First Rule: Don't Fall For The Enemy
Passion Exclusive
Romance
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Description
I was sent to destroy Adrian Roth. Instead, I ended up on my knees for someone I was supposed to hate. I came in undercover-Elise Hart, perfect assistant, polished lies, a mission to dismantle his empire from the inside. But Adrian? He saw me. Undressed me with his eyes. Broke every rule I thought I'd written in stone. "You're either completely mine... or you're nothing to me at all." Now every meeting feels like foreplay. Every command like a promise. "Tell me you don't feel this," he whispered-right before I nearly let him kiss me. I have a boyfriend. A mission. A vendetta. But Adrian Roth has a hand on my lower back, a whisper in my ear, and a look in his eyes that says he already owns me. And the worst part? I want to be owned.
Chapter 1
Aug 8, 2025
MIRA’S POV
My reflection stared back at me from the gleaming elevator doors, and for a split second, I almost didn't recognize myself. Gone was agent Mira Weston with her wild curls and defiant green eyes.
In her place stood Elise Hart, polished, professional, perfectly controlled. Two years of preparation had led to this moment, and I couldn't afford a single mistake.
"Forty-seventh floor," the elevator announced in its mechanical voice.
My heart hammered against my ribs as the doors slid open to reveal the pristine marble lobby of Roth Corporation's executive level. Everything here screamed power and money, from the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city to the abstract art that probably cost more than most people's houses.
"Ms. Hart?" A woman in her fifties approached, her smile as sharp as her tailored suit. "I'm Margaret Rowan, Mr. Roth's Secretary. He's ready for you now."
"Thank you." My voice came out steady, betraying none of the chaos inside me.
She led me down a corridor lined with portraits of Adrian Roth's business conquests; buildings he'd acquired, companies he'd absorbed, lives he'd undoubtedly destroyed in his climb to the top. Each photograph felt like a warning, but I'd come too far to turn back now.
"Right through here," Margaret said, opening massive oak doors. "Mr. Roth, Ms. Hart has arrived."
The office beyond was a temple to masculine power. Dark wood, leather, and steel dominated the space, but it was the man behind the mahogany desk who commanded every molecule of oxygen in the room. Adrian Roth rose from his chair with predatory grace, and I felt my carefully constructed composure falter.
He looked younger than I'd expected, mid-thirties at most, with jet-black hair and eyes so dark they seemed to absorb light.
The photographs in my research files hadn't captured the raw magnetism that rolled off him in waves, or the way his presence seemed to fill every corner of the office.
"Ms. Hart." His voice was like aged whiskey, smooth, intoxicating, and dangerous. "Please, sit."
I crossed the room on legs that felt suspiciously unsteady, hyperaware of his gaze tracking my every movement. When I settled into the chair across from his desk, he remained standing, studying me with the intensity of a hunter sizing up prey.
"Impressive credentials," he said, flipping through what I assumed was my fabricated résumé. "Harvard MBA, five years at Goldman Sachs, stellar recommendations. Tell me, what makes you think you're qualified to be my personal assistant?"
"I thrive under pressure, Mr. Roth. I'm efficient, discreet, and I understand that excellence isn't optional, it's a requirement." The words flowed smoothly, rehearsed to perfection. "I've done my research on your company. You need someone who can anticipate your needs, not just react to them."
A slow smile curved his lips, and something dangerous flickered in those midnight eyes. "Research. How thorough was this research, Ms. Hart?"
Warning bells screamed in my head. There was something predatory in his tone, like he was testing me. "Thorough enough to know that you don't tolerate mediocrity, that you value loyalty above all else, and that you have zero patience for people who waste your time."
"Indeed." He finally sat, leaning back in his chair without breaking eye contact. "And what makes you think you can handle working for someone like me?"
The question hung in the air between us, loaded with implications I wasn't sure I wanted to decode. "Someone like you?"
"Demanding, uncompromising. Some might say... dangerous."
My pulse spiked, but I forced myself to meet his stare. "I'm not easily intimidated, Mr. Roth."
"No?" He stood again, moving around the desk with fluid steps that reminded me of a panther circling its prey. "Most people find me overwhelming."
He stopped directly in front of my chair, close enough that I could smell his cologne, something dark and expensive that made my head spin. "Stand up."
"Excuse me?"
"Stand up, Ms. Hart. I want to get a better look at you."
Every instinct screamed at me to refuse, to maintain professional boundaries, but I was here for a reason. I rose slowly, acutely aware of how the movement brought us even closer together. His eyes traveled over me with brazen appreciation, lingering on the curve of my lips before meeting my gaze again.
"Interesting," he murmured, circling me like I was a sculpture he was considering purchasing. "You look beautiful.”
"What?!" I was shocked to the bones.
He paused behind me, and I felt the heat of his body at my back. "Captivating."
The word sent electricity shooting down my spine. This wasn't how job interviews were supposed to go. Hell, this wasn't how any professional interaction was supposed to go. But Adrian Roth clearly operated by his own rules.
"Mr. Roth—"
"Tell me, Elise. May I call you Elise? What exactly do you know about loyalty?"
He'd moved back to my side, close enough that I could see the gold flecks in his dark eyes. "Loyalty is earned, not demanded."
"Clever answer. But I disagree." His hand moved to the pen lying on his desk, and my breath caught as his fingers, long, elegant, utterly masculine, wrapped around it. "In my experience, loyalty is absolute. There are no degrees, no conditions. You're either completely mine, or you're nothing to me at all."
The possessive edge in his voice made my stomach flutter in ways that had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with a treacherous attraction I couldn't afford to acknowledge.
"I see," I managed, proud of how steady my voice remained.
"Do you?" He extended the pen toward me, and when I reached for it, his fingers deliberately brushed mine. The contact was electric, sending shockwaves up my arm and straight to my core. "Sign here, and the position is yours."
I stared at the contract he'd placed on the desk, my hand trembling slightly as I held the pen. This was my chance to get inside his organization, to find the evidence I needed to bring him down.
But something about the way he was watching me, the satisfied gleam in his eyes, made me feel like I was signing something far more binding than an employment agreement.
"The salary is generous," I said, trying to buy time to think clearly.
"I reward those who serve me well." The words carried unmistakable sexual undertones that made heat pool low in my belly. "Very well indeed."
I signed quickly, before I could lose my nerve, and handed the pen back to him. Our fingers touched again, and this time I was sure the contact was deliberate. He was testing me, pushing boundaries, and the worst part was that my body was responding exactly as he intended.
"Welcome to Roth Corporation, Elise." He lifted my hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to my knuckles that sent fire racing through my veins. "I have a feeling we're going to work very well together. See you on Monday.”
He dismissed me with a wave of the hand, turned around and strolled back to his seat.
As I walked out of his office on shaking legs, one thought echoed through my mind with crystalline clarity: Adrian Roth was far more dangerous and magnetic than I had ever imagined.
What he didn’t know—what even I barely allowed myself to remember—was that I hadn’t come here by chance. I was here to destroy Adrian Roth. For someone I’d loved. For someone he helped ruin. But I’d buried the grief so deep, I could almost pretend it didn’t exist.
And I was in serious trouble.
I was supposed to take him down. Instead, I was already wet for him.
First Rule: Don't Fall For The Enemy
30 Chapters
30
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