The studio was already half-empty when Jackie was at her desk, tidying up and organizing papers into folders for her to bring home. She looked up when she heard the door to the office at the end of the hall open and close and her boss stepped out.
Rebecca Simmons was beautiful in a very head-turning kind of way. Tall and model-thin, with perfectly manicured nails, perfectly coiffed hair and perfectly perfect make-up. Jackie had never seen her flustered, and she exuded a sense of confidence that came from knowing her place in the world.
Jackie adored her.
The staccato clack of footsteps sounded against the floors as she stopped by Jackie's desk and gave her a warm smile.
"You did well today, Jacqueline," came the husky, carefully modulated voice that Jackie would simply die to have. She inclined her head and her sleek, shiny, gold chin-length bob moved elegantly against her jaw.
Jackie beamed. She spent a split second trying to decide if she should be modest and demur but ditched it and decided to acknowledge the praise, for it was well-deserved.
"Thank you," she said, trying to contain her pride.
Her boss noticed and laughed. "I loved it. You should be proud."
Today, her eyes were as usual, lined and precision-winged at the tips, and an iconic-red shade of lipstick Jackie identified immediately as Chanel was immaculately applied to her lips.
"You have a knack for writing and production; you know what people like," she continued charmingly, "It's wonderful to have you on our team." She paused for a bit, as if weighing if she should be saying something, and then came to a quick decision and sat herself down on the edge of Jackie's desk.
Jackie looked at her inquiringly.
"My dear," began Ms. Simmons, "as you know, there's been a bit of a shuffle going on at Global at the moment." There was a twinkle in her eye as she noticed Jackie's breath catch. "Well, they've been looking for someone fresh who can bring a bit of, hmm, how do I put it" —she paused and tapped her chin, casting around for a word— "zest. Zeal. They want someone who can add something to their department and I happen to think you're a perfect fit."
"You do?" said Jackie breathlessly.
Ms. Simmons nodded. "I have it on good authority that they've already decided on you, and will bring it up formally after the weekend."
Jackie swallowed, hardly daring to breathe.
Ms. Simmons patted her on the hand and gave her a wink. She stood up smartly and Jackie watched a little dazedly as she strode confidently away towards the elevators, leaving the delicate scent of expensive perfume lingering in the air.
Jackie set down slowly, still stunned and took a moment to catch her breath.
She always did have a flair for drama and a knack for attention-grabbing. It just felt really good to see it all channeled in the right direction and coming to fruition for once. It wasn't the Anchor position she wanted, but it was a definite promotion, and she was certainly moving towards it.
She buried an inward squeal of excitement. She couldn't wait to tell Eric. A happy bubble engulfed her and she let out a contented sigh.
The ground was wet when she headed outside, the soft pitter-patter of an abating rain a soothing cadence, a welcome finish to an incredible day.
She breathed in the air with a happy smile. Everything good always seemed to come when it rained. She found a bench to sit on as she waited for Eric and out of habit, she took off her shoes to massage her soles, staring absently at the puddles on the ground before her.
There was a rumble of an engine as it pulled up not far from where she was, but she ignored it as she recognized it as not being Eric's. She turned her head up only when she heard heavy footsteps approaching her and was startled to find herself looking into a pair of shaded eyes.
"Steven," she said, more than a little surprised to find him there.
"Doll."
She frowned slightly, looking around in mild confusion. "Um, what're you doing here?"
His shoulders rolled in one of his famous lazy shrugs.
She raised her eyebrows and stared at him for a long moment, then decided she wasn't going to even try. She turned down and returned her attention to pressing her thumb into the arch of her foot, determined to cling on to her happy bubble.
"Thought you might want a lift."
Her thumb slipped. The skirt she was wearing rode up her thigh and she looked up in time to see Hyde's eyes on the bare skin. She uncrossed her legs primly and arranged her skirt about her uncomfortably.
He snapped his eyes to her face. "What? Did you just..! Cover yourself?" An air of indignation simmered about his being, an incredulous expression on his face. "From me?"
She didn't know what to say. She brought a hand up to rub a knuckle against her nose and looked away.
He stared at her profile in rising displeasure and upset. "Jack—"
"There's my ride," she interrupted, blinking in relief. She got up swiftly as Eric pulled into the carpark and the Vista Cruiser came to a stop in front of them.
She hesitated with her hand on the door, then turned around as she got into the car. "Thanks for the offer, Steven." She debated against saying more, and instead gave him a strained smile. "Take care."
He was stunned for several seconds. "The fuc—'take care'?!" Hyde spat out after her, but she didn't hear him, already closing the door when Eric pulled out of the car park and left him behind.
He whirled around and kicked at a nearby trash can until it went flying halfway across the parking lot and nearly put a dent in his Camino.