Hello! This, lovelies, is just a snippet of what I have in store! Starting off with a genre I haven't written for yet just until I feel confident enough to dive back into my old stories. This will probably be two or three chapters. Enjoy!
Black heels clicked on the marble floor of the 13th floor of Mendax Industries, the world leader in cutting edge renewable resources. The secretary at the glass front desk stood up and nervously smoothed her skirt.
"Good morning, Miss Williams."
"Good morning, Irene. Is he in yet?"
"He got in around six. Carl downstairs said he wasn't in the...best of moods. I'll put your coat away," Irene replied, her eyes darting to the forboding black doors at the end of the hallway. Sarah sighed, shrugging off the plum Chesterfield coat and pulling out her phone from its' pocket. Eight missed calls from an unknown number. Fourteen text messages.
"He went to the movie premier last night, right?"
"Yes, Miss Williams."
Closing her emerald eyes, Sarah counted to ten. Once the count was over, she let out the breath she was holding and pulled her hair out from where it had become flattened between her coat and black turtleneck. "Thanks, Irene. I'm going to take care of his terrible mood before he goes into meetings. One of these days, I'm going to quit."
Irene shuddered at the thought, watching the elegant woman stride past the rows of desk towards those terrifying doors. Ever since her internship here at 15, Sarah Williams had been excellent. The top performing assistant, the most agile at handling complicated business trades, and the only one who could handle the soon to be CEO, Mr. King. Her ruthless tactics and wicked smarts had made her an irreplaceable asset to the company. This being her tenth year at the company, the rumor amongst the staff was that her retention bonus had been larger than the director of marketing, setting a target on her back.
Not that she cared. She had smiled onwards into her eleventh year and into the office of Mendax Industries ill tempered boss.
His mug, thankfully deprived of any hot liquids, hit the left door right as she came in. Sarah smoothly sidestepped the shattered porcelain and closed the door without a word, sending a stern glare towards the startled staff in the hall. One look at his dark expression told her it would not be easy to calm him today. The only thing that could affect him like this is...
"Good morning to you too, sir. How was the premiere last night?"
A real life growl left his lips and Sarah had to swallow the lump in her throat. She willed the heat pooling in her loins away. This was not the time to be excited by this man. Jareth stared at her impassively, his fingers drumming on the desk before him. "Really, Sarah, is that your question? How do you think the premiere went?"
Sarah shrugged, grabbing the broom and small dustpan out of the closet adjacent to the door. She didn't bother hiding the shiver that overtook her frame as she bent to sweep up the glass, feeling his heated gaze on how her wool skirt hugged her curves. "Considering I have so many missed calls, I'm guessing your night ended well. Do you remember their name? It's the gentlemanly thing to send flowers the morning after. Not that you did for me."
"Sarah," he hissed, dropping down into his chair, "I'm not in the mood for your games."
Dropping the shards in the trashcan and making a mental note to email the cleaning service, she joined him at his desk with her briefcase. "Yes, sir."
"That bloody premiere was filled with nothing more than arrogant bastards and their flimsy excuses for partners," he hissed, closing his eyes and running his hand through his unruly blonde hair. His mane of untamed hair was the bane of his father's existence and was the exact reason he kept it that way. Jareth King lived to infuriate his father and did so well for the entirety of his 31 years. He held up the pamphlet from the premiere last night before tossing it in the trash. "They showed our latest project off well enough, I suppose. Enough to be appreciated."
"The Labyrinth energy system is set to release after the movie premieres in theaters which will boost sales," Sarah affirmed. She scribbled away into her notepad before the light of the rising sun caught his suit, wrinkled and unkempt. Running her eyes over his unkempt appearance, unshaven jaw and under eye bags, her lips thinned and she slammed her briefcase shut a bit too loudly before asking sourly, "I'm guessing she's still at your apartment and that's why you escaped here once you woke up?"
Jareth barely glanced at her from his pile of paperwork before giving her a cruel smirk. "I would never sleep with an actress in my bed, precious. She's in the guest house."
Rolling her eyes, Sarah began dialing on her cellphone. "Yes, good morning, David. Could you be a doll and stop by Mr. King's home? Yeah, just give her some hush money and buy her lunch. Thank you, David, you're the best."
"Your voice changes when you're speaking to that man as opposed to me," Jareth grumbled. "Do you resent me that much, Sarah?"
Feeling the familiar stinging of tears in her eyes, she unabashedly met his own cruel ones. "No, sir. You know I love cleaning up the one night stands of the man I'm in love with."
Watching those mismatched blues narrow with hurt and suspicion, just like every other time she had said such words, broke her heart a little more. Just as it had when he left her that night...
Mendax Industries holds their annual holiday party at their rooftop restaurant, Elixir. Between the silent charity auction, gift raffle, Best Of yearly awards, and open bar, all of its employees were having a great time. Out on the balcony, Sarah had still not even begun to relax. She smoothed the nonexistent rings in her navy blue satin dress, and fiddled with the pearl necklace that just wouldn't stay centered and the v neck that showed just a bit more than she was comfortable with. The sigh she let out was loud enough to capture the attention of the man smoking beside her.
"How are you enjoying your tenth anniversary, my dear Sarah?" Mr. Oberon King asked, the smoke from his cigar frosting in the winter air.
"It's amazing, sir. I'm glad to be a part of the team," she answered back, sipping at her whiskey sour. Glancing down at her watch, she counted down the minute until 12. Just 45 more minutes before she was allowed to politely excuse herself.
"So eager to leave?"
She flinched and shook her head vigorously. "No, sir! I'm just-"
Oberon laughed and patted her head, avoiding messing up her updo of curls. "I'm only teasing. I'm ready to be snoozing alongside Daisy."
"She's the most loveable Rottweiler I've ever met," Sarah said.
"At least someone appreciates her," Oberon sighed, looking unhappily towards where his eldest son was speaking with the marketing directors. "Jareth recoils from her like she's toxic."
"I believe that is him with all women, sir."
"Oh, not you, Sarah. What? Do close your mouth, my dear, you could catch something. Don't tell me you don't see the way that stubborn boy looks at you? Why, if I was forty years younger myself, I'd be whisked off my feet!"
"Don't you mean I'd be whisked off my feet?"
"I'm aware of my height, Sarah, thank you very much. I'm under no impression I could whisk you off your feet, especially considering your penchant for stilettos," the older man laughed, his ocean eyes twinkling in the overhanging Christmas lights. Her signature black heels were replaced for the occasion with a sparkling set.
"You wear it well, sir. But I'm afraid Jareth and I..." she trailed off as she stared at the dashing blonde man. He was dressed lavishly in a deep blue velvet suit, the crisp white shirt bright against his skin. His hair was naturally a mess and...did he put tinsel in it? She gulped as his eyes glanced between her and his father before returning to Mr. Armsbrook, a devilish grin spreading across his lips. She took a long sip of her whiskey. "Jareth and I wouldn't work."
"He would most definitely be able to sweep you off your feet. Thank everything he got Adelia's height. With that wild hair of his, one would mistake him for a garden gnome if he had my height."
Exasperated, Sarah set her whiskey down on the railing and put her hands on her hips. "I didn't mean the feet sweeping, Mr. King! I meant that he is one of the most insufferable men I've ever met! Nothing's ever right; he always made me redo every report or memo or conference notes I handed to him! If I was even a minute late bringing him his coffee, he'd dumped it out and make me go make it again. Even amongst the others, I was the only one who could put up with his temper tantrums. I almost quit my internship because of how demanding he was!" Sarah crossed her arms and leaned against the stone railing. "I almost left, Mr. King!"
"Yes, but you stayed. You endured, Sarah Williams. And you became one of the strongest here. It's all we could do to keep our competitors from whisking you away! Those old geezers kept demanding Jareth get rid of you for any single mistake you made, did you know that? They wanted to isolate him and used his temper against him. He fought hard to keep you and honestly, I always wondered why. You were quite the klutz your first few months with us. But that all changed when you were assigned to him," Oberan reminisced softly, remember the love struck look on his boys face when Sarah had delivered her first presentation to the board of directors flawlessly and eloquently. "Honestly, I thought you figured it out years ago."
"He...He put me through all of that so that I wouldn't make a mistake in front of the directors," she realized, looking up to where her boss. Jareth had been stealing glances in her direction, confusion and concern starting to come through the amusement. His eyes darted between his father and her, an eyebrow arching. She understood the question. It was the same one that his eyes expressed whenever they were in a situation where Sarah was uncomfortable. Everything okay? Do you need me?
As cruel and rude as Jareth was, he had never once behaved untoward to her. Anytime anyone treated her with contempt or came onto her, he had whirled in with that air of confidence and arrogance and defended her. He was merciless to anyone who mistreated her and begrudgingly accomodating to anyone who befriended her. Do you need me?
Smiling softly, Sarah shook her head and he returned to his conversation, sparing her only one more glance. To reassure himself, she thought.
"See? Head over heels," declared Oberon, picking up his scotch and waving his cigar around like a wand. "Now I pronounce that you wise up and go get him! Have a good evening, Sarah. And do call in sick tomorrow."
In shock from the wink the old man gave him, Sarah plopped down on the freezing bench next to her. How was it that her life was turning this way? Up until about 15 minutes ago, she was just your average workaholic single woman who went on way too many first dates. Now...now what was she to do? What was she supposed to do with the information that her boss was in love with her?
"What on earth did that old fool say to you to make you turn so pale and ghastly?"
Her head snapped up immediately at that all too familiar icy tone. Jareth was staring at her, hands on his hips, obviously unpleased. Kneeling down in front of her, he yanked her shaking hands in his gloved ones and turned them over back and forth. "I've told you numerous times if my father can't watch his mouth, you should slap him. I see your hands aren't red so why did you disregard my direct order? Do you wish to be fired, precious?...Sarah? I'm talking to you. Why are you staring at me that way? Sarah, answer me. I will not be ignored, precious!"
It wasn't dislike in his eyes. It was concern and...vulnerability?
"Fuck it," she whispered.
Jareth was beginning to grow more and more anxious over his secretary's strange behavior. He had been watching from inside to ensure his dwarf of a father hadn't said anything to upset Sarah. Though she had signaled to him that she was fine, he shouldn't have paid any attention to it. When he saw her collapse down onto the bench, he ditched Mr. Armsbrook in the middle of his nagging and ran straight to her. "Confound it woman, what is wrong with you?"
"Fuck it," Sarah said louder, grabbing his chin and pressing her lips to his. Their kiss depended when he gasped and Jareth grabbed the back of her head and around her waist to keep her in place. Once the two broke apart for air, he swore viciously.
"Come, Sarah."
Hearing his angry tone, Sarah flinched back and immediately began apologizing. "I'm so sorry, Mr. King, I don't know what overcame me-"
"Darling, it's too late for that. You've started something you can't undo," he spit out through clenched teeth. "Now I'm going to take you home and ravish you through the night until all you can say is my name."