Title: All in a Day's Work
Author: abracadabra
Email Address: abracadabra1754@hotmail.com
Rating: PG (PG is the copyright of the MPAA, no infringement
intended.)
Category: S, V
Spoilers: None
Keywords: M
Summary: An outsider's view.
Feedback: Yes, please.
Archive: Yes, please let me know where.
Disclaimer: The usual about Mulder and David Duchovny's portrayal
of the character being the sole property of 1013, Fox and Chris Carter.
Thanks: Denise and Kim
Date: June 25, 2005

All in a Day's Work

~**~**~**~
DC Area
Saturday Morning, 10:00am

She shuffles tiredly into the employee lounge, such as it is, and
hangs her coat haphazardly on the brass wall hook. A quick check
in front of the full length mirror assures her that hair, make-up
and polished suit are all acceptable. Her third day -- first weekend
on the job and she still has quite a bit to learn about sales for a
discrete and discerning clientele; mostly high-powered, business
women and men who want to look sharp but don't want any sharp
looks. Her five previous years in L.A. gave her experience with the
non-governmental, but equally discretely discerning client.

The soft chime above the glass and wood-paneled main door tells her
their first customer has arrived and Elise calls softly to her
supervisor. She thinks of him as Chalk Stripe Man, regardless of
the fact that his clothing varies from fine sandy gabardine khakis
and cashmere v-neck to the deepest charcoal one-button, jacketed
suit. His choice of a clichéd navy and white wideish pinstripe suit
for her interview nearly had her choking back a snort of laughter.

Chalk Stripe Man, also known as William Grovenor, runs a hand
through his curiously blond salt and pepper hair and admonishes her
quietly to take her station. Elise adjusts her jacket once more
and heads for the small mahogany cologne counter that divides the
men's and women's clothing areas. She's tried to tell Mr. Grovenor
that she's had retail experience in men's wear, but he refuses to
even let her demonstrate her skills. So, she does the next best
thing; she mentally dresses and accessorizes some of the customers.
Well, okay, she admits to herself, there have been two men she
spent much more time mentally *un*dressing.

And whoa, Betty, she thinks she'd like to try with the one who just
walked in the door. She's so caught off guard by him that she
manages to spray a more than liberal amount of the latest men's
scent on her forearm.

On first once-over, he doesn't fit their usual customer, but she's
only got a few days from which to form her opinion. She does,
however, really like what she sees. It's not any one aspect of him
that holds her interest; it's more the combination of things. And
she doesn't know where to start… Okay, she does; Elise knows
exactly where to start, knows exactly what caught her attention as
he walked in. It's the way he moves; a combination between knowing
exactly what he wants and being totally unaware of himself in that
pursuit. A sort of lithe grace with just a smidgen of awkwardness.
She shakes her head. She's gone on this man and she's supposed to
be selling the perfumes and colognes.

Chalk Stripe himself folds his arms across his barreled chest and
sighs dramatically. For her effort, she knows. Elise wants to
tell him that she isn't ignoring the clientele because other than
Mr. No Name -- who her boss won't allow her to assist -- there are
no customers. She remains silent and he moves off to position
himself in the man's direct path, a small greeting smile already on
Mr. Grovenor's face.

Elise is now unabashedly leaning on the glass counter, having
shoved the various bottles and decanters out of her way. She's
cataloguing what she sees for future reference; as she does with
all customers. It's only good business, she tries to convince
herself.

The feet are large; she can't miss them. Even the clunkiness of the
laced work boots don't hide that fact. Her eyes quickly move
upward; with professional scrutiny, no doubt. Upward to the nearly
white-washed denim jeans that leave little to her imagination even
though they bag at the knees and a bit at the back of his thighs.
His hands are jammed in the pockets, tugging the thinned fabric
across his backside. His high, firm and nicely rounded backside. If
she were anywhere but a fine clothing establishment, she'd call a
spade a spade; the man has a mighty fine ass.

And his profile isn't half bad either, she notes, a slow blush
making its way up her neck to her jawline and then her face. The
tongue of the well-worn tan leather belt flops over his fly and
Elise's face pinks more deeply as she quickly averts her eyes.
She's probably gone a tad farther than cataloguing for
professionalism at this point.

A hunter green fine gauge crew neck cashmere sweater does nothing
to hide his back. He's turned now, facing the upper rack of suit
jackets as her boss checks the man's sleeve length with an
old-fashioned yellow measuring tape. Mr. Grovenor measures; Elise
would like to just plaster herself against the back of him and hold
their arms out at shoulder height. She'd get his sleeve length, all
right.

The brass bell above the main door clinks twice. She knew it was
too good to be true that she'd have uninterrupted time to gaze at
this mystery man. Doing her best, knowing the boss has glanced in
her direction, she shows the woman a few dress shirts. The woman
touches the fabrics, murmuring to herself and Elise turns back
toward the only other customer.

He's looking right at her, a playfully puzzled, yet totally
innocuous look on his face. She can't really tell the color of his
eyes from this distance, but they glint in the overhead lighting.
What she can see just fine is his mouth; especially his bottom lip.
Her own lips part as she considers what nipping him there might
feel like.

She's nudged back to reality when her own customer asks her opinion
on two shirts.  Giving the woman her only partially divided
attention, Elise catches a glimpse of Mr. No Name and Mr.
Grovenor as they head toward the old-fashioned brass register.
Thankfully, her boss pays her no mind as Elise watches their
client comb his fingers through his chestnut hair that's a bit
longer on top than it is in the back and at the sides.

His sale complete, he takes the chocolate brown and gold bag from
her boss and prepares to leave. Elise escorts her customer to the
register. As she sets the shirts on the counter, she looks up to
take the woman's credit card. And notices a disarming smile and
knowing wink in her direction.

Elise makes a mental note to ask Mr. Chalk Stripe Man for more
weekend shifts.

Finis
~**~**~**~


Challenge items:
Scully or Other POV (i.e. Scully/other as the voyeur)
can have Mulder doing anything
pure description (i.e. little or no dialogue)
It must be a new fic