Author’s Note: This is an alternate universe fic request by @indubitablywrong. I’m purposely not revealing what the a/u is until the end to not give too much away
“Okay, enough unpacking. We need to go out for drinks, right now.” Atlas insisted.
“But I start my internship early in the morning.” Zoe protested. “I’m not sure going out is such a good idea. Since when do you like being around people anyway? I think there are still a few beers in the fridge if you want.”
“No.” Atlas turned Zoe around and pushed her towards her bedroom. “We haven’t seen anything outside of these four walls the past two days, and I’m going back to Boston in the morning. Go get dressed, and let’s go!”
New Brunswick, NJ was not the most glamorous city for a new college graduate, but it was home to a prestigious chemical engineering internship program at one of the top pharmaceutical companies in the country. If it ended up working out, and she got a job there making real money, she could always move to the city and commute, but for now a modest apartment near work would have to do. Thankfully Zoe’s interviewers had mentioned a trendier establishment they often frequented so she an Atlas wouldn’t have to chance ending up in some crappy dive bar. Still, she figured the typical attire would be somewhat casual, so she went for her standard favorite skinny jeans and black crop top that always made her feel good about her appearance. She took down her messy bun and her brunette hair miraculously fell in uniform waves past her shoulders like she had purposefully spent time doing it. She dabbed on some lip gloss, fixed up her eye makeup, and was good to go. Atlas, unsurprisingly, remained in her usual uniform of worn out jeans, t-shirt, and leather jacket. Her silvery bob was the only feature that distinguished her from her from her identical twin, Zoe. Well, that and the almost constant resting bitch face Atlas wore.
Heads turned as they walked into the moderately crowded bar as the patrons surveyed the newcomers, but everyone seemed to quickly lose interest and get back to their conversations. Zoe and Atlas found a small table in the corner where they sat and perused the drink menu. The decor was as expected – clean lines, dark wood, and pendant lights, and thankfully it didn’t reek like old cigarette smoke. Vintage beer signs were hung neatly across all the walls. The music was upbeat and good for dancing, but not so loud you had to yell to hear one another.
Zoe and Atlas both ordered mojitos and nursed their drinks as the analyzed the other customers in the bar. People watching was one of their favorite past times.
“Those two,” Atlas nodded towards a couple probably in their late twenties a few tables away, “….definitely on their first date.”
“Judging from the overdone makeup on her and the amount of product in his hair, I’d say the same.” Zoe agreed.
“Plus her awkward fidgeting every time there’s a pause in the conversation…” Atlas added. “Ooh, and that group all seems pretty tight, except that overly stuffy one. He seems like he doesn’t want to be here.”
Zoe scanned the group of ten or so people in the adjacent corner and immediately picked out who Atlas was talking about. It was a guy about her age, maybe a couple years older. He’s was wearing dark gray dress pants, a medium blue dress shirt and a matching patterned tie, while the rest of the group was a mix of business casual and blue jeans. His chestnut hair was perfectly coiffed like it wouldn’t have moved if a hurricane rolled through, and he almost certainly smelled heavily of cologne. She could just tell. “He’s kind of hot but takes himself way too seriously. I’m guessing a group of coworkers out for happy hour and he got dragged along. He’s the dress for the job you want, not the one you have type. I bet he annoys the fuck out of everyone else.” Zoe took another sip of her drink and looked to Atlas waiting for her final analysis.
“I bet he’s also type who likes attractive brunettes with wavy hair and brown eyes.” Atlas replied with a smirk.
“What?” Zoe scrunched her face in confusion and glanced over catching his gaze briefly before he averted his eyes.
“He was totally checking you out.” Atlas chuckled.
Zoe shook her head. “He’s probably just staring off wishing he was anywhere else but here.”
“Fine. Let’s test this out. Go up to the bar and order a drink and see if he walks up next to you,” Atlas encouraged.
“What is this?” Zoe scoffed. “You trying to play matchmaker or something? I’ll go just to prove you wrong.” Zoe marched up to the bar and sat down, ordering another mojito, but only for herself. Atlas could order her own for putting Zoe up to this. The bartender finished making the cocktail and set it down, but the stool next to Zoe was still empty. She picked up glass and was about to go back to Atlas and declare victory, when she saw a figure out of the corner of her left eye. She inconspicuously turned her head, and sure enough it was him. Zoe looked back to her sister who was smiling smugly. Well at this point Zoe should stay a minute longer. Maybe it was just a coincidence and he needed a drink. Atlas could still be wrong.
The guy caught the bartender’s attention. “I’ll just have a water please.”
A water? Okay there’s no way he came up to the bar while I’m sitting her just because he needed a water. She hated being wrong when Atlas was right enough not to worry about what she was going to do now that this pretentious looking guy was potentially trying to make a move on her. She had to admit that he was even better looking up close, and although she was totally right about the cologne, she actually liked the smell. She grasped the cup in her hands and stared into it, waiting to see what would happen next, but nothing happened. They both sat in silence as what felt like an eternity passed but was probably only a couple minutes. Zoe finally gave in and swiveled her barstool in his direction. “So are we going to sit in silence, or are you going to introduce yourself to me?”
“Wha-” It was difficult to tell in the dim light, but she thought she may have seen the tips of his ears turn red. “Oh, um, hello. I’m Beckett.” he extended a hand to her.
She was taken aback by his formality, but she went with it, shaking his hand and echoing his tone. “Hello Beckett, I’m Zoe.”
“Pleased to meet you, Zoe. So…uh,do you frequent this establishment?”
Zoe groaned internally. It was like he was reading out of a book of bad pick-up lines, but in his own geeky language. For as self-assured as he appeared from afar, he was nothing like that in front of her now. She couldn’t decide if his awkwardness was cute or just weird. “Is that supposed to be you hitting on me? You are going to have to do better than that.”
“I wasn’t-” Beckett sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t normally do this as you can probably tell.”
“And what exactly are you doing?” Zoe bit back a smile. She never typically felt like she had the upper hand with hot guys like him, so she was enjoying watching him squirm.
“Well, your smile captivated me from across the room and I thought you might be someone I’d like to get to know a bit better,” Beckett admitted.
“Huh,” Zoe tilted her head to the side trying to figure him out, but she also felt a bit of warmth rush to her cheeks. “You are a different one Beckett. Most guys would just say they thought I was cute or they liked my ass.”
This time there was a definite blush across his entire face before he cleared his throat. “Not to sound cliche, but I’m not like most guys.”
Coming from anyone else, Zoe might think this was another line, but she could sense Beckett was clearly unique, and she couldn’t help but be intrigued by him. Still, that didn’t mean she was going to go easy on him, “That’s what they all say,” she teased, but then she when she saw his expression of self-doubt she took pity on him. “I was just messing around, Beckett. For the record, I think your smile is captivating as well. You should show it more often.” He seemed genuinely pleased by the compliment, but still a bit stiff and uncomfortable. “That’s it, no more water for you.” She flagged down the bartender again. “Two – no make that four shots of tequila with some extra salt and limes on the side.”
“Zoe, that’s quite alright. I’m good with water,” Beckett insisted.
Zoe eyed him discerningly. “You aren’t in AA or anything are you?”
“No, I drink occasionally, but it’s work night and I have to get up at five am for my daily yoga meditation-” he paused and exhaled loudly. “Okay, I see that look on your face. At least let me pay.”
She wanted to protest, but who was she kidding? She was broke and was going to be working for peanuts at her internship. From the looks of his apparel, Beckett could most certainly afford it. “Don’t think this means I’m going to put out for you though.”
Beckett’s eyes went wide. “That’s not why I off-” He chuckled. “You are teasing me again aren’t you?” He picked up a shot glass and handed it to her. Her fingers brushed his in the exchange, maybe intentionally, but he also held on a moment longer than necessary. He raised his own glass and locked his steely gray eyes on hers.
Zoe felt a spark of electricity between them and her heart started to flutter. “Cheers!” She swiftly picked up her shot to break the tension, licked the salt off, and clinked it against his, the liquid burning her throat as she poured it down. She bit down on her lime wedge to cut the taste, and Beckett did the same. He looked a little bit adorable as he scrunched his nose and puckered his lips at the mix of sour and bitter flavors. “Not much of a tequila drinker are you?”
Beckett shook his head. “No, I usually stick with wine, maybe an occasional scotch.”
“Yeah, I’m typically a wine or beer girl myself,” Zoe admitted. “I don’t really go for hard liquor unless it’s in a fruity drink.”
“Then why are we doing shots of tequila?” Beckett inquired with a hint of judgement in his tone. “Did you assume that’s what I would like?”
“Nope. You just seemed like you could stand to let loosen up a bit,” she replied.
“That probably could have also been achieved with drinks we actually like to drink.”
Zoe was starting to lose her courage for the next part now that she realized she might actually be into this guy. It was more than just a game now, but she decided to go for it anyway. She didn’t care if it was a cheesy party trick that should have been left behind in college. “Maybe, but drinking tequila shots can be a whole lot more fun than drinking other drinks. Have you ever done body shots?”
“What? No!” Beckett looked at her like she had two heads. “I thought people only did that in movies.”
Zoe chuckled. “See, this is exactly why I’m suggesting it. I can tell there are likely many youthful indiscretions you missed out on, but it’s not too late. You’re what, twenty three?”
“Twenty Four. I think the window has passed.” He tried and failed to keep a straight face.
“I knew you wouldn’t pass up the chance to lick salt off of me. I’ll go first. Where do you want my mouth?”
“I…uh…” Zoe took slight satisfaction in the fact that the blushing, bumbling Beckett was back. “Why don’t you pick?”
“Alright then.” Zoe loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons on his dress shirt, and his breath quickened. “Can’t go wrong here.” She poured a small amount of salt in the dip of his collarbone and stuck a lime wedge in his mouth. Beckett stilled as if bracing himself for what was to come. Her mouth descended on him and she suctioned her lips to his skin almost hard enough to leave a mark as she licked him clean, only letting go after a soft whimper escaped his throat. Objective number one completed. She threw back the tequila without tasting it and then carefully bit into the flesh of the lime, avoiding any contact between their lips. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to kiss him. She wanted to very much, but she was leaving that up to him. She pulled back and let the lime drop into her shot glass. “You survived. Congratulations!”
“That actually wasn’t terrible.” Zoe assumed in Beckett terms that meant somewhere near spectacular. “I suppose I should take my turn now. Not that I want to be unoriginal, but the collarbone really is the optimal location to place the salt. May I?”
She found his nerdy formality oddly sexy. “Please do.” She tilted her head to the side and pulled her hair away to grant him better access. She picked the lime out herself, choosing the smallest one to give better odds their lips would meet. Beckett lowered his head slowly and then gently traced his tongue over her salted skin sending a shiver down her spine. Although she enjoyed it, his timidness didn’t bode well for her second objective, but time would tell. Beckett drank his tequila, hesitated, and then slipped his hand behind her head, drawing her in closer to him. He didn’t even bother biting down on the lime, bypassing it completely to get to her lips. His were soft and warm, tasting of citrus and salt. They passed the lime back and forth with their tongues, Beckett breaking the kiss when he gained possession one last time, finally completing his task.
He smiled confidently. “How did I do?”
Fucking amazing, Zoe thought but wouldn’t say that out loud. “Not bad, but a little more practice wouldn’t hurt. Should we order more?”
Beckett looked at his watch. “As fun as that was, it is getting late and I’ll barely get five hours of sleep as it is.”
“Shit!” Remembering she was there with her sister for the first time, Zoe looked back to their table but Atlas wasn’t there. She pulled her phone out of her purse and was relieved to see a text:
Got bored and went back to your place. You looked to be in capable hands😉
“Everything okay?” Beckett asked with genuine concern.
“Yes, but you are right. It is late, I have to get up early too.”
“Let me walk you out.” Beckett stood and offered her a hand up. All the alcohol consumed seemed to hit her at once as she got to her feet and she stumbled. Beckett braced her arm and led her outside.
Zoe was a little more drunk than she thought. Those mojitos must have been strong. Despite her better judgement, which was long out the window at this point, she wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Beckett just yet. She pulled him around the corner into an alleyway and pushed him up against the wall. She kissed him hard and he gave in without putting up much of a fight. She pressed her hips into him and could feel he was already hard. One night stands and public sex were not her style, but she wanted him so bad in that moment. She trailed her hands down his chest all the way down and started to unbuckle his belt.
Beckett pushed her away suddenly. “What are you doing Zoe? I mean – it’s not that I don’t want that, but not like this. Not here when you’re probably not thinking clearly. I’ll order an Uber for you.
Zoe was immediately much more sober and thoroughly embarrassed. “No really, don’t worry about it, I can walk. It’s not that far.”
“Please, I insist. What’s you address?” Beckett plugged the information into his phone and a car was there within minutes, but not a moment too soon to break their awkward silence. “Why don’t I come with and make sure you get inside okay?”
“That’s not necessary. I can take care of myself.” She huffed. She wasn’t upset with him, just mad at herself, but it probably didn’t come off that way.
“At least give me your number so I can make sure you made it home.” Beckett pleaded.
“Beckett, let’s just forget about all of this. You don’t have to worry about me anymore.” Before he could protest, she got into the car and locked the door. She wasn’t sure, but she may have seen Beckett slip the driver some extra cash. New Brunswick wasn’t a big city, but big enough that she hoped she wouldn’t have to run into him again.
~~~~~
Zoe walked into the building her first day hungover as fuck with a raging headache. She hoped she at least looked a little better than she felt. She was dressed the part, and her hair was clean at least. She prayed the smell of alcohol wasn’t still oozing out of her pores, but she was most definitely sober.
“Zoe, Welcome!” She was greeted by the hiring manager Annette. “Here’s your name badge. You are going to be working under one of our Senior Chemical Engineers. Why don’t you have a seat. I’ll go get him,and you two can go from there.”
As the minutes ticked by she had nothing to do but think – think about how she had ruined a great evening by trying to have sex in an alley with a guy she just met. Who even was she was last night? Then to top it off she freaked out on him even though he was still being nothing but kind and concerned about her. “Deep breaths.” She muttered to herself. Time to erase all that from her memory and focus on her new beginning. She stood up and smoothed out her clothing as she hear footsteps approaching around the corner. They were still a good distance away when she spotted him, but he looked very familiar, and she felt the color drain from her face.
Annette smiled warmly. Zoe, I’d like to introduce you to one of our senior chemical engineers and your mentor for the duration of your internship, Beckett Harrington.”
So much for never seeing him again.
End
Note: The theme of this alternate universe request was boss/intern. I didn’t want to do a traditional boss/intern story where the girl falls for the guy in a position of power over her, so this was the result.