Chapter 1 The Unwanted Dream

"Shit..."

A groan of pleasure escaped Elliot’s lips as he felt the heat spreading through his body. Every movement, every touch was becoming more intense, more electrifying.

The woman beneath him seemed to surrender, her body perfectly arching under his touch, tempting and irresistible.

Their breaths quickened, matching the pace of their movements, growing wilder by the second.

"Ugh… Sir…" A soft, sensual moan broke through the air, pausing Elliot’s mouth from tasting the delicate skin of her neck.

Slowly, he pulled back slightly, driven by an overwhelming curiosity to see the woman’s face, recognizing her voice from somewhere.

But as his dark eyes focused on her face, covered by the dim light in the room, his breath caught in his chest.

It wasn’t a stranger he saw, but Audrey. His personal assistant. The one woman who had always been so professional and untouchable in the office.

Her face was breathtaking, lips slightly parted, her eyes shining with an intensity Elliot had never seen before.

Beads of sweat dripped from her forehead, her dark brown hair tangled, adding to her allure.

"Sir, why did you stop?" Audrey moaned, giving him a look of protest that made Elliot frown.

What... the hell is going on?!

In an instant, Elliot jolted awake, his heart racing. His breath was shallow, his body still buzzing from the lingering heat of the dream. Cold sweat clung to his forehead, and he stared into the dark room, trying to collect his scattered thoughts.

"Dammit! Why the hell am I dreaming about her?" he muttered, his voice low and frustrated.

How could he, a man who prided himself on professionalism, have such an unpropriated dream about Audrey?

She was the only woman on his team of personal assistants. And now, he had imagined things he should never have.

He dragged himself out of bed and walked toward the bathroom, cursing under his breath. He hoped the cold water would calm him down, would stop the fire burning inside him.

But the more he tried to forget, the clearer Audrey’s tempting face became in his mind.

His body responded, refusing to calm down, and he felt himself growing hard again.

"Shit," he muttered, this time with a tone of helplessness. He knew he shouldn’t indulge in these fantasies.

But his mind and body refused to cooperate, continually returning to that irresistible image.

The worst part is this wasn’t the first time he’d had a dream like this.

"What's wrong with you?" Kent asked, raising an eyebrow at Elliot, who seemed off and a bit worn out.

"Nothing. Why?" Elliot shot back, meeting his father’s scrutinizing gaze with a flat expression.

He really didn’t want anyone at the breakfast table to see the messy expression still lingering on his face after the dream.

"Got a lot of work, son?" Rebecca asked gently, her tone filled with concern as she handed Elliot a glass of freshly poured juice.

Elliot remained silent, accepting the drink from his mother. His eyes quickly scanned the room, and all eyes were on him.

"Bro’s face looks like he's... horny."

"Finn Harrington! Watch your mouth!" Rebecca scolded, glaring at her youngest son, who only gave her an innocent grin.

Elliot nearly choked on the juice his mother had given him if he hadn’t managed to control himself. He cursed under his breath, trying to steady his racing heart as panic started to set in.

He forced his face into a neutral expression and tried to stay calm.

"How would you know? You often get horny, huh?" Elliot shot back, his voice still flat as he gave his younger brother a teasing look.

"Hey!"

"Oh my God! Enough! I don’t want to hear this!" Rebecca pouted, followed by quiet chuckles from Kent and Laura, Elliot’s younger sister, who had been trying to hold back her laughter.

"Why are you laughing?" Anna shot a sharp look at her husband.

Kent smiled faintly. "Don’t be dramatic, honey. It’s natural for men to be like that..."

"What do you mean? It’s natural for them to talk like that at the table, even while eating—"

"Yeah, yeah. Don’t keep nagging or—ouch! You still pinch me, even when we’re old!" Kent complained playfully.

Rebecca’s eyes widened even more. "So, you’re saying I’m old now? Is that it?"

This time, Finn and Laura burst out laughing, watching their dad fumble with their mother’s increasingly playful attitude, while Elliot sighed, trying to tolerate the situation.

Honestly, Elliot often envied his parents’ relationship, which remained affectionate despite their age, while at 31, he was still nowhere near marriage.

Seeing the high standards set by women today, coupled with his own high standards and a string of bad dates with women who seemed more interested in his wallet than in him, made Caleb even more reluctant to consider marriage.

Rebecca, of course, never gave up. She often set him up on blind dates with her friends’ daughters or business partners’ daughters.

But the result was always the same. Elliot felt like every woman he was introduced to had double standards, which was something he couldn’t stand.

As he thought about it, Elliot’s mind wandered back to his early morning dream, and he cursed again for letting it pollute his thoughts so early in the day. He quickly stood from the table, leaving his unfinished breakfast behind.

"Are you leaving already?" Rebecca asked, surprised, as were the rest of the family. In their home, Elliot was the one who hated leaving food unfinished.

He realized his mistake. He cleared his throat. "Can I take the rest to the office? I’m a bit full."

"Confirmed. Bro’s horny," Finn chimed in lightly, prompting Rebecca to pinch his ear. The young man’s yelp echoed through the dining room.