Secretary Lunch
#2 of A Cougar Tail
The florescent lights in the break room, hummed faintly as it they let out the light on the excited individuals below. At small tables were small groups, talking about various other things, so long as it had nothing to do with the work day. Lunch time was supposed to be a break from work anyway, so why talk about it?
At one table, a plastic fork pushed a small shrimp across the microwave food container, most of the contents remaining uneaten. The paw moved idly, just shifting back and forth slightly. Golden brown eyes focused on the plate just enough to keep track of the shrimp. It was more instinct or habit that kept a track of the item more than effort. The mind behind those eyes were mostly elsewhere.
A flash of movement caused the daydreaming to come to an end. The feline eyes flicked to catch the sight of a black fur covered paw shot out, the fork it was holding piercing the shrimp on the tines to stop the movement and skewer the meat. Just as quickly, the fork pulled away, the cooked crustacean disappearing before gleaming white teeth.
The lips closed into a smile on the grey tipped muzzle as it started to chew. Dark blue eyes gleamed with mischief, looking at the feline before them before finally swallowing.
"Maria," growled the feline, "That was my shrimp."
"And it was delicious," the other female responded with a teasing tone. "Beside," she started to get more serious, "I was starting to worry. You didn't even see me sit down and it looks like you haven't touched your food. Is something wrong?"
"You mean aside from a Maned Wolf about half my age trying to act like a mother toward me?" Cinnamon responded, but without any anger behind it. "I was just thinking about yesterday." She looked down, poking at the food again. "I had an interesting time during my jog in the park yesterday, and I met a new neighbor. It was kind of odd because he was owning a house and was close to your age. Last name was kind of strange too. What was it?" She rubs her jaw some, "Baggins? Bogger?" She rubbed at her jaw more while she thought about it.
Maria's eyes went wide. She turned to grab a magazine from her bag, flipping through it and setting it down in front of Cinnamon. One black furred finger pointed at a picture of a lynx in a full business suit. The figure stood there confidently, hints of aged hair showing around his ears, muzzle and cheeks
"Did he look like this?" she asked curiously, tapping the finger slightly. The mountain lioness studied the image slightly.
"Well," she finally responded slowly, "he looked younger, closer to your age, but other than that, yes."
The Maned Wolf let out an excited shriek, clamping her paws to her muzzle to shut it as soon as it came out and looking around embarrassedly at all the others who have turned to look at the source. She sank down in her seat, giving a small embarrassed smile as everyone slowly went back to what they were doing. She straightened herself back up, clearing her throat as she turned her attention back to her friend.
"This,' she said calmly, "is Lucas Bobbins, owner and CEO of Bobtail industries. He has a son that is about twenty by the name of Mycroft who is to start a business of his own and prove that he is able to someday take over Bobtail Industries. That must have been who you met." The younger female was practically bouncing up and down in her seat as she was talking.
"Wow," Cinnamon teased, "you seem to know a lot about this. Seems like you've come a long way from when you spent all your time reading things like Cosmo, Vogue and all those teen magazines."
"Well I'm not a teenager any more," the younger female said, trying to look indignant, "Besides, this secretarial job slash internship doesn't guarantee that I will get to be a lawyer, legal aid or paralegal with the law firm. I have to start looking for a way to get myself seen and known so that I can be a success and get hired properly when I get my degree."
The cougar fem looked at the mane wolf sitting across from her and started to grin. Her ears shifted as her tail flicked, watching with amusement as the conversation caused Maria to become more enthusiastic.
"You'll be a wonderful lawyer Maria," she teased with a grin, "After all, you were the one who would first talk Connie into doing something you know she shouldn't then when you two got caught, tried to get out of it by reminding her of her rights, then finally..." rubs her chin, "What was it you said?...‘Negotiate the terms of her punishment' I believe. And to think you didn't even want to be a lawyer then. No, you were going to be mechanic. First on starships, then when you got older on vintage cars."
"That is something I would rather not talk about," she mumbled before saying in a clearer voice, "We're getting off subject. If I'm right, then you have Mycroft Bobbins, the future heir to Bobtail Industries living in your neighborhood. Do you know if you can introduce me?" the mane wolf fem's eyes narrowed and ears pulled back as a mischievous grin hinted at her lips. "Do you know if he's single?"
"I just met him by accident yesterday when I was getting home from my jog," Cinnamon responded. "Tell you what, if I manage to see him again, I'll see if I can invite him over to dinner some night. Then I'll invite you so you can interrogate him yourself." She looked down at her watch and sighed, "But now I have to go back to work. If they realize they don't need me there to ignore the phones while it rings, I don't know what will happen."
Maria watched as Cinnamon walked off to return to her desk, the younger female continuing to eat her own meal. Her mind shifted to her friend more as she thought. It had been a while since the mountain lioness's husband had left her. Maria considered that maybe her friend should start dating again and that Mycroft might be a good way to do that. The article said that Lucas was widowed, so maybe if Mycroft met Cinnamon, they would like each other, and maybe with Maria's help, the young lynx could be convinced to introduce the cougar could his father. She stretched out some, eating her own meal as she thought on the subject.
That evening as Cinnamon drove home from work, she slowed down as she caught sight of Mycroft himself walking along the sidewalk. It turned out to be a bit of a surprise when she pulled up and parked in her driveway only to have him come up to her.
"Good evening Mr. Bobbins," she said as she saw him approaching, "What can I do for you?"
"Hello Mrs. Kroger," he said gently, shifting as he seemed nervous, "Actually, there kind of is. You know I'm new to this neighborhood, and most of the area around here in fact. So far you are the only person I've managed to meet and start getting to know, so I thought that maybe you would be willing to help show me around and find out about what is where or such."
The cougar looked at the lynx a moment, watching him. Mycroft seemed to be nervous, looking at his feet just a bit with the large ears twitching slightly.
"Alright," she finally agreed, "Pick me up Friday at eight and I'll show you around a few places. Maybe even show you a few restaurants you can take your girlfriend to." She gave him a smile, then turned and started walking up the driveway.
The lynx eyes glanced up, catching sight of her tail and bottom in her skirt. He found himself watching a moment before going back home.