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After Hours

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I know the warnings, disclaimers, author's notes are always so long and rambling, but I'll only be including them in this first chapter – so please do read them before advancing, you won't have to again!

This entire piece of fiction is dedicated to Arlie, aka Juvvias, who is essentially the entire reason why it was written – as well as a newfound obsession with Lyredy. Godammit. Thank-you, Arlie!

This is more or less an accompanying piece to my Gruvia fic, Auxilium (though not EXACTLY the same). Feel free to check it out if you'd like! There are going to be several differences, but it will be a similar universe and a lot of the characters will have similar occupations and relationships.

For those of you who are reading Auxilium – the next update will be coming shortly :)

The Cover Image is by the absolutely amazing Red Okra on ffnet, BlamedOrange on tumblr - do go check out her art and fics!

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Warning: This piece of fiction will contain crude language and mature situations including those of the sexual nature. Readers continue at your own discretion, please note the rating.

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail, its respected characters and its plot are all sole property of Hiro Mashima. Any resemblance to other pieces of literature or fiction, whether published online or on paper, is purely unintentional and merely coincidental. Any quotes or references used will be sourced either immediately or at the end of the chapter in the order that they appear.

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There were lucky people in this world, and then there was Meredy Fernandes.

Strategically speaking, her plan of action should have been completely straightforward and foolproof – leave home at 10:45, catch the 11:00 bus to the red line, get off at the third stop, walk two blocks and arrive just in time to be fifteen minutes early (give or take) for the most crucial interview of her young adult life.

So how the ever-loving FUCK did she forget to set her alarm clock for that morning?! How, pray tell, was she able to forget that catastrophically important detail?! And how the hell had she, by some MIRACLE, been able to haul her ass out of bed, get dressed, brush her teeth (no, wait, scratch that, she gargled some mouth wash and popped in a stick of peppermint gum…basically the same), and reach the damn main lobby with just enough time to spare for a bathroom break?

She was going to have to become religious now. There was no turning back – it was only by the absolute grace of god, or Buddha, or Vishnu, or Allah, or Horus, who the fuck knew, that she had made it there on time for this interview.

But that was okay – because she was going to need all of the luck she could possibly get right now. This job interview was such a massive gamble, but the poor thing needed this more than anything! Not to mention, she was certain that she was a shoe-in for this position…of course she was naturally talented, charming, attractive, hilarious, diligent, and an exceptionally hard-worker (just to name a few modest traits), but considering the CEO's elder sister had been the one to snag her this interview basically spelled success.

Hell, it was clear as day, written on her face. Absolutely nothing could stop her now – it was going to be a great day.

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"What do you mean he's still with a client?!"

"Ma'am, if you would please – "

"I have been waiting here for over an hour!"

"You must realize, he is a very important – "

"I don't care how important he is! I didn't even shower this morning – do you know how disgusting I feel? All for an interview, and he keeps me waiting for over an hour?! I am starving!"

Okay, so she wasn't exactly starving – she had grabbed a granola bar on the way out – but, so what! It was the principal of the matter! No sane person offered to meet for an in-person interview only to keep the potential employer waiting for this long. Common courtesy!

"Ma'am," the secretary lowered her voice, crystalline eyes flickering from side to side, "this sort of attitude does not bode well for someone who doesn't even have a foot in the door yet."

Oh, Meredy had a foot in the door, all right. She had her entire body standing in that goddamn lobby! What kind of pompous little prick of a corporate sleaze ball kept sweet, little girls waiting over an hour for a simple in-person interview?! That was just plain rude! It wasn't like this guy was some sort of hotshot celebrity, and even if he was, who even cares? Maybe she should call Ultear…actually, no, it didn't matter, because she was going to tell her all about this piece of work the next time they spoke, didn't matter if it was several minutes from now or days.

Unfortunately, his secretary was still giving her a once-over, manicured eyebrow cocked as if she had finally whittled the poor dear down into a ball of self-conscious worry.

Ha, nice try.

Meredy's eyes flickered to the steely elevator doors that sat to the right of the secretary's desk. The office building was monstrous compared to the surrounding buildings of that particular district, but no matter. It shouldn't be incredibly difficult to find this guy's floor.

All she had to do was wait for the elevator to open – it seemed to be quite the active office, and it was just passing normal lunch hours, so surely people would be arriving back and heading up to their respected levels.

"Oh, I have a foot in the door," her eyes nodded down to the secretary's name plate, "uh, Jennifer," she coughed behind her hand, "I have both of them. And I will be damned if I have to wait another minute for this interview!"

The elevator door's let out a polite 'ding' as they opened, several smartly-dressed women exiting, heels clacking against the polished marble floors.

"See ya, Jenny!" Meredy called out behind her, nearly knocking the women over as she flew into the elevator's car, pressing several buttons violently.

Nice.

"Now, let's see where this asshole has his big important office," Meredy mumbled to herself, eyes tracing the map on the car's wall, "accounting – nope, marketing – nope, public relations – nope…" Ultear had mentioned that he more or less ran the business, right? He was sort of the 'boss', so to speak…so…if he was the boss, wouldn't his office be on the top floor?

She wasn't big on gambling, but she had been good when playing strip poker that one time in college.

"Well, doesn't hurt to try!" Hitting the top button, Meredy finally felt herself relax as the elevator's pulley began to raise her higher and higher. Slowly, light began to filter in, and it was only then that she realized the elevator's car was actually see-through.

Pressing her face against the plexi-glass, Meredy's eyes widened as the remainder of the building came into view – there was a fountain, a coffee shop, several park benches, ferns as well as other assorted potted plants…how the hell had they fit all of this in?! It was like some ridiculous shopping mall!

The elevator stalled as it reached the top, coming to rest as a loud beep signaled her arrival.

Oh god. Why was she shaking all of a sudden? Her legs could barely move! C'mon, she hadn't come all of this way to just be another 'foot in the door'. Work, legs! Work, dammit!

Taking a deep breath – and secretly wishing she carried around a miniature bottle of tequila for unfortunate moments such as these – Meredy bounded through the elevator's sliding door, only to find herself in a long, dark hallway. The walls were a deep, beautiful burgundy color, with large, gold-framed paintings and several intricate sculptures made from multiple materials. The carpet was very four-star hotel – intricate Greco-Roman patterns laced across its body, depicting rolling waves and boxy shapes.

Interesting.

In front of her lay a door – this one much larger than the lobby's own – and had a simple, gold plaque pressed against its polished wood center.

LYON VASTIA
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Come to think of it, what did this company do? Meredy really should have read up more on it – she knew that they did something…something to do with…snow mobiles? God, barely – that sounded ridiculous. They manufactured machinery that was used in the arctic, right? In…Alaska? British Colombia? Newfoundland? Oh god, whatever, so she hadn't exactly studied the stuff, but that wasn't in the job description! She was supposed to be applying to be an assistant – organize files, meetings, crap like that.

A loud, muffled moan pierced through her thoughts just then. That…that just sounded like someone…

So, he had kept her waiting, for over an HOUR, so he could GET IT IN?!

Oh, hell no.

Grasping the doorknob, Meredy flung the door open, and immediately wished that she hadn't. A few articles of clothing were scattered across the – rather spacious – office floor, as well as a pair of pants draped over a white leather loveseat, and bent over the desk was a feminine body, its head turned away from Meredy's line of vision, and a pants-less young man just…slapping his hips against her bottom.

The door hit against the neighboring wall, causing the occupied pair to jump in surprise, their heads both swiveling around in unison to look at the intruder.

Meredy's entire face lit up with a horrible, feverish heat. Sure, she should have realized that if she opened those doors she was going to see a site such as this one – but, if she was being completely honest, she had assumed that the doors would be locked. What kind of psycho wouldn't lock the doors?!

Unless, y'know, they were into getting caught. Maybe Meredy had just been the catalyst they had been waiting for that would pitch their oncoming orgasms over the theoretical edge.

So, this was about to completely backfire – wasn't it?

"What the fuck?!" the girl shrilled, shoving the man behind her away, "did you not lock the fucking door?! And who the fuck is she – why is there another girl coming up here?!"

The young man, presumably Lyon, ran a hand through his silvery crop of hair before exhaling and glancing down at his still-erect member, carefully removing the wrinkled condom off of it. Well, so much for that.

The girl, for her part, was still shouting as she stood there, pulling at her dress to cover her assets. Despite the mussed clothes and smeared lipstick, she was very beautiful, Meredy realized – her face was heart-shaped and well taken cared for, her hair was very voluminous, colored a deep, brilliant pink, that ran in thick, long streams of waves down her back. Her dress must have been very expensive as well – it gave her an impressive doll-like allusion.

So…was she…a hooker?

"Lyon, fucking say something! She just barged in here like she owned the place," Lyon for his part stayed silent, picking up his discarded pants and boxer briefs, getting dressed as if this was a daily occurrence, "…do you have a wife?! Are you seeing someone new?!"

The level of her voice was reaching catastrophic levels, and all Meredy wanted to do was shrink back into that heinous hallway, press the elevator button, and leave this dreadful place.

"She isn't even cute!" Oh, hold the hell up, "This is fucking bullshit, you're fucking some low-grade hooker on the side?! She must have a golden fuckin' vagina to be – "

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Meredy's voice sounded foreign to her own ears as she shouted back, interrupting the tirade, "I'm here for a job interview, dammit! I'm not here to fuck your boyfriend, in fact, that is the LAST thing I want to do right now. I have been waiting downstairs for over an hour for him to hurry and fuck you so that I can go home and continue my goddamn job search!"

The room filled with silence.

Meredy gulped, finally breathing again.

"And for your information, I'm very fucking cute," she muttered, folding her arms, "and you have lipstick on your teeth."

The other girl narrowed her eyes, licking at her teeth behind closed lips, fingers carefully smudging the smeared corner.

"What a stupid fucking cu – "

"Ah," Lyon snapped his fingers, spinning back to face Meredy, "Meredy. Right. Your interview was today, my most sincerest apologies."

What the ever-loving fuck.

"So sorry Sherry," he turned back to face the other girl, "I forgot to tell you – we've had to let you go. But I was able to find a more suitable position for you in one of our neighboring offices, and have already written you a stellar letter of recommendation that will undoubtedly get you hired within the next week or so."

Sherry's mouth dropped open, but only momentarily, as she narrowed her eyes, flicking them between Lyon and Meredy.

What the hell has she just gotten herself into?! Maybe she should have listened to that secretary and stayed put – hell, maybe she could have just simply walked away. There were…loads of places still hiring, right?

"You're going to regret this, Lyon Vastia," Sherry marched over to him, jabbing her finger against his chest, "nobody can do this job the way I've done it for the past year and a half, especially not some insolent little child," she turned back to Meredy, and the girl almost winced at the condescending glare she caged her with, "and you," oh god, oh god, "good fucking luck trying to please this man," she hitched her thumb back over, motioning to Lyon, "you're not going to last a single day with all of the demands he has."

Neither Lyon nor Meredy moved a muscle as Sherry grabbed the chain of her purse off of the loveseat's neighboring table, tucking the small bag underneath her arm.

"Oh, and by the way," she stalled at the open door, flicking her hair back over her shoulder, "the hospital called today – your bill's are overdue by a month. Sorry, I forgot to pay them. I'd get on that, if I were you."

Hospital? What?

Sherry closed the door behind her, but Meredy never heard the elevator. The room was quiet, then – too quiet for her taste – until Lyon, after several beats, exhaled once more, walking over to his desk and crashing down into its rather large chair.

"Allow me to apologize once more," he squeezed his eyes shut, fingers massaging the bridge of his nose before running back through his hair, "I assure you, I'm much more organized than what you've unfortunately had to witness. Please, take a seat, if you will." He motioned to a chair opposite his own, but Meredy stalled.

Hadn't…hadn't he and the girl just been…

Lyon noticed her apprehension.

"Oh, of course, how rude of me – let's move to the couch, I'll need to have this properly cleaned tonight." He reached down and withdrew a large manila envelope from the desk's filing drawers, opening the latch up to sort through several papers inside. After he had found what he was looking for, Lyon pulled a clear-covered folder out, standing up with it in his grasp, motioning for Meredy to move to the white loveseat.

"It's clean," he smiled warmly, "I promised."

This entire situation was growing exceedingly more and more ridiculous by the moment. What the heck was this guy's deal?! She had literally just walked in on him plowing a girl, seen his DICK in all of its naked glory, and now he was going to just continue on with an interview?

How bad did she want this job again?

'Student loans bad,' a voice rang in her ear, shrill and catty, 'monthly apartment rent bad, daily living expenses bad, let go from a job with zero savings bad.'

Oh, right.

"Despite the circumstances, I would like to thank-you for coming to meet with me, Miss Fernandes," he extended a hand out but must have quickly realized his mistake, "ah, sorry," he apologized before opening the folder to flick through it's pages, "Ultear passed your résumé on to me last week, and I must admit, while it is a bit threadbare, your background check came up positively clean and free of any major discrepancies."

Meredy felt like she was in a doctor's office being read off her health charts. Who allowed this guy to dig up any dirt on her?

"No criminal record so to speak, sans being written up for underage drinking one night in college – which I will, of course, let slide," he looked up at her, winking, "everybody gets one.

"Birthdate is listed as October 28th – you're twenty-two years old, still rather young, but have worked as an intern for quite a few accounting companies – and all of your references had something absolutely wonderful to say about your personality and diligence," His eyes gave her another look-over, "you dress well enough, however there is a particular dress code that you will have to abide by when working as my assistant. That won't be much of an issue, I'll set you up with a company credit card and allow you to find some suitable clothes."

Meredy didn't know what he expected her to say, so she just stared, wide-eyed and slightly confused – it sounded like he was complimenting her? But…at the same time…they were all backhanded compliments?

Sure, she didn't exactly have the most stylish wardrobe – today she had thrown on an A-line pencil skirt, charcoal-gray, with a white, frilled blouse. It had looked cute in the mirror! Her heels were a bit scuffed, sure…but minor details, really.

Closing her file, Lyon stood up, walking back over to place it back in his cabinet, withdrawing another manila envelope, which he handed to her as he approached once more.

"Inside of this folder I have included our company policy, as well as a useful handbook so you may study up on what our company offers its clients. There may come a time where I decide to test you on the information, so please ensure you take the appropriate measures," Lyon withdrew a large piece of paper from within the folder, "you will need to initial, sign, and date this employee agreement form, acknowledging that you understand the implications of working for me and are legally bound by this document to not disclose any confidential information unless brought up in court."

Meredy hesitated, but Lyon's grip was unwavering as he presented the folder towards her. Finally she received it, nearly gasping at its weight as it sat between her two hands. Christ, what kind of handbook did he have in here?

"Naturally you need not sign it right away – I understand if you'd prefer to have your lawyer read through the documentation beforehand," he clapped his hands together, "other than that, you're hired."

"H-hired?"

"Well, I didn't stutter, but – "

"How did you just hire me? You barely know me from Eve!"

"I like your spunk – roaring in here, getting what you want," his smile was charming and it almost made Meredy want to vomit at how pleasing she found it, "that was enough of an interview."

This was clearly not how the real world works, and Meredy felt herself slouching further and further down – so much for keeping her good posture.

"I'm confused…"

"What's there to be confused about?" Lyon stood up, walking over to his desk, sitting back down in his chair before shaking his desktop computer's mouse, "you're hired. You start next week, or, as soon as those documents are signed and approved."

When she didn't move, Lyon gazed beyond his desktop screen, a bored expression on his face.

"You may leave now."

"But…" Meredy stood up, caught between walking back over to his desk or out the door.

"I have your personal cellphone number as well as your address, we'll be in contact – see you next week."

She walked towards the exit, lifting her hand in a half-hearted wave of goodbye before the door shut behind her.

Lyon never returned the gesture.

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Notes:

- Meredy's surname is Fernandes for reasons that will become obvious in the following chapter. Reasons that are probably obvious already.

- Yes, Lyon is a dick, but you will find out more of his reasoning behind the dick-nature in the chapters to come. He is not as cruel without his reasons – there is a method to the madness, but he is no angel, either.

- I definitely painted Sherry in a negative light, and I understand if fans of her character will be annoyed at me for using her in such an unpleasant role. It was not my intention to equate her femininity with being 'easy' aka must sleep around a lot. There is nothing wrong with having lots of sex – hell, as long as its consensual, live your life, I'm cool with that – but please don't assume I'm using her character to fill a cliché role. Sherry will be back and I promise you will not find her character to be as cruel as I made her out to be in this first chapter. Please forgive me for this.

- I have never read 50 Shades of Grey but I am a bit concerned people will take this to be some sort of homage to it – it's not. At all.

If you enjoyed this, please feel free to drop a line! This is sort of a side project I've picked up, and am interested in continuing it as there are clearly not enough mature Lyredy fics out there. The chapters won't be too long (though they will be longer than this one!) but they will be updated quickly.

Thank-you again!