#office exec leon

[lipglossanon]

Out of the Blue

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Office Exec!Leon S. Kennedy x Personal Asst fem!reader

Shoutout to the AO3 user who requested this little ditty 😆 I hope you enjoy it!! 👉👈🥺

Warnings: 18+ minors DNI, office sex, dirty talk, dacryphilia, nipple play, mean Leon, unprotected sex

Title from Out of the Blue by Purrple Cat

part ii

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A recent corporate merger meant big changes for you; you’ve been working as the personal assistant of the (then) Vice President of Communications, but with this new management coming in, that guy had been shifted and you were getting a totally new boss.

Nervously, you’ve been straightening up the office in the hopes of making a good impression— and thereby keeping your position. No one on your floor knew who the new guy was, only a name to go off of: Leon S. Kennedy.

Once you feel like there’s nothing more to be done, you step out of the VP’s office and make your way to the mini kitchen used as a break room down the hall. Hoping that a glass of water might cool your nerves, you don’t even notice the man standing on the other side of the room flipping through a folder.

His eyes track your movements, catching your jittery hands and teeth biting your bottom lip.

You nearly drop your glass when he clears his throat. Whirling around, you give him a shy smile.

“H-hi,” you smooth down your skirt, “you’re one of the new hires?”

A handful of people on your office floor were still coming and going, learning the layout and at times just hanging out in the break room until someone came in to help guide them. You helped a girl just yesterday find her desk, so you don’t think anything of this newcomer.

A slow smile spreads across his handsome face, intense blue eyes staring into your own.

“You can say that, sweetheart.”

You feel flustered at the name but step forward, hand outstretched, “Oh uh, welcome aboard. If you need any help, just let me know. Right now I’m stationed outside the vice president’s office.”

His eyebrows raise slightly, ignoring your offered handshake, “You’re the secretary?”

You ignore the flash of irritation from hearing ‘secretary’ and slowly lower your hand, “I prefer personal assistant.”

“Ahh,” he looks at you amusedly, and before your hand can drop any further he reaches out to clasp it.

He drops a kiss on the back of your hand, eyes still watching you, a smirk playing at his lips.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet my personal assistant.”

You feel hot and embarrassed, but keep the polite smile on your face, “I’m sure the pleasure is mine, Mr. Kennedy.”

:::::

After that mortifying encounter, your days pass pretty smoothly with your new boss. You feel lucky that he decided to keep you on as his assistant even with that awkward first impression.

After a few weeks, you start to catch him staring at you out of the corner of your eye—but when you turn, his attention is elsewhere. He also seems to touch you at every given opportunity. He touches your arm when he’s walking with you or presses a palm into your lower back when he’s moving around you to his seat in the conference room. He gets as close as possible when you’re typing up his reports or dropping something off at his desk for his signature. It always leaves you with butterflies.

Another work week rolls by and before you can blink, it’s been months since you’ve started to work for Leon. A few of your work colleagues like to corner you in the break room to try and get any gossip— who’s he seeing? Did he really come in twenty minutes late last Monday? What do you mean you didn’t hear that Chris saw him at the strip club?

It’s gotten to the point that you start taking your breaks at your desk. Leon notices it almost immediately and makes sure to stop by your desk from time to time. Today is no different.

“Tired of the office gossip?” He props his hip against your desk, arms crossed over his chest as he looks down at you.

You notice that he folded the sleeves of his shirt so you can see the muscles in his forearms flex. Dragging your gaze upwards with a small shake of your head, you smile at him.

“You can say that,” you pinch the bridge of you nose, “it’s all just..”

“Bullshit.”

Your eyes widen as you stifle a laugh, “I was going to say tiresome, sir.”

He smirks, “Sure thing, honey. Listen, I’m going to need you to stay late tonight. I know it’s Friday, but those weekly statistics have to be in before midnight.”

Your brows furrow, “I thought we were good; didn’t I just compile that data yesterday?”

He clicks his tongue, “‘fraid not, sweetheart. That was projections for the latest quarter.”

“Oh,” you chew your lip, “yeah, that’s no problem, Mr. Kennedy. Want me to drop them off on your desk when I’m finished?”

“Yes, thank you,” he brushes a few strands of hair from your face, making your breath hitch.

Before you can say anything, Leon straightens up from your desk and heads back into his office, door shutting behind him.

You press your palms to your eyes, willing the flutter of nervousness to ease. Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out, you slump in your chair. You sigh and turn back to your monitor. Glancing at the time in the lower right hand, it reads fifteen after four; with everyone going home at five, you have a good feeling you’re going to end up staying even later than you thought.

You rotate your wrists and then go into your emails. Better to get started on it now than later.

::::

Your eyes feel dry and gritty, but you ignore it in favor of finishing out the last of this report.

“Finally,” you whisper gleefully, hitting the print button on the document.

Standing up, you stretch out your arms with a small yawn. Looking at the time you see it’s nearly half past ten. Still plenty of time for you to grab some takeout and crash in your comfy bed. You sigh happily at that thought and gather up the printed pages, heading over to Leon’s office.

Tapping on the door, you open it a crack, “Sir?”

“Come in, sweetheart. I won’t bite.”

You push open the door just enough to step inside. It clicks shut behind you as you walk further into the room. Leon is backlit by the city lights from his windows. You place the bundle of papers down on his desk.

“Take a look at this,” he gestures to his own dimly lit monitor.

Walking around the wide oak desk, you make your way to stand beside his chair.

After gazing at the screen for a second, you turn to him with a frown, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what I’m looking at, sir.”

He smirks at you lazily, “Sure you do.”

“Wh—“

He grabs your hips and pulls you down into his lap, your thighs now straddling one leg. Your hands come up to brace against his shoulders while his slacks rub against your bare thighs where your skirt’s rucked up.

“Leon,” you gasp, eyes wide and nervous.

“Name sounds so good in your mouth, sweetheart,” his low voice breathes into your ear.

He drops a soft kiss on your neck, leaving a heated trail up to your jaw. Pulling back, you can see how dark his eyes have gotten.

“Been waiting forever to get you alone.”

“We can’t. I’m your—“

“Personal assistant,” he chuckles meanly, “I know, baby. And I’m going to use you for very personal reasons.”

He grips your hair in a fist and guides your mouth down in his. Your parted lips lets him slip his tongue into your mouth. Groaning, he grabs your ass with his free hand and urges you to roll your hips forward.

You whine, feeling so hot and dizzy, clit thrumming with arousal. You follow the guidance of his hand and start to grind your hips down into his leg. You eagerly suck on his tongue when he thrusts it back into your mouth. You feel him groan low in his chest and it makes you arch into him more.

He tugs your head back to take in your blitzed out expression.

“Baby, we haven’t even started yet,” he coos, “got you cockdrunk already huh.”

“Leon,” you whimper, hips rocking on his lap.

“Gonna get my pants soaking wet baby,” his eyes drop down to the apex of your thighs, “fuck, that’s it, good fucking girl.”

Your nails dig into his shoulders, wrinkling the fabric of his designer shirt.

“Knew you’d be so fucking sweet, always letting me touch you, get so fucking shy,” he growls, pulling your hair harder to tilt your neck back, “gonna ruin this little cunt, baby.”

You whine, humping down into his leg harder, slick pooling in your panties and dripping all over his slacks.

“Fuck, good girl, always so good for me,” he lets go of your hair to grip your neck, “always so eager to please.”

He presses his thumb into your panting mouth; he presses down onto your tongue before pulling his thumb free and smearing spit all over your lips.

You can’t stop whining, tears beading at your lash line.

“Leon, please.”

He lets go of his grip on you, and reaches out to tug open your button up blouse.

“Look at those fucking tits, baby,” he purrs, pulling the cups of your bra down until your breasts are completely bare—aching nipples on display.

He greedily mouths at each breast and sucks on your nipples, teeth catching on the sensitive buds until you’re clawing at his shoulders.

“Good girl,” he praises, feeling you shudder at the endearment, “you’ll be good for me, won’t you?”

“So good for you, Leon,” you promise.

As you speak, he undoes your bra and tosses it somewhere in the office. Then, he drags his fingers across the swell of your breasts. He circles your sensitive nipples, thumbs brushing the slowly hardening buds.

Your breath hitches, arousal pulsing in your cunt, “Leon...”

“Bet I can make you come from this,” he husks, “make a complete mess of you from just teasing your tits.”

Your spine arches, pressing up into his hands, “Ahh, they’re too sensitive.”

Leon completely ignores you and tugs your nipples gently, softly tweaking them before soothing them with slow drags of his index fingers.

Panting, your hands twist in the fabric of his shirt. Your clit throbs with every brush against your nipples, but you can’t stop yourself from pressing up into every touch.

Everything that Leon’s doing is making more slick pool in your panties. You’re so wet, it’s seeping into where Leon’s slacks are pressed against your pussy. You can feel the hard press of his cock against you and it sends a thrill up your spine knowing you’re the cause.

“So eager for me, honey,” he teases, voice pitched low, “I want you to take your clothes off.”

“Yes, sir,” you nervously agree, shimmying out of your blouse and skirt quickly.

“Leave the panties on for now,” his dark eyes locked onto your white panties, nearly transparent from how wet they’ve become.

Settling down on Leon, you straddle his thighs, your legs dangling off the sides of the chair. You bring your arms up to tangle your fingers in his hair. You give a small tug and roll your hips down against the outline of Leon’s hard cock. In retaliation, Leon gives your nipples a sharp tug then tweaks them as you writhe in his grasp.

“Look how wet you are, honey,” he groans, gaze drawn to the slick dripping from your panties, “so fucking sexy.”

Your eyes droop in pleasure at those words a low sigh leaving your lips.

“You’ve been driving me crazy,” Leon growls out, letting his gaze roam across your swollen nipples up to your dazed expression, “always so sweet, making me want to do the worst things to you.”

“Yeah?” You whimper.

“Want you under my desk at the next conference call, sucking my cock while I’m trying to work,” he drags one of his hands from your chest up to your lips; he slips first two fingers into your mouth.

“Actually just want you in here on your knees at my beck and call. Just keep the door locked and nobody’ll know my little secretary is sucking off her boss during work hours,” he presses his fingers deeper into your mouth.

You whine and suckle on them softly. He pulls them out with a soft pop.

“Touch me, please, sir,” you whisper as he drags those fingers down to your puffy nipples.

Leon sucks a hard nipple into his mouth as his right hand teases across the other with quick flicks of his damp fingers. He swaps sides, his gaze watching you bite your lip and toss your head back at the pleasure. Pulling away a little, Leon grabs each breast and presses them inward. He runs his tongue from one nipple to the other more easily, suckling them until you squirm in his lap.

“You’re gonna be working a lot of overtime, sweetheart,” he murmurs into your skin, “my own personal hole to use when I want.”

You keen high in your throat, “Sir!”

Leon groans low in his chest and rolls his hips upward to grind his cock against your hot wet cunt, nearly jostling you from his lap. In the motion, Leon’s sharp teeth tugs on a nipple earning a breathy sigh from your lips. He swaps to the other nipple, using his teeth so you’ll reward him with more of those sounds. After repeatedly teasing each nipple with his teeth, you tug at his hair in a silent plea to slow down. He eases off from biting to soft, gentle sucks.

“Love your tits, baby,” he mouths at your nipples, “been wanting to taste these nipples since I started working here.”

You cry out at the hot, wet suction of Leon’s mouth on your sore nipples. Your back curves forward to press your chest closer to his hungry teeth and tongue. You tangle your fingers further in his hair to have something to hold onto. Grinding your hips down, you feel more than hear him moan. You repeat the motion only this time your clit grinds against Leon’s slacks, earning a low cry of want.

“Leon,” you whimper.

He only hums in reply as he keeps up the hot suction on each hardened nub. You try rolling your hips again only to be stopped by a strong grip on your waist.

“You only get to cum from this,” Leon rumbles, voice deep as his tongue lashes against your abused nipple, “be a good girl for me or you won’t get anything.”

You mewl, clit pulsing in arousal, “I’ll be good, sir, I promise.”

He moves your hands to drape across his broad shoulders, “Don’t let your hands drop below my shoulders. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

A sharp tug of teeth on your nipple has you arching in pleasurable pain. Your hands slide up into his hair again to hold him in place, worshiping your chest.

“So perfect,” Leon murmurs, lazily mouthing his way up to your neck.

“So sweet for me,” he speaks against your skin, gently kissing across your collar bones before pulling away.

You feel dizzy and aroused, tugging Leon’s hair to pull him into a soft kiss. He groans low in his chest, pressing you harder against him as he licks into your mouth. He teasingly nips at your bottom lip, sucking on it gently before slipping his tongue further in. You moan in response, loving the feel of his slick tongue teasing your own. His hands came up and grip your hair, tilting your head at an angle where he can kiss you even deeper than before.

Before long the kiss became sloppy and wet, but neither of you really care. You can’t stop whining in pleasure as Leon fucks into your mouth, tongue hot as it teases your own. Chest rumbling in pleasure, Leon draws your tongue into his mouth to suck on it greedily. You slip your tongue away to pull his plump bottom lip into his mouth, nibbling gently before softly sucking. You drag your teeth aggressively against Leon’s lip, tongue following in silent apology for the rough treatment.

Leon growls and pulls back far enough for you to let his lip go with a small pout. His cock twitches at how debauched you look. Pupils blown wide with lust, lips kiss swollen. He moves his hands from your hair to grip your hips. You know his hold’s tight enough to bruise but you only moan in appreciation. You dip your head down to recapture his lips, but he pulls back so your mouths only brush across each other.

You whimper at Leon withholding his lips from you.

“I want to hear how you sound once you cum,” he murmurs, lips brushing against yours tantalizingly.

Fingers begin to roughly pinch and rub your swollen, sore nipples. His dark blue eyes never leave yours as you edge closer and closer to orgasm, your cunt copiously dribbling slick.

“I’m so close, Leon,” you whimper, trying your best not to grind down.

Leon smirks, “Guess I should slow down, huh?”

His fingers lightly tease over the hard peaks. His gaze drops from yours to take in the swollen nipples his fingers are touching. He groans aloud as he can’t deny himself another taste. You grip his head as Leon eagerly laps at your nipples, running his tongue across each one before gently biting.

“Please,” you beg, “Leon!”

Leon bites down harder on your left nipple as he gives the right a sharp twist. Your eyes roll back in your head as Leon gets even more aggressive. Harsh bites followed by a hot soothing tongue has your cunt dripping and needy.

“Like it rough, baby?”

You only moan wantonly in reply as Leon never lets up the assault on your abused chest. You continue to gasp and moan in the empty office.

Leon’s being so rough on you and you love it. Want him to pin you down right here and now. Make you cum all over yourself. Make you take his thick cock over and over.

Leon pulls away with a growl, pupils blown, “Honey, you can’t say things like that.”

You suddenly realize you had spoken out loud— babbling, just spouting out whatever crossed your mind. You’re so far gone now, high on arousal.

“I-I can’t help it,” you pant, “it’s so good, sir.”

“I know, my slutty little secretary just can’t help herself,” he pulls away from your chest, “she’s just gagging for her boss’ dick, right?”

You whimper, back arching, “N-no, I’m—“

“Shhh,” he thumbs open the button on his slacks, “was gonna wait but you need it more than I thought.”

He presses the fabric down until he frees his cock. He tugs your panties to the side and presses the fat head of his dick inside your wet hole.

“Was gonna make you cum from your tits but I think this might be a bit better, huh,” he grins, eyes dark and mean.

He doesn’t give you anytime to adjust and fucks up into you, grabbing your hips to pull you down at the same time. You scream from the too much feeling in your spasming cunt.

“Oh,” he groans, “tight as a fucking virgin.”

He smacks your ass with a condescending laugh, “Did I pop your cherry, sweetheart?”

Crying now, you shake your head no.

“Aww,” he mockingly pouts at you, “that’s too bad then.”

Without waiting for your pussy to adjust, he pulls out halfway to bully his fat cock back into your aching hole.

“Sir, please, I can’t,” your breath hitches on a cry, “s’too big. It hurts.”

“Fuck,” he pulls you down until his cock is buried deep in your pussy, “my big cock too much for this needy hole?”

You hiccup a sob, “Please, sir.”

“Mmm you’ll get used to it,” he pulls out til just the tip is teasing your hole then shoves his cock back deep inside your pussy.

You’re crying and clinging onto his shoulders, but a low heat is slowly building in your abdomen.

“There we go,” he coos, “just needed to fuck you a little first, honey.”

He stopped thrusting and you realize you’re the one grinding down onto his dick—a panting mouth, hazy eyed mess.

You whine but can’t stop your hips from rolling down onto the thick cock stretching you out so painfully.

“Good girl,” he smacks your ass again and you moan.

“You can ride this dick whenever you want, honey, just gotta ask,” he smirks, guiding your hips to fuck down harder.

“Yes, sir,” you slur, brain fuzzy from how deep he’s inside your cunt.

“Little slut,” he laughs, thumb brushing against your clit in slow circles, “cream my cock, honey. Want you squeezing on me when I breed that little pussy.”

You moan loudly, hips humping down on his cock, “Leon!”

“That’s right,” he groans low in his chest, “gonna creampie your sweet little cunt.”

His voice and hard cock, paired with the thumb on your clit, is edging you closer and closer to climax.

“Sir, ‘m close,” you pant, tears dripping from your eyes, “gonna cum, you’re gonna make me cum.”

“That’s it, honey,” he tilts his head down and pulls his thumb away from your clit.

He spits on your pussy, globs of drool dripping down the hood of your clit. He brings his thumb back to rub the slippery mess over and over and over into your sensitive bud.

Your back arches, eyes rolling back, as you clamp down on his pistoning dick. Slick coats his cock as you cum, pussy walls squeezing him like a vice.

“Fuck yeah,” he chuckles, thumb still pressing into your clit, “cream my cock so I can fill up that cunt.”

Your thighs jump and twitch from overstimulation as he keeps teasing your clit and grinding his cock deep in your pussy.

“Take it, honey, fucking take it,” he grits out, snapping his hips up into your squelching hole and pumping you full of hot cum.

You moan brokenly, pussy fluttering around his throbbing cock, liking how it feels to get creampied by your boss.

He leans back into his chair with a sigh, “Damn, gotta say that’s been worth the months of us dancing around each other.”

Your head feels totally empty so you only hum in response.

“Did I fuck you dumb, sweetheart?” He smirks, tweaking your nipples making you squeal, “s’okay, we got all weekend to do this. Just need you back in business by Monday.”

[lucrativesoul]

The Assistant

summary: you have been promoted within the police headquarters, and your new position is the assistant of none other than Leon S. Kennedy. the ever alluring man has you weak in the knees.

pairing: leon kennedy x fem!reader

word count: 9.9k

warnings: smut, boss x employee, very brief mention of smoking, very vague drug mention.

a/n: yay i'm posting it :3 using this photo cause i couldn't stop thinking of noir leon while writing this (brainrot) i didn't originally intend for this to be so long but here we are... this was different than what i'm used to writing but it was so much fun! already in the process of a second fic! enjoy yall

“So… I’m not fired?” 

Standing in front of your boss’ desk, you were genuinely surprised by the words out of her mouth. For some reason, for the last few weeks, you had a hunch that you were about to get sacked. The office had been slowly getting emptied out, of boxes full of documents, of equipment, hell, even of people, and you were positive you were next. 

She had just called out into her office, a mere twenty steps away from your desk where you worked, or used to work, now, in the dingy yellow room with foggy windows and no working AC. You took a deep breath, thinking this was it, getting ready to add this to the list of ‘Previous Employment’ on your resume, when all she had simply told you was that you were going upstairs.

She laughed curtly. “No, you aren’t. They need you upstairs. You’ll be better off up there.”

You slowly nodded your head, trying to keep most of the confusion off of your face. “So, sorry to ask, but, what about down here?”

You had been here for just shy of a year at this point, and they placed you in one of the ground floor offices of the five story buildings sorting out random court documents, for whatever reason, they were always needed for something incomprehensible. You didn’t question it, you just did it, because you got paid to. Yes, the fluorescents gave you occasional migraines and stepping into the fresh air at the end of the day made you feel reborn, but it was just busy work, and there were much worse jobs to do.

“They’re cleaning us out. We’re all still here, just… relocated.” You nodded, at least relieved to know that your old deskmates weren’t ruthlessly fired. She handed a manila folder over to you, and when you flipped it open, there was only one piece of paper inside. You’ve learned to not be surprised by confusing things such as this. “Mr. Anderson of the top floor has recently been relieved of his position.” Ouch, you thought. Poor soul. “His position had been freed and with no new applicants, they were looking inward. I appreciate your work here and your employment history shows some experience in the assistance department, so I suggested you as a candidate. They want you up there.” 

Your stomach sank, and your best friend’s voice rang out through your head. “You can’t lie about past employment, idiot! They can check!” Well, you held back a sigh, they definitely didn’t check.

“Wow, I… Thank you. But, sorry. That I’m leaving.”

She merely shook her head. “Still here. This office will be gone soon enough. Between us, I’ve been praying for this day.” With that, she dismissed you, and after swiping the few personal items off your desk and into your bag, you headed home.

This single paper had stumped you all night. You sat at your table after eating (barely, you were too nervous about starting a basically new job the next day), and decided to review the content of it before retiring for the night. It was quite simple: it listed the job description, ‘Executive Assistant’, it listed the location, ‘5F, 505’, and your new boss’ name, ‘Leon S. Kennedy, Exec. Agent’.

You had honestly not heard this name before. You should know everyone who works there, considering the nature of the police headquarters, but you were often forgotten down in the basement, no one too important worked down there, besides your boss, or old boss now, who had connections to all other departments. Everyone got there before you and left after you. Could be at the same time, but you often tuned it out, needing the sweet release of your home. You wondered why she volunteered you up for this. Maybe she was sympathetic about the setting you had to work in for someone your age.

You went to bed after deciding there was no hidden detail in the few lines of script on the sheet. You would just have to wait and see.

Figuring the gray dress pants and white, long sleeve mock neck that you threw on this morning were good enough, you left the house early enough to prepare by buying a coffee. Being stuffed into the basement had its perks, eventually everyone had caught on to the idea that they just needed you guys down there to do what they didn’t want upstairs, and you and your coworkers had found the thin cracks in which you could push the dress code a little. No, leggings weren’t permitted, but they were on the days your slacks were dirty and when you put a dress shirt and sweater on over it. You were sure your boss noticed, but said nothing anyway. Clearly, it didn't put a dent in what she thought of you.

You had to at least try today though, as you had no idea what it would be like to work on the top floor. You had no idea what kind of a person Agent Kennedy was, and you weren’t going to chance anything on the first day. You had played it safe when you first started here and it paid off, so fingers crossed it could pay off again.

After a few deep breaths, you popped the door open and headed into the building. Usually, you could park in the back and take the lower level entrance, which was essentially the one and only way into the basement that wasn’t from the service elevator, but you went in through the front today. You ignored the tightening of your stomach and climbed the stairs. 

“Can I help you?” A man stood from the front desk at your arrival. You started reaching for the ID card you carried on a lanyard, stuffed into your pocket.

“Yes, I work here.” He reached out for your ID, not believing your truth.

He raised an eyebrow. “The basement entrance is in the back of the building.” He handed it back and went to sit down.

“Yes, I know, I was moved. I’m going upstairs.” You handed him the manila folder before he could ignore you further. He raised an eyebrow again after looking at the small paper.

“Alright, Anderson’s replacement. Fifth floor, to the right.” He motioned to his left to the elevator, and only then did you let him sit back down. 

You took the walk to the elevator as a chance to survey the room. You hadn’t been over here very often. You made a few trips up here a few months ago, but you didn’t look around much, only headed to the confidential files room to move information. The floor was a sleek black tile, shiny as ever, and the room was lit well due to the large windows at the front of the building. It didn't look like a headquarters building. You told yourself it wasn’t to calm your nerves.

Swallowing the last of the anxiety, you stepped out onto the fifth floor. It was simply a hallway, all black, but the windows at the end made the space seem larger, and not so dark. To the right, you remember the man telling you. Your footsteps were reverberating off of the walls, matched with the pounding of your blood flow in your ears.

The corridor opened up to a wider room, inhabited by a handful of other people. One of them spotted your arrival, and walked over.

“Good morning, I’m–”

“Yes, right over here. Glad to see you.” You were taken aback for a moment, They already know me? You thought, as you followed the young man to a large desk on the left side of the wall, facing inward to the foyer. You were sitting in front of floor to ceiling windows, across the room was the same setup with a few smaller desks, people scuttling back and forth on their own side. You turned back to thank the man, when your heart fluttered in relief.

“Thank you,-- Oh, my gosh, Brett, you work up here now?” Brett was an old deskmate that had left the small office three months ago. You didn’t get a chance to say goodbye, but the last day that you saw him you remember eating lunch on his desk with another coworker who sat in front of you two. You were saddened by his loss, but now absolutely relieved to have a familiar face.

“I know, right? They said you were coming. I’m glad you got out next. It’s better up here.” He let you put your stuff down and get settled, before telling you what your next moves should be. “He’s in a meeting right now, but he wanted to meet you once you got here. Don’t be nervous, but brace yourself. He’s serious. Mostly. I’ve seen him smile once, but he’s nice to the rest of us. Hopefully more to you.”

After a few more minutes of small talk, he left you on your own, and you passed the time getting used to the surroundings while waiting for your new boss to be out of his meeting. Early for a meeting, you thought, but then again, it didn’t take a whole team for one person to make a conference call. 

There was a momentary beep sound that came from Brett’s desk, and he picked up the phone. He said one thing into it before hanging up. He turned to you. “He’s ready.”

The nerves came back, but at the comforting thought that there was at least one person you knew out here, you tried your best to look forward to just sitting back down at your desk.

You were about to knock, but figured otherwise since he had directly asked for your presence. You walked up to the large double doors, and pulled them open.

His back was to you when you closed the door behind you. Walking closer, you stopped a few paces away, observing him for a brief second. He had a white dress shirt on and a gray vest. He looked quite large from where you stood, and you were sure that he was at least 6 feet tall, probably taller. He was messing with some papers on his desk, and you took a quick breath before speaking.

“Good morning, sir.” You stood tall, shoulders back, hands clasped behind yourself. Don’t cross your arms in front of you, you recall trying to retrain your habits, you look insecure. He turned around.

You swallowed hard. Jesus Christ, there were no tips on that blog on what to do when your boss is straight out of People Magazine’s sexiest men alive. His ash blonde hair was pushed back off of his forehead, showcasing his sturdy bone structure, a deep, furrowed brow that lacked any wrinkles, and high cheekbones with a sharp jawline. Straight nose, strong chin, and shoulders the size of, well, you. Maintaining eye contact was a challenge. 

You saw him give you a quick once over, all the way down and back up your body again, so brief like it never happened at all. You were itching to pull your arms back in front of yourself.

“Good morning.” He took one step closer to you, held out his hand, and you gingerly took it. His hand was rough, yet the handshake was gentle. “Agent Leon Kennedy.” He lowered his hand and put it in his pocket. His other hand was holding a file. “I hope once you are comfortable here we will work well together.”

You gave a tight smile, forcing your face to make it look natural. You were sure it didn’t. “I look forward to working with you.” Your voice was a lot breathier than intended. 

The corner of his mouth twitched in a hidden smirk. Leon could definitely tell you were nervous. It was a big part of his job, after all. He handed the file over to you. “Just run these for a while. Find me when you finish them.” You took the folder. He stood there momentarily, watching you. “You can relax a little. I’m not going to kill you.” He stalked back over to his desk and sat down, attention still on you. 

You mumbled while flipping through the file. Attempting to lighten the mood, “I would, but smoking is not allowed in the building.”

“That will kill you, you know.” His voice was light. He took the joke well.

You closed it and looked back up at him, a small smile playing on your lips. “Would you prefer if I drank myself stupid, then?” He said nothing, and just smiled at you. Yours grew wider. “I’ll see you soon with this, sir.” You turned and left.

The day passed with ease. It was no difficult task to focus, now that the nerves were buried and you knew what it was that you had to be doing. Lunch with the others came and went, and it took you a fair chunk of your day to run the files he handed over. It was similar to what they had you doing in the basement, but the addition of sunlight unobstructed by dirty windows made it seem like a fun job.

You had attempted humor with Leon within the first few minutes of meeting him. You probably shouldn’t have, but no one in your life could force you to give up making jokes in serious situations. That’s just how you operated. Leon didn’t seem to care. He actually smiled. Brett had told you he rarely does that, and you made him after only a minute. It honestly had your heart racing all day.

With only an hour left in the day, you packed up the papers Leon had given you along with some new printed ones. You knocked on the door this time, and opened it when he beckoned you in.

“Sorry it took me so long. Little more labor intensive than I’m used to.” He took the file you were handing over, and put it on his desk without looking inside. He was sitting turned toward the computer on his desk, and though he told you to come in, you hoped you weren’t interrupting anything. 

“Thank you. No more of that librarian sorting you were all doing down there.” So, he knows. It was no secret you were sure, but you were still surprised that he knew you worked in the building at all. Leon turned his attention back to his desk for a moment, and you stood there, head tilted slightly to view what he was looking at. He turned back to you, and your head snapped up to make eye contact. “I have nothing else for you right now. Boring day for you to start. You can go home. Tomorrow, if you don’t mind, I’m going to have you review some portfolios and slides I have, so you can become familiar with the content. I have some meetings coming up later in the week, or next, there's a good chance you’ll be coming with me.” he swiveled himself around and grabbed a stack of papers sitting on top of a file cabinet, held together with a paperclip. “Just put this on your desk for now, for the morning.” It was something along the lines of criminal justice and related business strategies. This would be a doozy.

“Of course, sir. As you wish.” You took a step back to leave. “Thanks for the early day.” You sent a halfhearted smile his way. He didn’t reflect it, but his eyes were soft.

After a few seconds of holding your stare, he said, “Already better than Anderson. I like you.”

Your stomach tightened, and you had to force yourself to breathe normally. “I hope I can continue to please, then.” You felt his stare hot on your back as you left, but you remained composed. Once, and only once, the doors were shut, you shakily exhaled, and quickly packed up to leave.

The week went by with a pace you were never used to with your job. You found yourself excited to come to work, excited to see Leon. If you had known you worked in the same building this whole time, you would have been begging your old boss to get moved.

It was a rather tame week, and you weren't sure if it was because there was no work, or this is just what the workload was always like here. It was now Friday, you sat at your desk going through a database page for the assignment you had to review before the meeting Leon had said you were attending. It definitely made you nervous, this was past your parameters and you hadn’t had any sort of experience with something this serious. At least, that’s what you thought it would be. You needed to be prepared for that so you didn’t look incompetent for this job that you only just got. 

Resting your chin on your hand with the other slowly scrolling through the page with the mouse, you cocked your head and looked up when Leon suddenly appeared in front of you. You shot a smile at him.

“Were you in a meeting?” He stood so tall from this angle with you sitting down, and your neck almost hurt looking up at him. 

“Yeah, light work though.” He held onto a file with his left hand. The right was in his pocket. He turned briefly to look behind him at the others who worked in the small lobby. “So, about that meeting next week,” you nodded, shifting your posture now. “It’s Monday morning. I just need you to be there to help with any outside communications like other appointments since it might be a while. I sent this to you–” He motioned to your computer, which was the PDF you had been reading from his email. “In case something happened to mine for whatever reason. God forbid...” He mumbled, partially rolling his eyes. You chuckled. “Good for you to know it though.”

“I figured. This is also light work.” You cocked a smile, and he repeated the action. “As long as I’m not being expected to execute the whole presentation, I think I can serve well to take calls for you.”

A quiet laugh rumbled out from him. “That’s all I need you for. It’s not here,” He leaned onto your desk with one arm, and you had to desperately peel your eyes away from the way his veins flexed in his forearm. The image was already burned into your brain. “It’s in the branch a couple cities over, so… If you would like to meet me somewhere over here,” You tried to swallow at the implication, but your throat was suddenly so dry. “You know, to make it easier.”

You drew in a breath. “Of course,” You put your hands into your lap so he wouldn't see you nervously wringing your fingers together. “How did you know about my minor driving anxiety?” You playfully quirked an eyebrow at him. 

He smiled. “Intuition. Or my job training.” He stood up straight now. You found yourself wishing he wouldn't leave. “You can leave at three with the rest of them today. I’ll see you on Monday.” You only released the breath you were holding when he was safely behind the confines of his office doors.

The weekend allowed a little relaxing, but mostly anxiety the close it came to Monday. You were finding it increasingly difficult to stop thinking about Leon. This whole week felt like a dream. Your body felt hot anytime you were alone in his office, or anytime he merely stopped at your desk to drop something off. You felt so small next to him, and almost struggled to form coherent thoughts when you had to speak to him. Your eyes thoroughly raked his body up and down when he was turned, his broad expanse of back and shoulders nearly turned your brain to slush. He always smelled like crisp cologne, something expensive, it had to be. 

You found yourself thinking too often about the way he looked at you. It was a stare that wasn't something you were used to receiving on a daily basis. There was something else… His gaze was dark and luring. Like he knew what you were thinking. Like when you two made eye contact, he knew he was the object of your fantasy. 

Which, yes, it had only been a week, but you had to admit, you had never seen anyone this attractive before. And here you were, working for him. It only made your skin heat up more at the knowledge that it was forbidden. It heightened the experience every time you had to see him. That was your boss, and he sure did have that power over you. The conversations you had with him bordered on strictly work, but you were dying to see another side of him. The smirk he gave you when you made him laugh had your stomach twisting in a way that lasted long after the interaction was over. Every time you said something that gave him that reaction, you needed to make it happen again. It felt like a new addiction that developed way too fast. You wondered if he could tell. You at least tried to be subtle about it. 

A shiver raked through your body as you stood outside of your car early that Monday morning. It wasn’t that cold, but you didn't think the weather was the reason you were shivering. You had arrived at headquarters to meet with Leon, as he offered to take you over to another city's department for his meeting. The aforementioned shiver happened immediately after turning and seeing Leon in the same outfit as you saw when you first met him.

His button down shirt strained on his biceps when he moved, and the gray vest sat perfectly on his waist, making you realize exactly how his frame would look underneath his clothes. You had to push this aside as he motioned you to come over to his car.

It was a sleek black sedan, which made sense for who he was. You felt shielded from the world as you closed the door, the tint locking you in next to your boss, who was insanely close to you, and you feared could hear your frantic heartbeat. 

He placed a few files on your lap and you let them sit there for the time being. “I was going to get you coffee, but I didn't know how you would take it.”

You held back a smile at the thought of Leon thinking of you this morning. “It’s okay, but thanks. I already had some.” You saw Leon nod out of your peripheral, and you could only look forward, knowing you might stare if you turned your head. 

“But you take…” Leon prompted. He’s curious anyway? Is he expecting to do it in the future? You could have exploded. 

After rattling off the basics of what you drink, he replied, “Sounds very sweet.” You laughed and nodded. “I don't know about all that. Maybe I’ll try it out.”

“You don’t strike me as the type to be into sweet things.” You risked a look over, and when you did, he mirrored the action with a grin on his face.

“You’d be surprised.”

Thankfully, you were very relieved at the end of the day when the meeting went by with minimal interaction on your part. You were introduced to some of the other important players in the legal game that knew Leon, and sat off to the side with one of the files he handed you. Despite most of the information going over your head, you still paid attention, at least to make Leon look good and show that you were a competent assistant. 

The sun was close to setting by the time you filed back out into the lot, trailing right behind Leon. Slipping into his passenger’s seat, he followed a second after, and you felt your body physically relax knowing the stressor of the week was now defeated.

“Not so bad, right?” He spoke without looking over, shifting gear and taking off.

“Are they always this long? Maybe I should plan ahead and bring multiple drinks with me.” 

He chuckled. “Only sometimes. This one was important, that’s why. They usually aren’t outside the city either so… consider this an introduction to the team.”

You rolled your eyes and looked over. “Do you keep forgetting that I already worked here before this?” You heard the smile through your own voice, and saw one creep on his face as he kept his eyes on the road. Your heart felt light. 

“No, absolutely not. The pace you work at is evident enough of that. It’s just a different type of job, I’m sure. I don’t really know what goes on down there.”

With the smile still on your face, you let your eyes linger on him for a moment more. His hair, which was pushed on top of his head, was starting to fall, and a strand fell onto his forehead. The past week, he had worn it down a couple of times, and you honestly didn't know which one you preferred.

You rolled your head over to the side, watching the passing cars go by. The radio was on, but at the lowest volume, merely for ambiance. Your hand brushed over the files on your lap, that you had taken back from Leon upon leaving so he could shake hands with whoever he needed to, and pried open one of them.

Before your eyes could even properly latch onto any words, Leon’s hand reached over and gently pushed the top of the file closed, and you looked over at him.

“That’s confidential, you know.” He looked over at you for a brief second, but you could see he wasn’t mad. 

“Sorry. I was just sitting through that whole thing, though, in case you forgot.” You looked back down at your lap and noticed Leon’s hand was still on the file, the weight of it heavy on your thighs.

“No, I didn’t forget. I don’t know how much of it was digestible to you.” He barely lifted his hand off of the file folder, pulling it sideways, landing it on your thigh for a second. His hand was big enough to wrap around the side, and a split second later, he dragged it off, and your skin burned with the track it traced. Breathing became hard suddenly, and you had to turn your head to the window and focus on the outside world.

You arrived back at headquarters thirty minutes later, and the fresh air felt incredible on your flushed skin. It wasn’t even that warm in the car, but you couldn't stop thinking about the way Leon’s hand felt on your thigh. It was like he never lifted his hand at all, you could still feel the contact lingering, the way his fingers grazed your leg, the immediate warmth you felt, not only on your thigh, but in your stomach. You wished you could have taken your jacket off in the car.

Before you could get any words out, Leon said, “Come up to the office for a second. I left something up there.”

You said nothing, simply followed him up. The parking lot was nearly deserted, save for the few officers doing a detail whom you greeted when the both of you walked in. You fiddled with the edges of the files you were still holding, not trying to look in any of them in case Leon were to reprimand you for it again. You were almost tempted to, just to see his reaction. That thought made your knees weak.

You followed him out of the elevator into the office. As expected, the lobby was empty. Leon made his way over to his desk, pulling open a file cabinet, and started sifting around. You stood there, then walked over and dropped what you were holding onto his desk. You looked around the office, it was as wide as the lobby was, and large windows spanned the walls. It was simplistic. His desk was in the middle, file cabinets behind him, multiple monitors, a few chairs in front of his desk, some  round black ottomans in front of a black leather couch to the left. There were more files open on top of one of the ottomans. 

You stalked over to it, leaned down and picked one up. It looked like what he had given you the other day–

“You must be a glutton for punishment.” You jumped slightly when Leon spoke from directly behind you and grabbed the file from your hands. You spun around. “You shouldn’t be rifling through random documents, you know.” 

You sighed, not wanting to make eye contact, but knowing not doing it would look bad. You kept your arms to your side despite wanting to cross them. His eyes were dark. You couldn't tell what type of reaction this was.

“I’m sorry. I’ll make a severe mental note of that.” He said nothing in return, simply looking down at you. The peaks of his bone structure highlighted by the distant street lamps and the glow of the moon outside the windows. It made the shadows look all that much darker. You felt a shiver crawl up your spine.

He hummed, a low, throaty sound. “My new assistant, just so nosy.” His voice was low, and you gulped, trying to blink through your emotions normally, but you knew it looked anything but. 

“Dare I say it’s in my job description.” You mirrored his low tone, mentally relieved it wasn’t as weary as you expected it to sound. You tilted your head up to his, as a small gesture of challenge.

He nodded his head, as if to consider your words. “Dare you do.” He backed up, placed the file on his desk, then came right back to his spot in front of you. You didn’t know what to do, so you stayed still. It was most likely the better option anyway, who knows if your limbs could even move properly right now. You felt bare in this position, your cotton top feeling too warm where it overlapped with your jacket, and though your legs were on display under your skirt, they, too, were burning up. Your heart was hammering, but Leon kept talking. “What do you think about this job so far, hm? Does it live up to expectations?”

You had to take a steady breath before answering. “I think this surpasses any expectation I could have ever set.”

“Good answer.” You maintained eye contact with the man in front of you, surprising yourself with how well you were holding it. He seemed unfazed at all. He was probably reading you like a book right now. “You know, I love having new recruits start here. They’re so unaware of their surroundings. It almost makes a fun game for myself. They think they are so secretive, but after a while I can tell whatever it is they don't want anyone else to know.” You felt your breath catch in your throat. You had a feeling you knew where this was going. “I know Breanna across the lobby from you doesn’t like her desk mate despite buying her coffee three times a week.” Checks out, I can tell, too. “I know Brett does things to stay awake during his shifts that he shouldn’t be doing within a 50 foot radius of a cop.” Ouch. That’s also true, but he only told me during a hard come down. “And, I know how nervous you are to be around me, and you don’t know what to do with yourself whenever I’m in the room.”

You made no moves now. How did he know? Surely you weren’t that obvious with it. It had been one week, and yes Leon called you into his office quite a bit during those five days, but he had work to hand off to you every time. It’s not like he was doing it on purpose. 

But now, standing under his hard gaze, nowhere to go, you weren’t so sure it was accidental. 

Your jaw tightened. “How can you be so sure?” Now, you could hear the waviness in your voice. A smirk blossomed on his handsome face. 

“I can see how you look at me. Usually these things take time to figure out, but you…” He took a step closer, and you took a half step back. It’s not like you didn’t want to be close to him, but now he was donning a persona that made you shrink into yourself. You knew you liked it by the heat spreading inside. “You, dear, are like looking through a window.”

“So… you tested it out earlier?” It felt like a pathetic question, but you needed an answer for why he put his hand on your thigh earlier. Compared to this current position, that seemed so tame.

He tilted his head slightly. “I’m pretty sure I was, but… I had to make sure I was gauging the situation correctly.” He looked you up and down, your hands had made their way to clasp behind your back, still fighting the habit to cross them across your chest. Your breathing felt erratic. “I would have left it there, but I couldn’t make too much of a scene. Not yet.”

You simply stared at each other. You could tell that he knew he had the upper hand, solely because he was correct. Everything he was saying was right. Damn that detective training, nothing was getting past him. The room was sweltering now, but maybe you were the only one that felt it. 

One last burst of confidence had you muttering, “You do this to all your new assistants?”

In one swift action, he had a hand over your waist and pulled you close to him. Bodies touching, heat feeling like a fire between you, he lowered his face so it was centimeters away from yours. The glisten of his eyes were the only thing you could see, and if you weren’t running on pure adrenaline right now, you probably would have collapsed. You felt the vibrations from his chest when he spoke.

“Only the ones I intend to hang on to. And I can’t say I’ve had multiple of those.” You gulped, and when you didn't reply, he continued, “Did I gauge the situation correctly?”

“Yes,” You whispered, and his mouth was on yours. 

His kiss was intense, and you felt now like your body might give out. Your hands found their way to make contact with him, one grasping the wrist that was holding your waist and the other to the side of Leon’s face, and you felt his other hand close in on your hips.

It was like nothing you had experienced before. The kiss was hot and messy, you let his tongue in easily, and you couldn't help the small sighs that escaped whenever he leaned in to deepen the exchange. You felt his nose press into your face, your foreheads pushed together and your bodies entirely too close you felt like one entity. The hand that was caressing his face snaked to the back of his head, fingers tangling in his hair, and your knees finally buckled when he gave a low growl in response to you tugging his locks. 

The kiss broke for a second as you lost balance, but he was not thrown off course. Hands still grasping your body, he found the couch that you were only a step in front of, and he lowered you on it, still connecting your lips together fiercely. Both of your hands now in his hair as your back hit the cushions, and you felt the dips next to you where he was kneeling over you. One of his hands let go of you and supported himself next to your head, but you craved the contact again.

He took your chin in his thumb and index finger and tilted your head slightly to the right, and broke the kiss, but his lips stayed on your burning skin as they traced down your jaw bone, biting into the flesh, and his tongue marked a path down your neck, and it was insanely hard to breathe. 

One of your hands found solace on his thick shoulder while he was still making work of the soft skin on your neck. The hand of his that wasn't on your chin still traced its way from your hip up to your chest, and he squeezed one of your breasts in sync with a bite to the neck. Your head pressed harder into the couch underneath you.

“Leon, please…” You gasped out, unsure if you even said it out loud, surprised you even had the energy to speak. You felt him lift his lips off of your skin a second later and his fingers moved your chin again to make you face him.

“What is it, hm? What do you need?” He dipped down to kiss you again, and you wished he would have stayed there so you wouldn't need to verbally answer him. 

“I… I don’t…” I don’t know, I need you. You barely had the breath to speak anymore, and though you knew Leon knew exactly what you were trying to say, he feigned confusion, and looked at you from under his furrowed brow. It was so obnoxious, it ignited the flame inside you even more. 

“Come on, baby, I can’t hear you.” A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, and your vision went blurry with lust. You ground your jaw and swallowed your pride. 

“I need you.” You gasped out finally, your lungs deflating. Your hand was fisting the material over his shoulder, and you noticed through your haze that he wasn’t wearing the vest anymore. When did he take it off? Before you came up to the office? While you had your back turned? It didn’t matter, it was now one less thing you needed to rip off of him. 

“Is that so?” He went back to biting at your neck, and at this rate you didn’t care what state he was going to leave it in. You whined at his lack of response to your plea, feeling frustration and desire bounding up inside of you, needing an outlet to release it.

“Leon, fuck, please…” You weakly tried to push him back but he wouldn’t budge. He reconnected your lips again, and that you greatly accepted, pulling him closer now so he would continue kissing you with fervor. The hand that was on your chin finally left, and he replaced it on your wrist, and suddenly, he was hauling you up.

He pulled back from the kiss just as quickly as he was pulling you to sit upright, and he swiftly maneuvered you so that when he fell backwards to sit on the couch, you were pulled right on top of him, straddling his thick thighs. You couldn’t even imagine how you looked right now, it was out of your mind for now as you looked down at the man under you, his hands on your waist. His shirt was wrinkled and slowly being pulled out from where it was tucked into his pants. His tie was being loosened and the top two buttons had come undone, exposing the smooth expanse of skin over his collarbones and chest. As you let your weight settle onto your legs, and his, you lowered directly onto his growing erection, and he squeezed his hands over your torso and scrunched his face. With a heavy breath, he pulled his head forward and stared at you.

“Did you think I was just going to give it to you?” His voice was gravelly, and it almost made you whimper. His hands dropped to your thighs, which were now incredibly exposed due to the position of your skirt hiking up, and Leon probably had a view of the black panties you had on. You didn’t care. Let him see. You needed him to take them off.

You shook your head. “You can’t be nice to me?” Your hands came up to his chest, it was firm and sturdy, and you were dying to see it bare. You fumbled with the buttons, and Leon had been at least gracious enough to loosen the tie and throw it over his head onto the floor. 

Leon laughed. You felt it under your palms. “Darling,” You looked up to make eye contact with him at the mention of the pet name. “This is me being nice to you.” 

You barely had time to register his words, and the way it made your stomach turn before he had a hand on the back of your neck, pulling you forward to another intense kiss. You could barely breathe, your limbs were all pins and needles and your skin was alight with a burning ember, fueled only by Leon, but you loved it.

In the midst of the kiss, wet and slick and tongue heavy, your hands were needlessly prying the buttons open at the top of Leon’s shirt. His hands were traveling under your clothes, palms gripping your thighs, and you found yourself grinding down into Leon’s lap subconsciously, but kept going when it resulted in him groaning into the kiss.

You pulled back suddenly at the victory of pulling the last few buttons open, and Leon immediately caught your stare, but you dropped it to look down at the open expanse of skin and muscle that he had been hiding. A strong chest gave way to flexing ab muscles as he writhed under you, probably trying to gain your attention or to show off, and sturdy hip muscles abducted into V lines that disappeared under the waistline of his pants. You couldn’t help it, you reached out to drag your hands along the smooth skin, every second of contact adding to the pooling happening between your legs, where you were also very conscious of the fact that Leon’s hands were dangerously close to. 

“Do you want this to happen today, or do you want to keep staring?” Leon prodded at you jokingly, and when you looked up, a grin was plastered on his face, and his eyes were still dark. You felt the tightness arise again at just the sight of his expression paired with his upper body on display for you.

“You’re sounding more eager than me, now…” You breathily replied, overwhelmed with all of the emotions coursing you at once. 

Leon breathed a brief laugh before raising an eyebrow with his response. “I can show you eager.”

At once, his hand reached up in between your legs and you felt one of his fingers dance across the hem of your panties, and your grip tightened where your hand landed on his bicep. He gave you no warning when you felt him pull it aside, drag his finger downwards and raked his knuckle through your wetness, earning a sharp gasp from you in return, and you nearly fell forward onto his chest as the feeling sent sparks soaring through you. 

“Calling me eager…” The sound of his voice paired with the feeling of his fingers on you was far too much to handle. “Yet it feels like you must have been wet all night…” He dragged his finger back up to the top where he maneuvered his hand so the pad of his thumb pressed heavily on your clit, and you nearly screamed, but all sound was trapped in your throat as you lost function of your body.

He ripped his hand out of your underwear and it moved around to find the zipper in the back of your skirt. “Take that shirt off,” He ordered, and you obeyed as best you could through your stiff limbs. 

You peeled it off from the bottom, feeling the fabric stick to your moist skin, and Leon’s eyes heavy on you as you finally got it over your head and on the floor. Your lingerie choice was nothing phenomenal, for the expected business meeting at least, but you could tell by his gaze that it really didn't make a difference in what he was thinking right now. Seconds after you dropped your hands back to your sides, he flipped you once again, back on the couch and him hovering over you, pulling the skirt that he had unzipped down your legs, and into the pile of your shirt and his tie somewhere behind you.

Your breathing was erratic as you watched him intently, his lust-filled eyes on your body and his hand running lengths up and down your torso, legs, back up to your chest, and neck, and landing on your bra strap that he pulled down, and wasted no time in attaching his mouth your hot skin. Your hand gripped his elbow as he bit the tender flesh of your breast, he sucked on it harshly once, twice, before lifting and wrapping his lips over your nipple, which had your back arching and a string of soft moans pouring out. 

You felt an aching cramp in your core, the pleasure was insurmountable and you needed him to do something about it, but you knew he was buying time to rile you up as much as possible before doing so. You knew he was straining with his own pleasure and you were desperate to tear apart his belt and pants and take his girth into your hands, to feel it, to taste it, you wanted to choke on it, but you knew he wouldn’t let you do that. If not in the span of a few minutes, maybe not tonight at all. You were submitting your control, and you had to let him do what he wanted.

He finally let go of your nipple, and the air felt cold with the layer of saliva he left behind, and even though you were basically naked save for undergarments, you still felt too covered. You reached up to pull at Leon’s shirt, fully unbuttoned and untucked, and he leaned back on his knees to pry it off of himself. You could see his skin glistening with sweat as he moved, and so badly you wanted to reach out and touch him, run your hands over his skin, all of his muscles, pull him close so you could feel his chest on your own. 

Your eyes fell to his pants, and the tent that was present had your mouth watering, you needed him to pull it out, and now. 

Of course, Leon being ever so sharp, didn’t miss this. “We’ll get there. Don’t worry.” Without looking up, you could hear the cockiness in his voice, but you didn’t care anymore, you couldn't move your eyes from where they landed, trying to imagine his cock in its glory, how long and thick, how he would use it and how it would feel. You felt like you were melting.

Unmoving from where he was propped up in front of you, his hands traveled down the expanse of your legs, dragging his fingers underneath your thighs where it was sensitive, making you jump with the contact. His hands came around to the top of your knees, where he pushed your legs apart and lowered himself in between them. Even just the sight of him doing so had you whimpering, and when he pressed his thumb into your clothed clit, you bucked up, but he was quick to hold you down.

Keeping his thumb centered on your clit, he continued to apply pressure, using his middle and index finger to stroke up and down on the outside of your panties, which you were sure were soaked by now. Throwing your head back into the couch, one hand gripping onto the wrist that was holding Leon up and the other was clawing into the cushion, you were dying for him to do something. 

He was getting too used to teasing you now. He had you right where he wanted, half naked on the couch in his office after hours, so close to practically coming untouched at this point, and while you wanted to fight him on this, you couldn’t bring yourself to do it. The mixture of the pleasure and mental ecstasy you were feeling had you forfeiting any sense of control now, and you just watched him, as he watched you.

All at once, you felt the cold air hit your core as your underwear was peeled away from you, but the sensation didn't last long as a hot, wet tongue was pressed into your heat, and you nearly screamed at the sudden contact.

His mouth was all you could focus on in that moment, you could feel every movement his tongue made, and your body reacted viscerally to it. Your hand flew out and grabbed onto Leon’s hair, which incited him to only keep going, and to be ruthless. His hands were digging into your thighs where he was spreading them apart, fighting against you wanting to close them in reaction to pleasure he was sending shooting through your body. 

One long, painfully slow lick from top to bottom ended at your clit where he latched on, tongue pressing in and teeth gently making an appearance, and your grip in his hair became even stronger when he pushed two fingers into you, your vision going blurry, and there was no filter left to stop any thoughts from pouring out over your lips. 

“Oh my god… Leon…” You were whining now, moaning in between deep breaths and gasps, feeling his fingers pump in and out all while his tongue was relentless on you. 

His mouth disappeared but his thumb took its place, and you felt him kissing, licking, sucking his way up your torso, chest, neck, until he was seated next to your ears, groaning into them as you dug your nails into his skin.

“Oh my god, what, huh? You like the way I make you feel?” All you could do was gasp out a ‘yes’ in response to his question, he wasn’t giving you any liberty to be coherent. “You probably thought about this all day…” A bite below your ear followed the sentence. “That pussy was so wet… you probably wanted this since the first day…”

And you did. How could you not have thought about this at the sight of your insanely attractive boss? Wouldn’t it be so hot to be banging your model-status boss, having to hide it from your coworkers, going in his office to sneak touches while no one outside those doors knew? Yes, of course you thought about it. It had your heart racing, and now you would stop at nothing to make those fantasies real.

“You feel so good, I can’t wait to be inside you.” With one last soft bite to the jaw, he pulled his fingers out of you, and involuntarily you whimpered, but he shut you up by pressing a kiss into your lips, which you greatly accepted. His kiss was harsh yet soft at the same time, you felt a passion behind it while also letting his tongue sweep over yours, tasting yourself on him, sighing into it, feeling like you could kiss him forever.

His hands left you, now feeling bare, you gripped his shoulders hard as you heard him undoing his own belt. As much as you wanted to do it yourself and be right in front when you pulled his hard cock out of his pants, you didn’t have it in you to attempt to move yourself, and with Leon on top of you, he was sure to stop any feeble move you made to do so.

HIs lips left yours once more and reattached to the side of your throat, biting down harder than before, but it only made you moan, arch harder into him, and sent a flurry of hot tingles into your pussy, aching for more action from him.

Leon pushed himself off of you, his warm mouth off of you and leaned back, staring at you panting, and of course, his dick in his hands was impossible to ignore. Just seeing it was almost bliss, and now you were desperate for him to use it as you lay there, being scrutinized under your boss’ gaze, and while you felt so tiny, just the sight of how hard he was made you feel so powerful.

He took a deep breath in, taking in the sight of you, before lowering himself again, lining up with your gaze so you looked him directly in the eye. You felt his forehead press into yours, his hand lingered around your underwear again, pushing it aside, and after just another moment of silence, another deep kiss, his bare chest met yours and you felt the tip of his dick push into you, past the entrance, into the warmth. 

You sighed so loud, followed by a moan, hands still gripping his shoulders, listening to him groan in tandem with you as he slowly bottomed out. His pelvis pushed against you, your legs coming up to wrap around him, and you felt his hands pull your bra down so he could cup your breast, his thumb rolling over your nipple, adding to the pleasure. 

“You feel so fucking good… Fuck…” He was groaning, he hadn’t even started moving yet, and you were dying for him to start. He sat still in you, lapping at the skin between your jaw and neck, positive he could feel the vibrations on his lips of your moans.

“Please, Leon, move… Please,” Your nails were surely digging red streaks into the skin of his back by now, but he barely even seemed to notice, rather, you thought he might have loved the feeling of it instead. You felt the pressure of him lying on top of you, paired with the pressure building in between your legs, your thighs beginning to shake, having to hold onto Leon tighter to steady them.

Finally, he slowly started to pull out, and you could barely breathe at the sensation it left behind. He kept his face buried in your neck, you could feel his ragged, heavy breathing and you could hear his groaning which was only making you wetter. 

His hips snapped forward, no regard to what pace you had wanted to set, not like it mattered, you probably would have told him quick and rough anyway if he asked. You almost screamed out at the feeling of him slamming into you, you could only throw your head back onto the couch cushion and rake your hands over his skin, into his hair. Leon licked a long stripe up your neck to your jaw, gently biting on your bottom lip before kissing you again. 

You kept kissing him hard in between his thrusts, with him pulling away for only a second at a time, both of you breathing hard, your hands traveling down to grip his biceps, and you could feel them flexing with his movement. 

“Shit,” He said over you, you could feel his breath on your lips. “So fucking tight,” One of his hands went down to grab onto one of your legs that you had thrown over him. “So fucking good.” He practically growled as he continued the assault on you, his hips showing no mercy, and his hand sure to leave a bruise on your thigh from his grip.

Leon pushed himself up, still inside of you, leaving you lying down. His skin was slick with his sweat, and maybe yours as well from being pressed against you. His hair was falling down over his forehead, and god he looked so good right now, if you weren’t already in the act of getting the shit fucked out of you, you would want to fuck him all over again. His hands adjusted their position to rest on your hips, pulling you up so he can fuck you from his kneeling position.

This new angle was hitting every spot perfectly, allowing him to go deeper than he was from just above you. The intense stretch his cock was delivering paired with the way he was holding onto your hips with such ferocity, all of it together was too much, and you were becoming unwound. 

“Leon… Leon, fuck…” You gasped out, barely able to finish your sentence, but Leon understood well enough. He slowed his pace only a beat, but it was enough to have you straining, desperate for him to go faster to allow you to finish. He kept up with the slower pace, watching you as you whined under him, begging him to go faster.

“Please, Leon…” You looked up at him through half lidded eyes, barely able to keep them open. Through them, you could see him looking at you, brows furrowed in exertion, mouth open, chest rising and falling with rapid breathing.

“Please what?” Leon growled. You whined again, knowing he wasn’t going to make this easy for you. “Say it.”

You couldn’t breathe, but you had to give him what he wanted so he could give you what you wanted. “Leon, please, I’m going to cum… please…” 

He leaned in again, still holding your hips up, his pace even slower now, and you could feel the heat bundling up, bringing tears to your eyes at the lack of relief. His face was inches away from yours. “Please, what?” 

You choked out a sob, mixed with a groan at the slightest movement he made inside of you. “Please let me cum Leon, please,” You had no voice at this point, the words coming out in a whisper, loud enough for him to hear, but he probably would have anyway. 

“That’s right.” He backed up now, and resumed his previous position. “Good girls get what they want when they ask.” Your eyes closed in bliss when he picked up his pace, the weight of his words hanging heavy in your head, adding to the ecstasy he was giving you right now. He was slamming into you again, steadying himself on your hips while also pulling them forward to meet his thrusts. You had no breath left to spare on words anymore, and fruitless moans spilled from your lips focusing the energy on bringing your orgasm to close. 

You tried to call out his name as best as you could, but all you heard were moans as the heat inside you came to a roaring burst, and you felt your legs tighten around Leon, his grip steadying you, your hands clawing at the cushion, at his wrists where they held onto you. 

Your heartbeat was crazy at this point, and you couldn't even hold your eyes open as you rode out your orgasm, his hands smoothing over your skin, and you used the sensation to come back to reality. He had momentarily stilled his movements again, and you felt his lips on your neck, none of the roughness there now. You rolled your head over to the side to face him, and when you did he attached his lips to yours, a passionate kiss, his hands feeling like heaven on your body. 

You pulled away and stared at him for a moment. His eyes were soft, but his face was still contorted in concentration.

“I hope you don’t think we’re done here, darling.” You breathed out a sigh, collecting yourself, a smile creeping onto your face.

You kissed him, and whispered into his lips, “Show me what you got left, then.”

[hades-in-bloom]

But First, Coffee

Post-DI!Leon S. Kennedy x Corp Exec!Reader

summary: Leon is after his next target when he encounters a not-so-cooperative informant.

warnings & contents: older Leon (as per usual); could be age gap, could be none; accidentally plot-heavy and a dialogue heaven; mentions of smoking; Leon doesn’t do one-night stands; hints of power play; the reader could be any gender; might be turned into series (? big question mark).

a/n: this one just wrote itself as the pairing dynamic bugged me for a while—I haven’t seen it anywhere yet, but nudge me if I’ve missed anything; I think Leon might enjoy being bossed around a bit (for his own good, also by someone who isn’t Ada)—and as he can easily boss back, too. Overall, desperately clinging to my last brain cells. As always, proceed at your own risk—and let me know if this smaller font is unreadable. Minors DNI! Masterlist

Also—holy smokes, folks—this blog hit 100+ follows! Might sound insignificant to some, but it just blows my mind. Thank you so much for reading! xoxo

***

‘I haven't seen him. I wasn't paying attention. Please, I have more important things to attend to,’ you begged repeatedly—until a cop who was torturing you gave up. She knew she couldn’t keep you in the interrogation room for longer, so she had to let you out—eventually. You never thought that your morning run would end up with you in a police department.

‘We’ll have a short break,’ she sighed, giving you a stern look. ‘You may grab coffee next door; I'll call you back.’

You breathed out an irritated ‘Great,’ and took your chances, making your way to the only coffee machine in your vicinity. That one looked abused by thousands of hands eager to get a dose of instant caffeine.

‘You’d be better off drinking plain water than this,’ you heard a chuckle from your right before you noticed a tall man leaning on the nearby wall, watching you. He was dressed casually–heavy boots, dark jeans with a straight fit, and a probably expensive leather jacket; his sharp gaze trained on you, attempting to look into your soul—luckily for you, some of your employees were convinced you had no soul, so you left unfazed by the efforts.

You chuckled back at him. ‘Fair, but I don’t think that even this swill of a drink could worsen my situation.’

‘You don’t look like a local,’ you mentioned aloud, and he smirked in reply.

‘Good eye—I’m not. Well, not anymore,’ he confessed, stepping towards you. He didn’t seem to be planning to give you more details about himself, and you weren’t in a hurry to ask—or, instead, you didn’t care—yet.

‘Well,’ you gave him a look full of friendly irony, ‘if you’re not my knight in shining armour who can get me the hell out of this interrogation immediately, so I won't lose my job, I’d rather get on with my coffee.’

You turned your attention to the visibly overused coffee machine so you didn’t see how his eyebrows rose up a little, and a slight smirk touched his lips.

You grabbed a half-full coffee cup from under the machine and then turned as you heard your name down the corridor. ‘And that’s me.’ You emphasized before walking away. He watched you calmly, his eyes expression unreadable. ‘So long, local boy.’

You couldn’t hear him when he quietly chuckled in amusement as you returned to the officer’s lair.

It took twenty more minutes of unnecessary suffering before the door to the interrogation room swung open.

‘Leon?’ The cop looked surprised as you glanced at the intruder quickly—the local boy. Now, you were intrigued.

‘Jess, sorry for interrupting,’ Leon smiled at the old friend, ‘but I have Chief’s clearance to get this one,’ the man nodded at you briefly, ‘out of this questioning.’ He gave Jess—or, as known by you, Detective Jessica Harlow—an apologetic look. ‘D.S.O. orders.’

The detective sighed and returned him an irritated but tamed look. ‘Fine,’ Jessica glanced back at you. ‘It was a waste of time anyway.’

You couldn't hold back a scoff. ‘Tell me about that.’ Leon gave you a dirty look, although you could see his mouth twitch in a suppressed giggle.

‘Alright, get out.’ He said with a sigh, waving you towards the corridor. ‘I'll explain everything on the way.’

As you stepped outside the NYPD building, you took a moment to examine him. ‘So you are the knight in shining armour.’

Leon chuckled lightheartedly. ‘Oh, I'm definitely not that.’ The man neither considered himself noble nor his usual tactical vest was shiny. From his point of view, he wasn’t a hero type either.

‘Leon Kennedy, Division of Security Operations under the U.S. government,’ he introduced himself, done with the jokes. You held back a moan—so the local boy was a trap—a quite high-flying bird, though. He read you and showed a soft smile. ‘I know you have spent a lot of time with Jess, but I might have a couple of questions more.’ Leon thought he was worthy of the favor after he pulled you out of the interrogation with NYPD hours before Harlow would get satisfied—Jessica has always been thorough. ‘And for a change, they won't be about that theft you witnessed this morning.’

You weren’t excited; he could see that much. ‘Do I have a choice?’ You sighed.

‘Not really,’ Leon admitted honestly. You found him amusing—although the man knew he was in control of the situation, his look was soft, allowing, lacking arrogance you get used to seeing in your line of work, and he was too relaxed to your liking.

‘Can it wait at least?’ You pressed with desperate notes in your tone. ‘I am late to a critical meeting.’

He nodded reassuringly after a short pause.

Although still impatient, you sighed in relief and took a business card out, handing it over to the federal agent. ‘I guess I can skip my introduction.’ You stepped to the side, hailing a taxi. ‘Call my assistant. He’ll match our schedules.’

‘I can wait, but I can’t wait for long,’ Leon retorted as your leg stepped inside the yellow car.

You gave Kennedy a sweet smile before you shut the door. ‘Great. You tell him that.’

Leon was left stunned for a moment as he watched the car riding off deeper into downtown New York.

‘Shit,’ he mumbled with annoyance in his voice—and with a sudden hint of admiration, too.

***

‘I told you—I can’t wait that long.’

You jolted in surprise as you heard a familiar voice and your car door swung open. It was a couple of days since you met him for the first time.

‘I told you to call my assistant,’ you smiled politely as Leon made himself comfortable in the backseat next to you. You gave the nod to a company driver that he could drive on despite the unexpected guest present.

‘Oh, I have called—but the only available slot is three weeks from now. I guess you forgot to brief him on the urgency of our meeting.’

‘My bad then.’ You sighed, showing no remorse. ‘Close the door if you want this conversation to happen. I was just about to drive back home.’

Kennedy followed your advice and shut the door before the car took off.

‘So, what do you want to know?’

You were direct—Kennedy preferred that style of communication. Leon pulled up a picture on his phone. ‘There’s an assumption to believe you should know that guy.’ You tensed a bit as you took a look at the image.

‘I would prefer to have my lawyer present,’ you replied casually, making Leon chuckle.

‘Come on, it’s a friendly conversation. I’m not here to accuse you of anything—I have more important things on my plate.’

You scoffed. While thinking, you pulled up a cigarette case out of your purse and were about to light up one of those when you noticed the man making a slight grimace—it wasn’t his goal to tell you what to do, and you probably wouldn’t have noticed it if you didn’t glance at him at the right time. You shot him a look. ‘What’s that? I saw it.’

‘I just… prefer my clothes not to smell of cigarette smoke,’ Leon replied, his voice gentle but confident. Despite the diversion, he stayed close to the topic. ‘But I'd rather you answer my question than we talk about the dangers of smoking.’

You had to admit that this annoying motherfucker had a style. ‘Great. Otherwise, I was looking forward to being scolded by a stranger.’ Your tone of voice was surprisingly friendly. Leon seemed not to hold a grudge.

You didn't care much about the opinions of others generally—but this time, the unknown force made you slow down and put away your lighter before you got a light out of it.

At last, you entertained his question. ‘The man is Art Rankine.’ You glanced back at Kennedy’s phone, still showing the photo. ‘I had a pleasure to work with him on one of the mergers.’

‘Legion Corp.,’ Leon assumed, and you raised an eyebrow.

‘Good to hear you did your homework. Then I don’t have to break my NDA—and thanks to that one, I’m not sure I can help you much.’

‘I would question that all of your encounters with Mr. Rankine were covered by the NDA.’ The man smiled, giving you a look. You felt your cheeks getting warm. ‘Am I right?’ Leon tilted his head while keeping eye contact. After a moment, you returned a dirty look at him.

‘We dated. Fleetingly, if I may add,’ you admitted reluctantly.

‘Good. As the merger was closed recently, I'd assume you still have his private contact?’ Kennedy asked.

You felt like you were falling into the James Bond-esque rabbit hole, and you didn't enjoy it.

‘So the all-knowing Leon Kennedy knows I slept with the man but couldn’t get his number?’ You didn't hold back on sarcasm, but it left the federal agent unfazed.

‘Something like that,’ he retorted. ‘I need your help to set up a meeting. That’s all I ask for.’

You scoffed. ‘You request me to contact my ex, and then you call it a small favor?’

‘That’s the best offer I’ve got.’ Leon admitted. ‘I’d rather we establish this partnership quickly.’ Oh, you knew well what that meant—a very gentle threat of making you spend a lot of money on your lawyer. It annoyed you as much as, to your amusement, you found it hot.

You sighed.

‘How do you want the meeting?’

You could see his watercolor eyes light up in satisfaction.

‘We can talk about it tomorrow. Care to give me your personal number?’

You took his mobile phone out of his hands before quickly typing in your number and calling your cell.

‘I am saving you under a horrible name,’ you warned the federal agent, and Leon let out a chortle.

‘Flattered. Now, I can get off right there,’ he nodded at the closest street corner. Soon, the driver stopped there for a moment.

‘So long, local boy.’

You watched him get out of the car, observing his features unintently—and then, by accident, you caught himself staring at his lips for a quarter of a second.

He noticed it.

‘Buy me a coffee first, sweetheart,’ he smirked before closing the car door as he exited the vehicle.

You realized you were holding back your breath after a while—you shook it off right after, finally putting a cigarette into your mouth and briefly cursing under your breath while you lit it up.

[sweaterkittensahoy]

Prompt: “Can I give you a hug? You look like you need one”

Pairing: JackBucky

[Apparently, I have a full-time headcanon that Jack's parents are old-school austere about their kids. Things I learn.]

There's no mission today, and there's not one tomorrow. Bucky's only goal for the afternoon is to pull Jack away from his paperwork and get him on a bike ride to some field where Bucky can tackle him to the ground and get a proper necking session in. He's even got a note in his pocket from Harding ordering Jack to take a goddamn break (actual words, Bucky was delighted to see).

"All right," Bucky says as he walks into Jack's office with a dismissive wave from Jack's secretary. "It's sunny for once, and you–" Bucky's tease drops away as he sees Jack sitting very still on the sofa, a letter in his hands. Bucky glances behind him to make sure the door is closed behind him. It is. Good. No one but him or Harding is brave enough to enter Jack's office without knocking. 

Bucky walks around the coffee table and sits next to Jack. "Jack," he says quietly. "What is it?"

Jack jerks and stares at Bucky for a moment. He clearly hadn't noticed him until now. That's worrying. "Bucky," he says. 

"Hi," Bucky says. He wants to reach out and touch Jack's arm or his wrist or his knee, but Jack doesn't love physical contact when he's off-kilter, and he's definitely off-kilter. "What's going on? What's in the letter?"

Jack looks back at the letter. His hands shake. "Um. Lynette–my sister–Lynette. She–" He swallows hard.

Bucky usually teases Jack for the way he always reminds Bucky who his family members are, as if Bucky can't list them off himself by now. He knows Jack has Lynette, his only sibling. She's a year older than Jack and spent her teenage years making their parents crazy with her determination to carve out a piece of the world for herself. Jack adores her and sometimes reads parts of her letters aloud. She's funny and sharp in writing. Especially in the last few months as her pregnancy has progressed. 

"Is she okay?" Bucky asks. "Is the baby okay?"

Jack nods and the letter crumples at the edges from his grip. "It's a boy. Leon Franklin McTaggert, the third. Nineteen inches. Six pounds. Healthy."

"Good," Bucky says. He takes a slow breath because he is very worried about the next question. "What about Lydia?"

Jack sags forward, back bowing in a way that makes Bucky ache. It looks so wrong, Jack slumping like that. "She's okay," he whispers. It sounds like it hurts. "She's okay, but she…she had a lot of bleeding after. A lot."

Bucky lets out the breath he didn't mean to be holding. "Shit," he says. He lifts his hand, but stops himself before he places it on Jack's curved back. "Are you–-Jesus, what a terrible thing to find out in a letter."

"She talked Mother out of sending a telegram," Jack says. "I can't imagine how she had the fight in her at the time. It was…it was a lot of blood."

As much as Bucky loves Lydia via her letters and Jack's adoration, he finds their parents terribly frustrating. They want to run their children's lives but also expect them to stand on their own feet. Jack's explained it before, and it does nothing but confuse Bucky. He's heard a few of the letters from Jack's mother as well, and she sounds so dry and firm and downright empty. Bucky's heard letters from the other fellas's moms, and none of them sound like that. 

"Of course she had the fight in her," Bucky says rather than say anything about Jack's mother. "She'll always have it. Especially if it's making sure you don't get a terrifying telegram from your mother."

Jack drops the letter on the coffee table and drops his head in his hands. "If she dies–"

"Hush," Bucky says. "She's fine. She told you so."

"I shouldn't have to worry about her," Jack mutters, more to himself than Bucky. 

Bucky has a strong urge to apologize for happily giving up the Air Exec job, thereby sticking Jack with it. But the last time he'd tried, Jack had threatened to slug him if he ever brought it up again. And Bucky is sure Jack will knock him clean out. 

"Can I give you a hug?" Bucky blurts out because it's the only thing he can think to do or say. 

Jack lifts his head and looks at him, confused. "What?" he asks. 

"Can I give you a hug?" Bucky asks. "You look like you could use a hug." He shrugs when Jack keeps staring at him. "It's okay if you don't want it. I know you don't like to–" 

"Yes," Jack interrupts. "Yes. Please."

Bucky pulls him into his arms and holds on tight. Jack wraps his arms around Bucky's torso and presses his face hard against Bucky's neck. Bucky rubs his hands up and down Jack's back and feels him shudder. "I'm here, Jack," he says. 

Jack shifts closer, practically in Bucky's lap, and he gets two handfuls of Bucky's jacket. He takes a deep breath, then another. Bucky just keeps holding him. Keeps rubbing his back. He doesn't know how long they sit like that until Jack loosens his hold and lifts his head. 

Bucky cups his cheek. Jack's eyes are dry, but there's still a little terror there. "You want to write her back right away?" he asks. "Or we could stop by the telegraph office and send a note."

"Stop by on the way to where?" Jack asks. "You came in here with a plan of some kind, didn't you?"

"I always have a plan," Bucky says with an extra-large grin because he knows it'll make Jack huff and look fond. He's right. 

"I have work."

Bucky's grin gets even wider as he pulls Harding's note from his pocket. "I got you a pass," he says. 

Jack unfolds it, reads it, and actually chuckles quietly. "Why did you rope him in?"

"Because you have work," Bucky answers. "And I know you don't like to leave it undone."

"No, I don't," Jack agrees. He sets the note next to the letter, and for a moment, he stares at the letter again. "My parents don't care for hugging," he says. "Lydia's the only person who ever hugs me."

Bucky reaches for Jack's hand and gives it a squeeze. "Well, I won't tell her I broke her streak if you don't want."

Jack looks back at him, and this time there are tears in his eyes. "She's been telling me for ages to let you," he says. "I told her I felt odd sometimes because I felt like you wanted to hold me when I'm having a rough time, and I've never wanted that from anyone except her, but I started wanting to let you. She was the only one who really comforted me when we were growing up. Like this, I mean." He squeezes Bucky's hand to make his point clear.

Bucky wants to write Jack's parents a very mean letter. His relationship with his parents is a mess, no question, but at least they fucking hugged him when he was scared or sad or upset. He pulls Jack close again with their joined hands and presses their foreheads together. "I'll hold you or not hold you however or whenever you want, Jack. Tell Lydia you're in good hands."

Jack nods and one of his hands slips around Bucky's waist. "I will," he says. "She'll be glad to hear it."

"And tell her I can't wait to bother her absolutely when I meet her the first time. I bet Leon looks a lot like that kid Buck I grew up with."

Jack cracks a laugh. "You are not giving my nephew your goddamn name."

"Oh, just try and stop me," Bucky replies, and he laughs, too, when Jack shoves his shoulders, then pulls him in close again.

[rare-candies]

Pokemon SWSH sequel (Part 1)

Just some fun ideas I have after the original swsh story was kind underwhelming. Here we goooo!

The protagonist moves to Galar upon being sponsored by Leon to take part in the Galar League Championships. He seems to have a lot of faith in you as an up and coming trainer. Rose is serving his prison sentence after turning himself into the authorities following the events of SWSH. Oleana is assigned to community service in the Galar Mines and has been keeping a low-profile. In her downtime, she's returned to her roots as a researcher in hopes of carrying on Rose's legacy. Even after the threat of the Darkest Day, Rose gained a sizeable following for his vision of a Galar powered by energy from Eternatus. An anonymous member from this group arranged for Rose's release in exchange for a large monetary sum. Rose would go on to assume the identity of his younger brother Peony, to stay out of the public eye. You, the protagonist, attend the Spikemuth gym grand opening ceremony, where Leon is suddenly attacked during his opening speech. The stadium is filled with smoke, and the attacker kidnaps Leon, making a swift escape. Word of Leon's disappearance would spread quickly through Galar. Marnie, now Spikemuth Gym leader, is worried for Leon and frustrated by the events after the ceremony. She felt as if all of her years of work building Spikemuth's reputation were lost, and trainers would no longer feels safe and welcome in her hometown. She urges you to not let this situation hinder your training, and suggests you meet with Leon's brother, Hop. You travel to visit Hop, now assistant to professor Sonia. Hop is shocked at the news, and finds it hard to believe anyone could take on Leon so easily. He expresses the desire to help you find Leon and the people behind the attack, but is confident his brother can handle himself. Sonia shares news of some recent disturbances to the Pokemon near Wedgehurst, highly unusual activity for the town. You go to the site of the incident, and the area is blocked off, guarded by a man in suit. He tells you Sigma Corp has taken over the investigation. Upon returning to the lab, you report your findings. There is little information to be found on Sigma Corp, only that that were an ex-subsidiary of Macro Cosmos. The rest of their history is largely shrouded in mystery, and they were assumed defunct. Suspecting Oleana may have some answers, you meet with her alongside Hop and Sonia in the Galar mines. She recalls her dealings with Sigma, although brief. Macro Cosmos dropped them after Sigma circulated rumors that the Galar Championships were rigged, likely stemming from a personal disdain towards Leon. It wasn't uncommon after all, a lot of people were jealous of the reigning Champion's status. You leave the mine and receive a call from Raihan informing you that there's trouble at the Battle Tower, and your next gym challenge will have to be delayed. You travel to Wyndon and meet in Leon's office, where you find Raihan arguing with a Sigma Corp officer. The officer procures a contract and explains that in the absence of a chairman, the company would fall to them. The papers appear to be signed by ex-chairman Rose. The argument comes to a head when Raihan defends Leon, stating he never stepped down by choice. He teams up with you for a battle, and the officer is defeated. Their superior, a Team Sigma Exec, enters the scene shortly after and apologizes for their behavior. However, Sigma Corp has seized total control of the Battle Tower and the Exec claims Leon's chair as his own. He requests a meeting with you in private and has Raihan escorted out by security. He starts off by expressing his sympathies towards Leon's disappearance, and claims he's read much about you through Leon's sponsorship letters. He explains that Sigma's purpose is to clean up the corporate corruption that Rose had left behind, and blames the attack at Spikemuth on internal affairs. Sigma's goal is security and safety for all of Galar, with a promise of "honesty above all", the company's trademark phrase. He vows to bring Leon home safely with your help, but an equally pressing matter is at hand. He shows you a clip of Eternatus and Rose supporters protesting outside Hammerlocke stadium, and then reveals a strange looking wishing star- artificial and unstable in nature. Some extremists wish to create the Darkest Day by their own means. He assigns you the task of attending the next organized protest to investigate further, and then introduces you to your partner for the mission: a silent mild-mannered Sigma Scout, and ex-popstar, Marigold. Their one-hit wonder career exploded when Macro Cosmos used their songs in many of their early campaigns. Their identity remains hidden to the protagonist under the guise of a Scout named Blythe. You travel to Stow-on-Side where the next protest is underway. Peony (Rose in disguise) is seen meeting with a man outside of the gym where the crowd has gathered. Blythe is the first to recognize him, and addresses him as "former champion Peony". This is the first time the protagonist hears Blythe speak at all. You ask him what business he has at Stow-on-Side and he explains he just returned from a trek down the neighboring mountains and in need of a rest. Peony heads towards the Pokemon Center, and Blythe suggests following him, as he'd been more agreeable than the protesting crowds. Before you can reach the Pokemon Center, a protestor intervenes, referring to himself as one of Rose's "Thorns". You defeat the grunt, and are shortly after alarmed to commotion at the gym. Inside the gym, it appears "Team Thorn" is demonstrating the power of an artificial wishing star, identical to that which the Sigma Exec showed you. Bea has her team at the ready to defend her gym, but the immense wave of energy generated by the star shook the building to it's core, and everyone near it. Bea's Machamp begins reacting to the energy, forcing it to Gigantamax in the stadium and lose control, deaf to it's trainer's commands. People begin to flee when it threatens to attack the crowd, but the star-holder remained, declaring the demonstration a success. The star’s dying glow tells him he may have spoke too soon, as the wave of power fizzled out as quickly as it came. He make his narrow escape before Sigma officers arrive on scene to vacate the premises. Machamp returns normal after the power surge faded, and Bea was as relieved for her partner as she was livid at Team Thorn. She leaves promptly to train, stating they'd need to be in top-shape for next time they meet. You reach the Pokemon Centre, but Peony has left. You learn from the locals that he may have been headed to the new Hall of Fame Museum in Motostoke...

TBC!

[tabloidtoc]

Hollywood Reporter, October 16

Cover: Bob Iger and Disney+ 

Page 8: Contents 

Page 10: Contents 

Page 17: The Report -- South Park, LeBron James, Hollywood and the new self-censorship mess 

Page 18: Shari Redstone explores plan to launch Fox News rival 

Page 20: NFL’s ratings comeback: What’s stoking the fire? 

Page 22: NBC News chief’s writing gigs add drama to Ronan Farrow flap, Americans divided over Matt Lauer fallout and NBC response 

Page 24: Box Office, Broadcast TV, Cable TV, Billboard Hot 100, Billboard 200 

Page 26: 7 Days of Deals -- Endangered? Hardly. Bob Weinstein attempts animation comeback, More streamers? No Problem for MIPCOM sellers, Rights Available! The Education of Brett Kavanaugh by Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly, The Divines by Ellie Eaton, Film -- Zoe Kravitz, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Samara Weaving, Billy Porter, Daveed Diggs 

Page 27: Cherry Jones, Elisabeth Moss, Felicity Jones and Shailene Woodley, Russell Crowe and Kevin Williamson, Len Wiseman, Colm McCarthy, Television -- Mandy Moore, Michael Bloom, Chuck Lorre, Sarah Silverman, Holly Hunter, Rob Gronkowski, Jenna Dewan, Digital -- Alfonso Cuaron, Patrick Moran, James Vanderbilt, Jason Sudeikis, Clive Owen, Kerry Washington, Hadley Robinson, Erik Oleson, Real Estate -- Lisa Henson sold to Michael Patrick King, Sebastian Maniscalco, Rep Sheet -- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Francis Ford Coppola, Pamela Adlon, Gwen Hollander 

Page 29: About Town -- Next Big Thing -- Da’Vine Joy Randolph 

Page 30: Wellness tips for sharks, THR Confidential -- which studio kept its priceless papers in a salt mine? 

Page 32: Yes, I Did Say That! -- Mindy Kaling, Ana Navarro-Cardenas, Noah Oppenheim, Elon Musk, Courtney Kube, Paula Abdul, Ted Sarandos, Jane Fonda 

Page 34: THR’s Power Business Managers Breakfast -- Lou Taylor and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Ashley Cullins and Andrew Meyer, Randy O’Connor and Harvey Gettleson and John Rigney, Shawn Holley, John A. Blakeman and Buwa Ijirigho, Steven Shapiro and Eric Fulton, Robin Greenhill and Michelle Benedict and Heather Kinder, Scott Stuber and Martha Henderson, Rob Seltzer and Steve Campeas, John McIlwee and Alex Grissom 

Page 35: Power of Style -- Jordan LaValle and Meg Chapman, Bozoma Saint John and Negar Ali Kline, Carolyn Manetti and Stephanie Gisondi-Little and Ann Cherkis, Dana Asher Levine and Mindy Weiss, Richard Weitz and Matthew Belloni and Alexandra von Bargen and Debbie Flynn and Andrew Weitz and Francesca Pittaluga, Tanya Gill and Caryn Capotosto, THR’s Women in Global Entertainment Lunch -- Marisa Guthrie and Dream Hampton and Brie Miranda Bryant

Page 36: Gala in the Garden -- Gloria Steinem and Rita Wilson and Judy Chicago and Ann Philbin, Jordan Peele and Ron Meyer, Song Kang-ho and Park So-dam and Bong Joon-ho, Elizabeth Chambers Hammer, Chris Martin and Beck, Katie McGrath and J.J. Abrams and Roxane Gay and Debbie Millman, amfAR Gala -- Hale Leon and Frankie Grande and Lea Michele, Christina Aguilera, Dan Bucatinsky and Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Ross, Alan Cumming, Jay Ellis and Tricia Helfer, Eva Longoria, Paris Jackson, Rumer Willis, Cheyenne Jackson 

Page 38: Rambling Reporter -- Adam Driver and Mark Hamill, Jared Leto upset over Joker film, tapes of Judy Garland’s last performances, Nicholas Britell, Power Dining -- Kamala Harris and Shangela, Michael Barker, Jon Feltheimer and John Burnham and Bryan Lourd, Andy Cohen and Bruce Bozzi and Simon Halls and John Mayer and Ricky Van Veen, Edgar Ramirez, Jennifer Stallone, Conan O’Brien, Robert Herjavec 

Page 40: Hitched, Hatched, Hired 

Page 42: The Business -- Aaron L. Gilbert 

Page 44: Tim Cook’s bumpy TV launch 

Page 48: Martin Scorsese isn’t wrong about Marvel (he isn’t right, either) 

Page 52: Authenticity is everything for a star’s beauty brand -- Lady Gaga, Ryan Seacrest, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Alba, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rihanna, Millie Bobby Brown 

Page 54: Men’s Athleisure for office? Don’t laugh, Here come the electric hypercars, Power Shopping -- Sylvester Stallone, Jennifer Aniston, Diana Ross,  Katie Holmes, Hawk Koch, Max Greenfield, Jameela Jamil, Gwyneth Paltrow 

Page 56: One of the world’s largest penthouses ... in WeHo? 

Page 58: Cover Story -- Disney Over the Top -- Let the streaming wars begin 

Page 64: THR 100 -- the ranking of Hollywood’s most powerful execs, makers, stars and powerhouses 

Page 78: Miranda Kerr’s Malibu moment 

Page 82: WarnerMedia’s new war rooms 

Page 86: Inside the Katy Perry convent 

Page 90: Making art “flow” in Beverly Hills -- Sidney and Caroline Kimmel 

Page 93: Review -- Watchmen 

Page 94: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil 

Page 95: Social Climbers -- Actors -- Tyler Perry, Bette Midler, Comedians -- Bassem Youssef, Scripted TV -- Riverdale 

Page 97: Backlot -- Lina Wertmuller 

Page 98: Steve Coogan 

Page 100: Aldis Hodge 

Page 104: 90 Years of THR -- Michelle Pfeiffer’s first fairy tale was Ladyhawke

[mechanicalinertia]

STMPD Recommends Bubblegum Crisis Fanfic: Grab Bag O' Good

I've already done this twice, for fanfics so laughably bad and pitifully short that they don't really deserve a deep dive. This time, though, I'm gonna do the reverse, and review shorter fics that are Actually Good. Get ready to be amused.

Tempest Dash's His Blood Still Cries: A fun but short fic about a middling GENOM exec who ends up hearing Largo's voice inside his head as he works on salvaging the SuperBoomer's corpse for Quincy. Eventually he escapes with several more powerful Boomers, and this parallels the Sabers fighting just one of those Boomers. It's a good fight scene, actually, with some goofball ADP jockeys playing around and getting mangled in the process. So... yeah. I'm not enthusiastic about this fic, but I think it's good and you should read it, simple as that.

Markmeister's Urban Hunter: Unfortunately unfinished, ending just as it was getting exciting, this is a simple premise: Predator 2 in Megatokyo. There's even a heatwave and everything. So just like in Predator 2, the Sabers and the ADP are overwhelmed by Boomer incidents and intense heat, and after seeing the Sabers deal with some Boomers, Preddy-chan decides they are worthy opponents indeed, Leon ends up with a mysterious contact in the police who tells him he has no idea what he's dealing with (but she's a gal, not Gary Busey), etc etc etc. It's really good. There are so many goddamn plot threads to follow - terrorists accessing GENOM files before getting Predator'd, the heatwave causing Boomer malfunctions when it shouldn't because of a virus triggered by a foreign rival (Quincy a sympathetic character? Gee whiz), the Predator traumatizing an ADP officer out in the Fault (Bakemono! she screams) - and nothing comes of it! Damn author lost interest! You've got to read this one, guys!

Martin D Pay's Vignettes A La Ronde: Basically, with no explanation, it's the Sabers talking about each other, and themselves. Like an interview. What do these people think of one another? It takes some work figuring out who's talking and who they're talking about, but the characterizations are good. I wouldn't say copy the character impressions verbatim if you write fanfiction, I personally think the Sabers are closer than this fic implies, but you know what? It's still worth a read. Required reading, maybe.

Neil A Sinclair (Robyn, Duke of Amber)'s Midnight Hour: I don't especially like the legacy of this guy Sinclair, he comes off very annoying on the old Usenet forum, but you know what this is pretty good stuff. Maybe the initial characterization of the other Sabers is a little off, maybe the grammar's weird, but, uh, howzabout that last part with Linna? It's so unexpected and yet seems to slide into what we know of the character in an incredibly dark way. I would never write the girl as thus in my own fic but... it's an interpretation that unnerves me in just the right way. For that alone I put it on this list.

Anyway, that's it. Next time... eh. I dunno. I've got a few ideas for fics I might review but it's all a bunch of mixed bags. We'll see what comes up.

[wp-yahoo-style-1042-yahoopa-blog]

Fashion designer casts all Asian models for historic NYFW runway show

In a historic moment at New York Fashion Week, Claudia Li featured an all Asian model cast in showing her Spring 2019 collection. It was a monumental step forward in fashion’s diversity movement.

As an Asian designer, Li felt it was the right time. “People are starting to realize that there is diversity within the Asian group … not just a single … perspective [or] kind of beauty,” Li told Yahoo Lifestyle. Li grew up in New Zealand, where, she says, she was “surrounded by the mountains, fields of flowers, and low-lying clouds.” But she was a minority, and she didn’t reflect the Asian stereotype.

Claudia Li at the end of her New York Fashion Week show, Sept. 9, 2018. (Photo: Getty)

“I had maybe three Asian girls in my high school, and so people always thought, you’re good at math, you’re good at science, you’re smart, you don’t go out at night,” Li says. “Well, guess what, I drove without a license. … I played field hockey. … I sang in a metal band.” At one point, Li said, she ran away with a “cute surfer for a month” and her dad had to drag her home.

Clearly, she’s far from what people might expect from her as an Asian woman. “We all have different personalities,” Li said. “There are Asian girls [who] listen to punk; Asian girls who listen to hip-hop.” Li wanted to represent this diversity in her show.

A model walks the runway in the Claudia Li show during New York Fashion Week, Sept. 9, 2018. (Photo: Getty)

A model walks the runway in Claudia Li’s show during New York Fashion Week, Sept. 9, 2018. (Photo: Getty)

This moment was also huge for Li because, though she has presented eight collections at NYFW in the past, this was her first runway show. Memories of growing up in New Zealand and her mother’s lush garden inspired this very personal collection. When the designer was a child, her room had a sliding door that opened straight into her mother’s flowers. “When I was a toddler … I would walk around in my mom’s garden, and all the flowers just seemed gigantic to me.” The flowers in Li’s collection were inspired by New Zealand’s Mount Cook lily. The soft, buttercup-yellow flower was reimagined as embroidery and 3D lace floral appliqués on dresses, blouses, and coats.

A model walks the runway in the Claudia Li show during New York Fashion Week, Sept. 9, 2018. (Photo: Getty)

A model walks the runway in the Claudia Li show during New York Fashion Week, Sept. 9, 2018. (Photo: Getty)

The collection felt excitingly fresh and modern, but still displayed Li’s signature touches: exaggerated sleeves, wide-legged trousers, and exquisite layering. The palette veered between rich and vibrant colors like magenta and cobalt to soft shades like pale yellow, nude, and classic white. Colorful ropes were the connective tissue tying the looks together. They were used around tops, and to cinch up blouses and belt dresses; they dangled like tassels from clutched handbags.

Colorful ropes were used to tie looks together in Claudia Li’s Spring 2019 collection, shown at New York Fashion Week on Sept. 9, 2018. (Photo: Getty)

The ropes were used as belts, cinches, and tassels at Claudia Li’s show during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 9, 2018. (Photo: Getty)

Claudia Li has long been known for her clothing “sets”: two- or three-piece items that pair seamlessly. Li — a busy New York City woman herself — offered these sets to help make dressing easier, with no time wasted in trying to determine what goes with what. In this collection the idea has evolved. “This season we broke it up and it’s a wardrobe,” Li said.

The push for racial diversity in fashion has made strides, but few and far between. In 2017, Kenzo’s Humberto Leon and Carol Lim cast 83 Asian models to show their Spring 2018 collection. It’s the only other example of large Asian representation compared with how many shows featuring all-white model casts? Probably too many to count.

Awkwafina attends the Claudia Li show at New York Fashion Week, on Sept. 9, 2018. (Photo: Getty Images)

Awkwafina, star of Crazy Rich Asians, sat front row for this historic show, which was symbolic for many reasons. The film, released this summer, is a major advance for Asian representation in Hollywood. It has since shattered box-office records, becoming the most successful romantic comedy in nine years and grossing over $160 million worldwide so far.

Claudia Li is now part of a group of forward-thinkers pushing the envelope in fashion, film, and the other arts.  Hopefully, her show is only the first of many more diverse moments to come.

Read More from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• Curvy shoppers grill retail execs: ‘Plus-size’ applies to body shapes other than ‘hourglass’ • Political slogan tee strikes at NYFW: ‘Vote for Cynthia’ Nixon  • Curvy woman pleads for wide-calf boots that actually fit: ‘It’s my dream’

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.

[magtira]

DICT exec shares digital parenting tip: Be your kid’s first Facebook friend

DICT exec shares digital parenting tip: Be your kid’s first Facebook friend

By Espie Angelica A. de Leon

Genalyn B. Macalinao, planning officer of the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s (DICT) CyberSecurity Bureau, told parents in a recent conference that if their teenage kid decides to open a Facebook account, they should be his first friend. Doing so is one of the seven steps to good digital parenting.

Genalyn B. Macalinao, planning officer of…

[orbemnews]

Wall Street is ignoring the risk of corporate tax hikes What’s happening: Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure proposal, called the American Jobs Plan, would increase the corporate income tax rate to 28% from 21%. On Monday, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also called for a global minimum corporate tax to stop a “race to the bottom,” wherein multinational firms book profits in countries with the most forgiving tax systems. “Together, we can use global minimum tax to make sure that the global economy thrives, based on a more level playing field in the taxation of multinational corporations, and spurs innovation, growth and prosperity,” Yellen said in a speech to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. You’d expect such policy aims to spook stock investors, since higher taxes eat into corporate profits. But Wall Street roared higher on Monday. The Dow and S&P 500 closed at all-time highs. Strategists say investors are waiting for a better sense of the dynamics shaping the coming tax debate before making decisions about their portfolios. But there’s reason to think some major reassessments may be required. In years when both corporate and individual taxes were increased, stocks averaged returns of 2.4%, according to Julian Emanuel, chief equity and derivates strategist at BTIG. The following year averaged -0.9%. That’s compared to a long-run annual average of 7.7%. Last summer, Dave Zion of Zion Research Group ran the numbers on how Biden’s tax could hit corporate profits. He estimated that S&P 500 companies could see a decline in earnings of nearly 10%. Big picture: We’re still in the early stages of debating tax proposals. But unless negotiations completely break down, higher costs for companies are coming — a fact that has yet to be fully appreciated by markets. Jeffrey Sacks, head of investment strategy in Europe, the Middle East and Africa for Citi Private Bank and a member of the firm’s Global Investment Committee, told me that investors haven’t reacted strongly because of ambiguity about the details, including the timeline for when higher taxes could take effect. The United Kingdom, which has announced plans to hike taxes on the country’s biggest companies, is a “leading indicator,” he noted. But the UK government isn’t planning to implement the increases until 2023, after the economic recovery from the pandemic has largely played out. “We expect much the same in the US,” Sacks said. Watch this space: The mood could change in the months ahead, as investors pivot from worrying about inflation to fretting about a new tax regime. Goldman Sachs has noted that in 2017, when former President Donald Trump’s tax cuts were being debated, investors were jolted into action just a month before the bill was passed. The impact on US markets was then felt until the middle of 2018. Credit Suisse execs out as bank takes huge Archegos hit The collapse last month of US hedge fund Archegos Capital cost Credit Suisse nearly $4.7 billion and two of the bank’s top executives their jobs. The Swiss bank said Tuesday that it was likely to report a pretax loss of 900 million Swiss francs ($959 million) for the first quarter of this year after taking a charge of 4.4 billion Swiss francs ($4.7 billion) for the failure of Archegos. Credit Suisse (CS) said that Brian Chin, its top investment banker, and chief risk officer Lara Warner would both be leaving the bank. Other members of the executive board will not receive bonuses for the 2020 financial year, and board chairman Urs Rohner will give up 1.5 million Swiss francs ($1.6 million) in compensation. Thomas Gottstein, who became CEO last year, will remain in his job. “The significant loss … relating to the failure of a US-based hedge fund is unacceptable,” Gottstein said in a statement. “Serious lessons will be learned. Credit Suisse remains a formidable institution with a rich history.” Credit Suisse also said it would slash its dividend and suspend share buybacks. Remember: Archegos imploded in March after it used borrowed money to build massive positions in stocks including media companies ViacomCBS and Discovery. Credit Suisse and Japan’s Nomura were among the major institutions exposed to losses. It’s not Credit Suisse’s only stumble in recent weeks. Earlier in March, it froze $10 billion in investment funds connected to failed UK supply chain finance firm Greensill Capital, which provided cash advances to companies owed money by customers. Investor insight: Bank stocks have soared this year thanks to expectations for a robust economic recovery. But not Credit Suisse. The Swiss bank’s stock is off more than 10% in 2021, while competitor UBS has jumped 21%. The KBW Bank Index, which tracks US lenders, has risen roughly 25%. Is the NFT bubble bursting already? Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, have been all the rage. But their popularity may have already peaked. Prices of NFTs, the digital certificates that have taken the art and collectibles world by storm, have plunged about 70% from their high point in February, my CNN Business colleague Paul R. La Monica reports. The average price for an NFT on Monday was about $1,256 — down from more than $4,000 in late February, according to market research site NonFungible.com. Data from The Block, another crypto research firm, shows a similar decline. NFTs have been at the center of an investing and pop culture mania for the past few weeks, leading some to wonder if the frenzy is a market bubble fueled by the wealthy and younger traders flush with stimulus money. See here: A JPEG file by the digital artist Beeple recently sold for $69 million at Christie’s. NFTs have helped boost the price of sports trading cards, and rock group Kings of Leon released their most recent album as an NFT. The digital tokens were even the subject of a recent “Saturday Night Live” skit. Is this just a quick pullback, or has the phenomenon run its course? Time will tell — but even Beeple joked with CNN’s Julia Chatterley last month that he could be the biggest winner of a potential NFT bubble. Up next The International Monetary Fund’s latest economic outlook goes live at 8:30 a.m. ET. Coming tomorrow: The Reserve Bank of India unveils its latest interest rate decision, and Carnival reports results Source link Orbem News #corporate #hikes #Ignoring #investing #Premarketstocks:WallStreetisignoringtheriskofcorporatetaxhikes-CNN #risk #Street #Tax #Wall

[dipulb3]

Wall Street is ignoring the risk of corporate tax hikes

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/wall-street-is-ignoring-the-risk-of-corporate-tax-hikes/

Wall Street is ignoring the risk of corporate tax hikes

What’s happening: Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure proposal, called the American Jobs Plan, would increase the corporate income tax rate to 28% from 21%. On Monday, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also called for a global minimum corporate tax to stop a “race to the bottom,” wherein multinational firms book profits in countries with the most forgiving tax systems.

“Together, we can use global minimum tax to make sure that the global economy thrives, based on a more level playing field in the taxation of multinational corporations, and spurs innovation, growth and prosperity,” Yellen said in a speech to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

You’d expect such policy aims to spook stock investors, since higher taxes eat into corporate profits. But Wall Street roared higher on Monday. The Dow and S&P 500 closed at all-time highs.

Strategists say investors are waiting for a better sense of the dynamics shaping the coming tax debate before making decisions about their portfolios. But there’s reason to think some major reassessments may be required.

In years when both corporate and individual taxes were increased, stocks averaged returns of 2.4%, according to Julian Emanuel, chief equity and derivates strategist at BTIG. The following year averaged -0.9%. That’s compared to a long-run annual average of 7.7%.

Last summer, Dave Zion of Zion Research Group ran the numbers on how Biden’s tax could hit corporate profits. He estimated that S&P 500 companies could see a decline in earnings of nearly 10%.

Big picture: We’re still in the early stages of debating tax proposals. But unless negotiations completely break down, higher costs for companies are coming — a fact that has yet to be fully appreciated by markets.

Jeffrey Sacks, head of investment strategy in Europe, the Middle East and Africa for Citi Private Bank and a member of the firm’s Global Investment Committee, told me that investors haven’t reacted strongly because of ambiguity about the details, including the timeline for when higher taxes could take effect.

The United Kingdom, which has announced plans to hike taxes on the country’s biggest companies, is a “leading indicator,” he noted. But the UK government isn’t planning to implement the increases until 2023, after the economic recovery from the pandemic has largely played out.

“We expect much the same in the US,” Sacks said.

Watch this space: The mood could change in the months ahead, as investors pivot from worrying about inflation to fretting about a new tax regime. Goldman Sachs has noted that in 2017, when former President Donald Trump’s tax cuts were being debated, investors were jolted into action just a month before the bill was passed. The impact on US markets was then felt until the middle of 2018.

Credit Suisse execs out as bank takes huge Archegos hit

The collapse last month of US hedge fund Archegos Capital cost Credit Suisse nearly $4.7 billion and two of the bank’s top executives their jobs.

The Swiss bank said Tuesday that it was likely to report a pretax loss of 900 million Swiss francs ($959 million) for the first quarter of this year after taking a charge of 4.4 billion Swiss francs ($4.7 billion) for the failure of Archegos.

Credit Suisse (CS) said that Brian Chin, its top investment banker, and chief risk officer Lara Warner would both be leaving the bank. Other members of the executive board will not receive bonuses for the 2020 financial year, and board chairman Urs Rohner will give up 1.5 million Swiss francs ($1.6 million) in compensation.

Thomas Gottstein, who became CEO last year, will remain in his job.

“The significant loss … relating to the failure of a US-based hedge fund is unacceptable,” Gottstein said in a statement. “Serious lessons will be learned. Credit Suisse remains a formidable institution with a rich history.”

Credit Suisse also said it would slash its dividend and suspend share buybacks.

Remember: Archegos imploded in March after it used borrowed money to build massive positions in stocks including media companies ViacomCBS and Discovery. Credit Suisse and Japan’s Nomura were among the major institutions exposed to losses.

It’s not Credit Suisse’s only stumble in recent weeks. Earlier in March, it froze $10 billion in investment funds connected to failed UK supply chain finance firm Greensill Capital, which provided cash advances to companies owed money by customers.

Investor insight: Bank stocks have soared this year thanks to expectations for a robust economic recovery. But not Credit Suisse. The Swiss bank’s stock is off more than 10% in 2021, while competitor UBS has jumped 21%. The KBW Bank Index, which tracks US lenders, has risen roughly 25%.

Is the NFT bubble bursting already?

Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, have been all the rage. But their popularity may have already peaked.

Prices of NFTs, the digital certificates that have taken the art and collectibles world by storm, have plunged about 70% from their high point in February, my Appradab Business colleague Paul R. La Monica reports.

The average price for an NFT on Monday was about $1,256 — down from more than $4,000 in late February, according to market research site NonFungible.com. Data from The Block, another crypto research firm, shows a similar decline.

NFTs have been at the center of an investing and pop culture mania for the past few weeks, leading some to wonder if the frenzy is a market bubble fueled by the wealthy and younger traders flush with stimulus money.

See here: A JPEG file by the digital artist Beeple recently sold for $69 million at Christie’s. NFTs have helped boost the price of sports trading cards, and rock group Kings of Leon released their most recent album as an NFT. The digital tokens were even the subject of a recent “Saturday Night Live” skit.

Is this just a quick pullback, or has the phenomenon run its course? Time will tell — but even Beeple joked with Appradab’s Julia Chatterley last month that he could be the biggest winner of a potential NFT bubble.

Up next

The International Monetary Fund’s latest economic outlook goes live at 8:30 a.m. ET.

Coming tomorrow: The Reserve Bank of India unveils its latest interest rate decision, and Carnival reports results

[lipglossanon]

office exec x fem!reader:

Out of the Blue

You’re All I’ve Got Tonight

roommate x fem!reader:

They Were Roommates

I’m With You

sugar daddy x fem!reader:

As the Rush Comes

Who’s Crying Now

las plagas x fem!reader:

Got No Human Grace

re2make cop x fem!reader:

Playing Dangerous

friends with benefits:

Defective (Lack of Control)

masseuse x fem!reader:

Turbo Lover

dogman x fem!reader:

Stay Right Through

I Only Touched Her Hips (But She Saw It)

professor x fem!reader:

The Subject of Schoolgirl Fantasy

puppy x fem!reader:

Because

Guess Who? <Valentine’s Day one shot>

Warm My Heart (ko fi commission)

priest x fem!reader:

December Winds

boyfriend’s dad x fem!reader:

Magic Man

real dad x daughter fem!reader:

Family System

Show Me Love

Who Knows What She’s Gonna Say?

Red Flags and Long Nights

Oh By Gosh, By Golly

Turbo Killer (foursome w/ Krauser & Ashley)

A Workin’ Man (ko fi commission)

April Showers (ko fi commission)

real uncle x niece fem!reader:

Buried In Water (ko fi commission)

doctor leon x fem!reader:

Calling Dr. Love

las plagas & shape shifter crossover:

Mutual Future

dogman x puppy!fem reader:

Bound For the Floor

real bro x sister fem!reader:

I Want You (So Bad)

Green is the Colour (ko fi commission)

serial killer x fem!reader:

Gloom

Leon x hybrid fem!reader:

Shimmer

Stepson x stepmom fem!reader:

Dirty Little Secret

Real son x real mom!reader:

Modern Day Cain

Brother-In-Law x fem!reader:

Our Lips Are Sealed (ko fi commission)

Best friend x fem!reader:

What If We Could (ko fi commission)

blurbs:

Identification

Fat Lip

What Friends Are For

Rain

[phgq]

Cascolan reshuffles 8 more police execs

#PHnews: Cascolan reshuffles 8 more police execs

MANILA – Another eight senior police officials were included in the latest round of reorganization in the Philippine National Police (PNP).

In an order released on Tuesday, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Camilo Cascolan designated Directorate for Police Community Relations (DPCR) chief Maj. Gen. Dionardo Carlos to head the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations-Southern Luzon (DIPO-SL).

Meanwhile, replacing Carlos as DPCR chief is Brig. Gen. Rhodel Sermonia, formerly director of the Police Regional Office 3 (Central Luzon). Taking over the helm of the PRO-3 is former Brig. Gen. Valeriano de Leon from the Directorate for Human Resource and Doctrine Development (DHRDD).

Brig. Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr., current head of the Directorate for Intelligence (DI), was ordered to lead the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG). He would replace Brig. Gen. Ronald Lee, who was designated as the new DHRDD chief.

Replacing Acorda as DI chief is Brig. Gen. Adoldo Samala Jr., former Directorate for Plans (DPL) head.

Meanwhile, former Highway Patrol Group chief Brig. Gen. Eliseo dela Cruz will replace Samala as head of the DPL. Taking over the HPG is Brig. Gen. Alexander Tagum, from the Office of the Chief PNP.

The latest reshuffle will take effect on Wednesday.

This is the sixth reshuffle of police officials to various units implemented by Cascolan since he assumed as the country's top cop in September.

Cascolan earlier reminded all regional directors and commanders on the development and presence of leaders at all levels and at all times.

He said close mentoring and coaching would be emphasized under his watch to instill discipline and integrity in all aspects of policing. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "Cascolan reshuffles 8 more police execs." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1117671 (accessed October 07, 2020 at 12:13AM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "Cascolan reshuffles 8 more police execs." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1117671 (archived).

[mycelebritylifeus]

Executive Turntable: Amazon Music Names Head of Editorial, Wave Sweeps Up Netflix Exec

Executive Turntable: Amazon Music Names Head of Editorial, Wave Sweeps Up Netflix Exec

Amazon Music has hired Raymond Leon Roker as global head of editorial. Reporting to director Ryan Redington out of the company’s Los Angeles office, Roker will lead all aspects of Amazon Music’s editorial content strategy across music, video and voice.

“Raymond is an industry leader, and is coming to Amazon Music with an incredibly valuable perspective for compelling content,” said Redington in a…

[sportsheroics-blog]

Knicks to hire Jazz exec Walt Perrin as new assistant general manager, per report

The New York Knicks continue to tinker with their front office. After recently announcing that Scott Perry would remain the team's general manager under new president Leon Rose, the Knicks are finalizing a deal to make former Utah Jazz vice president of player personnel Walt Perrin their new assistant general manager, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Perrin has spent 19 seasons with the Jazz in several roles, and has also previously served as a scout for both the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves. Perry and Perrin will now work in concert under Rose.  In February, the Knicks parted way with Steve Mills after seven years as president of the organization. At the time, Perry took over basketball operations for New York on an interim basis. Then in early March, Rose was officially named the Knicks' new president.  After taking the job, Rose asked Knicks fans for patience as he tries to help the team climb back to contention.  "Our team has young talent, significant future assets and an ample amount of financial flexibility in the coming years," Rose said. "Everyone -- from ownership to athletes to staff and especially Read the full article

[youngandhungryent]

Sounds About White: ‘Harriet’ Screenwriter Says Studio Exec Suggested Julia Roberts In Lead Role

Source: Leon Bennett / Getty

The film Harriet, starring Cynthia Erivo in the lead role of Harriet Tubman, would have had an incorrectly casted star if it were up to a studio executive. The screenwriter for the film says the exec suggested the very-white Julia Roberts should play the famed Underground Railroad conductor.

The film’s producer and screenwriter Gregory Allen Howard has previously told the tale before that back in 1994 when he first began developing the concept of Harriet, he ran into some roadblocks. Allen’s story was retold in an essay he wrote for the Los Angeles Times where he shared how the executives attempted to turn the project into a debacle.

Allen was the lone Black person in the room in a studio meeting with the person who tried to twist Tubman’s narrative, chiming up when the exec said, “That was so long ago. No one will know that” — this in response to Allen reminding the exec of Tubman’s race.

After pitching the film, originally titled Freedom Fire, to several studios, Allen nearly put the idea on the shelf for good but 2013’s 12 Years A Slave gave him the confidence to try again, given the success of that film and its many accolades made Hollywood studios warm up to the idea naturally.

Also, the overwhelming box office success of Marvel’s Black Panther kicked down any remaining doors and thus Harriet was able to get the green light it deserved.

Read Gregory Allen Howard’s tale of persistence and redemption here.

—

Photo: Getty

source https://hiphopwired.com/829322/sounds-about-white-harriet-screenwriter-says-studio-exec-suggested-julia-roberts-in-lead-role/