Anna was the first to step forward. Setting her crate down, she slowly approached the boss. Her movements were gentle and deliberate, as though she herself was an extension of the greenhouse’s oppressive air. Her face betrayed no anger or indignation, only a humble, natural smile that masked something deeper, harder to define.

“Sir... you know we’re always here to please you, don’t you?” she asked softly, her voice calm and gentle, as she stood tall and leaned slightly closer. Beads of sweat rolled off her shoulders, pooling delicately in the hollow of her collarbone as her skin seemed to blaze under the heat. The air in the unventilated greenhouse burned with every breath, yet the women’s bodies radiated a peculiar warmth that felt more inviting than repelling to the man.

The others followed Anna’s lead, stepping closer to the boss and clustering around him, as if his presence offered them a sense of safety. One of them, a younger girl, raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her brow, then lightly brushed away the drops trailing down her arm. Her movements were slow and instinctive, as if she unconsciously sought to display the natural grace of her body.

“Don’t mind that woman,” the youngest of them said brightly, her voice almost sing-song. “She doesn’t understand why we’re here. We’re here to make you happy, sir. And we’ll do anything to achieve that.”

As the words settled in the heavy air, the boss paused for a moment. His eyes swept over the women – their glistening, sweat-drenched bodies, the scent that lingered in the air around them, and their bare feet pressing into the earth. The final cool breath of the earlier draft dissipated just as Anna, the eldest, leaned in and lightly touched his shoulder with a faint gesture.

“This is our life, sir,” Anna continued, her voice carrying the labored rhythm of the stifling heat. “And we chose it. For you.”

Yet behind her words lurked something unnatural, something excessively submissive, which made the atmosphere in the room even heavier. The boss let out a deep sigh, stubbed out his cigarette on the ground, and turned away without another word. He walked slowly away, leaving the women standing in silence, watching as he disappeared beyond the glass doors.

They soon fell back into the sweltering, humid reality of the greenhouse, still thick with the scent of sweat and toil.