Page 45 of Yes Boss
That jolt became a steady thud. How could it be him? She wanted to slap herself. This man knew nothing about romance. She knew this much.
She followed him, box left behind on her desk. As she entered, he closed the door behind her, then moved to lower the blindswith three sharp tugs. The office darkened, privacy descending around them like a curtain falling. He turned to face her, arms crossed, expression thunderous.
“This has gone too far,” he said, his voice low and serious. “These gifts are causing a distraction.”
“I didn’t ask for them,” Ishani replied, heat creeping into her cheeks despite her effort to stay calm.
“But you accept them,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “The roses. The bracelet. Now chocolates.”
“How did you—” She stopped herself, realizing he must have heard about the bracelet. People talked. Kavya talked.
“These gifts are affecting productivity,” he continued, stepping closer. “They’re distracting everyone.”
“I’m managing my work just fine,” she shot back, lifting her chin slightly. “My performance hasn’t suffered.”
“Your focus has,” he said, taking another step toward her.
Now she had to look up to meet his gaze. “I messaged you three times today about the Singapore files. You didn’t respond.”
Had he? She couldn’t remember. Maybe she really had been too distracted.
“I’m sorry if that’s true,” she said stiffly. “It won’t happen again.”
Raghav studied her closely, as if trying to find something behind her calm facade. “Do you know who’s sending these gifts?”
“No,” she admitted honestly.
“No guesses at all?” he pressed, his voice dropping lower. “No one who seems particularly interested?”
His question hung in the air, heavy with meaning she couldn’t grasp. She thought of Samrat, the new VP from tech, and the names her colleagues had thrown around. None of them felt right. She thought of Raghav himself and quickly dismissed that idea.
“No one,” she replied.
Raghav’s eyes flickered with something like amusement. It passed too quickly to read.
“If this keeps happening,” he said, turning to his desk, “I’ll have to get security involved. Anonymous gifts can be risky.”
“That seems a bit much,” Ishani replied, surprising herself with her boldness.
Raghav glanced back at her, an eyebrow raised. “Really? Someone is watching you, learning what you like, and sending you very personal gifts. Doesn’t that worry you?”
When he put it like that, it did sound alarming. But the gifts felt too thoughtful and well-chosen to be a real threat.
“I’ll let you know if anything crosses a line,” she said finally.
“See that you do,” he replied, dismissing her with a nod.
As Ishani walked out of his office and headed back to her desk, Raghav bit his lip to keep from smiling. He felt a surge of satisfaction, watching her as she settled into her chair, the chocolate box still waiting for her.
She’d been waiting for today’s gift. He’d seen it in the way she’d glanced at the elevator all morning, in the slight droop of her shoulders as the hours passed with nothing arriving. The disappointment had been real and revealing.
Raghav recalled the night months ago when she’d mentioned those chocolate flavors. They’d been reviewing presentations late, ordered dinner from that restaurant she liked. The dessert menu had prompted a rare personal comment from her about how she loved artisanal chocolates, especially those with spices. Cinnamon ganache was her favorite.
He had tucked that information away in his mind, just like he did with everything else he thought might be useful. Now, it was paying off.
He watched her open the box again, hesitate, then finally select a chocolate. As she bit into it, her eyes closed briefly, a small, private smile touching her lips before she quickly suppressed it. The sight sent heat spiraling through his chest. That expression, that momentary surrender to pleasure, was exactly what he’d wanted.
Raghav turned back to his desk, satisfied with how his plan was unfolding. The lecture about productivity had been necessary—a cover for his keen interest, and a way to see her reactions. Her defensiveness told him everything he needed to know. She was intrigued, possibly even captivated, by these anonymous gifts.
