131
The afternoon sun streamed through the tall glass windows, cutting long golden lines across the polished floor. Amanda was at her desk, reviewing Ericka's signed contracts, when her phone buzzed sharply.
Conference room B — department heads asking for clarification. Mathews unavailable, they need direction.
Amanda's eyes flicked to Ericka's office. The blinds were drawn. Through the faint gap at the edge, she could see her pacing, headset on, voice clipped with intensity. A private investor call—one she couldn't step out of.
Amanda inhaled, grabbed the revised reports, and rose smoothly to her feet.
Inside the conference room, chaos had already taken root. Department heads spoke over one another, voices sharp with impatience, papers scattered across the table like fallen leaves.
"We can't meet these numbers with the new projections—"
"That's not what finance told us—"
"Supply chain is weeks behind, this is impossible—"
Amanda entered without a word. She didn't raise her voice, didn't slam the door, didn't need to. She simply set the folder down on the center of the table with a firm thud.
The noise died.
"Let's reset," Amanda said, her tone low but commanding.
She opened the folder and slid the updated reports across the polished table.
"These are the corrected numbers. These are the projections Ms. Mathews has already reviewed.
If you're still arguing over the old draft, that's why none of this makes sense. "
The heads of marketing and operations exchanged glances. One cleared his throat. "We were under the impression—"
Amanda fixed him with a sharp look. "You don't need impressions.
You need facts. And they're right here." She tapped the revised figures with the tip of her pen, then leaned forward slightly.
"Your departments will adjust accordingly.
No more delays. No more finger-pointing.
This is the standard, and I expect each of you to confirm compliance by end of day. "
Silence. A few reluctant nods.
Amanda gathered the scattered papers, sliding them neatly back into her folder. "Ms. Mathews has far bigger priorities than babysitting avoidable errors. Don't make her waste her time—or mine—on this again."
She tucked the folder under her arm and walked out. Behind her, whispers sparked like static.
"She handled that like a boss."
"No wonder Mathews keeps her so close."
"She doesn't even flinch."
Amanda didn't break stride, her heels clicking against the marble as she returned to Ericka's office.
She slipped inside just as Ericka ended her call. Ericka looked up immediately, her eyes sharp, noting the folder in Amanda's hands and the steel still in her posture.
"What happened?" Ericka asked, voice low but curious.
Amanda set the folder on her desk, calm but direct. "Department heads were unraveling over outdated numbers. I shut it down."
Ericka leaned back slowly, her gaze studying her like a puzzle she already knew the answer to. A smirk tugged at her lips. "Without me."
Amanda crossed her arms, her expression cool but her heart thundering. "Someone had to. Besides—" she smirked faintly, "you taught me well."
For a long moment, Ericka just stared, pride flashing in her eyes. Then, softly but with a weight that filled the room, she said, "God, I love you."
Amanda's smirk broke into a grin. "Good. Because your team might start loving me more after that."
Ericka laughed quietly, shaking her head, though her gaze never left Amanda. It wasn't just admiration in her eyes—it was trust. Dependence. The kind that said: I can't do this without you.
And Amanda felt it, too.
The room was quiet after Amanda's words, the only sound the faint hum of the city outside the windows. Ericka leaned back in her chair, studying her with that unreadable mix of CEO composure and something far more personal simmering beneath it.
Then, softly but firmly, she said, "Lock the door."
Amanda arched a brow, her smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "That's dangerous, boss."
Ericka's lips curved into the faintest smile. "So was walking into that meeting without me—and you handled it flawlessly. Now... humor me."
Amanda moved to the door, her heels clicking softly against the floor. She turned the lock with a quiet click, then leaned against the frame for just a second, watching Ericka with that sly look in her eye. "Locked."
Ericka gestured her closer with a tilt of her fingers. "Good. Now come here."
Amanda crossed the room slowly, deliberately, placing the folder on Ericka's desk as she reached it. Ericka didn't reach for the papers. Instead, she reached for Amanda, slipping her hand around her wrist and tugging her closer until Amanda was standing between her knees.
"You were incredible today," Ericka murmured, her voice low, her fingers brushing Amanda's knuckles. "The way you command them... the way you steady me..." Her eyes softened, rare and vulnerable. "Sometimes I wonder how I did this before you."
Amanda's smirk melted into something warmer. "You didn't. Not like this."
For a beat, neither of them moved. Then Ericka tugged her down gently, lips brushing Amanda's in a kiss that was soft, grateful, but charged with all the tension they'd been holding back since the elevator that morning.
When they broke apart, Amanda whispered against her lips, teasing, "This what locking the door was for?"
Ericka's smirk returned, though her voice was huskier now. "Part of it."
Amanda lingered in the space between Ericka's knees, her hands resting lightly on the arms of the chair. The kiss they'd just shared still tingled on her lips, the tension in the locked office thick enough to bend the air.
For a moment, they just breathed each other in. Then Amanda tilted her head, her voice dropping to a low whisper.
"If I asked you to marry me right now," she said, eyes searching Ericka's, "what would you say?"
The words hung there, heavy and electric.
Ericka froze—not in fear, but in pure surprise. Her sharp CEO mask slipped, her lips parting slightly as her mind seemed to stutter. The woman who always had an answer for everything... didn't.
"Amanda..." she breathed, her voice softer than Amanda had ever heard it.
Amanda's heart thumped in her chest, steady but insistent. She leaned closer, her forehead brushing Ericka's. "No pressure. No ring. Just us, here, right now. What would you say?"
Ericka's hands tightened around Amanda's wrists, grounding herself. Her eyes shimmered, emotions swirling—shock, longing, something unsteady that Amanda rarely saw in her.
"I—" Ericka stopped, swallowed, tried again. "You caught me off guard." Her lips curved faintly, but her eyes betrayed her raw honesty. "But if you asked me? Right here, right now? I'd say yes."
Amanda's breath caught, the weight of that answer sinking deep into her chest. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," Ericka whispered, her voice shaking just slightly before steadying. "Because you're the one thing in my life I never want to let go of."
Amanda still had her forehead pressed to Ericka's, both of them catching their breath after that slow, grounding kiss. The question still lingered in the air, soft but heavy.
Amanda's voice was quieter now, thoughtful. "If I did ask you... would you want the big proposal? Flashy lights, grand gestures, huge wedding with everyone there watching?"
Ericka blinked at her, then shook her head slowly, her eyes softening. "No."
Amanda leaned back just enough to study her face. "No?"
Ericka's lips curved into the faintest smile. "I don't want any of that. I just want it to be special. Somewhere meaningful. Just us two. No crowd, no pressure—just me and you, choosing each other."
Amanda's chest tightened at the simplicity of it, at the weight of Ericka's honesty. "So no big wedding?"
"No big wedding," Ericka confirmed softly, then her smirk returned, playful this time. "But I do want a nice ring. Something I can show off to everyone so they know I'm yours. That part matters."
Amanda chuckled, brushing her thumb along Ericka's jaw. "That sounds exactly like you."
Ericka tilted her head, eyes gleaming with quiet certainty. "If we could go and get married, just us two, in some quiet place that felt like ours... I'd love that more than anything."
Amanda's throat tightened, her smile full of warmth. "Good to know."
Ericka raised a brow, suspicious but amused. "Why do I feel like you're filing this away for later?"
Amanda leaned in, kissing her softly. "Because I am."