*waves* Hey. So, there are some really good writer people on this site. Holy fuck... anyway, This is SoHo (*sings* ruby ruby ruby ruby soho)
Heeled shoes clicked hurriedly along the freshly buffed linoleum flooring, quickening their pace as the young woman currently wielding a fresh double latte in her nervously shaking hands jogged towards the closing elevator doors.
"Wait! Hold the door, please." she called out desperately; sighing in relief as she saw a blazer-clad arm reach out to stop them abruptly, only to reopen once more. Bustling into the crowded elevator, the woman smiled politely to the man in very grateful thanks. "Fifteen, please." She murmured out as she took in the man's obviously flirtatious grin as he nodded before tapping the numbered button.
Watching as the illuminated numbers slowly ascended further, she took a few calming breaths as she straightened her blouse self-consciously. Looking down, she locked eyes on the document folder warily as she huffed once more in annoyance. This had been the woman's third week on the job and she was currently running extremely late with her coffee, as well as the all too important folder currently being held in her right hand.
Hearing the ding of the elevator, she released a final breath as she attempted to calm herself, straightening her posture confidently as she slapped on a wide smile just in time for the gold-tinted doors to slowly slide open.
Stepping out, she automatically set a steady pace as she made a beeline to her boss' impossibly beautiful corner office located, conveniently, at the opposite side of the bustling floor.
Earning several nods and warm greetings as she passed her coworkers and throwing her own half-hearted greetings in return, she grew more and more anxious as the solid oak door of her boss' office came into view. Through the open blinds, she could see the three men sitting on the luxurious white couch of her boss. She let an inaudible explicit leave her lips as her eyes slid closed in quiet annoyance.
Stopping in front of the door, she gathered herself quickly before raising her hand to rap lightly on the surface. Earning a muffled 'Come in', she exhaled slowly before entering.
"Tasha," The voice called out, causing the three guests to turn their attention to the office door with curiosity. "Good morning."
"Good Morning, Ms. Vause; gentlemen." Tasha nodded towards the men with a nod, offering a polite, practiced smile. "I apologize for my tardiness but I have the document you asked for." Tasha rushed out in a wavering tone as she lifted the folder in her hand for emphasis.
Alex bit back a rumble of laughter at seeing her new assistant's flustered demeanor. "That's fine, Tasha. No worries; Gentlemen-" She began as she turned her eyes back towards them, effectively gaining their attention once more. "Now that we have the contract, shall we move this to the boardroom?"
The three men shared a look before offering a silent nod as the raised from their seats and hilariously, as if showing a practiced display of perfect synchronization, buttoned their suit jackets confidently and filed out of the woman's office.
Rolling her eyes, Alex looked skyward before moving closer to her assistant and throwing her arm around her shoulders lazily with a huff. "Do I have to go?" Alex whined as she lifted her glasses atop her head with her unoccupied hand, rubbing her eyes tiredly.
"Yes." Tasha laughed as she ran a comforting hand over that of Alex's, which dangled beside her shoulder. Rubbing it a few times in a comforting gesture, she then proceeded to grasp it as she lifted it off of her, moving out of her reach, much to the dismay of Alex, who had been leaning lazily on her. "You can't hide in here all day." Tasha threw out over her shoulder as she walked over to the large, matching oak desk of her boss to deposit the coffee on its surface. "I'm so, so sorry for being late, by the way." She added after a moment with a look of dread enveloping her features as she reached her arm out to hand Alex the file folder.
"Pfft," Alex scoffed humorously as she reached out to grasp the proffered folder. "I don't give a shit." Alex mumbled as she opened the folder as she silently scrutinized the legal documents held within with a squint of her eyes. Realizing she still had her glasses resting atop her head, she shook it incredulously while mumbling 'idiot' before resting them once more on the bridge of her nose. Sighing loudly, she closed the folder with finality before locking eyes with the other woman. "I can't wait for Richard to get back. This isn't my thing."
"Dealing with rich, old, uptight white guys isn't your thing? I had no idea." Tasha threw out lowly, sarcasm dripping from her tone as she chanced a look out the open door to make sure she hadn't been overheard. "When is Mr. Chapman comin' back anyway?"
"Not soon enough." Alex sighed as she walked over to her desk, grasping her cup of coffee and bringing it to her lips for a greedy sip. "Next week." She added in a choke as the warm liquid made its way down her throat. "I just want to go back to doing what I do best; none of this corporate schmoozing bullshit."
"But you're so good at it." Tasha smiled superficially with slight bat of the eyelash
"mhm, don't think I forgot about the fact that I heard you use the word 'tardiness.' Who are you?" Alex grinned teasingly. She had interviewed countless applicants before coming across Tasha Jefferson. Sure, she hadn't had the most experience but yet, neither had Alex. This was the first titled position she had ever had.
It had been a year since Alex had joined Chapman Industries; New York City headquarters. After endless urging from her boss/girlfriend's father, she finally cracked and agreed to hire an assistant. It was the least she could do after inadvertently leaving the man hanging regarding her backing out of the San Francisco position offered to her almost two years ago. After much convincing, the man relented and offered her a job in the city.
"They're waiting for you in the boardroom, boss." Tasha reminded as she turned her back to the other woman, making her way towards the door
"I don't care. Let them wait; they're boring." Alex called after her with disinterest as she raised her cup to her lips once more before halting her movements, the cup hovering in front of her lips. "And I told you not to call me that."
"mhmm." Tasha called over her shoulder as she made her way out of the office and towards her desk.
Watching her assistant's retreating form for a moment as she tapped her index finger against the Styrofoam cup in thought, she allowed herself a few moments of tranquility before having to retire to the shark tank; otherwise known as the boardroom. Sighing heavily with a roll of the eye, Alex downed another mouthful of her rapidly cooling coffee before turning to grab the laptop sitting tauntingly atop the surface of her desk. "Here we go." She whispered to herself, straightening her posture and striding out of her office.
"Hello?" Alex called out as she dodged carelessly strewn items littering the floor near the threshold of the newly purchased SoHo apartment, losing her balance slightly. Huffing an explicit as she kicked her heels off, she lowered her messenger bag to the floor carelessly as she made her way through the barely furnished space. "Piper?" Alex half-heartedly attempted to call out once more as she could barely hear herself over the blaring sounds of The Rolling Stones coming from their record player.
Shrugging her shoulders dismissively, she turned towards the kitchen and visibly cringed at the vast amounts of half empty cardboard boxes covering the granite counter top. She stared intently for a moment, contemplating whether or not to start putting things away in their rightful place. Shaking her head, she mumbled, "Nope" and turned towards the fridge, retrieving a Stella Artois and proceeded to seek out the bottle opener.
Hearing the lyrics of 'She's a Rainbow' being belted out and seemingly coming closer, Alex placed the bottle on any available space she could find and leaned against the counter, awaiting her girlfriend's arrival at any moment.
"She comes in colours ev'rywhere, she combs her hair, she's like a raaiinnbo-AHH!" Piper screamed mid-sing as she came face to face with the taller woman, the numerous objects in her arms dropping instantly to the floor as she raised a hand to her chest, desperately attempting to calm her rapidly beating heart.
Alex attempted to hold her indifferent expression but failed miserably as she bent at the waist and began to cackle senselessly. Seeing the blonde reach for one of the discarded dish towels she dropped, Alex turned her body, shielding it as the towel came hurling at her.
"You scared the fucking, fuck! Alex, I can't even… fuck!" Piper shouted as she covered her face with her hands in an attempt to hide the blush due to her frazzled, less than stellar vocabulary.
Alex chuckled as she moved closer to the woman, grasping her wrists and peeling her hands away from her face. Offering an apologetic grin, she leaned in within an inch of the other woman's lips and hovered. "Hey." She whispered, her breath puffing against her girlfriend's mouth
"Hey." Piper responded after her composure had sufficiently been restored and offered a crooked smile in return. "Asshole." She breathed a laugh as she leaned in the remaining distance, depositing a soft, lingering kiss to the full ones waiting patiently. Inhaling deeply through her nose, Piper broke the kiss suddenly, pecking her playfully before pulling out of the embrace. "How was work?"
Alex groaned as the warm body left her embrace and lowered her head. Turning to her forgotten beer, she grasped it in her hands and held it out for the blonde, tapping the cap wordlessly. Picking up on the less than subtle hint, Piper reached into one of the numerous boxes and retrieved the bottle opener they had bought in the Bahamas last winter. Popping off the cap, she tossed it towards the makeshift garbage bin before turning back to her staring girlfriend.
"How did you find that so quickly?" Alex questioned with knitted brows as she gazed down at her bottle, swirling the contents absentmindedly
"Organized chaos." Piper offered with a shrug "It's how I roll." She added, the exhaustion in her voice disguising the humor of the statement.
"I told you to wait until I got home so that we could do this together." Alex offered sympathetically as she ran a comforting hand along the blondes shoulder. Grasping it, she spun the girl so that her back was towards her and leaned against the kitchen counter. Depositing her bottle on the sink, she raised both hands and began to gently massage the girl's shoulders. "Better?"
"Hmm, getting there." Piper murmured in response as she ducked her head lower, exposing her neck. Taking the hint, Alex moved her hands, snaking them up to the woman's sore neck.
"Here?"
"Yes." Piper breathed out as her eyes slid closed. After a few minutes and a couple of close calls- dozing off while standing, she tapped the hands to signal the woman to stop her ministrations. "Thank you, baby." She whispered as she turned, depositing a soft kiss on her girlfriend's lips.
"Yep" Alex mumbled around the lip of her beer once she brought it to her lips. Halting her movements, she quirked an eyebrow at the girl "and work was brutal." She murmured before finally tipping the bottle back, letting the golden liquid slither down her throat with a warm welcome.
"That's right! I did ask how work was. I am such a good girlfriend." Piper grinned as she turned towards a box perched haphazardly atop the countertop and began to unload various items. "and why was it so terrible?" she questioned as her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Turning to Alex as she raised the rather risqué shot glass up in silent question, she earned a simple shrug in response.
"Nicky bought that for me." Alex grimaced as she took in the husky, naked woman pictured on the glass.
"So… toss?" Piper questioned as she chucked a thumb over her shoulder and to the garbage bin
"Are you fucking kidding me? I'm not risking her make me sign another ridiculous 'friendship' contract because I threw out that piece of shit." Alex held her finger up, halting whatever protest the blonde was about to offer. "Trust me, she will notice."
"Alrighty." Piper sighed as she returned it to the box. Since she had begun unpacking this morning, she had found countless cringe-worthy items of Alex that she was itching to throw away. To say that their tastes had differed would quite possibly be the understatement of the century. "Alright, sorry. Attention restored; why was work so terrible?"
"Richard needs to come home." Alex groaned out as she leaned her head back, eyes rising skyward in a show of frustration. "I'm an architect, not a fucking… business… do-er… guy." Alex rolled her hand as she spoke, searching for a way to articulate herself and desperately coming up short.
Piper's eyes crinkled in the corners as she snorted a laugh over her shoulder. "What the hell did you just say?"
"I have no idea" Alex mumbled with a grin around the mouth of her bottle, shaking her head at her own choice of words
"Alex, daddy just wanted to leave the company in the hands of someone he trusts while he's away." Piper said seriously as she scoffed at a lobster-claw oven mitt, throwing it distastefully in the garbage bin with a shake of the head.
"Uh…" Alex began as she placed the bottle once more on the counter and leaned the right side of her body closer to her girlfriend, lowering her head slightly to gain her attention. "I backed out of a major project in San Francisco in favor of fucking his daughter."
"Yeah," Piper drawled with a slow nod of the head "if this were the South, he probably would have shot you." She added, laughing at the brunette's annoyed scoff
"No more 'Dallas' reruns; you're cut off." Alex pointed with a ghost of a smirk before turning her head slightly to appraise the kitchen. Resting her hands on her hips, she blew out a puff of air. "Okay, what can I do?" she asked determinedly
"Uh," Piper uttered in thought as her eyes swept around the kitchen in search of nothing particular. Tugging the corner of her bottom lip and chewing slightly in deliberation, her eyes fell onto a few boxes discarded in the hallway labeled 'Bedroom'. "Oh! Can you bring those boxes upstairs to our room, sweetie?"
Alex's face contorted humorously as she squatted lower to retrieve the boxes littering the hallway. "Sweetie?" she questioned with a slight scoff as she lifted the first box into her arms
"I don't know what that was; shut up and go." Piper mumbled with a dismissive wave of her hand, earning a stressed chuckle from the other woman as she tried desperately to counterbalance the weight of the box in her arms.
Shuffling up the stairs, a few explicit choice words tumbling here and there, Alex finally made it to the bedroom door. Frowning at the closed door, she shuffled the box against her hip, tugging it under her arm with a slight stumble. Regaining her balance, she reached for the doorknob and swung the door open. Waiting for her over the threshold was their four poster bed, fully assembled with fresh new linens neatly made up presentation. Around the scarcely furnished room were a few lit candles sporadically placed around the darkened room.
Alex gaped as she took in the uncharacteristically romantic gesture. Hearing footfalls ascending the steps and falling silent behind her, she glanced over her shoulders and locked eyes with Piper. The glow of the candlelight kissing her skin as the flames bounced off of her impossibly blue eyes which seemed to be darkening with each passing second.
Piper's eyes held a sense of mischief, completely betraying the beautifully sweet smile painting her lips. Tilting her head, her eyes moved passed her stunned girlfriend and into the room with. "You like?" She quietly asked as she threw a nod inside the room for emphasis.
"This is really fucking romantic." Alex nodded approvingly as she tried desperately to repress the smile threatening to break through. "I mean, I would have done it better, but it's still nice." Chuckling as she earned a shove in the shoulder, her laughter tapered off as she offered a soft smile. "What's the occasion?"
"You've been really stressed with work and the move, I just thought It would be nice to sleep in our own bed tonight." Piper offered softly with a shrug
"It's perfect." Alex murmured as she pecked the woman's lips quickly. Placing the box down on the hardwood flooring with a thud, she walked backwards towards the bed, cautious of the candles littering the floor. Easing down on the edge of the bed, she bounced a couple of times testing the softness of their new, ridiculously expensive mattress before lifting her eyes to meet the sea blues staring from the doorway. "Who did you get to put the bed together?"
"I did it." Piper shrugged easily as she advanced into the darkened room.
Eyes widening, Alex suddenly sprang to her feet in a hurry, sparing a glance back towards the bed which was surprisingly enough to her, still standing. "You what? Why? We talked about getting Pete over to help us." She reasoned, her voice an octave higher.
"He couldn't make it today" Piper responded with a roll of the eye "It's not a big deal, Al. We've been sleeping on the floor with only a mattress and a blanket. It looked like a crackhouse in here." Piper reasoned "It actually wasn't that hard." She shrugged
"You know what else didn't seem that hard? Fixing the toaster." Alex narrowed her eyes as she recalled the hot glue gun-toaster incident of last year "Or the knob on the gas stove at your parents place."
"You swore you would never bring that up again!" Piper threatened with an accusatory point of her finger
"I'm not sleeping on this, Pipes." Alex shook her head profusely as she pointed to the bed for emphasis. "I'm sorry, I appreciate the gesture, but I'm not risking it."
"Fine." Piper nodded with an even timber in her voice. "Sleep on the floor." Piper ground out through her impeccably straight teeth, which were currently clenched in silent rage. Turning on her heel, she exited the bedroom, swinging the door shut behind her.
It was several hours later and Alex was sitting upright, fighting relentlessly with the blankets covering the lower half of her body with a slight growl. Hearing a sigh from the bed above her, she looked up to see Piper laying comfortably in the bed, watching her every move. Holding each other's glares for a moment, Piper eventually shuffled her body, turning away from the woman still situated on the floor.
Sighing, Alex regarded her for a moment before laying down on the floor, her head softly landing on the pillow below her.
Alex was uncomfortable. She had been sleeping on the floor for almost a week and at first, it hadn't really bothered her. Buying the new place with Piper had a lot to do with that. The excitement of owning something together; the first night spent in the house, sleeping with blankets sprawled on the floor felt like a nostalgic novelty.
It was now abundantly clear now, as she lay on the cool floor alone, that the novelty had worn off. She missed the warmth of the blonde beside her. They had barely spent more than a handful of nights apart since they became official. Now, having the blonde stubbornly sleeping so close, yet still out of reach frustrated her to no end.
Huffing loudly, she threw the blankets to the side carelessly as she rose to her feet. Making a pitter patter of footfalls as she walked around the king size bed, she stopped at her own side and stared stubbornly at the blonde with crossed arms. "Can I come in?" She asked, avoiding the barely visible glint of the woman's eyes shining from the light through the window.
"Are you sure? Can you risk it?" Piper asked sarcastically before eventually sighing as she pulled back the covers in silent invitation.
Alex stood rooted for a moment; unsure of the stability of the bed that she was almost positive was missing a screw or five. Laying her hand upon the mattress, she pressed down cautiously, trying not to make it too obvious to the blonde that she still did not trust her so called 'handyman' skills.
Hearing an irritated sigh come from the woman, Alex finally decided to climb in. albeit, very slowly. As she eased to a comfortable position, she let a content sigh escape her lips. Content- Relieved.
Turning her head towards the grinning blonde, she offered a crooked smile "you did good, kid." She murmured as she slid closer to the other woman. Piper's grin widened as they both leaned in to lay their lips upon the other.
Suddenly, both heard an ominous creaking effectively halting their lips a breath away from each other's. Furrowing her brows, Piper tilted her head to the side, glancing down the bed towards their feet. "What was that?" she whispered
"I don't-" Alex began quietly before her words escaped in a sudden shriek as the mattress and box spring fell helplessly through the bed's wooden frame, landing heavily on the wooden floor. Both women sat up immediately as they snapped their heads towards eachother.
Suddenly, Alex broke out into a loud laugh as Piper raised her hands, sufficiently hiding her embarrassment behind them. "Fuck" she muffled out
Alex wrapped her arm around the mortified blonde and gently pulled her down into a laying position. Hugging her tightly while a chuckle still erupted from her throat, she began running her fingers through the coconut scented blonde tresses soothingly. "It's okay, babe."
"Please, don't talk right now." Piper muffled out as she buried her face in the brunette's shoulder "I need you to not talk right now."
"If it helps, I still think the gas stove incident was worse." Alex shrugged teasingly as she attempted to alleviate the mortification the blonde was currently feeling
"Okay, yeah." Piper agreed as she lifted her head to lock eyes on the green ones shining back at her. "That was definitely worse."
"I actually didn't know eyelashes could grow back before that." Alex murmured with a tired smirk as she hugged the woman tighter to her body; eyes sliding closed.
"Asshole." Piper grinned as she shoved the other woman
"We'll call Pete tomorrow." Alex mumbled
"I hate you." Piper said, barely above a whisper; completely unsure that Alex had heard her until the husky chuckle of the woman floated through her ears, bringing a smile to her face
I swear, there is a plot..