Disclaimer: The author's imagination and passion are the only sources of inspiration for this novel, which is a work of dedication. Parallels between these pages and the past or present may be apparent to some readers, but they are completely coincidental. You are free to interpret this art anyway you see fit, and it is meant for your enjoyment.

The second week in Manila was a complete atmospheric combustion, whereas the first week was a slow-burning re-entry. The lines separating Zayrius Tan's private haven and his professional empire had not only become hazy but had been obliterated.

Tan Holdings' "Dragon" had always been a man of strict routines and unwavering discipline. However, the sound of Elizien's heels on the marble floor and the pungent, enticing aroma of her perfume now controlled his sole itinerary. Every room, every surface, every hour was an opportunity to recapture the lady who had anchored him. He was a man possessed, motivated by a primordial, "Fifty Shades" intensity.

In the most improbable of locations—the fast-moving executive elevator—it began.

The doors had barely hissed shut on the 40th floor, leaving them alone in the mirrored, wood-paneled car. Elizien was mid-sentence, discussing the risk assessment of the New Manila International Airport project, when she felt a sudden, powerful force pin her against the handrail.

She exclaimed, "Zayrius!" when his hands reached her waist and effortlessly raised her till her eyes met his, causing her breath to catch.

He snarled, "The audit can wait, Elizien," his voice a velvety, black rub across her skin. He appeared more like a predator than the Chairman. His ebony gaze was fixed solely on her lips. "I've been sitting across from you in that boardroom for three hours. Do you have any idea what it's like to watch you command a room and not be able to touch you?"

With her fingers tangled in his dark hair and his face buried in the crook of her neck, she managed to mumble, "We're in the office..."

"I own the office," he muttered against her pulse point.

The world was already spinning for Elizien as the elevator roared upward toward the penthouse. Zayrius persisted. His hands slipped through the silky fabric of her blouse, capturing her with a skilled, possessive passion. His intimacy now had a raw, uncompromising edge—a need to always be connected to her, no matter where he was. Her hair was in disarray, her lipstick had disappeared, and the "Accountant" was totally engrossed in the "Dragon's" heat by the time the doors to their private lobby opened.

The Penthouse: 8:00 PM

The city was behind a dazzling carpet of neon as the sun had long since set. The aroma of pricey wine and the residual stress of a day of feigning professionalism filled the air within the apartment.

Zayrius didn't wait for dinner. He met her at the floor-to-ceiling windows of the library.

"The view is beautiful tonight," Elizien said, trying to regain some semblance of composure as she looked out at the Makati skyline.

Zayrius moved behind her, instantly enclosing her in his heat. He ignored the scenery. He gazed at her image in the window. "I'm looking at the only view that matters."

His hands moved up her thighs and settled on the mahogany desk behind her as he spun her around. Intimacy was no longer limited to the bedroom; this was the new reality of their married lives. It took place behind tinted windows in the back of the armored SUV, on the kitchen island over breakfast, and now against the library desk's cold, hard wood.

Zayrius was gregarious, outspoken, and incredibly thorough. Finding every hidden spark and fanning it into a blaze, he investigated her with the same level of care he used to navigate a storm. His "grumpy" attitude had given way to an intense, even obsessive, protective affection. He desired to get to know her, to possess every part of her, to make sure that Tan's name was engraved in her spirit rather than merely on her identification.

"Zayrius," she cried out, her head falling back as the city lights blurred into streaks of gold.

He didn't retreat. In the sea of her pleasure, his strength served as a sturdy anchor as he gripped her closer. The wealthy pilot was no longer there, and the only man left was the one who would set the globe on fire to hear her call his name.

The Morning After: The Boardroom Table

The "weirdness" in the office peaked the next day. The Chairman gazed at his Chief Audit Officer with a hunger that was almost tangible, rather than with professional respect, as the staff murmured.

When the floor was supposed to be unoccupied during a lunch break, Elizien ended up in the main boardroom trying to locate a lost file. The door lock was not audible to her. All she could feel was the hand on her waist, and the abrupt coolness of the large conference table made of obsidian pressing into her back.

"Zayrius! Someone will see!" she laughed, her heart racing.

"The security feeds are looped," he whispered, his eyes dark with mischief and desire. He looked down at her, his hands pinning her wrists to the table. "You look so professional in this chair, Elizien. It makes me want to see just how much of that composure I can break."

He kept what he said. He was engaged, close to her, and totally shameless about his love for her. Their yearning had taken over every square inch of their shared universe. No accountant could ever balance the story they were creating from the library to the cockpit, from the boardroom to the balcony.

Later that night, as they lay exhausted in their bed, the city lights flickering like distant stars, Elizien traced the muscular lines of Zayrius' back. He was finally asleep, his face relaxed into the handsome, calm profile she loved so much.

She thought about the intensity of the last few weeks. It was more than just sex; it was a total, overwhelming union. He was "hot," he was "tall," and he was hers.

She considered the upcoming "legacy" that Aling Rosa had alluded to at the store. She imagined a child who would inherit Zayrius' unwavering heart and his piercing, sharp gaze. This frenetic, wonderful fire between them would give birth to a child.

A faint smile played at the corner of her mouth as she watched him breathe. As she snuggled into his side and closed her eyes, she knew one thing for sure: the "Dragon" would decide it was time for a new passenger, but she had no idea when that would happen.

In the world of Zayrius and Elizien Tan, the flight was never going to be "normal." It was going to be fast, it was going to be turbulent, and it was going to be the most beautiful journey she had ever taken.

Wondering where the "Dragon" would choose to take her tomorrow, she dozed off to the beat of his heart.