‘Good afternoon. How may I help?’ she said as a young man approached her desk.

‘Simi?’ he said.

‘Yes…’ she replied sitting even more upright.

‘Todd,’ Todd said resting a hand on his chest.

Simi gawped at his tailored navy suit, fitted shirt, strong hands, and chiselled features.

‘What are you doing here?’ she said suddenly tensing.

As lenient as her bosses were, one thing they never allowed were personal visitors. She looked down the corridor towards the partners’ offices.

‘And how did you find me?’ she whispered, panicking about getting caught while simultaneously drinking in Todd’s handsomeness.

Meagan had painted him as this hairy, human bindweed, slowly wrapping itself around her but the guy in front of Simi was like a luscious ivy, luxurious and strong.

‘Meagan mentioned you. Said you worked at a surveyor’s in the area and I…’

God, even his voice was like a sunset stroll in a glade, Simi fawned.

Down the corridor she heard Paul, the senior partner, locking up his office. Immediately, Simi snapped herself out of her Todd love-in. Once Paul had said his goodnights and grabbed his pre-commute cup of water he would pass through reception and he absolutely could not see Todd.

‘Thing is, I’m not supposed—’ Simi murmured.

‘It’s Meagan,’ Todd interrupted. ‘Well really, it’s me. I think I might have to let her go but I can’t shake the feeling she wants more but won’t let herself. How do I convince her without becoming some kind of stalker?’

‘That doesn’t make you a stalker… does it?’ Simi asked.

‘Well, if they’re not reciprocating…’

‘Reciprocation is open to interpretation…’ Simi argued distracted by the glug, glug, glug of the water cooler at the end of the corridor.

Todd shrugged. ‘All I know is, I’ve tried everything, including pretty much whatever she wants to do in the bedroom and had things done to me that—’

‘Yeah, okay,’ Simi said raising a hand.

Some things were best left between a girl and her fuck buddy.

‘Four years we’ve been doing this and we had a good thing but lately, she’s been acting weird. Ghosting me one minute. Texting me pictures of her on a date the next.’

‘Okay. Idea!’ blustered Simi as she heard Paul heading towards reception. ‘Why don’t we talk about it – over a drink, perhaps after six?’

‘I mean, we make each other laugh, we have fun, the sex is… mind blowing.’

‘And I bet that’s not all that gets blown,’ Simi blathered as Paul’s footsteps advanced.

‘I just miss my mate,’ Todd said propping himself on Simi’s glass-topped reception desk, ‘and I know she misses me too, otherwise why the texts? What do you think she wants deep down? Is it to feel wanted, needed, safe? I can give her all that.’

Wait, safe? thought Simi. Isn’t that what had come up at the painting party? She knew it. Todd was what Meagan needed!

‘She doesn’t know what she wants. You need to catch her unawares. Surprise her,’ she gabbled.