Here's a quickie that doesn't get too hard. Just a one off. :)
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Renee scoffed. "No, I don't think so. I guess you're gonna have to deal with her."
The last thing I wanted was get involved, or be accused of favoritism. I wished it would just go away. "Maybe she's flirty like that by nature," I said.
"You know that's bullshit. She's an attention hawk for you specifically, hoping she becomes 'teacher's pet'. I'm not saying she's trying to fuck you, but she wants you to dote on her."
Then a thought hit me, and just for shits, I threw it out there. "Hey, Renee. Why don't we test her? Maybe push it a bit, to make her behavior more obvious, before properly calling her out on it."
"What? How?"
Renee was my first and only employee, until Susan came along. A recent uptick in business required the extra labor, and we were glad to have found someone qualified to fill the new role. But as mentioned, Renee and I shared a unique bond after a decade of working together. Regardless, we've never developed - or even risked developing - any sexual or romantic relationship. Sure, we flirt every now and then. Quips like Renee saying, "Nice bum, boss," when I get my coffee in the mornings, or me, making jokes about heavy lifting exercises, in regards to her tits. It was "locker room talk" but nothing that would be construed as crossing any lines, considering our long friendship.
"Remember that time you wore that navy blue skirt?" I asked Renee.
"The short one?"
"That's the one. That's when Susan started wearing shorter skirts. After seeing you in that."
"Short skirts is all she wears now," sighed Renee. "And the only reason I wore that blue one is because I had a Tinder date that night. I rarely wear it to work."
"How'd the date go?"
"Sucked."
I chuckled. "Point is, Susan witnessed you wearing that, saw that it is acceptable to wear, and she just flew with it."
"No doubt," agreed my colleague.
"I've noticed Susan always keeps one button undone on her blouse, showing just a hint of cleavage. Not much, which is why I think she bends over a lot, like you mentioned. She's trying to get me to look down the gap it creates, so I can see more. But we can't exactly prove that, can we? I'm just thinking we should try pushing her more."
Renee was nodding, smiling. "I get it. Do you want me to have two buttons undone, and show more than she does? See if she follows suit?"
"Why not?"
Renee giggled. "Hah, No matter what she does, she'll never show as much cleavage as I can."
"That's probably true, though I don't think I've ever seen yours." I smiled.
"Oh, you've seen it every now and again. Remember last year's Christmas party with our vendors? The point is, I don't make a show of myself, like Susan."
"Make sure you don't this time, either," I said.
"What do you mean?"
"If you undo two buttons, don't act all weird and flirty. You'll make it obvious that you are trying to provoke her, especially since you just had that talk with her."
"Some talk."
"Let this sit a week or so, and then show up with a couple buttons undone. I'll make sure Susan sees me looking at your cleavage. We'll see if it strikes a nerve with her."
"Oh, this is delightfully evil. I love it."
"Alright, then. If you're cool with doing it."
"I can do it, alright."
Renee was unable to wait a week. After the weekend rolled around, she walked in the following Monday with two buttons undone, allowing the center line of her healthy cleavage to peek out. It was probably about as much skin as most professional work settings would allow, but Renee didn't act any differently than usual. We went through our meetings, shared lunch and visited in the open lobby now and again. Whenever the two of us started yacking, Susan would always find a way to insert herself, like usual. I would periodically look to Renee's cleavage, making sure Susan saw me doing it, and I caught Susan gazing upon Renee's chest several times, too. Flush red from envy, it seemed. Her face burned.
"Did you see the look on her face earlier?" Renee said, at the end of the day. Susan had finally gone home.
"Yeah, definitely some jealousy happening. Maybe she just likes to be the hot one in the room, and feels threatened by you."
"Perhaps. Or maybe she actually has a crush on you. Have we considered that, Mark?"