A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry this chapter took longer than usual, life intervened. But worry not! I promise I will not abandon this story. I will complete it.
Chapter 14
Lou decided she was going to put all her worries aside and focus on the now. She was going to focus on the fact that she was going to leave the country for the first time and to go to Miami no less!
Yes, she was worried about Patrick and how he would react once he inevitably found out. He would not be happy, she knew that. But she couldn't let it put a dark cloud over the trip. She was going to enjoy herself as much as possible and learn so much!
And then there was Miriam's warning, which the more she thought about it, the more she realized had no base. Had she really allowed the imagination of a woman who barely knew her, and certainly didn't know Will as well as she thought, get to her and ruin her mood? No.
So as she and Will went up and into the jet, she decided she was going to tell him. Why wouldn't she? It was absurd and he was her boss after all, he had a right to know.
She could already imagine him laughing at the absurdity of it all.
In the meantime, she took the opportunity to look around her and examine the jet. It seemed out of this world to her that someone could have so much money that they decided to get one just for their own use and their company's.
Everything in it screamed "detail". Everything looked expensive- from the material of the seats to the designs that covered the insides of it and even the cup holders!
She seated herself and fastened the seat belt as she was instructed.
Just then she felt the jet pick up in speed drastically.
She felt it on her stomach as with every second things flashed by faster out of her window.
It felt as if they had been going too fast for too long. How long could they keep going without crashing onto something? The airstrip hadn't seemed that long.
Just as the fear started enveloping her, she felt the seat below her lift with a force that made her gasp.
She held onto the armrests for dear life and she worried she might be sticking her nails in the expensive material-whatever it was.
But as much as she wanted she could not let go.
Was she even breathing anymore?
A few seconds later, her stomach started settling again and her body becoming accustomed to the sensation even if her ears felt quite odd.
She let out a breath she had been holding and took another deep one.
How was this bloody thing in the air? She should be on the floor squashed like a bug under all this metal! Just then she heard Will speak, having had forgotten all about him.
"Clark, look out your window" he said with a small smile.
And she was out of breath again. Everything looked so small! How could they be so high up in the air?
She felt her eyes glued to the view- she couldn't look away.
And she didn't until the flight attendant came by and spoke to her, taking her out of her trance.
"You may remove your seat belts now" she told her.
That didn't seem safe… she didn't feel confident this thing wasn't going to crash and burn. In fact, she was more scared of it now that they were even higher and above the clouds!
But then she saw Will remove his and go towards a lounging sofa and if he deemed it safe, then it must be. He flew all the time, after all.
So she slowly unbuckled herself and followed him there, sitting on the seat across from him.
"Are you ready to talk?" he asked as he saw her make herself comfortable. Then he made a signal to the flight attendant to approach.
"I am" she replied. "It's quite silly and embarrassing actually" she added with a nervous laugh but then stopped.
"Champagne, please. Clark?" he asked her but she shook her head.
"Um, actually, yes I will have some too, thank you" she changed her mind once she realized it might help with the conversation.
"You do understand I am not trying to get in the middle of your business, however, the conversation you were both having looked worrisome" Will told her as they waited for the champagne.
"Did it?" Lou asked, not having considered what it may have looked like to Will.
"As your boss, it is my responsibility to look out for you and that the office is a place where you can work efficiently. Nothing should hinder your work, especially another worker threatening you and much less in front of others" he said with a no-nonsense and all business tone. However, the words felt caring to Lou in a way that made her feel more comfortable.
A gentle smile appeared on her lips as she looked at him.
"What?" Will asked confused at her response.
Just then the flight attendant came back with two bubbling champagne flutes and handed one to each of them.
They both thanked her and after being assured there was nothing else they needed at the moment she retreated behind the black curtain where she had disappeared to before.
Lou took a sip of the bubbly drink and relished in the taste of it as it went down her throat. It took her back to the art gallery opening they had gone to.
She also felt it start taking effect and relaxing her.
Across from her Will had sipped his too. It was a little odd to see him without his suit jacket. He had removed it and laid it across another seat and he was down to his dress pants and shirt with tie.
He looked a little more casual, relaxed. It was a look she decided suited him.
"Well then?" he prompted her to start as he put his glass to the side and leaned forward to listen to her.
"Um… well, you see" Lou started getting nervous all over again. "Miriam, she… she really meant well, I promise. You see, she has this all wrong. Can you believe she thinks there something between us?" she said with an overly exaggerated "pfft!" and continued as she saw Will's calculating eyes process the information. "Anyways! So she was just telling me that I needed to be careful with you and whatnot, and telling me you have a girlfriend, which I know! And I have a boyfriend too and you're my boss, for God's sake! So I told her that but she's got it in her head. What are you going to do? She's imagined the whole thing; you know how fanciful people can be" she continued filling the spaces in between sentences with laughs and waving of her hands to illustrate the ridiculousness of it all.
And through it all, Will remained quiet and listening intently, which only made Lou more nervous. Why wasn't he laughing? He was supposed to be laughing.
He put his hands together with his two index fingers meeting above his crossed fingers and touched his lips with them as he stayed leaning forward. His eyes stopped meeting Lou's and began looking sideways and down, his mind obviously busy.
"You're not going to fire her, are you?" Lou asked nervous for her friend.
Will didn't answer right away and didn't even acknowledge her question with more than a small and slow shake of his head. Then he sat back against the sofa again and looked at Lou.
"No, I can't. She isn't my employee, only you are. But I would if I could" he told her in all seriousness.
"She just…" Lou started but Will interrupted her, several tones of voice louder.
"She just should mind her own work and not be spreading rumors about you or me" he said as he pointed to each of them respectively. Lou was taken aback some by his words. Not that his anger wasn't justified, but she didn't think she had seen him angry before. Stressed? Yes. Worried? Definitely, but never angry.
"I'm sorry! I'll tell her as soon as I get back to never mention anything like that again" she tried assure Will.
"That won't be necessary" he simply stated, standing up and facing away from Lou, his arms crossed across his chest.
"What will you do?" Lou asked him.
"That's not for you to worry" he said looking at her for a moment out of the corner of his eye and putting his hands in his pockets.
"She's my friend, Will. She only meant well. She was looking out for me" Lou said softly to him standing up herself. She needed to plead for her friend. She had been one of the only people who had been kind to her since she had started working there and Lou truly thought she had meant well.
"Looking out for you? What the bloody hell am I? Some rapist who's going to take your virginity in the night? You can bloody look out for yourself!" he yelled turning around to face Lou who took a few steps back. She had never seen him like this. He let a breath out and looked down for a second before meeting her eyes again. "We both know our places" he said, all anger gone from his voice now. "And she needs to learn not to meddle in things she knows nothing of" he added and turned to take a gulp from the champagne.
"Let me talk to her" Lou asked him.
"She didn't seem like she was listening when you tried that" he said.
"She will this time, I promise. She caught me off guard today and I didn't know how to explain myself. But I will know exactly what to say to her when we get back. I'll get it all straightened out. And don't worry, Will. People won't be talking about this" she assured him with a smile. "Everyone looks at me and sees some weird girl and they just try to figure out why in the world you would hire me" she laughs.
"Well, they're wrong" he says to her, more calm now.
"I know that. And you know that. Whatever the reasons, which shan't be mentioned, for which you originally hired me, the truth is we work well together. And I don't care what all the tall legs in the office have to say about it" she said playfully.
Will was silent for a moment.
"If they only knew you actually know how to write a proper email with the company letterhead and all. I'm sure they'd wish they could trade their tall legs for your skills" he said meeting her in her joking.
Lou laughed whole-heartedly at this- half from relief that he had let go of whatever idea he had had for Miriam and half because it just felt good to have gotten to this comfortable place with Will.
"Did you review the last page I sent you this morning?" he asked her sitting back down, all back to business now.
"Yes, and I'm glad you mentioned it because I had a couple of questions about it" Lou replied sitting back down again.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Lou's head snapped up when she felt the rumble of the plane touching the ground.
They were here. And she was buckled? She had fallen asleep hours ago and certainly hadn't buckled herself in… odd.
She looked out onto what seemed to be a private airstrip and realized she was now in another continent.
That took a moment to sink in.
But soon they were out of Alfred's jet and stepping into a car that would take them to their hotel- Ritz- Carlton or something like that.
It all felt so surreal- that she, small town girl Louisa Clark had flown to America on a private jet and was now on her way to a 5-star hotel, and in a private car no less.
She didn't care if Will thought she was being silly- she had a permanent smile on her face as she took in everything around them, only interrupted by the casual gasp when she saw the beach or the entrance to their hotel or the lobby… she was gasping a lot.
Will gave her an amused look when he handed her her room card but other than that no one acknowledged her wide-eyed look.
Even the elevator looked posh!
Once they arrived to their floor she began looking for her room number- 438.
She kept saying the number out loud to herself as she walked down the long hallway with Will a few steps ahead of her.
"Here it is!" she said more to herself once she laid her eyes on her number.
"I'll be right next door" she heard Will tell her as he stood in front of his own door a few steps down. "I know we're jetlagged and you'll want to sleep but try to resist. It's better to try to adjust to the new time zone as soon as possible. Get settled in. I'll come for you for dinner at 7" he told her and with that went into his room.
Thankfully she had slept a few hours on the plane so she thought she would be fine.
She walked in her room and instantly wondered how much the company must be paying for these rooms. She also wondered if she could ask Will without coming off crude.
When she noticed the balcony she dropped her suitcases and ran outside to it immediately. Once the glass doors were opened she was hit by the most wonderful sea breeze.
The smell of ocean mixed in with the cool breeze and the heat from the sun made her heart leap.
She stepped over to the edge of the balcony and closed her eyes for a moment, just to take it all in. Then she looked out over the white sand and the clear blue water. Oh, she really hoped she would have a chance to go to the beach. She would have to ask Will. The gala wasn't until the day after tomorrow so she might be able to squeeze it in Thursday, unless Will had work for her, of course. They were here to work after all.
She knew she needed to get back inside and unpack and shower and get ready for dinner but she could not take herself away from the view.
She was brought out of her trance by a voice which had become all too familiar to her.
"How long do you take to do your make-up?" she heard and jumped. Her ears recognized the voice coming from the side and when she looked over she saw Will standing in his own balcony- obviously just out of the shower- wet hair and all.
It took her moment to take in the view in front of her. It was odd seeing him in what felt like something an assistant should never see her boss in. Yes, she had seen him in casual clothes before when they had gone shopping for her clothes for Miami but somehow this was different. They were in South Beach and his wet hair was being tousled by the breeze and… had that been a tease?
"Not too long" she replied the strange question.
"Good" he answered and then added leaning on the balcony. "Because you have thirty minutes to be ready" he said with a smile.
"What?! It's not six thirty yet!" she said to him.
"Yes, it is, check your watch" he said with a laugh.
She gasped as she saw she had indeed been out there for over an hour and began to rush back inside.
"Wear a sundress!" she heard him say as she closed the glass doors.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"We're eating here?" Lou asked as she saw the place at which the cabbie had stopped. It looked small and casual and more like a tiki bar than a restaurant.
There was Spanish music being played by live band accompanied by a curvy girl with long jet black hair in a red dress that was dancing along with the band.
The sky was already turning dark and you could see the place had twinkly lights in all colors wrapped around every column and hanging from the roof.
"You've been staying at the Ritz for a grand total of two hours and already this is not fancy enough for you?" he teased her.
"No, it's just fine for me, just didn't think it'd be your kind of place" she clarified as she stepped out of the yellow car and onto the sidewalk.
"Trust me, we have plenty sit down dinners ahead of us. You'll be sick of them sooner than you think and you'll be glad you had the opportunity to taste what Miami is truly like" he said to her and led her inside the place. "Can we get a table outside?" he asked the host.
"It's going to be 45 minutes" the tan man answered with a thick accent.
"We'll wait" Will replied him.
"Only twenty inside" the host offered.
"Will! Let's just sit inside, I'm starving!" Lou pleaded. "And it's so hot and humid!" she added.
"Trust me, you want outside" he told her and then directed himself to the host assuring him they were willing to wait.
After they had been given a small black square that would flash once it was their turn and were advised not to wander off or it would lose signal, they stepped out.
"Where is your sense of adventure, Clark?" he asked her with a smile.
"Where the AC is at, that is where. This place is bloody hot!" she said fanning herself with her hand as he laughed in response.
"Welcome to Miami" was Will's reply.
A/N: Once again, sorry this chapter took longer than usual. I hope you guys liked it but let me know what you thought regardless. Thank you for reading!