Chapter Ten

Michonne smiled at the administrative assistant assigned to her group and thanked him when he handed her a small stack of paperwork received from the executive office. His expression reflected his apology at what they both knew would involve a busy morning of document review, followed by an afternoon of meetings to discuss them. Thankfully, she'd be on the road by mid-week and free of the mundane but necessary corporate routine.

Once in her office, she placed the stack of papers and her bag in the middle of her desk and opened up her blinds all the way. She paused as her eyes settled on a new object in the corner of the windowsill: a coffee mug from Mama May's that Daryl had bought her after a long lunch there the previous Friday. He said it was supposed to remind her that he was always right.

In actuality, it simply reminded her how much she liked his company. She smiled at that.

Her mind wandered back to a few weeks before when they'd shared some drinks with Morgan Jones and had a good time showing a pushy waitress that neither she nor Daryl were the kind of people to challenge. She hadn't thought it through when she'd first offered to get the woman off of his back. Who knew that things would get so complicated afterwards?

Michonne picked up the mug and twirled it around in her hands as she let her mind wander back to that night, the warmth and comfort of his arm around her as they made the leisurely walk back to their hotel. When he'd left her at her room afterwards, he'd made one of his silly jokes at her expense, meant to provoke her into showing her temper. She'd almost bitten back but thought better of it.

In her mind's eye, only a few minutes passed before she convinced herself to head across the hall to his door and show him what she really thought of the way he tried to push her buttons.

He looked perplexed and a little shell-shocked as he stood at the entryway, bare-chested and with a t-shirt in hand. She'd almost walked away. Whatever it was she insisted on playing at felt dangerously charged now that she'd pushed herself into action. Besides, she still felt a little drunk, her head reeling from all that had happened that night: the business, the bar, Morgan's advances and her shared, playful deception with the man standing across from her. Then she remembered that they'd both been complicit, and it propelled her forward.

She took two steps, then one more, hearing the door slam behind her and her keycard slide across the table where she'd thrown it. Before she could slow her actions, she had his face between her hands and her lips to his. His surprise didn't deter her, but the awkward way he tried to avoid touching her made her pull back. Lightning fast, he gripped her around the waist to keep her near him.

Her retreat spurred him into action and the next moments found them entangled, each touch more intimate than the one before.

The shirt he'd held had fallen from his hands as he held her. His bare chest pressed against her and the skin he left exposed to her wandering hands, these things grounded her, made her feel present and in the moment. She'd changed out of her work clothes and stood in her pajama bottoms and camisole. He'd already worked one hand underneath the latter. They tasted and groped, maneuvered and contorted their way towards his bed.

Lifting her shirt over her head, he ducked down to get a more comprehensive feel of her with his mouth.

After feasting on her for long moments, her fingers weaving emphatically through his hair, he worked his way back towards her lips where she waited for him. Before continuing, he looked into her eyes, still uncertain yet so aroused. Their bodies told one story while their logical minds raced to keep up; he bit his lip and turned away in concentration and self-reflection. They both paused as they thought of the stakes and the consequences. Turning back to her, he met her gaze again, clouded by that same lust and also his trust. He lowered her down and kissed her softly, once, twice and then she stopped counting.

Afterwards, they lay silent side by side, lazily caressing one another. After long moments laying in the darkness, she said, "we probably shouldn't have done that."

She felt the nod of his head. "Probably not."

Neither moved or slowed their explorations. Finally, she leaned over and planted a long, lingering kiss to his lips. He accepted with a sad hunger, kneading her shoulder as they savored the closeness. Pulling back, she grinned down at him. "Looks like we're gonna do it again anyway."

His chuckle joined hers while he lowered his arm to disappear underneath the sheets and continue its path to other enjoyable parts of her. "Yeah, that's probably true too." He rolled them over and proceeded to finish what she started.

A knock on her door pulled her from her thoughts. She blinked a few times and put the mug back down on the windowsill. The day hadn't even started and her mind had wandered towards those illicit fantasies for the millionth time. Her face flushed, she cooled herself down by recalling the actual ending to that night—

Her, alone in her hotel room, all hot and bothered as she talked herself out of acting on her intense but disastrous attraction to her boss.

Hershel stood a few feet from her, requesting an invitation into her office and Michonne's flush turned to mirth: she'd barely shed her coat before he'd cornered her, gracing her entryway with a suspicious smile on his face.

Of all the folks she'd met at the company, Hershel remained one of her favorites. He managed to be kind but firm, and led with a regal, old-world intelligence. Even though he pretty much oversaw the entire company, he usually kept his distance and let everyone do the jobs they'd been hired for.

Yet lately, he'd been working her nerves, and it revolved around one issue: signing a permanent contract with AGD.

She'd already heard the pitch from Rick, and she'd concede it sounded good. The benefits outmatched anything she'd get elsewhere. The work suited her, and she and Daryl made a pretty successful team. More and more, she oversaw her own accounts, steadily ticking up their client base, which Daryl seemed more than happy to gloat about. Although she kept to herself a lot, she mostly really enjoyed the people she worked with, even beyond Daryl and Hershel. Rick's son Carl was her shadow whenever she did a stint in the office. The young man brought out a small part of who she used to be before she left Atlanta. Glenn struck her as creative and really quick on his feet, despite his youth; Carol ran a tight ship in HR but took care of everyone in the office too. From Woodbury, Tyreese had recruited his sister Sasha and they were both really hard workers. She figured they had a lot to prove, but the new hires who'd come over from there—Karen in accounting, Ben and Zach in IT, Dr. S in the R&D division—they'd all proven to be solid employees.

Being with this company felt right to her. It was everything she and Andrea had talked about. Yet somehow, she couldn't bring herself to commit. It felt too real, too good to rely on in case it didn't work out.

Plus, cleaning up the mess that the Governor made continued to be a priority. He remained at large out in the world somewhere and she wouldn't put it past him to seek some sort of revenge on Rick, her and AGD for bringing down his little backwater empire. Whenever on the road, she and Daryl still kept an ear to the ground about any activity on him, but as time passed, the leads came fewer and farther between. That's probably partly what led to Hershel's presence this morning and his continued crusade to get her to spend more time in the office rather than clinging to her identity as a road-weary freelancer.

"Mornin', Michonne," he called brightly from her doorway. "You got a minute?"

"Nice tactic, cornering me before my morning coffee. But you know I always have time for you, old man." He grinned at her teasing and stepped into the office, closing the door behind him.

When he approached her desk, he set down a cup of coffee and her favorite breakfast pastry.

"Oh, you're really pouring it on thick with this chocolate croissant." She gestured for him to sit. "So what's your angle this week?"

Hershel slowly lowered himself into her chair and then stretched out his legs. "The usual pitch. Stop all that runnin' around so you can stay here and keep us company."

"I'm here keeping you company right now," she countered.

Hershel waved her off. "Not nearly enough." Michonne sighed. "You know we all think you're doin' an excellent job on the road. We've never been this stable or successful in our entire run since the merger. We've got you to thank for a lot of that. It's just that you're doin' too good a job and there's so much more we want you for right here. I know we got off to a rocky start—"

"Water under the bridge, Hershel. It's not that." She'd long since gotten over everything that had gone down in those first days after she'd met them. They'd worked it out and got along better for it.

Hershel let the silence linger for a bit. "Then what is it? What is it you need?"

This conversation made Michonne antsy. She didn't want to dig up and talk about all the things that kept her on the move. The constant motion felt like second nature to her now since leaving Atlanta after … No, she couldn't get into it, even with someone as kind and understanding as Hershel. Shaking her head, she flipped on her computer but then leaned back into her desk chair.

What did she need? Michonne couldn't really answer him because she didn't know.

Truth was, she liked being out on her own or just her and Daryl or some other team member. It was simple and straightforward. She knew how to handle that. Being around the entire staff, dealing with office politics and paperwork and meetings all the time didn't sound at all appealing. Sure there were some interesting projects Daryl had drummed up, but it didn't seem like enough to keep her from getting restless when the weight of too much normalcy crept in. After all, she'd just been thinking about how nice it'd be to get back on the road in a couple days' times.

"I don't need anything Hershel. Y'all do enough." She smirked and a clear spark ignited in her eyes as she spoke. "I'll get back to you after I take the new gear out for a spin, though." It was her turn to test-run the new company car they'd gotten for staff like her who did a lot of travelling. They'd packed it to the nines with upgrades and features to make it easier to do business from the vehicle—dedicated wifi hotspot, USB ports, entertainment center, every Bluetooth accessory on the market and a top notch security system. Already, she'd started plotting how to make that car her own.

Hershel stared her down, undeterred. "Let me know what ya think and maybe we'll sweeten the pot." Michonne raised a suspicious eyebrow at that. "Or we can move you around to a different team if that's what you're worried about. Daryl'll complain, maybe rant and rave a little, but he'll live."

"No," Michonne exclaimed, insistent and a bit quick on her response. "I mean, I like working with Daryl."

Hershel cocked his head with interest at that. "He likes workin' with you too." The older man grinned in that way of his, that way that she did not trust for one second. That grin confirmed that she'd let an important detail slip out in front of him.

Glaring at him playfully, she took a sip of her coffee. "Did he say something to you about this?"

While Rick had introduced the topic and let it sit with her with minimal intervention, Daryl had no such restraint and openly pushed for her to sign a permanent contract too. And it didn't take the form of just a straightforward request with him, it became a series of digs and looks and prodding that were mostly on the playful side but could tip over into something much more annoying on occasion. If he'd been conspiring with Hershel, that definitely put it in the annoying column.

Hershel laughed at her suspicions of Daryl. "He didn't say anything more than usual," he drawled. "He'll respect whatever you wanna do, even if he fusses about it." He pulled his legs in and sat up straighter in the chair. "You two work well together. There are some things we could really get off the ground havin' you two in charge of some projects."

"I'm getting stuff off the ground now with our new clients and vendors. We work together all the time, even if he's doing more and more time in the office. He's more suited for management than I am."

"Keep tellin' him that, please." They both grinned. Daryl was still getting used to his increased responsibilities as both he and Rick groomed him for a higher level position when everyone felt ready for it. He was already Rick's right hand man, even more so now that Rick had devoted himself to spending more time with his kids now that things had died down.

Michonne glanced out the little window in her office and noticed the steady trickle of people coming in to start their day. She tended to get into the office really early to take advantage of the quiet. It would start to come alive in the hallways soon.

"I do keep reminding him. He's a good boss."

"Don't let him hear you call him that. I get the feelin' he doesn't like it much."

She chuckled along with him. "I know. But he is." Even though things were murky in her mind when it came to her feelings for the man, she'd never deny that he treated his people well and worked hard. Even with his gruff exterior, he had friends in every department, it seemed.

Hershel slowly got to his feet, steadying himself on the back of the chair. "Anyway, just keep what I say in mind. I'm gonna stay on ya about it. I know you have to get comfortable with the idea on your own, but we want you here and you shouldn't lose sight 'a that. You gotta get used to people carin' about you."

Michonne had her doubts about that but her eyes softened on the man anyway. "I know and I do keep it in mind. I just need time."

Hershel turned to take his leave. "I understand." He paused as he opened the door and stepped through, hovering at the doorway like when he'd first come in. "So same time next week? Same pitch?"

"You get out of here with that," Michonne shot back, holding up her croissant. "But next time, how about a cheese danish to mix it up?" She took a big bite and hummed her approval for the tasty pastry.

"If it'll help convince you to stick around then I'll see what I can do." He paused and looked down the hall as someone approached. "Or maybe I'll get your boss to take care 'a that." He chuckled and shuffled away. Michonne watched in amusement as Daryl appeared at the doorway to replace the Board president, scowl on his face.

"Yeah, you better run, Greene." Hershel flashed a dismissive hand at him and turned the corner towards the elevators. Daryl's frown receded, his lips flashing a tiny grin. He switched his attention to Michonne and the glare returned when he registered her amusement. "You too," he added.

Michonne finished her mouthful of food and sipped her coffee, leaning back in her chair. "You're welcome to leave my office at any time. Sir."

"Don't make me curse at you, woman," he said, leaning against the frame of the door.

Laughing, Michonne began leafing through the papers at her desk. "And 'good morning' to you too. First Hershel, now you? How'd a girl get so lucky on a Monday." She inwardly groaned, hoping that didn't sound overly flirtatious. She tried to be careful not seeming too forward since their closeness from that trip. Michonne kept her head down to hide any odd reaction she might have inadvertently let slip. They continued to be as friendly as ever these days, but they both remained aware of not seeming too familiar, especially in the office.

If Daryl registered any awkwardness, he didn't let on. "Just checkin' that you got that stuff that came in yesterday. Sorry for the last minute shit but you know how it goes." The faux-irritation had transformed into contrition. True, the early morning addition to her workload wasn't her favorite way to be greeted first thing. That's how this business worked though.

She flipped through the paperwork for a few moments. "It's fine. I read the emailed version last night. I know this company from my law firm days, and the provisions in their proposal aren't anything out of the ordinary. They can get tricky about tacking on stupid clauses so I'll prep it for the meeting this afternoon if you could cover the closed projects update. I think there's only two this month anyway."

Daryl nodded, probably having thought along the same lines. "Yeah, sounds good," he muttered. Finally she looked up and observed his attempts to appear casual when his body language screamed everything but. The whole "checking in" thing must have been a ruse. They didn't need to coordinate like that anymore. Instead, she'd guess that his nosiness had brought him to her doorstep.

"And my response to Hershel is still that I need time," she added.

"Time for what?" he asked, trying his hardest not to be harsh with her. Or to sulk.

Good question. She had no good answers, though, or at least not ones she could explain quickly at 8:30 on a Monday morning. She sighed and responded with her usual mantra, "Time to think about it."

He nodded, looking away but lingering in her doorway still. Michonne continued to flip through the paperwork. A minute later, she raised her head to see he hadn't moved yet. Her attention seemed to snap him out of something and he straightened.

"Fine," he mumbled, letting her know that he really only meant for the moment. It wouldn't be the last she heard from him on the matter. "I guess I'll get outta your hair then." He shuffled a little and pointed back towards his office.

Michonne smiled, glad that he let the issue drop without too much of a fight. "Nope, get in here and go over this with me. I want to know what you think before I write up a summary for the meeting."

He paused for a beat and then strolled into her office to take a seat across from her. "You got it, Boss." His sarcasm produced a chuckle as she pushed her pastry over for the two of them to share.

TBC …