Chapter 9: Sparks in Plain Sight
Eva Sterling tried to focus on the morning's client briefing, but her thoughts kept wandering back to Derek Blackwell. The fire that had been ignited between them—the lingering touches, the subtle dominance, the dangerous electricity in every interaction—refused to fade. Her pulse quickened even at the faintest memory, and she found herself smiling faintly at her own reflection in the office window.
"Eva… you've been staring at that screen for five minutes," Lila's voice interrupted her train of thought. The assistant's eyebrow arched playfully. "Are you planning to finish the report, or are you still thinking about the mysterious billionaire?"
Eva felt heat rise to her cheeks. "I… I'm focused," she said, though the denial sounded weak, even to herself.
"Uh-huh," Lila said, smirking knowingly. "Sure, focused." She leaned over Eva's shoulder, pretending to read the screen. "You're glowing. Something tells me it's not the spreadsheet."
Eva groaned inwardly, brushing her hair from her face. "You're impossible," she muttered, though a smile tugged at her lips.
"Impossible? Maybe," Lila replied lightly. "But curious. And I can't help but notice how… distracted you are lately. Is it him?"
Eva's pulse quickened. "He… it's complicated," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.
Lila laughed softly. "Complicated? Come on, Eva. He's charming, mysterious, and probably the most dangerous man in the room. I'd be lying if I said I didn't find it… interesting myself."
Eva flushed, unable to meet her friend's teasing gaze. The truth was simple: Derek was intoxicating, alluring, and far more dangerous than anyone she had ever encountered. And the tension simmering between them was impossible to ignore.
Later that afternoon, the office was buzzing with the usual chatter and clatter of keyboards. Eva's phone buzzed with a calendar reminder: Client Dinner – 7 PM. She groaned softly. Corporate dinners were always a mix of polite conversation, networking, and endless small talk. But there was a glimmer of excitement buried in her nerves. She couldn't shake the idea that Derek might appear again, that the tension between them might ignite once more.
As if summoned, he did.
Derek Blackwell stepped into the office lobby with the same commanding presence that always made heads turn. He didn't make a scene—he never did—but the subtle shift in the room was unmistakable. Even in a crowd of busy employees and clients, he seemed to command attention effortlessly.
Eva felt her pulse spike, her stomach tightening. She tried to focus on finishing her work, but every glance in his direction, every shadow of movement near the elevator, made her heart race. She caught his eyes briefly, and he offered a faint, teasing smirk—a signal that spoke volumes in silence.
Her colleague, Mark, noticed too. "Eva," he said, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he leaned casually against her desk, "you've been smiling at… someone a lot lately. Care to share the secret?"
Eva's cheeks flushed. "It's… nothing," she muttered, though her voice lacked conviction.
"Uh-huh," Mark said, smirking knowingly. "Sure. Nothing that makes your pulse race and gives you that… glow, right?"
Eva shot him a pointed look. "You're impossible," she said, though a faint laugh escaped her lips.
Lila, passing by with a stack of files, added her own teasing. "Don't fight it, Eva. I see the sparks. Everyone else probably does too."
Eva groaned softly, hiding her face behind a file. Sparks. Tension. Heat. She couldn't deny it. And as the day wore on, the subtle play of glances and teasing only heightened the anticipation.
By evening, the client dinner was in full swing. The restaurant was elegant, softly lit, with the clinking of cutlery and low hum of conversation providing a backdrop that felt both luxurious and intimate. Eva tried to focus on the formalities—the introductions, the polite smiles, the discussion of marketing strategies—but her attention was always drawn to him.
Derek was already seated when she arrived, casual yet impossibly commanding, exuding an effortless dominance that made her pulse race. He looked up as she approached, gray eyes meeting hers, and offered a faint nod—the kind that spoke volumes.
Eva slid into her seat, careful to maintain composure, though every nerve in her body felt electric. Derek's presence was intoxicating, subtle yet undeniable. Every glance, every slight shift in posture, every controlled movement spoke of power, command, and a simmering desire that neither of them fully acknowledged—yet.
The client dinner progressed with polite conversation, business discussions, and occasional laughter. Yet beneath the veneer of professionalism, the tension between Eva and Derek was palpable. Colleagues and clients alike seemed to sense it, exchanging knowing glances or whispering quietly to each other.
"Are you two…?" Lila whispered from across the table, a mischievous smirk on her lips.
Eva's face burned. "Lila!" she hissed, though a small, involuntary smile tugged at her lips.
Derek's gray eyes met hers across the table, and for a moment, the world seemed to shrink to just the two of them. There was no need for words; the subtle brush of his gaze, the almost imperceptible lean of his body toward hers, conveyed the tension, the desire, the unspoken acknowledgment of what they both felt.
"You're enjoying this far too much," Derek murmured softly, just loud enough for her to hear, his tone a mix of amusement and command.
"I… I don't know what you mean," Eva replied, though her voice betrayed her, a mixture of nerves and excitement.
Derek smirked, leaning slightly closer under the pretense of reaching for a glass of water. The proximity was electric, his presence overwhelming in the most thrilling way. "Oh, I think you do," he said, gray eyes locking with hers. "The way your pulse quickens… the way you can't stop glancing at me… the tension is obvious."
Eva swallowed hard, aware of the heat pooling low in her stomach. The subtle dominance, the controlled teasing, the sparks of desire—it was intoxicating and overwhelming all at once. She wanted to retreat, to assert control, but the magnetic pull of him made it impossible.
Her colleagues noticed too, of course. Mark, seated across from her, whispered teasingly to Lila, "I told you. Sparks. There's no hiding it."
Lila laughed softly, eyes twinkling. "They're playing a game. Dangerous, thrilling… and they both know it."
Eva's heart raced as she realized the truth: she was playing a game—with a man who commanded attention, who exuded power, who had subtly asserted dominance in ways both intoxicating and infuriating. And she was entirely caught up in it.
Derek's hand brushed hers briefly as he passed a dish across the table—a fleeting touch, but deliberate, teasing, enough to ignite fire in her veins. Eva's pulse spiked, and she fought to maintain composure, though the heat between them was undeniable.
"You're on edge," Derek murmured, leaning close under the guise of offering her a glass of wine. "And it's… delightful."
Eva's breath caught. She wanted to push back, to assert herself, but the subtle dominance, the magnetic control, and the undeniable desire in his voice anchored her in place.
The rest of the evening continued with the delicate dance of conversation, laughter, and playful glances. Every subtle touch, every teasing comment, every lingering gaze added fuel to the fire that had been building between them for days. The sparks were visible, not just to them but to anyone paying attention, and Eva realized with a thrill and a shiver that she didn't care.
As the dinner concluded and they walked out into the crisp night air, Derek's presence was overwhelming. He fell into step beside her, his hand brushing lightly against hers—not holding, not commanding, just a subtle reminder of the tension, the fire, the dangerous pull between them.
"Are you going to make this easy or difficult for me?" he murmured softly, gray eyes dark and intense.
Eva met his gaze, her lips curving into a small, daring smile. "I… don't know yet," she admitted, her pulse racing. "Depends on you."
He smirked, a slow, deliberate curve that promised both challenge and reward. "Good," he murmured. "Because I intend to see exactly how far we can go… before the game becomes irresistible."
And with that, the night stretched before them, filled with possibility, desire, and the thrilling, dangerous tension that neither of them could—or wanted to—ignore.