Chapter Text
It’s like I fucking never left, Cory Ellison pondered to himself.
Sure, it had been nearly two weeks since he hidden away from himself and his problems, but here he was, marching swiftly down the UBA halls that he practically owned, and in the direction towards his office. He was fucking back, and he was fucking great.
It was Wednesday and he just knew it was going to be a good day. The time off was what he had needed, and now he was ready to focus on whatever task was on hand. Things were already running swiftly too, as Kyle was there ready and waiting for him with his schedule.
“Welcome back, Cory,” He said pleasantly.
“It’s good to be back, Kyle.” He smiled as wide as he fucking could.
“Right, so you have that emergency meeting with The Morning Show people about Daniel Henderson.” Cory swiftly moved behind his desk and sat down.
“Yes, yes. I got Alex’s email about it.” He bit his lip, and tried to be as casual as fuck about what he was going to ask next. “Do you know who is going to attend this meeting?”
“No, not specifically. Alex said she is inviting whoever is necessary,” Kyle said, still focused on Cory’s schedule.
“No hints on who that might be? I just didn’t see who Alex CC’d. It’s a big fucking mystery, and I like to know who will be here or not,” Cory said, being less subtle than he would like. Kyle gave him a strange look, which was something he was used to, but still.
“Well I will be there,” A recognisable voice cooed around the corner. “I hope that’s satisfactory to you.”
Cory sighed and thought to himself, here we go . Well, at least she sounded like she was in a good mood. “Alex!” He plastered on his go-to smile and gave her a distant wave towards one of the chairs surrounding his desk.
“Oh I am not sitting down just yet. I just need to ensure a few things before this meeting starts,” she said. “I swear Cory, it just came out of nowhere that those YDA bastards are trying to poach Daniel again.”
“Well…”
“He’s the star and he deserves to be. You know we were giving him a frontline report, I mean I was going to have investigative pieces for him as well…” Alex sighed. “He was at the forefront of all Morning Show posters, you know? Much like Stella insisted and I wholeheartedly agreed.”
Cory felt a slight twinge at the mention of her name. It was hard to deny what a confusing fucking time this week had been…and how confusing she had been.
“So look, that's why I can’t sit just yet. But I can assure you who I will make sure will be here.” She grinned at him, almost menacingly. What the fuck was going on?
“Stella?” he said hoarsely. Alex scrunched up her face in response.
“Well obviously Stella, she’s Head of News,” She scoffed. “Oh, wait! I see what you’re worried about.”
“You do?” he gulped. Fuck, how does she know? She shouldn’t know.
“While you were out sick. Glad you’re better, by the way. Stella and I cleared the air and really we’re all good.” Alex smiled. “So one less CEO drama for you to worry about.”
“Right, yeah.” Cory sighed in relief, but not for the reasons Alex thought. “Thank you.”
“Oh shit…Chip is texting me. Look, I will be back in five and we can get this meeting started.”
Cory shook his head as Alex left, but jumped when he realized Kyle was still there, and had been present for that whole interaction.
“Sorry, you didn’t say if I should leave or not,” Kyle whispered nervously. “Maybe you want me to stay and take notes for this?”
“You know what, yeah Kyle, you better stay for notes.” He sighed. “But can you get me a double espresso? I sense that I am going to need it.”
“No problem.” Kyle smiled and whooshed out the door, almost bumping into Mia, as he did. “Sorry!”
“Am yeah, don’t worry about it.” Mia turned away from Kyle, who ran past her, and turned to smile at Cory. “Hi Cory. Glad to see you’re feeling better.”
“Thank you Mia. Grab a seat.”
Mia nodded and took her usual chair. There was an uncomfortable silence between them now, and Cory being Cory used the opportunity to check on some emails on his phone. Thankfully, the awkwardness was interrupted by whoever knocked at his office door.
“Well, fancy meeting you here,” Mia said a little too gleefully. But he knew instinctively. Even though he was determined to keep his face glued to his phone, it still wasn’t hard for him to connect who it was.
He had to look up now. It was killing him to fucking not to, but he was hoping that she would also be there staring back at him with her usual sarcastic grin–One he began to realize that perhaps she only reserved for him. Stella Bak, however, seemed to have an agenda of her own. She waltzed into his office moving in Mia's direction, with what seemed like no awareness of Cory at all.
“Yeah, it’s not like we literally didn’t see each other on the studio floor…five minutes ago?” Stella winked at her.
God, she looked amazing. How had he never seen her like that before? Or maybe he hadn’t allowed himself to think that way? It was hard not to, however, with her hair slicked back in a different style to her usual look…it was hard not to imagine so many things after her face had once been so close to his…
Cory tried to trail out of the inappropriate thoughts, but of course he was now distracted by her pants. She often wore unique, silky pants that always drove him to distraction. At first it was something that was just fascinating to him, as he had never really seen anyone dress like she did in the corporate world. Now, however, he was completely besotted, like the loose green pants she had been wearing that swayed with her movements and clung to her hips as she dashed into the elevator at the hotel. He recalled how smooth they had felt against his skin as he placed his hands on her thighs while he kissed her. It made it hard to hold onto her, but also had made it more fun…
Those thoughts only brought him back to what she was wearing now, which was hell of a lot more fitted and dotted by…tigers? Of course there were fucking tigers. It was another prime example of Stella’s wonderful uniqueness-something he had clearly taken for granted.
It just seemed impossible that Stella–fucking beautiful, smart, hip Stella– would ever even look at his dorky self. So the idea that she might be even slightly attracted to him had never entered the realm of Cory’s imagination. This only became more confusing for Cory, because he began to realize that perhaps he felt the same for her, and had for a while, and the incident in the elevator only seemed to awaken it more.
“Hello,” Stella said coolly, barely making eye contact with him. “Glad to see you’re feeling better, Cory.” She somehow managed to sit in the chair directly opposite him, whilst still not looking at him. Fuck, she was really mad . He wanted to say something and offer an explanation about how he wasn’t in a good place, and that’s why he couldn’t text her back–That he knew that she was right, but he was confused. Before he could ask her to step out to the hall, however, Alex returned.
“Oh my God, I swear. I swear I have to do everything myself. Like…” Alex stopped mid-sentence. “Oh, hello, Stella.”
“Hi, Alex,” Stella said, smiling at her. Wow, she must be really pissed with me, if she was being more friendly with Alex than to me . Alex waved at Mia, who nodded in reply.
“I was just explaining to Cory the situation while he’s been away,” Alex said. He glanced over at Stella and their eyes locked for just a moment before she looked away again, turning her attention back to Alex and Mia. It was just long enough, however, for him to see something that he wasn't familiar with when it came to her–a flash of vulnerability.
“Well that’s kind of you to catch him up,” Stella said, exhaling. The more she seemed determined not to focus on him, the more desperate he became to look at her. To catch a glimpse of her. It had only been a week and a half, but seeing her in person brought it all back again. It was just as unbearable as this moment, as once again Stella refused to look at him and oh, how he fucking hated it.
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The last time he had seen her was in that fucking elevator. The tension was more palpable then though, and he had no idea what it even was building towards, until out of nowhere she fucking kissed him.
He wasn’t even sure who he became at that moment, and he was mostly seized by confusion and delight at her tongue swirling passionately in his mouth. He loved how much she seemed to want him. Even though it was a surprise, it was an amazing surprise–one he wanted to grip onto as he felt her hips through her silk pants. A surprise and something that he wanted to explore more as he deepened the kiss between them. He wasn’t even thinking of his surroundings then as he just wanted to breathe her in, smell her, and taste her. It was like he was experiencing Stella in a new light, even though she had been there all along.
That moment between them ended as quickly as it had begun, however, as soon as the doors opened to some horrified, European tourists. Stella was gone from his arms and running away from him as fast as she could.
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“Look, I think for the most part we can get a handle on it,” Alex said, interrupting Cory’s replay of that crazy day. “I spoke to Bradley and she kindly agreed to step in and cover. But that’s really a short term solution to this problem.”
“Well thank fuck for Bradley Jackson, always here to save the day.” Stella said, a little too harshly. Cory anxiously tapped his fingers on his knee. Oh, how he wished he had never left his penthouse this morning, just stayed in bed instead and he wouldn’t have had to deal with this very uncomfortable situation he was now in. Stella was very mad at him, and she was clearly mad at him about Bradley. But Cory still didn’t understand what it was about Bradley that made her so upset.
He wasn’t the only one apparently confused by this. Alex gave Stella a very unimpressed look. Mia looked at the ground, clearly wishing to be anywhere but in this room right now.
“I was just kidding.” Stella cleared her throat and repositioned herself in her chair. “I and all in the News department are very appreciative of all that Bradley does.” Stella said it calmly, but not so convincingly.
“Well, I appreciate you saying that, Stella.”
Oh fuck. Cory would recognize her voice anywhere. Usually it would create a spontaneous grin on his face but on this occasion, he found himself biting his lip. There she was at his doorway, as effervescent as the day she had sauntered past him on the studio floor two years ago. Bradley Jackson.
“Thank you so much for making it, Bradley,” Alex said enthusiastically, and then looked at Cory and smiled. What the fuck is happening? He could feel Stella glaring at him now, especially at the way Bradley smiled with that twinkle in her eye, and mouthed “hi” to him.
This situation was already unbearably uncomfortable. But for some reason, Alex Levy had made it deliberately worse. He knew he was going to have to face both of them at some point, and really he had been seeing Bradley a great deal the last week. But neither Stella or Bradley knew that he had kissed them both, whilst on separate occasions but still in the very same week. He felt like fucking trash for it, but if he was honest with himself, there was a part of him that loved both of those moments….for very different reasons. How fucking typical. He’d been practically celibate for over a year and in one week, two of the most gorgeous women he’d ever encountered had thrown themselves at him, and he still had no idea why.
Bradley was sitting beside Alex now, and Cory was convinced he saw Mia give what seemed like a sympathetic look to Stella, who responded with a half smile. Thankfully Kyle came running in with Cory’s double espresso and breaking up whatever disaster was brewing in the air. Cory decided the best solution was to act and end this situation as quickly as possible.
“Thank you Kyle.” He stood up a little too awkwardly, probably because he felt like he was walking on a tightrope from the moment this meeting began. But despite this painful situation, he went with it, because, he simply fucking had to. So with that, he was determined to take his much needed coffee, and casually sat at the edge of his desk as if it was his intention all along. He was determined to get through this, and he would by focusing all of his energy on Mia and Alex.
“Mia, so am, can you update us?” He was about to take a sip of espresso, when he was struck by another thought. “You’ve been in touch with Daniel, while he’s been on leave?”
“Yes, I have been,” Mia replied. “What you have to understand with Daniel is that it’s not just more stories or representation.”
“Take notes,” He ordered, nodding at Kyle.
“Already am.”
Cory looked at Mia, and only Mia.
“Well, he still has a contract with us and is he willing to violate it because YDA is poaching him once again,” he said, taking an accidental gulp of espresso instead of a sip and instantly hating himself for it. He could feel it burning down his throat down to the pit of his stomach. But he didn’t want to reveal the scalding pain to what now, felt like a judging audience. He could see from the corner of his eye that Bradley was desperately trying to grab his attention, while on his other side, Stella was glaring intently at him. This only made him more determined to focus more on Mia.
“Well, yes he does know this, Cory. He’s appreciative of everything you, Stella and UBA have done….but…”
“But what?” Alex replied, annoyed. “We have apologized, given him extra work and coverage. Better stories like he wanted. Forefront, like Stella wonderfully suggested, not the background.”
“Just not better money,” Bradley blurted out. Mia let out a long exhale, but pointed in Bradley’s direction indicating that she was right.
Cory couldn’t help but look at Bradley then, and fuck, she just shone like the rays of sun glistening through the windows behind her. She was in another casual blouse and jeans, but oh she looked stunning. Just as stunning as she did in every casual outfit that she happened to have on when she appeared at his penthouse door to check on him every day, like she had this past week.
Despite Cory’s protests that “he was fine,” she knew better and had insisted nearly daily on going for a walk or if not a walk, to stay in and watch a show. It was like the hurt and pain had dissipated between them, and he had begun to realize that she had more empathy and kindness than anyone he had truly known. They had agreed that they were staying friends. In those moments when they were sitting close together, however, it was hard not to be pulled in by her presence and hard not to be enveloped by the possibilities of what could be.
She had kissed him on the cheek to say goodbye to him two nights ago, something that she insisted was only coming from “a friend.” But then whispered in his ear: “For now”– A memory that left him even more confused about where the two of them exactly stood.
“Well, it’s true.” Bradley’s chuckle interrupted his train of thought. She was nervously watching him now, like she could tell what he was thinking. He couldn’t help but smile at her then. It was a natural reaction to the calm and joy she had brought him in the last week, something he was truly certain that he had lost, before she had come knocking at his door.
“Yeah I know, you’ve mentioned it to me.” He blurted out and squished his eyes closed, instantly regretting saying that.
“Oh when was this?” Alex asked coyly. “You’ve been out sick, hope you didn’t risk exposure of any kind, Bradley.”
Why did Cory feel like he was in some kind of horrific, teen drama? It was becoming a lot more obvious that Alex may know more about Bradley and him than he realized.
“Of course not, Alex.” Bradley looked at her, annoyed. “We just bumped into each other in Central Park, and he reassured me he didn’t have Covid. I then just mentioned my concerns about Daniel. That was it.” She smiled at Cory then, a little more flirtatiously than was probably appropriate, but he couldn’t resist tittering back at her. She somehow always managed to get around his nervous defenses, even if it was at the wrong time.
“Can we just hurry this up?” Stella hissed. “I actually have a meeting about the budget with regional news and I'm really not looking forward to the possibility of more layoffs.”
“Yeah, I have to line up tomorrow’s show too.” Mia responded and stretched her arms forward.
Cory focused on Stella, expecting a glare, but instead found a hurt expression on her face. It was becoming something he was all too familiar with, and he didn’t like it at all.
Was she jealous of Bradley ? Were her feelings deeper than he realized? Oh fuck, he really had to end this painful meeting and just talk to her.
“Ok, I got it!” Cory squealed, dropping his espresso and leaping off his desk, startling everyone. “We give him his own show. Like Laura Peterson’s.”
He could feel an immediate shift between himself and Bradley at the mere mention of that name. “We can focus it on UBA first...trial it. Like your Covid special, Alex?”
“Well it didn’t feel special at the time Cory,” Alex scoffed.
“As for pay negotiations, we will battle it out with YDA before we approach Daniel directly with it.” He could see Stella looking at him curiously. “But I need to discuss that with you in private, Stella.”
“Ok.” she shrugged, but remained decidedly slouched in her chair, as if she refused to take him seriously. Stella….
“Now,” he said authoritatively. Stella squinted her eyes at him, like she was trying to figure out what the fuck he wanted. Then it was like something clicked. She stood up slowly, almost as if she was deliberately testing him. No, more like torturing him.
Cory suddenly remembered that they were not alone and that those seconds of unbearable tension had probably not gone unnoticed. He looked at Mia, Alex and Bradley, trying to seem unfazed
“Can you all discuss amongst yourself…about am..” Cory snapped his fingers. “How him getting his own show, might affect your show, and maybe, The Twist.” He licked his lips as Mia and Alex looked at him, completely perplexed. “It’s just that you all understand it better than I ever could.”
“Maybe you should stay here though,” Bradley said, looking at him with pure annoyance. He could not fucking win today!
Why does she not want him talking to Stella? There’s no way she could know, surely…
“I feel Alex, Mia and you have a handle on the situation. Let’s email our solutions by the end of the day.” Cory nodded at Bradley, then immediately bolted out of there before she could protest again.
Cory pranced out into the hallway, determined to get away and only turning to check that Stella was following. She was right on his heels. This only made Cory determined to walk faster to find somewhere, anywhere for them to talk.
“Eugh Cory, Cory Cory!”
He heard a voice chasing after him. But he was determined to have no one interrupt him and Stella, so he kept walking. They had to end this tension once and for all. Before he could continue, however, a familiar hand grabbed his shoulder.
“Cory, Kyle is going to collapse, if you don’t stop and listen to him,” Stella said, rolling her eyes.
“There are… No available or private rooms for you two to chat in..” Kyle said, panting.
“Well that ends that,” Stella sighed and was about to turn away...
“Nope, it fuckin doesn’t,” Cory stated harshly, but also refused to look at Stella now. If she was going to play this game, so could he. “Seriously Kyle, do I have to do your fucking job for you? This is a fucking skyscraper of possibilities!”
“Eugh…”
Cory snapped his fingers, interrupting any chance Kyle had to respond.
“That floor….am that filing room, you know the one they used for paperwork pre 2003? They are turning it into a Daycare or something?”
“Am yeah…it’s always free…but not so safe.” Kyle said, catching his breath.
“That's perfect,” Cory said. “This will be a quick conversation anyway.” He turned and marched out, much to Stella’s scoff of irritated laughter.
They eventually arrived at the elevator and stepped inside, neither wanting to address the elephant in the room. The ride was spent in complete silence, which made it more tortuous. They were standing so close to each other that it was unbearable. That same earthy, vanilla scent of hers that had been circling his brain for over a week was filling up the elevator, and it made him even more jittery than the espresso. Stella wasn’t helping the situation. She stepped forward and moved away from him, drawing his eyes to her tiger pants, which were noticeably tighter than her usual ones. They looked like they were growling around her ass, which he had done a skillful job of avoiding looking at until now.
What the fuck was he doing?
But he couldn’t stop himself even as she led the way out of the elevator, and all he could hear was the clip of her sandals against the floor. She stopped, indicating he should lead the way, even though the floor was unfamiliar to them both. No one had bothered with this floor post 2020, as mostly everyone here worked from home now.
They eventually found the room Cory wanted. It was one of the few rooms with no windows, and sketchily lit. But despite its eerie stillness, it was the only one that contained the least amount of cardboard boxes.
Why on earth Cybil thought that Daycare would be useful here, he didn’t know.
“I get the sense this could’ve been an email, Cory. Or maybe a simple, fucking text,” Stella growled, still refusing to look at him. This was fucking ridiculous, she couldn’t avoid looking at him forever.
She circled the room, looking at the random assortment of toy boxes and rolled up children's wallpaper set against the wall. He wanted to step closer to her, but found himself observing her instead. She was so hard to figure out. He thought he understood people's wants and needs, or at least knew how to work them. But with her, he was fucking lost.
He then noticed she was rubbing her arms, even though there was no air con running on this floor. Whether it was nerves, or something else, it didn’t stop him from watching the goosebumps appearing on her skin. It made it harder not to chase back thoughts of her gripping onto him and how it had felt when he had pushed her up against the elevator wall. He wanted to make it right, he wanted to hold her, he wanted to apologize, do something…say anything…
“I should have replied,” Cory said, trying to snap out of it. He knew that she was angry about the WhatsApp message a week ago. He didn’t even remember opening it, but he must have at some point. Even when he finally did see it again, he was at a complete loss with what to reply to her with.
“It’s ok, I get it.” Stella said. He could feel the angry energy swirling around her. “You were busy.”
“You mean Bradley.” Cory closed his eyes and put his hand through his hair in frustration. Why was this so hard? “None of this was planned…I was…after you left…I was scared…” he started to stutter nervously. “I just couldn’t come in cause I thought you were embarrassed by me, or horrified, when you ran away. It was easier to not face you…I guess…”
Stella’s angry expression suddenly changed to one of concern, and she took a step towards him.
“It was just too much for me, I guess,” Cory said. “I don’t cope well with these things. Bradley understood cause she had seen it before, during that whole Alex debacle in 2019….Then she came over last week to check on me, and we sort’ve kissed, and I got more confused….”
Stella suddenly laughed furiously and with that did another big, angry turn around the room.
“You’ve had a great week then, haven’t you?” she spat at him. He had never seen her so energized before. “Having your tongue down two of your employee’s throats. Good for you!”
“You kissed me!” Cory babbled. He found himself getting beyond irritated with her. She was determined to be mad at him and he didn’t do anything wrong, not really. He was fucking confused, why was he the bad guy all the time? Why did she have to kiss him like that, wrap herself around him the way she had, intertwine her body with his own, and then run away? Why wouldn’t she look at him now? He just wanted to understand.
“Then you kissed Bradley a few days later.” She stepped closer to him.
“It wasn’t like that.”
“Oh, what was it?” Stella muttered. “Cause it seems to me that the two of you are all annoyingly and goofy in love. That’s what I saw back there in another professional meeting . I mean, she wouldn't be happy to know about the elevator, huh? So don’t act all morally superior, Cory!”
“Well, you have a boyfriend too!” Cory blurted out before he could stop himself, and immediately felt childish. Why the fuck did he say that? He was openly admitting to scrolling through social media, trying to figure out what happened between them. Trying to figure out her.
“No. I don’t!” Stella yelled .
“You do, that Don guy,” he said. "You’re all over social media with him.” Why can’t he shut up about this?
“It’s Ron, and I dumped him a week ago. You big stalker,” Stella whispered, and then immediately started looking at the ground. She was still rubbing her arms, still refusing to look at him. He didn’t know what to do. She was single. Not that it was any of his business that she was. Then there was Bradley. He had no clue about him and Bradley. He just knew they were happy again. They were friends, and they had had a few moments this week, but they were nothing…right?
Then there was Stella. She was his Stella, she was there for him in more ways than he knew. She probably would have thrived better on her own and in many ways she reminded him of himself for that. But she had stayed here in the UBA trenches with him. He had no idea why, or least he thought he didn’t. But also in many ways, she reminded him of everything he wanted to be. Cory had always wanted her to succeed, because if she did, so did he. But at some point in the last year, everything had changed.. He didn’t know if it was when he got sick, or when she gave him the “Tales of King Arthur & The Knights of the Round Table”…but his desire to succeed had become more about what was best for her, rather than himself. He hadn’t planned on caring about her, protecting her…wanting her. Oh, he fucking wanted her in so many ways….in ways he didn’t realize, until recently.
His thoughts were soon interrupted by sniffles and he looked at Stella then, who still had her head bent down as he could see tears falling from her face onto the ground. She kept trying to hide her face, like she didn’t want him to see. In that moment, Cory fucking hated himself more than he thought possible.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Cory ran over to her. “The last thing I ever want to do is upset you. In any way Stella. I…”
Stella looked up at him now, her eyes clearly swollen from crying. He instinctively put his hands on her arms, finally touching her skin and feeling all the goosebumps beneath his fingertips. She watched him, like she was searching for an answer.
How the fuck is he in these situations and why does he continuously hurt the women in his life?
He was on a roll this week. He had somehow offended Martha during their usual phone call, then Bradley seemed upset at him for leaving their meeting, and now Stella was sobbing! The only woman who didn't seem upset with him these days was Alex.
“I really care about you,” Cory whispered. “I care about you a lot. I am sorry about you and Ron.”
Stella scoffed. “I dumped Ron after I kissed you,” She said, laughing, which left him even more confused. “I mean, I went over to him to distract myself after what happened…and I realized, nope can’t do it. He didn’t take it well. But I thought we…then you disappeared…”
“I didn’t disappear,” Cory whispered, still aware his hands were on her arms, and he wasn’t sure if he should move them away or not. He didn’t want to.
“You’re right, you didn’t, you kissed and made up with Bradley…and went to Central Park.” She sounded sad again. He was hurting her, he didn’t want that. He couldn’t believe that she was jealous of Bradley and him, even though he wasn’t sure if there was anything to be jealous of. He wanted to make it right, but he suspected that would only make it worse.
He had to try.
“I am a horrible person, Stella,” Cory whispered.
“What?”
“I did something horrible to Bradley,” he told her. “She has somehow forgiven me. But…I am so fucking…” Cory bit his lip and closed his eyes, reliving the pain on Bradley’s face, when he revealed the truth of what he did to her. She had said that she was okay with it, but he was not sure he ever would be. He slowly opened his eyes and found Stella looking confused. He focused on her arms then and gently massaged her skin with his fingers. “That is what those trips to Central Park were about. Things are always confusing between us. But…” Cory let out a nervous exhale. “She’s seen me at my worst…and she knew I wasn’t in a great place again this week…”
“What did you do?” Stella asked curiously.
“I promised Bradley I wouldn’t talk about it,” Cory said. Stella looked irritated and started to move away, his hold on her falling. He could feel that he was losing her, and he didn’t want that. But Bradley had also asked him not to tell anyone else about what he did and he wasn’t going to. He owed her that much. He knew he had to be honest with Stella in some way. Somehow.
“Stella. I have thoughts about you.” Cory gulped. “If I am honest and probably, shouldn’t be fucking saying this, but even before the elevator. But not in that way…”
He stepped away, probably aware that what he was about to say was just going to make her as uncomfortable as he felt right now. But he persevered.
“I was just, you know, I was concerned about the distance between us…and then I guess after the elevator…maybe…oh, fucking call HR on me, I deserve it…” He combed his fingers through his hair, wishing he could be anywhere else. “You know what? I will just quit…I just…”
“I have been thinking about you in that way since July,” Stella whispered. He did a double take on her now, as he realized that she must’ve backed away from him during his babbling. Stella’s tears had dried, but she was now staring at him nervously. Cory finally clicked that she was just as anxious as he was, and with that, he found himself moving back towards her slowly.
“You know I had a dream about you actually and it left me…well, it was hard to focus in work.” Stella said, as she moved back towards him. “So me telling you that, I should probably call fucking HR. Actually, I should fucking quit too.” Stella smirked at him now as they were standing precariously close to each other.
Cory being Cory, had to overanalyze.
“Well technically, I am your superior,” he said, “So I am the one more at fault…”
Stella stifled a smile at his poor attempt at boss demeanour.
“It’s so strange,” she said.
He noticed the look in her eyes had changed. Any evidence of tears were gone, and she was clearly done playing games. She seemed almost feral, like a tiger, much like the one on her pants. At that moment, he felt very much like her prey. “You didn’t feel like my superior when we were in the elevator together last week.”
Cory started to wonder how the fuck he ended up in these situations. He thought of his time in high school and how no one wanted to hang out with him, never mind date him. He was a late bloomer, and socially awkward, everyone thought he was weird and was often made fun of as a result. It wasn’t helped by the fact any opportunity for normal teen interactions were often interrupted by his mother and her many work breakdowns. But somehow, decades later, he had become irresistible? Now he had Bradley leaping on him in his room and flirting with him all week, even around her brother, and Stella clearly intent on seducing him in a random, UBA storage room.
She whispered in his ear. “If anything, I felt like I was the one in charge.” Fuck, he could feel her breath slightly graze his ear and it made him shiver. Her scent was consuming him; she was consuming him. He wanted her so badly now, and she was making it very clear that she was going to have him. Despite the location and situation, Stella’s expression was almost willing him to move closer towards her.
He gave into it, whatever control she had over him. He leaned in and with it, he kissed her passionately. She tasted like mint and something sweet that he couldn’t pinpoint, but he wanted to savor it. He wanted to savor her. He massaged her arms with his thumbs, making full use of finally being able to touch her skin, to touch her. She moaned in delight into his mouth, and wrapped her arms around him. He didn’t know how long they kissed for, but it didn’t feel like long enough, especially when she started to pull away.
“No,” Cory said against her mouth, completely out of breath. Stella laughed.
“I just wanted to get in a better position,” she said. She leaned back against the wall and gave him a come-hither look. The shift in their dynamic was strange….but probably not new, considering she had been very much in charge from the moment he met her. She pushed off his jacket, her fingers working the top buttons of his shirt.
He just wanted to seize the opportunity to be with her, to touch her, to please her. He didn’t want to see her cry again, unless they were cries of pleasure, and that was something he wanted to be the cause of.
He reached up and stroked his thumb across her wet, full lips then over her chin and down her neck. Her breathing was getting heavier and he could feel her heart beating beneath his touch. He kissed her again, then her chin and eventually reached a tantalizing spot on her neck.
He continued nipping her collar bone, savoring each one of her responses to him and really wanted to move towards exploring curves beneath her shirt, the swells of her breasts, licking her nipples….He was torn. Instinct was making it harder for him to reason with himself. But he didn’t want to risk exposing her to anything, aware a door could open at any second, even if this floor was deserted . As much as it was unbearable to not detangle her and himself from their clothes, he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t do that to her.
He instead moved his palm slowly to her beautiful, tight hips. He fucking loved whatever, unique silk pants she always seemed to wear. They were always an assortment of different colors, not that he cared before….but he wanted to touch them and rub them against her thighs and in between his finger tips. He loved the feeling of friction in between her and his palms. He loved the feel of her skin through the silk, even though there was a barrier. It just felt even more fucking amazing and if he was really honest, he wanted to rip the silk off her, but also didn’t want to deny himself of this experience.
“Cory……” Stella whispered, and her eyes were wide open now, staring at him in wonderment. He loved how she said his name like that. He realized she was guiding his hand away from her waist and hips. She continued to glide his palm along the silk, pattern tigers that danced on top of her thighs, until they eventually reached the crevice between her legs. With that he could feel the heat pulsating through the fabric and fuck, it made harder to not undo her clothes then and there.
“Are you sure?” They were about to cross a different line. He was still coming to terms that Stella very much wanted to fuck him, and wanted that for a while it seemed.
“Please,” Stella whispered and deepened her plea with a kiss. It was impossible then not to oblige her, and he slipped his hand into her panties. He instantly noticed just how wet she was, and just how wet she was for him. Oh fuck, this only made him want her more. It also made it fucking harder to try and keep control of himself around her.
“Tell me if that’s not ok. Or..” Cory babbled, fucking determined to stay focused on her, but this only caused Stella to wrap her leg around him, making the situation more difficult for him. “I just, the angle we’re at. I just want to make sure that…” She kissed him again, catching him off guard.
“Sssh, ssh,” She panted against his lips. He got it, she wanted him to shut up, but he couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by her. Given that an hour and a half ago she wouldn’t even look at him, and now he could feel her gyrating against him.
“Corrry,” She said, almost begging. “Yes that’s it….yes that’s so fucking good.” She moaned louder, which made Cory a little nervous, but it also fucking made him want more. It made him want to please her more, to fucking make it up to her in every way possible. How wonderful, exquisite and fucking sexy she truly was in that moment, and he just wanted to give her whatever she wanted.
He felt like he hadn’t known her until this moment. She seemed so free and happy, as she writhed in complete pleasure. To know he was the source of that was fucking everything and of course, made him want her more.
He kept repeating the patterns that she seemed to like, studying how wide her brown eyes were, how flushed her cheeks were, and how completely entranced she was by this moment. She seemed to be captivated by him, and often would grab him tightly by his hair to give him another deep kiss, each one as surprising as the next.
He could sense she was getting close now as she began to bite her lip, which was a change of pace, given how loud she was before. But with that he noticed she suddenly wrapped herself around him even more tightly, preparing herself and letting herself quiver all over.
She then grabbed the back of his shirt, almost dragging it down his back, and moaned into his shoulder, her whole body shuddering as she came. She leaned against him, breathing heavily through his shirt, and he could feel the moisture from her breath building on his skin.
Cory pulled away and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips as he did. He started to back away from her, attempting to compose himself, when Stella took his hand again. He looked at her and she grinned back, making it clear she wasn’t done with him. She reached out and started to unbuckle his belt. Oh fuck, Cory thought. “I don’t want to do this here, Stella,” he whispered.
She looked taken aback, and almost hurt. “I want to.” Stella half smiled at him. “You have no idea how badly I want to, Cory.”
“Stella I...” Cory said, out of breath. Oh fuck, she was making this so hard .
He didn’t want to upset her again. But he felt like he couldn’t take this any further than it had already gone. Even if every part of him wanted to do the complete opposite.
“I want to too. Just not here.”
Stella stopped and sighed, as if returning to reality. He could see her CEO facade coming back with it. He had taught her well.
“Stella I…”
“Cory.” Stella nodded. “I get it.”
What does she get?
“But you can always call and text me.” Stella said whilst still focusing on his belt, making it clear what she had in mind. “Maybe you could slum it to my apartment for once, Cory. If the Upper West Side is not beneath you.”
Cory chuckled nervously, something had switched inside her. He could see it now and he liked it. She walked over and wrapped her arms around him, giving him another, deep kiss. He looked down at her, now the one in complete awe. He had never seen her like this before, and he realized this was the first time that he had ever seen her look truly happy.
“I’ll email the proposals for Daniel in a second. Just going to give you a few moments here…alone.”
Before Cory could respond, she was gone, and he was left alone with his thoughts.
What he didn’t want to share with her, however, was that while he was entranced by the powerful demeanor Stella took on when she was with him. Some of his thoughts were still infused with Bradley. He wanted them both for different reasons and felt selfish for even thinking that. He was even more confused that he could long for two separate people, for completely different, but equally strong reasons.
He was also irritated with himself. Irritated with the fact that he had let it happen again, that he had to calm himself again–Much like the last time he had been entangled with Stella Bak. He had crossed a line he should not have crossed. But what was worse was that he knew he wanted to cross it again.
But Bradley.
He knew she would still be in his office waiting for him, even after Alex and Mia had left. The thought of hurting Bradley once again calmed any lust that he had started to feel for Stella.
Technically, he had done nothing wrong. He told Bradley he had feelings for someone else, that he was with someone else….she just didn’t know that someone else was Stella.
Cory fucking hated himself all over again as he thought over his week with Bradley. She was so calm and understanding when he broke down like a fool in front of her. She was supportive too, didn’t ask questions, and it was thanks to her that he was able to get back to work today. What did he do with that support?! He had fucking entangled himself with Stella in some random storage room.
He should just leave… Leave Bradley, Leave Stella…he was only going to hurt them more. He didn’t know how to be with someone, not properly, and they both deserved better. So much better than him. He should just go back to California and live with Martha. It would be easier than this…easier…than…
Cory felt his phone vibrate in his pocket then. He took it out and saw there was a message from Bradley.
Cory sighed.
He opened it.
“Are you finished with Stella? ”
Cory let out a loud exhale. He was completely getting tortured and of course, he deserved it. But still. Before he could reply, or even think of what to type.
His phone dinged again.
“I know .”
Cory’s heart started pounding against his chest. What could she possibly know? She couldn’t know about him and Stella there is no way? Unless she spoke to those tourists….no…
“You know what?” Cory typed and sent quickly back hoping for something else…anything else .
“I know about you and Stella .”
OH FUCK, FUCK, FUCK….
Cory was moving to California. It was decided, he would hide out with Martha, and live out the rest of his fifties away from his own idiocy, and ridiculous, newfound libido.
Before he could properly plan out his hideaway with his mother, however, Bradley sent another text.
“It’s ok I get it. I was angry and hurt at first but then I got it. I got it today too. It makes sense given everything that’s happened in the last year. You got closer with each other and of course, something would happen. Who am I to judge? I wanted you to bring it up on your own, cause I know you were having a tough time. But I saw how awkward you felt today. So I decided I would now. ”
Cory couldn’t believe what he was reading. He couldn’t believe that this was the same Bradley Jackson who refused to come back to work for six weeks, as a result of Eric Nomani’s secret promotion. But here she was, calmly accepting the situation, whatever the fuck this situation was.
There were still more typing bubbles now, and with came another message.
“The thing is, no offense to Stella but I’m not giving up on you Mr. Ellison….Not until you want me too…and I think after this week. I am pretty sure you don’t want me to either? I am pretty sure you were happy to spend a lot of your free time with me, and sometimes Hal…but mostly me :P ”
Without even thinking Cory instantly replied:
“I love spending time with you.”
Bradley replied with a: “:) I love spending time with you too. ”
There were typing bubbles again and they stopped. Cory sighed he had to get out of this room, this building– the sooner, the better! He knew it was a mistake coming back to work, he just didn’t know how big a mistake it was going to be.
But then his phone dinged again.
“I love so many things about you… ”
Cory’s heart pounded against his chest as more typing bubbles started to appear. Cory realized just how afraid he was over what Bradley could possibly type next. Afraid to admit to himself what he was secretly hoping Bradley was leaning towards. Something that he never expected from anyone really, but most especially her.
“I love you Cory. I always have. I always will .”
Cory felt his eyes well up in that moment and he didn’t know what to think. He said it to Bradley, but he just assumed she didn’t feel the same. Why should she, especially after everything…. but she loved me? She loves me……
“Bradley Jackson loves me.” Cory whispered out loud to himself. “No, no! No?”
But he looked down at his phone and there it was. All in black and white for him to see.
FUCK! Why couldn’t this happen months ago, why now….why so many things.
Cory couldn’t hide in here any longer.
He had to fucking leave this room. He had to face his office and the fucking world of mess he was now in. Whether it be with Stella or Bradley, he needed to figure out what he wanted and fast.