Tickle Tantrum Part 9/?
Pairing Miranda/Andy
Rating: Um PG 13 maybe... eventually?
For more disclaimers - See Part 1
AN 1 The fashions, designers and colours mentioned in this chapter are a mixture of the real thing and sparks of my own imagination….can you guess what’s what?? ;) Seriously there’s a prize for the one who gets it right. J
AN 2 No I am not being paid for product placement of a particular pink medicament, lol, it just seems to have invaded my story and poor Emily’s life.
AN 3 A nod of thanks to Gin for some feedback that made me really think and which I hope I’ve addressed a little bit here.
AN 4 A nod and a wink to QH with reference to a Miranda remark in the opening section. Heheh
******
Miranda sailed through the outer offices of Runway at 12:40, she said not a word as she dumped her coat and bag on Emily’s desk and continued on her way into her office. As Emily finished hanging Miranda’s coat up she grabbed her phone and quickly tapped out a text to Andy. “Where are you!? Miranda’s here! Get here ten minutes ago!”
As she finished the text, she heard Miranda call her name from the inner office. The red-head stalled for a split second trying to process the confirmation that just like at the townhouse that morning, Miranda was once again speaking at her usual quiet, but audible volume. Emily wasn’t sure if this change would continue or not and decided not to delete the bookmarks for hearing aids she’d accrued, just in case. Her mind getting back in gear, she hurried into Miranda’s office.
“Did you get lost?” Was there a temporal anomaly in my doorway that whisked you to some alternate timeline Emily?” Miranda smirked at the girl’s stuttering denial and launched into a list of instructions for her, which she scribbled furiously onto her notepad.
“Gather all the Runway staff who are in the building and have them at the Production meeting at 2:00pm. Go to the Closet and find the blue Stella McCartney off the shoulder tunic from her fall collection and the vintage Westwood steel blue romper from 1998. Also I seem to remember Donna doing a Maya blue flounced skirt in her 2003 spring collection get that as well. Get the Betsy Johnson tuft blue and haze blue mini dress collection from her first season of ready to wear. And the Fraiche scarves I saw last month, all the turquoise and aqua- marine shades. I want a meeting this week with Vera Wang’s people, I want the full showing of ready to wear evening gowns she was working on, especially the aqua marine and stardust grey material. When Andrea arrives go and get me a new Blackberry, I want the same kind as my previous one not a newer version. Give it to Andrea before this afternoon’s meeting so she can programme my contacts list and schedule into it.” Without looking up from her desk where she was sorting through the contents of her briefcase she finished absentmindedly, “That’s all.”
Emily jumped to the tasks she’d been given and had just finished leaving a message at Vera Wang’s office when she heard Andy’s arrival behind her. Without bothering to look up, she continued typing out the e-mail summoning anyone at Runway to the two o’clock meeting, and still managed to take the opportunity to snipe at Andy as she worked.
“Well you took your sweet time, did you crawl to work, or did you sleep through the alarm because you were all tired out from texting people at four in the morning? When you’ve delivered the coffee go and get Miranda a new Blackberry, she wants…” she was interrupted by Miranda’s decidedly biting call.
“Emily.”
The red-head’s face paled at the icy tone. Still without sparing a glance toward Andy, she scurried into Miranda’s office at top speed, coming to a halt directly in front of Miranda’s desk.
Andy took the time to shrug out of her coat before gathering Miranda’s latte from the tray of Starbucks and following Emily into the Dragon’s den, she stopped just inside the doorway while Miranda spoke to Emily.
Earlier Miranda had instructed Roy to drop Andy directly in front of the coffee shop before continuing on to Elias Clarke. This allowed them to arrive separately and had the added bonus of assisting Andy to stay dry for a longer part of the journey, as the dull grey day had turned drizzly.
“Emily are you quite well?” Miranda looked at her nominal First Assistant intently, her displeasure apparent in her raised eyebrow and pursed lips.
Shocked at the question Emily managed to squeak, “Yes Miranda, I’m well.”
“I’m pleased to hear that,” the older woman’s look took on a decidedly feral quality as she continued. “So, if you are not ill, not suffering from some disorder affecting your cognitive abilities, could you explain why you were about to send Andrea to carry out a task that I had assigned to you?”
Emily opened her mouth but no words came out to supply a reply to the question. She closed her mouth and her shoulders sagged in defeat as she finally managed to whisper the only thing she could say, “No Miranda.”
“Hmmm, I see.”
Steepling her fingers under her chin, Miranda continued to pin Emily with her intense gaze. Noticing Andy standing uncertainly in the doorway, she had to repress a smile. She thought back to what the brunette had said before they’d left her study and her eyes took on a menacing glint as she straightened in her chair shrugging her shoulders to left and right giving the strange but unmistakable impression of unfurling wings. Andy’s eyes grew large in recognition of what Miranda was doing, and marvelled how, with such a simple movement, the Dragon Lady became larger than life and prepared to unleash her fiery breath.
“Emily I’ve always prided myself on being a straightforward individual, have I failed in that endeavour? Have I become less than clear when giving instructions? Have I been wafting commands to the four winds in hopes that someone within hearing will see that a task is completed? Is that the reason I’m surrounded by incompetence and mediocrity?”
At the mention of ‘wafting commands’ Andy nearly snorted out loud, before she managed to viciously bite her lower lip. She focused her gaze over Miranda’s shoulder on the skyline of New York, making sure she avoided eye contact with Miranda because she knew if she saw the hint of mischief that was very likely glinting in the editor’s eye, she’d be rolling on the floor in laughter. Nope, she would not react to that question, she wouldn’t! Although she was sure Emily hadn’t caught it, Andy was tickled at the undertone of self-knowledge in which Miranda had coated that statement. She thought Miranda might even have added it in order to share an inside moment with the brunette. Miranda continued to glare at poor Emily as she stood up and leaned over her desk to emphasise her next point.
“If I want Andrea to do something I will tell Andrea to do it. If I tell you to do it I expect you to do it. Is that a concept within your limited grasp?” Miranda’s lip curled even as she said the final question in a saccharine sweet tone. The unnerving effect of the curled lip and hard as flint gaze caused both Emily and Andrea to shiver involuntarily, but not for the same reasons.
“Yes Miranda.” Emily managed to say between audible gulps.
Miranda sat back down and relaxed into her chair as she flicked a wrist toward the cowering woman in front of her.
“You have your instructions, I’m sure they will keep you busy until the meeting, I don’t expect to see you until then. That’s all.”
Emily turned so suddenly she made Andy jump in surprise and she just managed to keep the Starbucks steady in her hand without spilling it. As she struggled with the cup Emily looked at Andy for the first time that morning and her eyes bugged out when she saw what the brunette was wearing. She glared up at Andy’s face and immediately registered Andy’s bruised eye, still visible under the concealer. She looked at Andy and then swung back to look at Miranda with wide eyes and then back at Andy.
Emily’s mind whirred and worked and leapt to an amazing feat of creative, indeed down right hallucinogenic accounting. Adding one, Andy’s black eye, and one, Andy wearing the designer clothes she’d delivered to Miranda earlier in the morning, the red-head created the dizzying product of seventeen billion, … Miranda’s terrible mood having finally made her snap she’d hit Andy when she’d delivered the Book the night before, and had then trapped the brunette in the Townhouse until Emily could deliver the clothes that would bribe Andy not to sue her boss.
She looked back at Miranda once more, eyes wide with fear she squeaked and ran from the room pausing only momentarily to grab her coat and bag from the outer office before continuing her sprint down the hall. Safely ensconced in the elevator and almost on auto-pilot, she rummaged in her purse and pulled a small bottle of a bright pink hue from its depths. As she raised the medicine to her lips she was struck with a vivid memory of her morning nightmare and pulled the bottle away from her face, capping and pushing it back into her purse she hastily decided that the risk of chundering all over the Elias Clarke foyer was preferable to choking down any more Pepto Bismol.
*****
Andy stood watching Emily disappear around the corner before turning back to Miranda with a truly bemused look on her face.
“Okay, you were on top form for minion terrorising, not to mention that very effective …” Andy waved her hand fluttering her fingers toward Miranda’s shoulders, “… um, pretend wing thing you did, but damn, Em was seriously spooked. What’s that about?” As she spoke she moved forward and placed the Starbucks’ cup in its usual location on the editor’s desk.
Miranda smirked and reached for her coffee, slowly savouring her first sip as she considered Emily’s reaction. She had been able to read Emily like a book from the minute the girl had started as her Second Assistant just under three years ago. She’d noticed how Emily had been drawn back to Andy’s face more than once and Miranda made a fairly accurate guess at what interpretation Emily had put on Andy’s injury.
“I believe Emily has interpreted your black eye to mean that my temper finally got the better of me and that I assaulted you.”
Andy looked truly taken aback at Miranda’s statement.
“Oh no! Are you sure? I mean surely she can’t think you’d actually hit me? That’s ridiculous!”
Miranda took another sip from her cup before replying.
“Well it was my elbow that did the damage Andrea, so I suppose in a way I did assault you.”
“That was an accident Miranda, it’s not like you actually came at me intending to…” quite suddenly the colour drained from Andy’s face and her hands flew to cover her mouth.
“Oh my God! It was me. I… oh God…”
Miranda rose from her seat and hurried over to the clearly upset young woman, who now had tears shimmering in her eyes.
“I assaulted you Miranda. Oh God, I.. I’m so sorry. I… I don’t know how I didn’t see it….” She looked at Miranda as the older woman reached her side and finished in a whimper. “Please forgive me, I’m so sorry.”
Miranda reached behind Andy and shut her office door before pulling the distraught girl into a firm hug. Andy started crying in earnest and Miranda held her tight rubbing her back until her body relaxed a little and her sniffles lessened. Pulling back a little but keeping Andy within the circle of her arms Miranda caught and held Andy’s gaze.
“Andrea I want you to listen to me very carefully. You did not assault me.”
Andy started to protest but was cut short by Miranda’s fingers on her lips asking for her silence.
“Tsk, I said listen and I mean that you must really hear what I am saying Andrea. You did NOT assault me last night. You had no intention of harming me, you didn’t hurt me, I know you never would. You weren’t doing it for your own pleasure or satisfaction or for any other reason other than a sincere desire to help me. Some people might say that it was assault, lawyers mostly I imagine, but as far as I am concerned Andrea, you didn’t assault me,” she paused as she raised Andy’s chin up and stroked away an errant tear with her thumb, “no you didn’t assault me, you helped me, you saved me from myself.”
Andy blinked at her and Miranda gave a little snort before continuing, “And you know how scary I can be… even to myself.” Miranda smiled as Andy replied with a snort of her own. “So if you feel you need to apologise, I accept the apology and offer one of my own for having put you in that situation in the first place.”
A little dazed from hearing Miranda apologise, Andy hugged her close.
“Um, okay, I really am sorry. At the time I was just so worried about you. I…I thought you might have a stroke or something you were so tense and your face was so red…” She hazarded a glance up at Miranda’s face where she caught a look of mild irritation morph into one of amusement as she watched the famous Priestly eyebrow inching up Miranda’s forehead.
“Right. So. Two mini tantrums for me today, that’s my quota. I promised this morning not to lose it and get angry, and I promise now, not to lose it and start blubbering again.” She stroked Miranda’s cheek and impishly kissed the bump on her nose before quietly and seriously finishing, “I heard you Miranda, and thank you, I’m glad you know that I would never hurt you.”
Miranda looked steadily into the chocolate brown depths of Andrea’s eyes before moving forward and giving her a long, lingering and deep kiss that left the brunette breathless but smiling.
“Miranda, if you want me to keep my promise about the tantrums, don’t reward them with toe curling kisses like that.”
“Who said I was rewarding you Andrea?” Miranda smiled devilishly back at her and Andy let out a full throated laugh at that. Realising that they were still firmly held in each other’s arms, Andy gently disengaged from Miranda and took a step back.
“Time for me to keep my other promise now I think. It’s almost one and I’m sure Leslie is outside waiting for you.” She stepped a little further back toward the door.
Miranda looked at her quizzically wondering what promise Andy was referring to, but when Leslie was mentioned she realised Andy was referring to her promise to be professional. Remembering her own reply she straightened her blouse and replied.
“Yes, right. Show her in if she’s there Andrea, and make sure you sit this out of temptations way when we start our meeting with her.” As she said the word this she had goosed Andy again before she turned and made her way back to her desk.
Andy squeaked at her second goosing of the morning and wagged an admonishing finger at Miranda, who unrepentantly returned the admonishment with a wicked grin. Andy struggled to dampen the huge grin on her own face as she headed for the outer office. Fortunately by the time she actually opened the door she was wearing a more sedate version of her signature smile, and a good thing too as Leslie was indeed waiting just in front of Andy’s desk.
Continuing to smile, Andy invited her into Miranda’s office closing the door behind them and ushering Leslie to one of the two seats in front of Miranda’s desk. She sat in the second chair, flinching just a tad at the tenderness Miranda had produced with her pinch. Settling herself she couldn’t help noticing the gleam of mischief in Miranda’s eyes when the older woman had noticed her mild discomfort. ‘Looks like she failed her professionalism test with flying colours,’ was Andy’s thought as she prepared to take any notes that might be needed in the meeting.