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constant-calum · 6 years ago

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An Office Hoe-liday (Nick Mara)

Pairing: Nick Mara x Reader

Word Count: 1,515

Summary: Office gossip always travels fast, especially in the publishing business. But by the third year at your company, you can only say one thing...fuck it. (Part of the @prettymuchaholiday secret santa gift exchange).

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of sexual activity, implied smut, alcohol (of age)

A/N: Happy holidays, @rushuzzz ! I hope you enjoy your secret santa gift. I’d love to connect with you in the future to talk about Nick until our hearts burst. I hope 2019 brings you the best <3

The office ugly sweater holiday party was annual and mandatory. There was nothing you hated more than putting on a hot, itchy sweater, and hanging out with your annoying coworkers on a Saturday night. But you had to. You knew from experience that it wasn’t something you could get out of, especially because when you tried to cut two years ago, you got a friendly call from your boss asking where you were.

It wouldn’t be so bad if the crowd was a little bit different. But the problem with working at a major publishing company is that the average age in the office was somewhere around 40. Only you and two other workers were under the age of 25, and you tended to stick together. But with Edwin recovering from an appendix removal and Brandon at his sister’s wedding, you knew you would be spending the night alone.

You tugged at the turtleneck of your itchy green sweater as you stood in the tacky foyer of your boss’s home. It was early in the night--too early, in fact, for you to be sweating the way you were. It definitely didn’t help that you were on your third glass of wine, too tempted by the sweet release of alcohol to limit yourself to one glass. You couldn’t bring yourself to watch Phyllis from marketing do karaoke to “Sweet Caroline” completely sober.

The dim lighting of the room reflected off of the glitter and sequins on various sweaters, making your head start to pound lowly. Between that, the cheesy karaoke songs, and the heat of the room, you knew you had to escape somehow. Looking around for an exit, you immediately became flustered. There was no way out without being noticed. You thought you were doing well at concealing your discomfort until a hand tapped on your shoulder.

“Need some air?”

When you turned to face the hand’s owner, you were stunned in your place. You had never seen your boss’s son, only heard stories about through the insane amount of office gossip. Mr. Mara was quick to shut down any and all rumors about his son, but the gossip never stopped. One thing that you heard was definitely true. Nick Mara sure was handsome.

Even in an electric blue, polyester sweater with a tabby cat on the front that said “Meowwy Christmas,” his handsomeness and charm showed through. Maybe it was the way his ringed fingers curled around the neck of a cold beer, or maybe it was the shiny silver Rolex on his wrist. Either way, Nick looked like the walking intersection of wealth and beauty.

“No, no, I’m okay…” you answered politely, holding onto the stem of your wine glass that much tighter.

The boy just quirked an eyebrow at you, taking a quick scan of the room before leaning in close. “I know how to get out in a way that no one will see.”

“Sneaking out of the annual, mandatory office party? I think that would be case for dismissal from the company.” You joked back, trying to hide the hitch in your breath at his close proximity.

The tanned boy’s eyes gleamed with mischief. “Well then it must be a good thing that my dad can’t fire me.”

“Must be nice,” you scoffed playfully. “Some of us don’t have the luxury of being family.”

The glint in the young man’s eyes seemed brighter than ever. “Fair. So I’ll take that as a yes, you want to get out of here?”

You barely had a chance to smile before the boy was disappearing into the crowd of older bodies. It was difficult to keep up with him, seeing as he undeniably knew his house better than you did. But when you followed him into a dim hallway and down three steps, you were met with a sliding glass door. After taking the first step outside, you smiled widely.

The air felt cool on your skin, soothing the blooming itchy patches on your arms and neck. It was dark outside, the only light coming from the party behind you. Nick kept walking in front of you, leading you further out into what you could only assume was the backyard. Three lawn chairs stood unceremoniously in the large patch of grass, and Nick claimed one. He patted the seat next to him, and it took a second for your slightly tipsy figure to sit down comfortably.

“I never introduced myself!” You mumbled quietly. “I’m--”

“Y/N,” Nick cut you off. “I know. My dad talks about your work all the time. He says that if he didn’t have me, he would let you run the company someday.”

You choked on the red wine that you had been sipping on. “Are you fucking kidding me?! I just do cover designs. It’s only like my third year here. I don’t even work at the main location.”

“I know,” Nick chuckled slightly, taking a sip of his frosty beer. “But he loves your work.”

You sighed, letting your head that suddenly felt too heavy rest on the dirty cushion of the lawnchair. You had no idea that your boss thought so highly of you, especially highly enough to talk to his son about you. Either way, you were flattered.

Next to you, Nick sat quietly, sipping occasionally on his beer. You momentarily grazed his profile, taking in the sharp curve of his jawline and the casual quiff of his hair. He truly was handsome, a trait that you knew he definitely did not get from his father.

You liked your boss a lot. He was extremely caring and kind hearted when it came to his staff, but you couldn’t help but think he was a little bit selfish for hiding his son from the office. You heard Nick worked occasionally at the main office in the city, whereas your desk was located at the smaller outlet in the suburbs. You had never considered a location change...until now.

“So why are you here?” Nick suddenly asked, leaning back in his chair comfortably.

“This is mandatory for us normal people, remember?”

Nick nodded. “Right. But have you ever thought about coming just to show your face and then leaving early?”

You chuckled, taking another long swig of your wine. “Tried that last year. When I showed up on Monday, Janet and Eunice in editing were telling the whole graphics department that I left for a booty call. So I don’t think that’s the best solution.

Nick laughed loudly, clamping a hand over his mouth in an attempt to muffle the sound. “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t be laughing, but that’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“I know. At the time it sucked, but looking back on it, it’s hilarious. They were just salty they haven’t had any dick since their divorces.”

“Cute and sassy, I like it,” Nick chuckled.

You turned in his direction, quirking an eyebrow at his still-smiling frame. “Cute?”

“Very. You’re lucky you left the ugly sweater party early last year, because I was literally walking over to ask for your number as you were walking out. I had to wait a whole 365 days to see you again. I was happy to see you in a new sweater this time.”

You looked down at your Grinch-green fuzzy sweater and laughed. “So you have an ugly sweater fetish...cute.”

Now it was Nick’s turn to laugh. “I think I’m more just attracted to the beautiful woman who’s wearing the sweater.”

“Smooth,” you teased, letting the last bit of red wine slide down your throat. Despite the warmth flooding to your cheeks, the cold December air was beginning to bite at the tip of your nose. You could tell Nick was feeling the same way as he shivered slightly in his seat. “You cold?”

He shook his head. “It’s better than being in the house with all those stuffy people.”

You hummed softly, eyes trained on the house in front of you. You could vaguely see the silhouettes of people in the house, and you chuckled when you saw the dancing had begun. Nick seemed to notice at the same time, shaking his head before taking another swig of his beer.

“You know, you never asked me.” You started.

Nick looked confused. “Asked you for what?”

“We’ve been out here for well over ten minutes and you haven’t asked me for my number. I thought you would have at least gone with me to my car by now. But maybe that’s just the Meiomi talking.”

Nick was taken aback, not used to such a blunt nature in girls. His cheeks began to hold a pink hue, and he wished he could blame it all on the cold. But as he stole a glance at the smirk on your face, he knew it was all you.

“Y/N, are you implying that we should ditch the annual, mandatory ugly sweater office holiday party?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” you turned to him with a devilish smile. “But for an actual booty call this time.”

#rushuzzz #prettymuch #escritos #nm #prettymuchaholiday #secret santa

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