#Chief Information Security Officer

[jcmarchi]

Nabil Hannan, Field CISO at NetSPI – Interview Series

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/nabil-hannan-field-ciso-at-netspi-interview-series/

Nabil Hannan, Field CISO at NetSPI – Interview Series

Nabil Hannan is the Field CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) at NetSPI. He leads the company’s advisory consulting practice, focusing on helping clients solve their cyber security assessment and threat andvulnerability management needs. His background is in building and improving effective software security initiatives, with deep expertise in the financial services sector.

NetSPI is a proactive security solution designed to discover, prioritize, and remediate the most critical security vulnerabilities. It helps organizations protect what matters most to their business by enabling a proactive approach to cybersecurity with greater clarity, speed, and scale than ever before.

Can you share a bit about your journey in cybersecurity and what led you to join NetSPI?

I’ve been programming since I was seven years old. Technology has always excited me because I wanted to know how things worked, which consequently led me to take a lot of things apart and learn how to put them back together at a young age.

While studying computer science in college, I began my career at Blackberry, where I worked as a product manager for the Blackberry Messenger Platform and became interested in hardware design. From there, I was recruited to join a small company in the application security domain – I was so passionate about it that I was willing to move to a new country to get the job.

When I consider my journey in cybersecurity, it started from the bottom up. I began as an associate consultant doing penetration testing, code review, threat modeling, hardware testing, and whatever else my bosses threw my way. Eventually, I worked my way up to building a penetration testing service for Cigital, which later got acquired by Synopsys. All of this led me to NetSPI to help support its growth trajectory in the proactive security space.

How has your experience in the financial services sector shaped your approach to cybersecurity?

While working at Synopsys, I helped build the strategy for selling security services and products to the financial services industry. So, while I wasn’t directly working in financial services, I was responsible for building strategies for that sector, which required diving deep into that vertical to understand its drivers and pain points.

Growing up in the technology space, I spent quite a bit of time working with large financial services organizations across the globe. Having that background, I focused my time and skills on developing a strategy for targeting and building services tailored to the financial services industry as a whole.

The biggest thing I’ve learned from exposure to the financial services sector is that hackers go where the money is. Hackers are not in this just for fun; it’s their source of income. They go where there’s the most financial impact – whether it be actually stealing money in some form or causing financial harm to an organization. That mindset has helped shape my understanding of cybersecurity and led me to be successful in my current role as a Field CISO.

With cyber threats evolving rapidly, what do you see as the biggest cybersecurity challenges organizations face today?

The biggest challenge today is the speed at which every organization needs to operate to combat evolving threats and keep pace with emerging technology, like AI. Historically, there was a waterfall methodology for building software, which wasn’t necessarily a fast process compared to how quickly software is deployed today. Now, we have a much more agile methodology, where organizations are trying to build software and release it to production as fast as possible and do more bite-sized implementations.

The last 10 years have shown rapid change and acceleration in the security ecosystem. This is causing many issues for large organizations, like shadow IT, making it harder to gain insight into their attack surface and assets. You can’t protect what you can’t see.

Cloud adoption adds to this fire – the more people adapt, adopt, and migrate to the cloud, the more elastic the software systems and assets become. The ability to scale software and hardware up and down in an elastic way makes change even more difficult to manage. As systems are built with elastic potential, you cause challenges where assets change ownership more frequently and create opportunities for bad actors to find ways into an organization.

How do you think the cybersecurity landscape will change over the next five years?

The need for greater visibility into both external and internal assets will continue to be important over the next five years and change how customers work with vendors. It’s already an area we’re heavily focused on at NetSPI. In June, we acquired a cyber asset attack surface management (CAASM) and cybersecurity posture management solution called Hubble Technology. Adding CAASM to our established external attack surface management (EASM) capabilities enables our customers to continuously identify new assets and risks, remediate security control blind spots, and gain a holistic view of their security posture by providing an accurate inventory of cyber assets, both external and internal – something that was missing in the industry up until this point.

Merging our EASM and CAASM capabilities into The NetSPI Platform allows us to provide customers with the tools they need to address ongoing visibility challenges. This also enhances the ability to accurately prioritize risks associated with assets and vulnerabilities. Additionally, it helps security leaders assess the exposure of their most important assets in relation to these risks.

How does NetSPI’s approach to vulnerability management differ from other companies in the industry?

Recently, we unveiled a new unified proactive security platform, which marries our Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS), External Attack Surface Management (EASM), Cyber Asset Attack Surface Management (CAASM), and Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) technologies together in a single solution. With The NetSPI Platform, customers can take a proactive approach to cybersecurity with more clarity, speed, and scale than ever before. This new proactive approach mirrors trends we’re seeing in the industry, and the shift away from disparate point solutions, and toward the rapid adoption of more holistic, end-to-end platform services.

How is AI being used to enhance cybersecurity measures at NetSPI?

Like any cybersecurity leader will tell you, AI has the potential to catalyze business success, but it also has the potential to feed adversarial attacks. At NetSPI, we’re trying to help our customers stay ahead of the curve by implementing AI/ML penetration testing models, which ensures security is considered from ideation to implementation by identifying, analyzing, and mitigating the risks associated with adversarial attacks on ML systems, with an emphasis on LLMs. In cybersecurity, AI capabilities have enhanced and adopted our ability to monitor and remediate threats in real time.

What are the potential risks associated with AI in cybersecurity, and how can they be mitigated?

Based on conversations I’m having with other cybersecurity leaders, the biggest AI risk is organizations’ lack of basic data and cybersecurity hygiene. As we know, AI solutions are only as effective as the data the models are trained on. If organizations don’t have a firm grasp on data inventory and classification, then there’s a risk that their models will suffer and be prone to security gaps.

When people see the word “intelligence” in AI, they mistake it for being “inherently intelligent” or even having some type of sentience. But that is not the case. Security practitioners still need to program AI models to make them understand what assets are personal, private, public, and so on. Without those mechanisms, AI can descend into chaos. That, in my opinion, is the biggest concern among CISOs right now.

Can you elaborate on how NetSPI’s Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) helps organizations maintain robust security?

Penetration testing is critical to an organization’s overall cybersecurity posture because it gives teams greater context into vulnerabilities specific to their business.

Penetration testing is also a great litmus test to see how effective other security controls, like code review, threat modeling, Static Application Security Testing (SAST), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST), and others that you may have implemented previously, are.

Regular penetration testing fosters real-time collaboration with security experts which can bring another perspective that adds more depth to data. At the end of a successful pentest, organizations will have better insight into which parts of their IT environment are more susceptible to breaches. When a pentest detects vulnerabilities, they will often highlight gaps in controls earlier in the lifecycle or controls that are missing altogether. They’ll also understand how to achieve compliance, where to focus remediation efforts, and how IT and security teams can work together to stay on top of potential business implications.

By working with vendors that specialize in PTaaS to supplement a robust security posture, organizations can be more prepared to proactively prevent security incidents.

How do you integrate both technology and human expertise to provide comprehensive security solutions?

NetSPI believes you need both technology and humans to provide a sound strategy to stay ahead of known and unknown threats. Humans must be in the loop to validate, prioritize, and contextualize the outputs that tools generate. We’re not in the business of giving people false positives or generating noise, leading them to spend more time figuring out what really matters. In other words, you can have great technology, but you need someone to actually use it and interrupt it to be successful.

There are a lot of mundane tasks that AI can do faster and more accurately than humans. If technology can be built in a trustworthy manner, then that will allow us to automate certain tasks and free up time for security teams to turn their attention to more creative thinking and critical problem-solving that AI simply can’t replace.

What strategic advice do you typically offer clients to strengthen their cybersecurity posture?

A common trap people fall into is investing in things they understand. For example, a company may bring in a leader with a cloud security background. Naturally, they then focus on building out a cloud security team, instead of, say, compliance, network security, application security, and so on, where the organization might actually need the support.

It’s better to have a more well-rounded program that focuses on everything holistically. Then, you start building defense in depth and have controls that mitigate other failures you might have in different parts of the organization. Building a well-rounded program is better than investing more time, effort, and tooling into one particular sector.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit NetSPI. 

[nerdwelt]

Neue Schwachstellen im Kryptowährungs-Wallet von BitForge ermöglichen es Hackern, Kryptowährungen zu stehlen

Verbesserte Version: Neue Sicherheitslücken im Kryptowährungs-Wallet von BitForge ermöglichen es Hackern, Kryptowährungen zu stehlen Verbesserte deutsche Schlagzeile: BitForge-Kryptowährungs-Wallet weist neue Schwachstellen auf – Hacker können Kryptowährungen stehlen Bild: Midjourney Mehrere Zero-Day-Schwachstellen namens „BitForge“ bei der Implementierung weit verbreiteter kryptografischer…

[ritumistry11]

BBA in Hospitality Management - Northwood University - Northwest Executive Education

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[dhallblogs]

Microsoft Global Outage: Cybersecurity flaw causes worldwide IT meltdown.

New Delhi: The world woke up to an unusual morning this Friday, as they planned to start their work day but couldn’t log into their systems. CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity company that provides services to a variety of industries, experienced outages in various regions, which resulted in the cessation of news broadcasts and the cancellation of flights.

ALSO READ MORE- https://apacnewsnetwork.com/2024/07/microsoft-global-outage-cybersecurity-flaw-causes-worldwide-it-meltdown/

[apacnewsnetwork0]

CISOs to redefine cyber security strategies aligning with organisational goals

“Over the next five years, the role of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) is poised to undergo significant evolution in response to the rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape and the increasing digitization of businesses,” highlights Kaushik Saha, Group Chief Information Security Officer & Head- Digital Infrastructure, RPSG Group in a candid conversation with Souvik Goswami, Co-founder & Group Chief Editor, APAC News Network and CXO News.

How the role of CISOs are changing in the dynamic, changing scenario of the digital era?

In the dynamic digital era, the role of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) is undergoing a profound transformation. Traditionally viewed as technical experts responsible for implementing security controls, CISOs are now evolving into strategic leaders with a broader business focus. They are increasingly engaged in aligning cybersecurity initiatives with organizational goals, managing risk in a complex and interconnected environment, and fostering a culture of security awareness across the organization.

Read More Here : https://apacnewsnetwork.com/2024/05/cisos-to-redefine-cyber-security-strategies-aligning-with-organisational-goals/

[sabamvm]

Enhancing IT Security: Strategies and Best Practices

Introduction:

In the contemporary digital landscape, where businesses and individuals heavily rely on interconnected systems, ensuring robust IT security is paramount. The exponential growth of cyber threats poses significant challenges to organizations of all sizes, requiring proactive measures to safeguard sensitive data, protect privacy, and maintain operational integrity. This article explores the importance of IT security, key challenges, and effective strategies to fortify digital defenses.

Importance of IT Security:

IT security encompasses a range of measures designed to safeguard digital assets, including hardware, software, networks, and data, against unauthorized access, breaches, and cyber attacks. The consequences of security breaches can be severe, leading to financial losses, reputational damage, legal liabilities, and compromised customer trust.

With the proliferation of connected devices, cloud services, and sophisticated attack vectors, the attack surface has expanded, making organizations more vulnerable to exploitation. Consequently, investing in robust IT security frameworks is essential to mitigate risks and ensure business continuity in an increasingly volatile threat landscape.

 Key Challenges in IT Security:

Despite advancements in security technologies, organizations face several challenges in maintaining effective IT security:

1. **Sophisticated Threat Landscape**: Cybercriminals leverage advanced techniques such as malware, ransomware, phishing, and social engineering to infiltrate networks and compromise systems.

2. **Insider Threats**: Malicious insiders or negligent employees pose significant risks to organizational security by intentionally or inadvertently disclosing sensitive information or engaging in malicious activities.

3. **Compliance Requirements**: Organizations must adhere to regulatory mandates and industry standards governing data protection and privacy, such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and SOX, which impose stringent requirements and penalties for non-compliance.

4. **Resource Constraints**: Limited budgets, shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals, and competing priorities often constrain organizations' ability to implement comprehensive security measures.

Strategies for Enhancing IT Security:

To address these challenges and bolster IT security posture, organizations can adopt the following strategies and best practices:

1. **Risk Assessment and Management**: Conduct regular risk assessments to identify potential threats, vulnerabilities, and impact on critical assets. Develop risk management frameworks to prioritize mitigation efforts and allocate resources effectively.

2. **Implement Multi-Layered Defense Mechanisms**: Deploy a multi-layered approach to security, combining preventive, detective, and corrective controls at the network, host, and application layers. This includes firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), antivirus software, endpoint protection, encryption, and access controls.

3. **User Education and Awareness**: Foster a culture of security awareness among employees through training programs, workshops, and simulated phishing exercises. Educate users about common threats, phishing scams, password hygiene, and best practices for safeguarding sensitive information.

4. **Regular Software Patching and Updates**: Keep software, operating systems, and firmware up-to-date with the latest security patches and fixes to address known vulnerabilities and mitigate potential exploitation by attackers.

5. **Secure Configuration Management**: Harden system configurations, disable unnecessary services, and enforce least privilege access controls to minimize the attack surface and limit the impact of security incidents.

6. **Data Encryption and Privacy Controls**: Encrypt sensitive data both in transit and at rest using robust encryption algorithms and cryptographic protocols. Implement data loss prevention (DLP) solutions and access controls to prevent unauthorized disclosure or misuse of confidential information.

7. **Incident Response and Contingency Planning**: Develop incident response plans outlining procedures for detecting, analyzing, and responding to security incidents promptly. Establish communication channels, escalation paths, and recovery strategies to minimize downtime and restore normal operations.

8. **Continuous Monitoring and Auditing**: Deploy security information and event management (SIEM) solutions to monitor network traffic, detect suspicious activities, and generate real-time alerts. Conduct regular security audits, penetration testing, and vulnerability assessments to identify weaknesses and remediate security gaps proactively.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, prioritizing IT security is imperative for organizations to mitigate cyber risks, protect critical assets, and preserve stakeholder trust in an increasingly interconnected world. By adopting proactive measures, leveraging best practices, and fostering a culture of security awareness, organizations can strengthen their resilience against evolving threats and maintain a competitive edge in today's digital landscape. Remember, in the realm of cybersecurity, vigilance and preparedness are key to staying one step ahead of adversaries and safeguarding the integrity of digital ecosystems.

[darkautomaton]

Best Practices in Corporate Risk Management in Hong Kong

With an increasingly complex legal, regulatory, economic, and technological environment, effectively managing organizational risks is critical for companies striving towards sustainable growth in Hong Kong. By taking a strategic approach to identifying key risk exposures and establishing governance policies to address vulnerabilities, both local and multinational corporations can enhance resilience.

Conduct Extensive Risk Assessments

The foundation for building robust risk oversight is to regularly conduct enterprise-wide assessments, tapping perspectives from leaders across functions on risks emerging within main business units, as well as at the corporate level. Special focus should be placed on emerging risks - from supply chain disruptions to fast-evolving cybersecurity threats. Risks posed by Hong Kong regulations and legal responsibilities around data, employment, IP, taxation and import/export controls should also be incorporated.

Appoint Centralized Risk Leadership

While business heads are accountable for risks within their domains, oversight at the core by a Chief Risk Officer and/or risk management committee provides critical independence and cross-functional coordination. Responsibilities span creating risk reporting procedures to keeping senior leadership and board directors appraised, to aligning mitigation plans with corporate strategy. Risk managers also liaise with insurance providers to secure proper coverage against financial hazards.

Implement Key Risk Policies

Findings from risk assessments should drive key policy changes, be it business continuity planning to address operational crises, instituting ethics training to reduce fraud and corruption, or enacting information handling protocols to avoid data leaks, hacking and illegal trading incidents that would undermine Hong Kong stock listings. Anti-money laundering and sanctions/export controls compliance also need special attention in Hong Kong as a gateway between China and global trade.

Monitor External Signals

In addition to internal risk monitoring, closely follow legislative or law enforcement policy shifts, as well as economic/political disruptions arising locally as well as in mainland China that stand to impact operations. Participate in trade groups and maintain contacts in agencies like InvestHK to receive critical market updates. Regular stress tests help evaluate Hong Kong megaprojects like the Greater Bay Area growth plan or One Belt One Road initiative - and gauge ensuing risk reprioritizations.

By approaching risk oversight as an integrated corporate capability monitoring both internal weaknesses and external threats, companies gain enhanced visibility into vulnerabilities which allows preemptively strengthening of operations against cascading Hong Kong/China hazards - thereby boostinglong-term performance and valuation for shareholders.

[thoughtportal]

This is a developing news story and may be updated as more information is obtained. If you value such information, please support this Substack.

On Dec. 1, a woman immolated herself with a Palestinian flag outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta.

Now, according to the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department, the woman — referred to in their report as “Jane Doe” — is alive and “in stable condition” at Grady Memorial Hospital, where she has been since the immolation.

After repeated requests for her name, the department stated to this reporter in an email that it “does not disclose the identities of victims”. Repeated inquiries to Grady, which is a public hospital, went unanswered. The hospital houses the Walter L. Ingram Burn Center.

“Jane Doe” is 27.

When asked if they had made any comment to tell the public that she was still alive this entire time, the official at Atlanta Fire Rescue Department said they “shared the last updated with local media via email on 12/21/23. The release stated: ‘The victim remains hospitalized in critical condition. The security guard, who attempted to assist the burn victim, has been released from the hospital.’” Several internet searches on that quote produce no results. This would also indicate that "Jane Doe" went from critical to stable condition without public notice. 

Aaron Bushnell immolated himself at the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, explaining “I will no longer be complicit in genocide” and shouting “Free Palestine!” repeatedly as he burned alive. So, his case — unlike many other self-immolations including Gregory Levey, Raymond Moules, Timothy T. Brown, Malachi Ritscher and others — has received some attention. Thus, “Jane Doe” being ignored fits with the usual pattern. Bushnell is the exception — probably because he livestreamed it. See “Ignoring Immolators Lulls the Society to Sleep.”

As Bushnell was burning himself alive, an officer pointed a gun at him, barking orders as if he constituted a threat. A security guard, Michael Harris, sustained injuries working to rescue “Jane Doe” — but there were similarities, where she was actually viewed as a potential threat.

At one point, the police report for “Jane Doe” refers to it as being a case of “arson”.

Much of the media coverage and general discussion of her self-immolation in December focused on if she had done damage. The Atlanta Police Chief said: “We believe this building remains safe, and we do not see any threat here.” The Israeli government released a statement: “It is tragic to see the hate and incitement toward Israel expressed in such a horrific way.”

Police records indicate that they obtained a search warrant and entered an apartment they believed to be associated with “Jane Doe” — initially using a drone:

The drone was able to relay information as to the layout and the belongings inside. After it was deemed "safe" entry was made with bomb technicians. While clearing the apartment no improvised explosive devices were located.

The police report also noted:

During the search a Quran was found in the bedroom along with a [sic] Arabic dictionary and a Hebrew dictionary. The bedroom bookshelf contained books related to fiction and fantasy. A "Drug use for grown ups" book was on the bookshelf as well. Two journals were seized from the bedroom. A thumbdrive was seized from the bedroom as well. A laptop computer was seized from the kitchen counter. A copy of the search warrant was left in the living room of the apartment. The front door [of] the apartment was secured before law enforcement left the premises.

When pressed for more information in compliance with an Open Records Request under Georgia law, Atlanta Fire Rescue Department claimed: “There is an ongoing and active investigation for the incident in question, which is why the only releasable information has been shared via the incident report. Investigative documentation is not available for release until the investigation is closed.”

[digitalcreationsllc]

The CISO Carousel and its Effect on Enterprise Cybersecurity

The average tenure of a Chief Information Security Officer said to sit between 18 to 24 months. This is barely enough time to get feet under the table, never mind a meaningful seat at the table. Two questions arise: why is there such volatile churn in this space; and how does it affect enterprise cybersecurity? Cause #1: the scapegoat effect The potential for CISOs to be used as scapegoats for…

[lyranezz]

Unlocking the Tricks to Reliable Leadership: Inspire, Influence, as well as Effect

""

Leadership is a crucial ability that can make or damage an organization's success. It goes beyond just holding a placement of authority; it is regarding inspiring as well as guiding others towards a common goal. Effective leaders possess an one-of-a-kind set of high qualities as well as capabilities that allow them to make challenging choices, encourage their group, as well as drive positive modification. In this article, we will certainly discover the vital concepts of leadership and reveal the keys to becoming an extraordinary leader.One of the basic aspects of management is the ability to influence others. A great leader has a clear vision and interacts it properly, stiring up a sense of objective as well as interest amongst their employee. They lead by instance, establishing high requirements as well as demonstrating the worths and actions they get out of others. Furthermore, they cultivate a favorable as well as joint job setting, fostering creativity, innovation, and development. By motivating their group, leaders encourage individuals to exceed and also past, exceeding their very own expectations and adding to the total success of the company.

Read more here Security Protocols

[jcmarchi]

Data breach litigation, the new cyber battleground. Are you prepared? - CyberTalk

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/data-breach-litigation-the-new-cyber-battleground-are-you-prepared-cybertalk/

Data breach litigation, the new cyber battleground. Are you prepared? - CyberTalk

By Deryck Mitchelson, EMEA Field Chief Information Security Officer, Check Point Software Technologies.

Nearly everyone trusts Google to keep information secure. You trust Google with your email. I use Google for my personal email. Yet, for three years – from 2015 to 2018 – a single vulnerability in the Google Plus platform resulted in the third-party exposure of millions of pieces of consumer data.

Google paid a settlement of $350M in a corresponding shareholder lawsuit, but most organizations cannot afford millions in settlements. For most organizations, this level of expenditure due to a breach is unthinkable. And even for larger organizations with financial means, constant cycles of breach-related lawsuits are unsustainable.

Yet, across the next few years, especially as organizations continue to place data into the cloud, organizations are likely to see a significant uptick in post-breach litigation, including litigation against CISOs, unless they adopt stronger cyber security protocols.

Litigation looms large

Organizations that have experienced data breaches are battling a disturbing number of lawsuits. In particular, privacy-related class actions against healthcare providers are taking off.

Globally, there were 2X the number of data breach victims in 2023 as compared to 2022.

In 2023 alone, breach related class actions and government enforcement suits resulted in over $50 billion in settlement expenditures.

The Irish Health Service Executive, HSE, was severely impacted by a large cyber attack in 2021 with 80% of its IT services encrypted and 700 GB of unencrypted data exfiltrated, including protected health information. The HSE subsequently wrote to 90,936 affected individuals. It has been reported that the HSE is facing 473 data-protection lawsuits, and this number is expected to continue rising.

I recently spoke with a lawyer who specializes in data breach litigation. Anecdotally, she mentioned that breach-related lawsuits have grown by around 10X in the last year. This is becoming the new normal after a breach.

While organizations do win some of these lawsuits, courts have become increasingly sympathetic to plaintiffs, as data breaches can result in human suffering and hardship in the forms of psychological distress, identity theft, financial fraud and extortion. They can also result in loss of human life, but more about that later.

In courts of justice, an organization can no longer plead ‘we made an error or were unaware’, assuming that such a line will suffice. The World Economic Forum has found that 95% of cyber security threats can, in some capacity, be traced to human error. These cases are not complex. But the level of litigation shows that businesses are still making avoidable missteps.

To that effect, businesses need to not only start thinking about data protection differently, but also need to start operating differently.

Personal (and criminal) liability for CISOs

CISOs can be held personally liable, should they be found to have failed in adequately safeguarding systems and data that should be protected. At the moment, we’re not seeing much in the way of criminal liability for CISOs. However, if CISOs appear to have obfuscated the timeline of events, or if there isn’t full transparency with boards on levels of cyber risk, courts will indeed pursue a detailed investigation of a CISO’s actions.

The patch that would have fixed a “known critical vulnerability” should have been applied immediately. If the organization hadn’t delayed, would it still have been breached?

Therefore, it is in CISOs’ best interest to record everything – every interaction, every time that they meet with the board, and every time that they’re writing a document (who said what information, what the feedback was, who has read it, what the asks are), as a proactive breach preparedness measure.

If a CISO ends up in litigation, he or she needs to be able to say ‘this risk was fully understood by the board’. CISOs will not be able to argue “well, the board didn’t understand the level of risk” or ��this was too complex to convey to the board”, it is the CISOs job to ensure cyber risk is fully understood.

We’re starting to see a trend where CISOs are leaving organizations on the back of large breaches, which may mean that they knew their charter, but failed to take full responsibility and accountability for the organization’s entire cyber security program.

The consumer perspective

As a consumer, I would expect CISOs to know what their job is – to understand the attack surface and to map out where they have weaknesses and vulnerabilities. And to have a program in-place in order to mitigate against as much.

But even if CISOs have a program in place to mitigate breaches, consumers can still come after them for a class action. Consumers can still argue that cyber security staff should have and could have moved faster. That they should have attempted to obtain additional investment funding from the board in order to remediate problems efficiently or to increase their operational capacity and capability to prevent the data breach.

The challenge that CISOs have got is that they’re trying to balance funding acquisition, the pace of change, innovation, and competitive advantage against actually ensuring that all security endeavors are done correctly.

A current case-study in liability

In Scottland, the National Health System of Dumfries and Gallloway recently experienced a serious data breach. The attack led to the exposure of a huge volume of Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Reports indicate that three TB of sensitive data may be been stolen. As means of proof, the cyber criminals sent screenshots of stolen medical records to the healthcare service.

As expected, a ransom demand was not paid. The criminals have now leaked a large volume of data online. Having previously worked in NHS Scotland, I find such criminal activity, targeting sensitive healthcare information, deplorable. Will we now, similar to HSE, see already constrained taxpayers’ money being used to defend lawsuits?

Liability leverage with proper tooling

CISOs cannot simply put in tooling if it can’t stand up to scrutiny. If CISOs are looking at tooling, but less-so at the effectiveness/efficacy of that tooling, then they should recognize that the probability of facing litigation is, arguably, fairly high. Just because tooling functions doesn’t mean that it’s fit for purpose.

In regards to tooling, CISOs should ask themselves ‘is this tool doing what it was advertised as capable of?’ ‘Is this delivering the right level of preventative security for the organization?’

Boards should also demand a certain level of security. They should be asking of CISOs, ‘Is the efficacy of what you’ve implemented delivering at the expected level, or is it not?’ and ‘Would our security have prevented a similar attack?’ We don’t see enough senior conversation around that. A lot of organizations fail to think in terms of, ‘We’ve got a solution in-place, but is it actually performing?’

CISOs need to approach data the same way that banks approach financial value. Banks place the absolute best safeguards around bank accounts, investments, stocks and money. CISOs need to do the same with all data.

Third-party risk

One of the areas in which I often see organizations struggle is supply chain and third-party risk. As you’ll recall, in August of 2023, over 2,600 organizations that deployed the MOVEit app contended with a data breach.

What lessons around due diligence can be learned here? What more could organizations have done? Certainly, CISOs shouldn’t just be giving information to third parties to process. CISOs need to be sure that data is being safeguarded to the right levels. If it’s not, organizational leaders should hold CISOs accountable.

If the third party hasn’t done full risk assessments, completed adequate due diligence and understood the information that they’ve got, then consider severing the business connection or stipulate that in order to do business, certain security requirements must be met.

The best litigation defense

In my view, the best means of avoiding litigation consists of improving preventative security by leveraging a unified platform that offers end-to-end visibility across your entire security estate. Select a platform with integrated AI capabilities, as these will help prevent and detect a breach that may be in-progress.

If an organization can demonstrate that they have deployed a security platform that adheres to industry best practices, that’s something that would enable an organization to effectively demonstrate compliance, even in the event of a data breach.

With cyber security systems that leverage AI-based mitigation, remediation and automation, the chances of a class-action will be massively reduced, as the organization will have taken significant and meaningful steps to mitigate the potentiality of a breach.

Reduce your organization’s breach probability, and moreover, limit the potential for lawsuits, criminal charges against your CISO and overwhelming legal expenditures. For more information about top-tier unified cyber security platforms, click here.

[ritumistry11]

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[coochiequeens]

This should not have taken so long

Trans women who have hurt or threatened women or girls will not be held in female prisons unless there are "exceptional" circumstances, new guidance states.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) policy follows a public outcry after a rapist was sent to a women's prison.

Isla Bryson raped two women while known as Adam Graham.

The Scottish Conservatives said the new policy was "subjective" and "unacceptable".

The latest figures show there were 23 trans prisoners in Scotland from January to March this year.

They included 19 trans women, seven of whom were in a women's prison, and four trans men - one of whom was in a male prison.

Under previous guidance drawn up in 2014, the prison service allowed prisoners to be placed in facilities matching their gender identity, rather than their sex at birth, providing accommodation that "best suits the person in custody's needs".

This was reviewed and in February, following the Bryson case, it was updated to say no newly convicted or remanded transgender prisoner with a history of violence against women would be housed in female prison facilities.

Under the new policy - which will come into force in February 2024 - a trans woman would not be allowed to move into the female estate if they had been convicted of, or were on remand awaiting trial for, a crime that harmed a female - unless there was "compelling evidence that they did not present an unacceptable risk of harm to those in the women's prison".

These offences include any that result in suffering to a female, such as sexual offences, murder, assault, abduction and intimidation.

Those who have changed their legal gender can also be housed in accordance with their sex at birth, "if it is considered necessary to support people's safety and wellbeing".

The policy states: "Only when staff have enough information to reach a decision that a trans individual can be safely accommodated will they be placed in an establishment which matches their affirmed gender."

Trans men will be admitted to the female estate, but those who have committed crimes against women may be kept separate from other prisoners if it is "deemed necessary" to "keep women in custody safe".

The new guidelines also allow officers to search inmates regardless of the inmate's "affirmed gender" or sex assigned at birth, "if it is necessary to keep the individual or staff safe".

Risks carefully managed'

Teresa Medhurst, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service, said if a trans woman's offences were historic and low level, they could be moved to the female estate, but she stressed that would be exceptional.

She said all prisoners were "treated with dignity and respect, with their rights upheld, and any risks carefully managed".

"The position, whilst it is still individualised, will ensure that those that have a history of violence against women and girls and present a risk to women will no longer be placed on admission in the women's estate.

"I am content that everyone who is a transgender individual is located in the prison which best suits their risk and needs profile."

She added that she was confident the new policy would address public concerns surrounding trans prisoners.

The Scottish government's Justice Secretary Angela Constance said the new policy protected the "safety and welfare" of staff and prisoners, and the "rights of transgender people".

She said: "SPS has considerable expertise, as well as a duty of care for the management of people in their custody, and this policy upholds its responsibilities to deliver safe, secure and suitable services for all."

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Russell Findlay MSP said the new prison policy was "unacceptable" and put women at "even greater risk by further eroding their fundamental right to single-sex space".

"They say that male prisoners with a history of violence against women or girls should be allowed in the female estate and will only be blocked if they present a risk, which is completely subjective."

Lucy Hunter Blackman, from policy analysts Murray Blackburn Mackenzie, said any new policy in Scotland should not "talk narrowly about the potential risk of a physical or sexual assault".

She added: "It needs to recognise how the presence of someone male might impact upon group of vulnerable traumatised women, held in spaces from which they cannot escape."

[kurogane2512]

Hey there 🤠

Here me out: Langley x G!P Reader + hate sex👀

They don't really hate each other, it's more of a rivalry between their factions and they both represent their own. They'd have a one on one meeting one day and things get heated because of disagreements. So Langley TRIED to seduce the reader into agreeing with her conditions. Being dominant and all. But in the end Langley is the one laying on the meeting table being fucked silly by reader. Reader fucks her all around the meeting room. Table, chairs, wall, everywhere. Maybe some aftercare in the end🥰

- a fan🤠💙

Hella yummy damn, and im so sorry this is very late

18+ CONTENT

Game: Path to Nowhere

Characters: Langley x g!p reader (can also read as gn!reader with a dick)

Type: Smut with little plot (kinda sub Langley and top reader, also kind of turned into jealous sex)

"Boss, we have arrived." Langley's subordinate informed her as the car stopped in front of a tall office building in Eastside. Langley's cane tapped on the floor as she stepped out and waltzed inside, strutting towards the meeting venue. A knock was heard on your office door followed by the door opening and Langley entered as if she owned the place, not bothering with politeness or respect.

"Good evening, Ms Langley." you greeted her with a flat tone, feeling offended by her show of disrespect towards you.

"No need for your fake pleasantries. Let's just begin what we are here for." Langley mocked before taking her seat in front of you, one leg folded over the other and her eyes piercing at you.

"Fine. Well, if you bothered reading the reports I sent you, you must know what I'm demanding and why I require your cooperation."

Langley flipped through the document in her hand and hummed, "Impressive proposal, but it is full of unnecessary risks."

You chuckled, "Risks are always essential when facing Mania. Rest assured, I won't let your precious subordinates' lives go to waste~"

Langley's lips twitched in annoyance at your words, "Always so spiteful, aren't you? How about I apply for your funding to be transferred to the MBCC instead? At least they have produced more results."

You smiled, "You can try, but the Council knows the Public Security Bureau is far more important than that prison. I'd suggest 9th Agency to not make any moves when they shouldn't, I hope to keep an amicable relationship with the MBCC."

Langley raised an eyebrow with a smirk, "Well, after the recent events, I suppose that can be negotiated. Moving on, what are your plans for West District now?"

"I believe I have already apprised you of that, Ms Langley."

"That was during the Rustfire incident. I need your plan of action for rehabilitating West District completely."

You hummed then leaned back on your chair, "I have some ideas, but this is not my highest concern at the moment. You must be aware of the increasing Mania cases in Eastside for the past year, the MBCC has been involved in all of them. The Council needs me to focus on Eastside more, they cannot compromise the life here."

Langley squinted her eyes then stood up from her seat and circled around the table, standing directly in front of you before swinging your chair to make you face her.

"Listen here, 'Captain'...." Langley leaned down, resting her hands on the armrests of the chair, "In case you have forgotten, I told you to facilitate a plan for West District months ago, while the Rustfire incident was ongoing. If the Council doesn't give you permission, then 9th Agency and by extent, Paradeisos does."

You smirked at Langley's sudden change in provocation, "What? Is your favorite MBCC not enough for that? Oh, that reminds me. Do you know there are rumours about you and that Chief having some kind of fling going on? Didn't expect you as the type to date colleagues~"

Langley sneered as well and loosened her tie then unbuttoned the first 2 buttons of her shirt, exposing the top of her breasts to you.

"Are you jealous, Captain? I can make some arrangements for you, I'm sure there are plenty of our colleagues willing to bend for you~"

Langley leaned back up then tugged your tie to make you stand up, pulling you flush against her body.

"Going off-topic, aren't we? I thought you couldn't wait to leave this place~" you teased.

Langley chuckled, "Well, I have been in more pleasant offices so you can't blame me. But I need you to give me your word about my order."

You sneakily grabbed Langley's waist lightly, "Your order? Interesting choice of word there~"

Langley bit her lower lip and stepped closer, lodging her knee between your legs.

"Why, of course, an order it is. Don't forget the 9th Agency has a higher standing than your Public Security Bureau~"

You chuckled, "So, will there be punishment if I refuse your order, 'boss'?~"

"You know I despise you, don't you? I can think of many fruitful punishments for you~"

"Oh, really? No wonder, you wouldn't be grinding against my dick otherwise~"

Langley gritted her teeth then pushed you away, "Enough. Give me your answer or I will use my alternatives."

You adjusted your tie before turning towards the table, "I cannot promise anything."

Langley clicked her tongue, "Useless, all of you. And here I was thinking you'd have redeemed yourself after the Rustfire incident."

Langley fixed her clothes and prepared to leave. Your eyes widened at her remark and you swiftly walked up to her before she could exit the office and pinned her against the wall.

"What the hell is your problem?! Can't you see I'm doing the best I can?! Who do you think you are just waltzing in and ordering me to do whatever? I have rules and other commitments to follow unlike you!"

You lashed at her, making her surprised but equally angry at you.

"Oh, don't you give me that, you useless Eastside scum! All you do is sit in this AC office all day while innocents are murdered and FAC soldiers are dying on the battlefield! See the bloodshed with your own eyes once then show this attitude to me!"

Langley held your wrists tightly and flipped around to pin you against the wall now.

"You think I haven't?! And you think I'm not trying to change that?! I do not have the protocols and permissions like you! If I did, I would have ended the Rustfire incident long before it turned out the way it did!"

"Then I'm giving you this chance now, you fool! Work with me and we will make the change!"

Your eyes widened at Langley's words and made you go silent. You suddenly realized the close proximity between you two, your breaths mingling with each other's and your gaze only focused on her. Langley sensed the tension as well then clicked her tongue before slamming her lips on yours while her hands fiddled to unbuckle your belt. You had no time to process her action as you quickly kissed back and began removing her clothes too.

Your movements were frantic and impatient, practically tearing the clothes off of each other while your lips pressed passionately. You exposed Langley's breasts first and immediately cupped them, roughly fondling and playing with them while your other hand roamed down her skirt. Langley wasn't far behind as she ripped your shirt open with ease and was about to fish out your cock when you grabbed her and flipped over once again.

A surprised gasp left her mouth as she was pinned again, overwhelmed by your unexpected strength. She wrapped her arms around your neck and slid one leg over your waist to pull you closer, your bulge pressing against her crotch. Her fingers harshly gripped the back of your head, pulling your hair to make you face her as she came close to bite your lip.

"You are insufferable, Captain." Langley whispered against your lips before you rolled your hips into her, pressing your erection against her core.

"I won't listen to you. You gotta do better than this to convince me~" you remarked as you unzipped your flyer and pulled out your cock.

Langley breathily chuckled and pushed your head into her chest, burying your face in the crook of her neck.

"Tell me what you want. Let's help out each other~"

You gritted your teeth, she was doing this intentionally to rile you up. There was only thing you wanted from her, only 1 question you wanted honestly answered. Langley reached down and gripped your shaft, languidly pumping it while gazing at you.

"You and I both know this game; we have been at it for so long. How about we skip the formalities this time? Tell me your demands and I'll make sure they are seen through."

You wrapped your arms around her waist then picked her off the wall and carried her to your table before flipping her over and bending her on it, pushing out her hips for you. Langley chuckled more at your eagerness and playfully gyrated her hips on your crotch, earning a muffled groan from you as you worked to flip up her skirt and expose her folds.

"Just.... answer one thing, that's all." you spoke while rubbing your tip on her wet folds.

"T-That's all? This is new.... mhm.... I thought you'd have a list ready by now~"

"I do but.... ngh.... I can do them on my own. I need this one answer from you...."

"Aaah.... f-fine.... get to it already~"

Langley was growing impatient as you kept teasing her with your cockhead. She would take matters in her own hands if you didn't start soon. You didn't waste more time and eased yourself in her warmth, easily sliding your cock inside her and burying to the hilt. She whined feeling you inside, desperately keeping her moans in to maintain her composure and authority.

"G-Guess you were right, any colleague of ours would bend for me— mhm.... e-even you, the esteemed boss of the 9th Agency~" you teased as you started thrusting in and out at a slow pace.

"S-Shut it, ask what you want to know and— aah....finish it already, I have more places to go...."

"Hmm.... more places like the MBCC? You really like going there, don't you?"

You grunted as you pushed in deeper, penetrating her all the way and prodding her sweet spots.

"Mhm! Y-You are mentioning it a lot today.... What? Do you really believe those rumours about me and that rookie?~"

".....And she even has a nickname.... Dammit!" you suddenly slammed forward hard, making her fall on the table with a gasp. Langley couldn't retort as you set a brutal pace, drilling into her reckless abandon so much so that the table was already creaking. You pulled her in from her waist and kept plowing, her body arching into you as she tried to turn the tide.

"H-Hey! Slow down.... What's up with you today? Aaahn!~"

Langley breathlessly moaned, her smoky voice filling your ears as you kept your pace, not planning to slow down anytime soon. You squeezed her butt then leaned on her back to kiss her nape and shoulders while your hands wrapped around to grab her breasts.

"Have you done this with her already? Is she better than me?" you whispered in her ear, catching her by surprise hearing what was truly on your mind. She found it hilarious and adorable at the same time, she wasn't aware you harbored such thoughts. Langley smirked to herself and looked at you over her shoulder, noting the needy look on your face.

"Mhm.... s-she has her ways.... she's not bad— aahn!~"

You tightened your grip around her then suddenly flipped her over to lay her on her back. Placing her right leg on your shoulder, you continued the same fast and hard pace from before, fucking her like it was the only thing on your mind.

"D-Don't you dare lie to me! Langley.... you.... ah, fuck it!" you slammed with all your might, skin slapping against her thighs making her arch every time you pushed in. Langley had seen your moments of desperation, times when you fucked her senseless out of exhaustion, but this was different. She had never experienced this side of you.

Her body rocked on the table from your brutal thrusts, both of her legs resting on your shoulders now as you leaned forward and fucked deep into her. She was surprised you still kept going and weren't close to releasing, her walls held you inside tightly and milked you of everything you had. Langley would never cum before you, but perhaps today you'd change that.

Your dick plunged with broad arcs in and out, digging into her tight and warm walls and filling her to the brim, shoving as much as you could manage in a single thrust. Your mind was filled with unpleasant things that you didn't want to think about, so you drove forward and fucked Langley out of her mind. You watched the way your dick stuffed her up and drew out her juices, the way her body arched and erotic moans came from her mouth.

Langley was close to release and she couldn't believe your thrusts didn't slow down at all. She wrapped her arms around your neck and pulled you down, making your cock enter to the hilt and hit the right spot that made her release with a muffled moan. You squeezed her breasts as you felt her walls tighten and release on your cock, letting out a hiss at the sudden tightness.

"S-Still going, Captain? Oh, you have surpassed yourself, it seems...." Langley mocked you but her words made you more irritated than anything.

"You haven't answered my question.... Gah! I-I won't stop until you answer....."

"Is that so?~" Langley smirked then you suddenly felt something press against your temple. You realized she was pointing her gun at you. A shiver went down your spine but you didn't back away, you knew she won't actually shoot. With her other hand, she pushed you away making you fall on your chair with a thud. You groaned and were about to retort but she pointed her gun at your forehead again while she stood up.

Her clothes were in shambles and slick dripped down her thighs. You swallowed thickly and averted your gaze from her. She smirked then kept away her gun and proceeded to straddle you, aligning your shaft with her core and sitting on your lap in one fine sweep. You moaned together at the feeling, her hands quickly held your shoulders and her hips were already rising up and down your cock.

"You have a lot of energy today, don't you? Then, let me milk you dry~"

And milk you dry she did with the way her hips slammed up and down, riding you hard and fast. Her tempo produced heavy and thick thuds of skin slapping, pounding down on you with all her strength. Langley was cockdrunk by now, one would think with the way she moved, but in reality she was completely sober and knew what she was doing. She fucked herself harder than ever before, enjoying the way your girthy cock filled her up.

The room was filled with messy moans grunts as you continued. You now had her carried against a wall, driving your cock inside with the same pace. It felt like there was an infinite surge of energy in you which made you want her and fuck her out of her mind. The meeting and the agenda was long forgotten, your mind hazy from lust as you only thought about fucking her.

You filled her up countless times by now, streams of cum going inside her so much that it was leaking out of her and the pistoning of your cock only spilled out more but you were ready to make up for it. One would think this was no longer the office of the Captain of Public Security Bureau, it reeked of a brothel filled with her moans and smell of cum. Neither of you spoke a word, but Langley's answer was on the tip of her tongue yet she wanted to delay it just to see how far you'd go.

"Ngggh! Langley.... come on! It's one answer I ask of you! Fuck— you are just enjoying this now, aren't you?! You just wanted to be fucked senseless!" you groaned as you were on the last bit of your strength, still drilling your cock inside her.

"Mmmh! That's it.... finally figured me out! So, fuck me like your life depends on it!"

It was a challenge, one which you weren't going to lose. None of you kept track of time when you were finally done, all you could see was that the sun was setting down. You rested on the couch together with her nestled in your arms like a lover, but the reality couldn't be further from it. Langley looked at you from the side then grabbed your jaw and planted a supple kiss on your cheek, her dark lipstick leaving a mark.

"Here's my answer. I don't sleep around with colleagues and officials, you are the only exception and always will be."

Your heart fluttered at her unexpected answer, all you wanted was a simple yes or no from her. Langley smirked sensing your silence then snuggled her head on your shoulder again, her hand caressing your thigh and leisurely pumping your softened cock. You let out a sigh and put your arm around her to embrace her.

"....Sorry, I got worked up hearing all those rumours...."

Langley chuckled, "It was an adorable state, I should cause it more~"

You rolled your eyes, "Fine fine. Anyways, want to take a shower here? I'll drop you wherever you have to go next."

Langley hummed, "I'll take up your offer then. You can drop me at my house~"

You smirked, "As you say, boss. Also, I agree to your orders. Tell me what to do next."

[seospicybin]

PROFESSIONAL COURTESY.

PART II

Felix x reader. (s)

Chapters: Prologue / Part I

Synopsis: Discovering that his new boss is someone he had one night stand with, Felix struggles to separate work life and personal business. And at times, finding himself mixing those two as he works under your dominance. (16,9k words)

Author's note: Please enjoy this one too and don't be shy to leave feedbacks 🙂

Felix is getting better at keeping his work and personal life separated.

When he clocks into work, he naturally adjusts himself to the environment. He knows it's all about business with you and all he needs to do is do his job right, there's no space for him to be emotional in here.

However, there are times when he can't help but get a little personal and that's because he finds you the most attractive when you are focused on work, you have this little crease formed between your eyebrows and your lower lip slightly jutting out, and sometimes, you have your index and middle fingers pressed against your temple as you read something.

Felix has the trick for it, he'll just quietly admire you through the glass wall from his desk and then think about what he's going to do later with you.

He consoles himself with that thought whenever he can't do certain things to you in the office, going home with you and executing one of his ideas to you.

Today, he's thinking of kissing you against the kitchen island in your apartment and if he's lucky, he plans on getting you on it and—

"He wants to see you," Yoon shatters his daydream with her brooding eyes.

Felix drops the pen he's been twirling in his fingers to his desk, "Who?"

"Who else?" Yoon annoyingly asks, not answering his question.

"Mr. Kang?" He guesses since she is his assistant. He gets up from his chair because, despite Yoon's sluggish way of delivering a message, it seems important.

Yoon disappears to the pantry as he keeps walking toward Mr. Kang's office, he knocks on his door even though it's wide open just to be polite.

"Oh, Felix, yes, come in!" Mr. Kang says with his glasses slumped down the bride of his nose.

"You're calling for me?" He asks as he comes toward his desk and waits for him to allow him to sit.

"Yes, please, sit down," he says, putting away a stack of files on the side of the desk.

Felix feels nervous because it seems serious, he knows he's not getting fired but it's serious, still. He clasps his hands together on his lap.

"I'll be quick," Mr. Kang says, putting down his glasses as they rest on his chest with the small chain securing them from falling, "You know I always want you to be in my team and I think it's the right time to start"

It comes as a surprise to him because he's slowly forgetting his true purpose of working in this company, he wants to be a journalist and now the opportunity presents itself to him and weirdly, he's not as ecstatic as he imagined he would be.

"Oh?" He simply responds.

"Do you still want to be a journalist?" Mr. Kang asks, stacking his arms on the desk.

"Yes, I do," he shortly replies, he should be happy that the climb to his dream job has come to an end.

It would be impossible for Mr. Kang to not notice his slight vexation, he smiles and starts talking about, "We're not going to start right away. I just need you to do one thing to see if you're ready for the job or not."

Not wanting to seem like he's being ungrateful or not happy with the news, Felix politely smiles before speaking, "I am truly honored with this opportunity but Mr. Kang, I'm still working as an assistant and I don't think I can do it with my current position..."

Mr. Kang is smart, he understands his concerns about taking this job, "Also, don't worry. I consulted with the chief beforehand and she agreed to it," he explains, addressing you as the chief like he always does.

"Really?" He hastily responds, slightly shocked to find out you knew about it before him.

"Yes and you fully have her support, you have nothing to worry about," he informs.

Honestly, he's happy about it but what stopping him is knowing that he's not going to work for you again and that makes him sad.

This is what he wants so knowing that you support this means something to him. He gets consoled by the fact that you have his back on this and he's ready for whatever he has to do to get this job.

"So, what's the one thing that I need to do?"

Mr. Kang smiles before shuffling a file in front of him and pulling it out, laying it in front of him, "I want you to write about this senior soccer club, I know their manager so you can tell me when you want an interview with them."

Felix scans through the papers to see just the important details about the subject of his interview, "Do I have a deadline?"

"Uhm... how about a week? Next Tuesday, you'll bring me the finished article."

Felix can't tell if he's negotiating or challenging him, he's not one to back down from a challenge, and he confidently agrees to it.

"Next Tuesday it is," he says with a smile and shakes his hand.

The happiest part of the day has finally come.

He can relax as he drives you home and once he gets in the elevator with you, he can step out of his professional self and into himself. He gently puts his hand on the small of your back after pressing the button on your floor.

"Want to order dinner now?" He asks, his one hand is occupied with your purse and coat.

"Yeah. I'm kind of hungry," you answer, not hesitate to place your hand on his hand that rests on your hips.

"French?"

You lightly shake your head, "I'm thinking Italian?"

"Italian sounds nice," he says, smiling before leaning in to peck your lips.

The best part of his day is when his lips finally meet yours and fulfill his need for the taste of your lips. He holds your jaw as he presses another kiss, longer than the previous one, and has the power to take the pressures of the day off of his shoulders.

After dinner, you refill the glasses with more wine and he's been dreaming about kissing you against that kitchen island from the moment he woke up from his sleep, it feels surreal to finally be able to do it for real.

He slips his arms under and around you, "Why didn't you tell me about it?"

You turn your head to the side, "About what?"

"That you support me to be a journalist," he says.

You put down the bottle of wine, "Well, I think it's great for your career. I don't see why I shouldn't support that."

He buries his nose in your neck and inhales the natural scent of your skin, he lets it intoxicate him as it gives him a sense of comfort.

For a second, he forgot about what he was about to say to you, "But I want to keep working as your assistant."

You refrain from sipping your wine and let out a chuckle, "Don't be silly! You can't be my assistant forever."

"Yes, I can," he disagrees and digs his nose further into your neck.

"Stop. That tickles!" You grumble, breaking away from his hold, and turn to face him.

Felix is more than happy to look at you and your beautiful face that endlessly fascinates him, he needs a moment to take it all in and to convince him that you are real.

"I want to stay close to you," he blurts out and he thinks it's coming from deep within him.

You slyly smile and rest your hands flat on his chest, "We're already close."

"Not close enough," he says with a head shake.

"How close then?"

He closes the gap between your bodies so that you can feel his body heat and his breath warmly brushes your lips.

"This close?" You lowly ask.

Felix slightly tilts his head to the side, teasing you by rubbing his lips against yours and letting it tantalize him more in return.

"This close," he mutters in his low voice then crashes his lips against yours.

Oh, to turn his fantasy into reality! He kisses you so passionately, letting his desires drive him and control him. His hands roam down your body, his hand trailing down your spine and eventually landing on your clothed ass, he cups that ample flesh through your tight skirt while continuously kissing you.

It's unfair that you can turn him on as if he were a light switch.

The other thing he wants to do to you is lift you and sit you on the kitchen island so he starts gripping each side of your waist and gathering his strength to—

The sound of your phone ringing interrupted the heating moment, he ignores it and hopes you do the same. He distracts you from it by holding the nape of your neck and keeps kissing you.

However, it's not enough to make the phone stops ringing and your hand gropes around the kitchen island to look for your phone.

He presses a haste kiss on your lips and whines, "Just leave it."

You laugh because he sounds cute whining with his deep voice, "At least, let me check who's calling."

He whines again yet gives in, letting you check your phone but he keeps you caged between his arms.

One glance at your phone screen and you hit the button to accept the call, "Sorry, I have to take this," you lowly mutter while breaking away from his hold.

Felix sighs and then pouts as you enter your bedroom to continue talking on the phone. He drinks his wine and spends the time to check the mail and packages on the side of the kitchen island.

He learns that you subscribed to a lot of magazines from fashion to finance and obviously, sports ones too. They are mostly bills and invitations to various events, then... there's the big bouquet of flowers. He can't find any cards inside but he finds them in between the pile of mails. He opens the card to find a handwritten message, congratulating you on the release of the annual issue, and on the bottom corner, he finds the initial of the sender. K.S which he believes stands for Kim Seungmin, only seeing his initials is enough to make Felix roll his eyes and scoff in disbelief.

Not long after, you return from the bedroom and walk up to him, picking up your glass of wine to have a long sip. He could have asked who called you or asked you about the flowers but he knows better that he should respect the boundaries.

"So how much time does Mr. Kang give you to write?"

"Oh, so you knew about it too?" He puts one hand against the kitchen island and places the other on your waist, wanting to keep you close to him. He doesn't need your explanation of how you knew, he knows the answer, and it's because you're his boss.

"He gave me a week," he tells you.

"You'd better go home and start working on it then," you say, putting your hand on him and holding it.

"I don't want to go home. We have to continue—"

"No. That's an order!" You firmly tell him.

"But we're not working right now," he grumbles like a fussy child.

"That doesn't change the fact that I'm your boss," you remark, coyly declaring your dominance over him with a piercing gaze and a confident smile.

Isn't that just the sexiest thing you ever did? Instead of feeling offended or intimidated, Felix finds you more alluring and he doesn't mind if he has to be on his knees and worship you all day, he would do that for you even without you asking him.

He swallows hard and takes the message like a good boy, "Yes. That's right."

You reach for the collar of his shirt and fix it for him, "As a professional courtesy, I wish you good luck," you say with a chaste kiss on his cheek.

Without saying anything, Felix obeys your words, collecting his things and getting ready to leave. If you want him to go home and start working on his writing, then that's what he's going to do.

In other words, he's simply obeying the words of his boss whether it's professionally or personally, or both.

-

It's official, Felix has no personal life.

Well, not exactly that, he works as usual and goes straight home to work on his article so he has no time for anything personal at the moment. Even in between work, he goes to Mr. Kang's office to consult about his article.

That's when Felix comes to a realization that you've been cutting him a lot of slack. He makes sure that when it comes to you, he does his job right.

"Got you a new cup of coffee," he says, placing the cup of coffee on your desk.

You swivel your chair to face him and put down the file you're reading, looking at the coffee then shot him an impressed smile.

"No sugar, two creams, and searing hot just the way you like it," he says with a smile.

"Thank you," you softly mutter as you wrap your hand around the cup.

Seeing that he brought you coffee unannounced and you're in the middle of work, and he's in your office, it's better if he leaves you to your work.

"I'll just leave you to continue working," he says, excusing himself to leave.

"No, stay," You order, gesturing for him to sit on the small sofa in your office as you get up from your chair, "Have a seat!"

He stops on his track and makes a turn to sit on the sofa, awkwardly sitting there, then watches you coming to sit across from him.

"So, how's the writing going?" You ask while getting yourself comfortable by crossing your legs together

For a second, he gets distracted by your exposed thigh and how your legs are crossed at the ankle, "It's going well," he simply answers.

"You did the interview yesterday, right?" You ask, then take a careful sip of your coffee.

"Yes. It surprises me that I had a delightful time interviewing them," he shares with a smile.

"Because they're elderly people?"

"No, it's not that," he immediately denies, "It's just refreshing to talk with them about their experiences, their passion..."

You suddenly let out a chuckle and say, "I wasn't serious with my question."

Felix can't believe that he gets to this point of being able to be playful with each other in the office, he allows himself to relax and well, be playful as well.

"Well, actually, that too," he jokingly says.

"How close are you to finish it?"

"I just need to do a few things but it's almost there," he calmly answers.

"So you're confident you'll finish it on time?" You ask with your face slightly turned serious.

"Yes," he confidently and seriously answers.

"That's great to hear," you respond with a soft smile.

You sit straighter on your seat then lean forward, and that makes him feel like you're putting all of your attention on him, "Maybe once you finished your article, we can do something to celebrate it," you say.

It sends a shiver down his spine and it's because he can't tell whether you're being professional or personal, either way, it makes him nervous.

There's a line that Felix knows he shouldn't cross and he oftentimes doesn't find it hard to resist the temptation to do it until today.

"I'll look forward to that," he manages to keep his calm.

"Better finish your article on time then," you say, slyly smiling at him.

He never thought that he'd be this scared to be in the same room with you, scared that he'd lose it and do as he pleases in this very room.

He shoots up from his seat and looks at you, "I'd better get back to my work," he says in one breath, not even waiting for your permission to leave the room.

-

Felix keeps his word to finish the article on time. He sent the finished article last night to Mr. Kang and he's been anxiously waiting for his call when he can just go to his office and ask about it.

When the phone rings, his first thought is that it's Mr. Kang and his heart skips a beat. He draws a long breath and then picks up the handle of the phone.

But instead of the call that he's been waiting for, it's the one call he doesn't expect to answer.

"It's Kim Seungmin," The caller says to him.

He knows it's his job to inform you but he finds it very hard to do, "Please, wait a minute!"

He calls your office and hopes that you don't pick up the call, but he sees through the glass wall that you're picking it up just now.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Kim Seungmin is on the line to talk to you," he informs with a sour expression.

"I'll take it," you shortly reply.

"He's on line two."

"Thank you, Felix," you mutter as you press the button to switch lines and accept his call.

Felix should be hanging up his phone by now but he hides behind his computer screen and quietly listens in on your conversation.

"Hey, sorry for calling you through the office."

"I was about to ask you that. You could have called my numbers."

"I called but it seems you were on the call with someone."

"Oh yeah, I was on a call with Suze."

"Suze, huh?"

"Just the usual rant about her brother," you say with a laugh and he hates how you can be so casual and comfortable talking to him about personal things like that.

"I kind of figured. Well, I'm calling you to ask about the dinner."

"What dinner?"

"Your family dinner, I got invited so I thought..."

"Oh, of course, they invited you first before telling me about it."

"It seems like it."

Felix smirks at that, knowing that he's been invited by your family and not you which means that the two of you are close but not that close, he reckons.

"Should I come or...? I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I can—"

"No, please. You'll be the only person I can tolerate there."

"Oh, great. I was thinking—"

The slap on the desk startles him and he hurriedly slams the phone down, forgetting that you might noticed that he's been eavesdropping.

"Mr. Kang is asking for you," Yoon says, greeting him with her usual brooding eyes through her thick glasses.

"Goodness, Yoon! You could have reached me through the phone," he scolds her while calming himself from almost getting caught listening in on your call.

"Well, your line has been busy and I'm impatient," she says, she stops lingering by his desk as usual and leaves without saying anything else.

This is what he's been waiting all day, a call from Mr. Kang and now he's got it so he should get himself to it. He comes to his office with his heart beating so fast that he thinks it's about to jump out of his chest at any moment.

"Come on in! I've been expecting you," Mr. Kang says with a welcoming smile.

Felix suddenly fills with hopefulness, he somehow gets the assurance that no matter what happens, he's going to be alright.

"I read your article as soon as I received it last night," Mr. Kang says, clasping his hands together in front of him.

From his expression, Felix can tell that he likes it or at least, he doesn't find it that bad, "And what do you think, sir?"

He smacks his lips together and nods, "I think you've done a wonderful job!"

Felix can finally let out a sigh of relief, he knows Mr. Kang will like it but knowing it for sure relieved him from the pressures that have been weighing on his chest.

"I'll have it published on the site tomorrow morning," he shares another great news.

"Published?" Felix asks in disbelief, thinking he misheard it.

"Yes," Mr. Kang excitedly answers, he then offers his hand at him and says, "Welcome to my team!"

Shaking his hand means that the climb is finally over but that also means he'll no longer be your assistant, his heart feels heavy about moving on to a new part of his career but it's necessary.

Felix takes a deep breath, takes Mr. Kang's hand, and then shakes it.

-

Felix feels bittersweet as he packs his stuff from the desk he's been working in for almost three years now. But he knows the bitter part is coming from knowing that he's not working under you anymore, at least, not directly.

The phone rings and shattering the melancholic moment for him, he immediately picks it up.

"Please come into my office!" You concisely say to the phone.

He doesn't need to answer but come into your office like you asked, "What can I help you with?" He asks as he stands in front of your desk, ready to take your orders.

"Oh, no. I'm not asking you to do things for me," you tell him, putting your files on a neat stack on your desk, "I only have a few things to say to you."

Somehow, hearing that makes him disappointed, he wants to do things for you before he can't do it anymore for you. "Okay," he meekly answers.

"Well, first, congratulations on your first article," you say, pushing the stack of files away to the side of the desk.

"Thank you," he gratefully mutters, "if you don't mind, I'd like to hear what do you think about it?"

You look up from the file you're holding, "I say it's a very well-written piece of writing. I think you did great on your first gig on the job."

You get around the desk and walk up to where you hang your coat to get your purse, "Which I also should congratulate you on that."

"Thank you again," he says with a smile.

"I promised you about doing something once you're finished with the article so..." you walk up to him and hand him your credit card, "Here, drinks are on me tonight."

That's not what Felix expected as something that you promised him but his disappointment doesn't stop.

"Unfortunately, I can't join the celebration. I have a family dinner to attend," you explain with an apologetic smile.

He's not upset about you not joining the celebration of his job promotion, but knowing that your ex-fiance will be there.

"Once again, congratulations and hope you enjoy your new role in the company," you say, keeping it formal and business with your courteous smile.

What did he expect though? He's working and he's in your office, you can't just run hug, or kiss each other.

"Thank you so much," Felix says and that's all he can say for now.

Honestly, he has something to ask you but not here, not now. He flashes you a grateful smile before turning around to leave your office but something keeps tugging in his chest and he needs to get it off.

Felix braves himself to just go with his gut and comes up to you, he gently places his hand on your elbow while using his body to shield this whole interaction.

"Hey, I know that we're still working and we're in the office but..." he pauses to breathe in and out while checking if you're comfortable with what he's doing.

"Can I take you on a ride this weekend?"

You remain quiet for a moment then a soft smile appears on your face, "I would love to."

Now he got his answer, he should be letting go of his hand on you but he insists on lingering there for a moment, seeing you eye to eye until it lessens the yearning in him.

When he lets go, he immediately takes a step back and raises your credit card, "Thank you for this. I'll make sure to have fun tonight."

Deep down, Felix knows he's excited for something else other than tonight.

-

The second Felix sees you coming out of the door, his heart palpation. He believes it's you and your radiant smile that makes you look stunning even though you're dressed in a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans.

He doesn't notice you've been carrying the jacket you borrowed from him in one hand until you come up to him.

"Have you been waiting long?" You ask.

He shakes his head and smiles, "Not long enough," he jokingly answers.

"I'm sorry. I had to take a phone call from my mom," you explain as you put on your jacket.

"That's okay. You're here now," he says, turning around to get a helmet for you.

You stand still as he helps you put the helmet on, he fixes your hair first, brushing it to the side but seeing your face this close and not kissing you feels wrong. Tempted, he holds your jaw and places a soft kiss on your lips, longer than he intended to.

When he pulls away, he sees your eyes are still closed so he allows himself to place a quick peck on your lips.

"I'm sorry. I can't help it," he apologizes.

You only respond with a low chuckle and tilt your head upward so he can clasp the straps of the helmet together for you.

Felix gets on his bike and puts on his leather gloves, then turns the key in the ignition until the engine roars to life. He revs it up a few times to get it warmed up then holds his stance to let you hop on the back of the bike.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

He puts his helmet on and pulls the visor down, before launching his bike towards the main road and rides on.

The weather is nice today, he plans on taking you on a slow ride out of the city through the scenic route. He stops at a few spots that offer breathtaking views and then stops at a diner to have a quick lunch.

On the road with you like this pulls him out of the harsh reality and into the life he dreamed where he can be with you without having to worry about what or where he is.

He remembers your hands were around his waist earlier but now, they're resting on his thighs again. He chuckles when he glances at it, and shifts his focus back on the road ahead of him.

In the afternoon, the weather takes a drastic turn as thick clouds cast dark shadows on a supposedly sunny day and not long after, the rain starts showering you together.

Since the rain is only getting harder and it's dangerous to keep riding, Felix stops at the first sighting of a neon sign that leads to someplace he can take shelter in.

What he doesn't expect is that "someplace" to be a motel, he cringes once he notices it but he already parked the bike and you already got off.

"Do you want to...?" He gives up on suggesting to check in to the motel, he alternates with a new idea, "I think there's a hotel not far from here—"

You hug yourself as your jacket is drenched and so are your jeans and shoes, "What's wrong with the motel?"

He takes your helmet from you and brushes his wet hair to the back, "Are you okay with it?"

"We can't keep riding in this weather," you simply answer, emphasizing that comfort comes second after safety.

The motel costs not even half of the cost of one day stay in a 5-star hotel you book in but for a motel, it's adequate. A bed, a TV, a working room heater, and complimentary packs of instant coffee.

You take the first turn to use the bathroom and come out wearing the t-shirt he bought from the souvenir shop downstairs that are two sizes too big for you because they only have one size available.

"That looks good on you," he sincerely compliments.

You shyly smile and sit on the bed next to him, "So what's for dinner?"

Felix scrunches his nose, embarrassed that he can't find anything decent except for some inconvenient store foods.

"Cup noodles and..." he brings the cup of instant coffee he made earlier, "Coffee."

You take it from him with both hands, using the heat to warm you up as you put your legs on the bed and cross it together.

"I don't know if you'll like it," he sheepishly says.

You take a careful sip and swallow it, doing it so calmly.

"How did it taste?"

"It's..." you pause for a second before continuing, "alright."

He can't help but laugh watching you befuddled by what you've just drank, "You don't have to keep drinking it."

"No, it's okay. It's not that bad," you assure him and take another sip of the coffee.

The night is getting late but the rain doesn't come to a stop, the constant raindrops pattering against the window somehow adding to the sentiment of the moment as he lays with you on the bed, sharing the thin blanket.

"This isn't what I planned for today," he groans as he stares at the ceiling.

"What was your plan?" You curiously ask.

"There's this nice restaurant with a nice view..." he doesn't continue his sentence but sighs.

"But this is nice too," you mutter as you snuggle close to his side.

Things didn't go as planned and Felix has been worried that you're not enjoying the trip as he wanted it to be, but knowing that you're enjoying this detour the same makes him feel relieved, he quietly smiles in triumph.

"And you know," you murmur, rubbing the tip of your nose against his cheek, "we can always make it better."

He'd be lying if he said this is not what he's been waiting to hear, you permit him to make things better.

"That's right," he agrees, putting his arm around you and pulling you closer. This way, he can look at your face and admire it, before slowly putting his lips on yours.

The truth is things will always be better when he's with you, either it's your smile, your hand that rests on his chest, or the warmth of your body against him. But it's the kiss, it's your kiss that makes things ten times better and reminds him of the purpose of his life.

He holds you tight as he deepens the kiss, one hand rests on the nape of your neck while the other grips your waist, steadily keeping you close to him.

But also, in a moment like this, something starts to gnaw inside him and force its way to come out. He slowly pulls away and tries to convey what's bothering him from the inside.

"I have to ask you something," he murmurs as his hand cups your cheek.

"Yes?"

He has arranged words in his head to say and opens his mouth but nothing comes out of it, "I think—"

The sound of the door being slammed shut startles both of you and Felix snaps his head in the direction of the door, turns out, the sound is coming from the next room as he can hear footsteps and also the TV being turned on as the noise drowning out the sounds of the rain.

Fuck, no! Things are just getting good and whoever stays in the next room decides to come back now, ruining the kiss, the moment, the tension building in the room, everything.

"Thin walls," you mutter, making it obvious that the two of you can't do certain things here without being heard by anyone in the next room.

"Yep," he bitterly answers, guessing that you're going to call it a night.

Instead of that, you get on top of him and kiss him deeply, "We just have to keep it quiet then," you easily resolve, planting your lips on him again.

That's an easy thing to say but a hard thing to do, not when your body makes him want to scream, letting the world know how heavenly your body is.

"Oh, you're so soft," he mutters into your neck as he runs his hand down your back as you sit straddling him.

You giggle as he roughly kisses your neck, you put your hands around his neck, letting him bury his head between your breasts which he's more than happy to do.

"You like them so much, mmh?" you murmur as you give his hair a quick ruffle.

With his mouth full of your breast, he can only nod in response.

"That's enough," you calmly order him to stop but he's too focused on enjoying himself.

You put your hands on his chest and gently push him away, forcing him to let go of your breasts. With his mouth gaping open, he looks at you in confusion.

"Lay on your back," you mutter right into his ear.

He slowly lets go of his hands on you and lowers himself onto the bed, laying on his back as you instructed. Soon after, you hover above him with your hands propped next to his head. You flash him a naughty smile before placing a passionate kiss on his lips.

"I'll take care of you tonight," you murmur with your warm breath brushing his lips as you speak along with a gentle caress on his freckled cheek.

That's a way to get him all hot and excited. Being naked on the bed with you is already enough for him and now you want to take care of him? This is too good to be true.

"I have a condom with me," he says, slowly getting up to reach for his jacket.

You push him down, so hard that it startles him, "I told you to lay back," you tell him again with a glare.

"Okay," he slightly stuttering as he lay back on the bed again.

Your eyes are staring into his eyes but your hand is gliding down his front and stops on his abdomen, trailing the outline of his abs with your fingers.

"We don't need that tonight," you tell him as your hand lowers to find his hardening length.

Knowing that you want to do it raw and added with the fact that he knows how good you feel around him without a layer of protection, those things tell him that it's not going to be easy for him.

"I need you to relax and just..." you pause as you start giving his cock slow, steady strokes, "...let me take good care of you."

Felix finds himself caught under your spell, repeatedly nodding and agreeing to whatever you say. You slyly smile as you're straddling him and begin to rub his cock between your folds, wetting it with your arousal.

"Oh, and one more thing," you suddenly add, getting him alerted when he's about to try to relax.

"What?" He asks with his voice turned hoarse.

Catching him off guard, you align his cock with your entrance and slide him in, making him groan at the overwhelming sensation.

You immediately cover his mouth with your hand, "Shh... keep it quiet, remember?"

This is your plan all along, making him struggle to stay quiet as some sort of entertainment for you but hey, as long as both sides gain something, there's nothing to lose here.

"How do I feel?" You ask, then remove your hand from his mouth.

He holds your hand close to his mouth and kisses your palm, "You're always good. Always," he emphasizes every word to you.

"Hmm... ah..." you let out low, breathy moans with your hands going all over.

Felix has the best view from under you, he can see his cock buried deep inside you and at the same time, watching you touch yourself. He joins in on the fun, using his hands to admire your soft, warm skin and touch you as much as he wants.

You take one of his hands, guiding him to where you want to touch him, down south to where you and him connected. From there, he needs no directions anymore, his fingers can easily locate your bundle of nerves and start circling on it.

"Oh, baby..." you moan and giggle at the same time with your head tilted upward.

After a moment, you look at him again and say, "I'm going to start moving, yeah?"

For support, you rest your hands on his chest and begin by slowly rolling your hips in a circular motion, making you feel his whole length inside you.

Felix realizes the danger he's in as he can feel how tightly you are wrapped around him, so hot and slippery. He keeps in mind that he needs to relax and stay quiet so he bites his lips to prevent him from making any noises.

The bed is fainty creaking as you rock your hips back and forth, making him feel the drag of his cock against your velvety walls in each movement. But with this steady pace, he's confident that he can hold it in long.

"You're so hard, so big inside me," you mutter to him while keeping your voice low and sultry.

You're using compliments now to get him off and strangely, it works on him as he tries so hard to do the opposite.

"And you're always tight for me," he compliments back, cupping your ass cheeks in his hands and kneading on them as he talks.

"You feel so good inside me," you praise him more with a rather sexy smirk on your face.

His brain is close to short-circuit, all he can do is return the compliments to you, "You feel so good inside me."

You slide your hand up and wrap your hand around his neck, "I don't think I'll ever find a more perfect cock to be inside me than yours."

With your hand on his neck, you can easily angle his head to make him look at you and ask, "Don't you think?"

"Yes, yes," he hastily replies as he feels your fingers pressing in around his neck.

With a sloppy kiss on his lips, you decide to let go of his neck only to change your position, you plant both feet on the mattress and put your hands behind you, propped against his thighs.

"This way you can see yourself slipping in and out of me," you tell him then proceed to show it to him by doing it.

Watching it and feeling it at the same time sends his mind into overdrive, he feels nothing but pleasure after pleasure, coming to him non-stop.

"Slow down, oh! Please!" He pleads while gripping your thighs so hard his fingers dug into the flesh

You hear his plea and abruptly stop moving, you get back to straddling him and leaning in as you softly ask, "Want to take a moment?"

"Yes, yeah," he breathlessly answers.

You hastily kiss his lips and hover above him again, "Okay."

Felix needs to calm down but he knows he can't waste the chance to be intimate with you, he pulls you by the neck so he can kiss you, hard and deep, taking as much taste of you as he could.

"I'm going to start moving again," You announce with a kiss on his cheek.

Felix thinks he's ready to go again but he believes it's mostly because he doesn't want to stop. There's a big chance that he'll be a moaning mess under you but does he mind though?

"Let's take it slow this time, yeah?" You sweetly mutter with a peck on his lips.

Your spell binds him stronger, all he wants to do is say yes to you and obey your words without question. It sounds easy to say but putting it into action is a different thing.

Keeping true to your words, you're moving at a slow pace, alternating between rocking your hips back and forth to roll your hips in circular motions. At times, you pull back just enough so you can take him deeper inside you.

"Argh!" He groans, finding it harder to keep quiet.

You grab his hands and place them on your waist, you keep moving while holding them, "You like that, mmh?"

His mouth is dry from constantly moaning so he nods instead.

"Mmh... You're getting bigger and bigger inside me," you say with a sly smirk.

"Oh, so fucking good..." you hum with eyes closed.

The way you're riding him and the way you're enjoying yourself riding him along with the sweet praises you utter in between, oh, he can't take it anymore.

"I'm going to cum," he blurts out with his hands gripping at your waist again, helplessly trying to stop you.

"Huh?" You ask in disbelief as you slow down and eventually stop moving, "Already?"

He hates to admit it but finds himself nodding, he can't lie when you can feel it inside you, how his cock throbs and pulsates with so much desire.

You hover with your face only inches away above him, "I'm so disappointed," you say.

Best believes Felix is also disappointed in himself for having such weak self-control, but what can he do? His body wants what it wants.

You bury your head in his neck and place soft kisses in there, "You can't cum yet, baby."

He takes a long, deep breath and looks at you through his half-shut eyes, "You're just too good," he explains with his deep, hoarse voice.

You catch his lips in a kiss and keep kissing him, your teeth playfully biting at his lower lip as a way to help him relax. When you pull away, you hold his face and take a second to admire the freckles dusted his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, it would take a lot of time to place a kiss on each freckle but it's a challenge you're willing to take.

"Can I continue now?"

Not sure he can hold back longer or even as long as the previous one, he stifles a nod in response to your question. What he knows for sure is he wants you, he wants you so bad.

You prop your hands against the mattress and stay hovering above him, "It's your fault for having such a good cock," you jokingly say with a kiss planted on his nose.

"I just want to keep fucking you," you say, starting to move your hips.

"And fucking you," you set a steady pace, pulsating your hips with intensity.

"And fucking you more," you continue, suddenly picking up the pace.

The previous stimulations are making him more sensitive than before and you become tighter, clenched around him and you're just so fucking sexy, fucking him with your breasts bouncing along to the movement and a blissful smile on your face.

"Oh, fuck," a profanity falls out of his mouth. He's really on the brink of climaxing.

There's no way he can get what he wants without asking, he ignores how pathetic he'll sound and asks you, "Can I cum?"

"No, not yet," you shortly reply.

"Please, let me cum!" He desperately begs, his eyes are fluttering shut and open, and he's holding on to the last shred of his sanity.

"Do you want to cum that much?"

"So much," he answers as much as he could.

You let out a light chuckle and kiss him as you lower yourself on him, you're probably seeing him like a needy baby and he doesn't mind at all.

You lean in and hold his gaze, "How about you finish it for us then?"

Did he hear that right? Are you letting him take control? Will he be able to handle it though? And so many thoughts are rushing through his head right now.

Not getting an answer from him, you kiss him to snap him out of his head, then ask, "Why am I not hearing anything?"

"Yes," he hastily replies before you change your mind. He puts his arms around you and rests his hands on the arch of your back, he allows himself to kiss you first before turning you over without pulling out of you.

Having you pinned underneath him doesn't change the fact that you still have him in your spell. Your body endlessly enticing him, the eyes you're giving him are seductive and you have that sweet yet devilish smile on your face, everything that makes you you is his weakness.

"Are you going to make me cum too?" You teasingly ask, tugging your finger between your teeth.

"I'll try," he manages to jokingly answer.

You softly chuckle and put your hand on his arm, feeling his bicep contract as you grip on it, "Let's see you try."

Now that he gets to do everything he wants, Felix can't decide what he should do first but he soon settles with a kiss, planting a kiss on every inch of skin he can land his lips on and eventually, makes a return to your lips again.

"I want you to do one more thing for me," you speak so low it's almost like a whisper.

His heart skips a beat and that's because he knows your request is never one that is easy to fulfill, possible but hard to achieve. Then again, your spell is still working on him and at this point, he's spellbound for life.

"You can tell me," he says to you with his fingers tenderly playing with your nipples.

You rest your hands on his shoulders and look at him with your eyes filled with wild glints, enchanting him to look back into your eyes.

"I want you to cum inside me," you casually say like it does not affect him whatsoever.

Felix feels a surge of electricity throughout his body, it makes him feel tingling inside and to his surprise, making him feel more alive. But his brain is processing your words slower than his body.

"Wh-what?" He stutters.

"You heard me," you coyly say, then your sly smile vanishes in a second as you ask, "Or do you want me to repeat my words?"

He knows the meaning of having you repeat your words to him and it's not good. His excitement is tinted with a slight fear now, but he's excited nonetheless.

"I heard you," he immediately says.

"That's a good boy," You mutter, the sly smile returns to your face as you slip your hand into his hair and softly give his scalp soft scratches, "Now, kiss me!"

He complies without complaint, lowering his mouth on you again and indulging himself with the taste of your lips, he patiently pries your mouth open with his tongue to slip in to get more taste of you.

Meanwhile, you part your legs wider and put them around his waist, crossing them by the ankles behind him, sending him launched deeper inside you.

"Oh, my fu—" he manages to stifle his breath, stopping himself from finishing cursing.

"Good, yeah?"

"Always," he hisses through his gritted teeth.

Felix can't decide where to look, he wants to see his cock going in and out of you but at the same time, he wants to see your face, how you're reacting to his performance and he ends up alternating between the two.

You take his hand, shoving his thumb into your mouth and sucking on it. He reckons you're doing it to prevent yourself from making noises.

He glances down to see his cock is slippery with both of your arousal then looks up to find you looking at him. Not just looking, you deeply look into his eyes with your innocent yet seductive eyes.

As he continuously thrusts into you, he bravely maintains eye contact with you and finds those eyes do more than just look, they're speaking so many words that the mouth can't say. They are filled with so much want, so much passion, they're provoking him and arousing him more and more.

"Are you going to cum for me?" You lowly ask.

"Yes."

"Going to fill me with your cum, yeah?"

He eagerly bobs his head in agreement, "Yes."

"Want to be filled with your hot cum," your voice is shaking as his body responds to your words by picking up the pace and he thrusts harder into you.

"You can't stop until you fill me full with your cum, mmh?" You grip the sides of your pillow as he thrusts even harder into you, sending your body forward with each thrust.

"You're so close, mmh?"

"Can I cum?" he asks with an overwhelmed groan.

"Now?" You calmly ask like you're not watching him struggling to keep it together.

"Please, let me cum!" He pleads, holding your waist so hard that his nails make crescent marks on the skin, "I can't hold it in. I need to cum."

Despite how tired he is, he keeps pushing himself to the limit, using all of his remaining strength to keep moving his hips and incessantly thrusting into you.

"Please..." he desperately begs with his eyes screwed shut.

You coil your hands around his arms and pull him closer, "Okay, baby, you can cum now."

With your permission, he can finally let himself go, thrusting into you and letting it take him to his release. He gets to the point that he stops caring about staying quiet, he wants to let you know how much he wants it by moaning and groaning to the pleasure that fills him to the brim.

With the way you keep clenching, sucking him deeper and deeper, it doesn't take long for him to finally come undone. Your legs are locked around his waist and you keep him close, not letting him pull away yet.

The feeling of filling you with his seed triggers something deep within him that makes him growl and it sounds nothing like a human with his deep voice, he hurriedly plants his mouth on your sternum to muffle his noises.

"Look at you cumming inside me," you murmur with your hands cradling his head in your chest and gently brushing his head.

"That's my good boy," you coo with a kiss on the top of his head.

-

The rain has turned into a light shower outside and the quiet in the room has been replaced with the echo of your giggles as Felix places ticklish kisses on your neck.

He's lying naked under the cover and cuddling on the bed with you, the things that he's not even dared to dream of ever happening but it happened, right here, in this moment with you.

"How are you—" you got cut off with a haste kiss on your lips to finish your words.

Felix shifts his attention to your breasts, taking them into his mouth in turn and twirling his slick tongue around your nipples, making them hard and wet.

"How are you still hard, mmh?" You try again as you put your hand in his dark locks and gently scratch his scalp.

What you're doing to him makes him purr like a kitten with his mouth latched to your breast, he closes his eyes and clings to your chest while his other gently kneading on the other.

In a tender moment like this, Felix sees for what you truly are: genuine, self-assured and you may seem aloof to many but you're very attentive, only if one knows to treat you right.

In this moment, he also feels like he can comfortably share things with you and vice versa.

Felix happens to have something he's been wanting to ask you, something that gnawing inside him and won't stop gnawing at him until he gets the answer.

"Can we keep doing this?" He asks.

The question catches you off guard, you stop playing with his hair and look at him, "You mean the sex or...?"

He realizes that his question lacks context, he chuckles and plants his elbow against the mattress, he uses his hand to prop his chin, "Since I'm no longer working under you, I figure that... you know, I'm afraid you'd find it uncomfortable to keep doing this," he sounds sad without he's intending to.

Felix knows that you value your privacy so much, he knows you're risking your family name by secretly going out with him like this and now that he's not directly working for you anymore, you would want to stop doing it as well.

"If that's what you want, I respect it. I'll respect your decision nonetheless," he quickly adds, not wanting to sound demanding or forcing anything on you.

"So... not just the sex?" You ask in confusion.

"Not just the sex," he answers, finding himself not able to look at you in the eyes.

Instead of answering, you stretch your arms out to the air and then drop them around his shoulders. You let out a delightful sigh and then smile at him.

"Well, first thing first, you're still working under me," you tell him with an eyebrow raise.

Felix grins and says, "That's fair."

"Second thing is unless one of us wants to stop doing this then I don't see why we should," you tell him.

"Do you want to stop?" He asks with his head beating out of control inside his chest, afraid of hearing the answer he doesn't want.

"No," you answer without a beat, "I like this."

Hearing you say something about this unnamed relationship makes him feel elated, moreover, he feels acknowledged and seen.

"You should worry more about getting the time to do this," you say.

"Why is that?" He asks in confusion.

"You're a journalist now. You'll do a lot of fieldwork, busy writing, and...'

"Nah. I don't. I don't think so," he doubtfully says, but he's confident that he can always make time for you.

Looking at his troubled expression, you let out a chuckle then continue talking, "The third and the last thing is... you will always be working under me," you mutter those words with a smirk on your face, knowing exactly what it does to him.

Those words aren't just words, they are a declaration of your dominance over him and it'll stay like that for the unforeseeable future. Felix doesn't mind being a submissive, he is in love with the idea of catering to your wants and needs, helping you to achieve things and the most important thing is he gets to stay close to you.

"Did that answer your question?" You ask while brushing his hair away from his forehead.

"Yes," he answers with a satisfied smile, boldly leaning in to place a long, lingering kiss on your lips.

"Do you have another question or do you want to try to make me cum for real this time?"

You were busy making him cum to focus on pleasing yourself and he was busy with himself trying not to cum fast, it's his turn to return the favor to you now. And let's say, he's determined to give you the utmost pleasure.

"I'll try harder this time."

"You'd better be."

-

If there's one thing he should learned by now is that you're right. You're always right.

Felix hardly comes to the office because he's busy doing his job on the field, covering various sports matches and events. He only comes to the office to attend meetings or when he needs to finish work by the nearing deadlines

He's well aware you're in there in your office, working and being your graceful self as always, but he barely has time to see you.

But today, he gets his chance. He purposely comes early to the office to borrow the office's laptop, there's hardly anyone in there except for the janitors sweeping the floor but just in case, he takes the longer route to the elevator and walks past your office.

At first, he doubts that you'd already come but the universe seems to hear his plea and decides to grant his wish, he enters your office and finds you standing behind your desk.

"You came early," he blurts out, still in disbelief that he finally meets you in person and not just a glimpse of you he sees through the window of your office.

You look over your shoulder and hang your jacket on the coat hanger before walking up to him, "You came early," you say back.

"I notice your new assistant isn't here yet," he says, pointing to his former desk right outside your office.

"She'll be here," you say, "after getting the copy of a book I want and my breakfast sandwich with a cup of searing hot coffee."

It feels like a distant memory that he used to be that person doing all sorts of errands for you, it's crazy that he's kind of missing it.

"Bookstores aren't open until 8 I'm afraid," he informs.

"Well, she only needs to find a bookstore that opens earlier than that," you say with a coy shrug.

Your cold act doesn't fool him, he knows you're actually a very warm person inside but then, he reminds himself that he's in the office now, therefore, he should act accordingly.

You're leaning against your desk and cross your arms together in front of you, "how are you?"

"Never been better," he says, now that he's seeing you looking as beautiful as always. He must say there's something that seems not right about you, he just can't tell what is it.

"Are you sure?"

He's busy figuring out what's different about you, "Huh?"

"You said 'never been better'. Are you sure?" You ask again, coming to close the gap between your bodies by a few steps.

Then he realizes that things are only better when he's with you, "Oh, sorry. I was wrong," he immediately takes back his previous answer.

You smile and take another step to close the gaping space between you and him, "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah. I need to interview this new baseball player," he explains, sparing the details from you.

"On your bike?"

He gets it that you're not interested in where he's going, "Yes," he answers.

You take the final step and stop right in front of him, you place your hand on the lapel of his leather jacket, sighing as you feel the fabric under your touch.

Afraid that anyone may walk into the office and see this, Felix looks around in slight panic, but the office remains empty just as he saw it a moment ago.

"Mmh..." you hum as you place your other hand on his chest and look up at him.

In your eyes he can easily find the answer, they're not filled with fiery glints and mesmerize him the same, they're dim and rather sad.

"Are you okay?" He asks, sensing that something is bothering you.

You shake your head and weakly smile, "You can always make it better," you give him a cryptic answer.

To his surprise, you bring his head close and kiss him, long and lingering, making his heart rattle in his chest. Your kiss is always something you assured yourself doing, it's something that he knows for sure you wanted but this kiss somehow feels different.

The moment you break the kiss, he smiles and asks, "Did we just kiss in the office?"

"Well, consider that as a professional courtesy," you give him a witty answer.

"Can we do this professional courtesy once more?" He appeals with his sweet, bright smile.

"Sure," you answer with a coy shrug.

He holds your face and then slowly leans in to kiss you, softly yet intensely. At the same time, this kiss helps him recall what it reminded him of and it's of the kiss you shared in the hotel room, that night after the boxing match.

When he pulls away, he wonders what makes you seek solace in him. What bothers you? Who dares to make you sad this time?

"Are you okay?" He asks again, allowing himself to cup your face in his hand.

"I feel better now," you assure him with a smile.

If there's something to gain, there's something to lose as well. Felix is living his dream job right now but in return, he's losing and that is time with you. He can feel that this distance strained your relationship in a way that he no longer feels as close to you as he used to be.

All of a sudden, you get back to your formality and walk back to your desk, "You'd better be on your way then. You don't want to be late for the interview."

He has the feeling that you behave that way because there's a presence of another person in there, he looks out of the window of your office and sees that your assistant has come.

"Wow. She's good," Felix lowly mutters, watching her bringing your breakfast on a tray for you.

"Good morning, ma'am," your new assistant says as she enters the room.

She walks past him and serves your breakfast on your desk, she then fills your glass with a newly opened bottle of sparkling water.

"Your breakfast," she says, announcing that it's ready for you.

She nervously stands with her hands clasped in front of her, watching you reacting plainly to it as you take the cup of coffee in your hand.

Before it gets awkward, Felix excuses himself out of your office but before he reaches the door, he can hear you ask about the book.

"I couldn't find any open bookstores so I have someone to deliver it soon," she says.

"We have friends in so many publishing companies and you can't get a copy for me?"

"The release date for the book is today. I don't think it's possible to—"

Felix shuts the door before he can hear the rest of the conversation, he gets a shiver from remembering the first few days working for you. This job is not for the faint of the heart, and he's partly lucky because you cut him a lot of slack.

"She's not that good apparently," he mutters to himself.

However, Felix lingers by his old desk and waits until your new assistant comes out of your office, her face flushed and she keeps her head down as she walks to her desk.

"Can I help you?" She asks.

Felix glances at the name on her desk then slides his phone on the table at her, "So June, this is my friend's number, I believe he can help you to get the book she wanted," he says.

June's face lights up, she quickly copies the numbers on Felix's phone and inserts them into her phone.

"What do you want in return?" She asks, knowing exactly that this should be a fair trade.

Felix doesn't need to put on a charming smile for her, he leans and whispers, "I just need to look at her schedule."

She gives him a questioning look, probably wondering what his intention is but she can't say any of that to her savior, right? She turns the computer screen toward him and pretends to be busy on her phone.

Felix knows where to check your schedule, he skips past the weekdays to see if you have anything to do on this weekend but they're blocked with red.

"What's with this? Why it's—" He asks June, tapping the computer screen with his finger.

"She said she's going somewhere and not to be disturbed," June answers.

"Do you know where?"

"Nope."

"Did she mention anyone going with her...?" He tries to sound casual as he asks it, pretending to not care but secretly dying to know the answer.

"She only said she's leaving for a personal matter," June simply answers, turning her computer screen facing her.

Trade is completed, he got what he wanted in return but did not quite meet his expectations. He can simply go back to your office and ask about it but he's going to be late for the interview.

As Felix stomps his way out of the office, he gets reminded of something, he opens his phone to check if it's right and he is, next Sunday is your birthday.

-

Felix knows almost everyone working as the concierge in your apartment building, they let him in without questions, probably thinking he's still your assistant or simply because they trust him. He doesn't know exactly when will you get back from your trip but he knows it's today because tomorrow, you have an important meeting with a client.

That's right, he eventually found that that you went on a weekend trip with a few friends to celebrate your birthday, he knows it for sure after seeing Suze's Instagram page.

So his plan for today is to prepare a welcome and birthday party at once, you'll probably be too tired to party anyway so he only set a simple celebration and a birthday cake for you.

As for the gift, he struggles so much to find one for you because one, you have everything, two, even if you don't have it, you can easily buy it yourself and third, doesn't matter what the gift is, it's the thought that counts.

He reckons, a gift that comes from the heart would make an impression on you so he baked the birthday cake himself and even bought flowers, in case the cake is a disappointment.

Is this considered as crossing the line though? He stands by his words that he's doing it out of good intentions and he hopes you see that.

He prepares everything in the kitchen, setting the cake in the middle along with the plates and cutlery, he also brings a bottle of wine that you like.

Oh, it's so convenient to know everything you like and don't like!

He's busy choosing the glasses for the wine when he hears the front door open, he doesn't know why but he decides to wait in the kitchen and surprise you when you walk in.

"Thank you," you mutter to someone, he guesses it's the doorman who helps you with your things, "And thank you for the ride home."

Oh? You can't possibly be thanking your chauffeur, right? Since when they walk you to the door of your apartment though.

"Want to come in?

"No, that's okay. You must be tired. You should get in and get some rest," the other person says.

Felix can't really see who it is but he heard this voice before. Getting curious, he walks to the foyer and keeps himself hidden behind the wall, he peeks just enough to see who you're talking to.

"What about you? You took care of everything the whole weekend and now you gave me a lift home. Must be tiring."

"Well, it's your birthday and it's the least I can do for you."

It's when he steps into the light Felix can see who it is, he stands there watching the whole interaction with jealousy in his eyes.

"I had a wonderful time. Thank you so much," you tell him.

"I'm glad you liked it and you're very welcome," Seungmin says, he then places his hand on your cheek and gives it a gentle caress.

"Don't think about it too much and just rest."

You smile as he takes your hand in his, "I'll try."

"Have a lot of rest," Seungmin says.

You nod, "Once again, thank you for everything."

"Get in and get some rest, okay? Goodnight," he says.

"Goodnight," you say back, then lean in to place a soft kiss on his cheek.

You watch him leave through the door and close it after, turning around to walk further inside to find Felix there, standing behind the kitchen island with a scowl on his angelic face.

You drop your purse onto the sofa and walk up to him, "Why are you here?"

"Are you getting back together?" Felix asks with his jaws clenched.

"I told you not to question me about it again," you calmly say, crossing your arms together in front of you.

He wants an answer but you're giving him nothing but acting like you didn't just play with his feelings, saying that you broke the engagement but now he found you doing the complete opposite.

Are you getting back together with him?" Felix accidentally raises his voice at you.

Despite him losing it right in front of you, you remain calm and do that thing where you massage your temple with your fingers which means that you're upset, or worse, stressed about something.

"You know what, Felix," You pause to exhale air and then intensely look at him, "Why is it important for you to know?"

Felix may have overstepped but now that he's done it, he may as well jump with both feet.

"Because I like you," he simply answers and since a part of it is already out, he may as well let everything out.

"You may think because it was once my job but it's not. I care about you, I think about you all the time, I worry whether you have eaten or not because when you're busy, you always forget to eat. I know everything about you, what you like, what you don't like and things in between you can tolerate. You know so little about me and that's fine, but you should know that I like you," he runs out of breath at the end of the sentence.

Instead of piling in on those words, he lets them hang in the air and eventually make their way to you, and perhaps, you get what he meant by what he said.

"I like you and you should've known that by now," He says to you, his eyes intensely staring into your eyes with either disappointment or affection, or a mix of both.

You stay quiet despite all these words he said to you, revealing what has infected his chest other than his feelings for you, there is jealousy and resentment, making a nest in the pit of his heart.

"And you know what I've only realized just now?" He pauses to let out a chuckle in disbelief, "I love you."

This is not how Felix imagined himself saying those three words for you but there he is, emptying his heart into words and hoping that you'll return it. He waits and waits, but all he hears is nothing.

"I don't— I don't know why I even tried," he mutters to himself with a dry chuckle.

Felix grabs his things and walks out of the door, and since the love is not returned, he leaves with a gaping hole in his heart and things couldn't be worse than this.

-

What's a better way to forget his misery than burying himself in work? He's been doing that for a week now and it works alright, well, until he comes home and is left alone with this thought again.

Tonight, he has a baseball game to cover. He could have watched the game through the live broadcast but he wants to get away from the office, not giving a chance for him to meet you or be anywhere close to you.

Being in the crowd is where he needs to be, the loud cheers help him to drown out his thoughts so he can focus on watching the game.

He jots down the important points of the game and when it ends, he hurriedly joins the other journalists to the press room to get a chance to ask the players about today's game.

As he waits with the other journalists in the room, he checks his work emails, replying to the urgent ones. He's aggressively typing on his phone when suddenly someone stops next to his chair.

He looks up to see if it's someone he knows and it is, but the one he expects to meet.

"I think I know you," Seungmin says, looking dapper in his navy blue suit and striped silk tie.

Who dressed like that to a baseball game though? Then it hits him that the home team is the one he owned and it happens that he also owned the stadium. He is in the enemy's territory here. Fuck!

"I see you're a journalist now," he says with a delighted smile.

Felix awkwardly gets up from his chair because it seems rude to keep talking to him in his seat while Seungmin is standing.

"Yes. I am," he says with a courteous smile while thinking of something to say to him.

"Congratulations on the win!" He sincerely congratulates him because his home team won the game tonight.

"What did you think of the game?" Seungmin asks, genuinely curious about his opinions whether as a sports journalist or acquaintances.

"Excellent!" He shortly replies,

"I enjoyed the game from start to finish," he immediately adds after realizing that Seungmin may mistake his eagerness for sucking up to him.

Seungmin nods and smiles so are the other two people who he assumes to be his entourage and that's what he believes is sucking up to him.

Someone appears on the podium to announce that the representative players are going to come out soon.

"Guess I have to let you do your job," Seungmin says, offering his hand for a handshake, "I can't wait to read your review of the game."

Felix shakes his hand and smiles, having nothing to say to his kind face because he expects the opposite from him, he wants Seungmin to be mean or says something coarse to him so he can hate him more. But no, Seungmin has to be a decent man and makes Felix the bad guy here.

-

Well, it's his fault for wanting more work and now, he has to work on the weekends too.

Felix usually hates going to prestigious events but he's attending with Mr. Kang since his wife is going out of the town for a seminar so he ended up inviting Felix as his plus one. He gladly accepted the invitation because Mr. Kang will likely introduce him to some of his friends which he can safely assume consists of acclaimed writers and journalists.

More importantly, Felix needs the distraction.

It's been a month now and he's still got nothing from you, it seems like what he said to you that night leaves no impression on you, as if those words were... nothing.

It has been a month and it haunts him still, how those words trailing behind him, unanswered.

Whenever the thought of you appears in his head, he'll swallow the bitter aftertaste that comes with it and move on with his day.

"You're dressed impeccably for the occasion, Felix," Mr. Kang says once they meet just outside the building where the event is being held, "But something about you doesn't play the part here."

It must be his mood, Felix just can't hide the fact that he's not that enthusiastic to be here. It would be unfair to Mr. Kang if he came just to ruin the night so he reminds himself to, at least, enjoy the company he's with.

"I'm just nervous, I guess," he lies, adding a sheepish smile to assure him.

"Oh, yes, I hope there's nothing else other than the nerves," he says, hinting that he's still concerned, "What about we start with a drink, eh? For the nerves?"

Felix smiles again and nods, "Lead the way, sir!"

The night gradually gets better with every person he meets and is introduced to, and every drink he takes to help him loosen up. At least that's something he can enjoy here, free drinks.

Call it a hunch but Felix knows that something will eventually ruin his night and it's walking up the stage right now to give a speech. His enemy but doesn't feel like an enemy to him, Kim Seungmin.

"Apparently, he donated a million to the sports foundation," Mr. Kang whispers, applauding for him with the rest of the people in the room.

It shouldn't offend him in any way, Felix doesn't have a million to donate to start with but every time he hears anything Kim Seungmin does, he hates it.

"The chief is also here," Mr. Kang delightfully gasps, pointing at you who stands not far from the podium where Seungmin is giving his speech.

Felix hates it more when he finds you there cheering for him with a big smile on your face.

"Let's greet her. Come on!" Mr. Kang drags him to join him walking up to you to say hi.

His heart is pitter-patting inside his chest, it's not excitement, not fear either, it's from not knowing what your reaction would be when you see or is he going to hate knowing that you don't care at all?

"How delightful to meet you here!" Mr. Kang gasps as he places his hand on your elbow.

"Oh, Mr. Kang, you're here and you're with..." your words trail off as you set your eyes on him, "... with your protégé."

Mr. Kang laughs at that and Felix should be honored to hear that he's unofficially his protégé but he's holding himself back from vomiting words at you.

"Yes, my wife is going out of town so I had the pleasure to take Felix instead," he says, glancing at Felix.

Felix gulps air and tries to remain calm, but he can't stand seeing you looking alright and acting like that night didn't bother you as much as it does to him.

"Excuse me, I have to go to the restroom," He turns around and leaves. He knows it's rude but he just can't stand it having to face you and his feelings altogether.

Instead of the restroom, he makes a turn to the bar and orders more drinks for himself, trying to drown his sorrow in alcohol. The bitter aftertaste of it is nothing compared to the realization that the hatred Felix has is not for Seungmin, it's for himself.

The next thing he knows, Felix finds himself following you and the tail of your black dress that sweeps the carpeted floor as you make your way to the restroom. Obviously, he can't go inside so he waits by the hallway, rubbing his eyes as he keeps wanting to close them, mistaking it for drowsiness.

A few minutes later, you come out holding your purse in front of you and before you can even recognize him, he grabs you by the hand and takes you to the end of the hallway.

There's no hint of surprise on your face when you finally see that it's him taking you away from the party. Gosh! He would be lying if he didn't think of kissing you, he wants to so badly.

He licks his lips like it would help him diminish the urge to kiss you and exhale air, not forgetting to slowly let go of his hand around your forearm.

"Why didn't you say anything?" He blurts out when deep down he wants to say how much he missed you.

You dare to look back at him as you lean against the wall, "What do you want me to say?" You calmly ask back.

Honestly, he wants you to say those three words back to him but that's just something he can't force out of you, but he will be fine if you only sigh in response to it, anything would do.

Anything is better than this suffocating silence.

"Do I really mean nothing to you?" He tries not to sound hopeless as he says it but failed.

"I think you're drunk," you state a fact instead of giving him the answer he seeks.

Felix is aware that he can't get what he wants by pressuring you so he tries another way. He takes your hands and holds them in his, leaning in close until his forehead is pressed against yours.

"I just don't understand... you said you broke the engagement but why are you with him?"

"I told you to trust me and you didn't," you simply answer while holding his gaze.

"How can I trust you when you can't even answer a simple question like that?"

"You didn't even give me a chance to explain," you snap, losing yourself for a moment there.

He pulls away just enough to get a good look at your face, "When did I—"

You cut him off with a sharp remark, "Maybe I was wrong about you."

"Wh–what?" He stutters, sensing the conversation is going off track, "What did you mean by that?"

"It's okay, Felix. You don't have to understand," you mutter, turning your body to leave but Felix is quick to stop you from leaving.

He holds you by the shoulders and pins you against the wall, "Say something, please," he says with an exasperated sigh, "I don't want to give up on you."

From the way your shoulders relaxed, he can see that you're softening around him, you inhale air and look at him again, "Or you can just... give up."

You take her hands and get them off you, slowly, you let them go until they return to his side. With one last look at him, you turn away from him and leave.

Felix's heart sinks deeper the farther you walk away from him and instead of making it better, things only get worse from here.

-

A month later, on a peaceful Monday morning, the news of you acquiring Sports One spreads on the internet and it doesn't take long for everyone in the office knows about it.

There's one question everyone is dying to know why did you bother to acquire it when it's owned by your family? Welp, Felix can only wish these curious people a lot of luck in getting an answer from you. One person though is neither surprised nor curious about it and Felix wonders if he knew about it before anyone else.

"Mr. Kang, you seem to know something we don't know," he playfully says as Mr. Kang is using the computer on the desk across from him.

Mr. Kang doesn't say anything but lowers his glasses on the bridge of his nose and lets out a chuckle, "Well, The Chief always said she wants to own the company."

"Isn't it hers already from the very beginning?" Felix's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. He stops typing and pushes his chair away from his desk, getting a little space to breathe.

"You could say that..." Mr. Kang says without looking away from the computer, then swivels his chair to face him, "But she didn't have the full authority over the company."

"So we're under her control now?"

Mr. Kang bursts out a laugh, he takes off his glasses now and lets them hang around his neck, "Well, we have always been under her control," he states the existing fact there is.

"And you're okay with it?" Felix curiously asks.

"One thing that I know for sure is that she truly cares about the company," Mr. Kang answers without a beat.

"Why do you think she did it though?" Felix says, failing to not sound like he cares too much about it.

Mr. Kang rubs his eyes before putting his glasses back on, he flashes him a thin smile as he riffles through a stack of papers on the desk.

"People put more interest in the reason why she did it but no one says anything about how she did it on her own," he says, pausing to let out a low sigh, "She's going against her family... so I can't imagine how lonely it must be for her."

Despite the amount of information you've shared with him, Felix never really takes the time to sit and think about it. He always thinks highly of you and expects the same out of you he forgot that you're just a human with feelings and thoughts, you have your struggles, the only difference is you hide them too well, you keep them and face them yourself.

And what Felix did? He's too focused on his personal issue with you that he forgot to be the help you needed.

-

Besides the fact that he's tied up with work, Felix couldn't find a way to reach you since you've been absent from work for a few days now. He walks past your office this morning and it seems like you're not coming today too.

He understands that you have a lot of things to do now that you become the sole owner of the company and Mr. Kang is temporarily taking your role in the office to handle everything.

Since he only came to the office for one thing, he stops by his desk to grab his laptop and got ready to leave again to work outside of the office.

"Are you leaving?" His colleague asks from the next desk.

"Yeah, I have an interview at the hockey training," he vaguely answers while carefully placing his laptop inside his backpack.

"You're not coming to the auditorium then," he says, swiveling his chair from side to side.

He then zips his backpack and slings it on one shoulder, "Auditorium? Why?"

"Must be the chief coming with the official announcement," his colleague replies.

"Oh?" Felix stops moving altogether and without thinking, he puts his backpack down on his chair, immediately canceling his plan to leave the office.

To avoid the queue for the elevators, Felix and his colleague are going to the auditorium at the last minute but thankfully, he comes at the right time. He can hear your voice even before he enters and when he is finally inside, he sees you already taking the podium.

Gosh! He misses you so much that his heart leaps at the sight of you. Instead of getting a seat, he decides to stand on the side of the room and crosses his arms together in front of

"... make necessary changes for the better of the company," you pause talking to take a second to look at everyone in the room.

Felix knows you can't see him among hundreds or so people in the room but somehow, your eyes are looking in his direction and he feels seen. You suddenly look away and continue with your announcement.

"And so we've come to the last announcement," you continue, flipping the paper in front of you.

"As I'll be focusing and continuing my work to shape the management of our company, I've decided to step down from my current position as Editor in Chief of Sports One."

The announcement comes as shocking news and is greeted by a collective gasps. Maybe it's coming from the fact that people know you've been doing your job well and you stepped down from the job seems unnecessary, including to him.

"And I'm using this opportunity to announce that Mr. Lewis Kang will be taking my role as editor-in-chief of Sports One effective immediately," you further announce.

The other news comes as another surprise but not as shocking as your exit, everyone seems to be happy to hear about it and begin applauding.

The applause intensifies as Mr. Kang steps onto the stage, Felix joins in applauding him, he couldn't be happier to know that the right person has taken over the job. But he also can't deny that he feels a little sad that you will not be working in the office anymore.

He watches as you and Mr. Kang exchange a handshake and a smile, inaudibly muttering something to each other before taking his turn to speak on the podium.

His eyes follow you after, watching you getting off the stage and talking to your assistant. He so badly wants to talk to you but he knows that what he wants to say to you is personal, and he's at work now.

Felix finished his work as fast as he could, he's riding his bike and pushing the speed to its limits, it's unclear whether you're at home or not but it's worth a try. The concierge lets him in without questions and he's going straight into the elevator, then pushes the button to your floor.

As he stands right in front of the door of your apartment, a lot of things rushing through his head, but ultimately, how are you going to react knowing that it's him knocking on your door? The possibilities include you shut the door right to his face or you don't open the door for him at all.

Now that he has explored those possibilities in his head, he knocks on your door and gives it a few seconds before going for another try.

A moment later, he hears clicking sound from the other side of the door and the door slowly swinging open. From every reaction he pictured in his head, the one he's seeing now is not one of them.

Your eyes are glassy and both of your cheeks are wet with tears, you're crying. This is the first time he sees you crying which makes it a heartbreaking sight for him.

The first thing that gets to him is the urge to comfort you. Without thinking or second-guessing your reaction, he comes up to you and holds you.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" He asks while holding you tightly.

His question only makes you cry harder into his chest and then hoarsely say, "I have no one."

He gently holds your jaw and tilts your head to make you look at him, "What is it?"

With teary eyes, you look at him and swallow air to calm yourself down, then say, "I have nothing now."

"No, no," he hurriedly denies, holding your face as he stares back into your glossy eyes, "You have me."

Despite your triumph, you get nothing in return but loneliness that haunts you still. His heart breaks into a million knowing that he takes part in what caused you this much sadness.

"You still have me. I'm here for you."

He pulls you closer, holds you tighter, and uses the back of his hand to wipe the tears off your cheeks, offering you everything in him just so he can stop the sadness from taking over you.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here for you," he regretfully says, his heart shaking and aches in his chest.

"I'm sorry," he says again even though he knows how many times he says it won't change the fact that he is partly responsible for this.

You press your hand to your eyes to stop the tears from flowing and then look up at him, "I'm not getting back together with him. He was just helping me with—"

"Shh..." he hushes you, then places his hands on each side of your face, "You don't have to explain. I know."

Everything that happened, especially the bad parts, he's putting it all behind him and takes this as a lesson as he moves forward.

"I love you," he steadfastly mutters and this time, he asks nothing in return, he's saying it for the sake of letting you know that from this moment on, he'll stay by your side.

-

The bedsheets rustle as you squirming on the bed, your hands are interlaced with his and resting on your stomach as his mouth dives into your wetness.

Hearing your moans is like listening to his favorite song, he doesn't want it to stop so he continuously pleases you with his mouth, using his lips and tongue, alternating between sucking and licking to give you the utmost of pleasure.

"Baby oh..." you let out a broken moan as your waist is floating in the air.

He ignores it at first, thinking that you're simply reacting to him sucking on your clit.

"Baby," you whine again with your legs clamping his head in between.

Felix reluctantly lets go and looks up at you with his mouth glistening wet with your essence, checking if you're calling him to say something.

"You can take it slow, baby," You murmur as you slip your hand in his hair, "It's all yours."

It feels embarrassing that you called him out but what can he say? All he thinks about is pleasing you and he wants to do it well. Especially knowing that it's all his now and he can get as much taste as he wants.

He places a soft kiss on your inner thigh and crawls over you, then slowly putting his lips on your lips, ignoring that you can taste your arousal on him.

"How can I stop when you taste so good, mmh?" He mutters, along with a long peck on your lips.

You smile at him and it makes his heart burst, he can't help but try to catch the warmth of your smile with a haste kiss. You tug the hair on the back of his head and gently, pushing his head down.

"You can continue now," you tell him.

Oh, how he misses seeing this side of you that's bossy and confident, always telling him what to do because you know he'll do anything for you like a fool.

Felix is not afraid to say he's indeed a fool for you.

He enjoys pleasing you and he's just as pleased to know you're cumming against his mouth with your legs trembling around his shoulders. He looks up to see your mouth gaping open as a long moan escapes your mouth in one breath.

As you're slowly coming down from your high, Felix hovers above you and carefully lays himself on top of you, covering your face and neck with kisses.

The natural scent of your skin intoxicates him and gives him a sense of comfort that he can't find anywhere but there, in the crook of your neck.

"God! I missed you," He groans into your ear, letting you know how much this longing torment him.

You turn your head and capture his lips in yours, responding to his words with an eager kiss that shows how much you miss him too.

"Did you miss being inside me too?" You ask with a seductive smile.

"Oh, you have no idea!" He honestly answers with his eyes fluttering shut because he can't even picture how much he missed it, it's abundant.

"Why don't you put it in and show me how much you missed it, mmh?"

First of all, you don't have to ask for it and secondly, he'll show you alright. He crashes your lips on yours again, kisses that make you both breathless and dizzy from the lack of oxygen. He gasps for air the second he breaks the kiss.

Felix gives his throbbing cock a few pumps even though he knows how much it wants to be inside you right in this very second, he patiently takes time to tease your entrance, either with his fingers or the tip of his cock, getting you drenched in no time.

You keep arching your back at him, impatient to be filled with his length and at the same time, making him cannot wait another second to be inside you.

He aims his cock to your gushing hole and slowly pushes in, just the tip but it's only making him more impatient to push the rest of his length inside you. But he remains calm, fucking you with just the tip of his cock.

"How does it feel?" He asks you with his hands steadily keeping your legs open for him.

You look at him with innocent eyes that somehow only provoke him more, "I want more, baby."

"You want more?" He asks again with his hand tenderly rubbing your thigh.

"Yes," you innocently answer with a nod.

Since Felix wants more of you too, he gives you more of his length and looks at you again, "How about now?"

"More," you shortly reply.

"More?"

"Please..." you sweetly say, making his insides melt and arousing him at once.

He rushes to give you a kiss then says, "Your wish is my command."

Felix pushes the remaining length into you until he's buried to the hilt inside you. He bites his lips to muffle his grunt of pleasure.

"Oh, baby..." you breathlessly moan with your hands fisting the sheet underneath you as you take his whole length inside you.

He gives your thighs gentle rubs and looks down at you, "Always taking me well," he coos at you.

All of a sudden, you put your legs around his waist and pull him closer, at the same time, sending him launches deeper inside you.

You hold his chin as you place a soft kiss on his lips, "Make love to me."

You kiss him again, longer and tenderly, "Gently," you add.

Like he said, your wish is a command to him. Felix starts moving, thrusting into you at a painstakingly slow yet steady pace. His lips always latch on you, your lips, your neck, your chest, just anywhere where he can land a kiss on your soft skin.

For once, Felix doesn't want to make sex more than just a physical pursuit, he wants to make love to you like you wanted, showing you how much he loves you, cares for you, and how you'll always come first to him above everything else.

"You always feel good around me," he praises as you closes your eyes, overwhelmed with pleasure under him.

Unable to speak, you pull his head close so you can kiss him and for the rest of the night, letting him take control.

He presses his mouth to your ear and whispers, "Oh, you keep clenching around me, baby."

Your chest is heaving and your breathing is ragged, the moans spilled out of your mouth are incoherent and breathless. He knows he's doing well at getting you closer to your release so he keeps the pace and restlessly thrusts into you.

"So beautiful moaning for me like that," he coos, attentively brushing the hair out of your face.

Without stopping, he thrusts into you and lowers himself onto you to give you the closeness you seek. He kisses you and maintains eye contact with you as he once again speaks out his heart.

"I love you so much," he tells you.

From the way you keep clenching and your walls pulsating around him, he knows you're on the brink of climaxing. He kisses you hard and deep, before propping his hands against the mattress to give him the leverage he needs to keep thrusting.

"Close, mmh?"

You nod in response with your eyes fluttering shut and your hands gripping his shoulders.

"It's okay. You can let go," he tells you while picking up the pace of his thrusting.

Your moans turn into breathless cries, or that's what he think you're doing, just overwhelmed with pleasure that fills your body.

It takes a few more thrusts to get you to your release and Felix slows himself down, giving you time to relish yourself from the waves of pleasure washes over you. As he lowers his lips on you again, he finds you crying again.

Panic, he hurriedly holds you close, pulling the duvet to cover both of your bodies just in case the cold bothers you.

"Are you hurt?" His voice is heavy with concern, he's putting your hand away from your face so he can see you.

"Did I hurt you, baby?" He asks again with his hand checking every part of your body.

You shake your head with your eyes screwed shut and tears rolling down the side of your face, seeping into the pillow. It's a relief to know that he doesn't cause it but he's panicking still for not knowing why you suddenly cry.

"Don't cry, please?" He begs as he gently wipes your tears with his knuckles.

He hastily kisses you even though he can taste your tears and holds you tight, patiently waiting for you to calm down so you can tell him what made you cry this time.

"Felix," you croak as you brush your tears away with your palm.

He cradles the side of your head and looks at you with such loving, "Yes?"

You put your hand around his neck and hold his gaze, "Thank you for being here with me."

He catches your hand and kisses your knuckle, "I'll always be here for you," he assures you.

You exhale air and lick your lips before talking again, "And I know I'm late to say this but... I love you too."

To say that he's happy is an understatement, he's ecstatic, over the moon to hear you finally say those words back to him. His heart inflates and overflows with warm feelings, it would be a lie if you couldn't see hearts in his eyes as he looks at you.

"I love you so much," you say with a hand placed on his cheek and a smile on your face, making his dream come true all over again.

Knowing that his feelings are being reciprocated and Felix must say, things couldn't get any better than this.

-

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[reasonsforhope]

Donald Trump charged in Georgia for efforts to overturn the 2020 election

Link here, because WaPo's security measures stop Tumblr previews. Non-paywall link here.

"Former president Donald Trump and 18 others were criminally charged in Georgia on Monday in connection with efforts to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in the state, according to an indictment made public late Monday night [on August 14, 2023].

Trump was charged with 13 counts, including violating the state’s racketeering act, soliciting a public officer to violate their oath, conspiring to impersonate a public officer, conspiring to commit forgery in the first degree and conspiring to file false documents.

The Recap

The historic indictment, the fourth to implicate the former president, follows a 2½-year investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D). The probe was launched after audio leaked from a January 2021 phone call during which Trump urged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) to question the validity of thousands of ballots, especially in the heavily Democratic Atlanta area, and said he wanted to “find” the votes to erase his 2020 loss in the state.

Willis’s investigation quickly expanded to other alleged efforts by Trumpor his supporters, including trying to thwart the electoral college process, harassing election workers, spreading false information about the voting process in Georgia and compromising election equipment in a rural county. Trump has long decried the Georgia investigation as a “political witch hunt,” defending his calls to Raffensperger and others as “perfect.”

The Details

“Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump,” the indictment states.

A total of 41 charges are brought against 19 defendants in the 98-page indictment. Not all face the same counts, but all have been charged with violating the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Willis said she has given those charged until Aug. 25 to surrender.

Among those charged are Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor who served as Trump’s personal attorney after the election; Trump’s former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows; and several Trump advisers, including attorneys John Eastman, Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro...

Prosecutors brought charges around five subject areas: false statements by Trump allies, including Giuliani, to the Georgia legislature; the breach of voting data in Coffee County; calls Trump made to state officials, including Raffensperger, seeking to overturn Biden’s victory; the harassment of election workers; and the creation of a slate of alternate electors to undermine the legitimate vote. Those charged in the case were implicated in certain parts of what prosecutors presented as a larger enterprise to undermine the election."

-via The Washington Post, August 14, 2023