TheBroker

  Car wakes up the day after she met Sonya at a nightclub. A little fused before realizing in a panic that she is in Sonya's home. Sonya treats her kindly and they hit it off. They have coffee and talk a little bit about what happened and about the attempted horap. Sonya admits that she hasn't been looking for any serious retionships. Car mutters that she "wouldn't mind" before ging the subject to wanting to work for Sonya. Sonya accepts.

  [colpse]

  The faint st of coffee hanging in the air was the first thing that caught her nostrils as she came to. Her entire body ached, but not in a bad way. She rolled over onto her side and groaned, burying her fa the pillow. It was soft, so soft, and the case was ridiculously smooth. So were the sheets, they were like silk. She pulled the cool cloth over her head as more of the ache and stinging began tister in her brain. Her eyes fluttered open when she caught the st of a slightly woody, amon-like perfume. It was almost a cologne if not for the sweetness of it and hint of a flower she couldn’t quite pce.

  Huh? Her head still a little muddled as her fingers g tighter to the sheets. Silk? This isn’t my room. She thought as she pulled the sheets down over her fad peered around. She was in a bedroom, a rge one, expehere were three doors. One looked like it led out into the rest of the house. The oo the left of her was ajar and she could see a desk inside as well as several ss showing current stock prices and financial news. The door tht had a undry basket o it, a restroom. Everything had a white color scheme, with hints of pink.

  Hot pink.

  The memories came ba a rush as her breath caught ihroat. She sat up quickly, pulling the sheets up to her chest and whipping her head around in a paniy god, I’m in Sonya ovna’s bed. She felt fresh heat race up her fad she reached up to csp at a stinging spot on her neck, several of them. The ag made sense now. She’d allowed herself to let go of all sembnce of trol the previous night, all of her senses, all of her thoughts, her fears, her inhibitions, dominated and led along by a masterful ductor.

  The door leading out into the main living space of the CEO’s apartment opened and the woman herself stepped inside. Not in her usual all-white suit and scks, but in a pair of tights and a long t-shirt that had a red rounded video game pany logo on it. She was holding a mug of coffee, her usually styled white hair hanging down loosely over her shoulders and face, her bangs were actually pretty long. The usual intense glow of her eyes had been turned down to a faint glimmer, making her seem so natural, normal.

  Sonya leaned against the door, “M Car. Coffee?” She asked, gesturing with the mug before tilting her head. Her meical eyes twisted and refocused in her skull as they flicked almost meically over Car’s torso. “I did a number on you, I’ve got some lotion and cealer ihroom.”

  Car reached up and touched the stinging spots again, her breath caught ihroat. Her mind was a mess, nothing made sense, she thought-

  “I don’t hate you,” Sonya said, “I hate what you did, and I’ve fiven you. Did you have fun?”

  Car’s shoulders fell, “Yes ma-”

  “Nope, none of that, we’re well past Ma’ams and that stuff in casual versation,” Sonya corrected her before she could finish, “You do that when we’re in public if you want, but I’m just Sonya right now,” She ughed, “Look at me, do I look like I’m dressed to be called ma’am to you?”

  Car stared at her, a knot in her chest loosening a bit, she blinked a few times before a ugh bubbled up, she reached up and brushed back the raven bob of her hair back over her ear, “You’re right,” She chuckled, “Coffee would be lovely, Sonya.”

  “There we go!” Sonya cheered, “Coffee ing right up!” She said and twirled in pce, somehow not spilling her own coffee as she half skipped bato the living space. Car slipped off the bed and pulled herself to her feet, she sidered taking the sheets with her but realized that retty pointless. She walked to the bathroom and gave herself a once over. Sonya hadn’t been kidding. “Got a few shirts and essentials for you on the sink in there!” Sonya called.

  Car blinked and gnced down to see a couple rolled up shirts and other important bits of clothing. She tossed the first one on, a baggy t-shirt with the word ‘Soda’ written in curvy letters and glitter before dragging herself out into the living room. It was blessedly free of Sonya’s coworkers-ssh-roommates. Only a wide couch set in front of a wides tv. Behind the tv was a wall of windows that ed around a er of the apartment and gave a great view of the city. Tht she saw the dining area and beyond that, Sonya standing at a rge silver coffee mae, humming to herself.

  “Taking the day off?” Car asked.

  “Figured I might,” Sonya said as the mug filled. “Though to be ho I probably should go in ter. It’s pretty early still, if you’re worried.”

  “No, I’m actually on a vacation,” Car admitted, “Needed some time off.”

  “Chairman pushing you that hard?” Sonya asked.

  “..a bit,” Car admitted, feeling a bit sullen, “After I failed with you, I-”

  “You didn’t fail, he shouldn’t have asked that of you,” Sonya said and picked the mug up, not looking in her dire. “How do you have it?”

  “Bck, if you don’t mind?”

  Sonya ged, “Yikes, you’re tougher than you look,” Sonya said and walked over with the mug. Car took it with a grateful smile and sipped, it had to be the best cup of coffee she’d ever had.

  She looked up at Sonya and dared to ask, “Do you not like bck coffee?”

  “I’ve got a really bad sweet tooth,” Sonya said with a shrug, “Drives Marta crazy. Double cream with six sugars.”

  Car coughed, nearly spitting out her coffee, “Six?”

  “Mhm,” Sonya hummed, walking over to the coud sitting down, stretg her legs aing out a sigh, “How else do you think I get through the day? Sheer will and gumption? Please,” Sonya ughed, “I am powered by spite, energy drinks, sugar, and snacks!” She decred with way more pride than Car really thought she should have for such a statement.

  Car snorted out a ugh, earning her a beaming smile from Sonya. She flushed, remembering the far more domineering person from the previous evening. She looked down at her hands and back up again. Sonya gestured for her to sit and she obliged, sitting down a seat away as she sipped. “So what happens now?”

  Sonya scratched her nose and sipped her own drink, “Up to you, really,” She said offhandedly, “I’m not looking for something serious, if that’s what you’re asking. I go to that club often and I rarely sleep alone,” She admitted befng in Car’s dire, “If you’re looking for a way to blow off steam a rid of some of that stress that was eating you alive st night, sure, I’m game.”

  Car mao put forward a bit of a petunt pout, “And here I was looking forward to getting fitted for that colr you mentioned.”

  Sonya coughed, it was her turn to nearly spit up her drink. She looked up at Car wide-eyed, “You uh, you remember that? Oh, uh,” She rubbed the back of her neck, “Y-you do realize I was saying that stuff for your be, right?” She babbled.

  For the first time in a long time, with all the weight of w for the ittee, with all the pressure from the Chairman to make up for what had happened, all the fear of this ging world, Car didn’t just chuckle; she let out a full ay ugh. Sonya seemed so scary behind the desk, she was a scary person, she owerful and iial and demonstrably could bring serious political pressure against even a person like the Chairman. Ahere was a side to her that was normal, if a bit goofy.

  Car smiled down at her mug as the ugh ended, “I wouldn’t mind,” She muttered.

  Sonya raised an eyebrow, “Huh?”

  “Nothing,” Car said, “A little stress relief would be niow and then, Sonya,” She paused, “And… I think I’d rather work for you, than him.”

  Sonya gnced up at her and raised an eyebrow, “That’s a dangerous thing to say. You’re a Pandora representative, an important one. You operate on its home turf. You see the UN building from here.”

  “He should have thought of that before using me for a horap, then,” Car said, a bit more sharply than she’d intended. She couldn’t help it though. She’d seen it as something she just had to do at the time, but the derision that Sonya had id down upon her in that moment, and then the way she was being treated now. It was emp even if it had required surrendering all her power for an evening. She looked up at a genuinely surprised looking Sonya, seeking her approval, some sign that she was going a better dire than pying pdog to that old buffoon.

  Sonya gave her a rakish grin, “I’m looking forward t with you, Car Mint.”