[Marni] 123 not me
[Ray Ostermann] Late, late late late. It was the only way to describe Ray’s workday. Few things had gone without some kind of problem, some missing file or some late individual. It hadn’t been Ray’s fault, it rarely was. But it had all accumulated, all forced things back and back, leaving Ray at the office late into the night to ensure that any back log was taken care off, and any late paperwork was sorted and dealt with.
So late was it that Ray had forsaken his jacket, his tie, and his shoes as he had worked dilligently towards the eventual end of his night as the lightning flashed the thunder rolled beyond the glass of his office window. Even the secretaries and the more diligent of the partners had left at this point….leaving Ray all on his own in the darkness of the building, his window one of the few lighted beacons that told the world that Chicago…never slept.
[Marni] Late late late. Ray had to work late, so much so that she knew he’d be starving by now, and bemoaning the fact he’d had to miss Indy’s bedtime – if and when he allowed himself to think about it. So it is, one oh so curvy, oh so sneaky ragabash has decided to bring him something to eat.
And dinner too.
Passing the security guards is no problem. He turns his head, and she scoots by noiselessly, just a blur slipping through the shadows with careful steps, leaving behind the scent of… fried chicken? as he wonders why he is suddenly hungry. And smelling things. He’s still wondering when the elevator door opens, and she slips inside. He turns his head, and frowns, but figures it must be one of the partners that work late, forgetting something. He hadn’t seen anyone go in, after all.
Though Marni did – and she’s highly amused. Up to the correct floor, the door opens and she sneaks out, and down to his office… where he’s helpfully left the door slightly ajar. She’s near silent, as she watches him, taking the rare opportunity to study him as he works, noting the lack of shoes, the tie tossed over the jacket over the chair… She grins, and while he’s engrossed in his work, she slips into the room, settles into the chair, crossing her legs over the side, while she takes his tie and wraps it around her neck… All silent, all hidden by her gift and the shadows in the room…
Until the scent of the dinner plate restin in her lap gets his attention, that is, and she lets the blur fade so that he can find the source….
[Ray Ostermann] Many kinfolk could boast that their senses were heightened, that they were closer to their primal instincts and could sense danger, could feel the wild calling, even if they could not answer. As Ray sat there in his high backed chair, his eyes fixed upon the papers that lay before him, his pen scratching away tirelessly at its work those kinfolk would be slapping their foreheads and groaning as Ray destroyed their words in one fell swoop.
The man made no twitch, did not even raise a brow or pause in his toils as Marni slipped into his office and positioned herself upon the chair directly opposite himself and even managed to steal his tie…again. But then it hits him, that smell of chicken fried in deep vats of oil, it is an unmistakable smell, one that is unavoidable, and at that Ray raises his gaze and takes in the room.
A second later Marni materializes, tie upon her neck, plate upon her lap, and a smile upon her lips. The look upon Ray’s face is one of shock and surprise as the man pushes his chair back as if he might be bitten….she obviously surprised him. But when he gathered the form that sat before him, recognized the smile, and that curly hair, he breathed deep and laughed lightly.
“You…I should have you escorted from the premise Mrs Ostermann.”
[Marni] She arches a brow at that, laughing at his reaction as he finally realizes she’s there, and then… then…
The brow hitches higher as he calls her Mrs. Ostermann, and she looks pointedly down at her finger – ringless – and back up at him again. “The Missus, is it now?” She chuckles, though, and shrugs. “Your security guard should be more observant… walked right by him an’ he didn’t even hardly look around.”
Course, she was blurred, and determined, but that’s beside the point. “Brought ya dinner, Mr. Ostermann… since ya seem determined t’work right on through till mornin.” She plays with his tie – she has quite a collection now -its a good thing that they live together, else he wouldn’t have any to wear – and then grins over at him. She seems… happier. MOre content than he’s seen her in a long time. Something’s happened…
[Ray Ostermann] Ray chuckles as he pulls his chair back into position and eyes her ringless finger before shrugging gently and smiling at his mate. “If its simply a matter of a ring…you could have just said so.” He said as if buying her a ring…really would be no trouble at all.
“As to our security, I can tell you Marco does quite well at his job, being ex military….however I don’t believe he ever encountered Iraqi’s with the gifts of Gaia. Though I could be wrong of course.” He pushed up from the chair and moved around it slowly towards the Bone Gnawer who sat before him and went to pick up the plate….leaning in for a kiss as he did so.
“Someone is nearly glowing.” He said as he broke the kiss and picked the plate up entirely. “Do tell what has happened?”
[Marni] She states, primly… “shouldn’t have t’say.” before she laughs and shrugs. “Seems t’me, that when folks get all married up, they get asked… one knee, ring, oohs an’ ahhs, the whole works. An then there’s a chapel an’ a dress an shit. Ain’t that what little girls dream of?” She never did, of course, but that’s because she was always sure of what she’d be, and thought mating was simply.. mating. And something other folks did. Until the man across the desk done knocked her up and they made it official in the nation.
But if he wants her to be his missus in the eyes of the world, she’s gonna make him ask. Even if she already is, in her mind. She wouldn’t be herself if she didn’t make him work for it…
She watches as he walks toward her, lips curved into a little grin, lifting her face to his so that she can meet his kiss, a soft moan at the back of her throat as it lingers….
Then, she grins, and shrugs as he takes his plate. “Oh, nuthin’ much, really. Jus’ went huntin for a Totem with Mila an’ Adara.”
[Ray Ostermann] Ray simply smiles as he takes the food and walks back towards his desk, that being the only place one could really eat a meal off of. The smile is a knowing one, one that seems to be amused over Marni’s thoughts of marriage and the way it oughta be. She would make him ask…and maybe, just maybe sometime soon he would do just that.
But for now his stomach rumbles loudly, demanding the food which is laid out on the plate, and with the utensils well in hand Ray begins carving his way into the chicken. He pauses though before taking a bit however, as if the words she spoke took a moment to register and the man tilts his head ever so slightly.
“Totem….wait…you Mila and whoever this Adara is are packed now?” He asked, raising a brow in speculation and anticipation.
[Marni] She loves to watch him, loves the way his smile is knowing and full and amused… knowing that he’s thinkin of her and smiling like that. They’ve come a long way since the night she stole his phone, since the night she fucked him right there on that desk, just because she could – despite the fact she was injured. A long way indeed… against all odds. And she wouldn’t change a thing. Not really.
she even likes the way he digs into the meal she’d prepared for him. Crispy fried chicken, a cool potato salad, fresh summer greenbeans barely cooked so as to preserve their crunch. She’s a pretty damn good cook, all told, and she enjoys the satisfaction it gives him too. Especially as it means she can tease him about the five pounds she’s put on him.
He watches her, and asks, and she waits a moment before she lets that smile spread over her lips again. “Yup. That’s what it means. Adara’s a Fury – you’ll like her. She keeps wantin to cuddle me, an’ well, ya know what THAT does to ya… An’ Mila. Made it official last night. s’why i was so late. They had a drinkin contest to determine Alpha. Adara won.”
[Ray Ostermann] In the time it took for Marni to answer his question several carefully cut cubes of chicken had already disappeared into Ray’s mouth, devoured with eagerness and obvious hunger. He nodded as she spoke, indicating plainly that he was still listening before he looked up with a curious brow rising above his face.
“You allowed her to win did you?” He asks somewhat skeptical of the fact that anyone could out drink Marni in any regard no matter how small.
“I just cannot imagine you being beaten by anyone, especially not another woman.”
[Marni] She laughs. “Oh i probably coulda beat em both – but I was th’judge, an’ wasn’t competin.” She pauses, a moment, serious briefly as she looks down at his tie, and runs the rich material through her fingers. “worried enough about packin… ain’t ready t’alpha.”
And then she grins wickedly. “Wait till ya meet Adara – you’ll be imaginin much more fun things than beatin with me an’ another woman…”
[Ray Ostermann] “Will I now?” The buisnessman asked in an amused tone as he looked Marni up and down and tried to imagine what this woman could look like. “I could imagine a great many things you know. I could see the pair of you working for me so that I don’t have to do all this.” He said gesturing to the papers before his smile grew into that winning smile.
“Of course, I could also imagine the two of you naked…with myself right in the middle.” He said with a small chuckle as that winning smile became a devilish grin.
He doesn’t question her on her choice of turning down Alpha, it was her choice, and he was certain if she wanted to be Alpha…she would be.
[Marni] She could be – but being gunshy enough about packing… it’s taken her a long time to be willing to try again, and it took Adara several weeks to convince her that she wouldn’t be like the others… she wouldn’t leave, not willingly. She wouldn’t leave her alone to try and hold a pack together, only to watch them die, watch them run away, watch it all fall to pieces again. She’s not sure she could handle that again… It’s been a year – and too soon.
She laughs as he says he could see them working, and she pushes up from the chair to circle around to his side of the desk, leaning over his shoulder to look at the papers there. Sure, it presses her curves nice and close, which is just an added benefit, but her eyes are on his work… “I’m sure if I bent over this desk t’help ya? We wouldn’t get any work done at all…”
As for him right in the middle.. she chuckles. “Too bad for you I ain’t swing that way… but she is a cuddlesome one… all affection, like a puppy. A lesbatron puppy.”
[Ray Ostermann] She can see the brief diasppointment in his eyes as she tells him that the woman is entirely lesbian. with no interest in men no matter the circumstance. But that momentary lapse falls as the wayside as he feels her closenss, feels the curves of her body pressing into his own shirt, and the flesh below. It causes the man to pause in his meal and chuckle.
“Well you see you would have this lovely new desk outside the door.” He says gesturing to the door. “So you wouldn’t be constantly keeping me from doing work….only slightly.”
[Marni] (Pause for sleepy Daragans!)