Tanya sighed for the umpteenth time since she had awakened that morning.
Within her mind played the conversation she had with her boss the previous night. He had actually offered a solution to her problem of introducing himself to her family in order for them to go as a couple to his birthday bash.
The suggestion was absurd and had she been any less than eighteen he'd be given eyes like those people give to child predators but, fortunately for him and unfortunately for her, she had become an adult a month prior. Her only reminder being a short birthday wish she had gotten before she left for a mission that ran on even seven hours after her birthday had been exhausted and a new day was born.
A smile tugged her lips as she remembered that event. The next day, she came back with grime, soot and sweat clinging unto her skin under her black stealth jumpsuit to a room flooded with congratulatory letters and presents from both her work and school colleagues. Even her family had surprised her with a collective present on behalf of all of them, but Tanya knew that it was more of her parents and less of her siblings regarding the gifts.
Tanya sighed as her mind went back to the more important matters. Her hands pressed unto her temples, a full throb causing her discomfort and unease.
She traced her gaze to her bed and found two boxes resting on both. One being double the size of the other. She hadn't opened the boxes but could already guess the content there.
Tanya sighed and then glanced at the door as she was clad in her bath towel and heading for the bathroom. Today had to go as planned, she thought and muttered dryly.
For the sake of the mission.
***
Tanya sighed into the cold air of the vehicle as she leaned into the glass pane of the window. She was headed to her boss's birthday bash as his partner for the night with no masked intentions or underlying feelings. That had been her father's request for her to attend.
She glanced to the other end of the car seat that was supposed to be occupied and another sigh escaped her mouth when she remembered that the empty seat was also a result of a condition – her mother's to be exact. She was going to meet her partner a few blocks to the venue and then her family at the venue.
She was worried when she heard his plan at first. Her worry was that she was going to tie him down when he was supposed to be at the party earlier on, attending to the guest as the host of the party. He reassured her that he had all those covered and that the celebrant, in these situation, was actually expected to be fashionably late. If anything, she was helping him actually, he had told her.
A silent sigh left her lips and she rubbed her shoulders to instinctively keep herself from spacing out unnecessarily since he had already told her there was nothing to worry about.
"Alvise…" She muttered into the void. Abara's young master; a formidable young man who built his foundation on his own from an even younger age and went from the bottom to the top of the food chain.
Tanya's respect for Alvise was over the roof. No matter how much it seemed otherwise, Tanya looked up to Alvise as more than just a mentor or a teacher since a lot of life changing lessons she learnt was from him. He saved her countless of times and even he himself was unaware of such fact.
A red tint came to her face of all the timed that Alvise had reached out into the dark and had pulled her out of her pit-like lifestyle and had given her a reason to move on. He was her savior and she would do anything for him as long as it doesn't go against her original code of conduct or against her morals and borderlines.
The car soon came to a halting stop and the chauffeur quickly came down to open the door for the lady in the backseat. Tanya took the hand that was offered her and came down from the vehicle, giving a slight brown the chauffeur in gratitude and appreciation for his hard work.
Then Tanya, led hand in hand by the chauffeur, walked over to the car in which her partner patiently waited for her. At the sight of Alvise, the chauffeur gently let go of her hand and stayed while she proceeded to where he stood with his car door ajar.
Tanya lifted her face to look at her partner and found herself pleasantly surprised.
Alvise looked immaculate in a sleek matching wine and black suit with a white pocket ornament that adorned his chest pocket. It was the perfect mix of all colors. None overpowered the other and in turn, he looked like he had come straight out of a woman's dream.
Alvise also had a shock when he looked at Tanya all dolled up and ready for his birthday party. Usually she either dressed like tomboy or she literally shrugged on whatever she saw onto her body without a care in the world. But that wasn't the case this time.
Tanya wore wine colored gown that hugged and emphasized her beautifully wide and prominent body curvatures and exposed a generous amount of cleavage that wasn't overly generous but not disappointingly less.
On one side was a thigh high slit that would have exposed her thighs but was covered by the black flower adorned lace that decorated the lower half of the gown. On her wrist was a white blooming flower ornament that went excellently well with her dress.
Everything she wore was a perfect of colors and a perfect match with her partner. She looked like a fantasy; a perfect match with her partner, a match made in the heavens.
Tanya walked closer to him, her wine and black heels clacking on the hard cold granite. She only stopped when they were inches from each other and peered deeply into his eyes, allowing herself get lost in those lovely hazel eyes of his.
They stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity. Soon, Alvise stretched forth his hands and offered it to her to help her get into the car; an offer which she accepted. Alvise soon followed after her into the car and they began their journey slowly to their destination.
"Are you nervous, Tanya?" Alvise asked.
Tanya looked at him incredulously and smirked and it took everything that Alvise had to remind himself that this showstopper in front of him was actually his right hand woman who had a crass behavior and an even terrible manner of speech.
"I'm not." He finally heard her answer after what seemed like an eternity to him. "It's not a mission anyway so I'm very much unbothered." She shrugged nonchalantly and looked at him.
"What about you boss? Are you, by any chance nervous?"
A smirk drew his lips upwards as he looked down at her with his feminine like beauty and asked, "Are you worried about me, Anya?"
"I'm just concerned about your public image." She replied calmly with an even calmer shrug. She loved the fact that her gown was sleeveless. Her movement weren't as free as she'd like, but it was better than a lot of other options.
"I've done this more times than you can count, Anya."
"Doesn't mean that you're immune to being nervous or that you don't have butterflies in the pit of your stomach that don't make you sick to the point of nausea."
Alvise crinkled his eyes into a smile, "I'm glad I brought you as my partner."
To that, she smiled, "What would you have done without me?"
"I don't know." He said with a raspy voice and smiling lips that showed a lovely rows of healthy pearly whites and pointy canines that made her like him to a prince, "I guess we'll never know, huh?"
Tanya was momentarily stunned by the smile till she turned away from his smiling face and to the car window with a pout, "Don't do that."
"So what?"
"Smile like that… Don't do it?"
"Is there something in my teeth?"
"No… That's just a dangerous smile. Are you doing this on purpose?"
"Doing what on purpose?"
Tanya turned to him for a moment and then turned back and mumbled under her breath, "This is stupid."
Alvise laughed, amused and Tanya could feel her face heat up in embarrassment. He was annoying, she thought with a groan, unaware of the small smile slowly making it's way to her face.
Suddenly, she thought of something and jumped in place, startling him in the process. Turning to him she called out, "Boss…"
Before she could go on further, he cut in "Alvise…"
"Huh?"
"My name…" He breathed, his face now inches from her, "Say my name."
The blast of a minty and fruity scent evaded her senses from his breathe and muddled her mind. The car seemed even hotter than usual but the air conditioning was on. Tanya wanted to say more but she seemed aware of the distance between them and their sudden closeness.
She became more aware of him and she could smell his cologne and body wash and feel his body heat very closely. The thought made her numb and all she could mutter from her lips were,
"What?"