmer as I replayed how near he was to me, sensing his eyes all over my breasts and legs as I leaned to show him my research.

“Why did you have to lean over his desk, Madison?” I muttered to myself as I typed something on the keyboard furiously. “You shouldn’t be provoking him like that.”

Seriously, that wasn’t like me at all. Yet, as much as I felt uncomfortable, I actually enjoyed his attention, my nipples hardening the moment I felt his hot gaze on me. As I was close to him, I sensed his enticing fragrance, and it stirred my insides, making everything worse.

Jesus, what was happening with me? This was the first time I felt this way toward some man, and I was never—absolutely never—attracted to someone who was working with me or was my superior. The idea of being with someone from work was always outrageous for me. Not only it was against the rules, but it also interfered with the job, and that was not good at all. I needed this job, I had worked so hard for it.

I spent the day researching the project plans and making a database in my computer, but I kept my eyes on Grant through the glass of his office more often than not. I was bothered that I continuously checked what he was doing at that moment, always hoping to find him looking at me too.

Once or twice I did find him looking back at me, and it unnerved me and distracted me even more, each time feeling the sizzling sensation that rushed through my body under his heated, long stare.

I bit my lip and forced myself to stop thinking about him in this way. He was my boss and nothing else. I managed to impress him earlier, but that was just a start. I had to show him I could do much more, so I concentrated on memorizing all the important information I could share with Grant later.

My first day was busy, which wasn’t surprising considering the fact that everyone around here worked so hard. This floor buzzed with activity, the sounds of typing, telephone ringing, and hushed conversations filling our floor.

It seemed that all the employees were highly motivated and appreciated Grant and his partners, Colten and Oliver, a lot. I couldn’t hear a single complaint about them. I also couldn’t hear if Grant had a girlfriend or wife, which was something that interested me more than it should, I had to admit.

A man like Grant was too hot not to have anyone next to him.

“Stop it, Madison,” I muttered again to myself. “He’s your boss.”

The rest of the afternoon had passed quickly, the office becoming darker as the employees—one by one—went home. I wanted to stay longer today because first impressions mattered, and if he saw me giving my best on my very first day, he would definitely respect me and my capabilities more.

I was left all alone in the dark office when his secretary finally left. Just as I was typing one more document, my phone rang.

“Yes?” I answered.

“Madison, come to my office,” Grant said.

I glanced at him, finding him seated at his desk and looking back to me. He was smiling slightly, and my heartbeat quickened.

“Right away, boss.”

I got up, fixed my skirt, and went to his office. I was fully aware we were all alone, and somehow, that made me feel on edge.

“How can I help you?” I asked politely when I entered his office and took the usual seat, returning his unblinking, intense gaze. Why was he looking at me like that?

“I wanted to tell you that I managed to land a meeting with the client. They are interested in what we have to offer and would like to hear more.”

“Oh, amazing. That’s great news.” So he had made the call because of the information I gave him. He did trust me. That was a huge win.

“Yes. And it’s all thanks to you.”

I felt my cheeks heating, and I fought to maintain our eye contact. “Please, I didn’t do much—”

“On contrary, Madison, you did a lot. Actually, I’m so impressed with you. This is your first day, but you were able to do such a good job. Not many people are as capable as you are, so you can pat yourself on the back for your successful start.”

I returned his smile, feeling relieved that he felt this way about my work.

“Thank you. I hope to be of help much more.”

“Actually, that is what I expect from you. It’s going to take a lot of prep work to make the meeting a success, so I need your help with this.”

“Of course. What do you need me to do?”

“For a start, we need to investigate about them more. We also have to work on that marketing technique. If we manage to agree on our mutual interests, we could land them for sure.”

I nodded. “Yes, Grant. I will consult several marketing contacts I have and see what they have to say about this. I think their skills would be valuable at this point.”

He didn’t take his eyes of me. He looked like he was going to eat me alive any second. Stop your wild imagination, Madison. There was no way he would want me in that way, right?

“That’s a great idea, Madison. Therefore, I need you to stay here longer than we previously discussed about during the interview, if that is okay with you?

Really? I couldn’t believe this! This was great!

“Yes. Of course, anything for the company,” I replied with a bit more enthusiasm in my voice than I’d intended. His eyes lit and his lips turned into a beautiful smile. His smile was to die for.

“Are you sure? I’ m talking about the long nights in the office and a lot of hard work.”

“I am completely sure. I want to help in any way I can, so count me in.”

He was reclined in his chair, his arms leaning against the arm rests of his chair, and he kept looking at me without blinking. My mouth became dry, and I licked my lips, trying to relieve this tension.

“Thank you. I appreciate your willingness. Now, I think I should reward you for such a good work,” he said and got up. I looked at him in surprise. A reward?

“What do you mean, boss?”

“Let’s have a drink together. I think we should relax a bit and celebrate a bit. After all, we did a lot of work and we deserve some break.”

Drink together? Now, this was something I didn’t expect at all, but I could get on board.

I watched him walk over to his mini-bar that was placed in the lounge and take out a bottle of champagne. He brought it to his desk along with two glasses, but this time he sat in the leather chair that was right next to mine, and my nerves were immediately thrown into overdrive because of his nearness. The smell of his cologne hit my nostrils, and all I could think about was his body, moving so close to mine.

He opened up the bottle and poured the bubbly champagne into two glasses.

Even though I wanted to calm my racing heart, I couldn’t, feeling tenser as he handed me my glass. Our fingers touched for a moment, and I gasped, all hot from his touch. Thankfully, I didn’t let my glass slip from my hand. That would be stupid and embarrassing.

“To our success,” he said, holding my gaze. His gray-blue eyes pulled me in so intently, I couldn’t look away.

“To our success,” I repeated, feeling all my limbs go numb under his blazing eyes. Damn. Was that lust in his eyes? Impossible.

We fell in silence as we took a sip of our drinks simultaneously. He shifted a bit, and now he was even closer to me, only several inches separating us. I stared at my glass as he examined my face, and I couldn’t prevent the burn on my cheeks.

I was painfully aware of his left thigh that was so close to mine. If he moved his leg to the left just a bit more, he would touch the sensitive skin of my thigh, and that would be my undoing. I wanted him. Now, I wanted him more than ever.

I took another sip, willing myself to breathe normally as the tension between us increased, and I couldn’t ignore his stare anymore. I met his eyes, and my lips parted when I saw desire in them.

“Fuck this,” he muttered.