Chapter 2
Lorraine rushed into the office area, barely making it before the clock ticked over.
She hadn't gone home all night, wearing that expensive new outfit from this morning. Trying to keep a low profile, she rounded her shoulders, wishing she could somehow sneak back to her desk unseen. But her deskmate, Celeste Bennett, had sharp eyes and immediately leaned over.
"Whoa, Lorraine, check you out today! That's new, yeah? Definitely not your usual vibe."
Lorraine wasn't a fan of power suits. With her chest, every time she wore one, she looked less like an executive and more like she stepped off a porn set.
Trying to keep her cool, she tugged at the blazer clinging to her curves. "New vibe today—figured I'd lean into the whole sexy boss thing."
Celeste let out a dramatic gasp and gave her chest a playful squeeze. "Girl, whoever ends up in your bed is gonna die happy."
Lorraine gave a weak laugh, already itching to change the subject. Unfortunately, one of the guys from marketing overheard and joined in, waggling his brows like some cheap sitcom extra.
"Lorraine, where'd you vanish to after the party last night? We were gonna grab one last drink, but you were MIA."
He leaned in with a grin. "Don't tell me you had a little... after-hours action?"
Lorraine's stomach dropped. The words "after-hours action" hit like a slap.
What they thought was just office banter felt like knives to her nerves. She could already picture the gossip mill spinning if even a sliver of truth leaked out about last night.
"Me? Hookup material?" Lorraine didn't look up, flipping open her laptop like it suddenly held national secrets. The screen lit up her face, but her tone was cool and clipped.
"Please. I drank too much, got a headache, and crashed at a friend's place. Not exactly scandalous. Now, unless you're volunteering to finish the Monday report, maybe let me work?"
Ending the convo as abruptly as possible, she focused hard on her screen, spine ramrod straight, ears never stopping their scan of nearby movement or whispers.
The paranoia clawed at her all morning, making her jumpy and wildly unproductive.
Then her phone buzzed in her bag. Lorraine glanced at the screen and her whole face pinched slightly.
Dylan Ford.
Her ex. The one who just didn't understand what "over" meant. She didn't hesitate, swiping away the call in seconds. Predictably, he called again.
Annoyance simmered beneath her skin. Grabbing the phone, Lorraine made a beeline to the stairwell and picked up with a clipped voice, barely above a whisper, "Dylan, how many times do I have to say it? Stop calling me."
His voice came soft and oh - so manipulative on the other end. "Lorraine, don't do this. I waited downstairs for you all night yesterday... where'd you go? I was worried -"
"Where I went is none of your business!" she snapped, her tone rising, sharp and furious. "The second you cheated on me with my best friend, it was over. Don't you get that? Stay out of my life!"
She didn't wait for a reply. Hung up. Blocked his number right after.
Her chest heaved slightly as she tried to calm herself down, and right then, her phone pinged. New friend request.
Just one word in the verification: "Tristan."
The profile picture? Pitch black.
The chill that crept up her spine was instant. Tristan? How the hell did he get her contact? Oh wait, right - he's the boss. If he wanted an employee's contact, he'd get it without even blinking.
Her finger hovered over the screen, hand trembling just a bit.
What was he even trying to be—her CEO, or her fuck buddy? Should she hit accept? Or hit reject?
Just the thought of chatting with that man made her break out in goosebumps. Without thinking, she hit decline in a flash.
Right after tapping the screen, Lorraine shoved her phone deep into her pocket like it was burning her hand. She took a long breath, tried to calm her nerves, and turned to head back to her desk.
But as soon as she pushed open the emergency stairwell door, she saw the elevator doors across the hall sliding open - Tristan's private elevator. There he was, stepping out surrounded by a group of senior execs.
He'd changed into a sharply tailored black suit, every inch the cold, powerful CEO. Tall, imposing, face unreadable, he was quietly listening to Celeste's updates as they walked.
Lorraine froze on the spot, paralyzed. She didn't know whether to run or stand still - God, if only the ground would open up.
Fortunately, Tristan didn't even glance her way. It was like she didn't exist. He strode right past her, long legs and all, headed straight for the executive office.
Only after that suffocating aura disappeared did Lorraine finally let out the breath she'd been holding. Cold sweat had soaked her back.
Just then, Celeste slipped up beside her, hooking an arm through hers and lowering her voice to gossip, voice full of awe.
"Oh. My. God. Seeing Mr. Seymour up close? That man is ridiculously hot! But his whole vibe? Too intense! I was literally shaking when I was giving my report. Seriously though, what kind of woman do you think a guy like him would go for? You'd have to be insanely amazing, right?"
Celeste kept the chatter going, but Lorraine wasn't really hearing any of it.
Her stomach was in knots. If Celeste ever found out she had slept with the boss... it'd be all over the office in no time.
No. No one could ever find out they had sex last night. That can't happen.
That morning, the design department had its usual meeting, this time led by Lucas Grant, the group's VP.
Lucas was the definition of a smiling fox - smooth, capable, and well-connected. Rumor had it he and Tristan were on good terms.
As the meeting wrapped up, he turned to Lorraine with an approving look. "That idea of yours for the offline campaign - not bad at all. You nailed the details. I like how you think. Keep it up."
Normally, being praised by an exec would've thrilled her. But right now? She just stood up calmly and nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Grant. I'll do my best."
Her tone was polite, but with a hint of distance.
She could feel the sideways glances from her coworkers - some admiring, some suspicious. It made her shrink inward - this wasn't the kind of attention she wanted. Not today.
Of course, fate didn't care what she wanted. Just as she sat down again, Alexander walked over to her desk and spoke in a neutral tone. "Lorraine, Mr. Seymour just asked for you. He wants to see you in his office."
In that instant, the entire office seemed to freeze. All eyes were suddenly on her, full of questions and curiosity. The big boss wanting to meet a junior staffer directly? That was basically unheard of.
There was no way to say no. So Lorraine stood up stiffly, trying to keep her voice steady. "Okay. I'll head over now."
She followed Alexander toward Tristan's exclusive elevator, her legs so heavy it felt like she was dragging weights.
The elevator started to move, its silence almost suffocating.
Lorraine took a breath and whispered, "Since it's just us here... can you tell me what this is about?"
Alexander glanced at her and grinned lightly. "Relax, it's nothing serious. Mr. Seymour seems to be in a pretty good mood today."
Lorraine almost rolled her eyes. Of course he's in a good mood - he got laid five times last night.
