Obsession (Dark!AndyBarber AU)

-5-

"Do I look ok?" Fliss came out of her room and showed Steph, what was probably the fifth outfit she'd changed into, being undecided between whether they showed too much or made her look unprofessional.

"I still think all the others were fine". Steph shrugged as she poured herself some coffee. "But you look professional, trust me, Mr Barber cares about how you work, not whether you're wearing the latest fashion".

Fliss sighed. "I just want to make an impression, I can't afford to fuck this up. If I don't pass my probation then I'm gonna have no job whatsoever". It was make or break.

"He gave you a job, clearly you made an impression". Steph pointed out and let out a satisfied sigh as she took a sip of her coffee. "God I needed this...so what time you gotta leave? You have enough time to have some pancakes?"

She felt her stomach turn at the thought of food. "Ugh, I don't think I could eat anything to be honest. I wanna be early anyway so I think I'd better go" Checking her watch and seeing it was 8:15am.

"Have a nice daaaay!, Break a leg!" Steph called as Fliss headed down the hallway.

"What!"

"I said have a nice day and yeah, ok maybe not physically break a leg but yeah!"

Fliss simply rolled her eyes and closed the door, heading outside and making the journey to work.

Andy sat in his office, sipping his coffee that Heather had just brought into him and looking over some emails. Glancing at the clock he noted that it was almost 9 am, and his new assistant would be here at any moment.

He'd spent most of his weekend trying to get thoughts of Felicity from his head, but it was only something that could be tamed from seeing her in the flesh.

A knock came on his door and Heather walked in. "The new girl is here Mr Barber".

"Thanks Heather. Tell her to come right in".

Andy sat back as Fliss was shown in, and smiled. "Good morning Miss Sheridan".

"Good morning Mr Barber". She smiled shyly at him.

He gestured for her to take a seat. "First off, I wanna apologise if you were hoping to stay longer at the grocery store".  Yeah right, like she'd ever wanted to do that judging from the interview last week.

She smirked at this, "if anything I'm grateful you needed me earlier than planned".

He made a pained face. "Would it be awful of me if I said that I didn't? I could tell that you didn't wanna work there for much longer, so I pulled a few strings".

Felicity shifted slightly on her chair. "You really didn't have to, but thank you. I just hope I won't let you down".

"I don't believe for a second you will, anyway you're all set up on the system. I'll quickly show you to your desk and take you through it".

"Thank you sir".

Sir.

Well that certainly had sparked something from within.

Getting up he gestured for her to follow and walked out to where her desk would be located it was just outside across from his office, within his view of course. Now he'd be able to admire her constantly from the sanctuary of his office.

"Let me just get you logged on". He leant across and typed in her login. "I've put the number in your drawer but if you wanna change it then it's up to you - okaaaaaay...." He drew out while waiting for the screen to load. All of my contacts are in an address book on here . Names, numbers, emails". He pulled up the menu, "here's my diary for the year, you can just add or delete anything when I confirm..."

Felicity looked up at his side profile that was in her eye-line. He honestly did look handsome from any angle. Part of her wondered what it would be like looking down onto him...

No. She had to focus. It was the first day and now time to learn, well, everything?

"What times do you take your coffee, Mr Barber?" She asked, having noted that he was drinking some as she walked in.

He raised a brow. "Very observant. Usually first thing when I get in, sometimes mid morning and then another during the afternoon depending".

Fliss now took a pen and noted it down on a sticky note. "And do you take milk or sugar?"

"Just milk".

She now saw him watching her with interest, and shrugged. "I want to get it right", and now looked a little embarrassed".

"Fliss..." he sat himself on the edge of her desk. "You'll never get everything right, no one does, even me sometimes. Just relax. Anyway today and tomorrow are a chance to ease you in, get used to the systems, where everything is, how things work - you've got this".

She wanted to melt.

"Just...first day nerves". Now admitting this quietly before wishing that she hadn't.

"We've all had them at some point, anyway I need to prepare for a meeting, but if you need anything then Heather is n the front desk, she can help you out".  He slid off the desk and looked at her. "Can I get you coffee before I leave you?"

Fliss chuckled, "oh, no I'm fine. I'm just gonna see how to use what and pray that I don't delete all the dates in your diary".

He now laughed, scratching the back of his neck. "You'd probably be making my life easier, but please don't".

"Noted - don't delete diary". She said slowly as she wrote it on another sticky note and stuck it to the monitor. "Ok, I'm good".

"You sure?"

"Positive".

Andy grinned, shoving his hands into his pockets which caused his jacket to be pushed back, exposing his shirt. Fliss could tell that he worked out, maybe he jogged, but either way he seemed in good shape. 

"Alright. I'll come see how your doing when I'm finished with the usual business". He winked at her again and headed back into his office.

Fliss watched him settle himself back down at his desk and then turned back to the screen in front of her.

"You've got this Fliss...it's just like stacking shelves...I think..." she muttered.

Suddenly the phone rang next to her and Fliss stared at it in horror.

Shit.

She picked it up quickly. "Andy Barber's assistant...office! Mr Barber's office..." she now cursed herself inside while feeling defeated already.

Maybe this was going to be harder than she'd first anticipated.