March 23, 2009
8pm
Mayor's Office"just one thing I want to know.... how many rare blue snakes were put out of their misery for htat outfit?"
"does it really matter when it's on the floor next to your desk?""not really."
she gave him that look -the one that makes him work late most nights 'the i need something shoved in my mouth' look."my what big eyes you have... and big pouty pink... mm... come help me with this ledger..."
"of course mister mayor" *giggle*"You'll have to come closer to read this." Points to the blotter on his desk. "I think it says something happens today... this is Tuesday, isn't it?"
"Tuesday.. yes." She smiles and comes around the desk, showing off the back of the shirt which is held only by thin 'strings' across her. She leaned over the desk, to read what might be there.*watches as the tied blouse shifts and shows*... "Mmm hmm.. There... Tuesday... what does that say?" He leaned forward, hovering closely beside her, pointing to the fine print on the calendar. His hand lined over one of the strings on her back.
She squints and stretches so she can actually try to read the very small print. "Mmm." She hummed softly as his hand slid over her back. "Ohhh yes.. there is a proposal you have to work on, tonight.." Her fingers ran over the words and she smiled, shifting just a little to give him more of her to see. "May mean a long night. Cancel your plans. We'll have dinner here," he said, trying to sound sad about such a thing. He wasn't looking at the calendar at all.
She sort of chuckled and smiled, leaning farther across to the edge to lift his phone from the cradle. She dialed and sighed as she listened to the ringing. When her 'boyfriend' finally picked up, she put on her best disappointed act and promptly told him she wouldn't be able to meet him for dinner.. or later. It was all he could do not to bark at her and play mean, horrible 'boss' in the background, but she handled things so well, he let her manage fine on her own. The way she leaned over the desk, he was in no hurry to make her move. While the attire might not have been professional office wear, he saw nothing wrong with it.. nothing at all.
".. you know how the boss likes to ride me.. Yeah, I'm sorry too.. another time?" She pouted into the phone for effect and then hung up with a light sigh. "All yours for the night.." She smiled over her shoulder, not looking very upset that she'd had to cancel another date. "Excellent choice of words, Miss Reddick," he smiled back, curling a finger for her to come away from the phone. "I have a very complicated project for you to get on right away."
"Your wish is my command." She slinked off his desk and turned to face him, in the small space between him and the desk. She bit her lip gently and batted her lashes at him. "A few more of these late nights and my boyfriend is going to break up with me, you know.." She said it almost as if it might matter to him that she'd get dumped. "Pity he just doesn't understand how hard you... work. I'm sure you'll be able to make it up to him. Though, a few more of these late nights... a few more projects... I'm sure you'll find something to fill your time."
"Or how hard you work.." She slowly reached to tug his tie in a gentle way as if fixing it. "I don't have time to make it up to him.. I'm always at your beck and call.. any time, day or night. It's so hard to find someone who understands and accepts that you're my priority." "A select few understand it very well. I'm a very busy man. Mayoral attendance with state functions, meeting after meeting, keeping up appearances with charities and children... I need all the help I can get," he said, pushing back in his chair to give himself more leg room and more room for her to work.
"I understand.. and admire that about you." She smiled, softly -her words were sincere, she did hold a great respect and admiration for the man. "You know I'm always here to help.. for whatever you need." Her fingers pulled the knot of his tie free and undid his top button. Richard helped her with the loosened tie, getting it out of her way and his own. "It's after hours now, though. No meetings, no appearances.. and definitely... no children," he added, showing his own admiration for her as she started to ease his tensions.
Her eyes held a slight sparkle in the low lights of the office and her fingers kneaded gently into his shoulders as she sought to ease any tension he had. "Just you and me now.." She whispered, licking her lips softly."About that project. I really think you should start as soon as possible, Twinkie," he said, offering her his lap to rest in as she felt comfortable.
She loosened another button and gave him a look, smiling a little as she held her tongue, deciding it was best to use it on him. She leaned to kiss him, pretending, like she had done for awhile now, that she was more than just the girl at the office who he was sleeping with. The kiss was gentle but far from pretend and far from cool or light. He pulled his glasses off and set them aside out of his way. Something was troubling her it seemed. His gaze suggested the question he didn't voice, trying the kiss again and searching for answers.
Twinkie paused her attention to watch him as he set his glasses aside. Her smile wasn't that of a sexy nymphette, but something with a more true and sweet adoration. It was a moment she didn't realize she was showing instead of masking her real feelings for him. She didn't expect that she meant anything more to him than what they had in the office, but for her -she had always felt something. Her admiration for him had started it but slowly it had developed and she was in love with him. He sat back, curious enough to ask. "Are you upset that I've kept you late again? Your boyfriend... is that it?"
He caught her off guard and she looked at him with a slightly shocked expression for a moment. Slowly she shook her head and leaned back on the edge of his desk. "I'm never upset when you keep me late.." She looked to the side, down at the rug, chewing her lower lip a little. "Nevertheless... you're upset. You usually chew my lip, not your own," he teased gently, wishing she'd moved closer instead of further away. He reached out to her hand where she leaned. "Something you want to get off your chest?"
"I'm not.." She tried to defend, quickly enough that it was clear she was trying to deny the truth. "I prefer chewing your lip." She added with a slight smile, before letting the sigh out. "You'll think I'm stupid.. or you'll just be pissed.. " She shrugged, though her fingers curled around his as he brushed her hand with his. "Pissed? That sounds serious enough, but I will never think you're stupid, quite the opposite... ingeniously crafty. Now, what is this about, hm?" He twined her hand in his own. "I won't tell a soul."
She felt so nervous and her cheeks flushed a little, something which hadn't happened since the first time they'd been together. Twinkie felt herself trembling and tried to make it stop, but she was scared that he would just end this if he knew how she felt. She tried to start with something that she could manage to say. "My boyfriend.. he's not going to break up with me because I work late all the time.. it's.. it's more than that. We.. we've been together nearly a year and I've never.. I can't be .. intimate with him.. I'm.. I-I'm in love with someone else.. and I can't.. with anyone else.. it just doesn't feel the same.. it doesn't feel right." What a strange thing to say... He didn't tell her that and didn't want to assume anything. "Only a year. That's nothing to be ashamed of. Why would you think it's because you're in love with someone else?" His own smile jerked nervously... would it be vain of him to think...?
Her chuckle was short, soft and nervous sounding. "I know.. it's because I'm in love with someone else. I can barely even kiss my boyfriend.. and he's not the one I think about when close my eyes." She closed her eyes and took a breath. "I think the only reason I'm still with him is because I can't be with the person I'm in love with.. and so people won't talk so much about me.." "People talk about you now?" He was concerned, but not overly. A few dollars in the right pockets would hush nearly anyone in this town. "Who would say anything? You work for the city and you have a nice office. You work for a highly disorganized and most unreasonable man... who has a terrible time making decisions. What do people say, Twinkie?"
"Of course people talk about me.. it doesn't really matter what they say.. most of it probably comes from my sister anyway. Spiteful.. you know? Either I'm a sl*t who sleeps around because I don't have a boyfriend or I'm so pathetic that I can't get one.. or I'm a crazy b*tch who scares the men away.. you can take your pick of which one you'd like to go with." "I'll take door number four... you're a girl who has the attention of a -man- who keeps the -boys- away from you. They're terrified of your position, and they're more terrified of me. They should be. I happen to like this crazy b*tch...," he said turning his smile up into a darkened, alluring, puckering request. "And I don't like them thinking they're worthy of you."
Her expression was startled, amused and questioning as she reached with her free hand to brush over his cheek. "You..? Really? That's how you really feel about me?" She was shocked to hear him say such things, yet thrilled to as well. "I didn't know.. I hoped you felt something for me.. more than.. an office fling, but I didn't dare believe it." "Believe it and don't be so brash calling it a fling. Three years is no fling, Miss Reddick. But, it is also no public announcement." Not yet it wasn't. If she feared being talked about, he was reluctant to bring anything into the open.
She looked down again and swallowed hard, feeling bad for calling it a fling. "I didn't mean it like that... that it was.. I just fell in love with you and I didn't know if any feeling like that was returned." Her eyes glanced up at him and she chewed her lip some more. "...or if you'd ever consider it being.. something open.. known." "Shh... You're going to make us both blush. It's already warm enough in here," he chuckled, then sighed, cautioning her. "If you don't want people to talk, then I can't bring it into the open... as much as I've thought about it. Never have I intended to make you uncomfortable, but this city is unforgiving and relentless. Do you think you could ever handle that?"
Her fingers curled more tightly around his and she let go of her lip, looking him in the eyes. "To be with you.. really with you.. I wouldn't care what people said. I won't like them calling me a pathetic, crazy, b*tch-sl*t.. but being with you would be worth it." "Then tomorrow, you're having lunch with me at the Chez... table for two. It will be a very, very important meeting," he said with a sparkle of mischief.
She smiled a little more, laughing softly and pushing off the desk to wrap her arms around him. "Are you sure, you want to do this?" "I've done this before... with my first wife," he reminded her, letting the words wander around her a little while on their own as he shuttled her back into his lap.
She curled without protest into his lap, snuggling against his neck with warm breath and kisses. "..but she was your wife.. this is different.. " She lifted her head to give him a questioning gaze. "..first wife? You've only been married once.. right?" "Once, and have two ungrateful children to show for it," he sighed then smiled. "Told you I'm terrible at decisions. That was perhaps my worst. I don't tend to think so this time."
"You shouldn't be so hard on your kids... they aren't that bad.. " She defended his grown up kids a little -they really weren't awful, especially considering their mother. "What do you mean this time?" He smiled but didn't answer her directly. "They hate me enough, so I'm sure that means everything's normal. Come to lunch tomorrow, alright? For tonight, we still have a project to discuss."
"They don't hate you and you know it!" She laughed, hugging him a little tighter and kissing his cheek. "I don't see how anyone could hate you." "You're not in the mayor's pa-... shoes, my dear. I'm hated, especially by your boyfriend once he watches tomorrow's news."
"Well I don't agree with those people.. okay?" She grinned, lifting her head and trying to tip his chin so she could kiss him right. "My ex-boyfriend.. by the time we have lunch tomorrow." She corrected softly. Richard's attention to the strings on her top had found the knot keeping it secured. "Scandalous... was your father a fisherman?" He scowled, frustrated by the knot, but tamed quickly by the kiss that was much more what he'd expected now that she was fearless and back to the firey temptress he adored.
"Not professionally.." She giggled at his frustration with her knots and shifted in his lap to give the other side of his neck some nibbling attention.
Fade to Black .... End Scene
