The Business of Being the She Wolf

“I don't care! I needed that file on my desk by yesterday morning and now, I don't have the reports I need to draft profit projections for the third quarter!” Summer bit out into the phone. Her secretary poked her head in. “Flannery is here.” Summer's face fell. “I expect that file faxed over within thirty minutes, understand?” She snarled and slammed the phone down. She looked at the time. Eleven fifty. Kaine would be here in twenty minutes.

“Tell Flannery he has precisely ten minutes. Send him in.” Summer growled. She looked out the glass that allowed her to see the lobby but not let anyone see in. She groaned to see Sean Flannery, of Flannery Budget Solutions. And then he was standing, moving to the office door. In he stepped and Summer stood, arms crossed over her chest.

“What do you want.” She bit out.
“Come on now, Miss Caldwell. Is that any way to greet a friend?” He leered, eyeing her from head to toe. “I've come to take you to lunch.”
“What?! I've told you no a million times, get the hell out of my office.” Instead of leaving like usual, Flannery reached out his hand and grabbed her by the neck. “Listen, you little bitch. This is how it's going to go. You're going to lunch with me, or I'll -make- you.”

Summer was livid. She reached down and grabbed her stapler. “No, you sick fuck, this is how it's going to go. You're going to get the fuck out of here, or I'm going to staple your dick to your ballsack.” She growled. The hand tightened, his other hand laying over her breast. Summer lost her mind, bile rising in her throat.

“Don't fucking touch me.” She flipped open the stapled and smashed it into his groin. “AGH YOU FUCKING CUNT!!” Flannery roared and his fist smashed into her jaw. She slammed her hand against the call button. “Amy, get security in here and call the police NOW!” She growled.

On his way in, Kaine would find police leading out Flannery, who was howling in pain and clutching his groin. “AGH I'M GONNA KILL THAT BITCH!!!”

Kaine turned up with time to spare, never one to be late when he set a time. Better to be ten minutes early, than a single minute late. It gave the wrong impression. It also meant he caught the tail end of Flannery's attempt to take his… Partner? Friend? Mark? Potential sub? None of those words seemed right at this stage. It was the tail end of a misogynist asshole trying to take a strong woman without her consent… And he just found out why that was a bad idea.

His head followed the man as he was led out by the police, handcuffed, bowed. The sign of a broken man. Or at least, temporarily broken man. Kaine knew she was strong, and while that wasn't a first-hand demonstration, it was as near as made no difference.

Mental note: Never piss off Summer.

He crossed the lobby with determination, dressed in dark blue slacks and a black wool trenchcoat. He'd worn glasses today, rather than contacts, he could never decide whether he preferred one or the other, so he just flitted between the two. Much like his style, he always cut a dash, no matter what he wore, so he was never particularly concerned with sticking to one thing.

“Hello. Hayden.” He spoke to the receptionist as he arrived.

“Hayden who?”

“Sorry.” He looked down with a twinkle in his eye and a smile quirking at his lips. Once his eyeline returned to the receptionist, there was no hint of that. “Mister Hayden. Mmmm… Summer is expecting me.” He almost slipped and called her 'Miss Caldwell'. It wouldn't have hurt here, but he was so used to being formal, he had to fight it. And fight it he would.

“Oh. Ohhh. Ohhh. Yes, sir, I'll let her know you're here.” He oozed a natural charm and panache, a presence, something that drew the appellation of “sir” even in those who weren't a part of the lifestyle. He reveled in it.

Amy poked her head into Summer's office and looked at her boss. “Ma'am? Um…Mister Hayden is here to see you.”

Summer looked at the time, only to have her chin grabbed by the medic tending to her face and neck. “Bloody…” She sighed. He wasn't going to be happy. “Alright. Send him in.”

“Ma'am you have to hold still.” The paramedic said.
“I know, I know, can you make it quick?”
“Sorry, no, I have to stitch this gash left by Sean Flannery's ring.”

Amy came back out, looking at Kaine. She hadn't seen what had happened, only that her boss had needed help. Now that she'd seen her injuries, she looked a little uncertain of herself. “Ah, Mister Hayden, Miss Caldwell told me to send you in.” She said quietly.

The change in Amy's demeanor spoke loudly in his mind. She'd seen or heard something that wasn't normal in there. What was he about to see?

He nodded, barely perceptibly. “Thank you.” He took the few steps to the door and let himself inside slower than he would normally, giving himself time to remain calm. Summer always made his emotions bubble up from inside, where he'd hidden them to become the ruthless businessman he was known for being, and given the man being led away screaming bloody murder? That was never a good sign.

He sighed. Shook his head imperceptibly. He'd seen the paramedic tending to her wound, the stapler spread open on the floor where she'd dropped it, and he connected the dots.

“I see someone asked for a Prince Albert without realizing it.” He smirked. There was that emotion. It wasn't a particularly good pun, but it wasn't what he expected to see. He moved over to the stapler, bending down to take a look at it. “I hope you got good penetration.”

She flicked her eyes to the door of her office as Kaine came in. The woman sitting on the edge of her desk in her knee-length skirt and blazer suit was not the same woman who'd sat on his lap so freely days before. She seemed to be braced for something, her gaze cold, hard as the EMT pushed the needle into her skin and pulled thread through.

But the moment her eyes actually -focused- on Kaine as opposed to looking -through- him, she began to flinch in pain. She'd zoned out, to some hidden area in her head. She'd come back so he wouldn't think she was staring at him like that. Her jaw was tense, nearly imperceptible flexes indicating she was trying to -not- grit her teeth.

But in that same moment, a flicker of light came into her eyes, a light smirk filling those vivid greens with a chuckle. “Apparently he never got the memo that I am not a piercing parlor, but if one imposes upon me enough, I can be convinced to oblige.” She murmured, her voice still tight, taut. The medic finished up and stood. “Alright, Miss Caldwell, we're done.” He said, muttering under his breath when he walked past Kaine. “Good luck with her. She refused local numbing to take those stitches.”

“As for the penetration, well, I might have hit a nerve with the way he was howling. Would be a shame if he were to lose feeling.” She purred, and then the door to her office shut and she changed…gone was the stoic hardness, in front of him was a woman in shock. She looked at him, a bruise on her jaw, a line of stitches on her cheek, and a handprint bruise around her neck.

Kaine stood up and moved closer to her as the medic told him 'good luck'. That told him more than he wanted to know about her. More than the medic realized. He looked down, that smile widening on his face trying to hide under that motion. She might notice how he reacted to the words that showed how much pain she could take.

“Sometimes a little deprivation of the senses goes a long way.” The medic might notice what he meant by that, but he carefully adjusted what he was saying. Given what he knew about her, she should know what he meant.

His hand rose to brush her cheek and he almost growled now that they were alone. It kept moving to wrap around her neck as Flannery had, but his touch was light, trying to figure out the damage, but also perhaps a glimpse of what may happen again.

“I could have him killed. Or disappeared. Or… Bought out and ruined.” Was he joking? He would never tell. He brought his hand down from her neck and folded both his hands behind his back, popping up and down on the balls of his feet as he held back… Anger? Really? He thought he had control over his emotions, but here they were, making him feel for her.

“Still want to be seen at Kurumazushi with me, looking like that?”

Summer looked at him as he came close, her eyes flat for a moment, unfocused as she went….Where did you go, Summer Rose? Somewhere. His hand touched her cheek and she blinked. A flicker of panic in her eyes as his hand closed around her throat. Calm, Summer. It's Kaine. He did this before, just to test, remember?

Kill him….what. Buy him out, ruin him, make him disappear and then kill him. A low growl sounded in her chest. How DARE he touch me like that?!

The last words…Oh. Right. She looked like shit. And he was giving her a way to spare him the embarrassment of being seen in public with her, looking like a..a…

Oi lookit' the street urchin! She flinched. She looked at him. “While lunch would be lovely, I think it's you who might not want to be seen at Kurumazushi with me. We don't have to go today.” Just like that, she was the she wolf again, moving to sit at her desk.

Her growl when he offered to do all those things for her. He could tell how pissed she was at the man who just walked out. Even beyond the impromptu piercing.

He watched her move back into business mode. All control, composure. He moved in front of her desk and brought his hands in front of him, placing his knuckles on the desk so he was leaning over, staring into her eyes. He had a strong, commanding look as he spoke.

“I would be seen anywhere with you, no matter how you look. But…” His voice softened, his smile returned, a twinkle of humor in his eyes as he continued. “I can have a limo here in a couple of minutes and we can have drive thru. It's a…” A pause, then an almost hissed, whispered, final couple of words. “Guilty pleasure.”

Summer looked up as he leaned over and for a split second, she wavered back and forth between the CEO of the City's finest accounting firm…and Summer Rose Caldwell, who had waltzed into a club, tucked a flower behind his ear like she loved him already, and sat in his lap as though she had belonged there all this time and had finally come home.

“Anywhere, Kaine?” She said, her own gaze softening as he began to smile. “Then let's indulge in a guilty pleasure. I'd prefer to not have the markings of another man on me if I'm out with you…Sir.” She added the last word in a whisper and finally smiled slightly.

That smile of his broadened as she agreed to his idea. He always had a plan. Then a backup. Then a third and fourth idea just in case none of those came to fruition. It just made good business sense. That it filtered down into the rest of his life was all gravy.

“Anywhere, Summer.” A nod. Tiny, barely perceptible. Finally, she was smiling after her ordeal. That was what he wanted to see. And hear. He perked up immeasurably when he could see she appreciated the idea. And more again when she finally called him 'Sir'.

“I might have lied when I said I can have a limo here in a couple of minutes.” He walked around her desk and held out his crooked arm, hand on torso, ready for her to slip hers into. “It's already outside.”

Okay, that made her laugh as she slipped her arm through his to walk out… And then, she couldn't help it, she laid her head on his shoulder. To the point, Amy moved to ask Mister Hayden if Miss Carmichael was alright…

“You are ever the thorough, consummate businessman, I suppose it's no surprise you are such for me.” She had just enough lingering confidence that she didn't question it, simply accepted it as fact. Kaine Hayden wanted her. For something. She didn't know what sort of something it would be, given their interesting arrangement, but maybe…just maybe. Summer closed her eyes a moment and breathed in. HIs cologne.

She smiled.

Her laugh was pretty. Much like she was. After the morning that had just finished for her, it was a pleasant change. He was glad he could help her to get over it.

More emotions. What was she doing to him? She was just a target, a mark, someone to play with, and he was falling for her, hook, line, and sinker. He'd never felt this way about someone, but something about her meant he was letting her into his life, his heart, his…

Soul.

Did he have a soul? He was one of the most ruthless businessmen in the United States. None of them have souls, do they? It's how they do business!

That she'd come to him meant something. He didn't have to take. She chose. That was the difference.

Outside, the black limo with dark windows was awaiting them, the driver already there with the door open. With how she was, leaning on his shoulder, he thought she was just hiding her injuries, or perhaps it was real affection, but he couldn't decide. He hoped for the latter. He expected the former. Both were okay with him

He offered to help her into the limo, his hand out.

She looked at his hand, then to his eyes. The businesswoman did not take hands. And they were still in public, she never let her guard down in public, but as her eyes met his, something softened.

Summer look. See that twinkle? Oh. Ohh…she saw. Take his hand. Just to make him happy to help you.

Her fingers curled into his and she slowly made her way into the car. “Do you know where you want to go?” She whispered, tucking her head back on his shoulder once he was settled in beside her.

He slipped in beside her and the door was closed behind him. Almost as soon as he was down in the seat, he had her head on his shoulder. He reached across his body to stroke the top of her head softly, something he had never done with anyone else, but it seemed appropriate.

“There's Checkers, White Castle, or…” A fraction of a moment's pause, possibly denoting his preference. “McDonald's. You pick.” The limo rocked as the driver got back into his seat, and he brought his hand down to hit the intercom. “Change of plan, Giles. Give us a moment.”

“Very well, sir.”

She closed her eyes at the touch to her hair, her face growing peaceful for a moment a soft little smile curling her lips. “Hmmm…” Her sigh sounded so content, so fulfilled and complete it could have made the icecaps melt.

“Mmm…McDonald's.” She hummed. “Been forever since I had a Big Mac.” She breathed. What in the world was it about being here with him like this that made her feel like she was being protected like she was safe? God, she loved it so much.

He waited for her answer before triggering the intercom again. “McDonald's. Then find a park somewhere.”

His hand returned to her hair, continuing to stroke her affectionately. He could feel her body relax against him. He did that, and given the morning she'd had, he liked that she could relax with him.

“So who was that?”

Next: Trust Issues