A few weeks later, Melissa opened the door to see Tracy, her dresser and best friend standing with a rack of clothes and a burly courier in a dark suit standing behind her.
"You're a life saver. I didn't know what to wear today." Melissa joked as she stepped away from the doorway and let Tracy and the nameless courier into her apartment.
Tracy smiled and wheeled her rack straight into the bedroom saying sarcastically as she went, "You're so cute when you're trying to be funny."
Melissa turned to her courier. "Thanks for bringing these." She took the silver box-like case from him. It was about the size of a kettle and could only be opened using her fingerprints and a code or her employers' fingerprints and his override code. The courier merely nodded and left as silently as he had come.
Tracy sighed dreamily when Melissa carried the small box into the bedroom. "You are so lucky you know? I would kill to be able to wear all these clothes and have priceless jewellery given to me to wear for the day."
"Oh, yeah. I love being told what to wear and wearing a few thousand dollars' worth of jewellery everywhere." She put the box down onto her bed. "Oh and I love having to go and try and sell all of this to rich old men with really young girlfriends. Not to mention following Patricia's every command."
Tracy laughed when Melissa huffed out a longsuffering breath and plopped down on her bed. "Oh and the perks don't outweigh the downfalls of the job?" she asked starting on Melissa's hair and makeup.
"Sometimes." The brunette murmured moodily to her good friend.
The tall redhead shook her head. "Yeah, sometimes." She echoed as she pulled Melissa's hair up into an elegant chignon. "By the way, the jacket's been dry cleaned and Mr. Dean has asked that you go to the NCIS headquarters and pick up the necklace. They contacted the office to say that it was ready to be collected"
Melissa pouted childishly. "Could you go and get it instead of me?"
With a cute giggle, Tracy moved to start on her friends' makeup. "No can do, kid." She said before smirking. "This is about that officer isn't it?"
"Agent. And it isn't about him. It's just that the way he acted that night really annoyed me and I can't get over how emotionless he was over everything."
Tracy popped a hip and propped her fist up on it. "You do realise you just defeated your own argument." She then added a little more eye shadow to Melissa's eyelids. "Anyway, they wouldn't let me out of that place with a necklace that precious. They know you." Finishing her work, she stepped back. "They really should pay me more for having to do this every day." She mused.
Melissa scoffed as she got up from her bed and took her clothes bag from the rack Tracy had brought in. Closing the bathroom door behind her, she hung the bag up on the hook beside the door and unzipped it. Pulling out the charcoal, asymmetrically panelled, pinstripe pencil skirt she stepped into it. She zipped it up and moved onto the dove grey blouse. It was sleeveless and open backed, with a high collar - sexy but professional. Careful of her newly styled hair she pulled it on and buttoned it up. Pulling out the white tailored jacket with a square neck and three quarter sleeves she opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom to hear the end of Tracy's sentence.
"…him, are you?"
"I'm sorry?" she asked as she walked past the rack and picked up the shoebox sitting on the shelf at the bottom of the frame. Putting her jacket down on the bed, she sat down and took the dove grey strappy high heels that matched her outfit out of their box.
"You're not having sexy daydreams about him are you?" Tracy repeated.
Melissa's head came up and she glared at her friend. "Of course not. He's annoying, that's all. There's nothing romantic about it." She buckled up both shoes quickly and grabbed her wallet, phone and anything else she might need that day and threw them into the large white handbag that was a part of her outfit. Picking up the file for her client, she slipped it into the bag and clicked the magnetised lock shut, placing the handbag next to the large black artist's file sitting against her bedroom wall.
"If you say so." Tracy shrugged before nearly skipping to the bed to flop down on her stomach and stare at the small silver box sitting on the covers.
Rolling her eyes, Melissa moved to the bed and quickly went through the process of opening the case. Tracy gasped when she saw the earrings and bracelet sitting nestled in padded black velvet inside the case.
"You are such a magpie." Melissa smiled as the redhead reached out a hand and reverently picked up the bracelet.
Tracy didn't answer and Melissa studied the piece of jewellery. It was a chain of five small silver oval shaped balls about the size of macadamia nuts. Each ball was set with a ring of four marquise cut sapphires around the middle of the ball and six round cut diamonds around each end. The middle ball was a little fatter than the others were and the sapphires were a little bigger as well. Each ball was connected by a delicate ring of silver, and a clasp of silver was at one end with a final ring and a small disc of silver stamped with the G. Dean logo at the other end. The earrings were hooks with a single hanging oval ball with four marquise cut sapphires around the middle and six round cut diamonds at either end of the oval. The jewellery was exquisite but Melissa couldn't help but wish she had had a hand in designing it rather than solely wearing the end product.
"Okay, enough with the drooling. You're making me late for my meeting." Melissa told the redhead still entranced by the bracelet in her hands. Picking up the earrings, Melissa slipped them into her earlobes and reach out her right hand so that Tracy could carefully clasp the bracelet around her wrist.
Pouting, Tracy got up from the bed and moved around the room packing up her brushes and makeup products. Kissing her friend on the cheek, Melissa slipped on her jacket, caught up her handbag and artist's file. With a shouted goodbye to Tracy and a call to lock up after herself, Melissa rushed out the door to meet her town car outside the apartment block.
Her meeting with Mr. Dean's newest client went well and Melissa closed on a deal for a commissioned jewellery set for a New York heiress before lunch. After a quick lunch she shot by the office to drop off the agreed upon design, her artist's file, debrief with her boss and pick up a courier to bring the necklace straight back to the office so that it could be closed in the vault until its new owner picked it up. She didn't know exactly who had bought it but had a feeling it was the oil magnate from the charity party.
Just as she was about to get into her town car to drive to the NCIS headquarters, she was stopped by someone calling her name.
Tracy jogged to the car with a clothes bag in her arms, "You forgot this at your apartment this morning." The bag was handed over and Tracy winked saucily. "Don't daydream about your cute Agent too much now." She smirked at Melissa's annoyed and embarrassed look. "Tootles." And with that, the redhead was off down the road.
Exasperated, Melissa slipped into the car and closed her door roughly.
The drive to the NCIS headquarters was quick. The courier sat in the front with the driver while Melissa fielded calls for Mr. Dean on her cell and set up some important meetings with clients. She finished a phone call just as the driver pulled up outside a beautiful Tuscan villa backed by the mountains. Grabbing her handbag and the clothes bag, Melissa opened her door and stepped out of the car. Having left her coat at the office, the heat of the sun on her back made her smile as she asked the driver and the courier to wait in the car while she went and got the necklace.
Walking into the building Melissa couldn't help but wish this was where she worked. Everything was so open and it looked warm and friendly. Ignoring the curious looks from the people milling about in the foyer, she walked straight up to the front desk. Before she had opened her mouth to ask for Agent Callen she was interrupted by a loud yell from the archway that led to the rest of the building.
"You thinking of a job change or are you just bringing us presents!"
Melissa smiled at Officer Deeks as he walked over to her and stuck a hand out. "Not a job change but I am bringing a gift. Or rather returning it." She said shaking his hand.
Deeks looked a little lost as to her meaning but motioned for her to follow him. "Let's go. Callen's been missing you." He grinned at Melissa's blush and led her into the heart of the building.
"This is where we all sit and do things." He said as he leaned against a desk that was one of four in a small alcove made by filigree wire screens off to one side of the large open space in the middle of the building.
"This place is beautiful." Melissa complimented enjoying talking to the tall blond officer. His eyes seemed sincere and he had the widest grin she had ever seen.
He stretched his arms above his head, obviously flirting. "Yeah, well. It's not much but it feels like home." Something seemed to occur to him. "You wanna drink or anything?" Without waiting for a reply, he pulled out a chair for her. "Sit down and I'll get you something to drink." And he was off to the other side of the room and the water cooler.
Not knowing what else to do, Melissa sat down in the chair and crossed her legs, the clothes bag folded carefully on her lap and her handbag sitting beside the chair. She looked around the small area and noticed how unique each desk was, knowing it said something about the person who sat there and wishing she knew what it meant.
"Hey. What are you doing here?"
Melissa looked up to see Agent Blye moving toward the messiest desk closest to the right side of the alcove smiling.
She smiled, "I've come to return Agent Callen's jacket and to collect the necklace."
The tall brunette nodded as she shuffled some papers around her desk. "Oh, okay." After a few minutes of silence, the Agent turned on her heel and sat on the edge of her desk. "Can I ask you a question?"
Tucking an escaped strand of hair behind her ear Melissa nodded. "Sure."
Folding her arms across her chest Agent Blye shifted a little. "This is gonna sound weird but…where do you get your clothes?"
Melissa smiled softly and turned a little so that she could lean her arm on the back of her chair. "My job requires me to dress a certain way. G. Dean has a contract with many top brands. Their sales people are dressed and styled by the best."
The younger woman looked surprised. "Seriously? People come to your house and tell you what to wear?"
With a small laugh, Melissa nodded, "Essentially, yes. My clients see me in these clothes and they can log onto an exclusive website to order clothes from there."
"How much do you have to earn to get onto that website? I'll buy you something pretty/sexy like Miss Gordon's wearing, Kens." Officer Deeks was back and he handed Melissa a paper cup of water.
Melissa's cheeks coloured a little. "I wouldn't know, Officer Deeks. Even I don't qualify to get on that website." She took a sip of her water and looked away from the two people she felt she had offended.
"It's Deeks."
Melissa looked up and smiled at the open look on his face. She nodded in thanks. "Thank you for the water Deeks."
The blond officer grinned and motioned to Agent Blye with a file he picked up from his desk when he moved around it and sat down in his chair. "And that's Kensi, or Kens or just sweet-cheeks." He added leaning back in his chair with a mischievous look in his eyes.
Kensi threw a balled up piece of paper and hit him in the forehead. "It's just Kensi or Kens." She corrected. "Not even you get to call me sweet-cheeks."
He looked up from where the paper missile had fallen at his feet, "Who gets to call you sweet-cheeks then?" he tilted his head down and grinned, "Is it Sam?"
Kensi hurled another balled up piece of paper at his head with deadly accuracy and Melissa hid a laugh with a cough as it hit dead centre of his forehead again. "Not even Callen or Sam."
"Not even Callen or Sam what?" Agent Hanna asked as the two men in question came down the staircase opposite the alcove.
Melissa had to tear her eyes away from Agent Callen's chest. He was in sweat pants and a grey t-shirt, a white towel over one shoulder. But that wasn't what directed Melissa's gaze to the Agent's torso; it was the fact that it looked like he had been at the gym and the t-shirt was stuck to his shoulders, chest and most likely his back by sweat, and he was ripped.
Agent Hanna was in the same state but Melissa's gaze gravitated to Agent Callen of its own accord. Taking a breath, she looked down at the garment bag in her lap glad that her unravelling chignon provided a temporary curtain for her flaming cheeks. Quickly she pulled a pin from her hair and re-twisted the hairstyle so that is would sit nicely at the back of her head. Clearing her throat, she uncrossed her legs and stood up, with a smile she held out her hand to Agent Hanna first.
"It's good to see you under better circumstances, Agent." She turned to Agent Callen and shook his hand as well. "It's good to see you all without the threat of imminent danger. Which reminds me, Agent Callen." she handed him the garment bag. "Thank you for lending me your jacket that night."
He glanced at the bag he had taken from her and looked her full in the face, "Why are you here?"
Melissa was taken aback by his bluntness. It took her a few moments to answer but when she did, it was with anger in her voice. She lifted her chin and stared him down. "I came to return the jacket and collect the necklace that belongs to my employer."
The taller man clenched his jaw, "Wearing that?" he asked his gaze flicking down her body judging her in that small look more than she had ever been judged before. The others around them seemed to cringe collectively.
"I wore this to work." Melissa said after a moment of shocked silence, her voice cold and aloof.
Agent Callen raised an eyebrow, assessing her to see whether she was telling the truth. Melissa nearly slapped him.
A woman, small in stature but large in presence, stood on the landing of the staircase opposite the alcove, "Miss Gordon, I see you have reacquainted yourself with my team."
Recognising the voice of Special Agent Hetty Lange whom she had been in contact with regularly since her team had taken Mr. Dean's necklace; Melissa sent the small woman a tight smile. "Yes, thank you Hetty. Hopefully this is the last time I will have to reacquaint myself with some of them." She said acidly. Turning on her heel she caught up her bag from beside the chair she had just vacated and then, with a smile for the three other team members, she marched past Agent Callen without sparing him another look. "Thank you for taking such care of this." She said taking the briefcase from Hetty who had come down the stairs to meet her.
"Of course." Hetty smiled before glancing at Melissa's wrist. "Remind me to pay a visit to your offices, Miss Gordon."
Melissa smiled genuinely, all her frustration at Agent Callen melting away in Hetty's calming presence. "Are we still meeting up for high tea Thursday?"
Hetty smiled. "It's in my book."
With a laugh, Melissa stooped to hug the older woman and then waved goodbye to the team ignoring the scrutinising look Agent Callen had when she glanced at him one last time. With a final smile for Hetty, the beautiful brunette walked out of the NCIS headquarters never seeing the cool look Hetty sent to Callen for his attitude toward her.
Melissa walked into the NCIS headquarters; it was empty, but what else would you expect so late in the afternoon? She listened to the silence of the large building and smiled as golden dust motes twirled down through the rays of sunlight filtering into the room. She made her way to the alcove where Deeks had guided her when she had picked up the necklace for her employer. Callen was sitting at his desk bent over an open file. With a sigh, Melissa leaned her hip against Sam's desk and folded her arms across her chest watching the man who could rile her up with a single look.
"You're here again?" his voice was mildly annoyed.
Melissa studied him. He was wearing the grey t-shirt again and she watched as the muscles in his forearm and shoulder moved beneath the material when he picked up a pen and jotted a note down in the file. She turned her body and leaned her hands on the edge of the desk behind her. "Yeah, I'm here again." She murmured.
She heard him push back his desk chair and with each step he took toward her she felt her heart speed up. He stopped in front of her and she lifted her green-blue eyes to his face. They didn't speak, and almost instantly he had grabbed her hips and pulled her against his body, his lips catching hers in a kiss that seared.
Without thinking Melissa pushed him away and glared, "If you think I'm going to forgive you just because you kiss me you're wrong."
Callen raised that damn eyebrow and, twisting his fingers into her now messy chignon; he cupped the back of her neck and pressed his lips to hers again.
Melissa giggled against his mouth when he wrapped his free arm around her waist and lifted her onto Sam's desk. Her hands were under his t-shirt and sliding over the plains and contours of his abs before she could stop herself. His lips moved down to her jaw and then her throat and her skin felt like it smouldered where his lips and hands touched her. She moaned, his name falling from her lips while his fingers found the buttons of her dove grey blouse.
With a gasp Melissa was jolted from her daydream at the sound of a loud knock. Her secretary poked her head around the dark wood office door, "Mel, are you okay?"
Feeling her cheeks heat with an embarrassed blush, the brunette nodded. "Um, yes. Is-is everything alright?" she asked obviously flustered.
The young blonde woman who had never seen Melissa anything but calm looked a little taken aback. "Yeah, I mean I was paging you about your two o'clock having just arrived and you never answered. I was wondering if you were alright, that's all."
Her cheeks becoming even redder, Melissa nodded quickly, her voice shaking slightly when she answered, "Yes…yes of course. I'm fine, Katrina. I was just daydreaming that's all. I think I'm a little tired." She waved towards the sitting room over the secretary's shoulder, "Please, have Mrs Rosen come in."
Katrina nodded and turned to do as her boss asked but in the back of her mind she wondered what could make such a poised and calm woman babbling and blushing. Closing the door behind an obviously surgically enhanced client, Katrina smiled, "It must be a man." She murmured to herself before she moved to answer the ringing phone on her desk.
"I blame you!" Melissa told her friend when she opened her front door the next morning.
Tracy blinked as the petite woman turned away and stalked back into the apartment. "If that's the thanks I get for bringing you these gorgeous new clothes and a hunky courier with a new and beautiful box of jewellery then I think I might as well go home, kid." She joked, tucking a long strand of red hair behind her ear and rolling her outfit rack into the bedroom as usual.
Melissa left her bed only to get the silver case from the courier and let him out of her apartment before she flopped face first back down on her bed leaving Tracy to place the jewellery case on the vanity and then prop her fists onto her hips and tap her foot impatiently.
"Well? What did I do now?" the beautiful redhead asked.
Her voice muffled by her duvet, Melissa recounted the embarrassment of having her secretary catch her in a sexy daydream starring none other than Agent Callen who was fast becoming the bane of her existence.
The cause of Melissa's bad mood told; Tracy sat down beside her friend and forced her to turn over and look at her. Straight faced she looked Melissa in the eye, "You better ask him out then." Then she waited for Melissa's reaction.
The ensuing explosion didn't even ruffle the taller woman's calm demeanour. "There is no way I will ever ask him out!" Melissa nearly yelled. "He's rude, blunt to the point of offense, mistrustful and an overall ass."
A saucy grin broke Tracy's appearance of calm. "I bet you think about his ass."
Gaping at her for a moment, Melissa then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. From between clenched teeth she gritted out, "You're not helping right now, Trace."
Laughing at her friend's growing blush the tall stylist stood up and brushed off her skinny jeans. "Yeah, well, if this guy is as good looking as you say he is then why not ask him out, huh?"
Outraged, Melissa nearly exploded angrily again only to press her lips together when her friend handed her the newest garment bag with express instructions to get dressed so that she could do her makeup and hair.
Once dressed and coiffed, Melissa said goodbye to the redhead, ignoring her jibe about asking Agent Callen to bed, and left her apartment. She answered the call on her phone as she was getting into her town car. "Morning Hetty, are we still on for high tea?"
"I'm sorry Miss Gordon but I must ask that we change our tea to three thirty and the venue may well have to be my office I'm afraid." Hetty's crisp voice came over the cell and Melissa's heart sank.
"Oh, of course. Is everything alright?" Melissa asked politely.
Hetty sounded as if she was smiling. "Everything's fine, Miss Gordon. I will see you at three thirty."
"See you then." Melissa rung off and closed her eyes. If she saw Agent Callen, with her emotions starting to go haywire she didn't know what her reaction would be, and that scared her.