The CEO's Match

Control and Chaos

Alexander's pov

The meeting was a disaster before it even started. Not because of the agenda, not because of the deals on the table, but because of her.

Nova.

When she walked into the room, it felt like the air was sucked out of it. All I could do was stare, momentarily forgetting whatever point I was making to the board. She was dressed in a way that demanded attention-an outfit so deliberately provocative that it was almost like she wanted to dare me to do something about it. The mini skirt clung to her legs, barely covering anything, and that cropped, sleeveless blouse with the top buttons undone... It was a look designed to distract, to provoke, and to show everyone in that room that she didn't give a damn about what anyone thought.

Least of all, me.

I forced myself to focus, gripping the arm of my chair until my knuckles turned white. But every time I glanced at her-and it was far too often-I could feel my control slipping just a little bit more. The way she crossed her legs, letting that damned skirt ride up. The smirk on her face whenever she caught someone staring too long. The dark makeup that made her eyes even more intense, her lips a shade that practically dared someone to kiss them.

She was a walking distraction, and the worst part was, she knew it.

The meeting dragged on, each minute more excruciating than the last. I could barely keep up with what was being discussed, my thoughts a chaotic mix of frustration and something else I couldn't afford to name. Every time I tried to focus on the numbers, the reports, or even just the sound of someone's voice, my attention would snap back to her.

What the hell was she trying to prove?

When the meeting finally ended, I didn't move. I stayed seated, watching as everyone filed out, the tension in my shoulders coiling tighter with each step they took. Nova remained seated beside me, the silence between us heavy with everything unspoken.

She stood up with a slow, deliberate grace, smoothing out her skirt like she had all the time in the world. "Well, that was productive," she said, her voice cutting through the thick silence with an edge that scraped against my nerves.

I didn't respond, didn't trust myself to say anything that wouldn't escalate into something I wasn't ready to deal with. But she wasn't finished with me yet. Of course, she wasn't.

She leaned in close, just enough for me to catch the scent of her perfume, something dark and intoxicating. "You know, Alexander, if you want to say something, you should just say it."

I looked up at her, our eyes locking in a way that sent a shiver of both anger and something else down my spine. I wanted to tell her to stop playing these games, to dress like a professional, to stop trying to provoke me in front of clients and colleagues. But I also knew that saying any of that would only feed into exactly what she wanted.

So I nodded, keeping my expression as unreadable as possible. I wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of knowing just how much she was getting to me.

"Don't worry," she added, straightening up and flashing me a smile that was all sharp edges. "I'm sure you'll find a way to make peace with it."

She turned and walked out, her heels clicking against the floor, leaving me alone with the tangled mess of thoughts she'd stirred up.

I sat there for a long moment, trying to regain some semblance of control over myself, over the situation. Nova was testing boundaries-no, she was obliterating them-and she seemed to be enjoying every second of it. But what frustrated me more than anything was the fact that, despite everything, a part of me respected her for it.

She wasn't afraid of pushing me, of challenging the way things were supposed to be. And damn it, she was good at it.

But this couldn't go on. There were limits, lines that shouldn't be crossed, and Nova was getting dangerously close to crossing every single one of them. I needed to find a way to rein her in before this turned into something that neither of us could control.

Yet, even as I thought that, I couldn't help but feel a twisted sense of anticipation. Nova was chaos, but she was also a force to be reckoned with, and part of me was curious to see just how far she would go.

But curiosity was dangerous. Especially with someone like her.

I stood up, shaking off the lingering tension and heading for the door. I had to focus on the work, on the deals that needed to be secured. But as I made my way back to my hotel room, one thought kept nagging at me:

How long could I keep this up before something-whether it be my patience, my control, or whatever fragile balance we had-finally snapped?

Because if Nova Dice was determined to push me, to test every limit, then she'd better be ready for what happens when I finally push back.