What the hell am I doing fantasizing about Valentin while he's literally right across the room? I shift in my seat, uncomfortably aware of the heat between my legs.
God, I'm losing my mind. I shouldn’t even be thinking of him in this way, when just days ago, he was torturing a man with pliers in his hand. I should be sick just looking at him. Instead, I’m imagining what it’d be like if he turned that smile on me.
What the hell is this…Stockholm syndrome?
I glance at Valentin, who's thankfully still on the phone and hasn't noticed my little trip to fantasy land. But watchinghim now, knowing what I just imagined, makes it impossible to concentrate and far too easy to forget that violent side of him.
This is his fault. If he hadn't forced me into this bizarre arrangement, I wouldn't be trapped here with no outlet for my... frustrations. I wouldn't be having inappropriate thoughts about a man who's basically my captor.
I turn back to my computer, the irritation prickling under my skin. It’s his goddamn fault I can’t work. I never should have agreed to this office situation in the first place.
The rest of the afternoon crawls by as I try and fail to catch up on my projects, hyper-aware of Valentin's every movement.
“Gela?”
“What?” I snap, not bothering to look up.
“Was just asking if you want coffee,” Valentin’s amused voice rings in my ears.
“Can’t you see? I’m working. Stop bothering me!”
I don’t mean to snap, but honestly, he’s snapped at me all day, and now I’ve got way too much work on my hands.
“Okay,” he says, like nothing even happened. I know one more thing about Valentin Yuri to be a fact: That man’s got skin as thick as an elephant’s. I have half the mind to storm up to him and give him a list of reasons why it’s impossible to work with him around me, but none of those reasons seem professional enough to say out loud.
What will I say exactly? Hey, Valentin, you’re way too sexy to focus around?
And just like that, I’m spiraling with thoughts of him again. But then my phone rings, and I actually sigh with relief.
Talking to someone who isn’t him will help keep me grounded.
“Gela Jones speaking,” I answer brightly, sitting up straight.
“Ms. Jones, my name is Marcus Thompson from Everest Solutions. We're interested in discussing your marketing services for our upcoming product launch.”
Suddenly, I’m on the ball. Everest Solutions is a major tech firm, and this could be huge for my business. “I'd be happy to discuss that with you, Mr. Thompson. What kind of campaign are you looking for?”
As he outlines their needs, I can barely contain my excitement. This is exactly the kind of high-profile client that could prove that our Fitness Haven account isn’t just a fluke, but that we’ve arrived to play with the big boys.
“We'd need to move quickly on this,” he continues. “Our launch is scheduled for next quarter. Could we set up a meeting at your office this week?”
“I'm actually working remotely at the moment,” I explain. “But we could do a video call tomorrow if that works for you.”
“I'd prefer in-person for this initial meeting,” he insists. “Perhaps I could come to your home office? Just need an address to send the contract over.”
This is when a warning bell begins to ring. Clients aren’t usually this pushy, and in my field of work, a remote office isn’t all that abnormal.
“We can sign contracts electronically,” I counter. “No need for paper copies these days.”
“My investors are old school,” he presses. “They insist on physical signatures. It's a quirk, but what can you do? Just give me your address, and we can move forward.”
I catch Valentin looking at me now. He's heard enough to be suspicious.
“I understand, but I’m not in town,” I lie.
“I can fly to meet you,” he says, a little too fast. Suddenly, my heart begins to race, and not in a good way. My entire nervous system is screaming at me to be alert. No self-respecting, busy executive working on a company this huge would be willing to fly for a signature.
I test my theory. “Why don’t you e-mail the contract, and I can sign and mail it back to you? There’ll be no need for you to fly.”
