Kaori turned the tumbler of golden alcohol around slowly in her hands, studying it's depths with a thoughtful expression on her pretty face. Finally he redheaded business woman brought it to her lips and drank some carefully, the few glasses that she had already drank leaving her feeling a bit tipsy. "You wanna talk about it?" the bartender asked, the tall, blue haired woman wiping down the counter top casually. "Would it help?" Kaori looked up at those almost catlike eyes. "Might make you feel better," the woman said as she poured a soda and offered it to Kaori instead of more booze. "Maybe," Kaori sighed. She took a drink, "I've got a new employer, been working for her a couple of weeks." "Um-hm," the bartender prompted gently. "She's..." Kaori's eyes focusesd on something off in the distance, "dynamic, forceful, energetic, all the things a executive should be." "But?" she asked. "She's also so alone that it's not funny, and has a tender side that breaks my heart," Kaori softly admitted. "And you've fallen for her," the bartender noted gently. Kaori sighed as she drank some soda, "Yeah, I guess I have." "She know that you're so inclined?" the bartender asked wryly. "I don't think so," Kaoru shook her head, "up until now I've done my best to keep my work and personal lives separate." Cleaning a glass the taller woman asked, "Do you want her to know?" "I... don't know," Kaori sighed. "It's safer admiring from afar, but you'll never know if she could care for you or not unless you try," she noted. "Maybe," Kaori sounded more than a bit unconvinced. "Hey Ryouko," a voice called from up the bar, "I'm dying over here!" "Keep your shirt on, Misato!" Ryouko yelled back before turning to look at Kaori apologetically. "Sorry, gotta get back to work." "No problem," Kaori got up, glad to feel herself wobble only a little. "You need a ride?" Ryouko checked her over carefully. "I'll call a taxi," Kaori reassured her. "Then I hope you have a good night," Ryouko smiled down at her, "and thanks for visiting Arisugawa's Locket." Kaori walked off as she waved, "Thanks." Hailing a taxi was fairly easy, her pay-card covering the fare as Kaori looked out the window, her thoughts less on her surroundings and more on her enigmatic employer, Hotaru Tomoe. She, of course, knew that her boss was really a Bio-boomer, but oddly she found that didn't bother her. If she was going to be honest Hotaru seemed more human than her father, Prof. Tomoe had been. No, what bothered Kaori was her confusion over her own feelings. Up to a month ago she would have sworn that she was straight, not even the currently popular bisexual. In college and university she had dated boys, and once graduating she had used her academic gifts along with her looks to advance up the corporate ladder. Occasionally there had been instances where she had to sleep with a executive, and she had done so with no qualms. Looking back now Kaori realized there might have been a few careful passes from female employers, but at the time she just hadn't noticed them. No one could out and out proposition someone, regulations forbade that, so things had to be approached cautiously. Kaori had gotten pretty good at reading a male boss' signals, but it seemed that she was somewhat oblivious to a woman's interest. 'Not that I've seen any such signs coming from Hotaru, either,' Kaoru reminded herself of that fact glumly. Hotaru Tomoe was kind, polite, and warmly attentive to Kaori when they worked together, but that could simply be her being kind. Yes, she had even acted to protect Kaori when she insisted on acompaning her on a expedition to investigate Mistress Nine, but that might have just been her ordinary kindness. "Ooh, I just don't know," Kaori groaned aloud. "Don't know what, ma'am?" the Bio-boomer driving the taxi asked. "Never mind," Kaori blushed, not having intended to say anything out loud. "Sorry," the Bio-boomer cabby said cheerfully as they pulled up to Kaori's building. "Thank you for using our service, and please do so again." "I'll do that," Kaori agreed, feeling just a bit unsteady as she left the cab. Pulling her coat around her Kaori used her key card to gain access then headed upstairs, fumbling a bit as she unlocked her door. The apartment within reflected well on the corporate rising star that lived there, a luxurious kitchen/bedroom/den combination that a average office lady couldn't think of affording. Taking off her shoes and coat at the took she padded in socks through to her bedroom, flopping on the bed without even undressing. "Jus' lay down a bit," Kaori mumbled, "get undressed later." A few moments later, and she was sound asleep. Yuko Arimura looked up from the reception desk as Kaori rushed in, the stylishly dressed red head looking sultry and dangerous. "You look somewhat the worse for wear," she noted with a slight smile. "Over indulged a bit," Kaori conceded, now dressed in her usual office wear, a dark skirt and suit top hugging her form. "The media are still trying to get personal interviews with Miss Tomoe," Yuko handed the yellow message sheets over, "your personal secretary has also been fielding calls." Of course they all had electronic messaging, but many callers still insisted on leaving written messages such as these with staff. "Oh, lovely," Kaori reluctantly took the papers with a sigh. "Is Miss Tomoe in yet?" she asked thoughtfully. "No, but Mimi, Lulu and Yui are." Yuko looked sympathetic, "I assume the section heads are looking for a bit of guidence." "Thanks," Kaori nodded, walking to the elevator. Being second in command of Infinity was something Kaori had been doing for months, but at least now she had a title and pay to match her responsibilities. Though she often wondered if a larger office was really worth all the headaches she had to deal with. Still, she was doing this for Hotaru, so... "Good morning, ma'am," her bio-boonmer secretary Cyprine nodded, her dark blue hair tied back in a complicated braid. Instead of business wear she was dressed in a black body suit with red trim, giving her a exotic look. "Morning Cyprine," Kaori nodded graciously. "You have additional messages from Mimi at public relations, Lulu in advertizing and Yui in resrearch and development," Cyprine reported brightly, "all claim to be urgent." "They always are," Kaori said wryly. "The messages are in my inbox?" she asked. "As usual, ma'am," Cyprine nodded. "Would you like for me to get you a coffee?" she asked in a perky sort of way. "I'm fine, thanks," Kaori nodded as she went into her inner office. Cyprine was one of the new model Bio-boomers, based off of improved designs derived from Doctor Mizuno's work, and the difference between her and earlier models was remarkable. She seemed much more personable and outgoing, as well as being quite frankly beautiful. 'I suspect we'll sell plenty to business men based off their looks alone,' Kaori thought wryly. Sitting behind her desk she took in her inbox with dismay, the stack of folders nearly a foot high despite the fact she had emptied it yesterday. "Oh well," she sighed as she pulled the first folder off the top of the stack, "time to work." RING RING! "Gah," Kaori sighed, picking up her phone. "Yes, Mimi?" she asked. "How did you know it was me?" Mimi sounded annoyed, and Kaori could easily imagine the look on the blonde girl's face. "Because you're the only perason I know of with the guts to use my private line," Kaori said, adding mentally, 'other than Miss Tomoe, of course.' Sorting documents she asked, "So what's going on now?" "Well," Mimi paused then went into full on gossip queen mode. Listening to her friend and co-worker natter on Kaori sighed. 'Why did I take this promotion again? Oh right, because Miss Tomoe asked me to,' she mused, waiting for Mimi to slow down enough for her to get a word in edgewise. Sadly, by the sound of it Mimi was going to be at this for awhile. To be continued... Notes: Yes, that's Ryouko from Arisugawa's Locket offering a sympathetic ear. All the staff mentioned in the Infinity bit are in fact members of the Witches Five in the anime/manga of Sailor Moon.
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