Chapter 16: Don’t Test The Devil [Music: Often By The Weekend] I sucked in breath, before I could make sense of his words, he stepped into his office. What the hell? I gulped, following behind. Ares casually rounded his desk and set his things while I just stood agape like I had experienced a mishap. I coughed lightly, walking to the desk at the far corner, near the floor-to-ceiling windows. My things were there, properly arranged. When did he prepare this? Not thinking too much of it, I got comfortable, trying to ignore the heat in the air even though the AC was at a good temperature. Time passed by as I worked on my office laptop, my eyes veered to Ares occasionally, who was heavily concentrated on his work. He had taken off his suit jacket; the white sleeves clung to those biceps, creating folds, and when he rested his chin on the back of his hand, the material tightened even more. I swallowed heavily as I shifted my eyes back to my work, trying to breathe appropriately. My mind wandered to his words earlier, and that feeling curled my insides. I couldn’t explain it before, but now I can. It was a thrill—a rush of excitement invading my body in the worst way possible. Biting my bottom lip, I pushed to my feet, clenching a file. My heels click-clack in a sharp noise as I neared his desk. "Can you look over something, Mr. King?" I asked softly. His eyes remained buried in his laptop as he replied. "What is it, Ms. Lane?" Why was his voice deeper? Or maybe it was my mind making it so. I shook my head, placing the file on the desk, but Ares didn’t move an inch. A minute passed, and he had yet to respond. This was getting... frustrating. I rounded the desk, stood next to him, and dropped the file on his keyboard, disrespectfully so. Finally, he veered his eyes to me, and I smirked coyly. "Would you mind looking at this, Mr. King?" He rose swiftly, and I tried to move, but he trapped me between the desk and him. "T-The meeting is in ten minutes. Those are things you should look through before... before we..." I tensed when he leaned closer, our faces inches apart. He just watched me silently, and the dark glint in those icy blues made my heart leap. "What are you doing?" I asked in a murmur. "Chemistry, Ms. Lane." We’re acting again? Okay then. I switched, fixing his tie. "Then we must maintain a sensual air while trying to act professional. Enough to show we can’t get enough of each other..." I lowered my eyes to his lips, tan and alluringly kissable. "Can we work with that?" "Depends." "Give me your best shot then, honey." "Three minutes..." "What?" "Seduce me." That is not what I have in mind. Why does this devil always turn the tables around? "That doesn’t—" "You want an atom of my attention, don’t you?" I scoffed. "Is it even possible to get a reaction from you?" "Why don’t you try Ms. Lane. You have a penchant for not backing away so easily." I hated the way my heart skipped a beat at his words. I didn’t expect him to read one of my traits so well. I was basically a tool when working with him for three years. I didn’t expect him to be... knowing. I clenched his tie tightly and kissed him. I didn’t go for something soft, but a deep connection, to set the idea of fiery and intimate. When I opened my eyes amidst our lock, he was looking right at me. I frowned, pulling away. "Your eyes shouldn’t be open. It’s creepy." "I’m observing." "How about you don’t observe when we’re kissing? If you do that in public, then we’ve got a problem." He tipped his head, amusement dancing in his eyes. That seemed better than dead eyes. "Kiss me like you mean it," I said. I have no idea why it felt too much to say that out loud. His hand engulfed my neck, and the dangerous air suddenly shrouded around us. Ares’ lips brushed against mine, but he didn’t kiss me. I parted my mouth, hoping to invite him in, but he was sticking to whatever he had in mind. I truly wish I knew what goes on in that head of his, but trying to read Ares King was like trying to melt the ice in the north. I’ll just work with what I have. "Kiss me..." I urged huskily. He smiled, leaning away. "Earn it." I blinked. "Do I need to earn a kiss from my husband? You’re not playing fair, Mr. King." "Careful..." I shivered, thinking back to the words he said a few hours ago. He grasped my chin in an iron hold and assessed my mouth with a dark glint, as if picturing something. "You don’t wanna test me, Catherine." His finger pulled down my bottom lip, and my chest rose heavily. I’m tempted to test him. The desk phone rang, breaking the spell, and Ares released me. I licked my lips, pulling some strand of my hair behind my ear. I tried to ignore the heat storming between my legs. I’m fucking wet, and that is not a good sign. "Yes, do that. The meeting will start soon." He dropped the phone and looked at me. "They are here." "Great...!" I’m not sure what would have happened if that call hadn’t come in. Ares used his thumb to wipe the edge of my mouth, which I assumed was my lipstick smudge. That single contact made goosebumps rise on my skin. Another sign that this was a dangerous game. "We’ll have a date after the meeting." I opened my mouth to speak, but Ares was already getting ready to leave. I collected myself and walked to my table, heart in my throat as I grabbed what I needed in a hurry. I stepped out quickly, straight to the conference room like my ass was on fire.