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Post by Amber Jacobs on Sept 18, 2015 22:57:52 GMT
Amber hadn't exactly been sure about visiting Brandon at work. Given that their most recent fall out had been over his secretary. But he'd told her that she could always drop by to visit and after he'd offered to fire Gwen to make her more comfortable and she'd declined the offer, she thought that maybe popping by with lunch and to see her boyfriend would be okay. So she'd sent him a quick message in the morning to let him know to expect her and around what time, she'd picked up lunch from one of their favorite restaurants, and made her way to Finn Industries.
She'd convinced herself that asking Brandon to fire Gwen would be wholly too dramatic. She didn't want to be making requests that would effect the way Brandon ran his business. He'd been doing so well and had been so focused on work and she was proud of him, she wasn't going to diminish that by acting like some crazed jealous woman. She rationalized that Gwen was new and probably had no idea what she'd been getting in between, and while Amber didn't necessarily understand the woman's actions regardless, she convinced herself that she couldn't fault her for finding Brandon attractive and possibly getting her signals mixed. She did have to admit that he was pretty much consistently charming. So, she was giving Gwen the benefit of the doubt.
"Hi," Amber greeted the woman sitting at the desk just outside of Brandon's office. "Could you please let Brandon know that I'm here?"
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Post by Gwen Sullivan on Sept 18, 2015 23:34:39 GMT
It had been a little surprising that after news had spread that Brandon had gotten back together with Amber Jacobs that Gwen hadn't immediately found herself looking for a new job. Though, she supposed that she had to give Amber some credit for having not gotten quite as upset as she had been expecting. But at the same time she was a little disappointed that there hadn't been more drama surrounding their break up, and especially that it hadn't stuck as long as she might have hoped. But, she had carried on in the same manner that she always had, wearing the same provocative clothing, and flirting as she always had with her boss. He had been less than responsive in her flirtation.
She looked up at the blonde woman in question and smiled politely. "He's in a meeting, I'll be sure to let him know as soon as he's out. Please take a seat," she invited. "Is there anything that I can get you while you wait? Water? Soda? Maybe something to occupy you in the meantime?"
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Sept 18, 2015 23:43:04 GMT
She had to admit that Gwen was a pretty girl and Amber wondered, briefly if she was the sort of woman who knew it. She found that most women who were tended to, and if that were the case that might change the circumstances of what had happened. But she stopped thinking that way, telling herself that there wasn't any use dwelling. What had happened was done with and she and Brandon were moving forward. More than that, it hardly mattered how tight Gwen's skirts were - she trusted Brandon not to make the same mistakes again now.
"I'm fine, thank you though," she nodded, taking her seat. As an awkward silence settled, Amber fidgeted a bit. "So, do you like working here?" She had no idea why she was making small talk. She was almost certain it would bite her in the ass, but she was also determined to make sure that what had already happened didn't deter her.
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Post by Gwen Sullivan on Sept 19, 2015 0:23:14 GMT
Gwen looked over at Amber when she spoke up and smiled at her, "Brandon's great - as I'm sure you already know." Something about this entire situation just amused her endlessly, and part of her was really enjoying that she was keeping Amber from Brandon. Whether or not she was truly successful in getting them to break up, to create friction between them, at least right now she could make it a little more uncomfortable for Amber. Actually, she was certain that sitting here with her was what would be the most uncomfortable for Amber. "It's been such a learning experience to be here. Learning about the company, learning about Brandon, just getting to know him ... better."
She straightened out a few items on her desk, mainly just to turn her attention away from the other woman for a moment. "But thank you for asking. It really has been a really, really enjoyable time."
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Sept 19, 2015 0:28:15 GMT
Amber's eyebrow ticked up and she let out a soft laugh. "Brandon's really doing a wonderful job for the company, I'm sure that as long as your career aspirations are higher than that of secretary you'll do just fine." Even though Amber had chastised Cassidy endlessly upon bringing her back to work for storming it at Brandon's office, she suddenly understood the overwhelming urge to knock Gwen's stapler over. She knew what the brunette was trying to do and Amber refused to actually let it work. "Though, I'm sure I have some idea of what those aspirations are and I think I should give you some friendly professional advice - aim lower."
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Post by Gwen Sullivan on Sept 19, 2015 0:48:11 GMT
A smile still poised on her lips, Gwen nodded, wondering how far she wanted to push it before it became a problem. She glanced down at the clock and realized that Brandon's meeting shouldn't last much longer, at least not necessarily long enough for her to delve as deeply into the witty banter that she was sure to follow at the moment. "Thank you so much for the advice," she remarked kindly, deciding that playing nice had started to become a boring game, "And I'll be sure to make sure that you're the first person I call when I'm looking to get married to someone more than twice my age."
She pushed her hair out of her face, "Though, I do have to say that I'm quite impressed that you've managed to rise as high as you have professionally. But, you know what they say, the higher you rise, the harder you fall. I do hope that's not the case for you."
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Sept 19, 2015 1:03:17 GMT
Amber smiled broadly at Gwen. "I'm sure you won't need advice with that, I imagine a cunning girl like you will rack up quite a few old husbands," she nodded. "As for myself professionally, if you'd ever like some tips, just let me know." Amber had come to terms with what her marriage had truly been about and let go of the guilt she felt from it. She knew that she hadn't really done anything terrible - she hadn't married James for money, nor had she accepted any on his passing. Another thing Amber was confident in was her job, she'd gotten where she was in her career based solely on her own work and dedication to it.
"I actually will take that water now, Jen, thank you."
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Post by Gwen Sullivan on Sept 19, 2015 1:38:25 GMT
Gwen knew that Amber was trying to get under her skin in return and she was becoming increasingly amused with the entire thing. She refrained from correcting her on her name and instead stood from her desk, smoothing out her skirt and walking over to the small refrigerator that stored drinks for those waiting for meetings with the executive staff. Part of her still loved the fact that Brandon was keeping her waiting, whether or not it was intentional. She retrieved a bottle of water and a glass and walked over to Amber, placing them on the side table beside her. "Actually, Brandon has been really great about providing all kinds of advice," she commented with a smirk. "I have to say, those late nights at the office really seem to have done everyone some good."
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Sept 19, 2015 1:44:41 GMT
Amber kept a smile plastered on her face. She disliked that she had been wrong about Gwen. She'd wanted to be right for giving the girl the benefit of the doubt but it really didn't seem like she had been. It seemed like Gwen had known exactly what she was doing when she'd kissed Brandon and that made Amber pretty angry. Leaning in, she decided to give up on pleasantries. "What exactly are you hoping to accomplish here, sweetheart? Because as you can see, I'm not going anywhere. So I'm really just trying to figure out what your angle is in all of this. Do you really not get the way that things are?"
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Post by Gwen Sullivan on Sept 19, 2015 1:55:17 GMT
She laughed, pushing her hair over her shoulder, "Accomplish? Oh, I'm not trying to accomplish anything. I would say I'm just an opportunist," she smiled softly, nodding, "I've seen that things are very susceptible to change around here. And you know that they say that the only constant in life is change. So I suppose I wouldn't get too comfortable with the way that things are, or how you think they are at least."
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Sept 19, 2015 2:00:27 GMT
Amber grinned, shaking her head at Gwen. "You're new, which is why I've let this behavior slide. But I think it's really important that you realize that you're out of your depth here. Brandon and I are stronger together now than we've ever been before, and you'd be hard pressed to actually find an opportunity to make much of an impact, like I said - aim lower. I'm sure there's someone on the Senior VP level that you can snag up." She lifted an eyebrow, wondering how much longer Brandon was going to be, because thus far she'd been pretty patient and understanding - going as far to even tell Brandon he didn't have to fire Gwen. It had been quite some time since Amber delved into playing games and getting even, but this just might be the woman to bring her out of retirement.
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Post by Gwen Sullivan on Sept 19, 2015 2:20:36 GMT
Quite frankly, Gwen had reached a point where it wasn't important to her to watch whether or not she was crossing a line with Amber. Nothing she said had done anything to get under her skin, nor was it anything that she felt that she hadn't heard before. All things considered, this particular altercation with the boss' girlfriend was a lot better than previous altercations with other girlfriends and wives had been. There was a lot less hair-pulling and name-calling this time around. "Why stoop so low when it's so easy to reach higher?"
Brandon had tried to wrap up his meeting as quickly as possible, knowing that Amber had been on her way for lunch. He couldn't help but begin to fixate on the clock the longer that the meeting had carried on. Finally, he was able to finish his discussion of their public relations metrics and he walked his employee to the door, thanking them for their time and ensuring that he would be sure to follow up and review additional information at a later time. He looked between Amber and Gwen for a second, uncertain exactly her their exchange could have gone. "I'm so sorry for running late," he said, turning to Amber. "Do you still have time for lunch?"
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Sept 19, 2015 2:31:38 GMT
Amber smiled brightly when the door to Brandon's office had opened, she tilted her head at him and shook her head. "I understand. Work can be necessary and unpleasant." Standing up, she walked over to him and leaned up to press a quick kiss to his lips. "Hi," she said gently before turning over her shoulder to Gwen with a bright smile. "Thank you again for the water," she nodded before taking a step towards the inside of his office. "You should probably tell her to push back your next meeting by a bit," she advised softly, but still loudly enough for Gwen to hear.
Stepping inside of his office she waited for Brandon to join her and once he did, she pressed him gently against the door and peered up at him with a small grin. "I've been thinking about you since you left for work this morning," she nodded.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Sept 19, 2015 2:56:19 GMT
Brandon grinned at Amber, glad that she was here. It was nice to have a welcome distraction in the middle of the day, especially considering the fact that he was still apologetic over missing out on spending time with her thanks to his work hours, as well the fact that they were still making up for lost time during their breaks. "Hi," he greeted her, kissing her back quickly. She stepped into his office and he turned to Gwen, "Can you reschedule my next couple of meetings? I need a little break after the last one." He smiled appreciatively at her.
"Sure," Gwen nodded, smiling back at him. She moved back to her desk and began pulling up his calendar to make the adjustments. Just watching Amber trying to stake her claim on him had intrigued her. Whether or not they were still broken up, at least she knew that she had gotten under Amber's skin in some way.
Brandon thanked his secretary before heading into his office and shutting the door behind him. He smirked at her when she pressed him against the door, "Oh? I've been thinking about you too. My last meeting was dragging on because I couldn't stop thinking about our lunch date."
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Sept 19, 2015 3:09:23 GMT
Amber grinned at him and nodded. "Your last meeting dragged on because it ran long," she countered. "But it's okay, I got the chance to acquaint myself with your staff," she said with a slight nod of her head. "Anyway, I brought food," she walked towards his desk to place her things down. "I got your favorite. No carb, high protein, blah blah. I got myself a slice of pie." She grinned at him over her shoulder even though she couldn't really shake what Gwen had said - about things being susceptible to change and Amber not getting used to the way things were. She knew that Brandon had been sincerely sorry and he knew that kissing Gwen was a mistake. But there was still so much between them that was uncertain, even the idea that they'd be having a baby had shaken them a bit from their normal routine. "I hope you're hungry," she muttered.
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