Lunch With the Boss's Secretary

VIII

Her name was Raisa Kobiak, immigrated to the country when she was four years old. She didn't speak Russian, and she didn't have many memories. She had sketchy qualifications, but it wasn't her fault. Her family had been tight for money, neither of her parents having particularly marketable skills. They had scrimped and saved to put their children through school, and Raisa had opted for the cheapest option available, to ease the strain for them: community college.

The city had good schools, but you didn't apply to be a Corporate Secretary with a community college degree. Trowa wondered what kind of degree you did apply with (If you'd gone to a big-name school, why would you elect to be a secretary, with all its demeaning connotations?) but he didn't bother to ask Elizabeth that, just let her tell the story of what happened after Raisa stepped through the doors.

What Trowa had seen was limited, and yet it spoke volumes. She was tall, and thin, even in the thick layer of her coat. At first she had appeared to be wearing a long black skirt, but when she got out of the car, it split down the middle, and became a pair of loose, yet comely slacks. Beneath them she wore sturdy shoes with thick heels, unworried by their height, or lack thereof. Her coat was made of some kind of corduroy, with fleece at the collar and rolled-up cuffs. She ran a nervous hand down the length of her braid, and locked the car manually with the key. Dimly, Trowa remembered the good old days before car alarms and keyless entries. He forgot them again as she began walking, taking the sidewalk that ran directly beneath the window.

The men were pressed to the glass, each holding his breath, in case she disappeared. There was something about her, in the inoffensive way she held herself, the why droop of her eyes, that made them follow her every movement.

But when she glanced skyward, and found the mass of sweating flesh staring down on her, Raisa only connected with one.

AN: SEVEREST apologies for the delay!! The Man discovered that I still had script-style stories up and suspended my ability to upload until today. Damn The Man.

Thank you to everyone who has left such kind reviews- you all kick ass.