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Chapter 8: Evan's Encouragement
Early daylight threw stripes of light across Isla's desk scattered with papers, coffee cups, and campaign doodles via her office shutters. She sat blankly staring at her computer screen, her head in her hands, the cursor blinking as though belittling her indecision. Noah's offer found her in an email, waiting for her response. It was irresistible, without doubt, yet it felt like handling fire. She had hardly come away unscathed the last time she had let herself approach Noah Vincent too closely.
Her flinch stemmed from the unexpected knock at her door. Evan zoomed in before she could respond; his expression mixed amusement with curiosity. He felt trouble while his normal peace gift, two cups of coffee, was under way. He settled across from her and laid one on her desk with theatrical flair.Raising eyebrows, he said, "Good morning, sunshine." Should I therefore be the brooding queen of indecision?Isla glared him even if it lacked the clarityRelated chapters
Addicted to the Enemy: Falling for Trouble Chapter 9: A Tentative Proposal
Isle sat at her desk tapping her pen fast against a stack of notes while she mentally rehearsed the conversation she was about to have. Approaching Noah Vincent seemed like opening Pandora's box; she had no idea what anarchy may enable, but the possible advantages were too tremendous to ignore. Apart from that, she was a capable marketing manager who had acquired skills in negotiating shark-infested seas, not the assistant aiming to prove herself. She could behave in this way. She might have to. The piercing ring of her office phone jolted her from meditative silence. On the screen Evan's name burned. She picked up half expecting more ridicule.Evan's voice, laced with both amusement and true concern, said, "Tell me you're not about to back out." Isla said, "I'm not," drawing a long breath. " Right now I'm headed into the conference. "Good." Remember to inhale deeply and fight allowing him to smile you into obedience.
Addicted to the Enemy: Falling for Trouble Chapter 10: Old Flames and New Sparks
Even if calls and meetings dominated the rest of the day, Isla's mind kept returning to the conversation with Noah. Her focus was as scattered as the papers laid across her desk by six PM. Her dream was broken by a familiar knock, then Evan emerged from the office with eyes sparkling with mischief. " Guess who heard Miss Lawson is generating buzz at tonight's event?" Evan drank two glasses of coffee and danced in without waiting for an invitation. He settled into the chair opposite from her, then set one on her desk with considerable flourish.Isla said, "Let me guess," eyebrows arched as she drank the coffee. You and your rumor spy army? "Please; they rather refer to themselves as 'news connoisseurs.'" He sighed broadly. "But Mr. Smooth Operator is the eye of it; you're walking into a storm of professional drama; I need them to know." Isla sighed and slumped back in her chair. "Don't remind me," yells. Evan opened his
Addicted to the Enemy: Falling for Trouble Chapter 11: Strategic Partnerships
Above the city skyline with floor-to-- ceiling windows displaying the great urban sprawl below, the conference room was a glass and steel fortitude. The weight of the coming pitch pounding against her chest as Isla sat at the shiny conference table felt worlds away. Traffic far below felt worlds away. The room hummed with the subdued murmur of voices, the air charged with expectation. < Sharp and focused, executives and potential financiers shifted in their chairs. Isla turned to find Noah in front precisely still. He had a tidy blue suit, a trim black haircut, and a confident but quiet manner. Seeing him should have comforted her, but instead it increased her spiral of anxiety. She was an enemy employed against Noah, not an ally. Today, though, they were on the same side and it was time to show that this partnership was more than just show-value.Noah nodded, a natural signal that it was time to get going. She raised her eye to meet his. His voice cl
Addicted to the Enemy: Falling for Trouble Chapter 12: An Accidental Brush
The cold night air faintly smelled like rain that had fallen hours earlier. Isla walked off the structure with soft heels on the moist earth. Around her the city was alive, soft glow from neon lights tinting the streets pink and blue. She paused after the pitch conference to let the hum of New York at night sink in and help her to separate from the still-running flow of adrenaline. It had done better than she could have imagined. Working with Noah had been surprisingly easy. Although their banter had changed with time, it remained as sharp and irregular as it had been years earlier. For two people meant to be little more than business colleagues, their entering an old rhythm that seemed far too familiar was both exciting and upsetting.Lost in her thoughts, she had no idea the tall man only a few feet away was there until he spoke. "Did not expect I would find you here." Startled, Isla turned to see Noah sloppily curled on the side of the bui
Addicted to the Enemy: Falling for Trouble Chapter 13: Secrets in the Open
Cutting through Isla's office glass walls, the sharp, golden angles created by the early sun seemed to mirror the turmoil inside her. Her uneasy sleep into the early hours had last night been a flurry of mixed feelings. She could picture Noah's face every time she closed her eyes; his honest look stuck in her mind: united. The name had seemed to be an invitation as much as a chore. Now, though, beneath the harsh light of day, the emotional whirl left her naked and vulnerable. She tried to smooth the worry lines on her reflection on the black computer screen with her finger tips. It took her till her door knocked to recover.Not expecting for an invitation, Evan said, "Morning, boss." He was wearing his usual strange style, a blazer in an odd teal color mixed with loafers nobody else could carry off. He seemed cheerful when he sat down across from her, but he also showed flashes of nervousness. Laughing, Isla replied, "Evan, I swear you
Addicted to the Enemy: Falling for Trouble Chapter 14: A Game of Tension
The big glass windows in the meeting room let the sun in mid-morning make golden lines across the polished mahoganey table. Sitting opposite Noah, Isla sensed an implicit challenge in the close air. They had been working on numbers, discussing estimates, and arguing tactics for one hour. But somewhere between strategic planning and analytics, the conversation had devolved into a verbal sparring match flavored with a tension unrelated to business. Dark eyes fixed on hers, Noah said, "Your proposed rollout is too conservative," the hint of a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "It won't seize the momentum we need to differentiate us."Not making eye contact, Isla disagreed, stating, "And your proposition is irresponsible.Before we start running, we must establish our footing; else, we will tumble before we ever approach the second phase." Noah tilted back with arms across his chest. She tracked the movement and had to persuade herself no
Addicted to the Enemy: Falling for Trouble Chapter 15: Lines Crossed
Isla pushed herself to remain still as the hushed buzz of the workplace filled her. The wall clock ran nonstop, the sound far too loud given what had just happened. Her memories looped back the final few seconds, Noah's words, the way his eyes softened when he looked at her, the magnetic attraction nearly, almost broken the professional distance they had been so careful to preserve. She shakily exhaled and dropped her hands to her lap, firmly closing them into fists as though it would help them stop shaking. Years ago, she had felt this conflicted. At the height of their competitiveness, Noah had never made her feel this off-balance. Still, considering all the backstory and unsaid conversations between them, things were different now. increasingly difficult.She bit her lip to conceal a sigh as the memory of his smile, one that promised both danger and delight, shined itself without invitation. Not while her work, reputation, and sanity were all under qu
Addicted to the Enemy: Falling for Trouble Chapter 16: Echoes of Desire
The sun hardly showed itself as Isla sat at her kitchen counter drinking strong coffee that had already lost heat. The evening before ran in her thoughts like a scene on a loop: Noah's black, sharp stare locking with hers, their proximity sending a current through her she hadn't felt in years. No matter how many times she told herself it was only business; the almost-kiss hung between them, a moment caught in time she could not shake. She drew a long breath and then gently set the mug down. Lawson murmured to her, "Get a grip." Still, the motivational speech looked hollow. Her thoughts drifted to the way Noah had leaned in, the minute change in his expression implying he was as enthralled in the moment she was in. Her most troubled by her not stopping him.Her phone buzzed her out of the whirl of thoughts. Evan sent the note asking Brunch at Monroe's Café. The treat that my friend brought We had to talk. Graced by the diversion, she sm
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Addicted to the Enemy: Falling for Trouble Chapter 8: Evan's Encouragement
