His Dangerous Desire

Kate Milmar slapped the man. It sounded across the VIP Lounge  like a gunshot. "Don't confuse access with ownership," she said calmly, taking her hair back like nothing had happened. The man laughed nervously and adjusted his suit. "You enjoy this game too much". She stepped closer, her perfume was subtle but dangerously expensive.  "It's not a game, it's negotiation", she whispered. Across the lounge, in the darkest corner where the lights are so dim that you can hardly see whether a person is there, Chris Cena watched everything but didn't bulge. The private lounge belonged to the Cena Empire. Twenty private rooms built with glass, marble and power. Chris ruled it with discipline that bordered around obsession. Every executive and board member feared his quiet demeanor. He was young . Too young, some said to carry the empire his father built. But no one dared to say it out loud. Chris adjusted his watch and looked at the woman again. Kate Milmar was a professional flirt , a strategic companion to high-value men . She only attended exclusive events where she charms investors and softens negotiations that bring contracts but never sold her body. And she was very very good at it. The man she has just slapped, Liam Edgewood, was a foreign investor Chris had been studying for months. Liam has a weakness but he was very wealthy. And Kate has just tested him. Chris stood up and walked towards her, calm and precise. Liam Edgewood swallowed something down his throat when he saw Chris approaching. "Mr Edgewood", Chris said calmly. " I believe you are enjoying our hospitality". He forced a smile . "Your uh... associate is very spirited". "She's not my associate", Chris replied without looking at Kate. Liam Edgewood laughed awkwardly. "Hmmmn, I appreciate strong personalities". Chris leaned closer, voice low but controlled. "Appreciation and disrespect are different things, I think you should try to understand the difference". Silence engulfed the space. Liam Edgewood nodded quickly and excused himself. Chris finally looked at Kate. "You hit him", Chris said. "He grabbed my wrist", she replied sharply. "You could have stepped away". Kate tilted her head . "Would you have preferred I smiled as well?". She looked at him carefully. "You don't like that I work with other men". "I don't care who you work with", he said calmly. "You actually care". She said with a smile. "I really don't". She stepped closer to him. "You've been watching me for thirty minutes". His eyes darkened. "Observation is not interesting", he said. "Then stop observing", she replied abruptly. The tension between them became electric. Kate smiled slowly. "Why did you really leave where you were seated and come over, Mr Cena?". "To remind you where you are", he replied. "And where is that?". "My building, of course". She leaned closer, "Buildings don't scare me", she said softly. "I don't scare you?" Her breath brushed his jaw . "Well, not yet". For the first time that evening, Chris felt his desire shifted.  But it was in possession. He stepped back abruptly. "You're scheduled to attend the Brussels summit next month", he said coldly. "You will be representing Cena's Empire". Kate blinked twice. "You want to hire me?". "It's not a request", he interrupted. She laughs briefly. "I don't work exclusively". "You will". He said, "And if I refuse to?" His voice dropped a bit. "You won't". Kate's eyes brightened. She loved power in men. But she never bowed to it. "Send the contract, I will consider it", she said smoothly. Then she walked away. Chris watched her leave as her figure was very recognizable. "Sir, your mother is asking for you", the assistant whispered. Chris's expression went blank. Elisabeth Cena's office was darker than the rest of the lounge. Her late husband's pictures were on the walls of her office. She stood by the window when Chris entered. "You watched her", she said without turning around. Chris didn't react. "You have cameras everywhere". "Well, I have instincts everywhere", she replied.   He didn't answer. Elisabeth turned slowly. She was beautiful in a way that intimidated  people. "She's not suitable", Elisabeth said with a frown. "Suitable for what?" He said. "For you". "You don't even know her". He said tightly. "I know women like her". Kate's face flashed in his mind. "She brings attention". "And men talk when she enters a room", Elisabeth continued. Chris' eyes brightened . "But that's her job", he said. "And what exactly will her job be in Brussels? Softening your rivals? Laughing at their jokes? Letting them believe they can have her on their beds? Chris' voice sharpened. "Careful, Mother. Careful". Elisabeth's eyes sparkled. "You are getting emotional already". "I am not emotional", he said with a frown. "You are your father's son. He let a woman distract him once". She said softly. Chris froze with his eyes widened. A heart attack, they said . As the shadow around his father's death came up again. But he had always suspected something didn't just add up. "Mother", he said carefully, "why did you take control of the company quickly after he died?".   "Because someone had to", she smiled faintly. "That's not what I asked and you know it". She stepped closer, placing a hand on his cheek. "I protected you". In his mind, from what? She withdrew her hand. "End whatever this is before it becomes embarrassing for the family". "There is nothing to end". Chris replied sharply. "Good", she said softly. "Because I will not compete with a woman who earns her living through attention". Chris became cold. "She earns through strategy", he said quietly. Elisabeth's smile disappeared. "Are you trying to defend her?" He walked  out without answering. Kate sat alone in her apartment later that night. Her phone buzzed. A message from Chris Cena came in. You belong in my world. Decide wisely. She stared at her screen and murmured . "Belong?" She opened her laptop and pulled up archived articles about Cena's Empire. The articles contained timeline, ownership shifts and emergency board meetings after Mr Cena's death. But there were gaps . Documents that should have been public, were hidden. She clicked on a picture of Elisabeth Cena at the emergency press conference years ago. She had not looked like she was grieving. She looked like she was prepared. Kate's eyes narrowed and she murmured "So, this is why you hate me". Her phone buzzed again but this time it was a call. Chris was calling her . She answered . "Are you alone?" He asked. "Yes, I am". "Good", he replied with a smile. "You aren't working for Edgewood again". "I don't take orders", she said sharply. "You do now ". She smiled softly. "Or what?". His breathing slightly changed with control. "Or I will make sure no one hires you in this city again". Silence was felt after those words. It was more like a threat but full of desperation. Kate leaned back on her couch. "You're afraid". "I'm not afraid of you," he said assuredly. "You're afraid I will choose someone else", she smiled. He lowered his voice . "You won't ". "Why?". "Because I won't let you". He said. Her pulse quickened. There was something unstable beneath his control. "You don't own me", she said softly. "I don't need to own you", he interrupted. "Then what do you need?". There was a long pause. "You", he said sharply. Kate stood still as the word felt heavier than it should. "I'll see you tomorrow ", he said. "That wasn't even agreed", she said confusingly. "It is now", he said. And he dropped the call. Kate stared at her window and pondered if she should walk away or not because she thinks exclusive contracts will limit her and limits mean vulnerability. And vulnerability meant weakness to her . But she wanted to see how far Elisabeth would go to protect her position. And how far Chris would go to protect his mother. Kate picked up her wine glass, and walked down to the window to stare at the city below. "Let's play", she whispered. Across the city, in the dark office of the private lounge, Elisabeth Cena watched the security footage of what had transpired earlier . She paused on the frame where Chris stared at Kate. And she realized his stare wasn't about lust or curiosity but it was something deeper. "She's dangerous", Elisabeth murmured. Then she picked up her phone and put a call through. "Dig into Kate Milmar", she instructed quietly. "I want everything, like who she meets, who she touches, who pays her and the rest". She hung up slowly. Elisabeth whispered to the empty office . "If she wants to enter my family, she will learn how cruel families can be".