Another long day at the office had Shel's shoulders balled up and tight. She stretched her neck to the side and squeezed her traps. She needed to finish a few more things then she'd be done for the night. She took a deep breath and went back to work.
"Are your shoulders a little tight? Let me help." Jake, appearing out of nowhere, massaged her shoulders with his big strong hands.
"Oh, thanks, that's nice Jake, but I'm okay" Shel moved away from his touch. She liked Jake but she didn't want him touching her.
"No, please, I want to" and he continued to squeeze her shoulders and rub her back. Shel admitted to herself that it felt good but she didn't think it was appropriate for her co-worker to be touching her like this.
She got up from her desk and out of his embrace. "Thanks, Jake, it's really okay. I'm going to go get some water."
"Wait" he said and grabbed her arm. "You've been working so hard lately, Shel. I've noticed how late you're staying and how early you're coming in. You could really use this. You're under a lot of stress."
"Well, the Colsworth project is in full swing, you know how it goes. It's almost done, I'm fine, really."
Jake grabbed her waist and pulled her to him. He firmly placed his lips on hers. Shel pushed him away. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Jake didn't let go .