Monday morning came too fast.
Armani stood outside the towering Rivera Studio headquarters in the heart of Miami's Design District, the rising sun casting a golden hue on the sleek glass building. Her pulse was steady, but her stomach swirled with something new.
It wasn't nerves.
It was her.
Lilly.
She wasn't just Armani's boss. She was the woman she had seen in silk sheets and smoky shadows. And now Armani had to face her in tailored slacks, with HR watching.
Straightening her black blazer, Armani stepped through the glass doors, every inch of her posture composed.
The lobby smelled like expensive candles and ambition. Marble floors gleamed beneath her heels. Staff bustled around, sharp and stylish, voices clipped and purposeful. Armani was no stranger to high-end offices, but this one hummed with an energy she couldn't quite explain.
Maybe it was the woman at the top.
"Armani Sloan?" a perky voice chimed from the front desk. "You're all set! HR will walk you through orientation and then Ms. Rivera will meet with you personally."
Of course she will.
Armani gave a polite nod and followed the young assistant down a hallway filled with fashion campaign posters and models dressed in bold, striking designs that could only belong to Lilly Rivera. Everything here had her fingerprint on it. Everything.
Twenty minutes later…
Orientation ended, Armani had her badge clipped to her lapel, and a company-issued iPad in hand. Then came the message from Lilly's executive assistant:
Ms. Rivera would like to see you now. 12th floor.
Executive suite.
Armani took the elevator up. Her reflection in the mirrored wall stared back at her. Calm, unreadable. Her mind, however, was not.
The door to Lilly's office was slightly open when she arrived. Armani knocked once before stepping inside.
The room smelled faintly of vanilla, coffee, and something sharper. Confidence.
Lilly stood by the window, arms crossed over her chest, phone pressed to her ear. She wore an ivory blouse tucked into high-waisted black slacks, her hair pinned up with a few stubborn curls falling around her cheekbones.
She didn't glance back. Just gestured for Armani to sit.
Armani did, slowly.
A few moments passed. Then Lilly hung up and turned around.
Their eyes met and it was there again.
That electric undercurrent. That invisible string tying them together, taut with tension.
"You're early," Lilly said coolly.
"I'm always early."
"Good. I don't like surprises."
Armani smirked. "Didn't seem like you minded surprises in San Francisco."
Lilly's jaw twitched barely.
"Let's get one thing straight," she said, walking toward her desk. "What happened that night stays outside these walls. No distractions. No games."
"No problem," Armani replied, her tone measured. "But just so we're clear… I didn't come here to chase you. I came to work."
Lilly sat, studying her. "I know."
A beat passed.
"Your first assignment is in Brand Development," she continued. "You'll be shadowing our head of campaign strategy for the next two weeks. If you prove yourself, I'll assign you directly to one of my product launches."
"Sounds fair."
"You'll be in meetings with me. Presentations. Travel, if necessary."
"And you're not worried that might… complicate things?"
Lilly's lips curled into a smile but it didn't reach her eyes.
"I don't get complicated, Armani. I get results."
"Then we'll get along just fine."
Their eyes locked.
For a full five seconds, the world outside that office disappeared.
Then Lilly looked down at her tablet, business as usual. "That's all."
Armani stood. Paused. "For what it's worth… I think you're more than just results."
She turned and walked out without another word, the door clicking shut behind her.
Lilly exhaled slowly, fingers brushing her lower lip.
She hated how that woman always got the last word.
Later that week...
By Thursday, the entire office buzzed with curiosity about the new hire. Armani had already made an impression sharp, smart, unshakable. She asked questions no one else dared. She stayed late. She carried herself like someone who belonged, even when others whispered that she was "too confident."
Lilly noticed.
She noticed the way Armani stood at the edge of the conference table, taking notes like she was already two steps ahead of everyone else.
She noticed how her laugh only came out when she forgot to be guarded and how it made Lilly's chest tighten.
But she kept her distance. She had to.
Until Friday.
Friday night, after everyone had gone home, Lilly was still in her office, working on sketches for a new collection. She was wearing reading glasses, her heels kicked off beneath the desk, a half-empty espresso beside her.
A soft knock came at the door.
She looked up. "Come in."
Armani stepped inside, a folder in hand. "Didn't want to leave without turning this in."
She placed it on the desk.
Their fingers brushed.
They both froze.
Something between them sparked—again.
"You work late," Armani said softly.
"So do you."
"I don't sleep much."
Lilly met her gaze. "Why?"
"Too many thoughts. Too many… distractions."
Lilly swallowed hard. "This is a bad idea."
"I didn't suggest anything."
"But you were about to."
Armani stepped back, but her eyes stayed locked on Lilly's. "Then stop me."
Lilly didn't move. Didn't speak.
Because she didn't want Lines We Cross
The silence crackled between them like static.
Lilly finally looked away, her pulse thudding just a little too fast. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and reached for her espresso like it could ground her.
"Close the door," she said quietly.
Armani paused in the doorway, one hand still on the knob.
"Are you sure?"
"No," Lilly admitted, her voice low. "But do it anyway."
The click of the door was deafening.
Armani stepped forward, slow and cautious, like someone approaching a fire they knew might burn them. Lilly watched her through guarded eyes, her breath shallow.
They didn't speak.
They didn't need to.
Armani walked around the desk and stopped right in front of her. "You said this was a bad idea."
"It is," Lilly whispered.
Armani leaned in, not touching, just letting her presence fill the space. "So why haven't you told me to leave?"
Lilly looked up into her eyes—dark, certain, magnetic.
Because I don't want to.
But she didn't say that.
Instead, she stood, their bodies now inches apart. Armani's scent was subtle—earthy and rich, like something expensive and impossible to forget.
"I'm your boss," Lilly said softly. "If anyone finds out—"
"No one will," Armani cut in. "Unless you want them to."
Lilly stared at her, torn between logic and desire. She was known for control. Precision. Power.
But Armani made her feel something different.
Exposed.
Wanted.
Real.
"I don't sleep with my employees," Lilly said, trying to steady herself.
"Then don't," Armani replied. "But stop pretending we don't feel this."
Lilly swallowed hard. Her resolve slipped, just a little. "You always talk like you're not afraid of anything."
"I'm terrified," Armani confessed, eyes softening. "But I'm still here."
That broke something in Lilly. The wall she kept so carefully constructed around her heart cracked—just a little.
She stepped back. "You should go."
Armani didn't move. "Say it like you mean it."
Lilly looked away. "I can't."
Neither of them moved for several seconds. Then, finally, Armani nodded and stepped back. "Goodnight, Ms. Rivera."
Her voice held no anger. No shame.
Only truth.
The door shut behind her, and Lilly let out a long breath, collapsing into her chair. Her hands trembled as she picked up her sketchpad—but nothing came to her.
Not a single line, not a single thread.
Because all she could think about... was Armani.
---
Scene Shift – Armani's POV
The air outside was cooler now, the city settling into its rhythm of nightlife and neon. Armani stepped out of the building and into her car, gripping the steering wheel before even starting the engine.
She had no idea what the hell she was doing.
This wasn't just attraction anymore. It was something deeper—something unspoken. The way Lilly looked at her wasn't casual. It wasn't lust.
It was like she'd been searching for someone to finally understand the chaos inside her.
And somehow, Armani did.
But the line was real.
And crossing it again might break them both.
Still, she couldn't shake the look in Lilly's eyes when she told her not to go.
That wasn't a boss. That wasn't a CEO.
That was a woman who was just as scared as she was.
And if they weren't careful… one of them was going to fall first.
---
The next morning – Rivera Studios
"Morning," Armani said, stepping into the elevator the next day.
Lilly was already inside.
Sharp blouse. Tight bun. Sunglasses on despite being indoors.
She didn't say a word.
Not until the doors slid shut and they were alone.
Then Lilly spoke, her voice low and measured. "You didn't tell anyone."
"I said I wouldn't."
A pause.
Lilly adjusted her glasses, refusing to look at her. "Good."
"I'm not your weakness, Lilly."
The use of her first name made Lilly flinch—just slightly.
"I know," she said quietly. "But I don't know what you are yet."
Armani didn't push. She just let the words hang between them.
When the elevator opened again, they stepped into the hallway together, every eye in the office on them.
Professional.
Untouchable.
But behind every glance, every step, was a secret neither of them could forget.