( david ) whisper something fragile

[NICOLE HENDERSON]

[/style][style=width=400px; background-color: #964043; padding: 10px; font-family: wire one; color: white; font-size: 30px; text-align: right; width: 400px; line-height: 110%; letter-spacing: 2px;]I came home welcomed back by the lights

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color:#234880; padding:0px;] The yacht swayed with the ocean's rhythm, a calm movement that still had a few of the other ladies stumbling in their fancy high heels. One of them had even managed to break the heel of their shoe and was forced to walk that walk of shame, limping to make up the difference for lacking one shoe. The woman's dress had been a long elegant gown, similar to the one Nicole was wearing. These were gowns that were too long to not wear heels with. Even with the heels, they nearly hit the floor, flashing only the tips of manicured toes. They were meant to be worn with heels, designed for women to use the shoes for extra height and that eye catching posture that they could give you. Nicole had been doing this too long to even be swayed by the boats motions. Even as a large wave rocked the boat, she did not stumble or need to grab hold of anything to steady herself, she shifted her weight to keep her center of balance. It was all second nature to her by now. As promised, Nicole had been on time tonight. No "fashionably late". She was waiting for him when the car pulled up, looking as stunning as she could muster. Dress flashing just enough skin to be classy and elegant. This particular dress dipped low over her back, showing from her shoulders to her waist and it hung nearly to the ground, close enough that Nicole, more out of habit than necessity, gathered it in her hands as she crossed the docks and climbed the ramp to the yacht. Politely dismissing herself from the conversation, Nicole gracefully stepped out onto the boat's deck, the cool ocean air caressing her warm skin. It felt good enough to Nicole that it brought forth a small sigh from her painted lips. It was quiet out here, unlike inside where music played softly in the background. It was quiet enough to allow people to mingle without having to shout at one another but still, out here it carried carefully through the glass adding a little atmosphere to the already gorgeous view. The ocean and the night sky were pitch black, lit up by the full moon that hung low in the horizon and a million twinkling stars over head. Off in the distance, the glowing lights could be seen along the shore. All in all, it was truly beautiful and Nicole was thoroughly enjoying the sight. She tilted the champagne fluke back, carefully parting her lips so that they didn't actually touch the glass, leaving no lipstick marks in her wake. Examining the glass, she smiled. It was a game she played with herself since she felt leaving those marks was tacky and she prided herself on her ability to avoid them. In a very unlike herself fashion, Nicole allowed herself to get lost in the darkness and the seclusion. She wrapped around herself and for a moment, let herself just enjoy the beauty of the world around her. Her eyes scanned the dark horizon. Soon there would be fireworks lighting the sky and everyone would be out here to admire them. For now, Nicole just wanted to enjoy the silence for just a moment before everyone swooned over the colorful gunpowder that would light the sky. For now there was only peace, quiet and the cool air caressing her skin.

took her heart to accompany my nights

[david]

This private fundraiser dinner was a complete oxymoron as far as he was concerned. The who's who of everyone was invited, but only if you had enough wealth and status to impress enough of the people around you. It all spoke of nothing more than an excuse to show off one's assets to David, and yet he still showed up for the fact that he did know that the price of tickets for the evening did go towards a good cause. The ticket costs were all donated towards the local hospital's researching and funding department, which sat well enough with David. But he had to admit, while he liked to think that he had a good, stable head on his shoulders and was, generally, a good person, there was another aspect to it that he had to consider well enough...

It gave him another evening to spend with the lovely Nicole Henderson, who was, for all intents and purposes, supposed to be off limits to him as a professional assistant. But it was extremely difficult to deny his attraction to the woman when she was as lovely as she was. In fact, she was beyond simply lovely... She was stunning and he was fairly certain that she had a good idea of the impact that she had on him. Originally, his intentions in hiring her had been good enough. She had been qualified and professional, but perhaps hiring a woman as attractive as she was would wind up being his downfall. At the moment, however, he couldn't bring himself to care. And in light of everything that had happened, what with his ex fiance all but disappearing off of the face of the earth, David needed the chance to clear his head and work his way through this sort of depression he'd landed himself in.

"Right around to the side, Michael..." David addressed his driver who nodded and pulled the car around to the side of the boat's docking and stopped the car. David thanked the man and opened the door himself before getting out and straightening out the vest he had on before sliding a jacket on with it. He would have done away with the jacket altogether if it weren't for the fact that it was a little chillier that evening. He paused a moment, looking over the scene in front of him before he spotted what he was fairly certain was Nicole. And she was... breathtaking. David swallowed even as he made his way towards her, up on deck and secluded enough from the rest of the conversation buzzing around them.

He approached and placed a hand on the small of her back. "Isn't it a little chilly to be out here alone right now?" He asked as he stepped up beside her and leaned a hip against the railing in front of him, half facing her and half facing the scene in front of the pair of them. He had to admit, he loved Myrtle Beach for the beauty of the ocean in front of them. As he stood there, a waitress approached him with flutes of champagne lined up on a serving tray. David thanked her as he grabbed one. He took a moment to give Nicole another second to collect her thoughts as he took a sip from the flute and then looked at her once more. "You're in an awfully reflective mood tonight. Care to share?" He asked, arching a brow at her.

WEARING THIS :: BOO :: SQUEEEEEE THEY'RE HOT

[NICOLE HENDERSON]

[/style][style=width=400px; background-color: #964043; padding: 10px; font-family: wire one; color: white; font-size: 30px; text-align: right; width: 400px; line-height: 110%; letter-spacing: 2px;]I came home welcomed back by the lights

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color:#234880; padding:0px;] Nicole’s eyes were so focused on seeing the world that was darkening around her that she didn’t hear David come up behind her but smiled when his warm hand found her back. She could feel the heat that radiated from him through the thin fabric of the dress. It always seemed that way didn’t it? Men always being the warmer creatures and women having a lesser ability to retain heat. It was like mother nature’s way of encouraging cuddling among other things. Turning her eyes to her boss, Nicole’s smile grew some. Good lord he was handsome. He made her heart skip a beat with a single look. How many men were that breathtaking? Nicole only knew the one. Her very off limits boss. How conflicting was that? Nicole could quit her job and ask him out and hope that he was interested or she could pine in silence and enjoy the time that she got to spend working closely with him. So far, she’d chosen the latter. ”It is a little chilly.” She agreed, goose bumps starting to emerge on her arms a little. ”But it’s a little too stuffy inside for my liking.” Previously, she’d been unaware of how cool the night air was but even now, she vaguely wondered if her goose bumps were because the cold are that was kissing her skin or because of the heat he was radiating, making her very aware of his presence. It could have been his cologne too. That hint of musk on the air that was sure to drive any female who got a whiff of it completely mad. If Nicole wasn’t such a lady and her job wasn’t one the line, she’d have probably allowed herself to get a little promiscuous over the intoxicating smell. Her mind had drifted out into the ocean again, looking across it as if there were something to be seen in the darkness but he pulled her back, drawing her gaze. Momentarily, she blinked, having been too caught in her thoughts to really have heard what he said but thankfully her subconscious mind had caught his words and stored them in her short term memory so that instead of asking him to repeat himself, she was able to answer the question. ”I was just thinking about my sister.” She admitted with a smile. ”She’s coming to visit in a few weeks and I haven’t seen her in a few years.” She informed him, eyes dropping to the flute in his hand and her eyes scanning the boat for the waitress who’d seemed to disappear off the face of the earth. She wasn’t going to bore her boss with all the details of why she was excited to see her sister and what not so she lay out the quick and simple version for him with a smile. ”What brings you out here?” She asked politely, enjoying the fact that social protocol allowed her to keep her eyes on him now that they were engaged in a conversation.

took her heart to accompany my nights

[david]

David understood the concept of being overcrowded a little too well. He hated the sensation, but he found, more often than not, that thanks to the prestige his family name held and the fact that he was such a successful young lawyer, that he didn't always have much say in the matter. Most people were surprised when they managed to catch David in a more natural setting for himself to see that, no, he didn't wind up wearing a suit jacket, tie and slacks every where he went. As a matter of fact, weekends spent at home involved jeans and a t-shirt and, more often than not, a bottle of beer to help him unwind just a little bit. Despite the fact that he had grown up in a home that had more money than what it knew what to do with, he was a pretty laid back and down to earth guy at the heart of it all. So he wasn't perturbed by her comment that she was feeling a little stuffy inside.

"Well then... At least allow me to do my gentlemanly duty for the night. God forbid I let a lady freeze." He offered a small smile as he shrugged his jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders to at least offer her some semblance of warmth in the moment. At least he had a few more layers of clothing protecting him than the woman at his side did. She was stunning, to be certain, but he couldn't imagine that the temperature outside would be doing her much good in the moment. He was trying his best not to admire her in quite the way that a man admired a woman, but he found that he couldn`t help himself. She was exceptionally lovely all of the time but tonight... Tonight she was beyond beautiful. He tamped down the urge to place his hand at the small of her back in some kind of show of possession. She was not his. She was definitely not his.

"Ah..." He nodded when she said that her sister was coming to visit and that she hadn't seen her in a number of years. "Well... you know, if you need the time off, just let me know and I'm sure I'll somehow manage to live without you for a while." He said with a slight smile. He didn't underestimate her value at his side. Not by a long shot. She was always organized and in control of everything going on around her. She was remarkable at managing all of his affairs and sometimes he had to wonder how in the hell she managed it, but he wasn't going to hold her back from something as important as family.

He shrugged a shoulder when she asked him what he was doing out there. "You disappeared on me." He said, offering a small smile. "I was wondering if maybe something was wrong." He said with a slight shrug of his shoulder as he gave a hint of a smile as he looked down at her. He really needed to stop watching her like that. She was breathtaking. Utterly breathtaking. "Not to mention... I was getting a little tired of being called 'Mr. Warrington'." He said with a bit of a droll smile. "That's my father's name. Not mine. I'm just David." He'd constantly drilled it into Nicole's head time and time again when she had first started working for him that his name was David and not 'Mr. Warrington'. He was pretty sure he'd gotten her out of the habit, but wasn't entirely sure if his name came to her as freely as he otherwise would have liked.

David held up a hand for one of the waitresses and damned near like magic she appeared at his side. He plucked a flute of champagne off of the tray she held and handed it to Nicole. "Unwind a little tonight. You don't need my dayplanner out to be planning a damned thing tonight so just... relax... enjoy yourself." He smiled at her.

WEARING THIS :: BOO :: SQUEEEEEE THEY'RE HOT

[NICOLE HENDERSON]

[/style][style=width=400px; background-color: #964043; padding: 10px; font-family: wire one; color: white; font-size: 30px; text-align: right; width: 400px; line-height: 110%; letter-spacing: 2px;]I came home welcomed back by the lights

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color:#234880; padding:0px;] Nicole was in trouble from the word ‘hired’ when it came to David. David was a well mannered man with class and Nicole’s heart didn’t stand a chance against his blue eyes or that smile he had. When David wrapped his coat around her shoulders, Nicole wondered if anyone would blame her for being smitten with her boss. She wrapped her coat around her a little more snuggly, surrounding herself with the smell of his cologne and the warmth of him. Nicole was a tough woman, she could handle the cold but she wasn’t going to turn down a kind gesture such as this one. Even if it wasn’t because she wanted to surround herself with him for a few minutes or feel special, because he was her boss and also because, it was a kind gesture and she didn’t make a habit of declining them. ”Thank you. That’s very kind of you.” She smiled. ”Will you be warm enough?” She asked, more to be polite than actual concern. She was sure it wasn’t chilly enough to penetrate the layers he so handsomely sported. Even though she was not his, Nicole wouldn’t have minded such a display. Though it would have left for awkward questions if anyone asked. Nicole already felt a little like his with his coat draped over her. She wasn’t going to allow that little fact to show because she knew it wasn’t true but it didn’t stop that flutter in her heart from occurring every time she got a whiff of him. Smiling as he offered her time off, she shook her head. ”I believe I will be able to keep to my responsibilities even while my sister is here.” She laughed. Her sister was her best friend and she knew there were good times ahead of her and probably a little more take home work than usual but she couldn’t leave her boss high and dry without her. Even if he was perfectly capable of functioning on his own, she had a responsibility to him and Nicole was very loyal when it came to that sort of thing. She was very loyal to David. Twice this year competitors had approaches her and offered her a higher salary to come work for them and twice she had informed them she was very happy with her current position and thanked them before leaving them speechless. What woman would turn down more money? A happy woman. Nicole enjoyed her boss. Even when she wasn’t painfully aware of how good looking he was, she enjoyed his company and found him to be a good boss. How many bosses allowed you to call them by their first names? She had no idea but David was certainly one of them. It was true that his name didn’t flow as freely off her lips as he may have liked as she often resorted to calling him sir instead but she called him David on occasion, always a little nervously, afraid that he’d be in the presence of someone who required her to call him Mr. Warrington or that he might be in a mood to be called it. But she did her best to respect his wishes and call him David despite the fact his father’s name was always first on her tongue. ”I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.” She said kindly. ”It was just stuffy and I wanted to look at the stars a bit.” She said, lifting her gaze to the sky briefly and back to him a smile playing on her lips. Reaching across as he spoke about his father’s name, Nicole rested her hand over his. Her fingers were a little chilled to his warm touch but she still curled her hand over the top and rubbed a bit. ”It’s just a sign that they respect you.” She said, giving him information she knew he didn’t need. Still, it felt like a proper response to what he said. Like the king he was, David beckoned a waitress silently and she came. Her smile grew as she curled her fingers around the flute. ”Thank you.” She said, genuinely pleased as she lifted the glass to her lips, watching him and taking a sip, just large enough to be socially acceptable. ”I am enjoying myself very much tonight.” She informed him with a smile, nodding a bit. ”I hope you can say the same, David.” She said, adding in his name just to ease his ears of the ache his surname had left.

took her heart to accompany my nights

[david]

He offered Nicole a bit of a smile when she asked him if he would be warm enough. "I'll be fine." He assured her. He was far more layered than she was it would seem and, truly, the cool air was a nice little wake up call for him at the moment. Lord knew he needed something to keep him on his toes tonight, lest he wind up falling asleep on his feet. He had to admit, while the money for this event went towards a good cause, the conversation held by most of the people at these events circled around work. It seemed never to end as far as he was concerned. Even when he wasn't at work, he was talking about work or something of the sort. But so long as he had Nicole at his side, the night might prove to be decently entertaining yet...

He had to give a slight chuckle when she said that she believed she could keep up her responsibilities while her sister was there. "I'm not doubting that you can in the least, but I'm asking you, Nicole, if you'd like the time off. You work hard. Damned hard." He informed her seriously. He didn't understand how the hell she managed it most of the time, but she did. David wouldn't say that he'd be completely lost without her, but he had to admit that managing his work load as well as the social life he had to conduct on the side thanks to his last name made it difficult to keep track of everything. She, however, was an expert at it and that fact wasn't lost on him in the least. He knew she was valuable to him. But beyond that... he genuinely liked having the woman at his side. She was stunningly beautiful, charismatic and graceful. She was a great number of things that David had to shield himself against and constantly remind himself of the fact that she worked for him....

He nodded at what she said about it being stuffy. Lord, he knew exactly what she meant in that respect. David had to chuckle at her comment about those around him respecting him. "No. They respect my money." He said simply enough. He wasn't under any kind of illusions where all that was concerned. "They respect the name, but not the individual. And I suppose that that's the reason that I've branched off from the family business." He admitted to her thoughtfully as he looked out at the night sky with her. "To be respected for my accomplishments and not the accomplishments of the men that came before me... Now there's an idea." He murmured. He shook his head a moment later and sighed. "I'm sorry... I can't be much better company than some of those in there." He said, tossing his head over his shoulder and referring to the rest of the group gathered around.

"I'm finding the evening much more enjoyable now that I have the right company." He said, offering her a cheeky little smile. He couldn't help himself sometimes. He knew that he came off as a flirt a good portion of the time, even when he wasn't meaning to, but he sincerely hoped that, one of these days, his personal assistant would pick up on the subtle cues he was giving. Then again... for a woman to know him as well as she did, she would have to know that he had a certain charm to him that he played off both in the court room and off. It came naturally to him and he wouldn't be surprised if she mistook that for what was really going on. He paused a moment and then looked at her. "And now... as part of your enjoyable evening... You're going to dance..." He added with a charming smile, offering her his hand as the live band at one end of the yacht started up another song.

[NICOLE HENDERSON]

[/style][style=width=400px; background-color: #964043; padding: 10px; font-family: wire one; color: white; font-size: 30px; text-align: right; width: 400px; line-height: 110%; letter-spacing: 2px;]I came home welcomed back by the lights

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-color:#234880; padding:0px;] The problem with events such as this one where they were carried out to sea was that there was no escape. Nicole would have happily signed over a donation and been on her way after a polite dose of conversation because she would have much rather been dressed down in jeans and a shirt or even sweats if she was permitted but they were on a boat out at sea and there was no way for them to get off till the dinner party was over. His jacket was comfortable and she pulled it close around her to ward the cold off. Oh, what she would give to trade this jacket and these heels for some sweats and a relaxing evening by the fire. They could sip champagne as well on the floor of her apartment as they could here, possibly even better since her floor wouldn’t be rolling. But he assured her that he’d be fine and she was honestly all too happy to wrap herself in him to worry too much about that fact that she wasn’t even cold. Her skin had gotten use to the chill but it didn’t matter. Nicole took his praise with a soft smile, dropping her gaze briefly as if she were abashed by his kind words. ”Can I let you in on a little secret?” She said, looking up at him from her eyelashes and giving him a shy smile. She was perfectly aware that her actions could be easily seen as endearing and weren’t really professional but if he wanted her to stay professional all the time, he probably wouldn’t have requested her to call him David and really, she was hardly overstepping her boundaries. Nicole leaned in a bit, lowering her voice as if telling him a secret. ”I believe that neither my sister nor I would survive if I didn’t have work as an excuse to get away.” She said quietly, giving him a little grin as she watched his handsome features. Oh he was such a breathtaking man. It was almost painful to be this close to him and not be able to act on the lust that filled her heart. When he corrected her, Nicole couldn’t help but nod. ”Many people do see money where they should seek manners.” She said. He was too right. People did respect his money and his name but few bothered to take the time to know who he was. It wasn’t like he lounged around in his slacks any more than she woke up every morning and put on a silk dress. But people didn’t know that, they assumed. As he apologized, one of her well manicured, delicate hands emerged from the jacket he’d provided her and rested on the large, muscular forearm. ”Nonsense. You’re much better company.” She assured him, giving him that smile she wore whenever addressing him. ”I’m not just saying that because you pay me to either.” She assured him with a little giggle. ”Would much rather listen to your ideas that chat aimlessly about stock prices and the latest company faux pas.” She said, giving his arm a gently squeeze, sliding her hand over it a little and removing it before the touch became something more than a platonic gesture. Again, his words brought a smile to her face, this time, she allowed her cheeks to color gently and she ducked her head again. It was another shy response, one that would never be seen had this chat been about business or had there been eyes searching her for weaknesses but this was just her and David and while he was her boss, she felt safe enough to show him that his kind words had an effect on her. ”I’m glad I’m not alone in that sentiment.” She replied, looking at him through her lashes once again. As he informed her she was going to dance, she smiled and set her now empty champagne flute down some place that it wouldn’t get knocked over. ”Dancing is not in my job description Mr. Warrington.” She said, giving him a joking smile as she took his hands and slid into place, once again, painfully aware of just how handsome this man was.

took her heart to accompany my nights