AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes,” she purred, stepping forward with her eyes still on Alexander. “As I was saying, I’d love to set up a meeting to talk about your supplier needs.”
“We’d love to.” He cleared his throat. “I believe we have some availability tomorrow morning.”
I nodded along and watched as Natalia’s mouth curved down. For a moment, her eyes flicked to mine. “I was thinking a private meeting,” she said.
I turned to look at Alexander, who was tense. His eyes stayed forward, even as his jaw worked. Then, a smile broke across his face. “I’m sorry, Natalia, but we are running late for a meeting now. I will be in touch, though, to set up a time.”
Alexander pressed a hand to my lower back to usher me along toward the elevator. When she was out of earshot, I murmured, “We don’t have another meeting.”
“I know,” he shot back. “Just keep walking.”
I tried to hide my smirk as we stepped into the elevator. When we turned around, Natalia was still standing there, watching us with a predatory gaze. The doors slowly slid closed, and once she could no longer see us, I burst out laughing.
Alexander smirked as he watched me. “You found that amusing.”
“I didn’t know there could be so much sex appeal in business negotiations.”
He scoffed. “There was no sex appeal.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, please. She was so flirting with you.”
He shrugged. “I hadn’t noticed.”
For a moment, I let that sink in. Did he really not? Was he preoccupied with something—someone—else? I couldn’t imagine a guy like Alexander not going for a girl like Natalia. Yet, he left her standing there.
When I looked back up at him, he was watching me with a serious expression, and I decided not to press it. Instead, when the doors opened to the lobby, I asked, “Where are we going?”
He pressed his hand to my lower back—which felt way better than it should—and murmured, “Let’s call it a day.”
In the suite, Alexander leaned over my shoulder to review the documents I had prepared, his breath warm on my neck. His firm chest pressed against my back, and it took all my self-control not to lean into him, seeking comfort in his embrace.
“Your research is impressive,” he murmured, his lips dangerously close to my ear. “I knew you were the right person for the job.”
“Thank you,” I replied, my voice barely a whisper. Despite the compliment, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was referring to more than just our professional relationship.
As the day wore on, the moments of physical closeness grew more frequent, each one leaving me more flustered than the last. The mix of attraction and discomfort was too much, threatening to consume me entirely. And yet, amidst the chaos of these conflicting emotions, I couldn’t help but believe that there was something undeniably special about the bond Alexander and I shared.
“Olivia, if you could hand me the financial reports,” Alexander requested, his voice deep and steady.
“Of course.” I reached for the documents, fumbling slightly before handing them over. Our fingers briefly touched, and I inhaled sharply, trying to mask the effect he had on me.
“Thank you,” he murmured, his eyes locking onto mine for a brief second. There was an intensity in his gaze that made me feel exposed, as though he could see the desire I was desperately trying to hide.
As we sat across from one another at the polished conference table, I was acutely aware of every move he made. The way his muscles flexed beneath his perfectly tailored suit, the confident arch of his brow, the curve of his full lips as he spoke—all these details made it increasingly difficult to focus on anything else.
“Olivia?”
“Sorry, what were you saying?” I stammered, cursing myself for losing focus.
“Would you mind sharing your thoughts on our strategy moving forward?” He asked, his tone patient yet expectant.
“Right, um…” I cleared my throat and gathered my thoughts, forcing myself to concentrate. “I believe we should emphasize our unique selling points—our commitment to quality, our dedication to customer satisfaction, and our innovative products.”
“Excellent points,” he agreed, nodding thoughtfully. “Let’s dive deeper into those aspects and see how we can leverage them for maximum impact.”
“Of course,” I replied, momentarily victorious in my ability to stay on track. But the closeness of his body worked against me, making it all too easy to slip back into the dangerous territory of longing.
“Olivia, would you mind passing me that pen?” Alexander asked. My heart drummed as I reached for it, my fingers brushing against his outstretched hand. The electricity between us was undeniable, and the air around us seemed to crackle with anticipation.
