Chapter 1: The Unexpected Delay
Avery rushed toward the closing elevator doors, heels in one hand, laptop bag in the other. She'd stayed late fixing the Miller presentation and lost track of time. Her hair fell in loose waves around her face, her usual neat appearance long gone after hours of staring at spreadsheets.
"Hold the door!" she called, picking up her pace despite her aching feet.
Just as the doors began to close, a hand shot out to stop them. The doors slid back open revealing Blake Carter, her boss and the company's intimidating CEO, standing inside with a surprised expression that surely matched her own.
"Working late again?" he asked, his voice smoother than during office hours.
Avery stepped into the elevator, suddenly aware of her disheveled appearance. She quickly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"The Miller presentation needed work," she said, pressing herself against the opposite wall. "Those market projections were off."
Blake nodded, his steel blue eyes studying her with unexpected interest. "I noticed that too. Good catch."
He looked different after hours. His hair was slightly mussed, tie loosened, top shirt button undone. Avery caught herself staring at that small patch of skin before quickly looking away.
The elevator began its descent, the soft sound of classical music filling the silence between them.
"Your revisions to that presentation today," Blake said, breaking the silence. "They saved us from looking unprepared."
Avery glanced up, surprised by the compliment. In the three years she'd worked as his executive assistant, Blake Carter had never been particularly forthcoming with praise.
"Just doing my job," she replied, shifting her weight from one bare foot to the other.
"You did more than that. You seem to know what they would ask before they asked it." Blake leaned against the wall, more relaxed than she'd ever seen him. "Not many people can do that."
"You would have caught it too," Avery said, feeling warm at his praise.
"Eventually. But not as quickly as you did." His mouth curved into a smile that transformed his usually stern face. "I rely on you more than you probably realize."
Avery found herself smiling back. "And I enjoy the challenge," she admitted. "Working with you, I mean. You push people to do better."
"Is that a polite way of saying I'm demanding?"
"Demanding, yes. But fair." Avery slipped her feet back into her heels, suddenly aware of the height difference between them. "There's a reason people want to work for you, despite your reputation."
"And what reputation is that?" Blake asked, amusement in his eyes.
"That you're brilliant but terrifying," Avery said honestly. "That you don't accept anything less than perfection."
"And what do you think?" He took a step closer, and Avery became aware of his cologne. It was subtle and expensive, with notes of cedar and something she couldn't quite place.
"I think - "
A sudden jolt cut off her words. The elevator shuddered violently. Avery stumbled forward, her laptop bag slipping from her shoulder as she fell.
Blake caught her before she hit the floor. His hands gripped her, steadying her against his chest. They froze. Her hands pressed against his shirt, his arms around her, their faces inches apart.
The elevator shuddered once more before grinding to a complete stop.
"Are you okay?" Blake asked, his voice lower than before.
Avery nodded, suddenly aware of how warm his hands felt through the thin fabric of her shirt. "Yes. Thank you."
Neither moved right away. Avery felt Blake's heartbeat against her palm. It was faster than she'd expected from the always-cool CEO.
Finally, Blake released her, taking a small step back but still standing closer than he had been before. "Perfect end to a perfect week," Avery muttered, trying to ignore the lingering warmth where his hands had been.
"Let me call maintenance," Blake said, pulling out his phone. He frowned at the screen. "No signal."
Avery checked her own phone. It was the same. "The emergency phone should work." She moved to the panel and pulled out the small handset hidden behind a metal cover.
After talking to building maintenance, she turned to Blake. "They know about the problem. Something's wrong with the main control system. It'll take an hour or two to fix."
Blake sighed, loosening his tie further and unbuttoning his cuffs. "Not how I planned to spend my Friday night."
"Me neither," Avery agreed, slipping off her suit jacket. The elevator wasn't large, and the glass panel along one side did nothing to help with air circulation.
Blake surprised her by sitting down on the floor, his back against the elevator wall. After a moment's hesitation, Avery joined him, sitting opposite, their legs stretched out.
"No point in standing around for two hours," he said with a shrug that seemed oddly boyish coming from the usually formal CEO.
Avery nodded, leaning her head back against the wall.
"Tell me something I don't know about you," Blake said suddenly.
"What?" Avery asked, caught off guard by the personal request.
"We've worked together for three years, but I don't know much about you outside of work." His tone was casual, but his eyes stayed on hers. "Good time to change that."
Avery looked at him for a moment, before nodding. "Okay. What do you want to know?"
"Anything. Something that's not in your personnel file." He smiled, and a dimple appeared in his left cheek. "What does Avery Davis do when she's not saving me from business disasters?"
"I write," she said after a moment's hesitation.
Blake's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really? What do you write?"
"Game scripts," Avery admitted. "I write stories for indie video games. Freelance stuff, nothing big."
"That's not what I expected," Blake said, leaning forward slightly. "How did you get into that?"
"I love games," Avery explained, warming up as she talked. "Not just playing them, but their worlds and stories. In college, I started out writing fanfic for existing games, then met some indie developers who needed writers."
"What kind of games?"
"Mostly story games. RPGs." Avery tucked her legs under her, getting comfortable. "I'm working on one about a bartender who hears everyone's secrets and uses them to help a detective solve murders."
"That sounds fascinating," Blake said, seeming genuinely interested. "I wouldn't have pegged you for a gamer."
"What would you have pegged me for?" Avery asked, curious about how he viewed her outside their professional relationship.
Blake studied her for a moment. "Literature, maybe. You're always catching my grammar mistakes in emails." He smiled. "Though now that you mention gaming, I can see it. You're good at strategy."
"Your turn," Avery said, pleased by his answer. "Tell me something about Blake Carter that isn't in the company bio."
Blake hesitated, and for a moment Avery thought he might dodge the question. He was notoriously private, rarely sharing personal details even at company social events.
"I wanted to be an astronomer," he finally said, surprising her. "Before tech, before business school. I was crazy about stars."
"What happened?"
"Real life," he said with a shrug. "My dad made it clear that Carter men did business, not stargazing. I still have a telescope in my apartment, though. On clear nights, I watch the stars."
Avery tried to picture the intimidating CEO stargazing and found the image kind of endearing. "Do you regret it? Not pursuing astronomy?"
"Sometimes," Blake admitted. "But I'm good at what I do." He paused. "Though there are days when staring at distant galaxies seems more appealing than dealing with board meetings."
Avery laughed. "I can imagine."
Their conversation flowed more easily after that, time passing quickly. Avery learned that Blake had a dry sense of humor. Blake discovered that Avery had an encyclopedic knowledge of obscure movies and could quote them perfectly.
An hour later, Avery pulled out her phone. "Want to see my game?"
Blake sat next to her, his shoulder and thigh touching hers as he looked at her screen. The contact sent a tingle up Avery's spine.
"It's just a rough version," she explained, opening the app. "Basic gameplay and some of the story."
Blake watched intently as she clicked through the opening sequence, asking intelligent questions about design choices and story lines. His breath was warm against her cheek as he leaned closer to examine a particular puzzle element.
"That's cool," he said as she showed how pieces of clues could combine to unlock new paths.
"It's still early," Avery said. "Lots to refine."
"Still, I'm impressed." Blake turned his head to look at her, and suddenly their faces were inches apart. "You're full of surprises, Avery Davis."
Suddenly, Avery became aware of how close they were. She felt his thigh against hers, smelled his cologne, and noticed the look in his eyes that had nothing to do with work.
Blake's gaze dropped briefly to her lips before meeting her eyes again, a question in the look that made her breath catch.
For a moment, Avery thought he might lean in closer and kiss her. Her heart raced, her body responding to him in ways that shocked her.
The elevator jerked suddenly, bright lights coming back on. Avery and Blake moved apart, the moment broken.
"Looks like we're back in business," Blake said, his voice rougher than usual as he stood and offered her a hand up.
Avery took it, feeling the strength in his grip as he pulled her to her feet. "About time."
The elevator began to move again, resuming its descent toward the executive floor.
Blake's gaze remained fixed on Avery, making her breath catch. She thought he might say something about what had just happened between them. Her lips parted slightly, waiting for words that didn't come.
The elevator felt too hot, too small. Blake watched her, a muscle working in his jaw.
Just as Blake stepped toward her, the elevator chimed. They'd arrived, and reality came crashing back.