Shadows of Desire — Chapter 1

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The Tampa sun, unusually fierce for a Thursday morning, cast a shimmering haze over the cityscape outside John’s window. From his 20th-floor office, he could see the highway ribboning out, cars inching along like ants on a march.

Inside, his world mirrored the bustle below — a relentless stream of emails, calls, and proposals vying for his attention. It had been one of those weeks where Friday seemed like a mirage, a distant oasis he wasn’t sure he’d ever reach.

The office buzzed with activity, a symphony of ringing phones and clicking keyboards. As an executive, John was in his element, deftly handling emails, reviewing reports, and making decisive calls.

His phone buzzed, snapping him out of the spreadsheet he’d been staring at.

“Hello?”

“Hey, John! It’s Ryan! Ryan Baxter. From college, remember?”

John paused, the name dredging up a hazy memory of beer-soaked parties and late-night study sessions. Ryan… right, they’d shared a dorm room freshman year of college, hadn’t they? Years since they’d last spoken.