Bound To The Boss: A Midnight Secret

The paper shredder hummed in the quiet Aspen presidential suite as Alexys Slater fed the last sheet of confidential financial projections into the slot, rubbing her aching wrist.

The six-hour cross-border merger review had finally ended, and everyone else had already left. She picked up her chipped light-purple Yeti tumbler from the conference table and took a sip of flat, ice-cold Americano to dull a throbbing migraine. She just wanted to clear the table and go back to her staff room to sleep.

"Are you open to a one-night stand?"

A low, magnetic male voice cut through the empty suite without warning.

Alexys froze, her fingers tightening around the metal tumbler. Thinking the endless overtime had given her auditory hallucinations, she didn't look back and stuffed the remaining scrap folders into her canvas bag faster.

"Alexys, I'm talking to you."

The voice came again, lazy yet carrying an undeniable pressure from the top of the corporate food chain.

Her heart dropped into her stomach. She spun around and looked straight into a pair of dark, bottomless eyes.

Sitting on the black leather sofa was Evan Knight, the twenty-eight-year-old billionaire CEO of Knight Enterprises. At six-foot-two, his custom suit wrapped around broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his sharp features looking like a Greek sculpture. He permanently held the number-one spot on Manhattan women's secret "men I'd ruin my life to sleep with" lists.

And she was just an invisible college senior intern with no family background and crushing student loans, desperately fighting for a full-time return offer before graduation.

Evan kept his gaze locked on her face, watching the pale skin of her earlobes flush the soft pink of a ripe peach.

"Mr. Knight... what do you mean by that?" Her fingertips trembled slightly as she forced herself to keep her professional mask in place.

Evan leaned back against the cushions and crossed his long legs, his tone casual and shockingly direct.

"Just asking. It's been a long dry spell, and the mergers over the last few quarters have been draining. I want to blow off some steam. Call it simple physical attraction."

His blunt honesty without any corporate hypocrisy actually made her guard drop. Her mind raced, weighing the pros and cons of saying yes or walking out the door.

She tried to offer her boss a polite way out. "With your status, your executive assistant Marcus could arrange a top-tier companion for you in minutes..."

"Not necessary. I don't get the urge for just anyone." Evan cut her off flatly, making it clear his interest was aimed solely at her.

Seeing her hesitation, he softened his voice slightly. "You don't have to feel cornered. If you're willing, we do it. If not, finish your work and go to bed. I won't use your return offer to threaten you. Just two consenting adults getting what they want."

No abuse of power, no empty workplace promises. The equal footing sparked a sudden rebellion deep in her bones. In her ordinary, exhausting life, the odds of sleeping with a top-tier man like Evan Knight were practically zero.

Seeing her silent, Evan thought he had scared her and smoothly changed the subject to ease the tension. "Your proposal during the meeting about expanding the beach sandcastle project at the resort was solid. High execution value. Did you draft a budget for it?"

"You're sure it's strictly a one-night stand, and once the sun comes up, it won't affect my job or my return offer evaluation?" Alexys suddenly looked up, her bright eyes sharp as she laid down her bottom line.

Evan paused for a fraction of a second before answering calmly. "It won't."

"Okay, then."

Alexys arched her eyebrows, a vivid, stunning smile curving her lips as she shed her meek intern disguise.

Evan stared at her plain white button-down shirt and black knee-length skirt. His throat bobbed, his pulse speeding up against his will. That sharp contrast had kept him restless all evening.

"I'll give you generous compensation afterward," Evan said in a low voice, unwilling to let her come out at a loss.

"No need."

Alexys refused flatly. She stepped around the low glass table between them and sat down right beside him on the sofa. Her long dark hair brushed forward as she leaned in, sending a faint floral scent straight into his nose. Every muscle in Evan's body pulled tight.

Her pale fingers reached up, wrapped around his black silk tie, and gave a light tug. Evan's upper body leaned forward with the pull, his thin lips brushing right past the tip of her nose.

"Want me to take it off for you? You're way too tense, Mr. Knight." Her voice carried a teasing rasp.

Caught off guard by her taking control, dark heat surged in Evan's eyes. His large palm clamped around her slender waist, pulling her close as he dipped his head and caught her warm earlobe between his lips.

"Be a little more proactive. Like you said, I really am too tense."

Alexys let out a soft laugh, swung her long leg over, and straddled his tailored trousers, bringing the distance between them down to zero. She yanked his black tie loose, tossed it onto the cashmere rug, and undid the top two buttons of his dress shirt, freeing his rolling Adam's apple.

"How long has your dry spell been, Mr. Knight?" She tapped his hard chest with her fingertip.

"Kiss me," Evan ordered hoarsely.

She tilted her chin back, refusing to obey. "You take the initiative too. Show me how badly you want me."

Before the last word left her mouth, Evan captured her lips, tasting of the sweet watermelon from the meeting room fruit platter. Soft, warm, and intoxicating. Alexys melted right into the kiss, matching his heat beat for beat, before playfully grazing his lower lip with her teeth and pulling back just enough to leave him breathless. Her fingers slid over his silk shirt, tracing the deep ridges of his abs with a low laugh.

"Great body," she murmured with a teasing hum. "Tell me there's a six-pack under here-because that's my weakness."

Evan curved his lips against hers, his palm sliding up her ribcage. "Thirty-six D. Do a lot of men chase you?"

"Does it matter?"

"No."

His nimble fingers flicked open the buttons of her white shirt, his dark eyes dropping to take in her curves. "What position do you like?"

Alexys raised an eyebrow, her breath hot against his jaw. "Try them all?"

The restraint in Evan's eyes snapped completely, and he scooped her up into his arms, striding toward the king-sized bed in the master bedroom.