He had woken up with a headache and a dry mouth. Unfortunately he remembered the details of the night before very clearly. He had ended up in bed with Phyllis, and it had actually been good. Who knew such a… large, quiet girl could be so wild in the bedroom? Oh well, it didn’t matter. The affair could not go on. They worked together, and he was her boss. It had just happened in a moment of weakness. He’d have to let her down. It would break her heart, but he had to do it. He looked to his right, and saw that the spot next to him was empty. He could still smell her… odd scent on the pillow. Michael chuckled. She must have left early because she was so embarrassed that her feelings for him were finally known.

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Michael drummed his fingers on his desk as he waited for Phyllis to enter his office. He really wasn’t looking forward to breaking the poor woman’s heart. He hoped they could still be friends. Sometimes it was such a damn curse being as sexy as he was. Honestly, who could blame Phyllis for falling in love with him? He was extremely handsome, very intelligent, and the world’s greatest boss. What woman could resist that? But he had to let her down. He had other sows to seed… or was it seeds to oat? Anyway, there were more women out there who were in need of a little loving from the M-dog. Much…hotter women. Phyllis was many things, but hot was not one of them. No… no, sir.

Phyllis entered the office, carefully avoiding Michael’s eyes. She closed the door and then sat down in the chair that she had occupied the night when… it had happened. He shook away the visions that had popped into his head of her quivering and panting under his body. It really had been an unexpectedly good experience. He cleared his throat and said, “Phyllis…”

Phyllis looked up at him finally and said, “Look, Michael, the other night was a mistake, just a one time thing.”

Michael had been trying to think of a way to let her down without hurting her, so her words didn’t quite register in his head. “I… wait, what?”

“I think we both just had too much to drink,” she said as she looked down at her hands.

“Oh… sweet, sweet, Phyllis. You’re in denial about your love for me because you know it could never be reciprocated.”

Phyllis looked up at him sharply and said, “What?”

Michael smiled sweetly and grabbed her hand as he said, “I know that you’re in love with me. It’s not your fault, I’m just… too hard to resist. But it could never work out between us.”

Phyllis snatched back her hand and her eyebrows drew together as she said, “Michael, I am not in love with you! I have never been in love with you and I never will be in love with you.”

Michael stared at Phyllis, dumbfounded. After a moment he quietly said, “Really?”

Phyllis nodded her head and said, “I was lonely and you were there. That’s all it was.”

“Hmm,” he said, then pasted on a smile and continued, “what a relief.”

“Yeah,” Phyllis said with a small smile. “No one needs to know about this, right?”

“Right,” Michael said with a chuckle. God, like he was going to tell anyone! Packer would never let him live it down.

“Thanks, Michael,” Phyllis said, then she got up and left his office.

Michael leaned back in his chair and shook his head. Poor woman. It was glaringly obvious that she was in love with him. Well, he gave her one glorious night to satisfy her fantasies for a lifetime. For work’s sake, they would just have to pretend that that night had never happened.