Jessica breathed in the steam as it rolled out of the shower in uneven sheets. The mirror she stood in front of became increasingly foggy the longer she contemplated in front of it. Naked, Jessica stared calmly at her thirty-something year old figure with slight satisfaction.
Time hadn't aged her like she thought it would. Still lean, Jessica maintained a shapely figure with supple, B-cup breasts, a rounded ass, and firm thighs stemming off a mile of leg. Sure, her stomach wasn't as tight as it used to be and her stray grays sent her to the hair salon a couple extra times per year, but that was the price of getting older.
Jessica released the tension she was holding, inching closer to the foggy mirror and examined her face closely. A small freckle sat just above her right eye. Usually she layered it in creamy eye shadows; hardly anyone knew it was there. A smile crawled slowly across her face as Sean entered her mind.
It started out so innocently, she recalled. A co-worker of hers, Sean was way out of Jessica's league. A senior partner at her Chicago accounting firm, Sean was a business prodigy. At twenty-eight he made senior partner, many promotions ahead of the game for his age.
In retrospect, it might have been his success that she found so appealing, but, even eight years later, Jessica still put his handsome charm ahead of all else. She couldn't escape his gaze; those green eyes seemed to pierce right through her every time he looked her way. That's how this all started: her knock-kneed responses to his simple, mindless question.
***
"Make coffee, Jessica! Make copies, Jessica!" she complained. "I feel like damned Cinderella in a business suit! I busted my ass in grad school, and for what?"
"To make my coffee." A husky voice replied. "And, once you bust your ass here, I'll find someone else to make you coffee."
Jessica blushed at her lack of awareness. How long had he been standing there?
"I apologize, Mr. Thomas. I'm...I'm just feeling a little...underappreciated lately." Jessica attempted to conjure up some small excuse for her misjudgment.
"Underappreciated, huh? Well, Miss Dennin, I suppose an evaluation may be in store. Finish my copies and meet me in my office. We'll see what we can do."
Embarrassed and shocked, Jessica abandoned her copies and ran to the restroom. A lip gloss sweep, hair brushing, and Mentos later, Jessica returned to Sean's office, copies in hand.