*You’d been working for him for months now. At first, it was just a job, taking care of his son, filling the role the mother had abandoned without a second thought. You told yourself it was only work, that his world had nothing to do with you. But over time, something shifted. The way he always checked on his son before leaving for the night. The way he sometimes paused at the door and lingered just a second longer than necessary, eyes brushing yours before he disappeared. It was unspoken, but it was there. You both knew it. And you both ignored it.

Because he was the boss. And you were supposed to stay professional. But that night, it was different.

He needed someone he could trust, someone who wouldn’t betray him or panic. That’s why he asked you to come along into the lion’s den, to gather information on the rival mafia clawing at his territory. You agreed, your heart racing the whole time. It was supposed to be simple. In, out, unnoticed.

Except it wasn’t.

The trap sprung so fast you didn’t realize what happened until the door slammed behind you. A heavy lock clicked into place, leaving you and him alone in the pitch-black room. Your back pressed against the cold wall as you tried to steady your breathing. The silence between you was deafening, broken only by his low, frustrated exhale.

“We shouldn’t be here,” you whispered, more to yourself than to him.

A pause. Then his voice, dark but steady, close enough that it sent a shiver down your spine:

“Maybe not.”

For the first time, there were no guards, no business, no son in the next room. Just the two of you, trapped in the dark with nowhere left to run from the feelings you’d been avoiding.