Fierce

Chapter 2

Lincoln lounged on one of the office room waiting chairs. He was patiently waiting and admiring the tastefully decorated space when the elevator doors pinged open, revealing two women. Georgiana Abel and (from the notebook she carried) one of her assistants, he presumed. He didn't look away, and thankfully, both women were too engrossed in a murmured conversation to notice him at all.

Georgiana was still dressed in her black gown from last night, and had the look of woman who had been thoroughly loved. Her hair was slightly mussed, and hung in thick brown waves down her shoulders. Her makeup was gone, but her lips were a swollen red.

Gorgeous.

And then she laughed at whatever her assistant was saying, and sent her such a sincere smile...and then? Then she was beyond gorgeous.

His brow furrowed. The woman who he had seen last night was not the same woman, and he was having difficulty reconciling the two. This woman was very different to the steely, immaculately presented woman of the night before.

She disappeared into her office, followed by her assistant. He resolved himself to sit quietly until he was summoned. Five minutes later though, the décor (however luxurious) became boring, and he pulled out his phone. Angry Birds ought to distract him from his churning stomach.

*

He looked up from his phone at the sound of a small cough.

"Hello? Mr Holt? I didn't notice you come in. I hope we haven't kept you waiting long!"

"Not at all. I was slightly on the early side."

She relaxed. "Oh excellent. We love punctual people, so you're already an A++! Well now, um - my name is Charlotte, everyone calls me Charly, and I am Ms Abel's Personal Assistant and I'm here to welcome you to the company, welcome, and let you know that Ms Abel is ready to see you now."

Lincoln was a bit thrown. She was quite an extraordinary choice for a PA. Not exactly professional; she wasn't the least bit interested in formalities, spoke at a million miles and hour and she seemed totally scatter brained. Even her clothing choices were questionable – she wore a purple silk blouse with tiny white skull and cross bones, tucked into a high waisted black skirt and towering fluoro pink heels. Her white blonde hair was even tipped in pink. He blinked at her.

"...best for us to hurry, I think. Ms Abel definitely doesn't like to be kept waiting. Especially not on a Saturday."

She was already walking away, so he collected himself quickly and stood to follow her; cursing himself for missing what she was saying about the upcoming appointment. Linc wondered what he would find waiting for him, and the element of unknown made him slightly nervous. Would she be as relaxed as he saw her this morning...or would the tight-lipped glass queen return?

Charlotte opened the door, and gestured for him to enter Georgiana's office. He nodded his thanks and walked into the room.

Georgiana Abel was seated behind a massive mahogany desk, tapping away at a triple screen computer set up (which must have cost a fortune – and taken some serious coordination adjustments). Upon his entry, she stood and took off her glasses, placing them next to her coffee cup on the desk in front of her.

It was the glass queen that greeted him. Georgiana wore a grey suit dress with black spiked heels, hair swept into a sleek low pony and red lips back in place. There was no sign of the bed hair. Or the smiles.

He was suddenly quite nervous.

"Good morning Mr Holt," she offered him her hand to shake. "Please take a seat."

He took her tiny hand in his and let it go quickly, thinking of his sweaty palms and trying to avoid her revulsion. He covered his unsatisfactory handshake with a cough and sat down quickly.

"Quite an assistant you've got there, Ms Abel. She's um...unorthodox?" He gave an awkward laugh that died an awkward death when he saw her bristle in defence of her PA. That was his greeting?? He meant it in jest, and spoke out of nerves; but as soon as the words came out he wished he could stuff them back in.

"Unorthodox?" she bit frostily. "Charlotte is the most capable, reliable, brilliant PA I've ever had – so I find myself able to make exceptions for her quirks."

"I meant no offense," he supplied stiffly, and attempted to justify himself. "All I meant was that she's not exactly a normal professional, is she? You must agree that she could be more formal when greeting prospective clients."

"Are you counselling me on how to run my business, Mr Holt? Because if you are, this meeting is going to go downhill from here."

He wiped his hands on his pants. Jesus this woman was fierce.

Shut your mouth you stupid prick! Linc had no idea what was happening. What the hell was wrong with him? God why was he even here? He had already dug himself a very comfy hole, and he knew he would leave this meeting cursing himself. He was already cursing himself!

Okay, damage control: don't argue. Just shut up. He cleared his throat, "no, ma'am."

Finally, she was somewhat mollified – and she took a seat. "Excellent. Let's proceed then. Why did you make this meeting? On a Saturday."

Her displeasure rolled off her in waves.

It was definitely going to be downhill from here.