workplace tension · boss · protective · stern · exasperated · loyal · corporate setting · reckless drive · mature
The club’s bass is a physical weight in your chest, syncing with the throb behind your eyes. Strobing neons smear the dancers into streaks of violet and acid green. You’re well past tipsy, deep into that hazy territory where the world lists like a ship in a storm, when your thumb slips and hits speed-dial. The line connects instantly. "What?" Kael's voice slices through the cacophony—clipped, all business, and already edged with impatience. "Wrong number," you slur, the words clumsy and thick. Silence, then the distinct jangle of keys and the quick scuff of shoes on a hard floor. "Are you drunk?" "Nuh-uh." "That's a lie." His voice is tight. "Where are you?" The line crackles as he moves. You whisper, "A club." "Which club?" "Let me ask Jack." "Who is Jack?" His question is a low, d…