15 Crossing the Line After Dark Liam's POV I paced my penthouse living room , unable to shake the image of Hazel Vance from my mind . Those fierce green eyes , that defiant tilt of her chin , her lips parted in anger . My body reacted instantly to the memory . " Damn it , " I muttered , pouring myself a scotch . Three fingers , neat . I took a long sip , welcoming the burn down my throat . The intercom buzzed , announcing Damian's arrival . Perfect timing- I needed a distraction from my inappropriate thoughts about my assistant . " You look like shit ," Damian greeted cheerfully , walking in and heading straight for my bar cart . " Thanks for the assessment ," I replied dryly . Damian poured himself a drink and settled into my leather armchair . " So , what's got you all worked up ? Let me guess the new assistant ? " I shot him a glare . " Is it that obvious ? " " Only to someone who's known you since you were ten ." He grinned . " Plus , I saw how you looked at her today . Like you wanted to either fire her or fuck her . I winced at his bluntness . " It's inappropriate . She works for me ." " Since when has that stopped you ? " Damian raised an eyebrow . " Remember Sophia from Accounting ? " " That was different ," I argued . " She didn't report directly to me . " " Ah , so you admit you're attracted to Hazel ," Damian looked smug . I downed the rest of my scotch in one gulp . " What I feel doesn't matter . I have rules . " " Your rules , not company policy . " Damian shrugged . " But if you're not interested , I might ask her out myself ." The glass nearly slipped from my hand . " You wouldn't dare . " 20:41 O 1/5 15 Crossing the Line After Dark Damian's eyes widened at my reaction . " Wow , you're actually serious about this one . " " I'm not serious about anything " I snapped . " I just don't want office complications ." " Sure , that's it . Damian nodded , unconvinced . " Nothing to do with how she's the first woman since the masquerade girl who's gotten under your skin ." I refilled my glass , ignoring his comment . " She challenges me . Refuses to be intimidated . Do you know what she said today ? She told me I was being unreasonable ." Damian laughed . " I like her already ." " She's infuriating , " I admitted . " And completely different from anyone I've ever worked with ." " Different how ? " I struggled to find the right words . " She's … authentic . No games , no hidden agenda . Just raw honesty and this fierce determination ." " And she's gorgeous , Damian added helpfully . " Painfully so , " I agreed before I could stop myself . Damian leaned forward . " So what's the problem ? Ask her out . " " Did you miss the part where she works for me ? " I ran a hand through my hair . " Besides , she has a child . That's a complication I don't need . " " Since when is a kid a dealbreaker ? " Damian asked , surprised . " You love children ." " I'm not looking for a family , Damian . I'm not looking for anything " Damian sighed . " It's been three years , Liam . Your parents would want you to live your life , not bury yourself in work . " I stared out the window at the city lights below . " I'm fine the way things are ." " Are you ? Because you haven't been this worked up about a woman since … " " Don't ," I warned . Damian held up his hands in surrender . " All I'm saying is that Hazel Vance has obviously gotten to you . And that's not necessarily a bad thing " 20:41 0 2/5 15 Crossing the Lins After Dark "It is when she's my assistant , " I insisted . " So what's your plan ? Ignore the attraction until it goes away ? " 1 nodded . " Exactly ." " Good luck with that , Damian laughed . " That woman Isn't the type you just forget . " After Damian left , I tried to distract myself with work . But by midnight , my mind kept circling back to Hazel . Her fire . Her defiance . The way her blouse had clung to her curves . Almost without thinking , I grabbed my phone and pulled up her contact information . This was crossing a line , but I couldn't stop myself . " Having trouble sleeping , Ms. Vance ? " I typed , then hit send before I could reconsider . Three dots appeared almost immediately , surprising me . I hadn't expected her to be awake , let alone respond . " Is this a test , Mr. Sterling ? Because I'm pretty sure contacting employees at midnight isn't in the company handbook . " Her quick wit made me smile despite myself . The fact that she didn't back down , even in a text , was both frustrating and fascinating . " Just checking your responsiveness . Clearly , you're dedicated ." I paused before adding , " Or you have no life outside work . " " Says the man texting his assistant at midnight on a weekend , " came her immediate . reply . I chuckled . This woman never missed a beat . " Fair point . What's keeping you up so late ? " " Wondering if my boss is always this inappropriate or if I'm special , " she responded . My pulse quickened . Was she flirting back ? " Trust me , Ms. Vance . You're definitely special . " I hesitated , then added , " Though not always in a good way ." " Careful , Mr. Sterling . That almost sounds like a compliment ." 20:41 3/5 15 Crossing the Line After Dark I grinned at my phone . This exchange felt dangerous , exhilarating . I hadn't bantered like this with anyone in years . " Don't get used to it . I'm still your boss . " " A fact you never let me forget ," she replied . " Is there an actual work reason for this midnight chat ? " I couldn't resist pushing further . " Just wondering if that sharp tongue of yours works as well in other circumstances . " The moment I sent it , I knew I'd crossed the line . This was sexual harassment , plain and simple . I was about to send an apology when her response came through . " Mr. Sterling , I suggest you direct such curiosity elsewhere . I'm your assistant , not . your booty call . And for the record , my tongue works perfectly fine in ALL circumstances - especially when putting arrogant men in their place ." I nearly choked on my scotch . No one talked to me like this . No one . And yet , instead of anger , I felt a rush of admiration and desire . - " You're walking a dangerous line , Ms. Vance , " I warned , heat coursing through me . " You drew that line when you texted me at midnight with inappropriate comments ," she shot back . She was right , of course . I had started this . But now I needed to regain control . " For your impertinence , I expect you in the office an hour early Monday morning , I typed . " 7 AM sharp . " " That's professional retaliation ," she replied instantly . " That's the consequence of challenging your boss . " I couldn't help adding , " Think carefully one more smart remark and I'll make you come back to the office right now ! " No response came . I'd silenced her , at least temporarily . The victory felt hollow . I tossed my phone aside downed the last of my scotch . What the hell was I doing ? This woman was my employee . More than that , she was a single mother who needed this job . 20:41 4/5 15 Crossing the Line After Dark And yet I couldn't deny the truth any longer . Hazel Vance had gotten under my skin in a way no one had since that masked woman three years ago . The realization hit me like a physical blow . " Damn it , " I whispered into the empty penthouse . " I'm done for : " Comment Leave the first comment for this chapter