A/N: Thanks to starfl on tumblr for this prompt! This will be a two-shot.
Aubrey smiled to herself as she headed out of work for the day. She had started her own consulting company against her father's better judgement a year ago and now it's grown so much that she decided to take on a business partner to really help expand things. After numerous interviews, she finally found the perfect partner in Steven Conrad. He already had several multimillion dollar companies to his name and the fact that he would take a chance on her company means that he really saw the potential. Aubrey couldn't help but be excited that all the long hours and sleepless nights were starting to pay off.
So what if she didn't have a social life to speak of? It didn't bother her in the least. She knew that at 26, she was really young to have such a promising company on her own. Steven was just the icing on the cake - the final push her company needs to really take off. So, no, she didn't always leave work smiling, but today she did.
"Hello, Aubrey," Steven said as he knocked lightly on her open office door. Aubrey smiled a little to herself - he had been working with her for about two months but was still always so formal.
"Hi Steven! Can I help you with something?"
"I was curious if you'd mind if I took on an intern - mostly to help with things around the office, nothing crazy."
"Free labor? Sounds good to me," Aubrey said with a grin. Steven chuckled.
"It's my daughter actually. She just finished her junior year of college and she's free for the summer. I decided since I pay her bills, she could work some of it off." Steven winked.
"That sounds like an excellent idea. It will be really good for her resume, too." Aubrey smiled. "I don't mind at all."
"Great, she'll start Monday. It will be good for her to see someone only a few years older than herself achieving so much already." Aubrey blushed a little at the unexpected compliment.
Aubrey sat in the conference room reviewing her notes for their weekly Monday morning staff meeting. A few of her employees were milling about, getting some coffee and bagels that she supplied for just this occasion, but most wouldn't get there for another 15 minutes or so - exactly on time. They wouldn't be late though, Aubrey made sure her people knew how little she tolerated tardiness.
She was absorbed in her work when she felt someone sit down next to her. She assumed it was Chloe - her best friend from college, one of her lead supervisors, and official meeting note taker - so she didn't even raise her eyes.
"It's way too early to be that engrossed in any form of work." Aubrey looked up when she heard the voice talking, because it most definitely was not Chloe. Her breath immediately hitched at the sight of a gorgeous, brown haired girl in a tight pencil skirt and an impossibly tighter blouse, leaving little to the imagination.
"Who are you?" Aubrey blurted. Subtlety had never been a forte of hers and since she hired every person who worked in this office, she was sure the brunette didn't work for her.
The girl let a wide smile take over her face, her eyes sparkled as if she was amused at something. "I'm Stacie. Stacie Conrad."
"Oh!" It hit her finally who this girl was and she felt stupid for forgetting that Steven's daughter was starting today.
"Yeah, my dad's kind of one of the big boss', I know," Stacie said, crinkling her nose in distaste. "I hope it doesn't make people steer clear of me."
"I'm sure you'll have no trouble making friends." Aubrey couldn't help but be amused that this girl clearly didn't know who she was.
"With you?" Stacie raised her eyebrows slightly and stared directly into Aubrey's eyes. Aubrey suddenly got the impression that this girl could easily disarm her with a single look - which was an uneasy feeling for her to have. The brunette let a moment pass. "You still haven't told me your name."
"Aubrey," the blonde said, avoiding the first question entirely.
She watched Chloe walk into the room and notice Stacie sitting in her normal spot. She shot Aubrey a confused look and the blonde could only shrug.
"Aubrey. I like that name." Stacie gave Aubrey a small smile and the blonde nervously shifted her eyes to the papers in front of her. She looked up again when she heard a light chuckle coming from the brunette. Aubrey gave her a questioning look. "Nothing, sorry. You're just really adorable when you're nervous."
Aubrey felt her face blush and abruptly stood up to start the meeting, not wanting to give this girl the satisfaction of getting under her skin.
Aubrey looked up from her work as she heard someone enter her office. The door was ajar but most people knocked before they come in. Stacie, apparently, wasn't one of those people. She came right in, walking straight to Aubrey's side, and hopped on her desk in a single fluid motion, her hands gripping the edge on either side of herself. Aubrey was too shocked to say anything.
"When I was talking earlier about my dad being one of the big boss', you failed to mention that you're his boss."
"I'm not his boss. He's my partner." Aubrey had to look up to meet Stacie's gaze, and her eyes couldn't help but glance at Stacie's cleavage on their way up. She couldn't have paused there for more than a millisecond but the smirk on Stacie's face told her that somehow the brunette had caught it.
"Semantics," Stacie said with a wave of her hand. "You know, my father talked about how smart and accomplished you are - but-" Stacie bit her lip and leaned in closer to Aubrey, causing the blonde to suck in a breath, "-he didn't mention how hot you are." Aubrey could feel the sudden heat on her cheeks. She watched Stacie's eyes travel down to her lips.
Aubrey cleared her throat. "When are you available for our training on sexual harassment?"
Stacie slowly slid off the desk and adjusted her skirt. "Is it really harassment when the person wants it?" She smirked and strutted out of the office, not bothering to look back.
Aubrey stared at the door Stacie just walked out of for a few moments, her mind racing. There was an undeniable attraction that Aubrey felt towards the brunette, she couldn't even lie to herself about it. If this were another situation, in another setting, or if Aubrey was a different type of girl… Her thoughts trailed off, not knowing exactly what she'd do.
She shook her head as if she could dispel her thoughts of the brunette. Your business partner's daughter, Aubrey? Really?
She shuffled some papers in front of her and attempted to focus on her work - but she kept picturing Stacie sitting on her desk, her impossibly long legs dangling right next to her. She wanted to touch them - feel how smooth they are. Aubrey touched her hand to her cheek and felt how hot it was, and it wasn't until then that she realized she was trembling.
Aubrey was pulled out of her thoughts by a flash of red hair barging into her office. Chloe is another one of those people who doesn't ever knock.
"Steven wants to see you right now. He says he has big news - he tried to call.."
Aubrey glanced at the phone on her desk and noticed the 'do not disturb' button was highlighted. Stacie. She almost wanted to laugh. That girl was sneaky.
Aubrey followed Chloe to Steven's office.
"You will never believe who I just signed on as a client," Steven said, the excitement in his voice telling Aubrey that it must be big - she'd never heard him this excited. He was pacing back and forth like he just couldn't keep still.
"Who?"
"Stryker."
Aubrey froze. "What? You can't be serious.."
"More than serious - here's their contract." Aubrey grabbed the papers from him, trying to keep her hands from shaking but failing miserably.
"Oh my god," Aubrey breathed out, her mouth falling open. "Oh my god." She didn't trust herself to react.
"What or who is Stryker?" Chloe asked, confused by Aubrey's response.
"It's a medical technology and supply company," Steven replied.
"O..kay..?" Chloe trailed.
"It's a Fortune 500 company. Their sales total close to $9 billion per year and they have over 22,000 employees all over the world." Aubrey said, the shock still apparent in her voice.
"Oh my god," Chloe said, finally getting it. "This is huge, Bree!" She squealed, jumping up to give Aubrey a big hug. Aubrey finally seemed to move on from shock and into excitement, a huge smile taking over her face as she hugged Chloe back. Finally she stepped aside for a second, needing a moment to think and take it all in.
This is what she has been waiting for - a huge break. Her company could do business with Stryker alone and still be more than successful. Having them on their list of clients would pull in tons of companies. Aubrey closed her eyes, unable to keep the smile off her face. When she opened them again, she saw Stacie in the opposite corner of the room, watching her - an unreadable expression on her face.
Stacie had snuck in the room when Chloe ran to get Aubrey, not wanting to miss out on whatever the excitement was. She watched the huge grin transform Aubrey's face and it caused her breath to hitch. She didn't know Aubrey at all but she could tell those smiles weren't given out frequently. Stacie wanted to see it again and again. She couldn't take her eyes off the blonde. Stacie felt this weird desire to be the person Aubrey ran to with exciting news like this. She wondered if Aubrey had a person she runs to now - the thought made her frown. She saw Aubrey notice her from across the room and it sent her pulse racing.
It was Friday night and Aubrey was making her way back to the office. She and Steven decided to reward their employees with a last minute party to celebrate their new client and all the hard work everyone put in daily. They spared no expense - catering the event and hiring a bartender and a DJ. Everyone could bring a guest and they hired a car service so all employees were given the option to be driven to and from the party - no one had to worry about not drinking, and Aubrey didn't have to worry about anyone drinking and driving.
Everyone seemed excited for the party and Aubrey couldn't help but get drawn into that excitement. She had gone home and showered, put on a bit more makeup than usual, and slipped into a little black dress that gripped her curves in all the right places. She called for the car service - she wasn't planning on drinking a lot but she'd rather not have her car stuck at work if she did.
Stacie was also making her way to the party - she felt silly going to a party for a company she didn't even really work for and hadn't been at long, but everyone insisted she come and she didn't want to miss a chance to see if Aubrey let loose a little. She was slightly worried about whether Aubrey had someone to bring to the party though. She didn't think she could bear it if Aubrey was seeing someone.
The party was well underway when Aubrey found herself searching the crowd of people. She craned her neck to see around a big group - but she had no success in locating the person she wanted to find.
"Who are you looking for?" Chloe asked, coming from behind and startling Aubrey.
"Oh! There you are."
Chloe narrowed her eyes slightly, not buying it, but she let it go. "Wow, Bree. You look amazing!" Chloe looked her up and down.
Aubrey blushed. "Thanks Chlo. You do too."
She spotted Steven across the room and before she could think about what she was doing, she excused herself from Chloe and headed for him. She hadn't quite reached him when she stopped dead in her tracks as she watched Stacie enter the room. Aubrey was pretty sure her mouth actually dropped open for a second.
Stacie was wearing a white, strapless dress that stopped above her knees; the skirt was wide but the waist was tighter than tight, and the cut at her cleavage went below her breasts. Aubrey forgot how to breathe. She was slowly moving her eyes from Stacie's heels up the rest of her body. When she finally reached Stacie's face, she saw the brunette's eyes were already on the her.
Stacie smirked before she took her turn slowly looking the blonde over. She had never felt so incredibly attracted to anyone before - it was driving her insane. She started walking towards Aubrey, eyes locked on hers. She could sense Aubrey getting more nervous the closer she got and it made her smile.
Stacie got to Aubrey and the blonde felt her stomach flip as the brunette put her hand on the small of Aubrey's back while leaning in and cupping her other hand to Aubrey's ear.
"You look so hot," Stacie murmured into her ear.
Aubrey felt her resolve crumbling, if you could even call it resolve. She wanted to lean in and find out what this girl tastes like. Her face was on fire, whether from the comment or her own thoughts, she wasn't sure. She knew she should find a way to quickly put the brunette in her place and end this at once - but the truth was that she didn't really want to, and maybe that was the bigger problem.
"You have to stop," Aubrey struggled to say, a half-hearted attempt to keep some professionalism. Seconds later, though, her eyes moved to Stacie's lips and she unconsciously bit down on her own. Stacie almost whimpered out loud. Aubrey turned to leave but Stacie lightly grabbed her wrist.
"Say it again and I will." Aubrey looked at her with questioning eyes. "Tell me to stop like you mean it, and I'll stop for good." The intensity in Stacie's eyes caused Aubrey's stomach to clench. She took a deep breath but said nothing as she turned and walked away.
Stacie watched Aubrey walk to the makeshift bar and order a drink. As soon as Aubrey left, she approached the bar and asked the bartender what the blonde had just ordered. She was going to make sure Aubrey's drink was never empty for the rest of the night. She got herself a couple shots to speed up the process before she ordered her own drink.
It didn't take long for Aubrey to feel buzzed - she rarely drinks. She made her way to a table where Chloe and a few other people were sitting and joined their conversation. Minutes later, Stacie sat in the empty chair next to her and silently handed her another drink.
Stacie started having her own conversation with an IT guy on the other side of the table. Aubrey glanced over to see that he was clearly checking Stacie out and her eyes immediately narrowed. She didn't like how this guy was looking at the brunette but after a moment, she had to remind herself that it wasn't really any of her business. She turned her head away and tried to ignore it.
She was attempting to listen to something Chloe was saying when a sudden hand on her thigh caused her to inhale sharply. She glanced quickly at Stacie but the brunette was still in conversation with the opposite side of the table, her head turned slightly away from Aubrey. Her breath hitched again when she felt Stacie's thumb stroke her outer thigh. She should really put a stop to this, she thought again - but it felt so good.
Aubrey tried to listen to Chloe talking but she couldn't concentrate on anything the redhead was saying. Luckily, Chloe had a bigger audience than just Aubrey so her lack of listening went unnoticed. After a couple minutes, Aubrey couldn't take the feeling of Stacie's touch anymore - she stood abruptly and excused herself from the table.
She got into the bathroom and placed her hands on the sink. Leaning over slightly, she closed her eyes and started taking deep breaths. She straightened when she heard the door open and she wasn't all that surprised to find the mirror reflecting Stacie behind her. Aubrey turned and made a weak attempt to walk by Stacie and out the door but the brunette stopped her, placing Aubrey between herself and the wall.
Stacie closed the distance between them and Aubrey backed up until she was against the wall. Stacie put her hands on the flat surface next to Aubrey's head. She watched Aubrey's eyes nervously move back and forth from her mouth to her eyes. She leaned down until their lips were barely apart.
Aubrey felt her heart hammering loudly and she thought it might burst through her chest. Stacie's mouth was so close to her own that if Aubrey licked her lips, she's sure her tongue would hit the brunette's too.
"I'm not going to kiss you." The brunette's voice was huskier than Aubrey's ever heard it before. "I want you to kiss me-" Stacie's eyes shifted to Aubrey's lips for a second. "-so I can be certain you want me as much as I want you."
Aubrey could see the lust in the Stacie's eyes. She closed her own and took in a shaky breath.
Stacie shifted so her mouth was close enough to Aubrey's ear that the blonde could feel the tickling of her breath. "And I do want you."
Before Aubrey could process anything that just happened, Stacie pushed herself off the wall and walked out of the bathroom door.
The next time Aubrey saw Stacie, it was 30 seconds before the Monday meeting was to begin. Aubrey watched the brunette walk in and take a seat at the opposite end of the long conference table without even looking up to glance at Aubrey. Stacie began talking to that same IT guy from the night of the party and Aubrey felt her stomach churn and her jaw set.
When Aubrey called the meeting to order, Stacie's eyes finally turned to her. The brunette lifted her eyebrows slightly when their eyes met but instead of the cocky smirk Aubrey was expecting, she just smiled softly - it made Aubrey's heart flutter.
The next few days went by in a blur and Aubrey barely even caught a glance of Stacie around the office. Every time she had so much as a spare second, though, her thoughts turned to the brunette. If it was Stacie's plan to drive her crazy by not being around, it was working. Aubrey went back and forth on the issue a thousand times and she decided that no matter how attracted she thinks she is to the brunette, nothing can happen between them. If Stacie was putting the ball in her court, that's where it would stay.
But that didn't mean she couldn't think about her - not that she really had an option because that's where her mind automatically went constantly. In an attempt to curb her thoughts, she worked on the huge pile of paper at her desk without giving herself a break. Her eyes would flicker to the door every once in awhile, secretly hoping that she'd look up and Stacie would be there.
Aubrey made her way to the room in the building where they kept all the information on all of their clients, needing to pull something from a file. When she got there, the door was already slightly open and she noticed that on the other side of some shelves, she could see Stacie working on something. The brunette was mostly hidden from view but Aubrey could hear her half humming, half singing a song. She paused to listen and smiled to herself when she realized Stacie was singing If You Leave Me Now by Chicago.
It seemed so out of character that she would be softly singing that song but what struck Aubrey the most was how beautiful Stacie's voice was. She was by herself, not trying to impress anyone, switching between humming and singing, and still effortlessly hitting all the notes. If Aubrey was a little more like Stacie, maybe she'd make her presence known and kiss the brunette right there, god knows she wanted to - but Aubrey was Aubrey, not Stacie, and she still felt it would be too inappropriate. She slowly backed out of the door, leaving before Stacie had the chance to catch her.
The downside to landing a huge new client was how much work went into making sure the company was ready to fulfill their needs. Aubrey needed to almost double her current employees, which meant finding space for all the new workers. She was swamped and already making it a habit to not leave work until late at night. She didn't mind - this was an exciting time for her and there was something peaceful about working while the building was empty.
That's where she found herself late Thursday night - in the office of her empty building, trying to finalize a new budget to cover all the changes. The building was silent so she practically had a heart attack when she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat at the entrance to her office. She was certain she would have heard someone come in.
Her head whipped up and she found Stacie leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. Aubrey's pulse immediately started racing and she stood up, not wanting Stacie to have such a big height advantage if she decided to move closer.
Stacie straightened and walked further into the office, her short sundress swishing with each step. Aubrey's eyes trailed down to her legs before she could help herself - she shot her eyes back up to Stacie's face, her cheeks coloring slightly. Stacie walked right up her and leaned in so close Aubrey was sure the brunette was going to kiss her - but instead she slid up onto Aubrey's desk, tilting her head to the side and giving the blonde a smile.
"You're here late," Stacie said softly. Aubrey wrapped her arms around her body as she stood in front of the younger girl - trying to keep her hands from reaching out and touching her.
"You are too."
Stacie nodded. "I saw your car still here."
Aubrey took a step towards the brunette, like being drawn closer without even realizing. Stacie separated her legs so Aubrey's frame could fit between them. Aubrey didn't seem fully aware of just how close she was so Stacie didn't make a sound, afraid to break the spell. She watched Aubrey's eyes flicker to her lips - and it sent her pulse racing. For as cocky as Stacie pretends to be, liking Aubrey was the first real time she was actually afraid of not getting what she wants.
Stacie couldn't take it any more - she wanted to make some contact with blonde. She settled for reaching up and tucking a piece of Aubrey's hair behind her ear.
"You shouldn't stay here so late," Stacie murmured, the tips of fingers trailing down Aubrey's neck. She felt the blonde shiver.
And then Aubrey's hand was on the back of her neck, pulling the brunette's head forward - pausing for only a second right before their lips connected. The kiss was soft and tentative at first - Aubrey's fingers played with the wisps of hair at the base of Stacie's neck.
Aubrey pulled back slightly, looking at Stacie's eyes, before grazing her lips softly across Stacie's, making the brunette whimper. Aubrey's tongue reached out to run across Stacie's lips - everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Stacie reveled in this sweet moment for a second before she opened her mouth and deepened the kiss, speeding things up.
Aubrey lightly moaned into Stacie's mouth and the brunette felt heat surge through her. She took Aubrey's bottom lip between her teeth. Aubrey's lips were still on Stacie's when she spoke, panting slightly. "We shouldn't be doing this." Neither made any move to stop.
"But you taste so good," Stacie mumbled into Aubrey's neck, finding a sensitive spot and making Aubrey gasp.
Aubrey cupped Stacie's face and captured her lips forcibly. "So do you." As if to prove it, Aubrey licked her way down Stacie's neck, returning upwards to suck on her pulsepoint. Stacie groaned and grabbed Aubrey's hips, trying to pull her as close as possible.
Aubrey's hands drifted down to Stacie's bare legs. Suddenly the brunette's hands were on Aubrey's, sliding them up Stacie's legs, under her dress. Aubrey broke from the kiss, panting and letting her forehead rest on Stacie's.
"We seriously shouldn't," Aubrey breathed, slightly shaking her head. She didn't even let Stacie respond before she crashed their lips together again. Stacie ran her hands up Aubrey's sides, grazing the sides of Aubrey's boobs with her thumbs. Aubrey moaned but pulled away from Stacie so quickly that the brunette almost fell off the desk. Aubrey brought her hand up to her swollen lips, shaking slightly.
"Aubrey.." Stacie said, just a slight hint of pleading in her voice.
"No." Aubrey waved her hand. "Don't do that." Her voice was shaking. "I - I've got to go," she said, grabbing her purse and rushing for the door.
Stacie scrambled off the desk. "Aubrey!" she called after the blonde, but Aubrey was already gone.