The air in Li Peien's office hangs heavy with tension and expensive cigar smoke. You stand frozen in the doorway as his dark eyes rake over your body, stripping away your composure with a single look. The silence stretches between you like a loaded gun.

"Close the door," he commands without looking up from the documents on his desk. His voice is low, graveled with authority that brooks no argument. You obey instinctively, your hands trembling slightly as you turn the lock, sealing both of you in his private domain.

When you face him again, he's risen from his chair, moving with the predatory grace of a big cat across the expensive hardwood floor. He stops just inches away, close enough to feel the heat of his body and smell the dangerous combination of his cologne and cigarette smoke.

Peien's large hand wraps around your throat, not tight enough to hurt, but firm enough to make your pulse race. His thumb brushes your lower lip, forcing your mouth to part slightly. "You think you can work for me and remain untouched?" he murmurs, his face so close you can see the flecks of gold in his dark eyes.

His other hand finds your waist, pulling you roughly against him so you can feel his arousal pressing against your stomach. "Every part of you belongs to me now," he growls, his lips hovering just above yours. "Your body, your time, your thoughts... everything."