Thread: Business as Usual {Niksis x Ms Catailia}

Overtime. It felt like all she had been doing recently. The idea of having to do it today on no sleep did not even sound possible, but ever the professional, she didn't once complain or show the fatigue she was already feeling. Sophie had learned at a young age that they only way to succeed in the world was to not be a girl. Girls complained, they whined even. Girls needed their beauty sleep. Girls needed assistance and to be walked step by step through something multiple times. Girls merely were a means to give respect, not demand it. Growing up with one of the biggest men on Wall street as her dad, she had been constantly taught this. And by the time she learned the rush of winning against men, 'sugar,' as he called her, would be a distant regrettable girl she left behind. No, she wanted to be Sophie Pyrce, one of the big dogs her dad told her she could never sit at the same table with since she was just a puppy. This table is for the dogs, sugar. Men at work. Go play with the other puppies. In his eyes the most she would ever amount to was to look cute and corral the many puppies she was supposed to pop out for the big dog in her life. But in order to impress, fight back against the stereotype that had been ingrained in her, she couldn't just succeed in becoming a big dog, she also had to look sexy and personify the amazing woman she was. That was why she was so good at her job. That was why she didn't complain, didn't focus on sleep, didn't need help and taught herself everything so no one would have to teach her. That's what made her Sophie Pyrce. By the end of the day though, now pushing nine as she finished her last report, a cold pillow and warm bed was now sounding like a luxury she may never experience again. She had even had to apply more make up under her eyes around lunch time, which other than doing that, she had worked through. Emailing him the final report and printing it out for him as well, Sophie turned off her computer with a sigh. Finally. But based on the amount of missed calls and angry text messages unchecked on her cell phone, she wasn't even going to bother to try to go home. She'd have to get a hotel room somewhere near by and use her second emergency stash of clothing in her car. Grabbing the papers as she stood from her desk, she remembered dinner and couldn't help the cringe that momentarily came to her expression. It wasn't a reaction to having dinner with him specifically, but just having dinner at all. She was ready to ignore food entirely if it meant getting an extra hour of sleep. Although dinner with Troy would probably be drawn out to two or three hours. He was so casual about time it sometimes baffled her how he managed to get anything done. Hiding her distain at having to stay awake longer, she made her way back into his office with the reports. On her last few steps to his desk her heel decided it couldn't make it a moment more. Shit! She managed the moment she fell forward, her stride having been too heavy to correct herself. Papers flew out of her hands as she reached out and slapped her hands against his desk to catch herself from falling. By the time the last paper floated to the ground she was bent over his desk in front of him, looking disheveled simply from the long day and event that just occurred. Giving herself a moment to recover, her heart pounding from the adrenaline rush of almost falling, she moved to lean her hip against the desk and brought her foot up to look at the destroyed heel. I apologize, sir, she spoke quickly the moment she remembered she was in his office, having done all this in front of him. Clearly embarrassed with herself she moved to kneel down and gather all the papers, frantically trying to get the all in order. She had never made such a fool of herself in front of someone so important before. Sophie was a flustered mess as she stood up and brushed her hair out of her eyes, holding out the uneven papers to him. She was standing as though there was nothing wrong with her heel, faking it with ease as she held the broken part in her hand. That's the final report, Mr. Halberd. I also emailed it to you, she spoke in an even voice, trying to pretend she hadn't just completely embarrassed herself but she couldn't hide the touch of pink that betrayed her cheeks.