Secret Desire of the Beast

Chapter 12

Isabella

This beautiful Monday morning has already been filled with flurries of nerves dancing in my stomach. This weekend with Daniel was intense and intimate in ways I never anticipated. Now as I enter the professional setting he is not just Daniel the man but Daniel my boss. I wonder how we are going to navigate this intricate balance between our private and public lives.

I slowly walk to my office and see that my colleagues are already hustling about, immersed into their morning routines. I get to my door and see that Daniel isn't in his office yet. I haven't heard from him since yesterday. I open my door and set my bag down on the desk and power up my computer. While sitting down I take a deep breath in. Reminding myself that it's time for work and to put the activites of the weekend in the back of my mind. I pull up the document for my article and smile softly to myself. I close my eyes and empty my mind so I can think straight. I start typing on the page when I hear humming and know that he is walking into his office now, my phone starts buzzing and I look down to see that he sent me a text.

'Morning, Bell. Please come to my office when you have a moment.'

My heart skips a beat at his request. Hopefully it is related to work but the echo of our weekend together still resonated in my mind. I smooth my skirt and take a sip of water, I stand up and make my way to his office door. I knock and hear his authoritive voice answer.

"Come in."

I walk in and see he is sitting on the couch, he has two cups in his hand. Did he stop to get me coffee?. Is this how he is helping me with research?. I am curious to see how this is going to go. I can't help but think about the sex we had on Saturday night. It was great even if he forced it.

"Good morning Bell, I got you coffee."

"Good morning. Thank you."

I take the cup from his hand and smile when he gives me a kiss on the cheek. His eyes looking deeply into mine, his lips close and the hot breath escaping from his mouth sends another wave of shivers down my spine. I need to control myself and keep it professional while we are around others in the workplace.

"You're welcome, Have you started writing a outline of the article?"

I sit on the couch next to him as he leans forward and grabs a stack of documents in front of him.

"I was about too when I walked into the office."

"We can, go over a plan now if you'd like."

His tone is perfectly measured and kind, it's like he's purposely keeping his dominace in check today. I think everything is going to be okay when it comes to keeping things balanced and discreet. I nod as we discuss the article and I find myself fully engaged in the work. He just makes it easy to focus on planning the outline. Daniel is being thorough and precise, his questions are sharp and insightful. This side of him is very impressive, it helps me trust him more when he is in dominant mode. When our discussion was complete he leans back in the chair, a small, almost imperceptible smile forming in the corners of his mouth.

"Excellent work, Bell. Your attention to detail is appreciated."

"Thank you."

He smiles and looks at his watch before slowly standing up. This must be another Dom move that I need to pick up on. I'm not used to his signals yet.

"I have a meeting with marketing, I'll check in on your work when I'm through."

I nod and stand up, our eyes meeting once more. He holds his gaze for a moment and runs his thumb on my cheek before walking to the door. He opens it up for me and waits until I walk to my office. I open my door and prop it open so he can just walk in when he comes back. I sit at my desk and allow myself a moment to breathe. I lose myself in my work and continue to focus on the points he made when we created the bullet outline. I look up and see Carrie walking in my office, I forgot I told her I would talk to her about the rest of things today.