04 - Emily Harris

Emily Harris

I sigh and smile, embarrassed by the intense gaze we were exchanging, then decide to break the awkward silence that had fallen between us. Yet, for some reason, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his.

"Sorry to interrupt your afternoon, but when I got downstairs, I realized I forgot the envelope with several of my documents here!" He glances at his desk, and I notice that my documents are scattered across it. I find it odd but choose not to comment.

"Ms. Harper…" he calls his secretary without breaking eye contact with me. "Leave the documents there, thank you." I watch her leave the room without saying a word, leaving me alone with this man who is making me feel intimidated just by looking at me.

I can’t look away from him. There’s something in his gaze that pulls me in, as if he were a magnet drawing me closer. I notice a smile forming on his lips as he points a finger in my direction.

"In those folders, there’s a project. Take a look at it," he commands, leaving me a bit confused at first.

Still, I do as he asks. I walk over to the sofa in the corner of his office and set my bag down. I start flipping through the documents in front of me, glancing his way, excited by all the details they contain. They seem excellent, but there’s a discrepancy in a few numbers, even if minor.

I don’t look at the last few pages since I already know what the document is about. I close the folder and place it on the desk, right in front of the man who’s watching me with curiosity. I return to the sofa, grab my bag, and approach his desk again, extending my hand, waiting for him to hand me my documents so I can leave his office. Silently, I pray not to be accused of espionage.

"Tell me what you think about what you just saw." His question strikes the very nerve I was trying to avoid. I take a deep breath and attempt to give a coherent answer.

"It’s an audit, and from what I’ve observed, the company in question experienced a multi-million-dollar loss in a short period of time." He listens as he lowers his gaze to the same documents he had handed me.

"You managed to calculate that in your head…" I realize it’s not a question since his eyes remain fixed on me. "I want you to answer honestly, Miss Harris."

I nod, unsure where he’s going with his line of questioning. My curiosity, however, gets the better of me as I wait for his next inquiry.

I watch him push all the documents on his desk aside. There’s a crease in his brow, and I can tell he’s full of questions about me at this moment.

"I want to talk to you, hypothetically speaking, about hiring you." I tilt my head, my heart racing. "In a few weeks, there will be a gala in New York to award the top American investors. I attend every year with Mike and our assistant. If I were to hire you, how would you handle school?" His question is reasonable, given the hypothetical scenario.

But hypothetically, we’re nothing to each other. His question is purely theoretical, so it’s best to stay on the defensive regarding this possibility.

"I don’t see why that would be relevant to the position, sir…" I trail off as he stands and removes his tie, making himself look much, much sexier and more inviting.

I try to control my thoughts, but I can’t think of anything else to say. I take a few steps back, attempting to distance myself from the man whose gaze travels from my face to my chest. What unsettles me is the sense that he didn’t like seeing me retreat. Mr. Walker’s furrowed brows make it clear he’s confused.

I stop walking when the sofa presses against the back of my legs. His smile grows wider, and I know exactly what he’s trying to do.

"It’s highly relevant because I require you to be ‘entirely’ present at any event, to be with me and have all the answers at your fingertips," he whispers as he approaches me.

When he says "entirely," I can sense the emphasis on the word. I start to feel cornered by his proximity, and just as his body is only a few steps from mine, the door bursts open. I smile, realizing I have a chance to escape this predator.

"Noah, the meeting…" I feel the intruder’s gaze shift in our direction.

Unable to take my eyes off the CEO, I notice the tension he has with the visitor, who seems to have disrupted Mr. Walker’s plans. I was mesmerized by the tension he managed to create between us with just half a dozen words. Not even the interruption was enough to break it.

There was a growing curiosity in our gazes, and when I looked at his lips and he looked at mine, the sly man just gave me a smile, making it clear that it was exactly what he wanted.

“What do you need, Mike?” he says with a hint of reproach in his voice for being interrupted.

I try to free myself from where I’m trapped between him and the couch and glance at his assistant, or whatever Mike's role is in the company.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you had a visitor. I just came to inform you that the meeting venue has changed to a different restaurant. I’ll come back later with all the details,” he says hurriedly.

I watch Mike leave the room and feel the tension return as the man resumes devouring me with his gaze. I can’t stay here. I need to escape this overwhelming feeling he’s caused, and maybe a cold shower will help.

I have too many problems to let any involvement with Mr. Walker happen. I close my eyes, and in the brief moment when his gaze isn’t on me, I manage to regain some composure.

“Mr. Walker, I need to leave now. Could you please hand me my documents?” I ask politely.

I narrow my eyes as I notice the hint of frustration in his expression at my request. But I know that if Mike hadn’t entered at just the right moment, I most certainly would have kissed him.

“Of course, Miss,” his deep voice betrays his displeasure at my request.

Noah Walker returns to his usual arrogant demeanor. I watch as he carefully organizes my documents back into the envelope and hands them to me. For a brief moment, our fingers touch, and an electric current runs between us.

I can’t pretend I didn’t feel that little jolt. I know he felt it too, but from his frustrated look, I doubt he’ll say anything. So, it’s best to act as if it never happened.

“Thank you, and I apologize for disrupting your afternoon,” I say, offering him a small smile before leaving his office, hyperventilating once again.

But this time, I’m not leaving angry-I’m leaving filled with lust and desire for a man I will never approach again. I rush out of his office, out of his building, and out of his life.

At least, that’s what I believe…