Author's Note:

A few days late because I scrapped the original chapter and rewrote it but here I am with an update! I hope you all like it and thank you to everyone who's been following the story and leaving reviews. I love hearing your thoughts as the story progresses.

There was no downtime, no time to decompress, or even take a deep breath. CeCe had dropped Emily off at Toby's apartment at almost 3 AM, and before she could even drop her bag, she had a new text from Alison telling her to be ready and outside in an hour. Emily rubbed her eyes staring at the phone in her hands, maybe she misread, misunderstood. She checked Alison's schedule straight away, there was nothing that required either of them to be at the office so early. Any other day, any other day, and Emily wouldn't have blinked. At this point, she was used to being up early and jumping through Alison's hoops first thing in the morning, but she was fresh off her weekend excursion to the Hamptons, tired and maybe a tad hungover.

The only thing that made up for the hours of sleep Emily was missing out on was that she was excited to get dressed. She had a ton of new clothes, courtesy of a very extravagant shopping spree CeCe insisted on, Emily initially refused but then found a pair of Magda Butrym thigh high black boots she couldn't part with. It was downhill from there and she shopped until the trunk and backseat of the car was full.

Surprisingly, Hanna answered the Facetime call. It was pitch black on her end, a clear indication she was still in bed. "What do you and Alison have against sleep?" She grumbled.

"Sorry," Emily apologized. "I just need a quick thumbs up or thumbs down."

Emily was already starting to prop the phone up on the couch and step back when Hanna responded, "On wha-Oh wow," the sudden gasp was accompanied by the rustling of sheets, and then a wolf whistle that Emily could tell definitely didn't come from Hanna.

"What was that?" Emily asked, squinting at the screen, still unable to see anything on Hanna's side.

"That was Caleb," Hanna sighed. "But really, wow, you look great."

"Really? I have 15 minutes to change if I need to," Emily questioned, relieved by the compliment but open to suggestions.

Emily was pleased with her choices, she thought it was fun and flirty and those were the usual types of items and outfits she picked from the closet. Only she wasn't in the closet where most things were curated and styled, she was on her own. She'd started with the black boots and paired them with a black mini skirt that had a slit on one side. Keeping in mind the hickeys that covered her body were only just beginning to fade, she opted for a long sleeve pink top that showed off a tiny bit of midriff. There wasn't an obscene amount of skin showing, just a teasing amount.

"Don't change a thing! I couldn't be more proud right now," Hanna exclaimed. "Hold on a sec, don't move."

Emily nodded, happy with the stamp of approval. Hanna wasn't just GLOW's Style Director, she was the most sought after Stylist in the city. If Hanna said she looked good, she looked fucking good. Emily could hear some tapping and a few seconds later another square popped up in their call.

"Wow, Em. Way to raise the bar for the rest of us," Aria chimed in with her approval.

Worry flashed across Emily's face, "Is it too much?"

"No!" Hanna and Aria said in unison, dispelling any of the worries Emily had.

"Ok, good, because I only have about 10 minutes now," Emily put in a pair of gold knot stud earrings.

"10 minutes until what?"

"Yeah, where are you going? Didn't you just get back from the Hamptons like 5 seconds ago?"

The questions came back to back, and Emily didn't have any real answers, "Uh..the office, I'm guessing. Alison didn't say," She shrugged. It was likely Alison just wanted to start working on the New York Liberty presentation since the meeting was set for Thursday, and though it seemed like more than enough time, Alison insisted it wasn't.

Suddenly there was the flicking sound of a light being turned on and Hanna's square was no longer darkness, she and Aria stared at Emily quietly for a moment.

The silence was making her anxious, "What?"

"Nothing," Aria said a little too quickly.

Hanna quirked a brow, "I mean, at least if you go missing, we know what you were last seen wearing,"

Amid their shared laughter, Emily reached for her purse. An incoming notification appeared on her phone and she grabbed it from the couch, swiping down on the notification to open it.

I'm outside - A

Of course she's early, Emily smiled inwardly. She knew from last time that Alison would be calling her in 2.5 seconds so she needed to get moving. She sent a quick text telling Alison she'd be out in a minute before resuming her Facetime call.

"Guys, I gotta go, she's waiting for me," Emily held the phone out like she would if she were taking a selfie.

The girls said their goodbyes and there was even a quick 'Hasta la vista' from Caleb off screen. Instead of bounding down the stairs two at a time, Emily took the elevator. Alison could wait two minutes. When she reached the ground level she could see Alison standing next to a black Mercedes idling just outside the doors. The sight brought a wide smile to Emily's lips and it took everything in her not to throw her arms around the blonde. Alison had that effect on her.

"Couldn't wait a few more hours to see me?" Emily half joked.

Alison's critical stare was unmistakable, and Emily shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny. Her smile dropped instantly as she tried to decipher Alison's disposition.

"Get in," Alison was terse as she popped open the passenger door. Once Emily was inside, Alison shut the door with a forceful click and rounded the car to enter the driver's side.

The inside of the car was almost as dark as it was outside. The only lightning coming from a neon trim that ran along the interior. Emily sighed as she fastened her seatbelt and allowed her head to rest against the leather seat. She turned to face Alison, watching her pull the car away from the sidewalk onto the street.

It wasn't like Emily was expecting to be pulled into a bear hug and covered in forehead kisses. She didn't expect Alison to tell her she missed her or even that she thought about her over the weekend, but something, anything, would've been nice. Alison didn't so much as glance at Emily while she drove and silence enveloped them, stretching until Emily decided to try again.

She chewed her bottom lip, no clue what to say, "How was your weekend?" Emily asked. Failing to come up with anything else.

Nothing.

Emily rolled her eyes, turning her head forward, frustration warmed her neck and face. She was so sick of this, everything with Alison was like taking one step forward and two steps back. The car slowed to a stop behind a large truck. With the truck in front of them and another car at their rear, there was no way around and they were stuck waiting for the driver to move. Despite it's spacious interior the car was starting to feel claustrophobic. With another exasperated sigh, Emily cracked open her window, allowing a thin breeze in. It wasn't enough and her irritation got the best of her.

"So this is the kinda mood you're in today?" Emily said harshly.

"And what mood would that be?" Alison was answering her question with a question but at least she was saying something.

"The one where you ignore me, keep me close just to ice me out. It's fucked up, Alison." The words started to flow from Emily's lips and she just kept going, "I just had one of the most amazing weekends of my life and the whole time there was a part of me that couldn't wait to get back to the office."

The car inched forward and Emily's mind wandered briefly to her time with CeCe. She'd gone on a yacht, laid out on a private beach, ate the freshest seafood she ever had, gone to a tequila tasting, and even went jet skiing. She smiled to herself knowing that she and CeCe probably should've reconsidered the order in which they did those last two activities. Then there was the shopping, a very generous gesture from CeCe. Emily'd gone from being showered in affection to practically begging Alison for the bare minimum. Emily huffed, drumming her fingers on her knee.

"Your first Hamptons weekend and you were thinking about work the whole time? That's sad." Alison said after some time had passed.

"It wasn't work that I couldn't wait to get back to, Alison," Emily brought her hands up to the sides of her head in disbelief. There was no way Alison could be so brilliant and so dense at the same time.

Emily waited for the blonde to say something but when Alison didn't, she continued, "I get it, Alison, we're never going to have anything serious. You can have anyone you want, it's not going to be me. I can accept that. I can embrace the mess, but you can at least…I don't know…not make me feel like shit." Emily folded her arms tightly across her chest.

There was a sinking feeling in Emily's stomach as her heart caught up with her brain and she fully comprehended her own words. "And no more hickeys. If all you can offer me is fleeting moments behind locked doors, and late nights at the office where I get tiny glimpses of the real you, then you don't get all of me. There have to be lines…boundaries…so that I don't…"

"Get hurt." Alison supplied, still using her words sparingly.

"Yeah, or get too attached. I can't get too attached to you. I've already been down that road of chasing a woman that doesn't want me."

Emily's words hit a nerve and Alison's grip on the steering wheel tightened. Her entire body tensed, and Emily sensed an opportunity. If Alison wouldn't talk to her, maybe the EIC would argue.

"CeCe and I slept in your bed," Emily goaded. Nothing happened other than a few chaste kisses and cuddling, but Alison didn't know that. "She fucked me straight into the mattress," Emily said in a wanting tone that wasn't entirely bullshit, CeCe was hot.

Hardened blue eyes fell on Emily, scanning her features for any signs of deceit. It was only a few seconds but it felt like an eternity as Alison's gaze bore into her. Emily considered telling the blonde she was lying but then Alison finally redirected her attention to the road. Her hand left the steering wheel momentarily, reaching out to turn on the car radio.

"I wasn't done talking," Emily protested over the music, though truthfully she had nothing else to say. She just didn't like being shut down so passively. Emily watched Alison drive, the passing streetlights painted fleeting patterns on her profile. She let out a sigh of resignation and then closed her eyes. She had tried opening up, now it was time to try getting some rest.

… …

Even in deep sleep, Emily remained somewhat aware when the car started making slow loops. The gentle sways didn't wake her. It wasn't until the car stopped and Emily heard the distinctive click of Alison's door closing that she began to stir. She blinked her eyes open, brows pulling together subtly as she took in unfamiliar surroundings.

"Where are we?" Emily's voice was groggy, her gaze darting to the dashboard's clock. She had been asleep for over an hour.

"A long term parking garage in Astoria," Alison replied matter of factly.

Emily looked around as best as she could while still seated in the car. "And why are we at a sketchy lot in Queens?"

"Come out and see," Alison extended her hand.

With some hesitation, Emily accepted Alison's hand as she exited the car. She took in the rooftop before her. They were alone on top of the spacious parking lot, with just a few cars parked sporadically in the distance. If it were anyone other than Alison, Emily might have felt uneasy. Long term parking seemed like a good place to hide a body.

"I was lying earlier…about CeCe," Emily confessed. "Well, half of it was a lie. We did sleep together, but I didn't know it was your bed until after. You just wouldn't talk to me, and I had the stupid idea that maybe I could rile you up because honestly, Alison, I'd rather argue with you than be ignored. I hate it when you ignore me, it feels like being left out in the rain…no, a storm," Emily began to ramble.

"I know, and I'm sorry," the words flowed from Alison's lips as if she said them routinely.

Emily was stunned, "You..you're…what?"

Alison closed the passenger door and started leading Emily away from the car. She dropped Alison's hand when they got a little too close to the edge of the lot, stopping in her tracks. There was a half wall that bordered the rooftop's edge, but they were still really high up. Alison took the few steps left to the edge, leaning against the half wall when she reached it to show Emily it was safe.

"You can see from there but you're going to want to be closer," Alison reached out her hand again. "Come here, I've got you."

The reassurance was nice but it was Alison's eyes that made Emily's feet start moving again. The same eyes that terrified her at points during her first week at GLOW, now made her feel safe. Emily joined Alison where she stood and was greeted by a great view of…nothing special. The cars below looked small, the people looked tiny, and there were various buildings and construction.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" Emily asked with a hint of impatience.

Alison gave her a look, urging her to be patient. Emily leaned against the half wall, resting her head on her hands. After a minute or so, Emily's eyes caught movement, people working atop the bank directly across the street, with another group working even higher up.

"Whenever GLOW publishes a new digital cover, IT sends me a personal link. I like to see it before it goes live. Before everyone else does. I thought this might be the equivalent of that for you," Alison explained.

Emily watched the men work, her eyes widening as new graphics were stretched across the two billboards on top of the bank. The group above them was busy with a third, larger, freestanding billboard. She was so in awe watching the process that she didn't notice when Alison left her side. When Emily turned to see where she went, she saw Alison retrieving something from the car. Alison emerged with a bottle and two champagne flutes. When the blonde was back at her side Emily returned her gaze to the graphics still being stretched and manipulated to fit the billboard, all of it happening so fast.

The largest billboard was an overhead shot of Emily reclining in a navy blue lace two piece lingerie set, with the Fleur Du Mal brand name beside her. The second featured Emily with Kal, the male model she had posed with. He was overshadowed by Emily, the photograph emphasizing her arched body and the lingerie. The final billboard displayed a waist-up shot of another female model. A broad smile of pure satisfaction and fulfillment spread across Emily's face, and her limbs were jittery with excitement. It was the same feeling she used to get when she won a competition.

"How did you do this?" Emily asked.

The possibility of billboards was one thing, actually seeing them was another. Emily took her eyes off the men now securing the graphics in place to look at Alison, who was watching with just as much awe. Emily inched closer to her, pressing her body into Alison's side. Alison got the hint and wrapped an arm around Emily's waist, her fingers splayed across Emily's stomach underneath her top.

"I didn't do this. The company was practically jumping to get the ads up as soon as possible. You're going to make them a lot of money." Alison's fingers started gently stroking Emily's stomach, it felt good, so good, to be with her again. "You posed for the photos, you impressed them, this is because of you. I just made a phone call to a friend at the company and asked for the installation schedule. These are the first of the billboards to go up, the rest will start going up around the city on Friday. Installation in Los Angeles begins next week," Alison explained.

This was the reason Alison had sacrificed hours of both their sleep, picked her up from Toby's apartment, and drove her for a two hour journey across the city to a parking lot. It was all so Emily could enjoy a front row view of the billboard change. It wasn't 'just a phone call', it was a gesture, a sweet and very thoughtful gesture from Alison.

Emily observed as Alison uncorked the champagne bottle, letting a frothy spray escape over the roof's edge before filling their glasses. It made Emily smile and she let out a light laugh. These moments when Alison was just a little softer, no one would believe it and it made them all the more special.

"Congratulations, Emily," Alison handed her one of the flutes.

Emily accepted the drink, giving Alison a teasing smile, "You're going to let me drink on the clock?"

"Just don't spit it back in the glass," Alison returned the smile but her face quickly fell into a look of remorse. "I'm sorry about that by the way…your first day," There were those two words again.

"Ok," Emily gave a suppressed laugh, "It was weird the first time you said it but twice in one day, you're laying it on thick," Emily said awkwardly, she could sense the vulnerability in Alison's voice, and wasn't sure how to handle it.

Alison responded by draining her glass of champagne in a single drink and roughly pushing Emily up against the wall. "I let you talk on the way here, now I need you to listen."

The feeling of her back hitting the concrete temporarily froze Emily and all she could do was nod enthusiastically. Her eyes darted between hungry eyes and pink lips. Emily threw back her glass of champagne like Alison had and set the glass on the ledge. She wasn't sure which she preferred, Alison's gentle touches from moments before or the feeling of the blonde's hands on either side of her, fingers sinking into her hips possessively. No, that was a lie, the warmth between her legs and the way her heart had begun racing were clear indicators of what she liked more.

"We'll be here forever if I apologize for everything I've done the past couple of weeks, and we have to get to the office soon…" Alison had never sounded so uncertain before. "But I do owe you an apology. A real apology for how I've treated you, since your first day, up to a few hours ago when I ignored you instead of just telling you how amazing you look. I'm sorry…for all of it."

"Why didn't you say any of this in the car? The whole time you just sat there and let me go on and on, I probably sounded crazy," Emily snaked her arms around Alison's waist pulling her closer as she parted her legs. Alison's knee landed right where she wanted as their bodies slotted together.

"It seemed like you had a lot to get off your chest… and I needed to hear it," Alison husked, keeping her hands firmly on Emily's hips, stopping her attempts to roll them forward.

Emily started to trail light kisses up Alison's neck to her jaw, "So what now?" she asked before biting the sensitive spot below Alison's ear. It sent a shiver through Alison's body and Emily smirked, it was cute how hard she was trying to focus on her apology.

"I don't…mm…know," Alison tried to speak while Emily undid the top buttons of her jumpsuit, kissing the tops of her breasts. The dusty pink Gucci jumpsuit Alison was wearing looked incredible on her but it had so many buttons. "I want to try and give you more than 'fleeting moments behind locked doors, and late nights at the office'...if you'll let me," Alison managed to finish her thought.

Emily snapped her head back suddenly to look into Alison's eyes. "You really were listening,"

Alison gave a quick affirmative nod as she dove in to kiss Emily, it was deep, messy, and her mouth tasted like expensive champagne. The grip on Emily's hips loosened and Emily wasted no time rocking forward onto Alison's thigh. The moan she let out into Alison's mouth was desperate but she didn't care. Emily ground down on her boss's leg harder as her hands cupped bra clad breasts. Hot lips trailed down Emily's neck to the spot that made her core flood.

They should have been more concerned about being on the open rooftop, out in public where anyone could see them. But the only thing that mattered to Emily at that moment was the way Alison was pressed against her, the hand that had slipped under her shirt and bra and was now caressing her breast, and the kisses being laid across her collarbone. Emily had found a rhythm stroking her center against Alison. Her underwear were soaked and Alison's thigh was quickly becoming a mess. The sound of Emily's phone ringing from the car did nothing to slow her movements.

"I should probably get you to the office," Alison said against Emily's skin.

"Not yet," Emily breathed out. "Touch me," she dragged Alison's hand between her legs.

As soon as Emily's phone stopped ringing, Alison's began. Then Emily felt the thigh between her legs being pulled back and the friction was gone. Emily whimpered at the loss and let her head fall back, frustrated at the sudden stop.

"We have to go, there's an office full of people who also want to congratulate you," Alison stepped back, starting to button up her jumpsuit. "There's cake and balloons, it's a whole thing. Act surprised."

Emily crossed her arms and sulked against the wall as her breathing evened out, the orgasm she was chasing, gone, poof. Once Alison was done fixing her buttons she pulled Emily into a hug, kissing the side of her face. Emily wrapped her arms around the blonde, melting into her touch. This embrace was different than their others, it was less sexual and more intimate.

"What kind of cake?" She asked in defeat.

… …

Paige's introduction seemed to go on endlessly, filled with jokes that fell flat, leaving the room in a perplexed silence. She'd been in front of the room for ten minutes now and Emily was still confused as to what her actual role was at GLOW. The more Paige talked the more it seemed like she made up the job just to piss Alison off, though Emily would never tell her that. They'd spoken briefly before the meeting began and Paige congratulated Emily again on her contract but they were interrupted by the room filling up and Paige said she would find Emily afterward.

It being her first staff meeting, Emily was doing her best to pay attention, take notes, and understand how things generally flowed. It was difficult as her mind kept being drawn back to her morning with Alison. Their ride back to the office had been comfortable, neither of them knew what exactly was going to happen next between them but they agreed to take it one step at a time. They also agreed that whatever it was they were doing should stay between them and so Emily was surprised when there was a hand on the back of her chair and Alison had leaned into her.

"I have a request," Alison spoke softly. Paige was still at the front of the room and everyone was pretending to pay attention to the numbers she was breaking down.

Emily leaned back under the guise of being able to hear Alison better, turning her head slightly so she could see deep blue eyes settle on her. "Yes, Alison," she responded in a tone that wasn't entirely work appropriate.

The corners of Alison's mouth turned up slowly and her eyes fixed onto Emily's lips. "Wear your hair down tomorrow."

The vivid memory of the first time Emily kissed Alison came back to her, and the way Alison had pulled her hair. She swallowed hard, "I'll see what I can do," she couldn't seem too eager.

Alison was about to say something else but Aria's hand appeared on her shoulder. She whispered something in her ear and Alison fell back into her seat. Emily turned to see Alison sitting arms crossed, staring ahead with her usual face of disinterest. She looked so good Emily thought as her eyes raked over Alison's body. Biting the corner of her lip, Emily leaned over to talk to her when a hand on her own shoulder yanked her back into her seat.

"If I have to listen to this, so do you," Hanna nodded toward the front of the room.

Emily huffed, clicking her pen. Ready to take notes on performance budgeting and the importance of keeping every receipt.