Page 21 of Tied

Chapter 10

Riley

The image of him walking into the conference room will be engraved in my brain forever because I have never seen a man quite like him.

I have never seen a man who looks like this. I have never seen a man who moves the way he does, with confidence running through every fiber of his being, all the way down to the tips of his fingers.

Cain Hewett is the most sought-after client this company has ever pursued, or so I have been told. He is associated with one of the largest cybersecurity providers on the market, and he is interested in our product.

A product that runs on my code.

It’s a sad reality that this last part won’t play a significant role in whatever happens with the program. Because, while I may have perfected this code, I wasn’t the lead software engineer working on the project, so the praise doesn’t go to me, but to my slightly more experienced and older colleague, Elijah. That’s just the way it is. He has been working here longer, he was the one in charge—and he is the one who gets to shake Mr. Hewett’s hand first when he joins our anxious little group in the only conference room this small firm has.

I stand in the far back, nervously fiddling with my restless hands while my eyes are glued to the out-of-this-world handsome man who could decide the future of our entire team.

I was tense even before he showed up due to the tremendous importance of this meeting, but now I’m barely able to stop the trembling that consumes my entire body, and my head especially.

“Chill, chill, chill,” I hiss to myself, hoping that my voice is low enough not to be overheard by everyone around me busily exchanging pleasantries.

But, of course, he hears.

Mr. Hewett’s probing gaze turns in my direction, one eyebrow slightly arched as he investigates me.

I move as if on command, approaching him with my hand stretched out like a robot and a generic greeting on my lips.

“Prey, junior developer,” I introduce myself as our hands meet. “It’s nice to meet you.”

A smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth when he responds.

“Hewett, pleasure.”

Heat rushes to my face immediately, and it doesn’t get better when he refuses to let go of my hand. His handshake is firm and domineering from the beginning, accompanied by a subtle pull that I cannot ignore.

I try to remove my hand from his, but instead of letting go, his grip only intensifies, holding me back with such force that I almost stumble forward.

“Prey, huh,” he says, his voice low and laced with mystery. “What a promising name.”

I think I’m actually gasping at his remark.

Promising? What the hell is he talking about?

Mr. Hewett seems visibly amused at my confused state of shock. The smirk on his face widens into a grin, but at least he finally lets go of my hand.

See, it was weird between us from the beginning. Because he made it weird. While he was all professional during the meeting—hardly ever looking in my direction as he followed our presentation, asking just the kind of questions that we were prepared for—his demeanor changed as soon as we were alone together.

And we were only ever alone together because he made it happen.

Because on that day, only hours after the meeting when we first met, he waited for me downstairs as I was about to head home. I left the office building in a hurry, my eyes down on the screen of my phone and my mind occupied with the question of what I wanted to have for dinner that evening.

And then there he was. He manifested right before me, blocking my path with his presence so that I almost bumped into him. I flinched in surprise, tilting my head back, ready to apologize, when I was floored by his sudden appearance.

“Hello, Miss Prey,” he said, again with that mischievous smile on his face.

“Mr... Hewett,” I stuttered in response, casting him an insecure smile as I tried to make sense of his sudden appearance. My mind was rattling right away, trying to find a reason as to why on Earth he would be here—and why the hell he would approach me like that, making it seem as if he had waited for me down here.

“Did you... did you forget anything upstairs?” I tried the first assumption that came to mind.

And my heart almost stopped when he shook his head in response, a condescending smile on his face.

---