I freeze for a second because… wow. Dark hair, sharp features, and piercing eyes that study me like I’m an equation.
He’s not just a corporate guy in a suit. He has an energy, something commanding and dangerous.
Intimidating, even.
I clear my throat and force myself to walk forward. “Mornin’! I’ve got a delivery for you.”
Still nothing.
Just that steady, unreadable gaze.
Okay, weird.
I shift my weight, gripping the box tighter. “Uh, it’s a birthday order. Muffins, bagels, and a cake.” I wait for something, a place to put everything, but I’m still met with silence. “Do you have a spot for me?”
“It’s not my birthday.”
I blink. “What?”
He tilts his head like he’s still confused about why I’m in his office. “I said it’s not my birthday.”
My stomach drops.
Oh no. Did I mess up the order?
Placing the pink boxes down with a gentle thud, I notice I set them all over the folders on his desk. I scramble to check the receipt, scanning it for the items ordered and the name.
No, it’s all correct.
“Are you sure?” I ask before I can stop myself. “I mean… sorry. It says here that someone named Artem placed the order for you. Maybe it was supposed to be a surprise?”
Benedikt—or Mr. Volkov, I guess—doesn’t look thrilled. But he also doesn’t say anything to contradict it.
Instead, he sets down his coffee and asks, “What kind of cake?”
That throws me off. I was expecting him to demand an explanation or kick me out, not ask about the cake like it matters.
“It’s a…” I glance at the receipt again. “Chocolate espresso bourbon cake with salted caramel frosting.”
His brows lift slightly, the closest thing to a reaction I’ve seen so far. “Mhmm.”
That’s it? Mhmm?
I clear my throat, shifting the box toward him. Now that I’m closer, I get a better look at him. At the sharp angles of his face, the way his dark hair is perfectly in place, and, most of all, those blue eyes.
They’re striking, intense, like the kind that pin you in place and make you forget how to form words. Paired with his broad shoulders and the way he carries himself, it’s an unfair combination.
I swallow, suddenly feeling a little too warm.
Great. Just great.
“There are also some lavender honey bagels, sun-dried tomato and basil bagels, matcha white chocolate, and pineapple macadamia muffins.” I glance up, watching for another reaction.
Nothing, just a slow sip of coffee.
I sigh internally.
Tough crowd.
