Page 6 of Destined To Fall

“I don’t typically give that to clients, so whatever you do, don’t lose it or pass it around.” I give him a pointed look, and he agrees, putting it in his wallet before dropping it in the top drawer of his desk.“Well then, I’ll be on my way. I’ll see you Saturday. Don’t be late.”

“Oh, I’ll walk you out.” He rises as I do, but I wave him off.

“No need. I won’t get lost or cause any trouble.” I wink, making Maxwell chuckle.

“Until Saturday, then.”

I let myself out and smile politely at his stuffy secretary on my way past, wondering if she knows or suspects what I do for a living. I bet she’d pitch a fit. Especially if she knew I make more in a month than she does all year. It makes me grin.

I spend the ride down fishing out my cell and typing out a text message to Antony, telling him we need to reschedule the time on Saturday—he’s monopolized me for more than a week, one adjustment of my own won’t kill him—then I remember Mr. Boy-Next-Door.

My pulse hums thinking about his electrifying blue eyes and the hypnotic way they drank me in. Unlike most men who strip me naked the second their eyes land on my body, he did not. There was something different in his gaze I couldn’t decipher.

Shit, what time is it? I glance at the time on my cell before sending the text and stow it back in my clutch as the elevator doors ping open, realizing I’ve been with Maxwell for over an hour.Oops.Maybe he got bored waiting and left. I wouldn’t be opposed to that. I don’t do lunch. Or dates. I should just sneak out—although he did pique my interest in the space of a few minutes. Interesting. That’s twice in a matter of days.

I poke my head out of the open elevator, a little apprehensive, earning myself some peculiar looks from a few people getting in. The coast looks clear, other than a group of men by the exit. I’m tentatively making my way toward the glass doors when a laugh draws my gaze, and I find him in the center of the group, surrounded by Asian businessmen, all talking animatedly in…Japanese?

He laughs again at something one of them says, his head tipping back slightly and his whole body shaking. I get lost for a moment watching him when his head drops down, and his eyes land on me.Crap.

My gaze snaps forward with a sharp intake of breath—busted—and I make a beeline for the doors, but I don’t get far. My heart stills with a jolt when a warm hand wraps around my wrist, pulling me to a stop before I can clear the group. My skin alights at the touch, and I look up from the smooth, long fingers to discover the boyish face staring at me.

“Leaving without me?” He gives me a mischievous grin. Still holding my arm, he turns back to the group behind him.“Excuse me, gentlemen. I must bid you good day. This beauty waits for no man.” He lowers his head in a bow. The men chuckle and follow suit. Rising, he steps farther out of the circle and next to me.“Shall we?”

“You speak Japanese?” I blurt out.

“Hai.” He chuckles.

“I’m impressed.” And I am—it’s not an easy language to learn.

“Good. Let’s hope I can maintain that.”

Removing his hand from my wrist, he trails his fingers up and around to my back. His reverent touch sends chills along my skin as he moves close behind me to my right, resting his hand at the small of my back before ushering me toward the entrance. I’m so caught up in the feeling of his palm, his pinkie finger centimeters from the curve of my ass, and the heat radiating from his touch that I don’t notice until it’s too late. He’s walking us into the revolving doors.

“Oh, god!”

His arms instinctively wrap around me as I collide with his solid chest, turning to bolt, but the door pushes behind us, moving our bodies closer together and into the spinner of death.

“You’re not even going to fake a call before running out on me?”

His gentle laughter vibrates through him and into my arms pressing against his chest. Our shoes slide against the floor, the door continuing to push us further in before it stops all together.

“Vivienne?”

My name draws my attention, and I look up from his lips, just inches from mine to his eyes, once again piercing me with their intensity, but this time the corners curve with concern.

He tightens his hold around my waist and turns me an inch to the right, allowing his feet room to step forward and a hand to activate the mechanical door again. I’m a grown-ass woman, but I cling to him like he’s the teddy bear and I’m the three-year-old afraid of the boogeyman. I’ve lost my mind.

Pressing me to his side, he takes me with him, stepping out onto the bustling sidewalk and into the warm summer air of freedom. My pulse is frantic, ringing a crazy crescendo in my ears as I stare mindlessly in front of us. The people passing by pay no mind to the crazy woman having a mental breakdown for no apparent reason.What the hell is wrong with me?

“Hey,” he coos, twisting to face me, getting back in my personal space.

Raising a hand from around my waist, he captures my cheek in his warm palm. The soft strokes to the side of my face as he tucks a tendril of hair behind my ear bring my attention back to him. I shift my gaze and focus on his sweet face, taking in the way his eyebrows have slanted inward, almost becoming one as his eyes flicker back and forth across my face. His slow, rhythmic breathing, a stark contrast to mine, becomes my sole focus, and I count the rises and falls of his chest as it moves against me, desperate to get my panic under control.

After what feels like an eon, my lungs’rapid pace begins to slow, and my fixation shifts to his mouth. To his perfect pink lips, mere inches from mine.

His hand stills on my cheek, and his chest shudders with a ragged breath in as his lips part infinitesimally before moving, bridging the space between us.

Oh no.

---