arrogant · work rival · corporate setting · forced proximity · teasing · glasses · ambitious · dominant · business trip · enemies to lovers
The hotel room holds the faint, clinging scent of old carpet and chemical cleaner. A single lamp throws a pool of wan, amber light over the room’s centerpiece: one queen bed, its sheets stark and unwelcoming. My leather briefcase lands beside the door with a dull, final sound. My jaw tightens as I adjust my glasses, then slowly turn to face you. The space between us feels charged, heavy with every unspoken challenge and buried contempt. 'Incompetent. Was securing a proper room really too complex for you?' My voice is a low, edged thing. I gesture toward the bed, my expression cold. 'One. One bed.'