16.

"Can we talk?"

Ed looked up from the computer screen she had been studying intently and grimaced at the redhead, obviously not thrilled about her presence. Emily winced at the sight of the ugly mark on the CEO's face. It was swollen and there was some dried blood around the red cut. Blood? She didn't hit that hard, did she? Ed must have read her thoughts, because she made a dismissive gesture with her hand.

"Don't worry. It's not all you." she stated dryly. She didn't volunteer any further information and Emily wasn't keen to ask, but she had to be sure, that it wasn't anything that threatened her future with the company. Right after she had run from the Closet she realized that she couldn't leave without sorting things out with Ed. She prided herself on being a professional, no matter the circumstances. That was what made her the perfect first assistant. She met Miranda's every demand, dealt with the twins' every whim, handled high profile associates, models, designers masterfully and not once had she lost her temper. Until Ed.

"Then what happened?" Emily asked.

Ed didn't answer at first. She stood and walked to the huge window, behind her desk. Shoving her hands into the pockets of the perfectly tailored trousers, she rocked back and forth on her feet. A couple minutes passed, then Ed finally turned back to Emily and admitted reluctantly.

"That stupid door hit me."

"Oh."

"And no, we are not going to talk about it."

"I still feel terrible, Ed. I apologize, I shouldn't have reacted the way I did."

Ed sighed and motioned Emily inside the office.

"Please, take a seat."

Ed waited for Emily to occupy one of the armchairs, then she sat down facing the redhead. Leaning forward she rested her arms on her knees and looked Emily straight in the eye.

"If anything, it's me who has to apologize. I said those things to hurt your feelings. I was out of line and I'm sorry. What you said to me…that I was an idiot…you brought back memories I'd rather not remember. Still I had no right to belittle you. Please accept my apology."

Emily was taken aback. Where did the other woman's arrogance go? She searched for signs of subterfuge but all she saw was a genuine regret on Ed's face.

"The only person, who's ever had the balls to talk to me like that was my sister. Our last conversation, or rather argument, years ago concluded in her calling me an idiot. She pointed out all my mistakes, trying to save me from my stubborn self and I didn't take it kindly. By the time I realized that she was right, our relationship had been ruined, beyond repair. All my attempts to reconcile failed. She never returned my calls or replied to any of my emails, except for one occasion. She sent me a short, straight to the point email. "Leave me alone." She even filed a restraining order against me."

Ed stood and walked back to the window, starring out for an endless minute. She wasn't sure why she was sharing this with Emily. She hardly knew her, if she did at all, and they weren't exactly best buddies. Based on their circumstances Ed should have not confided to her, yet she did anyway. She had no family or friends and she gave up on counseling ages ago. Maybe it was time to get rid of all the extra baggage and burden an almost stranger with it.

"Anyway, I didn't listen to her and had to bear the consequences. You called me and idiot, just like she did, so perhaps, that's my clue to pay attention this time. I've opted to take your advice and revise my approach to Runway." She paused and sighed resignedly. "And of course to Miranda."

"All of this because I called you and idiot?" Emily couldn't quite fathom that.

"Partly, yes. You said a lot more than that and" she pointed to the computer "I already found some info, suggesting that I might have been misled. Do you have anything more to add? I assume, you know Runway and the game they play here better than I. Anything I should key in on? Maybe a little help on how to match Miranda? You know, soften her up a little?"

"No. Do you own homework." said Emily, anger coloring her voice. "Or" she added heading to the door "Hire someone. That's what you rich people do anyway." She wrinkled her nose, as if smelling something unappealing and with one last headshake she was gone.

"That went well." murmured Ed. She was disappointed by the turn of the events. Her intentions were honest but clearly Emily interpreted them as a vicious attempt to weaken her fidelity to Miranda.

"I have to work on my communication" she said grumpily and flopped down the chair at her desk. Maybe she could do some more work. Emily's angry face came to her mind and she knew she was not going to do anything productive. "Time to go home." Gathering her things, her eyes fell on an unfamiliar object laying in the armchair Emily had occupied earlier. A cellphone.

"What do you want?"

Emily glared at the unexpected visitor at her apartment door. She had left Ed's office in a haste after the CEO's suspicious comment about changing her mind about Miranda and Runway. The shift in her attitude was too sudden to be believable. What pissed Emily off the most was the tearful story about her relationship with her sister. Did she even have a sister? Was it just a lie to earn Emily's sympathy? Or was it all true and Emily misjudged her. Despite her earlier thoughts on not disturbing Miranda during the holidays she decided to send her an email, with a heads up about the situation. She couldn't find her phone and was wondering where she had left it when there was a knock on the door. Ed.

"I…Your phone. You left it in my office. I thought you might need it."

Emily snatched the phone from Ed's hand without a word and more forcefully than intended, shut the door in her face. Ed smiled wryly at the closed door. It wasn't that she expected a warm welcome, still she couldn't help but feel upset. The feisty redhead got under her skin – almost literally- and despite their opposite standings she was drawn to her. Having great chemistry which led them to a mind-blowing night together was one thing, although not what Ed valued the most. Emily was smart, passionate, and upright. She didn't try to suck up to Ed and after years of being surrounded by yes-man minions it was liberating. Her unwavering loyalty to Miranda made the young woman even more irresistible.

All at once, the door flung open and she was hauled inside the small apartment. The door closed with a dull thud behind her, as she was shoved against it. Before she could fully process and react Emily's petit body pressed into hers and she was kissed. Hard and rough. She ignored the throbbing pain in her cheek, her sole focus was on those luscious lips and persistent hands, roaming over her body.

"Keep in mind. This doesn't mean anything."

There was no tenderness in Emily's voice nor in her action and Ed took it as it was. Just sex. Yet, when she was pulled toward the bedroom a new feeling sneaked in and shadowed her excitement. Longing for something more meaningful.

The longing was still present, when she lay in Emily's bed, sweaty and completely sated. Listening to the sound of running water, she knew it was time to go home. They would just argue again if Emily found her there after her shower. She gathered her clothes and quickly got dressed. She was about to leave when Emily emerged from the bathroom, wearing only a short, thin bathrobe. She took her phone, tapped the screen a couple times then shoved it to Ed's hand without any explanation.

"What's this?" Ed asked confused.

"My STD test result." answered Emily. "I received it just before we…you know."

Ed snorted. "Don't get all shy now, Red. Before we fucked. That's what you meant, right?"

"Whatever. It's negative." shrugged Emily and looked at Ed expectantly.

Ed didn't get it at first.

"What? Wait, you want me to present you mine? You must be kidding."

"I'm dead serious Ed. I care about my health."

"It's a late too to worry about that now, don't you think? You should have asked before you sucked me dry."

Emily fumed.

"Are you for bloody real? I pick up strangers in bars Ed. I take them to a hotel and let them fuck me. And even though I always, and I mean ALWAYS practice safe sex, I get tested regularly. Then you come along and all my safety rules fly out the window. I took you home Ed, where we had unprotected sex. But that wasn't enough, and I repeated that mistake. I have the right to know if you are clean or not."

"Mistake? I see…If you were clean Emily, sleeping with me didn't change that. I can't talk for the others."

"Others?"

"You said yourself Emily. You fuck strangers on a regular basis."

"You…" Emily bit back her angry retort. Ed was right after all. She couldn't blame her for thinking Emily was sleeping around. In reality, she hadn't been with anyone since Ed, but no way in hell was she going to admit that.

"Don't worry about the "others" Ed. You are the only question mark here."

They were standing face to face, staring at each other, neither willing to back down. At the end it was Ed, who stepped back and raised her hands in yield.

"Fine." she grabbed her own phone and signed in to her MyChart.

"Here"

Emily took a look at the screen and her eyes widened.

"What the…this was down eight years ago."

"You wanted my latest result. There you go. It's negative. You can relax now."

"But it's from eight years ago."

"Your point is?"

"My point is that this was taken Eight. Bloody. Years. Ago."

Ed put on her coat and tucked the phone into her pocket. Her face showed no emotions, but a small, twitching muscle on her jaw gave away her inner turmoil.

"You are the first person I've been with in the last eight years. Happy now?"

Emily laughed. "Yeah sure", she thought to herself. "I don't believe you." she said out loud.

"Believe what you want, Emily. I have no reason to lie to you. I got tested for obvious reasons after I broke up with my fiancée. It was a messy break-up by the way. I'm sure you'll find all the juicy details online." She walked to the main door and opened it then called back over her shoulder. "I'll get a new one. I'll notify you when I have the results."

"Wait. I…"

"Don't. Just…don't. I have a heart you know. It's already broken. It doesn't need to be crushed any further."