Drunk on your lips

2.

Milo didn't even try to get along with her fellow colleagues, she knew right away they weren't interesting enough to get her curious about themselves. The only thing they shared was unhealthy competitiveness. Sean was trying by all means to downgrade Milo and Candace, a crude and filthy flown, disgracious and misogynistic, barely classified as speech, was coming out of his mouth non stop, for only one purpose: to discourage and distract his competition. Closely followed by Stephen, who had the brilliant and dazzling idea to embody his fellow energumen's philosophy.

However, this wasn't disturbing Milo at all. She was giving all of herself to Johanna's files, devouring her silhouette every time she would leave her office. She always had the strange feeling that the staring and the complicity was mutual, but she didn't wanted to give it too much thoughts yet.

The junior figured out that every first Tuesday of the month was meeting day. She spectated it without a word, coming to the conclusion that the man at the end of the table, dressed in a very fine grey suit, sculpting his body and following his movements with grace, was probably the main associate she was working for. He was manipulating a silver pen that got all of the young woman's attention without her realizing it.

Lenny ended up noticing the bright greens eyes set on him this entire time, stopped playing with his pen and start looking harshly back at her. Slow seconds were running out before her eyes got back up on his cold expression. Unexpectedly, she didn't avoid eyes contact, didn't blush awkwardly, no shy no fear, just her neutral and usual face. Emotionless. She even kept staring at him, more like a game, provoking. A game she wasn't really aware of the possible consequences yet.

Meeting ended eventually, forcing them to put a term to their contest, their silent speech. Lenny left the room first, expecting, once again, action from his new junior. But she didn't chase him, run after him, or try to talk to him to introduce herself. She simply got back at work, ignoring him as much as he was ignoring her. Maybe no one told her she was his junior. He was heading to his office when Johanna called him out.

"- Have you met your new junior already?

- Black and short hair girl?

- Yes, her name is Mindy...

- Yeah, saw her.

- But did you talk to her.

- No.

- Come on, you promised me to take a junior under your wing this year! I took the best one, just for you, you could get out of your comfort zone for once.

- I don't see the point. She looks arrogant, and you are bothering me. Student are too much down to earth, it's almost painful to work with them.

- You could be surprised..."

He didn't let her finish her sentence, entering his office and closing the door right behind him. Johanna was tempted to follow him in the intimacy of the walls, however he didn't seem in a very good mood today.

Milo was barely sat when she saw Mister Shaw getting out of his office, coming straight to her. A silence swallowed the entire open space at this very moment. The temperature felt like dropping few degrees bellow. He laid down a huge beige file on her desk. She didn't even bother to stand up out of respect. She just looked at him with her challenging look on her face. The disrespect he was witnessing put him in a silent rage. He pronounced sharply "for Friday" before disappearing again.

Friday. Milo had a little bit more than three days ahead of whatever she was supposed to do with this file. Almost impossible. Everyone surrounding her started gossiping, stunned and astounded. She didn't mind and grabbed her new task and started reading slowly the first pages, upsetting her colleagues around with her calm and arrogance.

It was time for her to prove that she was better than everyone else. Her arrogance was justified and she was proud of it. No one could work as fast as her at her grade. Her determination was on point, she was not about to let a man humiliates her this way.

She left work quite late this evening, and all other evenings this week. Lenny could clearly seen she would stay late and wonder if she was just trying to show off for him to notice how hard working she is supposed to be, so the next day he left early and them came back later on to see if she was still at her desk.

It was a little bit past 8pm and Lenny discovered an empty desk even if all of her belongings was still there. He then followed the corridor to his office, and got a glimpse of what was going on in the cafeteria. He couldn't help himself and enjoyed the sight of the young woman dancing on an inaudible music that was beating in her headphones. Her hips were moving for a side to another, sensually, letting her clothes follow every movement, magnifying her body and every curves. He harshly withdrawn himself of this beautiful show before she notices him and locked himself up in his office trying to whip down this memory of her.

***

Milo almost had a sleepless night on Thursday evening, but she had to perfected the case again and again. As she liked to say, if it was easy, it would not be as enjoyable. The lack of sleep and the overdose of caffeine put her in an overactive mindset, overanalyzing everything around her, exhausting her even more, but making her feel everything like a feather on an overstimulated skin. The adrenaline would pump in her veins harder and harder, pushing her into her cravings for luxuriousness.

Mister Shaw did not show up that day. As Milo was eager to leave the firm to meet Leighton and their cabaret night show, she even had the intention on inviting Johanna.

She decided to let herself in his office to put her file on his desk. It was her first time penetrating this vast room, two of the walls were full windows, offering an incredible view on the skyscrapers of New York City and sunset. The warmth of the evening golden light was defining a nice living room made of sofas and coffee table; the other half of the room was dedicated to a massive desk and shelves, full of books but empty of anything personal.

"As interesting as its owner" thought ironically Milo. She took few steps in her black stilettos and their bright red sole, along with transparent black tights, with the singularity of a black line coming up her ankles to her calves and back of thighs, ending up hidden under her black velvet skirt. A white shirt was completing the outfit in a classic but elegant way.

She walked straight to the desk, not rushing, confident in her steps, and bent over the to black leather armchairs facing the desk, and dropped delicately her file on the wood before turning around and ending up at fifteen centimeters from Lenny's face. She didn't hear him entering and coming up to her and was now stuck between him and the furnitures. She startled, astounded by his venue and their closeness. Her clumsiness almost made her sit on the desk, to avoid falling back on him.

His face was close, very close... too close. But she didn't look away and kept her eyes locked in his. Lenny stayed quiet and simply and ask for the file with a hand movement toward her, forcing her to turn around to take it back and hand it to him. For finally stepping out and reaching his chair in which he sat quietly, reading the audit on the first page, right in front of where Milo laid the case earlier on. He was mocking her and humiliating her openly.

"- You just did the most stupid thing.

- Which is?

- Giving your absolute 100% on the first ask I'm assigning you.

- Why is it stupid?

- Because for now on, I'm going to expect the exact same quality of work every time and you won't be able to meet that expectation.

- I disagree. I always put the same effort in my work and the same quality, you'll never have something less than what you have in hand.

- That's pretentious. And arrogant. And I hope you can still do better than that, added Lenny with an ounce of meanness while throwing the paper on the table."

She did not respond to that. He then pointed out the doors with his chin, indicating her that she could leave. She obeyed without reluctance. She felt so irritated by his rude behavior. He felt so superior to her, for now, and she was about to show him who is dealing with. The new competition was on and he had for the first time a competitor inside his own walls. She will erase his fucking name off the front door.

She headed to Johanna's office who accepted the invitation with great pleasure.