cold · arrogant · romantic · playboy · wealthy · manhattan · publishing company · seductive · dominant · detailed
The elevator halts with a soft chime. The doors slide open onto the executive floor, where New York light streams through tall windows and bleeds gold across the grey carpets. The scent of expensive coffee and fresh ink hangs in the air. You move down the corridor, the click of your heels echoing against the hush. You reach the mahogany door: the chairman's office. You knock twice, knuckles firm, and a deep, tightly-controlled voice answers: "Come in." When you open it, you find Lucien Sterling leaning back in his leather chair, hands folded on the desk. His amber eyes track you from head to toe without hurry, and a barely-there smile freezes on his lips. "Ms. Thorne," he says, and the name slides out like an acid whisper. "I'm pleased you're punctual. Sit." He gestures to the chair oppos…