He locks his door and falls into step beside me as we head toward the elevator. The ride down is quiet but comfortable, the kind of silence that doesn’t need filling. Outside, the morning air is cool and sharp. Lucien lifts a hand, flagging down a taxi like he’s done it a thousand times.
We slide into the back seat. The city moves past the windows, horns, traffic, people rushing toward their own lives. For a moment neither of us says anything. Then I feel it.
His hand. Gently slipping into mine. Like it belongs there. I glance at him, but he doesn’t look back. His gaze stays on the street ahead while his thumb slowly moves across my knuckles. I don’t pull away. Instead, I let my fingers curl around his. When the taxi stops outside the office building, he’s still holding my hand. We step out onto the sidewalk together, and he doesn’t let go. We walk toward the entrance like that. Until I see Andrew standing near the doors.
Watching.
I slip my hand out of Lucien’s quickly. He notices immediately, but instead of looking annoyed, his mouth curves slightly. As we walk closer, he leans toward me just enough that his voice drops low. “I’ve never really been anyone’s secret,” he murmurs.
His eyes flick toward Andrew for a brief second before returning to mine. “But I have to admit…” A slow smile spreads across his face. “I kind of like being yours.”
I spend most of the day trying to avoid Lucien or at least attempting to. Normally I’m very good at avoiding people. Years of social awkwardness have turned it into a survival skill. But today my brain refuses to cooperate. Every time someone walks past the glass offices, my eyes drift up automatically, searching.
Looking for him.
Which is how I completely miss half of what Andrew is saying. “Era.” I blink. Andrew is standing across from me, arms crossed, frustration clearly tightening his jaw. “Are you okay?”
“Uh-huh,” I say automatically. But my eyes are already drifting past him again, scanning the hallway.
Andrew exhales sharply. “You’re not focused today. At all. I don’t know what’s going on with you, but this is the third time I’ve had to repeat myself.”
“Uh-huh,” I say again, nodding vaguely.
His expression darkens. “Era.” My attention is still somewhere behind him, trying to catch a glimpse of Lucien through the moving bodies in the corridor. Andrew’s voice snaps louder. “Era! Have you heard a word I’ve said?”
My head jerks back toward him. “Yes.” His eyebrow lifts skeptically. “You said the projections from the second quarter need to be cross-checked with the revised revenue sheets before 3pm’s presentation because the numbers don’t align with the forecast.”
Andrew pauses.
“…Correct.” He looks slightly surprised. Then suspicious. He opens his mouth, clearly preparing something snarky. “You know Era, I—“
“Hey, Era.” A deep voice interrupts and both of us turn. Lucien is standing in the doorway and the room suddenly feels smaller. “Do you have a moment?” he asks casually.
Andrew straightens immediately. “Lucien. James is assigned to be your secretary. Anything Era knows how to do, James can do too. Probably three times better.”
Lucien’s expression doesn’t change. “Actually,” he says smoothly, “we’re switching.”
Andrew frowns. “Switching?”
“You’re taking James.” Lucien gestures lightly toward me. “Era, come with me.”
Andrew shakes his head immediately. “No, we can’t do that. Era has a project—”
Lucien tilts his head slightly. “You just said James does it three times better.”
Andrew blinks.
Lucien’s gaze shifts to me.
“Era.”
The way he says my name feels less like a request and more like a decision that’s already been made. Andrew looks between us, clearly annoyed but unwilling to argue further. After a moment, he just nods stiffly. I follow Lucien out of the office, my heart beating too fast. As soon as we turn down the hallway I whisper urgently, “Lucien, I need this job. I really don’t want to end up in HR because whatever this is—”
He opens his office door and ushers me inside. Before I can finish the sentence, he presses the privacy button beside the wall. The glass panels darken instantly. From the outside, no one can see in. From the inside, we can see everything. I barely have time to process it before he turns back toward me.
Then he grabs me. The kiss is immediate. Deep. Hungry. Like he’s been holding himself back all day and finally run out of patience. My hands instinctively grab his jacket as he pulls me closer.
“I haven’t seen you all day,” he murmurs against my mouth. “You’re driving me insane.”