Title: A SOPHISTICATED SEDUCTION
Pairing: Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Genre: Romance/Humor
Type: AU
Challenge: THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED. Had to get it down. Had to let it out. Let it go. Because I know most of you can relate. We all had that one boss who was so gorgeous, she made you fall to your knees.
xxx
Excerpt:
"Come," I said, meeting her eyes with a cool expression, "what's the worst that could happen? They could be slightly annoying but they're intelligent company so -"
"I don't care about them," Regina said, her voice taking on that throaty level again. "Intelligent conversation is quite entertaining but can become severely boring. But not of importance at the moment."
I stared back at her and blinked.
"Okay, well you're good to go then. There's the view and everything else. So -"
"Emma," she never looked away, and my heart melted, "I just want to be with you."
I think I died for a full minute.
Xxx
You know, most times people expect the handsome guy who sits neatly in the office chair outside to fall for the sexy CEO. The power in the suit sitting in the big leather chair with one of those expansive oak desks. A skyline that you can simply become lost in.
He's sitting there, eyes sweeping over her office as she moves within like a sleek leopard in her furry coat. And just when that phone rings on his desk, the ID signaling it's her, all hands become shaky. He prepares himself to hear that husky voice. A voice that can literally make love to someone over the phone. She could ask him to do anything, even polish her shoes, those killer heels and he'd bend down like a fool and kiss each one after wiping that cloth over those stilettos.
That was me.
I wasn't a guy, duh, but the wide eyed blonde with the high ponytail, huge glasses and uncomfortable suits: that was me, the not so preppy, just midway in college. And here I was, working to earn my own money because I was that independent.
I liked being like this, by myself.
I began working for the Dazzle Fashion Magazine's head office close to six months ago on an internship. Still in university, already on my second year, there was a desperate need for cash because your parents can only give you so much. And to have them pay for my tuition plus the buying of handouts, well it made me feel as if I was really squeezing their pockets unnecessarily. I mean, they had already paid to send me here so that I could study. Then the need to work my way up on my own, which was all I wanted.
So what did I do? I applied for the open position as the CEO's Assistant Secretary. That means that I was working for her Secretary whose job was the worst ever because she never used her chair…ever.
Ruby never sat down for longer than two minutes because as soon as she did, the telephone rang. A fax came in. She had to run out in traffic to fetch some envelope that contained confidential documents or she had to pee. Me, I just mostly answered the phone, scanning stuff, passing around memos that Miss Mills sent in.
I mean, I was aware of the fact that the boss' name was Regina. But we never called her by her first name in the office because it was like way out of line. Everyone, every single employee, close to one hundred of us were scared shitless when we heard that she was coming in for the day.
I don't know how, but ever since I started working there, there was only one time when I caught a glimpse of her. And that was around December last year when they were wrapping gifts, decorating the office, hanging up decorations. I remembered getting up to use the washroom and when I returned, bending behind my desk to fix my shoes, I heard the sound of heels moving past me. Believing it to be just Ruby, of course I didn't really lift my head to check to see whoever it was. But upon sitting up fully, there she was, well, walking. I managed to catch the back of choppy black hair and a killer suit.
That's it, really.
First day on the job, I fucked up big time. Given a simple task to photocopy a memo and pass it around. How bad could that go really? That led to me spilling Coke on the paper and the entire top floor received a smudged document with my hand print on it. Escaping into the washroom that day, I cried because I was nervous as hell. And after shaking for a good half hour in a shiny tiled stall, I dried my eyes and attacked the rest of the day with a vengeance. It would be beneficial to note that I selectively bought one of these cups that you screw close tightly, even when tipped over, not a drop escapes. And that cup became my pride and joy up to this day.
It would be alright to say that six months into the job, I never met her in person. She'd call every single day and Ruby would pick up because that was her job, sitting next to the mainline and pulling the majority of the workload. And I kept wondering if I was really needed to begin with. All I did was photocopy documents and race the rush hour to get in front the line so that I could snatch coffee.
Her office was always empty, the grand oak desk with the large chair behind it like that for days. Everything remained untouched on her desk, and most times when I went in there to turn on her A.C, the flashing red light on her answering machine kept catching my attention.
She was literally a neat freak.
I could seriously count five stacks of documents upon the surface of her desk. No turned up edges. No creased paper. Just five neat piles that edged my nerves. If you think that's all of it, then there's the lineup of pens. Blue, Black, Green and Red. Two red pencils, and a red crayon. What the hell the red crayon was for, I had no idea. But word had it that she blatantly used her leisure time to draw stick photos of us and laugh maniacally. Maybe it was true.
Her coffee colored bookcase was stacked with copies of brochures and magazines, a first edition of everything ranging from Oprah Winfrey to Stephen King. Not a speck of dust could be sought out. Not a smudge anywhere. Her red leather chair smelt like White Diamond and the plug in air freshener was scented apples.
She was known to be a bitch as noted by Ruby. The woman who fired her employees on the spot without remorse. Sending them out the door, most of the poor people erupting into tears just next to my desk. But the funny thing was, I had never really seen the woman fully. She was never inside the office but apparently showed up after hours. Working from the headquarters in Los Angeles, the boss spoke to everyone through conference calls. I was probably unlucky enough to never really cast eyes upon her. Or maybe it was for a reason.
One night I stayed in late.
It was Friday night and Neal, this guy I had met in my Business Policy class asked me to meet him at this new club on Forty Ninth Street. I never liked clubs, and most of my teenage years were spent anywhere else but in that social choice of setting. I preferred the library and this place right on Forty Ninth that had a rooftop view, my kind of place where I frequented every weekend to find some tranquility.
So there I was sitting at my desk waiting on his call, eyes glancing every once and awhile at my mobile resting on a stack of papers on the desk. I was slipping on knee high leather boots, zipping up the right side when the low ring of the telephone in front of me jolted my senses awake. Springing up in fright, eyes wide, I glanced around wildly before realizing that it the just the phone, not the alarm, not a bomb ticking to destruction.
But it was late. What the hell…
Anyway, five rings filled the silence around me and after it ceased, just the dull roar of the traffic on the streets below returned to my ears. There was the honking of a horn as someone probably grew impatient and the humming of the A.C unit. Nothing else stirred inside the large expansive office with the cubicles all around. And I sat there, staring around wildly with my heart racing as I suddenly anticipated the place being burglarized with me inside. Oh sure guards were all around, burly ones with beefy arms and loaded weapons. But still…
I was never really a lucky girl.
Looking back on it now, it was so funny to begin with, how it all happened. One minute I was checking my nails, frowning at chipped gold nail polish. And then the phone rang again. I snatched it up fast, eyes bulging as my throat became parched.
"Hello, you're on to the Dazzle Fashion Magazine's Head Office. Emma speaking, how may I help you?"
There was silence for a few seconds. Breathing. Definitely someone there. "Regina speaking…" I stopped breathing when I heard that name. I knew that name.
"Hello, Miss Mills", I said nervously as I already could feel my hand shaking, "how can I help you?"
"I have a dilemma." She wasted no time. "Retrieve a number for me. Andrew Hastings."
"Andrew Hastings", I said in a shaky voice, and then my senses caught up with me. Grabbing for the large phone book on Ruby's desk, I nervously flipped through it, my eyes wide. "Um, the number is…" and I gave it to her, repeating it when I was finished. "The person also has a mobile."
"Well obviously I'll need that as well."
I gave her that and repeated it.
"You sound nervous, Emma", she said, her husky voice filling my ear.
"I…well…" I shrugged without realizing no one could see me.
"Don't be…" and she sniffed. I was a very observant person, and from the time she did that, I realized that if she wasn't down with the cold then there was one other alternative.
She was either tired, had been crying or was seriously coming down with the cold.
"I'm trying not to", I said and half laughed. The same reaction wasn't returned.
There was a long silence but I knew she was still on the line so I held my end up, waiting. Still shaking, my knees weak, I cradled the phone between my ear and shoulder then wiped my sweaty palms on my pants.
"Alright, I'm trying his cell but the fool's not picking up", she said and I realized what her silence meant now. Stupid me had other thoughts as the time had passed. "I'll see you tomorrow, Emma."
"Are you…" my eyes were wide, "are you coming in tomorrow?"
"Yes", she said. "I'm at the airport. Andrew is my driver and he's…well…" there was silence and she sighed, "he's not here. I've been waiting for five minutes."
Five minutes wasn't that long but she said it as if it was like forever. Anyway, typical boss fidgeting: they hated to wait. The airport was just half an hour away and Neal hadn't called yet. Maybe I could ask her.
"Do you want me to come pick you up?" I asked bravely, "maybe he's caught up in rush hour traffic somewhere."
"It's okay, dear", she said calmly, "I wouldn't want to intrude. I'll wait."
"No, it's okay. I can come get you."
Silence again.
"Fine, fuck Andrew. Drive safely but quickly because I hate waiting and…" I snatched my keys, then picked up my red leather bag, "be careful."
"If anyone tries to attack, take off your shoe and beat them with it", I said quickly.
"I'm wearing boots…"
Epic fail moment.
I swallowed. "Leaving now."
"Okay." And I returned the phone back on the cradle.
I rushed through the traffic, driving fast but safely as she had told me, cutting through lanes and beating the light by seconds. My foot was resting snugly on the accelerator, eyes were focused and mind alert as I tried not to hit anyone. My yellow bug was all I had, and dad would kill me if I managed to wreck it before graduating.
The boss…
She was here, and I was actually on my way to pick her up from the airport. I suddenly realized that fuck…I had no idea how she looked. From her voice I pictured a woman in her fifties, probably graying already, not fully. Choppy black hair. Yeah I remembered that back view. Slightly shorter than me. Honey colored skin, because I had seen a slice of skin beneath her right ear that day. And she was probably wearing a suit of some kind, always on her cellphone like most bosses. They always were glued to their mobiles. Then she'd be wearing those boots. Whatever kind of boots they were, they were boots. And I'd find her.
I beat the thirty minute drive, arriving in twenty minutes. Parking the car as close as I could to the entrance and exit, the sliding automatic doors, my eyes scanned the sea of faces. Geez, this was going to be something. I decided to get out and search for her. I walked down the gravel pavement, making my way through people and towards the sliding doors. A woman dressed to weaken knees, standing there with a right boot lifted up to rest on the wall behind, she raised her dark eyes to meet mine. And something passed between us.
With a small smile upturning her red painted lips, she scrutinized me slowly as I slowed my pace, knees suddenly growing weak.
For the first time in my life, I believed that it had happened.
Most people always talk about love at first sight, as if you can lock eyes with a person and know in that moment that there's a connection between the two of you. For just a few seconds I felt a pull between us. And I smiled shyly, moving past where she stood to enter the terminal. I believed shaking my head in amazement didn't work for me. It was like boom, I was into women and men, never had a situation before when a woman did that to me and now it had happened.
I was close to twenty three, had some dry years behind me with short flirts, none with a woman before and the moment actually happened. But should I have like, stopped and done something about it? Nah, I figured not. So I stood there looking around and saw no one. For like five minutes my mind was lost in confusion and I kept looking around everywhere but there was no Regina looking person around, no boss like figure. Fuck, I didn't even know what to expect!
My boots padded softly on the tiles as I exited the main doors again and stood there glancing around, eyes bewildered. From the moment I inhaled, trying to calm myself, I felt her eyes on me. And I knew without second guessing it this time that she had been there all along. Above the grinding of gravel under tires as the vehicles arrived to pick up, the screeching of the planes taking off and landing, I laughed inwardly.
"Emma…?" a hoarse voice that literally melted my knees. Woah!
I turned around slowly, palms pressed on my pants front as our eyes met and she was smiling. Well maybe she wasn't but her face was seriously gorgeous enough to be graced with a smile.
My eyes met her knee high brown leather boots, the kind that had small buckles at the sides. And her million dollar dress suit, red with a long sleeved black jacket. Wearing red lipstick to match that outfit, her eyes were defined by black eyeliner, diamond earrings sparkling from either earlobe. And her hair was just a part of her beauty. She was so beautiful, probably the most beautiful woman I had ever seen with her smoky eye shadow and blush, honey colored skin and that incredibly slim figure.
Maybe I turned back to a sixteen year old wide eyed boy in that moment as my eyes swept over her. And then I caught myself, snapping back into focus, I hurried forward, heart racing.
"I'm Emma…" I said in a nervous voice.
"Twenty minutes", she said, lifting a hand gracefully to slide the sleeve of her jacket upwards, checking an expensive watch. Then her eyes met mine, "you made it before time."
"I did", and I felt pride swell my head.
A man obviously a taxi driver tried to hassle the boss for the need of a fare. Immediately I watched the change in Regina as she glared back and tugged her bag out of his grip.
"Touch my luggage one more time and I will rip your arm off." Brown eyes remained so fiery, I literally burnt up inside by looking at her. So did the man. Immediately her bag was released and she scoffed. "New York is such a chaotic arena filled with imbeciles who have no respect."
The man stepped back and swallowed hard. "Look, lady I was just trying to get my job done here, so -"
"Have you not removed yourself as yet?" eyebrows were raised. "Must I kick you between your legs to flip on the GO AWAY switch?"
I snorted.
"Bitch," he muttered and turned away.
A wary glance was cast his way. "Is your car in one piece?" she asked, her eyes still on me.
"Yeah, it is."
"Impressive." Her eyes swept over me from my hair all the way down to my boots and I felt conscious of my appearance. Those same brown eyes lingered on my lips and I stopped breathing.
She waited, still staring at me.
"Shit…right", and I made a move, helping her with the other bag on the ground as I snatched it up into my arms. Glad that my hair was tied up in a ponytail, I felt my glasses move just a little down my nose and tried to scrunch up my face to keep in place. It remained intact until we got to my car.
Regina stood watching me from behind as I unlocked the door, then pulling open the back door, I reached in to rest the bag on the back seat. Turning around, I caught the same eye roam thing again on me. I smiled inwardly because I liked it. Stepping towards her, I gestured to the other bag and she nodded quickly, wheeling it to the front. When I reached out to take the handle, our fingers brushed and I felt it. She did too but she wasn't quick enough to hide it because I saw her chest heave. The flutter of her eyelashes as she blinked at me. Something stirred within, like deep down.
Shit…I thought internally, not the boss, not the boss. Don't do this Emma.
Anyway, I thought she would have had objections to my car. I kept the insides clean, because recently I had become a neat freak ever since I started to work for her firm. Things had to be kept in order for me to focus, like the coins remained in the small pocket draw under the A.C controls, just so I could reach in there in the mornings to get direct change when buying coffee. The mat that her boots were resting on now as we drove, those were rubber and since it was the rainy season in New York, well, I had to keep those clean as well.
Most of my life I had been a messy girl, but everyone needs a wakeup call.
We drove in silence. And I found it hard to keep my eyes on the road ahead especially with her sitting beside me so close. With one elbow resting on the car door, she held her face on the palm of her hand as brown eyes gazed into the fiery lights of the traffic. God, did she know how beautiful she was? Even her perfume was so intoxicating, so distracting and choking me. I had crushes before, small crushes but never one so instantaneously, and so strong. She had this impact on me and it was tremendous.
To be honest, I remember once there was a brief crush on a teacher. But it was kind of like one of the weirdest crushes of all crushes because the woman was a nerd. Glasses as thick as the cover of a hard copy of Harry Potter. Well...thicker. But you get the idea. And these sexy plaid shirts and remained tucked inside tailored pants. She came across as gay. So I spent most of my Accounts classes staring at a curvy behind instead of the paying attention to the numbers.
"So, I've been working for you for six months now and never have I seen you before", I said, small move to make conversation. "You're the boss. I get that you're busy. But you're hardly in."
"I've been in Las Vegas, Emma", she said in her husky voice, gaze directed out the window.
"Wow, Vegas…" and I inhaled deeply. "I bet that's something."
"Well, traveling there to legalize my divorce from my husband that's…something."
I turned to glance at her, "I'm sorry." So she was married. Now she was divorced. Heartbroken or happy to be free again?
Why Emma? Oh why are you jumping to conclusions here?
"By tomorrow, my face will be on Extra and whatever else announcing my fucked up life. Married to a thief. God only knows how I would like to set fire to his expensive suits and all his cars. The amount of times Robin has cheated, the media has labeled me a fool for sticking around."
I didn't know what to say in return so I kept my mouth shut whilst I accelerated on the green light. To be honest, I had a feeling that she was famous, because Dazzle was one of the hottest fashion magazines in the world. But the CEO of the place, the woman who ran the whole set up, yeah Emma, of course she'd be bait for the paparazzi. But this Robin guy. Suddenly I wanted to find him and have my fist pay a visit to his jaw, several times.
"Look, just ignore them. Don't worry about them at all."
"It's not me I'm worried about", she said quietly, eyes still outside the window. I turned to look at her. "It's my daughter and son."
I was intrigued. Even more appealing to me. Yeah, come on. Maturity? That's quite my thing really because I love older men and women who're experienced. "You're a mom. That's so nice. I wanna be a mom someday."
"You will be. My eldest…" and she sighed, splaying the fingers of a well-manicured right hand before her warily, "his name's Chad, twenty six. He's a Marine, already served four years in. Most days he's away and I can cope with that. Kay on the other hand, she's twenty two, in university, fourth year. And well…she's your Jane Austen type of girl, simple, shy, lost in the books."
"I was like that last year", I pointed out. "Then I realized that in order to survive in New York on my own, away from my parents, I'd have to be braver, you know…" I turned the wheel, swinging a corner, "bolder to get what I want, to get people to listen."
"I like that", she said looking at me. "I was a nerd in high school. But then my husband happened to me."
We were spilling our stories, stuff about our life just like that. She was a stranger, but she was my boss and I couldn't believe how comfortable I felt with her there although we had just met for the first time, well in person. I wondered why she told me what she did, how she could just open up like that. And I got my answer right after.
"I never speak to the people who work for me like this, Emma", she said. I turned to look at her then when our eyes met, she almost drowned me.
"It's really okay," I shrugged.
"You probably already painted me as sophisticated bitch."
Recollections of her yelling at employees and throwing stacks of paper at them, all spoken by Ruby came to mind. Pitching her coffee mug at the wall and telling Bill, the Vice President to sack his shitty excuse for a secretary. Having us answer the phone and she waited silently. Then when we replied with 'hello' only, Miss Mills would blatantly ask what the hell happened to our manners. Yeah. She wasn't that bad.
"Nah," I lied.
Growling at Ruby through the phone and demanding that she switch flights immediately. Flinging magazine artwork across tables as the graphics designer scattered to gather them up. Pitching her mink coats upon Ruby's desk with a smirk.
"So what's happening, boss?" I was always bold enough to speak that way. And just as a way of showing her that no, I wasn't affected or intimidated.
The reaction was glorious. She focused on me and probably hacked into my brain for a couple of seconds. Trying to determine how the hell I could talk to her like that. Apparently I passed some test.
"Just before my flight tonight, I realized that I've bottled everything up inside for quite some time. There I was sitting on the plane all by myself. With no one to talk to. No one to call. No one to cheer me on after a painful divorce. And then I called, you answered. And...You're the first person I encountered after that epiphany."
I swallowed. Smiled. Drove on. "Most people use me as a diary. I absorb all the stories, but whatever is said between you and me outside of work, well everything stays between us."
"Thank you."
We remained silent until my phone rang. It was Neal, asking where the hell I was. I told him duty called whilst brown eyes fixated on me. And then after promising that we'd meet up in like ten minutes, the call ended.
"I know you hate men right now," I made the mistake of suggesting, "but I've got a couple guy friends who still give me faith in the male species."
"You hang out with...men." She said it as if I had a disease.
"Coolest dudes on the planet, trust me." I smiled.
"Men are senseless idiots," Regina sassed, "overgrown babies who eventually crave sex and nothing else."
I swallowed hard. I almost choked whilst swallowing and I ended up laughing, not too loud but enough to catch her attention. "Geez," I said.
"Take it from me, dear. Don't waste your time with them."
"You sound like you're an expert."
"I am. In my career I've dealt with enough jackasses who wear expensive suits to cover up their arrogance," fists clenched, she glared ahead. "Walking into a room full of pigs who undress me and seal deals for the mere pleasure of it."
"They still seal the deals."
"Most of them intend to sleep with me but I shut them down."
"Any guy who doesn't want to sleep with you is either gay or stupid." I said it. I said it and I regretted it because she remained silent.
She sat there with that intense stare upon my right cheek. I kept thinking to myself, does she have this effect on everyone? Or is it just me? Because inside the car was becoming seriously overheated. My temples were damp, hands sweaty. And my boss wouldn't stop looking at me.
It reached a point where I couldn't speak. Yeah, there were things that could have been said. Like, hey, what's your job like? I was genuinely curious where she traveled, what her day seemed like. I wanted to ask about stuff pertaining to the magazine. What brand of clothes she liked wearing, who did her hair. Those sort of things. But with that prolonged scrutiny, I closed up. My cheeks grew warmer and warmer.
We held that gaze.
I held it like my life depended on that gaze.
Without a blink, her chest heaved and I turned away, swallowing hard.
"One six five. Four Four," she said hoarsely, "two three nine five."
I frowned because those digits sounded familiar. "What's that? A code or something?" my throat was closing up because she would not stop looking at me.
"Your social security number," Regina reminded me. I stopped breathing.
"How did you..."
"Whilst waiting on you at the airport, I might have done some digging..."
I turned to consider her smirk. Really now? So what else did she find? "Go on then..."
"Well it appears as if you're a good girl. A 3.4 Grade Point Average. Business and Management Studies. Excellent."
The woman wasn't even using her phone or anything and she was remembering these facts about me like a script. It was pretty scary. Sitting there, listening to my boss state these things like every day talk. Like commenting about the weather. How the heck did she know about my GPA?
"I hired you," she wouldn't give up. "On May 19th, personally after delving through 50 applicants."
I swallowed again. Fifty? She personally chose me? Oh wow. I'm Harry Potter now. "What made you choose me?"
"Honestly?" her gaze was directed out the window now. Thank goodness or else she would have seen my face turn pink. "I took one look at your picture and gave in."
She...GAVE...in.
"I'm...flattered," was all I could manage. Seriously though, no one, in my entire life, had ever been that bold with me. Regina was impressively firm on her statements and never choosing to conceal anything.
"Well you should be," she said softly, "I never choose my employees. But I chose you."
The CHOSEN one.
Her words had such an impact on me, I couldn't grip the steering wheel firmly. Sweaty palms and numb toes within boots that felt like coffins of cold air. Yet between my legs tingled because suddenly I was finding myself becoming entangled in a web of desire. The need to somehow gain more from the one person who signed my salary slips. Just a neat signature that never meant much until today. Today when I attached a face like that to a name which meant nothing at all before.
So we reached the office. I decided to be, well, responsible enough and head up with her just in case. The second she got out the car, Regina took my breath away when she did that Loreal hair flip. Like reaching up and brushing fingers through the silkiest hair I had ever seen, flipping it back like a pro. Retrieving her handbag from the backseat, she gestured for the guard in front of the building to watch the car with eagle eyes. Of course her luggage remained in there, so he had no choice. We're talking about the boss here.
Now as we're inside the building, and we step up to the elevator, both of us reach out to press the UP button. Again the brush of fingers tingled my insides enough to spark a fire. Without looking back, her brown boots crossed the threshold and oh my goodness, we were in a closed off space. For one full minute as the elevator climbed to the tenth floor, I couldn't breathe. Standing next to her forced me to feel the energy radiating from the woman. Seriously, she was warming me up to an extent where I felt as if I'd faint! And that wasn't the worst part. The worst part happened when I was thrown a side way glance and our eyes met.
As the traffic hummed below on the streets, Regina opened her office and disappeared inside. For about a minute I stood outside and rethought my sexuality. At that point in time, there I was believing that a guy would do the job. That I'd get married, have kids and be the perfect mom, the fun mother who played video games and ate cereal without milk.
But after tonight, I was thinking, to hell with that concept. If I could literally be with a woman as powerful and sexy as my boss then why the hell would I need a man? I'm not saying that men aren't adequate because Neal was. He was comfy and passionate and cool and awesome. However, just imagining myself making love to Regina...
I almost collapsed on the carpet from that thought.
She came out as if reading my mind, but slowly. Apparently something was wrong because I was approached. Hips swaying, brown eyes remained on me and all the time I kept thinking, this is it Emma. She's going to break the ice and kiss me. She's going to do it. But stupid me didn't realize that there were like a hundred cameras focused on all corners of the floor and my boss would never ever attempt to seduce her Assistant Secretary in plain sight.
"Emma."
I swallowed. "Yeah, Miss Mills?"
This woman was like a walking sex machine. She literally oozed passion from those brown eyes that melted my insides.
"Have you finished my schedule for tomorrow?"
"I...did...finish it." My eyes moved to the desk Ruby and I shared. Walking to it, the drawer was pulled open and I retrieved the document. The hard part now was to approach her and hand it over.
It was done but with my definite stare focused on the meetings and whatever else she had planned for tomorrow.
ARIAL. 10. JUSTIFIED. SINGLE LINE SPACING. LISTING WITH THE CHECK MARKS. TIME IN 24 HOURS FORMAT.
That's how she preferred it. What a woman.
After giving everything a quick read through, Regina cleared her throat. To me it was the sexiest sound created by womankind.
"I'd like to move the meeting with Bookers Limited from 8:00 am to the empty slot after 3:00 pm. The old hag needs not to intrude on my morning." She studied the paper. Snatching a notepad, I made notes. Note to all of you, when you're in a position as myself, always and I repeat, always carry a notepad and pen around. "Move Betty Ingrid to 4:00 pm. She's such a pain in the ass to handle at lunchtime. I might get indigestion."
I smiled barely, eyes lowered.
"My doctor's appointment, move it to 4:30 pm."
In other words, she had changed the entire schedule. Fine by me. I'd have to get in here at 7:30 tomorrow to postpone Bookers. That meant if the night went well, I'd have to stay away from drinks and make sure I got up in time. No television. No reading. Just hanging out and straight to bed. Which wasn't that bad.
When she moved to my desk and lingered near it, I stood back and watched. It was almost as if she was checking for something but I couldn't ask. Fingers brushed over my stationery, the small pink cat with the bob head. My desk calendar was picked up and flipped through. Every page had a different Indian actress, from Aishwarya Rai to Madhuri Dixit. I felt entirely gay when a smirk crossed her lips. She fingered one of the pages and looked at me.
"Do you love when beautiful women stare at you, Emma?"
Wait, wow. I licked my lips. My spectacles was slipping down my nose. "Well when you put it that way, it sounds different."
"Different...how?" she returned the calendar and picked up my cucumber scented hand sanitizer lotion.
"I wouldn't put it that way..."
She flipped open the lid and upturned the bottle.
"It's just pretty faces on a page. For every month." How stupid did that one sound?
Squeezing some into the palm of her right hand, Regina returned the bottle gracefully. Eyes on me, she rubbed the lotion between fingers and smirked.
"So you're not...slightly...admiring them in your own time..."
"Maybe."
"I don't want my staff to be distracted from their work, so..." the calendar was taken up and flipped to the very first page. Watching me, she tossed it into the red plastic bin. "Oh don't worry." A pitiful look was given to me when I stared back in bewilderment. "I'll get my hands on a very nice one that has daily quotes and preferably flowers. Gets the mind inspired."
This...woman. Did she seriously just throw my calendar in the bin?
We gazed at each other and my cellphone rang. It was Neal. I answered it bitterly and he asked me to calm down before my entire tray of Oreo cookies were withheld. That had been promised by him because I passed a Managerial Economics exam. I ended the call.
"Is that the boyfriend then?"
"Just a friend. A close one. Nothing serious." I tried to appear single and had no idea if I was to be honest. Right about that moment I was. I really was single. "He wants us to hang out somewhere. An after work chill."
"Chugging down beers and partying in the clubs?" she seemed a bit sarcastic but maybe I was being delusional. "How grand."
"Not really, I'm not that type. This place isn't exactly a club. It's a nice hangout spot on a rooftop. And we just take a beer each and admire the view. Talk."
"Intelligent guys who make you keep the faith in the male species..."
"Yeah," I reached up, scratched under my ponytail. "He's cool."
"Play with what you know," she declared hoarsely, her gaze lingering on my chest, "it's much safer."
Did she just...
I stared with wide eyes at my boss and wondered if her words had just spoken the truth.
Something changed behind her eyes. She blinked fast, retrieved her keys from my desk and reached up to tuck dark hair behind an ear. After doing so, her footsteps led in my direction and I realized that it was time to leave. So much for saying something wrong that obviously killed the mood. Honestly, it always happened like that. I'd be in a good way and then they'd all turn around and leave. Which is why I was single and Neal wasn't even considered a boyfriend. Because he didn't want to get too close and I didn't want him to get close. And we stayed that way.
The ride down in the elevator was even worse than before because I got the feeling that something was seriously wrong. She didn't look at me. She stared at the doors and I felt like shit. All the time I kept thinking, what the hell did I do? Did she suddenly realize that we had overstepped our boundaries in the workplace enough? Was there a limit? And if so, would we just return to being nobodies to each other from tonight? Because I couldn't do it. I couldn't just come to work, see her and be treated in the most professional way. Not after being let in like this.
She got out onto the sidewalk, waited by the car and I unlocked the doors. I couldn't handle the tension. Pulling open the door for her, my throat was cleared.
"Hey, did I say something out of order?"
She shook her head immediately, dark hair fluttering in the wind. "No, dear. I'm quite fatigued. That's all."
"Job getting to you or what happened in Vegas?" I was fishing too hard.
"My entire life is a lie," she said as I pulled out into traffic, "except my job. Everything else is basically a facade."
"You're letting this guy get to you and you're not supposed to do that. Come on."
She sighed. "In more ways than one, Emma, this isn't about him alone." I looked at her. She looked away. "It's about me."
"I want to ask you to tell me more but I might come across as intrusive."
She gave me directions to her house which would obviously turn out to be a mansion. I realized that it wasn't far from where my apartment was. Possibly a block away. Who knew that my own boss was practically living less than a damn mile away for so long? Maybe I passed by her a couple of times without knowing.
"You're not being intrusive," she said as we pulled up in front of an apartment building. I counted close to thirty floors. "I like talking to you."
"And I like talking to you too," I smiled stiffly, unlocked the door for her.
Getting out, the bag with the wheels was lifted out from the back and I helped her take everything inside the lobby. From there, she allowed me to hold onto her luggage as the usual check in process was done. The man behind the desk addressed her as Regina. So obviously the familiarity had been held up for a long time from the looks of it.
"Where are your children now?" I was curious she gestured for me to follow her to the elevator.
"Both of them are in different cities. Chad is living in California and Kay is studying in Miami."
"So you're here alone?" my eyes widened.
She sighed, pressed the 15th floor button and as it lit up, I wondered if she was lonely. "I am alone, Emma."
"But that's not entirely nice."
"Sometimes people don't have a choice."
My throat ached from the hurt in her voice. "I bet you don't like being alone though..."
"At times it's rather alluring to have one's independence and freedom. Besides, I'm hardly here. Always traveling. There's no reason to remain here for longer periods. No one to come home to..."
"Someday there will be someone to come back to," I smiled but when she turned to look at me, and our eyes met, my knees grew weaker.
It wasn't because of just the look Regina gave me. But the fact that I was there, and I was struggling with these hints thrown at me. And I had no idea what to make of them. She was being so open, gazing at me. Letting me in, taking me up to her apartment. When we had just met. We had just met and there was this serious pull of attraction to her from my side. I kept wondering if she felt the same about me. But it was obviously too good to be true. A woman like her would never be with a woman like me for various reasons. One of which was my age and then my gender.
She didn't have an apartment.
That was an understatement.
Regina had a condo that covered half a floor.
The entire street line was glass paneled and she had this fireplace that you see in the movies with a glass case in front of it. Then there was the setting of the living room, red leather chairs and paintings around the walls. Paintings of various scenes ranging from forest views to lakeside settings. Her bookcase was massive and stocked. I counted forty shelves of obvious classics and bestsellers. But the best part of the entire space was her kitchen area. A red and black checkered tile counter that stretched from one corner to the next in a wide U. She had a small minibar that was well stocked. And black kitchen appliances. Her living space looked untouched.
Wheeling the bag into another room, I heard the slice of a zip.
Just imagine this woman's wardrobe.
"No, I do not want to confirm because he hasn't dished us the entire estimation sheet as yet."
I didn't want to listen but as the titles of books were admired, the hoarseness of her voice drew my attention.
"I need to reread the sheet, Robin."
Before we continue, I finally realize that maybe I might be the worst employee ever. But it suddenly dawned upon me that Robin Hood was also the joint owner of Dazzle Magazine. He ran the headquarters in Los Angeles whilst she was supposed to be positioned here in New York. So after this divorce now, it appeared as if they were at each other's throats.
"No you listen to me." I could hear the poison in her voice. "Tell that piece of shit, Roger that I will not go forward with this proposition if he cannot provide an intelligent estimation on a simple project. It doesn't require rocket science to come up with the figures. Therefore his -"
She breathed out in the silence.
"I don't give a fuck what you think at this point," she hissed. "If you wish to take me to court again then do so. I am not giving up my position on the Board. And you will listen to me when I speak. Go ahead with this, without my agreement, and I will shut the entire operation down with one phone call. Do you understand?"
Oh wow, her bitchiness was really turning me on. I loved this kind of severity in a woman. The ability to usurp her position and tell a man as it is. Don't take crap from him, boss! I thought to myself. Kill his belief that women are inferior to men!
"It's not my fault sleeping with Zelena hasn't been going so well for you so don't take your frustration out on me." She scoffed. "Oh I'm the bitch? And what does sleeping with my sister make you? Some sort of a hero?"
Eyes wide, I believed that the world kind of stopped because I had no idea that had happened. He was sleeping with her sister? Oh stop it, Emma! Stop listening in! It's not right to listen in like that. You shouldn't even be here.
Whilst I was studying the skyline, warm fingers touched my bare arm. I jumped back. Startled. And turned around. There she stood, a few inches shorter than me, eyes like melting chocolates. The power of a woman like her to just have this effect on me; it was incredible. One look and I was turned into teenage boy, smitten. Apparently all evidence of harshness in her eyes had disappeared because she looked as meek as a kitten. It was unbelievable.
"Don't you have to meet your friend somewhere?"
I suddenly remembered Neal. "Shit, yeah. Um," gesturing at nothing in particular, I swallowed. "So it was nice to finally meet you..."
She hung her head, dark hair falling into a beautiful face.
"What are your plans for tonight?" I was a bit curious.
She shrugged. "Light reading then bed."
"Sounds relaxing enough."
Our eyes met. "You mean lonely enough."
I blinked. We held unto that gaze again. And I suddenly had an idea. "Hey, would you come if I asked you to?"
A few seconds elapsed as my face was studied. "Where?"
"With me," I shrugged, growing flustered, feeling completely awkward, "to hang out. It's just going to be Neal and two other guys. All three of them are Economics majors so the conversation mostly strays away to inflation and unemployment."
"Is this place...loud?"
I actually smiled because her curiosity was so cute, especially when she stared at me with those huge brown eyes. "Not at all. The opposite to a club if you ask me. Just a rooftop, a bar, people hanging around, light music. And the wind. The view. The view is amazing."
"But wouldn't your friend's mind?"
Because she was actually considering it, I suddenly felt really excited. "No, they'd love me bringing company."
"Even your...boss?"
That would be a problem. Neal would never stop troubling me about this. And the guys would totally melt when they saw Regina. Still, it gave me a chance to be reasonable. I mean, she was fatigued. She had a tough day. She was severely attractive and I wanted to get to know her more. Possibly, guiltily be close enough to her just to...feel her warmth and savor every other thing about this amazing human being? Possibly.
"Come," I said, meeting her eyes with a cool expression, "what's the worst that could happen? They could be slightly annoying but they're intelligent company so -"
"I don't care about them," Regina said, her voice taking on that throaty level again. "Intelligent conversation is quite entertaining but can become severely boring. But not of importance at the moment."
I stared back at her and blinked.
"Okay, well you're good to go then. There's the view and everything else. So -"
"Emma," she never looked away, and my heart melted, "don't you know? I just want to be with you."
I think I died for a full minute. I seriously lost my sanity because after she said that, my entire world swung. It's like the beating of a heart that wanted to leap out my chest. Especially when she slipped of that black jacket and exposed the smooth skin of her upper arms and shoulders. When my eyes roamed the curve of hips and the swell of her breasts beneath that red tailored dress. I stopped breathing.
"Will this do?" she actually asked me, "or should I change into something else?"
"Stay the way you are," I said, my fingers trembling slightly. "You'd look hot either way so why would it matter?"
She smirked. "Great then," her hair was fluffed up, shoulders hunched as she unclasped a gold band and took off two gold rings. "Just for safety, let me leave these home."
"Right."
Honestly, when she disappeared into the bedroom once more, I wanted to sink to the floor. I wanted to melt unto the ground and stay there. Because she was seriously coming unto me and it wasn't a figment of my imagination. The first woman to actually tell me that she wants to spend the rest of the night in my company. Just like that. My boss. A woman I just met. A woman I worked for, a millionaire from the looks of it. She had all this power, all this beauty and she was actually agreeing to spend time with me.
ME.
Emma Swan.
A college student who was studying Business Management. Third Year. A total geek.
"Let's go," she came out of the room and offered a small smile. "On second thought, checking the overcast weather, maybe I should use a jacket."
I didn't even spare a second. "If it gets chilly you can always borrow mine?"
"Thank you, Emma."
Our eyes met and for the umpteenth time that night, I drowned in a shade of brown that reminded me of chocolates.
Xxx
A/N – Hope you liked it! YES. I always have the worst luck in having the sexiest lady bosses. No Regina isn't out of character. Follow me on Twitter ( KarlieMaria) and Tumblr (karlitaswriter)!