ruin, rinse, repeat (verso x reader)

by quartzviolet

Summary:

the dessendre group. a large conglomerate run by the grieving dessendre family who lost their youngest child, alicia, in a tragic house fire. since alicia's death, aline and renoir have been trying to grow their wealth and power, sending their surviving children on business ventures, verso and clea, in their stead.

you expect that since the dessendre group recently acquired the company you work for, a big overhaul will happen.
what you didn't expect is to fall for their son, verso.
and verso didn't expect he'd fall harder.

Chapter 1: prologue

23rd of December, 2023:

"…Alicia Dessendre, youngest daughter of the Dessendre Group, has tragically died in a house fire accident that consumed almost half of the family's mansion in the 16th arrondissement. Reports state that Alicia had died immediately in the fire, however their son, Verso Dessendre, who attempted to rescue her, still remains in critical condition at the…-"

The TV cuts to a different channel, maman sighing as a trashy soap drama begins to play.
"It's all that has been on the news for the last few hours. It's too depressing." She sighs.
"I, for one, do not give a shit about rich people. So what? Everyone dies. At least she got to die in a mansion, the Dessendre's are a stupid level of old money rich." Your brother, Claude rolls his eyes.
"Claude. It's not as simple as that. Have some empathy. She died at 16, which is so young… And she didn't choose to be born into that family. We can say the rich are shitty assholes, but it doesn't mean we bring their innocent children into it." Papa chides.
"Okay, yeah, whatever… Still fuckin' hate rich people though." Claude states.
"Understandable, mon chou. But empathy is something more valuable than riches, and it cannot be bought. Don't forget that." Maman reminds Claude.

The thin stainless steel fork pressed against your palm uncomfortably as you pushed the cold, shrivelled peas around your plate.
"Darling, you've barely eaten. Is everything ok?" Maman asks, her brows knitted together in concern.
"H-Huh? Yeah, just… Nervous about starting the new position tomorrow." You exhale.
"It's a massive achievement, though. We're all very proud of you - a team lead is a title that is usually earned after a very long time, being so young and earning such a position is wonderful." Papa compliments, and you smile.
"Well, the company is so small, it wouldn't happen if we weren't." You try to downplay the compliment.
"At least the pay will be great - you can finally afford to purchase that apartment you've been saving up for so long too!" Maman smiles softly.
"Very true." You smile, your fork making a soft clatter as you place it down.

 

Chapter 2: farewell

"W-We're going under!?" You exclaim, heart instantly dropping to the pit of your stomach.

"Yes and no… We were going to go under with the rise in AI. I mean, this business was built on the backs of humans, not computers. We refuse to change that as it violates our ethos, however other businesses cannot afford artists and graphic designers in this economy." Maria sighs.

"O-oh god… So are we all…?" You cross your arms against your chest tightly, hoping the pressure steadies your rapidly beating heart.

"No - no. Just me - it's about time I retire anyway. I'm not getting any younger and I've always wanted to see the world…" Maria's brown eyes dart wistfully to the window briefly, before settling on yours again.

"So I'll be keeping my position?" You ask, chewing on your bottom lip in anticipation.

"Yes, Envisager will function as normal, subject to the changes that the Dessendre group make." Maria nods.

"Wait, so we're getting bought out? By the Dessendre group?" Your eyes widen a little.

"They made the best offer and aligned with our ethics the best - Envisager is still profitable, however as times and technology have changed, I simply cannot keep up, and I'm getting tired. I know when to hang my coat up." Maria says solemnly.

"…You're the best boss I've ever had. Please don't forget that, Maria." You smile softly at her, and she returns a big grin in turn.

"I'm so glad I made you team lead. I know you'll do great things and work excellently with the new CEO to make the best decisions possible." Maria reassures.

 

The four week period rolled around faster than you thought. In a little brasserie, the upper floor shone with brilliant amber lights and shook with laughter.
"To Maria!" You shout, raising your champagne glass, the pale-wheat colour liquid ever so slightly sloshing with the motion of your hand as everyone mimicked the movement.
"To Maria!" The rest of the team echoed back, and on the very rare occasion, you watched Maria shed a tear.

"I cannot believe we actually got bought out. Well… It could've been worse. She could've just shut everything down and we'd all have to scramble for new jobs in this shitty economy." Sciel guffaws, taking a long sip of her champagne. "Ahhh. The taste of being bought by Dessendre group is pretty sweet." She adds in a joking tone.

"I looked at their track record extensively over the last few weeks as soon as word got out that we were bought by them. Honestly? It was the most ideal situation, they've got a lot of connections and they've pivoted businesses like ours before. In my opinion, I believe the new CEO will be one of their children. Aline and Renoir - their parents, are the bigwigs, but they'd never embark on such tasks. They've been handing out these opportunities to their kids instead." Lune chimes in.

"Ohhh, really? I hope we get Clea. I read some interview with her on Paris Post a while back - she seems to run a tight ship and she gets shit done. I like that in a woman." Sciel wiggles her eyebrows and widens her eyes for dramatic effect.

"It could also be Verso Dessendre - I heard Clea takes on the slightly bigger projects. And Verso took a while to recover from that whole fire incident." Lune notes, as if she had studied the Dessendre line like they were a semester final.

"Shame… If it was Clea I'd be swooning." Sciel jokes.

"Whichever person it is, Clea or Verso, ugh, I just hope they're not snobby little rich kids making out of touch changes. Because it's me that has to deal with all of that." You pinch the bridge of your nose, imagining the headache you'd have arguing with someone's entitled, out of touch, rich child.

"Ugh, true. Good luck." Lune gently claps you on the shoulder in jest.

"I'll probably need it…" You groan, taking another long sip of champagne.

 

---

 

"Merde… My fucking head…" You groan as your alarm blares from your phone. Smacking the snooze button, you pull your linen duvet over your head, relishing in the cold, dark comfort of your bed for another 5 minutes. The weekend went by much too fast for your liking.

Black heeled boots clicking on the uneven cobblestone, threatening to throw you off kilter. You head towards the big glass building, ripping your lanyard from your bag as you scan through the gates and head into the elevator.
Impatiently - as is your usual fashion, as soon as the doors opened, you began to repeatedly slam your finger against the 'close' button, tapping your foot on the floor.
As the doors begin to close, you hear a voice call out.
"Yeah, whatever…" You whisper to yourself, folding your arms and stepping back. As you do, a hand shoves between the doors, triggering the sensor. You inwardly groan in annoyance.

"Apologies." A man with jet black wavy hair and an interesting white streak on one side of his hair. His eyes were a striking pale blue - so pale they almost seemed iridescent, but what was even more eye-catching was the faint vertical scar that traversed from the top of his eyebrow, almost down to the middle of his cheek, intersecting with his eye. Despite the obvious scar and the unconventional streak which others may perceive as a flaw, the man was devtastingly handsome. The 'once in a generation' type of handsome, and it was kind of blinding to look at.

"No, honestly my fault. I didn't really hear and I'm desperate to use the toilet." You truthfully admit, smiling sheepishly.

"It's okay, I would probably do the same." He crosses his arms and chuckles a little, and you note how deep his voice is. You also note that he is not pressing another floor's button. In no way…

"Guess we're both going to the same floor then, but I've never seen you around." You comment, trying to sneakily confirm your suspicion.

"Ah yep - first day on the job." He nods. So this man is probably Verso Dessendre, the new CEO.

"Oh… You're Maria's replacement then?" You ask in a tentative tone.

"That would be me. Correct." He replies, and you notice he's a man of few words. His tone isn't rude or flippant, his replies are just short. Borderline curt.

"I see." You nod, as the doors open and you both begin to walk.

"So you are…?" Verso asks, trailing off. You give him your name as you pull out your lanyard again.

"And you?" You ask him as you scan your tag to deactivate the office security, quickly punching in the alarm code. The grey silicone buttons feel particularly mushy under the pad of your index thumb today.

"The name's Verso." Verso replies. You already know that, but you nod and pretend it's the first time you've heard of his name anyway.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Verso." You nod in acknowledgement as the fluorescent lights flicker to life.

 

---

 

"So it is Verso then. Dammit." Sciel pouts playfully, stabbing her wooden fork into her caesar salad.

"I wish it wasn't, but not for the same reasons as Sciel. Verso doesn't really do interviews nor does he have a lot of media coverage on him… He's harder to predict in terms of what he might do." Lune taps her chin, deep in thought.

"He seems… Fine? I guess? He's been inside his office since this morning when the day started. He doesn't talk much, if anything." You shrug.

"Weeell, I did stalk your calendar. Keep us updated on how your meeting with him at the end of the day goes." Lune lowers her volume by a few decibels to avoid being overheard in the cafe, just in case anybody from work is nearby.

"Since we haven't seen him much, I'm going to assume it's okay. I feel like if he were a massive asshole, he would've caused a scene by now." You deduce.

"Maybe, but also you know how these kinds of people are. They might just make some quiet, subtle changes, and before you know it… They replace us all with their own cronies and such." Sciel sighs.

"As team lead, no fucking way would I let that happen to you guys. No. Fucking. Way." You reassure them. You look down at your watch and gasp. "Shit - gotta go, I've got a meeting about that mural in the community arts district with the local council." You add, bidding them goodbye.

 

The rest of your way day goes by in a blink. You stare at your online calendar, the little red bar hovering just above the little blue block titled 'CEO and team lead meeting'. You sigh, packing your items before walking over to the door.

It felt weird approaching the door, knowing that Maria was no longer going to be in there. You softly knock, and hear a muffled "come in" from the other side.

Stepping in, the first thing you notice is the deep warm and wooden tones. It didn't feel cold or unapproachable, but it felt darker, moodier… More intense. He must've made these changes rather quickly over the weekend.

"Hello again." You greet, striding over as Verso gestures to a chair facing his large oakwood executive desk. That was also new. Maria loved the light and bright scheme - she was all about pops of colour, sheer white curtains, and birch wood tones. It's like Verso almost inverted the place.

"Hi - take a seat." He greets, clicking off his computer for a moment.

"So… Did you have anything in particular you wanted to discuss?" You begin, kicking your legs crossed underneath your seat.

"Hmm, a few. We'll jump right into it." He says, and you suppress a quirk of your brow. He is nothing like Maria and it sucks. Maria was all about opening with a chat and being genuinely interested in how people are doing - Verso was straight to business, seemingly cut and dry, uninterested in his coworkers. You purse your lips in the hopes that a rude comment doesn't fly out of them.

 

"Sure." You nod.

"So, as we know, AI is taking over plenty of creative's jobs. Envisager is in a very unique situation, where you've all fostered connections with several industries, including the gaming and food industry, alongside local government collaborations. It's a great multi-pronged approach, however, as costs rise, well… It'll get tougher. I say we focus on our niche supplying artistic talent to the gaming and local government industries, but there's so many food packaging businesses that are using AI now, so the field is much less lucrative. I think there's no point and we will pull the plug. Thoughts?" Verso asks. You hold your breath - Sciel was in the midst of securing a deal for a major food chain, if this goes, she'll lose such a huge project…

"Hold off on the food packaging for a moment; we've got someone securing a deal with Bun and Grill, they're a significant food chain and it'll bring a great deal of revenue." You express.

"Bun and Grill are big, but they are not consistent with their partnerships. They could use Envisager today, and another company tomorrow. We need more stable partners." Verso replies.

"I see. However we will lose a few big projects doing this, which can decrease our revenue short term. This is quite risky, you know? At least they should complete those negotiated stints." You reply, feeling a little prickly under the collar now.

"That's another thing, team size is relatively small but there are a few things we can do to up productivity, such as internships." Verso adds, and you barely suppress your sigh.

"That's… Complex. Internship also requires training students to a degree, and we'd not be doing it at an extra cost. Not for the employees who take those students on at least, the money that comes from universities will not be seen by them directly." You argue. He had a good point, but something about his suggestions and turning Maria's office upside down just really seemed to get to you…
"And how would you propose we move forward then, team lead?" Verso asks. Did he just use your title instead of your name…?

"We need all the connections we can get as we transition through this, and our team is so small, I don't think we're equipped to deal with narrowing our scope so suddenly. Instead of internships, we should actually do graduate programs. Build our numbers so that people don't end up in a scope they're not passionate about." You reply, folding your arms.

"That's good, but, we need to think about revenue and how we can keep people paid." Verso says, tapping his fingers against the heavy oakwood surface.

"We're going to cut the ties with a few industries - food and product design first. Internship is good - it's less labour and a good experience for the team. I'll consider your other suggestions at a later point in time." Verso acknowledges, and you feel like combusting into a million pieces across his moody little office.

"Okay… Listen. I understand that this company is in an odd spot and I'm sure you've got plenty of experience, but as team lead, I'm the one on the ground a lot of the time. I've known our employees for years, and they're loyal to this company for a reason. With all due respect, this is a massive, massive jump to something entirely new. You're going to throw them into the deep end without a lifebuoy and it's concerning me." You can't help but blurt out.

"If they're good employees and worth their salt, they can overcome change." Verso quips back.

"Yes but you can't be a good employee if you're not supported well enough! You're only as good as your management." You sigh, trying to calm yourself.

"Perhaps you and Maria have been quite soft - if we don't adapt, we don't overcome. Business is much more brutal than it ever has been in these times." Verso says, and you swear there is a condescending tone in that voice. It's fucking pissing you off.

"But does it matter if we're soft? That's what makes this place good to work for. Sure, we're small. But when you walk into the office, you don't feel like your life force is draining the moment you set foot in here. Increasing revenue is equally as important to show your face and ask your employees how they're doing." You avoid his gaze as you slam your mouth shut after that last sentence.

"Right… Perhaps this meeting didn't go as predicted. I understand that I am making some big changes and they're not what you'd expect. Maybe cool off and we can discuss strategies in future." Verso says, rising from his executive black leather seat and coolly striding towards his door, holding it open for you. You narrow your eyes ever so slightly at him, wordlessly walking out and not glancing back.

 

 

Entitled, ignorant fucking asshole.

Chapter 3: the office window

"Fuckkkkk. Glad you didn't get fired after that." Sciel's hand flies to her mouth as you debrief the girls over coffee at lunch the next day.
"I'm just sorry I couldn't get him to hold off on making the decisions until after you secured the gig with Bun and Grill." You apologise to Sciel. Ever the gentle and kindhearted woman, she shakes her head with a small smile.
"Not your fault, it would've really helped get mine and the companies' name out there a little more, but we'll never know now… You went above and beyond for me and I appreciate it." Sciel reaches over, squeezing your hand reassuringly.
"Well, we just don't know him well, do we? Maybe we've misunderstood him." Sciel pauses.
"He could be dealing with a lot of merger matters. I mean, while he's made some changes that really go against what we know, it's not like they're unforgivable." Lune adds.
"I don't know, it's a slippery slope." You sigh.

"It's hard when we don't really know him and he doesn't really know us at all, right? I didn't see his face once around the office. He's cooped up in there all the time. We need to approach this change carefully…" Lune comments, her eyes beginning to glaze over as you assume she's gone to her 'mind palace' to scheme.
"He's probably just fucking jacking off looking out the office window." You snort.

…

"Ah shit, I'm running late…" Lune taps her foot at the printed.
"You all good?" You ask her, plucking a hot laminated sheet from your fingertips as you quickly drop it onto the table.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Stupid thing keeps jamming. I can come back to it but I've got a meeting in 5." Lune grumbles.
"Go on - I'm laminating stuff, I'll keep an eye on it while you attend." You say, slotting another sheet of paper into the glossy sleeve.
"You're the best." Lune smiles, quickly dashing out of the room.
You're left with only the hum of the laminator machine processing another sheet and the stuttering of the copier. You flick the machine off and walk towards the copier, sighing.
"No wonder it got freaking stuck… Who just shoves sheets in the tray this way?" You whisper to yourself, attempting to pry the jagged stacks of A4 copy paper from the tray. The papers begin to fray as you wrestle and wiggle with it some more, but with some luck…!
"Merde." You groan, paper flying everywhere. You smooth your trousers with your hands as you lower to your hands and knees, attempting to gather the paper that flung everywhere on the floor. In the midst of grappling with all the stray copy paper, you hear footsteps pass the room. Craning your neck ever so slightly, you see him. Verso. Maybe it's a trick of the light or just your tired vision, but you swear you saw him looking at you. Either way, instead of helping, he walks right past the copy room and you hear the door shut. You roll your eyes, muttering another expletive under your breath about the man.

---

Ping. Ping. Ping.
Your office chat suddenly roared to life for the first time since Maria left. You sigh, clicking on the notifications.
'Team Building Evening - Friday. (Invite sent by Verso Dessendre)'. Huh. Maybe he did listen to you, even if it was just a little?
Ping.
'When you have a moment please come see me in my office' (Sent by Verso Dessendre - 4:07pm). Fucks sake.
'Sure, will be over in a moment' you quickly type, shutting your laptop.

You softly rap your knuckles against the door, his low voice hummed in acknowledgement as you opened the door.
"You wanted to see me?" You ask.
"Yeah. We've got a big meeting with a gaming company that I need your attendance on." Verso replies.
"Okay." You reply, unsure of what else to say. Surely that could've been sent as an email?
"Along with this, I've decided you'll be in charge of the internship agreements with a handful of universities." Verso instructs. Fucking asshole.
"Hmm…" You think over your next words carefully.
"Perhaps once you're involved you can see my vision for how this can work. If it's unsuccessful, then we won't do it the following year. As team lead, this role is best suited for you." Verso adds.
"Okay. I trust in your decision and I will facilitate this to the best of my ability." You nod, placing your hands in your lap to fight the urge to throw his stupid name plaque at his stupid head.
"Pleased to hear it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go fucking jack off looking out the office window." Verso almost snarls out his last sentence, and you feel like your heart dropped so fast you've practically just shit it out on the seat.
"…Have fun with that." You can't help but quip back, hoping you didn't give away that you squirmed a little under his intense gaze.

---

"Ha! That's so good. Like, it's actually a miracle he hasn't fired you for that. You're a cat with 9 lives." Claude snorts, flinging his arm around the back of your couch.
"I'm a fucking idiot! Oh my god." You sigh, speeding up the dicing of your onions.
"Careful - you might just take your finger off." Claude warns playfully.
"Shhh, that's the secret ingredient to this meal." You joke, now mindfully slowing down.
"Should be a rich person's finger in there. Eat the rich!" Claude snorts.
"Real. The Dessendre's are like every other rich fucking asshole - he definitely just sees us all as dispensable. I think he's only putting up with my shit because I'm leverage; I keep the company morale up, if I'm replaced too fast, I'm sure it'd all crumble too soon. I probably need to start looking for a new job…" You sigh. You really didn't want to leave.
"Probably. Maybe you can start your LinkedIn influencer career and like, start posting photos of yourself crying or having profound revelations about people living with a disability." Claude jokes.
"Oh my god yes - did you see that one guy who made the post on his LinkedIn who said that talking to a blind woman was 'groundbreaking for his business skills' and that 'people with disabilities are human too'? Fucks sake, talk about patronising and shallow." You spend the early evening babbling even more nonsense with Claude before he heads home after dinner.

Ah shit - tomorrow is the 'team building event' at the bar.

Chapter 4: going to the bar is not a team building activity!

"It's kind of evil that this got held on a Friday evening after work. Feels just like work after work." Sciel comments, and you nod.
"To be fair, we did say that we barely see Verso's face around, so I guess we shouldn't complain." Lune chimes in.
"I'd prefer to see less of his face right now. I feel like that's such a waste of good looking genes, he's impossible to work with." You comment absentmindedly.
"Did you just say he's good looking?" Sciel raises a brow.
"Huh? Like, objectively. Anyone with eyes would agree." You blink owlishly. Sciel and Lune just stare back at you for a moment.
"Like, true, but…" Sciel trails off.
"I'm surprised you'd admit that out loud. You almost never acknowledge when someone is good-looking." Lune finishes.
"Wait - no. That's absolutely not it. At the risk of being overheard again - I'm just saying the personality is a shame when you factor in the looks." You whisper to them both.
"Huh? Overheard again?" Sciel asks.
"Yep... The other day when I made a joke about him looking out the office window and jacking off, he repeated the line back to me, verbatim." You recount with a guilty look plastered on your face.
"Merde, that was stupid." Lune makes a sound that is halfway between a scoff and a chuckle.
"Really stupid - I'm so about to get fired once the dust settles." You groan.
"It's not too late, maybe you could apologise to him about it on Friday? If you're going to get fired, you've got almost nothing to lose if you say sorry." Sciel suggests.
"…Putain. Yeah I suppose." You bite your lip.
"Maybe something like 'sorry for calling you a wanker!' would be good - short and sweet." Sciel jokes.
"Aaaaah! God I'm such a mess." You sigh, burying your head into the cafeteria table as Lune lightly pats your shoulder in comfort.

---

Friday. 4:59pm.
"Maybe I shouldn't go…" You whisper to yourself, wanting to back out of the arrangement, but as team lead, it wouldn't be a good look.
Shrugging on your cardigan, you step out of the building and breathe in the crisp evening spring air and… Oh god, the fuck is that smell?
Which asshole threw up on the side of the street!? Your heels click away from the vile odor - the funky stench from the chuck-up practically acted as smelling salts and made you walk even faster to the bar than you had originally hoped to.

Walking in, you see Lune and Sciel are already perched at the bar. Your eyes scan the room a little more intently, and you notice Verso off to the side with a whisky on the rocks in hand. Typical toxic male manipulator ass drink…
"One gin and tonic, please." You ask the bartender before slotting in between Lune and Sciel.
"Ahhh, long time no see!" Sciel playfully greets.
"So, planning on apologising to him tonight?" Lune asks, taking a sip of her wine.
"Urgh… Yeah just need a drink or two first…" You groan.
"It's like I can see you dragging your feet on this, but like, mentally." Sciel observes.
"I don't wanna apologise to him! I mean I should, but I don't wanna!" You're aware that you sound like a toddler throwing a tantrum at this point.
"It's okay… You're equally as passionate about the company, your perspectives and approaches are just different. And that's ok!" Sciel reassures as the bartender slides your drink over to you.
"That's a very nice way of putting it, I suppose." You shrug, briefly turning back to see that Verso's eyes were already settled on you. You can't help but gulp down another huge swallow of your drink.

As the night went on, the sky quickly turned from dusk to dark, the amber streetlamps lining the Paris streets illuminated the reflections in the windows of the bar.
"You're now two and a half drinks in… Any more in the same hour and you'll just throw up on his shoes. Come on. You've got this, you're a big girl." Sciel encourages you with a playful nudge.
"Yup, okay yup, fine…" You sigh, clutching your drink in hand as you approach Verso sitting in a small group with other employees.
"Heya!" Amelie, one of your coworkers greets.
"Hi! Sorry, just weaving through trying to say hello to everyone before I forget." You smile.
"Oh of course!" Amelie nods.
"Actually, while I've spotted you, Verso… I just need to check something with you about, uh, something." You add, trying your best not to look sheepish.
"Yeah, sure… I'll be back." Verso flashes a small robotic smile to the group as he gets up, wordlessly following you as you both step out onto the secluded balcony. The spring evening air sends a chill up your spine, and you wrap your cardigan around your body a little tighter.

"So, uh… About the other day." You begin, clearing your throat.
"Right." Verso replies, the same unwavering husky and low tone he always uses.
"I'm sorry. You're right. I let my emotions and feelings get the better of me and I carelessly made a harmful comment. I'm sorry." You purse your lips, forcing yourself to stare into his eyes. He blinks. Once. Twice.
"Thank you for acknowledging that." He says, turning away from you as he looks out onto the view of the balcony.
"I'd say you're welcome but that feels… Wrong to say." You awkwardly respond.
"You need to trust that I know what to do to pull this business off the collision course." Verso replies, disregarding your awkwardness.
"…Yeah. I know we're equally passionate about the company but we have different preferred methods. You're at the helm. I shouldn't be like this towards my own team member, especially my own boss. I promise I'll do better going forward." You mimic some of what Sciel said in your response - oh how you loved your emotionally mature friend.

"I appreciate it." Verso replies - dry and disengaged as ever. You try your best to ignore his tone and try to connect with him further to make things less awkward (thank you liquid courage).
"I have a slightly absurd question that isn't related to business whatsoever for you." You ask him, gripping one hand on the balcony railing to hide the fact that you're starting to sway a little in your shoes.
"What is it?" Verso humours you.
"Do you believe in aliens?" You ask, with full serious intent.
"…Huh?" Verso blinks in confusion. For the first time, he looks like he just responded like a normal human being.
"Like, do you believe in aliens? Other forms of life?" You ask him, hoping to get a response that is past the short sentences he typically gives.
"Haha, um… Personally? I think there's no way we live in this vast universe all by ourselves. There is definitely extra-terrestrial life out there." Verso indulges you - maybe it's the few glasses of whisky he had, but he actually indulged your question. For some reason, it made your chest feel a little fluttery, which was weird.
"Right? I often think that maybe they're trying to communicate or they already have, it's just that we might not even see them or pick up on their methods to communicate." You agree. "D'you reckon they'd be bald or have hair?" You add, almost stumbling as you pivot to look at him.
"You're drunk." He scoffs, but he doesn't have a mean bite to his tone. You swear you even saw a flicker of an actual grin.
"You're at least equally as drunk for humouring me on that topic." You chuckle, taking another long sip of your drink before beginning to almost stumble walk off.

---

"You don't seem to be looking over your shoulder too much on this sunny Monday. Seems the apology worked?" Lune notes, and you nod.
"Honestly, I was not that smooth with it though. I updated my resume over the weekend." You reply.
"Really? Did you like, throw your drink in his face after you apologised?" Sciel asks jokingly.
"Might as well have. Maybe I should've talked to him only one drink in. I asked him if he believes in aliens." You take a bite of your sandwich.
"No you didn't." Lune shoots an 'are you serious' look.
"I did…" You reply pathetically.
"That's… Wow. It was nice knowing you." Lune stifles a laugh.
"I mean, I was drunk! He probably was too." You throw your hands in the air.
"You can only hope…" Sciel comments, unscrewing her water bottle and taking a sip.
"Ahhh, it's whatever. If I'm fired, Maria will vouch for my resume anyway. I have a meeting with the man and our stakeholders in 10, so I'm gonna head off." You sigh, packing up your lunch bag.
"Goodbye and good luck!" Sciel waves.

...

The cool metal of your laptop sizzles against the warm skin of your palm, as you push the meeting room door open. Verso was the only other one in the room - indicating both your affinity for being early.
"Oh, no one else is here yet?" You shut the door quietly, staring at the desk. Would it be awkward to sit right next to him? Is it weirder if you sit directly opposite? You could sit on the edge but then you'd be at the head of the table - wait, why isn't he just sitting at the head of the table? That would make things so much easier…
"We're a bit early. You can take a seat on this side of the table." Verso replies, barely glancing your way as he clicks away on his laptop, yet somehow he still reads your mind.
You slide the upholstered chair 1 seat away from Verso and take a seat - not awkward enough that you're sat directly next to each other, but not so far away that it's giving 'you're a leper to me'.
"I didn't realise we'd have a stakeholder meeting so soon. Is there anything you need me to quickly read up on?" You ask.
"No, it's okay. I'll be leading it, I invited you and the other team leads so you all have a firsthand recount of the first meeting, so that we can brainstorm afterwards." Verso replies. You nod.
"…How was your weekend, anyway?" You ask offhandedly, opening your laptop to try and ease the awkwardness. The clock ticks a few times, filling in the silence. Just as you're about to turn away, he replies.
"Spent it mostly recovering from Friday's hangover. I wanted to sleep in, but I have a very demanding dog that likes to wake me up at 5:50am, almost like clockwork." He says, a very small grin tugging at the corner of his mouth as he mentions his dog.
"I didn't know you had a dog!" You gasp excitedly.
"Two, actually. Monoco and Noco. Monoco is the father." Verso explains, his pale blue eyes softening talking about his dogs. You notice very subtle changes in his facial expressions when he's talking about Monoco and Noco. For a moment, it almost seems like Verso is a completely different person. Human.

Before you can get another word in, the door opens and you spot Amelie and Minh - the other team leads. You all exchange a little wave with each other, as more people begin to fill in. As stakeholders arrive and nobody from the team is left, you're forced to shuffle up and sit right next to Verso anyway, making your over-thought seating arrangement completely redundant.
"Thank you everyone for attending this meeting, firstly, I'd like to acknowledge everyone's attendance for the day. This is the first stakeholder meeting to be held since the Dessendre Group's acquisition of Envisager…" Verso begins, and your eyes flicker down, staring at his forearms.
You don't know much about Verso - you're unsure of what he does in his free time, unlike Maria who often talked about her love of marathon running and yoga. But his forearms were objectively large, with defined veins. It makes you wonder what kind of sports he does to have such muscular and large forearms. Your eyes roam over his hands, following the contours of his arm veins until they were hidden by the rolled sleeves at his elbows.
"…Which is why we have taken such an approach. I'd like to extend this opportunity for stakeholders to voice their thoughts, feedback, and concerns." Verso concludes. Ah. You realise you haven't even been listening. Your gaze flicks back to Verso's face in the corner of your vision, before you look towards the stakeholder who began discussing proposed targets and milestones.

…The meeting was admittedly boring as shit, but you forced yourself to listen, as you needed to advocate for your team.

"Alrighty, team-leaders and managers, let's discuss." Verso concludes as the stakeholders had all officially left the room and were escorted out. The main topic of the discussion was the revenue target and how cutting costs is now inevitable. What you weren't prepared for, is how easily almost everybody rolled over to Verso almost immediately, even when you could see in their eyes that they didn't want exactly agree with everything said.
"Sorry, I do have some reservations." You pipe up, as Amelie finishes a sentence praising Verso's decision to skim a small amount of employees.
"Of course." Verso says, leaning his palms back on the desk, arms outstretched. His eyes were practically burning holes into yours as you speak.
"I understand that in order to survive, we need to make cuts. But I'm worried about the sustainability of our workload when we do not have interns to rely on for the smaller tasks, as they will likely be handballed to other employees who will then have increased responsibility, yet their pay remains the same. I think this could drive a lot of our current and reliable team members." You state, and you notice Minh avert his gaze.
"I see your concern; what I would like to do is take on interns and also create a new graduate program. A lot of young people in Paris are struggling to get their foot in the door, especially when it comes to more creative or business pursuits. This gives them a chance to gain experience, while we save costs with salary. According to our files, Envisager has not employed a new graduate in the last 2 years. I think it would be an excellent opportunity to give the new generation of Paris' workforce a chance." Verso explains, and you bite your lip. He did have a good point - an excellent point even, about giving young workers a chance. But the cynicist in you does not cease its voice. 'He's probably going to hand all of these positions to the rich brats of families that have their fingers in the pie. This is how it starts.' You think to yourself.
"…Okay. I'm saddened to hear we'll need to be letting a few people go. I am excited to hear about the graduate program plan though." You speak honestly and earnestly. Amelie gives you a look as if to tell you you're committing career suicide.
"I hear you and I understand. It's always tough, however to the people we are letting go, we will write an excellent letter of recommendation under the group's name, and they will of course be paid severance pay as standardised by French law." Verso nods. You can't help but think to yourself that this is fucked up - it's the same brutal corporate playbook everyone plays. Nobody who actually needs their foot in the door will get this position. It grinds your fucking gears. You stare at him, a hint of discontent in your gaze. He stares back with a pokerface, but you swear you feel it. You can't prove it, but you know he's displeased with you.

Forget wanting to get to know him better. Forget trying to see if there is an ounce of humanity under his perfectly styled hair and corporate armour. This guy fucking sucks.

---

"Could you look over my resume?" You ask Claude, who nods. The paper makes a soft, scratchy noise as you yank it off your desk, handing it to your brother.
"You're going to leave for sure then?" Claude asks.
"I plan on it. Just letting the dust settle. I'm just a bit over it all - he wants to cut smaller roles and would be offloading that work onto our already small enough team, and won't pay them more. In fact, nobody is getting paid more even with all of these structural changes." You sigh.
"It's shit isn't it?" Claude hums in acknowledgement as he plucks a red marker from your coffee table, circling a few things as you place dinner down on the table.
"So… What do you think?" You ask.
"I circled a few changes, but, yeah. Looks good to go." Claude responds. As you're both about to settle down at the table, you hear a ping from your phone.

'Hi, it's Verso. I hope you don't mind that I'm texting you outside of business hours on your personal number, but it's not really work related. I thought about what you said in our meeting earlier today. I think we have a few differences and it's not resolving the way we'd like. Maybe we should have a chat away from the office environment during the lunch break period tomorrow?' You read Verso's text. Perfect grammar, syntax and all. Was this man ever not stiff?
"What's up?" Claude asks, his mouth stuffed with your famous rocket, walnut, and honeyed pear salad.
"Verso texted me." You say in a suspicious tone.
"Huh? That's so demanding. It's 7pm and he's texting you?" Claude raises a brow as you type a response.
'hi Verso, that's fine but I'd prefer to not make it a habit. I can come find you in your office when I'm heading to lunch and we can chat' you reply, turning your phone face down and on silent.
"What's going on?" Claude asks.
"He wanted to see me during break. Says we have differences and it's not resolving the way we're both hoping." You breathe out.
"Ooooh putain. You're getting fired." Claude snorts, but you can see the sympathy for you in his eyes.
"Thank god." You snort, putting on a brave front. But on the inside, you're freaking the fuck out.

Chapter 5: a cat with nine lives

Notes:

i have /? on this fic but i have a backload of drafts for at least another 10 chapters that i'm kind of editing. idk if it's one thing about my adhd it's that i can write super fast but i do NOT wanna see the mistakes i've made lol T-T in a previous work i once wrote the wrong corresponding century to the year. AHAHAHAH woops

anyway once the fic is actually completed we'll have the number up so that completion will be confirmed. yayyy :D

It feels almost routine now. Knock on Verso's office door, enter, have a passive-aggressive verbal exchange, leave. Ruin it. Rinse and repeat.
"Come in." Verso replies to your knock.
"You… Wanted to see me?" You ask.
"Yes, but let's head downstairs and to a cafe." Verso says, grabbing his coat as you walk together. You catch a glimpse of your reflections in an opposite glass-panelled building as you both head to a nearby cafe, walking side by side. Verso is about a head taller than you, his posture straight and imposing, while you're a little bit slouched. Upon seeing this, you straighten your back as you direct your gaze to the street again. Your mind begins to swirl with anxious thoughts as you both walk in silence, the sound of the busy business district as many workers come out in droves to purchase their lunch serving its purpose to muffle the awkward silence between you both.
'So this is it - I'm going to be fired. Fuck. Even worse, he's definitely going to eviscerate the shit out of me verbally to the point where he doesn't want other employees to be around and hear how-'
"Putain!" Verso shouts, grabbing you by the waist and arm as a truck barely skims past your body. You fall backwards at the excessive force, the back of your head tumbling into his chest.
"Holy fuck!" You gasp, glaring at the speeding truck that continued to drive off with total disregard for the pedestrian crossing. You look down and see Verso slightly grimacing as he lifts his head from the pavement.
"Are you okay?" He asks, pale blue eyes looking up into yours. His black waves were fanned out, a thin sheen of sweat threatening to break through on his forehead.
"Y-Yes! I'm fine - but you hit your head pretty hard… I-I think I should take you to a hospital." You panic.
"I-I'm fine…" Verso groans, sitting up, and you quickly scramble off of his body.
"No, no - my father had a stupid accident falling backwards on our patio and he had an awful concussion which could've killed him if we didn't take him to the hospital. No way, I'm not killing my fucking boss." You say, frantically flagging down a taxi.
"I'll call admin and they'll reschedule our meetings. I'm not taking any chances." You add. Verso looks as if he's about to protest as the taxi pulls up, but decides to keep his mouth shut.

 

"…You're in extreme luck. It shouldn't be a long wait, about half an hour." The hospital desk staff confirm, and you nod as you both take a seat.
"I'm sorry. I'm sure you were going to fire me back then, but even if you weren't, you should probably do it now." You sigh, clutching your arms around your chest in defeat.
"Fire you? I don't plan on firing you at all." Verso chuckles.
"…Really?" You ask in a small voice, looking at him from the corner of your eye.
"Really. It takes all kinds of people to make up a team. If I'm surrounded by a bunch of yes-men, it makes it difficult to know if I'm truly making the correct decision or not." Verso explains, and you nod silently in response.
"I really don't mean to cause trouble... I can become really attached and I struggle to let go. I can be resistant to change, because I can't always help bringing my personal morals into it." You sigh.
"Don't speak about it like it's a bad thing. It's not a bad thing." Verso gently chides, and you can only nod in response again, unsure of what else to say.
"…I'm really sorry you got hurt saving me." You blurt out, uncomfortable with the lapse of silence.
"Well, for starters, I don't want one of my employees dying. Plus, I don't want to watch someone die in front of me again." Verso almost mumbles the second half of his sentence, but you hear it. Your body goes rigid as you think back to the news report on TV in 2023.
"I… Yeah. That's traumatising as hell. I'm surprised you recovered and began working full-time again so quickly. In your shoes, I'd imagine it would put a lot of stress on you, both psychologically and physically." You mumble, kicking your feet.

"It was. …It is. My sister, Clea, is the stronger one out of the two of us. She's trying to find the people responsible for Alicia's death, whilst turning major profits on all these new projects our parents are handing us. I don't know how she's keeping her head above water. In fact I think she's swimming against the tide just fine." Verso admits, and you hear a tinge of sadness in his voice.
"Burying your head in a vendetta and work can put up a strong front, but it doesn't make you strong. The whole situation was fucked up, and you saw the most of it. And that doesn't go away after the event is over, because grief is an ocean that hits you in waves. Plus, our body keeps the score when it comes to trauma." You empathise, drawing on your own experience of grief.
"…The body definitely keeps the score. I never used to have white in my hair, and I'm only 28. Doctors said it was a stress response, my hair won't ever return to normal." Verso says in a low voice. Before you could say more, a doctor called his name out.
"I'll stay here. I'll write up the injury for our report and I can get us back to the office if you're fit to work." You reassure him, and he nods with a grateful expression.

"Just a mild concussion. I was told to rest tonight and tomorrow, and if I don't have any symptoms the following day then I can go to work." Verso explains to you as you get up out of your seat.
"Merde - I think my phone slipped out when I was getting checked out, I'll quickly run back and ask them." Verso touches his pockets before walking over to the clinicians.
You walk over to the admin desk to confirm your departure.
"Hello - who was it for again?" The woman smiles.
"Verso Dessendre." You reply.
"Ah, yup. If you could just sign here…" The woman hands you a clipboard. You see some information pre-filled by the woman.
"Oh - um, can I get a new form? I-I'm not his wife…" You request awkwardly. Just as you mention the last sentence, Verso appears by your side again. You can't help but feel a little red in the cheeks for some reason. The woman apologetically hands you a new form, and you scribble 'coworker' in the title box. You both thank them again, walking out.

If Verso overheard the wife thing, you're grateful, since he didn't mention it as you walked out of the hospital.
"You need to get home - but I'm just worried something could happen to you on the way there. Is it ok if I take you home?" You ask, voicing your concerns, but also internally smacking yourself in the head for using the phrase 'take you home'.
"Yeah, okay. I do feel a bit shit." Verso nods, and you flag down another taxi. Verso gives the address to his apartment, a 12-minute ride away from the hospital.
"I swear I'm not trying to fob off work. I promise." You say as the taxi rolls to a halt.
"You sure about that?" Verso jokes as you both step out of the taxi.
"Haha - okay maybe I'm trying to fob off work a little. I'll do overtime tomorrow." You admit with a grin.

"Hmm, I'm not even there to watch you. How can I be so sure?" He jokes, swiping his key card as you into the foyer of the luxury penthouse complex. The foyer had a beautiful old school black and white harlequin floor tiles, with gold accents throughout the foyer. It appears the complex kept the original materials and maintained the panels, resulting in a blend of 1920's opulence with modern technology camouflaged throughout. Ugh, rich people.
"Uhh, you can just trust me?" You say in a playful tone.
"Yeah alright. Sounds good." He jokes in a deadpan manner.
"Alright, well, I should get going. Oh - wait." You pause, rummaging through your bag as you fish out a small box of paracetamol and electroytes mix. "I overheard one of the nurses earlier talk about paracetamol and electrolytes so you can recover faster. Thanks again for saving my life, bye bye!" You wave, as Verso gives a small wave back in return.

Verso stared at the box of paracetamol and electrolyte mix, a small grin ghosting across his mouth.

---

"Hey! You were gone for so long. So what happened? It must've been bad if you were gone for ages…" Sciel walks over as we all pack up for the day.
"Yeah, I was gone for like almost three hours. But anyway, I'm not fired." You confirm.
"Are you still gonna like, quit?" Sciel pouts.
"Hmm, no. As long as the changes don't turn the place into a sinking ship, I'll stay." You confirm.
"You're staying?" Lune pokes her head around the corner as you and Sciel begin to make your way to the corridor.
"For now." You nod.
"What made you change your mind? You seemed to really hate it before." Sciel pushes the elevator door button closed as the three of you have the little space to yourselves.
"Erm - well, he was quite convincing. He said he wants people with diverse opinions to make sure he's making well thought-out decisions." You explain, trying to dance around the main event.
"I feel like you're not telling us everything…" Sciel trails off.
"Oh my god - did he threaten you? Blackmail you? He didn't lay his hands on you, right?" Lune gasps.
"No way! No, no. Ugh… I almost got hit by a speeding truck on the way to the cafe, he pulled me back onto the street but I fell ass backwards underneath him and he got a mild concussion from the impact." You explain, looking at your black boots, refusing to look Sciel and Lune in the eye.
The two girls burst out into laughter as the elevator door opens, with the few people in the office complex lobby looking at the three of you as if you've gone mad.
"Shhh! It's already embarrassing enough just thinking about it. I could've fucking killed our boss!" You scream-whisper, which only makes Lune and Sciel laugh even harder as you walk out onto the street.

"Fucking hell, you are a cat with nine lives!" Sciel hollers.
"Wait - but you were gone for three hours? Did you take him to the hospital then?" Lune deduces.
"Yeah, wasn't a long wait. I also made sure he got back home - he's not really that far from work." You shrug.
"You know, you only hear of this type of stuff in a romance novel." Sciel snorts.
"Oh god - no. Guys I am seriously not an unprofessional person." You shake your head insistently.
"Yeah but… Hot, young, likely single CEO. If you guys slept together… Your secret is safe between the three of us." Sciel giggles.
"Genuinely - I didn't sleep with him. I swear on my maman's life. Almost died, hospital, escorted him back. That's all." You frown.
"Okay, okay… We'll stop teasing. I do think it's funny that you really assume there's no tension between you both though." Lune says in a more gentle tone.
"Yeah, like, angry tension. Not sexual. Our approaches to things are usually inverted versions of each other." You insist.
"Yep, right… Definitely no sexual tension." Sciel exchanges a look with Lune.

You groan as the girls continue to playfully tease you. Deep down the teasing didn't matter that much to you - it even made your ears turn a little pink.

Chapter 6: an offer impossible to turn down

Summary:

verso makes an offer impossible to ignore - you take it, but is there a catch?

'Hi all, apologies for my abrupt absence in the latter half of last week. Thank you to everyone holding down the fort. I also wanted to take the time to note that our combined intern and new graduate programs will begin the planning phase, so anyone who would like to lead this, please respond to the separate email that will come through your work inboxes soon - the project leader will be selected by the end of the week. Have a good week everybody. (Verso Dessendre - Monday | 9:03AM)

…

Ding!
Your email sounds off a notification.
'{Friday | Apr 14 - 3:48pm}
Congratulations, you have been selected for project leader of the combined intern and new graduate program. Please attend the formal initial meeting at 2:30pm, April 17 (Monday) in the group meeting room.

Kind regards,
Verso Dessendre.'

 

Little bugger. You didn't sign up for this.

...

"Hi." You knock on Verso's door, without much of a pause before entering.
"Hello." Verso greets, not looking up from his monitor.
"Can I just check something with you? I don't remember applying for the combined intern and graduate program project. But I'm going to be the project leader on it now…?" You ask, furrowing your brows as your laptop perches on your forearm.
"Oh, that. Yeah, nobody actually applied to that." Verso replies without skipping a beat.
"So then I was selected by default?" You ask, quirking a brow.
"If you really don't want to, I can remove you and select someone else for the project. Although recalling our previous conversations, I feel that you would steer this in the right direction the best. You're quite unshakeable with your ethics and morals, it can be very useful when dealing with such matters." Verso explains, and you purse your lips.

On one hand - fuck this guy for giving you more work. On the other hand - he's right, you do want the control and you want to see this project through so that it doesn't become a massive dumpster fire.
"Okay, but this is a really big task that I'm doing all by myself. And I'm being a given a title but not a raise…" You eye him cautiously.
"Oh that? No, you're getting a 20% raise because of this. In addition, access to the company credit card for transport and food use. Also you won't be working on it yourself, you'll be working alongside me. I need to see this through." He says, practically plucking your own monologue from the crevices of your brain. It felt a little creepy.
"Hmmm…" You feign hesitancy, as Verso slides a sheet of paper across his desk. Walking up to it, you see the new contract for your increased roles and responsibilities.
"A lot of other smaller tasks will not be given to you because you're taking on this role. It won't be unbalanced - you can review the work I've delegated if you wish." Verso adds, swivelling his monitor as you see a bunch of struck-off tasks and responsibilities.
"What if I say no?" You ask, fiddling with the cold metal cap of the pen.
"That's perfectly okay. I just think you're the best fit for the position." Verso reassures. God, a 20% raise would be amazing right now. You quickly give your contract one final look over to check for any hidden surprises.
"Yup, okay. I'll take it on." You exhale, signing away your life to Verso. Maybe that's a little dramatic - but you'd be signing the next 3 months away to him tops.
"Thank you." Verso responds simply.

You turn on your feet to leave, but pivot on your heels at the last second as your hand reaches the door handle.
"By the way… How's your head feeling?" You ask gently.
"All better now." He replies, not looking away from his monitor again. You hold your breath, waiting for something - anything more from him, but the only noise between you both is the sound of the wall clock ticking.
"Good to hear." You respond, his eyes still fixed on his monitor. With an inwards sigh, you shut the door behind you.

 

Verso quietly cringes at himself as the door softly clicks shut. Why was he like this? It's not like you did anything wrong. Technically, all you did was follow occupational health and safety protocol by taking him to the hospital to have his head checked. It was him that did all the blabbing about Alicia and his past. Yet he's racking his brain trying to find any opportunity to blame you for prying - but there's none. So he settles for the next best thing - to push you away. But he can't seem to do that. If he was so good at pushing you away, he wouldn't have chosen you for the combined internship and graduate program to work alongside him. He wouldn't have changed the parameters so that it wouldn't be a team, it would just be him and you. He wouldn't have altered the budget so that he could entice you with a raise to secure this specific situation. But now that it's in his grasp? All he can do is sabotage and question his own irrational actions.
You're on his mind constantly, like a looming figure casting a dark shadow over every dip and valley in his brain, impossible to ignore.

 

---

"…I don't understand him." You frown, this time you're in the couch whilst Claude cooks dinner.
"Yeah, and I don't understand you. First you had your resume ready to go, now you've taken on that new role and you're working with him directly, one-on-one, for about three months? Maybe the two of you are more alike than you think." Claude gestures at you with the oily spatula.
"You did not just say that!" Your mouth drops open and your brows furrow in offense.
"I did. I mean, I'm glad you're not fired, but this is like, so dodgy. Do you not hear alarm bells going off? What kind of project does a CEO and a team leader work on together solely? You're crazy for saying yes." Claude chides.
"Yeah, but it's like a 20% raise and paying off this apartment is so fucking hard. I'd actually like to retire with a little bit of money in my bank." You groan.
"If you end up chopped up into pieces in a suitcase or pregnant, just know I am blaming him." Claude snorts.
"Don't judge! You haven't moved out of home yet, it's hell out here…" You sigh.
BRRRT! Claude's phone dings.
"What was that?" You ask, quirking a brow.
"Nothing…" Claude responds, tapping away at his phone.
BRRT!
"Claude… Are you on Grindr in my fucking apartment right now?" You gasp.
"Erm…" Claude flicks the mute button on his phone.
"Claude! You are so not cruising in MY apartment complex right now!" You scold him, and he giggles sheepishly, turning his back to you and pretending not to hear your chastising.

But Claude was right… What kind of trap did you really fall into?

Notes:

a short chapter today! however there will be more coming soon

Chapter 7: look alive

The keys of your keyboard softly clicked under your nails. The pixels of your monitor began to turn into visual mush, letters and sentences barely registering in your vision. You sigh, leaning back in your chair as you momentarily shut your eyes trying to focus your mind. This combined internship and new graduate program was going to be the death of you. You very much regret deciding to stay back, as the office lights are dimmed to a low light, the street below reflecting a soft luminosity from the window. You could be at home on the couch right now.

"Alright, if I'm heading home, you need to as well. It's irresponsible of me to let you lock up late at night on your own." A deep voice calls out to you. Verso.
"Urm… Yeah but I'll finish this one paragraph before I do." You respond flatly, eyes glazing over your laptop screen. A few minutes pass and you hear footsteps approach your desk.
"It wasn't a suggestion, it's protocol so everyone stays safe." Verso says, leaning over your desk as his index and middle finger pressing down on the top of your laptop, slowly shutting it as you frantically type.
"Wait wait!" You exclaim, but you pull your hands away right before the screen comes into contact with your knuckles. You look up and give him an expression halfway between a glare and a pout.
"It can always wait until tomorrow. Don't go burning yourself out week one." Verso gently chides.
"…Okay." You bite your lip, shoving your laptop in your bag as he remains leaning on your desk. At this proximity, you could smell his cologne. It smelt like a mix of sandalwood, leather, and musk. You blink rapidly a few times, as if to shake off the thought of what he smells like.

Verso finishes locking up as you walk over to the elevator, pressing for the button.
"Thanks." Verso says as the door shuts on you both.
It's awkward. Painfully awkward. Silence when you're alone with Verso always feels like your hair is standing on its ends, yet you can't quite figure out why.
"…Did I offend you somehow the other week?" You blurt out, briefly glancing at him before staring at your shoes.
"Huh?" Verso asks.
"I don't know. I don't think I was prying when you talked about your family, but sometimes I don't always see things the way others do. I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable." You mumble.
"That? Oh, no. I just… Felt bad for burdening you with that. You don't need the trauma dump, you're an employee, not a therapist." Verso reassures.
"Oh… Okay. It's just, we're working on this program together quite closely, but you barely speak to me. Even your work chat messages are short." You rock back and forth on your heels slowly to soothe your nerves.
"That's… That's a me problem. I don't talk much, about myself or anything else not related to work." Verso says in a low tone.
"So it made you uncomfortable when you realised you talked about yourself more than you would expect from yourself?" You ask softly. He nods.
"Yeah, a bit unprofessional of me. It won't happen again." He says, his voice having a guarded edge to it, but not towards you… It was more like he was saying it to himself.

"We're all human, even if we try to suppress our emotions, they always find a way to rear themselves in ways we don't expect them to. If you're worried about me gossiping or something, you can put that thought to rest. That's not really my style." You clarify, glancing over at Verso as the elevator door dings open. His eyes were already fixed on you, and it made your breath in your throat hitch.
"Your style? What exactly is your style then?" He asks as you both walk towards the main exit in the lobby.
"Good question. My style is trying to exercise empathy whenever I can, being whimsical, and having fun. And if that doesn't work, then probably just exploding people with my mind." You joke with a deadpan expression.
"You can be very unserious…" Verso chuckles.
"I'd be probably be quite intense and brooding all the time if I wasn't." You admit.
"Ah… So like me." Verso glances over to you.
"Er… You said it, not me." You're worried you're pushing the envelope with him here, since you've never seen the man really laugh before.
"Don't worry. I have self-awareness. Or at least some of it." He cracks a small smile, but you notice it doesn't quite reach his eyes. You note the mid-spring air is pleasant, even if just a touch too cool for your liking.
"How will you be getting home?" Verso asks as you fetch your headphones from your bag.
"Metro." You reply, holding the 'on' button as you hoist your bag up on your shoulder again.
"At this time…?" Verso raises a brow.
"It's safe enough. I don't live far from work anyway, just two stops and a short walk." You shrug.
"Right." Verso nods.

"Verso?" You ready him for a final question for the night.
"Yeah?" He responds in kind with your name.
"If we're going to work together closely for a while, I just want you to know… With all due respect, it's quite hard to work with someone who can be quite… Closed off. I know you have your reasons but, this is a really gruelling project. It's nicer when I know I can go to you without hesitation or thinking I might be bothering you." You confess.
"Oh." Verso replies with a slow nod.
"Like that sort of response… It just makes me feel like I'm a lowly employee bothering you." You point out candidly. Professionalism be damned. You were addressing him nicely about it, that's empathetic enough. Everyone's got work to do.
"You're not bothering me at all… You're definitely not a lowly employee. No employee is lowly." Verso mutters.
"I'm sure you feel that way, but I personally can't register it. I'm not offended or anything, don't get me wrong, I'm just… I think I'd work better if I get more feedback and such from you." You add.
"No, you're right, you're right… It's just challenging for me to communicate more openly with others. I know it's a problem." Verso runs his hand through his hair.
"It's not a problem, it's just a way I think we can enhance our productivity." You reply, trying to translate it into corporate-business speak for the robotic and stiff man.
"Yeah, thank you. Thank you for letting me know. I'll take it on board." Verso replies, his gaze fixed on the glowing street lamps behind you.
"I appreciate it, truly." You smile, walking off as you pop your headphones on.

---

'We have a meeting with a university today. First one. UoP @ 5:30pm - 7:00pm. (Verso Dessendre | 2:38pm)'
'They really only had meeting availability after our business hours… lol all good though (2:41pm)'
'I tried to negotiate an earlier time, apologies. I'll drive us. (Verso Dessendre | 2:46pm)'
'Appreciate it, I'll hang back and wait for you then (2:50pm)'
'You can come to my office at 4:30, traffic will be bad with the rush. (Verso Dessendre | 2:51pm)'
'Ok, thanks! (2:53pm)'

Fixing yourself another cup of coffee, you glance at the clock on the wall of the office kitchen.
"Coffee? At 4 o'clock?" Sciel asks, walking over to the water cooler and refilling her drink bottle.
"Working late again…" You pinch the bridge of your nose as you respond to her.
"For the intern-graduate project? He's putting you to work like a horse." Sciel frowns, screwing the lid back on her drink bottle.
"I'm getting paid for overtime, or I can choose to take those hours off in the week. It's not too bad." You sigh into your coffee cup, the bittersweet aroma filling your nostrils.
"Hmm… Okay, you should catch up with Lune and I on the weekend though. You look like you need a drink or something." Sciel claps you on the shoulder gently.
"Will definitely take you up on that offer." You smile to her.
"You guys seem to be getting along a bit better." Sciel notes, taking a sip of her water.
"Better than when he first joined, yeah. The more time I spend with him, the less of an ass I think he is, but he also seems more… Odd." You whisper to her.
"Odd?" Her brow raises in curiousity.
"Yeah, he doesn't talk a lot outside of business related matters. He clamps up all the time and barely says anything. He's like a robot. Or more accurately, he seems like a ghost of a person." Your voice is so quiet Sciel had to crane her neck towards you to listen carefully.
"You think he's just repressed then?" Sciel responds quietly, her green eyes locking onto yours.
"For lack of a better word, yes. Really repressed. Although I guess that's what happens when you watch your own sibling die in front of your eyes." You whisper back with a shrug.
"Touché." She nods. You gulp the rest of your coffee down as you watch the clock tick over, the long hand closing in on the big '6'. Your deadline to go to Verso's office.

"Hey." You knock, and you hear his usual low tone of acknowledgement.
"Hello, I'm just about packed up now. Shall we?" He asks. Your eyes roam over what he's wearing - you notice that despite his stoic and guarded demeanour, he actually dresses fairly casual for the office and his position. He doesn't like to wear a full suit jacket and tie, opting to just wear his button down rolled to his sleeves and black trousers most of the time. But today, he was in a full suit and tie.
"Sure. Sorry, if I knew this meeting was going to happen today, I would've worn something slightly more professional." You apologise.
"What you're wearing is completely fine, don't worry. It's just the usual putting on appearances as a CEO." Verso replies, as you both walk towards the elevator.
"I do notice that you don't really like wearing stuff that constrains you." You note to him.
"Yeah, I'm not really a fan of tight clothes and layers when possible. I feel too restricted in my movement." Verso explains.
"I'm similar. I also have an irrational fear that if I wear pants that are too tight, they will actually split during the worst moment of my career." You admit playfully.
"Oh - that has actually happened to me. It was at my first big speech in one of my first big roles. I dropped the pointer, went to go pick it up and… Rip." Verso makes a huge ripping gesture.
"Bahaha! No way, noo way. So it was a huge rip too?" You guffaw.
"Oh - completely split down almost the entire seam. I think I was just eating and working out a lot at the time, and I underestimated how big my ass could get so quickly. Needless to say, I also wore underwear which at the time, I had no idea was a little bit see through." Verso recounts with an embarrassed smile.
"Stop, oh my god I'm going to piss myself. So you basically flashed your crack?" You spluttered, trying to remain composed.
"The crack was indeed flashed." He chuckles as you step into the underground carpark. Verso presses his key once, his black S-Class briefly illuminates the dark carpark, as you both walk towards his car.

Upon entering his car, you notice a characteristic about it which is remarkably consistent with Verso - there's almost nothing of his in it. The interior is almost as if it's stock factory new, not even a colourful air freshener hanging off the rear mirror or a little cup holder. A total blank, empty slate. But the model itself isn't super new, and you eye that he's clocked over 100,000km on the car.
"…Do you drive much?" Verso asks as he begins to reverse out of his parking space.
"I have my license, but I hate driving. And since buying my apartment in the city, I've not had to use a car." You explain as the afternoon sunlight practically flashbangs you. You quickly pop your sunglasses on as Verso hits play on his steering wheel, a soft piano melody playing. You sneak a glance at him, trying to stifle a laugh.
"This is really calming music for the chaotic task of driving in central Paris." You comment.
"Oh yeah, driving is shit here. Although I do just like to listen to piano pieces in my free time." Verso replies. You notice at this point that he's making the effort to be more talkative, even if it's not business related, and it puts you at ease a little.
"Do you play?" You ask him.
"…Yeah. I play a lot actually, it's what I do the most in my free time." He replies.
"Really? You've got a productive hobby. What piece are you learning right now?" You ask him.
"I've been trying to learn 'Gaspard de la Nuit' by heart. It's fun, but very challenging." He says, slowly braking at the red light.
"Oh, isn't that ridiculously hard to master? Like, borderline impossible?" You peer at him through your sunglasses.
"Yep, definitely feels borderline impossible." Verso nods as the car begins to move again.
"Why do you torture yourself like that?" You look at him in both admiration and bewilderment.
"It's rewarding, and playing the piano is quite calming." Verso explains.
"Right… Nothing says calming like trying to learn one of the world's most difficult piano pieces." You snort.
"You know about it - do you play?" Verso asks.
"Hm, no. My parents tried to teach me to play the piano when I was about seven, but I had a complete meltdown trying to learn 'Mary Had a Little Lamb', so they adjusted their expectations." You chuckle.
"Ah, so no instruments then?" Verso asks.
"I like to sing. But not in a formal way, I just like to perform concerts for an audience of zero in the shower." You explain, and it earns a chuckle from Verso.
"You're as shy as me then." He says, as you pull into the gates of the university.
"Yeah. Playing instruments around others can feel quite intimate and private…" You note, as Verso's car crunches under the gravel and pavement in the parking spot.

"Alright, first meeting. Look alive." Verso's gaze focuses on the building ahead.

 

Notes:

aaand that's chapter 7 done! also i went back to work wayyy too early and now i've been in bed sick for the last 2 days because i got worse after an 11 hour shift >_<

Chapter 8: you're staring too much

"Welcome, monsieur Dessendre and…" A woman in her assumedly mid-50's greets you both. Drawing on your knowledge from the brief Verso gave you, this woman would be the Chancellor of the university - Claire Dubois. You give her your name to fill in the blanks. Her grey hair is tied back in a bun, and her deep blue eyes seem a little hollowed out.
"You'll have to forgive me, we needed to change venues but there aren't a lot of suitable buildings in the ideal location for our meeting. The roof of the main building collapsed after a strong gust of wind knocked a huge tree branch into it earlier today." Claire's lips purse into a thin straight line as she walks us into a small and cozy looking building, opening another door which led into an incredibly cramped room.
"Again, my apologies, this is far from ideal. Upon your next visit, we hope to host you in a much roomier and comfortable meeting room." Claire apologises once more.
"It's no trouble at all, we'll manage just fine." Verso smiles, and you see it again. It's a very disarming smile, but it's one that looks mechanically engineered if you look close enough. A smile rehearsed dozens of times. It just doesn't quite reach his eyes.
You both eye the little built-in cushioned bench and table. Verso takes the initiative to slide in first, and you settle in after him. Despite your left leg almost being on top of his right leg, your other asscheek was threatening to escape the surface of the bench. What is going on at such an exclusive and renowned university where they can't even afford to build proper seating arrangements!?

God, it's like the warmth radiating from his skin is driving your own body temperature way up. Your eyes flicker down to his thigh, noticing how shapely it seems despite his trousers hiding most of the contours of his legs. He definitely must be working out a lot, between the appearance of his forearms and the way his legs seem to fill out his pants like that. You hold your breath as if to steady your heartbeat - you're scared that Verso will somehow hear your beating heart and realise your stupid heart is increasing its pace because of his touch. And why should his touch have you this bothered anyway!? The guy is a closed-off asshole… Okay, maybe not an asshole, but he's very emotionally unavailable and there is no way he is interested in you. And you're not interested in him. You're not into him. You refuse to be.

The entire meeting, while it went off without a hitch and you played your part perfectly, you had a gnawing feeling in your stomach that for some reason, Verso was going to develop X-ray vision or superhearing, and find out that your heart has betrayed your head.
"Went as well as we could've hoped for I suppose. The other universities should be much easier to settle on an agreement with, UoP was the one I was most nervous about." Verso mutters as you both walk through the university, both your boots trudging along the pavement, a telltale sign of fatigue setting in.
"Mmm… I hope it does get easier…" You mumble, stifling a yawn.
"Ah how the tables have turned, look who's less talkative now." Verso observes in a playful tone.
"Still you. You've just weakened the beast - I'll be back for vengeance once I have some food and sleep." You narrow your eyes in faux-suspicion.
"You're hungry?" He asks, and you nod in response. As if for added drama, your stomach growls ferociously.
"Let's go eat then." He suggests with a small laugh at the loud growl from your stomach.
"I appreciate it." You smile at him as you hop back in his car.

"Do you have anything you're craving?" Verso asks, removing his jacket and slinging it onto the backseat, shoving his sleeves up to his elbows. You glance over to him, watching him unbutton the first two buttons of his shirt and loosening his tie. You wring your hands in your lap, spine suddenly turning rigid. What he just did was incredibly hot. And you hate your stupid horny brain for finding it hot.
"I am craving the taste of an affordable meal." You reply, and he hums a tone of acknowledgement.
"I know a good Vietnamese place sort-of nearby, if you like pho. Very affordable too." He suggests. Your eyes are fixed on his dashboard. You're practically wrestling with your own eyeballs to not sneak a glance at his forearm as he grips onto the wheel with one hand.
"That sounds perfect."

…

 

"Fuck, that was good." You sigh, dropping your spoon into the shallow puddle of light brown broth in the large bowl, signalling defeat against the generous serving of pho.
"Right? And the prices have barely gone up over the years. Places like this are usually too good to be true." Verso agrees.
You look up at him, unable to suppress a certain look that says 'you're rich, why would affordability matter?' He tilts his head at you, a knowing gaze in his eyes.
"Ah, I know what you're thinking." He says. His tone isn't defensive, but the tone is more akin to the tone of voice one would use when they catch someone with their hand in the cookie jar.
"Oops." You look off to the side, your eyes catching onto the green and red neon word sign.
"I get it. And yeah, I've never had to really think about affordability in my own case. But a lot of my friends from university had to, and I know plenty of people I've worked with needed to be conscious of costs as well. I'll never know the experience, but the least I can do is not act out of touch about it." Verso says, leaning back and taking the final gulp of his water.
"That's… Very fair, actually. Sorry for passing judgement on you." You apologise sheepishly.

"You've been doing an awful lot of apologising since I started here." Verso's lips tugged into a small smirk.
"I have a bad habit of talking before thinking. Or in some cases, making facial expressions before thinking." Your index finger traces the print of the plasticky wooden grain print of the rickety fiberboard table.
"I don't blame you for passing judgement, nor am I offended. I know the sort of position I'm in." Verso reassures, but you still can't help but meet his gaze with a guilty feeling in your chest.
"…Yeah. I'm still sorry though." You mumble. On a typical day, you wouldn't find yourself profusely apologising to the son of a billionaire family, but knowing Verso's past and talking to him made things a little bit different. Ironically, it was your idea that you should both talk a little bit more.
"No more apologising for the night. I mean it. You didn't say anything wrong or offensive." Verso chides, and you nod.

…

"Where's your apartment? I'll drop you home." Verso offers as you slide back into his car for the third time today. You give him your address, which he quickly punches into the navigator. 16 minutes away.
You both sit in silence, the sound of various sonatas and classical music softly playing.
"This is a nice area." Verso compliments as he turns a corner onto your street.
"The area alone probably drove the value up way too much." You lightheartedly scoff.
"You did well though. This many trees are always good in the summertime. Areas with a reasonable amount of foilage are getting harder to find." Verso notes.
"Tell me about it. Every time a park gets demolished to make way for another cheaply made apartment complex, an angel loses its wings." You sigh.
"True - it's getting harder to find decent parks to walk my dogs in. I may need to walk Monoco and Noco around here one day. I think they'd love the amount of trees and flowers around here." Verso notes.
"Oh, that's right. You have two dogs." You tiredly smile, perking up at the mention of animals.
"Haha, I need to show you a picture of them from the other day." Verso pulls his phone out of the car console, unlocking his phone and swiping a little before turning his phone screen to you.

One larger dog - presumably Monoco, with wiry grey and white hair, sprawled out on his back with his tongue poking out the tiniest bit. The much smaller dog with more white fur - Noco, was in the exact same position, except his head was resting on his fathers stomach.
"That is so adorable!" You almost squeal, leaning in a little to look at the photo better.
"Haha, I know right? Look at Noco's tongue, just like his father's. Irish Wolfhounds." Verso chuckles, zooming in on the puppy's little pink tongue poking out in the exact same fashion.
"They're so precious. If you ever do walk them around here, you better bring them here so I can give them both pats!" You gush.
"They both love the attention, I probably wouldn't be able to pry them off of you." Verso laughs, and from the corner of your eye, you see it for the first time. He's smiling for the first time and it's actually reaching his eyes. This is the first time you haven't seen him have his guard up, or appear rehearsed in nature. You can't help but smile at the sight.
"You'd probably have to pry me off of them too. My apartment doesn't allow pets." You pout, gesturing to your building. You look back at him one more time, and realise just how close you're both still leaning in since looking at the photo of his dogs.

"Unlucky…" Verso trails off, but he doesn't lean back, despite a brief look in his eyes that hints he recognises the close proximity between you both. You both hold eye contact for what feels like a few seconds too long to be platonic in nature, and for a moment it feels like all the sound in the world was been dampened by a thick cotton blanket.
His gaze is so intense, you almost want to squirm in your seat. You can't help yourself but continue to stare, drinking in the way the soft glow of the moonlight and amber streetlamps cast a soft light against his sharp features. The glow of the lights appeared to cast a soft ring of light around his hair, casting the illusion of a nimbus. He looked… Angelic. And you're staring too much.
"Very unlucky…" You clear your throat, shrinking back to the centre of your seat. "I-I should probably head inside and get some rest now." You add, cursing yourself for stammering.
"Oh, yeah, of course. Thank you again for today. You did great." Verso compliments, and you nod.
"Couldn't have done it without you. Thanks for the ride and the food. Get home safe!" You smile, giving him a small wave as you shut the door. You turn your keys into your door, opening it as you give him a thumbs up. Verso gives you a thumbs up in return, and begins to turn out of driveway.

You drop your bag on our hallway table, kicking off your shoes as your hand gently presses against your hot, reddened cheeks.
"Merde." You whisper to yourself. This isn't good. Your heart shouldn't be racing this hard for your boss.

Notes:

ohhhh reader is DOWN BADDDD but also in denial lol

Chapter 9: squash it*

Notes:

a tiny bit of smut at the start (hence the * mark!) hope everyone is having a good weekend so far for those reading along during the initial update :D <3

"You wanted to see me?" You crack open the door to Verso's office, and he nods. There he was, in his usual attire. White linen button down with the sleeves rolled to the elbows, black trousers and black boots.
"Yeah, about yesterday…" Verso begins as you approach him.
"Oh, yeah, yesterday… I took the minutes from our meeting, and I'm also preparing the othe-" Verso cuts you off with a fervent kiss, pulling you in closer by delicately cupping your jawline with both his hands, as you melt into his touch.
"I… I've been wanting to do that for a while." Verso exhales audibly, before wrapping his arm around your waist and kissing you deeply again, as he sets you on the edge of his large, sturdy oak wood desk. He leaves a trail of open-mouthed, wet kisses from the side of your neck, down to your chest, parting your legs with his knee. Verso slowly drops to his knees, his hands pausing as he looks you in the eyes, and you nod as you hold your breath. He hooks his fingers over the side of the waistband of your panties, dragging them down until your underwear is dangling from your left ankle as he plants another hot, wet kiss to your inner thigh.
"F-Fuck… Verso…" You moan, your entire body shaking like a leaf under his touch.
"Wanted to taste you for so long… Finally…" He buries his face in between your thighs, angelic pale blue eyes looking up at you with a pleading expression plastered on his face as he licks a slow stripe from your already sopping wet hole to your-

BZZZZZT. BZZZZZZZZT. BZZZT.

Your eyes fly open as you smack your phone until it stops vibrating and chiming. Your heart is still racing. Clutching your chest, you take a deep breath, trying to shrug off that incredibly graphic and inappropriate dream about your boss. You chew on your bottom lip a little as the damp cloth between your legs becomes painfully obvious to you. You glance at the clock on your phone - you have just enough time for a shower if you scurry in right now.

"Woah, you look tired. More tired than when I last saw you." Lune observes as she spots you out of the corner of her eye as she waits for the kettle to boil, and you nod.
"Overtime to meet with the University of Paris. But I'm leaving work early today." You explain, sticking your water bottle under the cooler.
"Good, you need the rest." Lune briefly patted your back in a gentle manner.
"Lune…" You whisper as you approach her closely, and she blinks at you in concern.
"Is something the matter?" Lune asks softly.
"…I'm developing a crush on him." You confess, almost inaudibly, but Lune has always been an intent listener.
"Shit - no. Everyone knows how this ends up." Lune whispers.
"I know, I know. I don't plan on acting on it." You groan.
"You can't act on it. You have a mortgage you're paying off by yourself. It's not worth the risk." Lune reminds you, and you nod.
"I need to squash it." You whisper.
"Like a bug under your shoe. Rest up tonight and we'll go to the bar - you, me, and Sciel. You can just release your sexual frustrations on some guy and shut your eyes thinking about the other." Lune suggests, her voice so quiet it almost got drowned out by the hum of the refrigerator.
"Absolutely." You whisper back.
That was the best solution, right? You have way too much at stake. Just close your eyes and pretend he's Verso. All you have to do is flush this stupid crush out of your system.

---

Verso walks through the office later that afternoon, noting your closest personal and work friends, Lune and Sciel, huddled together at Lune's desk.
"…That would be easy. I'm quite sure she could get anybody she wants." Sciel spoke at the mention of your name, and Verso's ears practically perked up like a dog. Purposely slipping into the photocopy room with great stealth, he began to refill the paper in the printer trays. Even though those trays weren't low on paper at all.
"Right? I mean, I don't think she's hooked up with anyone in a long time. She should just release all her frustrations and be done with it." Verso could feel a pang of jealousy in his chest at Lune's mere mention of you hooking up with some random stranger in a bar who didn't deserve you. He wanted to beat that sensation in his chest with a wooden bat until it leaves his body - he knows these feelings are unprofessional. He knows this. He's never ever acted like this with an employee. So why you? Why was he becoming so irrational? Yet, he knows he can't stop himself.
"Let's do uhh, L'Orangier tonight at 8pm then? The one in Le Marais." Sciel decides.
"Oooh, yes, I love their aperol spritz's. Let's." Lune replies gleefully, and Verso makes a mental note of the location and time. He waits for Lune and Sciel to disperse, wasting almost a total of 20 minutes hiding in the photocopy room.

---

Due to the overtime granting you an extra three hours off your Friday, you took the time to really deliberate your hair, makeup, and outfit. You wanted to look sexy, but in a teasing and casual way. As if you're not purposely dressing to scope out a hookup. You ignore the swirling rhetoric about hookup culture and your internal struggle about whether you're setting feminism back several years or not, and open your wardrobe. You settle on a backless black halterneck top, flattering bootcut jeans, and your favourite pair of heeled boots. Backless while showing your figure was your preferred way to go. You styled your hair into a messy updo with a hair pin, and kept your makeup relatively simple with slightly heavier eyeliner than you usually opt for. You smiled, happy with your handiwork.

"Heya!" You wave to Sciel and Lune, who look amazing. Sciel is wearing her hair down, choosing to wear a pair of low-rise cargo pants and a tight white tank top, whilst Lune has fashioned her hair into a braid and is wearing her favourite purple dress.
"Oofff, you're on a mission!" Sciel laughs.
"Hopefully the mission is successful." You mutter with a giggle.
"Oooh yeah, Lune filled me in. You've got it bad, huh?" Sciel nudges your arm playfully.
"Unfortunately. I really wish I didn't." You sigh as you claim a table.
"On one hand, as a close friend, I want to tell you to throw caution to the wind - if you're feeling it and he's feeling it, then like, who gives a fuck? Go get it girl. But on the other hand, while it's not illegal, it's definitely a scandal, and you would be so thoroughly fucked if that information gets in the wrong hands." Sciel says.
"Okay, we're jumping a few steps ahead though. I have a crush on him, he doesn't have a crush on me." You correct Sciel as Lune brings the first round of drinks to your table.
"True… But anyone with a pair of working eyes can see there is something reciprocal between you both. Think about your current project's arrangement. And you mentioned that he took you out for dinner and drove you home. Which can be interpreted as looking after an employee, but I mean…" Lune shrugs.
"Yeah, and let's not forget the looks he gives you." Sciel adds.
"He doesn't give me any looks…? He barely looks at me." You remind them.
"Yeah, to you, because you're oblivious. Every time you're in the crowd, his eyes fall on you. Every time he passes through, he's looking at your desk. You're just not noticing!" Sciel wags her finger at you playfully.
"No, definitely not." You shake your head, taking a long sip of your drink, welcoming the burning sensation that travels down your throat and settles into the pit of your stomach.
"Okay, well, to be fair, we're meant to be telling you that nothing should happen between you both and you need to go bone someone to release all that sexual frustration you've got pent up. So let's just say for your sake, we're seeing things. Now, I'm going to start looking for someone for you…" Lune's eyes scan the crowd.
"Ok wait, at least let me finish one drink." You giggle, gently poking Lune's hand playfully as you take another sip of your drink.

"Look-!" Sciel gasps, trying to (keyword: trying) subtly point to a good looking man who just walked into the bar. The man was objectively attractive - long-ish brown hair, olive-toned skin, on the taller side, and a nice physique, but his facial features just didn't seem to really do it for you. No man's face really does, aside from Verso's. But whatever. This random man will do.
"Good luck!!!" Sciel grins from ear to ear as you give the girls a playful look.

You slip onto the barstool as you order yourself a martini, fiddling with the coaster on the bar counter. The man who walked in had walked over to the bar, ordering himself a drink as you zoned out, sorting through your brain to think of the most entertaining lie to give this man.
"You look like you've had a long day." The brown-haired man comments towards you, leaning his arms against the counter. You notice he has an intricate tattoo with a unique swirl design, spanning from what seems to be under his clavicle, up to one side of his neck and down one side of his arm.
"Very long." You comment flippantly, as the bartender hands you your martini.
"Hm, and now you're drinking alone?" The man asks.
"Not entirely. My friends over there have dragged me out for the night to get over the break-off of my engagement." You lie easily, sighing for dramatic effect.
"Huh, that's quite rough. The name's Gale." The handsome man greets, and you exchange your name - a fake one of course. "Breaking off an engagement. Surely your friends aren't just pulling you over here to help you drown your sorrows?" Gale questions.
"Something like that. They want me to get over my now ex-fiancee by just… Letting go for a night." You allude to something in your last sentence.
"So is that letting go… Something that requires another person?" Gale leans in to whisper. You take a sip, about to accept his offer. But you spot something - rather, someone you shouldn't have. Your blood runs cold. You spotted a very specific hairstyle with black waves and defined white streaks on one side. Verso is standing right next to the man you're planning on hooking up with. And he's looking right at you now. FUUUUUUUU-

Notes:

you know those chaotic ends/scene transitions in the tv series 'fleabag'? that's kinda how it felt to cut the chapter off like this looool

Chapter 10: sorry to hear about the ex-fiancee...

FUCK!!! You almost splutter your drink right into Gale's face as you see him. It's him. No doubt it's him. It's Verso. Ordering a drink right next to the random man you were about to flirt with, and probably suck face with, while thinking about Verso. Well, that's not happening - not anymore.
"Oh? Sorry, was that…" Gale has a soft frown, concern written on his face.
"Y-Yep, uh, sorry, I didn't mean that kind of 'letting go'. That took me by surprise." You lie through your teeth as Gale gives you an apologetic look, and you shoot one back to him.
"Ah, it's ok, I was mistaken. Have a good night anyway. Sorry to hear about your fiancee." He softly smiles as he disappears into the crowd. Dammit. You quickly whip your neck back to shoot a look at Lune and Sciel, who are staring at you in shock, their mouths gaping open in sync.

"Sorry to hear about your ex-fiancee." Verso says apologetically, but there's a playful edge to his tone. You roll your eyes at him and chew off an olive on the toothpick.
"Don't have one." You mumble while chewing, giving him a look.
"Ah. Could've sworn you mentioned one when I was walking in here." Verso hums, taking a sip of his red wine.
"Hmm, maybe you overheard someone else's conversation you nosy bastard?" You side-eye him, slightly peeved that he just cock-blocked you.
"Maybe so." He says, staring down into his glass.
"Wait, why are you here? No offense because you're my boss and I don't want you to fire me for being rude; but why?" You ask, tilting your head to the side as you express your curiosity.
"I have a family event on later this evening and I feel like I need to get shitfaced on my own terms, before I show up to that excruciatingly poor excuse of a function. This bar is one of the only few that won't actively water down their drinks with giant ice cubes and soda water." Verso sighs, tilting his glass close to his lips.
"Oh, that's quite fair actually." You mumble, sipping on your drink.
"How come you're out tonight?" Verso leans in to ask, and you begin to hear your heartbeat pound in your ears.
"Erm, just needed something to do. Kill time." You lie pathetically. You need someone to do. You want to slam your head right into the brown lacquered counter here and now.

"I see… Well, since we're both just killing time getting plastered without a good reason, how about we bar hop to somewhere close-by after our drinks? If you want to." Verso says, sliding onto the bar stool next to yours. You silently look back at Lune and Sciel for a brief second - to which Verso doesn't even register their presence (or maybe he does, and he's pretending he hasn't seen them?). Their faces are wide-eyed with horror, and they're mouthing 'NO'. Although, you see Sciel for a split second pull a thumbs up and mouth a 'YES' before going right back to mimicking Lune's expression.

"Oh…" You trail off. One problem - only now if you mention to Verso that you went with Lune and Sciel to the bar, but they're not sitting next to you, and in fact sitting right behind you, it would look kind of strange. And he'd likely piece together that you are definitely here for a hookup with Lune and Sciel as the wing-women. Which would be even more mortifying.
"Yes, sure." You nod. You both down your drinks and get up, and you walk out, pretending to not notice Sciel and Lune collectively losing their minds.

 

"Do you think he overheard us earlier today!?" Lune gasps to Sciel, watching you walk out of the door with Verso.
"Chances are high. Holy shit. He just cock-blocked her from that guy. Right? I'm not crazy, he stopped her from going home with that guy… And now they're walking off somewhere. If she didn't see his interest before, she's definitely going to see it now." Sciel says with wide eyes.
"…I don't know if I should be scared or excited for her." Lune says in a hushed voice, despite her close friend and Verso already leaving the bar a few minutes ago.
"Both, I guess? She's into him, he seems into her. We can only hope this doesn't blow up in her face." Sciel responds with pursed lips.
"Sadly I'm almost certain it will, but he won't be the one who has to pay the price. It's really inappropriate and unprofessional, what he's doing." Lune frowns.
"Yeah… But also, they'd be two consenting adults right? We sound like two mother hens right now…" Sciel shakes her head with a tiny laugh, a small attempt at trying to reel Lune back from becoming too invested and protective over their close friend.
"Ugh, I don't know. Maybe we should follow them? Intervene to stop her from going past the point of no return with him? Or is that too nosey…" Lune takes a sip of her drink, analysing every possible outcome.
"Let's face it - whatever happens now, would probably happen in the future anyway. With or without our intervention, it's a choice she'll decide on her own." Sciel determines, and Lune nods.
"Absolutely." Lune agrees.
"Yep… Anyway let's go spy on them." Sciel determines with a small laugh, as Lune jumps up from her seat at the mention.

 

---

Going out for drinks one-on-one with your boss/the CEO of the company you work for. What could go wrong?
"I'm going to say something that you might think of as slightly creepy, but when we were chatting the other day I saw a few of your music playlists on your desktop, and I noticed a lot of them are jazz playlists. I happen to like jazz as well, so…" Verso points up ahead, and you spot a moody and dimly-lit building, bustling inside with laughter and a faint melody.

For someone like Verso, you have to admit that he's more considerate and perceptive than what you want to see him as. He's no longer as much of the stifled and robotic person you first met, and you're beginning to really appreciate his efforts to connect with yourself and the rest of the team. You can't really place a finger on when something shifted within him, but you're not complaining.
"Haha, you know, maybe a little nosy, but not creepy. Let's go." You smile slightly at him as you both enter the jazz club.

 

"I thought we said we weren't going to spy on them. You spent all that time in the bar trying to talk me out of it." Lune quirks a brow at Sciel, who is striding awkwardly as if she's sneaking around.
"Shhh! Come on, let's go sit and get another drink at this bistro, we can watch the window from this table, it's got a little bush here and it's not so bright, it's perfect for spying!" Sciel says, ushering Lune to the other side of the street.
"Does the voice of reason get drowned out when exciting things happen?" Lune asks, as they settle into their seats, peering into the dimly lit club from across the street.
"Shit, I can barely see them." Sciel huffs as she scans the QR code, ordering herself and Lune another round of drinks.
"They're sitting awfully close…" Lune remarks.
"Right? That is so not the way coworkers sit next to each other." Sciel says, suddenly pausing her commentary to rest her face into a slight pout as her phone scans her face ID.
"Oh my god, Sciel, Sciel, he just leaned over to whisper in her ear." Lune frantically taps Sciel's wrist, as Sciel whips her head upwards.
"What do you reckon?" Sciel asks Lune, as she watches Verso pull away as you laugh.
"I mean, they're sitting close but they're not touching or anything. But also isn't it kind of strange? He's our boss and if anything, they were at each others' throats for the first few weeks." Lune replies.
"Things change, maybe? You know, she's always been that kind of person. I thought she wouldn't even survive in a private business when we all started working together. She's always put in the effort to connect with others, even if they don't deserve it." Sciel comments.
"Did you notice how Verso's actually been outside of his office and talking to everyone? Shit, he even had a conversation with me in the break room earlier in the week. That didn't start until he began working with her. Kind of benefits everyone though, weirdly enough." Lune notes as their drinks are placed on the table.
"I reckon she probably verbally slapped him with a dose of reality that you can't just stay cooped up in an office and run every ship with the same corporate script." Sciel snorted.
"Sounds like her…" Lune says as they both take a sip of their drinks.

About an hour passes when Lune and Sciel spot you and Verso leaving the jazz club. The girls begin to scurry out of their seats and tail you carefully.

 

"That was really nice, I really enjoyed it." You smile.
"I'm glad. I haven't been to that jazz club in quite a while actually, was nice to go again." Verso smiles back.
"Mmm. Also, you said you have your family function later?" You mention, and Verso flicks his wrist to glance at his watch.
"Ahhh, shit. Yep. Was trying to delay it as long as possible. Want me to walk you home? I think it'll weigh on my conscience if I know you're a woman a few drinks in, walking alone at night." Verso offers.
"Oh, yeah, sure. I'm about a 20-minute walk from here actually. If it's not too much for you." You nod.
"Definitely not too much. The longer I don't have to show up to the family function, the better." Verso chuckles as you turn to begin leading the way.
"…You must be very avoidant of family functions and such." You observe.
"Hate them. They're uh, not enjoyable for a number of reasons." Verso slightly purses his lips.

"We differ in that way, I guess. I'd love to see my family right now. My parents live on the opposite end of the city so I barely see them right now. Family events are kind of hard to pull together, but at least my younger brother, Claude, visits me fairly often since he attends University somewhat close-by me." You explain.
"Oh, you have a younger brother?" Verso asks.
"Mmm. By four years. He can be such a little shit sometimes, but I love him." You chuckle.
"Ah, I think my older sister Clea probably has the same sentiment about me." Verso shoves his hands in his pockets.
"I think it's a bit of a universal older sister thing. One time Claude stole my favourite crop top and ripped a massive hole in it trying to squeeze it over his stupid big head because he wanted to dress up as Britney Spears. I hold it over his head almost daily." You snort.

"Haha, once I painted a massive wart on the face of one of my sister's self-portraits when she was in middle school. She threw her shoe at my head and it actually drew blood. Look - you can see a scar on my head." Verso recalls with a laugh, as you both slow your pace and he lowers his head, pointing at the little white scar on the side of his hairline.
"Bahaha, I can actually see it. What kind of shoe did she throw to do such a number on you?" You ask, internally noting the clean scent of his shampoo when he bent his head close to yours.
"Her heavy school loafers. Was basically like a rubber and leather brick to the head." Verso rubs his scar as if it still hurts today.

"Ouch. When I was ten, Claude snipped my hair in my sleep because I took the powers he wanted to have when we were pretend-playing. I had to rock a very short and unflattering bob for almost a year. I looked like a thumb from the back. Not really a physical wound, but definitely a psychological one at the time." You both laugh at the imagery of your botched haircut as you turned towards your street.
"I doubt you'd let him go unscathed though, knowing you." Verso chuckles.
"Hey - what's that supposed to mean!? I hate it when people assume shit about me and they're actually right. Yeah, after he did that I waxed his left eyebrow off with a wax strip. He was missing an eyebrow for almost 6 months." You state proudly.
"You were a menace!" Verso gasps.
"Like you didn't exact revenge yourself?" You raise a brow.

"…One time she was bullying me and Alicia into playing a game, except she kept changing the rules and winning. We baked dog food into a cupcake and she ate it. All of it." Verso confesses, and now it's your turn to gasp loudly.
"That is evil!!" You laugh, and he smiles softly, his face slowly morphing into something a little more sombre as he registers Alicia in his memory.
"Yeah, we thought it was worth it though." Verso smiles sadly.
"Ahhh, siblings. The best way to figure out how to exact legal petty revenge." You digress, noticing Verso become a little more rigid. "Anyway, thank you again for walking me home. I appreciate it. Stay out of mischief at your family function." You wave him goodbye, as you step through your front door.

---

'you guys can come out now lol. I've unlocked my front door' You text your group chat between you, Sciel, and Lune. You hear a knock you open it up, both women giving you a sheepish grin. You roll their eyes amusedly and let them in.
"Nothing happened, but I appreciate the stalking out of concern." You cross your arms.
"It looked like it was about to!" Sciel exclaims.
"…We just spent time together as coworkers. He just didn't want to attend his family function so early into the evening and he happened to be where we were." You bite your lip.
"Nuh-uh. We're almost positive he overheard us in the office today. We talked about wanting to get you a hookup. He probably intervened because he doesn't want you sleeping with anyone else." Lune says with conviction.
"Guys… That's our boss. If we replay this conversation in our heads, it sounds a bit ridiculous, right? There's no way…" You trail off, not thoroughly convinced yourself. A part of you deep down is kind of excited at the possibility of this reason, and it makes you question your integrity for a split second.

"Think about it… There is no way he flips so many companies to an immense profit without having some skill in scheming and manipulating. That surely extends to other skills outside of business." Lune determines.
"At the end of the day… We're just nosy. And honestly I'm kind of shocked nothing did happen between you two. As bad of an idea getting involved with your boss is, I would also be cheering on from across the street." Sciel shrugs, and you scoff playfully.
"No, I appreciate you both for looking out for me, but I'm seriously all good." You sigh.
"…Yeah. We're sorry. It was a bit invasive of us to follow you." Lune purses her lips, and you shake your head.
"I think I would've done the exact same in your position, I won't judge too much." You chuckle faintly.
"Phew! Well, get yourself some rest. We'll catch up at work." Sciel waves goodbye as Lune follows suit. You wave back as you shut the door, letting out a long, slow exhale.

 

If you didn't know they were following, you probably would've acted a hell of a lot more impulsively.

Notes:

to everyone that was hoping for something steamy and downright filthy from the previous chapter.... i am so sorry!!!! you best believe i will make it up to you in the future though xD

i have a headcanon that verso needs a super strong connection. that man is so emotionally guarded, but once he has that connection, it's all-consuming for him. so think of this as the bit of dialogue that shows us that verso and reader have stuff to talk about and he's finally talking about family to someone else in an honest way. yay for emotional bonding! <3 but nay for not boning him this chapter T_T

(you can find the full list of verso headcanons here on my tumblr actually!: tumblr.com/quartz-writes/791732048094199808/hello-hello-i-saw-youre-taking-requests-and-you?source=share)

Chapter 11: the wrong intentions

'nooo idk what to get for sophie's housewarming :(' You type to your groupchat with Sciel and Lune.
'I've already gotten her a candle so don't you dare double up lol' Lune replies.
You're currently out shopping for your university friend Sophie's housewarming. Unfortunately, you have no idea what to get her and it seems like every other option is exhausted.
'i got her a throw blanket, big enough for her and Gustave to use at the same time' Sciel replies.
'ugh i don't want to be a cop out and buy them a nice bottle of wine, but i think i have to' you type, pivoting around a couple behind you in thegift store.
'Wine is always a safe bet' Lune texts back. You sigh, ambling around the store as you snicker to yourself at the sight of the gag gift area. You open your camera and sneakily take a photo of the sex positions coffee table book, hitting the send button as you lower your phone.

'I don't know if that's a reply I should entertain' The text reads back. Huh?
You open your message and a different chat pops up - it's Verso asking if you remember what the band that played the first song at the jazz club was the other night.
You feel your stomach drop rapidly, your skin suddenly forming gooseflesh as if someone dumped a bucket of freezing cold water on you. You quickly try to unsend the image, but the recall feature isn't available anymore.
'jesus i am so sorry. that was meant for friends, i didn't realise my messages switched to your chat. just ignore that. I think the band was called Expeditioner but i might be wrong' Your fingers move faster than ever before.
'Thanks - just wanted to find that song they played. No harm done.'
'definitely harm to my reputation' You reply.
'Don't worry about it. I found it funny.'
'ok good lol… sorry again. also i wasn't really able to talk about it as much as i wanted to since we both had to go, but thank you for sharing that story about you and your family. i can't imagine it's exactly easy to talk about'
'Thanks. I appreciate you for listening. It felt kind of nice to talk about my siblings without feeling like there's a stormcloud over my head.'
'i'm happy to listen. it was nice to learn more about you. see you at work tomorrow :)'
'See you tomorrow. Stay out of trouble lol' He replies. It's probably one of the most casual sentences he's typed to you, ever.

You decided to just buy a bottle of wine that day.

 

Sitting at your desk, you absentmindedly roll your chair wheels side to side as you type away at your document. You momentarily pause, the memory of Friday night replaying in your head. How good Verso looked. You also found it very perceptive and considerate that he noticed your love for jazz, and took you to that jazz club. And lastly, you noted how easy it was to bond and talk about your family life with each other. You bite the tip of your pen as you contemplate your feelings - how much is too much overstepping when it comes to seeing others outside of work? After all, you, Sciel, and Lune hang out together after work all the time. Although it's not strange, since you were all friends since university. Is there a true difference if it's you and your boss spending time together outside of the workplace? Is it really all that bad to be close to your boss? How bad could it be to start an office romance with your boss…? You fight the urge to search up 'what happens if i date my boss' in your phone's browser and drag your focus back to the document.

"Hey, have you seen the rest of the archives from 2019? I was asked to go look for the box for the last quarter, but I can't seem to find it." Minh asks you, snapping you out of your reverie. You settle your 'I HATE MONDAYS' mug down on your desk as you look up to respond to him.
"Ah, shit. I remember we did that massive storage overhaul and I think a few things got scattered. To be honest, that was my responsibility from a long time ago and I neglected it." You swivel away from your laptop screen.
"Yeah, sorry, I can bring out the stepladder if you need to use the storage room." Minh offers.
"No, no. It's okay, it's not heavy. I need to go put it back where it belongs, like I should've done so a year ago." You reassure him.

The supply closet can be a bit of walk, so whenever you lug something like the stepladder across the office, it's a bit of a spectacle.
"Am I getting unfit? I swear it was lighter last year…" You whisper to yourself as you drag the clunky bastard of an item towards the storage room containing the archived files. Holding the door open with the back of your body, you carefully shuffle the stepladder in first before closing the door behind you. You feel a thin sheet of sweat threatening to surface on your forehead, which you quickly wipe away with the back of your hand. Flicking the light on, you groan. You really wish you just organised your bit when you were meant to. Cursing at your past self, you lug the stepladder a little further, beginning to scan each and every single box and binder folder lining the shelf. In the midst of your search, you hear the door open.

"Ah, sorry - I shouldn't be too much longer, I think I've found what I need… Maybe." You call out, not bothering to look at whoever just entered.
"I saw you lugging the stepladder across the office like it was an overpacked suitcase on your way back from a holiday. I figured I'd help out." You know that voice. You know it well now.
"Shh, I'm not getting weak. This stepladder just gained weight since the last time I used it." You joke, rummaging through the boxes as the metal stepladder started to creak under your shuffling.
"Which box are you looking for?" Verso asks.
"Archives from Q4, 2019. Unfortunately when we did our last storage overhaul, it was nearly Christmas and I wanted to just go home, so I threw all the boxes wherever they'd fit, and now I'm really regretting that." You sigh, shoving the incorrect box aside.
"Are you searching from left to right?" Verso asks.
"Yeah, I am, haven't started on that end." You point to the other storage case behind you.
"So, anyway. About the graduate program…" Your footwork is clumsy, as you continue to absentmindedly talk about the ongoing project. Verso pauses, before squeezing in on the other side, beginning to rifle through the binders and boxes. The creaking is becoming louder as you continue to talk, seemingly unaware of how unstable the stepladder is sounding.
"Oh! Wait, could this be it?" You gasp, stretching your arm out as you suddenly feel the harsh sound of the metal snapping from under your foot. You yelp as you try to grab onto something, but it's happening too fast and you don't want to pull the whole bookcase onto you and your boss.
"Putain!" Verso exclaims, his hands wrapping around your waist as you ungraciously tumble onto him, your body leaning right up against his as he steadies you both. You look down, to see one foot still on the stepladder, the other on the ground.

"This cannot keep happening, I am so sorry." You groan in self-frustration as you crane your neck upwards. Verso doesn't look mad, he just looks… A little bit amused.
"I might have to start charging for emergency rescue services when you're around." He teases, and you crack a small smile at him.
The tension in the small, dimly lit storage room is so palpable you can it with a knife right now. Only yours and Verso's breathing fill the silence.
"Can I ask you something?" You ask, turning around to look at him, trying to ignore his warm hand settled loosely on the small of your back.
"Go ahead." He obliges.
"Did you overhear Lune and Sciel talk about going out on the weekend with me? Be honest." You instruct him, your eyes locked onto his pale blue ones.
"…Yes. And I went there on purpose." He breathes out his confession, his hand slightly retreating from your back.
"Can I ask why?" You take a small step forward, closing the space he was hesitant to make.

"Do you still expect honesty from me? Or am I allowed to lie?" Verso whispers.
"No lying, please." You whisper back.
"I just can't stand the thought of you being with someone else. I overheard an opportunity to stop that from happening and… I became impulsive." Verso explains.
"Impulsive? I mean, we were just hanging out, you're talking about it like we've done something wrong." You speak quietly. Deep down, everything you're saying - it's all wrong. You know exactly what would've happened if you didn't show restraint. If there wasn't anybody around.

"It's wrong because I have the wrong intentions." Verso steps forward, the both of you now standing upright between the bookcases, centimetres away from each other. "From the moment I met you in the elevator, since we started working together, you've been on my mind - even in my dreams. It won't stop. I can't keep acting as if I don't desire you. There's only so much restraint that I have as a man." Verso whispers - his tone mixed with yearning and anguish.
"I…" You trail off, as Verso leans in, his hips hovering against yours. You feel every nerve ignite as if struck by a flicker of lightning, as his thumb rubs a small circle on your lower back. You both deeply exhale against each others lips, both unsure of whether to close the gap or not. There are invisible strings that are about to break between the both of you, however you're both holding on to that last ounce of restraint.

"Please… Tell me no. Tell me to leave. Otherwise I don't know much more control I can exercise over myself." Verso whispers, his breathing becoming even more ragged. Just as you decide to inch forward, you hear footsteps coming, and you practically jump out of your skin as you swipe the correct box into your arms, taking a large step back as you hold your breath, waiting for the footsteps to subside.
Your gaze settles on Verso, who is now looking at you with an expression you can't quite decipher. Yearning? No… Anger? Not that either… Whatever it is, you can't afford to stick around to find out, no matter how badly you want to.

 

---

 

You return to your desk, your face still burning. Obviously, a part of you was feeling giddy at the revelation that you were not crazy at all, and in fact, Verso really is interested in you. The other part of you is screaming and clawing at the walls of your brain, telling you that you need to behave rationally. You've still got at least one and a half more months left on the project, if you can just wait it out, it means you won't be around each other as much and your stupid little office crush can fade…
Eyes flicking towards your laptop, you note it's almost time to head home. Yet your body feels like it's a heavy paperweight, and you can't seem to bring yourself to stand up and begin packing. Maybe some overtime is best so you can lose yourself in your work. Yeah… Definitely just trying to lose yourself in work. Definitely not trying to hang back to see if you can talk to Verso in private to address what happened in the storage room.

"You're not leaving yet?" Lune asks, leaning over your desk.
"I can't, I've gotta hand this report in since it's due tomorrow morning." You sigh. She looks at you apologetically, clapping her hand on your shoulder as she walks off. But what you didn't tell Lune is that you plan to cut the last threads of restraint tonight - damn all the professionalism and rules, you can't help the chemistry between you and your boss.

The office dims - you occasionally crane your neck to look behind at Verso's office door every now and then, but as to be expected he never comes out. And that's when you hear it. The intercom buzzing, and you see a figure of an unfamiliar woman standing behind the glass door. Before you rise up, you hear Verso's office door open. He strides past you immediately, not even giving you a single glance. He opens the door, and the first thing you hear from his lips is…

"You shouldn't be here."

Notes:

ooof, just when you thought someone would finally make a move!! i have a headcanon that verso has jane austen male lead/anthony bridgerton levels of yearning. we're creeping closer and closer to the point of no return with him. also maybe it's just me, but there's something that is so hot about an almost-kiss, although i'm sure some of y'all are gnawing at the bars of your enclosure for a full blown smut scene by now xD

Chapter 12: bad habit

Notes:

cw: mentions of reader smoking/reader quitting smoking. i personally don't smoke since i used to live in a smoker household and didn't like the smell

but considering smoking culture in most of europe i feel like smoking is a pretty fitting bad habit for the chapter. if ur not a smoker like me dw, it's just for the drama hahahah

"Why not?" The woman's voice responds, and it's a tone rooted in pleading and despair. You stare at Verso and the woman at the door, trying to get a better look from your seat.
"You know why. It's even worse that you've come to my workplace." Verso groans, and you see him pinch his nose bridge.
"I tried to go to your apartment, only to find out it was sold. I saw an article about you becoming a stand-in CEO of this new company, it was my only shot. Verso… Please." The woman sounds like she's on the verge of tears.
"Julie, I moved for a reason. This is borderline stalking. You can't leave my life without saying a word and then try to re-enter like you never disappeared." Verso speaks the last sentence in a tone that carries a lot of hurt.
"Come on, come on please Verso… I know I left back then, but I had to go to art school and I-" Julie begins.
"And you slept with someone else on New Years, only days after my sister died? When I was disfigured and bedridden?" Verso snaps.
"It was like I lost you that day too! I didn't know what to do!" Julie sobs, and Verso's shoulders slouch a little.
"You could've done a million things, but you chose to do that." Verso exhales as Julie sobs harder.
"You know I never stopped loving you, right? I went to therapy, I cut him off, I've put in the work to change." Julie sniffles.
"I'm glad you've put in the work, but it doesn't mean I can pretend nothing happened." Verso sighs.

At this point, sitting at your desk watching both of them argue feels like a perverse act of voyeurism. Knowing this much, seeing two former flames trying to burn each other once again, it made you feel a little bit sick. You begin to quietly pack your bags, eyeing the woman. Bright eyes, long flowing light brown hair. She's pretty.
You feel a disgusting pang of jealousy and self-hatred rise from your chest to your throat; it's like a dark oil spill that won't stop seeping into every capillary in your body. You clench and unclench your fists to steady your trembling hands, as you take a deep breath. Instead of trying to sneak past, you roll your shoulders back and try to walk past as casually as possible.
"Sorry, I just wanna give you both some privacy. Goodnight." You announce as you walk up to them. Verso turns around to look at you with a look that blends guilt and concern together. You stare at him momentarily before your eyes lock onto the elevator doors, and you don't look back as you step in. It's too much.

"…Who was that?" Julie asks.
"One of my coworkers who was staying back late to finish some paperwork." Verso crosses his arms.
"Bullshit, I saw the way you looked at her." Julie scoffs, still sniffling.
"Stop it. Don't bring an innocent employee into this mess." Verso narrows his eyes.
"I'm not stupid, Verso, I have eyes." Julie raises her voice.
"Don't. We've been done for years now and I want nothing to do with you. Stay out of my life." Verso says, punching in the security code and locking up.
"…You said you'd take me back." Julie says in a defeated tone as Verso opens the door to the fire escape stairs.
"That was when I felt hopeless and didn't have my shit together. Don't hold something over my head that I said when I was in a vulnerable place." Verso's footsteps echo as Julie trails behind him.
"You really don't think we could work this time? You really won't take me back?" Julie pleads.
"Of course not, now please fuck off and stop following me. If you follow me into the parking garage I'm going to call security."

***

 

You're not the sort of person to indulge in past bad habits, but tonight is an exception. It's just to stop that disgusting feeling in your throat. Two shots and a glass of wine in on an empty stomach, and you're staring at the little cardboard packet on the table. You sigh, giving in to the promise of easing your emotions. You hold your cigarette to the tealight as it lights up, and you take a long drag. Slouching into your seat, you exhale as the pungent smoke expels from your mouth. Even if there was bad blood between Verso and the woman named Julie, it made you sick to your stomach to see that beneath all that arguing, there was some care for her. Jealousy and insecurity often come as a package deal, and they like to drag that ugly skeleton of self-hatred back out into the open. It's too much.
You down the last of your wine, waiting for the next glass that you ordered. You can't explain why, but you need this. You just need to ruin it for yourself. Lick your wounds the next day. Rinse and repeat. You tuck the cigarette between your lips again, pulling out your phone and opening your social media. You stare at the keyboard, debating on whether to type her name in to stalk…

"I didn't know you smoke." Verso's voice. You turn around; if you weren't halfway into getting plastered, your eyes would be wide and panicked right now. Instead, they're half lidded and a little glazed over.
"Bad habit I kicked ages ago. I shouldn't be." You mutter, the cigarette still in your mouth as you quickly lock your screen and shove your phone in your pocket. Wordlessly, Verso walks a little closer, gingerly sticking his hand out to pluck your cigarette out of your mouth. You don't stop him as he pinches the cigarette between his fingers, his thumb grazing across your bottom lip ever so slightly as he does so. You look up at him with glassy, tired eyes as he drops the cigarette butt to the ground and smothers it under his shoe.
"Then don't." Verso replies in a soft tone, sitting down in the opposite facing chair at your table.
"Sorry for overhearing too much." You apologise as the waiter sets down your new full glass of wine. You grab for it and take a huge gulp.
"Not your fault." Verso reassures as you set your glass down.
"…Why are you here?" You ask, avoiding his gaze.
"I was looking for you."
"No you weren't."
"How do you know?"
"I just know." You state defiantly, taking several swallows of your wine until the glass was just under half full.
"Whatever you saw, Julie and I have been done for years."
"It's okay, it's not my business." You purse your lips, downing the remaining half of your wine in one go. Verso gives you a look that says 'you're probably going to regret that in about half an hour' but you ignore it.
"I tried to kiss you earlier today, so yeah, it kind of would be your business to know where I stand." Verso says, pouring water from the carafe into a glass, pushing it towards you.
"No you didn't. Don't say that. We're coworkers. Nothing happened between us, the storage room is just really small." You mutter, crossing your arms and looking away.

"Is that really how you feel?" Verso asks gently, his voice slightly laced with hurt.
"It's how I have to feel. I don't have my parents money to fall back on, I don't have a trust fund. I can't get involved with you like this. It'll only end bad for me." You sigh, your head dropping forwards and onto your crossed arms that are leaning on the table.
"I wouldn't let anything happen to you." Verso states with conviction, but you're not buying it.
"I don't want to find out what could happen to me." You sigh, your head dropping again as your forehead presses against the cold metal table, the filigree detailing likely making an imprint on the bullseye of your forehead. You're starting to feel icky.
"Stay awake, you it's not safe to be out here alone like this." Verso shakes your arm gently as you slightly lift your head.
"…Bleh bleh bleh." You mock him with an incredibly drunken speech pattern.
"I'm going to take you home, okay? Duty of care. No funny business, I promise." Verso says to you as you tiredly blink at him.
"No funny business. I carry pepper spray." You narrow your eyes at him.

You don't remember getting into Verso's car nor do you recall the many minutes it took for you to arrive at your front door. But you're here. And you didn't piss yourself or throw up in his car either, so bonus points for that.
"Can you make it inside on your own?" Verso asks as he kills the engine.
"Yeah of course." You reply, blinking slowly and shoving his car door open. Unbuckling your seatbelt, you jump off your seat and land on the ground, the earth feeling wobbly and uneven to you. You take a few steps forward, getting close to your front door.
BLECH!
Aw fuck. That's your favourite flower pot with the honeysuckle that should be blooming any day now.
"Don't. Say. Anything." You heave, Verso's passenger door remaining open as your hands rest on your knees, your head falling forward as you gather your breath. You hear him exit his seat and shut both car doors. Verso wordlessly appears by your side, placing his hand on your upper back as he rubs and pats your back soothingly as you stare at him.
"What? I didn't say anything." Verso shrugs.
"Okay, well, you just diiii-" BLECH.
"I'll help you get inside and make sure you're sleeping on your side so that you don't choke to death on your own vomit. No funny business." He reassures you as you nod, staring at your poor flower pot. You reach for your keys, fumbling with them for almost a minute as you finally jam the correct key into your door, turning it and stumbling in.

You're on your bed, laying on your side as the room is still spinning. You watch Verso place a big glass of water, an electrolyte tablet, and two painkillers on your bedside table.
"…Thank you." You mumble.
"Why did you drink so much? Why did you get the urge to smoke?" Verso asks, placing an empty plastic bag next to your hand.
"Don't ask stuff you already know the answer to. You just want to hear it. And I'm not gonna say it. I refuse to speak it into reality." You clutch onto the plastic bag with a small sigh.
"Okay. You caught me." Verso shakes his head with a small chuckle.
"I think I was being a bit unprofessional for trying to get to know you, considering you're my boss..." You murmur, as Verso cautiously reaches out to stroke your hair to soothe you.
"You think?" He lets out a small laugh as his fingers weave through the strands of your hair. Instinctively, like a cat starved of affection, you lean into his touch. His hand freezes and you stare upwards at him with tired doe eyes.

"…I'll let you be now. I'll lock up for you and leave." Verso whispers, reluctantly withdrawing his hand.
"You won't stay?" You pout a little.
"I shouldn't." Verso stands up from your bed.
"Yeah… You shouldn't…" You agree, but your drunken self is bad at hiding your disappointment.
"We agreed no funny business. Also, you're wasted." Verso points out, and you nod.
"Yeah… My flower pot…" You mumble sadly, which he stifles a laugh at.
"Get some rest. See you on Monday." Verso smiles.
"…You're pretty when you smile." You blink.
"I'm aware." He smirks, his chest puffing as he folds his arms momentarily. That mannerism… You've never seen it before. You wonder if that humour and charm was what Verso was like before the fire and Alicia's death.
"Goodnight." Verso whispers.
"Goodnight Verso." You mumble back, hearing him descend your stairs and press the lock before shutting your front door.

---

You wake up the next morning, blinking tiredly as your head angrily throbs at you. Your throat feels disgusting and your eyes feel like someone has thrown coarse grains of sand into them. The memories of last night hit you like a truck - your drinking, smoking, and Verso getting you home. Aw fuck, and the memory of you throwing up in your favourite flower pot.
"Merde… I'm a fucking trainwreck." You groan.

The stream of hot water blasts against your body as you sigh. How much longer could you stay reasonable? How much longer can you hold on to your last shred of reason? Probably not a lot. You have no idea how you're meant to face Verso now.

Notes:

apologies for giving reader a diabolical crash out instead of making them kiss 😭💔

also poor julie. i actually found her log about verso so sad, but for the sake of established old flames, julie unfortunately had to be the one. she’s very ooc in this story. apologies to the julie stans ;(

Chapter 13: a very bad idea*

Notes:

* for mild smut content in this chapter

You're dreading dragging yourself out the door for work this morning. But also you have too much work to catch up on, and there will never enough annual leave in the world to continue avoiding Verso forever. Better to just get it over with on day one.
The late spring air is becoming balmy now, your hair threatening to cling onto the back of your neck as sweat begins to bead on your neck as you hurriedly stride towards the office building. The last time you were here, his ex-girlfriend, Julie was here… You shove the thought away, vowing to yourself to ignore it. Ignore the whole situation. Ignore your feelings. It'll all fade eventually.

The elevator door closes on you as you stare at your fuzzy and distorted reflection in the brushed metal surface. When did your opinion of Verso exactly change? At the beginning, you hated the way he was the total opposite of Maria - your first kind and caring boss who made you feel like working for a private company or business was actually doable. Your view of Verso was that he was rigid, repressed, and only sees employees as pawns on a chessboard. Yet for some reason, you felt drawn to him. And lo and behold, as you began to speak with him more, most of your assumptions about Verso were proven to be false. While the man is definitely repressed, you've seen a cheeky and playful side to him - he's the furthest thing from a robot. You now know that he's very considerate of others, and a part of you wants to believe that he's especially considerate towards you. And despite the messy encounter the other night, he helped you get home safe without an ounce of judgment or disdain.

Maybe it's better to stop lying to yourself under the guise that you just want another boss who shows genuine care and interest in their employees… You've been trying to get to know him better because you've been deeply attracted to him this whole time. And above all… You've fallen for him. And you can't bear the thought of seeing him with someone else.

---

'Looked at your final draft, most things are in order but we just need to merge some topics to keep everything consistent.' (Verso Dessendre | 3:09pm.)
'Okay sounds good' (3:13pm.)
{Verso Dessendre has sent you a meeting invite: 'Final Draft Review' 3:30pm - 4:30pm}

You briefly chew on your bottom lip anxiously. You were prepared to have a quick exchange walking in the hallway or a short talk in the elevator. Not a whole face-to-face catch-up in his enclosed office, dammit.
You sigh inwardly, scooping your laptop in the crook of your elbow as you walk towards Verso's office. You knock and enter as Verso looks up from his monitor, his gaze as intense as ever.
"Wanted to go over the final draft of the proposal and framework?" You ask awkwardly, and he nods. Taking a seat, you open your laptop once more, clicking away to find the relevant files.
"Feeling better from Friday?" Verso asks.
"Ugh, don't remind me. Only just recovered" You shake your head with a small laugh, trying to play everything off. Furrowing your brows in confusion, your laptop begins to stutter and refuses to open your files.
"Something the matter?" Verso asks as you look up from your screen.
"Hmm, yeah, laptop is stuttering. Just needs a minute." You sigh as it finally loads. You begin to comb over the first few pages with Verso, your nerves settling as you use work as a social shield to not talk about what happened over the weekend, or about that moment where you practically invited him into your bed. Your mind begins to replay that moment in your bedroom with him, and the smirk he gave you. It was like seeing a flicker of an entirely unrestrained and charming version of him, the image of the look he gave you almost feels as if it's burnt into your retinas by now.

"...Yup, oh and also that term. Wait, is it in a smaller font? I can't really see." Verso leans over a little more to look at your screen, his hand gently grazing over yours as he tilts your laptop screen to get a better look. The sensation jolts you out of your thoughts and you stare at him with widened eyes.
"O-Oh. I think I accidentally hit a weird formatting setting, sorry." You apologise, your breath hitching in your throat as you stare into his pale blue eyes, your gaze travels down to his lips before snapping up to his eyes again. Merde - you need to get laid before you become any more obvious around him.
"You're staring." Verso comments quietly and you blink a few times; you have indeed been staring at him this entire time. Fucking hell.
"Thought I saw a mosquito landing on your face." You pathetically lie.
"Right." Verso pauses. "Hang on, there is actually something on your face though." Verso adds, standing up and leaning over his desk. He wipes from the corner to the centre of your bottom lip with his thumb. Slowly. Achingly. Your legs tense together as a response to the mix of shock and arousal you're feeling from his actions. He pulls away to sit down, locking eyes with you. You stare at him, your mouth agape at his actions. You haven't drank or eaten anything in the last few hours apart from water - there is certainly nothing on your face.

"Verso…" You whisper, knees subtly rubbing together as if the minuscule amount of friction is going to provide you with some relief. It doesn't.
"What is it?" He leans back into his seat, continuing to tap away on his computer like that action wasn't full of romantically charged tension.
"Don't tease me like that." You shoot him a look - it's meant to be a look of warning, but you're almost certain your expression conveys more desperation and lust than anything else.
"Wasn't teasing, you just had something on your face." Verso says, still tapping away. His feigned obliviousness after blatantly teasing you was beginning to drive you nuts. As if your body has a mind of its own, you get up from your chair, and you hear his tapping slow down. Within a few strides, you're standing over him whilst he stays seated in his chair. Verso swivels his chair to face you as you step forward once more, standing in between his legs. Neither of you say anything for a moment - the hum of your computers and the loudly ticking clock on the wall filling in the gaps of silence. It feels like your mind is telling you to go and sit back down, but your body won't listen.
"Yes?" Verso asks, stretching and crossing his arms behind his head as he eyes you. You watch as his arms flex and his chest rises a little, and you subconsciously lick your lips.

You bend down at your hips, the palms of your hands settling on the top of Verso's knees as you lean in, your faces inches away from each other.
"Nothing. I just want to kiss you." You confess, your eyes travel from his lips to his eyes.
"Why don't you then?" Verso leans forward a little more, your lips dangerously close to each others.
"Because it's a bad idea…" You exhale loudly, eyes half-lidded.
"A very bad idea." Verso affirms, but neither of you pull away. Your eyes flicker up and you notice Verso has crossed his arms behind himself, not just as a display, but because he's restraining himself.
"Oh… You're refusing to make the first move." You pout, your breathing becoming more uneven.
"I'm giving you control over the situation." Verso breathes, looking up with pupils blown out at the sight of you leaning over him, staring at him with such a lecherous expression.
"You're giving me too much power, that's what you're doing." You whisper, your lips now hovering over each other. Just like how it was a few days ago in the storage room.
"I'd give you whatever you want." Verso whispers back. Something about the carnal desperation laced in his words feels like a lightning strike through your body. You can't control it anymore. You want him, just as badly as he wants you.

"Fuck it." You whisper as you lean in, your lips crashing down on his as Verso steadies you at the waist with both his hands. Despite the passion and tension, the initial kiss was sweet and gentle. You both break away for a moment, as Verso cups the side of your face with one hand, pulling you in for another kiss.
The second kiss is more fervent, with an ignited passion and intensity behind it. Staying in the bent position had your knees starting to feel like jelly as your tongues brushed against each other, your body almost teetering as you tasted the coffee and mint on his tongue.

As if Verso had some kind of sixth sense that your knees were about to give way, he broke the kiss momentarily to raise himself from his chair, standing up and placing his hands on your hips as he guides you to perch on the edge of his desk. You gasp softly as he plants a hot, wet, open-mouthed, kiss on the column of your throat.
"F-Fuck…" You whisper as your hands thread through his black and white strands.
"I've wanted to do this for weeks now…" Verso whispers against the skin of your neck, his hands gently circling the side of your hips. Your cheeks are tinted pink as you stare into his intense icy blue eyes.
"Fool." You playfully grumble, before pulling him into another kiss. You feel his leg wedge between your thighs as your hips instinctively draw closer, the most sensitive bundle of nerves seeking pressure against his thigh as you exhale softly.
"You know I won't be able to stop myself if you keep this up, right?" Verso smirks against your neck as his kisses travel lower, his fingers nimbly undoing a button on your blouse to kiss more exposed skin, inching lower to your chest.
"I don't want you to stop anyway." You whisper, legs subconsciously parting further as you melt into his touch.
"Good. Let me take care of you." Verso murmurs as you feel his fingertips ghost over the top of your thighs from underneath your skirt.
"Fuck, Verso…" You whisper his name as his silky black waves tickle your jawline.
"I've wanted to hear you say my name like that for so long..." He whispers as his lips travel even lower, merely millimetres away from the top of your bra.

Before you can take another breath, his phone rings loudly, and you both jolt upright. For a split second you both look at each other before clearing your throats, as if the phone itself has eyes and it caught you both in the act.

Verso picks up the phone, running a hand through his hair. You hurriedly fix your buttons and smooth down your hair as you hop off his desk.
"…Okay, yep. No worries. It can be left with the front desk administration, they can sign it off. Sure. Thanks. Bye." Verso ends the call as you reach for your laptop. Catching your breath, you stare at each other once more, chests both rising and falling in sync with the rhythm of the ticking clock. You've just gone past the point of no return. You awkwardly clear your throat again, before bidding him goodbye as if nothing happened. However the look you exchange each other before you shut the door says otherwise.

 

---

 

'I'm hoping you don't regret what happened between us today' your phone lit up with a number you haven't saved. Unlocking it, you review the previous conversation and realise it's Verso's number. You quickly add his contact before replying.
'I don't. also, I feel like you're letting your real personality out of the basement though lol'
'That's what happens when you like someone who can be so violently unserious that it becomes contagious' Verso replies almost instantly. You send him an image of a hamster doing a peace sign in response. Verso sends an edited image of a cat making a funny face, and you stifle a laugh. Strangely enough, it never crossed your mind that Verso would look at memes or funny animal pictures, let alone use them in text conversation. It's quite endearing to think about.

"What has you giggling at your phone so much? It's a man, isn't it." Claude calls you out and you instantly relax your face, trying to play it cool. While you love your little brother, there is just no way you're going to tell him that you had a downright hot and filthy moment with your boss in his office today.
"No. It's just my group chat with Lune and Sciel." You respond smoothly. Claude gives you a look that says doesn't fully buy that excuse - and you know it, but he doesn't press the matter further out of courtesy.
"Hmmm, mmkay. Well anyway, look at this vintage leather bag I'm bidding on." Claude flashes his phone screen at you as you begin to discuss fashion and how horribly constructed most bags are these days. Your phone continues to go off in your pocket. Later once Claude left for his dorm, you saw the message Verso left.


'By the way… I don't want you to feel like you're being used, because I'm serious about you. If you feel the same way, how about I take you out on a date soon?'

Notes:

FINALLYYYYY A KISS and a really inappropriate one at that

Chapter 14: let's go fast.*

Notes:

here's a lengthier chapter since i have been basically torturing u guys over 13 chapters lol!! enjoy the smut. also the title is a reference to what verso sometimes says when he takes his turn in battle. whenever he says 'let's go fast' or he moans when he takes damage i'm like 😏😏😏 ...and then my reaction reminds me i'm a massive pervert

An evening date; Verso told you to wear something nice, and that's all the hints you got from him. You raid your wardrobe, settling for a sleek black halterneck dress, and black strappy heels you could confidently walk in. You kept your hair up and out of the way in a messy updo, and did your usual natural makeup. You smoothed your dress down in the mirror, pleased with your work. Grabbing your purse, you walked out of the door, the balmy and humid summer air hitting your exposed back.

Walking towards your meeting spot at the large fountain, you could see Verso was lost in thought tapping away on his phone. Approaching him, you stop about a foot away and lean down until your face was almost in-line with his phone.
"Heya. Hopefully I'm not late?" You ask.
"Hello. No, actually I just got here too." Verso says, looking up and his mouth gapes open for a moment.
"Haha, you all good there?" You smile, enjoying his reaction as you sit next to him on the bench, crossing your legs towards him.
"Yeah. Perfect, actually. You look incredible." He compliments you with a warm smile. Your eyes roam over his outfit choice - a black button down rolled to his elbows, black trousers, and black boots. The all black is simple, yet it works so well on him. Probably because he seems to fill out the clothes in all the right places. Funnily enough - you note that you're technically both matching, since you both opted to wear all-black outfits.
"You're looking pretty incredible yourself actually." You nudge his arm playfully.
"Hah, thanks. Alright, we'll go to our first stop." Verso smiles again, and it feels like something warm blooms in your chest.
"Multiple stops?" You raise your brows in surprise as Verso gets up, extending his hand to you.
"Yep. We'll eat first." He says as you take his hand to stand. You expect him to let go, but he doesn't. And you don't mind. You walk hand-in-hand to the restaurant.

…

Verso took you to two spots - an upscale bistro (which he refused to let you pay even part of, no matter how much you tried to insist) followed by a visit to the theatre. The entire date was incredibly thoughtful, and was tailored perfectly to both of your common interests. Admittedly, you've never had a date go this well before in your entire life. You both step out of the theatre, still buzzing from the impeccable performance.

"How on earth did you get tickets to The Phantom of the Opera on such short notice, and in such a good spot? I swear weekends are always sold out a month in advance." You ask Verso, who is holding onto your hand and absentmindedly rubbing little circles into your hand with his thumb.
"My parents have on-demand access to the balconette seating, since they're so involved with funding the various artistic pursuits in Paris. One of the few perks being my parents child." Verso explains with a small chuckle.
"Ahh, I see. I might have to see if I can use you for that again if I want to watch another musical or play in the future." You tease.
"Use me all you want, I don't mind." Verso says flippantly, and you almost choke on air over his wording.
"Sorry. I'm immature sometimes." You apologise awkwardly with a cough.
"Oh no, I mean that in every sense." Verso replies, and you begin to feel your cheeks heat up.
"S-Stop saying such things to get a reaction out of me!" The tips of your ears feel prickly with heat as you playfully thwack him on the arm. "Anyway, you've taken me to two spots. If you don't have a third, then I can think of a place. My contribution to the evening." You add with a small smile.
"Sure. What do you have in mind?" Verso asks.
"Hmm. Wanna go to Bois de Boulogne? The lake there is pretty at night." You suggest.
"Sounds good, I haven't been there in a little while." Verso nods with a small smile.

After a short metro ride, you both arrive at one of the 'green lungs' of Paris - Bois de Boulogne.
"Bit touristy and busy in these parts, but there's a nicer, quieter spot down there." You point to the smaller track that leads to a small pond and a weeping willow tree which is so old that the leaves practically provide a full curtain made of foilage.
You both make your way sit under the tree, looking at the still pond that reflects the moonlight and streetlamps. You both sit in comfortable silence, as you lean your head on Verso's shoulder. Gingerly, as if to silently confirm your boundaries, Verso's hand settles on the middle of your back, right where the backless feature ends and your dress starts again. You feel his thumb lightly skim against your exposed back, and you try to suppress the shiver his touch gives you.

"It can be pretty busy in the city. If not for Monoco and Noco, I'd barely get out in nature. Actually, I used to play with Clea and Alicia around these trees when we were a lot younger." Verso comments, and you give him an apologetic look. You intended for things to be relaxing, not a reminder of his deceased little sister.
"Oh, god, sorry. I didn't realise…" You trail off, and Verso shakes his head, pulling you a little closer as if to wordlessly reassure you.
"No, don't be. They're good memories. Apart from when Clea and Alicia pushed me into the lake because I kept beating them in a game of chasey." Verso chuckles.
"Jesus - you weren't playing fair?" You joke with a small smile.
"I was. They just didn't like that I've always been the fastest." Verso says with a tiny smug grin on his face as you let out a short laugh.

"…Oh, wait, so your family live in this area?" You add, and Verso nods.
"The family manor is a twenty minute walk from here. Actually, there's an adjacent cottage we use as a studio which is about ten minutes away out of here. I don't use it all that often since I don't paint nearly as much as I used to." Verso says, reaching out to fiddle with a limp willow branch.
"Woah - so your family still owns and uses it? You have many of your paintings inside?" You ask, eyes shining with curiousity.
"Yeah. Actually, I could show you, if you'd like?" Verso asks.
"Of course! Well, as long as it's not too much trouble." You reply.

You both walk towards a bungalow cottage, covered with crawling ivy and framed with lavender bushes. Verso pulls his keys from his pocket, fiddling in the dimly lit moonlight for a specific key for the gate. As he opens it, you take in the surrounds. A small lawn full of long grass and native flora. Along with with the lavender, you notice the red roses and white chrysanthemums that framed the cottage closer to its entrance.
"Pretty flowers." You comment, quietly inhaling the sweet scent.
"Maman and papa aren't often here, but they do love to garden. They planted those and they still come by every now and then to tend to them so it's not all left up to the gardeners." Verso explains as he opens the door to the cottage, flicking the light on.
The cottage itself is beautiful and eclectic - you notice a general theme of dark, warm toned woods and gold accents. Despite the regal appearance, it seems the family enjoy decorating with plenty of colour, as you note the collection of mismatched colourful patterned tiles that adorn the backsplash of the kitchen area. The rest of the walls were almost entirely covered by paintings. Some of the paintings depicted a scenery, others depicted little creatures or they were portraits of the family members.

Your eyes flicker to a solo portrait, a girl who looks about 14 or so, with bright ginger hair and pale blue eyes the same shade as Verso's. That must be Alicia. Your gaze quickly shoots back to a series of creatures hung on the wall.
"Woah. Who painted these?" You ask, walking closer to the wall. The creatures almost seemed alive.
"Mostly me. A few were Clea's." Verso explains, walking over to stand next to you.
"Which is your favourite out of these ones?" You ask Verso, briefly glancing at all the paintings on the wall.
"His name is Esquie." Verso points to a framed canvas of a jolly and large looking creature. It has a white smiling face in the shape of a full moon with a gold halo in the shape of a sunray. The creature had a large and pillowy looking torso with comically smaller limbs in comparison. Somehow, the creature looks simultaneously silly and noble.
"Hehe, he's very cute. He seems like a happy little guy. Or maybe big guy. I'm not sure about his size to scale." You compliment, turning to Verso.
"I'd describe him as a a gentle giant. When I made Esquie, I thought of him as a very powerful creature. Legends say that Esquie is the most powerful being in the world, able to soar through the heavens and dive deep beneath the sea. Legends also say… he’s lazy." Verso adds, and you laugh.
"For some reason, that is very fitting for his appearance I think." You glance at the painting of Esquie once more before Verso begins to tour you around the rest of the paintings. Despite Alicia's presence being so heavy, Verso doesn't seem so sad talking about her this time. It's almost like she's alive in these paintings.

"Ah, I can give you a quick tour as well. I'll start with the rooms. There's three, one for sleeping, the other two for painting." Verso says. He opens the door only to the guest room, which is opulently decorated with clay coloured flax linen sheets and sage green curtains. Verso opens another door to quickly show you one of the studio rooms. "This one maman and papa used." Verso explains. "And this one was what us kids used more back when we all went to the cottage together." Verso turns and paces towards the next door, opening it up.
"Oh wow, looks like someone's been painting kind of recently, I think?" You note at the canvas still propped onto a very ornate and grand looking easel with gilded features.
"Ah, yeah, I was here last week painting. Just needed to take my mind off of things, although I usually do that more on the piano." Verso explains as you step into the room. The room has the same theme throughout - dark wood paneling with minor gold accents, and light beige elements to balance the room out. You walk towards the canvas on the easel, taking a look at the painting in full. The painting is of a glowing angelic apparition, the feminine shape of the body is painted in a soft-yellow hue. The figure is painted as if illuminated in a bright light against the grey sky, casting a nimbus aura and creating brilliant amber coloured sun rays against the background of dreary and bleak clouds.

"Woah. This is beautiful." You comment, as Verso stands next to you.
"Thanks. It's not quite done but, yeah." Verso nods.
"Is this another one of your creatures?" You ask, glancing up at him.
"Hmm, not quite. Although I'll be a little embarrassed if I have to disclose the source of inspiration." Verso admits with a sheepish look on his face, scratching the back of his neck momentarily.
"Haha, that's okay. I won't pry. Thank you for sharing all of this with me." You smile at him. You can't help but study his face in this moment. The pale blue moonlight and soft warm glow of the lights illuminate Verso's sharp features. You sometimes find it hard to believe a man can look like this, a man with such a face this beautiful could only exist as a sculpture or a painting.

"You're staring at me. Again." Verso comments with a small grin, cocking his head to the side, reminiscent of a curious puppy.
"Sorry. I can't help it, you're really handsome." You chuckle admittedly, thankful for the bit of alcohol left in your system giving you a little more confidence.
"I'm glad you find me handsome. The moment I walked into the elevator on my first day, I couldn't stop staring at how pretty you are… It was so easy to fall for you." Verso admits, and you blink owlishly. Sure, you both shared a really heated moment in his office, but for Verso to admit he's fallen for you? 
You were half expecting he just wanted an employee to fuck during his downtime, despite him even taking you out for a date tonight. A strange little seed of doubt was always in the back of your mind, but his accidental confession just completely crushed that doubt into a thousand pieces.
"Fall for me?" You whisper, subconsciously wringing your hands.
"O-Oh, wait, I wasn't meant to say it that quickly to you…" Verso's eyes widen and for the first time in your life, you're seeing him flustered. Bumbling. Nervous, even. It's so cute. And it's like a completely different side to Verso - in the best way possible.
"I've fallen for you too." You say with a grin on your face. Verso smiles back gently, and his smile makes your chest feel weightless.

Verso draws you in close to him by the small of your back, his other hand cupping your cheek. "Mind if I kiss you again?" He asks gently, and you nod. He leans in, closing the distance as you both kiss once more, only this time without interruptions or risk. You melt into his touch, his hand roaming from your cheek to the nape of your neck as he kisses you as if you're oxygen itself.
"I've never seen you so nervous before." You giggle as you break the kiss.
"Making a mockery of my nerves?" Verso jokingly accuses in a soft tone.
"No, no. I take your nerves very seriously, actually." You shake your head with a small smile. You feel the atmosphere's temperature rise as Verso's hand returns to your cheek. You lean into his hand like a cat being pet. He lets out a brief huff of amusement at your reaction to his touch.
"You do, do you?" Verso playfully taunts. He tilts his head to the side a little, looking you in the eyes as his finger trails along your jawline, his gaze soft and almost worshipping in nature as he studies your face. Your eyes fall onto his lips, as you watch his tongue dart out to wet his lips as if he's just tasted something sweet. "Then prove it." He whispers in a low tone.

---

"Are you challenging me?" You softly chuckle as you plant a tender kiss on Verso's neck, the soft brush of your lips sending a shiver through his body. In kind, Verso tilts his head back a little more and bares his neck to you, but it wasn't exactly an act of submission. It was more like he was offering himself as if to willingly exchange roles of dominance between you both.
"If you'll take me up on the offer, yes." Verso smirks, and you gently nip at his neck as a response. Verso guides you by your hips as you briefly pull away from each other.
"Okay. I accept whatever challenge you're giving me." You grin as Verso quirks a brow.
"Oh, you'll accept without even thinking? You're brave." Verso chuckles huskily as he kisses beneath your collarbone. "I'm actually quite glad you wore this dress." Verso whispers against your skin, his kisses descending to the top of your cleavage.
"Mm? How come?" You ask, trying to steady yourself to prevent your knees from buckling under his touch.
"Easy access." He replies, giving the ribbon of your halterneck dress a gentle tug, as he watches the top of your dress unravel, drinking in the sight of your bare chest. "Fuck… Look at you. You're so perfect." Verso breathes out, his hand gently palming against your breast, his thumb only just grazing over your nipple. You let out a whimper as Verso lowers his head a little more, your other nipple captured by his mouth as he tenderly circles it with his tongue.

Your hands move to grip onto Verso's broad shoulders, using him as an anchor so you don't keel over in pleasure. "Can I do something I've been wanting to do for a long time?" Verso asks. You're too clouded by lust right now to even pause and ask him exactly what he means; you just nod in agreement as if under a spell. You find yourself perched at the edge of the seat of the couch in the room, as Verso slowly sinks to his knees.
"Wait, what do you mean…?" You blink owlishly. The mere sight of Verso lowering to his knees with such a worshipping look in his eyes strikes through you like lightning, and your knees tremble a little out of anticipation.
"I think you know exactly what I'm going to do." Verso's fingers brush at the hem of your dress, and you nod eagerly. He slowly pushes the hem back until it pools at the top of your hips, exposing your panties to him. You almost feel shy, but the way he's taking care of you sets you at ease. His fingers hook under your panties, and you watch a line of slick between your skin and your underwear stretch a short distance before disappearing. You're sopping wet already. Your chest is heaving as you feel Verso's fingertips graze up from your ankle, past your knee, settling on your inner thigh with a featherlight touch before his large, warm hands part your legs a little wider.

Verso dips his head between your thighs, softly inhaling your scent as he kisses your inner thighs. You whimper at the contact, his beard softly grazing against your skin as he plants another kiss, even closer to your cunt.
"So beautiful." He whispers, his tongue darting out to lick one long, slow stripe from your hole to your clit. Verso stares up at you, his icy blue eyes making unwavering eye contact as he intently watches your reaction. You stare right into his eyes, finding the sight of him on his knees worshiping you downright erotic.
Your hips buck at the contact, your chest heaving as Verso begins to eat you out as if he were a man starved and your pussy is his last meal on earth. Your hands grasp loosely at his black and white strands, as he moans into your cunt, sending vibrations that send your brain into a spiral of pleasure.
"F-Fuck… So good… You're so good at this…" You bite back a moan as your praise seems to have had some kind of effect on him, as his tongue works faster and harder. It seems he gets off on hearing your praise.

"Fuck. You taste even better than I imagined…" Verso whispers before he resumes lapping up your pussy, sinking his middle and index fingers inside of you as you gasp at the combined sensation of his fingers and mouth.
Even after a few minutes of the motion, Verso keeps a relentless and steady pace that you almost question whether his consistency and stamina is even possible in a human being.
"G-Going to cum, Verso…" You whine his name as Verso gently steadies your thighs to prevent you from thrashing around too much at the sensation.
"Cum for me." Verso whispers against your skin for a moment, and as if on command, the coil building in your lower stomach snaps and you loudly moan his name in pleasure as you cum.
You blink as your vision focuses into view, as you watch Verso stand up and lick his fingers clean, the sight of him doing so almost putting you in a trance.

"We're not stopping here, right?" You ask, chest still slightly heaving.
"I wouldn't mind if we do though." He responds.
"I'd prefer not to. So, would you prefer to cum inside of me, or my mouth?" You ask brazenly. You watch as his eyelids turn heavy with pure, unadulterated lust at your suggestive question.
"Inside of you." Verso breathes out.
"I'm all yours, however you want me." You look at him through hooded eyelids.
"Lay back on the couch. I need to do what I've been aching for over the last two months." Verso says, beginning to unbuckle his belt as you lay back.
Your eyes slightly widen as his cock springs free. You weren't expecting all that. He's even bigger than what you imagined.

You part your thighs as Verso positions himself between your legs, his cock lining up against your entrance as he dips his head down to kiss your cheek before slowly sinking into you. You both hiss in pleasure at the sensation, his cock stretching your walls.
"S-Shit, you're so tight…" Verso moans as he begins to move. God you love hearing his moans.
"Ah… S-so full…" You whimper as he rocks his hips into yours. In one swift movement, he pulls your legs over his shoulders, leaning in further, the angle deepening the sensation. You almost scream his name in pleasure as he begins to relentlessly pound into you at a dizzying pace. "So fucking good, god you fuck me so good…" You praise him as he begins to pant and moan.
"Fuck… Fuck…" Your name spills from his lips as he continues to snap his hips harder and faster into yours. Yep. The man definitely has a praise kink.
"Verso, I-I'm gonna cum..." You bite your lip, looking up at him as he drives his cock into you at a faster, harder, more erratic pace.
"Yeah? Cum for me. You can cum for me again right? Cum all over my cock." Verso's words in that slightly whiny and desperate tone aren't just dirty - they're filthy. His words send you over the edge. Your walls tighten and your vision blurs at the corners as you cum once more, leading him to spill his release inside of you right after. As he cums inside of you, you swallow his moans greedily with a kiss.

You both exhale deeply as Verso's hips slow down until he pulls out. Verso quickly hands you a box of tissues as you clean yourselves up, but you're both too tired to move from the couch in the early morning just yet. You simply fix your clothes back on correctly and doze off in each others arms for the night on the surprisingly comfortable couch.

---

"Um. Hello." A brunette woman's tense and awkward tone of voice greets your ears, your eyes snapping open as Verso shoots upright, almost causing you both to tumble off the couch.
"Putain-! Er, good morning, Clea." Verso greets awkwardly as you both scramble to sit appropriately on the couch, as if his sister didn't catch you both cuddling while asleep.
"You mean good afternoon. Don't tell me you're bringing girls into our family studio just to bed them? I mean, I'm glad you're finally back out in the dating scene again, but eugh. Right in front of my salad." Clea grimaces at Verso, her nose scrunching a little in disgust.
As if doused in cold water, Verso straightens up with a priceless expression plastered on his face. "No! Clea, we're not- I mean it's not what it- well it's, I was just-" You've never seen Verso splutter and panic in this way before, like he's been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"Riiiight. Have some manners, my dear brother. Next time you should use a bed at the very least." Clea snickers, repulsion still written across her face as she shuts the door on you both.

Chapter 15: personal chew toy*

Notes:

so this is just filthy smut with practically zero plot. i was def ovulating when i wrote this. but don't worry, i promise more plot is on the way soon :p

also, quick question for everyone reading along with each update!

i plan on interrupting regular chapters with a 1k hits special since at the time of writing this fic, RRR is already at about 970 hits. given the choices below, what would we like to see?: (psa - anonymous comments for voting are definitely counted in this as well!)

A) the freakiest, filthiest smut i can muster
or
B) a tooth rottingly sweet and fluffy scenario
and feel free to leave headcanons you'd like to see brought to life with your vote, i'll try to make as much as i can happen!

i plan on uploading the next chapter by the end of this week (31 august), so once next chapter is uploaded i'll start reviewing the ratio of votes and get to writing :D <3

"Mon dieu..." Verso groans, burying his head in his hands momentarily.
"It's that bad she caught us?" You ask, and he looks as if he's torn between wanting to shrivel up due to embarrassment, or let out a laugh.
"Not really bad per se. But she's definitely going to hold this over my head. Stuff about being responsible and using shared family spaces appropriately and-" Verso looks over to you, as you begin to giggle at the situation. He can't help but laugh now too. "Ah well, it worked out that I took my chances." He smiles at you. "AND THE STUDIO IS PERFECTLY FINE!" Verso calls out, his voice raised loud enough that Clea can hear from outside the room.
"STILL DISGUSTING THAT YOU DID IT RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE FAMILY HEIRLOOM. SHOW SOME RESPECT NEXT TIME! ALSO, NICE TO SEE YOU'VE FINALLY GROWN A SPINE ABOUT WOMEN." Clea shouts back from the kitchen area.

At this point you can't help but burst out into a laugh, trying to smother the sound of your laughter by burying your head into Verso's chest. You feel his chest rumble and shake with his own laughter. The situation is as equally as entertaining as it is embarrassing for you.

 

"So the family heirloom…" You tease as you hand Verso his coffee. He's currently walking you back to your apartment, however you were both feeling a tad hungover and needed some caffeine and carbs to push through the journey.
"Yup, that easel. An intricately carved easel made of rosewood and gold from the 1700's. Anyway, that easel has definitely seen some shit. We're not the first, I'm sure." Verso sheepishly chuckles.
"Christ. Also, Clea seems nice." You note.
"Sarcasm?" He quirks a brow, and you shake your head.
"Nope. She let me use her skincare in the bathroom which was very nice of her." You explain.
"Wow, she's nicer to you than her own little brother already." Verso rolls his eyes playfully. You both continue walking and chatting until you reach your apartment.
"Well, I had a lot of fun this weekend." You smile, as Verso tucks a strand of hair behind your ear.
"So did I. Thank you. I don't think I've smiled or laughed this hard in a long time." He smiles back.
"Just so you know, everyone else in the office likes it when you smile and laugh too. A lot of people have mentioned you're more friendly than they first assumed. I like that other people are seeing this side of you now too." You playfully nudge his ankle with the point of your shoe.
"What can I say? Someone's bringing it out of me." Verso replies in a playful tone.
"I'll see you on Monday. Get home safe." You smile at him, softly kissing his cheek before waving him goodbye.

 

---

 

"…You're having sex with Verso aren't you?" Lune asks out of nowhere during lunch break, causing you to violently spit out the coffee you were taking a sip of.
"I think that's a yes…?" Sciel turns to Lune before she gently thumps your back, helping you regain composure.
"What makes you think that?" You cough, feeling a warm prickle creep up your neck.
"Um, first of all, we all know you haven't had sex for a while now, and all of a sudden you're literally glowing. Second, Verso is actually behaving like a human when he's speaking to people now. It's really easy to put two and two together with the context clues." Lune deduces.
"Y-You can't base it off of me looking good lately and Verso being easier to work with! I just had a really good sleep on the weekend and Verso's probably just settled into his role better now." You lie pathetically. Lune and Sciel don't look convinced at all, and you feel a pang of guilt for lying to your two closest friends. You know they'd support you no matter what, whether that's sleeping with your boss or committing war crimes. "…Okay, I was lying. I am." You admit almost instantly after denying. You just don't have it in you to lie to your closest friends. Both women grin in amusement at your almost instant concession. 

"Haha, I knew it!" Sciel squeals, and Lune smiles at you.
"Sorry for lying. I should know better." You apologise sheepishly.
"I fully get it, I'd probably react the same." Lune is completely unphased by your half-assed attempt to lie.
"But what now? So just like, casual sex to blow off some steam or?" Sciel asks.
"I don't really know where it's going, I'm just here for the ride. Literally and figuratively." You joke, causing the two to burst into a small fit of laughter.
"So you're not sure if it's exclusive? Damn, well just steal his wallet in the night if he wastes your time." Lune jokes.
"Hm... Actually... I can't really tell. Maybe we're exclusive? He did tell me he fell for me, and I told him the same." You admit.
"Okay, actually very exclusive then. Wow, so when are we gonna get the wedding invite in the mail?" Sciel teases, and you groan in response at the teasing.

 

…

"Verso, can I ask something invasive out of sheer curiousity?" You pause your typing on your keyboard, glancing over to him. While you're both still staying back as usual, you now don't even bother to stay put at your desk. You both just sit in a comfortable silence typing away on your computers while the sky turns to a dark shade of blue.
"How invasive?" Verso quirks a brow.
"Something Clea mentioned on the weekend." You note, and he nods. "She said it's nice to see you grow a spine about women… What did she mean by that?" You ask.
"Well, I'm not someone who's really dated or gotten involved with others for casual things. After the way my last relationship ended, I just kind of threw myself into work and kept shutting people out. It also meant I just stopped having a love life. That's what she meant." Verso explains, and you listen intently.
"Oh." You aren't immediately sure what to say, trying to choose your words carefully.
"Oh?" Verso prompts.
"Mmm, I guess I didn't consider that you would be the sort of person who would disengage from romance and intimacy. I would've assumed you'd still have people throwing themselves at you, so you'd just be able to release your frustrations when needed." You answer honestly.
"You make it sound like I'm some sort of playboy." Verso pouts a little, and you give him an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry for sticking the playboy label onto you. You're actually very much the furthest from it." You apologise.
"Thank you." Verso chuckles.

"…Actually I do have a new label for you though. I promise it's not offensive this time." You speak after a short lapse in silence.
"A new label? Do tell." Verso crosses his arms across his chest in intrigue.
"You're like a puppy." You answer with confidence.
"A… A puppy?" Verso repeats confused, tilting his head to the side a little. You point out the mannerism and he holds up his hands in mock surrender with a small grin.
"Yep. Specifically, you'd be like a husky because of your black and white hair, and bright blue eyes. Oh! And…" Hmm, maybe you shouldn't say the next part out loud.
"And…?" Verso encourages a further response.
"Uh, I forgot." You lie.
"No you didn't, you just don't want to tell me because it's probably weird or you're worried it's offensive." Are you really that transparent?
"The first one." You answer.
"Try me." He leans in.
"…You're eager to please and you respond well to praise. Also you really enjoy being pet, especially your hair and your back." You blurt out.

You stare at Verso. He stares back.
"Not entirely wrong, actually." He concludes with a slight nod and a smile.
"You're not mad I said you're eager to please and you respond well to praise? I'm making you sound like a submissive." You ask with a raised brow.
"Can't be mad if it's true. Although don't get too big for your boots and assign me one role - I like to relinquish control to you because it's fun." Verso says in a low tone.
"So theoretically, if I call you a good boy…" You hum in amusement.
"And theoretically, if I call you my good girl…?" Verso asks, his voice dropping an octave. It brings a blush to your cheeks.
"H-Hey… It's different, you said 'my' and I said 'a'." You stammer.
"Oh, looks like we're both a little weak to some praise." Verso smirks.
"Not fair." You pout, trying to settle yourself. It's one thing that you've now slept together, but in the office at night is beyond irresponsible. And hot.
"You wanna hear it again?" Verso teases, and you shoot him a look that is a mix between being flustered and faux-grumpy. He pushes his chair out a little, wordlessly gesturing with only his eyes and a small motion of a nod towards his lap, with the faintest trace of a smirk. You roll your eyes but obey, walking over and perching yourself on his lap.
"That's my good girl." He whispers, holding you by the small of your waist as his lips crash into yours.

"Doing it here is risky…" You whisper as you tug on his hair, your hips straddling his. You inwardly thank your past self for wearing a skirt today.
"We don't have to then. We can stop." Verso whispers back, slightly pulling away from you.
"I'm having too much fun to stop." You pout, painfully aware of how soaked your panties are already. Your head dips to the crook of his neck as you grind down against his bulge. The pressure and sensation only serves to rile you up further as you gently bite down on the side of his neck, sucking the skin ever so slightly before briefly licking it, as if you were soothing a wound.
"Haha, clearly. You're grinding down on me so much we might end up breaking this chair. You don't even care that the blinds aren't shut, do you?" He comments, voice laced with playfulness. You feel Verso's hands roam under your skirt, caressing your thighs as he pulls you in for another kiss.
"Maybe I don't really care if onlookers see how good you fuck me." You reply, raking your fingertips through his hair momentarily.
"Then maybe we should give them a show. Desk or chair?" He offers, and you bite your lip.
"On the desk." You decide.
"Mmm." Verso picks you up from underneath your hips, seating you at the edge of the desk. He quickly leans over, his arm swiping the various small objects to one side as you settle onto the desk, your forearms propped against the cold, lacquered wood as you lean back on the desk. Planting open-mouthed kisses just under your earlobe, you hear the unbuckling of his belt. You break the kiss, looking into each others eyes as his pale blue eyes gaze into yours - a quiet question of consent. You nod wordlessly with desperate doe-eyes, before he slowly sinks his long, thick cock inside of you.

You gasp at the sensation of your walls being stretched, the initial first thrust blooming pleasure throughout your body as you lean back on the desk. God, you could never get tired of this feeling. Slightly hiking your legs up, you pull Verso in close as he begins to rock his hips into you at a rhythmic pace.
"God, fuck, just like that…" Verso pants, "you're taking me so well." Your eyelids fall half-lidded as you feel him hit that sweet spot inside of you, over and over again. Your legs are trembling against him as you hear the desk rock back and forth with your movements.
"T-There… Right there…" You moan softly as Verso wets his thumb with his tongue briefly, lowering his free hand to rub your clit in little circles as he continues to pound into you.
"Ha… Look at you, legs spread for me on my desk. You don't even care if others could catch you looking this needy for me, do you?" Verso playfully taunts between ragged breaths as he momentarily switches the pace to slower but harder strokes, causing you to whine in pleasure as you tighten around him.
"Ngh… N-not… My fault…" You pant as he picks up the pace again, barely able to get out a proper sentence now.
"My, have I fucked the words out of you? Don't worry, I'll take care of you. You know I'll take care of you every time." Verso coos with a smug grin on his face as he gazes down at your fucked-out expression, happy with his handiwork at reducing you to a whining, moaning mess on his cock.

"F-Fuck… Can't last much longer…" You breathe out, your hands gripping onto his shoulder blades leaving faint little red lines as he leans in almost flush against you.
"Yeah, that's it. I've got you. Come on… Cum all over my cock. Cum for me…" Verso's voice is beginning to strain as your walls clench around his cock.
"O-Oh god, Verso…" You whimper as your body stiffens as you're on the verge of climax.
"I've got you, I've got you… Atta girl…" He whispers against your ear again, coaxing your orgasm out of you, the familiar feeling of a coil snapping in your stomach as your walls tense and release around him.
"F-Fuck!" You cry out, biting into his shoulder to muffle your moans. Verso doesn't even flinch at the sensation, kissing you on your temple while you clutch onto him, riding out your high.
"Good girl…" Verso moans, his hips thrusting at a fast and erratic pace as you continue to ride out your high, his own orgasm following yours shortly after.

---

The morning after, you gasp at your handiwork this time. A hickey (which thankfully can easily be hidden under his collar), three bite marks on his left shoulder, and eight, faint little lines down his back. All leftover from last night. You wince a little as you notice you very narrowly avoided the large scar on his back, which you've not spotted before. The blanket over you both covers majority of the scar, but you're unable to see what it looks like fully.

As if Verso can feel you staring at him, he begins to stir and his eyes begin to open. You avert your gaze from the scar as you gently stroke the crown of his head.
"Good morning." Verso whispers, his arms instinctively tightening around you.
"Morning. Sorry about all those marks I made, I got carried away." You apologise as Verso blinks away the sleep in his eyes.
"Ah. Admiring your artwork?" He chuckles sleepily.
"Artwork? You practically became my personal chew toy last night." You joke with a sheepish expression plastered on your face.
"I don't mind. In fact, I like it. You know I meant it when you said you can use me in whatever way you like, right?" Verso doesn't even think twice about saying something so flirtatious. It catches you off guard, but you quickly recompose yourself. He seems a little smug he was able to get a reaction out of you.
"Hmm… Okay. You can leave something on me next time. So we're even." You whisper.
"I'll hang onto that offer." He responds.

You don't doubt that he will be taking you up on that offer later.

Notes:

in case you didn't see it at the top of the notes:

quick question!

i plan on interrupting regular chapters with a 1k hits special since at the time of writing this fic, RRR is already at about 970 hits. given the choices below, what would we like to see?: (psa - anonymous comments for voting are definitely counted in this as well!)

A) the freakiest, filthiest smut i can muster
or
B) a tooth rottingly sweet and fluffy scenario
and feel free to leave headcanons you'd like to see brought to life with your vote!

i plan on uploading the next chapter by the end of this week (31 August), so once next chapter is uploaded i'll start reviewing the ratio of votes and get to writing :D <3

Chapter 16: a formal invitation

Notes:

a short chapter, but there will be more coming very soon!

"…And that's why it's important that you should consider prospective marriages at some point in the next few years. I don't care much for successors, but being an unmarried woman can appear bad for business at times. The last thing you want is a rumour in the tabloids while you're trying to get on with your life." Maman finishes lecturing Clea about marriage prospects.
"I can't be bothered dealing with men who don't even know their right from their left. I don't want some incapable man bogging me down when I've got much bigger fish to fry." Clea crosses her arms.
"Oh yeah, I can't remember the last time you brought someone around." Verso comments absentmindedly, unaware of the Pandora's box he just opened.
"Oh yeah? And when are we going to officially meet your girlfriend? And when I say meet, I don't mean I find you both passed out on the couch in the family cottage." Clea pipes up after taking a few more bites of dinner, while Verso practically chokes. Thank god it was just a dinner between himself, Clea, and maman. He'd loathe to see both of his parents reactions about this in real time.
"Clea!" Verso coughs.
"Well, since we're talking about marriage prospects and introducing people." Clea bats her eyes innocently, but her voice was dripping in sarcasm.
"That's not… We haven't been dating for very long! I don't want to scare her away." Verso clears his throat.
"You're seeing someone?" Maman asks gently, though her excitement is apparent.
"Yes- but, ah. It's so early." Verso says, trying to downplay the situation. He shoots Clea an annoyed glare, however Clea appears to pay no mind.

"Oh lovely! What's her name, how did you two meet? Oh, what do her parents do for work? What does she look like?" Maman asks a series of questions at a rapid fire rate.
"Ah, well-" Verso tries to slow the conversation down so he has time to think of a lie.
"First of all, she's pretty. Honestly too pretty for you, Verso." Clea teases with a snort.
"So you're telling me I could have some gorgeous grandchildren in my future?" Maman beams playfully, earning a groan from Verso as he buries his head in his hands.
"Haha! Last time you were teasing me about when I'm going to settle down, this is payback, Verso." Clea crosses her arms in mock triumph.
Verso was mentally exhausted after jumping through several mental hoops to dodge Clea and maman's questions. It led him to realise that continuing to hide the dynamic between you both is less sustainable and achievable than he first hoped.

 

---

 

'1 new message in your inbox - from the Council of Paris.'
Strange.

'…We have been following Envisager's efforts closely, and would like to extend a formal invitation for the Artistic Excellence Charity Gala from the Council of Paris to celebrate the efforts of the artistic collective across the country.'
Your eyes scanned over the email.

'did you guys get the gala invite just now? wtf, who sends out an invite on such late notice for an event like this' You text your group chat with Lune and Sciel.
'yesss! lol the timing pissed me off, but so exciting though. the venue is at hotel de baudelaire which i've always wanted to see' Sciel replies almost instantly.
'damn, I'm tempted to just spend the night there if they have any rooms available but can u imagine the cost? probs a whole paycheck's worth lol. not worth' Lune replies shortly after.
'i don't even have a dress i could use for something this fancy and it's only 2 weeks away, this is such short noticeeee' You complain.
'ugh yeah I need to get a haircut for this :(' Sciel agrees.

Your group chat made the decision - next weekend will be dedicated to preparing for the gala. 

 

...

 

By god, did the next weekend roll by way too quickly. You stepped off the metro and bounced up the stairs, buzzing with nerves and energy as you hoped to find a dress today. If not - you're kind of fucked.
"Yay you're here! Okay, I want to check for some dresses, we can start with the mall nearby and keep looking." Sciel declared her plan of attack.
The mall was bursting to the brim with designer and affordable labels, to which the three of you were having no luck so far on the second last floor.
"Why is everything so expensive? And made so poorly out of such shit material these days?" Lune sighs as you all trawl through the racks.
"Wait - I think I've finally found something nice. I think." Sciel gasps, pulling a beautiful square neck gown. The colour is mesmerising - it's a beautiful deep purple with golden beading throughout, as if the dress depicts a twilight sky.
"Woah - that is definitely your colour and design! You need to try it on!" You exclaim.
"I should! It's also under my budget which is fucking incredible!" Sciel grins, rushing off to the changing rooms.
"Since it's an event about the arts, I just need something a little bit more out there…" Lune hums, passing on a simple red gown. Your eyes flicker towards your rack, and you find a beautiful gown. It's a one-shoulder chiffon gown with flowing layers, as if to depict a cascading waterfall. The chiffon is delicately dyed with different colours, mainly streaks of sky blue and pale red, contrasting with the eye-catching corset detail in the middle. It's so gorgeous, but it's just simply not you.
"Lune, how do you feel about this one?" You pull the dress off the rack, and her eyes sparkle immediately.
"Wait, this is it! But you found it, maybe you should have it if you like it more…?" Lune offers, trying to rein herself back in.
"No no - it's cute but it's not really me. You should try it on." You smile at her, holding out the gown to her a little closer. Lune gratefully nods at you, before rushing in to the changing room next to Sciel. As they both emerged from their changing rooms, you could see they made their decision - they found their gowns. You smile as they both twirl and admire the fit of their gowns and how beautiful it looked on them.

"You haven't found your dress and the ball is tomorrow…" Sciel pouts at you before taking a sip of her matcha, and you shake your head, admiring the afternoon sun.
"I don't wanna buy anything I don't love. I do have an old backup dress, it's a bit plain but it would definitely serve the purpose just fine. I'm just glad you both found something perfect." You smile.
"At least you got your hair cut - honestly even if the dress isn't your ideal dress, hair and makeup can carry the fit through." Lune nods, sticking her fork into her shortcake.
"Mmm, true. I also cannot believe what a find that store was for gowns, you both chose impeccably." You hum as you bite into a strawberry.
"May good karma find you for finding the perfect dress for me." Lune jokingly puts a hand over yours, as if passing on a blessing.

…

Walking down the street as you depart from your adventure with Lune and Sciel, you sigh deep in thought. You could make your simple black bodycon dress work - it's almost a little more like a cocktail dress, but maybe with some accessories it could pass off as a formal dress. If only you found your dream dress - something flowy but not puffy, something elegant but not boring, something like… That dress in the display window of the vintage store right next to you. It's a sleek, khaki coloured gown. Oh wow. Lune, your blessing worked.
You knock and enter immediately, approaching the store owner. The waifish woman had her brown curls held together by a hair pin, her deep brown eyes greeting yours warmly.
"Hi, how can I help?" She smiles.
"I have a charity ball tomorrow evening, and I desperately need a gown - I think the one in the window is perfect." You say, your fingers crossed behind your back.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry dear. The dress was already bought…" She smiles apologetically, and you can't help but grimace. Damn. That dress would've been great for the occasion.
"Oh, that's all good! That someone else is very lucky." You smile, turning on your heels, taking it as a sign from the universe to save some money.
"-Wait! I have some new stock… If you like that dress, maybe this one could be even more suited to you. One second…" The woman smiles, wandering off into her storage room. Moments later, she comes back with a breathtaking dress.
"From a vintage designer in the 90's - the brand is no longer around. What do you think?" The woman asks, holding the dress. It's a beautiful backless light teal gown, that shifts in the light, reflecting a deep golden amber hue. The shifting tones cast a visually fluid effect. You notice the straps have delicate amber beading on the side, and it's tastefully backless. It's beautiful, and also sexy enough to wear to a charity ball without doing too much.
"It's perfect…" You gasp, and she ushers you into the changing room to try it on. And just your luck - it fits like a glove. "I'll take it!" You call out from the changing room.

 

---

 

You finish your hair and makeup after getting dressed, staring at your phone's clock. You can't help but sigh at the thought of not being able to go as Verso's date. After all, to the rest of the world, you're just colleagues. It would be highly inappropriate to be seen together like this. You swallow the thought down like a bitter pill and touch up your lipliner. You looked at yourself - forgetting how good you look when you go all-out. Pleased with your work, you head downstairs as you catch a taxi to the venue. Looking out the window, you can't help but wonder what Verso is doing right now and what he'll look like tonight. And will he even look your way considering the high-profile event? There's so many unknowns.

The cab slows down to a halt, and you take a deep breath, smoothing your dress down as your heels click on the stone. You're only hoping you can find Lune and Sciel as quickly as possible to quell your nerves and provide you with a distraction, considering there is no way you can be around Verso for more than 10 minutes without things looking odd to others. After you present your ID and ticket, you walk through the lobby. God this hotel was immaculate - the perfect balance of warm wooden detailing and bright cream-coloured marble was a beautiful sight. You continue walking as you feel some stares - perhaps due to how eye-catching your dress is? Whatever reason, despite the stares fraying your nerves even further, you continue to hold your head up high and make your way to the function hall.

Oh god. You can't see anyone you know right now apart from Verso, who is looking at you fondly from across the room with Clea at his side. You give him a small grin, and then watch out of the corner of your eye as Clea's eyes settle on you in surprise, and shift towards Verso, giving him a huge frown.

 

Shit. Fuck. It seems you both forgot Clea has no idea you're his employee. 

Chapter 17: a moment alone, interrupted

"Ah, another stuffy gala for people to flaunt their tax evasion. Love it." Clea snorts, picking up another flute glass full of champagne from a passing waiter.
"Yep. The peacocking never gets old..." Verso chuckles to Clea. As he's about to open his mouth again to complain about this circlejerk of an event, his voice dies in his throat as he watches you walk in. You. Your dress. You look like a goddess. Like a fading bronze statue in a forgotten civilisation, the material flowing as if you carry the wind with you. And Verso notices it's not just him staring - plenty of other people in the room have their eyes on you too. He feels a small spark of jealousy flaring up within, watching people eye you, not knowing you're taken.
"Wait… Isn't that…?" Clea asks. "She's your date? She could've just come with us." Clea adds, snapping Verso out of his reverie.
"Huh? Oh." Ah shit.
"Verso… If you're seeing her, yet you didn't arrive together and you're not already walking over there to greet her, what does that mean?" Clea narrows her eyes with an accusatory tone, and Verso immediately feels panic set in. He never told Clea you're his employee. Clea's glare is so icy it feels like she's poured a bucket of ice water over his head with just her glare and words alone.
"Um…" Verso briefly looks down at his shoes to find an excuse as Clea downs her flute of champagne in one go, placing it back on a passing waiter's tray as she folds her arms.
"Verso." Her tone of voice was like maman's when she scolds him. It makes Verso inwardly cringe.
"Yes Clea?" Verso purses his lips, unable to meet her eye.
"…You fucking idiot." Clea groans, slapping Verso upside the head, causing Verso to rub the back of his head.
"I didn't mean for it to turn out this way." Verso shoots Clea an annoyed look, but guilt is plastered on his face.
"What the fuck are you thinking?" Clea frowns.
"Uh… I wasn't...?" Verso downs the rest of his drink.
"Moron. Of course you weren't thinking." Clea side-eyes her little brother, looking at the desperation and yearning in his eyes. Not even her chiding was enough to stop him from ogling you.
"This is your mess to clean up. But I hope you realise just how fucking bad it looks when a CEO is sleeping with his employee. Especially a CEO from a high profile family, such as ours." Clea whispers to Verso, his eyes still fixed on you as you line up at the bar.
"Not sleeping with her… It's more than that." Verso whispers back.
"Really? Because as I see it right now, you're just fucking each other. Family isn't introduced and you're probably only spending time together in your office after hours. I actually feel bad for her, you're lucky we're in public otherwise I'd beat your ass." Clea whispers back, her voice laced with venom towards Verso. The venom in her words aren't poisonous, only meant to sting. And man - does it sting like a bitch. The thought of you being seen as a toy to him and nothing more makes him feel a little sick to the stomach.
"No, no. Not just in the office. I'd never do that to her. And I'll handle it, okay? It's not like I'm going to stay CEO at Envisager forever." Verso sighs.
"Yes. But in case you haven't realised, you kind of have no other choice but to handle it. Besides, I think she'll do just fine either way." Clea subtly gestures with a nod of her head in your direction, bringing Verso's attention to the two men speaking to you whilst you wait for your drink. Verso swears he just saw a flicker of an amused smile from Clea as the situation unfolds.
"Oh for fucks sake." Verso groans quietly, striding over towards you without hesitation.
"That's meant to be my line…" Clea sighs. "Waiter!" Clea calls out, flagging down a waiter with a tray of flute glasses filled with champagne, as she grabs another drink.

 

 

"Hey." A man greets as your gaze on the bartender making your martini floats to the source of the voice. A handsome man with dark features and skin smiles at you slightly, a glass of whisky in hand. Another man with light brown hair is standing next to Lucien with a small, friendly smile.
"The name's Lucien. From the Council of Paris. You're the one from Envisager I was corresponding with last year for the mural project, right? I could be wrong though, those email icons are pretty small." Lucien smiles.
"O-Oh! Yes, that's me. Wow! Nice to actually meet you in person! You're a lot taller than what I'd have assumed from your email profile picture." You lightheartedly note as you take your drink from the bar counter, craning your neck up to speak to him before taking a small sip.
"Haha, you're a bit shorter than I assumed, funny enough. So, did you just arrive?" Lucien asks.
"Yep, can't see any of my coworkers yet. Thought I'd just kill time getting a drink so I don't stand around awkwardly. And yourself?" You smile.
"I volunteered to assist with the decorating and planning. Don't know why I did that, it was just unpaid labour. But it also meant I was one of the first to get here." Lucien slightly shakes his head with a laugh.
"Really!? You did an amazing job, the function hall has such a striking colour theme, the decorations and everything else blend in beautifully." You compliment Lucien as you take another sip.
"Thank you. I'm glad at least you appreciate my hard work." Lucien thanks you smoothly, and it takes you aback. The phrase was innocent, yet it was something about his tone of voice and the way he's holding himself that made the sentence come off as flirty.
"Haha! Aww no. Surely there are others who have complimented you tonight?" You try to divert the conversation broadly.
"Well, maybe I'm just fishing for a co-"
"Ah, there you are." Verso's voice smoothly cuts in.

God. Even the sound of his voice is enough to ignite a warm and tingling feeling in your gut.
"Oh! Hello Verso." You smile up at him, your heartbeat beginning to race at the sight of him. He looks even more good looking than he usually does, which is downright unfair. Despite his dislike for layers and constraining clothes, he's donned a deep navy suit with a waistcoat and simple bowtie in the same colour. It seems he's tamed his waves a little more for the occasion too. He looks hot - it's a daily occurrence for the man, but the formalwear is really doing it for you. You gulp thickly, hoping nobody else noticed the hungry stare you gave him.
"Ah! You're the current CEO of Envisager, now right? Great to meet you in person. I've gotta go but, I'm sure I'll see you around." Lucien bids you both goodbye, walking off with the other man by his side.
"…He left fast." You note, and Verso gives you an unreadable look. You tilt your head to the side. "Huh? What's that look for?" You ask, your face morphing from an expression of curiosity to playful annoyance since Verso isn't telling you the reason for that look.
"Nothing, nothing. You look beautiful, by the way." He compliments, and your cheeks redden.
"T-Thanks, you too." His readiness to compliment you threw you off beat, and you stumble on your words momentarily.
"I'm beautiful too?" He quirks a brow playfully.
"Yes, actually. You might even be the prettiest girl at the ball." You tease, chuckling into your drink before you take another sip.

"Let's go for some fresh air alone, before more people turn up and others realise I'm missing for too long." Verso smiles softly, and you nod.
Stepping out onto the balcony, the first thing you notice are the red roses blooming against the trellis, the sweet scent permeating your nostrils - a welcome reprieve from the heady designer colognes and perfumes in the functional hall.
"I'm sorry I couldn't bring you as my date." Verso clears his throat, looking off at the city skyline.
"Don't be silly - it wouldn't be sensible for us. It's just nice to see you at this event too." You reassure him, your forearms leaning on the balcony railing.
"Yes but, I'd actually like to be on your arm with events such as these in future. I don't want to hide you." Verso frowns, and you nod, feeling your chest flutter.
"On my arm? Haha. You sound like you want to be my handbag." You joke.
"I'd be anything you want me to, as long as I'm yours. You know that." Verso jests back, and it causes you to stare up at him, cheeks flushed. Even if he was joking, it was something about the way he so readily admits that you have him wrapped around your finger, and the fact that he likes it that way.
"Y-You can't just say those things! Well, I wouldn't turn you into a handbag at the very least." You joke, trying to take the sexually charged connotation out of the conversation.

"Oops." Verso chuckles, looking down at you with a gaze of admiration. You meet his stare, your eyes falling to his lips momentarily before looking back into his pale blue eyes. A small smirk plays on Verso's lips as he notices that particular way you looked at him, a playful expression that says 'caught you', wordlessly communicating that he wants you just as badly as you want him right now. God. You can't have a moment out here when it's so public. You can't. But you want to, achingly so.

"Verso." A woman's voice calls out from the balcony door. You notice her from that evening at the office… It's Julie. You gulp thickly, the sight of her like a ghost haunting the room, but she's here and it's real. Seeing her is like watching a sandcastle crash down from a single tidal wave; a reminder that there's a former flame trying to rekindle with him, and it makes you deeply uncomfortable. Yet you have no grounds to do or say anything since to almost everyone else in the world, you're just an employee. And he's just your boss.
"I'll, uh, give you two some privacy. I've gotta go find Lune and Sciel, they've probably arrived by now." You force a smile, barely maintaining composure as you head back inside. You brush past her politely excusing yourself, and she doesn't even look your way, let alone step aside to give you more space to squeeze by.

Notes:

uh oh, julie is back and she's wormed her way into this event with her family's connections...

Chapter 18: a little seating mishap

Notes:

surprise!!!! - two chapters uploaded in one day, take THAT adhd 😏 #hustling

"Oh. She's run off. I hope I wasn't interrupting anything important." Julie clears her throat, taking your exact spot as she stands next to Verso.
"Didn't expect you and your family to take an interest in the arts." Verso comments.
"Hm? Well, papa's been expanding out from real estate and he's buying up a few art galleries. He wants to own a private museum one day, so this event is perfect for him. First invitation for our family." Julie explains, pivoting so that her back is against the balcony and she's gazing off into the function hall through the glass doors.
"I'm heading back in now." Verso says curtly, not bothering to entertain Julie for a second more than he has to.
"Okay. By the way, I didn't peg you for a guy who would sleep with an employee." Julie comments, pulling out a slim cigarette from her purse.
"What?" Verso narrows his eyes.
"Oh fucks sake, Verso. I'm your ex and I have eyes. You never even smiled that way with me. I'm admittedly jealous." Julie scoffs, lighting her cigarette and taking a deep inhale.
"Smiling at someone doesn't mean anything. It's the guilt you harbor, because you thought I'd never smile again after I saw you in bed with someone else. Go bother somebody else, please." Verso walks off, hoping his icy tone was enough to keep her at bay.

"Oh my god, you look gorgeous!" Sciel exclaims, giving you a little twirl.
"Hehe, thank you!" You giggle.
"Where did you get the dress? It seems my wish for good karma really did find you." Lune smiles.
"A vintage consignment store. Super lucky find." You gesture to your dress.
"I'll say! It looks like it was made for you." Lune compliments.
As you continue chatting and drinking with the girls, you can't help but sneak a glance Verso's way from across the room, only to see him already looking at you. You both exchange a small smile, your heart pounding in your chest.
"…You are so obvious." Lune snickers, and you force yourself to tear your eyes off of him.
"You guys are literally eyefucking each other from across the room. Why don't you go over to him to at least say hello?" Sciel encourages, but you shake your head.
"Already had a chat at the start of the function." You say, wary of the eyes that could be watching you in the room.

 

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to you, Verso made his way to the seating arrangements with Clea.

"You're in such deep shit, my darling baby brother. What are the odds of your ex and your fling being in the same room?" Clea teases smugly. Although she's worried for Verso, the entire situation itself is scratching that big sister itch to tease her little brother about his new crush.
"Not a fling." Verso corrects Clea, momentarily pointing his finger at her for emphasis on his reply before walking towards their table as he plucks his name card off the table.
"I'll believe it when you take action." Clea crosses her arms, trailing behind Verso with curiousity.
"What do you think about sitting next to…" Verso spots your name card, and the name next to it. "…Amelie?" Verso places his name card down in place of Amelie's.
"Right, her seating position definitely won't look suspicious as she sits with a bunch of high-level CEO's and directors. I said take action, not take your brain out of your skull and drop it in the bin. Yeah, sure it'll work." Clea rolls her eyes.
"Of course it will. And I won't mind the error because I love spending time with my team, and you don't mind a little seating change. Right?" Verso asks, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"…You fucking idiot. You have a strange way of 'handling' things. But whatever." Clea sighs.
"Best big sister ever." Verso chuckles as they walk off from the tables.
"Duh. But you are being really obvious in the worst way possible. Also, did I mention you're a fucking idiot?" Clea chides.
"Dammit, am I really?" Verso sighs sarcastically, paying the second half of Clea's sentence no mind as they both slink back into the crowd.
"Yes, and your ex has been looking more and more pissed off throughout the night. Try to survive this one, yeah?" Clea pats his shoulder in mock comfort before walking off to mingle.

 

---

 

"Oh! I thought my seating arrangement in the email said I was next to you…" Amelie furrows her brow in confusion. You lean over, perplexed. Verso's name is on the plate instead. Next to yours.
"It looks like someone got confused and thinks you're the CEO… Congrats on the promotion!" You joke to Amelie.
"Is everything alright?" Verso asks, walking up to you both.
"Ah! Hello Verso. Everything is ok, just that I'm not where I thought I was assigned to sit." Amelie gestures to his name card sat on top of the plate.
"Oh? That's odd. Let me go check…" Verso momentarily walks off.
"Honestly? Could be lucky for me if I could sit at that table and network." Amelie giggles to you as Verso returns.
"Yeah, it looks like someone accidentally mixed up the cards when they were assigning the seats. But they said they're happy to have you at the table, Amelie. If you're fine with it of course. I'd love to sit with my team if the error works for you." Verso offers.
"Honestly? That's totally fine. I don't mind. Thanks Verso!" Amelie smiles, walking off as you take your seats. You shoot Verso a look as if to say 'did you do some tampering?' but Verso only shoots you back a sweet, innocent smile. Huh.


"No way, our CEO is sitting with us so now we've gotta be on our best behaviour, huh?" Minh chuckles, and Verso gives him a small smile and a shake of the head.
"By all means, please cut loose. It's the only way you can survive such functions." Verso replies, taking a sip of his wine. You look across the table, spotting Lune and Sciel sitting just about opposite to you and Verso, and the three of you exchange a look. At times like this, you wish you had telepathy.

Two courses in, and everyone has let loose a little and has almost forgotten that the CEO is sitting at their table. Just as everyone is laughing over a joke Sciel made, you spot Lucien striding towards your table during the break between the 5 and 6th final course.
"God you lot are having way more fun than our table." Lucien chuckles, leaning down between you and your other coworker, Colette. Instinctively, you lean to the other side as Lucien ducks in the space between you and your coworker seated next to you, Colette. Lucien slotting himself in between you two practically has you practically leaning aginst Verso now. You try your best to ignore Lune and Sciel's stares, and the faintest feeling of Verso's breath on your neck.
"Bahaha! Yep, maybe your table could achieve the same if they match drinks with ours." Colette laughs. Lucien departs afterwards, and you immediately straighten yourself up.
"Your posture is quite rigid." Verso whispers to you, and you shoot him a look.
"I'm behaving myself." You mutter back into your wine glass.
"Good girl." He whispers, so quietly that it's only audible to only you. God that fucking phrase. That fucking phrase in his stupidly hot and deep voice.

You splutter, red wine almost escaping from your lips as you smear the back of your hand across your lips as you swallow. Verso looks on in faux surprise as you take a big gulp of water.
"Are you alright?" He asks, feigning concern as he pours a little more water into your glass.
"Yeah, fine, I'm all good. Thank you." You cough out as you take a smaller sip of water now. Thankfully, the final course of the night arrives just as you got over your embarrassing bout of choking from Verso's comment. You don't even have to check - you know that his lingering looks and touches, coupled with that specific comment, has your underwear sopping wet. You cross your legs as you continue to eat dessert, chatting away with everyone at the table. And that's when you feel it, just for a split second. Verso places his hand on your upper thigh for just a moment before he pulls his hand away and continues his conversation with Minh. The bastard is riling you up on purpose… But you're certain you've got this under control, no matter how much he enjoys teasing you.

As dinner ends, everyone disperses for the final hour of drinks, dancing, and socialising. You make a very tactical plan to dodge being in the same area as Julie, spending your time with Lune and Sciel dancing to the live band's covers of early 2000's pop songs.
"Does it not bother you? That girl has been lingering around Verso for a while." Lune notes, subtly gesturing to Julie with a nod of her head.
"Ah, that's his ex." You say, swaying to the beat of 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' as you take a sip of champagne.
"Fucking hell, his ex is here?" Sciel clicks her tongue, taking a big gulp of her red wine.
"I believe she comes from a property mogul family so… Yeah. Must've been easy for her to get an invite." You purse your lips into a thin line.
"I guess you can't do anything since you can't reveal that you're seeing each other… But still. Why am I getting mad for you right now?" Sciel asks rhetorically.
"It's okay… Really. I don't have control over it right now. I trust him. If he wants to go with her, I'll just cut it off." You reply.
"No offense, but I have more trust in an adhesive strapless bra than men." Lune snorts.
"Oh, no offense taken. Trust me." You shake your head, letting the alcohol dull the pang of jealousy in your chest as you sing along to the lyrics with Lune and Sciel.

 

"Haha! Oh my god, that's too good. So she actually did it?" Clea laughs alongside some important executive. Verso truthfully has no idea what was just said, but he fakes a chuckle so it isn't obvious his mind isn't present in the conversation.
"And then what?" Julie pipes up, standing in the middle between Clea and Verso. Clea covertly shoots an icy glare over her shoulder at Julie, causing the woman to practically wilt on the spot.
"Well, after that, we went on to winning the best mobile gaming app of the year! It goes to show that an untapped audience will jump onto every bit of media and art that caters to them." The executive nodded.
"That's so true - it was a totally untapped market!" Julie nods along in faux-excitement, squeezing her way into the circle, her shoulder barely brushing against Verso's. He fights back an expression of disgust attempting to surface to his face, opting to shirk his body further away from her.
"Oh Julie, I need to ask you something personally about an idea I have…" Clea chimes in suddenly, her voice affable as if she didn't just shoot Julie the nastiest side eye of her life a moment ago.
"O-Oh? You can't just ask me here?" Julie falters, attempting to establish dominance in the exchange.
"Oof, afraid not. It's a creative pursuit that I want only you to hear!" Clea smiles, and Julie unwillingly trudges to Clea's side.
"What is it, Clea?" Julie frowns, crossing her arms.
"Do you mind not coming near us? Verso looks like he wants to throw up when you're near him. Quite frankly I do as well, at the sight of your face." Clea quips.
"Clea…" Julie scowls, her tone darkening as a sign of a warning.
"Julie." Clea narrows her eyes. "Best not to make a scene. I trust you'll make yourself scarce, if you know what's good for you and your reputation." Clea's tone was much darker and fiercer than the tone Julie used.
"Whatever. You've always been a bitch." Julie rolls her eyes.
"And you've always been a cunt. Buh-bye!" Clea waves Julie off, turning her back on her and walking back towards the group, leaving Julie in her wake.

 

***

"Hey, you're one of the team leads of Envisager, right?" Clea approaches you as you grab your drink from the bar. Fuck.
"Y-Yeah… Hi…" You nervously sip your gin and tonic. Up close, you can really see that Clea's eyes are a little bit darker than Verso's, and they're also much sharper in shape. If you compared their features, you'd confidently determine that Verso has the eyes of a deer, while Clea's are akin to a panther. She's even more intimidating talking to her one-on-one in this setting, which is truly saying something since your first encounter with her was when she busted you and Verso post-coitus in front of their family heirloom on the couch.
"Jeez, you're much more nervous than I remember. Which is funny because I would assume you'd be more scared the first time considering the position I caught you and my little brother in." Christ, she's straightforward as hell! You almost choke on your drink in surprise.
"Sorry… Normally I'm more composed than this…" You cough, and she laughs, patting you on the back to help you release the liquor that slid down the wrong way.
"I'll bet. Come on, let's get a bit of fresh air." She leaves you no choice to follow her, but it's a gentle tone.
"So, um… You probably found out I'm an employee because I didn't go with Verso." You clear your throat as she shuts the glass balcony door behind you both.
"Yeah… Are you okay? I think I would've torn the place apart if I were in your shoes right now. I fucking detest Julie." Clea says Julie's name as if she's tasting something bitter on her tongue.
"I don't know her very well. She showed up at the office once. It was really awkward." You reply, suddenly becoming aware of how easy it was to talk to Clea about something like this. It feels like confiding in a big sister, which is weird, because it's exactly how you talk to Claude when he's got something on his mind.
"She showed up at the office? She's got some fucking nerve. What did Verso do afterwards? I hope he's treating you well. I've failed as a big sister if he's making you feel miserable." Clea looks into your eyes, her gaze still as intense as ever.
"Oh, no no, he was a complete gentleman." You recall the absolute mess you were on that night. Yeah, maybe you won't tell her the details of that part. "I was pretty upset, but we weren't even together at the time, so I had no right. He just made sure I got home safe and locked up for me." You divulge.
"Whew, okay, good…" Clea sighs in relief. You realise that she's definitely had a few to drink, but even when she's more relaxed, she's still somehow so easy to be misinterpreted as intimidating.

 

"You've done a good job, believe me. From one big sister raising her little brother to act right to another." You smile at Clea.
"Ahh, you're a big sister too then?" She smiles.
"Yeah. I got lucky though. He bats for the other team, so I didn't have to worry about him falling down those 'blue haired feminist owned' compilations. He was too busy watching beauty tutorials instead." You chuckle.
"Oh my god. Yeah, luckily Verso grew up just before all that stuff took off. I used to beat him up as kids, if he was watching all that stuff he'd be getting beat up on the daily." Clea talks about beating her little brother up as if it were a badge of pride, which amuses you.
"Oh I don't doubt that. He showed me the scar your shoe left on his head." You chuckle.
"He's such a baby! Look at this." Clea tilts her chin upwards and you see a faint line on her jawline about the length of a coin. "Evil little shit, we were pretending to be knights sword-fighting to the death, and he actually scraped me." You inspect the scar.
"Ahh, it makes sense why you pushed him into the pond playing chasey now." You nod as if you're deep in thought.
"Oh of course. He wouldn't stop showing off about how fast he was. He had it coming." You and Clea share a laugh before falling into a brief lapse of silence.

 

"…Thank you, Clea. I know you don't know me well and you probably did it because you hate her, but thank you for telling Julie to fuck off." You thank Clea, noticing a brief expression of surprise before her face settles into a small grin.
"You're right, I do hate her and I like telling her to get lost. But also, you seem nice. Verso won't stop talking about you - well, he doesn't stop talking about you yet he so conveniently omits the fact that you're an employee." You can't help but outwardly wince at the mention of your dynamic with Verso coming from Clea's mouth.
"Ahh… Yep. That part is definitely a problem, isn't it?" You sigh, drinking the last bit of wine from your glass.
"It's a problem that can be fixed, though. We're always temporary CEO's. We step in, ensure the company aligns with our parents vision, and step out as we hand over the title to someone else for the long term. So I hope you both last the mile. I've never seen him this happy since… Well, for a long time." Clea notes.
"He makes me just as happy." You shyly admit.
"Good. Anyway, that's really all I wanted to confirm. That he's not being a dick, and that you're okay." Clea gives you a small smile as you both head back inside. You have to admit, you were scared of Clea when she first approached you. You thought she'd rip off your head and accuse you of going after their family's money. The exchange left you pleasantly surprised.

After your chat with Clea, you go back to the dancefloor with Lune and Sciel. Both women checked if you were okay before you began to dance and chat with each other once more. As the music fades, you hear the feedback of a microphone.
"This will be the last song of the night. Thank you everyone for being such an energetic crowd! Hope you like Justin Timberlake's Cry Me a River!" The lead singer of the band calls out, as everybody momentarily claps. The bass guitarist begins to play the chords as the singer begins to hum the very beginning of the song.

"I think you three are the only ones from Envisager actually dancing." Verso approaches, almost practically appearing out of thin air. Lune and Sciel exchange a look with you.
"Make it two! She's been complaining her feet have been hurting for the last ten minutes, but she loves early 2000's pop too much to stop." Sciel laughs, her lie was smooth and expertly crafted; she's the best wingwoman you could ever wish for. You laugh as Lune pretends to shoo you off, and give them a small wave as you step off the dancefloor with Verso at your side.
"I'm sorry I couldn't get out of the situation sooner." Verso apologises in a quiet voice.
"Don't worry about it. We chose the predicament we're in." You reassure him.
"But still…" He trails off.
"But still, it's okay. We actually managed to spend a lot more time around each other than I expected we would. Anyway, enough with the apologies… Congrats on getting Envisager to its first gala. What do you say to a final celebratory shot to end the night?" You offer, as you both walk over to the bar for one final drink before the evening wraps up.
"What are you having?" Verso asks.
"Tequila. Want to do a shot with me?"
"Yeah, why not. Two tequilas please."
"Ah-ah! It's on me." You playfully smack his hand as he tries to reach for his wallet.

And with your shot glass in hand, lemon in the other, you look up at Verso through heavy eyelids as your tongue darts out to lick the salt off your hand, just a little too long and slow, as you keep eye contact with him, before tilting your head back to throw the shot down your throat, head tilted back, exposing your neck for a brief moment. 
"…Fuck." He mutters under his breath.

 

Fuck indeed.

Notes:

big sis clea to the rescue! also the 1,000 hits work is well and truly under way now - thank you to everyone who gave their input, it's so appreciated! :D although because of the current events in the chapter, it'll be uploaded after this next upcoming one <3

Chapter 19: do you want to watch yourself?*

Notes:

this isn't even the freaked out 1k hits chapter special (that's going to be uploaded as the next upcoming chapter!)

all smut, no plot for this chapter

Clea can spare Verso the scolding and judgment for tomorrow morning. Right now, it's you and Verso alone in his hotel suite, and nobody else in the building matters.

"Do you know how much restraint I had, to watch everyone eye you wherever you went? It took every fibre of my being to not just kiss you in front of everyone else." Verso whispers breathlessly, drinking in your appearance, his tongue darting out to wet his lips as if he is about to devour you.
"Ha. That makes two of us. It was so fucking annoying hearing other women talk about how hot you are." You retort, but there's no edge to your tone.
"Guess we've both got some frustrations to relieve then." He comments with a small smile as he pulls you in by the small of your back, his thumb tracing over your spine delicately as he kisses you once more. You note the taste of lime and salt on his tongue, his last drink of the night. Determined to meet Verso's ardor, you place your hands on his chest as you gently push him down onto the bed, your tongue flicking out to the corner of your mouth at the sight of him shrugging off his suit jacket and waistcoat. You look as if you're about to eat him alive.

 

"Just lay back." You whisper as your hands settle on the inside of Verso's thighs, leaning forward in between his legs. Your hands roam over, from his muscular thighs that are flexing under your touch, to the obvious bulge in his pants. You lower yourself to your knees as you undo his belt buckle, the soft clink of metal and Verso's heavy breathing being the only sounds to fill the air for a brief moment. You look up at him through your eyelashes as you impatiently unbutton and unzip his trousers, watching him roll his sleeves up and loosen his tie along with the first three buttons of his dress shirt. "You always take care of me so well. Let me take care of you this time." You say in a low tone, grabbing his cock through his underwear. You spot the small patch of precum where the head of his cock is through the black cotton, and you eagerly hook your fingers under the waistband, just past his hips, freeing his huge cock from the confines of his underwear.

 

He's watching you as you drag your lips from the base of his cock to the very tip, your tongue flicking out to collect the beads of precum. Verso immediately moans, and the whiny, needy pitch ignites a pool of heat in your stomach. You engulf the entire tip in your mouth, holding eye contact with him as he rasps out a small whimper, his large hands delicately wrapping your hair into a makeshift ponytail with his hands. You breathe out, lowering your mouth down onto him so you can take more of his length in your mouth.
"Fuck, just like that…" Verso barely stifles his moan as you bob your head up and down. You feel his thumb caress the side of your cheek briefly as you hollow your cheeks, savoring the taste of him, your hand moving in tandem with your head. "W-Wait, no… I'm getting close. Not like this…" Verso breathes out, his hands gently prying your mouth off his cock, your lips releasing from his tip with a soft 'pop', a string of saliva connected to your bottom lip and his cock breaking as you stand up.

 

"Let me get you out of this dress first, at least. As much as I love looking at you in it." Verso murmurs, his hand brushing from the bare skin of your shoulder blades down to your lower back, as he finds the zipper and releases you from your dress, the cloth dropping to the floor with a faint thud. As you pull your panties down and kick your heels off, Verso rids himself of the rest of his clothing too. "Fuck, I'm one lucky man." He whispers, as he gently grips his hands on your hips to draw you closer. His hands are warm, the tips of his fingers dimpling in your flesh as you allow him to guide you down to the bed.

"Please, Verso… Touch me…" You softly whine as he maneuvers your body to sit in his lap, realising that he's got you faced directly in front of the mirror. The sight of yourself perched on his lap has your heart beating leaps and bounds, the implications of what you're about to do sending a bolt of pleasure up your spine.
"Do you want to watch yourself?" Verso asks, his fingers brushing against your thigh as you instinctively open your legs with a slight nod of your head. His head bends to leave a small lovebite at the junction of your neck and collarbone, whilst his hands readjust your legs to make room for his arm. He drags his index and middle finger from your sopping wet hole, spreading your wetness across your cunt as he lazily draws circles on your clit slowly. Achingly slow.
"Stop teasing…" You whimper, making eye contact with him in the mirror, feeling the faintest grin of his lips against the skin of your shoulder.

 

"I'm not teasing. Just admiring you… Look at how wet you are for me already." Verso notes in a low voice, his index and middle finger parting you slightly as he hungrily gazes at your cunt, his pupils fully dilated. You let out a shaky exhale, suddenly feeling shy and tilting your head away ever so slightly to divert your gaze. "Ah-ah. You have to look." Verso whispers into the skin of your neck, his free hand now cupping your chin to force you to watch yourself as his fingers slowly sink into your cunt. He treats you so nice, takes such good care of you… You didn't realise he had such a perverted streak in him. But maybe you're just as perverted for enjoying this.

"Fuck… Verso…" You moan as he begins to pump his fingers in and out of you, forcing you to watch as he curls his fingers slightly to brush against the spot that makes you clench around his digits wildly.
"Such pretty moans… I wonder if I can hear more if I do…" Verso pauses his sentence, "This." He drives his fingers into you at a harder and faster pace whilst his thumb rubs against your clit, coaxing a loud moan from your throat. You can see the smug expression in his eyes, yet you're too busy succumbing to the feeling of heat pooling in your lower stomach to come up with some kind of witty retort.
"I'm… 'm… Gonna cum…" Is all you can rasp.
"You wanna cum? Ahhh. Let it out. You poor, needy little thing." Verso whispers as he maintains the pace of his hand.
"Fuck! Verso…!" You wail his name as the coil in your lower stomach snaps. Verso's other hand, which is still cupping your chin, delicately strokes against your jawline as you come undone, all over his fingers.
"There we go... I've got you. That's my girl." His voice is low as he slows the pace of his fingers as you ride out your high with soft whimpers.

 

You're panting as Verso licks his fingers clean, still staring at you in the mirror.
"Now… Let's go again." He breathes out raggedly, as you visibly come down from your high, nodding as you shuffle back onto the bed using your hands and knees. The bed shifts slightly as Verso kneels to the back of you, his hands gripping onto your hips as he sinks his cock into you, slowly stretching you out as you adjust to his size. You mewl at the feeling of him slowly splitting you apart, tiny little beads of sweat beginning to form at your hairline.
"F-Fuck… So full…" You whimper as one of his hands snake to your jawline once more, only this time Verso is cupping you by your chin, his thumb resting on your lower lip as you part your mouth to suck on it.
"You're taking me so well. You're doing such a good job…" He coos as his thrusts become harder and faster.
"V-Verso…" You feel hot tears of pleasure prickling at your eyes as you watch him fuck you from behind in the mirror.
"I've got you…" Verso mumbles your name as your walls squeeze around him tighter.
"D-Don't think I can last much longer." You stammer as your breathing becomes heavier.
"Good, because neither can I…" As soon as the sentence leaves Verso's lips, he moans at the sensation of you tightening. The feeling causes Verso to pound into you at a vicious speed, and you bite back a scream in pleasure.
"F-Fuck… G-gonna…" You're practically wailing now.
"Bite." He instructs in a husky voice, as his thrusts drive against your body, and you instinctively bite down on his thumb to stifle your incredibly loud moan, your walls fluttering around him as you cum. The sensation of your cunt gripping against his cock causes him to moan almost as loudly as you just did, his cum flooding inside your sensitive cunt. Verso pulls himself out of you, kissing the side of your face as you buckle under your hands and knees. He hands you a wad of tissues as you both clean yourselves up.

 

---

 

"Fucking hell. You're more of a perv than I thought." You playfully scoff as you both step into the shower, welcoming the feeling of hot water rushing against your back.
"I… Hm. I can't defend myself in this situation, can I?" Verso scratches the back of his neck.
"No need. It's a welcome surprise." You chuckle. "In fact, I'm interested to find out exactly how depraved you really are." You add, cocking your head to the side with a puckish glint in your eye.
"Odd, I thought I was the deviant out of the two of us. So… Why do I suddenly feel like your prey?" Verso asks in a low voice, head dipping to the crook of your neck, planting a featherlight kiss. As you loop your arms around his neck to bring him in a little closer, the sound of rushing water suddenly becomes background noise as your heart heavily thuds against your ribcage.

 

"Round two?"
"Round two."

Notes:

RIP to the hotel staff who are gonna have to clean that up the morning after

Chapter 20: (milestone bonus chp) smile, you're on camera!*

Notes:

note that this is a bonus chapter for reaching 1,000 hits, so while it's set in tandem between chapters ~15-19, it's not happening chronologically!

thank you for the love on RRR everyone! just wanted to throw in an extra fluffy/smutty chapter as bonus content for the milestone for u all <3

Verso seemed tight lipped on giving away where your date will be tonight. Your only clue was to dress casually and comfortably, to which you opted for a pair of relaxed jeans, a fitted shirt, and your favourite sneakers, putting emphasis on your hair and makeup since you're dressing plainly. You almost feel a little bad - you've only planned one date with him so far, the rest have all been his idea. But Verso doesn't complain, in fact, it seems that he enjoys planning and taking you on dates. It's something you still need to grow accustom to, since you're used to being the one doing most of the planning in your previous relationships. He's much more romantic than you previously assumed, which has been a very welcome surprise.

Your doorbell rings, and you scurry towards the door, opening it to reveal Verso in a plain striped shirt, black pleated wide pants, and sneakers.
"You look beautiful." He compliments as you lock up your flat, reaching for his hand as you walk the short distance to his car.
"Thank you, although I'm just in jeans and a shirt." You smile, sliding into the passenger seat.
"It doesn't matter what you wear. You're beautiful." Verso glances at you, sticking his keys in the ignition.
"Hm. When did you get so romantic?" You tease, playfully poking his bicep as he shakes his head and chuckles.
"Just saying what's on my mind…" He replies in a smaller voice now, his cheeks taking on a slight pink hue.
"Haha, sorry. Didn't mean to tease. You look very handsome yourself." You return a compliment, to which he gives you a small smile as he continues to drive.

 

"You've been very secretive about this location. I didn't realise we'd be driving out of the city, I would've packed us some snacks or something." You note as the silhouette of sycamore and oak trees blur into one long line beneath the dusk horizon.
"Hm, snacks? I already took care of that, don't worry about it. I think you'll like this place, it's one of my own favourite spots. Although, maybe I should've also told you to take an anti-histamine before coming. I don't actually know if you get hay fever." Verso says as the car slows down, pulling onto a gravelly road, a dense thicket of more trees creating a canopy that almost enshrouds you in total darkness if it weren't for his headlights.
"While I appreciate you for all your efforts, I can't have you plan, drive, and organise the food! I'll make it up to you on our next date." You practically chide him for taking on the entire effort of the date, but the fact that he's more than happy to go to such lengths makes you feel a little mushy inside. After a short uphill travel, the canopy of trees thins out and the deep blue night sky comes into view. Outside of the city and in nature, the stars now shine brightly, like golden freckles scattered across the skin of the nighttime horizon.

"I can't remember the last time I've seen so many stars." You comment in awe as Verso parks the car.
"Right? We only see satellites or planes back in Paris. I thought a change of pace would be nice for us both." Verso agrees as you hop out of the car. Scanning your environment, you're almost shocked that nature spots like this still exist. It's a beautiful hilly spot, with a breathtaking lookout spot at the ledge. The tall sycamore and oak trees provide some coverage as they rustle in the slight breeze, and the ground is scattered with fully bloomed violets and other wildflowers that gently sway around you. Verso places down a picnic blanket and a basket, full of snacks and a bottle of wine. You have to give it to him. Verso is great at planning dates.

"How did you find this spot?" You ask as you sit down next to him on the blanket. The lookout spot was stunning. Directly in front of you both is a large lake, mirroring the full moon and stars, the still body of water only moving when the breeze momentarily picks up. Beyond the lake were several rolling hills framing the nearby town. The orange glow from the streetlamps and homes from such a far distance looked like gleaming amber gemstones in the quiet night.

"Clea was the first to get her driver's license, she loves hiking and nature; she found this spot herself. She took me and Alicia along for quite a few hikes and drives." Verso explains.
"I never expected Clea to enjoy hiking, I'm not sure why. For some reason I thought of her as a more formal sports type of person, like fencing or tennis." You comment absentmindedly as you dig into the basket, looking for cups. "Ah, I can't find the cups." You add, rummaging through the basket as you lay out the other snacks.
"Really? Shit, I must've forgot." Verso clicks his tongue at his forgetfulness. "Funnily enough, Clea did tennis when she was younger. She would've gone to nationals during her high school years, but she cared more about painting and art." Verso adds on to your earlier comment.

"Why do I get the feeling she's a very competitive person? Actually scratch that, I get the feeling you're both competitive." You chuckle as Verso unscrews the lid of the wine bottle, taking a swig directly before handing it to you. You do the same, letting the taste of the red wine coat your tongue. "Hm, that's good." You hum as you both begin to snack.
"Hah, would you believe I was the least competitive out of the three of us? I don't like to be beat, but Clea and Alicia were on an entirely different level." Verso recalls.
"Oh yeah! I remember when you said you've always been the fastest out of your siblings and they got upset that they couldn't catch you playing chasey, so they pushed you into a pond." You laugh.
"Hey, are you laughing at me? It was a pretty cold morning that day you know!" Verso playfully tells you off before taking another sip from the bottle.
"Gah, speaking of cold, this lake actually brings a cold breeze in." You note, popping a grape into your mouth. Wordlessly, Verso extends his arm out to you as a gesture for you to shuffle between his legs. You immediately scoot into your spot, the inside of his legs touching the outside of yours as you lean your back against his chest. You feel him kiss the top of your head as he passes you the wine bottle.

"Verso…" You begin in a sing-songy voice, the kind of playful tone that says 'I know what you just did'.
"Yeees?" Verso repeats in the same tone you just gave him, your name playing on his lips as you take a sip of wine.
"Why do I have a feeling you forgot to bring a blanket on purpose so we'd end up in this position?" You let out a small huff of amusement as he wraps his arms around you.
"Guilty." But there's not an ounce of sheepishness in his voice.
"Silly. You can have a cuddle whenever you want." You pass the bottle of wine back to him.
"Can't a man make up a dramatic excuse to cuddle his girlfriend?" Verso asks playfully.
"Hmm, yeah okay. I'll let you. Just as a little treat." You chuckle as he takes a long sip and passes the bottle back to you. The word 'girlfriend' rolls off his tongue so naturally. It causes you to blush.

 

Time passes as you both continue to chatter and eat well into the night. You notice the moon has gotten higher up in the sky as the evening draws out further, and you open your phone camera to take a picture of the still lake and the huge, yellow moon.
"Hmm, it's pretty." You smile at the image.
"Yeah? I'll take a picture of it too then." Verso says, momentarily scooting back. You don't notice his absence of warmth until you turn around and realise he's already taken a picture of you sitting, looking out at the lake with the full moon. The soft yellow moonlight creates a glowing outline of your silhouette, the lake and the night sky serving more as a background while you're the focal object.

"Wha-? No fair! I want a photo with you, not just one of me!" You pout. Verso lets out a short chuckle in response and hands you his phone, the camera app still open.
"You can be the director this time then." He smiles.
"Alright, hmm… Let's swivel around so the moon and lake are in the background." You instruct, as you hold the phone up. The both of you take a few photos - a traditional smiling one, followed by you kissing Verso on the cheek (and upon reviewing the photo, you can tell this happily caught him off guard), and a final playful photo with you both pretending to hold the moon in your fingers, but being completely inaccurate. You send all of the photos to your phone as you laugh at the last one you took.

"Do you even have a bad angle, Verso?" You can't help but gawk as you review the photos.

"I've got plenty, I'm sure." He shakes his head with a small laugh as he pops a jelly snake in his mouth, eating it whole.

"Ooh, can I have one?" You ask as you lock your phone.

"Sure." Verso holds his hand out, but as you move to grab it, he tucks it in between his teeth with a grin.

"Hey! That was meant to be mine." You pout, scooting forward.

"You can come and get it then." He teases, the jelly snake slightly garbling his words as he keeps it held between his teeth.

"So evil." You comment playfully as you move between his legs, attempting to grab it out of his mouth. At the last second, Verso pulls part of the snake up into his mouth, and as a result the only thing your fingers pinched is a light breeze.

"I said you can come and get it?" He teases with an amused, relaxed grin. He's sprawled out on the picnic blanket, propped up on his elbows as he looks at you with a challenging glint in his eye. You force yourself not to stare at the way his chest looks especially broad in his current position.

"I don't think I can! There will be nothing left at this rate!" You whine, shuffling so close to him that you're practically on top of him now as you try to bite the end of the jelly snake. You chomp on nothing but thin air instead. Verso lets out an amused huff as you straddle his hips and loop your arms around his neck to keep him in place. You go for another bite, your timing now more precise as your lips follow last quarter of the jelly snake, as you bite down on the remaining piece whilst your lips lightly brush against Verso's. You don't even care for the orange jelly snakes.

"Fucking finally!" You laugh as he wraps his arms around you, pulling you gently down to the blanket as he kisses you once more. The kiss is soft and gentle, your tongues barely brushing against each other, but when they do it tastes of that familiar tangy artificial orange flavouring. Breaking away from the kiss, you look down at him, his white and black hair slightly fanned out as he's laying down, looking up at you with a fond gaze.

"Just for your knowledge… This is a very secluded spot. Do with that information what you will." Verso whispers, his hand grazing against the side of your waist causing you to shudder under his touch.

"What exactly would you like me to do with that information?" You ask, but your hips are already grinding down against his.

"Anything you want." He replies, his hand snaking up your shirt just a little further.

Away from the wind and open air, you and Verso are now in the back seat of his car, with Verso sat back comfortably and you straddling his lap, kissing his neck.
"Remember when you left all those marks you left on me a while back?" Verso whispers, cradling the back of your head with one of his hands while the other hand remains on the side of your hip.
"Ahh, my turn to hold up my end of the bargain is it?" You grin, tilting your head back a little to expose the skin of your neck. Verso slowly licks a line from the base of your throat, trailing up to the spot underneath your earlobe, as if tasting a meal. It makes you quiver in anticipation. Your fists ball the cloth of his shirt as he leaves a wet, open-mouthed kiss on the side of your neck before sucking at your neck with firm pressure. You bite your lip, taking a deep, shaky inhale at the sensation.

There's something about the way he's marking you. The fact that you know if you don't hide the marks he's making well enough, others could see the way he's marked you. Pulling your shirt over your head, Verso unclasps your bra, his lips never leaving your skin as he continues to suck and kiss at your exposed flesh. You feel his tongue dart out your nipple, his mouth enclosed against the sensitive bud as you begin to grind down against his hips in pleasure. For a moment you hear the sound of another car whizzing by on the road beyond the trees, yet you pay it no mind, your body only focused succumbing to pleasure as Verso leaves yet another love bite on the top of your chest.

"You've left at least five now. You're really getting your payback, huh?" You smirk as he releases his mouth from your flesh.
"Just getting a little carried away. You look good, marked by me like that." Verso breathes out. You dip your head down to kiss his neck once more, your index finger delicately tracing a vein up his forearm before you both discard your layers of clothing, remaining in only underwear as you straddle him again.

"…God, you look so-." You biting your lip. "I have half a mind to record this, you look so fucking hot right now." You softly laugh.

He quirks a brow in curiosity. "Then why don't you?" It appears Verso isn't phased by the idea of being recorded at all. You blink owlishly, as if the lewd idea didn't come from your own mouth just then. He plucks your phone off the adjacent car seat, handing it to you as a wordless dare. "Go on." He challenges, his voice low and smug.

"Do you realise how indecent you sound?" But your facial expression easily betrays your mock-scolding, your hand gently pushing Verso's chest down as he lays back further across the back seat, your knees now resting over either side of Verso's head. Your clothed pussy is hovering over his face, and he's looking up at you now.

Verso pulls your panties to the side as your phone is now in your hand, capturing every second. "Good. Then keep your phone steady." He replies looking up at you from between your thighs, dragging his index finger over your bare pussy. You let out a soft whimper as he plants a hot, wet, open-mouthed kiss on your pussy before licking a long, slow stripe from your hole to your clit. The sensation is dizzying, and your thighs begin to tremble as Verso's tongue flicks against your cunt, while he plunges two fingers inside of you, coaxing a soft whine from your lips.

"Break for me." Verso mumbles against your pussy, the sound of his tongue lapping you up echoing in the humid air as you struggle to keep your phone steady.

"…Pervert." You playfully retort, gasping as he curls his fingers against that sickly sweet spot that makes you moan his name loudly.

"Mm. Says the one recording me eating her pussy, moaning my name like this." Verso grins smugly, and now you're all out of verbal ammunition for a witty response. Your mouth is formed into a small 'O' as you ride his face and fingers, chest heaving as you grind your hips against Verso's face while you feel the familiar coil in your stomach on the verge of snapping. You can't help but glance down into his eyes, drinking in the sight of him sprawled underneath you, so eager to make you orgasm.

The sound of his mouth slurping against your cunt greedily as he moans puts your brain into overdrive, and your body turns rigid. "F-Fuck! 'm cumming…!" You tremble as you cum all over his tongue and fingers.

You cast your phone aside after you come down from your high, and crawl to settle your hips on top of his as he sits up.

"I need you. Badly." Verso whispers against your neck whilst you palm his cock through his briefs.
"Patience." You giggle, adjusting your legs while you free his cock from his underwear, noting how slick his tip is with precum. You slowly run your thumb over it, unable to contain your smug expression as he moans softly in pleasure. Verso reaches for your phone again as you line yourself up on his cock, the phone now leaning against the interior of his car door and flipped to the front camera. You can see yourself straddled on top of Verso; for a split you feel the tiniest bit flustered, suddenly aware that this act is being immortalised. That feeling is quickly replaced by how inexplicably obscene this is, and how turned on you are because of it.

You sink down on his cock - slowly, achingly. You breathe out in pleasure as you adjust to the feeling of how big he feels. Fuck. He feels perfect.
"Oh, god, fuck, Verso…" You moan as you bounce your hips at a slow pace, savouring the feeling of his hard dick dragging against the walls of your cunt, his hands roaming to grip your ass as you increase the tempo of your hips.
"Yeah… Yeah that's it. Use me." Verso hisses in pleasure, his words making your pussy squeeze his cock a little harder.
Gently holding Verso by the chin, you gaze down at him with a borderline feral grin. "You like it when I use you? Then open your mouth." You instruct, and he obeys immediately. Parting your lips, you let a small string of drool fall from your tongue and into Verso's mouth. He watches you with those pleading puppy eyes as he savours the taste.

"Holy fuck." He groans as you continue to ride him, panting and moaning all over his dick.
"G-getting close… W-Wanna go faster…" You stammer.
"I can make it faster. You want that, princess?" Verso asks, and you nod furiously. That's all the response he needed. Verso grips onto your ass as he lifts his hips, holding yours steady while he fucks into you from below. Instinctively, you practically scream his name in pleasure, the sudden drastic increase in pace and pressure driving you wild.
"F-Fuck! Verso… Make me cum… Please make me cum…!" You're practically begging him now, and it only spurs him on to fuck you even harder. You suddenly feel hyper aware of how steamy and humid the inside of the car has gotten, the thick air only making everything impossibly hotter and indecent.

"Yeah, since you're begging so nicely, you can cum all over my cock baby. That's it…" Verso pants as his thrusts slam into that sweet spot deep inside of you, causing your body to tighten and writhe as heat blooms throughout your body.
"C-cumming…!" Is all you can muster as your walls clench around his cock, your body going taut as you orgasm.
"'m gonna cum inside of you now, 'kay?" Verso rasps needily, his hips thrusting up even harder into you.
"Y-Yes… P-please… Cum inside of me…!" You stammer as your climax begins to taper off, your body becoming oversensitive, but you don't care.
"Fuck, yes…" Your name spills from Verso's lips over and over again like a prayer as his cum paints your insides, dripping out from your pussy and onto his cock.

"What a mess we made…" You breathe out, hitting the big red button and locking your phone as you collapse into Verso's lap.
"Don't forget to send that to me later." Verso reminds, kissing your cheek as you both catch your breath.
"I won't." You reply, gazing out the car window. "-Shit, we should've packed up before we did all of that." You chuckle, remembering the picnic blanket outside.
"Mmm, let's go do that after. Just 5 more minutes in here with you first." Verso nods, his fingertips gently grazing up from the small of your back.

 

 

You're going to have to plan the next date that will rival this one, which will be rather difficult to do.

Notes:

HELLO VERSO NATION
hope u all enjoyed the cute date with the selfie/lockscreen fluffiness
,,,,,,,,and also the filthy verso having a spit kink + car sex + sex tape combo. sandfall were insane for putting his "i feel used, but i like it" line in there. anyway time to go update the tags again lol 😎😎

 

on a slightly unrelated note, i watched the e33 pax stream from a few days ago and lowkey shat bricks when verso's VA brought up fanfiction. i did not realise ben starr is that chronically online. i'm scared he's aware of the verso/reader tag's existence ...💀

chapter 21 inspo: apology letter for being too down bad for verso dessendre

Chapter 21: vicious cycle

The next morning, you and Verso go your separate ways to disguise any suspicion and avoid being seen. Since you were never a registered guest, it makes the most sense for you to dash away at the crack of dawn since you had no concern with the checkout process. Thankfully, you didn't need to leave in your ballgown, as Verso has packed it with his belongings. You're borrowing one of Verso's button-downs and trousers, held together by two safety pins. Luckily, right now business casual is back in full force and your look doesn't seem very out of place. As the elevator doors close on you, you notice a delicately manicured hand wave the sensor, opening the doors again. Julie. You avert your gaze and slink back to the wall.

"…Hi." Julie greets you.
"Hey." You greet back pensively, trying to avoid eye contact.
"Seems like you and Verso had fun last night. Both your noises me up for most of the night next door. He's a good lay isn't he?" Julie asks as if you're good friends sharing a little secret between each other, and your eyes narrow momentarily. She's being condescending. She's confronting you as if she's a child who's had her toy stolen from her.
"I really have no clue what you're talking about." You know better than to indulge a petty ex, especially when it's painfully clear she's just trying to get under your skin. Admittedly, it sort of does. Her admission that she could hear you both next door seemed intentional. It's likely that she booked her room next to Verso's, possibly in the hopes of knocking on his door at night to see if a rekindling could happen. The thought of her trying to sabotage what you have going with Verso makes you feel sick to your stomach.

"Haha, don't keep it to yourself now. We don't have a lot in common - at all. But we could agree he's probably got the best cock either of us have ever-"
"Ew! Stop talking about my boss like that. God, it's so gross and dehumanising to talk about someone that way, even worse when it's the person I'm working for." You cut her off with a frown. You can be a messy person, but you know better than to get involved in this type of mess.

Julie doesn't seem to take your attempt to disengage her confrontation too well; she returns your expression with a frown of her own. "Hm. You're really good at acting the part of the innocent employee, so let me remind you of something. Verso's world is so different to yours, you're a visitor - a blip on his radar, until he's had his fun slumming it up with the lower class. You will never be able to keep up the act for a part that was never meant for you. All of the brushing shoulders with the elites, and what it takes to speak our language… You're simply not cut from the same cloth as us, and you'll forever be a bumbling fawn in a den full of lions. So just bow out now." Julie spiels unprovoked, her initial congenial tone morphing into a remarkably cold one.

"Whatever, you psycho. Leave me out of it." You shrug her off, refusing to give her a reaction. However from the corner of your eye, you notice that she's following you out from the foyer to the portico. She's well and truly starting to get on your nerves now.

"Don't be this way. I'm asking you nicely to hand in your resignation and disappear from his life. Is it money you want? I can give you two million euros instantly if that's what you want. I don't want to have to go to more extreme measures." The final sentence of Julie's tone has a razor sharp edge to it.

"…Are you threatening an innocent person right now? Please get a fucking life. I don't want your fucking money." You scoff.
"Innocent?" She quirks a brow, shoving her phone into your face. It's a picture of you and Verso at the dinner table, his hand is obscured under the table cloth, but it can easily be interpreted for what it was - him touching your leg.
"We were all drunk, everyone got into each other's personal bubble a little bit. That image doesn't mean anything." You brush her off, opening your rideshare app. It does look very bad though, you hate to admit to yourself.

"Taking it to the media means you can make anything out of very little. I would know since my family are well connected with the Magritte's. I'm sure you've heard of them." Julie name drops with a sneer before digging into her purse. "Here's my card - email or text me proof of your resignation by Monday afternoon, will you? Otherwise I'll have to take more… Drastic measures. Against both you and him. After all, I've known the man for a while, there's a few things I could do to retaliate." She makes a tight-lipped smile, a sadistic glee radiating from her.

"…Leave Verso the fuck out of it. " You narrow your eyes at her, snatching her card from her hand.

"I'm glad you see reason. Oh - and don't tell Verso about it. For both your sakes." She remarks, before sauntering off back inside. You sigh, looking down at her business card.

Is she full of shit, and threatening you as a last-ditch effort? Does she really see you as that much of an obstacle?

Continuing to stare at the phone number on the business card, you tuck a strand of hair behind your ear as the wind softly tussles your hair, gently whipping it in random directions. Even if Julie is full of shit, she has enough money and enough spite to continue pursuing Verso. And that's even with Clea intervening. It would be okay if you had enough money to go up against the only child of a real estate mogul, but you don't. With your mortgage, you wouldn't even be able to afford more than an hours' worth of a lawyer's consultation if it goes down that path. And to ask Verso to cover whatever may happen to you financially is out of the question; too many things can go wrong.

 

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"…Come in." Verso calls out, his eyes lighting up as you enter the room. You realise he hasn't seen you since the work week began. You become painfully aware of the single sheet of A4 paper you're holding behind your back, tightening your grip momentarily as you approach his desk.

"Hey…" Your voice is much smaller and weaker than you intended for it to come out.
"Hi… I haven't seen you around all day today. You alright?" Verso warmly asks, and you want to burst into tears on the spot. This isn't fair. Everything has been going so well.

"Yeah, yeah. Just tired and a bit busy." You pause. You need to rip the band-aid off now. "Anyway …I-I'm resigning. I'll do my final four weeks to see the internship-graduate project through, and then I'll be leaving." Your jaw is clenched as you force your lower lip to stay in place, in fear it will tremble. The announcement is abrupt, totally left field. But if you stay in here for too long, you know that you'll ball that resignation up in your palm and shove it deep in your pocket.

His confused expression painfully gnaws at the edges of your conscience, but it's either this, or you both get hurt. "Wait, what?" He asks, dumbfounded.
"Here's my resignation." You communicate with as little words as possible to stop yourself from breaking down. You place the slightly crumpled sheet of paper on his desk. "Verso, I think we should stop seeing each other. I, uh, I can't see this ending well. I need to put a stop to it before something bad happens." You continue, not being able to meet his gaze.

"I-I know… It's a situation far from ideal. But I have some plans in place-" Verso begins, visibly on edge.
"No, Verso. You can't. This… I know how things like this end for people like me. If we keep going like this, we both already know what will happen. This needs to end." You sigh, finding your footing in your voice to come off as flippant and cold.

Verso looks so hurt, you can see it in his eyes, and you almost want to take it all back, then and there. But you worry that more destruction could come to him and his family if you act selfishly.

"Are you sure? You seemed so agreeable to wanting to take things further on the weekend." The dejection on his face is so evident, and you instantly regret using such a harsh tone with him.
"Verso… I just came to my senses, okay? We shouldn't make it more than a fling and move on from this. This is a really, really inappropriate relationship for us to have."
"From the start, I thought I was pretty clear in the way I communicated with you that I didn't want it to be just sex." Verso frowns.
"Yes, but there's so many layers to this. You're my boss. When we were at the charity ball, it was so uncomfortable acting like we're all just coworkers, then I went and snuck off to your hotel room. It feels… Wrong." It doesn't feel wrong. Nothing about being with him feels wrong, even when you're breaking rules. But you lie anyway.

Verso glances at the window before turning back to you. "If this is what you truly wish for… I understand. I'll process it by the end of tomorrow." He adds, taking your resignation letter and slipping it into his drawer without reading it.
"Thank you." You blink, willing your eyes not to water in front of him. While this outcome is what you wanted, the way he's accepted it and tried to communicate with you so gently has made it even more painful. If anything, you wish that he would just be angry with you. It would make everything easier.

"I feel like there's something you're not telling me, but I won't push it. If this is what you feel is best, then... I respect your wishes." Verso's tone is still gentle despite the hurt you're putting him through. Although the whole resignation process is going seamlessly, your heart is shattering into a million pieces like glass. You can't bring yourself to reply immediately, a stretch of silence filling the room as you're both stuck in your own heads.

"So then… We'll go back to being strangers in four weeks." You're the first to speak again, turning your head to look out the window to avoid Verso's stare. You can see it out of your peripheral vision, and it feels like a knife is twisting your insides. Hurt. Betrayal. Sadness.
"As per your request." His voice is steady. Though you can tell he can't be in the room with you right now.

You got the exact result you needed, but why does it hurt so much more than you thought it would?

 

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Returning to your desk, your coffee is now completely cold. You trudge off to the staff kitchen, dumping your cold coffee into the sink. It feels like the sound in the office has been drowned out, as if you've been plunged into a cold lake of water.

"H-Hello?" Lune waves her hand in front of you to get your attention, repeating your name. Ah, she's been in here and trying to talk to you this whole time.
"I just resigned. I'll be gone in four weeks." You whisper to her, unaware of whatever she was previously talking about.
"Right… Okay. Bathroom, now." Lune whispers back, eyes wide in shock.

You and Lune meet with Sciel at the toilets near the fire escape, the one which hardly anyone uses. Sciel looks straight at you, her eyes filled with sadness and empathy. You know that there's an unsaid notion from the two; their greatest worry for you came true - that you got involved with your boss, and it's now come crashing down, and the consequences may end up being something you can't repay. But they don't speak it out loud, knowing it's not the right time or place.

"Oh god…" Sciel brings you in for a hug, and you begin to cry. Lune wraps her arms behind you as well, as you cry into both of their arms.
"I had to end it. It was getting too messy…" You force your lips to stop quivering as the two break away from you, with Lune grabbing you a tissue from the dispenser.
"You did the right thing. You had too much at stake, but I'm also devastated we won't be working together soon." Sciel sighs.
"I'll be fine, I'll be getting a letter of recommendation and I have access to a lot of connections now. It's just… Ugh." You want to talk about what happened with Julie so badly. But it's never worth endangering your closest friends.

 

"…Something has happened, hasn't it? You both seemed fine over the weekend." Sciel comments perceptively.
"Yeah. Something happened. But I can't talk about it, I'm scared to put you both in danger too. The person threatening me has a lot of money and technically has access to the control over majority of the Paris property market." You divulge.
"Okay, if you're really concerned about our safety, we won't push it. You must have your reasons. But let's focus on what happened - did he try to make you stay? Did he take it well?" Lune asks.

"He didn't try to make me stay, although he was really nice to me about it. But that just makes it hurt even more." You wipe away a tear, your chest rising and falling dramatically as you try to steady your breath. It barely works.
"At the very least it means you have closure and you can move on from this without things being dragged out. This sucks so badly though, we were rooting for you both." Sciel pats your back gently.

"It's fine… It needed to happen." You take a deep inhale. "Fuck's sake. Always when I think things are going well." 
"It's a vicious cycle, isn't it? The moment it feels like we have something good, either we or something else goes ahead and destroys it all, and then we're back to rebuilding ourselves." Sciel comforts you.
"Yeah. I should've seen this moment coming from a mile away, I don't know why part of me believed that it could possibly end better for me. I'm so unbelievably stupid." You mumble, throwing the tissue in the bin.

"But Sciel has a point. You will rebuild yourself, whether that's in a month or a few years. And you'll be stronger." Lune consoles, and you nod.
"Thank you both for being here. I don't know what I'd do without you both." You say gratefully, tears threatening to spill from your eyes again as you feel your mouth wobble between a grin and a frown.

 

That felt… Fucking awful. You were hoping that by saying very little and treating Verso with indifference, he'd get angry and lash out. A twisted part of you was hoping to see an ugly side to him, and it would make leaving a little easier to stomach. He's too patient, too nice… He's a good partner, through and through.

It's going to make the next four weeks just that much more disgustingly painful.

Notes:

after some chapters with intense kinky sex and a cute date, i gift to u guys.... breaking verso's heart. tomorrow? who knows

anyway, reader hurting verso's feelings is srsly like a metaphorical equivalent of kicking a puppy.

and i would also be crying and dry heaving in the bathroom if i fumbled verso dessendre fr

side note: uploads will be slower the next 2 weeks as i have a busy work week ahead of me. these 12 hour shifts take it out of me so badlyyy T-T i will need to rest a bit so i don't get awful brain fog, since it slows down my writing pace ;w; but on the bright side, the word count will be a bit higher to make up for the less frequent updates this fortnight!