Good news: I slept with an alpha god. Better news: We became fuck buddies. Horrible news: He's my new boss. My world imploded. 01 "Again." The furnace of a body behind me pressed closer, a low rumble in his chest. "Still want more?" I murmured, my voice rough with sleep and overuse. My words feigned reluctance, but my body was a traitor, arching back into his touch. I turned my head, and our lips met in a hungry, bruising kiss. ... Damian Halvorson and I spent the entire weekend as a blur of tangled limbs and sleepless nights. By the time Sunday evening rolled around, he still looked at me with the insatiable hunger of a man who’d just discovered his favorite meal. I painstakingly located my clothes on the chaotic landscape of the floor, forcing myself to push away. "No more. I have an early meeting tomorrow. Can't be late." I added, "The new CEO is starting. Gotta make a good first impression." He was sprawled on the bed, shirtless and magnificent, a sigh of pure regret escaping his lips. "Fine. See you next week." "Deal." Monday morning, I was a model employee: crisp suit, polished shoes, company ID clipped to my pocket. Chloe, from the cubicle next to mine, leaned over, her voice a conspiratorial whisper. "Did you hear? The new CEO is supposed to be young and ridiculously hot." I wasn't interested in his looks. "I just hope he's not a monster," I replied, booting up my computer. Our last CEO was a nightmare who treated us like his personal workhorses. We'd all been counting the days until his transfer. In the conference room, the new CEO made his grand entrance to a wave of enthusiastic applause. As he took his place at the head of the table, my world tilted on its axis. My blood ran cold. It was Damian Halvorson. My fuck buddy. How could the world be this small? I wanted the floor to swallow me whole. Thankfully, the room was packed, and he didn't seem to notice me as I tried to shrink into my chair, my head bowed so low my chin was practically touching the table. Suddenly, a sharp nudge hit my wrist. "Julian," Chloe hissed. "Mr. Halvorson just called on you." "Who's Julian?" The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I snapped back to reality, hearing Damian's smooth, deep voice repeat my name. I sucked in a sharp breath and slowly, shakily, got to my feet. The moment he saw me, genuine shock flashed across his face. A wave of guilt washed over me. Because I'd told him my name was Ian. His eyes held mine for two long, meaningful seconds before he spoke, his voice dangerously calm. "Mr. Vance, this project falls under your team's purview. Please, bring us up to speed." 02 I gave the briefest report possible, my voice tight. Damian asked only two sharp, incisive questions. The second the meeting was dismissed, I bolted from the room like my life depended on it. I'm not kidding. In that one-hour meeting, I had already drafted my resignation letter in my head. But then… I thought about the dumpster fire that was the current job market. I thought about my mortgage and my car payments. And I decided I could probably just keep my head down and power through. Chloe returned to her desk in a full-blown swoon. "Oh my God, he's gorgeous," she gushed. "Having a view like that almost makes this corporate slavery worth it. I forgive the world for three seconds." "Get a grip," I chuckled. She was lost in her fantasy. "Even in that tailored shirt, you can just tell he's built. The man is pure, uncut testosterone." Built didn't even begin to cover it. His body was a masterpiece. And the feel of it… divine. But the thought of the man whose dirty talk could make a sailor blush now being my big boss made me want to flee the planet. Just then, Damian's executive assistant, Linda, clicked over in her heels. "Julian Vance? Mr. Halvorson would like to see you in his office." I rose from my chair, feeling like a man walking to his own execution. Could the Earth just explode right now? Please? 03 His office was vast, with a floor-to-ceiling window offering a breathtaking panorama of the city. "Mr. Halvorson, you wanted to see me?" I asked, keeping my voice professionally neutral. Damian finally looked up from his monitor, his eyes raking over me. "Julian Vance?" "Yes, sir." He arched a single, perfect eyebrow. "Ian?" I played dumb. "I'm sorry, sir. Who's Ian?" A slow, dangerous smile spread across his lips. He leaned back in his leather chair, looking thoroughly amused. "Don't play games, Julian. The world isn't big enough for two men who not only look identical but also have a mole in the exact same spot." My brain short-circuited. "A mole where?" I asked automatically. A wicked glint in his eyes, Damian leisurely pinched his own earlobe. Shit. The tiny mole on my earlobe. The one this very man, now clad in a thousand-dollar suit, had been kissing just yesterday. My expression hardened into a mask of stone. "Damian Halvorson is my real name, by the way," he added, his tone dripping with mock sweetness. ...He was totally throwing shade at me for using a fake name. There was no way out of this. Giving up, I offered a weak, pathetic laugh. "Mr. Halvorson. What a coincidence, huh?" His smile widened. "So I'm the new boss you were talking about." He paused, his gaze turning smoky. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have let you leave yesterday..." I pressed my hands together in a prayer-like gesture of surrender. "Mr. Halvorson, please. At the office, let's just pretend we don't know each other. Strictly business, nothing personal." He nodded, though a flicker of reluctance crossed his face. I practically ran out of his office. 04 Damian and I had a purely physical relationship. To put it bluntly, we were fuck buddies. It started six months ago. The guy I'd been crushing on, a straight friend, got a girlfriend. Heartbroken, I went to a bar to drown my sorrows and ended up sharing a table with Damian. He seemed to be in a foul mood, too. So foul, in fact, that he didn't notice someone slip something into his drink. I'm a good person, so I helped him out of there. He, however, was not. He got handsy. And honestly, between the alcohol and the sheer magnetic pull of his beauty, my resolve crumbled. One thing led to another, and we were in a hotel room. Looking at that sinfully handsome face, I figured, what the hell, and kissed him back. That first time was clumsy, a fumbling exploration. But we quickly found our rhythm. We didn't stop until the first pale light of dawn painted the sky. Afterward, we came to a simple agreement: no feelings, just bodies. We'd meet up once a week. Sexually, we were ridiculously compatible. Every time we met, it was like we were trying to break the bed. It was a much-needed release from the daily grind of my corporate life. We knew nothing about each other's personal lives. I'd assumed he was just like me—a regular guy slaving away during the week, looking for some way to blow off steam on the weekend. I never imagined he was secretly moonlighting as a CEO. And not just any CEO—the CEO of my company! Goddammit. 05 For the first time in my life, I wasn't looking forward to the weekend. Which, of course, meant the week flew by in a flash. Damian was swamped with work. The only time I saw him outside of a meeting was a brief encounter at the coffee shop in our building lobby. I pretended to take a call, avoiding his gaze entirely. On Friday, during my lunch break, a message from him popped up. [Where to this weekend?] We always varied the location. Hotels, his car, sometimes, when we felt adventurous, somewhere more... remote. I typed out the excuse I'd been rehearsing all week. [Sorry, Mr. Halvorson. I have to go back to my hometown for my mom's birthday this weekend.] Damian: [Alright.] Damian: [And didn't we agree to keep things professional? Call me by my name when we're talking about personal stuff.] Oh, God. There was no way to keep them separate. Not after watching him tear apart the team lead from the adjacent department in a meeting that very morning. "Did you come up with this proposal with your feet?" he'd asked, his voice dangerously low. The temperature in the room had dropped twenty degrees. The team lead could only stand there, seething in silence. When it was my turn to present, I felt like I was walking a tightrope over a canyon of ice. After I finished, Damian’s only comment was, "The plan looks flashy, but have you given any thought to its practical implementation?" Me: "..." Seriously, who could handle that? And now he expected me to sleep with him? I chose celibacy. 06 Another week crawled by. Right on schedule, Damian's message arrived. [This weekend?] Me: [A friend's getting married in the next state over. I'm the best man.] Damian: [You don't have any free time at all?] Was he that desperate? Me: [Nope. It's a seven or eight-hour drive round trip.] Of course, there was no wedding. I was just a coward. Two weeks of celibacy was starting to take its toll. On Saturday, I resorted to some... personal aids at home. They helped, but not much. Inevitably, my thoughts drifted to Damian. The more I thought, the more wound up I got. To douse the fire, I took a cab to the office to get some work done. Making money makes me happy, I told myself. But the moment I swiped my keycard and the office doors slid open, my soul shattered. The universe was out to get me. Why the hell was Damian Halvorson also working on a Saturday? He emerged from the break room, a cup of coffee in hand, and raised an eyebrow at me. "Next state over? Best man?" I let out a dry, hollow laugh. "The wedding got canceled. Last minute." Damian actually chuckled, a humorless sound. His expression turned hard. "Julian. You're avoiding me." 07 I scrambled to my desk, my mind racing for an escape route. But Damian, as if reading my thoughts, called my internal line. "Come to my office. We need to go over your proposal." Clutching the file folder like a shield, I knocked on his door. It swung open from the inside, and a powerful arm yanked me in. Damian slammed me against the door, his mouth crashing down on mine in a fierce, demanding kiss. At first, I struggled, pushing against his chest. But then, the familiar heat, the intoxicating taste of him, flooded my senses. My resistance melted. My hands snaked around his neck, pulling him closer as the file folder slipped from my grasp and clattered to the floor. He lifted me effortlessly, carrying me as he kicked open the door to the private lounge inside his office. White shirts and tailored trousers soon lay in a heap on the floor. Damian's seductive voice whispered from behind me, "I never thought I'd get to unlock the 'office' achievement." ... I would never be able to look at his floor-to-ceiling window or his massive desk the same way again. Outside, the city lights began to twinkle. Without realizing it, the day had bled into night. Damn him. I came here to work! When Damian emerged from the shower, his chest was still beaded with water, glistening over the marks I'd left on his skin. "There's a great new upscale bistro downstairs. My treat." I picked up my mangled file folder from the floor. "I'm not hungry." Right on cue, my stomach let out a pathetic, traitorous growl. A low chuckle rumbled from his chest. "Come on. We both worked hard today." "..." Yeah, "worked." That's one way to put it. 08 In the private booth, I ordered enough food to feed a small army. This place was notoriously expensive; Chloe and I only ever came here the day we got paid. Damian barely ate, instead busying himself with placing pieces of grilled lobster onto my plate. "Mr. Halvorson, please, you eat. Don't worry about me," I said, my voice tight with anxiety. His hand paused mid-air. "It's after hours, Julian. You can just call me by my name." I couldn't. It felt too weird. Over the past six months, we'd occasionally grabbed food together, but it was always a quick bite between rounds in bed. This—sitting across from each other, having a proper, civilized meal—was a first. It was just... strange. I buried my head in my food, eating furiously to combat the awkwardness. When we finished, a steady rain was falling outside. Damian dangled a set of keys. "I'll give you a ride home." I pulled out my phone and opened the rideshare app. "It's fine, I can get a car." Great. 100 people in the queue ahead of me. "It's raining," Damian said, stating the obvious. "It'll be impossible to get a ride. Let me drive you." I ended up in his Bentley. I opened the back door, but he arched an eyebrow. "Am I your chauffeur?" As if I'd dare. I walked around to the driver's side. "Then let me drive." Damian laughed, a genuine, warm sound this time. "Get in the passenger seat, Julian." The entire ride, my mind was racing. Choosing to sleep with Damian was probably the most reckless thing I'd ever done. I've always been a person who keeps his work life and personal life in completely separate, sealed-off boxes. Damian knew my body, but he didn't know me. And because of that anonymity, I could relax with him, be completely uninhibited. But now he was my boss. Could I ever truly be at ease with him again? What if our colleagues found out? I hated uncertainty. Before I got out of the car, I mustered my courage and turned to face him. "Damian. I think we should stop this." "From now on, no more weekends." His expression clouded with confusion. "Why? Is it just because I'm your boss?" I couldn't admit that, not when I still had to work for him. "It's not that. I just... want to end this kind of arrangement. It's not a long-term solution, you know?" His face hardened, turning into a thunderous mask. I unbuckled my seatbelt and fled from the car. As I walked away, I couldn't shake a hollow feeling in my gut. I shook my head, forcing the thought away. It's just withdrawal. I'm just horny. That's all.
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