All them good times baby, baby (Victoria)

Subject: All them good times baby, baby (Victoria) Sun Oct 28, 2018 1:06 am

The fundraiser had warranted a few weeks to get over and predictably, Jackson and Victoria had not talked about it other than he brief altercation on the same night. She seemed to be keeping her end of the bargaining by making sure Jackson never had cause to meet the scum funding their current campaign operations while Jackson was keeping up his end by not punching the old senator in the face. Another photo of the two of them had appeared in the papers form the function, a fact the politician was only alerted to thanks to the painstaking efforts of his three women media department who made it a note to carefully cut out all press coverage and stick it to a softboard in the main office.

But regardless of the shock, the work had continued. Congress was slow as ever but they were getting things done on a local level, which was the best one could hope for Jackson supposed. In a few weeks, things had gone back to normal, and not just any normal but a normal that seemed to be working. Putting the unpleasant smell that was Wyatt Jameson behind him, Jackson now looked forwards to his impending trip to the UK for his fiance's birthday - trying all the while not to feel guilty that he hadn't spared much through to the redhead over the past month. Even as he sat in his office, he knew the unanswered emails from Sasha had piled up. Oh well, no point responding now when he'll be there in a week.

Congress breaks didn't always mean a break for local legislators but it did mean a slowing down. As it was, the Goblin had come up with a rather ingenious holiday circulation system that allowed everyone at the office at least a whole week off, albeit at different points of the summer. Usually it was he interns who were left to man the phone at all times while the holidays were dispensed in order of office hierarchy but this time around, the Princess had managed to make everyone happy.

And probably forgotten to count herself into the pool. For someone so smart, she could be really stupid sometimes.

Which was why Jackson was now found perched on the corner of his desk, refusing to sit in his chair like proper senator unless a formal meeting was involved. Picking up his phone the man dialed Victoria's extension, waiting for her to pick up. "Hey, can you please come to my office when you have a minute?" he asked, making sure to sue his "not urgent" voice. It was a good day, they could afford to be slow and lazy.

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All them good times baby, baby (Victoria) Rsz_mi10

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Subject: Re: All them good times baby, baby (Victoria) Fri Nov 02, 2018 4:53 pm

Since the fundraiser had come and gone, Victoria had not felt comfortable in the slightest with the work they were now undertaking. The fact she'd failed to find the connection between Jackson and Wyatt's fiance still irked Victoria immeasurably since they'd found out the man's true identity, for Victoria knew that she had put Jackson in to a place that he did not want to be. It didn't help, either, that Victoria could not reach out to Jackson to tell him about what had happened the night of the fundraiser with Wyatt in his absence. There didn't need to be a weakness from her in that moment, Jackson didn't need that.

But that didn't mean it was easy, either.

Zoe was also out of the question on this matter. Their backgrounds made it difficult for Victoria to broach the subject of a man who was a little too forthcoming in Victoria's mind. She didn't wish to feel like a victim of something that hadn't... turned out bad. She didn't wish to cry wolf early and be wrong, but there was something in the bottom of her stomach that made Victoria very, very nervous of Wyatt Jameson, a feeling that she knew she shouldn't ignore, but left little and less option to talk to people about.

Azalea had been a slight respite, though, a distraction from all of the things that were going on in her life. Victoria had told her old friend of her holiday time -- Zoe couldn't manage to get the same week off as Victoria, so the younger witch had opted to head back to the UK for the period of time she had granted herself, with the view she would go to see Jake at some point too.

Work life continued, and more meetings with Wyatt Jameson ensued. The man was as he had been at the fundraiser with her more frequently now, more openly suggestive with conversation which Victoria had brushed off with polite reminders of his fiance, or questions of his upcoming nuptials. Trying her very best to remind the man that he should not be trying things with her when he was to be married soon. But, Wyatt Jameson did not seem to care about that. For as forward as he was, he always made sure that no one saw the small passes he made at the lawyer, ensuring his own body or a piece of furniture blocked the view from the rest of the office. Whilst it made Victoria's heart hammer with worry every time Wyatt Jameson came close to her, she'd told herself time and time again that she could deal with the older male if the need came.

But Victoria had been much too confident in her own abilities, and left herself in a position that was too easy for Wyatt Jameson in their most recent meeting, allowing the older man to freely move closer to Victoria as she moved across her office, out of view from the rest of the staff members, to copy a document Mr Jameson had given her during their conversation. The witch had believed Wyatt would pick the document up the next time he was here. The witch had believed Wyatt Jameson was heading towards the door, on his way back to his own offices.

Victoria had been very, very wrong.

Mr Jameson had instead followed her to the machine, noting with his eagle eyes that they would be out of view and very carefully tucked her hair back behind her ear as his large frame kept her from moving away from him, pressing just enough to her body to let her know that he was much too close for Victoria's liking.

"You know you're very beautiful..." Mr Jameson's voice purred in her ear, making the hairs on the back of Victoria's neck stand on end in the process. "Wasted in his office. You should come and work for me." The offer came, and Victoria managed through some kind of ethereal power to keep herself from shuddering at the way the man was talking. Hitting the copy button hard, the machine spat out the pages it had been asked, and Victoria turned just enough to see Mr Jameson's face.

"T-Thank you, Mr Jameson, but I'm quite happy here." The witch assured him, managing to get out of his grasp as she grabbed at the papers that had been copied and hurried to get a file -- where they would be in full view of the rest of the office -- to put them in. "But, should Jackson ever find my work not up to his satisfaction, I will remember your more than generous offer." Victoria added, not wishing to put bad blood between their donor and them because she couldn't handle his presence so close to her.

Holding out the file, Victoria waited for Mr Jameson to take it, offering him a small smile that she didn't wish to give him. "We'll see you soon, Mr Jameson."

"Not soon enough," Wyatt replied, his eyes moving over her small frame without a care in the world, before he left the room looking thoroughly happy with himself.

Victoria had waited half an hour before she'd left the office, making sure Wyatt would definitely have left the building, but also not wishing to run out just after the man and cause a scene. When she'd reached her apartment, the witch had locked the door behind her and run to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before her lunch resurfaced. A text had been dispatched to Zoe between cleaning up the mess and getting in to the shower to scrub herself clean.

***

"Did you tell him to move away? That you weren't interested?"

"I..."

"Victoria, it's not a difficult question. Did you make it clear to him that you didn't want him to do these things?" Zoe asked impatiently, eyes searching Victoria for signs that the younger witch had done the right thing.

"It's not that simple, Zoe."

"You didn't tell him no, did you?"

"If I tell him no, Jackson is going to lose his funding. I've already messed up one source of funding, I can't-"

"Screw Jackson, Victoria! This is about you. What happens if he tries something more next time? What happens if you get hurt? Will it be worth it then? Do you really think Jackson would want you doing this? Really? Actually, I don't care what Jackson bloody Blake wants, do you think I want you getting hurt, Victoria?" Zoe continued, looking incredulous that her girlfriend could be so stupid in that moment.

"I'm not going to get hurt. I can-"

"Victoria, in the greatest of respects, you're tiny. He's not. Do you really think you can fend off a man like that? Because I don't, even if I wish you could, I know beyond anything in this world you're not capable of keeping people at bay. You have to put a stop to this. Tell Jackson."

Victoria sat quietly, listening to reason, but knowing that she really did not get to say no in this situation. Not if they wanted the money. Slowly, the witch shook her head, denoting that she couldn't let her boss down again, even if logic dictated there was another way.

A loud tsk touched the air, and Zoe got up from the sofa, shaking her head. "Girls like you are all the same." Zoe said, the disappointment clear in her voice as she reached for her car keys. "You think it's okay to play the role of free and available. You think you're not going to get hurt when you do these things. And then when you do get hurt, you wonder why it happens. Perhaps that's what happened the first time, hmm? You allowed the men too much? Thought it was okay, and then cried wolf when you woke up?" Zoe looked incensed in that moment, waving her keys at Victoria wildly as she continued to talk. "Don't contact me again, Victoria. Not if you're going to keep playing along with this. You're not the person I thought you were."

With that, Zoe unclasped the spare key to the apartment and dropped it on the table, turning to the door as Victoria hurried along after her in that moment.

"Zoe, please, wait. You don't under-"

"No, Victoria. You need to come down from your little cloud in the sky and realise that this isn't okay. I just hope you don't have to get hurt to see it." Zoe finalised, slamming the door behind her and leaving Victoria behind the door not knowing what had just happened. Sinking down against the door, fresh tears marred the witch's features.

Was this worth it..?

***

Zoe had not responded to any of Victoria's calls or texts for five days now, and Victoria knew without a doubt that Zoe was not going to call back. Their relationship had not ended in the manner Victoria would have liked, and no matter how much she begged to Zoe's answerphone for the older witch to pick up, she never did. Victoria's phone remained by her side on her desk, and the moment it flashed she would swipe it up, only to find an email, or a message from someone else, or a reminder for something later in the day.

Zoe was not going to answer.

And Victoria could not tell Jackson the truth to save the relationship she'd had.

The phone on the desk rang, making Victoria jump much too much in that moment. After a couple of moments Victoria picked it up, a soft 'hello Jackson' leaving her lips before he asked her to come down to his office. With an assurance that she would be right there -- despite his lack of urgency in his voice -- Victoria put the phone down and collected herself. She hadn't slept well since Zoe had walked out, but the witch would not let Jackson know she was not on top form. Collecting a notebook and pen, Victoria pocketed her phone and hurried across to Jackson's office.

Finding the Senator upon his desk, Victoria gave the man as warm a smile as she could muster. "What can I do for you?" Victoria asked, looking for some kind of sign of what Jackson would need. To her knowledge there was nothing pressing coming up, but if there was, they had time before they both jetted off to the UK on their own trips.

In the witch's pocket, her phone went off once more silently.

A missed call from Jake.

Followed promptly by the first text he'd sent in months.

Please call me back, this is urgent. Xx

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Subject: Re: All them good times baby, baby (Victoria) Tue Nov 06, 2018 11:18 am

"What can I do for you?"

As always, the with was earlier than she needed to be. Jackson often wondered if the kid ran on some kind of internal clock other than her biological one, a clock that made her appear to things before time unless her little face exploded. The idea was as horrifying as it was funny, making his eyes twinkle as he smiled at the little lawyer."Well for one thing, you can tell me what your holiday plans are" he suggested lightly just in case she had forgotten she was due two weeks off in the summer too.

In fact, he could probably do better and cover her travel cost with all their scum money. "And if you'd let HR know to reimburse you for your travel in the holidays." He just hoped she wouldn't tell everyone else in the office since the senator could not afford to pay for the flight tickets of every employee in the office. But Victoria's the budget could probably manage.

"And secondly, I find myself bored and hungry. Would you like to play hooky and go for a bite of pizza with me?" It wasn't lunch for another forty minutes but no one would question Jackson if he and Victoria left or an undisclosed destination. Granted there wouldn't be too many kids this time of day but good pizza was its own reward.

Having posed his questions, the young man observed Victoria curiously. Was it just him or did she seem... off recently?

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Subject: Re: All them good times baby, baby (Victoria) Thu Nov 08, 2018 1:59 pm

The question about her plans for the holiday brought forth a nervous yet hopeful smile from Victoria as she remembered her plans. "As you know, I got back in touch with Azalea recently. When I explained to her that you'd given me some time off that I didn't know what to do with, she offered me her house to go crash at for some time. I can go and see my niece and nephew whilst I'm there, and mom and dad. It's going to be great. I think... I hope. I'm nervous about seeing Azalea again, truthfully. But I'm hoping we can pick up where we left off. Our emails seem comfortable enough, and I'm just being silly about it I'm sure..."

The witch shook her head slightly to show she knew it was silly.

"You're going to see Sasha, right? Don't forget to say hi from me. And I'll ensure you're packed off with some gifts for her, but you'll need to find something to add a personal touch, she'll appreciate that!" Victoria assured the man, knowing just how good his usual habits for gift collection were.

The offer of putting it on to the work expenses made Victoria shook her head. "Thank you, but that's not necessary. It's personal, not work." Victoria insisted, not wishing to push the boundaries with expense claims. Besides, she could afford the trio, so it wasn't an issue.

It was Jackson's offer of pizza that brought the genuine smile to Victoria's lips in that moment. "Playing hooky? So early?" The witch joked, glancing to the clock as if that would help her decision in any manner. "Fine, fine, your treat, though!" She settled. "Just give me five minutes to send an email and tidy up my desk and I'll meet you downstairs."

With that finalised, Victoria turned off to her office to complete the work she'd stated and tidying up the confidential files she'd been working on that morning. In that time the witch took out her phone to find Jake's text. Considering it for a moment, Victoria locked her phone and pocketed it once more. Jake could wait at the moment, he hadn't called for weeks and just because it was 'urgent' didn't mean Victoria wanted to play that game. It probably wasn't, just Jake trying to get her to talk to him again.

Leaving instructions with the receptionist to take messages for both herself and Jackson for the rest of the day for them both. Two minutes later the witch was emerging from the office and quickly moving to the car and getting in beside Jackson. "You know sometimes you have the best ideas. Sometimes." The witch said with a soft sigh as she pulled on her seat belt. "Getting out of the office was needed.

"So, why are we skiving?" Victoria asked, looking to Jackson with curiosity clear in her features.

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Subject: Re: All them good times baby, baby (Victoria) Thu Nov 08, 2018 4:47 pm

As she began recounting her holiday plans, Jackson didn't hear much past her having agreed to stay with Azalea. Though the politician was slightly puzzled as to why she'd highlight being able to see her brother and his children. In fact, shouldn't she have mentioned she was staying with her brother if Miss Azalea had shacked up with Newbury again? Whatever, girls were weird and so was their speech.

It was only when she mentioned bringing a gift for Sasha that he remembered it was actually his fiance's birthday he was going down for. A gift had completely slipped his mind though he supposed that was what happened when girlfriends became fiances. "Oh, I'm going to get her the best present," he assured Victoria, reaching into his wallet and extracting his good old American Express. "Because I'm sure you'll buy the best present,"" he completed with a cheeky grin, placing the card in front of her and making sure she took it. "Come on Vic, you know I don't get this girly thing, besides I don't have time," he whined, hoping to convince the lawyer to do this tiny errand. She was more than capable anyways.

He mustn't have sunk too badly in the princess's good graces though because after a bit of pretend contemplation, she did agree to go out or lunch, at only a quarter past noon at that. Turned out Miss By The Rules could afford a little mischief after all. As Victoria excused herself to go clean up her desk, Jackson waved her off, hopping of his own. True to form, he man did nothing to clean up his own desk, merely grabbed his jacket off the back his chair, pocketed the phone that was charging under his desk and put his computer on sleep mode. Knowing the Goblin would take care of messages or whatever, he simply waved tot eh ladies in h main off and headed down the elevator, beating his companion by solid three minutes. Jackson was already in the car when Victoria arrived.

"So, why are we skiving?"

"Because we can, my dear," Jackson replied with a smile. The sky was summer clear, lunch hour traffic had yet to begin, there was pizza in he near future and in a long time, he couldn't think of anything to worry about. The man revved the engine, sliding the SUV smoothly out of its VIP parking space. "Because we can."

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» Good For A Weekend (Victoria)
» Meet Up with Victoria (Victoria and Adaline)
» For old times sake (Azalea)
» A change in the times (Finley)
» emails between two good friends