I stood there, frozen, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might crack my ribs. His voice was low, smooth, like silk wrapping around my throat, stealing my breath.
"I'm this close to you," William whispered, his lips near my ear, his presence swallowing the room. "It wouldn't be so hard for me to have your mother... your sister..."
His words slid into my mind like poison, cold and sharp. I felt my knees weaken, my blood turning to ice. Mother... Gloria...
He didn't touch them. He didn't have to. He just smiled that terrible smile, dark and beautiful, and turned, walking out of our house as if he owned it, as if he owned us.
I stood there, too stunned to speak, too shaken to move.
And then my mother's voice broke the silence.
"Oh, baby girl, you're so lucky."
I turned toward her, dread filling every corner of me.
She stood there, smiling, her eyes soft and dreamy, like she'd just seen her prince. "You're so lucky to have a handsome man like that - your boss, your boyfriend."
My stomach twisted. "He's not my boyfriend," I said quickly, the words tasting like ash.
But she laughed, a sweet, knowing laugh that didn't belong to her at all. "Don't lie to me, my baby girl. I saw the way you two looked at each other. The heat between you. The way his eyes drank you in."
I felt the floor tilt beneath me.
That wasn't her speaking. That wasn't my mother. That was him. His power. His control, slipping into her voice, her thoughts, twisting everything.
I stayed silent. What else could I do?
I didn't sleep easily that night. I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, listening to the silence of the house and hearing his words over and over. Seeing his smile. Imagining his hands on my mother, on Gloria.
I don't know when sleep took me - somewhere between fear and exhaustion, somewhere between his voice in my head and the sound of my own heartbeat. But when it came, it pulled me under hard and fast, into a world that wasn't mine, but felt as real as breath.
I dreamed.
I saw myself - not as me, not through my eyes, but as if I were watching from across the room. I was walking into the office, into that strange, twisted place that felt like home and prison all at once. My steps were slow, soft, my face calm, my eyes dark with hunger I didn't understand.
And he was waiting for me.
William.
Tall, powerful, bare from the waist up, his body gleaming like carved marble under the harsh office lights. His arms opened as I reached him, as if I'd belonged there all along, as if this was the only place I'd ever meant to be.
I stepped into him, into his heat, his strength. His hands found my body like they'd known it forever - fingers sliding over my back, pulling me close, palms exploring my curves with slow, possessive care.
In the dream, I didn't resist.
My head tipped back, my lips parted, a soft sigh escaping as his mouth lowered to mine. His kiss was deep, claiming, stealing the breath from my lungs. His hands roamed, bold and sure, finding every place that made my dream-self tremble.
I watched as his mouth trailed along my throat, down to the hollow of my collarbone, his teeth grazing my skin. My hands gripped his shoulders, fingers digging into muscle, needing him closer, needing him everywhere.
We moved together like it was a dance we'd practiced a thousand times - bodies pressed close, hips meeting in a slow, burning rhythm. My blouse fell open, forgotten, his hands and mouth finding bare skin, making my dream-self moan softly, helplessly.
The office blurred around us. The desks, the lights, the walls - all faded until there was nothing but him, nothing but me, nothing but heat and hunger and the deep, dark pull of him.
I watched it all, trapped in the dream, heart racing, unable to stop it.
And then his eyes lifted, dark and knowing, and for a heartbeat it felt like he saw me - the real me, the one watching.
I woke with a start, breathless, sweating, the echo of his touch still burning on my skin.
By morning, I felt hollow.
I made myself go to work, my steps heavy, my mind fogged with fear and confusion. The building felt colder, darker, as if his presence tainted the air itself.
And then I saw them.
William.
Nancy.
Right there, in the office, as if it were nothing at all. As if the desks, the computers, the walls didn't exist. As if they were alone in the world.
He moved against her with slow, sure power, like a storm that knew no rush - a force that would claim what it wanted in its own time. His hands slid from her hips, strong fingers molding to her curves, claiming every inch as his own. He gripped her waist, pulling her tight against him, his body pressing into hers, hard and unyielding.
Her breath hitched, her back arching instinctively, offering herself up to him without hesitation. His hands rose higher, gliding over the slope of her ribs, the swell of her chest. He cupped her through the thin fabric of her blouse, his thumbs brushing over her sensitive peaks, making her gasp, making her tremble.
Nancy's head fell back, her lips parted, a soft moan escaping her throat - raw, desperate, filled with need. Her eyes fluttered closed, lashes trembling, lost in the heat of his touch.
He lowered his head, his mouth grazing the curve of her neck, tasting the soft skin there. His breath was hot, his tongue slow and deliberate, leaving trails of fire in its wake. She shivered beneath him, her hands clawing at his shoulders, needing him closer, deeper, more.
Every movement was measured, precise - a dance of power and surrender. His hips met hers in a rhythm that was both tender and punishing, making her body sing beneath him. The soft sounds of her pleasure filled the air, blending with the faint hum of computers and the distant clatter of keyboards - as if this, this, was part of the workday too.
No one looked. No one cared. No one saw the wrong.
Except me.
And still, I couldn't look away.
I should have stopped them. I should have done something. But my feet wouldn't move. My voice wouldn't come.
Because his words echoed in my head - your mother, your sister...
And I couldn't risk it.
I walked to my desk, heart pounding, shame burning in my cheeks, and sat down like nothing had happened.
But inside, I was screaming.