Averie was 32 minutes late to work.
She hated being late. It was only her second day, and she was over half an hour late already. So much for trying to keep a good attendance.
Averie thought if she wasn't late as much, she would be liked by her boss better. If she even saw him.
She wouldn't have been surprised if she never got mentored by this person who won't even show their face in the office they direct.
Pathetic.
She didn't have time to shower, instead gathering her hazel locks up into a slick ponytail at the back of her head. She quickly threw on a dress that she knew she looked good in, stumbling on her own feet as she tried to slip her heels on, all while rushing to the bathroom. Her heels were elegant to match the green silk dress. They were simple and white sandals with a couple inch heels.
She did the usual natural makeup, wearing a very slight red shaded lip tint to complete the look.
Once Averie was standing in the work elevator, she glanced at her phone, seeing the time.
11:58 am
Fuck.
How did it get so late?
The elevator chimed, signaling her floor coming up and Averie prepared for a probably pissed off Pansy waiting for her.
But as Averie stepped out of the elevator, mindful of the little gap on the floor that's always scared her, she only saw Zara working on a computer at a desk.
Zara was dressed in a different and more casual manner to Averie this morning. She stood in a simple solid white bralette, which was mostly covered by an oversized blue blazer paired with high waisted jeans. Her red hair tied back in a bun showing off her features. The look was pulled together with a pair of nude pumps.
Averie had to admit she was a gorgeous woman. Her style just enhanced it all.
"Morning Zara," Averie took another glance around the office, double checking no one was there. "Where is everyone?"
Zara looked up from the computer and smiled in greeting, "No idea, Parkinson told me to file these things or whatever... but that was like an hour ago and I haven't seen her since—"
"They're both in there," an unexpected voice interrupted Zara's rambling.
It was someone Averie hadn't seen before. A man who looked about her age, jet black hair and in a dark blue button up.
Both of the girls heads shot to the left as he said it, making them a bit startled.
"Both?" Zara asked.
The man nodded yes, casually strolling to the table towards the back of the room, and sighed as he plopped down on the chair.
Averie just watched him, curious as to why he was here.
"Who are you?" she inquired.
"I'm the fabric consultant, my name's Lucas," he responded as he dug through desk drawers to find something.
"And when you say both you mean the boss is in there too?"
"Yep."
"Well it's surprising to know he's actually here. I wonder if he was even here yesterday—or if that Pansy girl was messing with us because he wasn't here," Zara added in. She looked confused as to what she said for a second before shrugging and continued moving her fingers on the keyboard.
"He wasn't here?" Lucas pondered quietly.
"Why weren't you here either then?"
Lucas was still looking through the drawers, and when he finally found it—a little pen—he sighed out of relief. "Well Pansy told me to leave I assumed that meant it was the boss's orders."
"And you know the boss?" she pressed.
He scoffed sarcastically. "Of course I know the boss of the place I work at."
"Well I don't," she complained, then realizing she had yet to introduce her own name. "I'm Averie by the way."
"Oh I've heard, you're pretty talented," he said.
Talented? How would he even know?
But Averie only mumbled a "Thanks," as she heard the fancy door open. Pansy appeared in front of her, vibrant and smug looking.
"Wilson and Olsen," is all she said, even when she held the attention of both girls she just called. Averie assessed what she was wearing while she just stood there like an idiot.
Pansy had on a leopard printed long sleeved dress with a deep v line that showed off her cleavage. The dress tied with a long bow in the front. Averie wasn't particularly crazy about the dress but it didn't look horrible on Pansy. It was more of a party dress than an office dress though.
She finally spoke, "He wants to meet with you both now," which made Averie and Zara look at each other with the same glint in their eye.
Worry, curiosity, intrigue. All of them.
"And Wilson..." she turned to Averie, "you should prepare yourself. He really doesn't seem to like you," she chuckled.
Me? she thought. I didn't even do anything yet. Didn't even say a word to him?
She was more anxious now than anything.
Pansy didn't say anything about him disliking Zara. What did she do wrong for him to not like her? Was it something she did yesterday with the tasks? That's gotta be it.
Her mind was in a whirlpool, only swimming to the surface when Pansy urgently said, "Now."
Zara and Averie were shooed into the office door. The one with the initials D. M.
She was finally meeting her boss, and he didn't even like her. This job was probably going to be worse than she initially thought. Not everything was that good.
Zara looked tense too, but Averie supposed she had nothing to worry about. It was her who he didn't like. Zara knocked on the door twice, hearing a muffled "Come in," from the other side. And so both of the girls entered, as if they were approaching a lions den. Which they were.
The room was big, as expected. The wall that faced Averie as they walked in was made of glass, overlooking a narrow street. Directly in front of the window was a large sofa.A desk stood proudly in the middle, matching the other ones in the shade of black. And in the chair right in front of the desk was their boss. But the plush leather swivel chair was faced towards the window and not the girls.
Of course he would conceal his face for as long as he can.
Zara nudged Averie's arm and rolled her eyes at the same notion, making Averie stifle a laugh.
"Wilson first," the booming voice declared.
Immediately Zara retreated into the main office, looking slightly relieved to do so.
Averie on the other hand was two seconds away from running out of the window.
She closed the door shut behind her, tentatively taking quiet steps in the room, which proved to be unsuccessful seeing as her heels clicked every time she stepped.
A few seconds passed by of her just standing there.
Seems like Pansy took after him, with all of these unnecessary pauses.
"Sit down," he said bluntly, breaking the silence.
His voice was raspy and dark, making her bare arms shiver. Averie thought he sounded familiar, only she couldn't think of from what, or if it was just deja vu.
She took too long to walk over it seemed, because suddenly the chair swiveled around 180, showing himself entirely to her.
Her breath stuttered for a moment—because the man in front of her was the same one she thought she would never get even a second glance of.
And now he was here. Her boss.
The second their eyes met as he turned around, his visibly darkened.
Averie didn't know what to say, what he had even asked before. Her mind took her back to the bar just two nights ago, his lips on hers, his rough hot skin under her lips.
He smirked as if he knew exactly what she was thinking about.
And he probably did with the way her face was heating up so much.
"You?" was all she was able to say in that moment.
"Me?" he said indifferently. She didn't know how or why he was so casual about this. It wasn't really an everyday thing to have your almost one night stand turn out to be your boss.
He must have sensed her utter confusion as he stood up taking slow strides to her. "I knew exactly who you were the second you told me your name," he explained.
Her eyes fell upon his shirt, similar to Lucas.
She remembered he was wearing this same exact outfit at the bar. The only difference was that the shirt today was a deep red wine color. It made him look dangerous the way it mixed with the black pants. He definitely looked good in black.
Then it registered in Averie's brain that he had said something. "What's yours then?" she asked in return.
He did look awfully familiar. Not just from the bar, she probably would have thought the same if she wasn't under the influence at the time. He looked very familiar. The pale blonde hair stood out like none other. But who—
"Draco Malfoy," he rasped out.
"Draco Malfoy?" she repeated, completely bewildered.
There was no way, she thought. What was he doing managing a fashion company when he had all of the money he needed already?
He was a known billionaire, his family had always been rich and famous, The Malfoys.
He quirked an eyebrow up, "Yes? What, you've never heard of me before?" he cockily asked.
As if everyone has heard of him.
"But you—you're here?"
He shrugged, "Of course I'm here. Where else would I be?"
Shouldn't he be somewhere vacationing or ordering servants around his 24 mansions?
But she didn't say that.
"I—don't know," she rushed out at the same time he started talking.
"What was my intern doing over half an hour late to work on only her second day?" he said almost too calmly.
Fuck.
"I'm sorry, I was really early yesterday I just—"
His face twisted into something resembling disgust. "So you're saying now that you were early for the first day you're allowed to be late everyday after?"
Her irritation was rising. "What? No—that's not what I said. I didn't mean to be late!"
He scoffed, turning his head to side to shake slowly.
He resumed his slow steps towards her, crossing his arms over his chest. She held her breath and silently watched, nervous not only because he was devilishly attractive, but because he was also her boss. She was still trying to comprehend that single fact.
Draco Malfoy was her boss.
He only stopped a few feet from her, enough that if he reached his arm out it would touch her. Enough that his tall and broad frame completely engulfed her.
She smelled the intense and exotic scent of him—Mint specifically—and had yet another intrusive thought.
She had made out with Draco Malfoy, her boss.
And perhaps the worst thought of them all came after,
She wanted to do it again.
He sighed from where he was casually stood in front of her and took one more dangerous step. "I don't know where you came from and frankly—I don't care—but around here that's not how it works."
It took Averie a moment to understand he was talking about something he said before.
What did he say before?
His mere presence was too distracting, and he knew it.
"If you're late again, I'll see to it that you're dealt with, and you won't like it," he promised, his voice lower than it was before.
Averie let out a breath, finally gaining some control. "I already told you, it wasn't supposed to happen and it won't."
"And one more thing..." he started, "Whatever happened the other night, didn't. And you should forget about it because it's never going to happen."
But she couldn't help but say, "You shouldn't forget that you were the one who came onto me first."
He smirked again, this time very lazily.
"Now I suggest you leave and make sure nothing else happens for me to hate you more."
Her eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Hate?
She understood he didn't like her per se—but she didn't expect him to hate her.
Especially considering he certainly didn't hate her the other night.
But still, Averie took her leave and backed away toward the door, murmuring a "Yes sir," to linger in the air behind. Zara went in next, but Averie paid no mind, instead mulling over what she'd come to learn.
Draco Malfoy.
Averie had to admit that it was a bit random. Out of all people—Draco Malfoy, a famous billionaire, was the director of Mature Divinity. Out of all people, she was stuck with the most attractive man she had ever seen.
Even if he did hate her, she thought, perhaps it won't be so bad.
—
It was some time after that Zara appeared from the door.
Immediately she walked over to where Averie was sitting, doing nothing but idly drawing circles on the table's surface with her finger. Why doesn't anyone give her work to do?
But Zara looked eager.
"Oh my god Averie, did you see?" she started, smiling like a child.
Oh she saw.
"I really can't believe it," Averie chuckled, looking down.
"I mean—god," Zara sighed. "That—that is a man," she pointed to his door.
She seemed to be more excited than Averie was, that was for sure.
Averie couldn't help but want to tell her about how his hands were all over her. How he came up to, and followed her. Wanted to let her know that Draco Malfoy saw her as desirable.
But she refrained, since he said it himself to forget about it.
She could try but she can't promise it'll ever work.
"So anyways I don't know how much he told you but from what he told me—that Parkinson girl can't be trusted," she stated matter-of-factly.
"I could have guessed that much," Averie laughed. She took a piece of thread from off the desk and started playing with it, her hands wanting to fidget with something.
Zara propped herself up on the desk next to where Averie sat, her legs dangling off the edge. "She mixed in her work with ours yesterday," she said leaning back on her arms. "It's why our tasks seemed so ridiculous—because it was hers."
Averie snapped her head to look up at Zara, "Are you serious," she asked, intrigued.
Zara nodded while chuckling a little. "She's insane."
"Crazy. But I knew that already."
Draco then emerged from his private office, walking confidently in their direction after shutting the door behind him.
"Are you not aware that room is for you two?" he nodded his head in the direction to the door next to his. "I did tell Parkinson to tell the interns about their room."
Averie and Zara exchanged another glance, out of confusion.
The blonde rolled his eyes then, sighing as he walked to the door. "Come."
He opened the door with one hand and opened it, still standing outside as to make room for them to go in first.
The room was somewhat similar to his, but a bit more confined. Two desks instead of one were separated at opposite ends of the room, each with a swivel chair, similar to his again.
The only difference was there wasn't a sofa.
It was a cute room.
"For you two to do your work," he not-so-thoroughly explained.
Averie was the first to get a word out since he approached them both in the office.
"Work?" she asked carefully.
He glared at her through his long lashes, "Yes." He sounded exasperated.
Did she really get on his nerves that much?
"Well what work? No one has told us anything in two days, only that we've been doing the assistant's work," Averie played out.
She wanted answers, and she would get them.
Zara added on to what Averie said a bit simpler, "Are we going to be designing or what?"
Draco only hummed in acknowledgment, looking like he was lost in thought. That made Averie scoff.
If he was on her nerves as much as she was on his, on only the first day of officially meeting, she can't imagine working here under him for months.
He sighed again.
"You two are here to compete for my attention, basically."
"Excuse me?"
"Shut it, Wilson. I'm the boss," he glared.
Averie was irritated.
What the fuck did she do to make him so tense?
"Compete how?" Zara asked, probably either curious or just trying to diffuse the aggression in the room.
"I'll be monitoring both of your designs, ideas, everything really. There will be different chances to collaborate on projects or collections with me. That's why this," he waved his hand around the room to emphasize, "is a big deal. Got it?"
Averie didn't get it though.
They were competing to collaborate with him and Mature Divinity, but what did they do all day?
"So we just what—make designs every day?" she asked. It couldn't have been that easy.
"Precisely," he next to growled.
Zara nodded slowly as if she was still processing it, but Averie was just confused.
"What?"
"Is this that hard to understand Wilson? Huh? You design, you sketch, you sew. We have a fabric consultant in the office to help—he sews too. Parkinson is supposed to help as well. This is for the company. And as unfortunate as it is, you were chosen. So fucking do it," he hissed.
Averie crossed her arms over her chest, not sure how to reply. After all he would probably fire her on the spot if she said something spiteful back. But that's all he's been doing—filling her with spite.
Because he was spiteful.
Maybe it was fun. To have power to annoy a man so powerful himself. Even if she was just annoying him. He didn't even have to say it, it was written all over his handsome face.
Which raised another question— If he hated her so much why not just fire her?
But she knew it was because she was too valuable.
Maybe not as a person, not as Averie—but as a designer. She was told she matched Dracos designs almost perfectly. She was what they needed. So she had to do what needed to be done.
And here he was, telling them they just have to design. What she was hoping would happen, did.
And for that part she couldn't have been happier.
"Out now."
Averie and Zara followed his instructions, leaving their room.
Why did he ask them to leave their space?
"Do you think he's attractive?" Averie asked out of nowhere. She didn't even think about asking the question, it just came out.
"Only a fool wouldn't," Zara responded indifferently.
She was right.
"You don't have to worry though," she added.
"Worry? About what?" Averie said absentmindedly as she started to pack her bag up, it was nearing the end of the work day.
"I'm not into him." Zara scoffed. "Of course he's attractive though, but he's not my type if you know what I mean," she said with a wink.
Averie understood after a second, halting her hands from packing to look up at her with an understanding smile.
"He's so into you by the way," Zara declared, a little too confidently. And loudly.
Though Pansy was nowhere to be seen and Draco was in his office, Lucas was still at his desk at the other side of the room. He wasn't paying any attention to them, but still.
Averie laughed at it though, "He's so not. Are you serious?"
"Well he should be. Will be."
"Yeah right. He's my superior."
The rich, powerful, young, and attractive Malfoy heir must have had a partner. And if he did then it would be unfair to have a little school crush on her boss.
And highly unprofessional.
"At least we get to design all day, that's what I came here for," Averie said with a small smile. Because even if nothing else worked out, she was a designer. Even if she wasn't a real one yet.
"Yeah and we have to compete with each other," Zara included.
"Oh yeah that will be real fun, won't it?" she responded sarcastically.
"May the best one win, Wilson."
"Oh she will."
A/N
a lot of dialogue eek
this chapter is long asf but its mostly just them talking i need to get better at dialogue 🙄🙄
what are we thinking about this?
cus i'm thinking i adore u ha get it
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