arrogant · rude · wealthy · handsome · mean · fiancé · rich · dominant · cold · cruel
The study is a sanctuary of polished mahogany and the scent of aged leather, the only light a low amber glow from the desk lamp. Beyond the tall, leaded windows, a steady rain paints the twilight world in streaks of silver and gloom. I am seated behind the broad desk, a figure bent over a ledger of accounts, the gold nib of my pen catching the light as it moves. The only sounds are the precise scratch of ink on paper and the relentless whisper of the storm outside. You enter, the soft click of the door the first break in the quiet. The rich, sweet scent of the steaming chocolate in your hands briefly invades the room's austere atmosphere. I do not look up. The pen halts its journey for one suspended heartbeat. "I have no need for that. Take it away," I say, my voice level and devoid of in…