Title: Lunchtime Whispers Sasha adjusted her scarlet blazer, the color a deliberate mirror of her fiery hair, and tapped her stiletto against the polished floor. At 25, she’d mastered the art of balancing professionalism with allure—her desk in the corner of the bustling office a kingdom of spreadsheets and suppressed temptation. By 12:45 p.m., she knew exactly where she’d be: leaning against the doorway of Mr. Halston’s office, her pulse thrumming beneath his appraising gaze. Her boss, a man of 47 with a penchant for vintage cologne and dangerous smiles, had turned lunchtime into a ritual. “Sasha,” he’d purr, his voice smooth as the cognac he kept in a crystal decanter, “care to skip the cafeteria today?” The invitation was never subtle, nor was the way his eyes trailed from her cherry-lacquered nails to the swell of her calves peeking above her skirt. Today, the office hummed with the usual midday din as she slipped inside his glass-walled sanctuary. The door clicked shut behind her, sealing them in a bubble of secrecy. Mr. Halston rose, his tie loose, and crossed the room in three deliberate strides. “You’re wearing芍药,” he murmured, referencing her perfume—a heady mix of peony and amber. His thumb brushed her wrist as he pulled her closer, the touch fleeting yet electric. She let him guide her to the leather armchair, her laughter soft as she mimed innocence. “I could get fired for this, sir.” His grin was all sharp edges. “Only if anyone finds out.” The game was in the tease—the brush of his fingers against her knee under the desk, the whispered promises about “rewards for good employees,” the way his breath hitched when she unbuttoned his cufflinks just enough to trace the pulse at his wrist. It was a dance of power and wanton flirtation, never crossing into outright depravity but lingering provocatively on the edge. By the time the clock ticked past 1, Sasha’s lips were bruised from his kisses, her hair tousled like evidence. Straightening her blazer, she flicked a strand of red hair from her face and strolled back to her desk, the office now buzzing with returns from lunch. Colleagues passed, none the wiser. Mr. Halston’s words lingered in her ears: “You make the risk worth it, Sasha.” She smiled, savoring the thrill—a secret spice to her otherwise orderly life, as fleeting and indulgent as the peony in her perfume.