Owned by the CEO

The Calm Before the Fire

♥ Jethro ♥

The conference room was already full when I walked in. The voices were low but charged with anticipation. They quieted instantly as I stepped through the glass doors. Good. I liked silence. It gave me control. A dozen eyes tracked me as I moved to the head of the obsidian table, but mine didn’t stray toward them. Not really. Because she was there. Chloe Samuel sat three seats down on the right, her tablet rested neatly in front of her, pen in hand. Her hair was swept to one side, and it caught the light from the massive windows that overlooked Velmora’s glittering skyline. She didn’t look up when I entered, but her stillness told me everything. She was aware of me. The way I was aware of her. It had been three days since that night. Three days since I kissed her like I had every right, and she had slapped me like I didn’t. I still felt the phantom sting of her palm. And worse, I still felt the taste of her lips. I forced myself into my chair. This wasn’t the time or place for indulgence.

“Let’s begin,” I said coolly, and the room seemed to contract as everyone straightened. Victor, my marketing lead, adjusted his tie nervously.

“Mr. Jotham, regarding the Sovereign Heights gala, invitations have been distributed to all key investors. Press coverage is already mounting. We expect the event to dominate Velmora’s feeds by tomorrow evening,”

“Good,” I said. “Security protocols?”

“Triple-checked, sir. Guest list encrypted. No one gets in without clearance,”

“Make sure of it,” I replied sharply. “This isn’t just another charity auction. If anyone leaks details before the reveal, they will regret it,” Victor swallowed hard and nodded. As the team ran through updates, catering menus, floral arrangements, and the string quartet’s arrival times, I listened with half an ear. Outwardly, I was composed, issuing approvals and corrections as needed. But inwardly, my thoughts strayed. To her. Every time I let my gaze shift, even for a second, it found Chloe. The graceful slope of her shoulders beneath her soft cream blouse. The way her pen hovered above the tablet, poised and elegant. The faint flush on her cheeks whenever she sensed my eyes on her. I wanted to know if she was still thinking about that night. Because I hadn’t stopped thinking about it. I could still feel her pressed against me, the warmth of her body that fitted so perfectly against mine. For one devastating moment, she had kissed me back. And then she had torn away and left me standing there like a man who had lost all sense. She hadn’t quit. She hadn’t demanded reassignment. But she hadn’t said a word about it either. It was driving me insane.

“Mr. Jotham?” Victor’s voice snapped me back.

“Yes?”

“Would you like us to proceed with the Sovereign Heights press preview on Thursday, or delay it?”

“Push it back two days,” I said.

“Yes, sir,” he said, and the meeting dragged on for another twenty minutes. By the time I dismissed them, I felt like a wolf pacing a cage.

“Chloe,” I called out, and she froze, her tablet halfway into her bag.

“Yes, sir?”

“Stay,” I ordered. The others filed out quickly, their shoes clicking against the marble floor until the door shut behind them. Silence settled between us, thick and heavy. She turned slowly to face me, clutching the strap of her bag like it was a lifeline. Her brown eyes met mine for the first time in days, and I hated how guarded they were. “Are we going to talk about it?” I asked, my voice low.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she said softly.

“You slapped me,” I reminded her.

“You kissed me,” she shot back. I smirked faintly despite myself.

“And you kissed me back,”

“That was a mistake,”

“Was it?” I rose from my chair and circled the table slowly, my gaze locked on her. “Because it didn’t feel like one,” her breath hitched.

“This can’t happen again,”

“Then tell me you don’t want it to,” I dared her, and she stiffened. I stopped a foot away from her. Close enough to see the faint freckles dusting her nose. Close enough to smell the soft floral perfume that had haunted my sleep for three nights. “Tell me, and I’ll never touch you again,” I said. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Her silence was all the answer I needed. “Chloe…”

“Don’t,” she suddenly hissed out as she got to her feet and put as much distance between us that the room provided. “What is this? Am I a toy? A play thing for your entertainment?” she fired off the questions so quickly that I froze. “I need this job, Jethro, I am…I cannot…please, just…don’t,”

“Understood,” I said softly. Her eyes went wide for a moment, and I wanted to believe she had changed her mind. But then her features hardened, and she nodded. I watched as she took a deep breath, straightened her blouse, and left the room. The soft click of the door closing behind her snapped me out of it. Was she right? Was she just a toy? I wasn’t exactly a single man. I had a public partner. I wasn’t interested in a relationship. I never had been and yet, I was drawn to her. Why? But she had made it clear. She didn’t want it. She didn’t want me, and I wasn’t about to force myself on her. I took a deep breath and left the room. I headed back to my office. I was surprised to see a handwritten note on my table.

I’m taking the rest of the day off. Chloe.

I groaned as I leaned back in my chair and stared out of the window. Why would she take the rest of the day off? Did she have an interview somewhere else? Should I be worried? I was tempted to call her and demand that she stay. But I couldn’t do that. No. What I needed to do was move on.

♥ ♥ ♥