Page 103 of The Owner's Temptation

God, Imissedthis.

Missedhim.

Even if he drives me insane.

Even if I want to scream every time he pretends like nothing’s happening between us.

But the moment we step into his office, the world narrows.

The noise fades.

The Ledger disappears behind the heavy door that clicks shut behind me, sealing us inside.

It’s just us.

Onlyus.

I walk forward slowly, but the confidence I usually challenge him with falters under his silence.

Lucian moves around the desk, calm and unreadable. Like the judge of hell deciding whether to tempt or punish.

I have no idea what to say.

No idea whathe’sthinking.

And for the first time in days, I don’t feel like the one holding the leash.

Will he say anything?

Will he acknowledge what he did? That he bent me over his desk and made my ass sore for two days? That hewatchedme lick my own pussy off that vibrator like a goddamn dessert and did nothing about it?

Act like none of it happened?

Jesus. Something is wrong with me.

I stand there, pulse thudding in my throat, waiting for something—anything—but all I get is:

“Come over here.”

His voice is cool. Commanding. Like we’re back to business, like he hasn’t seen every inch of me in exquisite, trembling detail.

He slides his office phone closer and presses the speaker button.

One hand braces the desk, the other dials. It rings once. Twice. Then someone answers.

Lucian launches into a pitch—clean, polished, professional. He needs a new supplier for a high-end restaurant uptown. One of those elite places perched at the top of a skyscraper, spinning ever so slowly to give patrons a 360-degree view of the city.

It’s the kind of place where you need a tuxedo to blink in the direction of a reservation. Booked a year in advance. Dress code stricter than airport security.

He barely finishes his first sentence before the other end cuts him off with a curt, “No thank you,” and hangs up.

His jaw ticks.

Apparently, this isn't the first time.

He slowly removes his hand from the desk, turning to look at me.

“You catch all that?”

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