Awaking with a start, her eyes popped open from the peaceful dark when she realized something seemed incredibly wrong. Her now dry head jerked from the comfy, fluffy pillow in sudden alarm. Twisting her body around from its position facing the wall was a difficult task from the way she was tangled up in the blankets. Those wide eyes widened even more as she stared at the clock.

“¡¡AYE DIOS MIO!!” She nearly screamed, language slipping to her ancestral. The red numbers blazed seven fifteen at her. “¡¡ESTOY TARDE!!”

Throwing the covers aside with nearly inhumane strength, she almost ripped the clothes from her body in frantic urge to get undressed. Ruffling through her closet for a clean suit, she grabbed an olive green and hastily put it on, not thinking about the ugliness of the color.

Quickly muttering ‘aye dios mio’ under her breath the entire time, she hurriedly brushed her teeth while trying to slip into her black heels, not owning a color that matched her suit. Jerking her eyes to the mirror, she knew she didn’t have enough time to take out her sleep ruffled braid, so left it in.

Running a hand over the rest to try and smooth down the few strands that came undone through the night, she nearly ran to the front door. Grabbing the keys from their resting place, she quickly locked both deadbolts and forced herself a more careful run down the stairs to avoid breaking her neck.

Exiting the building, she wished she owned a watch to check her time, but wasn’t able to afford one. After looking at her shoes, she jerked them off on an impulse decision. She could run faster in bare feet, damned the embarrassing looks, than in three inch heels. Grasping them in one hand, she took off in a quick run, thankful she was wearing pants and not a skirt.

Stopping in front of the building, she allowed one quick glance for any possible customers. Not seeing anyone around in the crisp morning, she took the small steps two at a time to save her a few extra seconds. Now at the top, one hand grasped the door handle, the other futilely trying to put her shoes back on. Running eight blocks barefoot in a business suit was nothing compared to the looks she KNEW she would get from her co-workers if she walked in barefoot.

After entering the building, her demeanor changed to one of total professionalism. Confidently striding up to the empty front desk, she walked behind it and immediately donned the ear device. Booting up her computer, she leaned back in the comfy office chair, exhausted. Another hand ran through the top of her hair, trying to get the wind blown strands to behave for the day till she was able to fix them better.

Looking at the clock on her computer, she realized she was half an hour late, even more so when she clocked in from the computer.

‘There goes my paycheck.’ She thought in despair. A few new papers to fix lay off to one side, next to the completed stack. Her eyes slowly closed from her continuing blunders. ‘I’ll NEVER get home tonight.’ The adrenaline, shock, exhaustion, and now the impending workload crashed through her mind. Tears built up behind closed lids, threatening to fall.

‘Don’t you DARE cry at work!’ She ordered weakly, covering her face with both hands. But it all was too much. The pressures she was under...personal AND professional. She purposely took a thicker load than needed with the main boss being gone, since she was his main secretary, and had a lot of free time. Now that he was back and giving her some of his workload as well, it only stacked hers up even higher. Plus she agreed to take on for the others who didn’t have secretaries, or WORTHY ones.

‘I CAN’T tell them I can’t get this done...’ She thought, eyeing the documents through shiny eyes. ‘This’ll put THEM behind and then THEY’LL never get to leave and...’ She inhaled a shaky breath, feeling older than her nearly seventeen years. ‘Why oh WHY did I bother to take on that extra work?’ She thought in despair.

Time stopped as she silently wooed out her sorrows. Self-pity induced itself in thick doses through her late arrival, her carefully detailed schedule thrown to the wind. Realizing she had yet to clock in on her computer only added to her problems, since it was another ten minutes of something she could’ve done without.

Now frustrated for acting like a little baby, she nearly punched the keys as she typed the time down. Mentally berating herself as she grabbed one of the sheets, she angrily opened up the word program she used and positioned the paper next to the monitor. Grinding her teeth, she forced thoughts from her head to ATTEMPT to try and catch up.

She was only halfway done with the first document before the headset in her ear beeped with an incoming message. Reaching up to the device on the monitor to accept it, she forced her voice to become pleasant...a hard task.

“Divinity, are you there?” He’d been trying to call every few minutes since seven to see if she was around, not seeing her early presence when he arrived. Only when he got to his office did he realize that he missed seeing her attractive face and pleasant manner to greet him good morning. He wondered where she was and was concerned ever since. She was always more punctual than HE was.

Hoping all sorrow and anger was gone from her voice, she pasted on a smile, hoping it reached through the radio. “Yes Mr. Winner, did you need something?” She asked, wincing from how fake her voice sounded. It did nothing to cover up how she was really feeling, but she hoped he wasn’t as perceptive as he looked.

His brow furrowed. Something was wrong. “Is something wrong? Are you okay?”

She felt a little better after hearing of his continuous worry for her comfort, but it still didn’t help her impending workload nor did it lessen it. She took a silent deep breath and exhaled it calmly before answering him.

“Yes sir, just running a little late is all.” A pained, ironic smile graced her stressed face. “Just forgot to set my alarm clock last night.”

Which was uncommon... As soon as she shut the alarm off that morning, she turned it back on before she left for work. That way she wouldn’t forget to turn it on before she went to bed. She was so tired when she got home it could easily slip her mind...

She felt like laughing and crying at the same time, but bit her lip instead. “But I’m here now, was there anything you needed?” She asked, wincing again at the fake cheerfulness in her voice.

He didn’t miss it either. Concerned blue eyes stared at the COM, wondering what was going on. But he was too busy right now to go down and find out what got her so worked up. “No, I was just wondering where you were is all. I’ve got a few contracts to look over for an upcoming meeting today so I’ll be pretty busy.”

She pulled up his schedule and looked, feeling a little better with such familiar behavior. “Yes, well...thank you for your concern Mr. Winner.” She said softly, reaching forward to tap the device once. He had work to do, he shouldn’t be wasting his needed time talking to HER.

Taking a few deep breaths now that the connection was severed, she forced the heat to leave her face. ‘Now I wish I hadn’t RUN the entire way.’ She thought, bringing hands to her face to try and cool herself down a little.

~*~*~

Lunchtime hit, allowing him a break from his ever-present, full schedule. Shutting off the alarm, he reset it for six to remind him when to leave. He thought about bringing a clock in when he missed lunch one day after constant looking through files. He ended up missing his one chance to eat entirely and headed straight for a meeting afterwards, paying for his small mistake the rest of the day.

Smiling almost gratefully at the small electronic device, he shuffled the papers to be read later.

‘So much I still need to learn.’ He marveled, looking around the length of his father’s old office. Oak bookcases marked the walls, filled to the brim with favorite paperbacks and dictionaries. A few law books and city regulations graced spots, everything in alphabetical order.

The large desk he sat behind was at LEAST six foot long and about four foot wide. Not that he NEEDED all that space, but it belonged to his father and he didn’t plan on getting rid of it anytime soon. The surface was a shiny thick glass and he wondered how it stayed scratch free the entire time.

Large, tall windows sat along one side and in between a few bookcases, letting a large amount of light into the room. A closet on the far end of the wall for supplies and personal things to be stashed away stayed closed until his need to use it again.

A small living room grouping on the other side of the office allowed a homier, more comforting presence. A black leather couch, loveseat, and overstuffed armchair matched the black leather chair he leaned back in. The lengthy coffee table was the same substance as his ornate desk.

He didn’t really NEED such an elaborate setting, just a desk really. But he took the time to go through all of his father’s bookcases and found a few books he could put to use. And there were times when he sat in the small ‘living room’ and looked over documents, or used it as a meeting room.

He loathed the idea of using meeting rooms when the office was  large enough to house over a dozen people. It was all too impersonal and he wanted to everyone to work together without the business titles and formal introductions. If the businesses were to succeed, everyone had to know everyone else. Secrets in a company were a dangerous thing.

Pushing back from the desk, he stood and left the room. Leaving the door open a few inches, intent on coming back, he strode downstairs in the all too familiar path. He was on a mission. Having been almost cut off this morning, he wasn’t able to ask Divinity about her late arrival or what happened that caused it. He just hoped she was okay.

‘She sounded...OFF somehow.’ Unable to calculate the emotions in her voice drove him crazy for a while until he forced himself to let it go. Now that he had an hour to waste, he was going to go see what was up for himself. ‘Face to face is much more personal.’ He concluded, hands resting in his pockets as he casually strolled down.

Her normal typing greeted his arrival. The familiar, serene noise brought calm to him and he smiled despite himself. But the concentrated look on her face was also tinged with desperation that resided in her eyes. Leaning against the counter in his normal silent stance, he looked into her averted eyes. He waited through the typing to be acknowledged, but it never happened. Figuring he waited long enough, he softly cleared his throat.

“Was there something you needed Mr. Winner?” She asked quickly. Her fingers flew even faster as her eyes danced over the document she was working on.

An eyebrow rose when she didn’t look at him or get to a stopping point. He was also getting tired of the titles she tacked on to his name. She was making him feel OLD! Crossing his arms over the slick surface, he leaned casually against it, feigning indifference to her ignorant attention.

Her eyebrow rose slightly when all he did was stare. She didn’t need to look at him to know that; she could feel his eyes on her. “Mr. Winner, did you need something?” She repeated, a little calmer now. She’d been working like a dog since she started, trying to get caught up and if possible, AHEAD of the game.

He blinked. “Well, I just came down to see how you were feeling.” He said. Her typing never paused. “Something seemed to be wrong and you DID cut me off in our conversation before I had a chance to ask you what.”

“Sorry about that sir.” She immediately said. But it was laced with no sorrow; simply an automatic apology.

His brow furrowed at her strange behavior. “Divinity.” Her typing never stopped. His lips pursed momentarily. “Stop typing and look at me.” It continued on unabated.

“Sorry Mr. Winner, I’m way too behind to stop.” She answered, finger still flying. How she was able to speak and work without error was beyond him.

‘Her sensory input must be focused solely on that document.’ He thought, almost amused. But he was not amused at being pointedly ignored when he knew something was the matter with her by the way she kept ignoring him, refusing to talk about it and get it off her chest.

“Divinity.” He said sternly.

The keys immediately stopped upon hearing the strictness in his voice. She pushed him too far. ‘Chalk up ANOTHER blunder to this already crappy day.’ She silently thought, instantly irate...mostly with herself. Being thrown off her schedule was NEVER fun. She figured that out this morning.

“I said LOOK at me.” He continued. Clenching her jaw slightly, she looked into his eyes, without a trace of sternness in them. He was completely calm. A small smile propped up on his face, but he was mentally worried about the emotions he saw in her eyes. “That’s better.” She didn’t crack a smile. “Now, care to tell me what’s wrong?” He asked gently.

“NOTHING is wrong sir.” She blurted out, irritation heavy in her voice. Deeply exhaling a second later, both hands covered her face.

‘I just snapped at my BOSS...that’s strike TWO.’ And she knew if he didn’t leave her alone to work out her frustrations on the keyboard, she’d do it again.

His head jerked back at the anger in her eyes, but felt it wasn’t directed at him. His point was proven when she sighed and covered her face in apparent exhaustion. He felt for her, knowing what she stuck herself with and the long hours she put in each day. It was almost what HE went through day in and day out.

Silently, he walked around the desk to stand beside her. Tilting his head slightly when she didn’t look his way, one hand moved to her shoulder.

She didn’t jump from his touch, or even acknowledge it. Being  stopped from her one outlet brought back all the troubles that bogged down her young life. It was all coming back in a rush and she fought to keep tears at bay. Hadn’t she gone through it all this MORNING? And to cry in front of the BOSS...

‘I don’t want him thinking ANYTHING is wrong.’ Which was a crock because she knew he ALREADY thought something was awry.

Slowly, she dropped both hands into her lap and looked up. She futilely tried to hide the despondent emotions from her eyes and face, but couldn’t. It was too much...she had too much to DEAL with. She couldn’t hide from them forever...

He was taken aback at the sorrow that laced those once pleasant chocolate orbs. The heady emotion dulled the natural beauty, casting sorrow to whoever looked upon them. And sorrow he did feel. Kneeling in front of her, he gave a worried glance. “What’s wrong?” He asked softly, desperately wanting to know.

She sighed softly, knowing the cat was out of the bag. She broke the stare and looked at her hands. Desperation to tell him her problems weighed heavily on her, as well as the pride to deal with it herself and not lean on him. She was torn between the two decisions.

“Come on, you can tell me. I may be your boss, but I’m also a person.” He coached softly.

Her eyes looked around the empty waiting room, not feeling like discussing ANYTHING in such an open area. He looked around and stood with a small nod. “Right. Let’s take this in my office.”

She looked up, that rage of sadness still in her once beautiful eyes. She looked lost for a second, torn between leaving to a safe haven and staying to do her duty, what she was hired to do. “But, I can’t leave the front desk...” She muttered, almost childlike.

The aimless emotion in her voice tore at his heartstrings. Even when she was going through something hard, she was still dedicated to her job. He admired her even more for that. Without a word from her, he walked to the vid phone and pressed a few numbers to an extension.

“Yes Quatre?”

She watched blankly at whatever he was doing. One of the other secretaries stared back through the vid phone.

“I’d like you to take Divinity’s calls while she’s on break.” He gently ordered.

The woman nodded and smiled, looking behind him at her co-worker. She looked in bad shape over SOMETHING. “I’d be happy to Quatre.” Her gaze looked at her associate, sending sympathy through her eyes. “You have a good lunch now Diva.” She said and terminated the connection.

He looked back at Divinity a little confused. “Diva?”

That brought out a brief small smile. “It’s my nickname.” She mysteriously said.

He chalked it up to another question he wanted to ask her, but not now. He was worried about her getting out that pent up hostility and sadness so she could get back to being the friendly, enjoyable person he knew. After she stood, he tugged on her arm to get her to move. All those emotions she wasn’t dealing with were bogging her feet down. Once she got into a rhythm of one foot in front of the other, he walked by her side, keeping a side glance on her.

The two slowly arrived at his office, the journey seeming to have taken forever. Now glad he didn’t lock it, he pushed the door open, allowing her in first. Stepping in to the plush setting, she realized what she had done and felt mild panic spring up.

‘What am I DOING?’ She wondered, eyes widening a little. Turning, she worriedly met blue when he finished shutting the door.

“Listen Mr. Winner,” She rambled, slightly wringing her hands, “I appreciate your concern and all, but I REALLY need to get caught up on those documents. So if I could just-“

“Sit. Down.” He ordered, that stern tone back again. In his voice only, not in his eyes. His patience was vast and he knew it would be a trial to get this secret woman to talk.

‘Like pulling TEETH.’

She obediently marched to the armchair and plopped down heavily. Hands immediately covered her face, thinking about how behind she was going to be for however long she was going to be away from the desk.

‘I’m NEVER going to get out of here.’ She thought dismally.

He slowly walked to the loveseat next to the armchair and rested both elbows on his knees as he leaned closer to his distraught employee. “Stop with that formal stuff, you hear me?” He lightly asked, trying to break the mood.

She snorted softly and uncovered her face. “I TOLD you Mr. Winner, I like to keep a professional atmosphere when I work.” She mumbled. Leaning back in the chair, she rested her tired brain on the back of it and stared at the high ceiling, almost sinking into the comfy fabric.

He looked at her exhausted appearance, put off only by the proficient suit she wore. A quick glance could misplace any problems with this professional woman, unless you got her to sit down and unconsciously REVEAL those problems.

“Well not here. Right now I’m just Quatre, okay?” He asked, hoping she would call him by his first name.

“In your own OFFICE?” She wondered out loud.

He smiled at her small joke. “ESPECIALLY in my own office. I make the rules in here.” He smiled. “And right now I’m just Quatre and you’re just Divinity. Not Mr. Winner or Miss Barbados.” Hearing her formal name sounded weird coming from him and she mentally admitted that she didn’t like it. He was allowed the RIGHT to call employees by their first names...

“Sorry sir, but I’m still on the clock.”

He denied her with a shake of his head. “Look at me Divinity.” He said softly.

At a snail’s pace, her head lifted from the comforting stance to look into his beautiful eyes. She could NEVER deny the fact that he had beautiful and distinctly unique blue/green eyes. That would be ignoring a wondrous creation from nature.

“As of right now you ARE on break.” He said slowly. “I pulled you away and gave your duties to someone ELSE. Right now you are guilt free from what rests on your desk so why don’t you give up the business façade and tell me what’s on your mind?”

She blinked at him, wondering how he was so astute. Slowly, she broke the gaze and looked down at her knees. “I can’t.” She muttered softly.

“Why?” He instantly asked. “There is no rule or regulation that says another person can’t tell someone else their problems.”

“Are you sure?” She asked with a small smile, finding a strange time to joke.

He smiled from it though, seeing a peek of her personality spark for a second. Then her smile was lost to a frown. “If it exists, I haven’t found it.” The corners of her mouth twitched, but lost the fight. “Come on.” He playfully nudged. “Why won’t you tell me what’s on your mind?” He asked, wondering that as well.

She fought a sigh. “I don’t know...” She nearly whispered. She looked back into his eyes, sending apology through hers. “Pride?”

He snorted slightly. “’Pride goeth before a fall’.”

Uncomfortable silence filled the room, so much that he felt a window should be opened to let some out. Knowing he wasn’t going to get anywhere with the direct approach, he stood up suddenly. “Why don’t I order lunch.” He offered, trying to find some way around her wall.

She shook her head, even though his back was to her. Standing, she slowly walked after him and stopped in front of his immense glass desk. “No sir, I’m not hungry. You don’t need to order anything for me.” She denied quickly. Even after she said that, her stomach growled, giving away her declarations.

He smiled and softly chuckled at her flustered look. “You can’t lie to me Divinity, and neither can your stomach.” She managed a small smile through her blush. “I’m ordering.” He said, giving no room for argument. Pausing with a hand over the vid phone numbers, he looked at her again. “What would you like?”

She clenched her jaw lightly at the kindness he wasn’t allowing her to get by. “I TOLD you Mr. Winner, I don’t eat out much.” She softly reminded.

“Well...then what kind of food do you like to eat?” He asked, wording it differently.

“Chinese.” She said immediately.

He smiled slightly, glad she said so. “Good, I know just the place.”

He dialed and ordered so much that all sounded heavenly to, but she fought to open her mouth and tell him she didn’t need anything. She couldn’t AFFORD it.

“It’ll be here soon.” He said, shutting the phone off. Looking at her behind the desk made Divinity feel a little more comfortable with the whole boss/employee thing; as she wanted it. One finger traced invisible patterns on the glass surface, nervousness coming forth with a new problem.

“Is there a way you can dock my check sir?” She hesitantly asked. “I don’t have any money on me and I don’t have a checkbook of any kind...”

“Don’t worry.” He said, waving his hand dismissally. “I’m paying.”

Her eyes jerked to his. “But Mr. Winner, you shouldn’t have to do that for me. I didn’t even want anything in the first place and-“

One hand thrust in between them, cutting off her ramblings. “I’m paying and that’s that.”

Her mouth snapped shut, teeth clicking slightly. Her finger went back to those patterns, casting the two into silence.

He gave her a weird look. “Are you ALWAYS this defiant to the good will of others?”

“Yes.” She softly answered, surprising them. He didn’t expect her to answer at all, and she figured she hadn’t said it out LOUD.

“Why?” He asked curiously.

Biting her lower lip, she pointedly refused to look at him. “I...well...I’ve...just been independent since I moved to L-4. Plus I’ve never liked charity...”

Her nose wrinkled in disgust, hating that word. Her pride was strong, as was her independence. She was taught to rely a lot on herself when she was younger and it was put to good use during the war.

“So you’re not originally FROM here?” He asked, soaking up this new information.

She gave a small shake of her head, keeping silent. She was still a little stunned at herself for revealing so much to someone she only met a week ago.

“Where then?” He asked, hoping she would say.

“Earth.” She nearly whispered. She felt incredibly shy about saying something about herself, not having to do so to anyone for a while.

She’d been able to talk to Jenny because the co-receptionist was so friendly and she was so easy to talk to. But someone walked by while the two were talking behind the desk one day and word got around that she was having family troubles. Soon everyone on first floor and half of second knew, but it helped because she was able to take sudden vacations back home without explanation. Everyone already KNEW the inside scoop of her life. It seemed the only person out of the loop was standing in front of her, the man that probably NEEDED the inside information.

He couldn’t really picture her being from Earth for some reason. Mostly because the L-4 colony was so far away from the planet. His eyes narrowed. “Then how did you get this job all the way out HERE?” He asked quizzically.

“You’d be surprised how far a galaxy wide search can go.” She muttered, a small nostalgic smile painting her face.

All he could do was scratch his head at that one, not understanding what she was talking about.

~*~*~

Lunch finally came, relieving the awkward silence. Divinity was able to tell him a little more about her life while they waited, though he WAS right...it WAS like pulling teeth. She was nearly unwilling to tell anything about herself, her reasons still unknown to him.

He set everything on the coffee table and she nearly instantly started in. She slowed down when she met his eyes, realizing she was eating like a pig. She apologized through an embarrassed blush and downcast eyes, saying that she hadn’t eaten breakfast and forgot to pack a lunch. He only smiled, not holding her eating habits against her.

“So what caused you to be late today?” He asked, sipping some of his tea. She swallowed some of the white rice, all she eaten tasting heavenly. She hadn’t eaten Chinese since she left Earth and white rice was too easy to make.

“I TOLD you, I forgot to set my alarm clock.” She reminded. A half grimace/smile popped up. “I guess I didn’t turn it back on before I left yesterday for here.” She met his eyes. “Normally I get up, get ready, and turn it back on before I leave. That way I know it won’t go off again.”

He nodded thoughtfully as he listened. She had a nice voice, a soft soprano. Mentally he shook his head again.

Looking down, she stabbed the takeout box with her chopsticks. “I was just so tired yesterday that I forgot to make sure I had it turned on. It’s so easy for me to forget a lot of things after I get back from work... I’m just all worked out from being here so long...”

She stopped her explanation by grabbing a chunk of rice and stuffing it in her mouth. She didn’t want him hearing that, or he would start docking her hours. She couldn’t AFFORD him doing that.

“When do you get up?” He asked, trying to ease her apparent discomfort.

She swallowed and looked to his eyes. “Four a.m.”

His eyes nearly bugged from their sockets. “What takes you nearly three HOURS to get ready?” He asked shocked.

She smirked. Putting down the box, she held up a hand and counted off fingers. “The walk to work takes about half an hour. I like to ENJOY the scenery and not hurry. The hair I possess is extremely THICK and hard to manage. It takes about forty minutes of hand drying alone. A shower is normally thirty...again my hair is hard to manage. Waking up takes about twenty,” She stopped and smiled, “Breakfast takes another twenty; and if I have time to make lunch, that normally takes up the rest of it.” Finished with her list, she picked up the box and some more white rice.

He blinked, wishing he had that much leisure time to get ready. But she really didn’t have that much to DO before she came to work.

“Why don’t you get a blow dryer for your hair?” He asked. “And make your lunch when you get home?”

She shook her head. “I already told you that when I get back from work I’m normally too tired to do anything. And I can’t afford a blow dryer.” Her lips pursed. “And it’s not good for my hair.” She added.

He looked at her strangely. “With as many hours as you work a day...you can’t AFFORD a hair dryer?” He asked. “Where does all your money GO?”

Immediately he knew that was a touchy subject for her. Those beautiful doe-like eyes filled up with a poorly hidden pain, dropping instantly to her food to try and hide. “Or...do you not want to talk about it?” He asked hesitantly

“Not.” She immediately said, voice wavering slightly.

He nodded, now knowing the reason she worked so much dealt around money for something. But for WHAT he didn’t know, and from the way she was taking such a simple question, he wouldn’t know anytime soon. Pressing his lips together, he fought for a different subject to bring up.

She sadly poked through her rice, trying in vain to grab enough to bring from the carton before it fell from her chopsticks. Her hands were shaking too much to keep a good-sized bunch on the slim pair. She studied the utensils she held, wondering how the white plastic would look in her hair. ‘Once they’re WASHED that is.’ They were just plain white, with plenty of space to put decorations on and personalize. ‘If I ever get the time to DO so.’ She retorted.

“So, you live on Earth. Where at? Is it a certain continent?”

She nodded, feeling a little better talking about her homeland. “Spain.” She softly answered, looking at him.

Looking at her face again showed the little details that screamed Hispanic origin. Strange how he never seen it before, but he didn’t know many of Spanish descent. He smiled softly. “So you’re...Spanish then?”

She smiled, raising an eyebrow. “That IS the native language there, jefe.” She said, letting her bilingual capabilities purposely slip.

His brow arched pleasantly from the foreign tongue. “J...jefe means what?” He asked, trying to pronounce it.

She smiled at his attempt to speak her language. It was ALWAYS funny to hear newcomers try to pronounce the vowels of her ancestors. “Boss.” She replied, getting enough rice to eat.

Being reminded of the title only put him in a slightly uncomfortable position. She was hung up on titles for some reason, one he didn’t understand. “Is there a REASON why you blatantly keep calling me sir or Mr. Winner?” He asked, genuinely wanting to know. No more joking around, no more side-stepping the issue with some crack or joke.

She looked at him and blinked, figuring he’d know by now. She TOLD him enough.

“ASIDE from the ‘professional atmosphere’,” He added, making quotation marks with his fingers, “what’s the deal? You don’t ACT very professional all the time around here. But you’re hung up on calling me by a title that makes me feel like I’m twice your age.”

She blushed a little, averting her gaze. “Well...I’ve always been taught to respect my ‘elders’. Be they actually older than I, or by profession. I had a job where I knew my boss’s first name and that job was one of teamwork, it wasn’t like all THIS.” She said, hands flaying around her at the surroundings.

“No...this is a FAR cry from where I used to work.” She muttered, more to herself than him. Slightly shaking her head, she looked at him, giving her full attention. “Plus mi padre is big on respect. It’s the whole Spanish ancestral...thing.” She sputtered, not able to put it into words. There really WAS no word for tradition, other THAN tradition.

Hearing her speak Spanish again perked his ears. He never really heard the language, not even knowing anyone that spoke it. Even when he visited Earth, he didn’t know it was still around. It seemed a dying language, like Latin.

Smiling a little, he snuggled minutely into the couch, trying to get more comfortable. “Well all THAT aside, I’m asking it a personal favor if you would TRY calling me Quatre once in a while.” A wry grin broke from his handsome face. “I don’t think it’d kill you to once in a while.” An idea formed. “Can you say it now? Just to get the hang of it?”

She set her almost empty carton down, not bothering with the remains still inside. Picking up her tea, she stared at the small amount of rising steam thoughtfully. She’d been drilled ever since she could talk English AND Spanish to respect those with higher authority, or elder than she. What he was asking went against her principles, and her father’s thoughts. But looking at his kind, insistent face, something rebellious in her mind sparked.

‘But papa is not HERE.’ She thought with a mental smirk. ‘What he won’t know won’t HURT him right?’

Giving a small sigh, she raised the cup to her lips. “Trataré......Quatre.” She slowly muttered.

Finally hearing his name felt like finishing a small task, and her accent only strengthened the vowels in his name, making it sound even more exotic. He liked it. “What?” He asked, a small grin splitting his face.

She smiled despite what she’d just done. Gone against centuries of tradition and her father’s wishes. Closing her eyes when she realized he didn’t understand half of what she said, she chuckled softly.

“I said I’ll TRY...Quatre.” She translated softly.

He nodded, happy should would at least do THAT. “Good enough for ME. Now...tell me something in Spanish.” He said, eagerly leaning forward. He liked hearing her speak in her native tongue. With the combination of her soft lilting voice, it just made her all the more attractive in his eyes.

She grinned widely, looking at him for a quick sentence. “Hmmm...” Tapping her cheek with a thoughtful look, she decided to improv. “Well...Quatre, tiene pelo rubio y ojos bonitos.” She muttered, a sheepish grin splitting her face.

Hearing the thick tint to her vowels, along with the speed, he barely caught any of it. “Say that again...but SLOWER.” He asked, smiling a little. He would ask her to translate after he caught SOME of the words.

She repeated herself as requested, fighting a blush. She KNEW he would want to know what she said, but she didn’t feel ALL too embarrassed about translating.

“And what does THAT mean?”

A small tint graced her cheeks, rendering her all too cute in his eyes. The way she demurely ducked her head, those long lashes fluttering down under almost closed eyes... ‘STOP that!’ He weakly ordered.

But it was too hard to deny that she WAS attractive. No...attractive was too WEAK to use...BEAUTIFUL was the word to use. Her manners and poise, grace and natural beauty, along with her unique personality, and now her carefully hidden accent...she was an exotic creature and he couldn’t deny it. If they still existed, she could’ve been a MODEL. Her body was sure the size for it. A slim figure, wide hips with a curvaceous waist, slim bust line... He fought a blush just thinking about it.

“The first half, tiene pelo rubio...that means you have blond hair.” One hand went to the crown of his head, feeling the soft strands absentmindedly. “And the second y ojos bonitos...” That blush deepened, her timid girlish manner peeking out even farther. She nibbled on her lip, cradling the forgotten tea in her hands.

An eyebrow raised. “What does it mean?” He asked, lightly prodding her. There was no WAY he could type it into a computer for translation, he didn’t even know how to SPELL what she just said.

Feeling boldness from somewhere, she reminded herself that he DID have pretty eyes. If he didn’t KNOW this then he was BLIND to his looks. She looked directly into his eyes, still smiling slightly. “Ojos bonitos means pretty eyes...” She softly translated.

He smiled from the compliment and blushed slightly.

She watched him avert his gaze to the finished food on the glass coffee table, taking in his face with a sudden maturity. He acted like she had just seconds ago, and now she felt like the elder. His boyish good looks, shaggy hair cut and slim muscular size, along with kind personality and professionalism made him the perfect candidate to...

Her eyes widened and she quickly adjusted her shock before he looked at her. ‘You COMPLETE that thought and...’

She couldn’t threaten herself and she already HAD mentally completed that thought. ‘Oh lord, I need to get out of here and get to work! That’ll help, I hope.’

Drinking the small amount of tea in gulps, she quickly finished it and stood up suddenly. “Thank you...ah...Quatre for your hospitality and kindness. But I must get back to work if I’m to get out of here before seven.” She smiled slightly, facing him as he stood.

He nodded, feeling a sudden uncomfortable air. They shared something private and personal, and now she had to get back to the professional world. He didn’t have a problem getting to know the pretty girl in front of him, but Divinity was wondering how she was going to forget the flustering effect he suddenly had on her.

Eyeing his beautiful eyes again, she took in his good looks before starting for the door silently.

As she passed, he took note of something different about her. Watching her walk away, he eyed the back of her body and paused. “Divinity.” He called out.

She stopped, one hand over the doorknob, ready to turn it and escape. Closing her eyes at how close she was to leaving, she turned with a small smile.

His brow furrowed. “Did you change something on yourself?” He asked, slowly rubbing a finger against his lips.

Her eyes gravitated to the minute motion and she forced herself to look into his eyes. She was confused at his strange statement. Looking down at her suit, she wondered if she got something on it. “Did I spill food on myself?” Turning for him, to see if she got the back somehow, she stopped facing him again.

Her twirl allowed him to see what she changed about herself. Having the pleasure of seeing her day in and out every morning and evening allowed him to memorize her features, and notice any change to her person. “Your hair is different. You braided it.” He commented, happy he figured it out.

One hand immediately went to the different bun, amazed he noticed such a small detail. “Yes. I took a bath last night and braided it because it was much easier to manage.” She rambled softly, still in shock. Men NEVER took notice of changes in a woman’s appearance. She knew HER brothers never did.

He nodded. “It looks nice. Why don’t you let your hair down?” He wondered.

She blushed from his compliment, looking down at her heels. “It’s more professional this way. And my hair is too much to worry about while I’m working. It’s more manageable this way.”

Turning the knob finally, she opened the door and stopped in the archway. “Thank you again señor.” She said, quickly walking out before he could ask her to translate. That would only result in another small ‘lecture’ for her to call him by his first name. She already done so more times than she thought possible today, more times than she thought she EVER would.

~*~*~

Sitting back in her comfy chair, she stared at the screen saver and pursed her lips. She felt...funny. Strange. There was no way to classify the emotions going through her, but they were something she never dealt with.

Moving the mouse ball with her thumb, the computer screen popped up; showing where she left off. Looking at her paper, she tried to classify what she was feeling. All the anger and overworked emotions were non-existent. Now she was left with pleasant feelings once again.

‘But it’s not just being pleasant.’ She thought. ‘It’s something else.’ Positioning her hands, she slowly continued, thoughts moving at a quicker pace than her fingers. ‘I’ve just broken the rules of tradition and family. I just called Quatre by his first name.’ She mentally paused when she realized she did it again, this time more easy than the last few.

Her mind blanked on reflex, allowing her to finish the letter without anymore problems. After shuffling around papers, the answer came to her.

‘I’m not so bogged down. I’ve gotten a small, albeit not ALL, of my problems off my chest. I let my feelings out.’ She answered. Knowing she vented to someone made her smile. It wasn’t as bad as she thought it was.

After the food arrived, she had something to occupy herself with. ‘So THAT was his strategy.’ She thought with a smirk. ‘The little devil.’

She felt like laughing for some reason. She just felt...happy. ‘That I found someone to talk to?’ Her brow furrowed minutely as she worked effortlessly on the next document. ‘But...why the BOSS?’ She wondered.

‘Maybe, because I kept him out the entire time? Because he was the only one who knew NOTHING about me and didn’t have to hear the rumors?’

Her lip was slowly nibbled on, concentration not being broken on her work OR internal monologue. She didn’t know the answer, even though she kept running ideas through her head. All she knew was she felt LOADS better than she had since she woke up.

‘Maybe this day won’t be so bad AFTER all...’ She thought. The workload on her back seemed to mentally lessen a great deal.