FOREVER LIES

Part 2

The first hint of a smile formed on his perfect lips, but before he could respond, the elevator lurched back into motion.

Taehyung reached forward and pressed the stop button, and the elevator ground to a jarring halt again.

My brows creased in confusion.

“Give me your phone,” he ordered softly, palm outstretched.

Common sense should have screamed at me not to turn over my sole source of communication while this man had me trapped with him, but I’d apparently woken up low on all forms of self-preservation. Something about his commanding tone spoke to deep-seated need within me to comply.

Eyes wide, like a lamb to the slaughter, I placed my phone in his hand.

He arched a brow. “Unlock it, Lalisa.”

My name on his tongue was the sweetest nectar I could have imagined – delicious, tempting, and dangerously addictive. The slightest twinge of fear pricked at the back of my neck. Somewhere deep down, I sensed this man had the potential to undo me – take me in, rearrange my insides, and spit me back out after I was unrecognizable. 

I chided myself for overreacting. This was a five-minute conversation with a man in an elevator, not an arranged marriage. I needed to get a grip on myself. As soon as he pressed the button again, we would be on our way, and I would likely never see him again.

He tapped at my phone before a buzzing sounded in his breast pocket. He pulled out his own device and began to type, my phone still firmly cradled in his other hand. “I’d like to hear more about you and your family, but it looks like our ride is almost over, so we’ll have to continue this conversation another time.”

He closed the space between us, and instead of handing back my phone, he reached over and slid the device back inside my purse, bringing us within inches of one another. Heat radiated off him, tugging at me to close the gap and press my body against his, my mouth softly parted as I struggled to keep my wits. 

“It was a pleasure meeting you,” he rasped before stepping back and pressing the button behind his without severing our connection. “I’ll be in touch.” The moment the doors opened, he was gone.

Holy fuck, what just happened?

It was like a scene from the movie – that crap didn’t happen in real life. Yes, I was an attractive woman, but that usually meant I got cat-calls from construction workers and hit on by slimy douchebags. Rarely was the attention wanted, and the feelings were almost never reciprocated on my end.

I only had a matter of seconds to gather my thoughts and collect myself before the elevator doors opened onto my floor. With uneven steps, I entered the IFC Seoul lobby, a bemused grin on my face.

What a surreal way to start my day!

Thoughts of Taehyung were almost distracting enough to make me forget about my lecherous boss.

Almost.

Each step I took closer toward our adjoining offices brought back a renewed sense of doom. Not to mention a healthy dose of anger.

Yang Hyun-suk was the smarmiest, most disgusting man I’d ever met, but he was also damn good at hiding his true nature. He’d held his position at IFC Seoul for well over a decade and was an established member of the good ‘ol boys club. A brotherhood of men led by the owner of the company -  a man who also happened to be my father.

Dad had built IFC Seoul into the largest company in Seoul with a lifetime of dedication and a ruthless mind for business. IFC Seoul was his pride and joy, an I desperately wanted to join him at the helm of his company. More than anything, I wanted to make my father proud, and I wouldn’t accomplish that by running to him every time I had a problem. I needed to handle Hyun-suk on my own. He was just a misogynic sleaze, after all. If I could grow a spine and be firm with him, he wouldn’t be an issue.