The Tesla

. . .

His head was swimming with all of these thoughts and he couldn't make sense of how he felt. Maybe he shouldn't have asked her to come to the office with him tomorrow, but he was committed now. Besides that, he didn't want her to leave him here in the City alone. Ever since he'd gotten out of the hospital, he'd been alone. Whether it was at the Estate or at his City penthouse, it didn't matter. That is, until Lucy showed up.

He growled at himself. Thoughts like these weren't helping anything. He needed rest. After a good night sleep, things would make more sense. He would be back in control.

. . .

Lucy awoke the next morning feeling extremely on edge. Despite last night's activities, today's scheduled events had her feeling extremely nervous. The last legitimate office she had been in had been her firm and that hadn't ended particularly well. Besides, she also didn't know exactly what Laxus was expecting her to do at this staff meeting. She really didn't want to mess things up.

A knock sounded on her door followed by a woman's voice she didn't recognize. "Miss, I have a delivery for you."

"A delivery?"Lucy thought as she got herself out of bed to open the door. When she pulled it open, a kind looking middle aged woman in a housekeeping uniform was holding a large white dress box.

She gave Lucy a smile and pushed it forward, indicating it was for her. "Um, thank you," the blonde said, taking the box. The woman nodded and left, closing the door behind her.

Lucy walked the box to the bed and opened it with a frown on her face. How the heck did she have a delivery at Laxus' apartment in the City and from the cleaning staff no less? Where even was Laxus this morning? This had to be his doing.

Pushing her questions aside, she lifted the lid on the box and pushed back the white tissue paper to find a beautiful suit dress in exactly her size. She looked at the label and rolled her eyes, recognizing the brand and how expensive it was. How the heck did Laxus manage to get this purchased and picked up before she had even managed to get out of bed?

She shook her head and laid the dress back down in the box. If nothing else, it would certainly help her feel a bit more at ease when she walked into his office that morning. She walked over to the nightstand and looked at her phone. It was 6:40 and she wasn't sure when Laxus wanted to get to the office, but she certainly didn't want to make him late.

Lucy headed into the attached bathroom to shower and get ready and by seven she was exiting the bedroom and walking back into the main space. In the light of the day, the place seemed a lot more vibrant than it had last night. The housemaid that had given her the box was standing in the kitchen, wiping down the countertop and she smiled as Lucy stepped into the space.

"I didn't expect you so early, Miss Heartfilia. Mr. Dreyar just finished his morning workout and will be joining you for breakfast after he's gotten ready."

Lucy nodded her head and thanked the woman. She sat down at the gleaming glass table and watched the woman finish making their breakfast. "I'm Lucy, by the way. I didn't catch your name."

"Marie. Very nice to meet you," she said looking up briefly before returning to her task.

"Have you been working for Laxus for a long time."

Marie laughed. "I've known Mr. Dreyar since he was quite young. He's almost like a son to me."

Lucy smiled. "That's really great. I'm his new property manager for over at the Estate."

Marie gave her a knowing look. "I know. I'm glad he found you. You seem like the kind of woman who can handle a lot of bullshit but still smile about it."

The woman's words shocked Lucy and she widened her eyes before letting out a small laugh. "I'm not sure. But I hope you're right."

"I usually am," Marie said.

"I see you two are getting to know one another." Laxus' deep baritone echoed through the suite.

Lucy turned to look at the man and had to stop herself from groaning. The way he fit into those silk shirts and dark slacks, especially now that she knew what was beneath them, had her body betraying her even before 8 a.m.

Laxus turned to look at her in the dress he had arranged to have brought to her room and nodded his head in approval. She looked stunning in the sophisticated yet sexy outfit. The bodice fit tight against her curves and the wrap of the skirt peaked just the smallest bit of her thigh to make it enticing.

Lucy blushed under her gaze and thankfully Marie broke the awkwardness. "I'll be back later to clean up, Mr. Dreyar," she said, plating their food and putting a few dishes in the sink. "Nice to meet you, Miss Heartfilia," she said with a wave of her hand as she headed towards the elevator.

"Nice meeting you, Marie!" Lucy called out with a smile and a wave of her own.

Laxus grabbed a plate and brought it over to Lucy who took it with a smile. "She seems lovely."

"Yeah, she was pretty much the mother I never had." The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. He hated how much he lost control of himself when he was around Lucy and let things about himself slip. Ever since getting out of the hospital, he'd never allowed that to happen. But somehow, she just broke through all the walls he'd built around himself as if they were no more than the thinnest paper.

Lucy could sense how much the man tensed up at what he'd said so she decided it wasn't something he wanted to talk about. She could respect that. Her own mother had died when she was quite young and she'd never completely processed it herself. She didn't know what happened with Laxus, but if he ever wanted to tell her, that was his decision and she wasn't going to pry.

"How did you get this in time?" Lucy asked, referring to her dress and shifting the conversation.

"I'm glad it fits," Laxus said, dodging her question. He didn't want to tell Lucy that the moment he'd asked her to bring his laptop into the City he had figured that she would be staying the night and had made necessary arrangements to ensure she had attire for the next day. He prided himself in being prepared but also preferred it when people thought it was seamless.

"It's perfect," Lucy said, taking a bite of their breakfast. The two sat in silence, neither of them knowing quite what to say. Lucy tried to look around the apartment but the more she did that, the more she saw all the places where the two had engaged in more intimate activities the night before. Thankfully, Laxus broke the quiet.

"I need to talk to you about today's Board meeting."

"Okay," Lucy said with a nod of her head.

"I'm not on the best of terms with some of the Board members. One in particular." Lucy listened quietly, not sure why he was telling her this. "Unfortunately, given their respective stake holds in the company, unless something unethical comes out about someone, I have no ability to remove them from the Board.

I guess I'm just telling you that the meetings can be somewhat heated. But lately, I've decided that I need someone who I can trust absolutely there with me. Things are said and later people renege on their word and I'm putting an end to that."

"Oh," Lucy said, flattered that Laxus was insinuating that he could trust her absolutely. "Is this the first time you've brought someone to the meeting with you?"

"Yes. And I expect there to be some pushback. But whatever is said and whatever anyone says to you, do not leave unless I tell you to do so. Do you understand?" Laxus fixed those piercing blue eyes of his on Lucy and she shivered but nodded her head, unsure of just what she was walking into.

"What about when I'm at the Estate? Who is going to attend the Board meetings with you then?"

"The Board meetings only happen quarterly. If things go the way I want them to today, then you wouldn't have to come out for another for a few months." He turned to face her. "I know this isn't exactly in your job description, but I hope you'll agree to it."

Lucy scrunched her face slightly. "You know how much I hate going into the City."

Laxus fixed her with an intense stare and she gulped. Perhaps now wasn't the time to joke. "I know. And please understand I'm not asking this lightly."

Lucy nodded her head. "Of course, Laxus. Of course I'll agree."

The man's gaze softened and he leaned forward as if he were about to kiss her but then pulled back suddenly. Lucy momentarily had forgotten that they'd agreed to keep their rendezvous as separate from their working relationship as possible. It had to be that woodsy smelling cologne of his that was completely short circuiting her brain.

Laxus caught himself before it was too late. He'd almost tried to pull the woman into a searing kiss when she'd looked at him with those big brown eyes and told him that she would support him this way. He meant what he'd said. He really did need someone he could trust completely and given his fast paced relationship with Lucy, he somehow knew that she was that person, at least right now.

Sooner or later everyone betrayed him. But for right now, he could at least enjoy the small amount of time he had with her before she left. Everyone always did.

"Ready to head to the office?" he said, breaking their awkward moment.

"Yeah," Lucy said, standing up. She was about to collect the plates but Laxus told her not to bother. "Should I bring my things with me? Oh, my car—" Lucy started to say, realizing she hadn't thought through staying overnight in the city at all.

"Already taken care of. Your baby is down in the garage, safe and dry, and we'll come back here so you can head back to the Estate with everything."

Lucy nodded her head, again wondering how Laxus managed to be so ahead of everything. She was supposed to be his assistant and here he was, taking care of menial tasks like her car and her belongings. "Thank you," she said with a blush and Laxus nodded his head before walking towards the elevator to slip on his shoes.

Lucy followed, pushing her feet into a pair of heels that was waiting for her that perfectly matched her dress. The pair waited for the elevator and when the car arrived, they both stepped inside. Lucy looked at Laxus as he pressed the button for the garage floor.

His eye caught hers and he turned and gave her a questioning look. "What?" he asked in a gentle voice.

Lucy shook her head. "You're just . . . you're not like I expected you would be."

Laxus cocked his head to one side. "How did you expect me to be?"

Lucy thought about the question. "I'm not sure. But, I'm not complaining."

A smile pricked the edge of Laxus' lips and he looked away from the woman, not trusting himself to not push her against the wall of the elevator and kiss her . . . again. "Well, we'll see how long that lasts," he said before the car chimed and the doors opened.

Lucy stepped out and saw her Alfa Romeo tucked into one of the corner spots, just like Laxus had said. She looked around at the cars in the garage and her eyes widened. There were two Bentleys parked in tandem, one white and one black and those were some of the cheaper cars she saw around her.

"Ready?" Laxus asked as he opened the door to a gleaming Tesla.

Lucy frowned. "Different car?"

"I don't like to drive the 8C into the office. She's a bit too loud," he said with a laugh and Lucy giggled.

"An electric car is quite the opposite though," she commented, taking a seat on the passenger side.

"True. But the best part of this car is that it drives itself through city traffic and I don't have to make small talk with the driver."

Lucy giggled before Laxus started the car, the dashboard lighting up but the car staying completely silent, before pressing a button and allowing the autopilot to take over. She hoped she was up to whatever was going to be asked of her today. She really did not want to let Laxus down.

END CHAPTER 16

. . .

Hey guys! I know it's been too long since I've updated! Been working on some non fanfiction matters and it's sort of taken all my writing attention for right now. But, I love this story so much so I'm happy to be back with another update!

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Love you all!

Mus