"Here, I brought you some lunch," said a very familiar voice. The faint accent was a dead giveaway and Norah had spent so much time around Aaron Hotchner that she recognized his voice instantly. She didn't even need to look in the voice's direction to know who was talking to her.
It was several days after Norah had talked to her best friend about having a crush on Aaron Hotchner. She had seen Aaron just this morning at what had become their usual spot, under the big old oak tree with the bench around it. It had become their favorite spot for a little peace and quiet. The two of them talked nearly every morning that Norah was there, which was at the moment four days a week. It wasn't really a job where you worked 9 to 5.
"You did not need to do that, Aaron," Norah told someone who was slowly becoming a friend. Aaron had insisted she call him by his first name, so she did though it was rather uncomfortable at first, as he was her boss, not her confidant or her friend. Norah had slowly began to realize however, that perhaps, Aaron was lonely. Humans needed physical contact to be truly content. It was one reason why some humans were so grumpy, the grouchy neighbor, or the hard to deal with boss for example. "I'm perfectly capable of rummaging myself up some lunch, even if I had to go by a fast food place after work or on my break."
"I heard from a source that you forgot your lunch today, so I just thought I'd help you out," Aaron said smiling a little, telling the hovering tray with the substantial lunch to land on the bench where he and Norah usually sat. Norah watched the tray with enough food for two land exactly in the right spot, just a little admiringly. While such things were commonplace in this day and age this just wasn't one of those ordinary electronic TV trays. This one was much more elegant and fancy instead of the usual simple metal trays that hovered whenever you told them to and followed commands. The tray looked like fine China and it probably was actually, considering Aaron's wealth. The electric parts made it do what it was supposed to were up inside. It ran on voice commands, though there was also a remote for manual use.
"Derek," Norah said now smiling.
"Ah! You guessed," Aaron said teasingly.
"It's not like it was that hard. Derek just happened to notice that I didn't have a lunch bag with me when I arrived, so when he asked I told him I had forgotten it. I had a lot on my mind I suppose," Norah offered.
Like how much she was going to enjoy seeing Aaron again unless he was away on a business trip. She had been so busy thinking about Aaron and how he sent her hormones humming that she had been totally scatterbrained. She had been daydreaming, something she almost never did, Norah admitted. While she had dated fairly frequently Aaron was the first guy that had ever made her blush at least since she got out of her teens. Just looking at the man made her blush at least at first.
He was so handsome though that wasn't the only thing Norah liked about him. Handsome men, could be more than a bit full of themselves, arrogant, rude demanding, selfish, childish, and possessive, Aaron on the other hand, was none at these things at least not from what she knew about him so far. He was kind, caring generous, funny, compassionate and seemed to have a decent sense of humor. Why such a man wasn't married wasn't really a mystery at least to her. If he had been an ordinary man and not so wealthy, just someone with a good job and money in the bank for a rainy day, Norah was sure some woman would have snapped him up already. The problem with being ultrarich was the fact that so many women tried to get you into their clutches, get you to marry them so that they would have access to that man's wealth and have the prestige of being a rich man's wife, which would bring a certain amount of respect, even if you were a gold digger. Luckily for Norah, Aaron was too sensible to fall for those type of women, but many men of wealth thought with their penises instead of their brains at least when it came to a beautiful woman.
"He's the only one that noticed I didn't have my lunch with me as normal, which just goes to show you how much people pay attention to others. I'm assuming, Derek just happened to mention it to you, though why he would tell you something so inconsequential is beyond me. It's not like it's your problem, that I'm so absentminded that I forgot my usual lunch."
"A lot on your mind," Aaron questioned, ignoring for the moment Norah's comment about her hunger not being his problem. Technically, she was right about that, but he also didn't want to see her go hungry, just because she had been a bit forgetful this morning.
Why he cared about her and not his other employees was obvious to him. He was falling in love with her. He hadn't needed Derek Morgan to point out the obvious, as he had been around long enough to recognize his own feelings towards a gorgeous woman. To be truthful though his feelings for Norah went way beyond what he had felt for any other women he'd had a relationship with. Why Norah was different he wasn't entirely sure, as he had dated many gorgeous women over the decades, and technically, he and Norah weren't actually dating, though that would change if he had any say in the matter. He wanted to give a relationship with Norah Greenway a try at least, but she would have to be agreeable, which was why he was moving so slowly.
He had started flirting with her that first morning she was enjoying a cup of coffee out in the garden in the shade of that humongous oak tree that had been planted as a seedling many decades ago now. Aaron thought that she had refused to look at him as they talked that first morning was because she couldn't avoid blushing if she did, which would have revealed the fact that she was attracted to him at least. Perhaps she even had a crush on him, which she likely figured would remain just that as a mild crush on her boss. Norah was too cautious to bring up her feelings for him Aaron knew. She wouldn't want to lose her rather prestigious position, a position she liked very much. It would be nearly impossible to find something equal to her current job with the same pay structure, which is why Aaron could understand Norah wouldn't want to risk her position, by getting involved with him.
Hopefully, he could convince her that her position was in no danger and that he more than liked having her around.
"Thank you for lunch Aaron. It was very kind of you to bring me food," Norah said after she had examined the tray avoiding answering Aaron's question. "Would you care to join me? There is no way I can eat all this by myself."
Since that been his exact plan in the first place, Aaron easily agreed.
He had known that Norah would likely offer to share the lunch he had brought to her. If there was one thing he had learned about Norah Greenway is that she didn't like good food to go to waste. He had never seen her waste a crumb of her food when she ate. Well, it was usually just some kind of sandwich and had noticed that she even ate the crusts and a lot of people just cut the crust off as they didn't like them. Most people thought nothing of wasting food, even if it was just the crust from bread. She did feed some of the crust to the birds, but other then that she ate it all. Of course, it might be different if it was more than a sandwich Aaron considered, not that it really mattered. She might only eat more heavily at dinner for all he knew.
He had to admit that there was more food on the tray then any one person could consume, which had been on purpose in this case.
"If I ate all this I'd get fat and definitely feel bloated," Norah admitted. "I don't think I've ever ate so much in one sitting. I suppose it's a good thing that you're joining me for lunch."
Aaron said nothing as he wasn't about to admit that had been his plan all along. It was something he had known would work as Norah was generous to a fault and would offer to share her lunch, even if it had just been a sandwich with someone who obviously needed a meal.
Aaron enjoyed the meal very much sharing it with the woman he had fallen in love with. Of course, Norah wasn't aware that he was in love with her and he wasn't entirely sure how she would react when she learned of it. He only wished that he could sit closer to Norah without the tray between them, but hopefully that would come in due time. If there was one thing he'd learned in his long life it was patience, especially when something was important.
The way they spent the mornings that Norah was here talking under the oak tree where some of the highlights of Aaron's long life were discussed. Derek had teased him that he better watch it as his feelings for one Norah Greenway were pretty obvious and that the beautiful woman in question was bound to notice if he wasn't careful.
Derek might've been teasing him, but he was also right, though luckily, Norah seemed pretty oblivious to his feelings. Aaron suspected that Norah wasn't letting herself see his feelings for her. She was probably thinking that he only wanted a temporary relationship, instead of something permanent. In her view, she wasn't in his social strata and probably believed that he would never want anything permanent with her.
To Norah's way of thinking she was good for a brief relationship, but nothing serious. Aaron was trying to show her that he wasn't like most of the wealthy set, though some of them did marry strippers or someone else that was hardly appropriate for their social position, though it was usually for second marriages not first.
Aaron thought that Norah must've been rather surprised that he wasn't married yet, so he could produce an heir, though if that was the case, she had never indicated in anyway she had thought that. Of course, Norah also didn't know the real situation and why he was in no hurry to have children. It wasn't even that he didn't want children eventually, but with the right woman, not just someone's he married in order to have a child. He needed someone that would accept immortality and not run away screaming thinking he was crazy or delusional and if he was any judge Norah would accept it, though she would probably need proof, just like most everyone would. Derek and Penny of course, knew about his immortality as he had been friends with their families for generations. If Aaron was sure about one thing it was that they would never betray him and neither would Emily Prentiss who was his administrative assistant at his main office in the Chrysler building or David Rossi who was one of his lawyers. All of them knew about him and because they did he trusted them utterly.
"I'm happy to help you consume all this delicious looking food," Aaron offered with a half smile his dark eyes twinkling with laughter.
"It should be delicious considering this is real meat not a substitute," Norah said, as she took a humongous bite of the slice of turkey on the plate that had been provided.
Real meat was really expensive nowadays and a lot of the population lived off substitutes that were often anywhere from decent to terrible. A lot of people had never had the real deal. Norah had had real meat in her life as luckily, she had been in a good job that had paid well and now that she was being paid even better than she had been thanks to working directly for Aaron, so could afford to indulge herself when she wanted.
"Good?" Aaron questioned with a real smile.
"Excellent actually," Norah replied, with a smile for own, her blue eyes twinkling merrily.
"I'm glad you're enjoying it," Aaron said, as he took another bite of his black eyed peas, which was one of his personal favorites.
Norah chewed on a turkey leg, seeming to be lost in her own thoughts, and when she came back to the present she looked at Aaron, as if is seeing him for the first time.
"You've been courting me haven't you?" Norah asked quietly, the knowledge was there in her dark blue eyes. "Nothing else makes sense. Why would you spend so much time with someone who is nothing but an employee, a cog in a massive machine?"
"First off, Norah, I object to that last sentence. Just because I am wealthy does not mean I wouldn't want to spend time with someone like you. If I didn't make time for people and not just those in the same position as I am, then I would be poorer for it mentally and emotionally at least, because I would limit myself to those who are often arrogant, shallow and only out for themselves. Those in my position are often so full themselves I don't interact with them, except socially. It's not like most of them are personal friends. Now, I won't claim I don't have some friends that are in my social strata but most of them I don't interact with much except at social events and occasionally do business with. Secondly, I do interact with my employees and not just when there's a problem. I won't say that I invite them to my home for wine and caviar, but that doesn't mean we aren't friends. I understand that most people think somebody with my wealth are not going to associate with somebody like yourself or at least not get involved with them other then for a short tumble between the sheets and I have to admit you're mostly right about that. I would think however, you would know by now that I'm nothing like most wealthy man. I don't isolate myself from interacting with normal people. I go to basketball games just like a normal person, even if I do have a permanent box seat.
Norah chewed on her black-eyed peas thoughtfully considering Aaron's words. She had to admit that he was right in what he had said. She had judged him by what she knew of wealthy men, and shoehorned him into that stereotype. Not everybody was the same, not even those that had more money then they knew what to do with. All she knew about Aaron Hotchner was good things, he gave generously to certain charities for example, he had set up programs to help the poor, particularly children, gave them a chance at a better life, though they still had to work to earn it, but then that was life. He also gave generously to shelters for those that lived on the street and was a generous employer for those that worked for him and did their job well.
He rewarded exceptional work with bonuses or a move to a higher position. Aaron never gave away anything for free though, at least from what she had heard. Any bonuses or moves to a higher position had to be earned with exceptional work performance. He was an honest and fair boss and treated his employees better than most others would, others who didn't particularly care about their employees just their own bottom line. He was no soft touch either nor could he be easily fooled by somebody's sob story. No one knew Aaron well enough to know that while he would listen he would have Penny running a background check, just to make sure he wasn't being fed a line. It was a smart thing to do, even if you had good instincts for grifters running some kind of con.
"You're intelligent. beautiful and just a nice person to be around. You also act like your real self and don't put on an act just to supposedly impress me. You're down to earth, even though you come from a relatively well off family. So what if your family doesn't have the kind of money I have? 95% of the population also doesn't, so that makes you normal. You've hardly lived on the street and even if you did I would still want to date you. So many women put on a false front, instead of being their genuine selves that it sets my teeth on edge, everytime. Alright, so many men would fall for that kind of act, but I'm not one of them. A lot of women seem to believe that I want someone who is, gorgeous, but with nothing between her ears but air. I want a partner not a trophy."
"I suppose I fell into thinking that you were like the stereotypical rich man, who would fall for that type of woman. Most men think with their penises after all, even those that are supposedly mature. No offense meant, I know you're not like most men," Norah added hurriedly.
"None taken," Aaron chuckled. "When you're right, you're right. This is one of the reasons I like you Norah. You're a breath of fresh air. You say what you think, which is something I appreciate, though I'm well aware a lot of men would not, but as we have already established I'm not like most of them. I'm part of that small percentage that doesn't think with their penises around a gorgeous woman."
Norah blushed at the compliment, as she knew it was sincere and also chuckled at Aaron's comeback.
That was one of the many think she liked about Aaron as he had a good sense of humor and knew how to take most things in stride.
"I'm astonished I didn't realize that you were interested in me in that way," Norah said, looking out over the grounds not looking in Aaron's direction at all. Her expression however, was thoughtful.
"You didn't want to admit, I might have feelings for you," Aaron told her quietly. "You saw me as someone that was unattainable. You were so convinced that I would never seriously consider a relationship with someone like you, that you blocked out all the signs."
"A large part of that is I didn't want to lose my job," Norah said. "For one thing, I happen to love it and for another I know very well it will be nearly impossible to find a comparable position with the same pay structure. Also, I don't want to leave New York at least permanently, as I have friends here and this is where I have put down roots. So you see, I had a lot of reasons I didn't want to risk a relationship with you. I suppose I was so sure that it wouldn't last, that I just didn't want to take the risk, because then I would have to see you often if I still worked here and that would be too much to bear."
"And that's only if I didn't supposedly fire you," Aaron said with humor in his voice. "Or at the least if I did move you to some other company with a nice fat bonus, just so we wouldn't have to see each other."
"You mean a bribe," Norah told him smiling. "A bribe to keep my mouth shut and not make waves."
"Well, yeah, I suppose, you could look at it that way," Aaron chuckled. "So what are you think about going on a few dates, just to see if we're as compatible as I believe we are."
"I don't know," Norah said uncertainly, the humor leaving her face. "I know we were joking a minute ago but it could really happen you know, us having a bad break up I mean, bad enough that we don't want to be on the same continent, much less the same city."
"That won't happen Norah, at least not on my end," Aaron said. "I have no intention of letting us have that bad break up I'm sure you're imagining. For one thing, we're both reasonable people and neither one of us is too stubborn to discuss an issue before it becomes serious. Yes, I'm busy, but even if I never did another business deal, I'm wealthy enough to live very comfortably for a very long time."
"You're the wealthiest man in the world according to the papers," Norah said biting her lip
"The papers don't know everything," Aaron scoffed, his disdain obvious making Norah smile.
"Not even the ones you own?" Norah asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, though at least they're more honest, as I make sure that. They don't exaggerate stuff, just to make it more sensational so they sell even more papers."
"A real newspaper wouldn't do that as they lose customers," Norah suggested.
"I doubt it, as people like the sensational. Why do you think tabloids make so much money," Aaron said.
"But those are not serious newspapers so they have to be more truthful if they don't want cancellations," Norah said. "If people wanted a tabloid they'd buy one, but most people want serious news not stories that are made up. You might as well buy a novel if that's what you're after."
"That's true," Aaron chuckled sardonically. "If you listen to the tabloids I've had relationships with some of the most gorgeous women in the world, strippers, famous actresses, musical stars and businesswomen."
"That's only if you read tabloids," Norah said with obvious distaste. "Personally, I think they're a waste of money and only good for lining a bird's cage. I can think of several things that I'd rather buy then waste the money on what is nothing but fiction and hardly as good as a book. At least you know it's fiction when you pick out a book to read, but the tabloids seem to believe that they're reporting actual news."
"That I agree with," Aaron said chuckling. "My lawyers deal with them if they go to far, but unfortunately, that type of thing sells. I basically ignore it, as what else can I do? You can't stop freedom of the press, no matter how people decide to use that freedom."
"That is so true," Norah chuckled sardonically.
"So about that dating thing," Aaron said.
"You're not going to give up the idea, are you?" Norah sighed.
"Not until you indicate one way or the other whether or not you're interested," Aaron told her. "If you are genuinely not interested all you have to do is say so and I won't pressure you. That's not the way I operate. However, if you are interested and are just afraid to say so, I'll be able to tell. I can read most people very easily and you're no exception."
Norah sighed and looked out over the beautiful gardens again. "It's not that I don't want to," Norah admitted finally, "but my career is important to me. I don't want to lose that, just because I'm dating the boss. I worked hard to get where I am. I won't deny I have feelings for you, but I don't see how I can work here in this lovely garden and us date too. It wouldn't be at all proper."
"And how many people actually know that you work directly for me and not one of my companies?" Aaron asked quietly.
"Not many, but it also wouldn't be hard to find out," Norah said. "Just my best friend JJ and my parents. I haven't even told my other friends, though I've been meaning to. All it would take was somebody who's able to dig to find my employment record and I'm sure they will find that very interesting, especially a reporter or worse some paparazzo."
"You don't need to worry about that so much, Norah," Aaron told her.
"And why not? It would only take someone with the minimal of hacking skills to find my work record, my name, my address, my link number and all that other personal information that makes a person exist from birth to death."
"Because Penny watches out for that kind thing," Aaron explained with the little smile playing on his lips. "I would put her up against half a dozen of the best hackers in the world and she would come out on top. It would take someone even several someones to get past the blocks she has put in place on any personal data. I won't claim its not possible it's just not likely. She is the best hacker I've ever run across, which is why I wanted her working for me. I paid for her college education and she became even better than she already was and because I did she doesn't have any debt to repay the government or whatever partial scholarship she managed to get. Of course she might have managed to get a full scholarship without my offer of paying for her further education and the only condition I put on my offer was her working for me for five years and if she wanted to go out on her own after that she was welcome too. She makes big bucks staying with me and being my personal computer security expert, so I doubt she'll ever leave, as she'd have to start out at the bottom at some other company. I protect my privacy and the privacy of my employees rather fiercely. Privacy is particularly scarce when you're in my position."
"I see," Norah said thoughtfully. Norah wondered how Aaron could possibly have paid for Penny's college education, because they looked around the same age, but she would worry about that later. Perhaps he was older than he looked Norah considered.
Aaron said nothing giving Norah plenty of time to think. He'd probably said too much and Norah was hardly an idiot. No, in fact, she was very intelligent and a good listener, so she had probably caught his slip of the tongue but he'd wait and see. That was the problem with hanging around Norah as he relaxed too much and made slip ups like the one that had just happened. He really had to guard his tongue around her at least for now.
"Alright, I never denied I am attracted to you. In a big way. I know I'll regret it for a very long time if I don't give a relationship between us every chance," Norah said finally, seemingly reaching a decision. "I never would've said a word though if you hadn't spoken up.
"I knew that already, which is why I did once you had finally figured out that we had been dating," Aaron said smiling a little. "If I had denied it you would have known I was lying, and any chance of relationship would likely have been impossible. Besides, I didn't want to deny it, as a I've been in love with you for several months and that's at a minimum. That's just when I realized it."
"You're putting a rather big burden on my shoulders you know," Norah said conversationally. "While you say you're in love with me I can't say the same...yet. I won't deny I have a bit of a crush, but a crush is way different from real love. A crush can fade over time or become the real deal if it is only nurtured, so it can grow. I'm not saying that's what's going to happen, just that it's a very strong possibility. I have to admit I like you more than a little."
"You're right about nurturing love as it needs good solid ground in which to grow. I know you believe you don't love me yet, but I believe that will come if you just allow yourself to. If you stop thinking of me as just your boss and possibly your friend. I know it will be tough, considering that I'm not exactly the most invisible of people, because of my wealth and position."
"That is so true," Norah laughed so hard that tears came to her eyes. "You're one of the most visible people in the world as all your movements are tracked. If you so much as give money to a sidewalk sleeper and some reporter sees it it'd end up in the paper."
"Unfortunately true," Aaron said dryly. "Still, my lawyers will sue their butts off if they go to far and they know that. Can I have a kiss since you've agreed to be my girlfriend at least for right now?" Aaron requested sweetly.
"Yes," Norah breathed and then forgot her own name as Aaron kissed her, gently, tenderly and possessively all at once. His arms came up to surround her to hold her close, even as they kissed and Norah reveled in being kissed by the man that she suspected she was already in love with, even if her conscious mind wasn't ready to admit it quite yet.
When the kiss finally broke, if only because they both needed to breathe, Norah sat there on the bench seemingly staring off into space a rather goofy expression on her face. She had never been so thoroughly kissed in all her 30 years. The kiss had been the best she'd ever had.
"Wow! Just wow!" Norah said finally, feeling rather breathless. It was as if Aaron was trying to show her who she belonged to with just that single kiss.
"And that Ms. Greenway is how I plan on kissing you for a very long time so you better get used to it," Aaron told her with a satisfied smile, looking relaxed against the trunk of the oak tree, which he was leaning against, his legs stretched out in front of him his hands behind his head. He was the epitome of relaxed. Aaron didn't look like 'the kiss' had bothered him at all, while Norah was a total mess.
"Any time," Norah exclaimed still looking rather dazed from the kiss.
"Good, I'm glad we agree," Aaron said simply taking Norah's hand in his and squeezing it gently.
~~~Aaron and Norah~~~