Chapter 17

I couldn't think about Jason but I could think about climbing these stairs.

The day had already been a whirlwind, and now I was standing at the bottom of a flight of stairs leading to the top floor.

Why?

Because, naturally, the elevator was under repairs on the one day I had to deliver a report to Jason Cole's office.

Why don't even I have an assistant? The assistant to the assistant. But no, I am an assistant climbing up the stairs which is so unfair.

I sighed, looking up as if the stairs were mocking me. "Great. Just great."

Taking a deep breath, I started my climb, trying not to dwell too much on how my calves would feel tomorrow. The report in my hands felt heavier with each step, and by the time I reached the third floor, I was already regretting my choice of shoes.

These heels were definitely not made for stair-climbing marathons.

By the time I reached the top floor, I was panting like I'd run a marathon, sweat making my bangs stick to my forehead. But at least I was here. I wiped my brow and straightened my jacket. "Okay, Kiara. You've got this."

As I made my way down the hall, I spotted Vincent, Jason's assistant. Perfect! I could just hand him the report and avoid having to face Jason altogether. After last night's chaos with Lucian and Joselle, I really wasn't in the mood for any more awkwardness.

"Hey, Vincent!" I called out, holding up the report like it was a golden ticket.

Vincent turned, smiled, and walked toward me. "Ah, Ms. Williams. Here to see Mr. Cole?"

"Well, no," I said, trying to hand him the report. "I've got this for him, but you can just take it, right?"

Vincent glanced at the report, then at me. "Unfortunately, Mr. Cole specifically asked for you to deliver it personally."

I froze, my hand still mid-air, holding the report like an idiot. "What? Why?"

He shrugged, a smirk creeping up. "Something about wanting a... thorough explanation of the contents. You know how he is."

"Yeah, a pain in the ass."

Vincent chuckled. "I didn't say it. You did."

I forced a smile.

Groaning internally, I followed Vincent toward Jason's office, the dread building with every step. We reached the door, and Vincent, ever the gentleman, opened it for me. "Good luck," he whispered with a wink, leaving me to face the devil alone.

I stepped inside, trying to keep my composure. Jason was seated behind his massive desk, scrolling through something on his tablet. Without looking up, he said, "Ah, Kiara. Finally."

"Finally?" I mumbled under my breath, closing the door behind me. "You could've sent Vincent to get it, you know."

Jason finally looked up, and I saw that familiar smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "And miss the opportunity to see you? Where's the fun in that?"

I blinked at him. Was this man serious? "You really dragged me up five flights of stairs just to... what, flirt?"

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Five flights? The elevator's down?"

I narrowed my eyes. "You didn't know?"

He chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "Would've been funnier if I had."

"Ha. Ha." I dropped the report on his desk, careful not to slam it but wishing I could. "There. Your precious report on the tech department activities."

He glanced at it and then back at me, looking entirely too amused for my liking. "You could've just emailed it, you know."

My jaw dropped. "You... I... What?"

Jason gave me a wicked grin. "I wanted to see if you were smart enough to realize that. But I guess your brain was too filled of me hence why you had to come."

I glared at him. "You... are the worst."

Vincent chose that moment to knock lightly on the door and poke his head in. "Um..sir…there is a…"

Jason didn't even look at him. "Vincent, why didn't you tell Kiara about the email option?"

Vincent's eyes widened slightly, but he quickly composed himself. "It must've slipped my mind, sir."

I turned my death glare on Vincent, who had the decency to look somewhat sheepish. "Oh, you're both in on this, aren't you?"

Vincent gave me an apologetic smile. "Would you like some water, Ms. Williams? You look... flushed."

Jason smirked. "Yeah, Kiara, you seem a bit... winded."

I could only stare at the two of them, both men now clearly entertained by my stairway struggles. "I hate you both," I muttered before turning on my heel and making a beeline for the door.

But as I reached for the handle, Jason called after me. "Kiara, wait."

I paused, hand still on the doorknob, and looked back. He wasn't smiling now. In fact, he looked almost... serious. "What?"

He gestured to the chair in front of his desk. "Sit. We do actually need to talk about the report."

I raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

Jason nodded. "Seriously."

I sighed, debating whether to just walk out anyway, but eventually, I trudged over to the chair and plopped down into it. "Fine. Let's get this over with."

Vincent, still standing in the doorway, cleared his throat. "I'll, uh, leave you two to it. I would talk to you later then."

"Yeah, you do that," I muttered as he disappeared, closing the door behind him.

Jason leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk. "So, about the report—"

"Are you actually going to talk about it? Thought you were going to continue to mock me," I interrupted, still annoyed.

Jason smirked again, his dark eyes gleaming with amusement. "I was getting there."

I clenched my fists, resisting the overwhelming urge to smack him right across his smug face. He was infuriatingly calm, like he enjoyed watching me get wound up. And the worst part? He was my boss. No matter how much he allowed my sass, there was always a line, and I wasn't about to cross it.

Still, that smirk—God, it made my skin crawl.

He finally leaned back in his chair and opened the report, flipping through it with deliberate slowness. "You did a good job on this," he said, almost too casually. "Thorough. Well-organized."

I raised an eyebrow. "Was that... a compliment?"

"Don't get used to it." He glanced at me, the corner of his mouth twitching like he was holding back a grin. "I wouldn't want you to think I'm going soft."

"As if that's possible."

His gaze flicked up, locking onto mine with that predatory sharpness I'd grown too used to. My heart picked up pace, and I hated that he could do that to me so effortlessly. I hated that just being in this room with him, with all the tension swirling between us, made it hard to think straight.

Jason tapped the report against the desk, breaking the moment. "You've got potential, Kiara. You seem like someone who is smart."

"Not seem…I am smart."

He chuckled.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "If you're done with your half-hearted compliments, I'll get going."

But as I stood up and reached for the report, something shifted. Jason was faster than I expected, moving from his chair and stepping directly into my path. I gasped as he suddenly pushed me back, and before I knew it, my back was against his desk, and his body hovered just inches away.

The edge of the desk dug into my lower back, and my breath hitched as I realized how close he was—too close. His warmth radiated through my clothes, sending a flush of heat through my body, and I cursed myself for how my pulse quickened. My skirt had ridden up slightly from the sudden movement, leaving my skin exposed to the cool air, heightening my already sensitive nerves.

"What the hell are you doing?"