d be so strong. There was something about being with Lachlan, being close to him, and hearing him laugh. It mak

intended to cross that boundary. But as days went on,

o confident. He was strong, successful, and influ

no one else was in the room, I found it impossible not to be

k and thin, who knew me in and out, every secret and every flaw of mine. I had a

while I felt I'd stood still. I never felt good enough. I wasn't too

. Or maybe Lachlan needed someone to talk to... to play with.... And I was there, as the devoted helper, as the one w

k. I didn't think much of it at first, but then... the spark wa

ith him, the way his eyes softened, the way his lips were slightly parted

corners of the office, the occasional shared rush when no one

someone who would be there to give him comfort at a time when he needed

the one he came to at night when he was tired, the one who made him forget about all the stress of his company and his life. And L

Fiona," or "I wanted to make sure you're not overworking y

beside each other. But the silence was never uncomfortable. The space was charged with an

just a bit too close when he spoke to me. The lingering st

re ours alone. We would laugh and joke, and sometimes I would lay my head on his

me he stared at me or leaned in to kiss me when we thought we were all alone, I didn't care. I was telling myself t

tiful to be compared to; I was something else. I had Lachlan's

ce started t

es. A smile in privacy with no one around. But then the whispers be

ct the dots, but we worked hard to keep our affair secret. We had to. It would be a

ng he had built-it would be destroyed

't help the fact that my heart beat a little too fast

he hovered a little too long nex

d each minute we spent together was a precar

ng through some papers in my office. I glanced at the clock.

no one would notice me. Lachlan was on his way out of his office, with a sm

he cold, steely CEO usually crumbled whenever

day," I whispered a

"Always. But I'm glad I work with

ke; the electrifying feelings were o

aying and adored the

ttle closer to him, just within smelling distance of the li

nly palpable. "You work too hard. You need a break, Fio

tle and filled with longing. The world did not exist outside the moment when o

way, my breathing shaky. "Lachlan," I whis

n my cheek. "I know," he whispe

his office. He looked me in the eyes and said, I love you more than you ca

we made passionate love that evening, right the

exclaimed. "It's for you, from my heart," he said. "Thank you, Lachlan," I appreciated. "It's

one of my behavior had gone under someone's observant radar; however, people noticed the eyes Lachlan would place o

e were together in those stolen minutes, then I was winning. In the end, I w

t even sure I could pull back.... Not now. Not when it s

ing to feel so