I walked in on Emily stuttering that she had no idea what Nigel was talking about.
They both gasped as I slammed the door behind me, unaware of how long I had been listening.
"Hi Andy..." Nigel said softly, his eyes guarded as he watched me. "You okay?"
I nodded, not looking at him, my eyes focused on Emily. She, too, was watching me intently, but her eyes betrayed her. Emily... Loved Miranda? Was it reciprocated? Is that why she'd left me? My brain started swirling; I felt my vision begin to cloud as I moved to sit down on my desk. I opened my mouth, but Emily beat me to it.
"Do you love her?"
I started to protest, but it did no good. Both my colleagues simply looked at me, processing my blushing cheeks and my bright, tearful eyes. Thankfully (or not) Miranda chose that moment to strut into our conversations, mild surprise registering on her features as she looked at Emily's expression before focusing her attention on me. Her eyes changed, the mask dropped for a split second to let me see the apology in them before she moved past us to inquire as to why Nigel wasn't currently in his own office finishing the project on Runways 20th anniversary. He jumped into action, explaining that he was here to see her for an opinion on such and such; their voices trailed off as they moved away into Miranda's private office, whilst I watched Emily sink into a consuming train of thought.
Emily- Once they had established a relationship as something much more than professional, Emily and Miranda saw each other whenever the Editor so desired. She would reluctantly admit that she wanted her assistant to accompany her somewhere so she could satisfy needs far beyond her job description. For Miranda, though, this was as far as it went. Attractive as Miranda found Emily, it was purely physical. She felt no earth-shattering response to the sex, but it helped. Helped her stay in control. Helped her awareness of how far people would go to please her.
Emily didn't have a moment to think before Miranda's need was merged with her own, their mouths moved together as Miranda hastily pulled up her assistants skirt to feel the smooth thighs, scrabbling fingers becoming insistent. Emily gasped as she felt Miranda inside her, but sunk into the shock with a moan of pleasure, her questions dying on her lips. She had been about to inquire as to where the husband was, where the twins were too; her mind had become preoccupied, filled with nothing but Miranda as she pushed herself down harder onto those slender hands, ones she had admired so many times.
Miranda had not been watching this, however. She was aware of the power she held over her assistant, an awareness that was only magnified by how Emily groaned her name one final time before Miranda stepped away from her. Nevertheless, this power had no meaning to her. It wasn't the first time she had been with an assistant, after all.
It wasn't the nicest way to live her life, Miranda would think, but it had to be done to keep her sane. She never dwelled on her assistants emotions - she never had. This was the third time she had been in this exact position; the "straight" assistant suddenly becoming attracted to their female boss, telling themselves it was okay to feel this way because who didn't? She was Miranda Priestly. There wasn't a single person who couldn't resist her. The first time it had happened, the girl had stayed with her, giving her everything she needed whenever she needed it until Miranda had fired her for a minor "offence". Really, though, Miranda had simple grown bored of her. The second girl had been a more controlling person than the first, and when she started questioning exactly what Miranda wanted from her, the Editor in Chief let her go instantly. She already had a husband who attempted to run her life, and because of this they were on the brink of divorce after a mere 4 months married.
And now Emily. For her it was so much more than just sex and an assistant job. She had fallen for Miranda, so Miranda did the only thing she could be bothered to. She simply stopped calling Emily out of working hours. She never again asked her to do anything out o her job description, never again went within a metre of her. After weeks of this, Emily finally demanded what was going on. She stormed through Miranda's town house when she was supposed to be leaving the Book for her, past the place where they had first kissed, first made love (in Emily's mind. Miranda had never referred to it as anything more than fucking) and stormed into the room she knew Miranda would be occupying. She found her alone, and threw questions at her in her very British accent; "What's going on? Is there someone else? Have you just forgotten about me?" her voice became higher and higher as she forgot her assistant stature.
Miranda simply looked on, her face betraying nothing. "Emily, I suggest you go home and sleep. Perhaps see a doctor; you seem to be disoriented. And Emily?" as the younger girl stared at her in disbelief, "Don't ever shriek unintelligibly at me again if you expect to keep your position."
Emily stared, open mouthed, trying to control herself. "This really meant that little to you? That's... That's it?"
Miranda frowned. "What had you expected? A marriage proposal? I had thought you understood me a little better than that, Emily." There was a pause while the two regarded each other, one unaffected and the other numb from heartbreak momentarily.
"That's all."