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Post by rocky on Feb 4, 2011 16:21:29 GMT -5
[/b] r.armstrong@armstrong-copeland.com From: a.heart@plush-magazine.com Subject: Re: Only one? Well. You'll have to wait and find out, won't you? Patience is a virtue, Mr Armstrong -- I'll be there when I'm there... -- Adrienne Heart, Columnist, Plush Magazine [/ul] |
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Post by mabs on Feb 4, 2011 16:26:16 GMT -5
[/b] a.heart@plush-magazine.com From: r.armstrong@armstrong-copeland.com Subject: Tartly One. If you weren't so blasted beautiful when you're being coy, I would be angry by now. It's a good thing that I am a patient man, despite what you say, darling. -- Reed Armstrong, Attorney-at-Law, Senior Partner of Armstrong and Copeland P.S. Watch it, Heart. At this point, I may have to pull out handcuffs. [/ul] |
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Post by rocky on Feb 4, 2011 16:46:15 GMT -5
[/b] r.armstrong@armstrong-copeland.com From: a.heart@plush-magazine.com Subject: Re:Tartly one You mean your cooking isn't punishment enough? Well. Now I'm intrigued. -- Adrienne Heart, Columnist, Plush Magazine [/ul] |
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Post by mabs on Feb 4, 2011 16:53:09 GMT -5
[/b] a.heart@plush-magazine.com From: r.armstrong@armstrong-copeland.com Subject: Tartly One. Says the woman with wine and coffee in her kitchen and nothing else? I believe you'll be amazed. Must go meet with pompous men and talk about billion dollar deals. Don't miss me too much. See you at seven. -- Reed Armstrong, Attorney-at-Law, Senior Partner of Armstrong and Copeland [/ul] |
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Post by rocky on Feb 4, 2011 16:59:48 GMT -5
[/b] r.armstrong@armstrong-copeland.com From: a.heart@plush-magazine.com Subject: Re: Tartly one. I do believe I have touched a nerve! Don't pout too hard, it absolutely ruins your poker face. I'll see you at seven...ish. Ax -- Adrienne Heart, Columnist, Plush Magazine [/ul] |
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Post by mabs on Feb 4, 2011 19:15:00 GMT -5
***
The highlight of Reed's day had been his playful banter with Adrienne, and from that point on, his day worsened. His meeting with the firm lasted far too long and cost way too much. His partner had caught a bad case of the flu, rendering Reed the sole lawyer at the office. And to top it all off, his father had called. Not only called, but physically showed up to his office.
The man was imposing at best and downright frightening at worst, at least to most. To Reed he was a symbol of everything that Reed despised in people. Greed, angles, and pure disregard for human nature. Even though Reed was greedy enough in his own right, he felt justified for his own behavior. Harry Armstrong was hardly justified at all.
Reed had come home and untied his tie and rolled up his sleeves, starting to fix the dinner he'd promised Adrienne. He was still in a bad mood, and it was obvious, though the smooth lyrics of Michael Buble and the smells of his Italian chicken Parmesan dish helped sooth his temper a little that had been on edge all day. And Reed's father hadn't even said much to invoke such fury, which was what angered Reed the most.
Armstrong had shown up at the office with papers from the fellow lawyer who had represented Reed in his divorce. Their settlements were all on file, and Armstrong had come to deliver the copies to Reed. Though everything about Harry's manner had struck Reed as arrogant and hierarchal. As though Reed wasn't the top Armstrong in her legal world now.
"The whole ting only cost you 1.1billion, son. I suppose I should be proud," he'd spoke in a mocking tone to Reed. To which Reed had defied that he was even Harry's son. And the fight had sprung from there, leaving Harry Armstrong to storm out and all but break the glass in the door to Reed's office.
Reed had calmed down significantly, but he was still in a bad mood. A terrible one. He wondered faintly if it was even wise to have Adrienne still come over. Reed wasn't used to letting people see his angry side, not his romantic prospects at least. Franny had seen him angry, truly angry, but she was his wife, never his lover. Adrienne was a different story. But she she wanted a relationship, and all the dysfunctionality that came with it, then a relationship she'd get.
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Post by rocky on Feb 4, 2011 20:51:43 GMT -5
Adrienne had found herself plagued by Frank all day. She was starting to feel crowded by him. It seemed as though if he had an excuse to drop by her desk, email her or just walk through the office in front of the glass wall, he did it. She didn't know what to make of it.
She stressed herself over him still. If she had to go into his office she steeled herself first. If she saw him she set her teeth on edge to ward off the flood of memories and bad feeling on the subject. That he was beginning to pop up all over the place when he normally never uprooted himself from his desk at all had proven exhausting.
She was three and a half minutes late. She wanted to taunt Reed but not inconvenience him too much; just enough to be sassy about it if he mentioned it.
She was in the same clothes she'd worn earlier that day, but had headed home to see to George and freshen up a little beforehand. It was only indecision that kept her from changing -- she was tired of everything she owned. Everything.
The doorman let her in and she knocked on Reed's door once and then let herself in.
"Hello?"
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Post by mabs on Feb 4, 2011 21:00:04 GMT -5
Reed was tending to the food and straining the pasta when he heard his door open, and he finished straining the noodles and placed them in their respective bowl, wiping his hands on a towel. He looked up and forced a bit of a smile at the sight of Adrienne, her becoming a welcome sight. He was still tense, but forced it away as he walked over and gave her a kiss before glancing at the clock.
"Only a few minutes late. Not bad," he said softly. "I may let you off the hook on the punishment." Reed had never had his libidio drown like it was then. He was feeling soft, emotionally, and he didn't really feel up to passion or sex in that moment. It was a rare thing, but it did happen. Even to Reed.
He returned to the counter and poured them glasses of wine before he plated their food and set it on the bar where he'd set up a romantic candle and simple, romantic table setting. He took a gulp of the wine and then topped off his glass some more, decidedly quieter than usual. He gestured to their seats with a half smile to Adrienne.
"We have dinner now, and your choice of movie after," he said with lackluster brilliance. He'd planned the night to a tee, and now he just didn't know how to feel about anything. The darkness of his father loomed over him, threatening his happiness over and over again. Bastard.
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Post by rocky on Feb 5, 2011 6:31:29 GMT -5
"Are you okay?"
Adrienne sensed his lack of energy immediately -- normally he was so frantic, and she was hard-pressed to keep him off of her. She wondered if maybe she had struck a nerve questioning his cooking ability -- she was a dreadful cook. All she could do was fry things. She knitted her brow and looked at him over the glass of wine, taking her place on the stool.
"This looks good," she added, sensing it wasn't the time to tease him. "Colour me impressed, Armstrong."
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Post by mabs on Feb 5, 2011 8:23:53 GMT -5
"I'm fine," Reed replied to her question, almost a little too quickly. He chuckled and threw up a smile, one of his defenses, and looked at her with a raised brow. "Just a rather long day." And the case was closed, for Reed. He'd say no more on the subject, not unless he felt like it, and he surely didn't. Above all things, Reed was sore at his father. Over the miserable years that had made the rift between them a canyon, Reed could never help but wonder how his life would have been different if his father wasn't such an unadulterated bastard. O course, Armstrong's Spartan ways of raising Reed had taught him many things, but every once in a while there was a childish part of Reed that felt repressed.
But one would have never seen it for the smile on his face.
Reed raised his glass to Adrienne's and clinked it. "Mm. To overthrowing expectations, then," he toasted with a chuckle and then sipped his wine. Reed took to his dinner quietly at first, wishing that he was in a much better mood. But then again, he was glad he was not. Adrienne had her moods, and he had his too, he decided.
"So, your choices for a movie are anything from Casablanca to The Town to...well anything you want really." Reed grinned at her with a little pride for his movie collection. It was vast enough to make any movie enthusiast cry, and he honestly had everything. Even several indie films that few people knew or liked. Or even understood. Reed had taken a film studies class back in high school, which had spurred his attraction to them in definitely.
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Post by rocky on Feb 5, 2011 10:47:55 GMT -5
Adrienne let him eat in relative silence. She wasn't one to labour over conversation if the other person wasn't interested. He seemed oddly reflective tonight, and she wondered what had happened that afternoon to put him so off his usual game.
She wasn't entirely sure of how to be comforting, though. They were in the strange position where their affection was almost inadvertent, their relationship was based on lust and off-colour humour, and thus far the only emotional moment they had shared was when they'd been screaming at one another, and that had still ended in sex.
They drifted across to the sofa and Adrienne made a point of choosing Halloween as their evening's entertainment. She wanted something mindless, gory, and that would give her the opportunity to feign fear and cling on to him if the notion struck her.
"This film is the reason I check my closet before I go to sleep at night," she said, and settled next to him -- comfortably close, but not touching him yet. It wasn't really true -- she didn't actually check the closet. But the thought crossed her mind now and then, if she'd been watching too many slasher movies.
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Post by mabs on Feb 5, 2011 11:03:06 GMT -5
Reed was more contemplative than he'd intended to be during the dinner, but it wasn't a totally uncomfortable silence between them. He was unsure how to really exist around Adrienne when he wasn't being overly masculine and sexual, as he was prone to doing. He noticed that she chose a slasher, one of his favorites, as their movie of choice. That was just as well. Reed didn't have the emotional strength to take on a romantic movie that evening.
He felt the sofa shift when she sat down, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder out of an almost second nature habit. He pulled her gently into his side as the movie started, and if he were honest, he was enjoying the closeness of her.
"This was one of the first movies that I ever watched with a girlfriend," he reminisced with a grin. "Us boys likes making them watch it so our girls would bury their faces in our chests and cling to us. Pretty damn genius, eh?" he joked softly. Reed squeezed her shoulder, and raised a brow down at her, as if challenging her
"I know you're the fearless Adrienne Heart, but if you need some big strong male to grab onto..." he alluded and chuckled as the title sequence for the movie rolled. Reed stretched out and got comfortable, leaning his free elbow onto the arm of the sofa. It was nice, he decided, to have a girlfriend to watch a movie with. To spend a little time with. To distract himself with.
Nice.
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Post by rocky on Feb 5, 2011 12:06:51 GMT -5
Adrienne allowed herself to be pulled close to him, and thought maybe he was coming back around. She slid an arm across his middle and leaned her head on his shoulder. The film began and they sat quietly for a while, until Michael Myers finally started to pick off teenagers. Then Adrienne dutifully began to squirm a little, wincing in all the right places, even though she knew the movie so well she had practically memorised every stab and blow.
"Did you hear something?" she asked innocently, glancing around his darkened living room. "I thought I heard something..."
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Post by mabs on Feb 5, 2011 12:13:34 GMT -5
Reed couldn't help but roll his eyes as she squirmed and he squeezed her shoulder in the right places, stroking her arm when it was suitable. The regular routine. To be truthful, Reed was only going through the motions. It wasn't until Adrienne spoke that he sort of jerked back to reality and sighed.
He kissed her temple gently and found her hand, threading his fingers through her in an act of comfort. "You didn't hear anything, baby." He was being reassuring, just how a respectable boyfriend should, he decided. Which was better than he thought he'd do. He just kept playing his father's words over and over in his head, and he felt worse and worse and more angry again by the moment.
Who the hell was he to judge Reed on anything? Who the hell did he think he was?
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Post by rocky on Feb 5, 2011 12:19:57 GMT -5
Adrienne rolled her eyes. Clearly this was not going to work. Why was she there, if he was a thousand miles away? She disengaged from him and shifted along the sofa, shaking her head.
"No, probably not," she said, with a small sigh.
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