I was starting the 4th chapter of "Congratulations" when this idea crossed my mind…
*giggles*
Don't owe "Lie To Me" or its characters… would be a nice Christmas gift though.
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The sound of the tennis ball hitting the white wall over and over again; drops of sweat rolling down the elegant and now blushed face; the already worked out body moving across the court gracefully; blood rushing through the veins at a high pace; an elevated breathing rhythm yet controlled…
Watched in slow motion it almost seemed to be a dance but the truth was that it was an exercise to control the anger and the stress caused by the amount of hours spent working.
"Gillian?"
A young man entered the room and started walking towards the woman that kept playing like nothing had happened.
"Gillian?"
He called out again before realising that she was actually listening to music. He tried to catch her attention with a few random gestures before deciding on moving closer to her. He approached her carefully and touched her arm quite gently while the ball was still away from both of them.
Gillian jumped slightly before turning around and looking at her personal trainer with a quite embarrassed smile.
"Yes?" She asked as she stopped the music.
"I'm afraid you will have to cut your exercise plan short."
She raised an eyebrow as grabbed her towel and her bottle of water.
"Another call from Dr. Lightman…"
She rolled her eyes once she heard his name as she knew that meant trouble… for her, of course.
"He said – and I quote –, « Why the bloody hell does she think cell phones were invented? »."
She gave him an apologetic smile as she reached out for her phone and noticed the fact she had received a new text message from her partner asking her to pick up Emily from her friend's house.
"An extra hour tomorrow."
She said before leaving the room, making her way towards the lockers' as she needed to grab her things and, at least, wash her face so that she could feel human again.
Her eyes met her reflection in the mirror once the cold water made contact with her skin.
Her hair was pulled back into a tight pony tail, definitely not as tight as the short dress she was wearing though. She had bought it at an Adidas store as one of her girlfriends –probably the only one she still felt comfortable around – had told her it was the best equipment to use at the gym for playing that kind of sport.
She remembered the exact day she had bought it as she had laughed at its name as it sounded way too professional – Adilibria Wimbledon Dress. It was white, had 33.5" back length and embraced her body in such an intimate way that she had promised herself she wouldn't ever wear it outside the gym unless it was an emergency.
Was this an emergency?
Cal had asked her to pick up Emily and take her to the office but he hadn't said he was in a hurry. So why was she in a hurry? Or wasn't she?
Was it just an excuse for her to see his reaction to it?
She rolled her eyes at her own thoughts before grabbing her gym bag and leaving the building, walking towards her new car that she had brought from the stand earlier that evening.
She had looked at it and had studied its features for many weeks as she had to drive by the stand on her way to the Lightman building every single day. She actually blamed the fact she had spent all that money on that… even though she couldn't hide the fact that she loved it and that it made her feel powerful.
Oh yes, the 2008 CTS Cadillac… that red, sexy and comfortable machine made her smile and hey, she had deserved it after the horrible divorce she had went through.
It hadn't left her sad but the whole process and time she had dedicated to it had depressed her till no end.
She unlocked it and rested her bag on the back seat before getting into the driver's one. She turned on the ignition before using the data from Cal's text to turn on her GPS so that she could find where Emily was and a way to actually get there.
Pulling away from the parking lot, she carefully followed the directions the device gave her so that she didn't get lost on her way.
She confirmed the information she had used to set the machine before parking in front of what seemed to be a mansion.
She left the car and looked at both sides, studying her surroundings before shrugging and starting to make her way towards the door. It took her literally five minutes to cross the path that divided the garden and lead to it.
Once there, she took a deep breath before knocking.
"Hello. Can I help you?" The woman that appeared on the other side of the door asked her, her voice filled with doubt as she checked Gillian from head to toe.
"You should have changed, Gillian." She thought to herself before recomposing herself and smiling.
"Hi. I came to pick up Emily… her father is stuck at a very important meeting and asked me to come instead."
"Oh! You are Emily's mother! I am so sorry… I didn't recognize you! Want to come in? EMILY!" The other woman asked before taking a step back inside her house but not really giving Gillian space to move.
Gillian noticed by the voice tone that she was just being polite and that her question wasn't really an invitation but a cultural obligation.
"Oh, Cal would love this." She smiled at that thought before raising an eyebrow and shaking her head slightly once the rest of the information sank in.
"Huh, I am not her…"
"Emily? Sweetie? Your mother is here." She yelled out again, interrupting and ignoring Gillian for a moment before turning back to her. "She will be right down."
"My mother?" Gillian heard Cal's daughter voice coming from a certain distance. "What is…" The younger's train of thought was interrupted once her eyes met Gillian. "Oh, hi! Dad trapped at work again?"
"Yeah. He asked me to tell you he's sorry. I am taking you to the office…" She said softly as she rested a hand over the younger's shoulder before focusing her attention back on the other woman. "Thank you for having her. Have a great evening."
Emily thanked her friend's mother before they both turned around and started walking towards Gillian's car.
"So… my mother?" Emily said with a humorous voice tone, teasing Gillian as she looked for the older woman's car.
"I am so sorry. I tried to explain but she wouldn't listen…" Gillian let out a breath she didn't notice she had been holding before pressing the button to unlock the doors.
"It's…" Emily stopped moving once she saw the lights that had turned on once Gillian had pressed the button.
"Woah. That explains why I couldn't find your car… for a second I thought you had walked all the way down here from the gym." She moved closer to the car.
"You should totally let me drive to the office, mom." She giggled before opening her door, not realising that her little joke had made Gillian's heart skip a beat.
Gillian took a deep breath before opening her own door and getting inside, buckling her seat belt.
"You do know your father would kill me if I allowed you to drive without a license, right?" She asked the younger girl as she pulled away from the parking spot.
"He wouldn't have to know… but I don't think I would like to start by driving a new car… you know, there are many walls around."
Gillian let out a healthy laugh before shaking her head slightly at the younger's comment.
"It's all about practising, you know… once you start and get used to it, it will stop being a headache for you and someone else's nightmare." She winked at Emily before focusing her attention back on the road.
"Yeah… I do think I am going to ask Dad for a few lessons though…" Emily said. "Just in case there's an emergency…" She quickly added.
"Or just in case you feel like creating an emergency…" Gillian mentally slapped herself again about her decision on wearing the dress.
"You know what, we should take dinner to the office…" She said a few seconds later. "I bet your father is hungry and I am starving…"
"Thai?" The younger one asked excitedly.
"Sounds like a plan." Gillian said with a smile.
The trip to the restaurant was fast and mostly silent as Emily had turned on the radio and they had both gave in to the soothing melodies.
"Here we are…" Gillian unbuckled her seat belt as she took the keys from the ignition and turned off the radio. "You mind helping me with the bags?" She asked as she opened the back door.
They divided the food's weight between them and together made their way inside the building, chatting animatedly about Emily's school and her friends' problems.
"Are you sure you don't want me to talk with Emma? She might need a hand… or two." Gillian said before they both started laughing as they walked into Cal's office.
The sound reached his ears, making him aware of the fact that he was no longer alone but in the company of both his daughter and his partner.
"Did I miss the party's invitation?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he studied their faces.
Gillian rolled her eyes at his remark before putting the bags over his desk and sitting down in one of the free chairs.
"Stop it, Cal. We brought you dinner so be nice."
"Thai?" He opened one of them and didn't hide the smile fast enough for Gillian not to see it.
"It was my idea." Emily said as she sat down by Gillian's side. "Oh Dad, did you know Gillian bought a new sexy red car?" She asked as she grabbed one of the cartons.
He grabbed one of his own before focusing his attention back on Gillian whose cheeks were slightly reddish.
"Anything else you want to tell me, luv?" He eyed her suspiciously as she shook her head and silently reached out for her food.
"You women are too weird sometimes." He rolled his eyes and leaned back on his chair, starting to eat.
Gillian was about to comment on that when there was a knock at the door.
"Please, be a man." Cal said teasingly. "Come in."
Gillian couldn't help but giggle once she saw Loker walking in.
The younger man raised an eyebrow before rolling his eyes and focusing his attention on what had brought him there.
"Boss… I need you." When he realised that Cal was about to stand up he shook his head. "I mean, Boss Lady."
It was Gillian's turn to raise her eyebrow questioningly before standing up slowly.
"Wow, someone is dressed to kill." Loker commented instantly as his eyes met the figure of the woman that was now standing right in front of him.
"Say something like that again and you will be myfirst victim." Gillian was officially regretting her decision when she turned around to set her carton over Cal's desk and found him staring at her.
She fought hard but she wasn't able to hide her victory smile before leaning over the desk a bit.
"You need a napkin?" She whispered mischievously before clearing her throat.
"You two enjoy your meal… I will walk by here later to get my share." Her eyes met Cal's again and she felt a bit taken aback by what she saw…
Was it Lust? Longing? Desire? Passion? Love? All of them?
She shook her head slightly, breaking eye contact with him before sighing imperceptibly and turning around to leave the room.
"That woman is going to be the bloody death of me." Cal thought for himself as he followed her movements with his eyes.
"Oh, he so wants you." Loker said as soon as they walked outside and she closed the door behind her.
Gillian hit Loker's arm warningly as she glared at him.
"Shut up. You must be hallucinating… Have you eaten?" She knew she was deflecting and she mentally slapped herself yet again for doing it so naively.
"He so does." He added, smiling triumphantly at her.
Gillian rolled her eyes and started making her way down the hall.
"Let it go. Didn't you need my help?" Again.
"Oh, he so wants you and I bet you know it!"
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I hope you liked it.
I think this would be a nice one-shot but I had actually thought about carrying on… what do you think?
Anyway, thanks for reading!
R&R if you feel like it!
Hugs,
Reesa.