Ease [Cashton/Muke]

Chapter fourteen

"Can you please," Calum starts the moment he steps out of the lift; he already has less time to prepare for this meeting than usual. Once he's sure Maggie is following him to the conference room he continues. "Text Ashton a photo of Alec. Something like 'this is Alec. See you soon xo'. I said I would because Ash pointed out he has no idea who the guy is." Calum takes off his winter coat as he speaks, handing it and his phone to Maggie while he approaches the documents she'd already laid out in the conference room.
"Consider it done, I'll be back ASAP. T-minus 41 minutes until the meeting."
"Great." Calum mumbles, attention already on the task at hand as she walks out of the room.

"That's all sorted-" Maggie's reentrance to the conference room is cut off by Calum's mobile ringing loudly. Maggie looks at the phone in her hand and sighs. "Hello Michael." She says dryly, making sure Calum knows who's called him before she walks out to deal with it.

"What do you mean you're on your way?" She scolds.
"I don't get what's so hard to understand." Michael Clifford says as he rolls his eyes. Michael was Calum's best friend since they were seven and in the same grade one class. Michael was the owner and CEO of Scorpion technology, a company who did everything from phones to computers to watches.
"He's in a meeting till 7 and then he's got someone staying with him tonight." Maggie says matter of factly.
"You could have just said Ashton, who else would it be? I'm not dumb." Michael deadpans, making Maggie huff.

"Maggie, why do you hate me?"
"I don't hate you. I just have respect for Calum's busy schedule -and you don't." She shrugs.
"A schedule so busy he must have forgotten to tell you we had dinner at 7 tonight. Which is the reason I was calling." Michael muses.
"I doubt he'll fit that in but in any case it doesn't explain why you're visiting now."
"Just to try and convince him to join me for drinks now. No more."
"You're so difficult." Maggie groans, ready to ram her head against a wall at this point.
"And I pride myself on it, you know that." Michael grins.
"Well he's not finished this meeting till 7 so if I say it's 7:30 or bust but we'll get back to you in a couple hours, how does that sound? Do you promise not to come harass us?" Maggie concedes.
"Sure. Talk in a couple hours. Bye Mags."
"Bye Mike."

"He'll wait." Maggie says as she walks back into the glass walled room where Calum is heavily focussed on an array of documents. Calum nods slightly to acknowledge her comment. If anyone understands the stress of business, it's Michael.
"Can you please find someone to take minutes of this meeting? You'll have to leave at 6 to babysit Ashton, or rather, reassure him that I haven't forgotten about him."
"Sure thing." Maggie flies through the conference room doors yet again, this time in search for a PA of one of the department heads who's free for the next two hours. She flies back in 15 minutes later, the PA to the head engineer following behind.

"Just record the whole thing anyway then drop it to me and take minutes then leave them on my desk. I guess just sit around till the meeting starts, sorry." Maggie says to Holly, the designated minute taker for this meeting, before turning to Calum. "The last thing before I leave you to it I guess, because there's no point me being around half of it and disturbing the flow in an hour, any special instructions for Ashton?"
"No." Calum says, not looking up from the paperwork he has his nose in. "Maybe give him a tour of the place?"
"Sure thing. I'll see you in a couple hours." Maggie salutes before she's walking back to her desk with a free hour to get extra stuff done.

Time flies as Maggie decides to spend her time proofreading the various letters and press releases and just general documents she typically procrastinates. At five minutes past six the lift opens and out steps a timid looking Ashton and Alec following closely behind.

"Ashton!" Maggie beams, approaching the sub who she'd seen many photos of. It's the way Ashton is obviously startled by the whole affair that Maggie realises he has no idea who she is. "Sorry." She laughs. "I'm Maggie. I'm Calum's personal assistant. I've heard so much about you."
"Oh." The younger boy chuckles nervously. "I've heard a little about you."
"It's alright. Follow me into Cal's office and I'll show you around." She says, turning around.
"Um, where is he? Calum?" Ashton asks softly.
"He's in a meeting until 7. He wants me to reassure you that he hasn't forgotten about you. How about I give you a tour of the place?"
"Oh. Sure then, I guess." Ashton replies, having mixed feelings about his dom not being around in this unfamiliar environment. He guesses that should be expected given how busy and important his dom's job is.

Maggie tells Ashton to put his bag down and takes his coat before touring the building; showing off Calum's office, her desk, all the different departments on each floor, the common lounges and kitchens and so on. She doesn't show the conference rooms, just a vague "they're that way" because she knows that just Ashton walking past would infinitely distract Calum.
"Are you hungry?" Maggie asks once they reach the ground floor.
"Maybe? A little?"
"Well we have a food court, round the back of this floor, but nothing there is open past six. Most of them shut at five. Do we wanna head down the street somewhere? We have time." Maggie suggests.
"Oh- I don't know..."
"Ashton, relax." Maggie replies, voice softer. "If you're hungry we'll go grab something to eat. I always have an expense card of Calum's on me so just trust me. We can afford to feed you."

Figuring, rightly so, that Ashton's still too afraid to initiate anything, Maggie just walks out of the building knowing Ashton will follow behind.
"What do you want to eat? How hungry are you?" Maggie hums, glancing around this particular street of inner Sydney looking for food. They weren't short of options.
"Uh, just a little peckish." Ashton mumbles.
"Fast food? A bakery? A café? Italian? Mexican? Chinese? This is inner Sydney, you can have whatever you like." She asks, pointing out a few places as they pass them.

"I'm craving chicken and we're running out of time, let's just go in KFC." Maggie declares, leading Ashton into the fast food restaurant they were standing next to. "What do you want?" She queries, staring at the menu.
"Like, maybe just some nuggets?"
"You're a teenage boy you're allowed to say you want a full meal. Besides, it's KFC." She deadpans.
"Do you know when dinner will be?" Ashton asks.
"My guess is an hour to an hour and a half."
"Just a nugget go bucket is fine. No drink."

Maggie shakes her head and steps up to the counter, ordering Ashton's nugget go bucket and a popcorn chicken for herself.
"Enjoy, now let's get back before Calum realises I kidnapped you and he has an aneurism." Maggie jokes as she hands Ashton his food and they walk back towards the office building. It instills no confidence whatsoever in Ashton.

A/N: Michaellllllllllllllll :))))))) that's all I have to say

Thanks for the love

-Grace Williams xo