SIXTEEN

~ETHAN

The air was thick with awkward tension as I walked into the brightly lit pottery studio. It was an unconventional place for a corporate team-building exercise, but King Enterprises had recently partnered with this studio as part of a local arts initiative. My PR team insisted this event would be good for employee morale and our public image.

I wasn’t convinced.

The large room smelled of clay and faintly of paint, with rows of pottery wheels and long tables neatly arranged. The studio walls were decorated with shelves of colorful pottery, cheerful and inviting—a sharp contrast to the stiff, uneasy energy radiating from my employees.

I scanned the room quickly, my gaze landing on Maddy at the far end. She was standing alone, looking painfully out of place amidst the clusters of coworkers who whispered and laughed amongst themselves.

Samantha, of course, was front and center, making sure everyone noticed her. She tossed her hair back dramatically and laughed a little too loudly at something someone said. I barely resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

“Alright, everyone,” the instructor, a cheerful woman with her hair tied back in a loose bun, clapped her hands together. “We’re going to split into pairs for this exercise. Each team will create a clay vase or bowl together, focusing on collaboration and communication. Remember, this is about teamwork!”

As people shuffled to find partners, the tension in the room thickened.

It didn’t take long for Maddy to stand out as the odd one out.

I could see her scanning the room, a hesitant smile on her lips as she approached a couple of coworkers. Each time, she was met with dismissive excuses.

“Sorry, I’m already with Jen.”

“Ugh, I’m terrible at this stuff, so I need someone more experienced.”

“I think you should ask someone else.”

The snide undertones were impossible to miss, and it made my blood boil. The condescension in their voices, the subtle smirks—they weren’t just being dismissive; they were actively ostracizing her.

Maddy stood frozen for a moment, trying to compose herself, but I caught the way her shoulders slumped slightly. She turned back to her spot at the end of the room, her smile completely gone.

“Ethan!” Samantha’s voice cut through the hum of chatter as she made a beeline for me. “We should totally pair up for this. Think of how cute our vase would be!”

“I’m not participating,” I replied curtly.

Her face fell, a flash of irritation crossing her features. “You’re not? Why not, babe?”

“Because I’m here to observe, not play with clay,” I said firmly, my gaze already shifting back to Maddy.

Samantha huffed dramatically, but I barely noticed. My focus was on Maddy as she stood alone, arms crossed defensively.

“Ms Taylor ” I called, walking toward her.

She turned, startled, her eyes widening slightly. “What?....Yes, Sir”

“Pair with me,” I said simply.

She blinked, her brow furrowing. “What? No.”

My lips twitched in amusement at her immediate refusal. “Come on, don’t be difficult. It’s just an exercise.”

“I’d rather pass,” she said, her tone sharper now. “Thanks, though.”

Her rejection stung more than I cared to admit, but I wasn’t about to let her be the target of more ridicule.

Behind us, a couple of her coworkers whispered and chuckled, their eyes darting toward her. One of them, a petite woman named Lisa, smirked and said loudly enough for everyone to hear, “She’s probably scared she’ll embarrass herself. Poor thing.”

Another chimed in, “Maybe she’s worried Ethan will do all the work and she’ll just get the credit. Like always.”

My jaw tightened, and I took a calming breath before speaking. “Madison,” I said, my voice softer this time. “I know you've been avoiding me.”

"But would you rather I pair with Samantha?"

Her eyes flicked to mine, a flicker of uncertainty there. She glanced at the snickering group, then back at me. I could see the internal debate written all over her face.

Finally, she sighed. “Fine. But only because I don’t want to give them more to talk about and Samantha would never let me live in peace if you paired with her”

“Good choice,” I said, a small smile tugging at my lips.

We moved to one of the pottery wheels as the instructor gave the group a quick demonstration. Maddy sat stiffly across from me, her hands fidgeting in her lap.

“You know,” I said as I adjusted the clay on the wheel, “you don’t have to look like you’re walking into battle. It’s just clay.”

She shot me a look. “Easy for you to say. Everyone’s watching us.”

I glanced around the room. She wasn’t wrong. The whispers had quieted, but I could feel the weight of curious stares. Samantha, in particular, was glaring at us from across the room, her expression a mix of anger and disbelief.

“Let them watch,” I said casually. “They’ll soon find out you are my wife...that's if Samantha doesn't announce it out of spite.”

Maddy snorted softly, a reluctant smile breaking through. “You’re ridiculously confident, you know that?”

“Always,” I replied, smirking.

As we started working the clay, the tension between us began to ease. At first, it was awkward—our hands bumping against each other as we tried to shape the spinning clay. But gradually, we found a rhythm, and her laughter filled the space between us when the vase wobbled dangerously on the wheel.

“Careful,” she said, her hands guiding mine to steady it.

“You’re the expert now?” I teased, earning a playful glare.

The instructor walked by, smiling warmly at us. “You two make a great team,” she said before moving on.

I glanced at Maddy, expecting her to brush off the compliment, but instead, she blushed and focused intently on the clay.

For a moment, I forgot about the others in the room. It was just us—her laughter, her touch, the way her eyes lit up when the vase finally started taking shape.

"Careful, one mistake can ruin everything" she frowned as she carefully guided my fingers around the rim of the vase.

Her hands were warm and her soft palm felt good around mine.

"I think I'd just let you do the work, I'll assist whenever her highness wants" I teased.

She giggled and smacked my hand away from the vase.

With expertise, Maddy worked the clay, her small fingers massaging and brushing the edges as she worked.

I could feel the heat rising in my body as I watched her wet fingers massage the clay.

Her eyes remained fixed on the wet clay and as she leaned over to smoothen it, the button on her tightly fitted blouse popped open, revealing her full breasts which was tightly secured in a white lacy bra.

I swallowed hard and tried to avert my gaze to something else in the room but what else could be more interesting than the sight that was before me?

Maddy on the other hand, looked like she was panicking. Her face was pale and she had caught me staring down.

"At least offer to help me fix it" she snapped.

I swallowed hard as I tried to recollect myself.

"You want me to help you?" I asked, to be sure I had heard her correctly.

"Please" she begged, battering her long lashes.

I nodded and grabbed a small towel that lay on the table. After wiping my hands clean, I reached out to the other end of the table and proceeded to fix Maddy’s buttons.

From where I was sitted, I could clearly see Samantha starring at us. She looked beyond upset and it gave me satisfaction to see her miserable. The other employees murmured and whispered among themselves.

“you're surprisingly good at fixing buttons” she said as i fixed the last button.

“Not bad?” she echoed, raising an eyebrow.

I smirked, feeling a small sense of satisfaction.

“This is practically a masterpiece.” I said as I admired the vase.

Maddy chuckled. “If you say so.”

As the session came to an end, I noticed Samantha storming out of the room, her heels clicking furiously against the floor. I didn’t care. For the first time in weeks, I felt like I’d done something right.

Maddy turned to me, her expression softer now. “Thanks for stepping in,” she said quietly.

“Anytime,” I replied, meaning it more than I could say.

The instructor returned and began examining our finished work.

"You have very skilled fingers, Mr King" she said grinning from ear to ear.

"You have no idea" I whispered, loud enough for Maddy to hear.

She shot me a warning glare and gently jabbed me with her elbow.

"Your work is amongst the most beautiful" she complimented as she picked up the half dried vase.

"Let me see" Samantha’s shrill voice sounded from behind us.

I noticed Maddy get tensed but she quickly adjusted her composure.

"Let me have it" Samantha yelled as she pulled the base of the vase.

The fragile piec of clay went flying to the other end of the room, landing on some unfortunate interns shoes.