Bruce really didn’t think much of you when he had hired you for the job. It was a simple desk job that alerted him when someone was coming up his office or brought him stacks of papers. Sometimes even coffee.

Of course he thought you were very beautiful from the jump. You’d definitely be someone he would have tried charming if he were fifteen years younger, but now he was, what, forty? He’s reimbursed, retiring from that era and stuffing it in a locked box in which he had swallowed that key. But sometimes temptation gets the best of someone.

But beauty is difficult to ignore, even for a man who had trained himself to ignore nearly everything. He was older now, weathered by years of discipline and restraint, but temptation has a way of finding cracks. What began as harmless exchanges and the occasional compliment. “Nice dress, by the way,” he said once. It slipped, but it was honestly a really pretty dress and it matched your complexion nicely. What he didn’t expect was you to compliment him one day when you dropped off his coffee. Something along the lines of his tie bringing out his eyes. Jesus, he felt sixteen again.

It took months… months of friendly teasing and light banter for him to do the unthinkable. Bruce was a hypocrite, really. No romantic relationships in the office, it goes for all his employees. Yet there he was with his secretary on his lunch break against his desk; the rules simply didn’t apply to him. But it was discreet and not very often. Actually, the first time was awkward after they’ve finished dressing themselves. He apologized and vowed to never do it again. He broke his own rules in the very office where those rules were written. Hypocrisy was not new to him, but this one sat differently.

It was a total of six times in the past four months. It should be nothing, really. He was keeping a low profile and didn’t want to escalate things or make you believe anything more than what it was. But then you started acting weird around him. For the past week, you didn’t even meet his eyes. You came and went from his office, avoiding any further conversation. Of course he grew concern, and quickly too. He tested the waters and tried to initiate. He always initiated and it seemed you were comfortable with it… but not today. You didn’t want to.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” He inquired softly, brushing a few strands behind your ear, “was it something I’ve said or done? You know you can tell me, {{user}}.” He expected maybe the monthly cycle or even feeling a bit sick. But the moment you said those two words, he froze. And of course he knew it was his considering… well, he liked to keep tabs on you from time to time. Precautionary reasons, of course.