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Chapter Text

The annual office Labor Day outdoor party was filled with laughter, barely edible canapes that never filled anyone up, and drunken naughtiness in dark corners. It was Friday afternoon before the big weekend. The company made holiday decorations and it made most of its revenues between Labor Day and Christmas.

Katniss Everdeen always skipped out on these social rituals. This year however she could not. Her boss, Haymitch Abernathy demanded she attend. Apparently the owner of the company, Coriolanus Snow, wanted everyone to show up for some grand announcement. The one thing Katniss hated about these parties and hated about her job, in particular, was that upstart show off Peeta Mellark.

He was schmoozing with the assortment of models dressed as pumpkins, elves, and turkeys. He was just too perfect. Perfect height, natural ashen blond hair, straight white teeth, and an ass that was slap worthy. Katniss closed her eyes. As much as she loathed Peeta, she was also wildly attracted to him. She wanted to strip that stupid smile off of his face all the while living la Vida Loca on a springy bed. Oh, she wanted him so much she'd taken to carrying an extra pair of underwear, his voice did things to her during meetings. She could just envision what he would sound like in the bedroom.

The canape she held in her hand crumbled and she came back to the present. This weakness is why she loathed Peeta Sexy-Ass Mellark so much. No man should be that freaking sexy. No man should make her crazy by just looking at her. Turning around, she stomped away to the drinks bar; the only way to survive this was to get buzzed.

The bartender was handing a drink to the person next to her. When they finished Katniss said, "Excuse me…"

The bartender ignored her and moved to the person next to her.

Katniss shook her head. She often found herself in this position. She waited for the bartender to finish. She wasn't that tall, and naturally, people looked right over her head at the taller person standing behind her or next to her. She waited patiently and listened as the DJ's switched two songs.

"Evergreen."

Katniss grimaced when she heard Peeta's voice. He always mispronounced her name. Peeta Mellark did this to annoy her. He knew everyone's name, he knew birthdays and anniversaries but her name he always butchered, and somehow always forgot her birthday. She turned to face him. His eyes were dripping with frost, and she reciprocated the look. "Mellark."

His frosty exterior melted the moment the bartender appeared. He turned into the Prince of charm and finesse. "Hello, may I have a suffering bastard."

The bartender smiled and winked, "Sure."

Katniss fumed; she'd been waiting for ten minutes. "REALLY!"

"What's the matter Everdeen, making enemies with the bartender?"

"NO! I've been waiting for ten minutes for a drink and you come up and of course they serve you first."

He raised an eyebrow as if amused by her story.

These were the things that annoyed her about him."UGH!"

"It's just you don't look like the type of person who drinks." His lips formed that mocking smile, that made her want to smack him. "You also don't look old enough to drink."

"I am old enough to drink, and when I do I like strawberry daiquiris."

"Strawberry daiquiris?" He sounded amused.

"Well, it's better than your, what are you drinking, a suffering…?" Katniss stopped as she realized what she was going to say.

"You can't even say it, can you?"

His amusement at her inability to say the 'b' word frustrated her even further. "I can too."

"Go ahead," Peeta mocked.

Spurred by his dare she opened her mouth, but small choking sounds came out. She couldn't curse, everyone in the company knew she had a problem with vulgar words. It was the fault of her 9th Grade English teacher Miss Trinket who would fail students for using vulgarities and incorrect diction.

He chuckled dryly. "You're so pure."

His words were a backhanded compliment and it set her on fire. Katniss was a Pollyanna from a backwater town, called the Seam and he hailed from Capitol City, and it meant that she was simple and unsophisticated. It also meant inexperienced. And while some of it was true, he didn't know what she thought, or how tempted she was to push him into a dark corner and have her way with him.

Her problem was she did not have the words to communicate with him. Words weren't her thing, she was more of a doer. It's why she made a great account manager for the business development managers. They sold and she was able to get the order shipped out on time for them.

She currently worked with Caesar Flickerman. He was flamboyant and sweet, but he was demanding when it came to excellence. Looking at Peeta she was trying to formulate the words to insult him when the microphone screeched letting them know their attention was needed at the stage.

Katniss took that moment to slip away from Peeta. She stood toward the back of the crowd where she was sure no one could bother her.

Their boss, Corilianus Snow took the stage. He began speaking about the company's long history and Katniss wished she had her daiquiri. She hated these long drawn out speeches. On the other hand, after the big announcement, she could quietly slip out. Katniss focused on Snow's words.

"As an effort to bring our company forward into this new era, we will be instituting new initiatives," Snow said. "We will be offering a prize of a profitable cash bonus at Christmastime and two extra days of paid time off." Everyone applauded.

The money would be amazing. The days off though were the biggest prize. Katniss didn't have many days left, and two extra days meant she could possibly spend Christmas with her family. Katniss hadn't spent a holiday with them in so long. She missed her sister and her mother.

Snow put his hands out to quiet the crowd before continuing, "In the spirit of competition and to bring new dynamics to the sales force we will be shaking things up internally by switching Account Managers and Business Development Managers. So if you go to that table where our lovely assistants are located you will find an envelope with your name on it and inside it will contain the name of the person you will be working with until December 23rd."

The announcement took everyone out of their comfort zone, but the necessity to know who they were being paired with drove the staff to the tables like brides descending on Kleinfeld's semi-annual sale. It was chaotic and it overwhelmed Katniss; she hung back.

There were gladdened faces and faces that reflected the horror of the new partnership. Katniss looked around frightened by the prospect of having to work with someone new. She walked to the table and picked up her envelope.

When she opened it her vision went dark.

"Looks like we're stuck with each other."

Peeta's voice contained the grim foreboding sentiment she felt.

She tried to smile but she was sure she looked deranged.

"Stop smiling, you're scaring people."

Katniss wasn't sure how to best show that this didn't bother her. Of all of the people in the company, she had to be stuck together with none other than Peeta-I-want-to-scratch-your-eyes-out-yet-ride-you-into-oblivion-Mellark. Life was not fair.

"Everyone please enjoy the food, the open bar, and enjoy a turn on the dance floor..." Snow said over the microphone.

The music started and Finnick and Annie who were secretly dating made their way to the dance floor. Katniss and Annie sat together during lunch at times and she had covered for Annie when she met Finnick in secret. Several others who saw the way Snow tipped his glass toward Finnick went to the dance floor too. It was all a game to show Snow they were not affected by the changes. The music was upbeat and definitely not Katniss' style.

"Come on, dance with me."

"What?" She hissed.

"We need to show them we're a team."

"NO," Katniss didn't want to dance with him. She didn't like to be touched.

"Snow is watching us, and we need to make a good impression. I have a feeling this is going to be more than just about numbers," he whispered.

Katniss took a look at Corilanius Snow, who stood off to the side in his white suit inspecting everyone. The one thing Katniss knew for sure about Snow was he had keen eyes and he was able to perceive things about people just by observation.

"Fine," she said.

The band struck up a slow song. Peeta led her not to the center but off to the side which gave her some relief.

"I'm not good at this," she whispered as his one hand found purchase on the small of her back and the other cradled her hand as if it was the most delicate flower.

Her heart rate increased as blood flowed south, as all at once she was surrounded by his heat and scent. He smelled warm and spicy like one of her mother's medicinal teas. She had fantasized what it would be like to be held close in his arms, and it was better than her imagination. Peeta was fit, his shirt was cut close to his physique, her underwear was going to get ruined. His arms were solid and she involuntarily pushed herself closer.

"Just follow my lead," he said quietly.

Katniss nodded. She noticed the slight flecks of gold in his blue eyes. Katniss committed them to memory as he moved. Their bodies fit together perfectly and she was thankful for his graceful movements because she wasn't sure of her steps. Dancing wasn't something she participated in regularly. The last time she committed herself to a slow dance was back in middle school, and it ended up with her partner having a broken toe.

"You need to relax your shoulders, you're too stiff," he said.

His words ruined the moment for her. "I told you I don't do this."

"Just close your eyes,"he said.

Katniss stared at him.

"If we're going to work together you have to learn to trust me."

His words were a gauntlet thrust in her face. How dare he talk about trust when he didn't even know her. She shot back, "Then you're going to have to earn it...trust and respect are earned. And you don't trust me either and you certainly don't respect me."

"Look Evergreen," Peeta said.

"FIrst off, it's not Evergreen. It's Ever-deen," Katniss hissed. She knew this was a mistake.

He raised that infernal eyebrow of his.

"If we are going to be working together you need to at least learn my name."

"Where's the fun in that?"

His voice was beginning to grate on her nerves.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Katniss needed to get away, to compose herself before she did something stupid. Thankfully the slow music stopped.

Peeta let go of her. She walked away and sat down on a bench near the bathrooms.

She heard women laughing. One of the women's voices she recognized was Clove, the other she didn't know, but this woman's voice sounded breathy like a phone sex operator.

"Did you see who Peeta Mellark was paired with?" The woman with the breathy voice asked.

They were just around the corner from where Katniss was sitting. They didn't know she was listening.

"She's the one person in this entire company who's not a team player," Clove snickered. "No one wanted to work with her and poor Caesar was stuck with her when Claudius retired. He tried to make her likable in front of everyone, by saying she was a hard worker. All she ever does is scowl at anyone and everyone who approaches her cubicle. There's a reason Peeta calls her Evergreen."

"Doesn't his nickname mean Evermean?"

Both laughed.

"He's so gorgeous. I heard from Glimmer that he's good in bed."

"I hate that bitch," Clove said.

"I also heard he's been spending time with the freelance consultant Cressida."

"Really," Clove replied. "I heard she shot down Cato."

"She's so exotic, I think she was once a model."

"Well at least we know he'll never touch Everdeen, he's too busy going after Cressida now that she's no longer with the company."

Clove's words hurt because she wasn't a likable person, even Haymitch said so, but she was a hard worker and she put her heart and soul into everything she did. She also knew the chances of someone like Peeta Mellark liking someone like her were slim to none. Getting up, she quickly walked away, not wanting to let them see her dilemma.

She walked right into Peeta. His arms went around her shoulder to keep her from falling.

"I was looking for you, come on," he tugged her hand, dragging her back to the dance floor. "We need to keep up appearances."

Katniss relented and walked with him to the dance floor. She wanted to escape and seek shelter from the ugliness of the world. He pulled her close and slowly they danced.

"Just one more dance and then we can go home."

Katniss looked away.

"I see the scowl is back."

Her face hardened, she didn't want him to see the hurt in her eyes. Clove's words were in her head, she was unlikeable. And now she was stuck with Peeta, a man she loathed but at the same time lusted after. A man whom she learned made fun of her last name. Nothing good would come out of this partnership.

"Come on Evergreen," Peeta whispered.

Katniss's eyes narrowed.

"Maybe if you smiled more…"

Saddened and angered by his actions and Clove's words she lashed out, "Smile more, you mean like one of the empty-headed bimbos that you frequent Sae's with?"

"Have you been following me?"

"What, no?"

"Do you have a crush on me? Is that why you're stalking me?" he taunted.

Katniss spotted Glimmer making moon eyes at him. "No, but your little friend over there would love a second round of Peeta's greatest hits," she hissed. She then spotted Cressida standing by Finnick and Annie. "Oh look, another one of your little fan club."

He looked amused when he spun them around so that he could see who she meant. He chuckled, "You're jealous."

"You're an idiot to think every woman wants to drop their drawers because you cast a look at them."

"You're pretty when your eyes flash, they look like daggers."

Frustrated she looked at him and said, "You disgust me." And she stomped her foot down on his before marching away.

Even as she left she felt bad for striking his foot. He could go to HR because of that and she could be fired.

Chapter Text

The entire weekend Katniss fretted over her outburst at the party. She was playing up the scene in her mind on how she was going to be fired. On Saturday she made sure to go through every nook and cranny for spare change. She exchanged all of the empty cans and bottles for cash. She was sure she was going to need every red cent because unemployment did not pay much.

Sunday morning Katniss woke up and updated her resume. When finished, she needed to get out of the apartment. The noise of the city was a contrast to the silence of her home district. Back home, the trees were still green but once October came around, the trees would bloom into different colors. In the city, people put a wreath on their doors and decorated their homes. Back home people prepared for the cold by chopping wood and removing the air units from their windows.

The city was electric and she didn't even know her neighbors. In the Seam, life was slower paced and everyone knew everyone. She walked toward the park. She loved the woods; it was the place she felt more connected to her roots. It was also free.

Sitting down on a bench, she watched people pass by. She felt recharged by nature. Slipping her sunglasses on her face, she looked around and saw an old couple holding hands. If her father were alive, he would be doing the same with her mother. Her father was long gone and there wasn't a day she didn't miss him. It's why her last name was so important to her. It's why learning the meaning behind Peeta's butchering her last name hurt so much.

A solitary yellow leaf fell from the tree and Katniss followed it's progress to the ground.

"Katniss."

Looking up, she saw Annie with Finnick.

"Hey, Annie and Finnick."

"That was some party on Friday," Annie said.

"Yeah." Katniss smiled at the striking couple. He was tall and handsome with golden skin and she was a tall slender woman with flowing chestnut hair. They were both from District Four. "You two should be over the moon to be working with each other."

"We have an excuse to be together all of the time, but-," Annie looked to Finnick.

"You still have to be careful. Snow is watching all of us," Finnick said. "The no interpersonal relationship rule is just ridiculous."

"Finnick," Annie said, placing her hand on his arm.

Katniss felt bad for them. If Snow found out they were in a relationship they would be fired. There was a strict policy on dating. Snow had fired a man named Cray for stepping out with one of the interns. Cray had been with the company for fifteen years when he was let go. The intern was spared because she wasn't part of the company.

"We're getting married," Annie whispered.

"Congratulations."

Finnick gazed lovingly at Annie, and Katniss momentarily felt like the third wheel.

"We just cannot say anything, not yet." Finnick pecked Annie's lips.

"I won't," Katniss promised.

"Thank you," Annie said.

"What about you, Katniss. Any prospects?" Finnick asked.

"No," Katniss said, thinking about Peeta. He was probably off somewhere schtupping some mindless model. Possibly even waking up with Cressida.

"Well, it will happen, trust me. I was a confirmed bachelor until I met Annie. She somehow crept up on me and I was under her spell."

"More like he begged me for a date and I turned him down."

"I remember." Katniss smiled tightly, feeling sorry for herself. She was loath to admit she was lonely. She'd made a decision when she was younger that she wouldn't ever fall in love. She was scared of the hurt that occurred when you gave your heart away and then that person was taken away.

"It will happen for you," Annie said.

"Well, at least the odds are in your favor at work. You're going to like working with Peeta," Finnick said.

Katniss rolled her eyes. "That's if I'm not fired."

"Why, what happened?" Annie sat down next to her.

"We...don't really get along." Katniss didn't want to say she stomped on his foot but she could honestly say she didn't get along.

"I know you Katniss, you're not a quitter. You'll find a way to survive. I've seen you turn around the angriest of clients." Annie smiled toward her.

"Yeah, and Peeta, he's a good guy. You'll see, it will work out." Finnick and Annie shared the type of communicative look that couples in love did when they exchanged information. Katniss had the feeling they knew something.

"Thanks guys." Katniss smiled but she knew it wouldn't work out, not really. She stomped on the foot of the man she was going to be working under. She sighed that night as she pictured Peeta's surprised face over and over again when she stomped on his foot.

She shouldn't have done it, not when technically he hadn't done anything wrong. She had let Clove's words and opinions rule her finer judgment. Finnick said Peeta was a good guy, but if Peeta was such a good guy why couldn't he call her by her first name. Why did he have to butcher her last name? He knew full well calling her Evergreen bothered her, but he didn't stop. It was that mischievous smirk that drove her crazy and caused her to want to simultaneously hurt him and kiss him.

"Well, we're going to brunch a friend of ours is throwing. Do you want to join us?"

"No thanks. I am-" Katniss's words drifted. She had no excuse really other than she was broke and soon out she'd be out of a job.

"Come on, it's a brunch at Cressida's house. She's throwing a viewing party. We're celebrating her newest achievement. She helped her newest client's show get picked up this fall. It's free food and then we get to preview the show."

"It sounds like something she wants to celebrate with the people she's closest with," Katniss muttered.

"Nonsense, she invited Finnick and me from when she consulted at Panem Inc." Annie was quiet but determined and she had that particular look that told Katniss she wasn't going to let Katniss getaway.

"Yes, but she became close to you guys." Katniss was looking for an excuse to get out of going.

"We each received an invitation to take a plus one. Finnick and I were going to show up separately, just in case she invited others from work, but if we go all together it will be less suspicious as if I invited you," Annie said.

Finnick and Annie looked like the perfect couple. She wore a red dress with balloon sleeves and gold pendant of a lighthouse, and he wore an untucked plaid checkered shirt with dark jeans, and an orangy-red sweater tied around his neck. Katniss was wearing ripped jeans and an oversized white t-shirt and white tennis sneakers. "I'm not wearing the right clothing."

"Nonsense, Finn, pass me the sweater in the bag," Annie insisted.

"No you don't-" Katniss protested but it was too late. Finnick pulled out a cozy oversized men's cardigan sweater from the bag. The color was a rich russet orange. It reminded her of the type of orange you could see in the sky at sunset. There was something comforting about the sweater. It smelled sweet and the scent was familiar and welcoming.

"We were going to return this to one of our friends." Annie held out the sweater in front of Katniss.

"Are you sure he won't mind?" Her hands itched to get a hold of the sweater.

"Annie got cold the last time we were all together and she borrowed the sweater. He won't mind, believe me," Finnick grinned at Annie as another look passed between them.

Katniss pondered about their furtive looks but didn't say anything. She stood and walked with them to the stylish brownstone. It was a small informal gathering set outside with Adirondack chairs. Cressida had it catered.

She was tall and classically beautiful, but she had an edge. She was the eternally cool 'it' girl. She reminded Katniss of the model Gisele Bundchen in a mock sleeveless turtleneck and caramel wide-leg pants. Her ponytail looked fresh and young. Katniss felt her trademark over the side braid looked juvenile.

"Finn," Cressida greeted.

"Cress." Finn gave her a kiss on each cheek.

"Annie," Cressida greeted warmly.

"Cressida, I brought Katniss from work along with me," Annie said when Cressida turned her eyes to Katniss.

"Lovely," Cressida smiled warmly.

"Hi," Katniss said.

"Please enjoy the food," Cressida said.

Katniss nodded and walked over to the tables where food was being served. The food looked tempting. Katniss didn't know many of those gathered. Finnick and Annie seemed to know a lot of them; they stood chatting in a group with Cressida. There were a few people queueing up for the food, she decided to blend in and have something to eat.

She could see the eggs and bacon from where she stood. Katniss hadn't realized how hungry she was as she could smell the homefries and the sausage. As she got closer she could see the frittatas, the mini quiches, the bagels, fresh fruit, and crudites, along with an assortment of pastries.

"You should try the cheese buns."

Katniss froze at the sound of Peeta's voice. She spun around the plate between them like a shield. "What are you doing here?"

"I might ask you the same thing?" That sardonic twist of his lips made her want to kiss him badly.

"I…" she stammered telling herself to keep it together. But he was yummy, yummier than anything on the menu. Katniss wanted him, to take him, to push the food aside, for him to take her in his arms and kiss the daylights out of her. At the illicit thoughts she felt her face become flush and her heart rate spike. "I…"

"Let me guess...you are going to go around stomping on the feet of innocent men for fun?"

Katniss opened her mouth and closed it, horrified her eyes filled with tears. She felt bad about stomping on his foot. Katniss looked away. She couldn't let him see her cry, so she hardened her face and retaliated. "No, that treat was reserved for you."

The sardonic smile turned into a grin revealing that little dimple she cherished so much. "Touché."

"What do you want?"

"By the scowl on your face, I see you flew down on your broomstick?"

Her eyes narrowed. "You ought to know. Isn't that how you arrived here?"

"Do you ever get tired of making enemies?"

"I only make enemies with egotistical cretins," she spat.

"Is that the way you're going to speak to your future supervisor?"

"It's not Monday yet, so I can freely insult you to my heart's desire."

"Listen, Evergreen."

Katniss narrowed her eyes and she swore sparks flew out of her ears. "There you go again, proving to me why you're such a selfish oaf."

"Wait, are you cursing at me?" Peeta's eyes twinkled.

"Dagnabit, you disgust me," Katniss muttered.

Katniss took the plate and moved forward in the buffet line. She quickly filled it with whatever was at hand, sausages, some eggs, and the home fries. She decided getting away from Peeta was the best course of action.

She stomped away and his laughter trailed behind her.

"Flipping flap jackets, that man gets under my skin," she muttered, wishing the ground would open up and swallow him.

She found a table away from everyone and sat down to eat. From afar, she watched Peeta openly flirt with Cressida. He could openly cavort with her as Cressida was not an employee of the company. She was a specialist that was there to help Snow restructure the company. Her job was done.

Katniss picked at her food.

"I heard you liked daiquiris." Finnick handed her the red slushy drink.

"I do, how'd you know?"

"Let's just say Cress has a mixologist in our midst, and Peeta let it slip that you like them."

"Oh." She glared and frowned at Peeta. But she wouldn't deny the drink. She needed the liquid courage. Katniss took the daiquiri and sipped its sweet fruity content.

"You remind me of Eeyore."

Katniss sighed, "Well, I'm the wallflower."

Finnick laughed. "So you gonna sit there and sulk or are you going to join us."

Katniss looked up to, and saw Peeta was staring at them. "Um, I'm okay here."

"You two really don't get along?" Finnick was frowning at her.

"Let's just say he's going to be my boss, and things are already shaky between us." Katniss sighed.

"Huh," Finnick said. His face looked puzzled.

"Thanks for the drink," Katniss said.

"Okay, we're all going inside for the special viewing."

Katniss sighed. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

Finnick left.

Standing up, she grabbed her drink. She stood by a large oak tree looking into the room as people took their seats. Her drink was nearly finished but she just couldn't make herself go inside. At work, she was focused and she could walk into meeting rooms and listen and make suggestions when necessary. That was work, but in these types of social situations, she felt like a duck without a pond. Katniss found herself on the fringes, a solitary figure unsure of how to fit into a world built for groups and couples. She pulled up the collar of the cardigan and snuggled into its warmth, shielding herself from the loneliness she felt.

She watched Peeta sit by Cressida and wished she was the one sitting by him. Yet, who was she kidding? Cressida was brilliant, exotic, and fierce, yet with a hint of fragility that Katniss was sure drew men to her like a fruit fly was attracted to a basket of bananas. Katniss meandered back to the bar. The mixologist was packing up, but she made Katniss another daiquiri.

Katniss floated back to the tree to watch the rest of the attendees, their attention focused on the show.

"Evergreen, I see you got your daiquiri."

Katniss gripped the stem of her drink at the sound of Peeta's voice. How did he manage to sneak up on her? She turned her head to face him. She plastered a smile on her face and told herself not to be caught up by his baby blue eyes. The alcohol was buzzing through her system.

"Yes, I did."

He laughed then leaned in. "I like your sweater, where did you get it?"

The warm spicy scent encircled her like a warm blanket right out of the dryer. "Annie lent it to me."

"I like that color. It reminds me of the sunset."

How the hell could the words 'I like that color. It reminds me of the sunset' make her hot and bothered? It could be that was exactly what she thought of when Annie put on the sweater. The drink she held slipped her grasp.

Peeta caught it, "Hey."

"Oh sorry." Her eyes wildly searched for a reason behind her stupid actions. She focused behind him. "A Mockingjay."

"What?"

"A Mockingjay in the tree." Katniss cleared her throat. "You don't see them often in the city. They prefer wooded areas, the mountains."

He turned around and stared, then he looked at her. "Beautiful and rare."

Katniss wasn't sure what to make of his words. She wanted to stay angry at him for their earlier tiff, but couldn't.

"Why don't you come inside." He reached out and cupped her elbow.

The electricity that shot between them caused his eyes to become a shade darker. Katniss trembled from his touch. She pulled back. "No."

"It's warmer inside."

"I'm fine out here with my sweater."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, now it's your sweater then?"

"Yes, well, no," she frowned and said. "Not really...you know that…" Katniss felt the need to defend the sweater. "...but it's warm and comfy. I like the way it makes me feel." She stepped up to him.

"Do you." His hand loosened his hold on her elbow and moved up slightly, gently holding on to her forearm.

The current of electricity between them tripled. Katniss felt herself become warm and curious about what it would be like to be held voluntarily by him and not because they had to prove a point.

"The color suits you," he murmured.

She didn't even notice they were a hair's-breadth away from each other. She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks and they burned. Katniss swallowed thickly. She had no words to reply to his compliment. This was the first time he had ever said anything remotely nice to her. A part of her was thrilled. She felt like a thirteen-year-old again, unsure and unmistakably awkward.

"It does?"

He nodded and all Katniss's focus was on his lips. Katniss hadn't kissed anyone in years. She was out of practice and nearly tumbled backward.

His hands gripped her sides to steady her.

His blue eyes drifted to her mouth. Katniss was fascinated by the way his lips formed a smile right before they pressed into hers. Katniss was breathless. Peeta pulled away slightly and she licked her lips. She could taste him, a heady combination of cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar. His lips were a sumptuous feast and Katniss wanted more.

She pressed her lips against his once more and she felt a spark ignite deep in her belly. Peeta pulled away slightly and she chased his mouth with hers like a child whose favorite toy was taken away.

Peeta's hands skimmed up over her shoulders and neck until he cupped her cheeks. She shuddered. It was like one thousand points of electricity ran rampant in her body. His eyes stared into her eyes as if searching for something. Katniss felt as if her life had been turned upside down.

"Peeta," Cressida called from inside.

Katniss realized she kissed the enemy. Stepping back, her eyes widened at what she'd done. The nearly empty drink fell to the ground.

"Oh there you are," Cressida said. Then she focused on Katniss. "Oh look, she's wearing your sweater. How did I miss that?"

Katniss felt the color drain from her face. He knew it was his sweater all along. Embarrassed, she took three steps backward before darting away. This was the second time she'd made a fool of herself in front of Peeta Mellark.

Chapter Text

Monday she went back and forth between needing to apologize and wishing she'd done more than just stomp on his foot. That smirk on his was the source of one of the greatest fantasies that weekend. And now that she knew how he tasted, it was harder for her to keep the fantasies at bay.

Katniss knew what that warm scent was that was encrusted into his sweater: it was cinnamon. All-day Monday she kept on drifting by her cabinet to pick up the bottle and sniff it. Cinnamon was warm and inviting. It was everything Peeta wasn't. Yet Tuesday morning reality came crashing in when she needed to get up and be an adult. After her performance on Friday and then her stupidity on Sunday, she was sure she was going to be routed to human resources.

When she walked into the office, she could hear everyone whispering around her. Katniss held up her head high. When she got to her desk she saw her belongings were in a box. She didn't let her shoulders slump. "Pink slip city, here I come," Katniss muttered under her breath.

"Katniss," Haymitch grumbled loudly enough so that the entire office heard him.

Katniss stuck her hands in her pockets and walked into Haymitch's office.

"Close the door."

Katniss did so. The moment she did Haymitch took out his flask and poured some white liquid into his coffee cup. "I'm getting too damned old for this crap."

Katniss opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.

"I asked you to behave," Haymitch said once he drained the contents of his cup. "But no, you had to go and make a spectacle of yourself, sweetheart. Everyone saw you walk away. The boy recovered and said you had gotten some news about your baby sister and was upset and asked to leave early."

"What?" Katniss whispered, she hadn't seen that coming.

"How is Primrose?"

"Fine," Katniss whispered. "But my desk is all packed up?"

"You're moving up to Peeta's floor."

"I am?" Katniss was stunned. She was sure she was going to be fired. "But Account Managers work on this floor, with you."

"Normally, but in this case, Peeta made the request so HR came down and packed up your stuff. You're going to get a cushy office next to his. You'll be working with his team on the twelfth floor."'

Haymitch gave her her new pass. She glanced down at her face on the glossy ID tag attached to a lanyard.

Haymitch was searching his desk for something. He continued speaking, "Look I saw you stomp on his foot, so I know the boy lied through his teeth to cover for you."

"I…" Katniss stammered to explain herself. She had no excuse for what happened on Friday; at least she could blame the kiss by way of alcohol.

"Don't bother trying to lie. I know four-year-olds who can lie better than you."

Katniss felt like she was in the principal's office being reamed for defending herself against a bully, and the sentence was having to work with Peeta. She could only imagine what torture Peeta plotted during the long weekend to get back at her.

"I know you two don't get along, but for the sake of this hair-brained idea Snow came up with, you have to work together with that boy. I know how much the extra cash and days mean to you."

Haymitch was right. He was always right, and she knew enough to listen to him. He was her boss, but he was also a mentor to her, and he helped her acclimate to the work culture at Panem Inc.

"Found it!" Haymitch pulled out a flash drive from his desk and gave it to her.

The silver flash drive felt foreign in her hands.

"Peeta managed to get into District Thirteen Discount Stores."

"I thought they only worked with the Star Squad company?"

"Well he got in, and he needs you to do what you do best, make sure the orders are received and processed and shipped out without a hitch. You need to be at your best. Snow is watching you both. He's not convinced you and Peeta are going to work out and you might put the account in jeopardy. It's rumored he has Cato and Marvel waiting in the wings to come in and swoop up the account."

If there were any other person she disliked in the company more than Peeta Mellark, it was Cato Yeagar. He was condescending, rude, and downright mean. She'd seen him make Willow from Accounts Payable cry. Marvel was just a stuck up rich boy. He was harmless until he got together with Cato.

"Okay kid, go up there and make us proud."

Katniss nodded, picked up her box, and went to the elevator. She rode up in silence, puzzling why Peeta didn't rat her out. She stomped on his foot. It was childish, it was inappropriate, and she was incredibly lucky that he didn't report her. If Haymitch had seen her stunt then most likely others had seen her as well.

The elevator climbed up until it reached the illustrious twelfth floor. She stepped onto the floor and was shocked to hear silence. On her floor, there were always phones ringing. The furniture on 12 was posh, the wood looked expensive, mahogany maybe. There was a waiting area just in front and a receptionist station to the back. To her right, through a wall of frosted glass panels, Katniss could see a conference room. To her left, a set of stylish file cabinets that looked more like furniture. To her far left, a doorway that led to more offices. She stepped out of the elevator and the receptionist stood up from his desk and made a beeline for her.

"Do you have clearance to be here?"

"Ah, yeah," Katniss shifted her box to show him her new id card.

"Stand down Flavius, she's with me." Peeta stood with his hands casually in his pockets.

Katniss reminded herself to shut her mouth. Her eyes traveled from his black double knotted dress shoes, to his slim dark navy blue trousers that no doubt made his butt look amazing. His matching button-down shirt that did little to hide his physique. The rolled-up sleeves revealed strong forearms, and his unbuttoned collar just looked roguish in contrast to the ultra-sleek conservative environment.

The taste of his lips was still fresh in her memory. His orange sweater was balled up in a corner of her bed. She might have slept with it on Sunday night, fearing the worst this morning.

The receptionist Flavius raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? She looks like she belongs in the mailroom with that bargain-basement ensemble."

Katniss looked down at her outfit and felt like a fish out of water. She lived on a shoestring budget. The majority of her workwear were thrift store finds. She owned exactly three suits, that were pant-skirt combinations. One of light merino wool for the summer and two heavier wool for the winter. She also had a few dresses that her sister made for her, and a couple of sweaters her mother knitted for her. She blushed, her clothing wasn't stylish and because of her stature, ill-fitting. She barely topped five feet one inches, so nothing ever fits right.

"She's here as part of Snow's initiative."

"You got stuck with this," Flavius tutted. "She's not particularly pretty, and she certainly is not impressive." Flavius walked away laughing.

Katniss scowled.

"Stop scowling. Flavius' cousin is Issac Mizrahi; he thinks he knows everything about fashion."

Katniss turned her gaze at him. She could scowl at anyone she wanted.

"Come."

Katniss followed him. His legs were longer and she had to run to catch up to him.

"So this is the twelfth floor. Those are the bathrooms, the break room is through there."

Katniss walked by doors some were closed and some were open. She peered into the open rooms curious. People were quietly sitting at their stations or gathered in groups having discussions.

"This is where the marketing, design, and engineering bring their final products to be checked before they go to market."

Panem Inc, did more than just wreaths; they designed pillows, bedsheets, and other things that could be purchased as an impulse buy. There were even talks of clothing for children.

The room opened up to a white elegant ballroom and grand staircase off to the side that went to the top floor. There was never a floor labeled thirteen but there was technically another floor; it was built into the twelfth.

"Mr. Snow's office is that way." Peeta pointed to the stairs.

Katniss nodded.

"This way to my suite of offices."

"I thought Business Development Managers didn't have suites on the twelfth floor."

"The majority don't; five of us are up here: Cato, Finnick, Brutus, Cashmere, and me. The rest are scattered between the tenth and eleventh floor."

They were headed toward the door that was at the end. This was her chance to say something before they had to go in and begin their work as a team.

"Look, about...," Katniss stammered. How she was going to apologize for stomping on his foot one day and kissing him the next, and stealing his sweater, she didn't know.

Peeta paused and his eyebrow rose.

"I…"

"Look, if we're going to be a team, you've got to stop trying to combat me. I thought about disregarding our partnership, leaving you downstairs, and doing the project without you." He gave her a look that she couldn't decipher, but that caused goosebumps on her skin and her body to warm. What was it about this man that he affected her on such a primal level, she wondered for the thousandth time. He gave her a smirk. "I also thought about getting you fired."

Katniss gripped her box tighter. Her family depended on her. Katniss was paying for her sister to go to school and was also sending money back home to her mother. Typically, she had enough money left over from her paycheck to cover the cost of living. But it meant plenty of cheap easy foods: cereal, tea, peanut butter, and Jelly sandwiches, value brand canned soups, and grilled cheeses. Every-once-in-awhile, she splurged on deli meat or some fresh fruit or vegetable. This was the life she'd carved out for herself in the Capitol and Peeta saying he considered having her fired made her worst fears a reality.

His look turned thoughtful as he glanced down at her. As if reconsidering his words and impressing upon her that getting her fired wasn't out of the equation. "However, two seconds after you left on Friday, I realized ignoring each other won't work and neither would getting you fired. So I decided if I stopped being wounded and forget everything that happened, we can take a shot at being pleasant to each other at work."

Katniss expelled the breath she held. "Everything?"

"Everything."

"Even the…" Katniss felt her cheeks warming up recalling the kiss.

"I mean everything."

Katniss was surprised that he was willing to wipe the slate clean. She supposed the kiss meant nothing to him. After all, he and Cressida had a thing and he was most likely embarrassed by what happened between them.

He held out his hand. "So truce?"

Katniss shifted the box and extended her hand. His warmer, larger hand gripped hers solidly and once more desire ripped through her like a late day summer storm.

"I've got too much riding on this." He let go of her hand, took her box, and opened the door for her.

The truce had begun.

Chapter Text

Katniss had a small office to herself with a lovely window, though she hardly noticed. She was knee-deep in catching up to speed with the project. Thankfully Portia, Peeta's previous Account Manager, kept meticulous notes.

Peeta left to see the owner of District Thirteen Discount Stores. He'd been gone and with little to no contact. His sweater was now neatly folded on a chair in her room. On lonely nights she wore it, and felt less lonely. She made small satchels of sticks of cinnamon, vanilla, and dusted them with brown sugar. She put one under her pillow and folded another into the sweater. She held off the loneliness at night with work.

But her dreams concentrated on eyes so blue they made the oceans jealous, the sound of his warm masculine voice, and the feel of strong arms that warded off the loneliness. She also dreamt of kisses that electrified her and caused warmth to spread to the very tips of her being that caused her to wake up with a smile on her face, and ruined panties.

She was glad that Peeta was out of the office and that she only had to deal with him in her imagination because before being paired with him, she didn't know his scent, or the feel of being held in his arms, or the way his lips tasted, or the way they moved against her in a toe-curling thrill.

Her nights were spectacular, harlequin romance quality erotica. Her days, however, were anything but. She was up to her earballs in Christmas, Santas, snowmen, snowflakes, elves, nutcrackers, sugar plums, and all kitschy holiday. Christmas was a billion-dollar business and Panem raked in millions from the moment September began to the day after Christmas. Yes even after Christmas they made money.

It was Katniss' job to manage millions of dollars of product, much like managing a mini country, where the capital was District Thirteen and the other accounts were other states.

Each day blended into the next. It seemed as if she just blinked, and September gave way to October. Katniss entrenched herself in everything District Thirteen Discount Store, and in all that time, the truce stuck.

To be fair, though, she never saw Peeta in person. He was hardly ever in the office, and when he was, he was in meetings. Her visual interaction came through virtual meetings where he was in some airport or a wifi place calling in to check on progress. However, the majority of the time they interacted through emails that came at all times of the day, any day of the week.

An Account Manager's job was never finished, but at least Peeta gave her enough credit to trust her with getting tasks done. It was easy because he was constantly on the road. D13 wasn't his only client. Peeta had twelve high profile customers that she also needed to care for.

Having a month to literally submerse herself in all things Peeta. Each retail company had a niche and they had a proven list of products they purchased. Katniss established relationships with his clients and they came to trust her pretty quickly, knowing her work ethics were impeccable.

Just last weekend she came into the office to handle a crisis with a shipment that had been released early from customs. She called in a skeletal warehouse staff to sign and stock the products on the shelves. That was her Sunday. Peeta was way across the country and the next morning she was in the office bright and early. She needed to have those very components used for building products to be shipped out within a two-day window.

D13 was a puzzle and a quagmire. Katniss was held up in her office trying to decipher Peeta's latest email. There were many moving pieces and yesterday she'd had a breakthrough. Thankfully, the first order hadn't come. But she needed to get the ball rolling. Her first task was to get a forecast of the items D13 was interested in buying. Once she had this, she could look to Supply Chain to source the product.

A knock at her door caused her to look up. She was surprised to see Peeta.

"We have a meeting." Peeta stood by her door looking at his watch. He was wearing a tailored grey suit that caused his blue eyes to look darker. "Come on goody-two-shoes, let's get a move on."

"Okay, sorry, one moment." Katniss picked up her clunky laptop. It was old and it needed to be switched out. When she was hired full time she'd complained to IT about it, but the guy in charge, Paul, said it was on the list, but nothing ever got done.

"Is that your laptop?"

"Yeah, I got this on the first day I started as an intern. Haymitch said they didn't have anything better."

He frowned. "Hurry up."

Katniss unplugged her computer and took the charger with her. It was so old it wouldn't last long without it. She went to the small conference room they monikered the Sunshine Room. She walked in and stopped, unsure where she should sit.

"Over here, Evergreen," Peeta said pointing to a seat towards the front.

Katniss wanted to throw the laptop at his face for saying her name wrong. She quietly sat down but was glad when she saw the electrical outlet on the desk. She quickly plugged in and listened.

"Okay so here's where we are," Peeta began. "Boggs, the owner is excited to be working with us. Here's the kicker, he wants to sit down with us and design a few things for his stores. Exclusives that we won't sell to any other department store. Cinna, I need you to get with Tigress…"

Katniss made notes; she had to keep her head in the game. She'd never been this close to Peeta at work before. He'd normally be on speaker or the screen. His voice alone drove her libido crazy. His scent, and the memory of being in his arms, were causing her to throb, and wetness to pool in her nether regions; she shifted in her seat.

"Evergreen, what have you been up to?"

Katniss's head snapped up, her mind a blank.

"Evergreen?" Peeta called.

"Right, what have I been up to," Katniss repeated like a damned parrot. This wasn't a meeting she was used to. Normally, with Haymitch, she was in meetings for an hour or two. Caesar liked to talk a lot. This was brief and she realized everyone else had already spoken.

"That's what I asked."

The entire room was staring at her. Katniss forgot about Peeta; her hands became clammy at the pressure. "I have been working with supply chain to purchase the preliminary items that they will buy from us…" she sounded wooden.

"What else?"

Katniss glanced at Peeta and instead of a condemning or bored look, his eyes held warmth. She took a deep breath. "Well from the contract they are looking to become less like Walmart, and more Target-like. So I've been doing research into a product line that Cinna and Beettee are coming up with that will help them bridge that gap. I've also sourced some things such as…"

Katniss was glad she'd connected her laptop to the screen in the room. It began to show some of the classic holiday products. "The great thing is, it's priced at a great buying point so we will make a profit and so will they. Their clients who go there because of the prices will get the same great discounts, but a better quality of decorations. I just need a solid forecast so that I can give this to supply chain so that we can begin to purchase."

"Good! I want everyone to email me what we discussed." Peeta said, smiling at everyone. His phone went off. As he checked his messages he said, "That's it, everyone. Have a great weekend, if I don't see you."

Katniss let her shoulders droop as she quietly unplugged her computer and prepared to leave.

"Evergreen," Peeta called from his chair.

Peeta using her name incorrectly grated on her last nerve. He wasn't sticking to the truce but she was. "Yes."

"Good job today."

"Thank you," she held the laptop as if it were a shield protecting her from any of his quips.

"When can you have the samples ready?"

"I can have samples ready for you tomorrow, if you want to send them to D13."

"Good, I'm flying out to meet them tomorrow."

"Okay," Katniss hoped this was over. She had work to do.

"I want you to come with me the next time."

"Tomorrow?" She stammered.

"No, in two weeks I'm bringing my team with me and I want you to come."

The laptop nearly slipped from her hand. She cursed. "Why?"

"I want them to meet the person in charge of the account whenever I am not around. If they have questions or they have a problem with an order, they should know to come to you."

"But I'm not likable, you said it yourself."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Portia told me that when you and Caesar began working together his sales increased. He's now averaging around $172,000 worth of shipments a month. I took a look at the numbers and that's remarkable given that he was trailing at $22,000 a month." He stood. "Now if you excuse me, I've been summoned by Snow."

Katniss watched him leave. She wasn't sure what to say to him. The last time he complimented her, it was right before he kissed her, or she kissed him. Her heart pounded in her chest at the thought of his warm lips making contact with hers. Katniss gripped her laptop tighter to bring her into the present. That kiss was a mistake and she wasn't buzzed at a casual event, she was at work. At work, Katniss wasn't a dork. She was good at her job. Sure, she lacked the social graces, but she knew how to get the job done.

"Oh and Evergreen, make sure you have appropriate evening wear for the trip. Don't wear that green dress you wear every time you're forced to come to a company event. I don't want you looking like a pollyanna."

Her mouth opened and she instantly became angry recalling the first day on the twelfth floor. How dare he say her clothing wasn't appropriate. Katniss snapped, "What do you mean? Should I wear a tube dress like that girl you sat with at lunch the last time I saw you or was that a bathing suit?"

"You have been stalking me." his eyes sparkled.

"In your wildest dreams."

He got near and whispered, "Don't you mean yours? You're the one keeping track of me."

The truce was over. The gloves were off and Katniss stood in the all too familiar ring with one Peeta Mellark.

Peeta's breath fanned her face and Katniss once more was reminded of their kiss, the way his lips molded to hers, how he tasted of cinnamon, and she felt the instant her underwear was ruined. That yahoo knew what he was doing. Ugh! If she could only curse him out.

"How's my sweater?" His voice was still low.

The change of subject confused her. She mumbled, "Your sweater?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Is it safe?"

"Safe?" Did he think she'd gotten rid of the plush, comfy sweater?

Peeta leaned in and with a mischievous twinkle he said in that low voice, "The sweater, you haven't gotten rid of it yet?" The crafty devil was taunting her.

He got her so mad she bit out, "It's been incinerated."

A low rumble of laughter bathed her ear as he came close and whispered, "You're not a good liar." He leaned back and his eyes suddenly looked darker and Katniss wondered at what temperature did blood overheat to cause an explosion. "But knowing how cold you always are, I bet you probably wear it at night."

Katniss gasped wondering how he knew she did. Heat rushed up to her cheeks.

"Just keep it warm for me?"

"I'm making a voodoo doll out of that sweater and I'm going to push pins into it, hoping you'll bleed."

His eyes lit up and he chuckled. "A voodoo doll?"

"Out of your sweater," Katniss ground out, wondering why he was laughing at her.

"My poor sweater, how am I ever going to see it?"

"You'll have to find me and pry it from my frigid body."

His eyes turned dark, the timbre of his voice caused her nipples to harden. "I may just have to do that."

Katniss realized what she'd said. She'd all but invited him to ravish her. She shuddered, and a high squeak escaped her lips.

He chuckled and walked away.

Her mouth was opened and she panted. Closing her eyes, she fanned herself with her hand limply. What power did this man have, Katniss wondered? Then she realized he'd done it again; once more, he rendered her speechless. And the hazy lust was transformed into pure anger. Katniss stormed into her office and sat down on the sofa. Tears gathered in her eyes. "Why can't you, for once, say what you want when you want to say it!"

A rap on the door told her she wasn't alone. She wiped her face.

"You okay?"

Katniss looked up to see Cinna standing there. He was such a nice man. He wore all black, all of the time. His only embellishment was a gold liner which made his golden eyes pop.

"I'm fine."

He sat down across from her. "Really?"

Katniss looked up, and sighed. Cinna was also really perceptive.

"I overheard most of your little tennis match in the Sunshine Room."

"Is it me?"

"If he bothers you, you can always take him to HR."

"I wish I could," Katniss ground out miserably.

"What I didn't hear well was…" Cinna drifted off. He raised an eyebrow and gave her a pointed look. "I kept hearing the word sweater?"

"The thing is I..." Katniss opened her mouth to tell him about his sweater and the fact that she had an article of clothing that belonged to Peeta. How in the world was she going to explain about the sweater without speaking about Annie and Finnick? They deserved their small bit of happiness. "Ugh, it's just messed up. Let's just say I'd be tossed out of this office before Peeta Mellark is-" Katniss trailed off. She threw her arm over her eyes. "Stupid sweater," she said with all of the vehemence she could muster.

"I take it the sweater isn't yours?"

Katniss had no words so she nodded.

Cinna chuckled. "This is interesting."

"What do you mean?"

"I would say you have the hots for him, but are fighting it all of the way. Now though, I'd say Peeta-"

"Oh no!" Katniss moaned burying her face in her hand. "I don't want to hear whatever is going to come out of your mouth."

"What, that Peeta is hot goods. There isn't a person in this office who isn't turned on by him. I'm assuming you denied him the sweater?"

"Yeah."

"Good for you. But you've got to be careful. This place, I swear, sometimes I think the walls are bugged. As for Peeta, I'm certain he's as impressed as I am..." Cinna said momentarily getting a faraway look in his eyes before shaking his head slightly.

"Yeah, but he doesn't like me," Katniss mumbled.

"Look, I can't help you with that. I can, however, help transform you into Cinderella."

"Am I that bad?"

"No, not really, but I've seen you eat your fair share of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. So it means you either are a penny pincher or don't have enough cash to treat yourself to something that doesn't come from a thrift store." Cinna smiled gently. "Now I've seen you put in money for the birthday tin with no problem and that one time we ordered lunch, the biggest tip came from you, so I know you're not a penny pincher. So which one is it: ailing parent, or needy sibling?"

Cinna was right about the food. After sending money to her family members, she barely had enough money left over from her paycheck to cover the cost of living. But it meant plenty of cheap, easy foods: cereal, tea, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, value brand canned soups, and grilled cheeses. Every once in a while, she splurged on deli meat or some fresh fruit or vegetable.

"I have a mom who needs a live-in nurse. I send money home to her and I also help pay for my sister's school tuition."

Cinna whistled. "Okay, so dire straits, damsel in distress who doesn't want to be in distress."

How Cinna got her, she didn't know. "I basically don't have friends. All I do is work. I landed an internship here and I've worked my way up."

"Ah, that explains the laptop."

Katniss frowned.

"IT only gives those laptops to the interns because they tend to junk things. You've kept pretty good care of it, I have to say."

Katniss grinned. "I want my deposit back."

Cinna laughed. He stood up and said. "I'm going to make a few calls, just be ready."

Katniss nodded.

"Oh, and Katniss, if you ever want to do lunch, you can come to my office. You're good people and I like you."

"Cinna…" She hesitated. Despite the corporate policy of no dating, Katniss wanted to make sure Cinna knew she wasn't interested. He was a beautiful man, but she just wasn't into dating.

"Katniss, before you say another word, I'm involved, and you're not my type, even if I were available."

Katniss stared at him and then it dawned on her. "Oh, congrats."

"I knew you were smart. Now about lunch, a group of us huddle down in my office instead of the cafeteria. You should come."

"I will." Katniss smiled.

Chapter Text

The next day, Peeta was off, back to the corporate offices of District Thirteen. Katniss hoped the samples would be a great success. Panem Inc. really did need the orders.

The office was quieter without Peeta. At night, his sweater taunted her. Katniss tried to resist the sweater. But it felt so good against her skin and one night she fell asleep with it tightly wrapped around her.

One week before she was supposed to go on her trip with Peeta, she was in Cinna's office eating her precious apple. Katniss was on the sofa, scrolling through emails, deleting the ones that were taken care of.

Annie sat in a chair opposite her. She'd become a regular and they were now a trio. Annie didn't want to spend her lunchtime with Finnick. One, she wanted to ward off rumors, and two, she said she needed time outside of their relationship to remember she was a normal human being.

Katniss wasn't sure what Annie meant by the second thing, as officially she'd never been in a relationship.

"Sorry about that," Cinna said, shutting the door to his office. He sat back down to his salad.

"Katniss," Annie asked quietly.

"Yeah?" Katniss muttered munching on her apple.

"Do you really hate Peeta?"

Katniss nearly choked on her apple.

"Whoa," Cinna said quickly, giving her a bottle of water. He sat by her side on the sofa. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Katniss said, her embarrassment was overwhelming.

"Sorry, didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," Annie said apologetically.

"No," Cinna said. "No don't be sorry, it's the elephant in the room."

"The elephant?" Katniss didn't understand what the heck Annie and Cinna were going on about.

"He is one of the nicest guys," Annie said.

"Unless he gets around Katniss," Cinna snorted.

"Really Cinna, in your entire history at Panem Inc., when have you ever heard of Peeta being mean to someone," Annie shot daggers at Cinna.

"Once," Cinna said, lips thin.

Katniss perked up. No one ever said anything nasty about Peeta. Everyone sang his praises. He got under her skin unlike anyone else. It also didn't help that he was good looking and now she knew how his eyes changed shades when he was happy or mad or frustrated.

"Who?" Annie's soft voice held her annoyance.

"Cato Yeager," Cinna winked.

Annie chuckled. "You got me. If Peeta reamed Yeager, it was for a reason. That man is an A-hole."

"I heard it was because Yeager made some girl cry."

"Her name is Willow, from Accounts Payable," Katniss whispered. Of course, the one person Peeta had been mean to deserved it. Willow was a sweet kind girl. Katniss sighed, wishing she could curse as easily as others.

"So back to Peeta," Annie mused. "It's like he doesn't know what to do when he's around you."

"Hmmm," Cinna said thoughtfully.

"Possibly because I'm annoying," Katniss said miserably. Her hand holding the apple hung limply. Once more she thought about him, about his sweater folded underneath the blanket along with the satchel of cinnamon, which was the very taste of his lips. Cinnamon and vanilla. He was yummy, better than cookies.

"You're not annoying," Annie said.

There was a thunderclap sound that filled the air. It was Cinna's phone. He stood up looking at Katniss puzzled.

Annie lowered her voice as Cinna spoke on the phone. "I want you to stop feeling sorry for yourself. I want to shake that you're not worthy attitude you have. You put everyone else before yourself. You don't even buy a good lunch because your mom and sister come first."

Katniss looked down. She guessed it had to do with how she grew up, with never having time for herself by prioritizing her mother and sister. Even her first time she'd put the guy before her own needs and the sex wasn't that great. She never really had friends until now. She never had been attracted to anyone the way she was attracted to Peeta.

Annie's phone buzzed as a message came in from aka-beach-boy. She rolled her eyes. "Just think about it," Annie said as she tucked her head down to answer the text message.

Katniss picked up her laptop and began to absentmindedly delete emails. She once more brought the apple to her lips. And a forbidden image of sharing an apple with Peeta and then a kiss came to her mind.

"My friends came through," Cinna said, putting his phone down.

"Pardon me?" Katniss looked up from her laptop.

"We are going to make sure you knock Peeta's socks off." He fished a card from his pocket and wrote down something before handing her the card. "Meet me tomorrow after work at this salon."

Cinna held out the card, but Katniss didn't reach for it. Part of her didn't want to go through with being poked and prodded.

"What's going on Katniss?" Annie asked.

"I'm trying to become her fairy godmother," Cinna said, still holding the card.

"Ooohhhh you're going to make her over?" Annie sat up.

"Why do you sound so cheery about this, Annie?" Katniss asked.

Annie gasped, "Oh Katniss."

"Well," Katniss looked down. "Don't tell me you think I look like a pollyanna too?"

Annie's soft eyes met hers. "The first time I saw you, I thought, I want to be her friend. There's someone who's going to take over the world."

"What?" Her eyes widened.

"I'm so shy, it's embarrassing really. You see a problem and you never let it intimidate you. You figure out a way around it. I wish I was brave like you."

Katniss was embarrassed and she was sure it showed up on her face.

"You are beautiful, but you don't see it and I think," Annie pauses. Her voice was soft and kind, "It's about time you saw what we see." She took Katniss' hand, and Katniss didn't pull away. "Please," Annie begged. "Let Cinna wave his magic wand and bring out what's inside of you." Annie gave Katniss another soft look, "It's not about the clothes. Clothing doesn't make anyone; it's just a pretty wrapper. It's about feeling good about yourself. And I'm sure Cinna would never put you in anything that would make you feel uncomfortable."

Cinna put's three fingers up in the air, "I would never allow you to be put into something that would overwhelm you."

"See," Annie said. "Just look at the man, he's a fashion plate. I know a few fellas that are jealous of his loafers."

Cinna smiled and he had the card back in his hands.

Katniss waivered. "I don't know how to be girly."

"You don't have to be girly, Katniss. You're a fierce warrior. In my head, you're an archer. Like an Amazon or some sort of unwilling rebellion leader in a dystopian society."

"Now you've gone too far," Katniss snickered.

"And Cinna is definitely the fairy godmother archetype that dresses you, to emphasize your importance," Annie sighed.

"I've always wanted to be the fairy godmother. I don't like the term godfather, because I can't picture myself putting a horse head on your bed."

Katniss wrinkled her nose at the mention of that movie. A friend from back home loved that movie. He quoted The Godfather all of the time.

Cinna waved the card.

Katniss took the card and said, "Alright fine." She wasn't sure she should go and debated it. But this was Cinna whom Katniss now considered her friend.

"I cannot wait to see you, in your new duds," Annie squeals. "Cinna's right; Peeta is not going to know what hit him."

Katniss didn't hear Annie's last words, as her focus was thrown by the anxiety of tomorrow evening's promise. For the rest of the day, and the next day, suddenly nothing the job threw her way could top the fact that tonight Cinna's stylish friends were going to be molding her into some sort of modern Cinderella. She wasn't sure she could afford the clothing Cinna and his friends cooked up for her. No doubt she was going to walk away with one hella expensive t-shirt as this week's splurge was a bag of apples that were dirt cheap.

Somehow she swallowed her fear of being duped and went.

Cinna was waiting for her outside the Salon.

"I was worried you wouldn't come," Cinna said, handing her a hot to-go cup of tea. She could feel its warmth through the sleeve of the cup.

"Truthfully, I considered it a dozen times."

Cinna opened the door to the salon. "Come along dear, my friends await. My friend Venía has been chomping at the bits to get her hands on your virgin locks."

Katniss looked around the posh settings; the salon looked like its clientele were the type who paid hundreds of dollars for a haircut. "Cinna I didn't budget money for this."

"Trust me," Cinna said. "When my friends heard about your story they all wanted to do something nice. They're waiting for you. They are going to make sure you are resplendent."

Katniss nodded, rather afraid. His friends were nice, but intense. They were all trendy fashionistas. Katniss felt rather dull compared to the spiked teal hair, and the green tattoos.

She was plucked, dipped, bathed in green gook, yellow gook, rubbed, and messaged. It was hard work to keep from flinching every time she was slathered in some lotion or potion. They brought out racks of clothing. Katniss clutched at her robe.

"You need a sweet Alice + Olivia collarless black suit," Cinna said, grabbing a jacket and slim trousers. "You'll need a killer dress, this one-shouldered ruched dress, this camel Givenchy belted shirtdress." He handed them to her.

Katniss held them, feeling helpless. She took a look at the camel dress and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Cinna this dress costs $1490. I can't afford this."

"These are samples that were given to my friends. A lot of this stuff they'll never wear because it's not their style. Here, take this black Givenchy, you can use it with your black suit jacket."

"Now let's find you some shoes," Cinna said.

Katniss looked at herself in the mirror. She was a different person. The clothing hung elegantly on her and she was surprised at how nice she looked.

"Like I said before, you aren't horrible. What you needed was a little polish."

"How can I repay you?"

"There is no need for repayment Katniss; you've let me become a friend. I've seen how you treat the people you care about and that to me is the greatest gift."

Katniss smiled. She did like Cinna; the man was sweet and brilliant.

"Now remember, I'm betting on you to win Peeta's heart."

"Please, he doesn't see me that way," Katniss snorted.

"Girl, you just don't see what I see. Believe me, Peeta is very aware of you."

Katniss doubted him, but she couldn't deny the creature in the mirror staring back at her. This woman could very well handle anything Peeta threw her way.

Chapter Text

By the time they were done, Katniss needed a week to rest. She had more clothes than what her closet could handle. Katniss stripped and grabbed Peeta's sweater; she donned it, intent on sorting her clothing. She thought to perhaps send some of it to her sister, though Prim was taller and fuller shaped than Katniss. But she was sure her sister could use a few things. She must have fallen asleep because when she woke up the morning sun was in her eyes. Getting up, she quickly showered and dressed in one of her new outfits Cinna had given her. She packed her lunch, grabbed her purse, and was on her way to the office.

When she arrived, she stepped out onto the twelfth floor as usual.

"Katniss."

She turned to see both Peeta and Flavius staring at her. Peeta blinked and nodded at her and she swore she saw something flash in his eyes. However Flavius's response was comical, his mouth was open and his eyes were wide as he shook his head from side to side as if he couldn't compute what he was looking at.

"Is that a Fendi pleated-"

"Caramel skirt." Katniss finished for Flavius. "Yes, it is."

Peeta checked his watch. "You ready? I don't want to fall behind."

"Yes," Katniss said, glad she'd taken her laptop with her last night even though she hadn't been able to do any work.

As they rode in the elevator, he said nothing to her about her new outfit or her haircut or the lowlights Cinna and his friends put into her hair. His eyes were glued to his phone. Katniss stood straighter and decided to ignore him as well.

"We got our first big order thanks to you. I sent over your recommendations to Boggs. He was impressed and can't wait to meet you."

The elevator dinged and they were at Supply Chain. This was an open floor with people separated by projects. To Katniss, they looked like a hive of workers moving back and forth.

"Lyme," Peeta greeted. Lyme was the head of the department. She didn't like to be with the other heads of department. She liked to be with her floor. She reminded Katniss of one of the Games of Thrones characters. She was tall and imposing and she could see the woman brandishing a sword as deftly as she wielded her pen across the screen of her tablet.

Katniss had only seen Lyme once at the mandatory Labor Day party, and even from afar, the woman was intimidating. In-person, Katniss didn't even want to make eye contact with her, let alone be in the same room with her. Normally she dealt with Nicole who was the dedicated buyer for the team when she dealt with Caesar.

"Peeta," Lyme nodded and began walking toward a conference space they called the Training Room.

There were people gathered that Katniss didn't really deal with.

"Evergreen here got us our first real purchase order," Peeta said sitting down. "I've emailed the team, and I'm here to go over the forecast."

A murmur went through the gathered group as Katniss sat down. She was glad once more Peeta held a seat for her that had a plug for her laptop.

"Good, you are ahead of the others, what is the timeline?"

Katniss jumped in. "Given the short turnaround time, I persuaded Nicole and her team to have contracts ready to be able to buy and start delivering to the stores within the next three weeks."

"We need products quicker," Peeta said. His eyes were trained on her with such an intensity she blushed.

She tore her gaze away and replied, "Three weeks is the shortest amount of time they could give."

"Not good enough, Lyme what can we do to expedite."

"I looked over Nicole's notes, Peeta. The majority of products are shipped on boats. That takes time, not to mention that they also have to pass through customs and be shipped to our factories. You know damn well production needs time to manufacture and ship."

"Can we have them flown in?" He was looking down at his phone. Katniss realized there was a dance happening here.

Lyme gave him an unreadable look.

"We just got another order and it's bigger than the last. I just emailed it to you."

"Really?" Lyme gasped when she saw the purchase order. "I'll see what I can do."

Katniss liked the way Peeta handled Lyme. If there was one thing Supply Chain loved, it was a big juicy order.

Peeta smiled as they moved to the next subject. When the meeting was over, Katniss was going to pack up and head to her office.

"Hungry?"

Katniss continued to put her laptop in her bag.

"Evergreen, you hungry?"

Katniss looked up surprised. "Me?"

"You've been stuck in this room for the past three hours. You must be hungry."

"I have a pb&j sandwich for lunch." She had gone one time to a business lunch with a group of people and they all had to pitch in for the meal. She didn't have money to spend on frivolous things like eating out.

"Leave it for dinner tonight. It will be a working lunch."

"I really don't think I should."

"Come on, there are things I need to discuss with you about next week."

Katniss sighed, she didn't want to go to lunch with him. It was going to be awkward and painful. She didn't have a choice, though, if he intended to talk about work. There were things she needed to know. This would be her first business trip. Didn't they just spend three hours talking about the project? She fumed, as she followed him to Cagney's, an expensive steak house.

"Welcome to Cagney's," the hostess said with a sultry voice.

Katniss rolled her eyes when she saw the hostess eye Peeta. A leggy redhead who flashed him a brilliant smile. The woman practically undressed Peeta with her eyes.

"Hi, table for two," Peeta flashed the hostess a smile and turned on that legendary charm of his.

Katniss discovered beautiful people had the ability to turn on their appeal. People who were less pretty often had to work harder for things.

"Absolutely, we have a wonderful table. This way Mr. Mellark."

Katniss trudged behind them. The woman laughed at something Peeta said, and Katniss mimicked the woman's laughter under her breath. Peeta thanked the hostess for the seating, but instead of sitting down, he held out the chair for Katniss. She had never had someone hold out a chair for her. Typically the type of places she went to were diners. There wasn't any real fine dining back home.

Katniss clutched her bag with the laptop as she sat down.

The hostess leaned over to hand him the menu, her boobs were in his face. Peeta was, of course, gracious.

"Any closer and you'll be able to tell her cup size," Katniss muttered under her breath as the woman walked away.

"What did you say?" Peeta raised that damned eyebrow of his. His eyes sparkled as if knowing full well what she'd said. That eyebrow bothered her because it was a silent question, a teasing dare to repeat herself or to save face and lie.

Staring at him in the face she repeated, "Any closer and you'll be able to tell her cup size."

Peeta laughed.

His reaction puzzled her.

"You really can't lie, can you?"

"No, I cannot," Katniss grumbled.

"It's perfect," he said warmly.

Katniss was confused by his words. Glancing at him she was struck once again by how gorgeous his blue eyes were and how they were framed by nearly translucent lashes. He had long curled lashes, the type that women paid for. He even had a small dimple when he smiled. Katniss told herself not to think about how gorgeous he was. Not to think about that shared kiss. She wiggled in her chair as heat surged through her body, as her eyes took in the breadth of his shoulders. The strong neck she wanted to press her nose to and kiss.

Peeta was the type of man a girl like her wanted to mark, as a way of letting other females know that he was taken. The word taken reminded her he wasn't interested in her. He had someone he was seeing on the side. Katniss focused on the menu, but nothing looked as delicious as the man sitting across from her and this caused her ire at him to grow.

She peeped over the edge of the menu and their eyes met. His eyes were filled with amusement, and hers communicated the indignancy she felt at being caught staring at him.

"Do you have a question about the menu?"

His pretentious question mounted her ire. She looked at the menu, "No, it's, goodness the prices. I can't afford anything." The price for a burger was astronomical.

"It's on me, but if you're concerned you can order the lunch special."

"I can't let you buy me lunch!" Katniss was considering taking out her sandwich. "We can go back to the office. I can eat my lunch and you can eat...well whatever it is you eat."

"Don't worry, I let Snow know I was taking you to lunch."

"Why?"

"You've done well with the project. Snow is impressed by you and your dedication."

"How does he know?"

"I sent him the order last night. He knows that it was your hard work and diligence that cinched the contract and orders. Boggs was very impressed with the items you found."

"Oh." That was unexpected.

"I have an alternative reason," Peeta said quietly.

His eyes sparkled mischievously.

Katniss frowned wondering what was going to come out of his mouth now. The one thing she could say was that when Peeta was around her he was playful.

"I want to know how my sweater is doing?"

His grin caused her to narrow her eyes. "Afraid I made voodoo dolls?"

"Did you?"

His question showed his alarm, but his face conveys nothing. Katniss sat back wanting to milk the moment.

"Well?"

Her smile emerged and she knew she looked deranged like the Grinch's smile when he decided to steal all of the Who's Christmas presents. "No."

"Good." He then gave her a look that caused dampness to gather in her underwear. "Still wearing it?"

She didn't have to answer. She shouldn't have answered. But the conversation between Annie and Cinna still rang in her ears. What did they mean Peeta not know what to do about her? She worked for him. What else was there? What could he possibly want from her? She was devoted to his accounts and spent long weekends pouring over his emails. She even slept with his sweater.

"Tell me," Peeta asked.

"At night," the words slipped out of her mouth and she watched his eyes turn dark.

Katniss carefully observed him. His nostrils flared slightly. His hands gripped the menu tightly. Was he annoyed? she wondered or did he like the idea of her wearing his sweater? Katniss looked down at herself. Even in her new shiny wrapping, she was still that pollyanna, the girl who was backward and annoying.

Peeta looked at her and he opened his mouth, but the waiter came.

"Good afternoon-" the young man spoke.

Peeta sighed before he smiled at the waiter. "Hello."

"My name is Dimitry, and I will be your waiter today. Do you know what you would like to eat or do you need time to look at the menu?"

Peeta placed his order but when he turned to Katniss. He softly reminded her, "Remember you can choose whatever you want."

She became flustered, as her stomach growled. Heat filled her cheeks as she saw the steak on the menu. The last time she had access to a buffet she didn't eat because of him, she was so angry at him. Her peanut butter and jelly sandwiches sometimes left her hungry. To be fair, she hadn't had a real meal in so long that she didn't know what to choose.

"May I suggest the Chefs special, lamb stew over wild rice," Dimitry suggested.

"That sounds better than what I ordered. I'll take that," Peeta said.

Katniss saw that Peeta was giving her an opening, "That does sound good."

When the waiter left, Peeta said, "Let's get to work." He smiled that fake business smile that made her want to slap him.

Katniss took out her notebook and pen as Peeta prattled on. This smile was cheesy and comical but everyone liked Peeta, despite this corny facial expression. His smile reminded her of her ex-Darius. The slimeball she dated back in College. Both he and Peeta had that same charming personality. It was one of the reasons she didn't like Peeta. Thinking of Darius made her feel unworthy. She shook her head and focused on Peeta's words.

"The second order is twice as big and they've promised a few more before the major order if we can come up with more creative ideas."

"Alright," Katniss said.

"I want to wow them, impress them that no matter what happens they should feel they are taken care of.

Katniss made notes. This conversation was more her speed than the flirtatious banter they had earlier.

"You're familiar with the District Thirteen Discount Stores?"

"Where I come from there aren't many choices, D13 stores as we call them offer an inexpensive alternative, outside of the Hob."

"What's the hob?"

"It's a flea market type of place, you can get a lot of locally made items. For example, my mom knits so she'll trade or sell her scarves and mittens at the Hob."

"The grey sweater you wear, your mom made that?"

"Yeah," Katniss lowered her lashes. He didn't see her transformation, but her clunky sweater he recalled.

"Your mother is quite talented. I like the one that looks like the sunset, it's like a soft orange."

"Really." She was shocked he liked her mother's home-crafted sweater.

"It's my favorite color." His voice was soft and his eyes were warm.

Katniss hadn't expected him to sound so genuine she felt a sting in her heart. As if cupid had shot an arrow through her heart. She blinked several times trying to come up with something to say. Finally, she blurted, "Like your sweater."

"Yeah, exactly."

Katniss was breathless. At that moment she forgot about everything, except for the man sitting in front of her. Everything became hazy as if she was looking through soft covered lenses.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Green."

"Like the woods."

"Yeah," she said softly.

She couldn't help but look at him. His blue eyes were bright and his lips lifted into a small smile that made him look younger, like a guy who was suddenly vulnerable and shy. Her heart raced as Katniss had another face to add to Peeta Mellark. It occurred to her his smile was not contrived; it was friendly and inviting. She noted the crinkles in his mouth when he did. Katniss realized this smile was authentic. Most of the time his lips and eyes didn't crinkle. This face caused her toes to curl.

The food arrived and the moment was broken.

After this, they ate and discussed business. Katniss wrote down what he was saying. He had a lot of creative input and Katniss was impressed by the level of detail. He was more than a sales guy, he was an artist with a vision for what he wanted for the stores.

"So what do you think?"

"It sounds good?"

"Any suggestions for our upcoming trip?"

Katniss said, "I want to suggest we bring Cinna with us so that he can spend time with Tigris. He will be able to absorb the culture and understand what kind of company they are."

"I didn't think about that," he said.

"Thank you," Katniss smiled.

He smiled back.

"Are you excited about the trip?"

"Nervous," Katniss confessed.

"You don't have anything to worry about you're going to be great."

"Really." Katniss was nervous about meeting clients. She wasn't really good with meeting new people and took a while for her to warm up and vise versa.

She expected him to say something. When Peeta frowned at her Katniss was stung, then she looked at the mirror behind Peeta's head and saw Cressida heading their way. Before she knew it the woman was standing by the table.

"Hi." Cressida cocked her hip and batted her lashes.

"Cressida," Peeta said, his eyes flew to Katniss.

Katniss nervously stared at the gorgeous woman.

"I heard about your big order, congratulations." She smiled, her eyes flashing, like a predator toward Katniss. "I would like to take you out for a drink."

Katniss shook her head and stood up. "I've got to get back to the office."

Peeta stood. "You haven't finished your meal."

"It looks like you're going to be busy." Katniss looked at Cressida who sat down at the table.

He reached out and grasped her wrist loosely. He softly brushed his thumb up the inside of her wrist sending electric currents up her arm. His eyes implored, mimicking his word, "Stay."

Katniss's eyes flickered to Cressida's, whose face was a careful mask. But the woman's eyes were not inviting. It was a sign that said she didn't belong. "I can't...I got to go."

Peeta's hand slowly let go of hers, as she tugged it back. The moment her hand was free she missed his touch, missed the warmth of his hand. She couldn't deny he was imprinted into her psyche. Katniss walked away feeling as if she lost something. Pushing her turmoil aside, she focused on the work. The rest of the day was a blur. When she arrived back at her desk she found a paper bag with a sticky note.

Frowning she took the note. It read, "Sorry you didn't get to finish your meal. I asked for your meal to be boxed up and I ordered you dessert. I took a chance and ordered a "death by chocolate". - Peeta."

Katniss sat down at her desk and she stared blindly at the hand that had held his. It still radiated his touch. Here was another body part that held a memory. She touched her lips and they ached to be kissed once again. Standing up she muttered, "Katniss, stop wanting a man who clearly does not want you."

As she left the office, she wondered if there was a way to exorcise a man from her life.

Chapter Text

PEETA POV

Peeta sat in his office, face in his hands. Nothing was going right. He knew he was being a massive jerk to one Katniss Everdeen. What he didn't know was how to dig himself out of the hole he'd gotten himself into with his big mouth.

The office was quiet. Today at lunch he wanted to keep talking to her because her voice was melodic. Katniss Everdeen was the one woman he wanted and the one woman that was inaccessible to him. The business luncheon seemed more like a date. When Cressida had found him, he wanted to yell and tell Cressida to go away.

He was desperate to keep Katniss with him, but she had slipped away. Frustrated, he pounded the keys of his keyboard.

There was a time he didn't like her. There was a time he found her annoying. Then they were forced to work together. His intent was to be fair and a good team leader. Then she showed up to the barbeque wearing his sweater, looking beautiful, and all of his thoughts about being a good supervisor went out of the window.

She had this effect on him, that made him equal parts nervous and horndog. He turned into a fumbling teenager with a first crush.

Stupidly, he had kissed her. No, he mauled her, tasting her. She tasted of evergreens, mint, and sweetness. He rubbed his face and his mind once more replayed that kiss. That sweet alluring five-alarm fire kiss. To say he was tongue tide was an understatement. To this day he couldn't forget it and every time he was around her the only way to combat the need to kiss her was to stay something stupid, but when he said it, he felt horrid.

He thought he would wipe the slate clean and begin again, but then he butchered the pact they made. Anytime they were together he ended up insulting her, right after he gave her a compliment. Why couldn't he just stop at the compliment? Why did he have to bait her? Why couldn't he stop himself from being such a dickwad toward her?

Katniss was everything. Loyal. Smart. Hard-working. Whitty. Interesting. Family oriented. Compassionate. Inspiring. Determined. Genuine. Trustworthy. Thoughtful. Peeta could come up with a thousand different adjectives to describe Katniss, hell he could spend a lifetime describing her and he wouldn't tire. Every time he discovered something new about her made him want to cherish her.

Peeta sat back in his chair. Thinking about how beautiful she was during lunch. He wanted to say more but all he did was share that his favorite color was soft orange.

Now he had no idea how to disentangle the web he'd found himself in. Ironically he could sweet-talk people into spending millions of dollars on idle junk, but he couldn't find the words to tell the woman he was obsessed with that he worshiped the ground she walked on.

"Mellark!"

Peeta looked up to see Finnick Odair standing in his office. He closed the door behind him rather forcefully as he walked in. Finnick and had been in the same fraternity. They knew each other well. Finnick had been there for the accident that changed his life. Momentarily Finnick looked like he wanted to rip Peeta apart.

"What are you doing here so late?"

"I was working and saw your light was on and came to open a can of whoop-ass Mellark," Finnick growled.

"I'm guessing Annie-" Peeta didn't get to finish.

"Annie is ready to stick a lead pencil in your eyeball the next time she sees you in a meeting. She said Cinna told her you made Katniss cry! "

Peeta winced. Katniss was a friend of both Annie and Finnick. There was no way Finnick wouldn't find out about every wrong thing Peeta did and said. Once more he thought about the luncheon. He thought he was making grounds with Katniss. They had flirted and he sensed that maybe she was letting her guard down, but then Cressida showed up. It was like water being poured over a fire, everything fizzled. Katniss withdrew, and even though he tried to get her to stay, she'd gathered all of her things and fled.

"What the fuck is your problem, Mellark?"

"I have no words or excuses," Peeta said.

Finnick sat in the chair, looking like Thor or Odin ready to dispense justice on his tomfoolery.

"I like her," he sighed and rubbed his face, then he leaned back in his chair and looked up. The words slipping out of his mouth like a fervent prayer. "I like her a lot."

"But."

"It's just every time I open my mouth I cannot find the words to tell her and I get knotted up," he confessed miserably.

Finnick gave him a piercing look. "You made her cry."

Peeta was frustrated. "For some reason whenever we are talking I think about Snow and what he will do if he hears about me flirting with Katniss, and I become this super jerk."

"Snow?"

"He will fire us. I'll be okay but dammit she needs this job."

"Look Peeta," Finnick said. "No one in this company understands the position you find yourself in as much as I do. If you have feelings for her then you will do everything in your power to protect her. However..." he trailed off.

"However?"

"I also know you're not the most experienced guy with women. Given the bionic leg."

His metal leg is the result of an accident that happened in College. He was standing outside of the frat house when a drunk driver slammed into him. He spent the majority of his next four years in hospitals and rehabilitation. He graduated, but with difficulties. He had to prove himself every day despite his missing leg. It wasn't easy dating; most women hit the hills when they found out he was missing a leg. Those who stuck around wanted to smother him.

He wanted a real relationship with a woman who challenged him. Not a woman who would be repulsed by his leg or one who pitied him. His instincts told him Katniss was such a woman, but he couldn't touch her, and frankly, he was afraid. That caused him to be a dick toward her.

"Finnick." Peeta ran his hands through his hair. "No one knows about my leg."

"I know, and I also know how much losing your leg has affected you. You went to university on a scholarship, then in your freshman year, you lost a leg. I know how hard you fought to get here. I also know women have rejected you because of your leg. You're not exactly suave with women, but still, you made her cry."

"What do I do, Finnick?"

"Stop saying hurtful, wrong things to her."

Finnick was right. "Finnick," he opened his mouth and shut it.

"Don't say my name again unless you mean to buy me a diamond ring." Finnick winked. "But seriously, telling her that her clothing wasn't adequate and then when she showed up today looking like a million dollars you didn't say anything to her was just rude."

"How did you know?"

"You forget Flavius spreads news faster than Usain Bolt can run a 100 meters."

Peeta forgot Flavius was there this morning when she stepped off the elevator. She was striking with her rich olive skin tone and grey eyes but in the new clothing that accentuated her figure. She was stunning.

"She looked cute; everyone in the office is talking about her transformation."

"That's where you're wrong Finnick. She didn't look cute. Katniss looked amazing today. Breathtaking, I mean she's always been gorgeous. I couldn't come up with a single word. I tried speaking and nothing came out so I pretended to look at my watch." Peeta ran his hand through his hair once more. He was sure he looked like an idiot with his cowlick showing. "I've screwed the pooch so many times with Katniss I'm not surprised there aren't a litter of puppies running around."

Finnick laughed.

"It's true."

"I have another question. If you like Katniss that much, then what hell is up with Cressida?"

"There is nothing going on between me and Cressida?"

Finnick gave him a disbelieving look. "Are you sure? I saw you guys leaving the restaurant together today. Cressida looks at you as if you were her favorite snack."

"More like her next bonus."

"What are you talking about?"

"Cressida's an executive headhunter. She came here under the pretext to work with Snow as a consultant. In reality, Cressida specializes in finding talent and recruiting them for a competitor or a company with a lateral position that their talents and abilities would fit. She wants me to sign up with another company."

"Really," Finnick said.

"It's why she wanted me at the launch party, and why she showed up today during my lunch with Katniss." Peeta closed his eyes. "It's a great opportunity, something I didn't even think about until Cressida pointed it out to me. It's for a company called Sejanus Ware Inc. They specialize in women's undergarments."

"Why not go for it? Get out from underneath Snow's thumb."

"I'm considering it. Also, believe it or not, I want to bring Katniss with me; she's brilliant and she'd be an asset." It was true, in the new company there wasn't a policy against coworkers dating. It was a family-run business and the owner liked their employees in committed relationships. Such a difference from working for Snow who expected his employees to bleed for the company.

"Does Katniss know this?"

"No," Peeta shook his head. "No one except for you knows."

"Well if you're going to tell Cressida that you want Katniss to go with you, you should first ask Katniss, don't you think?"

Peeta sighed heavily. "If I can't tell her that I have feelings for her, how am I supposed to ask her to leave with me?"

"You have to try."

"I know, I just have to be careful...no one can know that I might be leaving the company."

"You should start with making sure Katniss understands you don't have anything going on with Cressida and you should make sure Cressida understands you have a thing for Katniss. Because even though you said that Cress is a headhunter, the way she was looking at you wasn't for pure business reasons."

"I don't know, Finn?"

"Trust me, Peeta. You have to talk to Katniss and ask her if she wants to go with you. You should ask her out on a date as well. Then you have to make sure Cressida understands you only are interested in the job and not her."

"When did life get so complicated?"

"When we hit puberty; that's when our lives turned upside down."

"I'm walking a fine line, and I can't let Snow find out. I'm glad right now he's blinded by the orders we're getting from D13."

"Damn, Snow will be pissed off. He's picking up on Katniss' value. I've heard rumors he wants to move her up to his floor."

"Who told you that?" Peeta was horrified. If Snow got his clutches on Katniss there was no telling what he would do to her. Actually, Peeta knew Snow would take advantage of her.

Peeta discovered she was not hired as an Account Manager. She was a Junior Administrative Assistant who was doing the job of an Account Manager. It was Haymitch who put her name in the bowl because there was an unequal number of sales personnel.

She was at the low end of the wages, doing the job of someone in a senior position. Katniss was the dream employee. She didn't complain, worked on the weekends even though before she wasn't getting paid for it, and no one had ever stopped to promote her. And she'd be exploited even more if she went to Snow's floor. Snow wouldn't give her a raise or any perks. He'd keep her at that position and she'd become a slave for him.

"Clove."

Peeta felt angry but didn't dare voice what he thought about that woman. She was a viper.

"Yeah, she's really jealous of Katniss." Finnick sighed. "Clove likes to torture Annie."

"I'm going to talk to Cressida about Katniss. I'll tell her that we're a package deal."

"Good," Finnick said.

Peeta winced thinking about what Finnick said earlier. "Does Annie really want to stick a lead pencil in my eye?"

Finnick chuckled. "Yeah."

"Great," Peeta sat back. "How do I even begin to fix this? I've messed up so badly with Katniss. I want her to see me not as an egotistical jerk who needs his balls cut off but as a good guy."

"Well for one you have to tell her she looks nice. Don't say hot, or HR will get you." Finnick looked at him pointedly

"I get so nervous around her."

"Picture you're talking to someone else."

Peeta wasn't sure that was going to help him. No matter his success at the company. He was still that geeky kid who couldn't believe he was accepted into the fraternity. The geeky kid with a metal leg, who was still shy around women.

"Also you have to tell her about Cressida."

"How the heck do I tell her? Do I go, hey, I know you think Cressida wants me, but it's not the want you think. She wants to hire us for another company. I know you hate me but do you think we can jump ship together?"

"Yeah just like that, except I wouldn't mention the hate thing."

"Do you think she likes me?"

"Are you kidding me?" Finnick rolled his eyes heavenward. "You both are idiots. This is the last time I do something like this," he muttered.

"Well?"

"You're a moron and have the brain of a fruit fly if you can't see that Katniss looks at you like she'd like to lick her favorite gelato."

"What?"

"She likes you, but you're such a jerk toward her that you're pushing her away. She's going to hate you."

Peeta stared at Finnick, unsure if he should believe him.

"Peeta I've known you for years, and I've never seen you this wound up about a girl. Not that there have been a lot of women, but you've got to get a grip. You like her, so be nice to her. Be courteous. And remember what I said about complimenting her; women like that. And if you feel like saying something stupid just picture my Annie with a number 2 pencil."

Finnick rapped his hand on the desk before he left.

Everything Finnick said made sense and was true. He needed to get his head out of his ass.

Peeta sighed and raked his hand through his hair. It was a good thing Finnick didn't know about the sweater. If he had mentioned it, there was no way Peeta would have survived. Finnick wasn't someone to mess around with when he took someone under his wing.

Though the thought of her sleeping with his sweater did things to him. He imagined what she looked like wearing his sweater and his blood pressure skyrocketed. His hands shook.

"Peeta get a grip on yourself. You like her and Finnick's right. You need to find a way to be nice to her," he reprimanded himself under his breath.

He needed to change and the first thing he needed to do was advocate for her. In the morning he was going to go down to HR. He planned to file to have her promoted to Account Manager which would mean a pay increase. He would also fight for Katniss to receive the overtime she deserved. He also needed to do something about that rickety laptop that he swore she kept alive on willpower alone.

Tomorrow he promised things were going to change. He was going to show Katniss Everdeen just how important she was to him.

Chapter Text

The knock on her door startled Katniss. It was super early in the morning, and there usually wasn't anyone else in the office so early. Katniss looked up to see Peeta standing in her doorway and the pen she held rolled across the paper and landed with a soft thud at his feet.

She watched him bend down and pick up her pen. He wasn't wearing a jacket and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up. Her mouth went dry at the sight of his forearms. Katniss wondered why the sight of his muscular forearms framed by his rolled-up sleeve looked so sexy.

Why did she find him so appealing? He was typically a jerk toward her, her nemesis. Although, when he held her wrist and asked her to stay, his eyes were sympathetic. In hindsight, he looked desperate. Katniss would have sat right back down, had Cressida not scared her away. Well who was she kidding, Cressida was gorgeous, and despite her makeover, she still didn't see herself as a great beauty. In her head, she was still plain Katniss.

Still, he asked her, Katniss Everdeen, to stay with such need.

Yet she behaved like a mouse when the light turned on, running for cover.

Katniss was mad at herself for running away because it dawned on her they had been civil toward each other during the meeting, and they actually got along during lunch. True, Peeta hadn't noted how she looked. But he did compliment her mother's handmade sweater. Plus, he brought her leftovers and dessert, and left it on her desk with a sweet note that read: "Dessert wasn't the same without you."

It was sweet and completely unexpected from him. Now, this morning, he stood in front of her desk looking better than the dessert he had left. She bet he tasted better too.

"Morning," Peeta said, placing the pen on her desktop.

"Good Morning," she greeted.

For a moment they stared at each other. The air was charged between them, it caused goosebumps to erupt on her skin. Katniss couldn't look away. She was fascinated by the way his eyes widened then darkened. Her eyes traveled to his lips and she could recall how they felt pressed against hers. The way he tasted, sweet combination of cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar.

She took a deep breath and she could smell his addictive scent. Her hands itched to reach out and pull him closer and bury her face in his neck. The urge to plant her lips on his was overwhelming. And when his eyes dipped to her lips, Katniss sat up straighter and forced herself to tear her gaze away from Peeta.

Katniss looked down at her emails to try to compose herself. She wondered why he was here. "Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked. Her hands were shaky, so she placed them on her lap.

"About yesterday."

"You don't have to explain."

"I do," he stammered and he blushed.

Men didn't blush, did they? But here in front of her was Peeta Mellark, her mortal adversary, the man she dreamt of at night wrapped up in his sweater; looked ruddy and boyish.

"It's okay, I know you're seeing Cressida and it's none of my business." She cleared her throat before she asked again, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I wanted to tell you how nice you looked yesterday and to say I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel bad for the way you dressed. I was a prick. What I should have said is that this meeting is important and that you should pack a few evening outfits that are for after work, you know, for dinners and such."

Her mouth hung open.

"Just...you...I mean you are doing a great job...and I'm not seeing Cressida." He then shook his head then muttered, "I'm totally messing this up."

His words caused her to flush and she closed her mouth. Was Peeta Mellark telling her he was single? Katniss was tempted to look behind her and make sure there wasn't anyone standing there. "I'm sorry?"

"It's a business thing with Cressida. She and I, we're not together. I'm not dating her or anyone." He smiled and it wasn't that cocky grin she was used to. This was a soft smile that caused his face to become splotchy. His eyes even conveyed warmth.

It took all of her strength to keep her jaw from falling open again. Was he trying to flirt with her? Her heart hammered in her chest. He was so handsome; his eyes glittered like jewels and it occurred to Katniss, that this sweet and genuine smile was all for her.

"Is this a ploy to get your sweater back?" She blurted the first thing that came flying through her addled brain.

He laughed, then grinned. "Maybe. I just want to know if you're being good to my sweater and not making it a doll to stick pins into."

Katniss found herself smiling back at him. "Don't know, the day is still early."

He put his hand up with the Boy Scout sign, before saying, "I swear I will be on my best behavior."

"Okay."

"I have a question," he paused. He slipped his hands in his pockets.

Katniss waited while he shuffled his feet.

"If you had the chance to work for another company and make more money, would you?"

"Another company?"

"Let's imagine I came to you with an opportunity to work with me at another company. Someplace where you were offered a better position and more money. A place where you wouldn't have to worry about Snow."

Katniss wasn't sure what Peeta was saying.

"I know I don't make sense, but if the opportunity arose, would you take it?"

"More money and a better work environment?"

"Yeah," Peeta took a step toward her.

"If it would help my family, then yes."

He looked relieved at her answer and he smiled and his shoulders relaxed. "Okay."

"Okay," Katniss said quietly. Something shifted between them and she felt the earth shake beneath her feet. Her heart pounded against her chest. He turned to leave and Katniss found the breath she held escaped.

"Oh and Katniss, I am glad we were paired together."

"You are?"

"Yeah, I'd be a fool, if I didn't realize how talented and smart you are. Not to mention savvy and beautiful."

His parting words had her turning into a hot mess.

Katniss couldn't believe Peeta called her savvy and beautiful. Her cheeks became inflamed. She didn't know what was worse: when Peeta traded barbs with her or when he paid her compliments. When they fought, she knew where she stood and she could defend herself. Yet when he was sweet and kind she didn't know how to handle that. Unless, of course, she hid from him.

The idea of avoiding him took root and for the next few days, she began doing just that. Her biggest problem during the day became Peeta, not the haughty pain in the neck Peeta. It was the sweet, kind, Peeta who made her feel things she wasn't ready for. She didn't want to deal with the emotions he evoked, instead she did what any normal person deep in denial would do, she focused on old reliable work.

Each night she stripped herself of the clothing Cinna got for her and pulled on that comfy sweater. It was her favorite thing because she told herself the man who owned this sweater and lent it to Annie, was not a skirt chaser.

Katniss began to study him. She noticed that he never flirted with any of the women with whom he interacted. He was always friendly, courteous, and professional. He was professional and generous with the team. She was beginning to think he really was a good guy.

Her imagination took flight after they had gone down to marketing where they were having a photoshoot. Three of the models threw him sensual looks and Peeta didn't act interested. He didn't flirt. In fact, he called Katniss to stand by him. Peeta quietly asked her not to let him be alone with the women.

Katniss witnessed the way the long-legged svelte women with perfect faces flirted unabashedly with him, and he remained a courteous gentleman. Peeta did not flirt back, nor did he sneak a peek at the women when they sauntered in front of him. These women failed to get a reaction out of him. Yet when she mentioned his sweater, his ears had gone pink. And Katniss was certain Peeta watched when she walked away during lunch.

"What do you think?" Peeta asked as he looked at the screen. They were in a meeting for a holiday sales pitch that could be used nationally in the District Thirteen Discount Stores.

Cinna cleared his throat. "Katniss, he's waiting for you."

"Me?" Katniss' eyes turned toward Peeta.

"Katniss, I trust you. You have impeccable taste and you know this account." Peeta smiled.

"Ah," Katniss didn't know what to say. She focused on the image before them. The image showed three women dressed in holiday sparkly dresses making a toast in front of a decorated tree. It was beautiful. But it was missing out on the essence of the shoppers who frequented the discount stores. "It's a great shot, but it's missing families."

"Families?" Lyme asked skeptically.

Cinna began writing.

"Go on," Peeta encouraged.

"The bulk of the Shoppers who go to District Thirteen Discount stores are families." Katniss looked to Peeta, who was beaming. "Grandparents who buy chachkies for their homes and presents for their grandkids."

"Chachkies?" Lyme questioned.

"What my mother calls dust collectors, bric-a-brac, collectibles, you know things you use to decorate," Katniss said.

"What other thoughts do you have?" Peeta asked.

"We should focus on new couples celebrating their first Christmas together. Show families decorating for the holidays and exchanging gifts. We can place the product in the background and in the foreground." Katniss took a teapot from the props they didn't use and put it on a table and within moments she had different things set up on the table in an attractive display. "Something like that."

"Good notes, family hearth," Cinna said.

"Excellent job, Katniss, as always," Peeta said.

Katniss couldn't believe he had sought her opinion, listened, and then gave her praise.

"Do you think we can get other models in?" Peeta asked.

"Sure," Cinna said.

"Great!"

Katniss had gone home ridiculously happy that day. Peeta was not into glamazons with legs for days. She told herself the owner of this sweater was into homey girls who were in desperate need of cuddles, walks in the woods, and earthy rustic food.

Somehow during her time in the company, her opinion of Peeta had shifted. He wasn't her sworn enemy anymore. She wasn't his subordinate, she was his equal. He was the man she wanted to know, the man who understood she didn't need anyone but wanted to be needed just the same.

Yet despite all of this she hid the coward that she was, from him. She avoided him, avoided sitting next to him, she only emailed, never called him, and never was alone with him. She avoided him every which way she could.