The following day, Kori anxiously sat at her desk, tapping a pencil against the surface repeatedly. She was so nervous for Dick's return. He had gone away for his presentation just over an hour ago and she had been worried for the success of it since the minute he stepped into the elevator. She smiled fondly as she reminisced in such a recent memory. He had given her a lopsided grin and a wink from inside the elevator and it had caused her heart to flutter like crazy.
She shook her head and sighed. She hoped so very much that the presentation had gone well. Not only did she want the company to succeed even further but she also didn't want Dick to be rejected. He had worked so hard. They had worked so hard.
Suddenly, the doors of the elevator dinged before slowly revealing the people inside. Dick was speaking with Bruce as they exited the cramped space. Kori inhaled a breath and got to her feet. She wandered around the side of her desk and clasped her hands in front of her. She patiently waited while he finished up his conversation with Bruce Wayne. Kori bit her lip as he walked closer to her. Kori tried hard to ignore how close he came. She glanced up at his face with hopeful eyes,
"So...?" Kori whispered, "Was the presentation successful?"
Dick suddenly smirked and his features lit up as he excitedly took hold of Kori's hands, "They agreed to collaborate with the company!" He announced, causing Kori to grin and gasp. She was so happy for him; she knew how important it was to him.
Kori squealed with delight as Dick chuckled proudly. He leaned downwards and collected her up in a hug. Absent mindedly, he picked her up and spun her slightly. Kori giggled at the action and didn't give much thought to how unprofessional the display was. She enjoyed the feeling of his hands against the small of her back although she knew she shouldn't; she couldn't help it. She loved the boyish musk that was his scent and she didn't complain when their chests pushed against each others. She felt wrong for thinking of him in such a way but that didn't mean she was going to stop...
They sobered in their laughter as they heard a distinct noise. Someone was in the room now and had cleared their throat quite obviously. Dick slowly put Kori down and released her petite waist. Kori and Dick both glanced round at the women who was standing with her arms crossed, looking unimpressed. Kori cleared her own throat and took a step back from Dick, brushing her skirt down in an attempt to look professional.
The woman had dark red hair and light blue eyes which were currently being used to scowl at the two of them. Her face was contorted into a very deep glare which made Kori feel awkward. The woman made eye contact with Kori for a brief moment before glancing at Dick,
"Hi Dick." She almost spat. Dick straightened up and a light blush spread across his cheeks,
"Oh... Uh... Hey Babs..." Dick stuttered, feeling self-conscious between the two females.
Kori blinked innocently as she glanced from Dick to Barbra and back to Dick again. You didn't have to be a mind reader to understand that this woman was apparently very angry.
Dick coughed slightly and looked to the woman for a split second and gestured towards Kori, "Uh... Babs... This is Kori," Dick introduced, "My new secretary intern,"
Kori being Kori simply smiled politely to the red head. Dick continued, "Kori... This is Barbra... Y'know... My girlfriend?" He seemed to add emphasis on the last part as if asking for help. Kori's eyes widened in realisation and she straightened up, placing her hands behind her back. Barbra was currently scanning Kori as if she was some sort of creature that was unknown,
"Oh, greetings, Miss Gordon," Kori said, sweetly, "I have heard much about you,"
Barbra tilted her head as if weighing her theories on Kori before forcing a smile against her face. Kori cringed inwardly; it was beyond obvious that Barbra would rather pour lemon juice and salt into a wound than be civilised towards a female who was hugging her boyfriend moments ago. She slowly put her hand out to Kori,
"Mm... Nice to meet you..." She sounded genuine but Kori knew better than to believe that was true.
Kori's small smile stayed in place as she shook Barbra's hand. Kori didn't feel very nervous around Barbra. She was apparently trying to come across as being intimidating but Kori felt that by doing so, she was portraying more of a pathetic aura. By acting so bitter, she was presenting her insecurities and complete lack of faith in her 'boyfriend' around other girls. That much was clear to Kori.
When Kori released Barbra's hand, she brushed down her skirt and nodded to Barbra politely before scurrying back behind her desk. She began to busy herself with nonexistent work. If Dick and Barbra were going to argue, she really didn't want to be a part of it. As Kori sat down, her eyes remained focussed downwardly to avoid being dragged into any unnecessary drama.
Barbra placed all of her attention back on Dick as she narrowed her crystal eyes at him. Dick gritted his teeth without it being obvious; he hated it when she would turn up and moan about nothing. What he and Barbra 'had' was far from a successful relationship. He had been mentally running scenarios through his head recently depicting different ways to break up with her. He knew he didn't feel anything for her anymore. He thought he was completely head over heels at first but that fizzled out quicker than expected. He sighed and his shoulders visibly slumped,
"I need to talk to you." Barbra ordered,
"Can't it wait? I'm seriously busy with-" Dick was interrupted,
"Now." Barbra finalised. She stormed past him with her arms cross over her chest and her nose held up to the air. She looked the part for a bratty little kid at that particular moment. Dick shook his head with an exhausted exhale of breath. Dick trudged after his girlfriend and made sure he closed the doors firmly.
Kori bit her bottom lip and fiddled with her fingers as she stared at the doors. Kori sighed; she wished that she could hear what they were talking about.
Dick barely even made it back into his office before he was bombarded with questions, "What the fuck was that?" Barbra seethed,
Dick was slightly lost and his eyes shifted to show this, "What're you talking about?" He asked, completely bewildered.
"The hug with that little tramp!"
"Are you serious? Sides, she isn't a tramp, Babs. She's a really lovely girl."
"Do you want to fuck her?"
"What!?"
"Oh please." She muttered, "It's not the first time I've asked you that, is it?"
"You get so paranoid..."
"Excuse me!?"
Shit. Dick thought before exhaling a breath, "Look. There is nothing between me and Kori, alright? She's just my secretary."
Barbra sighed, "You swear?"
"I swear."
There was a pause before Barbra's glare of death switched into a devilish expression which made Dick feel uncomfortable. He stepped back and he felt his backside bump against the edge of his desk. She had a new fire in her eyes that practically screamed, 'Let's have sex.'
In complete honesty, the thought of such an activity with Barbra made Dick feel a little uneasy. He didn't have feelings for her; that he knew and so, he didn't want to take advantage and have sex with her if it was absolutely meaningless. In addition to that, Dick had begun to come to terms with the fact that he really wanted Kori in all ways; not just physically. He knew that sounded awful, he really did but he couldn't help his own feelings. Other than the fact he was currently in a relationship with someone he didn't love anymore and he was falling for another, there wasn't a problem he could see about even being with Kori. Even the age didn't bother him. Kori was 18 while he was 22; it was completely legal and it wasn't like there was a 50 year age difference. His mind throbbed at the thought of Bruce's rule about no relationships within the workplace but he was pretty sure he could lie through his teeth for that or simply work ways around it.
Her voice became seductive, "Feel like having a little bit of fu-" Barbra stopped her advance as Kori's voice crackled through over the receiver on Dick's desk. Barbra clicked her tongue and leaned away from Dick, placing her hands on her hips in irritation,
"Mr Grayson, your 4 o'clock appointment with Mr Rush is starting momentarily within the main board room." Kori informed him. Dick inwardly smiled and sighed in relief; Kori had saved him from that awkward moment. He reached over and pressed a button to reply to Kori,
"Thank you Kori," He responded, letting her know that he had acknowledged her notice.
Dick turned back to Barbra and faked a disappointed expression, "Oh... Damn... Uh... Maybe some other time, yeah?" He mumbled, shrugging his shoulders. Babs rolled her eyes but fixed a grin against her features,
"Definitely," She quickly placed a kiss on his lips, "See ya,"
Dick plastered a smile onto his face and nodded to Barbra. He wandered over to the door to almost escort her out. She strolled out of his office and he noticed Kori stare at her the entire time. Barbra glanced in Kori's direction and Kori gave her a polite smile to which Barbra rolled her eyes at.
Kori slowly rose from her chair and stepped around her desk, her expression becoming hard. She didn't like Barbra one bit. She was unnecessarily mean and she didn't deserve a boyfriend like Dick. They seemed very different indeed; Dick was sweet while she was sourly bitter.
Kori sighed and didn't realise Dick was standing behind her now. He smiled at her form and understood that Barbra probably infuriated her, "Your message about the appointment really helped me there, Kori." He chuckled. Kori turned suddenly, completely shocked by his presence.
"Oh! Mr Grayson... I did not realise you had come out of your office..." She babbled, looking at the ground. Dick waved a hand of dismissal to her. He found it cute how she would stare at the ground in her embarrassed moments.
"I do not mean to sound rude but..." Kori trailed off as she glanced up at Dick through her lashes, "I do not like her very much..."
Dick chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, "Trust me, not a lot of people do." He told her. Kori giggled and straightened up to look at him properly.
His smiled faded ever so slightly as he realised something, "Wait... Kori?" He began,
"Yes?" She answered,
"I don't have the appointment with Mr Rush today; I have it tomorrow..." He stated,
Kori's cheeks immediately burned up and she shyly placed her hands behind her back. She looked away from him to avoid eye contact at all costs, "Oh... Is that so?" She faked a shocked tone and Dick knew it, "Apologies, Mr Grayson; my mistake."
With her face becoming redder by the second, Kori turned away and shuffled some papers together nervously. Dick smirked from behind her and bit his lip to try and stop the spreading smile on his face. He wouldn't allow himself to fully believe that Kori liked him back but it was nice to think it; especially when she did little stunts like that to prevent any action between him and his girlfriend. Dick suddenly had an idea and cleared his throat to capture Kori's attention once again,
"Hey Kori?" He started,
Kori turned back to him with her cheeks appearing a lot less flustered, "Yes?" She replied, smiling. Dick glanced around and took her hand to pull her a little closer. Kori gulped.
Dick let go of her hand and leaned against her desk, "What are you doing tonight?" He wondered,
Kori felt her heart skip a beat, "I have nothing currently planned. Why?" She responded,
"Well... Wally's having a party tonight and I was wondering if you wanted to come with?"
"Are you not going to invite Barbra? She would surely be very angry if she knew I went with you. Would she not?"
"Wally hates Babs so no... She's not invited," Dick shrugged, "And... She doesn't have to know you came with me; she doesn't even need to know you were there. It's not her business..."
Kori tilted her head slowly from side to side as if considering his words carefully.
"C'mon... What'd you say?" Dick asked, grinning.
"I suppose... Yes... I would like to go with you, very much." She laughed, sensing his enthusiasm.
"Awesome!" Dick cheered, causing Kori to giggle again and shake her head at him, "I'll pick you up around 7pm, yeah?"
Kori nodded cheerfully and beamed at him. Dick nodded and grinned while he backed away, bumping himself against the desk clumsily. Kori giggled behind her delicate hand at that. He nervously smirked and went back to his work. Kori stared at the door with a shy smile. The part of her that did like Richard was apparently growing...
