16 Chapter 16 – Testing Limits
Chapter 16 Testing Limits
Hazel’s POV
My boss’s final message from last night had ignited something dangerous inside me. If Liam Sterling thought I would retreat like some timid little mouse, he was about to learn otherwise. This wasn’t like me at all. I had always been the picture of restraint, never one to let passion. override reason or act on wild impulses. But this infuriating man had awakened something primal in me, something I couldn’t seem to cage.
I leaped from my bed and flung open my closet doors. My fingers found the perfect weapon – a sleek black dress that walked the razor’s edge between professional and seductive. The fabric hugged every curve while maintaining an air of respectability, the hemline dancing at mid–thigh, the neckline offering just a whisper of what lay beneath. I paired it with crimson heels that could stop traffic and selected the most scandalous lingerie I owned – barely–there panties that would leave no trace beneath the clinging fabric.
My hair would cascade loose around my shoulders today. Professional etiquette be damned. Liam Sterling wanted to play games? I was about to show him what a real player looked like.
The early morning rush was worth it as I prepared for battle. I scribbled a quick note for Chl before heading out, my pulse already quickening with anticipation. Today, I would make him. suffer. He thought he was so clever, keeping me on edge with his midnight messages. Well, two could play at psychological warfare, and I intended to win.
I arrived twenty minutes early – perfect timing to set my trap. The coffee maker gurgled as I positioned myself behind my desk, arranging everything just so. I wanted him to walk in unsuspecting, to have that moment of recognition hit him like a freight train. Sweet innocence. would be my mask while I systematically destroyed his composure.
The elevator chimed at exactly our appointed time. I focused intently on my computer screen, though my every nerve was attuned to his presence. His cologne reached me first that intoxicating blend that made my knees weak. I heard his footsteps halt abruptly at my desk, followed by a sharp intake of breath. Victory.
When he spoke, his voice carried that rough edge that sent shivers down my spine.
“Good morning, Miss Vance. How did you sleep?”
I lifted my eyes.to meet his, arranging my features into perfect innocence. “Good morning, Mr. Sterling. Like a baby. And yourself?”
His smile was pure wickedness. “I had to work off some excess energy because of you. The way he said it made heat pool low in my belly. “Shall we head to my office?”
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“Absolutely, sir.” I rose gracefully, tablet in hand, and walked ahead of him. The muttered curse that escaped his lips told me my dress was performing exactly as intended.
Inside his office, I moved toward his desk, but he redirected me with silky authority.
“The couch would be better, Hazel. Easier for us to review your screen together.”
Something in his tone made me pause, but I complied, settling onto the plush black leather and crossing my legs with deliberate precision. The dress rode up slightly, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of lace–topped stockings. I made no move to adjust it, savoring the strangled sound he made in response..
“Is there a problem, sir?” I asked with feigned concern.
“Oh, there’s definitely a problem,” he replied, his gaze dropping meaningfully to his lap where his arousal was impossible to miss. “And we need to address it before my next meeting!” his
Internal laughter bubbled up as he sat beside me, close enough that his thigh pressed against mine. This was going exactly according to plan.
“Perhaps you should learn some self–control, I suggested sweetly, uncrossing and recrossing my legs in a movement designed to drive him wild.
But I had miscalculated. Liam Sterling was not a man who played by conventional rules.
In one fluid motion, he had me pinned against the couch arm, his powerful frame caging me in. His face hovered inches from mine, his breath hot against my skin as his hand traced the length of my thigh.
“Or maybe I should bend you over this couch and take you with nothing but those sinful red heels on.
My body betrayed me instantly, responding to his raw desire with a need that stole my breath. His scent, his proximity, the dangerous promise in his voice- it all conspired to melt my carefully constructed defenses.
His hand gripped my hip possessively as he settled his weight over me, grinding against me in a way that made stars explode behind my eyes. His mouth found my throat, tongue and teeth working my sensitive skin as he growled against my car.
“You’re destroying me, woman.”
Rational thought abandoned me completely. I wanted him to rip away every barrier between us, to claim me right here in his office. But just as I surrendered to the inferno, he pulled back, turning away with hands pressed to his face in obvious torment.
Before I could process his withdrawal, he was on me again, his mouth crashing against mine in a kiss that tasted of desperation and desire. His hands were everywhere–lifting my dress,
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16 Chapter 16- Testing Limits
palming my breasts through the fabric, finding the scrap of lace between my legs and tearing it away with savage efficiency.
The cool air against my exposed skin should have shocked me back to reality, but I was lost in sensation. His fingers explored my wetness with devastating skill, circling and teasing until I was trembling on the edge of release.
And then he stopped. Again.
“This is wrong,” he said, retreating to the far end of the couch. “I’m not some bastard who takes advantage of his employees. But you’re testing every limit I have. Only one woman has ever affected me like this, and we need to figure out what the hell we’re going to do about it.”
I stared at him in disbelief, my body screaming with unfulfilled need. He was seriously going to leave me like this? Twice?
Fury gave me strength. I stood on unsteady legs, smoothing my dress while searching for my destroyed underwear. Of course, it was nowhere to be found the second time in my life I’d lost panties to this man’s games. The humiliation of asking for them back was more than I could bear.
Taking a steadying breath, I reclaimed my professional mask. If he wanted to play hot and cold, I could play ice queen. I settled back onto the couch without crossing my legs this time, picked up my tablet, and spoke with crisp efficiency.
“Mr. Sterling, perhaps some chamomile tea would help with your obvious agitation.”
His frustrated expression was almost comical – a powerful businessman reduced to a petulant child denied his favorite toy. He stood abruptly, gesturing to his still–obvious arousal.
“Or maybe I should just handle this myself, he snapped, then turned his back to me. “Hazel, I need a moment. Please return to your office.”
I rose with dignity intact and walked toward the door, but his voice stopped me at the threshold.
“Forgetting something?” The wicked amusement in his tone made my cheeks burn.
He had my panties, and we both knew it. But I’d be damned if I’d give him the satisfaction of asking for them back.
“No, sir.”
I escaped to my office, closing the door firmly behind me. But now my traitorous mind conjured images of what he was about to do behind that closed door, and I knew this day would test every–ounce of my remaining sanity.
