Audrey brushes down the dress, looking at herself in the mirror.
When Negan said 'outfit', her mind jumped to stained overalls, or an appropriate suit that would not capture anyone's attention. But of course, he had to give her this. He is Negan after all.
The girl in the mirror copies one of the dresses owned by one of the man's wives. It's black and short, but at least it shows no cleavage. She turns around and sees an entirely bare back. Her stomach flips. She isn't sure if this is worse.
Her hips bounce from side to side, making the hem of the dress dance. When she twirls around, the skirt lifts to show her underwear.
Great. There is no way of hiding that unless she walks extra slow or with a coat wrapped around her torso.
Let's just hope there is no breeze wherever she is heading off to.
Negan picked out some matching black heels to go with the dress. They are not too big, and make it comfortable to walk. Audrey cannot help but question whom these clothes belong to.
The snacks Negan requested consisted mostly of baked goods. Cake, brownies, cupcakes. Some of them were a little more appropriate, such as sandwiches and chunks of cheese.
Audrey glances at the trolley full of food, ready to be wheeled out of her room and towards his conference room.
Triple points. Triple points. She can do this.
After taking a deep breath, she waddles down the corridor like a performing monkey, goose bumps rising from the cool air.
To her relief, the large room is quiet when she gets there. There are few people sat at the table. Arat and Regina barely notice her as the heels make loud noises on the concrete floor. They chat amongst themselves which gives Audrey buckets of relief. Let's just keep it like that.
Negan jumps up like an excited child on the other side of the room and starts strolling towards her slowly. Lucille swings by his side as his eyes travel up her curvy legs, tongue sliding out as they reach the hem of the dress.
"Glad you could fucking make it, sugar," he smiles, glancing at the trolley. The new nickname makes her squirm.
She looks down at the floor, focusing on the soothing sounds of the two women in the room, talking about irrelevant shit.
Negan hums lowly, reaching over to lift a lid on one of the plates on the trolley. He is so close that they bump into each other. Audrey steps back clumsily, watching the man pick a cube of cheese and toss it into his mouth.
"Mmm, did you get everything on the list?"
"Yes, sir," she answers quickly, feeling her palms sweat. It is chilly in the room but she is on a furnace.
"Good girl, I knew I could fucking count on you," he says, swallowing his mouthful.
She watches him, closing her eyes when his gloved hand tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. His eyebrows knit together.
"You didn't wear the earrings," he states.
She nods, knowing that the large hoops were left in the box in her room, "Wearing jewellery is hardly professional in this instance."
Negan regards her, not expecting her to bite back. He laughs.
"Well, shit. I'm sorry," he puts a hand on his chest, "I'll let it slide this one time."
Audrey glances at the door when another Savior walks in, taking a seat near Negan's position. His eyes linger on the girl, but immediately drop back to the floor. He must have thought she was one of his wives.
Negan watches her until it starts to get uncomfortable, "Do you know what you're supposed to do, darlin'?"
Audrey nods slowly, assuming his is still talking about her job.
"Start serving the food. Everyone is welcome to holler at you if they need anything," he smiles, "Don't be nervous. We don't bite."
Audrey manages a smile back and nods again, wiping her hands on the skirt of the dress.
"Cool," he grins, grabbing another cube of cheese, "Get to work, kitten."
The room fills up quickly, prompting Audrey to start her 'service'. Going into her zone, she does not notice most of what the Saviours are talking about, but she does hear the words 'Rick', 'finish', and 'plan'. She knows she is not qualified to make big decisions like Negan is, so even when she wants to bring her opinion forward, it would be stupid.
Some men take advantage of the food once Negan introduces the girl. Thankfully, he keeps it short and the eyes do not linger on her for too long.
There is a slam of the door and heavy footsteps as she wipes her hands on a damp towel.
"Here he is," Negan exclaims happily, "My right-hand man."
Audrey tries to keep her head down but when Simon stops in the middle of the room to watch her, his gaze is impossible to avoid.
She wants to speak but Negan beats her to it, "Come take a fucking seat. We've got snacks."
Simon walks over to his chair and shrugs his jacket off, looking like he could murder somebody. He forces himself to sit and rests a fist on the table, finally tearing his eyes off Audrey's legs. Negan grins widely, watching him.
"You missed the fucking intro. I guess I should fill you in," he grabs a cube of cheese and tosses it into his mouth, entertained by Simon's reaction.
Audrey turns back around, starting to feel more and more stupid for taking this job.
"Yeah?" Simon asks, "What did I miss, boss?"
There is a pause before she hears Negan's voice louder as he turns his head, "Darlin', would you be a doll and offer our new arrival some of those brownies? They're the best," he winks.
She takes a deep breath before placing some of the baked squares onto a paper plate with shaky hands. She feels all eyes on her, but when she turns around it's only Negan who is staring. Simon is looking down at the table, clenching his jaw.
What is the deal between these two?
She puts the plate in front of him slowly, and to her relief he manages a soft smile.
Negan allows everyone to take a moment before launching into his speech again. Audrey hovers by the trolley, walking on her tip toes to ensure the room is not filled with the loud clacking.
"Those garbage people," Negan starts, "Those filthy fucks. You know who I'm talking about, right Simon?"
He nods briefly.
"In order to move forward and beat Rick, we need as many arms as we can fucking get," he grins, "Loyalty is important. And I have made sure that those pricks remain loyal to me," he puts a hand on his chest, "And now… they can't do that… can they, Simon?"
He opens his mouth, releasing a shaky breath. What's happening?
"Because they're fucking dead."
Audrey bites her lip, still not completely sure of the events unfolding in front of her. Why is Simon sweating? Why does Negan keep alluding to him?
Simon sighs, leaning forward on the table. He keeps his eyes down, ignoring Audrey's presence as well as possible.
"I did what was right," he says, "They were a risk."
"Bullshit," Negan grunts, stroking Lucille in his lap, "I've been lenient with you. I have welcomed you back and gave you chance after motherfucking chance after you've killed all those boys in that settlement a while back."
Audrey glances at Simon, heart picking up the pace.
Negan enjoys himself, prolonging the story, "Some people might say that is some crazy psychotic stuff to even fucking think about. Not you."
Simon opens his mouth and he silences him.
Somebody at the table beckons the girl and she has no choice but to serve them. All while her brain starts to overflow with these new revelations. Simon killed a settlement? A whole group? When did this even happen? Did he also kill this other group? The 'garbage people'?
She takes quick breaths, trying to remain on her feet. They continue talking and the atmosphere starts to grow dense.
"C'mere, sweetheart," Negan flexes his fingers, looking up at the girl.
She watches his smirk grow before going to stand next to his seat.
One of his hands slides up the back of her thigh, making her knees grow weak. What is he doing? She gives him a sharp look but somehow he manoeuvres her to sit in his lap, replacing Lucille.
Her neck heats up in embarrassment. She needs to get back up… but if she does, it might anger the boss. Either way, her legs feel dead, so she can't stand up even if she tried.
Negan chuckles quietly near her ear, gloved hand stroking up and down her bare thighs. She feels his other hand on her back, drawing soothing circles.
Simon clenches his jaw, no longer hiding the hate and disgust. She never knew it existed.
Audrey blushes deeply, keeping her eyes on her trembling hands in her lap. Negan continues to talk but her ears start ringing. She cannot hear a thing. Why did she agree to this stupid job?
His hand squeezes her knee briefly before starting to crawl up her leg again. She puts a hand on his to stop it and he caresses her knuckles.
Does Negan know something she doesn't? Does he know about her and Simon?
Negan shifts his hips, making her move on top of him. Bizarrely, the people at the table are not paying attention to Audrey at all.
Something tells her that even if Simon wanted to apologise for the things he did, there is no way of that happening now.
"Now, what am I going to do with you?" Negan asks. She glances up at his eyes, thinking he might be addressing her, but his eyes are focused on a certain man on the other side of the table.