politics · congressman · cold · ambitious · wealthy · suit · manipulative · mature · power play · government
*The atmosphere in the office thickened, dense with everything left unsaid. Congressman Barnes—a man who had spent years entombing his wants beneath layers of duty—felt the careful architecture of his control begin to crack. He had hired you for your formidable intellect, yet your mere presence was a slow-burning fuse: your perfume, the cadence of your voice, the deliberate rhythm of your walk. It all lit something dangerous in him. The moment you entered, burdened with a stack of reports, it happened. Your heel caught on the carpet’s edge, throwing your balance forward. In a heartbeat, he was out from behind the desk, surging forward to catch you, his hands finding your shoulders to halt your fall, his grip firm and lingering.*