First Impressions
The city lights shimmered against the glass walls of the penthouse, but they couldn't compete with the storm of thoughts raging in my head. I clutched the leather folder tighter, the edges pressing into my palms, grounding me, reminding me why I was here.
"You look nervous," came a deep, controlled voice behind me.
I turned, startled, and saw him—Adrian Sinclair. Tall, impeccably dressed, sharp-featured, but with a look in his eyes that didn't match the public persona. The kind of gaze that weighed you down and lifted you up all at once.
"I—" I swallowed hard, words failing.
"You don't have to explain," he said, taking a step closer. "Not yet."
I glanced down at the folder again, trying to focus on the pages, the ink that held my first draft, my first proof of courage. "It's just… a lot to process," I admitted.
"You're here," he said simply. "That counts."
I laughed nervously. "That's supposed to make me feel better?"
"Not feel better. Feel present," he corrected. "Presence is more important than comfort tonight."
My fingers tightened around the folder. "Presence doesn't make the heart stop racing."
He tilted his head, studying me, and I felt as if he could see the hesitation inside me, the fear wrapped in desire, all of it laid bare. "Heart racing isn't always fear," he murmured.
"Sometimes it is," I whispered.
"Sometimes it's anticipation," he countered, stepping closer, the space between us charged.
I took a careful step back. "And what if I'm not ready for anticipation?"
"Then you step forward anyway," he said, his voice soft, deliberate. "It's how growth begins."
I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the way my pulse spiked as he leaned casually against the edge of the desk. "Growth comes with risk," I said.
"And so does life," he replied, eyes never leaving mine.
I glanced down at the folder. "I'm here to write," I said finally, forcing the words out. "Not to think about… whatever this is between us."
"Good," he said, a faint smile touching his lips. "Then we'll focus on the writing."
I opened the folder slowly, heart hammering. The first page felt heavier than it should, laden with possibility and fear.
"You've read the brief," Adrian said, voice low. "You know the parameters. But there's one rule I need you to understand before you start."
"And what's that?"
"Honesty," he said simply. "In every line. Even when it hurts. Especially when it hurts."
I swallowed hard, fingers trembling over the paper. "Honesty isn't easy."
"Neither is trust," he said quietly, stepping closer. "But it's required if this is going to work."
I glanced at him, pulse racing. "Trust me with what?"
"Everything," he said, voice soft but heavy. "Even the parts you think you shouldn't touch. The parts no one else sees."
I let out a shaky breath. "I don't even know what you're talking about."
"You will," he replied, leaning back against the desk. "It's not something you can read in the contract. It's not something anyone can tell you. You'll know when you feel it."
I felt heat rise to my cheeks. "And if I can't?"
"You will," he said, calm, assured. "You've already come this far."
I opened the first page and began reading silently, the words seeming to move under my gaze. Each sentence felt alive, heavier than ink and paper. Adrian watched me quietly, a presence that was at once comforting and terrifying.
"I'm not used to people watching me," I whispered.
"You shouldn't be," he said softly. "Not like this. But it's only tonight."
I let out a short laugh. "Tonight feels infinite."
"Time stretches when the stakes are high," he said, stepping closer again. "And this is high. For both of us."
I swallowed hard, trying to focus on the words in front of me. "Why me?" I asked suddenly, unable to keep it inside any longer.
"Because you see," he said, voice quiet but intense. "And you stay. That's rare."
I felt my chest tighten. "See what?"
"Me," he said simply. "Not the man the world sees. The one behind the headlines, the wealth, the control. The one who… doesn't show himself easily."
I swallowed hard. "And what if I don't know how to handle that?"
"You will," he said quietly. "Or you'll walk away. The choice is yours. No pressure. Just truth."
I glanced down at the folder again. My hands were trembling. "Truth isn't always kind."
"Neither is life," he said softly. "But it's more honest than fiction. And tonight, honesty matters."
I let out a shaky breath, opening the first line of the draft, reading aloud to test the sound. My voice wavered slightly.
"Good," Adrian said. "Read it again. Slowly. Feel it. Don't just say it."
I did, my words careful, deliberate. Each sentence felt like a step toward understanding, toward something I wasn't sure I could name.
"You're reading like you're afraid of yourself," he observed.
"I am," I admitted softly. "Afraid of being wrong."
"Wrong isn't a word I use here," he said. "Not when it's this raw. Not when it's this… human."
I glanced up at him, eyes wide. "You make it sound so simple."
"It isn't," he said quietly. "But it's necessary. Every word you write tonight is more than ink. It's a reflection of yourself. And mine."
I froze. "Yours?"
"Yes," he said, voice low, almost reverent. "Every line you touch tonight will tell me who you are. And I need to see that. All of it."
My chest tightened. "That's… a lot."
"Everything worth doing is," he said softly. "Do you want this?"
I hesitated. "I think I do. But I'm scared."
"Good," he said simply. "Fear is proof that it matters. Now, write."
I nodded, hands trembling slightly, and began. Adrian leaned back, watching quietly, giving me space, yet somehow his presence pressed against every nerve in my body.
Minutes passed. Hours felt like minutes. Each word was deliberate, each sentence a choice. Adrian occasionally shifted, asked a quiet question, but mostly he let me write, as if trusting me to navigate the room, the folder, and the storm between us.
Finally, I finished the first section, laying down the pen with a sigh. "It's done," I whispered.
"Not quite," he said quietly, stepping closer. "It's only done when you admit why it matters."
I looked up. "Why it matters?"
"To you. To me. To this moment. To what we're about to step into," he said, voice low, steady, eyes dark. "And only then… do we move forward."
I swallowed hard, pulse hammering, breath catching. "And if I'm not ready?"
"You are," he said softly. "You've already proven it by showing up. By sitting here. By daring to touch the words that matter."
I glanced down at the folder, then back at him. "And if I fail?"
"You won't," he said simply. "Not tonight. Not like this."
I exhaled slowly, trying to steady myself. "Then… what happens next?"
Adrian's eyes glinted, calm, dangerous, intimate. "Next," he said, "we see how far you're willing to go."
I shivered, heart racing, folder clutched against my chest, and realized that stepping forward tonight meant more than finishing a draft. It meant stepping into him.
And just as the words left my mouth, the city lights flickered, casting long shadows across the room. I looked at him, uncertainty sharp in my chest, and whispered, "I don't know if I'm ready."
He didn't answer. He only stepped closer, and the folder felt impossibly heavy in my hands.