A pleasant office Friday

"James, we still have 10 minutes left of our lunch break, wanna...?" She tilted her head towards the bathroom.

"We trained for this, didn't we, Donna?"

"Haha yes we did."

Luckily, the stalls were empty and we snuck in quickly. Donna began to undress rather quickly, unbuttoning her blouse and lifting her bra, while the green and red striped skirt she wore could easily be lifted up. She merely pushed away her panties and let my dick enter.

"Haah, fuck yeah... It's been too long, James."

"Sorry Donna, I was busy, and after last time... I didn't wanna risk it."

"It's okay, you have all the time to make it worth it."

That was my plan, of course. I leaned against the wall, placed my had a bit above her head and started plunging my cock deep into her pussy, repeatedly. I like to dominate women, I think it's obvious. My hand above her hand is just a small detail, but it puts me above her, at least for the moment. It made me feel powerful. But that's just for the moment. I used my other hand to grab her boobs. I massaged them, I circled the nipples and then caressed them directly. I started to squeeze them a little, too, which Donna seemed to enjoy.

"I'll try to make it quick for both of us, okay?"

"Yeah James, the sooner we come, the better."

Still continuing to thrust into her lower parts, I started to kiss Donna. She didn't expect it, but she seemed charmed. Very soon after, I came inside her.

"Don't worry James, I have an idea." Rummaging through her bag, she pulled out a pad and placed in her underwear. "They're meant for periods, but I find them useful for horny days..."

"Haha, excellent. We still have a minute left, so we did it in the nick of time."

We exited the bathroom and hurried to our workplaces. Christine came shortly after and we started to work. Well, she did. I had no idea what to do. I wasn't coming up with any good ideas on what piece of clothing to write on. I had essentially written on shoes and hats, but I wasn't quite sure on how to proceed. Tops or pants seem like they'd be too general to be good categories. Small accessories seem like a decent option, but they were always decorative or religious. A new angle, but still. It seems as though Christine noticed my lack of actions.

"Are you okay, James?"

"Yeah, I just... can't seem to come up with a good idea for my next article."

"Well, what do you have planned? I'm sure pants would fit well as a topic."

"I thought about it, but it seems a bit general, no?"

"I mean, kind of. But were there that many variations of pants throughout history? You are excluding things like skirts, dresses, kilts, and so much more. You could easily write something about what material and what length pants were and how they are depending on the weather, but also something on the history of jeans. And as this is a women's magazine, the history of wearing pants instead of dresses is also important."

"Hm, thank you. The only thing I'm not so sure about is whether to make this into one or three articles."

"I'd put it in one. If people are interested in a more detailed analysis, they'll search for books and research articles themselves."

"Good point, thanks Christine."

"I'm glad I could help."

And so for a while, I got started on my research. Or rather, my planning phase. It was only half a day left, there was no chance I'd get much done today, but I ensured that I could start on Monday without issue. I downloaded all the books and articles I needed to read, I created a document to put my notes into, I made a rough outline of the article. Just then, Christine interrupted me.

"I'm sorry for... acting too friendly around you today, by the way. People were very suspicious of you."

"It's okay, Christine. I promised not to tell and I didn't. I can live with their suspicion."

"Oh, I... told Floria. I felt safe letting her know. I trust her and that's one less person to worry about now."

"Don't feel pressured to tell people about this, but I'm glad you have someone that you can tell this sort of stuff to besides your therapist, Helen, and me."

"Yeah but... I feel bad for how suspicious she was. Out of everyone here in the office, I think she likes you the least and Floria has never been all too empathetic. If she doesn't like something or someone, she has a hard time understanding why others do."

"Well, I guess I can't get along with everyone. It's not like I didn't try. I chatted a bit with her before and honestly, I don't think we'd get along all that well under more normal circumstances either. It is what it is. I'm glad for every friend I have made, but if Floria doesn't want to, then there should be a time where I give up trying, no?"

"A-And then why did you try to befriend me?"

"I mean, in a way I just felt like we'd get along better from the start. Most people don't become a journalist because there's money in it, but because it's their passion. And you got along well with Amber, so why shouldn't we get along?"

"W-Well, you know why..."

"I learned that later, yeah. But still, I never thought we'd be all that different, so I kept on going. Sorry if I rushed in too fast." She rolled her chair to me, and I was a bit surprised, but she simply hugged me. I slowly hugged her too. "Is it okay if I...?"

"Yeah it's fine. And James, you don't need to worry. Your naivety, no, let's call it optimism, that I could be a better person than I was, was what ultimately **** me to become that better person. You pretty much **** me to reflect on how I behaved and... although I don't like to admit it, I needed that. Your stubborn kindness was what I needed to grow as a person." Christine +5SP (+87SP)

"I'm glad I could have such a positive impact on your life, Christine."

"Not just mine, James... I know I insulted them last week but... I have to admit Amber and Donna seem happier. Amber especially. Under that cheery persona was always a doom-and-gloom person but she doesn't seem that way anymore."

"Yeah Amber was always a rather... lonely person, even more so before we met in college. If you want to make her happy, why not give her a call or do something together, as friends?"

"A-Are you sure? I still feel guilty about what I said about them."

"Well, not like they know what you said."

"You didn't tell them?"

"Did you really mean it or did you feel that way because you were in pain or in rage?"

"I... felt left alone, yeah. And betrayed. But that was the madness, it wasn't their fault or anyone's fault, finding a new friend is a great thing."

"I assumed so, so I didn't tell them."

"Thank you." She squeezed me now. I could see Donna walking to the coffee machine with an empty mug, confused at the scene of Christine actually hugging me. After Donna left our field of vision, Christine slowly returned to her chair. "I want to thank you for all the help you've given me over the past week. If there's anything I could do for you, just tell me what it is."

I think it's the app trait. The description explicitly mentioned using emotional manipulation. But I didn't want to do that. "No, it's fine, Christine. You don't need to do anything for me. You're doing quite well on your own."

Donna walked past us, but she didn't really care. She was fixated on her coffee.

"James, uhm... you said something earlier about spending time with Amber. I think I should spend some more with all of my colleagues. Today was fun and I hadn't talked to some people in a while. But you're obviously also a colleague of mine... Would you be free on the weekend? I want to meet you and Amber. I think Amber and I could go shopping on Saturda-"

"Amber has a second job on Saturday."

"Well, then I guess we'll have to do it the other way around? Would you be free tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I should be. What do you have planned?"

"I think we could go to a cafe somewhere in the city. There's a wonderful patisserie I've heard about. And after that, I don't know. Depends on the cold. Maybe we'll just stay there until we go home or in a restaurant for dinner."

"Sounds awesome! Don't forget to write Amber, too."

"Thanks. I'll let you continue your research, then."

I picked up my phone. I never really used a planner all that much, but as a business man and a busy man, I should probably start at some point. Interestingly, I had messages from Beth.

'Honestly James, you seem to know how to build hype. This is the third time you're trending on social media this week.'

'Huh? But... for good reasons, right?'

'Yeah, one was for the company, twice for the articles. That reporter you drip-feed information to is slowly making you a celebrity.'

'Oh god, I don't want all the attention.'

'Well, it's what comes with being a large company owner and a famous journalist. What's the issue with fame anyway?'

'Beth, you know about Amber, Donna, and me. For some people that ruins my reputation.'

'Oh, right. I wanted to congratulate you for avoiding to waste company time fucking Donna. And for not sullying my office.'

'How do you know that?' 'Beth, please. I need to know who it was, they could ruin me.'

'Relax, Donna isn't going to tell anyone.' Beth +3SP (-6SP)

'Why would Donna tell you?'

'Donna was way too happy so I asked her. I found out the truth eventually. I have my ways.' Beth +4SP (-2SP)

'Remind me not to get on your bad side, ever.'

'As long as you become the biggest cash cow of the magazine, I see no reason. And I wouldn't dare go against our oh so generous landlord either...'

'Beth, if I ever do become a liability for the magazine, I won't retaliate in any kind of way. I know what power I have in theory but I'm not going to use it. I'm not my father.'

'Well, I'm glad you aren't. But in any case, I am a businesswoman and profits are my main concern.' She added: 'Please don't think any less of me for that. Someone just has to think of the money, and that's me.' Beth +5SP (+3SP)

'It's okay, don't worry. I'm not a great businessman, but I understand that much. Any news on your future?'

'Your article will make that news, so not yet. By the way, please send me the third article in once you're done. By the time I'm back to the office, the article won't have released yet, but I want to have a good feeling before I consider declining all offers.'

'Will do, boss.'