Daisy didn't expect her desk to vanish overnight.
When she arrived the next morning, the corner cubicle she'd been assigned was gone literally. The empty space sat awkwardly where her desk once stood, with a confused intern blinking at her like she was the ghost.
"Looking for this?"
Xander's voice deep, amused, and impossible to ignore came from behind.
Daisy turned, frowning. "Looking for what?"
"My office," he said, eyes sharp as ever. "That's where you'll be working from now on. Starting today, you sit where I can see you."
The words were laced with something darker than control.
Possession.
And a hint of obsession.
Inside Xander's spacious glass office, Daisy noticed something new: a small, elegant desk placed near the window far too close to his own. Not beside it. Not across from it.
Facing him.
Like a reminder that she was on display only for him.
"Is this really necessary?" she asked, trying to mask her nerves.
Xander didn't look up from his desk. "You signed a contract, Miss Dane. That means I decide what's necessary."
Her cheeks flushed. "Even moving me from the staff floor?"
His eyes finally met hers; grey, unreadable. "Especially that."
The day dragged with tension so thick it could be cut with a letter opener.
Xander was quiet, calculating, his gaze occasionally flicking up to her as if checking a prized possession. Daisy could feel it every time. Like a heat crawling up her spine.
The worst part?
A part of her liked it.
She had no idea what to make of that.
As the sun dipped behind the skyline, the office thinned out. Staff left in twos and threes, murmuring goodbyes as they passed the glass doors of Xander's floor. Daisy was typing up a schedule when Xander stood and slipped into his jacket.
"Let's go," he said casually. "We're leaving together."
She blinked. "We are?"
"You live in my building," he reminded her. "And I don't trust you walking through a city of men in that skirt."
Her heart jumped not at the comment, but at the possessiveness laced behind it.
Daisy followed him out, her heels clicking against marble as they entered the private elevator the only one that went directly to the top penthouse floors.
The doors slid shut.
They were alone.
And the silence turned electric.
The elevator began its slow, smooth descent.
Xander turned to her... eyes no longer cold, but dark. Intense.
"Did you enjoy Marcus touching you yesterday?" he asked suddenly.
Daisy froze.
"What? No I didn't...he didn't"
"You smiled," he said, stepping closer. "You let him near you. You forgot who you belong to."
Her breath caught.
"I didn't."
He silenced her with a kiss hard and claiming, his hand gripping her waist, pulling her flush against his chest. Daisy melted against him, heat pooling in her stomach, her heart pounding like a drum.
When he broke the kiss, his voice was gravel.
"Touch your toes."
Her eyes widened. "What?"
He pressed the emergency stop button. The elevator jerked slightly, then froze between floors.
He leaned in, his lips brushing her ear. "I said touch your toes."
She swallowed then, slowly, obeyed.
Bent forward in the elevator, heart thundering, she braced her palms against the wall.
Xander dropped to one knee behind her, sliding her skirt up without hesitation. "Doggy's my favorite," he whispered. "And this view? Even better than I imagined."
A gasp escaped her lips as he pressed against her hot, hard, and unapologetically ready. His hand gripped her hips while his other guided himself into position.
He paused teasing her.
"You want this?"
She didn't trust her voice, so she nodded.
"Say it."
"I I I… want it," she whispered.
And then he gave it to her deep, steady, and possessive. Each thrust sent fire through her body, and yet it wasn't just lust it was power, dominance, control.
It was his rules.
And she was bound to follow.
The walls of the elevator echoed with their soft moans and breathless tension. It was filthy. Forbidden. And yet addictive.
When he finished, he pulled her back against his chest, smoothing her skirt down with surprising gentleness.
Still breathless, Daisy turned to him. "Was this… punishment?"
Xander's eyes were unreadable again. "No."
"Then what was it?"
He hesitated.
Then, softly: "A warning."
Back in her room that night, Daisy lay awake, her body still aching from his touch.
But her mind wasn't calm.
She opened her phone.
A message flashed from an unknown number:
"You're not safe with him. He's hiding something about your father's debt.
Meet me tomorrow. Come alone."
Her fingers trembled.
Because suddenly, the contract wasn't the only dangerous thing she'd signed up for.