Three weeks into the Fireball campaign, Wendy found herself arriving at The Buckeye Building before sunrise once again. The first couple of times Michael had asked her to meet early she'd protested, she didn't like the idea of giving up her free time for work, but Michael had insisted and Jon, sweet, supportive Jon, had doubled down saying it would go a long way to make her stand out. Once she caved on that it became another expectation. Michael had stopped texting her at night asking her to come in early, although he found plenty of other reasons to text her, now it was just expected of her. Yet another adjustment to show her commitment.
She'd decided on a dark blue dress today that went just past her knees. It was loose enough she didn't spend her entire drive over tugging at it, but she still didn't love the way it hugged her hips. The fabric whispered against her legs as she made her way down the empty hallway, her heels, she chose the black ones today, clicked in rhythm as she made her way to Michael's office. She could already see light spilling out of the office signaling he was already there and waiting for her. Her fingers dug at her hip as she walked, four swift strokes of her hand steadying her nerves.
She stopped at her desk just long enough to drop off her coat and check her reflection in her phone camera, yet another habit she'd picked up from modeling. She ran her fingers over the dark circles under her eyes. When this was all over she'd need a proper day at the spa. On top of the early mornings, Michael also had her working late most nights. She couldn't complain though, they were due to deliver their final pitch to Fireball in just over a week and everything had to be perfect. So far, everything had gone perfectly. It turned out that while Michael was demanding, he was also brilliant. Their late nights were mostly comprised of the two of them bouncing ideas off one another until something stuck. From there Michael would help mold it into something truly incredible. Their initial conversations with Fireball were positive. They loved the ideas Wendy presented, she grinned to herself her fingers tingling with excitement, she presented them, not Michael. In fact, he gave her credit for almost all of it. He was there to fire back when he felt like Fireball was overstepping or asking too much. In fact, if it wasn't for his bluntness or sexually charged comments he was a dream to work with.
"Good morning," she whispered, standing in front of his office. Michael was hunched over his keyboard making him look like a much larger version of Quasimodo. His forehead was already slick with sweat despite the fact that it was below freezing outside. His cheeks lifted when he heard Wendy's voice, his eyes darting from the screen in front of him to Wendy. She stood frozen as his eyes traveled up her body, he didn't even try to hide the fact that he was checking her out. The worst part though was that Wendy had grown accustomed to it. She waited through it, like she had every morning for the past three weeks. Better to let him get it over with than waste twenty minutes being lectured about being a prude - a lesson she'd learned the hard way in her first week.
"There she is, America's top model." He slid back from the desk, the chair groaning in protest. Wendy stepped into the office, closing the door behind her as he rounded the desk. "I was just finishing up my executive summary for Marcus." He stopped directly in front of her, his bulk positioned between her and the door - a detail she'd stopped noticing weeks ago, just like she'd stopped questioning why her pulse quickened when he praised her work. The campaign was too important to get derailed by oversensitivity. "He wants us to present the initial strategy this afternoon. Not just the pitch, but everything we have so far. I want you to be the presenter."
Wendy's eyes went wide, the words sent an unexpected thrill through her body. "M... me? But you always do the presentations." This was what mattered - not his occasional inappropriate comments or the way he stood too close. This was about her career, her chance to finally prove herself. The heat blooming in her chest was just excitement about the opportunity. Nothing more. She crossed her arms in front of her stomach, her fingers immediately finding her ring and spinning it. Michael watched the action. She'd done it in front of him a few times now, and while he hadn't asked what it was about he was beginning to get a pretty good idea.
He reached out, placing his hand on her shoulder, his thumb gently stroking it. He felt Wendy tense, but otherwise, she didn't do anything to move his hand away. A good sign. "You'll do fine." He tried his best to sound reassuring, but honestly it was an emotion that was completely lost on him. "It's important people like Marcus see that you're the one leading this project. I'm just the pretty face." This drew a laugh from Wendy, crimson coloring her cheeks.
"Thanks Michael." Her voice was soft, genuine. She reached up touching his hand that was on her shoulder. The contact sent shockwaves through Michael and he felt his groin stir to life. "You've given me more opportunities in just a few weeks than others have in just as many years."
Michael let his hand fall from her shoulder, he had to show patience. He didn't want this one to flame out like Lisa did. "Don't sell yourself short, Wendy. This has been all you. Your brilliance and commitment to doing whatever is necessary to get things done speaks volumes."
Heat washed over Wendy. She hated the way he looked at her, but she couldn't ignore the words he was saying, the conviction in his voice when he said them. Her traitorous body responded: her chest tightened, her pulse quickened, her cheeks flushed. An aching that she had never associated with anything other than... She pushed the thought away wishing she would have stayed in bed with Jon instead. "So what do we need to do to impress Marcus?"
For the next two hours, they dove into the campaign strategy. Michael stood behind Wendy's chair as she clicked through slides. Michael made for the perfect sounding board. She would bounce ideas off of him and he would give detailed responses on how they could or couldn't work. She didn't even flinch as he paced the room before stopping directly behind her, they were in the zone. "The evolution theme resonates with their core demographic," she explained, pulling up market research, "but I'm worried the imagery feels..."
"Generic?" Michael finished her thought. I thought the same thing, we need something more professional. "I know you have ideas, show me."
Wendy pulled up her mock-ups - sleek professionals with hints of rebellion in their styling. "It's missing something. The transformation feels superficial."
"Because you're thinking linearly." Michael leaned closer, his cologne mixing with coffee on his breath. "What if instead of showing the end result, we capture the moment of change?" His fingers brushed hers as he took control of the mouse, his gut pressing into her back while he pulled up reference images. "That split second when someone decides to break free, to become more." His enthusiasm was infectious, and Wendy found herself leaning forward, caught up in his vision.
"Like a chrysalis cracking open," she breathed, ideas flowing faster now. "We show them mid-transformation, that electric moment when-"
"When potential becomes power." Michael's hand settled on her shoulder, squeeze matching his excitement. "That's exactly it. See? This is why we work so well together. You have the instinct, you just need a little push sometimes to... come out of your shell." He gave her shoulder another squeeze, her skin was soft, he could feel the tension in her shoulders, could almost hear the moan escape her lips as he applied pressure. "You're not afraid to push boundaries. to think outside of the box." His hands left her shoulders, he didn't want to scare her away. "Some people make promises they can't keep. But you..." His eyes caught hers through the reflection on the screen. "You understand the value of... commitment."
A flush crept up Wendy's neck, goosebumps spreading across her shoulders from his contact just moments ago. They worked well together, she couldn't deny that she'd felt more valued in the last month than any other time maybe in her entire life. They worked like this until voices began filtering in from the hallway, other employees arriving for the day. Wendy stood up and stretched, surprised to find her body stiff from sitting so long.
"Morning beautiful." Jon appeared in the doorway, he decided to wear a brown sweater today with a pair of blue jeans. The look made her smile, it was almost the same thing he'd worn for their first date. "Thought I'd catch you here." His smile seemed genuine, but she couldn't help but notice how fast his eyes shifted to Michael and then to her hands. It made her uneasy, but she wasn't sure why. "Want to grab lunch today? Feel like we haven't really talked lately."
"That sounds great. I miss you." Wendy walked toward the door to give her husband a proper hello, but Michael cleared his throat stopping her in her tracks.
