Hello, my lovely readers. Well, many of us have had our hearts broken by TO's series finale. May our lovely ships live on in FanFic verse! On with the show…
Chapter 9: Working Dinner Party
Was it possible to wake up atop a cloud? Hayley smiled as she squeezed her eyes shut, relishing in the feeling on linen sheets embracing her body and the cool, soft comforter, wrapping her like a cocoon. She could stay this way forever. Rolling over, she enjoyed the happy dream, of a life of luxury and then nuzzled into a nice smelling chest.
Seconds later, Hayley's eyelids popped open and she registered Elijah Mikaelson's bare chest. His ruffled hair might make her smile if she did not remember how bad this was. Not the sex. Oh, the sex was A++. She would love to climb on top of Elijah and remind them both of how much fun last night was but she had work.
"Shit," Hayley groaned, rolling away from Elijah. She needed to locate her clothing and get the hell out of here.
"Good morning, Hayley," Elijah said and his lips met her bare shoulder blade.
Shivering, Hayley turned to peer at Elijah through her lower eyelashes. "Hi," she said, feeling shy and pleased with the look of pleasure on his face. If she could wake every morning, with the guy who looked at her like that, every day, she could die happy.
"Good morning to you, too," Hayley replied with a grin. Her eyes fell to Elijah's lips. He seemed to be thinking about the same thing when his fingers tangled in her hair and tugged her on top of him. His lips brushed hers, gently, before pressing more firmly and she felt his tongue ease into her mouth.
"Elijah," Hayley cried out, wrapping her legs around his waist and losing her mind as they began to move. She really needed to get out of here. However, her brain and her libido seemed to have very contradictory feelings at the moment. And she really, really liked what Elijah was doing with his mouth as he kissed her chest.
~0~
An hour and half later, Hayley stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her body. "You don't need that," Elijah called to her, stepping out of the shower to stand behind her in front of the mirror. He picked up a brush and began to brush her hair. Yes. Hayley thought that a life with Elijah pampering her would not be that bad.
Closing her eyes, Hayley allowed herself another couple of minutes of indulgence before cold, hard reality set back in. "Elijah," she said softly, placing her hand over his.
Elijah's eyes became concerned and his hand stilled. "Yes?" he said. He set the hair brush down, on the counter and laced his arms around her waist.
"We can't do this," Hayley breathed, closing her eyes. She could not look him in the eye and have this conversation.
"What do you mean?" Elijah inquired, rubbing her stomach through the towel and making her think all kinds of happy thoughts which involved their dropping their towels. "Did you not enjoy last night? And this morning?" His lips went to her neck. Hayley cried out as his fingers moved under the hem of the towel, up her thigh and she began to lose her nerve.
"No!" Hayley, get it together and act like an adult, she chided herself before turning around to face Elijah. Gulping, she placed her hands on the counter, clutching it to prevent herself from reaching out to him. "Last night was one of the best nights of my entire life, Elijah. I mean that more than you can possibly know. What I mean is… I need to concentrate on my career right now." Taking a breath, Hayley rolled her eyes and ran her hands through her hair. "You're going to make some lucky lady a great husband one of these days."
Elijah took a step back. "Well, thank you. Last night was lovely, but if you feel that this," he waved a hand around them, "will be a distraction, don't let me stand in your way."
Hayley felt a lump form in her throat as Elijah strode out of the bathroom. Head dropping forward, she gritted her teeth. Why did it have to be so damned complicated? She chewed on her bottom lip before she forced herself to leave the room and move into the bedroom. Elijah stood in front of his closet, selecting a suit for the day.
Head bowed, Hayley tip-toed to the door. Walk of shame. She was getting way too old for this crap. Rolling her eyes, she only stopped at the sound of Elijah's voice. "Do you need a ride home?" he called to her.
"Yeah. Yes. That would be great. Thanks," Hayley called over her shoulder, afraid to look back at him.
"Not a problem," Elijah called back.
Moving down the hallway, Hayley examined the paintings on the walls. She regretted that she would probably never stay here again. She'd love to take her time studying them. Some of the works looked like they belonged in other centuries and a number of them called to her.
Hayley entered the living room and collected her clothes from the floor. She might have been drunk, but she hadn't been that drunk. She dropped the towel and slipped back into her clothes. Turning she found Elijah, leaning against the wall and she wondered how long he'd been there.
"Are you ready?" Elijah asked her.
"Yes." Hayley grabbed her purse and headed toward the door.
They took the elevator down in silence and Hayley kept stealing peeks at Elijah through her hair. She wanted to grab him and kiss him and beg him to take her back upstairs. She would call in sick.
The bell dinged and the doors slid open. Stepping out of the elevator, Hayley fell into step with Elijah. They made their way out to his car and he opened the door for her. Always the gentleman. No guy had ever treated this well.
"I assume you will not have time for breakfast," Elijah sighed, buckling his seatbelt.
"Nope. I'm already ten minutes late. If you could just drop me at my place, so I can grab my bag and call a cab –." Hayley stopped when Elijah gave her a long look.
"I can wait. Until you gather your things, and give you a ride to work," Elijah offered and Hayley thought about the gossip mill at work. What she really needed was for Elijah Mikaelson to drop her off at work.
"No. No, I'll be fine," Hayley replied, with a big, forced smile.
~0~
"Ms. Marshall. I hope you do not intend on making this into a habit." Mr. Gerard held a letter opener between the tips of his index fingers and eyed her like she was a prime piece of steak. She half expected him to begin to lick his lips while he looked her over. Why did she have to wear the red suit? Oh, yeah, because Elijah insisted on driving her to work this morning and she couldn't stop herself from picking it.
At the time it had been worth it to see Elijah's eyebrows rise and the tilt of his lips as she slid in beside him. Now, she felt grossed out. Rebekah smirked and elbowed her in the ribcage, Marcel winked at Hayley and straightened his tie and Hayley groaned, inwardly while Mikael sat back in his seat at the front of the room.
"Tonight is a very important dinner party which will be hosted in my home. This means that anyone who embarrassed themselves will be fired on the spot. Mikael's eyes lingered on Hayley, Marcel and Rebekah. Any one." His blue eyes glowed in the heavily lighted room and Hayley felt her head begin to pound.
"Lovely," Rebekah muttered.
Marcel let out a cough.
And Hayley opened her purse and began to search for pain relievers.
"Attendance is mandatory" Mikael continued. "There is a dress code. Again, do not embarrass me."
Mr. Gerard snickered and Mikael turned to glower at him. "Is something amusing, Jack?"
Mr. Gerard held up his hands. "No, Mikael. Nothing at all. I'm sure that our team will bring their A-game. Even Marcel." Mr. Gerard gave Marcel a look that made Hayley frown and she could feel her best friend tense up in his seat. "This party's not going to fail. Not like that time –"
Mikael's eyes turned to Mr. Gerard and the other man fell silent. Even his perpetual grin slid from his face and Hayley had to control her desire to smirk at her boss' discomfort. He deserved this and much worse.
"Back to work, everyone," Mikael shouted at them, his eyes still boring a hole into his partner. Hayley reminded herself to pump Rebekah for info one day. She just could not understand how a man like Mikael, a cold and ruthless business man would ever get himself entangled with the likes of Jacques Gerard, the flamboyant, boorish, cad of a boss.
"Looks like we're stuck going to another work function," Marcel said, turning to Hayley and Rebekah in the hallway. "So, Bekah, are you bringing someone?"
"Yes," Rebekah snapped before she walked away.
Marcel let out a low whistle. "Well, I guess I'm going stag. Unless, I can interest another lovely lady into going with me?" He offered Hayley his smile that made most women swoon.
Hayley sighed. "Fine. But this is the last time I go as your plus-one just because Rebekah refuses." She gave Marcel a mock annoyed look.
"I promise, the next time Rebekah will be on my arm." Marcel told her on the way to the elevators. "Speaking of Mikaelsons. What happened with you and Elijah last night?"
"Nothing," Hayley lied.
Marcel eyed her as they stepped onto an elevator. Several members of the firm stepped on behind them. Hayley willed Marcel to keep his big mouth shut until they got back to their offices.
When the elevator opened on their floor, Marcel waited for everyone to get off before holding the door for Hayley. He moved to walk beside her and did not utter a peep until they stood in front of her door and then he folded his arms over his chest. His eyes bore into her like Mikael's had bored into Marcel's father.
"What?" Hayley cried out, staring back at him.
Marcel shook his head. "I told him to get you home," he sighed, shaking his head.
"He did," Hayley retorted.
Marcel looked her over. "Don't ever take the stand, honey."
"I am not lying," Hayley hissed as someone stopped at the end of the hallway, looked their way and then strode off. "I have work to do. I'll see you later."
"Right. Okay. Play it that way," Marcel retorted, opening the door to his office.
Sighing at the sound of Marcel's door closing, Hayley slipped into her own office and took a seat. She hoped he would find an interesting case to play with today.
When someone knocked on her door thirty minutes later, Hayley groaned and stood up. If it was Marcel, she was going to kill him. "Yes?" she called.
Aurora came into the room. She was carrying a bouquet of red roses. "These are so lovely. And they smell delightful. Someone has an admirer," Aurora babbled as she held out the flowers to Hayley. "I read the card," she confessed with a smile. "Shall I compose a response?"
"No," Hayley snapped, plucking the card out and opening it.
Thank you for a lovely night, it read.
"Are you sure?" Aurora inquired as Marcel came out of his office. He gave Hayley and the roses a look, shook his head and walked off.
"Yes," Hayley said. She shoved the roses at Aurora. "Keep them." Aurora seemed pleased as she buried her nose in the flowers and Hayley slipped the card into her purse. She closed her eyes, pressing her fingers into the bridge of her nose. At least she had work tonight and would not have to worry about running into Elijah.
~0~
Hayley had yet to step onto the grounds of the Mikaelson residence. She did not know what she expected but she knew she did not expect Marcel to pull up to a massive gate and a sprawling lawn. "Okay. So, when I grow up, remind me not to purchase a city to live in," she scoffed, eyeing the acres of land. She just did not get how some people needed all of this to impress others with.
There were lights leading them all the way to the front doors and a valet service. "I'm glad I'm not taking Bekah for dinner with the family," Marcel added, peering at the roof of the house—could it still be called a house if there looked to be five stories to it?
A valet opened the passenger door and bowed. Hayley stopped herself from laughing at the poor man. He was just trying to do his job. She took his hand, allowing him to guide her out of the car.
Marcel stepped around the side of the car and offered Hayley his arm. "So, we're doing this?"
"Yup." Hayley forced herself to nod and to not be nervous.
Together, they walked up a flight of brick steps and up to the double doors. A woman in a long white gown greeted people, kissing cheeks and smiling at them. "Hello. I'm wonderful. And the kids? What a pleasure to see you again," the blonde said, holding one man's elbow and smiling at him. This could not be Esther Mikaelson. She looked like she was in her thirties, late thirties, but she had to be another kid.
Hayley tried to remember Rebekah's siblings and failed. "Freya," Marcel said smoothly, kissing Freya's cheek.
"Marcel, how lovely to see you tonight. Rebekah will be thrilled to see you," Freya exclaimed with a wide smile.
"Will she?" Marcel looked genuinely unsure of himself, a real rarity.
"She will. Trust me," Freya said, patting him on the shoulder and then turning to Hayley. "And this must be Hayley."
"Um?" Hayley looked at Marcel.
"Father has high hopes for you," Freya stated, folding her hands over her stomach and Hayley's eyebrows rose.
Nodding, Hayley forced a smile. "Great. It's nice to meet you…Freya."
"You as well." Freya had already moved on, her eyes on the next group of people. "I'll see you again, inside," she said to them.
Marcel led Hayley through the foyer. "Have you been here before?" she asked him.
"Yeah. A couple of times. Mostly to deliver paperwork, back when I started out with the firm," Marcel said, heading toward the sounds of chatter, laughing and a string quartet. "Rebekah gave me a tour one time, when we were the only ones home."
"Is your dad's place like this?" Hayley blurted and she kicked herself when she saw the dark look on Marcel's face.
"Yup. Only there are a few more rooms. Pretty classless. And there's probably a torture chamber in the basement for my dad's…more extracurricular activities." Marcel gave Hayley a long look and she wrinkled her nose in disgust. "My sentiments exactly."
"Mikael, look at this young lady!" Jacques Gerard's voice came from an uncomfortably close angle and Hayley turned to find him standing right behind them, staring at her ass. Lifting his eyes, he grinned at her. Hayley frowned at the sight of his ruddy cheeks and his leering. "I told Old Mikael that you would be one hell of an ass-et to the firm."
Mikael came over to them. A blonde woman who looked very much like Rebekah, if Rebekah were thirty years older, arrived at Mikael's side. Her head was held high even as her husband's business partner sunk so low. "Hayley, is it?" Esther inquired, moving closer so Mr. Gerard would have to back off. "How lovely to meet you, dear. Mikael's had nothing but praise for your work thus far."
"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Mikaelson," Hayley said, smiling at Esther and feeling herself beginning to glow as Mikael slid an arm around his wife's waist and smiled at them.
"She is going to give Rebekah hell moving up the ladder," Mikael added, snagging a glass of champagne off a tray and offering it to Hayley, since he and Esther already had their own.
"I heard my name." Rebekah joined them with a scowl.
"Rebekah, darling," Esther kissed her daughter on the cheek. "Did you not bring a date?" She looked around the room.
"Oh, I did," Rebekah waved a hand and Klaus appeared by her side with three glasses of champagne. He gave one to Rebekah and kept the other two. "I brought Nik as my plus one."
"How lovely," Mikael sneered at Klaus. "I was hoping you might bring a nice young man from the firm with you."
"Sorry to disappoint," Rebekah retorted with a smile directed at Klaus.
"Well, then I do hope Niklaus will not mind that I invited the mother of his child and her boyfriend," Mikael held up a hand and beckoned someone forward.
Caroline and Tyler came to join them and Klaus turned pale before downing the rest of one glass. "Hi," Caroline said. "Hayley, thank God, you're here."
"I don't think we've been introduced," Mr. Gerard moved toward Caroline when another man joined them.
"Elijah?" Esther looked surprised and pleased. "I did not know you would be joining us tonight." She walked over to Elijah and kissed him on the cheek.
"I needed him to get through this," another man said.
"Kol," Mikael ground out, looking less than pleased.
"Father," Kol replied. He turned and grinned at Caroline. "Darling, we've missed you. How is the baby? Did Freya tell you she demanded pics for the little one? But you know how she is when it comes to the tiny, screaming ones. So glad I only have to sign their little mitts."
"Mitts?" Hayley felt confused.
"Kol's a baseball player," Marcel filled in.
"Oh," Hayley realized that there were so many things about the Mikaelson family she did not know.
"Mother!" A very tall man came to join them. Another sibling? Esther seemed even happier to see him.
"Finn," the other siblings greeted him with groans, sighs and the tipping back of drinks, mostly Klaus and Kol.
"Shall we begin soon?" Finn asked them, looking around the group.
"Yes," Mikael lifted his hands and everyone stopped talking. "Thank you all for coming. Now, please, allow me and my wife, Esther, to lead you to your dinner."
Hayley wondered if the main course might be a family member but kept her trap shut. Instead she walked beside Marcel and took a seat beside him. Looking up she realized she was sitting across from Elijah. He offered a polite smile before turning to Rebekah and began to chat about a music event they were hosting.
Rolling her eyes, Hayley picked up her glass of wine and began to drink. She jumped when a hand came down on her thigh. "Just me, darling," Kol Mikaelson said, winking at her.
"Kol. Leave her," Elijah snapped, glowering at Kol.
Kol let out a quiet laugh. "Sorry. Didn't know you had your eye on her, brother." Getting up, Kol moved to sit beside Caroline. Klaus glared at his little brother but found himself in hot water when Aurora sat down beside him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Relief began to flood through her until Mr. Gerard took a seat beside her and Hayley started to stand up and find another seat when Mikael stood up and began a speech. Mr. Gerard, placed a hand on the back of Hayley's seat and leaned close to her. "You can move up the ladder, so much faster by spending a little after-hours time in my office. I have an open door policy for young ladies with your potential, Marshall."
Letting out a sound of disgust, Hayley turned to find Marcel clutching a fork in his fist. "Don't," she whispered to her friend, grabbing his hand and pushing it down. "He's not worth it," she muttered to him when his father turned his attention to whoever sat on his other side.
It's not that Hayley did not want to murder Mr. Gerard, or to help Marcel, murder his dad, it's that she did not see either of them doing well in prison.
~0~
Slowly the dinner moved forward and Hayley escaped the clutches of her disgusting boss. She would have to talk to Rebekah about how they took him down for sexual harassment without losing their jobs and never working at any law firm again.
Tabling that discussion for the night, Hayley enjoyed a dance with Marcel while keeping an eye on the Klaus/Caroline/Tyler drama which would probably explode any time now.
"May I have this dance?" Elijah asked, and Marcel smirked at Hayley before stepping out of the way. Extending a hand, Elijah waited and Hayley shook her head at him. But she could not help smiling at him.
"You know that we can't do this," Hayley whispered to him.
Elijah gave her an innocent look. "I have no idea what you're referring to, Hayley." He spun her outward and then pulled her back, so her chest flattened to his. Catching her breath, Hayley stared into Elijah's eyes. She had a flash of looking into his eyes as he made love to her the night before and she felt her heart pound.
Elijah seemed to be thinking about the same thing as his hand slid down her back. "Shall I take you on a tour of the house?" he inquired.
"Okay," Hayley nodded quickly. She wondered if she could get out of this house with her panties on or whether she would spend the next hour in a compromising position with the son of her boss.
Fingers intertwined, Hayley and Elijah walked into the quiet hallway and past more expensive artwork that Hayley thought should be at the museum, not in someone's house. He led her to a circular staircase and up to the third floor. They did not say a word until Elijah opened the door to a bedroom. "This is my room. When I'm home," he said.
"Uh-huh," Hayley nodded before grabbing him and kissing him. He lifted her and carried her to the ridiculously large bed and Hayley forgot about work, or the party downstairs as Elijah made her happier than any case she had this year.
~0~
Slipping back out of the door, and into the hallway, Hayley straightened her dress and peered back at a peacefully sleeping Elijah. Grinning, she made her way to the staircase. She only stopped when she heard the sounds of giggles coming from another room. The door was just barely ajar and Hayley did not want to see who was in there but then she heard Mr. Gerard and she thought that maybe she could catch him in an act which could end his career.
Hayley pushed the door open just enough to see Mr. Gerard's arms tied to the bedposts while Celeste DuBois walked by the side of the bed, waving a stocking at him.
"Ew," Hayley groaned, pulling the door closed. She had no idea where to go from here but she doubted Celeste would be honest about any of this. Shaking her head, Hayley hurried down to the party, confused and worried for the future.
Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.
Answers to guest reviews:
Anna: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this update, too, and I hope to send out another before October.
Nikki: Thank you! I hope you feel that this chap was worth the wait, too.
Guest: Thanks for reviewing.
Peace,
J