Klein: Open Before You

- Leona, wake up.

Someone is nudging me by the shoulder. I open my eyes and see Sofia.

Sofia is my best friend from childhood. She always helps me when I can't cope. I sit up in bed, and the blanket slips down to my waist. My head is splitting, and the sun piercing through the blinds of my apartment in the Upper East Side is literally burning my retinas.

- How did you get into my apartment?

My voice is raspy, and my tongue feels like sandpaper.

- You must have forgotten that I have a key. You gave it to me - she said, looking at me critically with her arms crossed over her chest. She was already perfectly made up, with straightened hair and a beige blazer that seemed to scream "successful woman."

Great. The clock.

I whipped my head toward the nightstand. The screen of my phone was glowing in red: 08:15.

- Oh, damn it!

I jumped out of bed so fast I almost tangled in the sheets and sprawled on the parquet floor.

- Am I late? Tell me I'm not late for my first day!

My first day at Klein Holdings. Years of studying, sleepless shifts, and shattered nerves were for this. The dream position as a senior corporate communications specialist. I couldn't show up looking like I'd been run over by a truck before nine in the morning.

- Relax, you panic-maker.

Sofia stepped aside so I wouldn't crash into her as I ran to the wardrobe.

- You have forty minutes. If you stop hyperventilating and put on your pants, we'll make it on time. I brought you coffee.

- I love you. I love you so much - I muttered, rummaging through the hangers in search of my black high-waisted pants and the silk white shirt.

- Save your love for your direct boss. Alexander Reed is strict, but fairly cool. Your father would have approved of him - she dropped with a slight smile and took a sip from her cup.

I pushed a strand of dark brown hair behind my ear and quickly pulled the shirt on, buttoning it up with trembling fingers. My pulse was pounding in my throat. It wasn't just because of the rush. It was because of the idea that I was entering the corporate lair of the Klein family.

- And what about Klein himself? - I asked while applying mascara in the hallway mirror, trying not to poke my eye out.

- Have you seen him up close?

- Calvin Klein?

Sofia let out one of those knowing smiles of hers that always made me feel uninformed.

- Leona, he doesn't step on our floor for mere mortals. He's on the fiftieth. I've seen him twice in the elevator. The man is... a health hazard. If you see him, just look at your feet and breathe deeply.

She's exaggerating. She always exaggerates.

- A man in a suit. Big deal - I muttered, slipping on my black heels. My mouth was dry, but I put on an untouchable front.

- Not just a suit, honey. A dark blue Tom Ford, with broad shoulders that look like they could break you in two, and eyes that drill a hole right through your skull. Trust me, you won't want to stand in his way.

- I came to work, Soph, not to gawk at the shareholders.

I grabbed my bag and the coffee she handed me.

We hurried down, caught a cab, and after fifteen minutes of hellish New York traffic, we stood in front of the colossal glass building of Klein Holdings in downtown Manhattan. The skyscraper rose so high its roof got lost in the morning fog. We entered through the revolving doors and stepped onto the polished marble of the lobby.

The security, the metal detectors, the smell of expensive perfume and freshly baked coffee-everything smelled of money and power.

- Welcome to hell, Leona - Sofia whispered and winked at me.

- I'm heading to marketing. Your elevator for the thirteenth floor is on the left. Good luck!

- Thanks.

I took a deep breath, adjusted my bag on my shoulder, and headed toward the barriers.

While waiting in front of the steel elevator doors, I took out my phone to check an email from Reed. A crowd of employees was gathering behind me, the sound of heels and quiet conversations filling the vast space.

Suddenly, the noise began to subside.

Not all at once, but like a wave, the people around me started making way, parting to the sides. I felt the temperature in the lobby change. Something heavy, almost tangible, pressed down on the atmosphere.

What is going on here?

I turned around slowly.

A man was walking in through the main entrance. He was tall-at least a head above the rest, with broad, athletic shoulders that strained his flawlessly tailored blazer. Dark hair pulled back, and a jawline so sharp it could cut glass. As he walked with a slow, predatory stride, he was buttoning the middle button of his jacket.

Walking beside him was a blonde woman with a folder in her hands-his assistant, quickly reporting something to him, but he didn't seem to listen.

His blue eyes, cold and extremely sharp, scanned the crowd. And for a fraction of a second, while I stood frozen with the coffee cup in hand, that gaze locked directly onto me.

I felt my stomach tie into a knot. Heat, sudden and aggressive, pooled low in my belly. My pulse spiked in my temples.

Get out of here. Don't look at him.

He didn't avert his eyes. Not for a second. His lips were pressed into a thin line, and his aura was so primal and sexy that for a moment I forgot how to breathe. Calvin Klein. It couldn't be anyone else.

He walked past the crowd without greeting anyone, and his scent-a mix of cedar, expensive leather, and masculinity-lingered in the air after him.

The elevator doors behind me opened with a soft chime.

- Going up, miss? - asked some man behind me.

I swallowed hard. My mouth was completely dry.

- Yes - I muttered and stepped inside, but my eyes remained glued to his broad back as he headed toward the VIP elevators.

- Yes, I'm going up.

I stepped into the elevator and had to lean against the wall. My legs went weak the moment I laid eyes on him. Sofia was completely right about him.

The only sound in the car was the gentle hum of the motor as we rose. I stood in the corner, gripping the plastic coffee cup so tightly the lid almost gave way. I breathed in deeply, but his heavy, expensive perfume still seemed to sit in my lungs. Cedar, dirty musk, and pure, undiluted male hormone.

God, I must be losing my mind.

The picture from the lobby was still spinning in my head. The way his dark blue suit clung to his body, his shoulders so broad they seemed to take up half the space, and his back tapering down to a slim waist before his trousers dropped flawlessly over his heavy shoes. It was tailored for sin. I was sure that beneath that flawless silk shirt lay a stomach of steel and shoulders that could pin you to the wall and make you forget your own name.

My palms grew sweaty. I felt a familiar, hot wetness spill between my legs, and my pulse hammered wildly all the way to my heels.

Stop it, Leona. You're here for your career, not to get wet over strangers.

And yet, I couldn't stop. His gaze was like a physical touch. Those cold, blue eyes didn't just see me, they undressed me, appraised me in a second, and marked me. There was something overtly predatory in the way he looked at me. He wasn't the kind of man who begs, nor the kind who asks for permission. He was the type who takes whatever he wants, grabs you by the hair, pulls your head back, and fucks you so hard you scream for hours without giving a damn who's listening behind the door.

I replayed his jawline in my mind again. The shadow of stubble, his pressed, full lips. What must that mouth feel like against your skin? Does he bite? Yes. He was the kind of man who leaves scars.

Never in my life had I seen a man so brutally attractive. A man who could make a woman orgasm with just a single look, without even touching her.

The elevator chimed softly, and the doors parted on the thirteenth floor.

The hit of cool air from the AC units brought me back to reality. I took a sharp breath, adjusted my bag on my shoulder, and stepped out onto the carpet. My fingers were still trembling, and my knees felt unstable.

- Good morning, Ms. Leane.

A voice sounded nearby.

I turned quickly and saw Alexander Reed emerging from one of the glass offices. He was wearing a grey suit, a watch with a leather strap, and a restrained smile on his face.

- Good morning, Mr. Reed - my voice sounded a bit higher than usual, so I quickly reined it in. - I'm glad to see you.

- Me too. I'm glad you're punctual.

He extended his hand, and I shook it. Thank goodness my palm wasn't that cold anymore. - Come into my office, let me introduce you to today's schedule.

- Of course - I nodded and followed him.

As I walked behind him across the polished floor, I took another deep breath. I couldn't afford to get distracted. I was at Klein Holdings, I was on the thirteenth floor, and he was on the fiftieth. We were light-years apart from each other.

And that's for the better, my reason told me.

Yet my body, with the warmth still raging low in my core, completely disagreed.

I entered his office. The vast space featured floor-to-ceiling windows revealing Manhattan laid out like the palm of a hand. Alexander sat in his black leather chair, and I slid into the white leather chair beside the desk. I straightened my back, trying to give my face the most professional expression possible, though my pulse was still hammering like crazy in my temples.

- So, Leona.

Alexander opened a thick black folder in front of him and slid it toward me. - This is the schedule for your first three weeks. There is a lot of work, and the requirements are high.

Great. Just what I needed, a pile of tasks to clear Calvin's blue eyes out of my head.

- I handle pressure well, Mr. Reed - I said and looked at the first page. My voice intonation was Control-Alt-Delete levels of calm. I lied without batting an eye.

- I hope so.

Alexander leaned back, clasped his fingers over his abdomen, and looked at me through his frameless glasses. He was an elegant, orderly man who radiated a cold authority. - Every morning at eight-thirty, I want a review of media mentions for Klein Holdings. At nine, we have a sync meeting with the team. Your task is to take over communication with external investors and PR strategies for our new tech assets.

- I understand. And my direct link to the board?

- Through me - he cut in quickly. - The board of directors doesn't like to be disturbed with details. Do you have any questions regarding today's meetings? At ten, you have a briefing with Damian Carter from "Business Development."

Damian Carter. Another boss I had to deal with.

- I have no questions. Everything is clear - I tucked the folder into my lap.

- Good. One more thing, Leona.

Alexander leaned forward slightly, his gaze growing even more serious. - The company is large, and rumors spread fast. Behave professionally with everyone, especially the shareholders.

He meant Klein. It was obvious he meant him.

- I am always professional - I replied smoothly, though my palms grew sweaty again on the leather cover of the folder.

- Excellent. Your office is right across from mine. Have a good first day.

I rose from the white chair, nodded him goodbye, and walked out, closing the door quietly behind me. I took a breath and headed toward my new workstation, praying the day would pass without any more encounters that made my legs go soft.

I stepped into my office and closed the glass door behind me. The room wasn't large, certainly three times smaller than Alexander's and with a far more modest view of the neighboring brick facade, but it was mine. A custom dark wood desk, an ergonomic chair, a brand-new computer, and a window letting in the morning light.

Perfect. Just enough to do my job and not get distracted.

I had been sitting for barely five seconds and adjusting my bag by the desk leg when my phone on the polished surface buzzed. Sofia's name lit up the screen.

I bet anything she already knows I survived.

I unlocked the screen and read the message:

"Well? Did you survive in the beast's lair? Tell me fast before I come up to the thirteenth floor to drag you out!"

I smiled slightly and quickly glided my fingers across the glass:

"I'm alive. Reed is strict but professional. He gave me a bunch of tasks and warned me not to get mixed up in rumors."

The reply came almost instantly, accompanied by an eye-rolling emoji:

"Rumors? Please, Reed is just acting important. And what about the shareholder? Did you see Calvin again? Tell me you didn't melt at his feet in the lobby because you looked exactly like that when you got in the elevator."

My mouth went dry for a second. My fingers froze over the screen. The warmth I thought I had smothered spread slowly low in my belly once more, reminding me of those blue, predatory eyes and the way his dark blue suit outlined his broad shoulders.

Not today, Sofia. I am not giving you that ammunition.

"I haven't melted anywhere. I have work to do, not time for billionaire fantasies. Calvin Klein doesn't even know I exist."

"Keep telling yourself that, honey. I saw the way he looked at you. Lunch at 12:30 in the cafeteria, don't you dare be late!"

I tossed the phone onto the desk, took a deep breath, and opened the black folder Alexander had given me.

That's right. Work. And nothing else.