Page 97 of When The Night Falls

‘Vi’s already notified me.’

I nodded. ‘Do you always charge out of your office as though you’re late for a flight?’

At the corners of his mouth, a smile threatened, but it never made it to full bloom. ‘As a matter of fact, I’m nearly late for a meeting.’

‘Right. Am I insured under the firm’s policy if I end up seriously injured next time you storm out of your office like a bull? Because I didn’t find that clause in my contract. “If your boss happens to run over you, you are entitled to compensation depending on the extent of your injuries”,’ I joked.

‘I’ll personally make amends if that happens,’ he said, and his tone was loaded with something I couldn’t distinguish. ‘Though, for next time, try not to be such a slow turtle.’

I shrugged. ‘Or, and hear me out, you could try walking next time, instead of bolting out like you’re trying to outrun The Flash.’

‘DC Comics?’ His head tilted as he caught the reference. ‘That was unexpected. Batman’s my favourite. Which one’s yours?’

I blinked. Was he flirting or just being friendly? I couldn’t seem to read him today.

‘Er, same actually,’ I said as a new wave of heat coloured my cheeks.

He chuckled. ‘Of course.’

I glanced down the aisle beside us. ‘Weren’t you running late?’

I detected a flicker of intrigue in his light-blue eyes as he stared down at me. Slowly, he released my arm and settled his hand on my back.

‘After you.’

He ushered me down the aisle. Acutely aware of his hand on my back, I heard my pulse drumming behind my ears while my heart appeared to have relocated to my throat. I was tempted to ask him to remove it but, at the same time, I never wanted him to.

We were quiet as we went to the conference room. I was grateful for that, because I wasn’t sure I would be able to string together any coherent sentences. His touch was far too distracting.

When we reached the door, I was about to open it for him, but he beat me to it. Pushing it open, he ushered me in first.

‘Mr Night,’ Mr Clifford greeted immediately, rising from his seat.

‘Mr Clifford.’ William smiled. ‘This is Miss Cara Darby, a new trainee of ours. She’ll be helping Miss Tallis with the report.’ As he introduced me, his head jerked in Ellie’s direction at the end of the table.

Violet studied me from head to toe from where she stood beside Mr Clifford, but I couldn’t guess what her thoughts were.

‘Hello,’ I greeted and walked over to shake hands with them. As I escaped William’s touch, I was struck by how cold my back felt without it. Odd. I had never noticed escaping someone’s hold quite so consciously.

Once I had greeted Gerard Clifford, I moved to greet his son, Tom Clifford, and then finally their financial adviser, Bo Zhang. Then I grabbed a seat beside Ellie, put my laptop on the table, and huffed out a quiet, anxious breath.

The meeting was intense. Though Frederick was present, it was clear he had left William in charge. Was it normal for a junior associate to lead a meeting like this or was it a testament to William’s competence?

Overcome with admiration, I observed as William led Mr Clifford and his son through the process of the congeneric merger and what it would entail. They discussed which information Day & Night would require to proceed, the specific technologies and sensitive information Clifford Paints had that required added security and which would also be included in the mutual non-disclosure agreement, as well as how soon we could pass said agreement to Craft Interior for signing. In the event that Craft Interior would sign, Clifford Paints would return to us with more information regarding the financial details for how they wanted to complete the transaction, as well as material for the legal due diligence process.

I didn’t dare to question the state of my underwear while I watched William. He was in his element, and it was awe-inspiring to witness. I had never been so desperate for a man’s sexual attention before, never been so aroused. I could almost hear my ovaries calling his name. Clever as he was, he was tantalising to a fault.

I could hardly fathom that I had managed to find my way into this astounding man’s bed. His brain nearly gave me an orgasm in and of itself.

Tormented, I sat there till the meeting finally concluded. When it did, I remained paralysed in my chair, flabbergasted. My face had been constantly flushed. I felt out of breath, for heaven’s sake. Under the table, I squeezed my thighs together, desperate for some friction, and shocked myself in the process. My fluids had not only drenched my knickers, but they had also lubricated the better part of my inner thighs. My skin was moist and sticky.

‘Cara?’ Ellie called when the solicitors had escorted our clients out of the room. My head jerked up, and I found her frowning at me.

‘You okay?’ she asked.

‘Yeah.’ I swallowed. ‘Just a bit overwhelmed.’

She smiled reassuringly. ‘Yeah, well, you’ll get used to it soon enough. It’s a fast-paced environment, but you shouldn’t feel intimidated. It’s always like that in the beginning. Everybody’s been there.’

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