A Cup of Coffee, Not Tea (A Zerrie Oneshot)

When Perrie Edwards stepped into the meeting room and sits down on the office chair, something gave Zayn Malik the hunch that she would be a very likely candidate to the position of his secretary.

She's dressed in a loose white blouse that's tucked into her black pencil skirt that reaches up to her knees, with a matching black blazer to boot. Her hair is tied up in a neat ponytail, and her makeup isn't anything to extravagant. She actually seemed like she was about to go for a real interview, unlike the twenty others before her, who seemed more ready to be in Zayn's bed than in front of a computer, working from nine to five.

He might actually finally be able to hire someone useful for once.

He looked at her mannerism - back straightened, hands placed neatly on her lap, eyes faced to the front, waiting patiently for Zayn to start the interview. She's perfect, he thought to himself. But the real test starts now.

He opened up her portfolio file and scanned it. "Perrie Edwards right? Twenty-four this year?"

"Yes." Her voice came out strong and firm. Zayn liked that.

He looked through her profile some more. It was impressive, filled with many achievements that she had. That alone was good enough a reason for Zayn to hire her.

"Well, let's start with the basics, shall we?" He closed the file and looked up at her, smirking slightly. "Why do you want to work here?"

"Well, the pay is high, the working conditions are reasonable, I get more than enough rest days as well." She looked at him, right in the eye. "And most of all, I think I've got what it takes to be your secretary."

Zayn raised an eyebrow. She was definitely straightforward. He sat up, more interested than before.

"Then what makes you so confident that I'll hire you?" he questioned her.

Silence. Wait. Was that a scoff he heard?

Her eyes suddenly twinkled, and she slightly tilted her head to the side. "I'm not like any of the girls outside. I'm not here to make you mine; I'm just here to earn a decent living."

Zayn leaned back in his chair, studying her features closely. She was feisty, sure enough. She didn't seem bothered by his appearance at all; he was a twenty-six year old boss of the Malik Corporation. With his bad boy appearance, he was sought by many, guys and girls alike. It was hard to find someone who would have been able to work closely with him, yet maintain a professional relationship, without jumping at every chance to hit on him. If she was what she had seemed like...

Zayn stood up. The lady opposite him did the same. "Thank you for coming, and please await the news," he told her, and she nodded her head demurely.

"I hope to hear some good news from you soon," she had said before walking out like the lady she was.

Sure enough, one week later, a phone call and email arrived at Perrie's apartment, instructing her to report for work at the Malik Corporation's main building the very next day.

Perrie arrived in the office at nine o'clock sharp, wearing clothes similar to what she had worn the other day, and looking as sharp as ever, Zayn noticed. She politely knocked on his door before coming in, and he, as her employer, in response, stood up to shake her hand. It was surprisingly rough, and Zayn could feel the hard lumps of the calluses at the edges, but it probably shouldn't have been surprising, seeing how she probably started writing when she was old enough to go to pre-school and had never stopped since then.

When they were done with the formalities, they sat back down. Zayn cleared his throat, and began to brief her on her job, and what she was supposed to do.