Love for Love

Damien took me to the top floor of the building and into a 1920's style foyer that was a contrast to the very modern foyer back at Dominance in New York City. I looked about as Damien led me up to the front desk that was maned by a male and female receptionist dressed in formal attire.

Something would have to change about that. I didn't want to have to run a formally dressed office. I wanted the people who worked here to want to come to work, not just come in because they were paid to.

The foyer was dressed with a few couches in the corners of the room with a table separating the couches. The front desk was embellished with intricate designs and alternate brown colours that added to eye catching design. Hiding behind the desk were two iMacs the receptionists were entirely focused on.

They sat up straight with head sets so they could take calls easily. When Damien and I reached the desk, both looked towards me and gave me the eye. The male receptionist, turned to Damien and motioned to me, clearly asking who I was without uttering a single word.

Damien leaned on the desk, looking over to me and saying, "This is Nicole Livingston, manager of this office."

The receptionists eyebrows flew up, surprised at the information that Damien had given them. I combated that by saying, "I know I might seem young, but I have a wealth experience that defies my age."

"Anything is better then having her here," the male receptionist said, his accent strange to my ears. The English accent would be something I would have to get used to in time. "Welcome."

"If you could let everyone know that I would like to have a staff meeting in about fifteen, that would be great," I said to the receptionist before turning to Damien and extending my hand out to him. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Damien. I appreciate you escorting me up here."

"My pleasure," Damien said with surprise etching his every feature as he shook my hand. "Any clients I should let up?"

"Yes," I said. "A Tom Hiddleston should be arriving just after lunch time. You know who he is, right?"

"Sure do," Damien said with a smile as he went to leave the foyer. "See you when you leave tonight."

Damien pressed the button for the lift and entered it a few seconds later, saluting me as the elevator doors shut. I turned back to the receptionists and said, "So. That staff meeting?"

The female receptionist stood from her seat and said, "Right this way."

I was lead by the female receptionist through the offices, which looked like a massive room filled with neat desks. The 1920's look of the floor continued as old style lights lit the room that hung from the ceiling. The desks were all of wood decked out with iMac's and phones.

There were probably around fifteen desks filling the room. It didn't seem that much but I hoped that the people Missy had hired could damn well do their job.

To one side of the room with the many desks were two large meeting rooms with glass windows and horizontal blinds to block any on lookers when needed. There was a nice view outside of the building from what glimpse I got going past.

The staff looked at me as I was lead through the room to a sectioned off area on the other side of the room. There was a hallway filled with beautiful sketches of celebrities upon the walls. On the other side was doors to rooms for staff who had a higher position that those who worked in the other room at the desks.

Only one or two of the offices were filled by people at the time I walked through. I was lead down into an open area where two women sat out the front of another room behind desks and large screened macs. It reminded me of Missy's office -- making me guess that she had styled it around her own.

I turned around to look at the room, seeing that there was a door that lead back into the room with all the desks. The receptionist that had taken me to this room had given me a full tour of the floor, in which I was grateful for, and thanked her for her kindness. She smiled, after a bout of surprise, before leaving to inform the rest of the staff of the meeting that would be held shortly.

I looked to the two women who looked expectantly up at me. They were dressed similarly to that of the receptionists at the front office. I made a note of it and they looked down at what they wore.

"It is what we were told to wear to work today," one with pretty red hair said to my right.

"Well, I'm making a few changes around here," I said as I walked into my large office. "Follow me into my office, please!"

I could hear them escaping their chairs quickly and bounded after me as I went to a mahogany desk in front of a large window. There was a row of wooden storage units behind the desk in the corner with a couch and coffee table taking up the space opposite. The rest of the room was bare. I decided that I would decorate it to how I found fit.

I went to sit down at my desk in the high back chair and went to plug in my laptop and shoving it into the corner of the desk. The two receptionists stood in the middle of the room nervously. Their hands were nervously folded in front of them and looked down at their feet.

"Look up at me," I said, resting my chin on the palm of my hands. They did as I bid them. "Am I really that scary?"

"We didn't know what to expect of you," the one with the red hair explained, seeming to be the most talkative of the pair.

"What are your names?" I asked as I watched them glance expectantly at each other.

"Audrey," the red head said.

"Melinda," the brown haired one said quietly.

"Melinda," I said. "I need you to be more confident. I can't have a quiet receptionist working for me." She gave me a faint smile. "We have a meeting in fifteen minutes in which I will be explaining what I will be expecting from you all but I thought that I would talk to the both of you first, as I will expecting something a little…different from you two."

"Like what, madame," Audrey said, interested.

"Like you not calling me madame," I replied as Audrey flushed. "We are all friends here, are we not?" When I didn't get a reaction from either of them, I continued. "You are to call me Nicole. I won't take any of this formal shit. I want to create a professional yet casual environment. I want you to come to work because you enjoy it, not because you are paid to come here. You understand."

They nodded with Audrey saying, "Is there any requirements that you wish to have us complete before you attend work…Nicole?"

This made me smile as I said, "No. I'll grab my own coffee as I come into work in the morning and I only live about a ten minute walk away."

"Are you sure that you don't want a car to pick you up?" Audrey asked, shocked.

"No, I am quite capable of walking here in the morning," I said. "I used to be of you guys before I got this position of mine and I want to treat you as my equals. I want to travel like you do. I am no different and I want to be treated no different."

"As you wish," Audrey said with a faint smile.

My eyes flicked to Melinda, who had remained quiet throughout the entire exchange. I was about to say something to her when the receptionist that showed me about the floor entered my office and stood beside Audrey.

"Everyone has convened in one of the meeting rooms," she said.

"Alright, lets go," I said, getting up from my seat and walking across the room. The three receptionists followed me. I walked close to Melinda and whispered to her and to her only. "I'm going to have to let you go."

"On what grounds?" Melinda said, finally perking up at the threat of losing her job.

"Okay, I won't fire you," I replied as I was lead to one of the meeting rooms. "But all I know is that you won't having the job you currently have anymore. I noticed there was a free desk out here in the 'bull pen' as they call it. Find one, because its yours."

Audrey and the front desk receptionist followed me into the meeting room where I was to address all the staff that was employed by Dominance London. Melinda, however, stood outside the room with a distraught expression upon her face. She looked like she was about to cry.

I did feel a bit bad for what I had just done to her, but she was definitely too quiet for my taste and I needed someone with a bit more spunk acting as my receptionist. Someone like Audrey and I had the perfect person who would replace her.

_________________________________________________________________

"I can't believe you're doing this," Criss said as I Skyped her from my laptop at the offices. "Missy's going to kill you."

"She's not managing this office, I am," I replied, taking a sip of tea that Audrey had made for me. "I have control over this office and it's not like she can control everything I do from a completely different country."

"Still, she's a bat shit crazy woman along with a crazy one," Criss said. "She's going to really get into you for re-hiring me."

"I'll deal with her when she gets here on Friday," I said, another question coming to my mind as I said that. "Which reminds me…when is the soonest you can get here?"

"I can leave now, if you wanted me to," she said, shifting excitedly in her seat.

"Then do that," I replied. "Because only God knows that I need you here for support."

"Thanks for this, by the way," Criss said, really showing her thankfulness. "I really appreciate it."

"I can see that," I said, looking up from my computer to see Tom hovering into the room studying its contents. "Just get your ass over here as soon as you can. I have client right now so I can't talk for much longer."

"Ooh, give me a glimpse before you hang up," Criss said as I shifted my computer around so that she caught a glimpse of Tom approaching me.

She screamed just as I closed the lid of my computer. Tom looked to me expectantly, eyebrow raised. I smiled to him as I spun my computer back around and standing up from my seat.

"What was that about?" he questioned me as I made my way over to him and pecked him on the lips.

"That was Criss," I said, ushering Tom over to the couches to the side of the room. "She used to work for the New York office like I did but I'm dragging her over to work for me now."

I drained the rest of my tea before walked over to Tom with a notepad and paper I retrieved from one of the draws in my desk. I took a seat next to Tom, cornering myself in the couch as Tom slid closer and closer to me.

"That doesn't explain the screaming," he said, sliding his arm across the back off the couch and behind me.

"She's your biggest fan," I said, preparing myself to take some notes but clearly Tom had other things in mind when he slid his hand up my leg before resting it dangerously close to that area of my body. "Do you mind if we get down to business."

"I don't think we're thinking of the same…business," he said, pressing his body close to the side of mine. I looked down, feeling the tingling sensation return to my body. "You look so attractive in my shirt."

I gave a small laugh at this. His shirt was massive on me and almost reached down to my knees. I had tied a thick belt just underneath my bust to try and make it look like I was just wearing an over sized shirt but I don't think it fooled anyone -- especially Tom, whom the shirt belonged too.

He slowly began to pull at my belt, untying it as his nose traced patterns about my face. His sweet breath rolled over my features like waves and sending a glorious amount of emotion through me.

I took a haggard breath before I said, "No, Tom. Not here."

"When will I ever get to feel you skin to skin?" he whispered in my ear as I tried to find something to focus to help me stop shaking from the emotional roller coaster Tom was sending me on. "I deign feel you pressed against me without this blockage clothes."

Without thinking, I said, "I wanted it to be a present. I didn't just want it to happen because it could."

I heard him give a low, grumbling laugh that someone like his character Loki would have given. When I glanced over to Tom, he had this dark expression that I could not describe. It was beautifully dark and it drew me in like a moth is to light. I had to hold myself back from kissing him. I was at work and could not afford a scandal on the first day.

"And I think that could be the best birthday present anyone could give me."