Fashion! Turn to the left...
Category: Pink Sheep RPG
Euan was bent over a parchment at his desk, features intent as he poured over the minuscule writing. Even as she observed her assistant, Astoria watched as a lock of sandy blond hair fell across his brow. She had the most irrational urge to flick it away.
“Constant travel and ridiculously long work hours is no reason to neglect regular grooming,” she said to him as she clipped across the room and leaned over his desk to brush the wayward lock back into place. A tiny smile curled her lips when he looked up to meet her gaze.
“P’raps not,” he returned, looking up at her once he’d gotten to the end of the text, “but annoying me favourite mam and me favourite boss are quite big enough reasons, don’t you think?” A crooked half smile quirked his lips for a moment.
“You’re quite lucky I adore you,” she told him, brow rising slightly. “Else I’d have to dole out some dire punishment for your cheek.”
“You can’t reach my cheek to punish it,” he told her with laughing eyes.
She raised a brow at him. “I do have a wand,” she reminded him archly, though a smile curled her lips moments later.
Hitching her hip to sit on the edge of the desk, Astoria leaned over to splay her palm over his work. “I need you. Romy’s on house arrest because of the baby, but I still need a second pair of eyes, and I’m afraid it’s fallen to you to come gown shopping with me.”
His eyes narrowed shrewdly. “Do I get paid for this time?”
She mirrored his expression. “I should hope you’d just be happy with my lovely company.”
“Quite.” After a beat, his expression relaxed into a grin. He’d been very fortunate to have a boss he could truly enjoy working with, and Euan was properly grateful.
A smile lit her features. “Fantastic.”
*~*~*
“You know,” Euan began as he leafed through dresses, “this is hardly normal assistant’s work. Certainly not in my job description.”
“And you are hardly a normal assistant, nor I a typical employer,” Astoria reasoned as she plucked a black gown and handed it off to one of the shopgirls for her dressing room. “Though in my days as a personal assistant, I must say that my duties were anything but normal,” she mused as she let her fingers graze down a silk sapphire gown. “I once used to personally pass romantic correspondence between Rose Mallory and Nathan Brandon.”
Euan couldn’t help but snicker. “So shall I find someone to send little love notes to on your behalf, then? Mr. Carmichael, perhaps?”
The snort that escaped her was decidedly unladylike. “Hardly. Perhaps I might send you over to V Inc. anyway though, hmm? Diane is always disappointed when I come by without you,” she said, tiny smile curling her lips as she caught Euan’s gaze. The blue gown was held up for his approval or rejection.
He steadfastly ignored her first statement. He’d learned the hard way that business and pleasure were a very bad combination, usually for him. Instead, Euan beheld the gown critically. “Don’t think I like the neckline,” he informed her. Euan felt more comfortable assessing colours than cut, but that blue flattered Astoria’s skin tone went without saying.
Astoria eyed the gown and nodded her agreement. “You’re right. The square necklines never do anything for me. Especially with such wide straps on the shoulder.”
After she put the dress back, Astoria linked her arm through Euan’s and headed toward a different section of the boutique. “So tell me, dear sir, if I have been keeping you too busy to form a social life. It’s one thing to inhibit my own, but quite another to do so to my employees.” She glanced at him, lips curling slightly. “Any pretty dates recently?”
“None as lovely as you, Boss, never fear.” Some girls, some times. Not overly often. At least, not as often as his older brother Magnus, who had a near-constant stream of women through his bed, and snickered at Euan for not bothering (or perhaps, being able) to do the same.
“If your social life has dwindled to me, then it is certainly a sad state of affairs,” she said, though she ignored the fact that she had no prospects either.
She held out a pale pink gown. Pink usually wasn’t one of her preferred colors, but this particular one was delicate and lovely. She glanced at Euan for approval even as she continued, “I could always introduce you to some of my friends at Witch Weekly.”
“Just let’s pretend it’s all by happy accident and you’re not meaning to introduce me and we might have a deal,” Euan finally replied, taking in the dress as he did so. “Try it, but I’ve a feeling it’ll be too flimsy.”
“You’re right. Though it is a lovely pink...” she said a bit wistfully as she set it back.
She shifted her attention back to Euan and tipped her head, a tiny smile curling her lips as she made a show of taking his measure. “You’re quite handsome and I know for fact that women happen to think a brogue is sexy. I think you’ll do just fine with the girls without any help from me.”
“It’s all in the kilt,” he returned with a wink. It had been a long, long time since Euan had meant something to anyone that way (or been led to believe he might). He found he missed the feeling; the absence was colouring a lot of the pieces he’d been working on lately.
“Mmm, I think you’re right,” she hummed. Astoria hadn’t ever allowed herself to think of Euan as anything but her employee, and later her friend, but she knew for a fact that he look very fit in a kilt, indeed. “You should wear one to the next gallery event. The ladies would be all aflutter.”
“Even as they’re jealous of me legs?” He grinned at his boss, though Astoria was far more of a friend to him than that title implied.
“Darling, I’m jealous of your legs,” she informed him, smile touching her eyes. “It doesn’t diminish my love for you though. I am a connoisseur of aesthetically pleasing things, after all.”
“And I’m very pleasing, is that it?” Euan asked, batting his lashes playfully. It might be outside the realm of a normal assistant’s duties, but Euan actually (not that he’d admit this within a league of his brother) found he enjoyed shopping with his wee little boss.
“Mmm, you have your moments,” Astoria said, smiling again. Some days, like this one, Astoria was entirely satisfied with where life had brought her. It wasn’t the life many had expected for her, but she was happy.
“Come on, Scotsman. I’ve some gowns to try on and you’ve some judging to do,” she said then as she turned on her heel and headed toward the dressing rooms.
“It’s always just work, work, work with you, boss.”
SUMMARY: Astoria drags Euan along on a shopping trip. He enjoys himself more than he’d ever admit.
Euan was bent over a parchment at his desk, features intent as he poured over the minuscule writing. Even as she observed her assistant, Astoria watched as a lock of sandy blond hair fell across his brow. She had the most irrational urge to flick it away.
“Constant travel and ridiculously long work hours is no reason to neglect regular grooming,” she said to him as she clipped across the room and leaned over his desk to brush the wayward lock back into place. A tiny smile curled her lips when he looked up to meet her gaze.
“P’raps not,” he returned, looking up at her once he’d gotten to the end of the text, “but annoying me favourite mam and me favourite boss are quite big enough reasons, don’t you think?” A crooked half smile quirked his lips for a moment.
“You’re quite lucky I adore you,” she told him, brow rising slightly. “Else I’d have to dole out some dire punishment for your cheek.”
“You can’t reach my cheek to punish it,” he told her with laughing eyes.
She raised a brow at him. “I do have a wand,” she reminded him archly, though a smile curled her lips moments later.
Hitching her hip to sit on the edge of the desk, Astoria leaned over to splay her palm over his work. “I need you. Romy’s on house arrest because of the baby, but I still need a second pair of eyes, and I’m afraid it’s fallen to you to come gown shopping with me.”
His eyes narrowed shrewdly. “Do I get paid for this time?”
She mirrored his expression. “I should hope you’d just be happy with my lovely company.”
“Quite.” After a beat, his expression relaxed into a grin. He’d been very fortunate to have a boss he could truly enjoy working with, and Euan was properly grateful.
A smile lit her features. “Fantastic.”
*~*~*
“You know,” Euan began as he leafed through dresses, “this is hardly normal assistant’s work. Certainly not in my job description.”
“And you are hardly a normal assistant, nor I a typical employer,” Astoria reasoned as she plucked a black gown and handed it off to one of the shopgirls for her dressing room. “Though in my days as a personal assistant, I must say that my duties were anything but normal,” she mused as she let her fingers graze down a silk sapphire gown. “I once used to personally pass romantic correspondence between Rose Mallory and Nathan Brandon.”
Euan couldn’t help but snicker. “So shall I find someone to send little love notes to on your behalf, then? Mr. Carmichael, perhaps?”
The snort that escaped her was decidedly unladylike. “Hardly. Perhaps I might send you over to V Inc. anyway though, hmm? Diane is always disappointed when I come by without you,” she said, tiny smile curling her lips as she caught Euan’s gaze. The blue gown was held up for his approval or rejection.
He steadfastly ignored her first statement. He’d learned the hard way that business and pleasure were a very bad combination, usually for him. Instead, Euan beheld the gown critically. “Don’t think I like the neckline,” he informed her. Euan felt more comfortable assessing colours than cut, but that blue flattered Astoria’s skin tone went without saying.
Astoria eyed the gown and nodded her agreement. “You’re right. The square necklines never do anything for me. Especially with such wide straps on the shoulder.”
After she put the dress back, Astoria linked her arm through Euan’s and headed toward a different section of the boutique. “So tell me, dear sir, if I have been keeping you too busy to form a social life. It’s one thing to inhibit my own, but quite another to do so to my employees.” She glanced at him, lips curling slightly. “Any pretty dates recently?”
“None as lovely as you, Boss, never fear.” Some girls, some times. Not overly often. At least, not as often as his older brother Magnus, who had a near-constant stream of women through his bed, and snickered at Euan for not bothering (or perhaps, being able) to do the same.
“If your social life has dwindled to me, then it is certainly a sad state of affairs,” she said, though she ignored the fact that she had no prospects either.
She held out a pale pink gown. Pink usually wasn’t one of her preferred colors, but this particular one was delicate and lovely. She glanced at Euan for approval even as she continued, “I could always introduce you to some of my friends at Witch Weekly.”
“Just let’s pretend it’s all by happy accident and you’re not meaning to introduce me and we might have a deal,” Euan finally replied, taking in the dress as he did so. “Try it, but I’ve a feeling it’ll be too flimsy.”
“You’re right. Though it is a lovely pink...” she said a bit wistfully as she set it back.
She shifted her attention back to Euan and tipped her head, a tiny smile curling her lips as she made a show of taking his measure. “You’re quite handsome and I know for fact that women happen to think a brogue is sexy. I think you’ll do just fine with the girls without any help from me.”
“It’s all in the kilt,” he returned with a wink. It had been a long, long time since Euan had meant something to anyone that way (or been led to believe he might). He found he missed the feeling; the absence was colouring a lot of the pieces he’d been working on lately.
“Mmm, I think you’re right,” she hummed. Astoria hadn’t ever allowed herself to think of Euan as anything but her employee, and later her friend, but she knew for a fact that he look very fit in a kilt, indeed. “You should wear one to the next gallery event. The ladies would be all aflutter.”
“Even as they’re jealous of me legs?” He grinned at his boss, though Astoria was far more of a friend to him than that title implied.
“Darling, I’m jealous of your legs,” she informed him, smile touching her eyes. “It doesn’t diminish my love for you though. I am a connoisseur of aesthetically pleasing things, after all.”
“And I’m very pleasing, is that it?” Euan asked, batting his lashes playfully. It might be outside the realm of a normal assistant’s duties, but Euan actually (not that he’d admit this within a league of his brother) found he enjoyed shopping with his wee little boss.
“Mmm, you have your moments,” Astoria said, smiling again. Some days, like this one, Astoria was entirely satisfied with where life had brought her. It wasn’t the life many had expected for her, but she was happy.
“Come on, Scotsman. I’ve some gowns to try on and you’ve some judging to do,” she said then as she turned on her heel and headed toward the dressing rooms.
“It’s always just work, work, work with you, boss.”
SUMMARY: Astoria drags Euan along on a shopping trip. He enjoys himself more than he’d ever admit.