“Right away,” she replied, already standing.
She gathered her tablet and a folder of reports—props to make the visit look professional—and walked to his office with measured steps. From across the floor, Kavya watched her, eyes narrowed with suspicion. She had never seen Ishani look so flushed when entering Raghav’s office.
His voice came through, cool and controlled. “Come in.”
She slipped inside, closing the door behind her. Raghav leaned against his desk, tie loosened, hair slightly mussed as if he’d been running his fingers through it. The moment the lock clicked, his expression changed, control giving way to raw hunger.
Before she could react, Raghav had reached her in long strides. Her back hit the door. He didn’t touch her, just placed his palms flat against the wood on either side of her head, caging her in with his body. The heat of him radiated through his shirt, warming her skin through layers of fabric.
“I’m trying to work,” she said, clutching her folder to her chest like a shield.
“So am I.” His eyes dropped to her mouth. “It’s not going well.”
The folder and tablet fell from her hands as his mouth came down on hers. Her fingers found his tie, using it to pull him closer as his hands slid down to her waist. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, demanding entry she immediately granted.
His hands slid down to her hips, pulling her against him so there wasn’t even air between them. The hard line of his body settled flush against hers, deliberate and unmistakable, his grip tightening just enough to make her aware of exactly how much he wanted her. She made a little noise, somewhere between “oh” and “mmm”, which his kiss swallowed right up. When he finally let her breathe, they were both panting like they’d run up ten flights of stairs.
“Board meeting,” she reminded him, though her brain felt fuzzy and warm.
“Who cares about the board,” he muttered, his mouth now busy with her neck.
She tipped her head back. “You have slides to present.”
“Yeah.” His teeth gently scraped her collarbone. “Not interested.”
“Raghav.” She pushed against his chest, creating just enough space to think. “Ansh is going to come looking for you in like five minutes.”
He made an annoyed sound but stepped back, his eyes still hot as they moved over her face. “Later, then.”
It wasn’t a question, but she nodded anyway.
“I’m driving you home,” he said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“Okay.”
He backed away like it physically hurt, fixing his tie while she smoothed down her blouse and picked up her dropped things. They stood there for a second, just breathing, trying to look normal again.
His mouth curved into a boyish grin. “I never knew sneaking around could be this thrilling,” he whispered, eyes bright with mischief. “It’s like we’re in one of those movies.”
“Which movies?” she asked, fighting a smile.
He leaned closer, his breath warm against her ear. “The ones where they can’t keep their hands off each other.”
Her cheeks flushed hot. Before she could respond, someone knocked.
“Boss? Everyone’s waiting,” Ansh called through the door.
Just like that, Raghav’s CEO face snapped back on. “Be right there.”
Ishani moved away from the door, putting proper work distance between them. Raghav winked at her—quick and playful—before grabbing his jacket from his chair and heading out to face the board.
???
Tuesday, the afternoon staff meeting started at 2:15 sharp. Raghav stood at the head of the table, perfectly composed as he outlined the quarterly targets. Ishani sat three seats down, taking notes, keeping her eyes on her tablet instead of on the way his hands moved as he spoke.
“The Singapore numbers look solid,” he was saying, “but we need more aggressive expansion into the Malaysian market.Ishani has prepared a detailed analysis of potential acquisition targets.”
She nodded, pulling up the relevant files on the conference room screen. Their fingers brushed as she handed him the laser pointer, and something in his expression flickered.