~Jay's ~
As the night went on, Jay couldn't stop watching her. Elena was close, too close, her intoxicating scent filling the air between them. Her laughter, though light and carefree, sent waves of heat through him. But it was her eyes—those stormy depths that seemed to hold secrets and desires she wasn't ready to reveal—that kept him hooked.
Every time she smiled, his chest tightened. He wasn't just falling for her, he was in too deep. He had spent years keeping his distance from emotions like this, but with Elena, everything felt different.
It wasn't just her beauty. It wasn't just her charm. It was the way she made him feel—like he had to be someone else to earn her. She didn't know who he was, what he could give her. She had no idea that she was standing next to a man who could change her entire world, a man who had the power to take everything she held dear and turn it into dust with a snap of his fingers.
But he didn't want that. He wanted her.
It was maddening. His thoughts twisted in a tangle of desire and frustration. The idea of her leaving him—thinking he wasn't on her level—ate at him more than he cared to admit. He had fought too hard to get where he was. Elena's opinion of him didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but in this moment, it felt like everything.
~Elena's ~
Elena's mind was racing, but she couldn't pinpoint why. She was enjoying the night, enjoying Jay's company—at least, that's what she told herself. The chemistry between them was undeniable, and yet there was something about him that unsettled her. He was so… different. There was an edge to him that she couldn't quite understand.
As they sat there, deep in conversation, a feeling kept gnawing at her, a realization that she couldn't escape. There were pieces of him she hadn't seen, things he hadn't shared. And, despite the growing attraction between them, there was a part of her that hesitated to ask. It wasn't that she didn't want to know. She just had a feeling that the more she uncovered, the more complicated it would get.
"Jay, can I ask you something?" she said, her voice hesitant, as if she were testing the waters.
He looked at her with that ever-knowing smile, the one that made her feel like he could see straight through her. "Of course. What's on your mind?"
She took a deep breath, choosing her words carefully. "What is it that you really do? I mean… you're so… different. You don't seem like the type to be working as a consultant in a company like mine."
Jay's smile faltered just a fraction, but his eyes didn't give anything away. "Why? Because you think I'm too… ambitious for this?"
"No," she said quickly, the words tumbling out before she could stop them. "It's just… You don't strike me as someone who would need a job. Not someone with your skills. And you're always so… put together. Like you're more than this. Like you don't belong here."
Jay's lips curled into a small, teasing grin. "I suppose I just enjoy keeping people guessing," he replied cryptically, his eyes flickering with something she couldn't quite read.
Elena didn't press further. It wasn't like Jay to reveal much about himself, and she didn't feel like pushing him too hard. But the question lingered in her mind, gnawing at her with every passing moment. There was more to him. She was sure of it.
~Jay's ~
Jay could feel the shift in Elena's tone, the curiosity and the underlying suspicion in her voice. She wasn't fooled by the layers he had carefully built around himself. And it wasn't surprising. She had an eye for detail, and that only made her more dangerous in the way she could see through people.
But the question she had asked—about what he really did—stung more than he cared to admit.
What was he doing here, in this position, working alongside her like he was just another consultant?
The answer was simple. He was doing it to get close to her. To make her see him for who he really was. To make her regret ever thinking he wasn't on her level.
And yet, in the back of his mind, Jay couldn't ignore the gnawing doubt that maybe he had made a mistake by keeping his identity hidden. By staying in the shadows. Elena didn't deserve to be lied to. She deserved the truth. But the truth would only drive her away, and that was a risk he wasn't ready to take.
He had worked too hard to build the empire he had. He wasn't about to let anyone—least of all Elena—destroy that.
~Elena's ~
The night ended with an unspoken promise hanging in the air. Jay had driven her back to her apartment, but neither of them had spoken much on the way home. The heat between them was undeniable, but neither of them was willing to give in completely. Elena had a feeling that Jay was hiding something from her, but what? And why?
She couldn't shake the feeling that her attraction to him was a dangerous thing. Every time he smiled at her, every time his hand brushed against hers, she felt a pull she couldn't explain. She couldn't decide if she wanted to run from it or lean into it.
The one thing she knew for sure was that Jay was more than he let on. There was something lurking beneath the surface, something that made him more than just the charming consultant who kept showing up at her office.
But for now, she would focus on the present. Focus on the things she could control. The rest—well, that would come when it came.
~Jay's ~
Jay sat in his car, staring at the dashboard, his hands clenched on the wheel. He couldn't shake the images of Elena—her smile, her laugh, the way she had looked at him with that mix of curiosity and something else. Desire. She wanted him. He could feel it, but she was scared. Scared of him, scared of what he represented.
The woman he had fallen for didn't know who he really was, and that hurt more than he was willing to admit. She didn't know that he was the one who had created the very company she worked for—the one that her family had built from the ground up. She didn't know he was the one who could destroy it with a single word.
And that made him angry. Angry at the way she had treated him, angry at the way she had walked away, thinking he wasn't good enough for her. But more than that—he was angry at himself for falling for someone who didn't even know the truth.
He needed to change that. He needed to make her see him for who he really was.