Loving Maverick

I Owe You An Apology...Don't Get Use To That

"What have I done? What have I done? What have I done?" 

He repeated this to himself as his personal elevator took him to his office. He had been asking himself this since the night it happened. He went to sleep asking himself this and then woke up asking himself the same question.

When he finally came into his office, he started mumbling to himself, frustrated with the way that he had acted that evening. How was he going to tell Stefano and his brothers what he had done? Should he even tell Stefano and his brothers? What if she told Stefano and his brothers?!

"Mr. Singh?"

Maverick nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard her voice from behind him. When he turned around, Stevie was standing there, sheepishly staring at him. That day her hair was partially topped with a reasonably sized bun while the rest fell in her natural long curls down her back. She pushed her glasses up and the simple gesture alone affected Maverick. 

"Wha-hi-hey-good morning Ms. Vidal?"

She seemed amused. "Vidal? You had to question your greeting?" She chuckled sheepishly. Surely, she was still a  little embarrassed by what happened that night as well.

"I-I apologize." Maverick uptightly replied.

"Oh, well I guess that's to be expected since you're-"

"I really don't feel like talking to you right now." Maverick snapped all of a sudden. He looked up just in time to catch the glimpse of hurt on Stevie's face at what he had said. "Why are you in here anyway?" He suddenly hated himself for how rude he was.

She tried to recover her expression by clearing her throat and nodding obediently. "I'm...sorry." She said. "I...will go to my office." She placed some folders on his desk and started to leave. "Those are files that need to be looked at today and you have a conference call in twenty minutes. Coffee is...well...unfortunately, I did not have time to fix it." She looked at him. "But I'm sure that you can manage." She then left Maverick in his office.

The remainder of the day, a word was barely exchanged between the two and then tension was quite obvious. Even Abhimanyu noticed that something was off when he came in to visit his son to talk to him about a few potential clients.

"Is everything alright? Between you and Ms. Vidal?" He asked.

Part of Maverick felt as if maybe he hoped that he would say no because he was the one that suggested that Maverick let her go in the first place.

"I'm not firing her dad" Maverick replied with annoyance as he continued to look through his folders.

Abhimanyu apparently thought this outburst amusing. "Why would you assume that that was the reason why I would ask such a question?"

Maverick turned his gaze up to his father. "You know why." He countered before returning his attention back to his paperwork.

"Can you blame me?" He asked his son. "It seems that she is quite adept at unprofessionalism, don't you think?"

"And how do you intend on explaining your opinions to her father, dad?" He asked.

Abhu smirked. "Well her father knows that I am not one to mince words or let people slide instead of taking responsibility for their actions. That includes his lovely young daughter."

"Well, his lovely young daughters has been a great help in some of the innovative designs that you have been getting from me of late." He looked at his father. "And I'm not letting her go."

"Oh?" He looked behind him and closed the door, he then looked over the glass window and into his assistant's office. It was actually hard to look in if you aren't endowed with height, but from where he stood he could see her reasonably enough. "She...really is a lovely young lady." He complimented again. He then looked at his son. "You sure that there isn't another reason as to why you do not want to let this one go?"

"What?!" Maverick incredulously looked at his father. "What are you saying?"

"You know exactly what I am saying, son." Abhimanyu looked at Maverick. "Is there...something that you should be telling me-"

Maverick stood from where he sat. "I am not sleeping with her if that is what you are accusing me of. Second, I really don't owe you any explanation." Maverick said, offended by his father's accusation. 

"You seem pretty worked up for someone that has not done such things."

"Garrett and his company are looking to scout her." Maverick defended. "That is what she adds to the table." He spat. "How dare you accuse me of something so unprofessional?" He hissed. "I-" He could not necessarily say that he would never do something like sleep with Stevie Vidal because even in knowing that she was off-limits did not mean that he would not think about it which was just as bad as doing it.

"I apologize if I crossed the line, son," Abhimanyu said.

"If?" Maverick sneered. "If you crossed the line when you clearly just did." 

Abhu sighed. "I'm sorry, Mav." He apologized. "I just...I remember the uptight man that was hard-pressed to hire just anyone and now this girl-one that has gotten you arrested-falsely accused you...and she-"

"Went to the precinct and not only dropped the charges but explained what happened. She has tirelessly worked hard to make it up to me as well as this company. And she has looked out for me since she stepped through the door-every schedule, every meeting-phone call-you name it, is very precise and she has immense potential. And she does all of this even while having to live with these crippling migraines that-"

"Okay, alright, I get it." Abhu resigned. 

Maverick at this point, did not even want to talk to his father anymore. Not at the moment anyway. He walked to the door of his office and opened it, the guilt of how he treated Stevie earlier eating at him even more now after what he had expressed to his father about her.

"I keep her around because she is a good employee, dad. Don't ever forget that." 

Abhimanyu could tell that he pressed a few buttons. "I see that now." He replied. "Guess, I've worn out my welcome, huh?"

"Apparently, so." Maverick curtly replied. "We done testing my loyalties to my assistant?"

Abhu smirked. "I'll see you later, son." He then walked out of the office.

Stevie was making rough draft copies of a design in her office when she heard a soft knocking at her door. When she turned around, she saw Maverick's father standing in the doorway of her office.

"Mr. Singh!" She gasped and quickly turned around. "Hi-hello, sir!" She gulped. 

"Hello, Ms. Vidal." He greeted. "How are you today?" He asked.

"I-I'm fine, thank you for asking." She replied. "I hope you're doing well." 

He smiled. "Quite well actually. I've just done a review of your work here...seems you have a glowing rapport with my son. He seems to think that our potential investing partner has their eye on you." 

Stevie blushed. "Oh, well, I don't know anything about that."

"I trust that even if you did, you'd stay loyal to this company." He replied.

"Of course, I plan to." She said.

Abhimanyu raised his brow. "Plan to? Interesting choice of words, don't you think?" He asked.

Stevie smiled. "Maybe, but it is the only true answer that I can give you, sir." She didn't want to offend him but she wasn't much for lying either.

"And why is that?" He asked.

She simply shrugged. "You never know what the future brings, sir." She said. "If I'm not being treated fairly or am at risk of messing up the integrity and reputation of Mr. Singh or you for example."

"Are you at risk of ruining our integrity?" Abhu asked.

"No, sir." Stevie honestly replied. "Not consciously, but then again I guess Mr. Singh is the only one that could truly answer that considering he is on the outside looking in on concerning my work ethic." She said.

"True." He agreed. "Next question, are you being treated fairly?"

Aside how Maverick treated her earlier, she could not deny that she wasn't. In truth, she enjoyed being at Maverick Industries and working for Maverick, despite the compromising situation that they found themselves in the night before. She smiled. "Not at all, sir." She finally said.

Abhu returned her smile. "Then I trust that we will not be losing you, no time soon."

"No time soon, sir." Stevie retorted with a smile.

He nodded. "Have a nice day, Ms. Vidal and tell your father that I said hello." He started to leave and then doubled back. "And also, I feel I should apologize for the way that I spoke to you the last time that we met. It was quite lacking in respect. I hope you'll accept my apology."

"Of course!" Stevie replied. "I spoke out of turn and was quite unprofessional myself and for that, I am sorry as well. I'm sure my father nor mother would have approved."

"You were only looking out for your boss, Ms. Vidal. I am quite sure that your parents would approve." He reassured her and then nodded before taking his leave.

After he left, Stevie exhaled and leaned against the copier machine for a little while, thinking about what just happened before she grabbed her papers up and went back to her desk to grab the files that the rough draft design matched up with, along with the notes. She dated the folder and then started to leave her office to give the file to Maverick, though admittedly she was nervous about seeing him again after his blow-up that morning.

She turned around and headed for the door when she bumped into him. "Oh!" She gasped and backed up. "I was...um, here." She handed him the folder. "This needs to be looked over. The client called with some last-minute notes that they wanted to add on to the structure and I thought you might want to-"

"I'm sorry, Stevie."  Maverick interrupted her.

It was only then that Stevie actually looked at him. She was so caught off guard by his abrupt apology that the first thing that she thought to do was ask what he was talking about, but she didn't. She didn't know what to say or how to respond. 

"For today..for yesterday. I was so unprofessional. I-I don't know what came over me." He sighed. "I had one too many beers and you have to understand that I've not been with a woman...in a," He scoffed as he thought about it. "A long time and I-I don't know. And then I come to you today in such a disrespectful manner and-"

"Stop." She said. "You don't have to explain yourself to me, Mr. Singh." She shrugged and gave him the files. "Maybe I did something that..." 

When she started to walk away, Maverick took her hand, causing her to stop. She turned around and looked at him curiously. 

"You didn't do anything to deserve anything that I did to you yesterday or today." He reassured her. "I just..." His words trailed off. Not because he was afraid to tell her how he felt, but...he wasn't sure if it was appropriate for him to do so. What if by some miracle she felt the same way? Knowing that he could not pursue his best friend's little cousin would just complicate things and he just...he couldn't do that to her or himself. "I'm sorry, Stevie." He stepped closer to her as his desire was to be close to her. Unfortunately, that was just something that he could not change and he'd just have to live with it. "I hope that you can forgive me."

She looked up into his magnetic eyes and even if she wanted to she could not deny forgiving him. "Of course," Stevie finally said with a teasing smile. "Just don't get too soft on me." 

Maverick sighed. "It's hard not to be with that smile." He let slip before he could even think about what he was saying. Immediately after he closed his eyes in frustration with himself. He started open his mouth to apologize again when he heard her chuckle.

"Was that a compliment?!" She teased. "Wow! I think I'll have to write that in my little anime book under the important notes that Mr. Singh needs to remember." 

He appreciated how lightly she took the moment. It saved him from making things even more awkward than he had already done. "Don't get use to it, Ms. Vidal."

Stevie shrugged. "Fine." She said. "I think I like it when you call me Stevie, better by the way."

Maverick smirked. "Don't get use to that either."