Series: In too deep Chapter 1
Pairing: Emily Prentiss x OFC
Description: A hot flirt in a bar, nothing more, nothing less.
Emily Prentiss and Riley meet without expectations, carried only by the magic of the moment. But just a few days later, the shock follows: Emily is Riley’s new boss.
What started as a harmless attraction, a game without consequences, suddenly becomes complicated. As they find themselves caught between the strict boundaries of professionalism and desire, they face a choice: keep their distance or give in to the fire burning between them?
Read on Ao3 / In german on Wattpad
English is not my first language.
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Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
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Chapter 1:
"Jenna, if I have another tequila, I'm going to mess up my first day at work tomorrow!" I groan as my best friend slides another tequila across the bar to me.
"I know, but maybe it'll help you loosen up a bit. You've been stressing yourself out for days; your first day will be fine! It's on the house!" my best friend replies with a grin, raising an eyebrow.
Just as I'm about to ask what’s going on, I feel someone slide onto the stool next to me. "Make it two, please. On me!" says a woman with a deep, melodic voice. Jenna fills a second glass, takes the woman's money, and presses her lips together in amusement at my speechlessness. The woman turns to me, and I get my first real look at her, her raven-black hair cascades down to her chest, with gentle curls framing her face. Her smile gives her an almost magical aura that immediately captivates me. Add to that her deep brown eyes, which appear almost black under the bar's lights. Her curved eyelashes nearly touch her eyebrows, and her prominent yet feminine nose looks as if sculpted by an artist. Everything about this woman screams perfection, and as my gaze drifts downward to her red blouse, a knowing grin graces her lips. Feeling intimidated, I look down and fixate on her high heels, whose heels are hooked around the barstool’s footrest. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her lift her glass and look at me expectantly.
"Shall we drink?" she asks in a soft voice, and I hesitantly raise my glass. "I'm Emily."
I finally look at her again, straighten my shoulders, and gather the last bit of confidence I can find within myself. "Riley," I grin at her, raise my glass, and lean in slightly. "What are we toasting to?"
Emily's grin widens as she notices my shift in demeanor and also leans in a little. "I’m toasting to the end of my stressful workday… and to discovering you here."
"You think so?" I ask teasingly and Emily's free hand lightly touches my knee.
"Hmmm," she confirms my question, her fingernail barely pressing into the side of my thigh as she grips my knee a little tighter. "Is that reason enough, or…?"
"I’m starting a new job tomorrow, so let's toast to that," I add, and we look deep into each other's eyes as we raise our glasses. With my index finger, I trace over her fingers that rest on my knee, signaling to her that I more than welcome what is happening between us.
"To endings and new beginnings," Emily grins, lifting the glass to her mouth, wrapping her full lips around the rim, and I follow suit. Her intense gaze sends a shiver through me, and her dimples, which appear every time she smiles, make me incredibly nervous. The alcohol burns down my throat, intensifying the sensation inside me, causing me to shift slightly on my stool. Our knees touch, and Emily notices, her eyes darkening slightly, driving me insane. I want to explore every shade of her eyes, get lost in them, drown in them. I blame the alcohol, the allure of the unknown, the excitement this woman stirs in me. Behind Emily, I see Jenna grinning, encouraging me to focus on the stunning woman before me.
I almost sigh out loud, revealing that I don’t do things like this often. Actually, never. Nervously, I play with the pendant on my necklace, trying to breathe, to appear confident. But now is not the time for that because this woman seems to have a clear interest in me, even though I can’t understand why. "Are you excited about your first day at work?" I hear Emily ask, pulling me back to the present.
"Absolutely, I've worked really hard for this, and I can't wait to finally get started," I reply, discreetly eyeing the dress pants and matching blazer draped over the stool’s backrest. I estimate her to be a few years older, successful in her career, in a high position. Everything about her exudes authority, a nagging sense of dominance that makes my knees weak.
"But?" Her finger repeatedly traces the rim of her glass, which stands between us.
"I have great respect for this new challenge," I shrug, placing my glass next to hers, which she briefly inspects before glancing at Jenna.
"Two waters, please." Jenna and I both look at her in confusion, which she counters with a seductive laugh. "You don’t want a hangover on your first day. We drink one glass of alcohol, one glass of water."
"Then Riley would need to drink five glasses," my best friend remarks dryly but quickly hands us two glasses of water.
"Drink," Emily instructs me, her tone making me press my thighs together. Emily’s eyebrow arches at my reaction, then her hand gently lands between my knees, parting them knowingly. I bite my lip, take a deep breath, and follow her instruction, drinking my water. Her eyes never leave my face, and as I place the empty water glass on the sticky bar counter, she leans in, grasps my chin, and tilts my head so that her red lips brush against my earlobe. "Good girl," she murmurs in my ear, sending shivers over my entire body. Her lips linger at my ear a moment longer, and just as I instinctively want to press my thighs together again, her hand is in the way. "Ah ah," she hums into my ear. "Don’t do that." I lift my chin, my lower lip brushing against her cheek, wanting to say something, but her increased pressure on my knee silences me. Slowly, she pulls away from me, leaving behind her seductive scent of gardenia and jasmine, making me never want to let her go. How could this woman exert such fascination and power over me within minutes?
"Are you well-prepared for your first day?" she asks with a grin, taking a sip of her water. Under the bar, invisible to my best friend, her thumb draws circles on the inside of my knee. The thumb doesn’t move a millimeter further up, though that’s all I want. She’s driving me crazy, making me question my own will, because right now, I would let her do anything to me.
"I hope so," I answer with a shaky voice.
"You hope?" she asks with a laugh. "That's a vague answer."
"As I said, I’ve spent years preparing for this day. Whether it was enough remains to be seen," I tilt my head, a blonde strand of hair slipping from my updo.
"If you’ve spent so much time preparing, it can only go well. You should believe in yourself and your abilities; then it will be a successful day," her left corner of the mouth lifts as she sees my skeptical face.
"How did you…?" I start to ask, but pause, unsure how to articulate the obvious.
"I'm good at reading people." Emily’s smile widens. "You seem nervous despite your preparation… You avoid direct eye contact and keep looking down when you're unsure. You evade direct questions and try to back them up instead of breaking them down to a key statement."
"Wait a minute," I interrupt her with a laugh. "We haven't talked long enough for you to know that."
"But I'm right, aren't I?" She shrugs, unaffected. "Like I said, I'm good at reading people."
Caught, I throw my hands up in surrender. This woman is really good at reading people, something I’m usually good at too, but with Emily, I find it hard to concentrate. I can barely grasp her before something about her distracts me again, and I wouldn't have been able to make such statements about her. At least not yet. And yet, I want to try.
"You like to be in control," the words tumble out of my mouth unprompted, and Emily's eyes flick to my lips. "You probably work in a high position and have a team that works closely with you. You're in a leadership role, but within your team, you don’t flaunt it because…"
"Because?" She listens intently, biting her lower lip. Her thumb has slid up slightly and is now tracing circles there.
"Because they’re like family to you," I conclude my analysis, watching as a contagious smile spreads across Emily's face.
"Not bad, Sherlock," she teases, and her hand moves a little further up. I swallow hard, resisting the urge to glance at her hand, but Emily’s left hand is suddenly under my chin, catching my gaze. Once she has my attention, she tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear and says, "Eyes up, hmm?" She glances over at my best friend, who is currently serving another guest, then back at me. "We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves, do we?"
"No," I blurt out, and her thumb moves another inch upward. Her hand now rests in the middle of my thigh, burning through the thin fabric of my linen pants, which were supposed to keep me cool in the warm summer air.
"No...?" she repeats questioningly, her eyes piercing through me.
"No, Emily," I respond almost on autopilot, and Emily presses her lips together slightly.
"Very good." Her eyes have darkened another shade, and I can barely contain the tension inside me. This woman is driving me to the brink of madness with her words and actions.
"You enjoy working with your team?" I ask innocently, lowering my gaze, trying to steer the conversation back to safer ground, mostly to ignore the weight of her hand on my thigh.
"As you said, they're like family. We've been working together for many years; we know how the other thinks, and we can rely on each other blindly. That’s crucial in our job, I have to trust every single one of them 100%. If that trust isn't there, I won't put my life in someone else's hands," she explains, taking a sip of her water. "We always have to be in the moment, not in the future and definitely not in the past. That would be distracting, and distraction could mean death."
Her words make no sense, yet I understand every single one of them. Before I can ask more, Jenna steps into my field of vision.
"I hate to interrupt," she says apologetically, glancing between the two of us, "but..." Jenna pauses and slides a glass of white wine toward me. "This drink is from the young man over there. He wanted to do something nice for the beautiful blonde woman."
With a meaningful nod to the left, she indicates to a man around my age, with brown hair, a short beard, a black shirt, and blue jeans. He smiles at me, almost excitedly, and raises his glass of red wine to toast from afar.
Emily studies him briefly before her heavy gaze returns to me.
"Aren't you going to drink?" she asks, wetting her lips as her thumb presses a little more firmly into my thigh. I still make no move to pick up the glass, which causes the young man to glance at his drink uncertainly. But then Emily leans in again, whispering in my ear, "Drink, princess."
Her thumb draws a larger circle, and I lift the glass, smiling at the man before taking a sip of the white wine. All I perceive in that moment is Emily’s seductive scent and the burning heat of her hand on my thigh. But the man, encouraged by my toast, wastes no time and heads straight for us. I notice a subtle shift in Emily, she seems just a fraction more professional than she did mere seconds ago.
I push my back straight as the unknown man to my right comes to a stop. Unconsciously, I move a little closer to Emily, whose hand is still resting on my thigh.
"Hi, I'm Dan," the brown-haired man extends his free hand to me, while his other grips his glass so tightly that his fingertips turn white.
"Riley," I reply stiffly, immediately feeling uncomfortable with his touch.
"I've never seen you here before," he starts, and I hear an amused sigh from Emily.
"I just moved here recently," I give him a small smile and press my lips together when Emily's thumb gently glides up my thigh. She increases the pressure before slowly trailing back down to my knee.
"I knew it! A beautiful woman like you, I definitely would have noticed you before!" he grins and runs a hand through his medium-length brown hair. He is attractive, and he knows it. His muscles strain against his shirt, making it clear he takes pride in his physique.
Dan grins knowingly and leans against the bar, sneaking a glance at Emily, who acts as if she couldn't care less about our conversation. He doesn't seem to notice how my body language clearly signals my interest in Emily, something he should have picked up on minutes ago. Or maybe he just refuses to see it.
My body is mostly turned toward Emily now, and her nails dig slightly deeper into my flesh. I wet my lips, trying to cool myself down, to mask my excitement, to regain control of the situation. But Emily is the one in control here and strangely, I enjoy it.
"Do you like the wine? They say it’s the best one here; I asked for a recommendation," he gestures toward my best friend, who barely suppresses an eye roll, then lightly touches my shoulder.
"The wine is excellent. The lady has good taste," I agree, taking another sip. It’s probably the most expensive bottle on the menue, Jenna’s humor is unmistakable.
"What do you do for a living?" I ask, my voice sugary sweet.
"I work for the FBI," Dan smirks, puffing out his chest slightly, as if trying to impress me.
"The FBI? Really? That sounds exciting! Tell me more about your work there. What department are you in?" I probe, just as Emily's hand wanders dangerously high.
My heartbeat quickens in response, and like before, I instinctively want to press my thighs together, but Emily’s firm grip prevents it. I glance down at my lap, watching the veins stand out on Emily’s hand.
Only when I feel Dan’s hand on my forearm do I look up again.
"That’s classified," he says with confidence.
"It must be hard to never slip up, huh?" I tease, giving him a playful wink. Dan seems encouraged by my questions.
"It’s a job like any other. Carpenters measure and saw well. And we at the FBI? We keep secrets and kick criminal asses," he takes a big sip of his drink, the red wine staining his lips.
His rough fingertip traces along the back of my hand. Everything in me screams to pull away, but Emily tightens her grip on my thigh the moment I try.
"Someone has to do it," I murmur, playing along. "Do you always carry your weapon and badge with you?"
"Of course!" he smirks, and Emily's thumb inches closer to my center.
"Can I see it?" I lean in toward him, and Dan closes his eyes, savoring the moment.
"See what?" he laughs.
"Your badge, of course!" I bite my lower lip, and Emily’s thumb moves another inch forward. Everything in me pulses, craving more, craving her touch.
Dan’s eyes flick from Emily to Jenna and back to me. "Sorry, but that’s classified."
"Does it maybe look like this?" Emily suddenly chimes in, holding something up that I can't see. Her voice carries an unmistakable amusement that sends a shiver through me.
Whatever she just revealed makes Dan go pale. Without another word, he quickly excuses himself and disappears.
Laughing, I turn to her, wanting to kiss her for putting on such a show. But at that moment, her phone rings.
She glances at the screen, gives me an apologetic look, and answers.
"Prentiss," her tone is serious now. The playfulness from moments ago is gone. "Slow down, Garcia. Start from the beginning."
Her eyes scan the bar as if searching for someone, but within seconds, they settle back on me, and a soft smile graces her lips.
"Okay, I'll be there in ten minutes," she says, and disappointment wells up inside me.
Emily slips her phone into her pocket, takes a sip of water, and gets up from her stool. She steps between my legs, which I willingly part, and leans in close to my ear.
"I'm sorry, I have to go. My team needs me," she explains. I don’t question the late hour, I know this life all too well. It’s not an excuse. I’m sure of that.
"It’s okay, go," I say, wrapping my hand around her waist and pulling her slightly closer.
Her thigh presses firmly against me, and I stifle a moan.
"I really am sorry," she whispers against my earlobe, her soft lips brushing my skin. "Will you be coming here more often now that you live here?"
"I think so. My best friend works here, after all," I nod toward Jenna, who pretends not to be watching us intently.
"Good to know. I want to see you again," Emily murmurs into my ear, pressing a kiss to the spot where my jaw meets my neck.
I suppress a sound, focus on our conversation, and nod. "I want to see you too."
"I don’t know when I’ll be back here..." she starts, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear, but stops when her phone rings again.
"Damn it, Garcia..." she sighs.
She untangles herself from me, balancing her phone between her ear and shoulder while slipping on her blazer.
"I told you, I’m coming," she says, buttoning her jacket. "I’m on my way now."
Her phone disappears into her pocket again. She straightens her clothes, then presses a feather-light kiss to my cheek.
"We’ll see each other again, yeah?" Her eyes search mine, and I give her a silent nod.
"I’m really sorry, Riley. I had a great time with you."
"I did too, Emily," I reply, squeezing the hand she placed on my knee.
"I’ll be here," I add.
"Good," she squeezes my hand in return, hands Jenna some money for the water, and then vanishes into the bar crowd.
"That was hot," Jenna calls out, giving me an apologetic smile. "You two practically set this place on fire."
"Oh, stop," I murmur, suddenly feeling shy, finally pressing my legs together.
"Well, as you can see, it didn’t lead anywhere," I sigh.
"I have a feeling," Jenna grins, pushing another glass of water toward me. "That won’t be the last time you two see each other."
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