Blackwood Enterpr

was greeted with a stack of folders, a terse email

M. No e

erself. Of cours

rofile client lists, urgent requests, an upcoming investor meeting-all things she hadn't b

woul

black suit tailored to perfection, his expression unreadable. He barely glanced at her as

ay's schedule," he said, setting his coffee

cking up the fol

laid out the details of his day. He listened in silence, his expr

desk. "And what about the last-minute investor

. "No. I rescheduled it for two. The c

as slow, calcula

ppreciate efficien

he reached for his coffee, taking a s

ut before she could step

s Lo

lance

at same unreadable gaze. "

n't so muc

tion, Mr.

e could feel his smir

had only

breathe before another email

fice.

indow, phone in hand, his sharp profile backlit by the morning sun. He didn't acknowle

s cleaned up and sent to the board in the next hour. The n

wasn't aware the finance tea

ly. "Everything in this office

gaze. "Then

ough to make the space between

m acknowledged. Adrian wasn't just testing her competence a

used to gi

ked out, her heart pounding ju

Adrian's smi

rest

kground in finance, but she didn't need one. What she did have was an impeccable ability to s

ies. It was a mess of conflicting numbers, errors that should have bee

ts back to finance. But he hadn't.

ould pass t

necessary corrections. The numbers had to be spotless before she sent them to the board. Time

ely fifty-two minutes had passed.

shoulders. A glance at the clock told her Adrian'

d, an email followe

fice.

tion, smoothing down her blouse and pushing a stray strand of hair behind

up, forearms resting against the dark wood. He

minutes," h

brow. "Was that

the edges. "Fast doesn't

d up were open, his gaze flicking between the screen and her fac

slow tilt o

xceede

t Sienna didn't let it show.

dying her. "Most people

t most

ng smirk. "No

adable yet undeniably charged. The silence stretched, not awkward but deliberate

Adrian

as immediate. He walked around the desk, closing the

uieter but no less commanding, "that I don'

her chin sli

er silent challenge

smoothly, the

is suit jacket. "Clear my afternoon aft

eping her expression neutral. "I'll

leave, his voice

d Miss

pa

just the b

, but as she sat back at her desk, a t

wasn't just testi

sting her

sure who woul