The Black Siren

Chapter One

Aiyana stared dejectedly at the paper in her hand. The red inked 'Rejected' sprawled across her transfer paperwork tore a hole into her stomach, and she felt like she was going to be sick. She closed her eyes, and took a slow breath in through her nostrils, holding it for a long moment. There was no reasoning written on the rejection, she'd looked it over three times trying to figure out why the hell her request had been turned down. It made no logical sense, she'd been told by HR that it wouldn't be a big deal to switch to a different hero in the agency. That really the only reason it would be denied was if the hero in question requested the intern to remain with them for some reason.

Aiyana scoffed. There was no way in fuck Dawn Breaker had requested for her to stay with him. The man could barely stand to look at her, let alone have her as his intern. He treated her like a gopher rather than a sidekick or hero in training, if he spoke to her at all. She stared out the large bank of windows in Dawn Breaker's downtown penthouse, watching the tendrils of the sun start to rise along the horizon. Six months she'd dealt with barely concealed venom from this man, this hero she had looked up to for years. To the media, fans, hell even villains he was the epitome of the charming All American boy, but to Aiyana..she might as well have been gum in his hair, or a bug in his drink.

The sound of someone clearing their throat from the entrance of the living room drew Aiyana out of her thoughts. Her eyes darted quickly over to the sound, landing immediately on Garret, his face twisted in a disappointed scowl. "Where is my coffee," he bit out in a soft growling tone.

Aiyana jumped and scrambled toward the kitchen island where she'd set the drink carrier that held his preferred coffee order from the specific coffee place on the other side of town from where she lived. She always got up around four AM to make sure that she was able to get the coffee to the penthouse before he woke up and to make sure it was still hot and ready when he did. Aiyana grabbed the one marked with his order and lifted it out of the carrier. Garrett still stood at the entrance of the room, his shoulder propped against the door frame. It was evident he had just rolled out of bed. His usually perfectly groomed blonde hair was tousled, but in an almost artful way, those piercing blue-green eyes looked her up and down slowly as if he were scrutinizing her choice of clothing.

Aiyana had chosen to wear a pencil skirt of black pinstripes with a soft cream blouse tucked in, she'd made sure that the skirt reached to her knees, and hid most of her black stocking clad legs. She had chosen a pair of black and white pumps that were low enough for her to move quickly, but still gave her five foot eight frame some height. Her soft black curls were swept back into a low slung bun, with a few pieces framing her face. She had decided on the small square shaped glasses in teal and subtle cheetah print, which did nothing to hide the wide brown eyes, small nose, and full lips.

Garrett's eyes narrowed and he snapped his fingers before holding his hand out for his coffee cup. Aiyana blinked and then bolted forward, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor as she crossed the expanse between them at a decent clip. She slowed when she was nearly arms length from him, and held the cup out to him. He snatched it from her hand with a soft noise of disgust, before taking a slow sip. His jaw flexed as he pulled it from his lips, and scowled.

"It's cold," he sneered.

He held the cup out toward her, as if expecting her to take it from him instantly, and released his grip. Aiyana squealed in surprise, lifting her hand up to try and grab the cup before it tumbled to the floor, but she was too late. It hit the marble and splattered everywhere, across her shoes, her skirt, some on her blouse. The liquid was hot when it rushed across her legs and stockings. Garrett had somehow managed to avoid getting splattered with the hot liquid, and now stood smirking at her ruined attire. In the chaos, Aiyana had dropped the paperwork she had been holding in her other hand, and it soaked up some of the sweet liquid. Garret's eyes flickered to the document, reading it briefly, before his gaze lifted back to her face.

"Giving up are ya," he asked in a cold, clipped tone. "A pity they denied it, huh?" He chuckled, and it was not a pleasant one. The sound caused her to shudder, and then frown. "You could always quit the hero business entirely. It's not like you could go to another agency, they wouldn't accept such an incompetent intern, especially one with such a tainted reputation. And you know they would come to me to ask about how you perform. And I'd have to tell them the truth." He pushed himself away from the wall. "Clean up the mess, I am going to shower. And get me an actual hot cup of coffee."

Aiyana watched as he turned and retreated into the depths of the penthouse, as she felt the prick of tears touching the corners of her eyes. No! She would be damned if the bastard saw her cry. She felt her feet slide in her heels, and took a deep breath, kicking them off one at a time before she went about cleaning up the mess he had made. She had to hurry to change and get a new cup of coffee before he was ready for the day. Before they started the press tour for the day. All 37 public appearances.

She was thankful she had packed the black dress for dinner with her father in the car, she could change into that, and add the blazer she'd picked up from dry cleaning on the way in. She even had a pair of spare heels to go with the black dress, they were a bit higher than the other ones, but at least she'd have something to wear.

That Evening...