Ross' Pov:
"Good morning boss"
My eyes lifted slowly, noticing the elongated shape and curves that dress gave her, before they met with hers.
She was standing in front of the desk, hands behind her back, and a nervous look in her eyes.
A huff escaped my throat, as I sat back.
"You're calling me boss now?"
It was surprising, but I couldn't act as if I didn't enjoy it leaving her lips.
Very cute.
"Are you not?" she pressed her lips- a bit of humour in her eyes.
"Hm" I raised an eyebrow "Are you not as well, boss?"
That sentence made her smile grow, and I stared at her.
I wasn't sure why I replied with that- or why I ever thought to remind her of her authority. Usually, I'd only give that power to myself.
Confusion fogged my brain, as her chuckle greeted my ears.
Her face had lit up, at that one sentence.. and it felt, weirdly good, to know it was because of me.
"I was trying to be nice" she hummed.
"That'd be a first"
Her smile fell.
"Shut up" she pointed.
Yeah that's more familiar - this one I could work around.
"Listen up boss" she teased again, and I narrowed my eyes at her.
It sounded so sultry when she said it- I wasn't sure if she was doing it on purpose, or perhaps, I was misjudging the situation.
"Now" she sighed "Um.. I don't want to intrude in your private life. That's not what I'm about"
Oh shit.
Was she gonna start asking questions?
"..like-you-did-with-mine" she coughed out quickly, amusingly enough "but-"
"Get to the point Marano" I crossed my arms.
She was taking her sweet time, and I had a hunch that it was because some part of her didn't even want to say it.
A look of hesitation covered her face, which was intriguing enough on its own.
I didn't need more time, to fantasize and come up with exactly what she wanted from me, as this was unlike her.
Well, unlike who she was around me at least.
I'd never had her of all people, approach in such a way.
"Let me take a second to say good bye to my pride" she sent me a sarcastic smile.
I smirked back.
Yeah, okay- this can't be too bad.
"I have a friend you might want to get to know" she offered, making my amusement falter "Gema"
With that, she placed a piece of paper on the table, and I looked down at it to see her name.
Gema Moore.
As well as her phone number, scribbled underneath.
A sigh escaped my lips, as I got off my seat. I could feel her eyes on me, as I picked up the thin piece of paper between my middle and index finger.
I approached her slowly, and her eyes widened just a bit more, looking oh-so- innocent.
She had those type of eyes I couldn't ignore. Big, round, and deep chocolate. The ones that made her look like a disney princess.
Gorgeous, gorgeous eyes.
"Littering's not allowed in the office, tesoro" I leaned against the table.
She stared at me in silence, and when she spoke, her voice came out shaky.
"My name's Laura"
"I know your name"
We started at each other for a second, and she licked her lips.
My eyes dropped to them, unwillingly.
She cleared her throat, breaking eye contact, as she looked down awkwardly.
"Um" she took a breath "All she's asking for is a date"
"I don't date" I crossed my arms- as the piece of paper fell on the floor.
She saw it fall slowly, then looked up at me once more "I had a hunch about that"
The comment made me snort.
It was unsettling, really. She made me smile when I didn't want to, and this wasn't my normal.
Not the one I grew up with.
"Still, she's a very nice girl. She likes you quite a bit" she pressed her lips "Blonde, hot, what else can you look for?"
"Be serious with me" I stared at her.
"What?" she let out an awkward laugh.
"You don't know what I want" I cleared up, staring at her, as I raised an eyebrow.
"Okay" she let out a puff of air, as she played with the ring on her hands.
It was the one in her index finger- with an elegant , round and white gemstone on it.
"I'd never ask you for a favour, so this is my first and last. Just go on a date, and let her down gently, will you? She will not shut up otherwise"
"I don't know how to do that"
"What?" her eyes narrowed.
"Gentle"
Her lips curved a little, and she couldn't look at me anymore- I was certain of it, as I stared at her eyes, flickering anywhere but on me.
"Ross" she warned.
"Laura" I mimicked her tone, and she looked at me.
A flush appeared on her cheeks.
"Say I do this.. what do I get in return?" I decided to play along.
"Everything isn't business, you know?" she scrunched her nose at me.
"We're in the office right now" I raised an eyebrow at her.
She looked around, sighing.
I knew the comments were getting on her nerves- but fuck, did I like that.
"What can I give you?" she finally answered, crossing her arms.
And just as an array amount of things started racing through my brain, she spoke up again.
"..because um, you're so successful" she coughed out, looking down.
I almost ended up choking on a laugh right there, but I managed to compose myself.
"I'm successful?" I questioned instead.
"Ross" she growled at me, now looking up.
Ah, she was pissed. So fucking sexy.
"Fine" I licked my lips "I'll get back to you on that one.. if I go through with it, which I won't"
"Great" she muttered under her breath, looking away.
Somehow I could tell she was cussing out her friend in her brain.
"Speaking of friends" I raised a brow "How was the appointment, yesterday?"
She'd notified me of the hour off duty she took yesterday, to go to an appointment with one of the employees.
I'd admit, precious friendships, she had.
"She's healthy" she replied "So's the baby. Why question?"
"Why not?" I raised an eyebrow.
"You're confusing" she narrowed her eyes, shaking her head lightly.
"Is your brain getting a little foggy?" I smirked at her.
"Hilarious" she snarled, stepping back, as if wanting to leave.
Hesitating to turn around, she looked back at me "Um.. also, Stephanie is talking of it"
My eyebrows furrowed at that.
"What happened in the office, with you. She's twisting it to all- I just wanted to notify you, in case.... again, you wanted to do something about it" she pressed her lips.
"Why do you care?" I smiled a bit.
That was nowhere near surprising.
However, the fact that she kept mentioning it, was, and that's where my interest laid.
"I don't" she coughed out "I just.. don't like it. It's not fair"
"So is the world" I took a step towards her.
She stayed silent, as she approached me again.
Slightly surprised to see her come forward, instead of step away- I stared down at her- that face I was becoming more familiar with day by day.
I saw her lips part, like she was about to say something.
Whatever it was, she decided against it, and instead, I saw her lower in front of me- crunching down- as she held eye contact.
For a second there, my eyebrows narrowed- as a lump formed in my throat.
Is she..
What the hell is she doing?
I swore she knew just how pretty she looked in that position, and just before I could do something about that, her head lowered.
Then, her fingers found the piece of paper on the ground, and she held it up, as she lifted herself too.
And it was only when I was facing her hand, I noticed- she'd been holding it in between her index and middle finger, as if mocking what I'd just done.
Smiling lightly, she lowered her hand, and the next thing I knew.. I felt it inside the pocket of my pants- right where my own hand was resting.
The sheer touch of her hand shoot electricity through me- so much so I had to hold my breath.
After she slipped the piece of paper in my pocked, she smirked at me "Do it for me, will you?"
A huff of disbelief left my lungs, making her grin, before she turned around, and just.. walked out, closing the door behind her.
I stood there- still shocked.
I wasn't sure what pretty tactic I'd fallen victim to, but I'd worked perfectly.
Too well, for someone who doesn't mix their personal life with their career.
I pulled out the paper from my pocket- balling it in my hand, frustrated.
I'd never had someone, play my game.
And play it.. so damn well.
Laura's Pov
"I tried"
The second Gema heard me speak, she perked up from the couch.
I walked in, hanging my coat before leaving out a sigh.
She got on her knees on the couch, looking my way- like a hopeful puppy.
I started at her, giving her a shrug.
"You're talking about the note right?" she raised her eyebrows.
"Yep" I sighed "I did manage to give him the note, but he really didn't look interested, since apperantly, he doesn't date"
"I'm not surprised" Nick spoke up from the armchair, not pulling his eyes away from the tv as he shoved more cereal into his mouth.
Since I saw both of the guys on the couch, eating at our snacks and watching a tv show of some sort, my best guest was Eric was staying over.
"Maybe if he saw me..." she trailed off, then stared at me "You showed him a picture of me, didn't you?"
"I described you if that helps" I raised my brows, looking away from her to place all my things down on the table.
"Laura-"
"You didn't tell me to!" I interrupted, turning to her.
She rolled her eyes.
"Look" I sighted "He's not good news anyway. Maybe this is your sign not to go forward with this. He's clearly not looking for anyone to pursue something with"
"Oh come on" she whined "Why can't I have your luck? Were you even convincing? If you tried again-"
"Gema" I sighted "He was clear with me, okay? I'm not peer-pressuring him into anything. If you want him that badly you can try to meet him organically"
"Are you sure you just don't want him for yourself?" she questioned, crossing her arms.
I glared at her, and she immediately raised her hands up "Okay- gee. I'll come by Louie's today. Maybe he'll be there?"
"Don't know" I murmured, leaning against the armchair as I crossed my arms "Sometimes he shows up"
"Nick are you coming with me?" she whipped her head around to look at him.
He started at us, then at his fiancé, shaking his head "I'm not leaving the house tonight. You have Laura with you"
"Laura will be working" she pointed out "I need someone to hang out with, meanwhile"
When he didn't reply to that, she rolled her eyes.
"I'll go ask Cami"
With that, she walked up to the door and left, probably to run into Camille's apartment.
Nick started at me, and I narrowed my eyes "What?"
He smiled at me amusingly, before looking away.
,,,
"I have fifteen minutes before I'm on"
"Rooftop?"
Nadia's suggestion made me smile, and I nodded.
Like that, the four of us, just girls, went up to the rooftop of the bar.
The rooftop wasn't a really hot space. Most of our visitors didn't know it existed- and that was because it was sort of hidden at first look of the building.
I was grateful for that, because I knew that if people found out, this would be one of the many places people would use for an array of things like sex, drugs, smoking, and more.
I found out about it from the owner after working at Louie's for a few months, and told my friends, obviously.
It was fun to be up there with them. We could still hear the music from downstairs, but it was faint, and the air was cold.
As I leaned against the familiar fence, just like the many times I'd done before - I started to feel even more grateful for the space.
It was my little stress-free spot. When something happened, but I was still on my shift, I could always count on five minutes in the rooftop to yell, scream, cry, laugh, or even breathe in- not letting anxiety get the best of me.
As I turned around on the fence, leaning my head back- the flash of something blinded me immediately.
I blinked, now starting straight at Nadia, noticing her camera in hand.
She usually took it everywhere- that camera had her life described in pictures. It was one of her many little hobbies.
As I saw her look for the picture, I raised a brow "How's it look like?"
She gave me a small smile (at least that's what it seemed like- as it was so dark), before approaching me.
I leaned my head against hers as I looked at the picture.
"Don't think I've snapped a better one of you" she spoke up.
"I like it" I smiled at her.
"How do I look?" Gema spoke up, doing a twirl in front of me.
I started at her pale pink, silky slip dress, then up at her gorgeous blonde weaves that moved with it- before giving her a look "I think I did mention you looked smoking hot before we left, right?"
"I'm just making extra sure" she winked "I'm going up to Ross tonight- and I'm so nervous"
"Is he even here?" Nadia piped up "We didn't see him when we came in"
"He's not here now" I replied "But who knows"
"He better show up" Gema complained "I've been practicing the lines in my head"
"You'll do fine" Camille reassured, placing a hand on her shoulder "If he likes you, he'll like you for you. If he doesn't, he's an idiot"
"Thanks" she sighed, pouting a bit as she rested her head on her shoulder.
"This is sweet, but I'll go ahead and get down already. I need some water before the shift" I notified.
Of course, the girls followed right after me, so we all ended up leaving the rooftop.
As I was ordering the water, Gema started aggressively tapping my shoulder.
"Ouch" I jumped immediately, turning around to grab her hand.
I wasn't very successful, but when she started at me- she seemed in a state of panic "I see him"
Sure enough, as my gaze followed hers, I noticed Ross walk in, once again, same guys, same table.
I'd noticed the pattern, yes - I planned on asking my boss about it some day. He must have something to do with this, as that table wasn't just always randomly empty and wiped clean, just for them.
He looked around at first, not noticing any of us, before taking his seat.
It was like the guys waited for him to sit down, before they did the same.
The dark leather he wore, along with the red drawn symbols on his jacket, made him look so different from the man in the office.
So much more .. dangerous.
He didn't look like the type of person you'd want on top of a managerial position on a company.
As I tried to figure out what the hell the symbol on the sleeve was- I got shaken by my shoulder one more time by Camille.
She was pointing at the water the bartender (Martin), was holding out for me.
He was a tall, skinny man, with a bald head, covered in tattoos.
Your classic bartender.
"Oh- thank you" I immediately took it from him, thirstier than ever, as I drunk the water.
"Good luck on your shift tonight" he smiled "And don't look that way too much" he weaved a hand at the table of the group.
I narrow my eyes at him, as my head tilted to the side "Do you know anything about them? Who they are?"
"Nope" he sighted, cleaning out a glass as we spoke "But boss did tell me not to try and pick anything with either of them, nor question anything. They're priotized in all aspects"
"Prioritized" I mumbled to myself, looking down.
"Well- should I go up to them?" Gema spoke up, as I still thought about what prioritized even meant.
Was he just being paid extra? Or was it.. something more?
"Do you want to get killed tonight?" Nadia snaps immediately, staring back at her "They look way scarier than I thought"
"Well it's not like he's leaving the others for a minute" I argued "She's either going up to all of them, or none"
"God" Camille sights, as she takes a seat in the bar "I'm so grateful I'm married"
I join her there, actually a bit curious on Gema's next actions.
And she doesn't disappoint, when I watch her order vodka, and down it like a crazy woman, before heading to them.
The whole time, Nadia complains about it.
With good reason too- these people were clearly not ones we should mess with.
Yet... here she goes.
And I'm certain we're all staring at her- watching, in case she needs help of any sorts. I
I watched her boldly go up to the group to men, then walk a bit to the side, so she was directly facing Ross, and I was at the edge of my seat... looking back and forth between her and security.
I could see her speaking, and I played with the ring on my fingers- nervous for her.
"She's crazy" Nadia whispers, and for once .. I agree.
As she weaves a hand in our direction, Ross finally looks to the bar.
And ..he's looking at me.
His eyes stay on me for a good minute, as Gema keeps talking to him.
I'm not sure what to do under his stare, so, I pressed my lips- looking away.
When I look back, he's looking at her again, talking.
A few seconds later, Gema's walking right back to us- a grin spread out on her pretty face like a kid who'd just seen Santa on Christmas morning.
She's calm as she walks up to us- then, she jumps, and squeals before grabbing onto my shoulders "I'm going on the date!"
"You are?" I gasp, smiling- as I pull her into a hug.
"Whatever you said to him in that office, worked" she squeezed me "I owe you one"
I hugged her back, as the memory of the little paper pick-up, came back, and I felt the blush spread to my face.
That god she couldn't see me.
But.. Ross could, and he was.
He was staring at both of us, amusingly.
I looked away from him, as Gema and I parted.
"He said he was planning to call me later but I beat him to it" she nodded "However his friends did call me a slut"
"Excuse me?" my jaw dropped, and I blinked at her, surprised at the out-of-nowhere claim.
"Well not blantly- but they were definitely teasing me, and saying stuff" she rolled her eyes "Men"
"I don't know why he hangs out with people like that" I commented, looking to the group again.
Ross was speaking to one of the men now, and when offered a cigarette, he pushed it away with his hand.
"Does that mean you believe he isn't one of them?" Camille snorted, from behind me.
I looked back at her, pressing my lips.
Did I?
"Don't poison her innocent brain" Gema started at Cami "Let her believe it"
"You're literally going out with him" Nadia spoke up.
"I'm fully prepared for an asshole" she shrugged "I'm not looking to get married"
The amount of opinions they were throwing around had me feeling a bit dizzy, so I put the water down, before speaking up "I gotta get on stage"
I didn't wait for any of them to say anything, as I walked backstage once again.
The night went as expected from there- I'd sung about three songs, and was onto the fourth one.
This one was one of my favourites. While iconic, it did remind me of a dark time in my life.
And that was because I used to listen to it a lot, around the time I broke it off with my ex.
The same man that threw me in for a rollercoaster, and I still got nauseous, thinking of him.
When the band started playing the familiar tune, I got my que.
"He left no time to regret
Kept his dick wet" I sang, as I sat on my stool "With his same old safe bet
Me and my head high"
"And my tears dry
Get on without my guy" I started at the audience- most of them were starting back, some of them having their own little conversations.
"You went back to what you knew
So far removed
From all that we went through"
And it was such a common thought, but such a weird one, how every person in that bar that night had a life of their own.
Their own issues, relationships, family and secrets.
"And I tread a troubled track
My odds are stacked" I adjusted my foot on top of the other, as my eyes kept searching the crowd.
And here I was, finding myself curious on only one man's secrets.
"I'll go back to black"
And it was the blonde staring back at me, from that seat.
By the time I was done with the song, my throat had gotten dry again, so I felt grateful to have a fifteen minute break to get my bottle of water.
After I notified everyone of the brain, I walked off stage, and grabbed my water bottle from one of the light guys who was walking around the stage.
I drank some of it, and when I put it down, I noticed my friends weave at me from the bar.
Nodding, I started to walk in their direction.
Quickly, my view was blocked, and I came to a halt before I bumped into someone.
My eyes snapped back to their face, and upon realizing how tall they were.. I also noticed, they looked familiar.
Nate?
No.. Tatum.
Shit.
"Pretty lady" he pointed at me.
My eyebrows raised, as I gave him a polite smile "Thank you"
"I've been waiting for your call" he smiled.
And that smile.. it was so charming- it became a bit difficult to imagine just how dangerous it could be.
His strong body though, was surely a reminder.
Hesitant, I avoiding his eyes.
"Um-"
"No need to be shy" he approached, lifitng my jaw so I could look at him.
My heart-beat quickened immediately.
And now that i was staring at his face so closely, a thought made it's way in my mind- like, if you told someone to draw the 'perfect man' they would come up with this. It was so weirdly symmetrical.
Yet I wasn't sure how much perfection was too much.
Was that even a thing?
"In case you lost the other one" he showed me a piece of paper with his number on it, and placed it in on my open hand before balling it into a fist around it.
The promixy was visibly stressing me out, so just as I was about to push him away, I heard someone clear their throat.
Worried it was my boss, I turned around quickly, as his hands fell off.
Well, it wasn't my boss... technically.
"Lynch" I heard Tatum speak up behind me.
I stared in between them- not sure of my next steps here.
Was this a girl's dream, or a girl's nightmare?
"The fuck do you think you're doing, Wright?" he spit out, approaching us.
I felt a bit safer with him around, even though the tone of his voice.. I didn't like.
"I don't see how that's any of your business" Tatum titled his head to the side "You know her or what?"
Ross' eyes snapped back to me, and it was the first time he'd looked at me, since he'd approached.
The nerves ate me up, as his eyebrows narrowed.
"No"
⋆˚☽｡⋆.
Hiii long time no see?
Hehe.
Sorry it took so longgg to get this out- I've only been really writing these past three days, as I haven't had time for it. Life's been busy, but hey, at least this one I can say is one of my favourite chapters I've ever written.
An interesting update would be that I did go on the date I was talking about, and then went on a second with the same person the next day.
It was a lot.
I also had to figure out a bunch of documents for my master's (always fun), but now I'm registered and I'm good for a while, so we're chilling.
What have ya'll been up to?
I hope you loved today's chapter :) there's a lot of important, interesting factors in this one... what do we think of Tatum? Is he trustable?
The plot will begin to thicken even more, the deeper we go. I hope you're readyyyy.
Meanwhile I still haven't thought of another plot for an irl raura story lol.
Buuut I do now have an available playlist for Tesoro!!! It's on spotify, and on youtube too. I'll leave the link to the spotify one in my bio, but you can also find it on my book's Instagram stories (& highlights) [@titledtesoro], where you can find the link to the youtube one as well.
The Spotify one looks like this:
Here's a few of the songs on it:
And don't ask me why a version of "You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch" is on there... it'll come into play, promise (lol).
I'll keep these playlists updated for u!
And this is unrelated to that, but I was thinking on doing a halloween related chapter? What do we think of that?
And if that's a yes who do you think this Ross & Laura would dress like?
Speaking of halloween in general, do you guys have a costume in mind? I have an idea.. but I'm not sure what I'm gonna do tbh.
Let me know! And please vote and comment, also follow, as it helps out a ton! :💐
I wish you all well.
- G.
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