Chapter 2
On Korra’s first day officially working at Great United Corporations, she made special care to arrive on time.
After waking up to three consecutive iPhone alarms, Korra finally stumbled out of bed, padding quietly to the kitchen as to not wake up-
“Bolin! Sorry, I didn’t realize you were awake.” The smell of pancakes filled the kitchen as Korra’s roommate carefully perched over the stove, holding a spatula in one hand and a plate in the other. Bolin turned around, greeting Korra with a wide grin.
Korra had met Bolin in high school, although they hadn’t really become friends until they played on the soccer team together in junior year. Korra was the only girl on the team, and initially all of the boys had either mocked or avoided Korra except for Bolin. The boys eventually warmed up to Korra after seeing her absolutely destroy any opposing team they went up against, but Bolin liked Korra for more than just her athletic skills.
“KORRA! I’m so sorry I came home late last night, I didn’t even get to ask you how your interview went? Did you get the job?”
Korra blushed as she began to recall yesterday's events. The thought of having to face Kuvira again alone made her shiver: something about her chiseled jaw and hands made Korra squirm. Not to mention the fact that Kuvira had probably committed at least three HR violations, not that someone of her status would care.
Korra tucked a strand of brunette hair behind her ear. She would spare Bolin the details of how her boss spanked her for being late and then complimented her ass.
“Actually, I did.” Bolin’s smile grew even wider. “But I don’t think this job is going to be easy. My new boss seems like a take-no-prisoners kind of lady.”
Bolin got up and gave Korra a tight hug which she returned gratefully. “Well, if there’s anyone who can handle her, it’s you, Korra.”
Korra flashed Bolin a warm smile before stealing a pancake and going back to her room to get ready. Korra actually had time today, so she decided to put on some eyeliner and mascara, playing up her intense blue eyes. Rifling through her closet, Korra dug out a tight black pencil skirt and a white blouse before slipping on her old beat-up heels. She couldn’t be bothered to get new ones, but hopefully Kuvira wouldn’t notice or care.
Korra grabbed her computer bag and some coffee before yelling at Bolin to go grocery shopping and heading out of the house. When Korra arrived at Great United, she was not only on time but five minutes early. The giant grey building didn’t look any less intimidating than it had yesterday. The receptionist waved her through the revolving doors as she flashed her ID and headed to floor 12 as Kuvira had instructed.
Unlike floor 13, which Korra assumed was entirely Kuvira’s, floor 12 was bustling with people holding various papers and files. Korra could hear a man yelling through the phone loudly in another room as a short woman practically knocked Korra over trying to sprint past her, papers in hand.
“I promise it’s not always like this.” Korra heard a deep, feminine voice call out behind her and the subtle smell of jasmine began to fill Korra’s nose. She slowly turned around before going completely still, eyes widening.
There was no question about it, this was the same woman Korra had bumped into on her way to Kuvira’s office yesterday. She was tall, even taller than Kuvira, but where Kuvira was chiseled muscle this woman was all lean curves. She wore an outfit which probably cost more than Korra’s rent: red-bottomed heels, a tight red pencil skirt, and a cream silk blouse which showed a little too much cleavage to stop Korra’s heart rate from increasing. Korra had to force herself to drag her gaze upward and meet the woman’s piercing green eyes.
The woman held out her perfectly manicured hand for Korra to shake. “Asami Sato. Nice to finally meet you, Avatar Korra. I’ve heard alot about you.”
“Just Korra is fine,” Korra managed to get out, her gaze dropping to the floor. She had heard of Asami Sato, the heiress of Hiroshi Sato and Future Industries, one of the most successful businesses in New York City. Somehow she had imagined Asami would be cold and prissy, not warm and genuine like the woman shaking her hand. She didn’t know how to talk to a woman of this level; just looking at Asami made her feel inferior.
Asami nodded. “I’m sorry you had to arrive at such a chaotic time. Kuvira has been super stressed out about how Great United is losing stocks. For us, it means extra paperwork and dealing with her tantrums.” Korra raised her eyebrows. “But you’ve met Kuvira, so you probably have an idea about how she can get.”
Korra chuckled. “Yeah, I think I have some idea.”
Asami smiled at her and brushed Korra’s forearm with her soft hand, practically sending Korra into cardiac arrest. “Don’t worry. She’s tough, but she’s good at what she does. Just stick with me, I won’t let her lay a finger on you.” Asami winked at Korra, causing Korra’s face to redden.
Korra spent the next few hours trailing Asami, not that she was complaining. Although Korra had known the heiress was beautiful, she hadn’t expected her to be this intelligent or pleasant to be around. Although Korra was technically her subordinate, Asami spoke to her like a close friend.
Not to mention she kept touching Korra’s arms, which silently drove Korra crazy. She knew she shouldn’t look at a fellow employee that way, but Asami was just too tempting. And although Korra didn’t make any moves, she could tell Asami felt similarly. She caught the heiress staring at her biceps and she smirked to herself.
Korra and Asami were sitting together at Asami’s desk, elbows touching as they both typed away at their separate tasks. Suddenly, loud footsteps approached the desk and the chatter around them dimmed down almost immediately.
“Sato.”
Korra shivered. Even before she turned around, she could recognize the sound of Kuvira’s voice from a mile away. Kuvira’s hair was braided today, and she wore a gray pencil skirt and matching jacket. Korra’s eyebrows raised slightly as she noticed Kuvira staring at Asami with narrowed eyes.
Asami turned around and crossed her arms. “Hello, Kuvira.” Asami’s voice had taken on a much cooler tone than when she was talking to Korra. “Can I help you with something?” Korra didn’t miss the slight mocking edge in Asami’s voice.
Kuvira gritted her teeth. “Just wondering what you’re doing with my prize intern, who can clearly do her work by herself.”
Standing up to tower over Kuvira, Asami looked over at Korra before rolling her eyes. “Give me a break, Kuvira. It’s her first day. Am I not allowed to show the chick around?” Korra blushed, still too nervous to say anything. These two clearly had some complicated history, and Korra didn’t want to get caught on either of their bad sides.
Kuvira’s jaw clenched but she eventually turned away from the two women. Asami gave Korra a sympathetic smile before brushing the inside of Korra’s elbow, making her giggle loudly.
Kuvira swiftly turned around and walked back over to Asami’s desk before slamming her hands down on the wood, making Korra jump. “Hands off, Sato,” she growled. “She’s mine.”
Korra’s jaw dropped as she looked over at the heiress, who was giving Kuvira a glare that could take down an entire army. At this point some of the other employees had definitely noticed the interaction, but Korra knew they were getting paid enough not to care about what their boss did.
Asami kept her glare trained on Kuvira’s back as she slowly left the room. The heiress turned to Korra. “I’m so sorry about her. She can get a little...territorial sometimes.”
Korra raised her eyebrows. “No kidding. But it sucks that we won’t be able to work together anymore.”
Asami let out a loud laugh. “Korra, do you really think I listen to everything Kuvira bitches at me to do?” Asami lightly pushed at Korra’s shoulders, making Korra’s cheeks warm.
Korra chuckled. “I mean... she is our boss, right?” Asami rolled her eyes.
“No shit. But there’s some things even Kuvira can’t get me to do.” Asami looked up at Korra and batted her eyes, her red lips curling up into a smile. She gently brushed her hand from Korra’s forearm to her bicep, squeezing slightly. “Like keeping my hands off of you.”
Korra bit back a moan and cursed Asami and Kuvira for making her life so hard. This was going to be a much more difficult job than Korra had thought.