ss. It hadn't been difficult. Her promotion to senior partner had brought with it exactly the demanding schedule she'd predi

ke it his regular workspace as well. But their interactions had been carefully cordial, the kind of polite exchanges

about "stubborn people who can't see what's right in front of them." But Jade had pe

new clients she'd acquired in rapid succession. Instead, she found herself hyperaware of Damien's presence, tracking his movement

earms, jeans that suggested he was spending less time in boardrooms and more time building something from the ground up. His

paying attentio

ls and empty coffee cups. The Henderson Group had requested a complete rebrand proposal by Friday morning, wh

ilarly impossible deadlines. Jade's team had gone home hours ago, leaving her to fine-tune the d

d analysis of demographic da

ay lighting, even the emergency exit signs that were supposed to stay illuminated no matter what. The building was

ered, reaching for her ph

n the hallway outside her office, accompanied by a

mi

r voice echoing strangely in th

ght preceding Damien into the room. He swept the light across the space until it found h

e," he said

ainst the brightness of his phone'

Working too late on something th

ng here? In t

." Damien moved closer, his flashlight illuminating more of the room. "The security gu

w l

tors are supposed to kick in, but

everything in an eerie red glow that was somehow worse than complete darkness. The temperature-cont

ound at her scattered work ma

resent

be explaining to the Henderson Group why their multi-million-dollar

le, surveying the organized chaos of h

aphics, financial projections. Nothing I can

u're s

stu

de the familiar space feel intimate and unfamiliar. Jade was acutely aware that they were alone together for the fir

aid finally. "Might be more comfortable than confer

W

ark building, do you? Besides, my work is jus

n avoiding, the sort of forced intimacy that could undermine all her careful professional boundaries. But the alt

into some semblance of order. "But I nee

lighting, it was obviously expensive, all leather furniture and abstract art that probably cost more than Jade's annual sal

phone providing additional light as she sorted through printed materials

ien said after watching her work

hy

x hours of work in your head, and talking through it might help cl

t made no practical difference to the final result, a habit that served

stomer base," she began, using her phone to illuminate the demographic c

heir curr

tworthy. The kind of company you

roblem wit

need to attract younger consumers without losi

inging him near enough that Jade could smell his cologne, that

your s

y, modernize the messaging, but keep the core values prominent. Show that

ow

bined phone flashlights to illuminate charts and mockups. He asked intelligent questions, offered insi

heir heads bent over the materials spread between them. The emergency lighting had dimmed further

sketched by hand. "The way you've balanced the traditional element

the impact comes from the visual execution,

u recre

not in ten days, depend

ork, her first major project as senior partner, potentially destroyed by a power grid fai

hand covering hers on the coffe

t looks like my career is about to be der

Jade. You're too good at what you d

. This is my chance to prove I deserve the partnership,

e clients o

erson Group would understand about the power outage, would reschedule if necessary. It was her own perfect

he admitt

electricity up her arm. "What if you stopped trying to prove yours

to fight for every opportunity, never had to

"You think building a consulting firm from nothing is easy? You think clients a

really seeing the exhaustion in his eyes, the tension in his shoulders that

about it that

oth trying to build something that matters. May

was aware of how close they were sitting, how Damien's hand was still cover

e you su

his thing between us doesn't exist. Maybe we ac

mie

hen we're in the same room. The way every conversa

ling herself it was just inconvenient attraction that would fade with time and distance. But sitting here in the dark

plicated," s

things usu

cup her cheek. His thumb traced across her cheekbo

on't want this, and I'll move back to my corner of

ness to respect whatever boundary she set. It would be so easy to choose safety, to maintai

r carefully planned career strategy, Jade realized that safety was an illusion. Life was goi

sruptions alone or with someone who made her feel mo

you to stop,

ure. He leaned closer, his forehead resting against

you s

ords, Jade closed the remai

uch intensity might shatter the moment. But when Jade's lips parted under his, when

. Jade's hands found their way to his chest, feeling the solid warmth of

desperate touches and breathless sighs. Jade had never experienced anything like it, the way her ent

the first time in weeks. The emergency lighting, the scattered work materials, the confined space that h

iled off, unable to find words for

amien finished, his vo

uld see the way the red lighting cast shadows across the strong line of his jaw. Jade found herself stu

ens now?"

re just colleagues who happ

ofessio

ut personally..." Damien's hand traced down her arm, sending shivers across h

both. Career and personal.

ogether. No pressure, no ex

bility of not facing life's challenges alone. She'd been independent for so long, had prided herself on not needing anyone else's

rrifying,"

ying or bad

e there's a

still rested. "There's definitely a difference. Bad terrifying makes you wa

ch one i

tel

o excitement. Uncertainty, but also a sense of rightness that she'd been trying to ignore fo

ying," she s

See what h

ency lighting that's probably going to fail complete

ked in the red glow. "

emergency lighting created an intimate cocoon that separated them from the rest of the world. She could feel th

ck on," she said, but he

Are you hop

ed everything she'd been working toward. Then she looked back at Damien, at the desire and patience in h

whispered.

ed weeks of denied attraction into the contact, letting herself fall into the sensati

take. When his hands moved to her waist, pulling her closer, Jade went willingly

f the city below. The emergency lighting cast everything in intimate shadows, makin

in that made Jade gasp and arch against him. She could feel the restraint in his touch, the

athed, his name a

want," he murmured

. Stop analyzing every d

help wi

s of her blouse, pausing at t

he buttons free. The cool air of the office hit her skin, but Damien's tou

ach other's bodies through touch and whispered encouragement. Jade had neve

entirely. The careful control she'd maintained for weeks, years, was crumbling under his s

wer outage might have been caused by more than equipment failure. The s

lost the thread of the thought as Damien's

he asked, his voice mu

't rem

ith something deeper. "We should probably talk about what this means. What h

om. In a few hours, the emergency lighting would be replaced by fluorescent brightness, and she'd have

there was only Damien and the connec

his mouth back to hers. "

xecutive lounge. Inside, Jade and Damien created their own weather system, a tempest o

couch, Jade's head on Damien's chest, his arms wrapped around her like

out," Jade murmured

rrible t

hand traced lazy patterns on her back. For the first time in years, Jade felt com

time i

e screen providing a brief burst

til I'm supposed to prese

explain that sometimes the most important th

ncerity in his expression even in the dim lighting

et. But I'd lik

plan for how personal involvement could fit into her professional trajectory. But lying in Damien's arms, listening to the

she said

ka

s fin

ive lounge with harsh fluorescent light that made them both blink and squint. The spell of the

nd tangled hair. In the normal lighting, their intimate cocoon felt exposed, inap

then stopped, unsure ho

n," Damien said gently, sitting up

rocess what had happened between them, only made the situation more complicated. It would have bee

ently as she gathered her scattered work material

when she reached th

ea

nigh

l talk about it later, after you'

er chest. Jade nodded and headed for the bathroom to repair the damage to her appearance, leaving

rinted materials and a presentation rebuilt from memory and margin notes, Jade discovered s

e of connecting with people and helping them see new possibilities. Her presentation was more engaging than it would have been with

p signed the contr

t represented everything she'd been working toward, she found herself thinking

tions on the Henderson contract. Maya to

choose safety, could frame the previous night as a moment of weakness brought on by unusual circumstanc

at 7. But this time, you

ately: It would be my pl

was smiling. Not the professional smile she wore for clients and colleagues, but something genuine and ung

was learning, wer