Cherry-flavored Surrender

~a/n: sorry for all the mistakes in my last story and potentially in this one. This is fully just self-indulgent on my part, so ty for reading <3

toni and sam again, but no sex in this one. So so sorry, but im a slut for a slow burn

"If I buy one more jumpsuit, stop me."

"Asteria, respectfully, if you buy another jumpsuit, I'm legally obligated to euthanize you."

Asteria cackles in response as the two of them pause in the window of some store Otonia doesn't make enough money to shop at, even in her best months, looking at one of the worst jumpsuits she's has ever seen in her life.

"That's cold, Toni. You'd really do that to your beloved twin?"

Toni gives her a look. "I'd do much more for much less. You remember how many of my shirts you destroyed with your fucking pens in high school?"

"Yeah, yeah. You can steal one of my jumpsuits if you want."

Toni rolls her eyes but the two of them snicker and move away from the storefront with the hideous romper. The mall they stopped at is one of those indoor/outdoor spots, full of upscale stores and nauseating clouds of perfume and general luxury, but being here in the middle of a weekday thinned out the crowd much more.

Sam left early for a meeting (looking suspiciously well-dressed and smelling delicious for a work lunch, especially one at a cozy little restaurant that Toni made the reservation for, but she doesn't care) which meant Toni met her sister for a last-minute run to get last minute odds and ends for their little--and only--brother's upcoming wedding, as well as a new dress for an upcoming appointment on Toni's calendar.

The mall was a nice distraction anyway from certain six-foot-tall thoughts.

So what if Sam had reservations for two at a restaurant she knows they like? So what if they went there dressed like a fucking snack, delicious forearms exposed and everything--which they should really cover up, honestly; the blackwork tattoos and sinew of their muscles is too much to expose everyone to. But it's not like it's Toni's business.

Unfortunately, it would become her business if Sam returned to the office smelling like another woman, as Toni couldn't be held responsible for any violence that ensued because of it.

Again, not that it's her business, nor is it her place. It's just a little workplace crush, she's been telling herself. A little workplace crush that she sometimes fantasizes about. A little workplace crush on her hot boss that smells mouthwateringly delicious.

Okay, so it's been something she's working on, clearly. Her first hurdle has been not throwing herself at Sam every day--after practically shoving her tits in their face and having the most intense kiss of her life, Toni didn't have high hopes, but Sam hasn't initiated anything else. And she sure as fuck wouldn't be doing it again. She's berated herself for it fort he three months that she's been working with Sam, though it seems more out of restraint on Sam's behalf than regret. Regardless, normally, that would be enough. Otonia's never been one to be encouraged by someone's disinterest.

Normally, though, she can't see their interest, practically taste it on her tongue. Normally, she can't see their nostrils flare, can't see the way their gaze lingers on her with a little too much heat for a little too long, can't hear the way her name leaves their mouth like it's both a sin and the most holy thing they'd ever tasted. But Sam is naturally flirtatious, which was proving to make her life very difficult.

It's not even as though she has any right to be territorial over Sam. No, especially not when she was still entwined with her side-hustle. Just another month, she's been telling herself for the last three months.

So she needed out of the office, away from their clean sandalwood smell, away from her own mess of pheromones that were probably slutting up the place more than she could ever be aware of. Her sister is the exact kind of easy company that she's been craving. The fresh air helps, too, as does the bougie coffee and pastries Asteria promised her after she'd had the opportunity to go into some store for rednecks and lesbians, which Toni politely declined the invitation to.

After closing and reopening her doomscroll app of choice several times, all of her senses alight at once when a familiar, broad-shouldered shape blocks the sun. Her heart kicks into her throat as she looks up at the very person she was trying not to think about.

Sam is no less devastating than they were at the office. They stand there, hands in their pockets, sideways grin slung across their face, with the sun at their back lighting them up like a fucking god. Her mouth goes dry.

"Miss Faust," Sam grins, all deep and rough-voiced. There's a whiff of perfume that she catches with Sam's proximity, something sharp and floral, and she has to intentionally relax her grip on her phone before she breaks the screen.

"Hi, Sam," Toni says, somewhere between professional and flirtatious. "Don't tell me you ditched your reservation to come to the mall."

"After all the work you put into it? I wouldn't dream of it." She knows they mean it, too; it took some very sweet persuasion to the hostess that answered the phone, but it paid off to see Sam's pleasure. Even if it was a date, and even if it her stomach sour. "You know, we're really going to have to have a conversation about your attendance if you don't start taking your position more seriously."

In any other context, with any other person, the threat might've made her stomach drop. In the three months since she's started, Sam's chided her countless times for her workaholic tendencies, often strong-arming her into leaving on time--early, if they can swing it--rather than well into the evening. It's not her fault that Bianca was leaving behind quite a legacy.

The thought of a meeting regarding, ah, discipline with Sam almost makes her whimper, though. Bent over their desk, relentlessly stretching her pussy around thick tattooed fingers, making her orgasm until she wept; bent over their lap, squirming and ass sore and red from spanking. Heat strikes her core directly.

Fucking hell.

Toni swallows and wets her lips, shifting in her seat while she shrugs her shoulders in a smooth roll, affecting a casual air. Or what she hopes is casual. "None of my references told you I'm an incredibly difficult employee with an attitude and attendance problem?"

Sam laughs, the noise rough and low and sending a shiver down her spine that she barely represses. Their mouth opens to reply but both of them are drawn up short by Sam's name being called.

It's a shame, really, that Toni is being driven to homicide against another woman. One so beautiful at that. She takes solidarity seriously, and as a lesbian, it's especially painful. The woman that comes to stand next to Sam is beautiful and sharp eyed, somewhere between Toni and Sam's heights, with a dark bob of curls framing her face.

"Sammy, c'mon, I finally figured out the map." Sammy.

Sam looks... embarrassed? Good, Toni thinks sourly. Flirting with me when you're spoken for. She hopes her expression remains either neutral or positive. Anything but the homicidal impulse she's feeling beneath her skin.

This was for the best, really, because this crush was becoming untenable. Flirting in public? Unacceptable.

"Don't be rude," Sam admonishes, but the woman seems undeterred. Her eyes rake over Toni with interest, although it's not bloodthirsty the way Sam's date should be regarding them and other beautiful women. "Sorry for the lack of manners. It's her first day out of the zoo, and--" The woman smacks the back of their head and a laugh escapes Toni without her permission. The woman says something in Italian that's too fast for Toni to understand but clearly very annoyed, but Sam snickers and rolls their eyes. "Otonia, this is my sister, Cherry. Cherry, this is Otonia."

Oh. A stupid relief floods her and her smile thaws. "Hi, Cherry. Toni's fine."

Cherry looks Toni over in a way that makes her feel completely exposed, then smirks in the same lopsided way Sam does. Now that she knows, the resemblance is strong. "So this is Toni?" The tone is unabashedly approving. Sam's face turns red, the temperature between the siblings dropping several degrees, but Cherry tosses her head back and cackles. "God, you're so fucking easy. Toni, it's lovely to meet you, gorgeous. I can see where Sam's coming from."

Toni is almost certain that she's hallucinating or has had an aneurysm in the middle of this mall and is currently bleeding out in her brain. Eyes locked on Sam, she can see their embarrassment at being caught out; pleasure, warm and glowing, grows in her chest at the notion of Sam talking about her--and talking about her enough to warrant their sister's attention. She can feel her own smile, although she'll be horrified if she spares one second to think about what it could possibly be conveying. "Oh? They were just saying they were going to reprimand me for my attendance."

Sam earns another smack and they rub the back of their head indignantly. Cherry reprimands them in Italian before saying, "Biggest fuckin' slacker I've ever met in my life wants to give their employee shit for attendance--"

Toni laughs and waves her hands to stop her, grinning up at Sam, who's looking beleaguered but amused. "Sorry! Sorry, it was too easy. They're good to me, Cherry, don't worry. I know they'd fall apart without me."

"That is true," Sam says with a lopsided grin.

Cherry's looking between the two of them with a smirk. "Sam would lose their head if it wasn't somehow attached to their neck, no matter how big it gets. You sure they're not making you do too much?"

Toni blinks up at Sam with a little smile and gets a pointed look in return. "No," she says, deciding to spare Sam's head from another thwack. "They're good to me." She doesn't mean to keep eye contact with Sam as she says this, but only realizes it when she snaps her eyes back to Cherry and finds hers bouncing between the two of them.

Cherry turns a suspicious eye on Toni before giving it to Sam in response, and Sam sighs in a long-suffering sort of way.

They make idle small talk for a few more minutes--about Caerus and Emery's wedding, jumpsuits, Cherry's recent divorce--before Cherry says, "Toni, you're coming on Saturday, right?"

Sam's eyebrows raise to their hairline and says at the same moment as Toni, "Sorry?"

Cherry barely blinks. "Vinny's dinner on Saturday. It's nothing fancy, don't worry about bringing anything--"

"Cherry, Jesus fucking Christ--"

She waves her hand at them. "If they don't invite you as a guest, then let me invite you as a guest, doll."

Toni blinks, taken completely off guard. She's never seen Sam flustered before, which is quite delicious, face red as they widen their eyes in horror at their sister. "You ever heard of a fuckin' HR crisis before, dipshit? Jesus fuck. She's probably busy anyway, don't make her feel obligated, for fuck's sake--"

"I'm not." Toni says, which snaps the tension between the siblings. "Busy, I mean. I'm not busy." She is, actually, but not until the night.

Sam looks both stunned and remorseful but Cherry just claps her hands in delight, gold bracelets jingling on her wrists. "See, Sammy? She's not busy." She tosses a wink at Toni. "Don't even think about bringing anything except your gorgeous self, yeah?"

Toni's grateful her skin is too deep for her blushes to be very visible because she feels her face and neck flush. Sam makes a low growling noise out of what Toni can only assume to be annoyance, making Cherry grin. Before either of the siblings have a chance to come to blows or leave, Toni's catching sight of Asteria, balancing a drink carrier and a white paper bag precariously. Oh, god.

Toni glances between her twin and the De Lucas, who are having a conversation about what they need to pick up from Williams Sonoma, but isn't quick enough to make an exit before Asteria comes to join the group. Sam and Cherry both stop chatting and Toni feels momentarily flustered by the extra attention; it feels strangely too much like two separate parts of her life meeting.

Steri is glancing between all of them with raised brows and Toni doesn't do anything except make a polite introduction between them, refusing to answer any of Steri's furtive glances.

"Um, Asteria, this is Sam and their sister, Cherry. This is my sister, Asteria."

Asteria shakes their hands and Toni is thanking her lucky stars that her sister keeps a tighter lid than Sam's, though she still feels an urgent need to end this conversation quickly before--

"Sam, is it? Finally nice to put a face to the name. She's so secretive."

Okay. Taking that back. Otonia gives her a threatening look but Sam and Cherry laugh, although Sam's cheeks are still a little stained.

"Is it? I didn't know I came up that often."

"Oh, you kidding? She never st--"

"Asteria!" Toni snaps, louder and sharper than intended. Three sets of eyes land on her in varying shades of amused, although Asteria's are particularly wicked. Sam must sense her panic because they have a little smirk curling at one side of their mouth.

"Cherry, we should leave if we're gonna make our reservation that sweet Toni put so much effort into making." Sam says it so easily that it smooths over any awkwardness from Toni's small outburst, and Toni would've thought it was just out of discomfort before Sam winks at her, for fuck's sake.

Toni's almost breathless with how grateful she is for Sam in that moment. Not to mention sweet Toni? Sending a blinding smile up at them, she nods and stands up herself. It puts her just a little too close in Sam's space, making her get a devastatingly full breath of their scent, before she steps back. "Sorry if we held you both up."

Cherry is looking at Toni quite delightedly with an expression she knows too well as an older sibling and preemptively sends some sympathetic thoughts to Sam. "It was lovely to meet you, doll. Saturday, yeah? Asteria, you're welcome too." She cackles at Sam's groan before snatching the keys from their hand and starting off.

Sam smiles, so warm and inviting that Toni preens, and holds their hand out to Asteria, who shakes it firmly. "Asteria, I apologize for my sister, but it was so nice to meet you."

Toni has never been jealous of her twin--they don't have the same taste in women, for one--but right now, she has to fight the active impulse to snap at Asteria for... she doesn't know. Existing too close to Sam?

"You too, Sam, seriously. I'd offer to get you an iced coffee, but I think Toni would commit actual murder if she got coffee on that shirt."

Mother fucker. "I think I'm much closer to committing actual murder than you even know right now, babe," Toni says sweetly.

Sam laughs, pleased, and gives Toni such a breathtaking grin, dark eyes glittering, that she almost forgives her twin. Almost. Toni feels more forgiving as Asteria very conveniently wanders to find a trash can, though. "Thanks for letting me intrude on your sister day. Sorry about mine. Um--you don't--don't feel any pressure about Saturday. I'd love if you came, but my family's all like that. She's one of the more normal ones."

"I don't want to intrude," Toni says after a laugh. "I'm sure your family would love to meet your newbie assistant during a family dinner."

They shake their head. "No, seriously, dinner makes it sound intimate. There's a million of us. It's ridiculous. Loudest, nosiest mother fuckers you've ever met in your life. You'll be forced to eat so much you're sick."

"No, I.. it sounds nice. It's just Asteria and I out here, our family's all back on the coast." It feels like an overshare as soon as it leaves her mouth, but Sam's smile softens a little.

"Well, in that case, I'll be offended if you don't come." Their smirk/grin is too enchanting, so it's good when it drops for a little furrowed brow. "Not really," they say, as if they just remembered they're her boss. "You really don't have to. And there's no pressure. I'd be pissed if my boss invited me somewhere and I felt like I had to accept. And you're not just my 'newbie assistant', never. You're invited as a friend of the family. Personally invited by yours truly."

"Oh, a personal invite from you? You know, I'd love to and normally I'd say yes, but.." She sucks in a breath through her teeth and makes a tsk noise. "Someone else just asked me, and I never go back on my commitments."

"Is that so?" Sam laughs. "Well, fuck me. Guess I missed my shot, huh?"

"I might give you another shot, if you ask me very nicely."

They raise their eyebrows, rubbing a tattooed hand over their jaw, dimpled grin lighting up their face. "In that case, Miss Faust, I would be delighted if you would attend my family's dinner on Saturday. But no pressure. Asking--no, imploring--not as your boss, just as Sam. Again, no pressure."

"Oh, since you're asking as Sam, then I'll take it into consideration," Toni says sweetly. "Now shoo. You're going to miss the reservation your sweet Toni made."

"My sweet Toni," they purr, "I wouldn't miss it for the world. I'll see you, yeah?" They reach out and squeeze her shoulder again, gentle and friendly. Her skin burns with the contact. She's never experienced getting vaguely horny because of a fucking touch on her shoulder like she's a Victorian woman. She wants to raise her hand to press the warm spot where their large hand just touched her, but resists the urge, instead flapping her hands in shooing motions until they get the hint.

When Asteria meanders over, Sam's long gone, and Toni's willing to take mercy on her sister.

Not too much mercy, though. "Don't think I won't remember that, mother fucker. You and your jumpsuits better sleep with one eye open."

~~~

Toni doesn't love her side job. Most days it's hard to even say she doesn't mind it, let alone like (or love) it. There was a point in time where it didn't exhaust her nearly as much, where it made her feel powerful and sexy and in control and gave her financial security in the wake of her divorce and finishing her MFA, but now it's been over a year and she feels like she's chasing down the end. She applied at MSS on a drunken lark to celebrate her divorce, yeah, but she also promised herself she'd stop seeing clients all together once she got set up there and past her probationary 90 days.

Yet, here she was three months later, shaving her legs and doing a face mask as she confirms plans with a client for later that evening, despite the growing ball of dread in her stomach. The nerves and excitement of Sam's party had faded once Asteria got called into her job, the goddamn responsible bitch, leaving her to fly solo, and then a last minute request came in on Friday and seeing the email about her student loans made her panic and accept. She didn't need it, no, but it was still money that would let her breathe a little easier. The time would be a little tight, but as long as she left Sam's at an appropriate hour, she'd be able to make the date.

There is an unexpected benefit to her impromptu shift: she got the pleasure of showing up to Sam's looking like an absolute meal. She never has sex with her clients, no, and is mindful to be as appropriate for wall street bros as possible, but she always feels her most confident when she's prepared for anything in nice lingerie and smooth skin. Besides, there's something so magical about having a crush, something that makes her put extra effort into her appearance and prepare for the thrill of an unexpected encounter.

The de Luca estate is what ends up being a brick penthouse in one of the bougiest neighborhoods she's ever been in; the cars parked along the road are worth more than her entire life, she's sure. She knew Sam was rich--or assumed, really, rather than outright knew explicitly--but suddenly, standing in the marble lobby with an elevator attendant (a new concept to her), she feels horrifically out of place.

She allows herself a minor internal spiral as the elevator glides up to the penthouse. She doesn't even know why she's crashing out about this; she's had clients in similar neighborhoods, has had dates here as well, but this time as a guest with her real government name? It feels a little too disconcerting for her. The wine she was currently clutching to her chest felt like a box wine, despite the bottle being one she'd been saving for a special occasion, just due to the sheer opulence. She wishes vaguely her sister was here. Anyone, really.

But she's done worse, interacted with worse. Sam at least was nice, as was their sister. And she had a reason to leave early, if worst comes to worst. As much as she desperately didn't want to go to her 'date' later, it was a good excuse to leave, if needed. She can do this. She doesn't need her sister. Toni draws on her deepest well of confidence and straightens herself, holds her wine a little more loosely, and by the time the elevator doors ding open, she's the picture of casual feline grace. Her dress is mini enough to be sexy but respectable, the beading pattern intricate and understated, the slit making her long legs look even longer. Her hair hangs in an inky sheet off her shoulders and to her mid-back. Every aspect of her physical appearance has been carefully selected and crafted this evening.

The entry hallway from the elevator isn't anything special beyond surprisingly normal, not obscenely ugly décor that rich people seem to favor, and at the door stands a pair of men, tall and imposing and viciously muscled.

The intimidation factor is significantly decreased when she knows their coffee order and they have very detailed discussions about reality TV.

"Hi, Vinnie, hi Vin," Toni grins as she approaches them. They're twins, or cousins, or something, and she's still not entirely which is Vin and which is Vinnie, but that's okay. "They've got you working during a party?"

"Yeah, they started sending violent psychopaths in disguise as personal assistants who think Johnny Fairplay was just thinking outside of the box."

Toni cackles. "I just said that I admired the balls on him! Please, as if, Mr. Bethenny Frenkel Fanclub President."

The other one squawks a laugh at his twin/brother/cousin, who groans. "C'mon, that was forever ago!"

"That was two weeks ago, Vin."

"Shut the fuck up, Vincenzo, nobody fuckin' asked you."

Toni and Vinnie are both snickering about Vin's indignant pouting when the door opens and, like the most beautiful, handsome, hottest angel of all time, Sam's standing there in their breathlessly charismatic form. Like a complete asshole. They're grinning and they lean against the door frame.

Their wardrobe never really differs too much, but their attire outside the office is definitely a different flavor. Their shirt is unbuttoned a little further, layered gold necklaces contrasted against their olive skin and dark tattoos. Their hair is messier than at the office, looser and wilder, and their cheeks are a little stained already.

The thought of an unbuttoned (literally and metaphorically) and kind of drunk Sam is appealing, Toni thinks. She grins up at them, matching their easy expression.

"These two bums bothering you, gorgeous? I told them not to flirt with you, but nobody fuckin' respects me around here."

The two Vins roll their eyes. Vin looks deadpan at Toni and asks, "You got any weapons on you?"

Toni pointedly looks down at her mini-dress that clearly lacks pockets and her very bare arms lacking a jacket, and holds up her tiny purse that barely holds a credit card and her phone, and wine bottle she's toted across the city. "Just my impeccable wit and dazzling smile, babe."

Sam snorts and holds their hand out to her, tattooed fingers peppered with gold rings. "C'mon, before these two scare you off."

Toni waggles her fingers at the men and then slips between them. She places her hand delicately into Sam's, allowing them to pull her in and close the door behind her. She gets a lungful of their warm, clean scent as she passes, a little breathless at the sudden proximity.

They're standing just next to the door they just closed and Sam's hand is still large and hot beneath her own long fingers, and they're much closer than she expected. She looks up at them to meet their eyes, the slightest trace of honey barely visible in the light, and hopes she's not as starry-eyed as she feels.

"Hi," she breathes, grinning.

"Hi." Their half grin half smirk widens, but their eyes are soft and warm. She can smell alcohol on their breath; she wonders absently if she'd be able to figure out what drink they had if she kissed them. "You made it."

"I made it," she agrees.

"No Asteria?"

"The bitch had to work. Why, I'm not enough?"

They tip their head back and laugh as if the idea is completely absurd; their hand drops from beneath hers but relocates to her mid-back, gentle and light enough that she knows they'd remove it instantly if she seemed even a little uncomfortable. "Quite the opposite." They start shepherding her forward, but as they fall into step next to her, lean down. "I'm rather greedy," they purr into her ear.

Unrestrained delight and arousal flood her with warmth. She can't hide the goosebumps that explode down her skin. It doesn't seem like Sam expected a reply--thank fuck because her brain is suddenly offline.

Sam was right when they said the party was less intimate than Cherry implied. Not everyone in attendance is a de Luca; some are friends or friends of friends, but most are cousins or aunts or something. Everyone is absurdly welcoming to her--particularly Sam's mother and sisters, who swarm her as soon as they meet her. Cherry admonishes her for bringing the wine as she relentlessly fussed about how thoughtful it was. Their mother wraps her in a hug so tight it makes her throat constrict at the thought of how long it's been since her mother hugged her and held her at arms length to examine her critically before saying she was too skinny and would be eating two helpings at least. They have a younger sister and younger brother, Irish twins, that are too interested in teenager-y activities and being generally too cool to hang out, but seem happy to meet her regardless.

Then she meets uncles and aunts and cousins and--honestly, she lost track of a lot of them. Sam's right next to her the whole time when they're not fetching her drinks or being plied with Jagerbombs by Cherry. It's.. nice. Even with her ex, at their best, Toni was always left to fend for herself at family gatherings; being a social butterfly made it no big deal, but it would have still been nice to have had her partner there. But Sam's presence is steady and magnetic and warm, and Toni finds herself swept up in the contagious laughter. It's all so familiar to her that she feels heart and homesick for a minute.

It's not long before she's perched on a barstool, Sam standing with their arm slung over the back of it, on her second glass of wine and snacking happily.

"So, Toni," their mother says.

"Ma," Sam groans. "Please don't interrogate her. Seriously."

"What, Sammy? A mother can't ask about her child's guest?"

"Yeah, Sammy," Toni chides, twisting to grin up at them. They meet her eyes with a glittering amusement and reach a hand up to tug gently on a lock of her hair. "I'm an open book, Ms. De Luca. You can ask me anything. Just ignore them."

"I like this one already," their mom says. Sam's cheeks turn a little redder and they groan again. "So, Toni, you don't sound like you're from the city."

"No, ma'am. I moved here for university. I grew up on the east coast."

"Far way to come by yourself. What'd you go to school for?"

"I just finished my MFA right before I started with Sam, and my sister finished her program in electrical engineering last year."

"Gorgeous and brilliant," Cherry says with a whistle. "What the hell did your parents put in your DNA?"

Toni laughs, feeling her cheeks flush. "Not sure, but we were the first set of twins, so maybe we're just the most potent."

Cherry and their mom chatter about someone at their mother's job that's had triplets and Sam leans in closer to her. Toni twists to look up at them and the look in their eyes is almost too much to bear, something fascinated and warm.

"C'mon, while they're distracted." She shivers at their humid breath against her ear and she hops off the stool without a second thought; Sam's hand finds a happy home on her shoulder as they quickly snatch the bottle of wine that Toni brought and shepherding her out of the kitchen. The women shout in protest and warn Toni she better say goodbye but give no chase.

They don't speak as Sam navigates them (while deftly dodging conversations and groups) to the upper level garden patio area. There's small sitting areas arranged in the verdant space, and the noise of the party is dulled enough to make it only an ambient sound among the city-life and quiet bubbling fountains in the garden.

They choose a spot with a breathtaking view of the city in the last vestiges of twilight, brilliant blood-orange light being snuffed out by hazy blue, city lights like a patchwork of millions of yellow stars sprawled out before them. The city traffic is a distant hum like the machinations of a giant beast they sit in the belly of, a constant reminder of the life that's in every corner of the city.

"I love it here," Toni says without thinking.

Sam turns their head to look at her, and Toni looks away from the city to peer at them back. They're still soft around the edges, which Toni is finding increasingly attractive.

"Yeah? Is it much different?"

"Yeah. You've never been?"

They shake their head, messy hair dancing with the movement. "Never had the pleasure. Maybe you can show me one day."

One day. She tries to smother her grin by biting her lip, but it's a miserable attempt. "I'd love to. I need to ask my boss first, and between you and me, they're a real dick about me taking time off."

They tip their head back and laugh. "No shit? They sound like a jackass. They probably have a really fuckin' nosy, huge family, too, huh?"

"They're lovely," Toni corrects. "I'm not just being nice. I'd be concerned about your place in the family if I were you. I might take your spot if you're not careful."

"Mm." They watch her for a long moment, gaze indecipherable, as if they're chewing on the words they want to say. It could be thirty seconds or an hour that she's caught in their paralyzing look, but either way, it feels like a physical blow when they run a hand through their hair instead of speaking and take a sip of wine from the bottle. "You said you were the first set of twins? Don't tell me your poor mom..?"

She decides not to press for what they were going to say originally, feeling magnanimous. "Yeah, woman's a beast. Asteria and I, then Cassie and Caerus, and Danae is the baby."

Sam whistles. "Damn. So you probably raised three children by the age of eighteen."

She laughs brightly. "God, yeah. Motherhood's exhausting."

"Are you guys close?"

"Yeah. Well.. yeah. All of us. It was a hard adjustment being out here, just us two. It's nice, obviously, because I've saved a fortune in bath products and makeup because nobody's stealing it, but I do miss them. And our parents."

Definitely an overshare. This wine is too good, she decides as she finishes her glass and sets it aside. Her insides are feeling pleasantly warm and taffy-like already; if she were a little less tipsy, both on new-crush-starry eyes and rosé, she'd think to check the time or maybe just about how much to share with her boss.

But they said before--they're not here as boss and assistant. They invited her as a guest. From Sam to Otonia, not Sam de Luca to Ms. Faust.

"The fucking bath products. Maybe that's the reason I swerved in the opposite direction from my sisters--I knew none of them would steal fucking sandalwood-cedar two-in-one."

Toni laughs and knocks them with her shoulder. "Please tell me you use separate products now."

"Yes, I'm not an animal. Plus, I don't share a bathroom with any of those lunatics anymore."

She giggles and they settle back into the plush loungechair, shoulders almost touching. They're almost sitting thigh to thigh; Toni has to shift to adjust her dress, which is riding up a little dangerously high.

"Easily the best thing for my relationship with my family was not sharing space with them anymore. Even Steri and I.. I know we'll both be happy to have our own spaces finally." Well, own space again. The divorce wasn't just hard on Toni. They're quiet for a few moments before Toni speaks again. "Thank you for inviting me, Sam."

They seem surprised by her admission, but their eyes crinkle with a smile and they dip their head chivalrously. "Thank you for coming, honestly. You didn't feel pressured?" The vulnerability in the question is stupidly endearing.

"No, I didn't. My apartment would've flooded about forty-five minutes in if that were the case." Toni smirks. "I promise," she says more seriously. "Are you worried you manipulated me because you're my boss? I think you're really overestimating how susceptible I am to you."

They raise an eyebrow and then laugh when she knocks into their shoulder again. "I just can't think of anything more depressing than having such a miserable work environment that your boss subtly pressures you to hang out outside of work. Except maybe being the boss who makes their employees do that."

Toni smiles, taking pity on them. She pats their cheek; her golden bracelets sing quietly on her wrist with the movement and her long nails tap their skin. "Did it occur to you that maybe I enjoy being in your presence?"

"Fuck no it didn't. Why would it? You're a smokeshow."

"A smokeshow?" She repeats, incredulous. Did this mother fucker really just imply she was out of their league?

Sam groans. "Fuck, I'm drunk, I don't know what I'm saying. Sorry. That wasn't professional of me to tell you."

"I thought I wasn't here as your employee."

"How do you know I don't like to treat everyone in my life with the same business casual approach?" Toni blinks at Sam, who blinks back at her, and they both break into a laugh at the same time. "Okay, nevermind."

And then, to her mounting horror as she realizes her mouth is disconnected from her brain, Toni says, "Did you treat Bianca with the same, ah, professionalism?" It's lighthearted and teasing and makes Sam laugh all the same, but Toni hears the undercurrent of uncertainty in her own voice and wants to heave herself over the side of the building for it.

But if she's being honest with herself, she has wondered before if Sam treats all of their assistants the same. Bianca was beautiful, although married and presumably straight, and Toni doesn't know much about Sam's personal life; they have the same natural easy charisma that she knows--and has seen--women fall over their feet for. They could have a new date every week. For all she knows, they try that with all their assistants.

They raise an eyebrow at her, mouth set in a playful smile. "Spill iced coffee on her and make myself look like a total fuckin' asshole?" They shake their head and lean back to take a drink from the bottle of wine. "No. Believe it or not, you're the first I've managed to embarrass myself so badly in front of."

"What?" Toni laughs. "Embarrass you? You're joking. Did you even see the shirt you let me borrow?"

"You mean the beautiful mint condition vintage Grateful Dead merch? I saw it. It's weird, I haven't seen it since, though."

Her heart drops into her stomach, something that must be obvious on her face because Sam instantly waves their hands frantically. "No, fuck, I didn't mean to embarrass you!" Toni laughs weakly and drops her face into her hands. Her shoulders shake with laughter as Sam continues, "Fuck, sorry, I was just teasing you, you can keep it, it's a stupid shirt anyway--"

Sam puts their large hands on her shoulders, searing straight to her skin, but she's laughing too hard to even notice, and then Sam joins in until they're both shaking with laughter and Toni is gasping for breath. Her hands somehow ended up wrapped around Sam's forearms and she can feel the thick, corded muscle beneath her fingers. The alcohol and the laughter and the muscles are all getting to her head, making her a little dizzy, and Sam's laugh is so delightful and deep and bright.

There's moments in her life that she will never forget, moments where she's incandescently happy, buoyant with love and connection. Playing Monopoly with her family when her and Asteria were about to graduate high school and Toni could count the number of months she had left at home before moving across the country--the Faust family version of Monopoly, to accommodate for the sheer amount of cheating any of them would try to pull. Sitting between her mothers on their couch when she was little enough to be fairly new at being a big sister, watching a show she later found out they both hated but watched for and with her. Moving into her first apartment with Asteria, sitting on the fire escape and smoking weed at three AM while they both finished their homework. Sitting at her vanity on the morning of her wedding bathed in morning light while her mother brushed her long hair back, realizing she got to experience what her mother never got to, and how happy she was to share that experience with her, both for the first time. Walking the stage of her MFA, knowing she busted her ass and proved her (very recent) ex-wife wrong, and standing on the stage listening to her family hooting and hollering in the audience.

Now--in one of the wealthiest parts of the city, sitting on the roof of a penthouse, stomach sore from laughing and gasping for air, almost in the arms of Sam de Luca, and feeling something significant. She knows this moment is etched onto the inside of her mind in perpetuity.

When they both settle down, Sam's wiping tears from their eyes as Toni delicately dabs at her own, fanning her face. Sam's let go of her shoulders, but settles an arm on the back of the bench behind Toni, body still turned towards her on the seat.

"Sorry, I seriously keep meaning to bring it back," Toni says, a little meek. "Our washer's been busted and I haven't been able to do more than just basic stuff, but I just washed it yesterday. I have it folded in my work bag," she lies. But she can make do.

Sam laughs again and shakes their head, brown hair flying. "No, seriously. Sorry. I was just fucking with you. You can keep it, honestly."

"I don't know if it'd really match the rest of my wardrobe."

"What, you? Please. You rock jeans and a t-shirt all the time."

She snickers and tosses her hair back from her shoulders. "You know me. I'm on my hands and knees begging you for casual Friday."

They look at her like they'd like it if she were on her hands and knees begging for something else, but that was probably the wine talking. And suddenly, there's a yawning pit in her stomach again.

"You didn't answer my question," she says, playful but also needing to know.

They tilt their head as they consider her. "What question was that?"

"Do you do that with all of your assistants?"

A soft little smile pulls at the corner of their mouth, and they look like they really consider teasing her, but ultimately shake their head. "No. Believe it or not, you're the first I've had that I've wanted to be anything other than professional with."

That admission is so, so much more than she was expecting. Heat blooms across her cheeks and she feels uncharacteristically bashful, dropping her gaze to her lap, unable to hide her widening smile. One of their fingers curls a lock of her long hair around it, tugging on it gently when it's pulled taut, and Toni looks back up at Sam. Their smile is so soft, so sweet and open, matching her own.

She opens her mouth to speak but is cut short by an angry buzzing in her purse. She frowns and pulls it out, fully intending to silence it, but her heart stills at the time. It's fully an hour after she said she'd meet her client, and she'd been so caught up she hadn't noticed. Her client's sent a barrage of texts. It's a bucket of ice water thrown on both of them.

"Fuck, sorry, one second." She can't bear to look at Sam before she launches herself out of the seat and moves a little further into the garden. With her back to them, she answers the phone after a deep breath.

"Where the fuck are you?" He snaps.

"Sorry, I lost track of time." She tries to make her voice as even and non-hostile as she can, but shame and annoyance for breaking the moment with Sam is making it difficult. "But you did make the plans last minute."

"And you confirmed them, did you not?" Toni's silent. "Well, when are you going to get here?"

Toni chews on her lip and shifts on her feet. "At least forty-five minutes." It's a generous estimate, but she'd rather be early than late with this fucker.

He sighs in a way that makes Toni grit her teeth. "Fine. Just get here. You'll still be here for the majority of the event."

"Great," Toni drawls. Just what she had been fucking hoping. With a sour taste in her mouth, she hangs up when he's mid-sentence and silences her phone.

Sam clearly looks like they're trying to not seem as though they were watching Toni's back for that whole interaction, which Toni almost buys. When she returns, she sighs deeply, and Sam smiles up at her. It's so blazingly warm and bright it's like she stepped outside in summer without sunglasses.

"Can I walk you down?"

Relieved she doesn't have to say anything, Toni nods, smiling and offering her hand to them. They grin and take it, making her delicate, ringed fingers seem shrimpy in comparison.

"I'm sorry I'm leaving so suddenly," Toni says as they wait for the elevator.

"Don't worry about it, gorgeous. It was delightful you came at all."

Toni grins up at them, and they return it in kind. The elevator dings open and Sam places a hand between her shoulder blades, guiding her forward gently. They stand close to her in the elevator--much closer than such a spacious one needs--and she takes subtle, greedy lungfuls of their delightful scent before she's overpowered with cigar smoke and the heaviest colognes she's ever smelled in her life.

"You taking a car, doll?"

Toni can't help but laugh at the cost of that. "My god, no. I still have money on my metro card."

They fix her with a stern look. "Raf'll take you wherever you gotta go, yeah?"

"Sam, no--"

They hold up a hand and shake their head. "Nuh-uh. Look, you're doing it whether you want to or not, so it'd be faster if you just agreed."

She forces a sigh, but can't deny the swell of gratuity she feels. "Fine. Just this time."

They nod their head in a way that suggests that remains to be seen and lead her to a sleek black car. They open the back door for her, and as she moves to get in, they grin down at her.

"Thanks for coming, Toni." It's quiet and just for her.

"Even though I monopolized your entire time?"

"Especially because you monopolized my entire time." Toni must be a little drunk because she wants to kiss the smirk off their mouth.

"Well, you're welcome. Thank you. I'll um.. I'll see you Monday?"

"See you Monday, Ms. Faust," Sam grins and shuts the door after she's securely tucked in.

The event is as expected. A middle-aged loser with vibes so repellant even her natural magnetism barely brings him to a bearable presence who got too handsy as he said goodbye to her, a little too rough with his hands on her.

It was nothing like the gentle touches Sam placed on her, or the way they made her feel so safe. How strange it is to realize what safety feels like again; stranger still to find that she craves it, having another person give her that feeling.

Slightly drunk off her tits from the copious amounts of wine she had to swallow to be around her client, she pulls Sam's shirt out from her laundry hamper where she's been keeping it, finally giving into her urges and pulling it on. The soft fabric feels decadent against her over-sensitive skin, where it brushes her nipples and falls to her upper thighs. It still smells like them, albeit with some of her perfume over top, but it's delicious and clean and beachy smelling just like them.

Kneeling on her bed facing the floor-length mirror propped across the way, she pulls the shirt to be mostly decent before snapping a picture. It's softly lit by the fairy lights hung on her walls and the candles she lit while getting ready for bed, and the picture enhances the hues of warm light and red that her décor throws.

Before she can think better of it, with all of her lights and candles off and snuffed, she sends the picture to Sam.

Otonia (01:39): I might have lied to you earlier

Otonia (01:39): but I promise I'll bring it monday :)

Sam de Luca (01:45): :)

Sam de Luca (01:48): Keep it. It looks better on you anyway.

Sam de Luca (01:50): Good night, Otonia.