[Bojkov Manor] They throw you in the deep end ~ [Miss Prescott]

The best thing about the ballroom was that it was versatile. Sterling wasn’t sure when the last ball had been held in this room, but it hadn’t happened in his lifetime. His father hadn’t even held any huge, fancy dinners. They had a dining room large enough to accommodate for dinners, and there were never too many guests. Nowadays, the great hall was just an enormous room that needed to be cleaned and maintained. Needless to say that there were a lot of empty rooms in this house. “Go and wait by the door, Sasha,” he told his butler quietly, pressing his palms together and leaning his chin atop his fingers. The man was seated in an old wooden chair at one end of the ballroom, where he’d also set up a matching desk. Across from him was a plush red velvet seat, intended for her.

Sterling was picky. It was the simple truth. He’d always been very specific and impossible to please, but that was simply his right. If you wanted to be in charge, you had to work hard to be at the top. Then you could call all the shots. Not that Sterling Bojkov had really worked a day in his life, of course. When his father had been alive, the man had had him doing menial office tasks but it was more of a way to pass the time than anything. The truth of it was that Sterling needed an assistant. He had Sasha, and that had been enough for him in the past year, but the past few months had left him swimming in paperwork. The older man had convinced him that he needed to hire someone, at least to help with the menial tasks – sending letters, sorting files, that sort of thing. Turns out his father had been relentlessly obsessive when it came to keeping records of everything, but impossibly disorganised with them. A year after his death and Sterling still hadn’t organised it all.

Sterling didn’t really like new people. He’d managed to find flaws in every witch or wizard that Sasha had presented to him in the past couple of months. His reasons for disliking them were often arbitrary by regular standards (“Her eyes are too far apart. He’s left handed – he’ll mess up all my letters”) but the truth was that Sterling didn’t want to hire someone new. He was ridiculously bored and ridiculously lonely, but he simply didn’t like the process of being around people. He didn’t really feel like there was anyone who he wanted to work for him. Until about a week ago. The man had ventured out of his manor (a rare occurrence) to visit the English ministry of magic. There were some forms or something that needed to be signed and witnessed – apparently they couldn’t just be owled. Sterling had only met her briefly, but for some reason he’d decided it immediately.

As soon as he saw her, he had to have her.

Now this desire, strange as it might sound, wasn’t romantic or sexual in the slightest. For one thing, she was a secretary. Not an acceptable match at all. For another… Sterling, though twenty-five by now, hadn’t really ever met anyone that he wanted in that way. He’d only ever courted one woman and he’d never had sex. It wasn’t something he thought about. It was a non-issue. No, this want was more like a child seeing a collectable toy that he hadn’t been able to add to his collection yet. Maybe she reminded him of his mother, before the woman had gone crazy. Maybe she reminded him of some schoolboy crush or the maid that had snuck him treats when he was a child. He didn’t know what it was about her that he liked, and he didn’t waste time thinking about it either. He needed to add her to his collection and he wasn’t taking no for an answer.

Sasha had done all of the usual background checks. If she was a muggleborn he obviously wouldn’t want her in his house, and he didn’t have any halfblood staff yet, though the idea was potentially workable. He’d found out that she was not only pureblooded, but the daughter of an upper middle class family. Everything was falling into place. The twenty-five year old had ordered Sasha to get in contact with her superior and organise a meeting, claiming that he needed assistance with some paperwork relating to her department. His name was known in her faculty for obvious reasons – his father had donated a large sum of money to various areas of the ministry, and the department of magical sport and games had been one of them. On top of that, Sterling had been liaising with them almost every year as he won some sort of grand prize for his chess endeavours. They knew that he was a little… eccentric. His wants were very specific, and they indulged him.

So she was coming to his house, hence the dramatics with the desk in the ballroom. The woman would have to walk all the way from the large doors at the other end alone and under his gaze. When the doors finally opened, the man leant back in his chair and dropped one foot and then the other up on his desk with loud clunks. He watched as she drew closer, her heels echoing as they clipped the ground, a smug smile on his face. He reeked of mischief. When she was close enough to hear him speak, the man gestured politely to the chair in front of him. “So?” he asked, cocking one eyebrow, “What do you think?” The man opened his palms, indicating that he was speaking about his manor. She was probably about to pull some forms out of her bag or something, but Sterling couldn’t care less about that stuff. He watched her closely, radiating smugness and a little eccentricity.

Lulu smiled and nodded her head at the staff person who showed her into the mansion and tried not to stare at everything. The manor she was in was beautiful and she immediately had wanted to wander about and look at all the rooms in the mansion, knowing full well that it might take her a very long time considering how big this place looked. She was dressed in one of her standard work outfits that she had. It was a stylish but almost conservative lavender sheath dress with a set of wizarding robes over top that were the color of deep red today. She had paired it with A pair of red pumps, her favorite charm bracelets that she wore with almost every outfit and a bright smile. Her shoulder length wavy brown hair had been brushed and curled and sat perfectly framing her face. She looked every part of a pure blooded wizard today and thanked Merlin that she hadn't worn one of her less fantastic robes today.

When she entered the room and as she did, Lulu was struck by the beauty and the magnificence of the ballroom. The ornate crown moldings, the golden-yellow filigree throughout the room, the tile work that shone as if it had just been set yesterday and the high vaulting ceilings all made her feel impressively under dressed.

And then her eyes traveled to the man sitting behind the desk in the middle of the room. It was ironic to her, him sitting there as if it were normal to have your office set up in a ballroom but she felt a twinge of pleasure as well. She was oddly enamored with the melodrama of it all. She wasn't sure what she noticed first about him. Lulu thought he might be tall, always a plus, but by the way he was sitting with his feet on the desk, which seemed a little pretentious. But she had known he was a bit peculiar before she had even arrived at this weird house call. She wasn't sure what she noticed his clothing first but she could tell even from across the room that it was rich in fabric and color and if any indication from this mansion, what we was wearing probably cost much more than she made in a month. She noticed his shoes and the label on the soles of them that specifically indicated one designer that was well above her pay grade.

Lulu finally looked at the man himself. Mr. Sterling Bojkov.. who was an absolute mystery. She had worked in the Department of Magical Games and Sport for almost two and a half years now and every year the Bojkov family would donate a large sum to her department, particularly to the Chess competitions. Lulu was happy to say she at least was working in one of the more exciting department but her focus was mostly on Quidditch even though other magical sports did play a role in her department. She looked at the man in front with bright blue eyes skimming over his ruffled brown hair and something in his expression was intriguing.

That summation of the room only had only taken a few seconds though and as the desk was in the middle of the room, Lulu understood she had to make her way across the room. Except as she started, she realized her super cute red pumps were very noisy on the shiny floors. She winced internally and questioned whether it would be acceptable to shuffle her feet so she wasn't so noisy. It wasn't as if she could really yell at him from across the room to complete the paperwork though so she tilted her chin up a bit and tried to own each click of her shoes.

Her eyes lit upon the plush red velvet chair and she sat down primly on it when he motioned to it. She looked at the man across from her and naturally waited for him to steer this interaction. It had been an odd request in all honesty. She had never made a house call to have someone fill out paperwork, but on the other hand, it gave her a little away time from Mildred and that was always a blessing. Lulu wondered if she could get away with stopping for a tea and scone after she was done here before officially returning to work. Course I can.

But first she had to get this man to complete the paperwork that her boss Mr. Thorne had given her. Her fingers lightly skimmed over her white and beige handbag where the papers where neatly stored. When he spread his arms wide and asked her what she thought, Lulu tensed and hesitated. Her first thought was that he doesn't even know my name, but she brushed that away and smiled graciously as she politely said, "You have a beautiful home, Mr. Bojkov."

She was tempted to add more to her compliment of his of his manor, but she didn't think someone this wealthy would be entertained by the fact that she could fit three of her apartments into this one room. She guessed he probably had to hire an entire staff to keep this place clean while she couldn't even get her own closet organized. No, she didn't think he would be interested in something like that. Offhandedly, she did wonder how many pairs of shoes he had in his closet. This girl had an obsession with shoes.

Lulu wasn't really sure what to expect from Mr. Bojkov, but she knew what was expected of her and so with a polite smile, she turned the bag that she had set on her lap and pulled the zipper open. From it she pulled out a folder with a neat stack of papers. "Mr. Bojkov," she said. "I believe we just need you to sign a few of these forms and confirm that this statement is correct here and here," she said pointing out the different item lines.

He judged everything about her as soon as she came into view. What she was wearing. How she had her hair. How she sat. How she spoke. He nodded at her compliment, but had to resist reacting. Of course it was lovely, couldn’t she do better than that? Still, a slow smile spread across his lips at the thought of her expression when the doors opened. He couldn’t have possibly seen her face from all the way over here, but he’d ask Sasha about it later. Surely, it would be priceless. Her family had a little money, but compared to him, she might as well have been a regular middle class girl. That was his line of thinking, anyway. He wondered if she’d ever been anywhere so extravagant and somehow doubted it.

“Mhmm.” Sterling made an uncommitted noise at her statement, pulling his legs down from his desk so that he could lean forward and move her papers aside with one hand. The man couldn’t care less about whatever paperwork he’d asked her boss to send over. Sterling wondered what Sasha would think about him poaching this woman right under the minister’s nose, but he was sure it wasn’t too great a crime. The older man would probably be thankful that Sterling was open to the idea of hiring anyone at all… or at least that was what Sterling thought. After another moment of judgemental silence, he smiled again.

“What is it that you do at the ministry, Miss Prescott?” he asked, that same boyish smirk plastered on his features. “Make copies of things? Spell-check? Write letters?” He tilted his head to the side slightly, resting his elbows on the desk and tapping his fingertips together. Of course, he already had a basic idea of what she did. She was an assistant, wasn’t she? Her job was to make coffees and deal with boring paperwork tasks that weren’t too difficult. “One moment…” the man leant to the side, looking past Louise and at the large doors on the other end of the room. Ignoring the woman for a moment, he pulled open his top draw and drew his black wand. Sterling cleared his throat before holding the thing up to rest lightly below his Adam’s apple.

His expression was suddenly dark and irritated. “Margaret,” he called, his voice magically amplified and echoing through the great hall, “Tea!” Placing his wand back in its place, the man turned his attention back to the woman in front of him. He wet his lips with the tip of his tongue, his frown melting away and leaving room for a polite, amiable smile instead. “Where were we? Oh yes, the ministry. Do you enjoy working there Miss Prescott?” Sterling waited for her to answer, impatiently counting the seconds between his question and her response. Eventually, his maid arrived with a fancy teapot atop an elegant, silver tray. She poured them each a cup and disappeared.

When he pushed aside the paperwork, Lulu frowned with confusion and looked to him for some sort of clarification. Quickly realizing that she was furrowing her brow (ew wrinkles!) and that he was observing her, she quickly rearranged her features back to amiable politeness. Professional. She didn't want to get sent back with a report from him to her boss that she had been anything but professional. She initially thought that maybe Mildred (that cow) had given her the wrong paperwork and Mr. Bojkov had noticed, but he really hadn't even looked at it for very long.

His question caught her off guard. It made her want to both frown again with confusion and straighten in her chair even further. Suddenly this all felt like a job progress report.. as if Mr. Bojkov was here to analyze her work ethic and report back to Mr. Thorne. Except.. the way that he described her duties rankled her. He made it sound like she was no more than a common intern. Sure, she did all the menial tasks Mildred didn't want to do like get the coffee and distribute the mail to her department and write letters for M. Thorne and schedule appointments and order lunches. All things that didn't have too much responsibility or decision making powers.

Who was she kidding? Her job was just a glorified intern position, which sent a wave of acute sadness through her, even as she opened her mouth to explain her job in the best light she could. If this did make it back to Mr. Thorne (and she couldn't figure out any other motivation for him except for that), Lulu didn't want her boss to know she had badmouthed her job and her coworkers (or at least just Mildred).

"I am--" she started to say before he asked her to wait. She looked at him curiously and watched as brought out his wand and touched it to his throat. She jumped slightly with the surprise of his loud and amplified voice and looked down at her hands for a moment to hide an unfavorable expression. He didn't even say please. But the way he smiled at her when he looked back at her made her pause and wonder if it had been a mistake instead of habit. Nodding and taking her cue from him, she started to explain her job as he has asked initially but then stalled when she realized the question this time around was phrased a little differently.

Did she enjoy it? What a preposterous question! It made her want to scoff and chuckle and roll her eyes all at the same time, but she kept on her professional face and smiled back politely.

"Working with Mr. Thorne is a pleasure," she answered back with as much sincerity as she could. "As his Junior Assistant, I am privileged to have an inside look at all the workings within our department, helping to plan and execute all of the major sporting events from the World Cup to Official Gobstones conventions and even chess competitions." This is where she smiled widely at him. "It would be remiss of me to not mention that Mr. Thorne and our entire department are very appreciative of your generous donations every year. They go a long way to funding our chess programs and initiatives."

AKA the 'inside look' was knowing all the key players in the Ministry who made all the decisions and knowing how they all worked together.. or often how they didn't work together due to personality clashes. Her 'planning and executing' responsibilities were mostly by way of copying forms and outlines and proposals and owling them to the right people. Merlin, she hated her job and it was at times like this when she had to pretend that it didn't suck when it really struck her.

Nevertheless, she hoped her spiel would get back to Mr. Thorne with the positive note that she had intended just in case this was some really bizarre sort of progress report for her.  She thanked the woman called Margaret quietly as she poured her a cup of tea and sipped at it primly before turning her focus back to the business she was sent her to do. She shifted closer to papers that he had nudged and gestured toward them again. "Mr. Thorne also asked me to apologize for any inconvenience this paperwork might have caused you. I know you must be pretty busy, but it was very important that these get signed in person." Lulu looked at him expectantly. The sooner she was done here, the sooner she could go take that little break she had promised herself. She was mentally debating between just a scone or a very large slice of pie.

Sterling ignored the little plug she did for her boss. He didn’t care about that. The man inched forward. “I didn’t ask if it was a pleasure,” he clarified, enunciating his words carefully, “I asked if you enjoyed it.” He paused here for dramatic effect. She probably had no idea where he was going with this, but he was about to enlighten her. “I’m sure Mr Thorne is a wonderful boss,” Sterling said, an impish smile indicating obvious sarcasm over his polite words. The tension faded as he leant back in his seat, smirking all the while. “But I don’t think you want to work there.” He nodded to himself, not really taking his eyes off of her.

“I am visiting Barcelona in December. Do you speak any Spanish, Miss Prescott? I’ll be attending a business meeting, though Aleksandr assures me that the meeting is just a formality. I’m sure I’ll have to make some speech about how thankful my family is to be working with the company…” The man glanced away, obviously bored by this idea. He hadn’t needed to deal with very many people in the past year, but Sasha had done his best to convince him that this particular meeting was important. The man knew that they would wonder how he had an English name with the Bojkov surname. He was lucky that his father had been a little eccentric, so they wouldn’t wonder too much. “I debated about whether I should go at all,” he added, “but after the business with the Scott family…” Sterling trailed off, pursing his lips in disapproval. He’d blown off a few business meetings (and one engagement!) purely because he hadn’t wanted to attend them, or hadn’t cared for the people.

His tone had switched to slightly irritated, but the man’s expression resumed a polite smile as he turned his attention back to the woman in front of him, gesturing away his former mood with an airy wave. He moved to take a sip of his drink. Placing the cup back down on the desk, he spoke again. “I didn’t ask your boss to send you --specifically you-- to me because I needed to fill out some forms,” he said, cupping his drink with two hands and leaning forward in his seat slightly. “I filled those out a week ago.” It was a lapse in her department that they hadn’t realised that, but small paperwork errors weren’t exactly unique cases. “I need an assistant, and not just for Barcelona.” Having done quite enough talking, Sterling leant back in his seat, confident that she’d take his pitch. There wasn’t really a way that she could refuse him. He could always just offer more money, more reasons for her to work for him instead.

"Err... yes?" she answered him on his spanish question, though her tone made her answer more of a question than a confident statement. This was soon becoming the strangest interaction she had ever had. She tried to keep her calm, professional face on but he was confusing her. Did he really want the truth? Because it would be a definite no. Of course she didn't enjoy her job at the ministry. But... one was never supposed to confess something that to virtual strangers especially those who knew her boss and would probably owl Mr. Thorne the minute she departed with her true feelings.

Her confusion was shown clearly on her face with a little line between her brows and a downturn of her lips. How would he know that she didn't like her job? Why did he seem so sure of that fact? She tried to think if Erika was friends with a man so rich that he could hold his business meetings in a ballroom because she thought maybe her friend had mentioned it to him, but he couldn't recall Erika mentioning a man like this.

Barcelona though. Her eyes brightened at mention of the place and just at the thought of her being able to travel there. If it had been in France, she would have said yes before she even knew what he wanted, but Barcelona wasn't bad either. Lulu knew of some great designers that were based there. As he spoke more about his business there, she listened patiently, still not quite understanding what he wanted from her, the cup of tea in her hands warm but forgotten in light of the unusual direction of this meeting.

A shy thrill went through her when he admitted he had specifically requested her and Lulu ducked her head before glancing back up at him with surprise. He had already filled out the forms? But that must mean she had them at her desk somewhere and they hadn't been processed. Oh Merlin, if Mildred found out, she would never hear the end of it. Mr. Bojkov surprised her with his last comment that all thoughts of Mildred were pushed aside.

"You want me to be your assistant?" Lulu asked, her brows perked with surprised and disbelief and the faintest hint of a smile. She considered the idea of it. He was obviously wealthy and therefore could afford to pay her handsomely. She might get to travel with him when he went needed to go on business trips. Lulu's hands clenched as she thought about the opportunity to travel that she had never had before. Plus! She'd never had to dread working a full eight hours alongside Mildred again!

Maybe it was that last thought.. or the whole bunch of them together but she smiled at him beautifully and blurted out. "What would I do as your assistant?" Plan magnificent parties in this ballroom, travel to exotic locales, meet high ranking officials and businessmen was the answer that she supplied for herself. She could feel herself leaning forward with curiosity and a yearning that she almost overwhelmed her.

Lulu was never one to think about things too much before she acted, but a little voice in the back of her head told her if this was a test from Mr. Thorne that she was going to fail miserably.

“I do.” There was some delight to be found in this interaction. Sterling enjoyed it. He waited for her to speak again, letting his proposition really sink in. Ah. Business. Negotiation time. He stayed silent for a moment, gaging her sudden interest. Once she realised that he was serious it seemed that she couldn’t contain her enthusiasm – though he could tell that she was trying. A slow sense of satisfaction spread from his chest all the way to his fingertips.

“It depends,” he replied with a slight smirk, the tug at one corner of his lips the only sign that he was amused by all of this. “At first, just this trip to Barcelona.” Sterling shifted in his seat slightly, his posture perfect as he leant back. “Note-taking, data entry, letter writing… paperwork. There will probably be a dinner, fancy luncheon or social event of some kind that you’d be required to attend with me. Aleksandr will be coming too, of course. Maybe others.”

He gave a slight shrug, already bored with the topic they were on. “After that… I don’t know. It depends on your skillset and my needs. Obviously if your position were to become more permanent, you’d be required to take an unbreakable vow and swear discretion with my family’s secrets. I’ll pay you fifty percent more than whatever you’re getting at the ministry, with regular bonuses depending on your performance and the opportunity to discuss your pay at a later date.” Sterling let this information sink in for a moment, basking in the way that speaking so confidently to an inferior made him feel powerful. Really, he had no idea what he was talking about. The man had discussed this with Sasha earlier, after being talked out of simply offering the girl triple whatever her pay rate was. He wanted to ensure that he got her, but Sterling really had no idea about how much money was worth.

He gave her a quick once-over, assessing her outfit again. He didn’t like the bracelets. “I don’t mean to offend you, but this meeting and the surrounding events will be the kind of thing where appearances are everything. Nothing off-the-rack will do.” The man pursed his lips together for a moment. Sarcasm was laced through his tone and his disdain at the idea of differentiating things that were or weren't off-the-rack was obvious. He shrugged again with a slight movement of his shoulders. “I don’t know what kind of robes you have, but I have a tailor. All paid for, of course.” Women liked clothes, didn't they?

The way confidence and certainty rolled off him was appealing to her and Lulu gazed at the man across from her as she tried to work through this wholly unexpected.. thing. How was this her life right now? She was both excited and apprehensive. She wanted to take it without asking any questions and also was afraid of it. A voice in her mind that she imagined came from a prim lady with a pair of fabulous, white horn-rimmed glasses told her that this wasn't something she should rush into, but Lulu couldn't draw herself back from the edge she was walking. She wanted to throw herself into this. He seemed to think that she would accept it without question and that only seemed to influence her more.

The word Barcelona on his lips made her heart flutter once more with a sense of longing. She had never really traveled and Lulu gazed at Mr. Bojkov with curious eyes. She imagined he had been everywhere and Lulu got distracted by imagining herself going on trips with him (and getting paid for it!). When he shifted in her seat, she brought her attention back to him and refocused on his words. Note-taking? Already do it. Data entry? Boring. Letter writing? Mr. Thorne always did like the way she phrased things in his correspondence. It was nothing really different than what she did now, but it wasn't really a selling point, considering she didn't really like doing any of that stuff. Lulu tried to keep the frown off her face as he continued listing her duties.

The social events and fancy luncheons sounded promising! She wasn't sure who Aleksandr was, but getting paid to go to parties with him? That would certainly be a nice change. For some incomprehensible reason, she was listing all the reasons why she should take this job. That was crazy right? This whole exercise was crazy. She wasn't going to quit her job at the whim of this man who held office in the middle of the ballroom, was she?

She was tempted. Very tempted.

He seemed so nonchalant with it all that she almost didn't process the fact that he had said unbreakable vow. She gulped and tried not to reveal her shock at that. The first question that popped into her mind was wondering what secrets he had that needed such close protection. Then the prim lady with the fab horn-rimmed glasses told her it'd probably be more prudent to think of the actual consequences of such a vow. If broken, the unbreakable vow was fatal. Could she ever readily go into that sort of agreement? She thought of herself as a very honest person so she would never intentionally break his confidence, but what if she revealed something she wasn't something completely by accident? What if she was talking to Erika about her job and something just popped out that she wasn't supposed to say? It was a worrying aspect, but once again he surprised her with his words and managed to sidetrack her.

"Fifty percent more?" she repeated, her pink lips forming a o with her surprise. That would be a nice little boost for her. Just think of all the shoes you can buy! another voice said in her mind, this time coming from what she imagined was a lady with red lips and a killer pair of red pumps. Lulu briefly wondered if she was crazy for having these different voices in her mind. "That is very generous," she finally managed to say, recovering from her shock enough to remember her manners. "This is a lot to take in," she admitted with a shy smile. His confidence, once again, struck her. It seemed like he already assumed she would take the job.. and didn't that make her want to take it that much more.

As she glanced down at her hands, she tried to buy herself some time and collect her thoughts. She felt as if he expected an answer right then and there and Lulu had never been great under pressure. Her mind was a whirl of different emotions, but for some reason, her best friend Erika popped into her mind. What would Erika do? Lulu asked herself. With an inner smile, the brunette knew exactly what she would do. Slap her hand down on the desk, say 'hell yes, I'm in' and then somehow manage to convince him to pay her double the salary he had intended. The thought was endearing, but it also made her wonder why Mr. Bojkov didn't ask someone like Erika to be his assistant. The why me? question ran through her mind once more.

He recalled her attention once more with his 'I don't mean to offend you' phrase. She steeled herself since she had come to learn whenever someone said that, it usually followed with something that was offensive. Nothing off the rack? She was puzzled by his comment and then realized he was criticizing her clothing! That little frown between her brows appeared and she pursed her lips. Lulu for all intents and purposes thought she was a fabulous dresser and her defenses immediately went up in light of this man calling her out. She glanced down at the clothing she was wearing today and reassessed. Her robes were from Twillfit and Tattings, the more upscale robe shop in Diagon, and this particular set was one of her more expensive ones, thank you very much. She went through the rest of her attire with the same attention to detail and unsurprisingly found nothing wrong with her outfit. How dare he!

Lulu brought her head, her grey blue eyes fierce in defense of her attire, when the words 'tailor' and 'all paid for' registered. For what felt like the fiftieth time in their short amount of time together, he had managed to shock her. And once again, she tried to cover it up in an effort to stay professional. "Of course," she heard herself saying. "I understand completely. That is kind of you to offer," while inside her mind the lady with red lips and red heels was celebrating as if she had just won the Quidditch World Cup complete with tears of joy and waves to the crowd.

Her heart felt like it was soaring and she wanted to jump up right then and say 'I accept!' but one look from the figment of her imagination with those fabulous white horn-rimmed glasses had her hesitating. She looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes as she twisted her hands unconsciously in her lap. "Do you need an answer right away?" She didn't want him to think she wasn't interested or didn't want the job, but she felt the need to discuss this with Erika. But instead she voiced a thought that was slightly more professional. "My boss might need some time to find my replacement," she tacked on, hoping that was a good enough reason for not being able to give him an answer right away.

Her underlying concern in all this was that it was too good to be true.

Whether he was imagining the enthusiasm in her posture and cogs ticking behind her eyes or sensing it, Sterling couldn’t be sure. It didn’t really matter though. Everyone had a price, and he was sure that he’d already found hers. Money was of no importance to the man anyway. He shifted in his seat, absentmindedly wondering how quickly he could have one of his servants pick him up something more comfortable than the chair he was sitting in now. After this meeting, the man decided that he was going to have someone throw it out. Or burn it. When her answer was ‘This is a lot to take in’ rather than and immediate ‘of course I’ll take it!’, he felt a little impatient. Obviously working with him was her best option right now. Why would she hesitate? Biting back his irritation, Sterling smiled slowly. “It’s not,” he said softly, his tone full of confidence and steel and intent. “It’s just an excellent offer.”

The steely feeling made its way into his gaze at her next words. Yes, he needed an answer right away. Obviously. Who did she think she was, some kind of star employee-of-the-year, who got to pick and choose and hold him over the fire? Who did she think he was? Some kind of peasant who took orders and let others walk all over him? He wanted to scoff and laugh in her face and have Sasha escort her off of the property. This line of thought was interrupted, however, by a rare streak of self-restraint. She looked a little bashful – maybe she was just nervous? Nervous at the amazing potential future he was offering her? Sterling Bojkov, he thought with satisfaction, wielder of power and bringer of opportunities for those less fortunate than himself. This thought soothed his rising irritation a somewhat.

Do you need an answer straight away?

Sterling leant back in his chair, displeasure evident in his expression. His lips were pursed, his jaw a little tense. He pressed a knuckle against his lips and watched her in silence for a moment. After a minute or so of making her sweat, the man spread his palms out with a sigh, in a makeshift shrug. Sterling pressed his hands against the edge of the table, raising his eyebrows slightly. “Do you really need time to think about this?” he asked carefully. His tone was soft, but serious and his gaze was steely. Their eye contact was rather intense, and he dropped his gaze to give her a tension-free moment. The man played with the handle of his teacup absentmindedly, watching his finger’s path along its smooth ceramic surface.

When he glanced back up at her, the seriousness was all gone. There was a slight quirk at one corner of his lips, indicating a smirk, and his eyes were twinkling. Playfulness had replaced steeliness in a matter of seconds. He leant forward again, putting the pressure on her effortlessly. “Screw your boss,” he said, waving the man’s influence away with a flippant gesture. “This is the opportunity of a lifetime and we both know it.” His eyes challenged her to disagree, but his boyish grin attempted to draw her in, like he was referencing a secret that they were both aware of.

Lulu looked back at Mr. Bojkov and smiled politely with a nod. It was an excellent offer and seemed maybe even more excellent because he said it with such confidence. Her uncertainty and indecision wavered in face of his surety. she almost felt silly for worrying or wondered why she was worrying so much over this when he seemed so calm. Because this is a major decision! a shrill voice whispered to her. Lulu ignored the voice and noticed something shift in the man's gaze.

She wasn't sure exactly what it was in his eyes, but it made her sit up straighter and subtly try to brush out a wrinkle she saw in her robes. Her grey blue eyes turned worrisome as she watched him sit back with lips pursed. Her heart dropped into her stomach at the thought that he might retract his offer. Foolish! a voice sounded in her head and Lulu couldn't help but agree. For all the hesitation she had, she didn't want this opportunity to disappear as quickly and as unexpectedly as it had come. The longer he remained quiet, the more she twisted her hands together.

She fretted but tried to maintain her composure even under his gaze. It was difficult and she didn't think she was succeeding and kept imagining there were a whole line of other ladies that he had called in to offer this position and if she didn't accept, there were plenty of other options for him. But she wanted this badly.

His question to her made her squirm. She was caught in his gaze and she felt almost breathless with the intensity of his will. When he looked away, she felt herself take a shaky breath. 'Do you need time to think about this' to her translated into 'You shouldn't need time to think about this.' Was it that obvious of a choice and she was being silly not to accept it? Yes! a voice whispered to her. She took his question seriously nevertheless. Did she really need time to think about it? Did she see herself passing over this and staying at the ministry instead? Her dream of becoming an Auror seemed even further off than ever, but it was hard for her to choose a path that took her even farther away. Yet she hated being the department's tea fetcher. It didn't take her but a few moments to know that she wanted this.

It was still difficult for her to overcome the fact that this was a huge decision, that her father would probably never understand, and that she hadn't even discussed it with Erika. But she wanted it. When he glanced back up at her, she was surprised to see the intensity replaced by a certain levity. She couldn't keep track of him. She found herself smiling back at him when he smiled at her and she couldn't have agreed more. Lulu was on the verge of something and she could feel it. Something wonderful. And that thought alone pushed her over the edge, past her hesitation and fretting and whatever else seemed to be holding her back. Her frivolity got the better of her and even despite the fact that she didn't know much about this man, didn't know exactly where this job would lead her, or why he even wanted her, but she didn't care.

SHe leaned forward, feeling light as if a huge weight had just been pulled off of her. "Mr. Thorne will not expect this," she said, almost shyly as she looked at him through her lashes. "When do I start?"

He had her. He had her, and he knew it. A smug half-smile tugged at his lips before she’d even started speaking. “No he will not,” Sterling replied brightly, barely trying to conceal the glee he felt at the prospect. Imagine sending your secretary off to complete a routine task and having her return with a letter of resignation! Sterling would be absolutely furious if anything similar happened to him. The man would be sure to plot some kind of revenge, and he wondered momentarily if Mr Thorne would be trying anything similar. He doubted it. And if he did… Well then, the game would be on, wouldn’t it? The idea amused Sterling, and it showed in his already smug expression.

“Wednesday?” he suggested, only remembering after he’d spoken that he was supposed to have a luncheon that day. Lunch meetings with foreign parties were almost certainly guaranteed to be boring, though. Sterling was sure that he could arrange for Sasha to postpone or re-organise that meeting for him. At the moment, this seemed like a more fun alternative. “Say… one o’clock?” He planned on sleeping in and having a big breakfast. “I’ll have Petra take your measurements before you leave, and I’ll owl you the address.” The man leant back in his chair, signalled to Sasha with a wave of his hand and waited patiently for the man to approach the desk before relaying the information to him. Sterling saw the reluctance in his eyes when he mentioned the fact that they were going to meet on Wednesday, but Sasha didn’t say a word, so Sterling didn't comment.

“Please escort Miss Prescott out, Sasha, and have Petra take her measurements.” Sterling held his hand out to lightly shake Lulu’s, a satisfied smirk playing across his lips. It was true that he felt a sense of triumph, though his smile included her in on the joke. "Wednesday shopping," he commented as she stood, clapping his hands together. He'd never been to Diagon Alley before, even the high end of it. His father hadn't let him when he was of school age and there hadn't been a reason to since. It promised to be an interesting trip.