What Happened with Daniela at the Office Party

I arrived ridiculously late. Friday traffic in December was a nightmare and the taxi took half a lifetime to get across downtown. By the time I finally made it up to the terrace, the cold was already biting, but the atmosphere was electric. The open bar had been working its magic for a while, and laughter bounced off the city lights.

I headed straight for a drink to catch up, and from the bar I looked for my usual crowd. The trusted-chat crew, the Friday-beer people, the ones I traded memes with in the middle of the afternoon. It didn’t take me long to spot them near one of the outdoor heaters.

But my eyes stopped dead before I even got there. They stopped on Daniela.

Seeing her at the office was pure routine: black dress pants, shirts always buttoned up to the neck, and that huge sweater because the air conditioning always left her freezing. Tonight was a different story. She was in profile, a glass in her hand and a wine-colored dress clinging to her body. That was when my brain short-circuited.

I knew Daniela had curves —it’s impossible not to notice when she stretches up to reach something in the filing cabinet— but that dress left nothing to the imagination. Since she was so petite, barely coming up to my chest, her shape stood out twice as much. The neckline emphasized that contrast she never let us see Monday through Friday, and the cut traced a pair of hips that with heels looked next-level.

I walked over with that mix of friend-level confidence and the curiosity of a man who has just discovered something new.

—Hey, everyone —I greeted the group in general, but I planted myself beside her.

Daniela turned around. She had her usual black-framed glasses on, but the red lipstick and her hair worn loose gave her an air that sent my pulse racing.

—About time you showed up! —she said, smiling and lifting her glass to clink it against mine—. We were already writing you off as lost.

—Traffic was impossible —I said by way of excuse, then lowered my voice, leaning toward her with the ease we had with each other—. But the wait was worth it. You look incredible, Dani. Seriously. You were saving the best for the end of the year, huh?

I couldn’t help it. My eyes dropped for a second to her cleavage and then back up. She noticed. At the office she would have given me a dirty look, but there, with wine in her system and in total ease, she just let out a little laugh and gave me a tap on the arm.

—You already started, dummy —she said, but she never stopped smiling.

***

By ten-thirty, the open bar was starting to take its toll. The group gradually thinned out and, without planning it, it was just Daniela and me left standing by a high table full of empty glasses. The air was getting colder and colder, but the drinks had us warm.

She’d already had several; I knew because her cheeks were red and she laughed at every stupid thing I said. The best part was that, with alcohol loosening her up, she had shed her rigid office posture. She leaned one elbow on the table in a way that had me hypnotized.

—Look what they sent in the chat —she said, pulling her phone out of her little purse.

To see the screen I had to lean in. She was so short that I almost pressed my head against hers. That was when her perfume hit me: nothing like office coffee, but something citrusy and sweet, floral. We laughed at some random meme, that conspiratorial laugh you only have with someone you really trust, and as she laughed she turned her face toward mine. We were centimeters apart.

At that moment a waiter hurried past carrying a full tray, almost shoving us. On instinct, I put my arm behind her to shield her and my hand landed on the small of her back. The fabric was paper-thin. I felt the warmth of her skin and the exact curve where her back ended. My hand stayed there. I didn’t move it.

She didn’t move away either. On the contrary, she let herself be carried by the jostle and ended up pressed against my side.

—They almost splashed me with wine —she said, looking up at me.

—Relax, nothing’s going to happen to you here —I replied, lowering my voice.

My hand dropped a centimeter, barely grazing the start of the curve of her hip. A subtle move, testing the waters. She felt the change and went still for a second, processing it. Then she turned her face a little to look me in the eyes. She didn’t pull away, and she didn’t make a joke to break the moment.

—Thanks —she murmured, holding my gaze behind her glasses.

—That’s what we’re here for —I answered, squeezing her waist lightly.

She smiled, a small, relaxed smile, and leaned fully into my hand. The line of “friends” had been quietly erased.

***

The music guy knew how to read the moment and dropped a two-thousand-era pop-rock classic. The terrace exploded. Half the group ran to the makeshift dance floor and Daniela tugged my arm, laughing, the embarrassment already dissolved by alcohol.

At first it was all jumping and shouting the lyrics at the top of our lungs. She looked spectacular, tousled and with bright eyes behind her glasses. But then the music shifted to a slow, heavy beat, the kind that invites you to move close. The floor filled up and a group shoved us until we were pressed against each other.

That was where the height difference worked in my favor. Her face was at my chest level. To keep her balance she grabbed my shoulders and her arms went up around my neck as she rose onto her toes. I dropped my hands to her waist on reflex. It was no longer the subtle touch from the table: now my hands encompassed the whole curve of her hips beneath the fabric.

—It’s packed —she said in my ear, almost shouting over the music.

—Get closer so nobody steps on you —I answered, using the perfect excuse.

She did as I said. I felt the pressure of her chest against my abdomen, an electric sensation. At one point she half-turned to look behind her, ending up with her back to me but without letting go of my arms. She started moving to the slow rhythm, putting all her weight back against me. The friction hit me hard and I noticed myself starting to harden. I tried to shift my hips back a little to hide it, but she pressed even closer, eliminating any space.

I lowered my head to her neck.

—Dani… —I said, my voice already rough.

She turned her head to look at me over her shoulder. Her eyes behind her glasses were dark, dilated. She bit her lip and, instead of moving away, leaned back harder. Then she turned to face me, wrapped her arms around my neck, and brought her face close to mine.

—Tomás… —she murmured.

The tension was unbearable. It had to happen. Daniela rose onto her toes, stretching as far as her small body could, and I lowered my head. It was barely a brush, a dry, quick kiss, the kind that asks without words, “Are we doing this?” We pulled apart a few centimeters. She opened her eyes, a little frightened by her own audacity, and then she smiled.

—Oops —she said, but she didn’t move away.

—Oops? Didn’t seem like a mistake to me.

—Neither to me —she confessed against my shirt—. I think I want another one.

I gave her one. This one lasted a second longer. Her lips tasted like wine and were warm. The terrace lights dimmed and started blinking blue, leaving the dance floor in intermittent half-darkness. Perfect camouflage.

I threaded my fingers through her loose hair and kissed her for real. I opened my mouth and she did the same, taking me in hungrily. It was a desperate kiss, loaded with months of glances in the office. I felt her moan against my mouth, a sound swallowed by the music. She clung hard to my neck, almost climbing me, because her heels weren’t enough anymore.

—Let’s get out of here —she said in my ear, panting—. There are too many people.

***

I took her hand and we left the dance floor. I found what I was looking for: a corner in the hallway leading to the bathrooms, where one lamp was off and the darkness was nearly complete. The second we were in the shadow, I pressed her against the wall.

—You’re the one who started this —she said, biting my lower lip.

My right hand moved down with purpose. I slid my palm along her thigh, hiking up the hem of the dress, and touched bare skin. She let out a broken breath. I went higher, to where thigh becomes hip, and stroked the lace of her underwear.

—Tomás… —she moaned softly, opening her legs a little, resting her head against the wall.

Suddenly the bathroom door opened. We froze. I pressed myself against her to cover her with my body and dropped my hand, smoothing her dress down, pretending we were just talking. The guy walked past, too drunk to notice anything. When the danger had passed, Daniela let out the breath she’d been holding, adjusted her crooked glasses, and looked at me with an expression of complete desire.

—I don’t want to go home yet —she said, her voice breaking—. And I don’t want you to go home either. Get a room, Tomás. Here. Now.

I felt an adrenaline punch in my stomach. One thing is a drunken kiss in a hallway and another very different thing is making it official at the front desk. But seeing her there, tousled and challenging me with her eyes, made my brain stop thinking about consequences.

—Let’s go —I said.

***

We went down to the hotel lobby, which was a brutal contrast to the party: silence, cold marble, and ambient music. At reception I asked for a room, trying to sound sober even though my tie was completely undone. The receptionist looked at us, asked no questions, and handed us a key to the fifth floor.

In the elevator, the moment the doors closed, we ended up pressed against the mirror, eating each other’s mouths. The room smelled clean, with a huge window and a wide bed in the center. Daniela kicked off her heels and sat on the edge. Being so short, her feet barely brushed the carpet, which made her look even smaller in the middle of the room.

I stood in front of her, between her legs, and repeated the gesture that had become the night’s ritual: I took off her glasses carefully and set them on the nightstand.

—We’re keeping the party going, right? —I whispered.

She didn’t answer. She threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck and smashing her mouth to mine with an urgency that almost made me lose my balance. My hands slid up her thighs, wrinkling the dress fabric. She pulled my shirt out of my pants, slipping her cold hands under the cloth.

We let ourselves fall backward onto the bed. Daniela straddled me, kissing my neck while her hips ground against mine, searching for friction. She was no longer the shy coworker from the monitor.

I yanked the dress neckline down and her left breast was freed. I caught my breath for a second. I raised my head and took her nipple into my mouth, sucking hard while my hand squeezed her softness. She threw her head back and buried her fingers in my hair, pushing me harder against her.

—Wait… —she said, pulling in air—. The dress is in the way.

She stood up, pulled down the zipper and slipped it over her head, tossing it into some corner. She was left in lace underwear only. Seeing her like that, petite but with those curves finally free, was the best view of the night.

—Now you —she ordered.

Her hands went straight to my belt. She struggled a little with the buckle, but the second I heard the metal open I knew she meant business. She left me in my underwear and crawled back over me. She unbuttoned my shirt one button at a time, not taking it off, just opening it.

—I like it like this —she murmured, running her palms over my chest.

She began leaving a trail of wet kisses downward. Her right hand slid along my stomach and, without hesitation, slipped under the last garment. Her cold fingers closed around me and I let out a rough gasp. She stroked me with a slow rhythm, measuring, enjoying the power she had.

—So serious at Monday meetings —she whispered, dragging out the words—. And look at you now.

***

We finished taking off the rest. Skin against skin, the collision of her small, curvy body against mine was electric. But she had another idea. She slid down, leaving a trail of kisses along my abdomen, and stopped between my legs. She looked up at me from below, hair falling over her face, and lowered her head.

I felt her hot mouth wrap around me and arched my back, digging my fingers into the sheets. She sucked me hungrily, without shyness, going up and down, showing me that the quiet Daniela from the office was a different person in bed. At one point she reached out, grabbed the glass from the nightstand, and held a sip in her mouth. When she came back down, the contrast of cold and alcohol with her heat sent a jolt all the way down my spine.

And then, without letting go of me, she lifted her gaze and held my eyes with shameless intensity, seeing exactly how she was making me lose control. She paused, licked her lips, and let out a little laugh.

—Tastes good —she whispered.

With a satisfied sigh she fell back onto the pillows, opening her arms and legs, completely uninhibited. I propped myself up between her legs, but I didn’t do anything. I just looked at her. There was the coworker with the huge sweater, the one who hid behind the monitor, now naked, her pale skin marked red on the neck by my kisses.

—What are you staring at so much for? —she asked, lifting her head, blushing but proud.

—Because you’re perfect, Dani —I said, and it wasn’t drunk talk.

I leaned down, but this time I didn’t go to her mouth. I went slowly downward, leaving kisses on her belly until I reached between her legs. I parted her skin with my thumbs and ran my tongue over her in a long, slow caress. She jerked on the bed.

—Ah! —she screamed.

It was her first loud, real moan. She forgot we were in a hotel, forgot the office’s discretion. Her hands came down to my head, tugging my hair, pushing me harder against her. Hearing her like that, knowing I was the one provoking it, lit me up completely.

***

I couldn’t take it anymore. I climbed up, dragging myself over her sweaty body until we were face to face. She lifted her legs and hooked them around my waist, opening fully.

—Now… please —she begged in a whisper.

I drove my hips forward and sank into her in one go.

—Ah! —she screamed, throwing her head back and digging her nails into my shoulders.

She was impossibly tight. Being so petite, I felt her everywhere. I had to stop for a second, clenching my teeth so I wouldn’t finish right there. She pulled my neck down to kiss me and I started moving. The sound of our skin slapping together filled the room. I thrust hard and she was begging for it, moaning my name through clenched teeth.

—Turn me over —she ordered, her voice broken—. Put me face down, Tomás.

She didn’t need to tell me twice. She got on her knees and rested her elbows on the bed, arching her back. Being so small, she looked tiny on that huge bed, a compact figure, dangerously well proportioned. I moved behind her, held her hips, and entered her again. In that position I got much deeper.

—More… harder —she pleaded, her voice muffled into the pillow.

I drove into her without mercy, watching my body slam against hers with every impact. She shook all over, fragile and at the same time resilient, taking me completely. After a while she turned around with surprising agility and pushed my chest so I’d lie down. She climbed on top of me immediately and sank down.

She started riding me at a frantic pace. Being so light, she moved with inexhaustible energy, going up and down fast. I grabbed her hips, helping set the rhythm, knocking my body against hers. I felt the pressure building until it became unbearable.

—Dani… I’m about to —I warned her, preparing to pull away.

She stopped for a second, digging her nails into my chest, and shook her head.

—Stay —she panted—. Don’t pull out.

That sentence was the final trigger. I held her by the waist with all my strength and pushed from below one, two, three times.

—Tomás! —she screamed as she felt my spasms.

I came inside her while feeling her contract at the same time, trembling, climaxing with me. We stayed like that, her collapsed on my chest, both of us panting, with the hum of the air conditioner as the only sound.

I stroked her sweat-soaked back. She let out a tired laugh against my skin.

—How am I supposed to see you Monday after this? —she murmured.

I laughed and kissed her forehead.

—With the same face as always, Dani. But you and I won’t be.

We pulled the sheet over us to block out the cold. She curled up against my chest and, within minutes, her breathing turned heavy, defeated by exhaustion. I stayed there staring at the ceiling, feeling her naked body against mine, knowing the office would never be the same again. Every time I saw her in the hallway with her suit and her glasses, I was going to remember what she looked like moaning my name.