Kiss and Consequences

kiss and Consequences

It started with a dare.

A reckless, heat-fueled moment at a party Mia never meant to attend. The kind of night wrapped in low lighting, pulsing music, and whispered promises of escape. She hadn’t planned on drinking, but one glass turned into three, and suddenly the world wasn’t so heavy. For a moment, she could breathe.

And then came the kiss.

She didn’t even know his name at first.

Just a whisper of cologne. Fingers brushing against hers as he handed her a drink. Dark eyes that never wavered when she met them. He wasn’t part of her world—too confident, too commanding. A man used to having the room tilt in his direction.

Still, when their lips met, it didn’t feel like rebellion. It felt like gravity.

One stolen kiss.

It had lasted maybe five seconds. Maybe more. She couldn’t remember because everything else disappeared. The noise. The lights. The people.

All that remained was him.

His lips were warm. Certain. Like he knew exactly what he was doing and why.

And she—Mia, who never lost control—let it happen.

But the moment shattered like glass when someone gasped behind them.

“Mia?!”

Her blood turned to ice. She pulled away, heart thundering.

Her best friend stood there. Emily.

And beside her, jaw clenched and fists balled, was Alec.

Not the stranger.

The man she’d kissed.

No.

Her boss.

CEO of Vale Industries. Her mentor for two years. The man who had once told her, “Keep your walls high, Mia. They’ll try to break you the second they sense a crack.”

And she’d just kissed him.

In front of everyone.

Mia spun away, the warmth on her lips replaced with panic. Her heels clacked against the tiles as she rushed out of the ballroom and into the chilled air of the terrace. Her hands trembled. Her mind raced.

What had she done?

---

The Next Morning

She didn’t expect him to call her in first thing.

But when her phone buzzed with a meeting request marked Urgent – Alec Vale, she knew she couldn’t run. Not from this. Not from him.

The office was colder than usual. His assistant avoided her eyes. The walk down the corridor to his private suite of glass-walled power felt like a march to her own execution.

She stepped inside.

He stood with his back to her, staring out the floor-to-ceiling window, the skyline stretching behind him like a battlefield.

“Alec—”

“Close the door.”

She did.

He turned.

Still that same unreadable face. The one that could make grown men stammer and senior board members sweat. But beneath it—just for a flicker—she saw it.

Hurt.

“Mia,” he began, voice low, almost dangerous, “do you want to tell me what that was last night?”

She swallowed. “It was a mistake.”

“Was it?”

He took a slow step forward. “Because from where I stood, it looked deliberate.”

“You kissed me back.”

“Only because you kissed me first.”

“I was drunk!”

“So was I,” he snapped, eyes blazing. “Doesn’t change what happened.”

Silence hung heavy between them. Tense. Breathless.

He moved closer. Too close.

“I’ve spent the last year keeping every goddamn boundary in place. I’ve respected you, mentored you, protected you in meetings when board sharks tried to undermine you. And you…” His voice dipped. “You kissed me.”

Mia lifted her chin. “If I crossed a line, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Alec let out a cold laugh. “It’s not about the kiss, Mia. It’s the fallout.”

She blinked. “Fallout?”

“You think no one noticed? Photos were taken. Questions are already circulating about whether our relationship—professional or otherwise—is compromised.”

Her stomach twisted.

“I could lose my seat on the board if they think I’m sleeping with my executive assistant,” he added.

She looked up sharply. “We’re not.”

“Not yet,” he said under his breath.

Her heart stopped.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she whispered.

Alec stepped forward, voice lower now. “It means that maybe, Mia, I’ve been pretending a little too well that I don’t notice the way you look at me. Or how every time you speak in a meeting, I find myself watching your mouth instead of your words. Or how that kiss—drunk or not—wasn’t just you acting on impulse.”

Mia's breath caught. “So what now?”

Alec looked torn. “Now... we deal with consequences.”

She stood straighter. “Should I resign?”

His jaw tightened. “Is that what you want?”

“I don’t know.”

“Mia.” He took a breath and softened his tone. “Last night... it changed things. For me. And I know it did for you too.”

Her eyes burned. “I spent my life building a reputation. I fought for every inch of respect I earned here. One kiss shouldn’t define me.”

“It won’t,” Alec said. “Not if we’re smart. Not if we figure this out—together.”

She hesitated. “And if we don’t?”

His gaze dropped to her lips. “Then it becomes just a kiss. And we both pretend we didn’t feel it.”

The weight of his words crashed into her chest.

“I don’t think I can pretend,” she whispered.