Page 46 of Ardent Desires

“Come on,” I mutter, hitting the power button repeatedly. Still nothing. I look over at Lena, who’s pretending to be busy with something on her screen.

“Hey, Lena,” I call out, already feeling the irritation bubbling up inside me. “What the hell happened to my computer?”

She glances up, her expression indifferent. “No idea.”

I grit my teeth, trying to keep my cool. “Great. Just great.”

With a frustrated sigh, I grab my things and head down to the IT department, silently praying that they can fix this mess. The rest of my day is spent running back and forth, trying to get someone to look at my computer. I finally manage to flag down the IT guy, Marcus, but even he’s stumped.

“I’m gonna need a few hours,” Marcus tells me, his fingers flying over the keyboard. “Your system is fried.”

“Perfect,” I mutter under my breath, rubbing my temples. “Just let me know when it’s done.”

It’s already past three when my phone rings. I glance at the screen and see Alexander’s name flash across it. My heart does a little flip, but I’m too exhausted to feel excited about it right now.

“Hey,” I answer, trying to sound more upbeat than I feel.

“Where are you?” His voice is smooth but firm, and I can hear the underlying concern. “I haven’t seen you at your desk all day.”

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “My computer had an issue. I’ve been stuck in the IT department trying to get it fixed.”

“So, you haven’t seen my emails?” he asks.

“No,” I say, suddenly realizing just how behind I must be. “I’m sorry. I haven’t seen anything. Marcus is working on it now, but—”

“I’m coming down,” he cuts in.

“No, please don’t,” I say quickly, feeling the panic rise. “Marcus is handling it. I’ll be able to work later, but I’m not sure if we can still do dinner tonight.”

There’s a pause on the other end, and I can practically hear the disappointment in his voice when he responds. “Call me as soon as you’re done with the IT guy, okay?”

“Okay,” I nod, even though he can’t see me. “I will.”

The rest of the afternoon drags on, and by the time Marcus finally fixes my laptop, it’s six. I’m tired, cranky, and starving. When I make it back upstairs, Lena’s already gone for the day. Good riddance.

I pull out my phone to call Alexander, but before I can dial, his office door opens, and there he is, looking as put together and handsome as ever. The sight of him makes my heart skip a beat, and I can’t help but smile up at him.

He walks over, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. “What happened?”

I groan, leaning into him for a second. “I lost most of my files. And like all the emails from last week. I’m going to have to reach out to all the clients and get everything back in order.”

He frowns, his hand resting on my lower back. “That’s frustrating.”

“Tell me about it,” I sigh. “I’m already behind.”

He smirks, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “How about this—you set up in my office, and we can burn the midnight oil together?”

I blink up at him, surprised. “I just got my computer fixed. I wouldn’t know how to assemble it again.”

He raises an eyebrow. “You forget I’m basically an IT specialist? I could’ve fixed that thing in half the time.”

I laugh, the tension in my body easing just a little. “Alright, Mr. IT Specialist. Work your magic.”

We walk into his office, and I flop down on the couch, too tired to even pretend to be productive right now. I watch him as he starts setting up my computer at his desk, his brow furrowed in concentration, and I can’t help but smile. There’s something incredibly sexy about the way he’s so focused, so competent.

“You know,” he says, glancing over at me with a smirk, “I could just get you a new computer. Would probably save us both some trouble.”

“No preferential treatment, babe,” I reply, the word slipping out before I can stop it.

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