Miss Betty Suarez, Nanny
Hi my friends!
I am so sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything. Things have been so crazy and busy for me! and I found that when I did have some time to write I felt a bit uninspired, but I have not forgotten about you or my stories.
Here is a lengthy chapter to make up for the delay! I should be able to have the next chapter up perhaps tomorrow night sometime, too! =) It's mostly written. =P
For entertainment only!
Chapter 9
As soon as Daniel and Betty stepped into the elevator and it started, Daniel glanced at Betty quickly, glad that she was on his side again. He didn't know what he would do if he lost her.
He caught her glance to him and look away. He looked to her with a grin and she looked to him with a smile "What?" she asked with a laugh that did something to his heart.
He smiled "I'm so happy you forgave me. I am so sorry for my behavior before. You've become really important to me, and I wouldn't want to do something to hurt you." he said somewhat nervously.
Her eyes met his and the smile that she sent him made his heart warm. "Aw, thanks Daniel. It's kind of hard not to forgive you" she said before she looked ahead.
He smirked "Oh ya? Why is that?"
She chewed her lip and glanced to him "Your eyes!"
He laughed "my eyes?"
She blushed "For starters! AND that smile!"
He grinned brightly and she blushed brighter. "SEE! You're too charming!" she couldn't believe the things she told him! What was wrong with her? Her brain seemed to not work properly when she was around him.
He laughed "Well thank you, Miss Suarez! That is very flattering of you to say!"
She laughed, her cheeks rosy.
He leaned close to her and said in a lower voice "Though, I have to say, YOU Miss Saurez are quite the charmer, yourself. With your sparkling radiant and purely positive personality! And THAT smile!" he said with a grin.
She smiled, her heart fluttering at how adorably sexy he was. She wished there wasn't so much at stake between them or else she was sure she'd do something totally impulsive and possibly very stupid. "Shouldn't we be discussing Wilhelmina" she stated, trying to calm down her crazy thoughts and keep things professional.
He rolled his eyes "that witch! I'm so sick of her! But yeah...maybe you're right." he took a breath, and she asked "are you nervous?"
He sighed "A little!"
She smiled "you got this! I am right here on your side. Even if she decides to kill me"
He smiled "I promise I will not let that witch near you"
She smirked "we can take her down together"
He nodded "Definitely"
Once they made it shortly to the Mode floor, they stepped off the elevator and walked down the hallway toward the round orange reception desk, the girl at the desk quickly noticing Daniel and acknowledging him "Hey there, hottie." she said seductively. "To what do we owe the pleasure?" she winked at him.
Daniel rolled his eyes " why do you still flirt with me?! I thought you liked Tyler. "
She grinned "Hell yeah I do! We are going out to dinner tonight!"
He shook his head. "Is he here today?" he asked curiously.
She nodded with a seductive smirk "Mmmm yah...he's getting a fitting. I was trying to watch but that stupid Christina kicked me out!"
"Good for her" he teased and she rolled her eyes "ha-hah"
Betty watched them, feeling a bit awkward, noticing there had obviously been something between them at some point. She felt suddenly jealous, and decided to make herself known. "Hi Amanda" Betty said, remembering her name from the last time she was here.
Amanda looked to her "You again? What are you doing here? Didn't Wilhelmina say bye bye to the four eyes?"
"Amanda! Cut that crap out! Betty is my assistant!" Daniel interjected and both Betty and Amanda looked at him in surprise. "What? She's YOUR assistant? Since when?"
He nodded with a smile "Since Wilhelmina was blind to see how amazing Betty was. She's not only my assistant, I hired her to help me out with DJ. She's his nanny, too! So you better be nice to her"
Amanda glanced at Betty shooting her a slight glare, and Betty felt a bit embarrassed at Daniel's protectiveness over her. "Fine...Betty. What are you two doing here?"
"We have a meeting with Wilhelmina! She's been stealing money from Mode for her plastic ass!" Daniel stated in annoyance.
Amanda smirked "Oo, good luck!"
"Come on, we better get going, Betty. " he said and gently placed his hand to her back to lead her around the desk. She felt butterflies at his touch, but tried to remain calm and professional as she said "Bye Amanda. See you around"
Amanda rolled her eyes as she watched them walk away, but quickly smirked and picked up her phone to text Marc that he was in for a show.
They were at the end of the hallway when Betty looked to him and said "She sure was flirty with you"
Daniel laughed "Yah, she does that with everyone! I'm sure if she was friends with you she'd hit on you at some point, too!"
Betty laughed at that, but said "Were you two... together?" she knew she shouldn't be asking such a question. It wasn't any of her business, but he laughed and said "definitely not! We went out a few times and we had fun, but...well, I knew she wasn't the woman for me. She's fun and all, but we're better off as friends, besides I saw her and my half brother Tyler and they seemed to have some crazy intense chemistry."
She nodded, her thoughts wandering to the interactions she had with Daniel, and felt she and Daniel had some crazy intense chemistry of their own, at least she felt that way. She wasn't sure if Daniel noticed or felt it.
"Speaking of him, maybe when we're through here we'll stop by the Closet and you can meet him" he stated snapping her back to reality.
She nodded "Sure. So... you two are ok with each other?" she asked, as they were nearing Wilhelmina's office.
He stopped and said "At first, not really. I was totally pissed at my mom for keeping him a secret from me for twenty eight years, and I thought he was nothing but a smelly cowboy but...well, I hung out with him and it was pretty cool. I guess I should be happy I'll still have a brother even after my brother Alex comes back as my sister, huh?" he said with a smirk.
She laughed in understanding "true"
He smiled "Now, come on, let's take this witch down. You sure you're still on my side?" he asked and she nodded quickly "definitely. Team Daniel" she held her hand up and he grinned smacking her hand. He so adored her.
He shook his head and started for Wilhelmina's office, taking a breath as he walked up to Marc's desk.
"Well, well if it isn't Prince Charming and the ballsy woman! So, it's true. You hired this one."
"Cut that shit out Marc! Keep your snarky comments to yourself! Her name is Betty, ok! Trust me, you're gonna want to remember!"
Marc looked at him in surprise at how protective and authoritative he was over this 'Betty'. He'd never seen the man be so assured, and damn if it wasn't hot.
He glanced to Betty "Wilhelmina is going to kill someone today" he stated vaguely, knowing how angry she was going to be to see Betty back, and with Daniel, no less.
"Well, then you better stay out of her way once we're through with her" Daniel shot back.
Marc watched Daniel walk past into Wilhelmina's office. As Betty started to follow him in Marc smirked "Good luck... fireball. Wilhelmina doesn't take too kindly to anyone getting in the way of what she wants" he warned.
"I'm only here to help Daniel"
He smiled somewhat slyly "And that is exactly what I mean!"
Betty took a breath and headed in feeling nervous, knowing from the very brief moment she interacted with Wilhelmina and Daniel's stories of his own interactions with the woman that she was not a woman who could be easily appeased.
Wilhelmina picked her head up from her desk to see none other than Daniel Meade walking in with a curious smug smile on his face. "Well, well, if it isn't dear Danny Meade" Wilhelmina smirked as he walked in further.
"Cut the crap Wilhelmina, I'm in no mood to play games with you. I'm sick of you treating me like I'm some idiot. In fact, I'm smart enough to realize a good asset when I see one"
"What are you blabbering on about, Meade?"
He smirked as Betty walked in at the perfect moment.
"You remember Betty Suarez, don't you?" he saw the look of surprise in the wicked fashion witch's eyes and the glare that crossed her face.
"What on earth is she doing here? I thought I made it clear to you that you don't belong at Mode, Betsy!"
Betty was about to speak when Daniel cut in.
"Her name is Betty! And SHE is my new assistant. I'll have you know, you are the one who's an idiot to pass her up. She is amazing!" He said with a smile causing Betty to feel nervous as Wilhelmina's eye seemed to twitch in anger, despite how flattered Betty was at how much Daniel seemed to value her.
Wilhelmina stood up, her hands clenching the desk as she rose. "Well, it seems I underestimated you, Betty." she acknowledged with her eyebrow raised.
Wilhelmina was furious that this pesky Betty found her way back and with her enemy, no less!
'You sure did, because she was smart enough to figure out that you were stealing money from Mode for your plastic ass and fake smile!" He stated.
Wilhelmina visibly became angrier. The grip she had on the table so tight they were sure it would start to break under her grasp. 'You think you can just come into my office accusing me of such a thing! You have no proof!" She stated and stood up straight standing her ground and staring Betty down.
"Actually, the proof was in the past two issues of Mode and the reports you provided us...um" Betty stated, but could feel the anger bubbling over in the diva. 'uh...Ms. Slater" Betty added nervously.
Daniel smirked "we called the clinic in Rio for your ass and the spa in Manhattan for your lousy Botox to confirm it, so don't even try to deny it!" He grinned.
Wilhelmina was more than furious but she was not going to let these fools win. She smirked and said "there's nothing you can do about it. The money is gone!"
"That is where you're wrong, Wilhelmina. Either you do every single thing I request of you or I get your ass in jail"
Wilhelmina laughed. "My father is a state senator. Nothing you can do would keep me locked up!"
Daniel rolled his eyes. "I will have my demands to you by the end of the day!"
She laughed "demands?"
"Yes, demands! You're damn lucky I'm not firing your plastic ass out of Mode. You're going to listen to me for a change. I'm done having you boss me around! And I'm done with your scheming and plotting. In fact, I'm enlisting Betty here to oversee Mode until I can trust that you won't screw me over!"
Both Betty and Wilhelmina looked at him in surprise, Betty reflecting anxiousness and Wilhelmina anger.
"I hope your ass was worth it!" he said with a taunting smirk. She glared at him, while Daniel started to leave, but looked back to her with a smirk and said "oh, and one last thing...I am going to get every last penny back that you stole!"
"Well, good luck returning my ass!" She fumed as he started walking out, with Betty following as Wilhelmina screamed in anger.
"Aaahhhhh MARC!"she screeched, then picked up the vase at the edge of her desk and threw it at the wall causing it to shatter in hundreds of pieces.
Damn them! How dare they waltz in here threatening her. She will show them she is not to be trifled with.
That Betty chose sides with the wrong person! She couldn't believe she found her way back and with Meade! UGH!
As Daniel and Betty stepped out and saw Marc staring at them in surprise , Daniel smirked. "Good luck to you, Marc! I think you're gonna need it! She doesn't look too happy."
Marc took his inhaler out and took a big puff of air. Betty bit her lip, feeling sorry for Marc dealing with the aftermath of Wilhelmina's anger, and more than likely wrath.
"Marc!" Wilhelmina called once more.
"Prada, help me! Damn you, Meade!" Marc took another puff and scurried in.
As soon as they were far enough away from Wilhelmina's office, Daniel and Betty both let out big breaths and laughed.
Daniel hugged her quickly and said "you're amazing, Betty! Did you see the look on her face when she saw that you worked for me? I think I saw her eye twitch. And oh my god, I don't think I've ever seen her look so out of control. That was amazing!"
Betty giggled, finding his excitement amusing."I hardly did or said anything"
He grinned and nodded "Oh, but you most definitely did. You're like my secret weapon. I feel like I finally have an upper hand over her, thanks to you!"
"She was really angry. Did you hear her scream? And I think she threw something. I heard glass shatter as we left" Betty stated as she glanced back toward her office.
He grinned "that's awesome!"
Betty giggled, but then got serious "Daniel, are you sure about having me oversee Mode? I'm hardly experienced in this stuff! I don't know anything about fashion, you know that! And not to mention Wilhelmina will kill me!"
He shook his head "Betty, I'm serious about this! I need someone I can trust to look over Mode and especially Wilhelmina! All I'm asking is you to pop in on occasion on some of the meetings (features, cover, stories) and maybe from now on check the budget and records and see if they add up to the issue. At least for a bit until I can trust that witch to not screw me and my company over! Is that ok?"
She made the mistake of looking in his eyes, which were bright and blue and filled with hope and trust. How could she possibly refuse him? She wasn't sure she could, even if she wanted to. She sighed defeatedly and said "Ok. BUT, you definitely owe me!"
He hugged her and said "Yes! Definitely! I'll get you two desserts at lunch today!"
She giggled and sighed as he let go of her to see his purely happy charming smile that she was coming to adore. More than her own life it seemed. How could he manage to take her out of her comfort zone and do all these things she never thought she would do. It was certainly thrilling to work with someone whose life was so filled with such dramatic challenges.
She was broken away from her thoughts to the charming sound of his voice again. "Hey, now, let's see if we can find my brother?"
She nodded as he led the way. She was sure she'd follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked her to. She smiled as she glanced at him, looking so incredibly charming. She felt a bout of butterflies surface as he glanced to her with a smile of his own.
When Marc scurried into Wilhelmina's office, the woman he admired was seething! He didn't think he'd ever seen her so angry before. Quite frankly it was frightening.
"Can you believe that imbecil?! Oh, I am the last person he wants to have on his bad side! And that damn pesky BETTY! AHH!" she picked up a small glass paperweight and threw it against the wall having it break on contact again resulting in a shattering sound that instantly put Marc under another stint of anxiety.
He picked up his inhaler and took a puff before he walked over "Now, Wilhelmina, she is so not even worth being annoyed at! Have you seen her?! She looks like a garden threw up on her!" he commented on her ensemble with the bright colorful floral skirt she was wearing. Though he had to admit, despite her taste in using every color of the rainbow she was looking quite fashionable. He remembered seeing a similar skirt at fashion week a year ago.
Heck, he was sure if she ditched those lame glasses, and wore some makeup and styled her hair she would be quite the beauty! What the heck was he even thinking? She was their enemy right now! ...well...Wilhelmina's.
He shook his head and came around to Wilhelmina.
"I can't believe he put that stupid Betty in charge of overseeing me! Like I'm some kind of child! She doesn't know a thing about fashion! Look at her! And how in the world did she find her way back!? And with Daniel no less! MARC!"
"I'm right here!" he said, shielding his ears from her screaming. She smirked "I need you to find out as much as you can about this pesky Betty! There must be something about her we can use as leverage" she said slyly.
"I'm on it, Wili!" he said and turned around, slipping his inhaler out and taking a puff. Oh hell, this was not good, he thought to himself. Any time Wilhelmina wanted deets on someone it was used for less than innocent purposes. Not that he was a saint or anything.
However, there was something about this damned Betty that made him sort of admire her. Especially for sticking up for herself. No one ever stood up in front of Wilhelmina and stood up to her.
Hell, he was jealous that she somehow managed to land a great job without even trying. He'd worked with Wilhelmina for 4 years now and she still gave him a hard time and she practically made him her flying monkey just to get even a chance at being Mode's Creative Director.
Of course, he truly loved Wilhelmina! She was his Queen, but there were moments that he was less than proud of in his time working with the fashion goddess he adored.
He took a breath and decided to look up this Betty and see what she was about.
Daniel had led Betty to the Closet "So, this here is the infamous Mode closet, where all the madness happens."
Betty's eyes grew wide seeing all the designer clothing displayed around and how large it was "Wow!"
Daniel's phone started ringing. He picked his phone out and said "Sorry, Betty I have to take this. Just look for my brother or Christina, she's the seamstress. I'll be right back, okay?" he said and she nodded as she walked in more and just as she did, someone rounded the corner and knocked into her.
"Oh, pardon me Miss, I should've been payin' more attention. Are you alright?" the man asked as he steadied her. She looked at him and her throat closed up as she nodded, finally responding and said "Oh no it's, it's ok. I'm sorry" she stammered at the handsome stranger that knocked into her.
Geez, were all the men that worked around here so handsome?
He had striking blue eyes and a charming smile that could easily make any girl fall for him. Quite like one other incredibly handsome man she knew. All his striking features clicked and she looked at him in realization. "You must be... Tyler?" she asked in wonder.
His blue eyes shined as he shot her a charming smile and said "That I am. And who might you be, darlin?" he asked curiously, causing her to blush at him stepping a bit closer to her, his smile getting even more dreamy, his southern accent quite charming.
Just as she was about to answer, Daniel cut in, placing his hand to his brother's chest and pushed him back as he said "She is my assistant! Don't go hitting on her! Isn't Amanda enough for you?"
Tyler laughed as he said "I was just bein' nice to the pretty lady! Don't go getting all jealous of me again!" he teased. Daniel rolled his eyes, while Betty looked to Tyler again and said "My name is Betty Suarez. It's nice to finally meet you Tyler! Daniel's told me a bit about you"
He smirked at her, causing her to bite her lip. "Has he now, Miss Suarez? I sure hope he's told you nice things about me, but knowin' Danny here, I'm not so sure." he stated playfully as he glanced to Daniel who rolled his eyes again.
Betty laughed and said "Well, he's only told me you're his half brother"
"Well, then, it's a pleasure to meet you, cutie pie" he stated with a wink causing Daniel to glare at him and Betty to blush, surprise filling her at his flirtation. She was even more surprised when Daniel punched his shoulder and said "Cut that out, South Dakota!"
Tyler laughed in amusement. "I'm just messin with ya, New York! I'm not tryin' to steal your little miss over here." he said with a playful smirk.
Betty bit her lip, feeling somewhat embarrassed at the way they were acting over her. Was Daniel jealous of Tyler flirting with her? Or was he just being protective of her like he has been before?
"Daniel, can I speak to you a minute?" she asked as she stepped away, allowing him to follow her over. He looked at her and she looked at him, her eyes silently questioning his actions, but she figured to ask and said "Daniel, you really don't have to be so protective of me. I can certainly take care of myself. I'm not some little girl!"
He smiled "believe me, I know that, Betty. I just...I can't help it! Something just overtakes me when I see anyone mess with you. No one messes with Daniel's girl!" he stated and his eyes grew wide at how that sounded. "Uh...I just mean...what I mean is...uh, not that you're my...uh...wow, I'm sorry"
She chewed her lip, but then laughed and said "No one should be allowed to be as charming as you are, Daniel"
He grinned brightly at the fact that she wasn't freaked out or offended by his remark. She was so freaking cute. He was finding it harder to not find her totally and utterly adorable. He ran his hand through his hair nervously. "Uh...sorry about my idiotic brother flirting with you. He's making fun of me because when he first got here, I was so pissed, and I admit a little jealous, that he was becoming my mom's favorite or something. I hated that!"
She smiled, at seeing him blush at his admission. "Uh...I guess, it still annoys me when he comes around and seduces everyone with that damn southern cowboy crap he has going on!"
She laughed "you don't have to worry, I'm still on team Daniel" she stated playfully. He laughed, glad they were able to joke around about stuff like this.
Tyler walked up to them and said "Sorry to interrupt you two love birds, but I'm gonna get goin" a smirk on his face, causing them both to blush and look at each other embarrassed at his comment, but then he took Betty's hand and said "pleasure meeting you miss Betty. Hope to be seein' you around" he shot her a wink and left with a laugh before Daniel decided to hurt him again.
Daniel looked to Betty nervously "Uh-that was...I'm sorry about...uh" what the hell was wrong with him? He never gets tongue-tied and nervous over anyone. But clearly Betty wasn't just anyone. She was...special.
He sighed "Uh… let's see if we can find Christina" he said as he started walking into the Closet more. Betty let out a breath, feeling flustered at what was going on between them. She'd never felt this way about anyone before.
"Huh, she's not here. I'm sure she'll be back here soon, if you wanna look around."
"We can come back some other time?" she suggested. He shrugged "I have a feeling you'd really like her. She's sort of wacky. She's from Scotland. She's pretty nice for the most part, but can be pretty brazen at times" he laughed "uh...I have to admit, sometimes I have no idea what she's saying to me"
She laughed "Ok...we'll stick around a bit, then" she started to look around at the glamorous and fashionable clothing displayed knowing she would never be able to afford any of these clothes or, heck, they probably didn't even come in her size, she thought, seeing some models walk in that were as thin as a plank.
She sighed and walked over to a desk that had a bunch of illustrations laying about. She picked one up and admired it. It was stunning. Not like anything that was here. It was so beautiful.
Daniel stood by leaning back against the wall watching Betty look around. He noticed her pick up Christina's sketches, her eyes shining. She was so beautiful.
Betty looked through a few other illustrations when someone came rushing in holding a bunch of dresses "Oh would you eat something for heaven's sake! You're wasting away to a bloody pick!" a scottish woman's voice rang through as she ushered a model in who was wearing a very slinky, pink dress.
Betty watched the woman, who she was sure was that Christina Daniel had told her about, interact with the models in amusement.
She came over letting out a frustrated sigh, but when she noticed Betty her eyes grew bright "Oh, and who 're you, dear? Finally they send me someone who will actually hold the garments up! This will look bloody smashing on you" she said pulling her arm and handing her a stunning red dress, causing Daniel to chuckle at the misunderstanding, and Betty to blush and feel flustered and stammer as she said "Oh, uh I'm not, I mean I'm no, I'm not a"
"Oh, go on and try it on!" the woman said shoving her in the direction of the dressing room and smacking her bottom to push her over.
Betty's eyes grew wide as she turned around "I'm sorry, I'm not a model. I'm Betty Suarez, Daniel Meade's assistant" she finally managed to say, feeling embarrassed, especially since Daniel had simply watched the whole display with an amused grin on his face and didn't even bother to help her out.
The woman's eyes grew wide in realization of what she did. "Oh dear, I'm so sorry, luv! Yir Daniel's assistant, you say?" she asked glancing to Daniel, who nodded with a delighted grin.
"Um…" Betty blushed and nodded, her cheeks rosy in embarrassment.
The woman laughed and said "Oh thank heavens he finally hired someone!" she hugged Betty and Betty laughed and hugged her; she glanced to Daniel who rose his eyebrow silently suggesting that he was correct in his description of the woman.
"It's nice to meet you Miss um…?" Betty started as she pulled back, when the woman took her hand and said "Christina Mckinney! This is my madness!" she stated gesturing to the Closet and the models who had walked past.
Betty smiled "It's nice to meet you, Christina. Are these your drawings?" Betty asked as she walked over to the desk where she'd been looking at the beautiful fashion designs.
Christina nodded, "That they are"
Betty's smile grew brighter "They are beautiful! You're so talented!"
"Thank you, luv. It's more of crazy dream of mine. It's nothing!" she said as she started to tidy up her desk, but Betty shook her head "No, it's not crazy! Your designs are beautiful! I'm sure you'll be an amazing designer some day! You can't give up on your dream!"
Christina smiled and looked to Daniel who smiled back. "Where did you find this gem?"
Daniel grinned "believe it or not, at the Mode elevator. She actually came here to interview with Wilhelmina, but-"
"Wilhelmina was too daft to see past her ego to give her a chance?" she finished.
Daniel nodded with a laugh "Something like that. Well, luckily for me I spilled coffee on her" he said as he looked to Betty who blushed "we talked a bit and I just knew I needed her! Actually, she's also DJ's nanny"
Christina nodded in understanding. "I also just put her in charge of overseeing Mode for a while until I can trust Wilhelmina not to screw me over" Daniel added.
Christina raised her eyebrow "I'm sure she won't be too happy about that"
Betty bit her lip and nodded "She wasn't. She's kind of...scary"
"She's a bloody witch, she'll either make you 'er flyin monkey or crush yir heart and spirit"
Daniel walked over to Betty and placed his arm around her shoulder and said "I would never let that happen to her"
Betty blushed, her heart racing at Daniel's proximity, his enthralling cologne filling her senses. Christina looked at them with a smirk. "Very good, then, Meade. Hope to see you around more Bet-ty!"
Betty nodded and slipped away from Daniel and hugged the woman. "Thank you so much, Christina! It was great to meet you"
Daniel smiled "See you Christina"
She nodded, but pulled him aside "Don't you lose that one, Meade. She seems like a special young woman"
Daniel nodded in agreement "Believe me, I know that Christina! She's...amazing" Daniel said, trying to steal a glance at Betty, but Christina caught him, and looked at him with a smirk.
His face reddened but he tried to remain cool "Bye. Good luck with the Wicked Witch today!"
Daniel and Betty made it to the elevator, Betty smiled and said "That Christina is so funny! You were right, Daniel. I like her! She's great"
He nodded with a smile. "Yah, we sort of bonded over Wilhelmina treating us like her slaves"
Betty laughed "So, what is the plan for this morning?" she asked wondering what he would want her to do.
He smiled "I am going to be writing my 'demands' to Wilhelmina, and I want you to check my email, if you don't mind, and organize some more. I need you to set up some meetings for me for next week, too. And drop off some documents downstairs in accounting, and then when you come back, we can go to lunch. Sound like a plan?"
She nodded "Great!"
Marc walked over to Amanda's desk and sighed in annoyance "Take a look at this!" he said as he took over Amanda's computer and pulled up Betty's Facebook profile. "There is nothing to work with!"
Amanda laughed at Betty's profile picture of her in this lame looking butterfly costume with her thumbs up, her hair was a mess and she had bushy eyebrows and these hideous braces. "Oh my God, I'm blind! Actually, she's blind!" Amanda laughed. "What on Earth is she wearing?"
Marc rolled his eyes, "She hasn't posted anything in like a year!"
They scrolled through and saw a few pictures of her with her family, an occasional post here and there, a few shares of links. They clicked on one and it was a site full of pictures with cute baby animals. They landed upon a picture of this adorable kitten sitting inside of coffee mug. "Aww!" they exclaimed in unison, but then quickly exited the site.
"Here, let me try something" Amanda took over the keyboard and typed Betty's name in the search engine. Their eyes grew wide when they discovered she had her own site, and saw that it was a blog called 'Be Inspired with Betty'.
"Wow, look how many followers she has!" Amanda stated in surprise seeing she had several thousand followers and lots of comments on her posts.
Marc scrolled through in surprise, realizing how much of an asset this Betty had to be for Daniel. Wilhelmina was going to be so angry when he showed her this site, if he even wanted to show it to her.
Amanda's eyes grew bright "Look, this post is from yesterday!" she clicked on it and they started to read it.
By the time it was noon, Betty had finished the majority of her tasks, and decided to go down to Accounting to drop the documents Daniel needed her to, while he was busy taking a call.
When she finally found the Accounting floor, she walked in, a little confused about where to drop off the documents, when she noticed a familiar face. "Henry!" she called as she saw him walking down the hall across from her. He looked in her direction and a surprised smile crossed his face, and he adjusted his glasses and walked over.
"Betty? What are you doing here?"
She smiled "Daniel needed me to drop these down here, but I'm afraid I'm not sure exactly where"
He nodded and took them from her to see what they were and said "Oh! I can take care of these for you"
She smiled "Thank you"
He looked to her "It's nice to see you again so soon"
She blushed "Thanks"
"So, um, how was your meeting with Ms. Slater?"
"She was so angry! I'm pretty sure I'm her worst enemy right now" she said, causing him to chuckle. "Oh, that's not good"
"Tell me about it! I'm sure she'll decide to kill me"
He smiled "I hope not. I like seeing you"
Betty bit her lip, glancing down, trying not to smile, but he was cute. "I- I better go. Thanks again. Are you sure you got those?"
He nodded with a smile "Yep!"
She nodded with a smile and started to leave when he said "Hey! We're gonna have party down here the weekend before Halloween. You should come."
She smiled "Oh. ok. If I'm not busy"
He nodded "Sure! Of course. See you"
"Bye Henry"
As Betty stepped into the elevator a small smile swept her face. She had two cute guys flirt with her today? She never had guys flirting with her. She was more than sure Tyler was simply doing that to annoy Daniel, though.
Henry seemed...nice. He was cute and charming in his own way.
Her smile got a little brighter. No one was as charming as Daniel though. He was on a whole other level of charm. She felt butterflies, remembering how he put his arm around her before, and how he spoke to her or about her. Whenever he was close to her, she felt like her heart was going to float away. Not to mention, he had such sexy eyes.
What was she thinking?! She realized she was daydreaming about her boss. Her heart started racing at her thoughts. Get a hold of yourself, Betty!
When she walked over to her desk she must have been in her own bubble, because she heard Daniel say "Hello, Earth to Betty!"
She shook her head "Oh! Sorry Daniel, I guess I was a bit...distracted" she stated, blushing at where her thoughts had drifted, trying not to look him in the eyes. Those incredibly sexy eyes.
He raised his eyebrow "Distracted?"
"Um…" she blushed not sure what to say, "Uh...Henry invited me to a party for Halloween"
Daniel visibly seemed to get annoyed. "Oh uh...that's...cool, I guess" he said, the frustration he felt when that nerd was here before resurfacing. He had to stay calm or else he was sure he'd upset Betty again. "Look at you...making friends already" he said, trying to be nonchalant.
She nodded with a smile "He seems really nice."
Daniel shrugged "No one is as nice as you"
She smiled "How is your work going?" she asked, trying to be professional again. He sighed "Stressful. Trying to make sure to make it nice enough that she won't totally want to come up here and kill me, and stern enough to actually make her do what I need her to do."
She smiled "I'm sure you'll figure it out."
He nodded "How about we take a break and have lunch now?"
She nodded with a smile "Ok"
"So, where would you like to go?" he asked
She shrugged "Wherever you want, Daniel."
"Hmm...Oh, I know this great little french restaurant not too far from Meade. Wanna try it out?"
"Sure. I've never had French food, before"
When they walked into the restaurant, Betty walked alongside Daniel, "Wow, this place is so...fancy" she whispered to him. He chuckled, as they were led to a table with the menus.
The host pulled the chair out for Betty and she looked at him in surprise "Oh, thank you" she said as she took her seat.
"My pleasure, miss" he said with a smile, his green eyes had a little shine. "I'll get you two some water and bread. I hope you have an enjoyable lunch." he placed emphasis on enjoyable, his eyes never leaving hers. "Can I get you anything else?"
Betty blushed, but shook her head, while Daniel glared and said "No, thank you!" his tone curt, clearly annoyed at the audacity of this guy to flirt with Betty. Once he walked away, Daniel rolled his eyes "Can you believe that jerk flirting with you right in front of me? What if you were my girlfriend or wife or something?"
Betty's eyes grew wide in surprise "Um…"
He sighed "Sorry, Betty, uh….I didn't mean...I mean uh...I know we're just...we're only… you know...colleagues…" he stammered nervously.
Betty nodded, biting her lip, but said "I know, you're right, Daniel. That was...well, I've never had anyone even take a second look to me, so it surprised me a bit."
"What? Are you joking Betty? You are really beautiful. You have to know that. Your smile is… uh" he blushed realizing what he was saying, but Betty was listening to him attentively, her eyes seemed to sparkle behind her glasses and he laughed "Uh...man, I just can't seem to hide anything from you, can I?" he said, as he picked up his menu.
Betty bit her lip and picked up her own menu, trying to fight back her want to smile like a clown. She looked to her menu and had absolutely no idea what to get. Everything was literally a different language. She knew some french, but not enough to make out what all the different foods were.
She glanced up to see Daniel was already looking at her "You don't know what to get, do you?"
She shook her head "No, I took French in college, but I'm afraid I don't know about all the food" she stated, feeling embarrassed.
"Don't worry, I've lived in France, visited nearly every year, and hear DJ speak it, and I can still barely speak it to save my life."
She laughed "I'm sure you're not that bad"
"I'm worse" he said with a grin causing in her to laugh.
The host came back with their waters and placed the basket of bread down, but before he left he shot Betty a wink. Daniel wanted to seriously punch that asshole. When he finally walked away, Betty giggled "I think he did that just to annoy you"
He rolled his eyes "What an ass!" They both laughed, and when the waiter came over Daniel ordered something for Betty and himself.
They talked for some time, while eating some of the bread in between until their food arrived. Once Betty's plate was placed down and the waiter walked away Betty looked down at her food and had no idea what on earth it was.
Daniel watched Betty with the biggest grin on his face. She was so damn adorable, trying to process what her food was. She picked up her fork and started to pick at the escargot when it slipped and flew off her plate and hit that idiot that was flirting with her as he passed by.
Betty gasped "Oh no! I'm so sorry!" she said as she looked back to the guy who got hit by the flying snail. When she looked back to Daniel, and bit her lip in embarrassment, Daniel couldn't hold it in, he burst out laughing.
Betty blushed brightly "Daniel! Stop! That's not funny!"
He laughed some more, which caused her to start giggling, seeing that several people around them were watching them with funny looks.
He grinned "You are so freaking adorable, Betty!"
She blushed and leaned toward him "Daniel, what even is this?" she asked in a whisper.
He leaned toward her trying not to laugh, and said "Escargot…essentially... snails."
She made a face "Ew! No wonder my fork practically threw it away. That's not...food" she said, shyly when a waiter walked by and heard her giving her a disapproving look.
Daniel chuckled "Here, wanna try some of my soup. No snails, I promise. It has potatoes, which I know you like."
She looked it over and nodded "Ok"
He smiled and slid the bowl of soup toward her, finding it amusing how she took a small taste and then nodded "mm...ok, I like this" she said, he nodded "good, I guess should have just ordered that for you from the start."
She giggled "I'm sorry, here, Daniel, I don't want to take your food" she started to push the soup toward him again, but he shook his head "don't be silly, Betty. You have it. I'll just order another one when the waiter comes back over."
She smiled "Fine. Thank you"
He smirked as he leaned over and picked up one of the infamous snails and started to bring it to his mouth but couldn't hold back his laugh at the look on her face. "Betty! It's not an alien. You don't actually eat the snail, just what they put inside." he informed, but that didn't seem to comfort her one bit.
Once the waiter came back and they both had their soups, they ate trying not to draw attention to themselves, as several people who had been sitting nearby them kept taking looks at them.
Once they finished their soups, Daniel ordered them desserts. When they arrived Betty's eyes grew bright at seeing the slice of chocolate layered cake "MM! Now this is food!" she said as she picked a spoonful. Daniel smiled as he watched her take a bite of her cake, her eyes growing bright as she moaned in delight "mmm!"
He raised his eyebrow at how...sexy she sounded. He loosened his tie a bit, taking nervous glances around, but no one was paying them any attention. Thank goodness, because he felt the heat rise up his neck.
"mmm...This chocolate is so delicious" she stated, and he noticed a male waiter walk by to hear her, and loosened his own tie.
Daniel smirked, "Uh...Betty…I don't know if you know this, but you sound damn hot eating that cake. You might want to uh...be... quieter" he said with a playful smirk, and his eyebrow raised.
She blushed brightly realizing what he meant "Oh my god, Daniel. I am so sorry!" she was mortified. She had no idea she was so...engrossed in her dessert.
She blushed, feeling so embarrassed. He chuckled "Well, it's safe to say that we've definitely been the most entertaining table here today" he said with a smirk.
She blushed, and he chuckled, the way Betty made him feel was such a breath of fresh air. It'd been a long time since he had so much fun being around someone.
When Daniel paid the bill, he left a nice tip on behalf of Betty's enjoyment of her dessert. She blushed when Daniel teased her by moaning in delight as he took a bite of his own dessert.
She blushed even brighter, trying to hide when several people glanced to their table. She kicked his leg under the table causing him to laugh. She giggled "Let's get out of here, before they ban us for life!"
He chuckled and got up. Once they walked out he looked to her and said "Now, be honest, you didn't like the food, did you?" he asked, knowing.
"Um no, I did!"
He gave her a knowing look, and she sighed "Fine! I liked the bread. And of course the um...dessert was nice" she said with a blush.
He laughed "Come on, we better get back!"
She nodded, her cheeks rosy. Despite being completely embarrassed, she still felt so comfortable around Daniel. She felt she could actually be herself and he accepted her for who she was.
Once they got back to their office, Daniel handed her a small bag. "What's this?" she asked curiously.
He smiled "I promised you two desserts, so this is a second slice of that cake you loved so much for later" he teased with a wink.
She blushed, but said "thank you, Daniel."
He smiled. She picked up her bag from the floor and said "I should leave to pick up DJ soon"
He nodded "Thanks so much, Betty. I know I've told you this before, but you have no idea what it means to me to have you help me out with DJ. I love that kid so much and it kills me to have been working so late all the time. Thanks to you, I feel like I can finally have time to be with my son again"
Betty's eyes had started to become glossy at how sincere Daniel was and how much love he had for DJ. It was so sweet to see him want to do what was best for his son. "I'm so glad I can help you, Daniel. I know that this isn't necessarily my dream job, but...I love being here for you"
He smiled, his heart seeming to expand like a balloon at her words. "Thanks Betty."
He went back into his office and felt so grateful to have Betty in his life. She not only made his life so much easier by being here for him both personally and professionally, but she was also becoming his ray of sunshine. She was so positive and fun. He enjoyed every minute he was around her.
He watched her walk into his office with a smile. "Bye Daniel. I'll see you at home. Um...I mean, later." she blushed realizing what she said
He smiled, his heart lifting once more "See you, Betty"
