Chapter Text
The office Satinalia party of Inquisition Enterprises was always a little out of control, and it gave its CEO a ping of delight. Juliet Trevelyan was no nonsense, plain spoken, staid and button-down, but this one night of the year, she dropped the boss act to carouse and swear and down shots with her loyal employees. The Inquisition handled all kinds of business - magical research, security (both the technological kind and the kind that required muscle) and legal services, and prided themselves on doing a great deal of non-profit aid work. Her company sided with the underdogs and the just; Juliet's lawyers worked on war crime cases, her tech officers made sure elections in disputed regions were fair and unhacked, and after all of her employees were fairly compensated, the company's profits funded units of healing mages who were sent to the war torn corners of the world. They employed ex-Templars who needed help getting back on their feet after years of lyrium use, they provided shelter to runaway teen mages who had been thrown out of their parents homes. Everyone in her employ was dedicated to making the Thedas a better place, but tonight was about the punch bowl in the center of the office. Dorian made sure it never ran low with a mere snap of his jaunty fingers, but others kept stopping by to add more booze to it, and it was getting strong and people were getting sloppy. Leliana, her head of tech surveillance, threw an arm around Juliet's shoulder and leaned on her heavily as they watched half the legal team pour into the party. Leliana rarely got like this, so Jules knew things were about to go sideways.
"We need more cups, Jules. Did you get more cups? Why'd you only buy, like 12 cups?", she slurred into Juliet's ear.
"That was Sera's job, not mine. My only job tonight is to make sure you guys don't burn the building down."
"Oh come on, it was just that one time, and we had it under control," Sera retorted, ambling up to them to push her cup against theirs in a drunken toast.
They watched as a man with a punch stain on his shirt dipped his empty coffee mug right into the bowl to get another helping. Josephine was the next one to join them as she tsk-tsked this display.
"Must we get like this every year? It's embarrassing and - a little uncouth."
Leliana rolled her eyes as she poured a bit of her drink into her friend's cup. "Spoken like a true PR and communications director. Why don't you go over there and flirt with Blackwall, pretend you're drunk and fall into his arms."
Josie flushed and it made the other three women laugh. "I do not flirt with him."
"He certainly flirts with you," Jules added before finishing what was in his cup. "I give you my blessing, Josie. The Inquisition has no official fraternization policy, as you can see - " Jules gestured to the party before them, where there was more than a few pairs of employees clearly flirting with each other and a few more who looked like they were trying to work their way to more private parts of the office. Juliet scanned the room until her eyes landed on Blackwall, who was stroking his beard and talking to a woman about something that made her nod in sympathy, over and over again. "Hmm, maybe he doesn't flirt with you, Josie. Maybe he just flirts with that curvy healer mage who just got divorced."
"She - what?!", Josie sputtered in disbelief, watching as the woman picked a bit of lint off of Blackwall's shirt sleeve. Leliana, Sera and Juliet all laughed as she took Leliana's cup from her, downed it, and headed across the room toward the pair. Sera gave Leliana an appreciative look. "You - always know how to manipulate people. It's - kinda cool, honestly."
Leliana gave Sera a playful pout. "Is it? Will you go get me another cup then?"
Sera nodded but then her nods turned into emphatic head shakes when two girls from accounting passed by, their arms hooked around each other's waists. She didn't even bother giving Leliana another sassy remark, she just followed the two right to the punch bowl, where Sera managed to slip between them and kiss each girl on the cheek. This left Leliana and Juliet on their own, and Leliana still cupless. While the two women watched the party, Leliana took Juliet's cup out of her hands and helped herself to a sip.
"Cullen looks handsome tonight, don't you think."
At the mere mention of his name, Juliet felt a ping of adrenaline and she had to make sure her tone was measured when she spoke. "I guess." Tonight her chief executive in charge of security was wearing a forest green v-neck sweater that just made his hair seem more golden and at the moment, he was listening to one of Dorian, head of the magical research division, going on about something. Dorian had clearly landed one of his trademark quips, and it made Cullen break into one of his crooked grins. Jules sighed, but then tried to make it sound like she had to cough.
"Go over there and see if he needs a refill, Jules. I've seen him glancing over here at you all night long."
"You're making things up, as usual."
Leliana elbowed her. "Chicken. All right then, if you won't go and talk to him, then find me my own cup. I'll even take a little paper one from the water cooler."
"Here, you take mine for now. I think I saw a whole package of them in the supply closet the other day, left over from last year."
Juliet gave her her red plastic party cup and turned to head toward the far corner of the office. The last thing she heard before she left was Leliana calling out to her, with a slur in her voice: "I'll send someone to help you!"
* * * * *
The damn light inside the supply closet wouldn't turn on, it looked like the lightbulb had burned out and nobody had thought to replace it. Jules used her smartphone to look around at the shelves and made a note to herself to chastise someone about how disorganized everything was. Why did they ever need pink copier paper to begin with? Who had been playing with the label machine and had stuck the word 'BUTTS' onto a shelf containing Inquisition letterhead? Jules started to feel her buzz ebbing away when she finally saw the package of plastic cups on the highest shelf. Even if she used the small, rickety looking step stool she might not be able to get them down, but she wanted to try. She always felt sheepish in the grocery store when she had to flag down a tall employee to help her get the almond milk just out of her reach. But this was different, this was her company, and her raging Satinalia party, she wanted to be the one to emerge into the room with the cups that everyone needed. She unfolded the old step stool and took two gingerly steps onto the rickety thing. Her fingertips brushed against the package and for a while she just tried to pinch the plastic and scoot it closer to the edge where it would just fall onto the floor but it wasn't working -
"Juliet, are you in here? Leliana said you could use a - "
Jules gasped when Cullen appeared in the doorway, sending a beam of light into the dark closet. The shock of his appearance made Jules lose her balance, one of her high heels got wedged into the metal lattice of the stool and then it was too late, she was definitely going to fall down inelegantly in front of a man she had been secretly lusting over since she hired him - she braced for her fall, hoping she didn't hit her head on the copier machine and bleed all over his brogues.
With a slight intake of breath, Jules landed in his arms instead, an arm around his neck. He smelled good, like pinon and mint, wild sage and cedar. Of course he would, everything about him was masculine and earthy, and the shoulders she was now leaning against were broad and strong.
Cullen put her down on her feet in front of him with a light chuckle and she was very aware of how close they were standing to each other - the closest she had ever been to him. He towered over her and Jules couldn't help but stare a little at that scar at the corner of his lips.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, just a little - you startled me..."
"I'm sorry, I only wanted to help. Do you need me to get those cups down for you?"
That voice, always so mesmerizing. There were times in the past when he had to call her after work hours or on the weekend to ask her something vital about Inquisition business and just the sound of his voice often made her need to sit down wherever she was so she could focus on what he was saying. It was hard to concentrate around him. Like right now, what was he even talking about?
"Cups?"
"For the party? I think Josie is afraid people are going to start picking up the punch bowl to drink right out of it... Juliet, are you sure you're fine, you look like you're going to faint? Or are you just tipsy?"
"I'm not tipsy."
"Ah, I... I see. Y-you're just - "
She gawked at him a little more, her cheeks burning. In the intimate, awkward pause, she watched him fumble for something to do or say to fill the silence, and as though she had willed him to touch her, Cullen reached up to brush a bit of her hair off her cheek. Without thinking, she tilted her head up at him so he was touching more of her face.
His expression changed from one of concern to something more enigmatic.
Oh fuck, maybe he doesn't like me, maybe I'm making a fool of myself.
Even in the dim light coming in from the door behind him, she could see his golden brown eyes studying her as she nuzzled her face against his broad palm. What was making her act like this? Was it the holiday spirit? Or was it just that here was her chance to be with him, even for a moment, in this dusty office supply closet? She had never been alone with him, not once. Everything between them was all work, all meetings and handshakes. If there were dinners, they were business dinners. Maybe she hugged him on his birthday last year, but it was because everyone else was hugging him, and she had simply been standing there. There was no way to know how he felt about her, but she had done all the things modern women do when they're a little obsessed with a man, she had combed his social media accounts, read his every status update, savored every selfie. Jules wanted him, for no real reason except that he was right under her nose, five days a week, looking the way he looked, with his courtly, gracious manners and ex-Templar's posture that made him different from every man she had ever met.
Jules took a bold half-step closer to him.
Come on, buddy. Kiss me. Kiss me. Kiss me! Do it you stupid, gorgeous, ridiculous -
Cullen leaned down and brushed his lips against hers, his hand still cupping her face. It was the merest contact but it made Jules's knees wobble beneath her. He pulled back too quickly, alarmed and worried.
"I'm sorry, Juliet, I shouldn't have - "
She cut him off, pulling him back down toward her, kissing him now, practically attacking his lips, one hand on the back of his neck creeping up into his hair, the other on his shoulder trying to keep him there, keep him from re-thinking what they were doing. He inhaled sharply, wove his arms around her, and kissed her back with a small groan that aroused her in an instant. Then his lips were up and down her neck, until they landed near her earlobe.
"Juliet -" The sound of his voice right against her ear made her shiver.
"Lock the door," she commanded, using her best boardroom voice.
He let her go for a moment and spun around to push the door closed behind him and then lock it. They were enveloped in darkness again, save a bit of light filtering in from beneath the door. For a moment, they were silent and all they could hear was the sounds of the party in the other room. Jules felt panicked for a moment. Maybe he was thinking they shouldn't do this, she was his boss, maybe he had crossed a line and didn't want to ruin their working relationship.
Maybe he wasn't thinking about any of that at all.
She felt him grab her arm, a little roughly, as he guided her to stand in front of him again, her back against the copying machine. Cullen fully pressed himself against her and they were kissing once more, messy, hot, hungry kissing that made her hope that maybe all this time he had been lusting after her as well. He tasted like the whiskey he had been sipping all night long, the juvenile punch bowl hadn't interested him, and she was blown away by the way he kissed - sometimes soft, gentle, shy, exploratory, and then sometimes ravenous, like he was trying to devour her whole so that nobody could ever kiss her again. It made her shudder, but he wasn't touching her, he simply kept her wrapped in his arms and she wanted more, so much more than that.
"Cullen, touch me, you can touch me - "
He hummed an excited "OK!" against her lips before obeying her, and then his hands were everywhere, he untucked her blouse and cupped one of her breasts, reaching into her bra to knead her flesh, there was a hand on her ass squeezing her tight. She wanted all of it, she didn't care how fast they were moving for two people who had been nothing but professionally cordial with each other. She raised a knee so she could feel more of his hard erection in his pants, pressed against her thigh. Jules rubbed herself against it, wanton and drunk on desire for him. He moaned in response, right against her lips.
"I want you, Cullen."
"Are you sure?"
"Doesn't it look like I'm sure?"
Juliet let go of his shoulder and rubbed her palm against his cock, straining against his pants. He swallowed and she enjoyed the sight of him paused on the brink of his thirst for her. Something was holding him back. She wanted to destroy that last little inhibition.
She started unbuckling his belt.
Cullen gave up, his mouth landing on hers in a bruising kiss. She pushed his pants down far enough and reached into his briefs to grip and caress him. She hissed a little upon discovering that her hopes had come true, he had an appealing, thick cock, stiff and pulsing in her hand.
"Fuck, Juliet, you - " His breath hitched as she pulled him out of his briefs and pumped him a few times.
"What?"
He laughed, low and seductive. "Your hands are so soft. Everything, soft. As soft as I thought you'd be -"
Jules felt high for a moment, he had just admitted he had thought about her, and in the very same manner she had thought about him. He unbuttoned her blouse as fast as he could and then he laughed again.
"Yes. Front-clasping bra. My lucky night."
They giggled together for a moment until he freed her breasts to his gaze and he stared at her exposed skin. Another groan slipped out of his mouth before he dipped his head to draw one of her nipples into his mouth. She continued grinding against him, her skirt riding up farther and farther until he popped her nipple out of his mouth.
"You're not drunk, right? You, really, actually want me?"
"Yes, Maker's taint, do you want me to fill out some forms or something? I know you love paperwork."
He shook his head at her. "No, no, no - no paperwork." She guided his head back down toward her other nipple, putting him back to work. He flicked his tongue against it, working it around, making her wetter and wetter, as his other hand began travelling south. She felt him push aside her panties, which were already wet, so he could rub two fingers against her clit.
"Please, Cullen, please..."
He dipped those two fingers into her. "Trevelyan, anyone who comes in here after us, is going to smell your sex in the air." He removed his hand from her quim and licked his own fingers. "Maker, you are so sweet, I just have to - "
Before she could react, he had dropped to his knees before her, yanking her panties down. He lifted one of her legs so she could slip out of them and then held her open, pushing one knee up. She leaned back against the copying machine, using it for balance as he parted her cunt with two fingers. For a moment, he did nothing, he just looked at her pussy, hot and ready for him.
"What do you want me to do? What do you need?" he asked, voice heavy with longing.
Jules could hardly believe the words tumbling out of her mouth, toward this man she barely knew, staring at her cunt. "Lick it. Lick all of it. Put your tongue in it. Eat it, Cullen."
She saw his tongue reach out of his mouth just before it made sweet contact with her plump, swollen clit, and anyone walking past the closet would certainly be able to hear her loud groaning. He drew circles around her pearl, pushed it back and forth on the tip of his tongue, side to side, over and over again. Juliet had to hold on to the copier behind her as he sent rapturous pleasure all over her body. Juliet let her head dip back as she thought of the irony of it all, he was often a little awkward in meetings, he stuttered and stammered around her, but here he was, showing her how talented his mouth could be as he pushed his tongue deep within her and then sucked her clit between his lips. Cullen let go of her knee and she realized he was stroking himself while pleasing her. It was all too much, she wished they could slow down and enjoy themselves a bit but she needed more, and right away.
"Cullen, I want you inside me."
He looked up at her and licked his lips, still savoring the taste of her. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, put that - inside me, please."
He stood up, determination all over his face. He pushed her up against the copier again and aimed himself right at her.
"I... Can't believe we're doing this."
"I'm fine with it if you are!" she responded, holding on to his shoulders and trying not to sound so gleeful, but it was impossible.
This was probably the greatest night of her life.
Juliet kept her eyes locked on his as he lifted her up off her feet by the back of the knees and leaned her against the copier. She gripped his cock and guided it into her and in one, slow, perfect thrust he sunk into her to the hilt. It made her gasp, and a little "wow" slipped out of her mouth. He grinned at her, proud and predatory, as he began to move his hips.
"Oh Maker, it has - been a while."
"Well then, I better..."
He pushed his hips forward and it made Juliet's eyes roll back in her head and the copier behind her bump into the wall. Cullen leaned in to breathe in her scent and then thrusted again, swearing to himself a bit before he began to work up a proper rhythm. They didn't speak after that, it was impossible to, with their tongues weaving around each other. They panted and groaned together, Juliet combing her fingers through the waves of his hair. Her internal voice of anxiety told her to touch him as much as she could, she'd probably never get to do this again. He had called her skin so soft earlier, but he was also surprisingly soft in places. His earlobes were like velvet, his lips were plush except for that bit of scar tissue that she had nibbled at, his curls were downright silken. Would he want to be with her again? Was this it?
Please don't let this be it, please, Andraste, let me have him again, and again, and again -
Cullen was pounding into her now, making the machine behind them creak with his efforts and slam against the wall over and over again. She watched a bit of sweat rolling down the side of his face as he took a half step backward so she was leaning back even more and she had to wrap her legs around him to keep him tight inside of her. Now he was hitting that sweet spot deep inside her, slamming into her, filling the air with the sticky sound of her sex meeting his, using all the power in his body to rut her thoroughly. Juliet let go now, moaning a long stream of swears as her orgasm bloomed from inside her, squeezing him tight, and then opened her eyes just in time to see what his face looked like when he came. Maker, he was too sexy, she would never forget that curl of his lip, the way his eyes glowed down at her, and the gasp of utter satisfaction that turned into a helpless, long grunt he made as he emptied himself inside of her.
He pulled out of her slowly as he eased her back down onto her feet, and the spell of their stolen moment began to fade back into reality. He had fucked her so hard one of her shoes had come off, and as she slid her panties back on, she realized she had been so aroused her inner thighs were slick and wet. They said nothing as they pulled their clothes back into place and smoothed themselves down as best as they could.
"Juliet, you look - like someone just fucked you in the supply closet."
She fussed with her hair but it only made him laugh again, which didn't matter, she liked the sound of his laughter. "There's not much you can do about it. Your lips are all pink and swollen, your cheeks are flushed."
She tucked her blouse back into her skirt and glanced at him, feeling too shy to look at him the way he was looking at her. "We should go back to the party separately, because, you know, um..."
A flicker of hurt appeared in his eyes but it was replaced quickly with his usual professional efficiency. "No, definitely, you're right. I wouldn't want anyone to think that..." He lost his train of thought and rubbed the back of his neck.
"I'm your boss. And..."
He stood closer to her, brushing a bit of her hair off her shoulders. "I wouldn't want anyone to be disrespectful toward you. Not tonight. Not ever."
Juliet wanted to throw herself into his arms after he said that but she was busy staying so still as he wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger. His voice grew husky again. "You know, sometimes in meetings, when you're going on and on about something - "
"I do not go 'on and on' - but go on."
He smiled for a moment and then continued. "I always notice your hair is so black that when the light hits it, you see - silver." His hand was now resting against the back of her neck and for a hopeful second, she wondered if they could pull off another round of supply closet love-making.
"Well, now I know what you're really thinking when I'm going on and on about something."
He leaned down and she tilted her head up at the same time and the kiss was gentle, and unforgettable.
"We should get back. I'll come out first, with the cups."
* * * * *
Jules waited exactly seven minutes before leaving the supply closet, and then circled down a back hallway to her office to touch up her makeup. She sat down at her desk for a moment and thought about what had just happened. Her office was in the northwest corner of the building, she had big windows behind her and windows that faced the executive wing of the building. All she had to do was turn her head to the left just a bit and she was looking at the windows of Cullen's office. Many times when she, Cullen, Leliana and Josie had to work late, she would look up and glance at him, his head bowed over his laptop, or some contracts, and the sight of his tireless dedication usually spurred her on. Jules rubbed her forehead, tears creeping into her eyes. How were they going to work together after what they had just done? Was he going to tell the other men in the office? Would everyone figure it out? She couldn't fire him, he was too good at his job, nor had she any cause to - nor did she want to.
A second wave of anxiety broke over her.
She wasn't on any birth control.
It had been four years since her last steady boyfriend, and casual hookups had never been appealing to her. She stood up and started dumping stuff into her purse and putting away her laptop. She swore when a few lights clicked on in the office outside and started to move faster. When she looked up again, it was Cassandra in her doorway, one of Cullen's most loyal employees.
"Juliet? People are looking for you, they want to do the toast now, while everyone is still standing."
"Oh, I, I have to go, I'm not feeling well, I should - "
Cass crossed her arms and her posture gaining even more authority somehow.
"You know you always give the toast. Just come out here and give it and then you can sneak away to do whatever it is you're doing."
"I wasn't going to sneak away - "
"That's exactly what people say when they are caught sneaking. Come along. Just get it over with, I want to get home too. I'm reading quite a good book right now, and I'd like to get back to it."
Cass practically escorted her back to the party in the main part of the office and right into the middle of the party, by the still overflowing punch bowl. A few Inquisition employees brought her a chair and forced her to get up on it, and then someone put a plastic party cup back into her hand. She drank from it deeply and everyone applauded, beaming their holiday happiness at her. She cleared her throat and forced herself to speak.
"Thank you everyone. We have had a fabulous year. We helped so many people and there are many more to help in the coming year. So enjoy your holiday break. Only answer your phone if Leliana is calling - "
Juliet paused for the genial laughter and then looked up at the crowd around her. Cullen wasn't right before her, but a few people away - and due to his height, it felt like it was just the two of them, above everyone else. Right then, she knew everything had changed and there was certainly no going back. He was looking at her like he knew her - gone was the professional detachment, the code of business behavior, she was not just his boss anymore but a woman he had kissed, caressed, licked and touched. And Juliet knew she was blushing, she could feel her cheeks heat up.
"I - Um. So. Just. You know. Keep drinking and stuff. Call for a taxi, nobody drive home! I can tell none of you should drive home alone. That's it, I'm out of things to say. Happy Satinalia to you all, Maker bless you, and bless our efforts, our families - and our loved ones."
She couldn't help it, she looked at Cullen right as everyone raised their cups - but as soon as everyone had returned to the drinking at hand, she slipped out of the room before he could reach her side. She grabbed her things, pulled her coat on, and raced for the parking lot.
All the way to the drugstore, she willed herself not to cry. She didn't want to be that woman in the line at the pharmacy with puffy red eyes, buying the morning after pill on her own - but this is who she was. She grabbed a few other things she hoped would make her feel better tomorrow, candy, junk food, glittery nail polish that wasn't her style, and a plastic Satinalia wreath, and got in line thinking about what she had done. It was her fault, right? She had thrown herself at Cullen, who until tonight, had been nothing but a gentleman.
At least she didn't have to see him right away, she had at least a week to calm down about all of this. The line moved up a person and Jules came up with her mantra to deal with this situation:
It was just something that happened, that's all.
She touched her own lips for a moment, still feeling him there.