The Office Kitchen

Daniel led the way down the hallway, holding his notepad in front of his chest like a shield. “Here’s the kitchen,” he announced, opening the door with a formality as if he were presenting a five-star restaurant. The aroma of brewed coffee and dish soap wafted toward them.

Emily stepped inside and let her gaze wander over the neat row of cups with the company logo, the humming refrigerator, and the microwave until it lingered on the coffee machine.

“Wow,” she said with feigned amazement in her voice, “so the rumors were true. It's like a luxury spa resort.”

Daniel smiled with relief. He didn't even notice the irony.

“Coffee is free, just take a cup, put it under the machine, press the button, and you're done. You can also make tea, of course. Or just take some water, it's over there. Whatever you like.”

She turned around, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and stepped very close to him before he realized what she was doing.

She had to look up a bit because the man was half a head taller than her, but it still seemed as if she was looking down on him.

“And what do you recommend, Daniel?” she asked, letting his name roll slowly off her lips. “Hot and bitter? Or fresh and sparkling?”

He blinked and stepped back, not just emotionally thrown off balance. “Uh, coffee, I think. Most people in the company live on it, in a way.”

Emily had no intention of letting him escape. She pressed forward until his back hit the wall. The tips of her breasts, which she pushed up with her arms, hovered just millimeters from his chest. She was so close that he could smell her fresh, youthful fragrance—and she could smell his fear sweat. Daniel swallowed and looked around for help, but there was no one there. They were alone in the kitchen. Through the closed door, all he could hear was the muffled clatter of keyboards and the hum of conversation in the open-plan office. She tilted her head slightly to one side, her eyes twinkling mischievously. “I think I already know what I want. And what do you want?” she whispered mischievously.

The poor man laughed awkwardly, pained. He cleared his throat several times before he could muster a sound and pushed his glasses up his nose. “Coffee, definitely.”

“For me too. Why don’t you show me how it works? If coffee is basically the elixir of life here, then I should learn how to make it from a true expert.”With these words, she turned around energetically, her butt brushing against the front of his pants as if by accident. What she felt sent her eyebrows shooting up.

Not quite what she had hoped for, but good enough. She could build on that.

As Daniel fiddled with the machine and his ears turned redder and redder, she stood close behind him and watched over his shoulder. She smiled to herself. She liked how easily she could throw Daniel off balance. But to really have fun, she needed a bigger challenge.

“Where to now?” she asked after he handed her the cup of coffee and grabbed one for himself.