Daniel seethed while he waited for Maria in his office.
His impatience wouldn't let him sit; instead, he stood on the platform stairs leading to the main desk, hands buried in the pockets of his grey suit trousers.
The morning sun filtered through the automatic blinds, then through the glass wall, casting muted gold lines across the room.
His jaw tightened as the memory resurfaced again—Maria bending earlier by her desk, reaching into the lower cupboards as he passed her office.
The off-white fitted dress had clung to her figure in a way that irritated him more than he cared to admit.
He had stopped to make sure that she saw him.
And she had.
She had looked up and met his gaze, startled. She knew he would complain and still wore something that tight?
He had immediately instructed the executive receptionist to call her to his office.
Maria was beginning to forget where she stood in his world—and it was time he reminded her.
Miles, Daniel concluded, would not be early today since he still wasn't in by this hour.
That gave him time.
Time to deal with her properly before the interference arrived.
The intercom beeped from the table.
"It's Maria," her voice came through.
"Come in," Daniel replied flatly.
The door released with a soft access click.
Maria stepped in.
She held only a pen. No annoying files or presentations.
Good—she knew better than to pretend this was a routine meeting.
Her eyes briefly drifted past him toward the executive chair before she quickly corrected herself.
Daniel noticed.
Expecting Miles?
He scoffed under his breath.
She walked toward him without meeting his eyes.
Her heels clicked softly as she approached.
To him, her hips swayed without control in the dress, while her partially bare arms remained stiff beneath the shredded sleeves.
Her body language stayed almost indifferent, her expression unreadable as she came to a stop before him.
"Good morning, Daniel," she greeted.
He didn't return it.
Instead, his gaze dragged over her appearance with unrestrained irritation.
"You don't know how to pick appropriate mornings, do you?" he said coldly. "You've managed to ruin mine simply by how you chose to dress."
Maria didn't respond.
The silence only sharpened his frustration. Was she waiting him out?
"Go home and change."
Her head snapped up then—finally a reaction.
"Don't pretend you didn't hear me."
No," she said quietly and Daniel tensed as sudden anger rose within him.
"The morning traffic is still in motion," she added. "It will be too much stress for me to get caught in it again."
"It seems you don't value your place in this company anymore," he snapped back.
"My place as what?" she asked. "Your girlfriend or an employee?"
Daniel descended from the platform stairs to where she stood.
Maria stepped back a little, scared, as Daniel gripped her arm tight enough to hurt before pulling her face-to-face with him, despite the unease and fear in her expression.
"You think you're something now, don't you?" he growled at her.
"I'm not the only one who dresses in a fitted gown," she replied, subtly trying to release herself from his grip, but he only tightened his hold.
"And it's because of me you're able to afford dresses in the first place," Daniel said.
"That is not true," she replied, her eyes fierce as she tried to hide the tears welling up, gradually giving Daniel the satisfaction of his effect on her.
Daniel laughed, bringing his face closer to trigger her tears to fall, fall and ruin the stupid makeup on her face.
"The audacity you have to forget that I knew you before all of this," he continued. "Before the job I gave you, before the apartment and car I put you in."
"Then you shouldn't have disguised what we had as a relationship," she shot back.
Daniel's frustration resurfaced, and he dragged her closer against himself.
"Please let go, it hurts," she begged, her other hand pushing where he gripped her arm tighter.
"You really think my brother gives a shit about you," he said, ignoring her plea. "You're nothing that can't be tossed out when it's done serving its purpose."
Her hand slowly dropped, hurt sinking deeper into her eyes.
Daniel's ear caught the footsteps coming from the door, along with the sudden beep of an access card.
He quickly slid his palms below Maria's waist and drew her against him.
"What are you…" Maria gasped, her palms pushing back at his chest.
Daniel lowered his head, ignoring her protests, following her face as she avoided his.
He wasn't backing down from kissing her this time.
The soft sound of the door opening came at the same time a hot crack landed against his cheek.
Daniel released her and stepped back, surprise and embarrassment mixing inside him as his gaze caught Miles in a black suit, already inside watching, and Rhea closing the door behind her.
His gaze slid to Maria, who was now trembling.
"I-I'm…" she stammered.
"Good morning, Mr. Daniel," Rhea's voice rang through the space, and Maria turned around, her body tensing immediately she saw Miles.
"G-Good morning, sir," Maria said, clearly more shaken by his presence.
"Mmmhmm," Miles replied, simply moving past them to the executive chair behind the main desk.
Rhea followed, casting Maria a brief disapproving look before she gave Daniel a polite smile.
"Come with me," Daniel told Maria, already moving past her toward the office door.
"I'd like to speak with her alone," Miles said, and Daniel turned to face him.
"I have to speak to my girlfriend. She'll be back when…"
"Personal issues will be tended to after work hours," Miles cut in.
Daniel clenched his jaw, hating that Miles was burying all this under professionalism.
But yet he couldn't override his decision.
Rhea headed for the door first, trying to mask the slight annoyance on her face as she moved deliberately for notice in the blue flare dress she wore.
Daniel stayed still, locked in Miles' stare.
Neither man blinked.
Then Daniel let out a dry laugh, tilted his head slightly to the side.
Miles had no right—if not for his position.
His gaze slid to Maria, who fidgeted with the pen, her eyes fixed on the floor.
Then he turned and exited the office.
**
Maria tightened her fingers around the pen as she turned toward Miles.
She kept her face lowered, trying to steady the beating of her heart before it betrayed itself in visible tremors.
The devil had indeed arrived at her day early.
Miles' silence wasn't helping either.
Was he that angry?
Did he even have the right to be?
The answer stared back at her plainly.
But still…she had a life before him.
She raised her face, almost faltering as she met his calm, lethal stare set on her.
"You wanted to speak to me, sir," she said, swallowing hard as she forced the words out.
Miles tilted his head slightly, a subtle flicker of surprise in his expression.
Still silent.
Still observing her.
Maria hated how she was already affected—how her attraction made it difficult to read him.
"Come here," his voice came next, pulling her from her thoughts as he tapped lightly on the glass-and-wood desk.
The memory of the last time they had touched flashed through her mind.
She hesitated before moving forward, noticing the way his gaze briefly dropped despite the tension in his expression before returning to her face.
Maria stopped at the table, warmth rising into her cheeks as his gaze lingered lower for a moment.
"I said here, Maria," he repeated, tapping the exact spot before him.
She snapped her head up.
"N-No," she managed, forcing her voice steady.
She couldn't let him have his way this time.
"I'll double whatever I have in mind if I come to you instead," he said calmly, holding her gaze.
"It's not what you think," she began quickly. "Daniel was just being—"
She stopped abruptly as she noticed the shift in his expression.
He pushed the swivel chair back and stood.
Maria reacted immediately, circling the table before he could move further, sitting quickly on the spot he had indicated.
She lifted her eyes briefly to his face before lowering them again.
Her knees pressed together as he stood before her.
Not imposing like Daniel…at least not yet.
Still, the closeness between them already stirred anticipation uneasily inside her.
"Keep your eyes on me," he ordered.
Maria inhaled slowly, almost praying someone would interrupt this unbearable tension.
Then she forced herself to meet his eyes.
The blinds cast thin streaks of sunlight across the office, leaving the atmosphere dim enough to sharpen every detail between them.
"There are five active days of the week," he began. "Which do you think students would be most carefree in?"
"Friday," Maria answered.
He stepped closer, his groin brushing lightly where her knees met.
His sea breeze cologne drifted around her instantly—clean and dangerously distracting.
Maria leaned back slightly, one hand braced against the edge of the table, the pen pinned beneath her palm as her gaze flickered helplessly between his eyes and lips.
"Do you think Friday is suitable for weekly supervision of your project in Minchstone?" he asked.
"It would have been," she replied softly, "but I think sports day would work better."
"Impressive choice," he murmured.
His groin grazed her knees and Maria swallowed.
Why did he always stand so close?
Part of her ached to close the distance properly, but Miles was far too unpredictable—especially after what had happened with Daniel.
"Thank you sir," she replied with a small, bashful smile that vanished almost instantly when she realized he still wasn't smiling.
Her eyes widened as both his hands landed on either side of her, boxing her in.
His body pressed closer now, filling the space where her knees met.
Maria froze as she felt the hard heat of him beneath his trousers.
She shifted her hips back, a futile attempt to create space.
"Sir, this is in-inappro…" she started.
"If you're going to act clueless," Miles interrupted quietly, "then I don't mind if someone walks in right now."
Her protest faltered.
"Daniel and…" she hesitated. "Daniel and I had a disagreement."
"A disagreement?" he repeated.
"Yes," she nodded, trying to distract herself from his proximity.
"So…" he continued, and Maria's breath hitched as one of his hands pressed against her lower back, drawing her closer to the table's edge.
Her knees parted slightly, instinctively, as the space between them tightened.
"…a disagreement looks like fondling?" he asked.
"It's between the both of us," Maria said, still struggling to wedge some distance between them.
Miles only stepped closer.
Her dress hitched upward as he moved in.
"I'm having a terrible morning," he said evenly. "And that is not the answer I want from you to stabilize it."
Maria pouted faintly. "Sorry, I'm sure coffee would help."
Their eyes met again.
The annoyance in his expression remained heavy enough to unsettle her.
"I could go get it now," she offered quickly. "If that's fine, sir."
Then she startled when he pulled her forward to the table's edge.
Her knees gave way as he closed the space between them until she felt the rough fabric of his trousers against her thighs.
Maria placed her other hand on the table, steadying herself, resisting the treacherous urge to wrap her legs around his waist.
"I don't want to," she whined softly. "Not here."
His eyes lingered on her exposed thighs before trailing back to her face as he leaned closer.
"I want to," he replied simply.
Maria frowned and immediately tried adjusting her dress—an impossible task with him standing between her legs.
"I have the right to my body," she snapped.
"And I don't?" he countered, lowering his head as he held her gaze.
Her anger built.
He was no different from Daniel—another man obsessed with control, caring about nothing but his own ego.
To hell with it.
She looked away in frustration, her arms folding across her chest stubbornly.
"Daniel's waiting for me," she replied.
"Is he?"
Maria faced him, unsettled by the tone.
"Y-yes," she answered nervously.
His hand slid from her back, and for a moment, she thought he was finally stepping away—until his grip caught beneath her knees.
He hooked her legs upward, forcing her arms to fall to the table in a blur of surprise.
"Miles," she whimpered as he deepened his stance between her legs, his movement grazing the delicate lace of her panties.
"Let's not keep him waiting, right?" he asked again.
"N-No, sir," she said, now scared of how far this could actually go.
He shifted closer and the temptation to wrap her legs around him surged again—a primal pull she fought even as he held her.
Maria wriggled. "These are still work hours, sir…"
She felt his hand slide from beneath her knee, trailing up her thigh before slipping between them.
Maria shivered.
Her legs wrapped around him instantly, betraying her even as she shook her head, her upper body still braced back against her arms.
"No…no," she breathed.
"Funny," Miles murmured, his fingers skimming the heat of her inner thighs. "Funny how you haven't stopped me yet—not even with a slap."
Maria froze.
He had seen her hit Daniel.
"I want to leave," she whined, leaning forward and managing to lift a hand from the table to push at his chest.
"You will," he replied, his voice a low, hoarse rasp against her skin.
His fingers drifted higher, brushing lightly over the thin barrier of lace.
The hand she had brought to push him away was already softening against his chest.
She bit her lip, struggling to control her shallow breaths as her legs tightened around him—her body betrayed her, leaning forward, wanting his fingers to find her core while he teased between her thighs.
"This is not only what it amounts to if you keep provoking me," he said, his voice dropping to a low, roughened edge—betraying how much touching her was undoing him.
Maria's head fell back, her eyes shut as she bit down hard on her lip to stifle the gasp that escaped the moment his finger traced the damp lace of her panties.
Her fingers coiled, digging into the expensive wool of his suit jacket.
Miles was going too far.
He shouldn't be doing this—not here.
How was their affair ever going to stay discreet this way?
His free hand slid with possessive weight down her thigh to her hip, molding her against him.
Maria's eyes fluttered open, finding him still watching her.
"It's a good thing you'll be meeting him again," he began, his finger continuing to stroke slowly between her thighs.
The last of Maria's resistance gave way.
She wrapped both arms around his neck, hiding her face in the crook of his shoulder as his cologne enveloped her.
She clung to him as if he were the only solid thing in a world that was tilting, all while she savored the slow, building heat of his touch.
"Then I assume you're ending things today too," he continued, his finger now swirling with intent against her core.
Maria forced her gaze to meet his.
His eyes were dark—heavy with raw lust that locked her in place.
Maria struggled to catch her breath, fighting to hold onto sanity even as he unraveled her.
"H-He might…suspect," she breathed.
His pace quickened, his finger circling faster.
Maria hid her face again, muting her voice against his chest, careful even now not to leave a trace of makeup on his suit.
Her hand dropped to grip the solid muscle of his forearm—uncertain if she was trying to pull him away or drag him even closer.
"This should be the last," his voice came as a whisper this time. "The last time Daniel is ever a topic between us."
Maria's fingers constricted around his arm, her lips parting as she released soft, quiet moans.
His finger swirled deeper, the friction of the thin lace heightening the intensity of his touch.
"I know how you desperately want our involvement behind closed doors," he said. "Rhea could walk in…"
Maria's breath hitched as his finger increased its pace.
She shivered; she was so close now, too far gone to care if the door opened.
Her body moved forward, and she began to press the curves of her chest against him, moving instinctively.
"…even Daniel or a staff," he continued, his own breaths strained. "It will be your fault if you keep making me react this way."
Maria nodded, lost in the sensation building in her core.
"W-We are supposed…to be transaction…"
His other hand rose to her waist, pulling and holding her firmly against him as his finger continued its work.
"S-Miles," she breathed, raising her face, desperately clinging to him as her legs tightened around his waist.
The fabric of her panties was wetter now, heavy with the evidence of his persistence.
"Am I understood, Maria?" he asked, his warm breath brushing against her face.
Maria whimpered.
Was he really going to make her break up with Daniel now?
She couldn't agree to this.
The pace of his finger slowed, intentionally dragging the sensation out until she was aching.
Her nails bit into his arm, wanting him to move faster.
"I'll keep going till I'm sure you're leaving to end things with Daniel," he said firmly.
Maria whimpered, her body pulsing with built-up need.
Daniel would suspect, she knew he would, but she wanted Miles to continue.
His finger picked up pace again, and her breath caught once more.
"Those morals you claim so faithfully," he continued, "are right now melting into my fingers and I want exclusive access. Am I understood?"
"Y-yes," she whispered, struggling to keep her sounds contained, her body now agonizingly sensitive under his touch.
"Si…rrr!" She gasped, her fingers digging into his back and arm in a wordless plea, no longer sure she could hold back the moans rising in her throat.
Miles leaned in, still moving his finger as he watched her helplessness—a small dark smile played on his lips.
How dare he? But she was too far gone to complain, too close.
And she needed to stay quiet.
Her eyes dropped to his mouth; there was no choice.
She smashed her lips against his, and he responded immediately, deepening the kiss and swallowing her sounds whole.
Maria's body jerked, her movements controlled only by him as she moaned into his mouth, reaching her climax in his hold.