STAR: PRETTY & SHINY
"I got a job!" Satine squealed, running into the apartment and jumping onto Mingyu's lap.
He let out a heavy groan as she landed rather heavily on his groin but smiled through the pain. "Ouch. That's great news, Red."
"Sorry, did I hurt you again?" She frowned as his eyes fixed open in pain.
"No, I'm fine. Just don't move." He knew what she was like, she was beyond clumsy and often caused more damage when getting up. "Tell me about this job then." He needed the distraction.
Where would she even start?
"It was the last one you circled. You know, the one down Park Avenue."
He thought for a second. "The barista one?" He'd written down the address as a backup. There was no way Satine was going to last making members of the public coffee. "Why the hell are you so happy about being a barista?"
"No, not that one!" She whined, hitting him. "They were interviewing girls for a personal assistant position in the same building. I just walked on up there and bang, I got the job!"
Mingyu was speechless at first, but then he realised this was Satine they were talking about, she was never going to settle for mediocrity.
His hands rested on her ass whilst she straddled him, gormlessly letting her chat away about how rude the interviewer in the Coffee truck was. He enjoyed the position they were in, it always led to his favourite thing.
Well, if they weren't interrupted, which they usually were.
"Wassup bro!" Hoshi yelled, swinging open the front door and running to slump down opposite.
Mingyu rolled his eyes at Satine once DK followed in after. "A heads-up next time would be nice, guys," he complained, guiding Satine off his lap.
"Never had to tell you we were coming before S-" DK stopped himself before using Satine's name. He saw the redhead start fiddling with his best friend's fingers. She looked sweet and happy before he spoke; he often had a problem with ruining her mood. It was accidental, but he couldn't stop himself from hitting rock bottom every time she was in the room.
"What's crackalacking then?" Hoshi changed the subject, picking up Mingyu's new guitar to start strumming. "Do I sense a new song coming on?"
Shaking his head, Mingyu turned to Satine with a fond smile. "I've actually been planning a cover for our gig Saturday night."
Amongst their originals, they played a lot of covers. They were one of the only bands that didn't have Satine covering her ears in horror. The groups back home had a habit of absolutely destroying her favourite songs.
"A cover?" DK was trying to get it out of him.
"I'll tell you guys later. It's a surprise for this one," Mingyu cocked his head at Satine sitting with a pout. She hated not being in the loop. Not once had she missed a gig and was practically the leader of their non-existent fan club. Managing them was what she used to do in her free time.
"It's cool, I don't need you." She crossed her arms in a sulk. "I have a really important job now working for Mr Hoity-Toity Yoon."
The two men glanced over at Mingyu, knowing his distaste for the word.
"Oh, congratulations are in order then?" Hoshi beamed. "Shall we go downstairs for a drink? Come on, I know you want to..." He was waving a beer can tauntingly in Mingyu's face.
"I'm up for a Coca-Cola!" Satine giggled, jumping up. "Let me get changed first."
Mingyu eyed up her outfit, admiring the view from behind. She looked good, just not herself in the sophisticated gear. He was pretty sure Satine was as tomboy as they came, but he liked that edge about her. He liked that she didn't care about looking perfect, even though she always did regardless.
"You should let your hair down for once!" He teased, watching her ponytail flick behind her as she ran off holding her heels in her hand.
"Never!" She yelled back.
He was eager to know what she was like as a kid, the girl must have hissed at anyone who put a Barbie doll near her.
"Little minx," he muttered under his breath, turning to his best friend. "She got a job as a personal assistant for some CEO. Can you believe that?"
"Of course we can, have you seen her? That girl screams sexy secretar-" Hoshi stopped himself before finishing, cowering under Mingyu's glare. "Which company?"
"I don't know. I don't even think she knows. It's just gonna be weird not having her around as much. She's a great distraction."
Noticing DK's subtle frown, he scolded himself for sounding so cold and thoughtless. She was more than just a distraction; she was kind, funny and a great fuck, which were all the traits he was sure he had fallen for. She was also so similar to him with the ability to have his heart racing in seconds.
The wild ones can be controlled, and he was the one to do so.
"You know what I mean..."
DK nodded.
"Ready!" Satine came bouncing out of his room wearing an oversized top and her signature boots.
"Now that's much better," he complimented, wrapping his arm around her waist and kissing the side of her head. "Perfect access for later," he couldn't have spoken any lower if he tried.
Her little laugh was perfect.
"Let's go celebrate then," Hoshi was already halfway down the stairs.
-
They propped themselves on a bar stall, each of them calling out to bartender Dan for their regular drinks. Mingyu couldn't be seen without a glass of Jack Daniels, DK liked to stick to beer and Hoshi was partial to a dry gin.
"Where's Wonwoo?" Satine turned to his best friend as she shot down her mini cocktail.
"Where do you think?" Hoshi snorted. "The guys wasted, I had to put him to bed at two."
Wonwoo had an extreme liking for Vodka and Satine knew why. It was always the fastest drink to get her drunk as well.
"Hey, Fontaine?" DK called out from the furthest seat. It shocked her, the directness in his tone, only because he rarely ever was the one to strike up a conversation.
Almost too eagerly, Satine poked her head out from behind the two men blocking them, and replied with an excitable "yes?"
He was flicking through a magazine. "Did you say your new boss was called Yoon?"
"Yeah, Jeonghan Yoon."
He slid the magazine down the bar for her to catch.
"Did you know you accepted a job from one of the most sort after bachelors in the city? The guys absolutely loaded."
Satine's eyes widened once she acknowledged the front cover. She had never flicked open a magazine so fast, and that was saying something. It's not that she hadn't acknowledged that he was wealthy or a respectable businessman, it's just that she hadn't realised how renowned he really was.
'Jeonghan Yoon, multi-millionaire.'
'Jeonghan Yoon, New York's top bachelor."
'Like father, like son. Jeonghan Yoon has his father's cutthroat edge.'
'Jeonghan Yoon, set to secure Broadstone deal in upcoming month.'
Okay, so Satine should have really started her research sooner. She was now the personal assistant to a man able to destroy businesses, egos and probably even lives.
Mingyu wasn't even paying attention, he refused to read a magazine centred around famous tools. "Sounds like a daddy's boy."
He didn't have time for pricks who took after their fathers.
Rubbing Satine's thigh, he began tracing patterns closer and closer toward the seam of her dress.
***
Satine wasn't nervous at all about starting her new job, only because it was practically made for her. Organisation had always been one of her strong suits and she never failed to keep everything in check. But after reading that Forbes article, she was actively scolding herself for having a photographic memory. She couldn't afford to fuck up, not even a little bit.
Gliding into the fifty-story building, she flicked her mahogany locks over her shoulder and made her way to the coffee stand where she was so rudely treated before. Again, she pushed in line, not giving a flying fuck about what anyone said.
"Hi there!" The woman's perky customer service smile dulled into a distasteful frown once she recognised Satine. "God, not you again."
Ignoring her ugly tone, Satine killed her with a brilliant grin. "I expect you know Mr Yoon's order."
"We have a lot of Yoon's here, lady. You're gonna have to be more specific than that."
Rolling her eyes, Satine's smile was dangling by a thread. "That'll be CEO Yoon." Okay, so watching the woman's face contort out of confusion was worth it all. She was stumbling over her words; trying to put two and two together.
"I'm afraid I don't follow?"
"You know, I really must thank you. If you hadn't been such an uptight bitch, maybe I wouldn't have gotten the job as his personal assistant."
The penny had dropped.
"Cappuccino coming right up!"
Satine's cocky grin was unpleasant, to say the least.
"Thank you." She took the coffee cup and wiggled her fingers goodbye.
Now all she had to contend with was seeing the CEO again. The very rich and attractive CEO that was plastered over every newspaper, magazine and billboard in the city according to Hoshi. The confidence he exuded and the sheer presence he held was enough to have Satine trembling in his company.
As she found her way to the top floor, she was met with the same blonde as a few days prior, however, this time she was obnoxiously checking her watch.
"You're late."
In her head, Satine was cursing the ground the previous secretary stood so vainly on.
"I don't think Mr Yoon's going to fire me for being a minute late when it's his coffee I'm bringing. Besides, he's not even here yet."
To say the blonde was surprised by Satine's response was an understatement. People were often shocked by the absolute sureness behind her tone.
"You should be more prepared."
"Sweetheart, I've read over your notes at least twenty-five times. I've already colour coded his meetings for the rest of the week, and I can recite his entire schedule off by heart. That's how I know he'll be here in approximately five... four... three... two..."
A sudden chain of organised chaos broke out as people ran into their offices to clear the space. He strolled in, naturally polished in the same maddening way as before. Every detail was crisp and perfectly tailored to him to help ensure that those foolish enough to doubt his position were sorely mistaken. He oozed appeal, the type suited to everyone, much like Satine for that matter.
A pin could have dropped, and it would have sounded like a gong. Yet even that wouldn't have disrupted the silence. Nobody moved a muscle. There was no need to, not when someone so clinically addicting was sauntering through the space so sinfully.
There was a taste at the end of Satine's tongue and it tingled like spice.
"Good morning, Mr Yoon."
His lips pursed as he ignored and passed his previous assistant.
He noticed Satine if that's what you're wondering. Out of the corner of his eye, he acknowledged the ridiculous way her body would glide in and out in her fitted dress, creating the most lustrous of physiques. He noticed the toned muscles in her legs and how she stood so gorgeously in her excessively high heels. He even had to hold back a smile after observing the way she held such a specific sort of elegance, even with the irritated expression pinned to her face.
It was safe to say she was impossible to ignore with the glossy mane of flames rested so exquisitely over her shoulder.
Stopping in his tracks, not being able to continue walking without facing her beauty fully, he did something nobody was expecting. "Miss Fontaine," he nodded, evaluating her features as they softened. She raised her chin in response to his formalities and straightened out her posture as if he was royalty.
"Good morning, sir."
There it was again, the unwanted tension.
"Bethany?" he referenced the blonde with a cool edge. "Are you seeing that Miss Fontaine settles in?"
"Of course. I was just trying to preach the rules of etiquette to her."
"How so?"
Satine's eyes couldn't have rolled back further if she tried. She had no time for women and their petty need to get in between her and success.
"Well, I was just saying that tardiness isn't something we pride ourselves on here. Miss Fontaine was late this morning."
It was bold of this woman to think she had any chance at rivalling Satine's sharp tongue. She was a talented sword-stress and spared no one mercy. Well, no one except Mingyu.
"You care to explain yourself?" Mr Yoon's dark eyes traced her lips, moistening his own in preparation for her next words.
"I do, in fact." There it was - her unmatchable energy and the fire that intrigued him. She stood tall, crossing one leg in front of the other and resting her forearms comfortably on her curved hips. "It's because of your routine, sir. At six am, you wake up and go to the gym. You work out for an hour and then come back and shower. Seven-thirty am, you have breakfast whilst looking over your itinerary for the day. Quarter to eight, your driver arrives with your dry cleaning." He was watching her intently, wondering where she was heading with this list of hers. "Then at eight am, you leave for work to get here for approximately half past."
Bethany threw her arms into the air. "What the hell has this got to do with anything?"
Mr Yoon held his hand up to stop her from interrupting, then encouraged Satine to continue. "Go on, Miss Fontaine."
Every word he uttered was laced with intrigue.
"I'm late because you're late, sir." She didn't think the silence could get any more deafening. She also didn't think his eyebrows could raise any further. "You didn't have an assistant today because of the changeover so I'm guessing nobody forwarded you your itinerary? You also had to wait for the receptionist in your building to let you know that your driver was waiting."
He only nodded.
"Long story short, I prepared for all of that and collected your coffee later so I wouldn't be delivering it to you cold. I also would have been sat at my desk by now, ready to pass you the most recent paperwork for the Broadstone deal if it weren't for..." Satine glanced irritably at the girl beside her pondering boss. "Her."
He tried so hard to resist being impressed.
"Get to work, Miss Fontaine."
Satine dropped her head and smiled as he turned back to his office.
"What are you smirking about? He's still going to be on your ass like nobody's business."
"Mmmm, I bet." Satine's lips pressed together as his body disappeared. "You can see yourself out, Beth honey. It's safe to say I won't be needing your help."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Your company isn't necessary anymore and it's quite frankly annoying."
The scowl she received was majorly arousing.
-
"Miss Fontaine?"
He hadn't stopped yelling her name since she sat down at her new desk. Forget learning how to use a computer, forget planning his itinerary for tomorrow, forget lunch. Mr Yoon had her running from different ends of the building to the other.
It was all ridiculous asks as well. It started with another coffee at nine-fifteen, followed by an unnecessary trip to the printers around ten. He had her check up on all the staff to make sure they were doing their jobs correctly, even though she had no clue what their jobs even were. The whole thing took her an hour and a half. From then on, he had her grab him lunch and then take the order back twice because it was 'totally wrong' even though she checked it over five times. It was coming up to four and she was trying to sit upright whilst her eyes drooped close - but he was yelling her name again.
"What do you want now?" She hissed under her breath, clutching hold of the desk to shove her chair out from under it. "I want you to crack my back and massage my shoulders, Miss Fontaine. I want you to build a portaloo in my office so I don't have to walk the ten feet to the toilets," she was mimicking his voice like a twelve-year-old.
Something blocked her chair from moving any further and she let her head fall into her hands out of frustration.
"Well, I was going to let you go home early, but now I'm not too sure." His smirk was deadly as she slowly clocked him out the corner of her eye. "I have a certified chiropractor and masseuse, Miss Fontaine, and I think I can handle walking the ten feet to the restroom."
Hoping her cheeks weren't flaming red, Satine took a deep breath in and prepared to sweet talk him in the only way she knew how.
"I'm so sorry, sir." She spun her chair around and blinked prettily up at him.
He could see straight through her flirtatious facade, but that didn't mean he didn't want to play. You see, they were pretty similar, the only difference between them was that Mr Yoon was successful in his pursuit of a worthy career and Satine got distracted along the way. They were both still products of wealth which allowed them to live confidently with their ability to appeal.
"Long day?"
She didn't say anything, it was in her best interest not to.
"You passed by the way..." He cracked his neck in a stretch whilst rolling his sleeves up. Throughout the day he'd lost his blazer and was only in his shirt and slacks. Of course, he still looked untouchable, but there was something even sexier about a man undone.
"Passed what?"
"I put you through hell," he chortled. "My advice is don't be late tomorrow."
He was testing her, and she knew that. What she didn't know was that the testing went way further than she'd originally thought.
Satine turned her head to avoid his intense gaze. It wasn't because she was intimidated, it was more out of disbelief. "Mr Yoon, I think you may have my character confused. I'm not in this position to be prodded and poked or be taken advantage of, I'm in this position to learn and grow and hopefully be sitting in one of those chairs one day." She pointed through his office doors. "I will do as you say, if and when you ask, but that does not mean you have the right to have me parade around here like some ridiculous circus animal."
He was speechless, utterly speechless.
Grabbing her things and standing up, Satine smiled and walked towards the elevator door. "I'll see you tomorrow at eight-thirty, sir. Good night."
She had almost stepped in as well before his arm blocked her entrance.
"You're a daring girl, aren't you?"
She rolled her eyes. All she wanted to do was get home to Mingyu. "Mm, you men often have a superiority complex when it comes to a woman with conviction." Her poise never faltered.
Mr Yoon lowly chuckled, she had him all wrong. Folding his bottom lip, he moved to the side to let her pass. "Enjoy your evening."
"Thank you." Her chin lifted again, and she did her signature hair flick.
Mr Yoon held back his smile as he walked back off to his office.
"Oh, Miss Fontaine?" He called out, spinning on his heels. "When you get home, could you put in an order for a new watch for me?" He observed her reaction, amused by the way she clicked her tongue out of annoyance. He knew she was off the clock but a part of him was wondering just how dedicated she was.
She pulled out her notepad and jotted it down with a sigh. "Which one specifically?"
"Hm, the new Rolex Submariner should suffice." He looked her up and down, smiling knowingly. "I do like new, pretty and shiny things."
Satine's breath caught in her throat as he captured her gaze right at the final second. She didn't even have time to process his peculiar look before the elevator doors closed and their connection was severed.
***
A/N
Not happy with this chapter, badly written but I wanted to get it out.
Where do you think I'm heading with this? I'm really interested to see where you guys think the stories going.
Remember, this is the tale of two lovers but it's the furthest thing from a love story!
Hehe
Anyone got any thoughts on DK's character? What's up with him? He kinda odd, no? What about Mingyu and Satine? Jeonghan? Wonwoo wasn't present in this chapter either... a lot of unpack here guys.