august booth. (augustbooth) wrote in the100, @ 2016-04-09 23:47:00 |
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Entry tags: | !log/thread, !storybrooke, august booth / pinocchio, kara danvers / supergirl (tv) |
STORYBROOKE; will woodson & kara zale
WHO Will Woodson / August Booth & Kara Zale / Kara Danvers
WHAT A Parisian Affair.
WHEN Six months ago.
WHERE Paris: the flight to and then their hotel in the city.
WARNINGS It's an affair! It ends in a fade to black, and includes a good deal of suggestiveness along the way.
Ironically, Will had loathed flying for most of his life. On his honeymoon, he’d had to take so many over-the-counter pills on the way there to keep himself calm that he’d had his doctor call in a prescription for something more intense for the trip home. After signing his book deal and starting the tour, though, he’d gradually gotten more and more accustomed to it. He didn’t like it any more than he had before, sure, but it was a work in progress. He didn’t get sick anymore, anyway, and his anxiety had definitely settled tremendously. Now he only had trouble with take-off, landing, and turbulence -- and Will was pretty proud of that.
They were flying over the ocean (technically, they’d been flying over the ocean for much of the previous night and still had a little longer) and Will’s window shade was in it’s pretty permanent down position. A perk to a book tour for a successful publication was a flight in very roomy first class. The rest of his team was further up in the flight, which left him side-by-side with his assistant with no one else to bother him.
Will adjusted in his seat, stretching, and reached to open his laptop, pulling his headphones off of his ears and looking over at Kara. “I’m convinced,” he said, decisively. “I’m convinced that this is our home now. We’ll never land. We’re stuck here forever.”
Kara, on the other hand, loved flying. She loved meeting the strange people they often got to meet, or watching the clouds as they gained altitude. She was an adrenaline junkie regardless, but flying had never made her nervous. It also helped that she happily patted his arm while they went through the rough patches, and never complained about the window shade being down each time they were stuck on a jet - not to mention that their first class seats were roomy, cushioned and comfortable.
Also the unlimited alcohol helped things for both of them. She’d limited herself to a mimosa or two, keeping her own laptop open in front of her while Will had his headphones on. She got the bulk of her work finished, emails sent, schedules made. His voice made her instantly smile, the toothy kind of grin that she bestowed on her close friends. Yanking out her one earbud, she lolled her head against her chair to look at him. “I’m pretty sure there’s only an hour left, then we get to Uber to our hotel room before the fun starts again in the morning.”
Will was actually incredibly glad that he had Kara, for a variety of reasons. She was amazing at her job — beyond amazing, actually. Kara was so social and likable, and it had made a tremendous difference in his public relations. Will himself did really well at that sort of stuff too, but his last assistant had been horrible when it came to social skills. Kara had made up for that, though. She kept his schedule neat and tidy and was always on top of things. There was more, though — the fact that she loved flying helped his fear of it a great deal, because she knew how to calm him down when his anxiety spiked.
The alcohol was a perk too, for sure. He was a few glasses of scotch in after the long flight, and he felt pretty calm as a result of that, the medication, and the company. Her smile brought one to his lips as well and he lifted his eyebrows when their eyes met. “See, you say that, but I remain unconvinced. This will be our claustrophobic flying grave,” he sighed dramatically. Then he smiled again. “Were you insanely productive, as per usual?”
Coming from anyone else, and it likely could have sounded condescending or off-putting, but Kara only grinned proudly. She’d worked with Will long enough to know that he really was impressed with the job she was doing, and it was more than a little nice to be appreciated by someone.
“Of course.” She tapped her phone, lighting it up as she offered him her stylus. “I have three documents for you to sign, your schedule for the next two days finalized and awaiting your approval, all of your business emails have been read and sorted in your inbox and in approximately two minutes, the flight attendant is going to bring you a coffee.” Her organizational skills were as much of a superpower as her smile, at this point.
Will genuinely was impressed by her, and incredibly grateful. He was the type of person who did his best to treat his people well. He was still getting used to having a staff, even though it’d been a few years. He always tried to take care of them, and that was made much easier by the fact that he genuinely liked Kara. She was too sweet not to adore.
He leaned closer to her to look at her phone, taking the stylus as it was offered to him and letting his smile grow as she explained all she’d gotten done. He shook his head a little, laughing. “My god, Kara,” he said, signing the documents for her to get that off of her list. “I seriously don't pay you enough to put up with me. You are amazing.” He looked up at her. “What can’t you do?”
Kara finished up the documents and slipped away her phone into a pocket in the seat, getting yet another thing ticked off of her to-do list. It meant delays and work when they got to the hotel would be next to none, so Kara would be free to order all of the room service she could handle and lounge around in hotel robes to relax after the long and cramping flight.
“Would this be a good time to ask for a raise?” Kara’s teasing smile grew wider, as if on cue, the flight attendant came by with Will’s coffee and set it down for him. “Or is it ruined if I say the one thing I can’t do is get out and fly this plane to safety if something happens to us? Sadly, not in my wheelhouse.”
Will was looking forward to room service and lounging in his room as well. He loved a good night out in the cities they visited, of course, but it was always a good night when he could just chill without having to put on clothes. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t get in early enough for him to Skype home to Rachel and the boys, but that also meant a little bit more quiet time in the room. That wasn't an idea he hated, and it meant he’d be more well-rested when he did get a chance to call them.
“Much better to ask when we’re about to land, when my survival instincts are kicking in. I’m a lot easier to manipulate then,” he said, and he thanked the flight attendant for the coffee. When Kara continued, he pulled a dramatically horrified face. “Why would you say that something might happen to us? You’re awful!”
“I’d never manipulate you like that,” Kara answered honestly, her doe-eyes wide with only-half feigned innocence. “I see all of your bills before they go through accounting, so I know exactly when the right time to ask you for one is.” It was easy to joke with Will, probably far too easy. He was older than her by several years, but not enough that ever made her uncomfortable. In that regard, he was likely the nicest, most down to earth boss she’d ever had.
Luckily she’d been at the job long enough that his horrified face didn’t send her running anymore. Instead, she pulled a face back at him and threw her hands up. “Look, it was totally innocent. Don’t try to pull this jinxing crap on me. I mean, the statistical likelihood of us actually-” The plane picked the perfect moment to lurch just barely, dropping a fraction in the air, and Kara shot a guilty look over to Will. “Just an air pocket. It’s totally fine.”
Will grinned. “I know, I know,” he responded, and as she laid out the truth of the matter, he couldn’t help but laugh. “You are a devious one. I should’ve known better than to trust you with my finances.” He was clearly teasing still. Will always preferred to travel with Kara, because Kara was an enjoyable companion. She was so sweet and so honest, and… well, quite honestly, she was basically a human ray of sunshine. The fact that she could do her job so well made for an excellent blend.
“No, no, this is totally on you. If we fall out of the sky and die in a fiery ball of fla—” he was speaking over her in a very joking way, but his words died in his throat as the plane jolted. He reached, his hand finding her forearm while his other grasped the armrest on the other side of him. His heart was racing in his chest, his eyes closing as he waited for the plane to stabilize and his body to calm, nodding as she spoke. “Definitely your fault. Most definitely,” he said finally, when he could breathe again.
Kara immediately went into recovery mode, she twisted her arm around and slid her fingers through his own, squeezing his hand reassuringly as Will went through the motions. Her own stomach was thankfully calm, so she was able to just look over at him with a steady gaze and reach with her free hand to run fingers across his arm.
“Hey, look at me.” Kara’s bubbly personality lent well in situations like this, because she tended to just… ramble her way out of situations. “It’s definitely my fault, But you know what else is my fault? My sister is going to open her closet at some point and find it completely organized. Do you know how much of a packrat my sister is? Like, total slob. I color coordinated things. So if you ever need a laugh, I’ll let you listen to her phone call when she inevitably yells at me about all the pastels she now owns.”
Will had a system for dealing with this, believe it or not. It came with the fear and knowledge that he’d have to face it so often for his tour; he’d developed ways of calming himself. Kara’s voice and the rambling words definitely were a factor. He laughed breathlessly as she spoke, his hand locking with hers a little more tightly out of the adrenaline in his body. “She’s going to feed you to the coyotes one of these days,” he laughed.
He looked at her, her voice and fingertips still working to calm him, he distracted his mind by imagining the boys and his wife and their home. He focused on little snippets of family vacations and of cooking dinner, and the image of Kara’s smile.
Finally, he could breathe more steadily and the plane had gotten through the little air pocket enough to be calm again, so he sighed in relief. There was something suddenly on the tip of his tongue as he looked at her more calmly, and he was quiet a moment longer than necessary. Then, he snapped back into joking. “Crisis averted? I’m assuming we didn’t die, though my hell would look a bit like the inside of a plane. But you’re here, so it’s not hell and we must be still alive.” He grinned, a little sheepish, and squeezed her hand (which he still held) a little. “Thank you.”
“She’s going to try, but I’ll just befriend the coyotes and make them my pack.” Kara flippantly shot back, all the while keeping her hand stroking against his arm. She had no idea what his thoughts were drifting to, though she imagined his wife and kids and-
Kara refused to let that thought depress her. He was completely off-limits, she knew that. It didn’t stop her from completely envying his wife, given how easy it was for her to spend time with him. But that’s what friends were for, right? Because they were friends. Any chemistry between them was obviously just her own imagination, which is what she told herself even as she stroked her fingers along his and squeezed his hand again.
Looking over at him, Kara rested her head against her chair and smiled again. “We’re definitely not dead. This is not Hell and …. You’re welcome. Are you going to make it? Are you going to kiss the ground when we land and do you want me to give you a moment of privacy for that?”
Will laughed at the image. “I can see it. You’d be an excellent pack leader, but I have a feeling they’d lose all their edge and suddenly be just cute little almost-dogs. They’d all feel too happy and loved to be fierce and ferocious,” he said, and while it was teasing, it was definitely a little more telling than he really had a right to be.
Will was married. He loved his wife overwhelmingly, and had for a vast majority of his life. He loved his children too, heathens though they were. And he loved the life they’d built together. None of that stopped the fact that he looked at Kara and felt an urge that was both forbidden and exciting simultaneously, all wrapped up in the guilt he absolutely deserved to feel.
“I am making no promises that I won’t entirely embarrass you with my loving reunion with solid ground,” he admitted, offering a shrugged shoulder. “You’re just going to have to deal, I’m sorry to say.”
“Cute little almost-dogs!” Kara gasped in mock-outrage. Not like she could deny that, she tended to tame … well, everything. But she had a bad-girl side too! Not that she let it out very often, but it was there, especially after a few shots of tequila. Not that Will, her boss, needed to know that, so she kept it quiet, but her nose scrunched up in the most frustrated and adorable way.
She noticed keenly that their hands were still tangled together, and how close they were sitting in their seats, despite being on a plane in the middle of the air. But neither had really made a move to separate, and Kara was … strangely okay with that. Even while she was pulling comical faces in his direction. “Keep talking like that and I won’t save you from the paparazzi if you start humping the ground.”
“Cute little almost-dogs,” he responded, digging in to the words as he spoke them, playful as ever. He couldn’t visualize her as anything less than the adorable, smiley, efficient ray of sunshine that kept his life together, and he really wasn’t interested in trying. The fact that she wrinkled her nose the way she did only solidified his impression of her, and he grinned.
Will justified their connected hands by the fact that the pilot came on the intercom to announce their descent into Paris, which brought his anxiety a little higher. She was his strength in this moment. “I see how it is, Kara. You support unless there’s ground-humping involved,” he sighed, shaking his head. “Traitor.”
“Yeah, I really can’t get with the ground-humping thing. It’s like planking.” Kara teased, and squeezed his hand one more time before reluctantly withdrawing her hold so she could pack away her laptop and electronics. Kara was efficient and quick, but within a few seconds she felt guilty taking away his rock and glanced at him over her shoulder, hair falling into her face.
“You okay?” She finished tucking her laptop away into her bag, but she pulled her pillow and blanket closer for the duration of the landing. Sitting right, she snuggled back into the seat and offered her hand back to him, face up. “Just think about Paris and… oh, hand-pressed coffee and bakery goods. So many bakery goods. I even worked time into your schedule so you can check out a few of the highest rated pâtisseries. Did you know that there’s a tour you can take?” Kara’s eyes were drifting closed in pure pleasure as she thought about all the junk food in her near future. “Hand-poured chocolates, delicate puff pastries, handmade macarons,” she let out a tiny moan, “Tartes.”
“I feel thoroughly judged on a hypothetical level,” Will responded, laughing. It was just as well that she pulled her hand away, and he moved to put his laptop away as well. He was very careful about technology on flights, after all — he didn’t want to be the reason the plane fell out of the sky. He moved quickly, feeling the queasy nerves settle in.
He was back sitting very upright when she looked over at him again, and he exhaled. “I am dandy,” he lied (Will was a horrible liar), and offered half-hearted smile. He took her hand without a thought, because he needed the support and wasn’t ashamed of it. “Baked good. Coffee,” he said, quietly repeating her words as she said them to distract him. When she continued, and got more and more involved in the imagery, he laughed. “Miss Zale. Something I need to know about you and the tartes?”
Kara’s laugh was almost a little bit breathy at this point, because what had started out as distracting him had started distracting her. Her sweet tooth was legendary. Kara was known - and often hated - for her ability to eat anything and everything put in front of her and not gain an ounce. She was probably going to grow out of it and would end up fat and lazy someday, but until then, she was going to enjoy the hell out of it. And that included eating all the French pastries she could get her hands on.
“What can I say? I’m … into trying new things?” Her smile was cheesy and wide enough to make her eyes wrinkle. Giggling a little, she shrugged. “They’re just these perfect little things. Round, full of fruit and sauce, a flaky crust… They’re almost like mini pies! And you don’t call them pies so you can eat like six of them without saying “I ate six pies!”. Basically, they’re perfect. Embrace the tartes.”
Even still, Will was distracted watching her dissolve into her fit of sweet-covered bliss. He watched her with an expression of delight, his eyebrows raised and his grin wide and bright. He, of course, had seen her sweet tooth in action, having worked with her for as long as he had. He couldn’t imagine eating the way she did — he’d be a lethargic mess if he did. He’d never get anything done. But if eating pastries in Paris would make her keep smiling so brightly, then he’d support her wholeheartedly.
He listened to her as she described the pastries, and he beamed as she spoke, shaking his head and laughing. “You are ridiculous and precious, and I wish you as many tartes as you can stand.” He offered a nod, then smacked his free hand lightly against the armrest triumphantly and decisively. “Every tarte in the radius of our hotel.”
Kara dissolved into a bucket of laughter, her head falling to the side, only a fraction away from where Will was. She didn’t even notice her glasses were falling down her nose from the laughing, but she did tighten her hold on his hand. And that, she did notice. Vaguely. But she didn’t pull away, especially as she felt the plane tilt slightly as they started descending below the clouds.
Still in distract-Will-mode, she brightened up, nodding in agreement to him. “Get me all the tartes in the land! Oooooh, I wonder if there’s going to be a place within walking distance of our hotel. Or if they deliver. That should be a thing, right? Delivered tartes? Paris has gotta make that a thing.”
Will was so amused and endeared by her, and he reached to push her glasses back up on her face. It was a significantly more intimate gesture than he anticipated or meant it to be, made perhaps less so by the fact that he just smiled neutrally as he did so. (His heart skipped a small beat, though, and he felt a little flushed. Not good, Will Woodson. Not good.)
His hand in hers tightened a little at the descent and the sounds of the engines that heralded their impending arrival. “Whatever the lady demands!” he responded. “Maybe the hotel serves them. This is Paris, isn’t it? Pastries on every corner,” he slipped into an awful French accent with the last, one that earned a dirty look from the French flight attendant who passed at the exact right moment. He made an apology and then winced at Kara, laughing through the expression.
“Oh, my god.” As soon as the flight attendant had passed, Kara’s head dropped down to Will’s shoulders as she tried to cover up her giggles. Her forehead was pressed against him and she was powerless to stop it as her shoulders shook with her half-covered laughter. Finally, she paused, only to gasp for air- air that was filled with Will, and it was probably hilarious that his cologne smelled almost… woodsy. Of course he smelled woodsy.
She snorted before lifting her head, having to reach up and adjust her glasses again, but this time she was right up close to him. “I can’t believe you did that, and I can’t believe how bad your French accent is. When we actually land, can you not offended everyone in the vicinity? People are actually coming to see you, you know. You better turn back to your normal, charming, good-looking self.”
Will’s head fell back as he laughed as well, embarrassed and amused and ultimately thoroughly distracted. “It’s really horrifying, isn’t it? You should hear my Russian. Much, much worse,” he responded, grinning. “I promise, no more attempted accents while we’re on foreign soil. I will endeavor not to embarrass you or make your job more difficult.” She’d called him good-looking. He hadn’t missed that. He offered a lingering smile to her.
He fell quiet as the plane finally came to the ground, his hand tightening around Kara’s until they’d slowed, and then he released the breath he’d been holding for the entirety of the descent, suddenly infinitely more calm. “We survive another one,” he said, then realized how tightly he was holding her hand. “Oh shit, I’m sorry.” He released it, his other moving to take hers in both, which he rubbed gently to hopefully make up for the tight grip. “Better?”
“Thank you.” It was unclear if she was thanking him for rubbing her hand better - which wasn’t really hurt - or for offering to not make her job more difficult. Not that she couldn’t handle it, it was fairly easy to spin anything with the right story. Luckily, there would be press, but they weren’t often hounded by millions of paparazzi like actors were. Just the few stragglers that actually recognized him from social media.
Around them, people were gathering their things as the plane taxied into the departing area, so Kara reluctantly leaned away now that he was calmer. Fishing her phone out, she turned it back on and let it sync up to Paris time and start gathering emails. “10:15pm Paris time. Our first press meeting isn’t until noon tomorrow, but the morning is going to involve calls and conferences from the hotel, but if you’re lucky, you can sleep in a little. They’re putting us up in Hotel da Vinci - which.. He wasn’t French, so the choice is a little odd to me, but at least it sounds swanky?”
Will nodded to her in response to the gratitude, and he reached for his own phone. He shot off a quick text to Rachel, just to let her know that he’d arrived. His phone blew up with texts, calls, and e-mails, and he made a face. Ultimately, he clicked it back to a blank screen and he tucked it into his bag. “Not ready to deal with that mess yet.”
He lifted his eyebrows as she spoke, nodding a little to the description of their plans. “Oh, lucky me! We probably ought to try to stay up a little longer, for the sake of battling jet lag, but that leaves time for room service and chilling,” he said, thinking aloud more than anything. “That sounds very posh. Clearly, they know how to treat illustrious visitors to their country,” he teased, mock-arrogantly adjusting his jacket before offering a wink.
Finally, their plane was stationary and they were amongst the first to dismount it. Once they were safely in the airport terminal and had made it through the hustle and bustle to get their bags from baggage claim, he breathed a sigh of relief. “I am so sore, holy hell,” he complained.
The Uber arrived quickly, and he held the door for her after putting her bag in the back with his. “Shouldn’t be a long drive, right?”
“Paris espresso should get us through the jet lag pretty easily.” Or, at least her, because Kara never really seemed to lag anyway, but it was another benefit to her “superpower” that made her such a good assistant. Sliding into the seat next to him in the car, Kara passed along the address to their hotel and business card, before finally settling in with her bag. “It’s so close I almost debated walking, honestly. Because I definitely need to stretch.”
Leaning back, she ran her hands along the tops of her thighs to try and get some feeling back into them as their car pulled out into evening Paris traffic. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and the hotel will have a massage or something- wait, not all massages here are like, happy massages right? I feel like I should have googled this before we arrived here because now I’m going to be wondering that and be awkward if there is a spa.”
“I am positive I’d be useless in interviews tomorrow if I succumb to jet lag,” he responded. “Not all of us can handle espresso and exhaustion.” He nodded. “I do too, but we’ll be okay. Just a little longer and then we can stretch our legs at the hotel.”
He laughed. “What, do I look like an expert in happy massages? What are you implying, Kara?” he said, and made eye contact with her. “But very seriously,” he added, his expression not at all legitimately serious. “Please don’t ever google to find out whether or not happy massages are a thing anywhere. You are too pure, too innocent. The internet is an awful, awful place.”
They arrived at their hotel quickly, and he was very impressed. He tipped the driver, and they made their way inside. “Hello, fancy,” he said, whistling at the sight of it. “We’re living high this week, Miss Zale.”
“I am not all innocent and pure--” Kara cut off just as they pulled up to the hotel, and followed behind Will with her mouth open, gaping at just how … pretty everything was. Pretty wasn’t the right word, but it was really the only word that came to mind with this. She’d been traveling with him for a while, and it wasn’t like Maine lacked in gorgeousness, but this was a whole new world.
“Holy shiznickles.” Okay, so not the most classy of words, and she definitely looked … even kind of frumpy for a place like that. She was keenly aware of just how put together people looked as she checked them in and got their adjoining hotel room keys. The bellman had their things and escorted them, even as Kara walked through what was close to a dreamlike state through the halls and elevators until they were at their doors. The Adorateur rooms, third floor and with an adjoining balcony overlooking Paris.
Kara was pretty much rendered speechless when their doors were opened and their stuff was dropped off, and she touched her fingers over everything lightly. “I think we really did die on that plane and I’m in heaven.”
Will’s first inclination was to comment on her use of the word ‘shiznickles’ and how it directly contradicted her protest at being called pure and innocent, but he was also taken aback by the state of their hotel. He’d been on this tour some time now, and it never ceased to amaze him how well his publisher treated him when it came to these types of things like lodging and such. “Shiznickles indeed,” he responded, totally amazed as he looked around.
He took over for conversation as they made their way up with the bellman, though he mostly spent the time looking around and taking in the sights. It was unreal.
“We could literally hide so many bodies in here,” he said, and then immediately corrected himself for the sake of the bellman, who just laughed. He tipped him and then they were alone in their ridiculous giant room.
“Okay, game plan. We explore our own rooms for awhile and then we can meet back up later for room service, yes?”
“Yessssssss?” She was agreeing, but already fleeing to her room out of excitement to see just what everything looked like. Dragging her bag behind her, she dropped it down on the floor of the ridiculous room, mentally groaning at knowing exactly what she packed and just how much she was not going to fit in here.
She left her door open as she started sorting through clothing, only having a moments pause while she tried to figure out if this was … her actual wardrobe.
“Um.” Pulling out something red and slinky, Kara dropped it on the bed, following it by another thing that was black and slinky. Her yellow dress was still there, though, and so were a few of her separate pieces that were all business, so clearly-
Malia.
Huffing out a breath, Kara picked up the red slinky thing and started pacing the length of her room. On one hand, it solved the problem of her having to rush out shopping so she’d fit in a city like Paris, but on the other hand… all of her buttoned up, comfortable pajamas were across the ocean. As she walked past the open doorway, Kara yelled across the open space. “My sister apparently thinks I’m going to seduce some Parisian, because she threw in a bunch of slutty clothes.”
Will was also very eager to get into the bedroom and see what was there. He was practically moved to tears at the sight of the bed, which looked so soft he was sure he’d undoubtedly oversleep tomorrow and Kara would have to smack him awake. He was okay with that. He’d taken a look into the bathroom, just getting a feel for the place, and then he’d slipped his shoes off and opened his bag on the bed as well.
He had some surprises in his suitcase his well, but they were a lot less interesting than what was apparently in Kara’s. There were a few stray toys and a drawing his youngest had done of a truck, and a charger that went with Rachel’s laptop — he’d have to call her tomorrow and let her know where his spare one was.
He grabbed a pile of clothes to change into and was on his way to the bathroom to do so when Kara called out. He snorted a laugh. “That sounds about like what I’d expect from Malia. I bet it’s all the classiest of slutty attire,” he called back. “I’m going to wash my face and change. Meet you in a sec, yeah? Get comfortable.”
He changed into a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt, altogether a lot more comfortable and clean-faced when he emerged again. He ordered room service, making some guesses for Kara, and then moved to join her, knocking on the doorframe. “Dressed?”
“One second!” Kara was still in the middle of her clothing crisis, having made murmurs of agreement to his having suggested getting comfortable. She unpacked a few things and made vows to do the rest before falling into the extremely decadent looking bed, along with setting up her laptop and tablet on the work space in the nook. She’d have to get everything situated before she could sleep well anyway, but her clothing-
Finally, she settled on a t-shirt that was at the bottom of her suitcase, and the tiny shorts that were meant to go with something much slinkier. But at least it was something that wasn’t lingerie. Finally stepping out of her bathroom, Kara made a ‘this is the best it’s gonna get’ shrug, dropping her arms down at her sides. “I’m going to have a very stern conversation with my sister when I get back. Like I’m going to have time to find a date or that I’d wear tiny pajamas in doing so.”
She breezed past him, trying to ignore their bodies brushing as she crossed through the doorway so she could get to the sofa behind him. She flopped down ungracefully, long, bare legs crossing under her as she did. “Did you order me all the food ever? All the pastries ever? Tarte delivery?”
Will made a mistake by letting his eyes follow Kara, those little shorts a definite problem. He flashed his eyes up to the ceiling, shaking his head a bit before moving to follow her. “To be fair, the tiny pajamas could be so much worse. But I’m going to assume there are less tame looks in your bag than that, so maybe I ought to just bite my tongue and let you punish her acceptably.”
He sat down beside her, crossing his ankles and propping his feet up on the coffee table. “I ordered an inordinate amount of food, don’t you worry your pretty little head,” he said. “And tartes may or may not be a part of the order.” He grinned. “Okay, they totally are. Best boss ever, am I right?”
Kara turned toward him, sitting sideways on the sofa, trying impossibly to ignore the fact that her knees were touching his upper leg, and instead focusing on his face. Propping her head up on her hand, she stared over at him, eyes roaming. He was a good looking man, she already knew that, but god it was almost startling up close.
“Totally the best boss ever,” she agreed without hesitation, but ruined it a little by laughing, hoping her cheeks weren’t reddening too much by his drive-by pretty comment. “But seriously, this place is amazing - and I know we’re thanking the Publisher for that - but having this job? It’s just been… amazing. I know I already said that, this is why you’re the author and I’m not. But this whole thing has given me so many opportunities, and you are truly one of the best people I’ve ever met, let alone worked for.” Her teeth worried at her bottom lip as she did blush, head dropping down a little. “I am so incredibly lucky to even be here.”
Will adjusted as well, his body turning towards her as well. Oh, they were close. It was too close, really. He knew that, but his mind wasn’t interested in really acknowledging it. He smiled at her when their eyes met, his eyebrows lifting a little at the roam of her eyes, unsure of what it meant but not uncomfortable under it.
He was ready to accept her compliment and continue into playful banter, but then she continued, and his head tilted a little as she spoke. He smiled, his smile growing as she thanked him so sweetly. He reached, his hand landing on her knee very lightly. “Hey, you’re welcome, but listen. You’re here because you’re vitally necessary. You’ve saved my career, you know… I needed an excellent assistant to keep me in line, and you’ve been extraordinary. I don’t want you ever to think for an instant that you don’t deserve this job and literally everything that comes with it, because you’re utterly amazing. And I appreciate you.”
Kara’s breath caught in her throat and her eyes drifted closed for longer than was probably appropriate. Actually, this whole thing was inappropriate, but that thought was so far in the back of her head- They were friends. This was a work trip, sure, but they were adults and friends, comfortable with each other. She was more than comfortable around him, actually, and that made all of this so much easier to bear.
It didn’t help the fluttering in her stomach, though. Especially as he said all the things that just made her head swim. “I just- all my life I’ve wanted to be useful to someone. To feel like I’m doing something. I know I’m good at it, but I want to be… more than good? I want to be good for you. To be good for this job- to-” Her face was flushed as she finally looked up at him, licking her lips and mentally cursing herself as her eyes drifted down to his own mouth and then back up to his eyes. No, Kara. “To be everything you need. Because you’re important to me just like the job is.”
Completely inappropriate. This was definitely beyond the realm of what a boss and employee should be doing, and absolutely a position a married man who very much loved his wife should not be in. And yet, it was comfortable for it’s tension. They were friends, after all. He could tell himself that.
Oh. Okay, it had moved beyond inappropriate.
It was amazing how a glance at someone’s lips could immediately change the tone of an interaction. He felt it, his heart racing a little faster when their eyes met again, his hand that was still absently on her knee coming alive with very light passes of his thumb on her warm skin. “You are much, much more than I need and absolutely more than I deserve,” he responded, his voice full of a lot more something than it should’ve been. “Kara, I—“ the knock at the door saved him from continuing. “Ah! Room service.” He cleared his throat, standing and moving to the door (aware of the fact that his thin pants weren’t exactly ideal for tense moments with his beautiful assistant and taking some deep breaths to collect himself). He answered the door, bringing in the food and tipping the staff member before closing the door again and returning to her. He handed her a glass of wine and one of the pastries. “Your sweets, mademoiselle,” he said, grinning as he took his seat once more.
“Oh, I-” Kara had moved beyond blushing and went straight to flushed. She had been fully willing, at that moment, to lean in and kiss her boss. Her married boss. Her married boss that she should definitely keep hands off. She wasn’t some sex kitten secretary. She was… awkward, energetic, exceptionally organized. She wore flats to work and only owned like two pencil skirts.
Her own thoughts were coming in a rush even as he let the room service in, and she was busy awkwardly pulling on her t-shirt to try and magically make it longer somehow. In lieu of accomplishing that, she awkwardly adjusted on the sofa and took the wine, downing a good portion of it in one go before she even had the pastry in her hand.
And then her eyes set sight on the most delicious array of sweets she’d ever seen in her life. Her eyes drifted from the one in her hand to the ones across at the cart and Kara was pretty sure every part of her melted. “Ohmygod-” Without much hesitation (really, none), she took a bite and her eyes closed and her body slumped forward slightly. Her words mumbled by the food in her mouth as she slowly savored the bite. “Ohmygoddddd”
It had been a very close call. Will had very nearly given in to his very distinct urge to kiss Kara, but he’d resisted. He’d resisted. And even now, he was actually kind of kicking himself for not doing it, and then kicking himself harder for thinking that.
He downed his own glass of wine quickly as well, and then poured more into both glasses. Better to drink wine. More wine. He popped a bit of pastry into his mouth, but then was promptly distracted by watching her react to the taste of the one in her hand. His eyebrows lifted, and he was mostly amused, but there was definitely a little more to the way he felt.
“You okay there, Kara? Do I need to leave you alone for a bit?”
“Hm?” She opened her eyes and finished the pastry off quickly, giving in to licking her fingers against her better judgement. It was just- wow. Kara was fairly certain she needed a dozen more before she could possibly go to bed, but Will’s eyes on her were distracting enough that she was back to blushing from his expression. And his comment.
“I-Oh I mean, it’s just-” She was rambling now, adorably, talking with her now-free hand as she went back to her full glass of wine and finished it off again. Even the wine was amazing, and she rarely drank. “It’s so good. So good. I’m pretty sure my mouth has never been on something so delicious in my entire life.”
Oh god damn it, now she was licking her fingers? Will ignored it as best he could, laughing instead, both endeared and amused yet again. It was his constant state when in her presence. She was so adorable.
His eyebrows were still lifted, his expression delighted as he watched her react and speak and drink, everything she did something he couldn’t help but find exceptionally cute. “They are definitely good,” he agreed, and then he laughed again. “Nothing more delicious?”
Kara sat up and set the glass of wine on the coffee table, resisting the urge (just barely) to reach over and grab another pastry. For now. Instead, she folded her legs back under her and faced him again, blush never able to creep away as she realized just how her words sounded.
“I’m- That was totally unintentional. I swear. I should-” She should go to bed, grab a few pastries, set up her room, sort through emails and respond to anything important. It was the middle of the night back home, and no doubt people would forget where they were and end up calling early enough.
Letting out a breathy sigh, Kara closed her eyes. The wine was already relaxing her muscles enough that she wasn’t so tense, and slumped her shoulders against the back of the sofa. “I should go get some work done before bed. Grab some food and go-” She didn’t move, though, not wanting to actually leave him and clearly looking for a reason to stay.
Will laughed, shaking his head. “Don’t, it was adorable. I think you’re tipsy,” he said, relaxed himself from the wine. Will knew he should go to bed too. He wouldn’t sleep for a little while longer, if only to stave off the inevitable hungover feeling of travel in the morning, but there was no good that could come of staying up and out like this. Not with the direction his mind had taken before now.
And even now, as it betrayed him again as he watched her sit back. That breathy sigh. Shit. “Yeah,” he responded, not moving either. “I should go to bed as well.” He sat a moment longer, then moved, really intending to stand and help her up.
What happened instead was decidedly not that. He put his glass on the table and then made to get up. As he pulled himself to stand, his body moved closer to hers — and didn’t stop. One hand slid to her leg again, the other reaching to find her face, and he kissed her hard, breathlessly, without thought.
What should have happened next was them breaking apart, breathless but full of apologies, vowing to never mention it again and going to their separate rooms while they tried hard not to think about it. The rest of the tour would be awkward, but they’d weather it, being the adults they were. They could still salvage this.
But what actually happened was Kara immediately moaning into Will’s mouth, her thought process effectively shut off as soon as he had touched her. She was practically craving it at that point, and had no idea until her skin exploded under his touch. It only took a minute and she was already sliding onto his lap, her dark blonde hair falling in a veil all around them. It was all somewhat hurried and just as much clumsy as one would have expected from a heated encounter like this.
She was straddling him, one hand in his tousled hair and the other dragging along his scruff by the time she finally pulled her reddened mouth away. “Oh- That was-”
Will wasn’t thinking when he kissed her, not about anything other than giving into an absolutely forbidden lust that was oppressive and unstoppable. She was in his lap in the next instant, and one hand had slid to her thigh, his fingertips just slightly under the hem of those tiny shorts, his other hand grasping at her back to pull her close. Will had never been with anyone but Rachel, and this was not Rachel. This was different, it was differently heated and impassioned and not at all full of the same kinds of emotions as his lovemaking with his wife. But he wasn’t thinking of his wife. He couldn’t, not at the moment.
He pulled her closer, the heated kiss mind-numbing in a way he couldn’t have described. She pulled away and he was gasping for breath, looking up at her with a bewildered but dark gaze. “I know,” he breathed. “We should stop.” But then he kissed her again, pulling her hips closer to his.
Kara was always much better at taking initiative than she was with talking, and even if it had been a while since she’d been in a relationship, this was no exception. She was making all sorts of noises and letting her hands tug at his hair, getting into the kiss way more than she should have. Than either of them should have.
But realizing that they were doing wrong apparently wasn’t enough to pull either them away from how much they wanted this. How right it felt, despite everything.
It was another few minutes before she ripped her lips off of his, and this time she flipped her hair back and pulled her head away while breathing heavily. She didn’t move from his lap, though, and was keenly aware of how both of her hands were at the edge of his shirt. “We should definitely stop.” Her teeth were tugging on her bottom lip, unsure. “We should go back to my room- our rooms, I mean, I just- Our rooms. And sleep it off. We should definitely sleep it off. Do you want to sleep it off?”
Will, meanwhile, was usually the type who could talk his way through any situation. He had a gift with words, as was evidenced by the fact that he’d used them to rise to fame the way he had. But he was also a creature driven by action at times as well, and this situation was one that demanded action. Any more words and he’d have to face the uncomfortable reality that he’d already cheated on his wife and ruined his marriage.
Instead, he just wanted to make Kara make more of those noises and to find out what others she could make.
The hand that was on her back was still there, but it’d crept beneath her t-shirt to find skin, and when they pulled away, he was again aware of how much further they’d gotten physically in the time it’d taken to kiss that second time. “We should. We should sleep in our own beds and… sleep,” he said, breathless still. “I want to take you to my room and have sex with you until we’re both unconscious, though.”
They were both so far gone by this point - utterly wrecked would be a good term - that Kara pushed away the guilt and surged forward, capturing his lips in a hard and fast kiss before pulling back again. She huffed out a laugh, but it ended with her almost choking on her breath when he finished his sentence.
The blush crept back up her neck and flooded her face, but you couldn’t tell through the haze of arousal that was already there. She was breathless, totally mussed up and eager to dive back in. And decidedly not thinking about horrible the morning would be when he was going to regret this.
Or maybe he wouldn’t. Maybe this- this is what he wanted. It didn’t help the guilt slamming her in the chest, to think of it as him picking her, but she couldn’t deny their connection as much as she wanted to. And she certainly couldn’t deny how much she wanted this to happen, somewhere in the back of her mind.
“I think-” Her hand trailed down the side of his head, thumb running along his stubble and catching at the corner of his mouth as she stared down at his face. “We should definitely do that. The last part. It’s probably a mistake- but it feels right and I’ll leave mistakes for future Kara to sort out.”
The morning was destined to be a nightmare, truly. But Will wasn’t ready for the morning yet, not when he had a very aroused, very beautiful, very tousled Kara on his lap and the distinct desire to see what else he could make her do. This was a terrible idea, and he knew that, but he also knew that it was absolutely the decision he wanted to make in this moment. Regret, when it came, would be what he deserved, and the aftermath would be his own doing, but he would think about that later.
“Future Will will definitely be in the same boat, and will probably hate me. But that’s a dilemma for tomorrow,” he said, and lifted his head to kiss her again, heated and passionate as before and enough to drive away thoughts of regret and mistakes. He stood, easily carrying her with him as he moved them both from the couch to his bedroom, ready to act on his intent to take her to bed.