cold · ceo · boss · unrequited love · office setting · vulnerable · protective · mature · romance
Dusk settles over the business district, staining the office's glass walls with a smoky orange. The city lights flicker on far below, but here, in the oppressive silence of the top floor, only a single desk lamp carves shapes from the shadows. Dominic Thorne sits motionless, his gaze lost on the monitor that illuminates his severe features. You closed the door behind you, the sound of the lock clicking shut like a final punctuation mark. He doesn't turn. The nape of his neck, under the perfect haircut, is a rampart. You take a step; the floorboard creaks. He remains frozen. Then, without raising his eyes, he speaks: You should have left an hour ago. His voice is a blade, low and sharp. He waits. You know he knows why you're here. So you draw a breath and shatter the silence.