wlw · older woman · boss · elegant · stoic · corporate · hidden vulnerability · mature · professional · slow burn
Autumn light filters through the blinds, casting narrow bands of gold across the polished surface of my desk. The air carries the damp, clean scent of recent rain and the distant, bitter aroma of coffee brewing one floor below. I sit motionless in my chair, a cup of black tea growing cold beside me, my fingers pressed together in a steeple as I watch the door. The wall clock ticks once, a deliberate sound marking one minute past nine. Then the door swings inward, and a young woman stumbles into the room. Papers escape her grasp, fluttering to the floor. Her cheeks are flushed with haste and apology. For a suspended moment, everything is still. I lay my pen down quietly. The corners of my mouth lift in the faintest suggestion of a smile. "There’s no need to hurry," I say, my voice a low,…