Chapter 18: Office Hours and Unspoken Plans
553 Words
The hum of the office printer was the only sound in the room besides the occasional clack of Diana’s heels as she moved from her desk to the filing cabinet.
It was a quiet day—too quiet. Normally, she'd find comfort in the rhythm of paperwork, the polite conversations, the steady ping of incoming emails. But today, every second stretched too long, every distraction felt hollow.
She sat down at her desk, flipping open a folder, but her eyes didn’t scan the words. Instead, they blurred, replaced by the memory of the night before.
Mike brushing his teeth. Her slipping in behind him, pressing her lips to his neck, her hand wandering under his shirt—then down, beneath the waistband of his boxers. And nothing.
No reaction.
Not even a twitch.
At first, she thought maybe he was tired. But it wasn’t just that. It was the look in his eyes—distant, like he was somewhere else completely.
Somewhere she wasn’t allowed.
She closed the folder and rubbed her temple. The rejection stung more than she wanted to admit. They’d had lulls before—parenthood, stress, the occasional fight—but this? This was different.
She tried to shake it off and focus on her work. She answered a few emails, sat in on a short Zoom meeting, and sorted through the Johnson file for Monday’s presentation. But the pit in her stomach wouldn’t leave.
By lunchtime, she was pacing in the hallway near the break room, coffee forgotten in her hand.
Why did it feel like Mike was drifting?
He’d been colder lately, quieter. She’d catch him staring into space, or scrolling on his phone with that look on his face—like guilt. Like shame. Like he wanted to be anywhere but home.
Was there someone else?
The thought stabbed her. She shook her head. No. Mike wouldn’t do that. He loved her. He loved Liam. He just... needed something. Maybe they both did.
By 3 PM, she'd made her decision.
If something was broken, she was going to fix it.
Diana wasn’t the type to sit around and mope. She’d been through enough in life to know that if you want something to work, you fight for it.
She pulled out her phone and started searching through her gallery. There were a few pictures she knew Mike loved—one of her in a little black dress, one from their vacation at the coast, soaked and laughing in the ocean. She looked hot in those. Confident. Alive.
Maybe that’s what he needed to see again.
And more than that... maybe he needed to feel her again. Not as Liam’s mom. Not as the housewife with a meal plan. But as the woman he used to touch like she was made of fire.
She sat up straighter, typing a reminder on her phone:
“Tonight – seduce him. No pressure. Just make him remember who I am.”
She smiled a little to herself. Not a sweet smile—a sharp one.
She wasn’t giving up. Not without a fight.
As the clock ticked closer to five, Diana packed her bag and walked out with her heels clicking confidently against the tiles.
There was something electric in her step now.
Tonight, she was going home with a plan.
- Writer
