Peter sat at reception talking to a pretty young blonde girl, pretending that his massive smile and straight forward talking was professional. She had sucked him right in with her smiley face and fluttery eyelashes and it was almost completely un tennis related.

Except the fact that she was trying to book yoga lessons, or at least that's how their conversation started. Completely innocent with a few flirty undertones. Jessie watched from the side of the room where she was helping another employee clear tables, Peter met her eyes as the girl raked through her purse and grinned, Jessie laughed and shook her head.

But then, to Peter's brief confusion, her expression turned fearful and her body language became rigid. She stopped what she was doing, cloth held tightly in her grip and started straight ahead at the automatic double doors that had opened for someone. Peter frowned, and whilst the lady was still preoccupied, allowed himself to turn towards the door.

He too found himself in a state of shock, eyes wide, body chilling, frozen to the chair he sat on. The woman looked up, a sweet angelic smile plastered on her face, she looked back and forth between the visitor and Peter, blissfully unaware of the situation.

Surely, Peter thought, he's not scheduled for another visit.

The antibacterial spray that Jessie had been using was bitter lemon, and as per usual she had used way too much and the pungent smell was beginning to stink out the reception. The visitor crinkled his nose at the acidity and stepped forward, stopping briefly to look at the staff photos on the wall.

Peter took this time to look back at Jessie, they shared an anxious expression. Jessie should've gone to warn the others, but she knew if she ran, he would hear her, he was adjusted to everything. Peter gestured with his head down at his paperwork and laptop and her table with an expression that read: "look busy". Jessie nodded and began to busy herself, her forehead crinkled as she stressed about him finding a spec of dirt.

Peter opened his emails and clicked on one randomly, he then turned his expression back to the blonde, watching the visitor in the corner of his eye. As soon as the girl was gone he would be the first. "Sorry mam, so, about those contact details?".

A young red head with clicking heels stumbled through the doors after the man, a clipboard in her hand. The small "oof" noise that she made cause him to turn, arms behind his back as if he were bloody Prince Charles, he raised his eyebrow at her and appeared displeased. Her face turned beet red and she adjusted her black framed glasses. "Sorry Sir...new shoes"

"Maybe you should've worn flats" he said, his face totally expressionless. The criticism of his tone caused her to nod and then bow her head.

They stepped forward onto the blue carpet and he found himself looking around, the crowd that was sat around in reception seemed surprised to see a man such as himself, in a pristine grey suit, perfectly polished shoes and styled dark brown but greying hair. He stared at a few with cold empty eyes and that was enough to send shivers down anyone's back.

To Peter's utter dismay, the women left not long after, clearly put off by what appeared to be his sudden disinterest. Now he wasn't occupied, he bowed his head to read the email, but he could feel his eyes watching him. He tried singing Lady Gaga in his head, one of Adam's tips, but he could hear the clicking of her heels getting closer.

"Hello Peter" his voice was monotone and deep, Peter's hairs on the skin of his arms and back of his neck stood on end and his heart began to beat fast. Peter took a deep breath through his nose and looked up, a wide welcoming smile on his face.

"Good morning Sir" he nodded at the suited man before him, not even flinching. "How are you today?"

He didn't reply, but simply nodded, Peter's smile wavered slightly, out of everyone in the tennis centre, Peter was one of the few people who could actually look this man in the face. Never was he greeted with a particularly warm reception, but he usually could keep a conversation going...yet it had been a while. To his luck, the man nodded again, as if in dismissal and turned to walk over to where he recognised Jessie whilst Peter crept away from the reception to try and warn the others. 

***

The door in front of Adam burst open and Peter leapt into the room, Adam looked up at him with a look of disapproval and raised an eyebrow. He was sat resting his head on his interlaced hands, reading over the data base that he had typed up a few days ago, he had emailed it to Marie, but Marie had said a few figures didn't seem to be matching up with her own data or whatever.

"Adam I-"

"I'm sure what you have to say is really interesting Hun, but I'm a bit busy right now" he said with a sassy smile, motioning his head to the endless rows of thin grey tables on a bright white document. "I've got to do this for Marie"

"But I-"

"I'll listen" Layla perked herself ontop of the separator that divided Adam's row of desks from her own. She was leant over her own desk, her tall torso flexible enough to do so, Adam glanced up at her and smiled almost falsely.

"Go ahead then Sweetie, if you need me I'll-"

He was cut across as the door to the office was pushed open, revealing a panicky looking Jessie with a shiny forehead from where she had started to sweat from being at the firing point of all his questions, and a professional looking man who she didn't recognise, he was being accompanied by a young women with red hair who was rapidly writing notes at presumably something Jessie had said.

Adam's remaining words dried in his mouth and he rose to his feet, Layla frowned, looking back and forth amongst the group of suddenly strictly professional people she'd called laid back colleagues.

She looked back at Peter, who had visibly tended up at the presence of this man, his slightly off posture correcting itself instantly, he too held a massive smile on his face, as if he was one of those sales clerks who stood in front of a kiosk and advertised their product until everyone bought one.

"Sir, we weren't expecting you, but it's very nice to see you again" Adam's voice had lowered a few octaves, it was no longer what he loved to call camp, but it sounded...wrong. Like someone had forced him into a suit and pushed him into an office full of homophobes.

"As it is you Adam, I've heard wonderful things about you from Jessie" Adam side glanced at Jessie, a fake-welcoming grin slapped onto his expressions as Jessie pressed her lips together and shrugged. The red-haired girl accompanying him nodded vigorously, tapping her pen against her clipboard as if to back up the point.

"Ah where are my manners! Sir, this is Layla...."

***

On the other side of the tennis centre, Eddie was carrying out his usual fitness routine with Jay. He was running laps around the hall, stopping occasionally to lift some weights with his good arm, do some lunges, or sit ups. Jay seemed pretty happy with Eddie's progress, making notes in Eddie's progress diary that Marie had come up with. He reached up and pushed the fitness band up slightly from where it had slipped on his head, he really needed a hair cut.

His eyes drifted over to the window in the door where Layla appeared, a warm smile englufled his features as his whole face lit up. But she looked confused, like something had happened but nobody had explained it. She opened the door and in stepped her, Peter, Adam and well...

"Oh" Jay held his breath, even at a distance his very presence chilled Jay's bones. The sound of Eddie's trainers squeaking on the floor signaled that he had seen him too, and unlike how the rest of them could quickly adapt to having this man in their presence, Eddie was only good with certain people and he could already sense the awkward nervousness radiating off of him.

"There he is! My shining little tennis star!" Layla frowned as he seemed to snap out of his formal deamonour and into a sort of weird doppelgänger of coach Bolton from high school musical. He marched over to Eddie and ruffled his hair as if he were his own son even tho Eddie stood a few inches taller than him. "How are things Edward?"

Edward? Layla frowned, looking over at Jay who had folded his arms and was watching with a displeased look, he caught her eyes and shook his head.

"F-fine t-thank you sir" he nodded, freckly face flushing a deep magenta as he couldn't seem to hold eye contact.

"Championships are coming up now boy, you're going to bring that trophy back aren't you?"

"I um...I..."

"Of course you will! Cause you've been training non stop with no problems haven't you?!"

"Actually Sir-"

"That is if Jay's done his job, speaking of which where is he- ah!" He strolled back over, the assistant seeming to snap back to reality as she trotted after him making more notes even though he hadn't said anything. He shook Jay's hand heavily and Jay grimaced slightly.

"Jay! How's everything going?"

"Great, really good thank you Sir, in fact he's been doing much better since the accident, if anything he's more determined than ever. Every task I give him he...smashes"

Peter and Adam glanced over at Eddie who had turned a sort of beetroot colour and was watching his trainers as they kicked together. Peter and Adam shared a look of sympathy for him.

"Great, that's good to hear! Hang on...wait a minute- did you say, accident?" The smile slipped from his face and his eyebrows furrowed, his shoulders hunched and his body grew stiff, he appeared not only confused but physically furious. "What are you talking about Jay? Come on now boy, speak up!"

"I um...well" Jay seemed to shrink, everyone around him on edge and holding their breathes.

"Are you getting this Rebecca? I can't believe Marie didn't tell me this, speaking of which...is she in her office?"

The room fell silent, no one even looked at him this time except for Layla who, yet again, looked confused.

"Right. Time to pay her a visit I think, Rebecca have you got all the notes you need?"

Rebecca gave a short nod.

"Wait Sir, I don't think-" Peter started but he was out the door. He walked with a purpose down the long corridor, Rebecca struggling to keep up as the group (except for Layla) shared anxious looks.

"And look at this, no one running reception? Can one of you get on that please?!"

"Yes sir!" Peter said, running back to his previous post as the man strode back into the office area and add his way to the glass cubicle.

"Okay Eddie, maybe now's a good time to take a break mate" Jay said, looking over at his slightly panicked friend. Eddie nodded and the pair strolled out to the car park which left Adam and Layla alone.

"Can someone tell me what the fuck is going on please?!"

"Why don't you ask Jay" Adam said, smiling the same false smile he had given her earlier.

"What the hell is your problem?!" She yelled after him but he had disappeared round the corner to help Jessie finish her cleaning.

Max stepped out of Marie's office only to stop dead and feel his blood run cold.

"Hello Max, is she free?"

"Uh- yeah..." he trailed off uncertainly, he looked over his shoulder to see Marie staring at her computer screen.

"Stay here Rebecca, this won't take long"

He strolled forward and knocked once before pushing the door open and closing it to Rebecca and Max's stunned faces.

Marie looked up and instantly stopped tapping. Any colour in her face that hadn't been removed by exhaustion seemed to fall off her face, the bright white walls which she usually found so comforting seemed to trap her in as he stood there, looking at her. She felt insecure, every nerve in her body was numb but oh so incredibly aware that he was standing there, with all that power. The sight of her boss was quite certainly not a welcome one, and she would've liked to have been given warning.

"Good Morning Marie, I just popped in for an unprepared check up, everything seems fine but Jay mentioned something about Eddie having an accident?"

"Oh. Yes, I um-"

"You didn't think to maybe, I don't know, mention it?" He stepped forward, face stern, arms crossed. She didn't let her eyes falter from his once. "He's the best player this centre has ever had and just when he might have a shot at winning the championship, something happens! An 'accident' I believe Jay described it?!"

"I thought you'd be concerned, he had physical therapy, he's okay, he just suffered some burns from a faulty microwave"

"And no one else was affected?"

Well only if you count Jessie's sanity.

"No" she said confidently. "An ambulance was called and all equipment was paid for"

He breathed in what seemed to be relief and took the time to look around her office.

"Excellent. But next time, I trust you to let me know" he started to step away, but something stopped him and he stepped behind her desk, looming over her.

He bent down slowly and put a hand on her shoulder, pressing his thing pale lips to the the exposed half of her slightly tanned forehead.

"So, what's for dinner tonight?"

--
A/N
DUN DUN DUNNNNNN
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
SO MANY QUESTIONS?
LAUREN IS THIS WHAT I THINK?

All in due time children.

-Lx