Another little one-shot depicting our favourite foursome - Christina, Luke, and of course, the flirtatious Ian and Lila. To new readers: this story goes along with "You're Not Sexy" and "The Height of Feminism," in that order, if you're interested in more Ian and Lila (and Christina and Luke). Thanks for reading!

The Door's Open

Christina had only been working for Fletcher and Associates for a few months, and already she could tell the work dynamic of her colleagues as well as what the hierarchy was. Matthew Fletcher, Ian's father, had started the business with little more than what he'd learned in law school and a hefty loan from his own father, but had painstakingly built it up from the ground and made it into one of the top defense law firms in London. When Christina told others of where she worked and what a high position (and salary) she had attained, she was always met with awe. But she didn't need to tell them that her boss simply favoured her.

Why, she would never know. He never appeared to have any interest in her other than a co-worker, barring the first day, but perhaps that had been because it was his natural tendency. Perchance, and she only entertained the notion when she was feeling especially prideful, but maybe Ian respected her as an individual rather than a woman, and despite her beauty and intelligence, thought of her as someone worth his time. He'd never tried to sleep with her, but then again, he never tried to sleep with Lila, and he was constantly trading backhanded insults with her, though in his defense, she responded wholly in kind. Christina liked to smile to herself and imagine what kind of a relationship the two were leading behind the scenes, when office politics weren't involved.

Luke was a sweetheart, and she was surprised to find that Bill was as well, when he was separated from the awful influence of Ian. Luke, specifically, was always willing to help, lend a hand, though he ended up getting the short hand of the stick when it came time for assignments to be handed out. Too many times, he was demoted to paralegal or assistant on Christina's more high-profile cases, though he never seemed anything but cheerful about the whole thing.

She realized why he was so kind to her on the fourth month since her first day at Fletcher, and that was when he cornered her at her office at the end of the day to casually proposition her for a date. He didn't put it in quite those words – what with office romances and the way they were looked upon, especially in institutions such as these – but it was very clear, what his intentions were. She decided to bite, and now, months later, she was glad that she did. It had been too long since Christina had entertained a man so genuine and bright-spirited that she truly enjoyed every moment of Luke's company, and she was sure that he felt the same way about her.

Sometimes, though, she looked to Lila and Ian, their no-holds-barred, barely-held-together workmanship, and wondered if either of them would settle for what she thought of as the best relationship.

Ian had the nib of his expensive German Pelikan pen in his mouth, and Lila couldn't stop looking at it. The sleeves of his Oxford were rolled up, and the blazer he usually wore was thrown haphazardly over his chair. His hair was a mess, his tie was loosened, and put together, he had never looked sexier.

The document he held in his right hand was of the criminal defense case he was reviewing. As always, he'd chosen her as his second chair, taking pleasure out of the paralegal status he'd relegated her to, and she'd gone along with it only after a long, fire-hot argument and the reminder of just who was the boss. Deep down, however, Lila knew he'd chosen her because he knew she was the best. As much as they disagreed over common conversation, they worked like peanut butter and jelly when they were put together on a suit.

In this particular case, the lines were rather blurry, and she could see that it was bothering him. The look of playful flirtation, haughty flirtation at times, was replaced by the haggard, wear-and-tear look she'd seen on his father's face too many times. Though Ian was the head of the company now – his father was retired and living peacefully in a cottage near the seaside – there were times when it was noticeable that the stress of being in charge was getting to him.

"Well?" she said, in a more gentle voice than the tone she usually took with him.

He looked up at her, blinking in bewilderment, and then looked back down at the paper. "We need to argue self-defence."

"But it wasn't self-defence," said Lila. "There isn't even a scuff mark on the supposed victim."

His lips twitched just slightly, and because she was looking at them, she noticed, not that she would ever confess to the fact. "Go and work for the prosecution then," he replied easily, tossing the file down on the table. It was a very Ian thing to do – mull over a document for a moment, come up with a decision and stick by it. By the look on his face, Lila could accurately assume that on his way out of the office, he'd flirt with at least three of his employees.

"Decided that quickly, I suppose," she said lightly. Ian looked up from the files he was stacking on his desk and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I did," he responded, a slight haughtiness in his tone. "Were you expecting me not to?"

"No," she shrugged. "You looked rather worried for a moment, that's all."

"I see," said Ian, flipping through one of his old cases, probably determining whether it was worth keeping or not. But, because Lila knew him so well, she could anticipate the shredder being its next living place. "Did it bother you?"

"Why would it bother me?" Lila asked, pointing at herself. "On the contrary – I like to watch you squirm."

There was a noticeable smirk on his face now, and she realized how her words could be interpreted. "Oh, I'm sure you do," said Ian, casually disposing of the file on the desk once more. He slipped his hands inside his pockets and walked around his desk towards her. Lila kept her right hand on the table for leverage and looked up at him. Close proximities were not strange at all to Lila and Ian by now, above all in private. Their chests touched, their hips brushed, and they breathed very much of the same air, and neither minded in the least.

Ian's eyes flicked to the open office door, where, for now, the people outside were focused on their own work. If he made a move to close said door while Lila was still inside, it would be noticeable. But they couldn't very well begin their usual routine when the door was wide open, so for now, he would have to behave. One step, and Ian had put enough distance between himself and his pseudo-secretary to be appropriate. Her lips hitched in a sly grin, but she didn't articulate anything.

Lila picked up the file and tucked it into her arm. "I'll start writing up the opening arguments, then." Her voice was casual, but restrained. Ian smoothed his tie and sat down behind the desk. Though Lila was not the type to parade herself around – as she put it, like a tramp or street walker – her hips swayed in a very natural, nonchalant manner that was in itself very alluring. He watched her leave that way, fingers stroking his chin and smirk firm on his lips.

"Tease," he murmured.

Tease, indeed. ;) I'm having a lot of fun writing this particular pairing. Please review and let me know if you love 'em as much as I do!

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