Evelyn Clayton was startled and looked up suddenly; it was James Grant covering her with a coat.
"Don’t catch a cold in my office. Don’t let people think I don’t care about my girlfriend."
"Girlfriend? I’m not—"
Just as Evelyn Clayton was about to retort, James Grant said, "You’re a marriage candidate. But outwardly, you’re my girlfriend."
James Grant made his point, so Evelyn Clayton didn’t argue further, draping James Grant’s coat over her shoulders as she continued working. Follow current novᴇls on N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
"Got any inspiration?"
Evelyn Clayton sketched a few lines on the paper, and soon a pattern of a star appeared. She added a few strokes to one corner, creating an effect of the star trailing a faint light.
"This is nicely drawn. But here, it’s best to add some detail..."
James Grant leaned down, placing one hand over hers and the other on her shoulder, close to her ear.
"Draw from here to here. Use this color, and the feeling will be different."
His warm breath fell on Evelyn Clayton’s ear, causing her to flinch, but she didn’t want to show fear in front of him, so she forced herself to remain calm.
"Have you studied art?"
"A little. Not really studied. Took some similar courses in college," James Grant replied, smiling, "To chase girls. Art majors tend to be prettier."
At least he was honest.
Evelyn Clayton nodded, "I’ll take your advice into account. Is this okay for the logo?"
"Yes. We can also make some detail adjustments here," James Grant advised carefully, keeping his other hand on hers, "Like here."
Evelyn Clayton nearly pulled away.
But she didn’t want to appear startled in front of James Grant, so she clenched her teeth to keep calm.
"So cold? Is it hard—" James Grant’s hand rested again on Evelyn Clayton’s slender shoulder, the heat from his palm making her shiver involuntarily.
This time, he applied slight pressure, not allowing Evelyn Clayton to escape from his grasp.
Evelyn Clayton couldn’t describe the feeling; anxious, yet oddly expectant.
But seeing how composed James Grant was, why was she still so nervous?
"A little," Evelyn Clayton didn’t dodge, calmly continuing the conversation.
"Then let’s be a bit later..."
The tension was palpable, and James Grant knew that with a little more pressure, he could hold her in his arms, the alluring scent around her lingering faintly yet tantalizingly.
Quentin Hale suddenly knocked on the door—
"Director Grant, there’s a transoceanic call for you."
The earlier ambiguous atmosphere vanished, and the office returned to its previous silence.
James Grant had to go to the adjacent room to take the call, much to Evelyn Clayton’s relief.
"Then you better go quickly."
James Grant left swiftly.
The spacious office was now empty except for Evelyn Clayton, and she felt significantly more at ease.
She quietly took several deep breaths, hoping James Grant wouldn’t return too soon.
The previous moment, although quite ’stimulating,’ didn’t linger in Evelyn Clayton’s thoughts.
James Grant, with his playboy charm, was no doubt used to such exchanges, and she didn’t flatter herself by thinking she was special.
It’s best to finish the logo and leave early; this man is too dangerous to get close to.
Evelyn Clayton pondered for a while and decided to continue with her original design, though she adopted some of James Grant’s suggestions.
As she was deeply focused on her drawing, suddenly, someone burst in.