Like a Moth to a Flame

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"I suppose this is business. No such thing as bad publicity, right? And any excuse to hold hands with an attractive younger man really. Combines work and pleasure perfectly, doesn't it? Not that I want to come across as the lecherous boss, making you uncomfortable. Gosh, you tell me the moment you get uncomfortable, won't you? I don't want you sitting quietly and hating me because I flirt or get too loud. I'd rather be told when I'm being annoying," he admitted as casually as he could manage, straightening his tie with his spare hand and, after examining his reflection a final time in the reflection of the mirror out in the lobby, he finally took a stroll out onto the street.

"We'll walk, of course. Give people a chance to talk about me and my fabulous 'boyfriend'. They'll call you that, but let them-- am I even your type? I bet you like the total opposite kind of man. Someone blonde and studious-- an academic with a quiet, observant personality."​
 
"A type? Me? Sir, I can barely get a boyfriend as is, let alone enough to have a type. My first 'boyfriend' was my best friend's brother, and I could hardly call a few kisses dating. The second was that football player, even though he would pretend that he didn't know me the moment any of his friends were around. I guess the closest to a serious relationship was the barista down at the Starbucks in the Upper East Side. We dated for, like, a half a year? It wasn't much, to be honest, but we went on dates and stuff. Here I go, going on about my entire sexual history! I'm sorry, really." He babbled, while keeping his eyes on his phone for some excuse to seem casual and relaxed.

"Like, you can have a type. You can get whoever you want, sir. You're famous, charming, charismatic... Like you said, you've dated models. I know we're just doing this for a stunt, but I can hardly imagine you having a type for unfashionable guys who just happened to luck out getting a job."
 
"You do yourself a constant injustice. I think you're deviously handsome, actually, and I'd be honoured to go on a proper date with you-- how about tonight? It's one thing doing this as a publicity stunt and to get tongues wagging, but why not do it for real? I'd be glad to see how a date works out. You've already shared a bed with me. I think we're already comfortable with one another," reminded Alexander mischievously-- even if he was a hundred percent serious. He would never ask to go on a date with him if he realised he was a cop. He dated people, and had them over his apartment, but ordinary citizens were generally less observant than policemen were. He had explained specks of blood on his shirt that he had yet to clean off as a shaving accident, or a prick from a sewing needle. However, how likely was Timothy to accept the excuses, when Alexander was the lea suspect for multiple murders?

"I can pick you up at your apartment at six," he continued obliviously, linking their arms-- after sweetly lifting his hand to offer a kiss. "We'll go to my favourite restaurant. I don't need reservations. I always get the best table, out on the balcony. It's such a beautiful view of the city-- how about it? I think you're cute, you presumably think I'm cute-- and I don't think you're a gold digger. I think you're genuine and... that's a rare quality to find in our business, actually."​
 
"W-Wait, for real? Like a real, unscripted date?" He stammered, his genuine shock probably pretty sad to any outsider. In a business sense, he was pretty shocked that someone so insignificant as him would earn the attention of someone as famous and attractive as Alexander so quickly. It was hard enough to kiss the man under the guise of a fake-out, but to do it for fun, and to know the other was genuinely attracted to him? It was a bit too much to take in. Thankfully, he didn't fall into the cliche of passing out when his hand was kissed, though he sure as hell was close.

"That, uh... That sounds pretty lovely, actually. I would love to be able to show you my place, you know? It's not nearly as fancy and designer as yours, but it feels pretty cozy. We could have some wine, right? I don't want to press you! I mean, we don't need to be anywhere near my place. I dunno... God, I'm babbling."
 
"A proper, unscripted date. Why not? I'm single, you're single. We could at least try to see what happens, and if we're not compatible, at least it'll be a nice meal between two friends. Hell, even if you decide you don't like my company whatsoever, you can think of it as a boss, employer sort of thing, I really don't mind-- though my intention is a romantic one, let's get that straight. I like you. You're absolutely bonkers, completely frazzled, but I adore that. Makes a change from the absolute, unemotional robots I've dated, anyway," he grinned, linking their arms to bring himself up closer to him, deciding to seize the moment when he saw it. It was his philosophy in life, and he did well to apply it to his personal life, as well as in business.

He did want to make sure he kept up the happiness around the other, before he inevitably saw him in a more stressed mode at work. Stress did get the better of him at times, and he wanted to make sure that, before that element played a part, Timothy realised he was, wholly, a decent person. However, upon arriving at the office building, his smile almost instantly vanished the moment Sandra met them in the lobby with a piece of paper. In a few seconds, the designer stiffened considerably, barely managing a proper goodbye to his assistants-- he gave Sandra a brief 'thanks' for that, and the breakfast she handed him; offered Timothy's hand a gentle squeeze, before rushing out to his car - Sandra had the foresight to arrange the driver to be there.

"It's... nothing at all to worry about," she assured Timothy gently as she ushered him into the elevator. "I have your share of the breakfast upstairs at your desk, as Alexander requested-- I saw you two arrived together, hand in hand? And you left the club together last night. Is... anything going on? Not that it's my business, not at all, but... you've literally only arrived, Timothy. G-Gosh, you move fast, don't you?"​
 
The sudden mood change was more than startling for the man, his own smile dropping to a quizzical frown. He was used to office work, but the only time it was really fast paced was when an officer was hurt, so to see his new boss go in and out in a heartbeat was a tad unsettling. Nonetheless, he aimlessly followed Sandra, the whole thing being a bit of a daze, and only really focused once in the elevator.

"J-Jeez, what's going on? Is everything okay? I know this place is, like, constantly moving, but the second we walk in?" He laughed nervously, while holding his hands behind his back. "Oh, us walking in together? I-I mean, um... I'm no slut, I want to make that sure! I just, we both hit it off, I guess? We're going on a date tonight, after work... isn't that amazing?"
 
Jabbing the button to the top floor, she hummed under her breath -one of her many coping mechanisms- before smiling back over at him. "Oh, it's really nothing to be concerned about, I... well, a fellow designer is threatening to release one of our designs to the press before it's finished. One of the employees here must have sold him the information. It doesn't sound like a huge deal, but it really is dreadful if the newspapers and fashion magazines get their hands on it this soon. I'm sure Alexander will handle it all so your date this evening goes swimmingly-- a date! G-Goodness me, you are going to be fun to work with. Mind you, I can tell Alexander likes you. He does this thing with men he likes, where he'll fiddle with his tie. He did that yesterday when he first saw you-- oh, you've got to tell me how it goes, won't you? Text me afterwards, assuming you and him don't... have sex... Alexander does have sex on the first date quite a lot. You know, he once called me up to bring champagne to his apartment, and he all but answered the door naked. That man has no sense of shame... I will not be bringing you champagne tonight, however much he begs..."​
 
"Don't worry, I'm more of a merlot kind of guy," he teased, in an attempt to ease her nerves. "Look, in his assistant, right? I'll take as much load off of you as I can, and if that means trekking down a few blocks to pick up some wine, it'll be fine... assuming there will be alcohol at all. I'm actually not that big of a drinker most days, last night was an exception. Anyway, I promise I won't have you scrambling over, nor will we be having sex on the first date. I'm just going to have a nice, proper dinner with him and maybe show him my apartment." He explained, while peering around the elevator carefully.
 
"You say that now, but tomorrow morning, you'll be strolling in here covered in those lovebite things. Molly, the office whore, is always covered in them. She sleeps with married men, don't accuse me of being bitchy towards her, she deserves it. She slept with my boyfriend. I could have her fired if I told Alexander, I know he'd get rid of her, but I'd... rather keep it between us. I know he's dying to know about my personal life, and I like keeping him guessing," drawled Sandra as she used the reflection of the elevator to comb down her hair, not having had much time to do so that morning when she had to rush around collecting her boss' breakfast for him. Finishing up with a bit of lipgloss, she strolled into the office and straight to her desk. "...I suppose you can just sort out your desk today, at least until Alexander gets back. Answer any calls and take messages, obviously, but you don't need me for that. A monkey could do that..."​
 
"Oh, jeez! Sandra, you need to tell Alexander about this. If I were you, I would have kicked this girl's head in," he replied awkwardly, while trailing alongside the woman. Of course, it was mostly to move away from the topic of the possible romantic encounter he was probably bound to happen. With a hint of a blush, he shyly held his neck with a smile at the idea. After all, the most loving and romantic think he had ever done was going bowling before going home and having sex, only for the other man to leave.
 
"Why? It happened months ago, and I was quite relieved to have an excuse to get rid of him. He was awful, and I'm not exaggerating. Handsome, obviously, but... looks aren't everything, I suppose. He was utterly boring, which explains why he and Molly were together. You'll find she's the most tedious person in this office- don't go being friends with her. You're my friend, aren't you? N-Not that you have to choose sides, gosh no," she awkwardly rambled, straightening her Disney-themed pens just to have something to distract her from sending the Molly girl a glare.

"Anyway, enjoy your morning before Alexander's back. We'll probably have a lot of work then. Drafting statements to the press, if the designs are released, explaining that they shouldn't be, and blah blah blah-- all the usual assistant stuff."​
 
"I think I can handle that," he replied with a small smile. Once at the blank desk, he was far from afraid to set down the laptop he had brought with him the day before, covered in various stickers. Since he wasn't a native to the big city, many of the stickers were from the various Burrows, each with their own designs. There were a few other things too, sure, like flowers and whatnot. Once again, it was something that his real coworkers usually harped him for. The background wasn't much more masculine, as it was a picture of his rats with small hearts doodled around them. He only had his father as his family, in his eyes, so saw his pets as a serious addition. With a careful glance towards his surroundings, he sank into the chair in his cubicle to type away at his findings from the night before. He didn't want to seem suspicious, though, and had a separate window to click on to, consisting of the business email, as he carefully tried to respond to messages and plan schedules as properly as possible.
 
And, all the while, Sandra was happy to blab and chatter to Timothy as typed away on his laptop, whether he was listening or not. Sandra was just happy to have someone to talk and rant to - she didn't require many answers; she was just glad to talk. The old assistant would listen to music all day and effectively shut her out, which had been irritating to say the least. She may not tell Alexander much about her personal life, but that was a playful choice to keep him interested. She was someone who adored gossip-- and she saw Timothy as someone who she could engage with.

"What are you typing? Is that intrusive? I mean, did Alexander tell you we had work to do?" She asked suddenly once seeing how focused he was, while she, in contrast, had been filing her nails with her high heels kicked off. "...I do have work, of course. I just... it's nothing that needs to be done immediately. Has Alexander given you a secret project? Ah, he really likes you, doesn't he..."​
 
"Oh, he wants me to schedule some things out. You know, assistant things. Nothing too hard yet." He replied with a grin, his eyes never moving as he typed quickly. It was a talent of his, his quick typing, though that didn't mean much compared to all of the other things he could be good at.

"There's nothing wrong with taking a break, but shouldn't you try to get stuff done early, so you could leave early? I mean, do you. I might leave on my break to get things from my place, snazzy the desk up a tad...@
 
"Oh, you can't leave, not unless Alexander says so-- and there's no telling when he'll come back. I don't have authority to permit you to leave. You have the week to decorate your desk, Timothy, don't worry. And, for the record, I do work hard. Always. I just don't have anything pressing to be getting on with, so you're wrong," she defensively reiterated, lips somewhat pursed at feeling under attack. She wasn't, of course, and she quickly realised he meant no offence-- and to make up for it, she swivelled her chair across to his desk with a wide grin.

"I'll help you decorate it, if you'd like. I can fetch in some bits and pieces-- you like rats, don't you? I have some stickers from that Disney film, with the rat in-- Ratatouille? You can have those, if you'd like?"​
 
Almost instinctively, he slammed the laptop closed when she move closer. After all, her sudden movement not only scared him as is, but the though of the other seeing his work made him incredibly uncomfortable. Nonetheless, he offered a thankful smile as he tapped his nails on the top of the medical. Spinning around himself with an extra sense of dramatics, he carefully crossed his legs.

"I have you know, my life doesn't surround my pets! Though... it's a pretty good movie, sure." He admitted, while offering a grin. "Hey, can we at least go to get a coffee down the street? I mean, I can go for a solid frappe right now. If I don't have to rush to get anything done, why not enjoy my putting off."
 
"I... haven't had a chance to get breakfast-- but what if Alexander gets back and we're not here? I'd be mortified, and it'd make him angry, and that would put a dampener on your date-- I'm being silly. Half an hour won't hurt anyone, it's still early and he won't be back until lunchtime, I imagine," she confirmed, reasoning with herself that she could manage to be spontaneous once in awhile. She was hungry, and a chance to grab breakfast with the other assistant would be the perfect chance to show everyone else in the office that she was fully capable of making a friend. "Right, yeah, let's... go do that! I could do with a nice stack of waffles, actually. I deserve a break. Alexander and I were on this diet together, but I think he's cheating, so I may as well. Life's too short, isn't it~?"​
 
"I'll pay, how about that?" He offered, before getting to his feet and stretching his back. Adjusting his suit once forgetting entirely that he was wearing it, he peered around the busy room with a nervous laugh. "Jeez, this is crazy. I feel like a real sneak! I've only worked here for barely two days, and I've already gone against, like, twenty different rules I have for myself! I mean, I knew coming to a big city like this would change me, but jeez, I didn't know I would hook up with a famous fashion designer and sneak out of my work in the same day."
 
"Embrace it, hon. I'm jealous, really. I know there's no chance of me being with Alexander, but if I had to see him with anyone, I'd choose you. You're better than those models he's flirted around with. They'd stab anyone in the back to be on the cover of a magazine. They wouldn't treat him the way he should be treated-- Alexander's rare. He's got all this fame, but he's normal. He took me to McDonald's last week, sat right in there with me as I got a meal. How many designers do you see doing that?" She challenged proudly. She did adore her employer - it was why she had stuck by him all these years, even when the job had become incredibly stressful. And Alexander did see her as one of his most dear friends-- one he had been ready to kill once, but he had gotten over that when realising how much he would have regretted it if her murder had taken place.

"He's a real gem-- you two would be fabulous, I think. He's already got you wearing his suits. This one is one of my favourites. I was with him when he designed it. We were out in the park together, and he just designed it, in five minutes. Amazing, really," she continued, grabbing his arm to link up with him and, shooting a deliberately smug smirk to Molly, wandered to the elevator with him at her side. "It suits you, you look like a model in it. Have you two kissed already? I bet you have, haven't you~? Is he a good kisser?"​
 
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"I-I mean, we kissed, sure, but he mostly kissed me for a joke. A way to trick cameras, you know?" He admitted quietly, while glancing away from the other shyly. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't really like him, Sandra. Like I said, I'm pretty shocked to know he likes me. I'm sorry, that he doesn't swing for your team,as they like to say. I may not be the best match-maker, but maybe I could try and find someone for you? This guy I know would be perfect for you! I just... I don't want you to hate me because I might, albeit very unlikely, date Alexander."
 
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