Manik's POV

Manik looked into the face of this loud-mouthed, rude but beautiful woman currently in his arms. She'd infuriated him since she first opened her mouth but what a pretty mouth it is. His eyes drifted of its own accord to the pillowy pinkness of her full lips and he could see that her breath was shallow, probably because a strange man was holding her too close. Closer than he should. His eyes drifted back up to her eyes, big exotic eyes the same deep dark brown like his own. Long lashes fluttered as his grip tightened unconsciously.

His hands shifted on her back tangling in long silky hair that fell just short of her small waist. She was pressed up so tightly against him, he could feel every contour of her very feminine shape against his hard one. He couldn't seem to help it as his face drifted closer and closer to hers, He couldn't feel her breath, was she not breathing? His lips brushed the corner of hers and she gasped, her breath leaving her in a whoosh. Her hot breath fanning across his face.

What was he doing? Feeling up and kissing this stranger in an elevator at his own company? He was the boss, what was he doing? He jerked back from her and looked away avoiding any eye contact. His body wouldn't cooperate though because he felt the urge to look at her, fought it but he just wanted to see her face. No, he should stay far from her. He didn't do things like this. Ever! He exhaled and swiped his hand over his face.

Nandini's POV

Aayiappa, what just happened? Did he-he did didn't he? He kissed her. Mr. Grumpy Mc. Jerk kissed her and . . . she liked it. She flushed feeling the warmth spread over her face that had nothing to do with the heated condition in the elevator. She liked him being so close, the feel of his lips on her face. She shook her head, Nandini Murthy did not let strange men just kiss her. What was the difference with this man?

She looked up to find him looking away from her, she studied his face and could see the tenseness in his stance. Like he was warring within himself. Was he feeling the same confusion that she was, this sudden spark of interest that pricked at base attraction she wasn't used to experiencing?

Amidst all the confusion of this man standing beside her, Nandini was burning up, literally, the temperature in the elevator making it hard to breathe. A sheen of sweat glistened on her forearms and her face felt hot. She decided appropriate or not, she wasn't going to risk passing out for modesty so she unbuttoned her navy blue blazer and shrugged it off her shoulders. "What are you doing?" She heard him mutter in a tight voice.

"Uh, taking off my jacket. It's not rocket science." She rolled her eyes. Playing it cool Nandini, yep no tension here. She exhaled and rested her blazer on her purse which currently graced the elevator floor.

She felt self-conscious immediately but was determined not to let him psych her out. She felt relief as the confines of long jacket sleeves were freed from her shoulders. She looked at the door of the elevator willing them to open. She noticed the panel had all floor numbers lighted up. That was a good sign wasn't it, that there was some power in the elevator? She breathed deeply and then glanced at him and caught him staring - again. How many times did that make now?

"What?" she asked her brows pleated as she tried to decipher what he was thinking about.

"Hmm?" He replied distractedly.

"Excuse me?" she waved her hand in front of his face. "Short attention span huh?" She asked and shook her head in pity. "Excuse me?" He retorted angrily.

"Uh I've been asking you something and you've just been staring off." She shrugged. "Not used to listening to people. I guess that must be because you're the one who likes to tell people what to do. You strike me as the dictatorial type. Bossing people around."

"Shut up!" He groaned and it was almost a plea. "Wait did you just tell me to-" he cut her off "shut up?" He finished. "Yes I did. Did no one ever tell you that you talk too much? Well I'm telling you now. Just . . ." he put his fore-finger against his lips and shushed her. He'd shushed her, the jerk!

"Whatever, I don't want to talk to you anyway." She turned away and heard him groan. "I don't want to hear your voice for the rest of this  . . . whatever it is." He flung his hand in a dismissing gesture.

"Oh anything you say captain." she said sweetly sarcastic, saluting him in the process.

"The technician is working alone today and unwell, we hope that all is well in the lift, we're trying to get the air-conditioning back on so you'll be more comfortable while we sort the problem out. If it is not fixed within the hour, fire services will be called to get you out of the lift."  The voiceover said in a drone. Nandini rolled her eyes. Why they didn't just call the fire-service in the first place was beyond her.

"What kind of idiot runs this place that the staff wouldn't have already called the fire department?" Nandini lamented. "Like seriously, I bet he's old probably almost senile. They say he's rude and stand-offish. Hmm . . . probably from managing this circus on a daily basis." She laughed. "I'd love to meet the guy that runs this place." She laughed and then stopped at the hard look on Manik's face.

"You're looking at him." Was all he said and Nandini felt the laughter stick in her throat. She gulped. He was the boss? Huh, well that sort of fit didn't it. But he wasn't old or bald and fat like she imagined. He was hot, jerky and  . . . she cleared her throat.

"You're the CEO?" she choked out. Yep, definitely fired, she thought. He nodded, his face a cool mask.

"I wonder . . ." he started and stepped slowly forward. "How you got a job here? I mean you're rude and disrespectful and . . .  shall I go on?" He asked standing right in front of her now, the tips of their shoes touching.

"I-I  . . . um-" He placed a finger on her lips. "Shhh . . ." He braced one hand on the wall near her head and slipped his finger off her lips." She gulped. "Say nothing. Just please stop talking."

"But-" she started again despite what he said. "But nothing, haven't you dug yourself a deep enough hole yet?" She gasped. He was right. She would probably lose this job even before starting and not because the stupid lift stopped but because she couldn't keep her trap shut and insulted the owner.

She nodded but he didn't step away. The look in his eyes made her breath catch and her heart skip. His hair flopped on his forehead but he didn't brush it back. The fringe was long and so at their proximity, it brushed against her forehead tickling her skin. She reached up with tentative fingers to brush it away but he caught her hand in his.  She just looked at him not trying to break free and then he released her hand and she reached up brushing his hair back. Her hand lingered, his hair was soft, and she heard him make a sound at the back of his throat. She jerked away, "I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be." His words were so soft, his breath felt like a caress on her heated skin. Nandini's heart raced at his words. One minute she couldn't stand him and the next he reduced her to a bumbling idiot that couldn't make her words sound right. "I . . . Manik . . . I-" His long fingers brushed the hair escaping her clamp back behind her ears making her stop short of completing her thoughts. "Hmm . . . you what?" He asked softly, coaxing, sensual?

She exhaled and opened her mouth to continue to try and verbalized what she was thinking but then he pressed in closer. His closeness unnerved and excited her at the same time. What was happening here? Her and her boss? Well her boss' boss. Semantics, she shrugged away her musing. "We shouldn't be-" he shook his head. "We definitely should." He leaned closer and closer, his breath mingling with hers. His lips barely brushed hers, he was teasing her. "You can't j-just-" He shushed her, his finger trailing down her cheekbone, "But you want me to don't you, Nandini?"

"Nandini." She could hear Manik's voice but then it distorted, that wasn't Manik Malhotra's sexy voice anymore. "Nandini!" She jumped up and looked into the angry face of Mrs. Santosh. "Sleep on your own time Murthy unless you want me to free you up so you can sleep all day, every day, without pay." She said sarcastically as she pranced back into her office.

Urgh  . . . Aayiappa she had been dreaming about him again. That elevator. She always remembered their first meeting in the elevator three months ago when she started working for his company. Stuck in an elevator with the sexy CEO, every girl's dream right? It was either a hit or miss in that situation. For Nandini, it was a hit!

She closed her eyes remembering the part of the memory that her boss interrupted, Manik kissing the air straight out of her lungs and not leaving her alone since. She'd avoided him initially because well what happened in the elevator shouldn't have because she was an employee but he hadn't cared. Flowers, phone calls, sexy coercion. He was relentless. But he got what he wanted in the end. Her. She rolled her eyes.

Her phone rang on her desk, "Nandini Murthy speaking." She answered. "Ms. Murthy, Mr. Malhotra would like to see you in his office now please." Manik's PA said over the line. "I'll be right up."

A smile curved her lips as she entered their lift as she came to think of it. Her heels clicked on the marble floor as she walked into his office. "You wanted to see me Mr. Malhotra." She hid her smile as he lifted his eyes to hers and stood rounding the desk, "Yes, Miss Murthy, I did. I wanted to give you this." He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips making her laugh. "I'll see you after work?" he asked.

Nandini shrugged, "Maybe." And turned to leave. He grabbed her hand and swung her back into him, his arms tightening around her waist. "Maybe means yes right?" He whispered his voice husky and his eyes heavy lidded. "Do you want it to mean yes?" She asked wanting to tease him, knowing his nature. "I always want it to mean yes." He kissed the base of her neck and let her go. "I'll see you later." His voice held assurance that he knew he'd gotten his way. She just smiled and took the lift back to her floor and thought about the day being stuck in an elevator changed her life.

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~And here ends another tale of MaNan~

How was it?
I hope wasn't that boring and it made some sense😬
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(That finger dug and her hold on his shirt😭)

This photoshoot tho' 🔥😍😭
I am still not over it😍😭❤