***All characters are over 18 and are fictional. Any resemblance to any real-life persons or situations is purely coincidental.
***Originally published as Harmless Office Fun Ch. 1.
...
MORNING
Mike Wilson left his apartment a couple of hours earlier that morning so he could hit the gym before work. His office building was right next door to the gym, and they gave membership discounts to the employees of his company, so it was very convenient for everybody.
He did his usual workouts, pushing himself a little more on the free weights, but decided to skip the treadmill this time so he wouldn't be late to work. Mike enjoyed staying fit and healthy; his father died at a young age, and he didn't want that to happen to himself. He didn't want to become a bodybuilder, but he enjoyed the muscles he had been getting over the last couple of years, and so did his wife.
He saw several others who worked at his company, even a few who worked for him in his department. One of them was one of his top sales reps, Fiona Miles, who was killing it on the treadmill, as she usually does. She had her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail for her work out, and she was wearing small gym shorts and a tight tank top. She was always at the gym, and because of that, she had a great body that you'd have to be blind not to notice.
A lot of men in the office have hit on her at some point, but never Mike. Besides the fact that he was happily married, he would never think of giving her a simple friendly comment on her haircut out of fear it may be misconstrued as something else. He had seen enough people get in trouble for taking it too far, including the person who previously held his position at the company. Because of those people, he had been to enough sexual harassment seminars that the company made everyone take, to know to just shut up and keep your hands to yourself.
After he was done with his workout, he had a quick shower in the locker room, got dressed, and made it to work just in time. As soon as he got off the elevator on his floor, he was approached by his best friend and one of his other best sales reps, DJ. The smile on DJ's face indicated one thing, he scored last night and wanted to brag about it.
"It was a bartender. I've never had a hot bartender before," he said as they both made their way to Mike's office.
"I have. Twice," said Mike.
"That was back in college, before you went corporate and became lame," DJ replied.
"I still get laid more than you, even now."
"Only because you're married and don't have any kids yet to slow you down," DJ replied. "How do you live with yourself banging only one woman?"
"Don't knock it until you try it."
"Never."
They got to Mike's office, and he was still trying to tell him about the bartender he scored with while Mike was getting himself set up for the day. Mike had to admit that even though he's happily married to Janet, he did miss the single life and sometimes enjoyed hearing DJ's stories of his conquests.
He was sitting behind the desk, going over some paperwork, while DJ sat across from him, his feet propped up on the edge of the desk, taking his time getting to the end of the story.
"So, we found ourselves in the storage room at the back of the bar. I had her shirt off, and finally got my hands on her tits--"
There was a knock on the door, which made DJ suddenly go silent. Both men looked over to see Fiona at the door with some files in her hand. She was looking much better now than when Mike saw her at the gym earlier, where she was getting sweaty from the treadmill. She was cleaned up now; her hair was down, and she was wearing a navy-blue blouse with a black skirt.
"Don't stop on my account," she said, smiling.
DJ just sat there silently, trying to figure out how to get out of his situation. It's one thing when he tells his stories about getting laid to his friends, but he's smart enough not to tell those stories in mixed company. At least he was smart about it now; he had been called down to the HR department enough times for his comments over the years to finally know when to shut up.
"Go on, DJ. You had your hands on her tits, and what happened next?" Fiona was waiting for him to finish with a smirk on her face.
"Come on, DJ, finish your story," said Mike, trying to contain his laughter. He was taking a little enjoyment in seeing his friends' humiliation like this.
"Alright, I get it. You can both stop messing with me now," said DJ.
Mike and Fiona had a chuckle at DJ's expense, who just sat there feeling very embarrassed.
"Can I help you, Fiona?" Mike asked.
"Sorry to interrupt your boys' club, but I need you to approve these sales reports."
Mike got out of his chair, and they both walked up to each other. She handed Mike the files she had, and he gave them each a quick glance.
"I saw you at the gym this morning, Mike," she said. "You were really pushing yourself."
"Yeah, I thought it was time to add a few extra pounds to the weights today."
"Don't strain yourself too hard; you'll burst out of your clothes," she said as she put her hand on his bicep and gave it a gentle squeeze.
DJ saw what she had done and got excited by what he was witnessing.
"I'm careful, I know my limits," he said while still reading the files and signing off on each one with his pen.
"Too bad you weren't on the treadmill; we could've had a good run together," she said.
"I usually do, but I didn't want to be late to work. Maybe next time we see each other there," he said, handing the files back to her.
"It's a date," she said, and she walked out of the room smiling.
"Dude," said DJ as he got up from his chair. "Did you not notice what just happened?"
"What are you talking about?"
"She was totally flirting with you."
"What? No way," Mike shot back at him.
"She was complimenting you on your workout."
"I've done the same to other people I know who like to work out," Mike replied.
"And didn't you notice the way she kept smiling at you and how she touched your bicep? Only women do those kinds of things to show they're interested."
"Come on, DJ. Fiona knows I'm married."
"That doesn't mean she wasn't flirting."
"Are you saying she wants me?" Mike asked.
"Definitely!" DJ replied enthusiastically. "I mean, she's not stupid enough to go after a married man and her boss, it could ruin her career. But that doesn't mean she doesn't think you're attractive enough to flirt with."
"So, what should I do about it?"
"You flirt back," DJ replied.
"I can't do that."
