A few weeks later the team at Supremacy Financing is out in full celebration. With the summer coming to a close their reporting year was getting wrapped up with a bow. It needed to be passed along to the board members to review before awarding the teams their bonuses.
They were out at a dinner party. Cassian's Family owned a Spanish style restaurant and cantina. There was a stage with a live band, with a full bar and an attached patio. The restaurant had held a few of the companies' get-togethers. It had amazing food that Rey loved. Everyone ate and did a few rounds of tequila.
She wasn't surprised when Jyn and Cassian started dancing, the newlyweds in their own world. She was even less surprised when Finn, Poe, and Rose joined them on the dance floor. At least they had waited for her to arrive to do a shot together before they headed to the dance floor. She was surprised to see Hux, Phasma and a few other department heads here. Some were drinking while others danced, all of them relaxing.
She was late to arrive having been held up at the office assisting Zori with HR and Payroll. She was barely ordering her food. Chewing on her lip, she wondered if her assistance had helped Zori. She hoped Zori would be able to join them soon. Before she left Rey made sure everything was submitted. All Zori had to do was run the report and send it to HIM for approval.
If she had felt bad for Zori having to stay late, it was nothing compared to how bad she felt that Ben had to stay. As the only department head who was also a board member. Ben reviewed everything before it was posted. All of his lights were still on when she had left. She hoped that with her organization it would be a fast process for him, and he would be allowed to leave at a decent hour.
Her food arrived, with all of its mouth-watering goodness, pulling her from her thoughts. She loved the street tacos here. The slices of cucumber and radishes helped dull the heat of the seasonings. She was halfway through her second taco when a cheer came up through the crowd. From her position at the bar, she had to turn to see what the commotion was about.
She now faced the door where a very tired but happy looking Ben had appeared. He held a paper over his head in triumph. After a few words with Hux, he was ushered to the stage. The musicians paused in their song allowing him to speak. He looked like an uncomfortable "David" on stage.
"Hey everyone, I received an email before leaving tonight. According to the numbers we are up from last year's mark. By 11.9%." A few polite claps were heard. "And," He paused looking down at the sheet of paper. He swallowed before continuing, "We have ALL reached marks for a bonus. Expect to see your hard work on the next two paychecks." His smile when announcing made Rey's heart flutter. A loud cheer went up throughout the crowd. Who didn't love rewards?
Rey clapped along with everyone. Poe let out a happy yelp, earning another grin from Ben and a few laughs from the crowd. "Enjoy the three day weekend," Ben instructed. "I'll see you all Tuesday." And with that, he stepped off the stage.
~*~8~*~8~*~8~*~8~*~8~*~
Ben was no stranger to late-night hours at the office. He had built his life around his job. So he knew that his lifestyle left him little to no room for socializing. But walking out of the building and passing the Cantina where all of his employees were celebrating gave him pause. For a few brief moments, he felt left out. He had only been invited once or twice, would they mind terribly if he invited himself? He could use the pretense of the good news he held in his hand.
Mind made up he went inside. He was received well enough, someone even cheered. Only he was stopped by Hux. Hux insisted he shared the good news with everyone.
Being up on stage was nerve-racking for him. But after a moment he found Rey and it was as if all the tension his body had held throughout the day drained away. He tried to remain focused on her as he gave his speech.
A few moments later Ben was trying to make his way to the bar top. Only to be stopped by a dozen or so employees and co-workers. Everyone was happy with the news, and while he wanted to share in their joy, they were blocking his way to Rey. And he desperately wanted to speak with her. He wanted to tell her to thank you. Her efforts and hard work had allowed him to get the numbers submitted at a reasonable time.
She was always going above and beyond in her normal work duties, he appreciated her immensely. While she was getting a bonus along with her team he wanted to give her something extra. Just for her and her hard work, a gift of some sort. He had thought to buy her a decoration for her office or lunch one day, but neither option felt personal to him.
"It's because you are attracted to her." Came his ever-helpful inner voice.
That voice wasn't wrong. Everything from her beautiful brown locks to her painted pink toes pulled him in. To hear her talk was sweet music to his ears. The way she used the brilliant mind of hers made him weak in the knees. She was so much better than people who had ten years of experience in her position. He loved watching her mind work. Making the logical leaps to arrive at the conclusion he needed. Another part of him, the caveman part wanted to simply throw her over his shoulder and say, "Mine."
The tension in his body must have made its way to his face as Hux was fast to walk away finally leaving a clear path to Rey. She had just finished her food, pushing her beans and rice around her plate with a chip. He hoped to God she wasn't about to get up and leave.
He stepped up and prepared himself with a deep sigh.
"Good Evening." He said, clearly startling her. A blush rose to her cheeks covering them in a perfect shade of pink. Pink was fast becoming his favorite color.