Jo

I stumbled out of the elevator, straightening out my shirt. I checked the mirror and made sure I looked more put together than I was feeling.

I spun around and jumped when I saw a girl with brown, fuzzy hair and glasses standing in front of me with an armful of papers.

"Shit," I jumped, looking down at her.

"H-hi," she said, struggling to hold the stack of papers.

"Hey," I questionably greeted, lifting an eyebrow.

"Hey, stranger," Fred greeted, smiling, "this is Cecilia."

"Oh," I said, relaxing a bit, "you're Cecilia."

"Yes sir, that's me." She lifted her leg and rested the papers on them, struggling to hold out her free hand.

"Josiah," I said, shaking her hand, "it's nice to meet you."

She blew her frizzy hair out of her face, smiling up at Fred. "I'm going to finish filing these."

"Thank you."

I watched her walk away, looking over at him. "Oh?"

"She's sweet," he said, "and honestly, better at the job than Meredith was."

I shrugged out of my jacket. "She seems a little all over the place."

"I could say the same for you," he deadpanned, looking over at me, "late start?"

"Needy wife this morning."

He chuckled. "How was the honeymoon?"

I walked into my office, raking my hand through my hair. I fell down in my chair, smiling up at him.

"Good?" He asked, sitting on the edge of my desk.

"Never felt anything like it," I muttered, "and who knew I'd be so happy to not get sleep?"

"Sex over sleep any day," he responded, nodding, "absolutely."

"How are things with Lex?" I asked.

He smiled and nodded, winking.

"Hey, Mr. King?"

Cecilia shyly peeked in the office.

"Hey, Cecilia," Fred said, standing up.

"Just wanted to remind you that you've got a meeting today," she said, nodding with a smile.

Fred nodded. "Thank you."

I looked up at him. "Me included?"

"Yes," he answered, standing up, "you included."

I bit down on my lip. "Has Amanda been pissy?"

He shook his head, his bottom lip jutted out. "Nope. I'm assuming Logan's sexting skills are great, or either he blows a shit ton of money on plane tickets."

I chuckled, looking back at her. She was quietly sitting at her desk, which happened to be all she did these days.

Fred sighed, resting his hands on his hips. "And there's the teenage girl."

I spun around in my chair, seeing Cecilia standing at her desk. She was typing away on her phone, and the huge stack of papers still waiting to be filed was sitting on her desktop.

"Cecilia," Fred called out, leaning against the threshold of my office.

"Yes sir?" She asked, hesitating for a second before looking up from her phone.

"What are you doing?"

"I-I'm sorry," she said, "I got sidetracked."

He bit down on his lip and watched her walk into his office, looking back at me. "I can't be mean to her. I can barely even put my foot down."

"She'll motivate you to do so, soon enough."

He sighed, resting his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, that's what I'm dreading."

~*~

Lena

"Oh, so how was the honeymoon?" Gilda Hauss asked, a warm smile on her face as she covered my hands with her own.

"Magnificent," I said, smiling a warm smile.

"I missed your creativity while you were gone," she said, leaning back in her chair, her posture somehow perfect, "I was in a rut."

"Oh, is that so?" I asked, tilting my head over. I shot her a glance before scanning the wine menu.

"It in fact is. But, you're back, and you're my muse."

I smiled. "What are we working on?"

"Well, now, I'm considering my storefront," she said, "exterior and all. I'm so bored with the way it looks. You know how you want to gag every time you see something? That's how I feel about my store."

I sipped on my water, lifting my eyebrows. Gilda Hauss was, in fact, a talker.

But a talker that was the bulk of my income, so I was all ears.

"Okay, well, let's brainstorm, then."

"Not until we have wine," she said, "my creativity sparks after I have alcohol coursing through my body."

I smiled, quickly checking my phone. I saw a missed message from Jo.

[From: Babe]
How's lunch going?

I shot Gilda a glance before responding to his message, simply telling him that it was going well, and in turn, asking how his day was going.

"So, ladies, have we decided on a bottle yet?"

I looked up at the waiter, smiling. Gilda cut me off before I could answer.

"The most expensive you've got," she said, winking.

I lifted an eyebrow, looking at her as he walked away. "There's no telling how much that bottle's going to be."

She shrugged. "Eh. I've got money to spend."

I smiled, clearing my throat. "So, I was actually thinking. Your storefront is a little bit rustic currently?"

"Correct. Yuck." She rolled her eyes, folding her arms on the table.

"What if we did away with that aspect of things," I said, "and had a really smooth exterior. White, casement windows, black trim?"

I rested my chin in my palm, awaiting her response.

"I trust your judgement, you know this," she said, "far more than mine."

I smiled, leaning back when the waiter brought our glasses and wine. I checked my phone as he poured them, seeing yet another message from Jo.

[From: Babe]
I mean it when I say I can't stop thinking about the honeymoon

I bit down on my lip, smiling up at Gilda, who was gawking at the young boy informing her about the wine.

[To: Babe]
Just can't get me off your mind?

Gilda sighed, resting her chin in her palm. "He's twenty-two. Can you believe that? I can't."

I lightly chuckled, taking a sip of my wine. I glanced down at my phone that I'd left on, seeing a bubble indicating that Jo was typing.

"I'll, um," I began, glancing down at my phone yet again, "I'll get the blueprint that I've got laid out in my mind done tonight if I have a chance, and I'll text it to you."

"That'd be marvelous. Give me a few ideas, for the inside."

My phone vibrated, making me look down at it.

[From: Babe]
Go take off your underwear

My eyes went wide and I clicked my phone off. I closed my eyes, shaking my head. "U-uh, well, I thought a nice round couch with a chandelier hanging over it would be a beautiful introduction to the store."

"Love it," she said, her eyes glued to me.

"And maybe a fountain wall?" I said, "silver tile?"

"Ah!" She squealed, clapping her hands, "I'm already in love."

My phone vibrated again, making me clear my throat and look down at it.

[From: Babe]
Now

I bit down on my bottom lip, clearing my throat. "L-listen, I'm so sorry. It's an emergency."

"No rush, I'll have sweet Josh occupy me while you're in the washroom."

I smiled, grabbing my purse and phone. I speed-walked to the restroom, making sure I wasn't getting any odd glances along the way. I slipped inside the ladies room, grabbing my phone from my purse.

I walked into a stall and locked it, slipping off my tiny underwear from beneath my dress. I stepped out of them and held them up, sighing as I shook my head.

Why is your husband like this?

I dropped the underwear in my purse, walking out of my stall. I dialed Jo's number, holding my phone between my shoulder and ear.

"Hello?"

"I did as you asked," I said, leaning into the mirror to check my makeup.

"I didn't ask, I told."

"Right," I said, patting my bottom lip with my pointer finger to attempt to even out my lipstick.

"I'm going to need some proof, though."

I sighed, leaning back. "Jo."

"I'm serious," he said, "it's easy for you to tell me that you took them off."

I hung up, opening my Louis Vuitton purse. I snapped a picture, freezing when the door opened.

The lady shot me a confused smile, making me match her smile and hurry out of the restroom. I sent the photo Jo's way, smiling as I walked back to my table.

"Josh hasn't been around, so I'm thankful that didn't take long."

I bit down on my lip, unable to wipe my smile off of my face as I sat down. "So, where were we?"

~*~

Jo

I tuned out the conference room full of men, my fist covering my mouth as thoughts of Lena held my attention instead.

Six times. Can you believe that? Six times. In one day. Most people don't even have that much sex in a week.

I let out a sigh, leaning back in my chair. I couldn't take my mind off of the woman.

"Jo."

I shifted my eyes over to Fred, who was sitting diagonally from me.

"Hm?"

He nodded towards one of the men, whose name happened to be Sean, if I wasn't mistaken.

I looked over at him, sitting upright. "I apologize."

He chuckled. "Understood. I was just curious as to if the two of you'd be interested in another branch overseas."

I nodded, my mind immediately settling on Italy. Italy also held other fond memories that I was trying my absolute hardest to rid myself of currently.

"A-absolutely," I muttered, rubbing the nape of my neck.

He smiled, nodding. "I've got teams everywhere. You two brainstorm and get back to me on that."

"We'll definitely have to consult our father, as well," Fred said, folding his hands over his abdomen, "but I'm sure he will be more than welcoming to the thought of the opportunity for more money."

I rubbed my eyes, leaning back in my chair. Remember that time she gave you head while you watched the sunrise? Or that time that she lifted her dress in public? Or that time-

My thoughts were cut off when I saw the men standing from their chairs and holding out their hands. I cleared my throat and stood, shaking each outstretched hand firmly.

I smiled, slipping my hands inside my pockets as everyone cleared out of the space. Sean nudged my elbow, nodding towards the door.

"I get it."

I looked over at him.

"You just got back from your honeymoon, the world's aware," he said, "newlywed."

I smiled, nodding as I led him out of the conference room. "Yes."

"I completely understand," he said, resting a hand on my shoulder, "you're missing your bachelor life now."

My eyes went round as I shook my head. "Not at all what I'm thinking-"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm pulling your leg. But, I can give a word of advice. Keep things interesting, or else, you'll end up like me. Missing my bachelor days."

I knitted my brows together, unaware as to why this man was spilling his personal information to me. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you for your time this evening."

He winked, walking towards the elevator. I walked into my office, seeing Fred standing next to my desk with open arms. "What the hell was that?"

"Sorry," I said, sighing as I fell back in my chair, "my mind-"

"You're acting like a seventeen year old again," he said, "okay, you might've gotten away with bombing your tests because you were thinking about who you hooked up with the night before. Guess what? There aren't any teachers to sweet talk in the business world."

"Bro," I said, holding a hand out to him, "loosen the hell up."

He sighed, leaning his head back.

"Sorry you don't have anything to think about," I muttered, turning towards my computer.

"Not true," he muttered, folding his arms over his chest.

"I just got back from the best week of my life," I said, "with the most perfect woman on the planet. Yeah. My mind's a little foggy."

"Guess what? I came back from the best week of my life with the news that I had a son on the way," he said, "and it didn't affect my work."

I folded my arms over my chest.

"If you costed us that," he muttered, shaking his head.

"I didn't cost us shit," I said, standing up, "maybe you should ask Alexis to give you head, or something. You're really uptight."

I brushed past him, shaking my head as I grabbed my coat to leave.

~*~

hiii my bebs

how are you guys? is everyone feeling well? <3

what have you guys been up to? im sorry this update most definitely took a bit. my life is actually transitioning (slowly, but surely) back into what it was before quarantine started, so updates will be a bit more sparse.

i hope you guys enjoyed! i know this chapter was kind of boring, but i knew i had to write about jo being all distracted in a meeting. that was non-negotiable.

also.. guys. we are having SO MUCH FUN on my instagram! we've been playing cute games, ive been running polls, posting sneak peeks, and all kinds of other fun stuff.. so if you're not following... wyd?

(it's subversivejwriting if you just wanted to know)

welp. i don't have a lot more to say, other than i hope you guys are all doing well and i love u guys so so much. continue to stay safe!

kisses,
jay