The undeniable sound of skin slapping against skin.....Just movement. The soft, irregular thud of something shifting against the desk. The faint clink of jewelry, metal brushing skin.
I walked into the office without knocking.
Then I looked up.
Zane was behind his desk. Jacket still on. Shirt sleeves rolled back like he hadn't planned on company. A woman was bent forward in front of him, blonde hair spilling down her back, one hand braced on the polished wood like she needed it to stay upright.
It took my brain a second too long to catch up.
My stomach dropped so hard it felt like my knees might follow.
I should've backed out. Quietly. Pretended I'd never seen it. But my body locked in place, hand still wrapped around the door handle, lungs forgetting how to work.
Zane looked up.
Our eyes met.
Something shifted in his expression. Not surprise. Not guilt. Awareness. Like he'd known I'd be there the second I walked onto the floor.
He didn't move away from her.
Didn't rush to explain.
He just watched me watch him pound into the woman bent over his desk. He was standing behind her, clothed, slamming into her while holding her by her hair.
The woman noticed me then. Turned her head slightly, eyes widening when she realized they weren't alone. She froze, embarrassment written all over her face, but she didn't move away either. No one did.
Heat crawled up my neck. Not just anger. Not just humiliation. Something sharper. Something I hated myself for recognizing.
Jealousy. He wasn't even mine and this agreement is nothing by a contract.
I clenched my jaw.
"So," I said, surprised my voice came out steady. "This is a bad time."
Zane's mouth curved, just barely. "You should've called." Still aggressively pounding into her.
"I was given your card," I shot back. "Not an appointment."
The woman shifted uncomfortably, clearly wishing she could disappear. Zane finally stepped back then, enough to give her space, one hand still resting on the edge of the desk like nothing about this rattled him.
"Give us a minute," he said to her, calm, controlled.
She didn't argue. Just fixed her dress, avoided my eyes, and slipped past me without a word.
The door clicked shut behind her.
Silence rushed in.
I let out a breath I'd been holding too long. My heart was racing now, anger finally catching up with shock.
"That was intentional,wasn't it?." I said.
Zane straightened, adjusting his cuffs. "You think everything I do isn't?"
I laughed once, sharp and humorless. "You're fucking unbelievable."
"You came here to sign an agreement," he replied. "Not to pretend this is some fairy tale."
"I came here because it's either me or Ivy," I said. "And don't think for one second I forgot that."
His gaze sharpened at her name.
"Good," he said quietly. "Then we're clear."
I hated that my pulse reacted to the way he looked at me then. Focused. Possessive. Like the room had narrowed down to just the two of us.
I took a step back, putting distance between us. "Next time," I said, "warn me before I walk into your office."
Zane's eyes didn't leave mine. "There won't be a next time like that."
I didn't know whether to believe him.
But I knew one thing for sure.
This marriage wasn't just a deal.
It was already a war.