FOTD: Pressure
Title: Pressure
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: FOTD (concupiscible: worthy of being desired), pocky chain, malt (hi_falootin's stocking stuffer: "That word "lesbian" sounds like a disease. And straight men know because they're sure that they're the cure.").
Word Count: 800
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Gina deals with a would-be suitor who just doesn't get it.
Notes: Do you remember Henry Holmes? Of course you do.
Gina was just about ready to throw things.
If she'd thought that it would change anything, she might have, and screw professionalism-- her stapler would make a nice dent in someone's skull. Unfortunately, she doubted anything short of a guided missile would get her message across.
Even the missile might be underkill, frankly.
"Hiya!" said a warbling tenor voice, and a round, hopeful face appeared around the door to her office. Gina glanced at the clock: ten-oh-two. Henry Holmes, the world's least interesting man and densest human being, right on time.
She gritted her teeth, and did not throw things.
--
It all started rather innocuously. Gina had been beautiful all her life, and she was used to receiving advances, to accepting or gently deflecting them, or on occasion bluntly disabusing the suitor in question.
So when Henry Holmes saw her for the first time and his round face lit up like a lantern, Gina sighed inwardly and put her nicest smile on. He looked like a nice person, so she'd be gentle.
"No, thank you," she told him, when he asked her out. "I'm engaged."
"He doesn't have to know," he replied, and Gina realized that gentle might not work.
--
"No," she told him, the second time he asked. "Mr. Holmes, I am engaged. I'm not interested."
"Oh, come on, Gina," he said, in what he probably thought was a coaxing tone. "One last fling before you tie the knot. What can it hurt?"
What the hell kind of person asked that? Gina didn't dignify it with a answer out loud, and let her expression speak for her.
Not that it got through. He was still looking at her like a hopeful puppy at a piece of meat.
And wasn't that a flattering comparison, she thought, and sighed. "No, Henry."
--
Gina wasn't out at work, not exactly. It wasn't secret-- she kept a picture of Ivy on her desk, and she mentioned Ivy on occasion-- but she tried to keep her sexuality out of the office. Not very professional.
Of course, professional had gone out the window about three weeks ago.
"Henry!" she exploded, the fifteenth time he asked her out. "No! I'm a lesbian, I'm not interested in men!"
He looked shocked for a moment, then smarmy. "Oh, sweetheart, that's just because you've never had a real man."
Gina did not throw something at him, but it took effort.
--
Gina rubbed her temples, checked her third complaint, and hit send. HR seemed to be ignoring her, but there was always a chance that it would get through.
For God's sake. She'd been fine before Henry fucking Holmes showed up. She'd been good at this. Oh, a couple of guys in accounting had asked her out, and a VP of marketing once, after word that she was a lesbian got around, but they all understood "no."
God. She couldn't even tell Ivy. Not that Ivy would mind. Gina just didn’t want to pay bail.
Fuck.
Well, somebody had to listen.
--
That someone was evidently not Henry J. Holmes. "Hiya!" he said, and she gritted her teeth.
"Get out," she said, evenly.
He pouted. He actually fucking pouted. "That's a hell of a way to greet a guy. I just wanted to talk to you."
"No," Gina said. "You wanted to ask me out again. I'm engaged. Even if I wasn't engaged, I'm a lesbian. The answer is and will always be no."
"Aw, come on," he said. Gina hated those words now. "You never know until you try."
She got up, and wordlessly shut her office door in his face.
--
"What?" she shrieked, and balled her hands, forcing herself to calm down. "What?" she repeated, more quietly.
Adam, her boss, looked intensely uncomfortable. "Mr. Holmes has filed a complaint against you," he said. "Hostile work environment. I know it's ridiculous, Gina, but we have to investigate it. There are procedures."
"Oh, sure," she said. "Just like there are procedures for the five complaints I've filed against him."
Adam looked even more uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, Gina, I really am," he said. "HR's head is his uncle."
Oh. Fuck. That explained a lot.
She was going to have to tell Ivy now.
--
"I'm gonna kill him," Ivy said.
Gina sighed. "This is why I didn't tell you. I knew you'd overreact."
"Overreact?" Ivy asked. "When some asshole tells you he can 'turn you straight?' I don't think I can overreact to that."
A tiny part of Gina was relieved that Ivy was so pissed off. It was validating, and warming. "Yeah, okay. Don't kill him, though."
"Yeah, that would be an overreaction." Ivy paused. "How about beating him like his parents clearly should have?"
"Overreaction," Gina said. "Just... don't do anything stupid."
"Stupid?" Ivy batted her eyelashes. "Moi?"
Somehow, Gina wasn't reassured.
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: FOTD (concupiscible: worthy of being desired), pocky chain, malt (hi_falootin's stocking stuffer: "That word "lesbian" sounds like a disease. And straight men know because they're sure that they're the cure.").
Word Count: 800
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Gina deals with a would-be suitor who just doesn't get it.
Notes: Do you remember Henry Holmes? Of course you do.
Gina was just about ready to throw things.
If she'd thought that it would change anything, she might have, and screw professionalism-- her stapler would make a nice dent in someone's skull. Unfortunately, she doubted anything short of a guided missile would get her message across.
Even the missile might be underkill, frankly.
"Hiya!" said a warbling tenor voice, and a round, hopeful face appeared around the door to her office. Gina glanced at the clock: ten-oh-two. Henry Holmes, the world's least interesting man and densest human being, right on time.
She gritted her teeth, and did not throw things.
--
It all started rather innocuously. Gina had been beautiful all her life, and she was used to receiving advances, to accepting or gently deflecting them, or on occasion bluntly disabusing the suitor in question.
So when Henry Holmes saw her for the first time and his round face lit up like a lantern, Gina sighed inwardly and put her nicest smile on. He looked like a nice person, so she'd be gentle.
"No, thank you," she told him, when he asked her out. "I'm engaged."
"He doesn't have to know," he replied, and Gina realized that gentle might not work.
--
"No," she told him, the second time he asked. "Mr. Holmes, I am engaged. I'm not interested."
"Oh, come on, Gina," he said, in what he probably thought was a coaxing tone. "One last fling before you tie the knot. What can it hurt?"
What the hell kind of person asked that? Gina didn't dignify it with a answer out loud, and let her expression speak for her.
Not that it got through. He was still looking at her like a hopeful puppy at a piece of meat.
And wasn't that a flattering comparison, she thought, and sighed. "No, Henry."
--
Gina wasn't out at work, not exactly. It wasn't secret-- she kept a picture of Ivy on her desk, and she mentioned Ivy on occasion-- but she tried to keep her sexuality out of the office. Not very professional.
Of course, professional had gone out the window about three weeks ago.
"Henry!" she exploded, the fifteenth time he asked her out. "No! I'm a lesbian, I'm not interested in men!"
He looked shocked for a moment, then smarmy. "Oh, sweetheart, that's just because you've never had a real man."
Gina did not throw something at him, but it took effort.
--
Gina rubbed her temples, checked her third complaint, and hit send. HR seemed to be ignoring her, but there was always a chance that it would get through.
For God's sake. She'd been fine before Henry fucking Holmes showed up. She'd been good at this. Oh, a couple of guys in accounting had asked her out, and a VP of marketing once, after word that she was a lesbian got around, but they all understood "no."
God. She couldn't even tell Ivy. Not that Ivy would mind. Gina just didn’t want to pay bail.
Fuck.
Well, somebody had to listen.
--
That someone was evidently not Henry J. Holmes. "Hiya!" he said, and she gritted her teeth.
"Get out," she said, evenly.
He pouted. He actually fucking pouted. "That's a hell of a way to greet a guy. I just wanted to talk to you."
"No," Gina said. "You wanted to ask me out again. I'm engaged. Even if I wasn't engaged, I'm a lesbian. The answer is and will always be no."
"Aw, come on," he said. Gina hated those words now. "You never know until you try."
She got up, and wordlessly shut her office door in his face.
--
"What?" she shrieked, and balled her hands, forcing herself to calm down. "What?" she repeated, more quietly.
Adam, her boss, looked intensely uncomfortable. "Mr. Holmes has filed a complaint against you," he said. "Hostile work environment. I know it's ridiculous, Gina, but we have to investigate it. There are procedures."
"Oh, sure," she said. "Just like there are procedures for the five complaints I've filed against him."
Adam looked even more uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, Gina, I really am," he said. "HR's head is his uncle."
Oh. Fuck. That explained a lot.
She was going to have to tell Ivy now.
--
"I'm gonna kill him," Ivy said.
Gina sighed. "This is why I didn't tell you. I knew you'd overreact."
"Overreact?" Ivy asked. "When some asshole tells you he can 'turn you straight?' I don't think I can overreact to that."
A tiny part of Gina was relieved that Ivy was so pissed off. It was validating, and warming. "Yeah, okay. Don't kill him, though."
"Yeah, that would be an overreaction." Ivy paused. "How about beating him like his parents clearly should have?"
"Overreaction," Gina said. "Just... don't do anything stupid."
"Stupid?" Ivy batted her eyelashes. "Moi?"
Somehow, Gina wasn't reassured.