An Illicit Proposition
CEO!Poly!Marauders x sub!f!reader
Summary: Reader takes a risk after landing a cushy new job in the city.
w.c. 5122
Warnings: modern au, "ethical billionaire" (no such thing irl but plz let me live in my fantasy world), use of y'n, d/s relationship, mentions of r.a.c.k., not proofread, cringey, long.
Your new desk was already cluttered with schedules and post-its. It sure didn't take you long to make a mess.
You landed your dream job a week ago: personal assistant to the executives of Gryffindor Incorporated.
It may not sound like much to most, but you admired Gryffindor Inc. for doing what no other FinTech corporation would: the right thing. Mr. Black rebuilt the Black empire from the ground up as soon as he inherited it, and the papers covered it for weeks.
In a world of greed and corruption, the newly minted Gryffindor Inc. stood like a beacon, the paradigm of a better way.
So, while you had little passion for finance, or even technology, you jumped at the job posting to be their personal assistant.
And so far, it'd been a dream.
Your responsibilities were few, so you had plenty of time to listen to audiobooks, and you rarely dealt with anyone other than the chief executives.
James Potter, Chief Operating Officer. Always busy and always kind. Natural flirt, and the one who most leaned on your services. You brought him coffee and biscuits every morning, and ran little errands for him throughout the day.
Remus Lupin, Chief Financial Officer. The numbers guy. Reserved, but fantastic conversationalist once you sparked the right topic (usually books did the trick, but he could surprise you with the random things he turned passionate about).
And at last, Sirius Black. Chief Executive Officer of Gryffindor Incorporated... your boss. Cheeky and confident and intimidating. Nothing at all what you expected. He was neither the stuck-up son of Orion Black you’d expect nor the gentle philanthropist the papers made him out to be. He was both, or neither, or something totally different.
You were in the middle of a swashbuckler tale about pirates when your best friend Amaryllis called.
You picked up your cell and greeted her warmly.
"You remember that guy Amos I was telling you about?" She flew into gossip. You weren't offended, that was just her way, and you loved her for it.
"Whipped cream guy?" you clarified.
"The very same. He's just asked me to join him on his company's retreat to Versailles!"
"Wait, I thought you weren't seeing him anymore?"
"Oh, right. We made up, I guess. Or, this will be how he makes it up to me? He practically begged me to take him back, so I'm giving him another chance."
That was Amaryllis. An ever-growing trail of broken hearts strewn behind her. She was pure-hearted, and never cruel, but she had a tendency to drive men mad. You honestly admired her for it, especially considering your sour luck in the dating department.
"What about that other guy, Evan?" you asked meekly. "He seemed alright."
"Ugh, SO controlling. He was into some crazy stuff, too, you wouldn't believe it."
You were sure you wouldn't, but you could tell Amaryllis was dying to dish it out, so you dutifully asked, "Like what?"
"OMG. Bitch, buckle up," she began, and so you did, giggling red as a tomato through her detailed descriptions of Evan's sexual misdemeaners. Once you had both exhausted yourselves from laughing, and you had learned new uses for wax you hoped never to use again, Amaryllis sobered her voice.
"I mean, it's just not for me. But..." she floundered for the words, "I don't know, have you ever thought about it?"
"Gracious, Amaryllis. You've just spent nine minutes telling me how awful it was."
"No no no, not the pervy stuff. The, you know, kinky stuff."
You truly, honestly, did not know the difference.
"I don't know..." you trailed off, uncomfortable with the dirty words Amaryllis so freely used.
"What I mean is... have you ever thought about looking for a dominant guy? Someone that can, like, take control?"
"I don't want someone like Evan." Your voice had a nervous, disbelieving humor to it as you dismissed the idea.
"Most aren't like him. Swear. He's a git."
You didn't answer, unsure of what she was getting at,
"Look, all I'm trying to say is that you might like it. Just, knowing you, I think you would really enjoy letting go of all that... uptightness." Amaryllis' voice got softer on the last word, clearly afraid of insulting you.
You weren't insulted. You were surprised, though. You didn't think you were uptight, just hard working, polite, maybe a bit quiet.
"I'm not uptight. I'm just... precise." You explained.
"No, I know, I didn't mean uptight uptight. I just know how stressed you can get when you're overburdened. I know how exhausting control is for you. Remember Uni?"
You did remember Uni. You'd likely have flunked out if it wasn't for your friend forcing you to take breaks with her.
"I'm not saying you have to like it, I just think you should give it a try. Get out of your comfort zone a bit, yeah? It might change your life."
"I don't know, Lissy..."
"Just... will you think about it?"
You bit the end of your pen.
"Sure, I'll think about it."
Amaryllis gave a small sigh of relief.
"You're adorable, you know that?" She didn't give you time to respond. "Guess I should let you get back to your fancy new job. Still good for drinks Tuesday?"
You nodded before realizing she couldn't see you.
"Yeah, 'course. On me!"
"I should hope so with that new paycheck! Okay. Well, later babe."
"Bye," you answered, dragging it out until you heard the click from the other end of the line. You took a deep breath.
You swiveled your chair to look behind you. You still weren't used to the view of London from this height. It was beautiful as the late afternoon sun glided down to the horizon. With only a few hours to sunset, the entire city was awash in gold.
The ding of the elevator sounded, and when the doors opened Mr. Potter stepped across the white marble to your desk.
"Miss y/l/n, lovely as ever. Can I trouble you?" He dipped his chin conspiratorily, and the sun glinted off his round glasses.
You pulled your pen from your lips with embarrassment, nodding to his question even though your only job was to be troubled by him and the other execs.
"Certainly," you said, trying to make it sound light, friendly, professional, and not uptight. "What can I do?"
"I am in utterly desperate need of a coffee, and an Aspirin," he confessed.
You nodded, already finding the calendar labeled Potter.
"I'll bring it straight to the board meeting," you said, standing. You met his gaze again and couldn't help but smiled shyly at the way he grinned at you. It was contagious. "Anything else?"
Mr. Potter shook his head. "You're a peach." He tapped the desk twice with his hand before heading down the glass hall to his office. The entire floor had glass walls, reflecting the slowly setting sunlight in intricate patterns and rainbows on the floor. There were exactly three rooms, Mr Potter's, Lupin's, and Black's offices respectively. They each opened to the central floor, which had only your desk and the elevator. No one but the four of you came up here.
You admired the plants, not for the first time, as you walked to the elevator and descended.
The elevator didn't stop to let anyone else on, and you were thankful for the small mercy. You avoided small talk if you could.
But not because I'm uptight. I just value solitude. You thought to yourself.
You nodded politely to the doorman as you crossed the opulent lobby.
Mr. Potter's favorite coffee shop was just across the street, and there was a small drugstore on the corner, so it shouldn't take you any time at all.
The barista recognized you immediately, and got started on his order when you mouthed "Potter" to her. You always tipped extremely generously, as instructed by your bosses.
After due pleasantries were exchanged, you took the espresso and went to the corner shop for the medicine. You bought a large bottle to keep at your desk.
As you walked back to the office, a well-dressed man almost bulldozed right over you. You held the coffee over your head, making sure it didn't spill, but dropped the Asprin.
Over his shoulder, the barger called, "Y'alright? Loosen up a bit, yeah?" Before hurrying on without waiting for a response.
You clenched your jaw as you bent to pick up the Asprin, muttering annoyedly to yourself. Prick.
Your lips were pursed all the way back up the ornate elevator. You stopped on the 15th floor, and opened the conference room door.
Mr. Lupin made eye contact with you first, sending you a soft, kind smile. You immediately relaxed. Lily Evans, Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees, was tapping her pen idly on her notepad, commenting on Mr. Black's presentation.
For a brief moment, you were captured by the inner workings of Gryffindor Inc. You didn't think you'd ever become accustomed to the influence that constantly surrounded you.
You quickly shook yourself out of it as Mr. Black continued, no one acknowledged you, which reminded you that you needed to be in and out quietly as a mouse.
You quickly spotted the brown-haired young man at the end of the table, near Messers Lupin and Black. You slipped to him quietly and placed the coffee and a single tablet you prepared in the elevator for him on a napkin.
"Thank you, love," he whispered to you, turning his attention back to the presentation.
"We're calling it The Marauder Initiative-"
You exited the conference room as silently as you could.
~~~
At your desk, you kept revisiting the interaction in front of the lobby. Were you really so high-strung that a complete stranger noticed? Of all the things he could have said, he went with "loosen up"?
Surely, it was nothing. Confirmation bias, nothing more. Amaryllis had just gotten into your head, that's all.
Clandestinely, your phone buzzed.
“In case you want to change it up."
Beneath the cryptic text message was a link.
You bit your lip, the events of the day flooding your mind. Before you could think better of it, you clicked it.
The site was called "Roped In", and seemed to work like a dating app. You were prompted to make a profile, which would presumably be shown to men like Evan who would do unspeakable things to you.
You closed the app, resolving to never entertain this again.
That resolve lasted about two minutes.
You pulled up the website again on your laptop, carefully examining the page. The main function was to "match" users, of course, but there were subpages for meet-ups, blogging, tips, and much more that you couldn't even begin to understand (yet).
You chewed your lower lip.
It can't hurt anything to try it out. Amaryllis does this kind of thing all the time. It won't go anywhere, it'll just give me a silly story I can share with her on Tuesday.
It can't hurt to try it out.
You repeated this to yourself like a mantra as you filled out the questionnaire. For almost every answer you selected "I don't know" or "No Preference". You were by no means a prude, but this was new territory for you. And in your defense, Amaryllis was exceptionally bold about her sexuality, which there is no shame in, but there was also no shame in being more private. At least, that's what you tried to convince yourself of. The truth is, you were slightly embarrassed at your complete lack of experience in the bedroom.
The last thing to do was to write a short blurb to describe you in a few sentences.
You deliberated for a long time, before settling on:
(y/age (a/n. assuming you’re over 18 goodness get out of here if not)). Bookworm, shy, virgin. Looking for someone to free me.
You tried out plenty of ways to end that last statement. "-from my mind", or "-from the pressures of life", or even "-from virginity". But none felt right. So, you left it ambiguous, figuring it wouldn't matter anyway.
You picked some nice photos that flattered you, and decided to take one right then. You stood in front of the setting sun through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and positioned your phone to capture your silhouette. You tried a few poses, but none were working as well as you hoped. Finally, as a joke, you took one where you faced to the side, arched your back dramatically, and carded your hands through your hair while looking up. You were almost offended that it actually came out well. It accentuated your curves way more than you thought was possible, and made you look like a model against the colorful sky.
And it was a bit salacious, which was unlike you.
But isn't the whole point to change things up? Try something new?
You steeled yourself and added the photo to your profile and hit "done".
Then, you shut your laptop and tried to forget this ever happened.
~~~
"Fuck me, is that our assistant?" Sirius Black rarely mumbled, but he found that manners had left him as he stared wide-eyed at his laptop screen.
Remus Lupin's attention piqued at that. He was sitting comfortable on Sirius' settee, one ankle resting on his knee. He looked up from his own laptop, filled with numbers and graphs, at Sirius. Sirius' long hair was neatly styled, falling in cascading waves that framed his sharp cheekbones and jaw. The man was a vision, and he knew it.
"Can't be." Remus stood languidly and walked towards Sirius' desk, adjusting his cuffs as he did.
Sirius leaned back in his swivel chair, an arrogant smirk rampant on his features.
He looked at Remus, whose angular face was pulled slightly into a frown. His lips were pursed, and he had to bend his tall frame nearly in half over the back of Sirius' office chair to get a good look at the screen in front of them.
Sure enough, your beautiful face was staring back at them.
"Flip through."
Sirius obliged him instantly, clicking slowly through the small gallery of photos you selected; your shy smile in every one. Laughing delicately at a coffee shop, a selfie on a fall walk, at some distant beach in a bikini... though the boys lamented internally that that particular photo only showed your neck-up.
"No way is it her."
"Could be, if she wore her hair like this? It's the same color. And her face, look-" Sirius flipped to the last photo, and was stunned into silence.
Your body curved in front of the setting sun, in the room just down the hallway.
"Well I'll be damned..." Remus whispered.
Sirius drummed his fingers on his dark wood desk. Comfortable, charged silence lay in the room.
At last the boys made eye contact, Sirius with a borderline evil grin, and Remus with a small corner of his mouth ticked upwards.
Sirius sucked his teeth, then said simply, "Call James,"
Remus half-sat on the desk, hiking one thigh onto it as he picked up the phone and expertly dialed James' extension.
~~~
James did Tai Chi after meetings, and the boys knew that. He sighed over the whale sounds when he heard incessant ringing with apparent annoyance. It was difficult to find inner peace amidst such an abrasive, irritating-
He broke, and picked up the handset.
"This better be important," he growled lowly, making his displeasure known.
"It is. But you've got to see it in person. Sorry, mate."
James heaved a long sigh. "On my way." He hung up the phone, stretching his neck and shoulders, and walked out.
You were chewing your lip as James passed you, cataloging Lily's email of the board meeting's minutes in the records. It was secretarial work, really, but you didn't mind. It keeps you busy during the slower hours of your job.
You looked up at James as he crossed in front of you. He bent forward as he walked, and tipped an imaginary hat to you. You giggled softly, which encouraged him. He continued pretending to be an old chap with a cane and monocle until you gave a more comfortable, true laugh, which at last satisfied his pathological need for attention.
He opened the door to Sirius' office like it was his own, to find Sirius and Remus bickering, the latter bent around Sirius' chair fussing with something on the computer.
"You want IT breaking down this door, is that it?"
"I know what I'm do-"
"You do not."
James closed the door with a click, and Sirius looked up at him, grinned like a child on Christmas. Remus took the opportunity to finish whatever he was pulling up on the computer.
"We found her." Sirius' tone was molasses as spoke, and the words pooled in James' ears, warm and promising.
"You mean..."
"Yes." Sirius rested his face on his fist, looking like a model more than a real CEO. His grin was candid.
The three were... involved. It was quite secret, no one wanting the tabloids to blow it into some scandal. And as much as they wished it weren't true, they knew the company would face large losses if such a PR disaster occured. The world wasn't as open-minded as some would like.
They were happy, and in love. But there was something else they wanted, so they were searching for someone. They were picky, and the search had already consumed many months. She had to be kind, intelligent, open-minded of course... and submissive.
James watched eagerly as Remus rotated the monitor towards him, and your gorgeous face shone back at him.
"Y/N?"
"The very same," said Remus, reverently.
James swallowed hard. He couldn't deny how perfect it was. You caught his eye the moment you walked into the conference room for your interview. And how could you not? You were stunning, smart, lovely... everything they could want. They would never make a move like that unprompted of course, not wanting to make you uncomfortable at work or add undue pressure to the offer. But if you were on this site...
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"More than anything, if she'll have us," Sirius responded, a smile evident in the tone of his animated voice.
James nodded his ascent. "She's perfect."
Sirius straightened instantly, opening his laptop again. He began typing something.
"No, leave that," he said when Remus went to close the website.
James shifted on his feet, uncharacteristically nervous. He looked at the wall behind him where you would be if he could see through the wood paneling.
A hard click on Sirius' keyboard pulled his eyes back to the boys.
Sirius' grin grew impossibly wider, more mischievous.
"She'll be here in a few moments."
~~~
You didn't think anything of the boys' gathering in Mr. Black's office. They liked to do their work together when they could, one or two or all of them congregating in each other's offices.
So you didn't know why the email in front of you made your stomach do flips.
Miss Y/N,
Messers Lupin, Potter, and myself require your immediate presence in my office regarding an executive development. Please disregard your other responsibilities for the day.
Sirius Black, CEO
Gryffindor Inc
You tried to calm your breathing, it wouldn't do to keep them waiting.
You picked up your padfolio and pen and turned to go, before thinking better of it and heading to the only bathroom on the floor instead to freshen up. You combed through your hair with your fingers before redoing it, making sure it was neat and professional. You reapplied your lip gloss, and took a deep breath.
You could only hope you weren't in some kind of trouble. It didn't sound disciplinary, but you couldn't imagine why else they wanted you to disregard your tasks.
Whatever it was about, the thought of the three of them discussing you behind that door sent butterflies through your veins.
At last you steeled your resolve and walked to the mahogany door, gold plate reading S. Black, CEO, and knocked.
The door opened silently, and Mr. Potter extended his hand, inviting you in. The air was charged with something heavy, and a primal part of you felt like prey in the jaws of a predator.
You shoved that feeling away and smiled to the room. Mr. Black had his hands steepled in front of him, elbows resting on the mahogany desk. Mr. Lupin was leaning against the wall, eyes fixed on you. Their expressions were unreadable. Amused, maybe?
You gave a whispered hey and a friendly shrug in greeting. Mr. Lupin nodded back tenderly.
That relaxed you. You still couldn’t shake the feeling of being called into the principal's office, but you felt much more at ease.
Mr. Potter, ever the gentleman, let his hands grace your shoulders, silently asking your permission to take your feminine blazer. You shrugged it off, left now in only the black dress that hugged your curves. You tried not to feel self-conscious.
“Is the lighting okay?” Mr. Lupin asked.
The room was washed in low light from 2 precisely-placed table lamps. The warm glow made the office feel inviting. The executives were a bit like those Montessori kids.
“Yeah, definitely. It’s nice.” You answered breezily. You sat meekly in the plush velvet chain before Mr. Black and swallowed, trying to make your next statement sound just as casual. “What can I do for you?”
You were hyper aware of the three sets of eyes on your every move.
Mr. Black answered. "That entirely depends on you, sweetheart."
You noticed the endearment that fell easily from his lips, but you didn't react to it. Mr. Black was that kind of man, careless and easy and charming. Actually, now that you thought about it, all three men had tender names for you.
Then he added, "Close the door, James." His eyes didn't leave yours once.
Your mouth opened, and then you closed it again. Mr. Lupin was looking at you like you were a puzzle, or an alley cat he couldn't decide whether or not to bring inside. Mr. Black was smiling, or, smirking. You heard the click of the door shutting, and then felt Mr. Potter's eyes return to you, though you couldn't see them.
You looked helplessly between the two men in front of you, looking for any sign of what was happening.
"I... I'm sorry. Have I done something wrong?" You ask innocently, trying not to sound as timid as you felt.
Mr. Lupin cracked a sideways smile, and Mr. Black chuckled lowly. "No, sweetheart. We'd just like to discuss the future of your employment with us."
Your eyes widened slightly. You were getting fired.
"Fuck’s sake, Sirius, you're scaring her. Out with it." Mr. Lupin chastised.
Mr. Black only smiled wider at you. "How have you been enjoying your time with us so far?"
You swallowed. "I've loved it," you answered honestly.
Mr. Black leaned back in his chair, drumming his fingers on the armrest and eyeing you over his fist, which was curled around his mouth.
"Wonderful. You don't find it too..." he searched for the word, "boring?"
"Not at all." Your eyes were still wide as you looked between your bosses.
Mr. Black's asymmetrical smirk widened as he tilted his chin upward and turned his monitor to face you. On it, was the profile you had made just hours before. The picture you'd taken, wearing the very dress you did now, on display.
Your breath caught. You looked down at your notebook ashamed. How could you possibly explain this to them? And, did it even matter? This wasn't exactly how you were supposed to spend company time regardless. You were definitely getting fired.
"Enough teasing, Sirius." Mr. Lupin turned again to you. "You're in no trouble darling."
"No trouble at all." Mr. Potter spoke from behind you, and he was closer than you thought. The hair on the back of your neck stood up.
"I- I'm so sorry. I can explain- it was- I-" You floundered for words. "I won't do anything like this again."
A beat of silence passed.
"That's a shame." Mr. Black’s smile was gone, replaced with a sort of playful remorse. "I had so hoped you would."
You processed this. There was something you weren't understanding in this conversation, but you didn't dare speculate what.
"Are you going to fire me? For… wasting company time?"
"’Course not. But we do expect you to take this down."
You nodded, still staring intently at your notepad. Of course, it reflected scandalously on the entire company.
"Right away.”
~~~
Sirius couldn’t bring himself to feel ashamed of the way he ogled the beautiful woman sitting before him. She was witty and sweet and beautiful. And all too much fun to tease.
“Right away.”
Your voice was a clear whisper. Sirius wished you would look up so he could see you chewing on your lip – he was sure that’s what you were doing down there.
He could tease you forever and never get bored, he knew, but the time for that was over. He decided to test the waters.
“‘Right away sir.’”
The smallest beat of heavy anticipation passed.
Your head shot straight up like an arrow, wide eyes looking right into Sirius’. Your lips were parted and perfectly round as they gasped softly.
Sirius swallowed around the tightness in his throat. He felt Remus and James’ eyes on him warily, wondering which direction he was going to take this.
You seemed like you were getting ready to say something, so Sirius beat you to it.
“Y/n,” Sirius said severely. “Do you mean what you’ve written here?”
Your eyes grew impossibly wider. Sirius found himself wondering exactly how wide they could be. And what could make them so…
He clenched his jaw and focused. Your eyes were darting across his face, going from one eye to the other, then to Remus to give him the same treatment. God, what a privileged view.
At last, you resigned. Your chin fell to your chest again, in something closer to acceptance than shame.
“Yes.” Your voice was tiny, barely more than a whisper.
Sirius fought the urge to lunge across this desk and take you then and there. His jaw ticked. He looked at James, who was similarly fixated on you, and Remus, cool and unbothered (but if Sirius knew anything, contemplating the foulest, dirtiest fancies surrounding you).
Time for the billion-pound question.
“Why did you write it?”
The air in the room changed. What was electric anticipation was now a more sobered hope.
Your shoulders lifted and fell in what must have been a deep, steadying breath.
“I’m… uptight. I wanted to try… not being in control, for once.” You admitted. The confession seemed to lift a weight off your shoulders.
Sirius was grinning wide before he knew it. He looked behind you at James who looked relieved and amorous, like he wanted to scoop you up and kiss you, which he probably did. Even Remus had softened a bit, as if a part of him was worried this was all too good to be true, and he finally let himself believe that it was happening.
In all honesty, Sirius didn’t think you were uptight. Bit particular, and you overworked yourself sometimes. Nothing deserving of such a negative word. But he didn’t comment on it. There would be plenty of time to correct such self-talk later.
James cleared his throat, lowering himself to your eye level. You finally lifted your watery eyes from your lap to look into his big brown ones.
“Would you let us take control?” James’ voice was a soft whisper, but it filled the silent room.
Your eyebrows narrowed for only a moment, before raising again in understanding. You caught on fast. You really were clever.
“You’re all…” You looked between them.
Remus nodded solemnly.
“That alright?” James asked sincerely.
You hesitated, but nodded more fervently to make up for it. Your brows furrowed again. You had questions.
Sirius could not get enough of you. Your emotions so clearly played on your face, it was a work of art. He was intoxicated with you, and he could see that the others were as well.
“So… sorry, so… you would all be…” Your mouth opened and closed as you tried to find the words. Sirius watched you with amusement.
But Remus decided to end your torment.
“We’d like to give you what you’re looking for. If you’ll allow us,” he offered.
“But if you’d like to say no, we’ll forget all about this. You can go back to your desk and everything will go back to normal. You’ll keep your job,” James added.
Likely story. As if any of us could forget this. Forget how you look staring at us with those deep, glassy eyes.
You searched James’ eyes thoroughly. Then Sirius’. Then Remus’. Then you looked at your clasped hands, still.
When you looked up at Sirius again, you weren’t nervous or flailing, you were sure. Your voice was steady and clear when you spoke again.
“I’d like that.”
~~~
You couldn’t pinpoint what made you so sure of your decision. Rationality pounded at the door of your consciousness, screaming that you were risking the best job you’d ever had for something you weren’t even sure you would like. Some part of you, some uptight part of you wanted to take it all back, storm out of the room and pretend it never happened.
But you didn’t want to listen to that part of yourself all the time anymore. You wanted to be free.
“I’d like that.” You looked directly into Mr. Black’s silver eyes as you spoke, conveying all the confidence you had in you to those three words.
Mr. Lupin kicked off the wall and crossed in front of the desk. He leaned against it, oozing confidence and allure from every pore. You had to lift your chin quite far to meet his eyes.
Slowly, deliberately, he brought his hand to your face. His index finger hooked beneath it, fitting perfectly into the groove of your jaw. His thumb pressed softly against your chin.
“Address us properly,” said Mr. Lupin, voice husky and deep and meaningful. You found yourself completely captivated by his deep, green eyes.
Your lashes fluttered, recalling Mr. Black’s earlier correction. “I’d like that… sir.”
“Bloody hell,” whispered Mr. Potter.
“Fucking perfect,” Mr. Black said a disbelieving laugh.
And Mr. Lupin was staring at you. His features softened (pride? affection? lust?) but his gaze remained intense and focused on you.
“Then let’s get started.”
