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Working for the Weekend

Apparently Saturdays were one of Vesper’s bigger volume days, not just for customer traffic browsing in the shop, but also because it was the day she used for packaging and preparing orders that had been placed online during the previous week.

In the back of the shop, aside from the small bathroom, there was also Vesper’s office which doubled as her workroom and a wider storeroom with a set of shelves filled with assorted candles of all shapes sizes and colors lining the long access wall as well as a fairly large table in the center where the order boxes were prepped.

Oliver spent a bunch of time in the larger room checking invoices against materials in open boxes while she was in her office printing out shipping labels.

Emerging from her office with a stack of printed labels, “I see you’ve caught the eye of one of the Omega girls,” she said with a slight chuckle and an eyebrow raise. “Lucky little devil you.”

“This?” he asked, smiling and raising his right hand. “Sersei. She actually offered it to me she said for keeping her brother out of trouble,” he explained, shrugging his shoulders as he affixed the shipping label to the box.

“And you think that’s it?” Vesper asked, wisp of a smile on her attractive face.

“Pretty much,” Oliver replied, pulling another strip of clear packing tape over the label.

“Those bands can mean a lot more than that,” she teased playfully.

Frowning, he put the tape gun down and looked at her, “What do you mean?”

Laughing softly, “It could mean she’s put you on her list, that you’re in her crosshairs,” she stated cryptically.

“Nah,” he scoffed dismissively.

“Why not?” she queried, moving closer, the scent of lilac following in her wake.

Her snorted, “Let’s see, she’s beautiful, she’s a junior and I am a lowly freshman,” he said.

“Don’t sell yourself short. You’re a tall, articulate, and handsome young man and I’m sure there must be a little something she sees in you,” she said reaching out and touching his arm. He wasn’t sure if it was his hearing, but it almost seemed she emphasized the word little.

He wanted to make a crack about seeing something of his in Sersei, but having just recently gotten the job, he was unsure of how to respond, or if Vesper was one to take offense, so he just sort of shrugged noncommittally.

Vesper laughed again, pleasantly, not mocking, “You’re too sweet. I’m sure she is going to have a lot of fun with you,” she said, sly grin on her pretty face, eyes full of mischief.

Looking at her, “You’re my new boss and all and I’m not sure where the appropriate and inappropriate line is,” he said, leaving the rest unfinished and raising a questioning eyebrow.

“Have I offended your young and delicate sensibilities?” she asked, expression curious as she inclined her head slightly to the side.

He chuckled, “Me? No. I’m pretty open minded and have a thick skin. It would take a lot for me to be ‘offended’,” he said, using air quotes, “I really didn’t want to offend or disrespect you is why I was asking,” he said, grinning.

A ghost of a grin appeared on her face, “How very noble of you. For the record, I would like to think I’m pretty open and not overly PC conscious so let’s just say this is a free speech zone. We’ll treat it like Vegas, whatever happens here, stays here. Okay?” she stated.

Nodding in agreement, “Though please tell me if I do or say something you think has crossed that line,” he requested.

“Perchance were you a Boy Scout growing up?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

He smiled, “I was,” he replied, holding up the first three fingers of his right hand. “Be prepared,” he said, “How could you tell? Do I emit that vibe?” he inquired, lowering his arm.

Chuckling, “Call it my female intuition,” she replied coyly.

“Referring to what you said, what did you mean about Sersei playing with me?” he asked. “Cam said she was using her looks to manipulate me just for the amusement of it, is that what she’s doing?”

Moving in close enough he could detect the subtle new fragrance of her perfume under the heavy aroma of candle scent, eyes locked onto his, “Men have struggled for thousands of years to try and unravel the feminine mystery and are no closer today than when they started,” she whispered, the intensity of her look freezing him on the spot like a startled deer looking into the headlights of an oncoming car.

“Um,” he noised, shaking his head slightly.

Placing her palms on his chest, the warmth of her skin permeating the fabric of his shirt, she smiled, “Sersei has selected you and given you her favor and at the end of the day whatever it means to her is ultimately up to her,” she said arching the brow over her left eye before leaning closer, her breath warm on his cheek.

He started to get an erection, color seeping into his cheeks.

Chuckling softly, she turned away and sauntered back toward the office, leaving him in a somewhat hot and bothered state.

Dropping to a knee, he quickly pulled at the lace of his left running shoe, the position disguising the fact she had given him a bone.

Pausing at her office door, Vesper looked back, that damned Mona Lisa smile on her face as she watched him fumble with the lace. Chuckling, she stepped in and closed the door behind her.

Letting out a slow measured breath, Oliver chuckled to himself, committing the details of the exchange to memory as he knotted his shoe and returned to the task of affixing the right shipping labels to the right box.

 

Chapter End Notes:

Next chapter, party time, excellent!

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