Not today

Tuesday started smooth.

She’d woken up before Chloe. The house was quiet, the coffee strong, and Jason—still clueless—left in a rush with a mouthful of toast and a barely mumbled goodbye. No mention of poker. No mention of Saturday.

Which meant she could pretend he was just a man again, not a man who’d gambled her body away.

She wore her favorite blouse. Not the sexy kind. Not the tight kind. Just the one that hugged her in the right places and made her feel like someone competent. Presentable. Pretty.

Work had been tolerable. Even the copy machine hadn’t jammed.

By noon, she was still feeling… good.

Not floating. Not glowing. But good.

And she knew—part of that was because she hadn’t texted Will back.

Not after his last message.

That final admission.

“…it’s been really awkward trying to work while being this hard for the last three hours.”

It had made her laugh, and it had stayed with her. That image. His honesty. His restraint wrapped in just enough tension to make it crackle.

But she hadn’t answered.

She didn’t need to.

And that silence had made her feel in control in a way she couldn’t quite explain.

She sat at her desk now, sunlight warming the floor by her feet, a half-eaten wrap on her plate and a paper towel spread beneath it to catch crumbs.

She reached into the lunch bag for the banana.

Pulled it out.

Paused.

Held it in her hand.

The peel was perfect. Slightly speckled. Still firm. Curved just enough to make her thoughts wander.

Her gaze lingered on it longer than necessary.

Then her mouth twitched.

It would be stupid.

It would be reckless.

It would be so unbelievably naughty.

Her eyes flicked toward her door. Closed. Unlocked, but no one ever bothered her at lunch.

She stared down at the banana again.

Thought about what it would look like—

Her, shirt open.

Bra maybe pushed up like yesterday.

The banana just between her lips. Not sucked. Not licked.

Just placed.

The implication alone would be enough to short-circuit his brain.

And suddenly she wasn’t sure if she wanted to shock him or test him.

Maybe both.

Her heart gave a quiet thump against her ribs.

She reached for the top button of her blouse.

Then stopped.