*Knock, knock, knock—*
Following standard protocol, Claire tapped three times on the office door before stepping inside.
Her bright eyes scanned the simple yet tastefully furnished space, but surprisingly, Lucas was nowhere to be seen.
"Where did he go?" she muttered under her breath.
"I'm right behind you," a deep, magnetic voice replied out of nowhere.
Startled, Claire spun around, only to freeze at the sight of Lucas standing directly behind her, his hands reaching—straight for her chest.
In her shock, she forgot to step back, forgot to dodge, and simply stared wide-eyed as those hands boldly rested on her chest.
Lucas's dark brows knit together, his chiseled features etched with a strange expression. *Just as I thought—no sense of self-preservation whatsoever! How could she stand there without flinching when I'm reaching right for her chest?*
After a moment that felt like an eternity, Claire finally snapped out of her stupor. She glanced down at his hands, still very much in place.
"Mr. Zeller, would you mind explaining what this is supposed to mean?"
This man was completely baffling. Was he… taking advantage of her? And if so, why did he look so conflicted about it?
*Mr. Zeller again!* His dark eyes narrowed as he abruptly withdrew his hands—only to reach around her waist in one swift motion, pulling her close just as she attempted to step back.
"Miss Grace," he murmured, his voice dropping to a low tone, "don't you think it's time to call me something else?"
She blinked. "Something else?" Her brain raced. *What did he mean?*
"I'm your employer now, so… perhaps I could call you 'CEO Zeller' going forward?" she offered, hoping that would suffice.
"CEO? How is that any different from Mr. Zeller?" His voice held a note of irritation. *Can she really be this clueless?*
Claire hesitated, glancing at him in confusion. *Why didn't he just explain himself? And for that matter, what on earth was he doing with his hands a moment ago?*
"CEO Zeller, didn't your secretary say you needed to discuss something with me?" She gave a little tug to try to free herself from his arm around her waist. "Could you let go? We can talk just fine without being this close." She felt her pulse racing, and her heart threatened to leap out of her chest.
"Fine." Reluctantly, he let her go and moved to sit at his desk, a hint of dissatisfaction flickering across his face.
"What exactly did you and Roy do this morning?" he asked, leaning back with his arms folded.
"We were familiarizing ourselves with the office layout," she replied. *Wasn't that what he'd assigned Roy to do? Why ask now?*
"And how did you find him?"
"How did I find him?" She tilted her head. "He's nice, really easygoing and friendly, very—"
"All right, enough!" Lucas interrupted, his eyes darkening. Since when had Roy become so wonderful? And in just one morning, she seemed to have grasped all of his "great qualities"? "You seem to have quite a favorable impression of him, don't you?"
"I guess I do," she said with a shrug. "And Troy Blake, the head of the Creative Department, is great too. They're both lively and easy to get along with."
"Claire Grace!"
"Yes?"
"It's hard to believe you'd be so easily deceived by their friendly exteriors. Don't you have any sense of caution? Are you always this careless about your own safety?"
"Huh?" she stared at him, bewildered. *What was he getting at now?*
"Huh, what?" He shot her a sharp look. "Get over here!" The authority in his voice made it sound like a command.
She swallowed, feeling a chill at his intense expression. "CEO Zeller, you could just… give me instructions from over there. I can hear perfectly fine." Though, she had to admit, her heart struggled to keep up with his sudden flare-ups.
"Did I say you were hard of hearing?" He gave her a pointed stare. *Does she even understand the concept of reading the room?*
"Come here," he repeated, his tone firm and unwavering.
"Okay…" she muttered, inching closer. But before she could react, he reached out, grabbed her firmly, and pulled her down onto his lap.