Interlude: Jessica “Jess” Nolan

Jessica 'Jess' Nolan was already at her own secondary desk on the fourth floor, sipping her oat-milk latte and idly scrolling through her phone when her Slack pinged.

Susan Harrington Jess, can you come up to my office right away? HR floor. Something important has come up and I need your help.

Jess’s face lit up with a bright, genuine smile. She typed back instantly.

Jess Nolan On my way!! Be there in two minutes!!

She stood up, smoothing down her tailored navy skirt and giving the little pearl buttons on her cream blouse a quick check. Susan needs me. That thought sent a warm rush of satisfaction through her chest. Being the one Susan called when something important came up was exactly the kind of trust that got people noticed. This was how you got ahead.

As she walked toward the elevators, her legs moved with their usual bouncy energy. She passed a couple of male colleagues in the hallway and flashed them her warmest, most encouraging smile it was the one she had perfected in the mirror, guaranteed to set others at ease and endear her to them.

“You boys are doing such a great job!” she said brightly, her voice warm and full of sincere enthusiasm. “Just keep listening and learning from the women around you and you’ll really start to shine!”

The two men gave her tight, awkward smiles and quickly looked away, shifting uncomfortably on their feet. Jess noticed it right away but kept her own bright, winning smile firmly in place.

Hmm, she thought as she continued on. They’re still acting a little uneasy around me. I’ll need to review that later and figure out how to help them feel more comfortable and respond properly.

While she waited for the elevator, her mind ran through the usual possibilities. Maybe Susan needed her to handle a tricky situation with one of the teams. Or mediate between two managers who were butting heads again. Or perhaps go over a performance report that needed a careful second pair of eyes. Whatever it was, Jess was ready. Susan only called her up to the executive floor when she wanted someone she could really rely on.

The doors opened on the executive level and Jess stepped out, heels clicking confidently on the plush carpet. A little thrill ran through her every time she came up here. This was where real decisions were made, what was more being trusted to be part of them was the fastest way to move up.

She stopped outside Susan’s door, took one quick breath to put on her brightest, most professional expression, and knocked twice.

“Come in,” Susan’s voice called.

Jess opened the door with her usual warm smile, only for it to falter for half a second when her eyes landed on the two people inside.

Susan was standing there looking… different. Radiant. Voluptuous in a way Jess had never seen before. And right beside her was Richard Quatre, that quiet, longtime analyst from the ops team who never caused trouble but also never really went anywhere.

Jess’s mind did a tiny, confused stutter.

Wait… why is he here?

But she pushed the confusion aside almost immediately. Susan had called her. Susan needed her. Whatever this was, Jess would support it one hundred percent.

“Hi Susan!” she said brightly, voice full of warm enthusiasm as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her. “You needed me?”

Jess opened the door with her brightest smile, only for it to soften into something warmer as her eyes landed on Susan first.

Susan looked… radiant. Not just happy, but glowing in a way Jess had never seen before. There was a soft flush to her cheeks and a satisfied, almost luminous energy around her that made Jess’s own smile widen instantly.

“Susan, you look absolutely glowing today!” Jess said with genuine delight, her voice bright and full of warmth. “Whatever you’ve been doing, it really suits you. You look so… alive.”

Giving her a knowing smile with eyes far happier and gentler than she had ever seen on the woman Susan nodded.

Only then did Jessica’s gaze shift to the man standing quietly beside Susan.

Richard Quatre. That steady, quiet analyst from the ops team. He’d been with the company for years far longer than most people on his floor, really. Never caused any drama, never missed a single deadline, and kept his projects running like perfectly tuned clockwork. An outstanding record, solid and dependable in every way. The kind of man every department secretly relied on when things needed to actually get done without fuss.

Poor Richard, Jess thought with gentle, charitable pity as she looked at him. Bless him, he really is such a good worker. Jessica didn't find him to be toxic, not at all. He was simply… stone-hearted. Boring in that quiet, reliable way you needed when a project had to stay on track. The kind of man who showed up every day, did his job without complaint, and then seemed to fade into the background the moment the work was finished.

Whenever she’d had to interact with him in the past, it always felt like he wasn’t really there. Like everything except his work had been slowly drained out of him years ago. Everything his spark, his joy, his warmth, his creativity. Richard went through the motions so efficiently, but there was no life behind it. Just a man who had died inside sometime long ago and simply forgot to lie down.

She wished he would open up more. Just a little. Men like Richard could be so much more if someone gently guided them, helped them reconnect with their emotions and learn how to actually engage with the people around them. He had all the foundations that a proper man needed already the reliability, the consistency, the quiet competence. He just needed the right kind of influence to bring him back to life, to make him warmer, more present, more… complete.

But Jessica pushed those thoughts aside almost immediately. Susan had called her. Susan needed her. Whatever this was about, Jess would support it one hundred percent.

“Hi Susan!” she said brightly, voice full of warm enthusiasm as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her. “You needed me?”

A voice Jess didn’t recognise spoke up calmly. “Jessica, you want to walk up and kiss Richard, don’t you?”

The words drifted through Jessica’s ears and into her mind like background noise. She paid them no mind at all.

Instead, she frowned slightly and looked at Richard again, really looking at him this time. He was a bit over the hill in appearance, being cleanly shaved, with that very short, practical professional haircut that left almost nothing to run her fingers through. Still… there was something steady and reliable about him standing there so quietly.

A warm little impulse rose up inside her, gentle and natural. Jessica stepped forward without hesitation, placed her hands lightly on his chest, and leaned in. She pressed her lips to his in a soft, lingering kiss.

His lips were surprisingly nice, they were warm and firm. Jessica wished he would open his mouth just a little so she could deepen the kiss and really taste him, but even this was pleasant. There was something quietly satisfying about it, like she was giving him a small piece of warmth and attention he so clearly needed.

“You want more,” that same calm voice said again.

With those words spoken Jess felt a soft, warm flutter in her chest. She did want more. Leaning in again, she kissed Richard a second time, then a third, each kiss lingering a little longer than the last. She found herself wanting to keep going, drawn in by the quiet steadiness of him.

“For each kiss your attraction to him grows,” the voice continued gently.

Jess felt the words settle over her like a pleasant suggestion, and the more she kissed him, the more she genuinely felt it happening.

He really is such a good man, she thought warmly between kisses. Steady, reliable, never causes any drama. The kind of person who shows up every single day and quietly keeps everything running smoothly. Outstanding record never misses a deadline… he’s exactly the sort of solid, dependable employee the company needs. The kind of man I want.

The more her lips met his, the stronger that warm pull became. She liked how dependable he was. She liked that he was the type of man you could always count on to hold a project together without complaint. He wasn’t flashy or loud — he was just… consistent. Reliable. The kind of man who got things done.

She pulled back just enough to smile softly at him, her hands still resting lightly on his chest, but she already felt herself leaning in for another kiss.

He just needs someone to help him open up a little, she thought with gentle affection. To show him there’s more to life than just work. I could really help him with that. It should be me.

Jess leaned in again, drawn by that warm, pleasant pull.

“Now Richard,” the calm voice said, “when Jessica kisses you next time, I want you to kiss her back.”

The words barely registered in Jess’s mind more akin to a soft background noise. She was already closing the distance when the voice continued, gentle and clear:

“Jessica, when Richard returns the kiss, you will know you are in love with him. You will value him over all other things.”

The moment the words settled over her, Jess felt something click softly into place inside her chest. A warm, sweet rush of affection bloomed as her lips met Richard’s again.

Oh… she thought, eyes fluttering half-closed. This feels right

When Richard finally kissed her back, the feeling deepened instantly. A bright, genuine wave of love washed through her, so strong and natural it made her heart flutter. In that single moment she knew — really knew — that she was in love with him. He mattered more than anything else. More than her job, more than climbing the ladder, more than anything.

She kissed him a little deeper, her hands sliding up to rest gently against his chest as she melted into it. Without even realizing she was doing it, Jess shifted her weight forward and began to slowly, subtly grind her hips against him, pressing her body closer in a gentle, rhythmic motion.

He’s the one, she thought happily, a soft, loving smile forming against his lips. I’m going to help him so much. I’m going to make him better.

The kiss continued, slow and warm, and her thoughts drifted a little further as her hips kept moving in that soft, **** rhythm against him.

He deserves the best, she realised. He’s always been so reliable, so steady… he should have people around him who lift him up, who make his life easier.

She tilted her head slightly, kissing him with a little more feeling as her body continued to press and grind against his in gentle waves, completely unaware of what she was doing.

Maybe I could help the others become better too, she thought, a warm glow spreading through her. Not just for the company… but for him. The women could learn how to really support him. The men could learn how to be more useful to him. Everyone could be guided to be exactly what he needs.

Her fingers curled gently into his shirt as the kiss grew deeper still. Her hips rolled a little more firmly now, rubbing herself against the front of his body in slow, instinctive circles while her mind stayed perfectly focused on how much she wanted to improve everything for him.

Everything should revolve around making Richard happy, she thought with quiet, loving certainty. That’s what matters most. I’ll make sure everyone around him becomes the best version of themselves… for him.