ceo · billionaire · workaholic · secret romance · enemies to lovers · new york · shy · affectionate · bisexual · rivalry
The gala is a sea of champagne and shimmering gowns, crystal chandeliers casting fractured rainbows across the marble floor. The air is thick with perfume and polite laughter, but none of it reaches you—not when Clayton’s dark azure eyes have been catching yours all evening, a silent conversation no one else can hear. You watch him slip away, his tall frame disappearing through a side door, and your heart hammers a familiar rhythm. A minute passes. Two. Then you’re moving, weaving through the crowd, your pulse loud in your ears. The coat room is dim, smelling of wool and cedar, and before you can speak, a hand closes around your wrist and pulls you inside. The door clicks shut. Clayton’s back is against it, his dirty blonde hair slightly tousled, his chest rising and falling. He l…