Thirst Trap Ex-Boyfriend

Experts say women should spend more time looking at muscular men.It was hard to argue with that, especially when it was said by real experts.And I wasn't even freeloading. I was helping the guy gain traffic, too.At midnight, my best friend, Bridget Poe, sent me a thirst-trap video from an account named "elaire" and demanded a full review.I tapped the video open.The room was dim, lit by a single mood lamp behind him.The man kneeled on the floor with his hands tied behind his back, chest pushed forward. A black lace blindfold covered most of his face, leaving only the sharp line of his jaw…and lips barely holding onto a loosened tie.The red silk shirt stretched tight across his chest like the buttons were fighting for their lives.Lower down, defined abs faded in and out beneath the shadows, his waist tense like a drawn bow.The whole thing radiated restrained power, like he might snap the ropes at any second.Damn. No wonder he blew up.I snorted and started typing.[

That [Wanna put that theory to the test?] from Oliver completely ruined my state of mind for the entire night.In my dream, Oliver dragged me back by the ankle and spent the whole night putting me through every possible variation imaginable.If I didn't believe so firmly in science, I would've suspected Oliver was a literal incubus, specializing in draining people dry.I showed up at work with dark circles under my eyes and barely made it to my desk before my boss dragged me into a meeting.Two hours in, I was fighting for my life, trying to stay awake.My manager, Alan Noble, rambled on passionately at the front of the room. When he noticed me nodding off every few seconds, he said sarcastically, "Claire, thank you so much for the enthusiastic support."My brain short-circuited, and I answered automatically, "You're welcome. Keep up the good work."Alan's face darkened instantly, but thankfully, he finally ended the meeting.My work bestie, Tracy Parkinson, immediately slid ov

Oliver never contacted me again for the rest of the afternoon.To eliminate every possible chance of a post-work run-in, I left the office the second the clock hit quitting time.That night, I sat curled up on the couch in a face mask, fully relaxed.Out of habit, I opened the "Daily Hot Men" videos Bridget had sent me for review.[Only four abs? Hm. The definition's way too soft. Oliver's eight-pack looked carved out of stone...]Skip.[Too pretty. He doesn't have Oliver's whole cold, restrained, dangerously attractive vibe.]Not interested.[The atmosphere's decent, but his chest definitely isn't as nice as Oliver's.]Skip.[The fishnet outfit's kind of good, but if Oliver wore it with that icy expression and the mole on his collarbone...]By the time I snapped out of it, I had already finished all 15 videos Bridget sent.It would've been nice if Oliver were here instead...Wait. What the hell?"Claire! Seriously, get it together!" I muttered under my breath.The man h

Thankfully, there still weren't many people in the office at that hour.The second I caught Tracy's gossip-hungry grin, though, I closed my eyes.Kill me now.Bang!The office door slammed shut behind us.Oliver stood with his back to me, taking several deep breaths. Even then, his breathing still refused to steady.I had seriously pissed him off.But my wrist was red from how tightly he had grabbed it, and I hadn't said a single word about it."O-Oliver..."His shoulders stiffened. Then he turned around and saw me clutching my wrist, eyes watery and pitiful.Most of his anger disappeared instantly. He walked back and gently rubbed the reddened skin on my wrist, his expression still blank.Still, I knew him well enough to tell he wasn't angry anymore.After a long silence, Oliver finally asked softly, "Do you like it?"I wasn't sure whether he meant his body or him.Either way, I didn't dare answer.My eyes burned.Oliver lifted his gaze toward me, his eyes dark enough

I thought Oliver would be the first person to come looking for me.Instead, the moment I returned to the department, someone informed me that Alan wanted to see me in his office.He got straight to the point."What exactly is your relationship with Oliver?"I denied everything.Alan clearly didn't believe me. He looked me up and down with an expression that practically screamed, "Well, I can see the appeal."I stayed silent the entire time.Eventually, after failing to catch me slipping, he finally gave up and leaned back into management mode."This situation is already affecting the department. Mr. Holden was personally brought in by one of the boss's friends to handle the Brookfield acquisition. We cannot afford problems on this project. Organize the materials you currently have and hand them over to Myra. You're off the project."I hadn't expected things to escalate this badly."I've been handling the Brookfield case from the beginning. Replacing me now is a bad idea. Plus