#thread: acercontego008

[carelessgraces]

@acercontego ( plotted starter )

( She hadn’t planned it. She’d arrived at the appointment with Chris Callahan knowing exactly how it would go; he’s a predictable man, and she likes that about him. It makes him a reliable client. And she’d been sitting across from him at his desk, handing him a report, and his door had opened, and he’d looked up and offered a brief nod to the interloper. And Astoria had turned around to say that this was a closed meeting, would he mind waiting —

     My son, Chris said, and if she didn’t know better she’d think he sounded bored by it, Ben. Ben, this is —

     And Astoria stood, extended a manicured hand, smiled. Bright. Warm. “Elizabeth.” The Dublin accent she loved so much was absent, replaced by a crisp Londoner’s royal pronunciation. Between the voice and the blonde wig and the herringbone blazer, it would have been hard to find any of Astoria in her. “Elizabeth Vane. It’s a pleasure. )

     It’s Elizabeth who arrives at the cocktail party — thrown by Chris and his wife, the sort of party that made the lovely Mrs. Callahan wave her hand and say oh, it’s nothing, when it had been clear that every single second of the night had been meticulously planned. It’s Elizabeth who introduces herself to the newest member of the board, one of the people Chris will surely have her look into soon enough.

     It’s Astoria who catches sight of Ben smiling pleasantly and saying help me !! with his eyes as he gets cornered by a retired partner who seems not to notice. It’s Astoria who slips through the little crowd of people to his side and smiles, bright, warm, and steals him away. It’s a simple enough process — a little joke here that gets everyone laughing, a hand on his arm, glancing his way a few too many times, and when she gets the chance to tug him to the side for some alone time, everyone simply offers up an indulgent little grin and a nod while Astoria Elizabeth links an arm through his and guides him towards the door.

     “You looked like you could use some saving.” There’s been flirting. There’s been teasing. There have been moments when all she’s wanted to do is grab him by the lapels of his jacket and drag him into a supply closet with her and even more moments than that when she’s wanted to make him a cup of tea and card her fingers through his hair while he tells her about his day. The latter is always the most dangerous. 

     It’s Elizabeth who doesn’t do anything about it, and it’s Astoria who wants to. It’s Elizabeth who’s bitten her tongue for the sake of the business, her reputation. It’s Astoria who speaks next.

     “I think we’ve been here long enough. Made enough rounds.” She raises her eyebrows, leans forward, drops her voice to a whisper. “Let’s get out of here? It’s a nice night. And we’re not too far from where I’m staying.”