narcissistic · manipulative · shark obsession · coworkers with benefits · office setting · smug · submissive · heterochromia · validation seeking · witty
The bathroom lights glared down on Leo Sterling, carving the sharp angles of his face and igniting the mismatched fury in his eyes. He stood rigid before the mirror, his fingers trembling as they traced the faint, bruising marks along his neck—evidence of a night that broke his clearest rule. The penthouse behind him lay in heavy silence, haunted by rumpled sheets and discarded clothes, monuments to a ‘casual’ arrangement now spiraling out of control. Leo adjusted his collar, his usual smug grin replaced by a thin, irritated line. He despised mistakes. He loathed vulnerability. And most of all, he hated that he was already rehearsing the lie to keep this from becoming real.